Episode 214: Following Your Calling - Cindy Regan Howard

Does the thought of selling your business and transitioning to a new venture resonate with you? Perhaps you've been advised to simply tough it out and keep pushing forward, despite feeling unfulfilled and disconnected from your passions. This can lead to a sense of stagnation and frustration, leaving you longing for a more meaningful and purpose-driven path. If you're ready for a change and seeking true fulfillment, it's time to explore a more effective approach.

My special guest is Cindy Regan Howard.

Cindy Regan Howard is an experienced entrepreneur with a proven track record in business transitions. With a notable background in decorative and faux finishes, she co-founded a company that was strategically positioned for a successful sale, underscoring her astute business acumen. Currently, Cindy has initiated her own art studio, leveraging her expertise and industry connections to establish a thriving enterprise. Her journey serves as a compelling example of the impact of pursuing one's passions and adeptly utilizing skills and networks to navigate professional transformations. Cindy's reservoir of knowledge and practical experiences offers valuable insights for individuals embarking on similar entrepreneurial paths and seeking successful transitions in their careers.

You can find more about Cindy and her work on her Website.

Remarkable Quote:

“I just think if you try hard at something you really care about, there's no way that you can fail.”

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Transcript:

00:00:00
Welcome back to your next stop. This is Juliet Hahn. In this episode, I speak with Cindy Howard. She was on when I first started love what you do series way back when, episode 109, we talk about pivots. We talk about her selling the business that she originally was on, talking with us about.

00:00:17
In 109, we talk about her starting her other business. We talk about an injury where she fractured her pelvis. So many good things, you guys. I love reconnecting. This is like my new thing right now.

00:00:31
For the next month. For your next stop is sometimes reconnecting with old guests to see where they are. So you can follow Cindy on Instagram. Cindy Howard, underscore artist. You can also go to her website, which is crhstudios with an s.com.

00:00:49
Hope you guys enjoy this as much as I did.

00:00:55
So welcome back to your next stop, you guys. I'm really excited. So going into January, right? Going into 2024, this episode is going to be airing probably in February. But I was looking back at some of my old podcasts because I wanted to do, like, a highlight in January of some of my favorites.

00:01:12
But back when I really was pivoting, when I had rebranded next stop, crazy Town. So anyone that is kind of listening to this that maybe didn't know when I first started the podcast in 2019, it was personal journal stories. I really did it out of a creative need that I didn't realize I was having. I was kind of pivoting in my life. My kids were a little bit older, and podcasting kept coming up in my mind, and so I started something called next Stop, crazy Town.

00:01:36
And it was personal journal stories. They were 1015, sometimes 20 minutes of me really just talking. Cindy happened. I started interviewing people. I did quarantine stories.

00:01:47
And then from there, I started doing a series called Love what you do and then rebranded to your next stop because I realized that's what I was meant to do. I was meant to interview, and this was women at this time, meant to interview people that had followed a passion and turned into a business because that's kind of what I was doing at this moment. So, Cindy Howard, welcome back to your next stop. Thank you. It's so good to see you again.

00:02:11
It's so good. And so, Cindy, we've stayed kind of connected, I mean, through social media, but you were on episode 109, and we connected on a couple of different things. Your son is autistic. So the neurodiversity with dyslexia and all that, we were able to kind of connect in that way. But then also what you were doing at the time.

00:02:31
So this episode, again, is going to be a little bit of looking back where you were. You had this business, and then we're going to talk about the selling and then starting a new business. But I want people to follow you and find you. So you can go again. Go back to 109 if you want to kind of go and hear Cindy's journey.

00:02:49
Right. Like a little bit about her upbringing and all of that. That's a traditional, your next stop, love what you do kind of thing. And that's what we did. But so we can find you on instagram, and that's Cindy Howardist.

00:03:01
And then your website is crhstudios with an s.com. Correct. And they can see one of your beautiful. I mean, you're so talented. I absolutely love your artwork.

00:03:14
Anytime I see it, it always gives me, like, I talk about the good feels. I get just this wash that comes over me that I'm like, I could just watch. You do. You're super talented. So I'm excited to jump back into this and really share where you are.

00:03:28
Thank you. Well, yeah, back then when we talked, there's a company, decorative and faux finishes, that my friends and I had started. Like you said, if you want to listen to the whole backstory, you can. But 25 years, we have this company, another woman and myself partnered and really built a company that could be sellable. We built a crew, and we kept ourselves informed on all the different products and tools and went to classes and just met people from all over the world that did the same thing we did.

00:04:11
But we tried to build it in a way that, like I said, that we could sell it to someone else. It's like our baby, we wanted to make sure all of this that we had put together would be able to be handed off to another artisan that could really keep this business going. And really, it's more than keeping the business going. It's like keeping this skill, keeping this craft going on, because so many people don't even know what decorative painting is, all the different kinds of plasters and artistic features that we do. First of all, it's crazy fun, but so many people love having it in their homes, and we deal with a lot of designers and they help get it spread to the homes of other people.

00:05:08
So that's what we did for so many years. I want to pause you for a second, because one of the things that I loved so much, and this is going to be funny if I remember this to the t, because truth be told I started to listen to the episode and then was like, oh, I need to have Cindy on. And then I never finished listening to it, re listening to it again. But if I remember, it was at a time where your kids were younger and you were kind of doing the same thing I was doing, where it was kind of searching for the next thing and not the next thing. Meaning we were grasping at straws more of like, what is going to fulfill us because our kids are a little older, they don't need us as much and we didn't want to just sit around and be baking the cupcakes full time.

00:05:48
Right? That's how you and someone, another mother started this, because you guys started brainstorming, you started sitting down and really talking about your dreams. And that's what I think is so important for someone to go back and listen to. Because if you're in that stage of your life, if you're feeling stuck, if you have these big dreams and aspirations that maybe you're like, I don't know what to do. I don't know where to go.

00:06:10
It's always awesome because I've done that throughout my whole journey, is I always find people that I will share what my dream is, or like, this is what I'm thinking. And then you get this where it sometimes turns into this beautiful creation. I mean, doing what I just shared off camera, me being the CCO for a biotech company, I mean, who would have ever thought? But it was because I kept open, I kept kind of really perfecting my skill that I didn't really even realize was a skill. And that is the art of communications, the art of connecting people, really doing that, networking and all of that.

00:06:45
So that's really where you guys started. So it kind of started as this passion, and that's why I loved when you came on, and it was called love what you do series at the time, and that's where it went. So the fact that you just touched on, you guys also had that business mind, and that's what I want people to listen to because that's what's really important. Because you can do something as a passion, you can love it. And maybe you're not thinking of monetizing it because it's like, you know what?

00:07:09
This is what I love to do. But if you want to make it something bigger, I would love for you to kind of jump into. So, as you said, you kind of went to the classes, you learned, you packaged it so someone else can take what you guys loved, your creation, your baby, and then handed it off to them in a sale, which is huge, because then that leads us into the next stage of your life, the next pivot. So please take us through this. Okay.

00:07:34
So I have always loved art my whole life, and I have always wanted to be able to have time to do canvas art and panel art and all that. So I did. I've opened my own company. And you know what's one of the best things about it? Well, first of all, I'm already in the black, and I'm not even actually doing it full time yet.

00:07:59
So I have my own studio and everything. But part of that, it's not bragging. It's because I already had that background of knowing the designers and being able to evolve, being able to adapt. Right. The connections that I had and working it into my new business, it's taking less effort than it would for someone just starting out fresh without having all that.

00:08:36
But it's building those relationships. Yeah, it's building those relationships and then building off of it. The bragging part, I said to you, I want you to come up here and yell from the rooftops. It's not bragging because there's times where we share ourselves and we share what we've done. And if you're not someone with ego, it never comes across as bragging.

00:08:56
So I even feel like when I share what I'm doing, there's never an ego behind it. I'm proud of myself, but I also want to give someone else inspiration that if I could do it, so could you. And so it's like giving people. I'm just an average person, right? But I'm an average person that stayed curious.

00:09:13
I'm an average person that stayed consistent. I'm an average person that have big, big dreams. And when I say average person, I'm just saying, like a normal person. And it's doing that, but it's like following that thing that's in your heart, that lights you on fire, that thing that kind of makes you excited, because when you're doing what you love, you're just a better person all around. You're a better mother, you're a better wife, you're a better friend, you're a better sister.

00:09:39
Whatever it is, you're a better neighbor. You just make the people around you better. So I love that you kind of said that you learned all these skills in doing right. We have the ups and downs. We have the strengths and weaknesses.

00:09:52
I talk about this on all my podcasts. It's so important to know those, and then to find the people that maybe can help you on the things that you're a little bit weak, but you learn from them and you can learn again. My listeners know I'm dyslexic, so there's some really hard things that I'm not good at, but I can still learn. I'm in the science world. That was like my class, that I really was my worst class.

00:10:13
But I'm learning so much about the way I learn and now have a grasp and understanding because I'm opened and it's like this is what I'm meant to be doing. So the fact that you got those skills and you can start your own second business into a passion that you always wanted to do through your relationships, through what you learned, because you never stayed closed off. You always stayed opened. You have to stay open. I mean, there's no doubt about that now.

00:10:41
I knew eventually I was going to have to get off the scaffolding and the ladders and all that kind of stuff because I'm in my sixty s. I mean, I can't do that forever. But you know what? Back before we ever started that company, back when I was working with my son, so hands on with therapists and all that kind of stuff, and the therapist would say to me, oh, you should go to school for this, you're really good at it. I used to think, oh, I'm in my thirty s, I can't start a new career.

00:11:09
I mean, here I am at 60 and I'm starting a new company. So I just want to say, never think you're too old to do something. Yeah. To do something new and to open your life, open your heart up to all these, the passion that you're talking about. This is my passion.

00:11:32
And I just feel like if you are doing something, if your job is within your passion realm, there's no way that you can't produce something joyful or something beautiful that other people are going to want to be a part of. I think it's very important. Art is very important. It's to touch souls. So I really try hard to make sure that the client, the designer, they are totally in on what's going on with the pieces.

00:12:09
And it makes it a little bit harder to create art when you've got people involved or asking if they want to be involved in it. But I also think it makes that connection to their art stronger for them. No, I love that. I love that. Okay, so take us a little bit into this, as you said, and I love how you stated that because I see all these quotes now, I just turned 50, right?

00:12:35
I just turned 50. And I say I was meant to do what I did in my thirty s. I was meant to do what I was in my twenty s. Forty s. And now what I'm meant to do, truthfully, the rest of my life, like when people say, oh, like retiring, I'm going to do this until the day I drop dead.

00:12:51
My podcasts and what I'm doing with fat tech, I know that deep in my soul, like, this is my purpose. Being a parent, hopefully being a grandparent, all of that will be there, but I will have this purpose and this passion that I know is just going to make me even a better human as I continue and touch the people's lives that I know that need certain things. So age is a number. When I say I just turned 50, I always laugh because I'm like, so weird. I mean, first of all, I'm like a big child.

00:13:21
Some of the stuff that I do is like, okay, how are you 50? Because you really are a little immature. But there's all those quotes that say this person started like J. K. Rollins.

00:13:33
Right, the author. I think she didn't start until her. Whatever. Numbers don't mean anything. And I think we get wiser as we get older.

00:13:43
In my thirty s, I would never have wanted to do this. Really. It's wanted to do it. It would never have fit into my life then. So I would love for you.

00:13:51
I love how you post. Just kind of made that picture, but. So when you guys decided, okay, we're going to sell the company, was that something that you both decided, you knew it was time. Was it something that you planned for? Like, okay, we're going to do it this long, and if you can give us a little background into that, because I think that that will give people also an insight of that planning part.

00:14:14
Right. There's a lot of impulse, there's a lot of passion that you just go. There's a lot. I talk about the flow thing. Doors just keep opening.

00:14:21
And, you know, when those doors keep opening, you're like, this is so exciting. Because I know that this is what I'm meant to do, but you do have to put your feet in front of that and you have to do have to put some foundation and a little bit of thought. So if you can kind of take us down that a little bit, that would be great. Yeah. So we knew that when we were going to be building the company into something that would be bigger than what we just.

00:14:45
The two ladies on ladders, doing some walls. So we had to invest and buy scaffolding, and then eventually we had to get open a studio and have hundreds of samples for people to come in and ooh, and all over and won in their homes. And then after we decided that we wanted to possibly sell the company because we knew we had something that was that someone could come in and just take and keep producing, we contacted about three different people because we were very serious about wanting someone to be able to take the company that would take it and grow. Okay? That we knew that our past clients would still be able to rely on, that the designers that we work with will enjoy working with them and that it can just keep blossoming and no one could be harmed from the transition.

00:16:08
Okay? So that was very important to us, but financial wise, we had to come up with a plan that was going to work for them and for us. So we had to get a little creative. Starting the end of last May, it's just 24 now, so my head in the right year, may of 23, is when the sale actually happened. And so there's a year of transition.

00:16:36
We're still working with them and getting everything settled and just trying to do everything the right way, and it's very profitable for them right now. That's exciting. Beautiful thing that's happening just the way we wanted it to, but it did. It took planning, and it took never stopping investing our time and investing in resources and things like that. It's like you can't slow down and then decide to sell.

00:17:09
So it just had to keep that machine rolling. Right. I love that. So did you right away know, okay, this is what I'm going to pivot into. Or did you have to do some soul searching?

00:17:21
Did you want to take some time off? Can you take us down that a little bit?

00:17:28
I had actually started the company a couple of years ago, so I wanted to be able to roll into it. Like I said, it's during the transition. I'm still not able to do this full time yet, and by the time may end of May rolls around, I'll be able to spend more time here. And everything is evolving. I'm not trying to stop one thing and start another.

00:17:58
I'm just trying to work into things gently. And my designers know, as a matter of fact, I'm swamped. Right. Yeah. So this piece behind me gets delivered on Monday, and I've got another piece in the other room that's being delivered later today.

00:18:18
I just think if you try hard and that it is something you really care about.

00:18:27
There's no way that it can fail on you. I just like that. And I don't want to give anybody false hope, but I do feel like if you have faith in yourself, it would be hard to fail. Right. And one of the things, and it is corny, but it is really true when you kind of plant those seeds and then you continue to water them and you hear people say this all the time, something is going to grow and that's where you have to stay open.

00:18:59
But that's where the consistency, and it's really interesting because I think as we self reflect, and I think self reflection is so important, and I think a lot of us don't do it. I mean, I know times in my life I didn't sit and self reflect. I probably went and drank too much wine, right. Because I didn't want to self reflect. Maybe it was like a hard time or hard season, as we some say.

00:19:21
But when you're consistent showing up for yourself, and when you're consistent in showing up in your dreams and when you really kind of wrap your head around, okay, this is what I want to do, and I don't care if I fail because I think so many people don't allow themselves to dream and don't allow themselves to take that risk. Whether it's because of financial insecurities, whether it's financial straps, whether we've talked about the golden handcuffs, you're somewhere that you don't have that extra time. But I look back at my journey and sometimes I laugh. Like, I think, how did I fit everything in? But then also, what was I doing before I was doing this, right?

00:20:05
My plate is so full, but what was I doing before? And I had a full plate. I always have a full plate, but it's usually things that I love. Yes, again, there are seasons in my life that I definitely wasn't doing what I was meant to be doing for the rest of my life, but I was learning skills in those situations to set me up for where I am today. And I think that is what the consistency and showing up for yourself and really, again, doing that self reflection.

00:20:34
Like, okay, if something doesn't feel right, why? Or if you're having an emotion and it's a negative emotion, why am I having this negative emotion? Let me kind of think about this. And that's hard for people. And again, some people have so much trauma that they really maybe need to talk to a therapist or talk to someone about it.

00:20:55
But I think just kind of doing that self reflection, it's important and every day we have moments, right? You sometimes wake up and you're just. You don't know why you're in a mood. And it's like, okay, when you think throughout your day what you have to do or you're thinking of situations, what emotion is coming up in that situation? And then, okay, why am I hung on this?

00:21:20
Why is this situation kind of putting stress on me? We've talked about on this podcast. My oldest is in the college process, right? He's in the college process. He wants to play soccer.

00:21:30
He fractured both sides of his pelvis during his sophomore year and junior year. He's my dyslexic son. The way that we always thought that things were going to happen, and we're not that type of family. Like, okay, this is how it's going to happen. We know this is how it's happened.

00:21:44
We know there's always going to be pivots. But literally, his situation is completely opposite of what we ever thought was going to happen. So there's days where sometimes I all of a sudden will feel, like, tons of anxiety and heavy. I'm like, why am I feeling heavy? Okay.

00:22:00
Because I know he's not in the best spot because he's stressed. How can I help him or my husband? Maybe something's going on at work. And so we need to kind of think about, how can we show up for these other people? By being the best that we can be.

00:22:15
And it's that self reflection. It's taking care of ourselves. It's not, again, being selfish. There's always that movement, right? As moms.

00:22:21
Oh, if you go and leave your child with a babysitter for a little bit, that's selfish. No. If you need to go take that walk, if you need to take that breath, if you need to go take the yoga class, you need to go work out, you have to fill yourself up to be then able to show up best for others. And I think that's really lost in the days of. I know people in my age group, and I don't want to say people are like, oh, things are just harder now since Cindy A lot of people think that the world is worse than it ever was.

00:22:49
I don't know if I completely agree with that. I think there's always moments, but I also think that there are certain age groups that we just go through stuff, right? It's just like it's living. But if we can stop and really self reflect and really dream about what we want our lives to look like, some people will look at me like, okay, unicorn, whatever, but sit and be like, okay. If there was no parameters, there was nothing.

00:23:15
It was just a wide opened canvas. Right? You have that art, wide open canvas. There was no money that mattered. There's no location that mattered.

00:23:25
What would you want to do and then take it from there and just dream? So I love that you had that planned. You were like, I'm going to be consistent in it, and I'm sure there's days that it's not easy. When you guys sold, did you have the buyer's remorse? Or was it like, okay, I know that the next thing is going to be your face again?

00:23:50
I could not wait my hands into the new business. But it's interesting, you mentioned about your son fracturing his pelvis. Right before we sold the company in March, I fell onto a stone floor flat on my back from 5ft and fractured my pelvis. And I could not walk for almost two months.

00:24:21
And then that was about the time that we actually sold, is when I was healing. So it was a very interesting time, and the crew was amazing. They really supported me and they were able to keep things going that things that I would normally do, they really stepped up. And then my husband and son were amazing because my son, it was like every week he would put on his calendar what I was going to do, that I was going to be able to use the walker or I was going to be able to drive a car. And it was just like manifesting my health because I was such, the chills really, so fast for my age and how bad the injuries were and stuff.

00:25:22
And then my husband, who is into sports physiology and all that, he was like my 24/7 therapist, like, oh, you're lilting, or take smaller steps or things just around the house. So it's like everything that was going, because I did practically have to learn how to walk again. Everything that happened, it was like, it built everybody up. Everybody was so important, which they always are important to me that they were so important in my life in helping me get better and knowing that I would. And that confidence was great.

00:26:06
But still, while I was laying there, sitting there, whatever, and I couldn't get around and couldn't do any work at all, I still knew it was going to be okay. I still knew I was going to get back to my studio and produce and everything was going to work out. And I had commissions lined up already. I only had one back out on me during that whole time, which I'm so thankful that people knew. I mean, it's like everybody knew you're going to be okay, and it's going to be fine.

00:26:40
So that was something that was not planned. And thank goodness the people that were buying the company also, they had faith that everything was going to work out, too.

00:26:57
When you have an injury and you are building yourself up and don't be scared to rely on other people and don't give up, like I said, on being able to build your business, even when you're flat on your back, because there were plenty of emails and phone calls and designing and things I was doing while I was sitting there. But something that I thought of earlier while you were talking art, there's a lot of people that don't believe that art can be a business. And I think we touched on that before, too, when we talked, and that a lot of parents are like, oh, yeah, that's a hobby. Don't go into some other, get a bachelor's degree in something else. And then you can always do art.

00:27:53
But there's people that need to do art, need to create, need to put their passion into their canvases and into murals and decorative ceilings and all that kind of stuff, it is a business. It is something that your child or your wife or husband or someone can do and actually create a lot of income. So don't be negative. If your child says they want to be an artist, you can support that and actually help them try to build their business rather than to knock their hopes and dreams down.

00:28:50
No, that is, and I could cry. That is a beautiful message. Because having a creative passion and a creative outlet is so important and so much in society. The creativity, even in traditional school, is smushed us with the side of the brain. That's the creative side of the brain.

00:29:10
It's not looked at as important as the other side of the brain. Right. The math and science brain. And as you said, you can create a business, you can create something, but you can also be really fucking happy. And excuse my language, but you could be really happy and not go into something that you're not happy.

00:29:28
And that's what parents need to hear. And so I love that you said that. I know. I'm going to say to my editor, please, and I'm saying it to him right now, please make sure that is one of the clips that we get, because. Amen.

00:29:44
Amen. Because it's so much nowadays where, and I have so many people on this podcast, right, that went into professions because that's what their parents thought they should, or that's what was deemed to be successful and that's what they wanted to say to their friends. I'm going into finance. I'm going into this. I'm doing that.

00:30:07
And they lived years miserable. Miserable. So when you have something that you're that good at, I love that you didn't just say support, but you also said you can help them create a business. Right? So parents that are listening to this, whatever you're doing, think about that.

00:30:26
You can create an entrepreneur, and you could have a really happy kid. Right. And isn't that what we want? Isn't that what we. Yeah.

00:30:34
And grow into a happy adult and a happy adult. And isn't that what we say as parents when someone says, what do you want? I mean, most people, if someone says something different, I usually am like, that's not my person. I just want my kids to be happy. I don't care what they do.

00:30:47
I just want them to be happy and obviously safe. I don't want them to do the not safe things, but I think I want them to be happy because not being happy and not being fulfilled, there's so much stuff that can be missed. And so thank you. I mean, seriously, for sharing that, because that is so important. And that message needs to be screamed from the rooftops because it's important if you.

00:31:16
100% from the heart. Yeah. And you can feel it. So again, where can people find you? What are you doing now?

00:31:24
What is the processes? If someone's saying, okay, well, I went to Cindy's website, which, again, is crhstudios.com. They can also find you on Instagram. Cindy Howardist. If they look, I mean, again, your work is gorgeous.

00:31:40
It is so gorgeous. And so if they go and they're like, I want something, what do they do? What are the next steps? Yeah, you just contact me. We can do video.

00:31:50
Or if you're close to Houston, there can always be a visit, and we'll come up with a plan to create the perfect art for your area. Now, I do have a couple of free classes, video classes on YouTube, CRH studios. So, you know, they can look that up. They're just for fun. I've decided I'm not a great teacher.

00:32:19
I'm better at hands on and following through to help people in that respect. But I do classes every now and then so they can keep their eye open for that if they want fun. Right? Oh, that's so mean, Cindy. I love that we reconnected.

00:32:36
I mean, again, we follow each other on the socials and stuff, but when I was going through old episodes and I was like, you know, always. I always got the good feels from always. I love just connecting and I don't remember, I think on the podcast, I say how we connected. Did we connect in clubhouse? Was that we did.

00:32:53
It was back in the clubhouse days. Yeah. Long time ago. Wow. Long time.

00:32:58
I think it's been three or four years. It's been a while, right? You look amazing, lady. The happiness is showing all over your face. Thank you.

00:33:10
It's so fun, I mean, really to be doing what you're meant to be doing. And obviously I am a happy person. I do have energy where when I'm putting myself into something, I'm happy. However, I have never felt so aligned with what I am doing than I do now. And it's for the last, really.

00:33:35
I mean, the podcast in 2019, again, and anyone that hasn't listened to this, I'll give you. I started it. I gave myself a year. I was like, it just keeps coming up every time I walk the dogs. It's like podcast, podcast, podcast.

00:33:46
I love to talk. I didn't know what I was doing. I figured it out myself because, again, not afraid of failure, being dyslexic, the amount of times I failed. But I also was like, I've never had that where I care, right? Like, okay, if I fail, or someone's like, oh, she started.

00:33:59
And she didn't do it, whatever. I don't worry about what other people think. I really don't. And I think, again, I was born that way. I think it's just who I am.

00:34:08
But so I started it, and I was like, I'm going to give myself a year. And then it just grew into this amazing. Again, I have your next stop, which again started as next up, crazy town. And we have 200 and some, but there's a lot of bonuses in there, so I would say it's probably three to 400. Then I have yns live with NFL thread, which we're going to be in Vegas again, which I know next year you're going to be there at the Super bowl, and you're going to do some commissions for us, which will be really.

00:34:42
And where we have the live podcast there. And Cynthia Zordich, who's my co host, I mean, we just have the best time. But she just wrote a book, a children's book, like another really creative, amazing woman. And then from there, it's like I started word blindness with Brent Sopal, which is the dyslexia exposed, which word blindness is what they called dyslexia in 18 hundreds. And again, we haven't gotten to, it's been known for 18 hundreds and there's still so much unknown.

00:35:15
I mean, I just had Montgomery's last IEP meeting and I was a mess. I had so much anxiety going into it. And I'm like, why? And it's because of all the traumas from before and just like the not knowing. And so what we're doing with word blindness and then what we're doing with his foundation, the Brent Sopal foundation, and so many other things is to educate, go in with knowledge, like we're talking to people.

00:35:40
This is what you need to know. And there's a lot coming out with that, which is really exciting. That is just every day I'm more excited about the change that we're going to be doing in the dyslexic world. And then with know being the chief communications officer, I started a little segment called Masterminds in medicine for the company. But we have it under your next stop because there's a lot of regulatory things with the FDA and the government that I can't get into.

00:36:05
But we're like, if we have it over here, if know, say something, know, maybe not the best, we can kind of edit it out, but we won't get in trouble because it's not there. And that is like, I just interviewed Dr. Jennifer Moffatt, who is the lead virologist in the world, okay? And she does work on shingles and our product, that fettech, it's called, actually, and we just did a press release so I can talk about it. But it stops and helps shingles with the spread longer than anything else that's out there.

00:36:43
And so we're in the process of, again, the inventors, clay and that their story. And you guys can go back. Danielle's been on the podcast, your next stop. She's also been on word blindness, so you can hear her whole story and how fettech kind of came about. But this product right now, we obviously have know a company can come and license it and be like, hey, because we're not in the viral world.

00:37:09
The stem cyst, which is part of Fetech, is in the wound healing. So like Burns and trauma and all of that, that's where the original medical device came up. And then really crazy, they were like, okay, let's do another indication. It is a powder being sold in all hospitals across the United States. But let's do a gel because let's see what else the body can heal with our product.

00:37:33
It's all natural. There's no side effects. I mean, they've cured and helped neonates to elderly. It's amazing. So the gel had to go through testing.

00:37:44
That's when we found out that it kills enveloped viruses, shingles being one of them. So then the government got involved, which is the just. And Jennifer Moffatt was the lead clinician at SUNY, the only lab in the entire world that does the studies that she does. And so we just had her on masterminds, medicine. And what I do is I talk about the person behind the science, because I'm not sitting there talking about the nitty gritty of what they do in the lab.

00:38:17
Even though I find it fascinating. I want people to see the person behind it. Why did that person go into science, right? Why did they become a scientist? Why did they start working for the FDA?

00:38:31
So we have some really cool guests that are going to be coming on that I can't wait to share. How did this person get into. Involved in this little part of, like, okay, medical device production or inventors in this space, or triple phds, all of these different things. So me being in the space that I am now, it's showing me this is the path, right? This is the path that I'm supposed to be doing, whether it's where the pivots happen, right?

00:39:01
Those little dots, I always talk about that, right? The dots that are connected. You just went through all of that, right? It's like you sold the company that dot. It's like that connect the dots.

00:39:09
It's like. Or the puzzle pieces being put together. And that's what's beautiful. And that's why I love podcasting. That's why I love being able to have someone like yourself that can inspire the next person to be like, you know what?

00:39:23
I've always wanted to do this, and I listened to Cindy's story. She's a mom, right? She's a woman now. I'm a grandmother. Oh, my congratulations.

00:39:36
How old, how old's the baby? Seven months. That is.

00:39:44
I mean, the fulfilled life that you've had because you have followed, but also because you've had the support. And I do love that you talked about your son and your husband, because you've been there so many times for them, right? You've been their advocate, you've been their cheerleader, you've been there, and they just showed you, we love you, we respect you, we want to be that person for you, and you were able to have that. What a blessed life. Oh, my gosh.

00:40:10
Well, I'm so excited again to share this with everyone. Thank you so much. Yes. I am loving hearing about all of your advances in your crazy, your job and your podcast and everything. Just.

00:40:24
I'm so thrilled for you. Thank you. I mean, I literally giggle and pinch myself. I said to my husband the other day, I was like, I'm going to share my latest podcast that I was just on. I was on Purdue University.

00:40:36
I was the first non PhD that was on the podcast. But they wanted me to come on and talk about communications and why it's so important to be able to share your story and connect. Because if you think of the science world you think of, sometimes it's different. I come from the complete opposite, right? The communications, the talking, the connecting.

00:40:58
And so in that world, they want me to be able to help a little bit, giving some tools. Hey, these are the things that you need to look. This is how you read, know, all these different, really cool. It's. And it's exciting.

00:41:10
And again, I could have said no. I could have said when Fettech said, hey, we want to hire you, I could have been like, what? No, I don't know how to do that. What are you talking about? But I was like, no, I have confidence in myself.

00:41:21
I know I can figure things out and I know I can support and I know I can be there. I mean, have there been days where I'm on calls and I'm like, oh, my God, I feel so not qualified. Right? I've had those days and I'll be honest about it and it doesn't feel great. But then I remind myself why I was hired and what I can do.

00:41:43
But you're also open to evolving, to adapting, and that makes you the perfect person for that role. Thanks, I think. Thanks. Well, I can't wait to feel as it keeps going, we just put a press release out. There's going to be more.

00:41:56
And I excited to keep sharing because what we're doing there is really going to change people's lives. And that's, again, what's so exciting is because what the product that fettech has is amazing. And the fetties have hearts of gold. And that's what they want to do. They want to help people.

00:42:12
They want to help mean, that's their main. It's. It's about helping. So, Cindy, thank you so much again for joining your next stop. You guys, you know what to do, like rate, review and share.

00:42:24
You don't know who needs to hear this? You don't know who is sitting there right now? Huh? I don't really love my life. I'm not really happy.

00:42:31
I want to do more. Give them this episode to provide them with the inspiration and then mean art. As you said, it can change your mood. You see something, you can dream and you can get lost in it. And it's such a beautiful expression of oneself.

00:42:50
And so someone might also need some art that Cindy does because again, go to her website. It is gorgeous. So again, thank you so much for joining your next stop.

00:43:01
I hope you liked this episode of your next stop. Please subscribe to my channel, share with your friends, and join in each weekend.