YNS Live with NFL Thread Super Bowl LVIII Luncheon, Episode 1

Big thanks to all who joined us at YNS Live with NFL Thread podcast, broadcasting live from the vibrant @flankerlv at the @nflthread luncheon! It was an absolute blast connecting with each of you, listening to your incredible stories, and finding inspiration together. A special shoutout to @cynthiazordich for her unwavering trust in me to capture and share these remarkable stories!

Thank you to all of our sponsors, and everyone who helped make this event successful.

@waterloosparkling @21seeds @johnhardyjewelry @rocketmortgage @shutterstocknow @ubs @xoxoginaofficial @burnfactorypodcast @offthefieldnflwives @profootballhof @mcmillian29 @adreanne_realtor @officialqueenv @drinkbodyarmor @chomps @livinglibationsofficial @ny2la_designs @beeinamatchbox @waleogunleye @beautyexpertgina @mrsanacarter @draungelevans @lovelee_aroma_candleco @amberroxie @livinggracehomeslv @notestoselfsocks @mybrooke @imsomistyblu @marnieschneider1 @eriniquelynch 

🎥 @intangibleproductions 

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Transcript:

00:00:00
So welcome back to Yns Live with NFL Thread. I am Juliet Hahn here with my awesome co host, Cynthia Zordich. How are you? I'm fine, thank you. Good to see your face.

00:00:09
Yes, you too. Well, this is exciting because we're going to be setting up the podcast that we had at Flanker Live from the Super Bowl Thursday at the NFL Thread luncheon, which is always such a huge hit. The sponsors, the people, and then I am, you know, interviewing people in the, as all the bustles going. And this year was just as good as all the. So the energy, I say this to you, Cynthia, every single time.

00:00:33
I mean, the energy in the room, the energy that you bring, the energy that the people with the NFL community is just so special, and I love being a part of it. So I'm going to have you kind of set up what we did, and then you guys are going to listen to know really great interviews that we captured live at the event. Yes. I mean, it really has grown into be an intimate, beautiful, high energy event. I always say there is so much for a girl to do at the Super bowl.

00:01:02
And being that it's Thursday, it is kind of a beautiful beginning of a very active weekend. And I love that the players are coming more and more, and it's becoming more of a family, NFL family event. And yeah, it was a lot of fun at Flanker. They were incredible. I mean, all the screens around.

00:01:20
I mean, I walked in and I usually don't get, wow, I remember my mouth hanging and then being like, oh, my God, it was so cool. And I love when you say intimate event, because intimate event, some people might think, oh, it's very small. There's nothing like it is intimate, meaning it's just close knit. Like, everyone gets along, everyone's excited to see each other. And as you said, it's really the special place where it's like you set everyone up for the week ahead and the weekend ahead.

00:01:44
And that's what I love about it. And people are so excited about the thread luncheon. I mean, time and time again, it's like, I look forward to this. I'm excited for this. What are you guys doing next?

00:01:55
What is Cynthia going to do next? Because you step it up and bring just excitement and people together every year again, as I said, it gets better and better and better, and it's a special place. But flanker, I mean, you walk into this sports bar and there's tvs all around with all of the sponsors. With the thread event from last year, it was a wow. I mean, it was really exciting.

00:02:19
It really did. That did really heighten and also the relationship with our sponsors. The fact that you meet some wonderful people, like the teams at John Hardy and at Waterloo and 21 seeds and then rocket mortgage coming in. XOXO, Dina. Body armor coming in for the podcast sponsor Burn Factory.

00:02:42
And each of the individuals, it's like they caught on, too, and realized that it was about telling their story, about introducing them to all of these beautiful people, that it was just all exchanging. Who are you? What are you doing here? Tell me about yourself. And that was the whole idea of thread in the beginning, and that is the idea of the events.

00:03:05
Like, why are you here? Let us help you promote why you're here early on in the weekend, so that you can take advantage of the fact that we want to share. And that's what it seems to have become and that's what it keeps growing into. And you're right, we had about 175 people at the luncheon. It didn't feel like that.

00:03:24
But then it did feel like that. It felt like it in the masses, but it didn't feel like that. When you got into conversations, it was like these little mini pow wows going on, right? And one of the things that I love is, I say this all the time, right? Stories connect us, and they really do.

00:03:39
And that's one of the things I just love sitting and getting ready for the podcast. We have it live. Intangible productions was so amazing where the production people get excited. I mean, the burn factory sat down and he said, oh my gosh, I feel so important. And these are two kids that have a really incredible story.

00:03:57
I mean, incredible. I actually got choked up a couple of times in the interviews. And you don't expect that, right? You don't expect it. But again, stories connect us and they connect us to things that we've gone through.

00:04:08
And XoXO, Gina, John Hardy. I mean, there were so many beautiful 21 seeds. I mean, so many beautiful body armor. Wasn't there able to be there. But they were a sponsor of the podcast.

00:04:19
Exactly. We appreciate that because they saw what we're doing. And that's what I love is as we grow, people see the importance of sharing stories and connecting through stories. And that's what you do so well and have been doing so amazing with thread. And it's so fun to bring yns live a part of that because it's giving this other factor for people when they're there.

00:04:42
Live. Yeah, it's important. Well, you can't go against your nature and I am not a competitive person. I am a push people forward person. And also, I also feel like everybody is important, and so their story is, and what they're doing is, and if I can help somebody grow and do more or reach more people, for me, the biggest pleasure I have is in just seeing these people that I care so much about in the NFL, family come together, but also putting them in front of people that could possibly know who it is that they're know.

00:05:21
I get the backstories afterwards. Hey, I need the number for John Hardy because while we were at the luncheon, we talked about a collaboration. It's like, really? See, now that is so cool. It's like, yeah, here's the know.

00:05:36
You need to get in touch, right? And so those are the things that happen at this luncheon that mean a lot to me. And also because the Super bowl, it's intense and there are so many things to do. So the fact that people choose to come to the luncheon and consider it to be a place where they can have that feeling of like, hey, I'm here and I'm important and I have a story to tell and I have a product to sell or I have an organization to promote. Well, you know, like, for instance, off the field, it is me, and it is important to me.

00:06:10
But being able to separate what I do with off the field as president and be able to say, hey, let's reach people that don't know about us. There are people out there that don't know about us. So let's reach another audience and to be able to give off the field, the floor, to share who we are, what we do, and what we'll be doing the very next day, and to possibly get them to say, wow, I want to do more with off the field. I want to belong. I want to become an active member.

00:06:36
I want to be on the Super bowl chair or I want to go to the fashion show. So that's important to me is giving not only individuals the opportunity, but organizations and companies who are interested in us the opportunity to connect and grow. And I love that. And usually at the luncheon, we usually sit down and we usually get to do our recap. That's why we're doing it now.

00:07:02
But you had the flag football game, which we are going to do a whole nother podcast on, so I'm not going to get into it because this was really just an intro into the Luncheon podcast, right. But we had to run. So I was like, oh, my God, I didn't get sinned and was like, okay, we'll do it. Know. So just shout is again, this is just kind of setting you guys up to listen to these amazing stories and giving you a little background because what NFL thread is doing is so important in so many different communities.

00:07:28
It's not just about the NFL community. If you really think of the core mission, it really is about so many things in life and that's what I love. And you are not competitive and that's one of the reasons why you and I work so well together, because we want to uplift others. We're happy when someone else is doing an amazing job. We're like, yes, talk about it, share it.

00:07:47
Who can we put you in touch with? And that's one of the things that I think is beautiful about both of us is that we both have that same vision. So it just works so well. So thank you guys for listening. I think, do you want to throw something else out there that you want to end this little kind of intro to the wonderful?

00:08:03
Definitely. I definitely want to add that I just so appreciate you. I appreciate that when I look over in the middle of the luncheon and I see you smiling and talking, but I see them. I see all the individuals that you've come to know and that you just get to know and I see the response. So I'm going to appreciate having you as a co host until the networks take you and that's going to be fine with me.

00:08:26
That's another situation where I can say that NFL thread had a little bit to do with your and finding you. So I always say it and I'm going to continue to say it. I just appreciate you. You're just natural and loving and just people respond to that. You're the best.

00:08:45
Thanks. And I mean, I feel the same exact about you and always love this opportunity. So why don't we thank really quickly the touchdown sponsors as we head out? Absolutely. So really and truly, I consider all of these, you say sponsors and partners and words like that, but these individuals have really become like friends and I just have learned so much by just working with them and building out the luncheon for the Super bowl.

00:09:13
So we have the Waterloo team water down nothing yet. Talk about watering down nothing. Everything they do is big and everything they do is colorful and powerful and fun and they know what their brand is. And so I just really appreciated getting to know Kathy Morella and getting to know the whole team. And so Waterloo sparkling Water is one of our touchdown sponsors.

00:09:37
21 seeds. A random meeting in Cattus, Ohio to call one of the team members at 21 seeds led to our hall of Fame sponsorships and the fashion show, who now we're such great friends with Kelly and Colin, and so I love those guys. So, yes, 21 seeds, that's a Super bowl huge. That's amazing. UBS, wallet and Carrie, they're like family for us, and they have a dream for the future, for a long term partnership, and they continue to build UBs.

00:10:10
They're just wonderful sponsor to us and friends and partners. Know. Part of the know, Wally is a former NFL player. And then we have Rocket mortgage that came in in the last hour to be the touchdown sponsor for the flag football game. But I said, hey, since you're doing the flag football game, I want you to have visibility at the luncheon.

00:10:33
The coolest people in the world. I can't wait to do more with know. That was from just, like, a random meeting with my husband that said, hey, babe, we know he's a Penn stater, right? He's a Penn stater. And Kathy morsel, also a Penn stater.

00:10:49
All these are like, from even. It's an example of what happens at the luncheon. Everybody is from somebody that told me that you need to connect with this person or that person, and it's because of those relationships that all this happened, and I so appreciate it. And then you have John Hardy, who not only did they come in as a touchdown sponsor, but it became so intimate, so sentimental, so part of personal stories and in conversations with them to say, well, yes, we want you to have your create the pop up shop. Yes, we want to have your product there.

00:11:27
But then it came to, what more can we do? It's like, well, we usually give proceeds to one of the charities that we choose. Usually it's the same charity that we do with off the field. But conversations came out that there are partners with the Breast Cancer Research foundation, and it just so happens that one of our own, Ramonda Jordan, just started, just announced her diagnosis with a voice and a request for the pinky promise to get tested for early diagnosis, early capture. So they were like, oh, we want to do something with that, and we want to honor Romanda.

00:12:04
And then you have a gift to, you know, hardy gift, flowers, the floor, talking about breast know Matt sharing his own story and his own journey. And we hear that on the podcast. So that's one thing that you guys want to tune in, why it's so important for him. And it's a personal story. Again, it's stories connect us, and that's why exactly it grew because of something that he and his family went through.

00:12:28
So it's really beautiful. It is. And I apologize if you were just asking for me to rattle off the list, but that's perfect. They're not just lists. They're not just sponsors.

00:12:37
They're not just people that are giving. It's like they're giving, but they're giving more than just the opportunity for us to have the podcast for the lunch and the playbook. It's also like giving of their hearts. And they're now friends. And that's what I think that it's all about.

00:12:55
No, it is a perfect. So, you guys, we always say it, like, rate, review, and share. You don't know who needs to hear these stories. You don't know who these stories are going to touch. You might say, well, it's not my world, but you can be inspired and so you don't know who needs to listen.

00:13:08
Like rate, review and share. And always, Cynthia, it's wonderful to do this. And I know that they're going to enjoy these little snippets and some of these guys we're going to have on for longer. So just stay tuned because some of them, I was like, oh, wait, I have so many more questions, but I need to have the next guest on because we had a know, we always have a line because people always want to connect, and it is that connection. So thank, you know, for joining YNs live with NFL thread.

00:13:32
So welcome to YNs Live with NFL Thread. We are here live again at flankers. You guys were live from Vegas. This is so exciting. So exciting.

00:13:40
I mean, so exciting. And what you guys are doing. I mean, I first came across your product when we were at the hall of Fame. And when Cynthia said you guys were also coming here, I was like, okay. And that I got to meet you guys.

00:13:54
Women founded 21 seeds. Please introduce yourself. Amazing. I am Nicole. I'm one of the co founders of 21 seeds.

00:14:02
21 seeds is actually two. One. It's two sisters, one friend. I am the younger sister of the two sisters. And our other friend couldn't be here.

00:14:12
She's super bummed because we love this and we love being invited. And seeds, because it's all natural and everything's infused and it's delicious. Three infused tequilas, cucumber, jalapeno, Valencia orange and grapefruit hibiscus. And it's delicious. It is delicious.

00:14:27
It is absolutely delicious. And the thing that also struck me is that it's all natural. Like you guys, your story. And so I want you to tell a little bit about why you went with what you did and kind of where it came about. Yes.

00:14:41
Well, my sister couldn't drink wine anymore. She'll tell you a little bit about it. I'm at that stage now, too. Yes. So she couldn't drink wine anymore.

00:14:51
She wasn't metabolizing it. And so she had to move to something that didn't have a lot of organic matter, like wine, sake, beer has. So her doctor told her to move to a distilled spirit, like tequila, which was pretty aggressive for a Tuesday night when you want to just sit back with a glass of wine. Big cook. She started infusing, and it made it delicious and able to taste it and lower that abv and not make it harsh and made it really smooth, and you could actually taste what she was infusing it with.

00:15:32
And everybody was obsessed with it, including me. And she was doing that happily for nine years. And then finally she looked at me and said, do you want to start a tequila company? And when someone asked you if you want to start a tequila company, you say yes. So I said, yes.

00:15:46
And she asked Saraka, our friend. And off we went. And we launched in 2019, and then we sold it to our friends at Diageo in 2022. So it was a great story because I know my listeners are like, I know that I have 1000 questions. We will have you guys also on the live podcast again, where we get into your really deep because I have so many questions and so many questions.

00:16:14
But for here, I would love to know what made you be like, you know, a threat event is something that is really kind of connected with what you guys are doing in your story. Well, I mean, our hashtag is girls call the shots. I mean, you always got to show up for the women. Women are so core to every community, everything that, every possible culture community. And so it's really important to us to do something with you all that supports that.

00:16:43
And so we're really excited to be invited and be part of it. I love it. So what is your exact role with the company, if you can take us through a little bit, what you do? So I always tease that my sister is Walt Disney, and I'm Roy Disney, so I'm more better behind the scenes. And so I was the CFO and COO of 21 seeds, and Kat was the CEO, and Sarko did everything with products, so she was the CPO.

00:17:10
I love it. Now tell everyone, like, where. If they're like, okay, I need to run out and get it. Where is liquor total wine. I mean, you name it, we're in.

00:17:20
So. And definitely go because you will be so happy. We try to say we're the anti wrinkle tequila because you don't make that horrible face when you take a sip. And it's so delicious and so easy to drink. But, yes, you can get it everywhere.

00:17:36
You can get it in whole foods everywhere. ABC, if you're in Florida. Yes, everywhere. I love it. All right, well, thank you so much.

00:17:46
It was so nice meeting you, and I cannot wait also to talk to you. There's five of us, four girls, one boy. So I have sisters, and so I'm obsessed. Yes. That's amazing.

00:17:57
Yeah. Well, thank you so much, and I cannot wait. Again, I have so many questions for your whole story, and I can't wait to talk to you further. Bye, you guys. Again, yns live with NFL thread, live from flanker.

00:18:09
We are here in Las Vegas, and we're going to have the other sister, Kat. Come on up, please. So, I mean, couldn't drink wine anymore. Couldn't drink wine anymore. Was getting, like, sweats, headaches.

00:18:20
I'd have two glasses of wine, go to bed, wake up feeling know. And I was a mom, I had two kids, so I was really looking forward to that. Something to drink at the end of the night. I like to relax and unwind while I was cooking. I love holding a wine glass.

00:18:33
And so I needed to create something when I made the switch. And the minute I stopped drinking wine, for me personally, I felt 100% better. Like, everything went away. Then I was like, what am I going to do? This harsh tequila to make it as easy to drink as a glass of wine and something I look forward to, not like, oh, God, I wasn't, like, looking to drink, right?

00:18:55
And so literally, I started infusing it. And actually, my first infusion was cucumber jalapeno, which is one of our three infusions now. Delicious. It's actually our best seller. We have cucumber jalapeno.

00:19:06
We have Valencia orange, we have grapefruit hibiscus. And it never ends up that the first one ends up even on the final list. But in this case, it's not only on the final list. It is the number one seller. And I would drink it in a wine glass.

00:19:21
I would literally pour that ice, club soda, and a slice of orange. And if you little trick, swab the inside of the glass with the orange, no calories. And you're basically. It drinks as easy as a glass of wine, but half the calories so I was like, it solves all my pain points. And one of the things that I love about tequila is it is one of the only alcohols.

00:19:42
I think it's the only alcohol that's an upper right. It's not a downer. So you also don't get that depression. Like some people when they drink in the next morning, there's anxiety. I stopped drinking wine and things.

00:19:52
Tequila does not give that. Well, the crazy bit is, again, I could drink a couple seed and sodas, that we call them. That recipe I just said again in the wine glass, and I'll have two or three of those in a night. And the next day, I feel great. I have two glasses of destroyed.

00:20:07
Destroyed. Yeah. So. And it turns out it's not just, I was shocked by how the inpouring of folks from even, like, Katie Couric, like, you know, tay Diggs, like, people were just like, we are done with wine, we're done with beer, right? And we're switching over to tequila.

00:20:25
And this was just an easy way to drink it in a know. And it just solved all our really took and it took off. People are like, it's so delicious, and it doesn't smell like tequila. It doesn't remind me of college, you know what I mean? All the things.

00:20:38
All the things. So when you had this in your mind, I mean, I know your sister said you were like, let's start a tequila company. Did you have other people that you wanted to get involved? Or was it like, you knew exactly who you wanted to be with you on the stage, for sure. So I definitely wanted my sister because I trust her, and she's so good at what she does.

00:20:56
She's a total baller CFO. She was, like the CFO of Refinery 29. And Angelus, she probably should have said no to me because she's so responsible, but she said yes, which was amazing. And so anyway, I knew once I had her, I was solid. And then also because we were doing something that was so innovative, no one was infusing, really infusing, because I don't like a lot of flavored spirits.

00:21:23
They tend to be a little sweet. They kind of smell like jolly ranchers, kind of this weird aftertaste, like you're sucking on a nickel, and this is not that. And so if I couldn't recreate what I was making in my kitchen and keep it at that high level of quality and letting it just taste and smell so fresh, then I didn't want to do it. And so with that, that's where Sarka came in, our third founder, who had a know. She's Stanford engineer, super smart.

00:21:54
She's definitely the prettiest of the three of us. I was like, you should be the CFO or the CEO because you're the prettiest and you don't even have to put makeup on to be out there. She's like, no, you have to do it. It's like, okay, fine. But everyone feels, I mean, everyone fills a role, and that's what I love about entrepreneurs and people creating things.

00:22:10
It's like, my absolute favorite thing is when you kind of put that dream out there, and it's so important for people to know at any stage of your life, if you have a dream, just put the action to it and say it out loud. And you just nailed it. Say it out loud. Everyone's afraid that someone's going to steal your idea. Let me just tell you, everyone's got day jobs, whether they're parents at home, whether they're working at an office or working as an entrepreneur or whatever they're doing, and then their parents at home, people are busy.

00:22:38
No one's looking to steal your idea. Just say it and say it to as many people as you possibly can. Put it out there, and the universe will start to deliver people into your life that you need to be talking to and talk to everyone. We talk to everybody. And that is my mantra.

00:22:52
I mean, that's what I teach my kids. It's like you don't know who is supposed to be in your life at the time. And if you just keep yourself in a hole and not branch out and talk and interact with people and find out what other people are doing and keeping that mind open, it's so important because, as you said, so many people are afraid of the failure. I can't do this. I don't have a background in it.

00:23:11
When we started the podcast, when I started my podcast, I literally was looking for a creative outlet that I didn't know I was at a time of life with my kids. And I was like, you know what? I'm just going to daydream and I'm going to go out there. And it came, and it was literally the path I was meant to be on. And that's what so many people don't do.

00:23:26
So I love so much what you guys did. Take the leap. Take the leap. And again, I can't wait to have you both on to really dive into the whole. Because I have so many questions.

00:23:37
I was just so shocked at the inpouring of just people just being like, yes, me too. Raising their hands like, we're just done with wine. We're done. And there wasn't anything else to drink, really. There was no alternative.

00:23:48
That was as easy to drink as a glass of wine. And again, half the calories. So it's like a win win. All the flavor, everything you're looking for, it just solved all the pain points. Exactly.

00:23:58
It's been a wild ride. And we're so excited now with our diageo partners and being in that family because now we can do fun things like this. When we were three moms slinging tequila, we didn't have budget for much. Right, but no, but that's the thing. I mean, again, what you have, you have a great product.

00:24:15
And when you find people that can help you get that even further out. And again, so many moms, women don't put themselves out there because they're like, well, I don't know, how am I going to keep doing it? You have to keep putting that foot forward to get it down. Yeah, that impostor syndrome, we got to get rid of that, right? A million percent.

00:24:30
We all have a right to be at the table, to have a voice, to have an opinion.

00:24:37
Everyone has a right to an opinion. I love it. Well, you go follow 21 seed. I mean, really go to any of your, I mean, whole foods. I love everything.

00:24:44
We're at Target, we're at Walmart, we're at every major grocery store, most major outlets. You can find us. You can find us at your local liquor store. And if you can't find us, then ask, speak up, make a request, and bring a bottle to your next party. Right now, it's like, going to be the coolest, right?

00:25:00
So much cooler than bringing a bottle of wine. So much cool. Wine is so 2006, right? Yeah, I love it. And we're going to just mic drop and leave it at that.

00:25:08
That was brilliant. I love it. Well, thank you so much for joining yns live. So great with NFL thread here. Live at Flanker.

00:25:14
So welcome back to YNS Live with NFL thread, live here from Vegas. And another one of our huge. I mean, again, I just hit the mic. Sorry, guys. I love these kind of stories.

00:25:28
I mean, this is what it's about. Stories connect us. And the fact that you're here, I've been following what you guys have been doing. Would love for you to introduce yourself and just tell us what this event means to you. Yeah.

00:25:39
So I'm Gina Rivera, and I am the creator of XOXO. Gina. And I'm also the chair of my salon chain, Phoenix salon suites. So I have 400 locations across the country. And I've been in the industry, beauty industry, my entire life.

00:26:01
And I have always been super rebellious and kind of always was on my own path and colored outside the lines. And so here I am. And I'm loving being at this event. And to share my story is just hopefully it empowers someone. Well, and I think what you just said is that you colored out of the lines.

00:26:25
That's my favorite, because I've always colored out of the lines. I always say I always kind of stepped out of the box, right? I'm not in that box. I'm outside the box. I'm not even, like, half in the box.

00:26:34
And so the fact that you knew and say you'rebellious, right, you wanted to do things different. So take us through a little bit with the salons, with the xoxogena, where did that come from? And what inspired you to kind of just take that leap? So I grew up in the industry. I went to my very first hair show with my parents when I was seven years old.

00:26:57
And I can remember hairs flying, shears are shining, music was playing, and all the excitement. I was like, oh, my gosh, this is just everything about me.

00:27:07
As I got older. I just always loved the industry and what it did through beauty, how you can make somebody feel and give them confidence and empower them through beauty. And so, actually, when I was 17 years old was a real turning point in my life. I had went to a party that a 17 year old shouldn't have been at, and there was a lot of things going on. There was a lot of drinking and partying and drugs, and I was partaking, and I was at this table, and there was this big man across from me, and I kind of always had a mouth on me.

00:27:49
I'm the youngest of five grandchildren, and I was the first one my grandmother ever spanked. And so I was at this party, and I kind of mouthed off because I did have a mouth on me. And this guy jumped over the table and proceeded to try to strangle me to death. And he was not letting go. And I don't know, but it took twelve people to get him off of me.

00:28:14
And I just, honest to God, thought I was going to lose my life at that moment. And so I ran home and I packed a bag, and I told my parents I was going to a friend Nikki's house. And I dropped out of high school and took a one way flight to Arizona. Phoenix, Arizona. And when I got there, there were a lot of ups and downs.

00:28:37
I did a lot of things I wasn't super proud of, but that's when I learned to color my life. And so I spell color, colour, and every letter is something that was very significant in my life. And it's funny because I see talk about the cants and coming from this industry and growing up in this industry, I always felt like I was ahead of the game. And so I go to work one day. I had just gotten my first job out of cosmetology school, and I was with my client, and the owner comes in and she says, hey, gina, I want to talk to you before you leave.

00:29:16
And I told my client, I was like, oh, my gosh, I'm going to get a raise. Like, I'm so excited. I was doing what I love to do. And she called me in her office and she sat me down and she said, you know, gina, I know that you come from a very long line of successful hairdressers, but I have to tell you, I don't think that you have what it takes to make it in this industry. Wow.

00:29:37
And how old were you at this age? I was 21. And she said, you need to find a new career. You don't have what it takes. And I'll never forget there.

00:29:46
Here I was, 21 years old, and I was new to the industry, behind a chair to some degree, and I was just so nervous. And here this woman was looking at me dead in my face and shattering my dreams. And I sat there, and as she was talking, I'm thinking to myself, oh, my gosh, what if I don't have what it takes? If I find a new career, maybe I do need to find a new career. Maybe I suck at this.

00:30:10
And as she was talking, I thought I could either have her words drive me or completely demolish my dreams. And so while she was talking to me, that's when I decided to fight. And so now I opened up my. How many salons? I mean, yes, I opened up my very first salon in 2003, because there again, I had to step out of my box.

00:30:39
And I really wanted to create entrepreneurship, and I didn't want anyone to have to work anywhere where they were told what to do. I never liked being told what to do.

00:30:51
And I'm going to pause you because there's so many things that you said that stuck with me. One, that you grew up in the industry, so you had the good fields. I talk about this all the time, like thinking back when you're a kid, and about the things that made you feel good. Because sometimes when people go off their path, they never really go back to that time of what I always wanted to be when I grew up. And it's like they went down the path that they thought they had to go.

00:31:13
Right. Society told them, their parents, school, all these different things. So that's the one thing that I love, that you kind of have had that thread throughout your life that kind of connected those dots. But the situation at 17, right. Obviously that was a life changing situation.

00:31:30
And then at 21. So at 21, to have someone say, you're not good enough, you're not going to make it, we can all, anyone that's listening, we can all go back in our lives where someone told us, you're not good enough, no, this is not the industry for you, or, no, you can't do that. And the fact that you were like, excuse me, guest, but like, fuck you, I'm going to do it. Because sometimes when people tell us, and that's how I am, when I would have, I'm dyslexic. So school was really tough for me, but I was a really good athlete and I had time and diamond done.

00:32:01
Teachers tell me, you're not going to college. Stop, you're not going to college. And every time they would say that to me in my head, I said, fuck you. Now I'm going to go just because you said, I can't. Right, exactly.

00:32:12
I'm going to do that. So I love that you took that because there's people out there that take it and it then goes throughout their life. Right? They remember that and it smushes them down where they don't then step out and go. So what do you think, though?

00:32:26
Gave you that? I know you said you were always rebellious, but I always feel like there's something in life that gives us that fire. Some of us are born with it. I do think that. I know I was, my mom said I was born as a fighter, but there's also times where I think because I struggled so much in school that it was like, no, I'm not going to just lay down.

00:32:45
Yeah, I'm going to keep getting up. So before you were 17, can you think of anything that you want to share here? Live? Well, I was always the boss. I always had to be right and I wanted to steal the show.

00:33:05
And I was always just on this path. I wanted to be heard. And I don't know if it's because I was the youngest and just growing up and having naysayers saying, oh, you can never do that. And it even goes back. And even though he's 21, that was a huge time in my life when that manager looked at me dead in the face and told me that I can't do it, that I didn't have what it took.

00:33:30
And to me, too, I was like, well, fucking watch me. Because now I'm 400 salons globally, 15,000 lifestyle professionals that have entrepreneurship under our brand. Amazing. And I think, oh, my God, what if I would have listened to her now? Did you ever go back and send her a little?

00:33:48
I have a story about that step. Several years later, I was well on my way, and I have a car fetish. I love cars. And so when I really started getting out making money, the first thing I wanted to give myself was a brand new car. So here I am, and I bought myself my very first Porsche Panamera.

00:34:14
And I just thought I was all that and living life, money, cars. And so I pull up at a safeway, a grocery store where I was living in Colorado at the time, and I park in this parking lot, and I'm in my car, and all of a sudden, this car comes next to me, and I see this woman get out of this car. I know who the woman is. And I was like, oh, my gosh, that's my first manager. So she gets out of the car, and my blood started to boil.

00:34:51
Okay. So I got out of the car, and I was ready to go up to her and be like, look here. Do you remember me, Gina Panushi, who you told was never going to make it in the industry? And look at me now. I've got salons.

00:35:05
I'm driving a Porsche and everything. But I didn't, because the lord said, shut your mouth. Stay humble. She knows exactly what you're doing. Yes.

00:35:17
So I did it. I controlled my tongue. Probably that was the one and only time I've ever controlled my tongue. But, you know, the other thing is. And yes, she said something to you that hurt you, but it also gave you the fight to do it.

00:35:29
If someone didn't say that to you at 21, would you have worked as hard as you did to get where you are? No. So you could have. It also could turn it around to be like, thank you. Right.

00:35:37
I could go to my guidance counselor. Thank you. Even though you were mean when I was little. Thank you for that. Because I'm where I am today because of you.

00:35:44
Because you made me fight. Exactly. And that's something that people, I want them to hear, because, again, you could take that negative again. You could sit back and be like, I didn't do anything, but take that. She wasn't in a good space in her life.

00:35:56
Right? She had her own trauma, and she was, I don't want to say taking it out on you, right, but wasn't lifting you up. And really, we should be here to lift people up. I mean, that's something I talk about on the podcast all the time. When you see someone doing something good, hey, you know what?

00:36:11
You're really good at that. That's what we need more, especially in this world. But if you look at it that way and flip it, you know what? Thank you. Thank you for giving me that fight.

00:36:23
Yeah. And that is really the core and the root of why I do what I do, even from my salons to my XoXO lip portfolio, is giving people that encouragement in any way I can, giving them that self confidence, giving them that, yes, you can go out and do it. And that's one of the reasons why every single tube of lipstick, we can take it out. Yes. Has a name.

00:36:51
And it's because every time I want somebody to take their lipstick out with the swipe of a lip, make them feel good and confident, but I want to tell them that, you know what? You're a daydream believer. You're confident, you're daring, you're brave, you're empowering. This goes far beyond a lipstick. It goes that you are beautiful.

00:37:17
You can do anything that you want. You can have your own business. You can color outside your lines. You can have your own company or your own business and make it yours. That's what I'm passionate about in everything that I do.

00:37:34
And you can feel it. And I'm going to leave it at that because that was mean, beautiful, and your story. And for the Listeners, we will be having Gina back on because I will be finding more because I have so many. I mean, so many questions, and this is what I do best, and this is what I love, because giving people inspiration, there's so many people out there that are stuck in life that don't know what to do, because whether they're stuck in a company, because it's golden, handcuffed, they have to make that. But I always say to those people, just think outside the box.

00:38:07
Think about something that makes you excited and do it, even if it's not. Stay with your company now because you're making the money. But if you put enough effort into what your passion is and what you really love, you can make that happen. And when you get out of your box, it's a bitch sometimes. It's scary.

00:38:24
And you are like, second guess yourself and you think too long and talk yourself out of things, opportunities that arise, and you start kind of doubting yourself. And so getting out of your box, to me, is probably the most uncomfortable thing I've ever done in my entire life. And we didn't even got to talk about undercover boss. But that's a whole nother but getting out of your box and being uncomfortable, it makes you grow, and that's when you grow the most. You don't grow when you're comfortable?

00:38:54
No, not at all. Yeah, that's when you don't grow at all. You have to be uncomfortable and then you have. There's comfort in there. It grows and then.

00:39:03
Amazing. Amazing. Well, thank you so much for joining YNs live with NFL Thread here live from Las Vegas at Slanker. So welcome back to YNs Live with NFL Thread, here live from Vegas, we are with burn factory. You guys, again, one of the podcast sponsors would love for you guys to introduce yourselves.

00:39:24
Hello, I'm Priest Rivera, the host of the Burn factory. I almost just said your role. And I'm Phoenix Rivera, co host of the Burn Factory podcast. Awesome. So, I mean, I need to know, first of all, you guys seem very young, so I would love to know your ages, which I'm not going to ask everyone their ages because I know not everyone wants to tell their ages, but I mean, inspiration for people that we can do things at any age.

00:39:48
Age is a number, and it doesn't matter what number it is. When you have an inspiration and a passion and you follow what you're meant to do, beautiful things happen. So if you guys don't mind telling me your ages, I'm 17 and I'm 20. You are? Okay, so tell us how this came about.

00:40:05
So, unfortunately, I was actually caught on fire in a school science experiment by my teacher. Went horribly, horribly wrong. There was a fire. Black snake really wasn't working. And she had rubbing alcohol next to her to kind of get the flame to work.

00:40:20
She grabbed rubbing alcohol, kind of like sparked it up a little bit, and she grabbed the whole bottle, dumped it into the flame and burst like a bomb. And it's chaos after that. And unfortunately, I had burns all down my neck, all on my face, and I was left with a 50% chance to survive because with burns, the swelling continues to swell and they're worried about my breathing stopping and hearing that as a 13 year old, you're like, wow, I could lose my life at any moment. And I don't want to think like that because I don't have a negative mindset. Always try to think the positive thing.

00:40:54
So I had my brother and my parents go get my golf putter. I put golf ball after golf ball after golf ball into this little glass jar and slowly but surely started putting a smile on my face because golf is one of my favorite things to do. And in that moment, I knew I was going to fight and I knew I was going to get out of that hospital bed and go inspire as many people as I can possible. Wow. Thank you.

00:41:19
That's beautiful. And again, we talk about this on the podcast. Sometimes when tragedy happens, it sparks something that just brings this whole kind of world that is bigger than your own life. Right? And so people going through trauma, people going through injury, whatever level, right?

00:41:42
I mean, there's levels of all of it. But the fact that you're like, you know what? I want to come and talk about it. I don't want to hide from it. I want to tell other people that you could be down, but if you have a little spark, family, right, friends, but something that you love, that can really bring you up.

00:41:58
So, I mean, I really appreciate you sharing that. Thank you. I appreciate. Amen to that, though. Find the littlest things in life because they can help change your life and make a big impact.

00:42:07
And unfortunately, unfortunate things happen. But to some degree, I look at mine, kind of humbling to me, really makes me take life not for granted anymore, makes me enjoy every little thing possible, because you never know, one day you might not have that ever again. Right? Yeah. Thank you.

00:42:27
Life's going to always throw curveballs at you, but what are you going to do with that experience to ultimately get you to go forward and propel you through life and through that, we actually have this thing that we call it's a burn moment. So a burn moment is just a really hard time in your life that you have to fight to overcome, whether it's depression, anxiety, loss of a family member. We all go through such unfortunate times. But what are you going to do with that time that ultimately teaches you and helps you learn and helps you get forward in life? And when you get burned, it's like stuck there forever.

00:42:57
So that burn moment is in you forever, and you can constantly go back for it for good. You know what? I got through this time. I can get through what I'm going through today. I lost my job, family issues.

00:43:08
I can go back on that experience and be like, you know what? If I got through that, I can do anything, and I can fight through anything. Yeah, no, and I love that. And being the older brother, I have kids. I have two boys and a girl.

00:43:19
And that bond that siblings have, I'm one of five very close with my siblings. But what was that like for you when your brother was going through this? It was tough, I'll never forget. So, like you said, we're both competitive golfers. And it was my second day of summer, and I was out golfing with a few of my buddies, and I saw my dad call, and I was like, okay, maybe just calling, checking in, like, where are you at?

00:43:46
Stuff. Then he called a second time, and I was like, oh, okay. So I pick it up, I call him. He's like, yeah, your brother, he got burned. And I was like, okay, maybe it's just a little hot glue gun.

00:43:57
Maybe just like, he burned his finger a little bit, and he was like, no, we're going to UCSD ICU. It's bad. It burned down his face. And I kind of blacked out after that. I don't know if I hung up.

00:44:07
He hung up, but my ball was sitting right there, and I turned for the woods, and I hit it as hard as I could. And I just never forget just breaking down, because at the time, he's 13 years old. That's my little brother. Yeah. And it was hard for me because it's like, man, as bad as it to say there's worse people in this world, and he's so young and he's so pure.

00:44:26
But truthfully, God had a plan for us to continue to inspire people's lives and whatever they're going through in life. So it was definitely a very trying time, but a lot of good has come out of it. Yeah, really. So take us through a little bit when you guys then also decided, we have a story. Right?

00:44:45
We have a story, and we can inspire others. Yeah. So we just developed the burn factory because everything kind of needs a story, and we thought he can inspire as many people as he can. So we started the burn factory. And actually what we do on our show is it's structured, so we use the acronym burn.

00:45:02
So each letter is kind of a different time in your life. So b is beginning. We take the guests back to their beginning, their childhood. What burn moments did they go through? Then you move to u, which is unfortunate, which is everyone goes through an unfortunate time, and then that kind of gets a little dark.

00:45:17
So we bring them out of it, and we go to r, which is like, ridiculous. Like, you get NFL players, you get fighters, entertainment people. There has to be a little ridiculous burn moment they go through, and then we top it off with n, which is kind of now and next in your life. So as a listener, they come, they know that they're going to get the same things every single time. And here's some very inspiring burn moments.

00:45:38
Yeah, that's really cool. And I also wanted to do this because it's almost a relief to me because whenever traumatic things happen, the worst thing you can do is just hold on to them and not talk about it. So I was like, I want to express myself to as many people as possible, and maybe one day they could take inspiration from me that, you know what? I will fight. I will live another day.

00:46:02
No, and I appreciate it. And, I mean, that is something that we talk about all the time. I talk about it again on the podcast, but with family, friends, clients, you can't stuff, right? You can't stuff your feelings because it's coming out somewhere. Yeah, it is.

00:46:14
It is coming out somewhere. And so you might as well do that. And I love that you found with the podcast because that's something that is the reason why I keep doing my podcast and do it, because it is so healing and for others as well. So it's a beautiful thing to be able to go and talk about. It doesn't have to be a therapy session because that's what a lot of people think.

00:46:35
It's like, I don't want to sit on the couch. I don't want to do that. It's getting it off, so getting it off your chest and talking about it. And some people are like, okay, I don't want to do that. But writing it down, talking to a friend, there's so many things that are really important, especially with teens nowadays, with the anxiety and the pressure and everything.

00:46:53
Don't stuff it because, yeah, it's going to come out, and it might not come out today, tomorrow, it might not come out for 20 years, but it's going to come out. And the more that you do that, so the fact that you are doing that is so beautiful. But also, for your parents, I mean, it has to be such an amazing thing for them to be able to see, you know what? That was probably the worst time of their entire lives. And to see, okay, we just want our kids to be okay.

00:47:21
Right. We just want our kids to be okay. And you don't know when experiences happen. Sorry, I'm going to get emotional, but when things happen, you don't know when or what that's going to do to your kid and you just want them. So the fact that you have that kind of worldness to you already and that you have your brother to do it is really cool.

00:47:40
No, thank you. I appreciate it. Yeah, I mean, it's beautiful. So tell everyone where they can find you guys. Yeah, so you can find us on YouTube, Spotify, Apple podcasts.

00:47:52
We're actually signed to Fox Sports and iheart media as well. So those platforms as well. You can go check us out. Yeah, it's pretty much it. And the socials are burn Factory podcasts on Instagram x now Twitter, aka.

00:48:06
Yes, I believe TikTok everything. Yeah, burn Factory podcast. So go check. Yeah, I mean, thank you again, boys. Yes.

00:48:14
So much for joining yns Live with NFL thread here live from Vegas at Flanker.