Speaker 1: 0:43

danielle, you know that billboard that's on highway 49, not the 49 but, 49.

Speaker 1: 0:49

Yes, it says we got it at sam's. Every time we pass that, my daughter's like mom. We got it at Sam's because we got our furniture at Sam's Furniture, which we love, by the way, and, coincidentally enough, we have Lara Donaldson here in the studio. She's, you know, the number one representative face of Sam's Furniture. Yeah, but we're not going to talk all things Sam Sam's. We're going to talk a little bit about life and what brought Lara here to Northwest Arkansas and all those good things.

Speaker 3: 1:20

Oh yeah, I want to dive into it. Yeah, let's go Well.

Speaker 4: 1:23

I'm super excited to be here, so thank you so much for having me, thank you for being here, yeah, what do you want to know, well? We just found out something about you because before she came on air, you know for like the last eight years of doing what I've been doing for Sam's, that everyone's just kind of a blur of a oh you look so familiar but not really sure how to place you, kind of thing.

Speaker 3: 2:11

So people really need to dress very either eccentric or like unique. For you to stand out to you, you gotta really like do something to jump out and be memorable.

Speaker 4: 2:23

And I hope people don't get offended, I am so. I'm pretty good with faces, which is why Christian looked familiar, but horrible with names.

Speaker 2: 2:33

Oh, that's me, I mean.

Speaker 4: 2:35

I'm terrible, so so bad with names. Oh, that's me, I mean. I'm terrible, so so bad with names, but yeah, so whenever they mentioned his name, I was like wait? Yes, I do know.

Speaker 3: 2:42

However, it is a small town and I've only lived here eight years and this happens. I'm not even like a public figure or on like a billboard or anything, and I run into people all the time. They're like I know, know you, and I'm like, I feel like everyone. I just the winter in circles, you see, but then I'm, I'm terrible with names too yes, and I think I have we're talking about this before memory bias or just bad memory. I have that as well.

Speaker 4: 3:08

Yeah yeah, it's, it's really bad and you know I do. I've tried counseling where they like go through your past and I'm like listen, we're not gonna get anywhere with this because I literally remember nothing about my past, so this is gonna make it real hard, but yeah, so it's a really bad memory thing, but as far as people go, yes, and it doesn't help that people feel like they. I've maybe even never met them, but they've seen my face.

Speaker 4: 3:42

So they feel like they know you yes, and so they'll come up and start conversations with me and I'm just like, yes, great, that's wonderful.

Speaker 1: 3:50

Yeah.

Speaker 4: 3:51

Oh, we've never met. I'm like oh, thank God.

Speaker 3: 3:53

I was going crazy, we've never met. I'm like, oh, thank God you have good social graces, because some people would just be like, forget this and just go on with their day, right, like no, yeah, yeah, it's just rude. I know it is right, it is just rude.

Speaker 1: 4:06

I know You're kind of like. You need that like person in your ear.

Speaker 3: 4:19

This is so and so from devil wars, oh devil, and that's his mistress.

Speaker 4: 4:22

I love that movie that is such a great.

Speaker 3: 4:24

I quote it all the time I'm like I'll be yelling to my husband. Did demarchal, yay, confirm, and he's so conditioned? Now he's like I have patrick, you don't remember that part.

Speaker 1: 4:36

I have Patrick. I love that Elliot plays along with that, I know because I make everyone watch it, even my kids.

Speaker 4: 4:44

Oh, I love it. She can quote movies like no one else. I can watch it one time, so that's your memory thing. You just have to like associate things with that.

Speaker 3: 4:54

Yes, I have to see it, or a song I see, or a song I can remember oh, that's good, so like the only thing I remember from school is like if it was made into a song oh yeah, like all the capitals of, like south american countries, or like the continents. Yeah, nothing else is retained.

Speaker 1: 5:12

Yeah, nothing else is nothing else is really like forget about it. I know I'm not good with names either, and so for me I will remember situational things with, oh yeah, experience, or even having a conversation with someone, or I know you from so and so and so and so knows you from this, and so it's really funny because I think you and I've had like maybe a couple of conversations which you probably don't remember, which is completely fine, but I have.

Speaker 1: 5:39

I have like these little memories of you of just like with the Northwest Arkansas Mets grade and with just like film stuff, so like when sweet inspirations came out and like I know that you guys had, yeah, a part in that and I think, um, you know that was some of the things that I wanted to talk to you about today is just your involvement in this community and your philanthropist philanthropy and the things that you're doing here and what kind of like you know, what drew you to do those things, and maybe we can take a step back, actually, and talk about how you got to Northwest Arkansas.

Speaker 4: 6:13

And that one's super easy. I was born and raised here, yeah, so there's there's no exciting story there. I was born and raised in Fayetteville. That's where I went to high school and did not go to the U of A. I went to NWTI and I was. So I was a surgical assistant. That's what my schooling was in, did it for a couple of years but got out of that because I was a single mom and didn't want to do hospital hours. Yeah, so got into sales and then went to no, actually I did event planning first for five years. That was a long period of time, I can't believe. I just forgot that, okay. And then I went into sales for a few years until I went to Sam's. So I don't have a super exciting background, but my last eight years at Sam's has been extremely interesting. So, yeah, but it's been.

Speaker 1: 7:09

It's well. Let's back it up and ask how you got into working for Sam's and how you met Joe. Yeah, everybody wants to hear a whirlwind romance, right Like that's what we want.

Speaker 3: 7:22

I do want to hear that.

Speaker 4: 7:25

It was a whirlwind.

Speaker 1: 7:25

Take us on a journey.

Speaker 3: 7:26

How did he woo you?

Speaker 1: 7:28

Okay.

Speaker 4: 7:30

Well, if you want to know the real story Of course we want to know the real story.

Speaker 4: 7:37

We met at Rot club, which yeah, so I mean now, seeing, like the couple that we are, kind of makes it funny that that's where we met because it's a civil service, civil service group, right, so they do philanthropical stuff all over the world. So we met at Rotary Club and we were talking I was about to shoot a commercial for the owners of Eureka Pizza and Joe and I were just sitting at the same table, which is how we met and I don't oh, I asked him if he knew the owner, because I'd like to talk to him, because I was shooting that commercial like the next day or the day after, and he said, oh, yeah, yeah, I think what are you shooting it for? You know, just got into like small conversation. He introduced me to Rolf, the owner of Eureka Pizza, talked about that and he was like well, so what? I mean, are you an actress? This is what you do?

Speaker 4: 8:36

And I said no, honestly, I don't even remember who asked me or how I got into it, but I was like I do market, I do sales for a marketing company, printed and print and mail things. So he was like, well, I'm building a new store, I may need some marketing material, blah, blah, blah, okay, blah, okay. Well, here's my card. So he reached out to me and was like hey, let's meet and talk. I was totally going into this thinking this is like a business, like he needs marketing stuff, right he's smooth yes, oh yeah, yes, way to go, joe.

Speaker 4: 9:14

So two hours into coffee which I don't even drink coffee um, we I was like this has been great, never really talked about marketing stuff. I'm like okay, so, uh, you know, it's really nice to meet you. Let me know if you need help with anything. And we were leaving and he was like I would like to, I'd like to, you know, maybe do this again sometime, maybe we can go to dinner. And I was like listen, I'm not really interested, but thank you for the offer. Like it was really nice meeting you this. And he was just kind of taken back, I guess. And he and he was like, okay, well, nice to meet you too.

Speaker 4: 10:09

Actually, you're just playing hard to get You're like I only spent two hours talking with you over coffee that I don't even like.

Speaker 4: 10:16

But no, I can't do dinner, sorry, Not so much and so after he texted me that night and he was like I'm sorry, did I offend you in some way? And I said you didn't offend me, but honestly, I just feel like I think that you're a little arrogant and I don't really care to go on another date with you. If I'm going to date someone, it's going to be because I you know, see a possible future with them.

Speaker 4: 10:50

I was, you know, my late twenties at the time, and so, um, and had a daughter, a 12 year old daughter, 10 year old daughter, uh, and so I was like, yeah, I just, it's just do another coffee, though let's not make it a full length meal. And the next one was great. And then, literally, like I don't know, seven months later, we were engaged.

Speaker 3: 11:28

Wow that's fast.

Speaker 4: 11:30

How many? Maybe? Nine weeks later, we were married. So, yeah, talk about whirlwind, especially from the first one being like no, I am not interested in you. But honestly, by the second time, I just realized how our hearts aligned with so much of like our hearts to serve. Basically, yes, he showed me a different side of himself, so we are chalking it up to like he was really nervous and just way over talked about himself the first coffee. But yeah, so that's our whirlwind romance story. That's hilarious.

Speaker 3: 12:08

I like that he was persistent.

Speaker 1: 12:10

Yeah, I love that he didn't fall back like, oh, she's not interested.

Speaker 3: 12:16

Yeah, I think that's a good quality in a man, honestly, because I hear from my sisters in her 20s that a lot of the guys she's dating aren't really as assertive. Yes, you don't want overly assertive yes, you don't want overly assertive, but the fact that he was like, let me have another shot, or what did I do wrong? Yeah, it sounds like he likes that. You called him out yeah probably, you know, maybe a little bit yeah, well, you called him out and it made him reflect.

Speaker 3: 12:46

Yes, give it another shot. Yeah, it sounds like you did a good job. That's really great, because now you got the girl.

Speaker 1: 12:50

You did, and I love that you talk about how that your heart's aligned yeah, because I've just heard a lot of great things about both you and Joe and about your hearts, and I think that people see it through the work that you're doing and through the ministry that you're doing and through, like the ministry that you're doing and the trips that you go on, you know, and I think that that is so valuable and that you have somebody that is like your partner. And so tell us a little bit about, like, what draws you to do all the things that you're doing and pouring back into the community and the trips that you've gone on, and, like what, what drives you to do that yeah, I think it really goes back to both of our childhoods.

Speaker 4: 13:31

Like my, we, my family, didn't go on a lot of mission trips but my mom was a stay-at-home mom and we just we served constantly. I mean we were at seven hills, we served through our church. Like my mom was always the you know generous person. She wanted people over, she was like constant, like gatherings of like and then trying to raise money for to meet the needs of the people that she was being introduced to through the different nonprofits and stuff. So that's my kind of background. But Joe actually went on a lot of mission trips and so his was kind of serving in that capacity.

Speaker 4: 14:15

So growing up that way you just I feel like you have a natural bend to want to follow that because, I mean, anybody that's done anything nice for someone, you know how that makes you feel after it's been enacted. So when I was already kind of like volunteering for a couple of nonprofits locally, whenever Joe and I met and Sam's was doing a few things, I think that they were working with Seven Hills and they did a lot with the pet shelters and stuff. But when they built the big store right off the highway, that main store, which was eight I think it's been eight years now Joe's dad was going through cancer and he passed just after opening. But he really challenged Joe that like if you're going to do this, like it needs to be more than just doing it for yourself and making a life for yourself and all of that. And so Joe didn't really know, because he had like the through church mission trip kind of mentality of how to serve people. So like what does that really look like through a business?

Speaker 4: 15:29

And so, just um, I came on shortly after that store opened because I had so many you know community ties already through my sales position with the networking and stuff, and Joe was like my dad kind of challenged me with this and he he I think he had just passed whenever I came on. And so he's like my dad challenged me with this. We have this huge new store and I don't have time to bring on this extra, but it's important. I mean, family is important to us. And so he's like I really want to fulfill this, but I don't know how and I'm like, well, I mean, between the nonprofits that I'm already volunteering with and the ones that you know you guys were already supporting, I'm sure we can figure out a way to, you know, just make this more of a to be able to make more of an impact.

Speaker 4: 16:23

And so after coming on, I mean we went from five nonprofits to twenty five, twenty or twenty five within like the first year of me coming on there. So I mean that was my full time job and it was all local and we, you know, we did the Alzheimer's Association, we did the call of NWA, which they were already kind of partnered with, still did a little bit with Seven Hills and then I was involved with Loving Choices and Compassion House and so just merging our hearts into alliance, I mean that's just kind of how all of our philanthropic stuff started. Yeah.

Speaker 1: 17:03

Sorry, I'm getting like choked up. I think, well, I just think it's so awesome. I mean, I think, well, I tie things because I lost my dad to cancer. So whenever people talk about cancer it always brings up a little emotional spark for me and I think that it's just so awesome to see a business thriving and giving back in the way that y'all are giving back.

Speaker 2: 17:28

And.

Speaker 1: 17:28

I already knew that. And so when you support a business or you buy from a business, or you support a friend who's doing a business, or whatever it looks like, and you know that there's a little bit of pride and a little bit of joy that comes from that. And so I think about the furniture that we bought. We got to a point where we were like, okay, our kids are past the baby stage, we need new furniture. It's been almost a year.

Speaker 1: 17:53

It was, I think, the Memorial Day sale last year of 2023 that we bought new furniture sectional at Sam's last year and I mean we brought our kids, they were part of it. They got to test all the couches out. We had conversations. I mean we're measuring things, all the things. But I think what really brings it down to it is like listening to you talk about this just makes me even happier that we put our money into your business, because I know that you are doing so much more. It's not, yeah, I just I don't know. It just kind of chokes me up a little, because it's like there's so many things that people can be doing as a business, yes, and that your business is so focused I mean 25, no, I mean that.

Speaker 3: 18:38

Well, I was at a luncheon for saving grace and I saw your name on that because a friend of mine is the president of the board there and so, oh, I love that. And then one of my friends bought a table and so I had given to saving grace before. But you know, I try, like through our podcast we support we're circle of red members, but we, like I, try to do the same. I was just talking to my husband the other day about as I'm Christian and as like a Christian, as a wife, I was just like reading scripture and it's talking about you know, basically who you marry matters and it's a woman who is a servant of god, whatever faith that you are, but just a woman that is, gives herself to the lord and serves her husband, will reap so many benefits.

Speaker 3: 19:22

So, like who you marry really matters oh yeah, and so I can see like from the story you know you both have the same heart and it really does like to build something great. A lot of times doing it married, like you can do it single, obviously as well, but when you partner with somebody, I mean it. I mean the opportunities are endless oh, for sure to build your business, take care of your family, yeah, so I think it's incredible you have 25 or more this more now, yeah now.

Speaker 1: 19:51

yeah, yeah, a lot more. That was the first year. So how many? That was the first year. Where are you at now?

Speaker 4: 19:56

Honestly, I don't even remember. I haven't like retallied, but we have gone international now. Oh, you have, yes, yeah, so we serve in Africa, mexico, vietnam, chile, and Joe and I are meeting with a non-profit this weekend. We're going to Dallas to meet with one who serves in India and Costa Rica for anti-human trafficking, and so we're hoping to develop that, that partnership as well.

Speaker 4: 20:24

But with with our international missions, really, our, our, our heart is to get the community here to go with us, and it's very different than going with a church on a mission trip.

Speaker 4: 20:40

We call them serve trips because even though we are a faith based company, but you don't have to be a Christian to go on one of our trips Like, we want people to just have the opportunity to go somewhere and see a different culture and be able to serve in a capacity where you're meeting the needs of the people that you're serving, instead of you know handing out tracts, which is great, and you know planting churches, which is awesome, but there's so many people doing that. We wanted to find a way to entice people who may not go on those types of trips but still have the experience of just seeing the need and the world and then having that feeling of like you just gave mobility to a person that not only affects the person that you gave the wheelchair to, but also a minimum of 14 people that surround them in their life because of all the help that they have. I mean, it's just, it's incredible to to be able to facilitate those kind of experiences for people that's so awesome, awesome, yeah.

Speaker 1: 21:53

What are some of the things that you're doing now as part of part of that role? Are you still in that role in helping lead all of the philanthropy?

Speaker 4: 22:01

Yes, I am. How many hats do you wear?

Speaker 1: 22:06

Is that two full time jobs over here? Yeah?

Speaker 3: 22:09

I was actually wanting to know that, like all the roles you play yes, um, so I our design gallery, which is our newest um store.

Speaker 4: 22:19

Yes, so I I opened that. Where is that?

Speaker 3: 22:24

it's right next to our main building so we have three buildings now it's awesome oh, thanks, it's really fun I've been to the main, but I need, need to go, you need to go to the design gallery.

Speaker 4: 22:33

I need some furniture, yeah it's great and you know it's very different from the other stores. My hope in that was for someone to be able to walk in and really understand the concept of how a room should be laid out and different color palettes and how they can all mix and you can mix metals and you can mix decor and um, so someone could walk in and just be like this is it? I just want this and it's fully accessorized and you've got, you know, the whole furniture set and they're like nope, yep, just put this in my home. I don't even have to speak in my language because I uh I'm.

Speaker 3: 23:12

I'm so bad at that. I my neighbor, luckily was a decorator so she went and helped me source from Sam's and like all like different kind of places. But when I first moved here when I Googled furniture, Sam's came up. But I'm terrible at that. I want someone to just show me pictures or walk in.

Speaker 3: 23:31

Cause I feel like, a lot of times when you walk into a furniture store they do kind of like you know, you know have a couple little tchotchkes, right. But. But you're right with the color palette, because open concept has been so popular and my biggest challenge with the house we bought was that it's like an l shape and it's all open, but you have your kitchen, your breakfast nook and your living and so you want to do each one different but you still have to carry like, yes, the colors, yeah, even with the decor in your kitchen, yeah. So I, I really want to go, because I, my kids, have abused my couch for eight years and I have had it, I, and then you get to start with like new rules.

Speaker 1: 24:09

I was like there will not be food on this. There will not be anything, no.

Speaker 3: 24:16

Even my dog. I'm going to start getting her little e-collar and buzzing her.

Speaker 1: 24:22

Not even water is allowed.

Speaker 3: 24:24

Not even water.

Speaker 1: 24:25

Even though I know that it could probably come off very easy. Nothing is allowed, okay.

Speaker 3: 24:31

I want to ask you this, because you're talking about the design, like everything I know I've. I watched tiktoks about what's in and what's out. I know, like modern farm house is apparently out. Uh, mixed metals are in. I I will mix metals on me like jewelry, but I struggle with the mixed metals in my home. Yeah, I have all I don't I do like gold hardware.

Speaker 3: 24:54

I wouldn't put it in my kitchen, probably, but maybe in like a bath or like I guess, yeah, but tell us about some trends that you have seen okay, this year, or that you're putting in, or what's going? Yeah, what's in your home, or what do you want, or what are you putting out there?

Speaker 4: 25:11

so my current home is completely from well, our like main area, because our house is kind of laid out the same as yours, like when you walk in we have a, an office that's turned into like a library slash, like travel, because we travel around the world and so we pick up stuff from different places that we go, but when you walk in it's just all open. So but kind of our whole house is maybe a little bit like travel themed, so we're very mixed metals, mixed culture.

Speaker 4: 25:45

I mean it is, it's a collective it's very eclectic, like we have street signs that like with our names on them, that like show different areas of the house. I mean, it's very, very, very different.

Speaker 2: 25:59

And I.

Speaker 4: 26:00

I just feel like a lot of like retro stuff is coming back in, but it's still modernized and so that's been a big trend lately. But honestly, I feel like so many people are just they're tired of having to be put in a box yeah and so it's just what makes you happy, what makes you excited.

Speaker 4: 26:23

Color palettes are really important whenever you're deciding what you want to put in your home, because they actually trigger different emotions, and so you want to make sure that when, if you're wanting to accessorize with a lot of red, like you can put that in your bedroom, but you probably don't want to put that in a place where you're trying to wind down like tranquility yes, yeah, yeah, tranquil colors.

Speaker 4: 26:47

I have heard that, yeah so I mean there are still little things that will help. But as far as like trends and what people are doing, I honestly just from what people are coming in and asking for, and we do whole home design too. Yeah, it is across the board. Everybody's just wanting to be happy at this point.

Speaker 3: 27:08

And that's good to know. You do design services, yeah, ok. So I know this is kind of a chicken or an egg question, but some people argue that you start with the rug and some people say you don't have to. They say you start a you start a room from the rug. Really, I've heard that and I have not done that. I don't have rugs you can just imagine.

Speaker 3: 27:31

Well, I've just heard that if you have a room like a great room or a living room, you start with the rug and I don't know. I remember I didn't and I felt like I had just messed it all up.

Speaker 1: 27:45

You're overthinking it. I was Definitely.

Speaker 4: 27:47

So we actually the house that we haven't been in our house long right now. We were under contract on a different house, and I started with the rug, because there was a rug that I absolutely loved. I'm like I know that I want this in my house, and so then I built the entire color scheme off of it. Yeah, see, but we canceled the contract on that house. The design of the house that we ended up going into was very different.

Speaker 3: 28:25

My rug came last okay, see that's how it was for me because my house when I first moved in, my mother-in-law was like this is very chips and joanna gains and I. I was so clueless at that point I was like who's that? She was like you don't know who they are. I was like no, because it had a lot of shiplap. It's a lot of white and I still love it. But my style isn't necessarily farmhouse or bathroom or live, laugh, love.

Speaker 2: 28:52

That's not really my jam.

Speaker 3: 28:58

I'm more like um, a little bohemian, a little like shaggy, not shaggy chic, but I do like, not minimalist, but I like blue. I went with like blue, yellow, um, and then just like little pops of colors, but I love blue, so it's like blue and white, yeah, everywhere you're like ralph lauren I do I like classic yeah yeah, I like that that's good, yeah, but I do like a statement if I've not ever seen your house.

Speaker 3: 29:21

I do like it, I know right, I do like a statement. While I've been kind of thinking in my dining room, I want to make a statement.

Speaker 1: 29:28

I think that you should, although you're very much into neutrals, so I do like like still but minimalism is out pretty yeah, have you heard the theory about why? Millennials are went very minimalistic yeah, I'm a maximus or maximalist.

Speaker 3: 29:41

Well, yeah, max maximalist is because we grew up with like the most, like our parents had just like so extravagant jc penny catalog carpeted bathroom.

Speaker 1: 29:55

You never had them, but I've heard of them. So true, though, like we don't want any of it, I mean, I think, growing up with so many like curtains, yes, curtains, the top of the curtains oh, like uh I wish I can't balance.

Speaker 4: 30:14

Yeah like, oh my gosh.

Speaker 3: 30:15

Yes, yes, every single and the fake foliage what do they call it like the 90s italian villa?

Speaker 4: 30:22

look, with the the little things like the fruit and veggies and the roosters and they're all like nope, no, all white, nothing on the counters oh my gosh, I don't like anything on the counters still but it gives me anxiety.

Speaker 1: 30:39

It does give me anxiety joe, joe's the same way.

Speaker 4: 30:42

I don't. I don't get to have anything on our account, on our counters oh no, my whole family.

Speaker 3: 30:46

I drive them crazy. I'm like everything must go. You don't find a place, it goes in the trash in the trash.

Speaker 1: 30:52

I keep seeing these like tiktoks and reels on instagram with people like having these like hidden like appliance garages in their kitchens and stuff I've seen these oh I want that. Yeah, like open it and they shove everything back and then close it and it looks like nothing is out.

Speaker 3: 31:09

I'm like, oh it's so beautiful not to call a clutter company.

Speaker 4: 31:14

Yeah, my mom actually has. So my mom's an interior designer of like new construction homes, so she does decorating as well, but her primary job has been basically building the house from the ground up, um, and so she has hidden rooms that, like her pantry is a hidden wall. Her office closet is a hidden wall.

Speaker 3: 31:37

My goal in life is to have a little book that you pull a little. Yes, in the room you would have a speakeasy.

Speaker 1: 31:45

It would not be a hidden. It wouldn't be hidden closet or hidden anything.

Speaker 4: 31:49

It would be a speakeasy leather bound books yeah yeah, my husband and I just said yesterday, when the kids graduate.

Speaker 3: 31:56

We want to be like uh, adventures and unearth, like art, like indiana jones. Yes, I just want to go travel the world and maybe start a little shop here where we sell just little artifacts yeah, who knows if we'll actually do that like the world market yeah, yeah.

Speaker 4: 32:15

No, actually that's very much kind of what Joe and I say too. We're like we just we don't want a lot here, we just want to be able to travel the world. Yeah, he's like let's have businesses in all different places and I'm like why? Why would we do that? We're trying to cut out. Ok, we're not going to have businesses all over the world.

Speaker 1: 32:36

Yeah, yes, oh, my gosh franchise. Yeah, have somebody else.

Speaker 4: 32:41

Yes, yes actually no, we are. Um, he's done a fantastic job at growing leaders, uh, through sam's, and so when we do get to step away, we'll still continue to do all of like the you know, philanthropic, philanthropic stuff. We want to lead all of the and bring on so many more other countries and serve trips in other countries and still like lead those. So so we'll still get to travel the world that way, but that's awesome.

Speaker 3: 33:06

How do you stay balanced with all that Like what when you're, you know, when you finally get that time alone, like what is it that you like to do? That kind of of you know fills your cup back up, like, gives you that energy.

Speaker 4: 33:19

Yes, so when I'm at my best at doing that which right now I'm not because we have so much going on, but typically like I think it's super important to have your mornings to yourself, think it's super important to have your mornings to yourself, so, like your quiet time, whatever that looks like, I mean, I do a devotional in the mornings and still continue that, but during the quiet time and then working out is kind of a big part of what I feel I think it's important to. The rest of your day is dictated by other people. You need to at least start your day off. What do you work? What do you do? Um, so I was doing pilates, princess.

Speaker 3: 34:03

Oh my gosh have you seen that trend online? I loved my sister was like I want to be a pilates princess I want to be.

Speaker 1: 34:10

I love pilates.

Speaker 3: 34:11

I just started doing ex-former classes, because my friend is the lead instructor at SON. My abs have never been so sore. Wait, what's it? Son, it's downtown Bentonville. It's the new one, the ex-former. I mean there's more Pilates studios, but I'll give her a shout out because she's my best friend. But there's a lot. My sister loves Pilates. She's like you have to do it.

Speaker 3: 34:33

And you think you're strong because I do like CrossFit style workouts or lift weights. I also teach yoga, but I have to. Now, in my late 30s, my doctor told me I need to build muscle. But oh, I went to the Pilates. I thought I was strong until you do a plank on a moving platform and then you're like no.

Speaker 4: 34:51

Yes, okay, so it's on the reformer. Yes, yes, so that's what I did. For a year and a half I did club Pilates.

Speaker 2: 34:59

Oh okay.

Speaker 4: 35:00

And that was my absolute favorite workout ever. Yeah, but we started traveling so much and I'm like this is really expensive for me to not be able to go, so I hopefully I want to buy my own reformer and have it in my home.

Speaker 3: 35:14

That's what I want to do. Haven't got there yet, so I just work at a home. I think it's like a torture device. Sometimes I know, take the brown rope, take the black, and you're like I don't know what's happening.

Speaker 1: 35:25

It hurts. It hurts, but it's a good hurt. It is.

Speaker 4: 35:29

But I do feel like I was in the best shape and I've always worked out and I actually fun fact was a Zumba instructor and I taught other, like you know, tone and tighten kind of classes too. But I was certified in Zumba years ago but Pilates, so I've always worked out. Pilates was the best shape that I had ever been and I would think so Zumba's fun too, it is.

Speaker 1: 35:56

This is making me even more excited for pilates because I so I'm getting like uh, club pilates. Text messages from club bentonville pilates I forget what they're called, something like that constantly because I like signed up, I was like this would be fun, like I haven't gone to class yet and I'm like, hi, I need to do it. Yeah, because I'm finding the older I get the harder it is to move my body, addicted.

Speaker 3: 36:20

I like what you're saying about starting your day not with a phone, but with, like a devotional meditation, whatever it is, because the urge is there, just to pick it up. Yes, oh, yes. And just go straight into it. And it's not serving me for sure.

Speaker 4: 36:37

It just go straight into it, and it's not serving me, for sure, it's definitely not serving me, because then you're not getting, you've already distracted yourself. So even if you just look at your phone and just answer those you know few things you can't just go right back into. Okay, now it's me time, because you are still thinking about, you know those messages. Or oh well, now I'm gonna have to respond to this, or now I'm gonna have to do this today, or blah blah. So, yeah, yeah, just not even picking up your phone and going straight into to your quiet time. Is it's really important?

Speaker 1: 37:04

yeah, this means I'm gonna have to get up early, do you wanna? I mean, I guess I don't have to do all these things, but I'm very encouraged to do them because I think that there's so much truth in that. Yeah, yeah, we've really enjoyed having you on the show today.

Speaker 3: 37:17

I feel like we can have you on again for a part two, I think, danielle should go on a trip too, it sounds like you know what I'm interested?

Speaker 4: 37:26

Oh my goodness, yes.

Speaker 1: 37:29

So how can people find you? Where should they follow you guys on social media and kind of all along on the journeys that you're taking, with all the work that you're doing?

Speaker 4: 37:38

yeah, so I am horrible at posting personally. So all of our get it at sam's is our handle for our social media and that would probably be the best place to find out information of when we have our next serve trips coming up, and you know the non-profits that we follow and stuff like that.

Speaker 1: 37:57

So and of course you know, we'll see you on 49, you know yes your morning news channel and billboards, oh yeah sam's furniture radio yes, sam's furniture radio listen.

Speaker 3: 38:12

Listen to that and if you need any furniture, get it at Sam's. Yes.

Speaker 1: 38:16

Thank you so much for being here today. I appreciate y'all.

Speaker 3: 38:19

This was really fun. Hey, thanks so much for listening today. If you liked what you heard, please consider subscribing to the podcast so you never miss an episode. You can also follow us on Instagram at People of NWA.

Speaker 2: 38:30

Thanks so much, arkansas, with the two Danielle's produced by me, brock Short of Civil Republic Productions. Please rate, review and like us on any podcast platform where you listen. For more information about today's guests and the show. Please check the show notes. Thanks for listening.