The Answer Was Always Connection – with Brooke from Paper Rokk

[00:00:00] Samara: we have businesses that are all about connection, yet we forget that the connection

it's not the hair, it's not the beauty, it's not the eyebrows. It's all about how you can connect with somebody else so that that person feels seen in a world that's getting lonelier because of technology.

[00:00:15] Brooke: Even if you haven't been through the same experience, just like having that empathy.

And just trying to understand or connect or making them feel heard is so important.

[00:00:24] Samara: You just never know where somebody is at. People are coming in our chairs every day.

You might be like, oh, that person's been a mole. And really you never know that their entire world behind the scenes is falling apart and they just can't speak about it.

[00:00:37] Jen: Grief isn't something that you sit down, you sit with, and then you get up and walk away from.

Mm-hmm. It just moves with you.

[00:00:44] Samara: I talk about all the time, what are the glass balls and what are the plastic balls? Yeah. You know, what ball are you letting fall?

[00:00:49] Brooke: I know that everything is a lesson. Yeah. So I'm not really mad about things happening or me being upset. I know that everything that I feel and does happen is gonna end up better.

[00:01:00] Jen: Are you missing out on connection?

[00:01:02] Samara: Yeah.

[00:01:03] Jen: You are missing out on connection by saying no to things

[00:01:05] Samara: and connection's. The best bit of life.

[00:01:06] Brooke: I love to learn things out of shitty times or whatever, but I, that's my biggest learning now is how to be a better friend or just a better person from this experience.

[00:01:19] Samara: Before we dive in, just a quick little love note from us. If this podcast has ever made you laugh, cry, think, or feel seen, please hit that subscribe button. It's the easiest way to keep the magic going and it helps us land more incredible guests for you.

Go on back, your girls, subscribe now and let's keep rising together.

[00:01:39] Jen: Welcome

back to the inner Sanctum Salon rising the podcast hello Samara.

[00:01:43] Samara: Hello? Oh,

[00:01:44] Jen: Samara, we

[00:01:45] Samara: got

[00:01:45] Jen: formal. Sorry about that. It's

[00:01:47] Samara: formal.

[00:01:47] Jen: Hey Sam.

[00:01:48] Samara: Um, I'd just like everyone to know that I didn't swear at once in the last podcast.

[00:01:52] Jen: Yeah, no you didn't and I was really impressed.

[00:01:54] Samara: Thanks. It was really kind. I don't know if the same will be said about today.

[00:02:00] Brooke: I doubt it.

[00:02:02] Jen: She, but she is trying,

[00:02:05] Samara: you know, before it was like formal guest. Now one of my closest friends different.

[00:02:10] Jen: So, would you like to introduce

[00:02:12] Samara: Yes. The

[00:02:12] Jen: guest sitting next

[00:02:13] Samara: to you. I'm very, very, very excited that one of my hair besties and life besties is on our podcast. Brooke Wolf. Finally, Paper Rokk

[00:02:22] Speaker 10: rock. Welcome.

[00:02:24] Brooke: Thank you. Thanks for

[00:02:25] Samara: having me. I was like, paper, hair, rock, Paper Rokk Why? What was I doing then?

[00:02:28] Brooke: Paper, rock.

[00:02:29] Samara: Paper.

[00:02:30] Jen: Even you paused on it. You

[00:02:32] Samara: know,

[00:02:32] Brooke: we're copying her.

[00:02:34] Samara: You're like, yeah. That's the name. Excellent.

[00:02:37] Speaker 10: Hi.

[00:02:38] Brooke: Hi.

[00:02:39] Samara: Hi. Hi.

[00:02:40] Brooke: Hello.

[00:02:40] Samara: Hi. You're

[00:02:41] Brooke: so far away the,

[00:02:42] Samara: I'm let like Jen ask a lot of the questions today because like, generally I've done life with you for so long.

Yeah. You know, and even Jen was like, oh, where are we at? Where are we going into? And I was like, you know what? I'm just gonna let it unfold with you and Brooke. And we're just, I'm just gonna let you, we are just doing the ride. Be. Yeah.

[00:02:58] Brooke: Anyway, like is anything off boundaries?

[00:03:01] Samara: Is

[00:03:02] Jen: anything off boundaries?

[00:03:02] Brooke: No,

[00:03:03] Jen: no,

[00:03:03] Brooke: nothing.

[00:03:04] Speaker 10: Wow. Let's

[00:03:05] Samara: Oh, RA, let's go. Go for girls.

[00:03:06] Speaker 11: to go.

[00:03:07] Samara: So Brooke and I have been friends for like seven years. No, because Foxy was a baby.

[00:03:14] Brooke: Yeah, he's seven.

[00:03:16] Samara: Yeah. But it was before Fox.

[00:03:17] Brooke: Yeah.

[00:03:18] Samara: So maybe, I think that's

[00:03:18] Brooke: like eight

[00:03:19] Samara: or nine. Eight or nine years. Wow.

[00:03:20] Brooke: Yeah.

[00:03:21] Samara: We met at a, we met officially at a, um, thing that we went to of course, hair thing.

And then from there we were like, did we just become best friends?

[00:03:30] Brooke: And then we were in inseparable.

[00:03:32] Samara: Inseparable,

[00:03:32] Brooke: yeah.

[00:03:33] Samara: Um, so we've kind of done business side by side for a long time with our other girlfriends who also will be on the pod over time. They

[00:03:40] Brooke: better be,

[00:03:41] Samara: they better be. Bridgette's already been on them.

Been on. Yes. So we've got two more to go.

[00:03:45] Brooke: She was a brave one first.

[00:03:46] Samara: Um, and I always say, you know, and I've spoken about my little crew that I have a lot, but, you know, just having different opinions from your friends or just literally, you know, I've had times and I've spoken about this, you know, where you've had like, I remember having a review come through and I was just like, you know, I don't know how to feel about this right now.

And then, you know, Brooke will come on and voice note and just be like, dude, it's fine. This, this, this. And oh, I can actually move on. Yeah. You know, or it's like, how are you guys doing your bonus structures? Or how are you guys doing this? Or how are you handling this? You know, when we went through COVID or all of those things, just to have this little support group that you know you're safe with.

[00:04:23] Jen: Yeah.

[00:04:24] Samara: That, you know, they understand your personal and professional life. It's so valuable.

[00:04:30] Jen: Yeah. Oh, for

[00:04:30] Samara: sure. And Brooke has been that for me in so many areas of my life for so long. So much so that Brooke was actually the one that also didn't mean to introduce me to Lee. So bless you. You, I love you for that.

Um, didn't mean to put her in an awkward position. So Brooke was friends with Lee and his ex-wife and me and my ex-husband, and then all, all of a sudden, you know, it was meant to be. So, you know, thank you. I was in the middle. I was a teenage

[00:04:55] Brooke: daughter.

[00:04:55] Samara: Yeah.

[00:04:56] Brooke: I was not. Okay.

[00:04:58] Samara: Whose parents broke up and then all of sudden

[00:04:59] Brooke: I was like, I want everyone to be happy.

I dunno why I feel like this now I'm gonna get left out and

[00:05:03] Samara: Yeah.

I

[00:05:06] Brooke: But I dunno. But yeah,

[00:05:06] Samara: no, it's

[00:05:07] Brooke: great.

[00:05:07] Samara: It's even that, it's so like, you know, what friendship and life and business can look like and it's, you know, where we were eight years ago to where we both are now. Like we've both built, built new salons and we've both gone through or have gone through or going through.

Very hard personal lives with a lot of mess in between, but you know, staying true to what is most important with motherhood and business and stuff like, it's just, I just adore you so I'm so excited for you other people to like know you and feel your warmth and be able to share this journey as well in all the big and all the little.

[00:05:43] Brooke: Thank you. So nice. Because it's been, you so

[00:05:45] Jen: had one heel of a journey, like business perspective wise. Like obviously there's other stuff and we'll talk about that too, too, but like if we just while you were talking about that and you think back over the years and it's like from the original salon to the two salons to the new salon, to the like the whole like talk a little bit about your journey as a business owner in the industry to start off with.

[00:06:07] Brooke: Yeah, so I guess I got into. Well in the industry. I started when I was 15 and then just finished when I was 18, and then everybody was going to uni. Um, and I wanted to go overseas and nobody would come with me.

So

I moved to the Gold Coast from my little farm town in Victoria and then came up here, worked a little bit, moved back there, and then was like, absolutely not for me.

Moved back here and then, yeah, I started the salon because I had a, um, stillborn baby and I didn't know what to do after that. You're a bit lost, you know? So, I was just like, I came home and I was like, oh, there's a baby room and there's a this and there's a that. And I had nothing. I was just like, what do I do?

Thank God I already had my other daughter. So yeah, I just, we went downstairs walking. I was crying and I saw the salon and I was just like. Well it wasn't a salon, it was an empty space. It was all shell. The whole building was new. Um, we just lived upstairs of it and I was like, that is gonna be my salon.

And yeah, I went straight into reception and I was like, yep, we are doing this.

[00:07:18] Samara: I'm just like, I'm not laughing 'cause the story's horrific, but laughing. How when horrific things happen, you and I are like, awesome, let's just do something else. Distract. I do,

[00:07:26] Brooke: I do.

[00:07:27] Samara: Well, that's really hard. And

[00:07:28] Brooke: that's where it happens.

[00:07:29] Samara: We're gonna do a distraction point. Let's go.

[00:07:31] Brooke: Let's not move through this. Let's just move over it. Yeah, I know. That's,

[00:07:35] Samara: let's just do something else that'll

[00:07:36] Brooke: distract. Take up

[00:07:37] Samara: my Yeah,

[00:07:37] Brooke: yeah, I know. So that's what happened. That was number one. That was number one. And I had no idea was, I was doing, was the people from the beginning?

Yeah.

[00:07:46] Samara: Yeah.

[00:07:47] Brooke: I, it was in, and they built it very fast. Everything happened very fast. I had no idea what I was doing aside from to do hair. That's it. I had no idea about staff, no idea about business. No idea. About tax, no idea about anything. And from there it just went up, down, up, down, up, down, up. So yeah.

[00:08:06] Samara: And then in that journey, you also became a single mom, so then you were all I did, yeah.

Doing, having a little girl and doing the salon.

[00:08:15] Brooke: Yeah.

[00:08:16] Samara: Lonnie's how old now?

[00:08:17] Brooke: 14.

[00:08:18] Samara: 14?

[00:08:19] Brooke: Mm-hmm. Like she was four. Uh, yeah. Three. Three to four. Yeah.

[00:08:23] Samara: Yeah.

[00:08:24] Brooke: Yeah.

[00:08:25] Samara: And you lived

[00:08:25] Jen: upstairs. The business was downstairs,

[00:08:27] Brooke: yeah. And you were just So I would just like have her in the business. Where was your, have her in the, where was your

[00:08:31] Jen: original paper rock?

[00:08:32] Brooke: Around the corner of,

[00:08:33] Jen: in the same

[00:08:34] Samara: building.

[00:08:34] Brooke: Same building. Same building. I've always been in that building. Yeah. Yeah. But

[00:08:37] Samara: around the side.

[00:08:38] Jen: Oh, okay. Yeah.

[00:08:39] Brooke: And then we outgrew it and I was like, we have to move to the front. And as soon as I signed that paperwork, the next day, COVID happened.

Oh God. And I was like, oh, well here we are.

[00:08:55] Jen: Did you have your second cell on then?

[00:08:57] Samara: Well, that was in between that.

[00:08:59] Brooke: Yeah, between that. Yeah. Yeah. Had the second. Second salon.

[00:09:02] Samara: Yeah. Okay. So you had one at Southport and one in Palmie.

[00:09:06] Brooke: Yep.

[00:09:07] Samara: So what made you decide to get the second salon? You were like, I probably went through some trauma.

I

[00:09:10] Brooke: probably have something else happen.

[00:09:13] Speaker 4: oh,

[00:09:15] Brooke: Oh, what next salon. Imagine now I'm just like, now I'm going through another one and then there's gonna be another one. Watch out.

[00:09:22] Samara: I'm like, Brooke, why are we building a salon in Melbourne? You're like, trauma. Trauma

[00:09:27] Brooke: Just depends how big the tremor is as to how big, how big the salon will be. Oh my God, how funny. No, I, yeah, so sorry. I did, um, do the other salon in between that, because this is, I just start things for silly reasons because I just always loved this shop and it came available and I was like, that's gonna, it wasn't a hair salon.

We turned it into one and it was just a little tiny little.

[00:09:54] Speaker 11: shop and

[00:09:55] Brooke: In Palm Beach, and I was like, I need that space. And I had two employees. I had no, I was not, I had no money. I'm already running a salon, salon with no money and two employees. And I was like, yep, we're doing it.

[00:10:11] Speaker 11: That's

[00:10:13] Samara: just what I do, isn't it?

[00:10:15] Brooke: I, no, I had no plan. I just, I just do things even

[00:10:19] Jen: though it worked out.

[00:10:20] Brooke: It did work out. Yeah. Really well,

[00:10:22] Jen: let's maybe not advocate for doing that.

[00:10:25] Brooke: No, don't do that.

[00:10:27] Samara: This point don't,

[00:10:28] Brooke: because there was a lot of, a lot of downs. I'm like,

[00:10:32] Samara: all right, babe, we're gonna, there's a lot of therapy.

This, this is where we're gonna put ourselves into these things. Yeah. We're not gonna do, that's gonna be like, oh yeah. So I bought a, a farm and

some

donkeys and I'm now the owner of four. We can

[00:10:44] Brooke: imagine

[00:10:45] Samara: that. Yeah. Yeah.

[00:10:45] Brooke: And it's actually in America, so by, that's where I'm at. Um, it'll probably happen. No, it that wa it.

Yeah. It was hard, but it was fun. I think the thing is, we talked about this the other day. I love like designing so much. Yeah. And I think that even for that one and the first one, my whole thing was that I wanted to design a salon and then I just had to look after it.

[00:11:12] Samara: That wasn't the fun part.

[00:11:14] Brooke: So it wasn't the actual Yeah.

Um, it wasn't the initial, but yeah, then I did it and I learned so much with the Palm Beach salon. It was amazing. There was that every week another salon would pop up right out the front of our salon. Um, but it was, yeah, it was a lot.

[00:11:31] Jen: Wow.

[00:11:32] Brooke: And then I got really sick 'cause I was burnt out from doing both for too long.

And then, and then I got pregnant,

[00:11:40] Jen: so I

[00:11:41] Samara: had

[00:11:41] Jen: that project

[00:11:42] Samara: to

[00:11:42] Brooke: rock off, so then shouldn't

[00:11:44] Samara: have not meant to me doing anything. And then

[00:11:45] Jen: I got pregnant.

[00:11:46] Brooke: Oh my God. Yeah. Then I found out. Yeah. I had all my thyroid issues with that one. It was just a lot. Yeah. It was a lot. I

[00:11:54] Speaker 13: I liked

[00:11:54] Brooke: a

[00:11:55] Jen: lot. Did you close Palm Beach?

[00:11:56] Brooke: I closed Palm Beach and it was really hard.

I felt like I'd failed, but I knew that I was going, so I closed Palm Beach to move both the salons into the Southport. I just love having one salon and having everyone together. It was really hard. Um, you know, trying to balance everything. I'm like such a, I'm with my team, like I want to be in there and I couldn't be in both.

It was really hard for me. Yeah,

[00:12:19] Samara: yeah. But then we go through those dumb ego things that we're like, we're gonna look like a failure because we're closing one. Yeah. We're gonna look like a failure because my team is hundred percent. I've gone through all of that.

[00:12:28] Brooke: It's

[00:12:28] Samara: so, and it's

actually

[00:12:29] Brooke: so

[00:12:29] Samara: much growth.

It's so like, I think in this too, is when you have your friends that have got you and they're like, you know, every time I will get on, I'll be like, Ugh, does this look bad? And Brooke's like, no man. Like, you know, or we'll be like, no, please, like close the salon. It's the best thing for you. Yeah. Who cares what anyone else thinks?

But when you have this crew around you that are like. It's not it, you let people think what they want to think. It's not Yeah, you are good. We've got you

[00:12:52] Brooke: the situation at the time. You're trying to justify it. Yeah. Like I'm like, there's nothing wrong with it. It was actually pretty, it was quite profitable, but, and it was busy.

We had a lot of clients for the amount of team we couldn't, it was still, still tiny. Couldn't make it any bigger. Um, and then, yeah, it was, it was actually a big growth. But you do still feel like, I mean, I guess you're probably looking at the people that think that you've failed, but really it wasn't that it was actually that it was the right time to sell it and go on to the next.

Yeah. Yeah. And it actually worked out great.

[00:13:23] Jen: And then you built, and so then you built the big space,

[00:13:27] Brooke: the big one that you're in

[00:13:27] Jen: now.

[00:13:28] Brooke: Yeah. Six

[00:13:28] Jen: years ago,

[00:13:29] Brooke: uh, no, four. I was pregnant with cross On opening day I found out that I was pregnant.

It's my life, honestly, when you talk about it like this. So on opening day, I was getting ready and I was so sick and tired, and we were having a big party. And um, yeah. I was like, I'm so sick. And then someone said to me, I feel like you need to take a pregnancy test. And I was like, no.

[00:13:56] Speaker 4: And

[00:13:57] Brooke: And then I did, and I was pregnant.

So then I had to just, oh my goodness. And then the next morning we had to fly to Port Douglas for a L'Oreal thing. I'm just like,

[00:14:08] Samara: so

[00:14:09] Brooke: Ill, so ill, so you just gotta keep going, don't you? That was

[00:14:13] Samara: funny. In our group, Brooke was pregnant. I was three months pregnant behind Brooke, and then Tegan was three months pregnant behind me, and then Bridget was pregnant like three months behind her.

Yeah. So we all, and Rachel's like, no, thank you, Rachel.

[00:14:23] Brooke: Yeah. I was like, Rachel, stay away. Like,

[00:14:25] Samara: don't drink the water. Like even at that point, all of us were going through children

[00:14:31] Speaker 2: so

[00:14:32] Brooke: sickness and everything. Sickness and

[00:14:34] Samara: everything.

[00:14:34] Brooke: Yeah.

[00:14:35] Samara: Yeah.

[00:14:35] Brooke: I know. All together.

[00:14:36] Samara: All together.

[00:14:37] Brooke: Yeah. And then we all had.

[00:14:39] Speaker 4: maternity

[00:14:40] Brooke: leave.

[00:14:41] Samara: Yeah.

[00:14:41] Brooke: Together.

[00:14:42] Samara: Um, it last four days. Yeah. And, uh, we saw each other, uh, once.

[00:14:47] Brooke: Mm-hmm.

[00:14:47] Samara: Yeah. But even now, you know, we've got this group that we always, like, we desperate to see each other and it's, I don't think we've all, I cannot remember last time we're all together and we constantly text like, when can we catch up?

When can we put this in? But there's just so many moving parts as soon as you add businesses and babies and babies and life, and it's like, how does everybody bring, you know, everyone's just doing such different things. But I think if you have those open group channels, it can be a savior Yeah. To your mental health at those points.

And

[00:15:18] Brooke: Oh my goodness, I would not be here

[00:15:19] Samara: without that. True. Also, people just don't know. You just never know it. It can be go, it can go quite a while and that we're quiet and all of a sudden you're like, something's up, you know, and you'll come over or I'll come to you, or, you know. Tegan will show up or you know, something happens and you're like, that's the person I needed at that point and, and I know I'm okay and I can get through this because you have other people that are doing Yeah.

Have got full faith in that you can do this. I've got full faith that I know that you're going through the worst, but we're here. We'll get you through it and we'll support you whatever way we can. It's so powerful.

[00:15:52] Brooke: Yeah.

[00:15:53] Samara: Mm-hmm.

[00:15:53] Brooke: Yeah. We're just a little group of cheerleaders. That's

[00:15:55] Samara: just a little group of cheerleaders.

[00:15:57] Brooke: That's all we do.

[00:15:58] Samara: Where are you at? Where are you at today? Where's Brooke at today?

[00:16:02] Brooke: Brooke is, um, I don't know where Brooke is at today.

[00:16:05] Speaker 11: today.

[00:16:07] Brooke: I am just, yeah. Getting a new, getting a new perspective on where Brooke is.

[00:16:15] Samara: Yeah.

[00:16:16] Brooke: Yeah. Today that's everything going, everything is fine.

[00:16:21] Samara: Fine. We're moving forward.

[00:16:23] Brooke: Everything's great.

[00:16:24] Speaker 4: alright.

[00:16:25] Samara: Um,

[00:16:25] Brooke: no, I am in a new chapter now.

[00:16:27] Samara: Yeah. I do think too, it's that very age old. Like we were having this discussion, I don't know who it was with the other day and we were Oh. I was talking to my brother about it and we were like, you just never know where somebody is at. People are coming in our chairs every day.

Exactly. And you just don't know what they're currently, you are like, you might be like, oh, that person's been a mole. And really you never know that their entire world behind the scenes is falling apart and they just can't speak about it. Yeah. Or you internalize so much what someone thinking or maybe saying, and instead of you being like, hold on, this may have nothing to do with me, which is 99%.

In fact, it probably

[00:17:06] Jen: doesn't have anything to do

[00:17:07] Samara: with you. You, you know, you, you, we never know what's going on behind closed doors. It was something that was massive with me for a long time, but also I think we are. We go through these times, you know, again, you went through the most horrific time losing a baby and you've gone through other situations like that.

That wasn't just the single thing you've gone through so much. I think that it makes us these different people that are allowing us to connect with our clients in a different way. Mm-hmm. Because when you've walked that journey, no one understands more than somebody else that's walked that journey with you.

Yeah. And sometimes they, they have these like little soft little things of knowledge that they'll give that day. And it can be something that's so transformative to you. Just those little nuggets of support or whatever it may be, that sometimes it's really hard from the outside. 'cause you're like, why am I going through this?

Why is this so hard? Why am I people putting through it? Why all these tests? And you realize, oh, they've really shaped me.

[00:18:02] Brooke: Yeah.

[00:18:03] Samara: To who I am and how I can be with people now, and how I can make a difference to my client's lives, to my staff's lives to my children's life. I think it's pretty

[00:18:12] Brooke: huge. Yeah.

Absolutely. Yeah. So I think that everything.

[00:18:15] Jen: You're going through a big change at the moment.

[00:18:17] Speaker 3: Are

[00:18:18] Jen: you

comfortable talking about what the change that

[00:18:20] Brooke: you're going

[00:18:20] Jen: through?

[00:18:20] Brooke: Yeah. It's recent, but yeah, I am.

[00:18:22] Jen: Yeah.

[00:18:22] Brooke: Yeah.

[00:18:23] Jen: So for the listeners at home, you are transversing through.

[00:18:28] Brooke: Yeah. I'm, I just separated with my partner.

[00:18:31] Jen: Yeah.

[00:18:32] Brooke: Um, after 10 years of being together and we had a blended family of, um, he came in with two girls, which I love. And then, um, my daughter and then we had two together, so five all together. Um, and then, yeah, that's just, we just have grown apart a lot and the things that I,

you

know, I think that you put yourself in, in, in relationships, you either grow together or one grows and the other one tries to stay down with them.

[00:19:06] Jen: Yeah.

[00:19:06] Brooke: Um, and I really feel like I just sort of tried to stay down a little bit. It didn't feel like me anymore. Um, and I think he could see that too. So it just wasn't, it just isn't, just isn't our future.

[00:19:22] Jen: Yeah. So navigating that as a business owner.

[00:19:27] Brooke: Mm.

[00:19:28] Speaker 13: Oh,

[00:19:28] Jen: Oh, hectic. So we are, just to be clear, we are gonna navigate this one.

Yeah. We're not just going like, buy farm off. Wait.

[00:19:35] Brooke: Well the farm idea overseas sounds really good, right?

[00:19:38] Samara: Brooke's like, as soon as you said farm,

[00:19:41] Brooke: I'm like more about this. I'm not even in this podcast anymore. I'm just like really

[00:19:46] Jen: designing a

[00:19:47] Brooke: farm. My, um, my, um, vision board that I couldn't do this year because I didn't know what my path was.

Just came clear on. I

[00:19:54] Samara: It's kind of a wall filled with all different animals on it.

[00:19:59] Brooke: No, I ran away from the farm. I'm not going back, but yeah. Um, sorry, what was the question?

[00:20:05] Samara: The

question

is how's it going with the business? What are you navigating this stuff? It's early too. Like, I'm gonna give, give snaps to you.

I, if we look back at old podcast while I was navigating this bit, it was just like, I reckon I was like, you

[00:20:20] Jen: were so, you were, yeah.

[00:20:21] Samara: Welcome to Ellen Rising the podcast.

[00:20:23] Jen: I guess. So

[00:20:24] Samara: this is our guest. Yeah. And like, you know, looking back now, everyone could see it was like traumatic, but, you know, I didn't really,

[00:20:32] Speaker 13: was so bad.

[00:20:33] Samara: it's so bad I didn't really come alive.

I don't think I came along alive until I met Lisa. Thank you for that. Um, I really don't think I came. Oh, I came alive just before I met him. Yeah. So it's so much. I think that this personal aspect of talking about business and personal life,

trying

to run a business and pretend that you have everything together and pretend you know what you're doing and pretend you know how you're gonna, you know, work this out while your personal life is you don't what you had in your future, what you knew, what your life was like, what you knew, what to expect.

It's completely gone.

[00:21:10] Jen: Mm.

[00:21:11] Samara: And but you are still really tied. It's not like you can run away to a farm in America. Like what you are tied to is so strong and you have to start

[00:21:19] Jen: like, or can you

[00:21:21] Brooke: Yeah. I was like, actually, yeah, I could challenge accepted because I feel very, like I can fly wherever I want right now.

I feel very empowered in like, I can do whatever I want right now. So yeah, I don't, I probably will. No,

[00:21:37] Samara: I think though, the nice thing watching you is you actually have let yourself actually be in this for a period of time, which probably you normally would. No. Like you actually have let yourself be grief in this and grieve and go through it.

And it not that the grief stops like that. It's not like, oh, you've grieved it. Move on. The grief keeps coming in all different. Sorry. Love you. Good to know. Um, the grief keeps coming in all different areas, not necessarily the grieving the person anymore. You just, you, you.

you, you

just

grieving in different ways.

The life that you thought that you had life. Exactly.

[00:22:08] Brooke: Your

[00:22:09] Samara: vision that you thought, the relationship with that person that you thought would always be okay.

[00:22:12] Brooke: Mm-hmm.

[00:22:13] Samara: And all of a sudden you're just not, you just can't stand each other. And it's, you know, but in all different ways, you know, I've seen it go well and I've seen it go horrifically wrong, horrifically wrong.

Um, but then you've gotta just, and I look back and there's probably a lot of times I didn't handle that well. But you are just a person.

[00:22:34] Brooke: Yeah,

[00:22:34] Samara: yeah. Living a really personal life.

[00:22:36] Brooke: Mm-hmm.

[00:22:37] Samara: In a really personable business.

[00:22:39] Brooke: Yep.

[00:22:40] Samara: And you've gotta be like, looked upon by everyone and, and

[00:22:44] Brooke: you don't wanna be fake, like nobody wants to be.

I've never wanted to be fake. I feel like that's what's good about us. We can just be vulnerable and real. But you also are leading a team, you know? Yes. So you've gotta put your big girl boots on. Not that I have in the past couple of weeks, but you do have to. And you're also, you're all your kids are, need you to be strong.

So you can't. Really, although I have taken this time, which I never have before to grieve, um, the relationship or the person is still there.

[00:23:13] Jen: But I think there's this concept that he's very much still alive.

[00:23:17] Brooke: He's still alive.

[00:23:18] Jen: The grieve, the relationship,

[00:23:20] Brooke: grieve the, the future I think it is. Yeah. Well, the relationship, you know, it's been 12 months of me really trying to make the relationship work, so I kind of was grieving that apparently threw out.

He didn't even know that was happening.

[00:23:32] Jen: I can't

[00:23:32] Brooke: tell you how often that happens. I have watched so many things now that yeah, apparently the man doesn't really know what's going on until he's fully out or whatever. But by then we're already done because. I've

[00:23:44] Speaker 11: ' cause I've worked my as off, we've,

[00:23:46] Brooke: off, we've,

[00:23:46] Samara: the

[00:23:46] Brooke: therapist said that to us.

[00:23:47] Samara: Yeah.

The therapist said, what we see so often is the women, he's like, was, he's like the women grieve. Was there ever a point, she was really angry. Was there ever a point She was really sad. And then was, was there a point where she was really vacant and the men say yes. And he is like, well, there's the grieving he where you're begging

[00:24:05] Brooke: them

[00:24:05] Samara: to grieve in this relationship.

[00:24:07] Brooke: Mm-hmm.

[00:24:08] Samara: And now we're out the other side, and now we're, we're out the other side. It's like, okay, I, I'm okay to move forward. And they're like, oh, what?

[00:24:14] Brooke: Yeah. Yeah. And then they're like, oh, that's what that was.

[00:24:17] Samara: Yeah. That makes sense. I don't, but also, I don't really ever, no. I thought we were fine. Absolutely.

Until that last day. You're like, really? This is fine. Yeah.

[00:24:24] Brooke: I'm like, and then, yeah. And then 'cause I'm a communicator. Yes. I'm always asking. I'm like, remember when I said this? Remember when I did this? Remember when I was begging you to do this? You know?

[00:24:33] Samara: Yeah.

[00:24:34] Brooke: And then they're like, oh yeah.

[00:24:35] Jen: I think there's a perception though, that.

Grieving in any form requires you to stop completely.

[00:24:41] Samara: Yeah.

[00:24:42] Jen: And that is absolutely unrealistic. No.

[00:24:44] Samara: Mm-hmm.

[00:24:45] Jen: Like,

[00:24:45] Samara: and sometimes the moving, the doing the things is the things that make you get out.

[00:24:49] Jen: You still, no matter, grief isn't something that you sit down, you sit with, and then you get up and walk away from.

Mm-hmm. It just moves with you.

[00:24:57] Samara: Yes.

[00:24:58] Brooke: Yeah.

[00:24:58] Jen: So, yeah.

[00:24:59] Brooke: And you can just come stronger.

[00:25:00] Jen: Yeah. And so it's that whole idea that you, you do still need to have those moments and those people that you're showing up for, like your children and your team. Like it's important. It doesn't mean it's not hard, but it's still important to do that.

[00:25:13] Brooke: Yeah. I know on my team, I feel like this is the first time that I've actually stepped away and just been like, I can't, and let them do it. But you also, which has actually been really good for them, I think,

[00:25:23] Jen: too. Yeah. You've also got people in place. It's not like you've just abandoned them, you

[00:25:27] Brooke: know? Oh, once brand new.

[00:25:28] Jen: Yeah.

you're

like,

I'm yet to meet them.

[00:25:33] Brooke: No,

my team's been amazing. Like amazing. I couldn't have ever, even just personally, they've been amazing. Um, but yeah, my manager that I just got, as soon as I got it, it all happened and she has just had to just walk in without me there to tell her what to do and just do

[00:25:51] Samara: it.

She's been great.

[00:25:52] Brooke: She's been amazing. Yeah. My whole team has,

[00:25:54] Samara: yeah,

[00:25:54] Brooke: they've all been so supportive.

[00:25:56] Samara: Yeah.

[00:25:56] Brooke: But it's the first time. 'cause normally I would just walk into every situation and just be like, I'm fine.

[00:26:03] Samara: Yeah.

[00:26:03] Brooke: And it's not like a fake, I'm not meaning to be fake, it's just 'cause you have to.

[00:26:07] Samara: Yeah.

[00:26:07] Brooke: You know?

Yeah.

[00:26:08] Samara: Yeah. And it's really nice when you can have that space at the salon because you can't necessarily have that space as a mom. Yeah, exactly. You know, like you can't just be like. Amazing. I just am gonna fall apart and someone's gonna see me cry right now. Because then you're affecting your children.

Yeah. And you've gotta, like you and I talk about all the time, what are the glass balls and what are the plastic balls? Yeah. You know, what ball are you letting fall? And in, in situations like this, it's not your children because children going through the same things as you are going through. And it is so much navigating to make sure that they're feeling really safe and seen and things aren't, you know, falling apart for them.

So you don't have the luxury of back in the day when you're like, oh, okay, I'll just keep moving forward. You almost have to stop because you've gotta make sure that you are,

are,

you know, that 10% fine to give them that 10% of what they need. Yeah. And I also think like our kids are all gonna witness it. My kids have witnessed.

you

know, as much as you can try and keep everything behind closed doors, they're still gonna see things. But I also remember, I you need to remember that you're building them as people. Yeah. And these little things happen and they little comments get made. Like something that Sienna said to you the other night about you seeing you so happy.

Yeah. Like, because we were all over and we were just having fun and Brooke just was like herself. She was like, Yolo, I'm jumping in the pool in my dress.

[00:27:29] Brooke: Yeah.

[00:27:29] Samara: You know, and we just had dinner together and you know, a dance dance party. A dance party. Yeah. And then you kids see that and then they remind you of those little snippets and then you're like, okay, that's who I'm, I'm, I'm, I realize this and now I'm gonna tune back into that.

[00:27:43] Brooke: Yeah. I think also in that moment, I realized that when you, because I have done it for a couple of weeks now by myself and not done, not spoken to anyone until this last week or two. Um, I think that.

that

Having, you know, you, you guys there and just feeling normal again for a minute. Really like changed everything.

[00:28:05] Jen: Mm. Yeah.

[00:28:05] Brooke: I've kind of forgot about everything that I had to think of because at the time I, the rest of the time I'm thinking like, you know, I have to sell my house. What's gonna happen? What, what's gonna happen to my kids? Like, you know, my stepdaughter lives full-time with me, so I dunno, you know, there's all these things that could go wrong or could go right.

And it, yeah,

[00:28:24] Samara: it's

[00:28:24] Brooke: that

[00:28:25] Samara: head moment

of

[00:28:25] Brooke: getting it just for a minute I felt like I forgot about everything.

[00:28:29] Samara: You stop. Yeah. I think anything you're going through that time, step out of the really hard for a minute and step really hard into joy or you know, yeah. Rely on the people that can bring you a little bit of joy and, and, and it needs to be in moments that you don't even realize that someone's gonna bring that.

Yeah. Can't, you can't be like, okay, who's gonna make me happy today? Yeah. It has to be like allowing those people being vulnerable enough to allowing those people in so that you can have those little, well,

[00:28:53] Brooke: didn't, I was actually at, did footy training with my son, braving footy training with everybody there.

We were like broke

[00:28:59] Samara: the house.

[00:29:00] Brooke: Sorry, everybody there asking me where Ryan was, because that's like hard.

[00:29:04] Samara: Yes.

[00:29:05] Brooke: You know, everyone just keeping on, you don't wanna go. I'm not gonna blab it out to everybody, but also obviously people are gonna be like, oh, where's Ryan today? And I don't wanna make them feel uncomfortable, so I'm like, oh, he is just not here.

And then I'm like, oh, you know, you just dunno how to say that. But yeah, I was there navigating that with all the dads at the footy and then. You were sending me pictures at my pool

[00:29:26] Samara: vibe.

[00:29:28] Brooke: I got

[00:29:28] Samara: home. And then when Brooke says, it's so funny when Brooke says that she likes to design, Brooke should be in like, yeah, yeah.

Like her home is, we walked in there 'cause we haven't been in there for a little bit. And we walked in and I was like, how did you transform this house? Mm-hmm. Into this like, there's walls in places. I was like, I am confused. Is this the same house? But she has this ability to make everything feel like this, like really beautiful, lush space and you've done lots in the house, but the girls were like, ah, mom, Arnie Brooks pulls an AI pool.

Like, and I walked out there and I was like, I, I don't even know how you got the vision for this and you've just built this like beautiful com. My children are obsessed with you. And they were just like, you know, we drove home and wild. It was like, that was the best night of my life. Like, you know it's funny when you've got those like deep friendships, it doesn't matter.

How much time's passed you, your kids are so connected. Yeah. And your, you know, your homes are connected and everything just feels like that, you know? And it's in the simplest things, Brooks, like, who's who? I'm making everybody's lunches. So then the kids thought that was a fat time. 'cause I had Auntie Brooks lunches for their lunchboxes the next day.

But I think in the midst of, of anything that anyone's going through, I think we also have to remember through those weeks. It's can be the littlest, smallest pockets of time. It was a random Wednesday night.

[00:30:49] Brooke: It was Wednesday,

[00:30:50] Samara: and the kids had the best time. And I think we leave Joy when we're business owners.

Yes. Like, we're like, okay, we've just gotta get to the weekend. And on the weekend we'll do fun things. And you know, the kids see that. But it's like yolo. It's a Tuesday night. Who cares? Go to your friends house. Joy can

[00:31:04] Jen: be at any

[00:31:05] Samara: time or its, and pizzas and you know, put the kids to bed an hour later. You know, the night that Lee and I met was at Brook's house very randomly like that.

And the kids, they're all those memories that they remember. I think we get so caught up in like running businesses, having a schedule, doing all of the things you do. And then I've noticed that. And then you just like, let that shit go for a minute and do those little moments. Yeah. And you're like, that was the funnest thing of our week.

[00:31:28] Brooke: Mm, totally. And we don't do that now. That's happening. Yeah, I was gonna say that. Yeah. I think, um, since all of this you do try and just make everything happy for your kids and try and do all that. So in that. Y Yeah, you do. I did end up saying no to everything and not catching up with friends because I wanted to, you know, batch cook everything on Sundays and just stay home with my family.

And, and while that is still what I really wanted to do, when you become a single person, you kind of look at the things that, you know, the joyful things. Mm. And like saying yes to your friends and being around your friends, you just forget, like you might do it because it's one person's party or birthday or whatever, and then you don't do it.

And then when you are a single person and you can just do whatever and you know, someone's not at home waiting for you to get home or whatever, you just, I don't know, you just lean into all of that and say yes to more things. And even this weekend on the, on the whole weekend was like booked out solid because I didn't want to sit at home and I didn't wanna do any of that stuff.

And I just wanted to get out and.

you

know,

We even went to the basketball like, what is that?

[00:32:36] Speaker 4: You

[00:32:37] Samara: You just start saying yes.

[00:32:38] Brooke: Yeah, you do. You just like, yeah. You're like, yeah. And then

[00:32:41] Samara: you just dunno when those,

[00:32:41] Brooke: because you can,

[00:32:42] Samara: you also dunno when those yeses lead to

[00:32:44] Brooke: And you could always That's

[00:32:45] Samara: exactly,

[00:32:46] Brooke: yeah.

[00:32:46] Samara: A random Thursday night you meet yourself mate.

Yeah. You dunno, the yeses meet like lead to like, and or just, just nights of your kids being like, oh, thanks mom. That was just the

[00:32:57] Brooke: best. Yeah. But you could always have done that.

[00:33:00] Samara: Yeah. Yes.

[00:33:00] Brooke: Like in your relationship or whatever, but you just, you, you just, I don't know, maybe choose easy or something. And I think the other day someone said to you, you just choose a

[00:33:08] Samara: routine of life.

[00:33:09] Brooke: Yeah. You're just like, oh, that's just easier if they're not, you know, tired the next day or whatever. Yeah. Um, I just let them sleep in one more extra hour. Like it didn't really Yeah, yeah. You kind of forget and maybe it's a bit lazy and like, um, complacent and, you know, feeling comfortable.

[00:33:25] Samara: Yep.

[00:33:26] Brooke: Um, but someone said to me the other day, oh my God, you've had such a glow up.

And I was like, what? I'm not eating. That's why I'm skinny. I'm stressed outta my eyeballs. That's why I feel skinnier. But I think it's just that you like, and then someone else said to me, so now, and the most random person said to me, you, what's your bucket list now that you are, you are, you can do whatever you want.

And I was like,

for

so long, I haven't even wanted to do like a vision board or a bucket list because I like completely different things to Ryan. We always have, but like, we kind of just, you know, found things together that we could do. But like, I wanna go overseas. He hates, he's never, he hates flying. Um, you know, all of these things that I'm like.

He doesn't, he hates the beach. I'm obsessed with the beach. You know, like he loves the mountains and I do not. It's just, and you try and make that work, but then when you actually get asked that and it's, you know, you can do things for you now, it's just, um, yeah. It's like a whole nother, it's like I just got a new life.

[00:34:29] Samara: Mm. You know,

[00:34:30] Brooke: you can chooses whatever you want. Now also

[00:34:33] Samara: when you know,

[00:34:34] Brooke: you're have to wait for someone else

[00:34:35] Samara: when you know it's right.

[00:34:37] Brooke: Mm.

[00:34:38] Samara: It just feels very different. Like when, you know in your, in your soul that you are both better people not together.

[00:34:44] Brooke: Yeah.

[00:34:44] Samara: And that you are actually not making each other better people.

Mm-hmm. And I say that all the time. I said that to my younger brother the other day. Like, please meet someone that makes you a better person. Uh, I'm like, that's all I can wish for you, is that you meet someone who makes you a better person. If they don't make you a better person. Do not commit your life to that person.

Yeah. Because you need someone on both sides. I can look back and go, I didn't.

Him a better person.

[00:35:08] Brooke: Mm.

[00:35:08] Samara: He certainly didn't make me a better person. No. Oh, I helped Megan. Look, I'm a bit biased on that point, but we both didn't have the tools to make each other a better people. I make Lee a better person. He makes me a better person.

[00:35:21] Brooke: Yeah.

[00:35:21] Samara: So, but regardless, even without Lee, I knew that my life was gonna be different because you can make different choices.

[00:35:28] Brooke: Yeah.

[00:35:28] Samara: You

[00:35:28] Brooke: know, you're not doing it for someone else. You kind of lose yourself in that, you know, having so many kids I guess too. And there's always something going on and then the business has, you know, so many things and

[00:35:38] Samara: yeah.

[00:35:38] Brooke: You do lose yourself

[00:35:39] Samara: I feel like too. You, like you've said with all the things when we're like, oh, trauma, get something else. I very much lived that for so long that you're like, oh, something else happened, so I need to put something else on top so that, that's where my focus is. 'cause I look at the space between while being born and, you know, all my friends were going through this with me at the same time.

It wasn't like, you know, I remember those. Those 12 months and being in hospital and all of with you when he was born and all of the things. But you look back and, you know, salon Rising was birth when Wilder was birth. And I was like, was it because Wilder was birth and I changed when he was born? Or was it because I was so broken, I needed other things to fill my time so that I Yeah.

Could fill my time up with things so that I didn't feel so broken and then all of a sudden you, you can have a moment. I think that's why it's so powerful. You now, for you, now that you're like, no, I'm, I'm actually not gonna add anything else to my plate. I'm gonna be really comfortable with the uncomfortable and sometimes, but also with the fact that I now need to go into things slower.

Yeah. Like, you know, at that point with the business, I had to pull back completely. Yeah. 'cause I was raising the kids on my own. So, you know, no late nights, no Saturdays, all of these things. Yeah, that all, I never worked Saturday days, but all of these things that change you because you're like, I actually am. I can't be committed to these areas that distract me from that not being great. Yeah. I've now gotta be committed to my kids and they have to be first and foremost. And so your life develops differently because it's not wholly and solely based around a business.

[00:37:10] Brooke: Yeah. Yeah.

[00:37:11] Samara: You would've felt at those times, you just add more to the business so that it distracts less from the life.

[00:37:16] Brooke: Yeah.

[00:37:17] Samara: Yeah.

[00:37:17] Brooke: And then I was spending so much time in there, but I really wanted to be home with the kids and you know, but you don't want to be home because it's like not, you know, there's so many things.

[00:37:27] Samara: Yeah.

[00:37:27] Brooke: I just always say that like it really feels like this analogy is like, we are two sticks and every time we come together it just creates a fire.

Like we just rub together. Yeah. And that's all I feel and see. And I just, it's not because we're two bad sticks or broken sticks or whatever, it's just that they, honestly, we just make each other. Just, we literally just make each other turn into a fire.

[00:37:54] Jen: Yeah.

[00:37:55] Brooke: Yeah. And I think that even we both know already that we're more calm, more everything.

My kids are way more calm. Everyone just can feel it.

[00:38:05] Jen: Mm.

[00:38:06] Brooke: Yeah. I think. Yeah. And I'm excited to, someone said to me the other day, you, what are your hobbies? And I was like, I don't know. I just work and I look after my kids. That's it.

[00:38:15] Jen: I've decided to take up golf. If you'd like to join, I'm not joined. We'll

[00:38:20] Samara: drive the buggy

[00:38:21] Brooke: with the Margarita,

[00:38:22] Jen: Brooke, and I'll come and support in that way.

But can we please make sure it's an air conditioned buggy and Sure outfit, we can have cute golf outfit, outfits, outfit.

[00:38:29] Brooke: Yes. Oh my God.

[00:38:31] Jen: That's what I said this morning. I was like, I like what you're wearing. I feel like this would look really cute for me for golf.

[00:38:36] Brooke: Oh my goodness. Yes.

[00:38:37] Jen: Yeah,

[00:38:38] Brooke: I, it was talking about, dunno, golf, it's just like, or maybe like the driving range, but not,

[00:38:42] Jen: oh yeah, yeah.

I'm starting at the driving range. Anyway, we can get into the semantics of the golf later. But yeah, hobbies, man,

[00:38:48] Brooke: hobbies, I don't, I don't really have anything. I don't

[00:38:50] Samara: really like this idea of like, I didn't know where this podcast was going, but I really like this idea of like. You know,

you

know,

for anyone, you do not have to be going through a marriage breakup for you to take outta this.

It's what are you doing to bring those joy moments in between a hundred

[00:39:05] Brooke: percent

[00:39:06] Samara: mom and business. It's because you forget so that you forget that like those moments are the best moments. That moment last week of being at your house and just randomly it happening. And we are spending all day together.

And Brooke and I have always laughed 'cause we go from like periods where we are like, don't live without each other. We live in each other's pockets for a good period of time. And then we don't see each other for like 12 months. Yeah, 12 months

[00:39:27] Brooke: is a bit steep.

[00:39:28] Samara: Well we didn't really see each other much.

[00:39:30] Brooke: Well the last one. Yeah. 'cause I was a teenager. That was, yeah.

[00:39:34] Samara: um,

but yeah, it's,

[00:39:40] Jen: she was the

[00:39:41] Samara: teenager. In the middle was the teenager and my mom and dad broke up. So anyone that actually thinks about, think about that, think about. Your two best mates who are married to different people that you hung out with randomly.

If you weren't with one couple, you are with the other couple

[00:39:54] Brooke: Always. I was always with

[00:39:56] Samara: one or the other. So she wasn't with with us, she was with them. So this is my partner and his ex-wife. But somehow the two never did meet?

[00:40:03] Brooke: No, because I was always with one or the other. I couldn't. We I, yeah, I don't know how, even on birthdays and stuff, dunno, nothing.

I don't know how that would happen, but,

[00:40:10] Samara: and

[00:40:10] Jen: then,

[00:40:11] Speaker 4: oh,

[00:40:12] Brooke: and then they broke up. They didn't meet each other? No.

[00:40:15] Jen: Yeah. No, no.

[00:40:15] Brooke: Just to clarify, which we've never

[00:40:17] Jen: met each other. We never met each other.

[00:40:18] Brooke: And then they broke up separately, kind of at the same time. And I was just like, oh, this is not, this is like a lot.

A couple of friends are gone. You what? You, yeah. Because that is your couple friends. And then it was like, you know, you moved into a different house. They moved into a different house and there was like four, then there was like, you know, all three friends, um, that I had to, that I was like trying to look after and next minute.

They were together. And

I

thought my other friend was gonna be, you know, angry that I had set that up or whatever had happened. She thought she didn't set it up, but she didn't. I, I did not. She did

[00:40:53] Samara: not.

[00:40:53] Brooke: And she is the best human. She's the best also. So I, um, yeah. And then I also remember saying to you, don't date DeLee.

Just be best friends with Amber.

[00:41:03] Samara: Or you said, 'cause she's the best. If Amber, she was like, if Amber was here, you guys would be best mates. Yeah. And Amber and I laughed. Let's

[00:41:09] Brooke: just not, let's just do that.

Amber

[00:41:10] Samara: and I like, why

[00:41:11] Brooke: can't we all just have

[00:41:11] Samara: fun? Amber and I did laugh about that. 'cause Amber and I, she's just, and anyone that talks to me about it, I am so incredibly blessed on that side.

And I think a lot of it also for both Amber and I were really lucky because we had this mutual friend that Brooke would, was like, she's awesome. And then to Amber, she'd be like, she's awesome. So we already, there was no animality met and Lee's also awesome. And Lee's also awesome. So there was no animosity when we met.

Yeah. So like, I already knew she was this wonderful human. So for me, I was just like, I just need her to like me and I just need to do the best by her because you also have this like deep respect for my friend that I'm like, I also don't wanna make her life hard. Yeah. But even in that, like, it was incredibly gracious, you know?

I remember gonna Brooke and being like, you know, like, I went the next day and I was like, so your friend put his number in my phone and Brooke's like. Nah, no way. And she just didn't speak to me for like, 20 minutes. We're like vision boarding. And I was like, I don't what to do anymore. And then Brooke is, oh, I'm ready to speak about it again.

Let's go. And she was like, gr. And I was like, it's not gonna be anything. I just feel really, you know, comfortable with him. You know, this is like the first time I will date someone, so it'll just been like, it'll just be like a fling Brook's. Like I bet you I'll be standing at your freaking wedding one day.

And I was like, it's never gonna happen. And then I was like, three months later we moved in together. Sorry babe.

[00:42:27] Speaker 2: Um,

[00:42:29] Speaker 10: but

[00:42:31] Samara: those random nights, and it was a random Thursday night. I normally work on Thursday nights, those random days of Brooks saying it's Fox's birthday. Do you wanna come over and have dinner? Can change your life. Yeah. In any type of way. You can meet people and friends and you know, it's like you can do something or you can meet someone that is gonna make an impact to your business or, but I think we say no so often because we are so maxed out at saying yes to businesses.

[00:42:55] Brooke: Yeah.

[00:42:55] Samara: You know, or yes to all of the things that are happening that. You know, we have this like one precious life, which I talk about all the time. What opportunities are we not giving ourselves? Because we're saying no all the time in order to protect what, you know, like

[00:43:08] Jen: are you missing out on connection?

[00:43:10] Samara: Yeah.

[00:43:11] Jen: You are missing out on connection by saying no to things

[00:43:13] Samara: and connection's. The best bit of life.

[00:43:14] Jen: Yeah. And connection is awkward and uncomfortable. Yes. Like just you have, oh, I love it. To just do something, you know?

[00:43:21] Brooke: Yeah. Yeah. I think my, I think it's actually been two years. My word for the year is just connection.

I feel like I thrive off connection.

[00:43:31] Jen: Mm. Everybody

[00:43:32] Brooke: does. I think, yeah. I think that everybody should be a lot more

connected. Yeah.

No,

I do.

Because I think that that that stems from everything. Yeah. Like, it really does make everything better. Like I was saying, I wasn't talking to anyone about, um, you know, my breakup.

Not, 'cause I didn't, I thought anyone was gonna judge. I mean, there probably is a lot of people, but just because I just didn't, I just didn't know what to say, to start the conversation or, you know, whatever. And as soon as you do, you just feel so much better. Yeah. Everybody is like, oh look,

[00:44:05] Jen: someone else took a little bit of that weight off my

[00:44:06] Brooke: shoulder and then the next you really need to, and you think that you don't need that, but you really do.

And even like, you know, me being the strongest person and everybody being like, oh, she, she would never get hurt and you know, she doesn't have feelings or whatever. I feel like everyone says

she

[00:44:25] Samara: she has many.

[00:44:25] Brooke: I don't, I do have many feelings, but I don't cry and I don't, I'm not like, you know, I am not really soft.

So I feel like you

[00:44:32] Samara: internalize a lot. You

[00:44:34] Brooke: Yeah.

[00:44:34] Samara: There's a lot of things that you don't say until you have the connection and then you're as vulnerable as hell.

[00:44:39] Brooke: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I also think that, I know that everything is a lesson. Yeah. So I'm not really mad about things happening or me being upset. I know that everything that I feel and is gonna and does happen is gonna end up better.

Yeah. Like, I just have always known that it's a growth moment. I've always thought that. Yeah. I, I, even if I'm in it, I know that it's gonna be better. So, or like, even if it's not better, I've learned something from it. Yeah. So that I'm better. Um, so yeah. I think that Mm.

[00:45:12] Samara: Connection still your word this year.

[00:45:14] Brooke: It is. I, I think it's,

[00:45:14] Samara: it's the right word. Do you feel like you

[00:45:16] Jen: can finally make a vision board now?

[00:45:17] Brooke: Yeah. I don't. Do you know what it's like? Yeah. I want to, I wanna, I wanna think about it. Do you know what I wanna do? Get my scuba diving license? And that is said that very random.

[00:45:27] Jen: Yeah.

[00:45:27] Brooke: But I, I don't know why.

I don't know what I just.

just,

That and, um, swim, bioluminescent water.

[00:45:35] Jen: Yeah. Cool.

[00:45:36] Brooke: I have always wanted to do that, but see, these things I wouldn't have been able to do with my ex, you know? So that felt weird. I'd have said XI always said partner. Um, so yeah, things like that. Just thinking about what I could, golf could be an option.

[00:45:55] Jen: I am not gonna lie. I drifted off into bioluminescent water for a minute. Then I'm like,

cool, when are we going to do that?

[00:46:02] Brooke: Yeah. You're like, can I come? Yeah, I'm,

I'm

I, that's, yeah, I've wanted to do that forever. But see, you say things like that and then if your partner or maybe your best friend or someone doesn't wanna do it with you, you wouldn't do it.

[00:46:16] Jen: Mm-hmm.

[00:46:16] Brooke: Whereas now I'm like, okay, well I'll find someone that will do it. Yeah. Not a partner, but you know, like someone like that wants Jen. Jen,

[00:46:24] Speaker 4: yeah.

[00:46:24] Brooke: Jen's coming.

[00:46:26] Samara: Jen loves

[00:46:26] Brooke: an adventure. You know, so you just vocalize what you want and you just make it happen a bit more. And then everybody comes more around you, I guess.

[00:46:33] Samara: Yeah, yeah.

[00:46:33] Brooke: Mm. You

[00:46:34] Samara: start to live life so differently.

[00:46:36] Brooke: So differently. And it's not, and I guess that probably looks bad to the person that you maybe left. Do you think? Like, I think that they would be like, oh, you weren't that fun when I was with you. Or, we never did that on a Wednesday night when I was with you and now you're this fun person.

But it's, yeah.

[00:46:55] Samara: I think you're always a fun person. It,

[00:46:57] Brooke: I am the

[00:46:57] Samara: fun person. You are the fun person. You're always, it's always, every time Brooke and I catch up.

Like

random day that we went for lunch and then we ended up at the day bar and then we ended up in some random pub

[00:47:07] Brooke: in the woods in Mullum Bibi at the pub in Mullumbimby.

And we would dance sing with random beam with no teeth.

[00:47:14] Samara: We just, not a fat time, but fuck it's though. Like that was, that's how I would say you are. I was like, you're always so fun. Like she's, you know, and when she, when you are you, it's like we do the randomest fun things like Wednesday night and you know, I'm kind of like waiting for you to be like, oh no, I'll just stay quiet.

And you'll be like, yeah, come over. And then we were like eating pizza and the kids were eating ice cream outta the ice cream tub. And it's like those little core memories that are like,

[00:47:41] Brooke: yeah, yeah. By the pool. The whole time. We didn't even move inside.

[00:47:43] Samara: They're the things that make you like your life.

Light up.

[00:47:47] Brooke: Mm.

[00:47:47] Samara: And I think it's, you can have these things in your business as well, like, you know. Yeah. There's moments I come to work and I just laugh all day. Yeah. And you know, I'll get home and Lee will be like, you're so lit up today from what you do, or you meet this client that's just like connection and all of it. If I look over my job for the whole day and look what I do is all about connection. If the connection is

so on

with

So on with my team, everything's so filling. It's so on with my, you know, my clients. I'm like, it's just like, it's the entire, you know, pulse, the lifeblood of, of your life like that.

[00:48:21] Brooke: It is.

[00:48:21] Samara: Yeah.

[00:48:22] Brooke: Yeah. And then people, yeah, people. We are really lucky to be able to do that though, because imagine if you had to go, like, I'm really, I haven't been in my business for a couple of weeks, just taking time, but I'm really excited to go back tomorrow and know that I'm gonna feel like that because when you walk in.

in

The, the walls make it feel like it's nothing else exists. Mm. And it always does for me. And everybody keeps saying to me, just go in the salon, you'll feel so much better. And I'm like, yeah, I can't. I can't. But I know when I, you, even if I'm having a bad day and then I go in the salon, it's not, nothing's bad.

Mm. Like nothing happens. But it's because of all this energy around you. Like my team is bigger and then each of them have a client or three each. And then there's a lot of people in the salon and it's just, and you've, you've just gotta be on and you've just gotta think of something else. And everyone's, you know, so supportive and everything when you are in there.

And yeah. It just feels really empowering. And when you go come out, there's been so many times where I've left the salon and been like, whoa. Lucky yeah. I could go into there because imagine just going to sit by a computer.

[00:49:27] Jen: Yeah.

[00:49:28] Brooke: You know? Whereas we just get to like, and

[00:49:30] Jen: that's when you could not get out of that rumination in your head.

[00:49:32] Brooke: Yeah. I would know.

[00:49:33] Samara: And you were allowed like. So much, and I think I did it too much. But I look back and there's so many conversations that saved me when I needed to speak something out. And your clients just have you in it, or your team just have you in it.

[00:49:44] Brooke: Yeah.

[00:49:45] Samara: And you're like, I don't know how I'd go through without having that connection of someone being like, what happened?

Are you okay? Or, you know, like, do you need anything? Or do you just need a cuddle? Or just like, what does that look like? Because the connection is sometimes what can change the, the client's life, your staff's life, whatever. That hundred percent.

[00:49:59] Brooke: Or even the fact that they don't know, you know, like, I feel like in every other aspect of your life right now, everyone's asking me how I am or whatever, but if the clients' don't know yet, I feel like even if I have to say, oh yeah, he's fine, they, it's kind of, it makes pressure off.

Well, because you don't ha you don't have someone, you don't, you're not talking about that.

[00:50:20] Samara: You wanna know about what's

[00:50:21] Brooke: happening with you. Yeah. You about them. Yeah. Yeah. Or you're just, you know. Yeah. I think it's so much the whole thing in just having a salon is just so empowering when you feel like.

When you feel like everything outside is bad, I think, but

[00:50:36] Jen: you know what, that's such a nice thing to hear because I think that like you, you're going through a really tough time, so it's nice to hear that you still think it's really empowering.

[00:50:46] Brooke: Yeah.

[00:50:47] Jen: Do you know what I mean?

[00:50:47] Brooke: Yeah.

[00:50:48] Jen: Like

[00:50:48] Brooke: it

is,

[00:50:49] Samara: we forget about the fact that sometimes our salons save us.

[00:50:52] Jen: Yeah.

[00:50:52] Samara: A

[00:50:52] Brooke: hundred

[00:50:52] Samara: percent save. We talk about all of the times the salons died, and

[00:50:55] Jen: I do think it's important to talk about the hard absolute. I think it's important to talk about the hard

[00:50:59] Samara: stuff. Absolute. We talked about the like, but 90% of it's the hard things that happen in business,

[00:51:04] Jen: but like,

[00:51:04] Samara: but then so often we don't talk about the fact that in so many financially it saved my life.

[00:51:10] Brooke: Yeah.

[00:51:10] Samara: Financially I would not be standing if I didn't have the business that kept me standing. Like financially it saved my life, but emotionally it saved my life as well and having that place to come to and, and like your kids, how you have to show up for it and having to, having those step forwards.

Yeah. You know, our businesses. Can save our lives in points where we don't think we'd get through. And all of a sudden you're through it and you're like, oh. But I think like anything, you know, we're so quick to say, Ugh,

Of

staff left. Or someone just, someone's wondering about, this is hard. Someone doesn't like that.

Or, this is hard. Or That is hard. But so often too, on the other side of it, we've gotta just be deeply grateful for, for what we have.

[00:51:49] Brooke: Absolutely.

[00:51:50] Samara: Yeah. Yeah.

[00:51:50] Brooke: It actually, yeah, a hundred percent saves. Even in the hard times. I mean, why are we still here? Even though we always say,

it's

[00:51:59] Samara: like when you like have more kids and you're like, that was so hard.

Let's have another one.

[00:52:04] Brooke: Yeah.

[00:52:04] Samara: You know, like the hardest thing I've ever done, let's have another baby.

[00:52:07] Brooke: It's the best. It is. It's the best. Exactly the same thing. It's like it is the best and then it is at times the hardest. But it also always comes back to being the best.

[00:52:17] Jen: Yeah.

[00:52:17] Brooke: It always circles around that somehow.

Mm. Or even just the fact that no matter what happens, we've always got our. Like our own craft and career.

[00:52:29] Jen: Mm. You know? So you are still, you like, even though you have come out of a relationship and in relationship, you become like you're merging and you're still a parent and stuff, but it gives you something that makes you feel like you're still you.

[00:52:40] Brooke: You have a purpose.

[00:52:41] Jen: Yeah.

[00:52:41] Brooke: Yeah, yeah. And you do have a purpose everywhere, but just, even just the fact that you in that point have to show up for your client or for your team or whatever you, it just getting out of bed and knowing that you have to do that for someone else, forces you into that. Yeah. And then once you're there, it's so, so good.

But yeah, it's the connection. It's just connection.

[00:53:06] Samara: What's been your, like, if you think about, because you've been in business now, how many years? Like 11.

[00:53:13] Brooke: 11. It's 12th year this year. Mm.

[00:53:16] Samara: Um,

[00:53:17] Speaker 2: if

[00:53:18] Brooke: that makes me feel like I know I should know a lot more.

[00:53:21] Speaker 4: I

[00:53:22] Brooke: should know what I'm doing by now.

[00:53:24] Samara: Nah, that's the best bit about you.

Um,

[00:53:30] Speaker 2: if

[00:53:30] Samara: you look at it as an overview of someone that who say is going through trauma and decides to open a business. Mm. Like what are your, what are some, like if you look at it, what were some key learning points for you or some key takeaways that would help somebody else in business or, you know, even with what you've gone through over the last 12 months.

[00:53:50] Jen: Oh yeah. 'cause you've been through some big stuff over the last four

[00:53:54] Brooke: months. Yeah. Yeah. I forgot. I was like, what are you talking about? Now I know. What are you talking about? Yeah. Um, yeah, we have, I think just have the most, the biggest thing is to have a good team or a good person, even if it's just one team member.

To be next to you to go through that with, because I would never be able to go through it by myself. Obviously we have our group and I talk to them all the time, but your team just knows everything that's going on. If you don't have that, I feel like it's really hard If you were a solo person, I think you definitely need some kind of group, like, you know, to be able to talk to about it.

And it, it does actually have, like, I, it helps so much being a hairdresser.

[00:54:42] Samara: Mm.

[00:54:42] Brooke: Like it, you can talk so much differently to a hairdresser, they just get it so much different.

And

[00:54:47] Samara: also 100, like if everyone keeps in mind, mine, Brooks, Rachel is Teagan's, Bridget's, all salons, were all scattered through the coast, but they're only 10 or 15 minutes from each other.

Mm. And Jen's the same and. None of this is about competition for us. Like there's plenty enough to go around, which is weird. So if you don't have that, it's like reach out to somebody who's in, who you admire, reach out to someone that's in that vicinity. Because I think the other thing that makes it really special is that we all know what's going on because we're also close in vicinity.

It's not like I've got a best friend in Melbourne, but then everything go. Yeah, it does different. You know, like I think it's really. When you have someone that's here, you know, that's someone that can show up on your doorstep, someone that can sit with you and sort something out. Or you know, someone's like, let me just take you for a coffee, or whatever that is.

Sometimes it's just, or just being in person with them and venting and then you walk away feeling so much better. If you don't have that, find that, but find it locally. Yeah. 'cause the same with your team. They're in it with you. Sometimes you need that face-to-face stop. It does make a different, you know, so often we, I listened to something the other day about connection and you know, someone's dad dies and you send DoorDash instead of showing up with food or

[00:55:57] Brooke: Yeah.

You know, I feel that so deeply at the moment.

[00:56:00] Samara: So often do we do things and send things and be like, I'm thinking of you, but we don't show up. It's the showing up that changes people.

[00:56:08] Brooke: And do you know what? It's

[00:56:09] Samara: the phone calls. It's the text. Yeah. And even if that person doesn't respond back, PS you've missed two of my phone calls so far.

I have. Even if that person doesn't respond and I'm never doing it to get a response, I'm just doing it to be like, she called, she loves me. She's just checking in. Yeah. 'cause that's what it is every time. But rather than being like, it's so much easier just to send a text message and be like, I'm just gonna send a message, like, show up in different ways and put yourself out there to love somebody else.

Don't just do that via like, Hey, hope you're okay, because that's not what pulls people out of of tough times.

[00:56:40] Brooke: No,

[00:56:41] Samara: it's not. So I just hijack that, but I just

[00:56:42] Brooke: thought so much because that is my biggest learning. Like I said, I love to learn things out of shitty times or whatever, but I, that's my biggest learning now is how to be a better friend or just a better person from this experience.

Because I guess you probably do think about, um. More who shows up for you and who sort of just sends a text or who hides because they don't know what to say. And maybe I was like a little bit of a hider because I didn't know what to say and I'm like, oh, they'll be okay. And it's so not the case. Like I can think of 10 friends that have found out and haven't said anything to me, you know?

And I just feel like that's not it. Whereas, you know, four of my friends dropped their whole day. One called in sick and showed up on my doorstep when I begged them not to. So like, those people in that tough time are always gonna be, you know, you never forget that. Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

You just, yeah.

[00:57:43] Samara: Show up with the things I, for me, that's the way I wanna be remembered too, as a friend.

Mm-hmm. Like that's how I wanna be remembered, is the person that shows up even. And sometimes it's hard, it's sometimes it's really hard taking yourself out of. What your already busy life, there's so much going on, you're doing juggling so many things, but like the whole point of this life is impact on other people and how you can Yeah.

And love and have that connection with other people.

[00:58:06] Jen: Yeah.

[00:58:07] Samara: But I think it's the same thing for our team. You know, if your team's going through a hard time, how can you show up in a different way rather than just being like, text, I'm here if you need, I hope I'm okay. How do you show up in a different way so that they know that, you know, if they're really sick and you know they're really sick and you're pissed off because it's hard, but they're also freaking out 'cause they don't wanna be sick.

How can you send them something? Or how can you just show up for the, or check in

[00:58:33] Brooke: later to see if they're okay or

[00:58:35] Samara: Yeah.

[00:58:36] Brooke: You know,

[00:58:36] Samara: like less of you and more of others. Yes. Is something that I'm learning a lot, like less of me and more of, of, of you.

[00:58:44] Brooke: And it does happen because you just, you just think to yourself, oh, I just send them a message so they know that I'm thinking of them.

It doesn't have the same anything when you're in a shitty place like. It doesn't feel the same as someone rocking up to your house or calling you a million times until you answer, just to make sure that you are, you know, and, and it probably does feel uncomfortable for you as the friend to try and have that conversation and hear that and, and hurtful too.

Like, your friend's hurt when you're hurt, right? Mm-hmm. So they're like, oh, I don't wanna feel that. But yeah, you really just need to put yourself out there and just actually, yeah. Watch and watch out for the strong ones, because I think everybody just goes, yeah, they'll be fine.

[00:59:28] Samara: Should be fine. Yeah.

[00:59:30] Brooke: And they're the, they're the not okay ones.

They're the

[00:59:32] Samara: ones that are feeling at the

[00:59:33] Brooke: deepest, well, the ones that like brush it off and keep going are the ones that need the conversation, I guess. Yeah.

[00:59:40] Samara: For anyone that's listening to this conversation, I hope it's kind of.

Spurred you to being like, who do I need to reach out to? Because I listened to a podcast that said that, you know, it was like, your task for this week is to

[00:59:53] Brooke: Yeah.

[00:59:53] Samara: Call, not text, show up, show

up.

I think it's hearing those, those words for me was, is massive. How can you show up for your team in a different way?

How can you show up for your clients in a different way? Mm. Even with your clients. That might be a a, you know, we were talking about in the last episode how a client, after I finished her hair, reached out and sent me this message saying, thank you so much. Like, I love everything about today. And I was like, that meant more to me than what I can say for my entire week that I impacted someone like that way.

But how can we do the same for our clients? Like there's nothing stopping us from reaching out to a client that we had loved and just saying like, thank you for spending your time with me. Yeah. Thank you for being vulnerable enough. To share that story with me.

[01:00:32] Jen: Yeah.

[01:00:32] Samara: Yeah. And we, we have businesses that are all about connection, yet we forget that the connection is the most important.

It's not the hair, it's not the beauty, it's not the eyebrows. It's all about how you can connect with somebody else so that that person feels seen in a world that's getting lonelier because of technology.

[01:00:50] Brooke: Yeah, totally. Yeah. And like I was just about to say how you at some point start stopping, start stopping, stop showing up on socials and you know, try and

even

in your business, you try and like push that over to the staff and the team, but realistically, you don't realize, I think you realize that, or we all say it.

You know, your celebrities have like, oh, they've got so much, um, power over people to make them, you know, feel whatever, and they should do whatever. But really we do too.

[01:01:20] Jen: Mm-hmm.

[01:01:21] Brooke: Everybody does. Yeah. So like, just knowing that and, and using it when you can is so important. Even if you haven't been through the same experience, just like having that empathy.

[01:01:33] Jen: Mm.

[01:01:33] Brooke: And just trying to understand or connect or making them feel heard is so important. Yes. Yeah. Feeling seen is huge. Huge.

[01:01:44] Jen: So I think too, guys, yeah. The lesson we are leaving is like seeking connection and the connection you can provide for others, but also thank you for being so vulnerable. Oh,

[01:01:56] Samara: agreed.

[01:01:57] Jen: Like, yeah, it's really, really, really huge for you to sit down at the time of your life that you're in and share,

[01:02:05] Samara: but also just do it with so much grace

[01:02:07] Jen: and Yeah,

[01:02:07] Samara: exactly. Like do it with so much grace and so much heart. Like I definitely was not there

some of

days. I'm still not. Um, but sharing it with such grace and such heart because it is, it is such a journey and anyone that understands this, like, and so many of us do.

Understand what that feels like when you're trying to raise babies and raise businesses and then personally move through so much.

[01:02:31] Brooke: It's so easy to be angry and to blame someone else.

[01:02:35] Samara: Mm.

[01:02:35] Brooke: And I think that, um, everyone's situation's different, but I just think that it doesn't have to be like that.

[01:02:41] Samara: Mm.

[01:02:42] Brooke: No.

Nothing does. Like I was talking the other day about when, um, a couple of my staff left at the same time and it killed me. Um, and then, you know, I think that all of those things, I'm not angry at them. Maybe I was for a day, but just knowing, and also the fact that most of my staff have been previous staff.

I've got three staff members now that have left and then come back. And then another one just asked me for a job this morning. So I don't, I think just don't, like not closing the door. Yeah. And not being so angry and not being so like, you know, if that's their journey, then that's their journey. And then if they wanna come back or if you wanna, you know, you never know what's gonna come.

[01:03:26] Samara: Yeah.

[01:03:27] Brooke: There could be so many things. You

[01:03:28] Samara: constantly have team that come back.

[01:03:30] Brooke: They do. I do. Yeah.

[01:03:31] Samara: They're like boomerangs.

[01:03:32] Brooke: It's 'cause they just miss me. No, they do. It's just because I think that Well, that's the thing. You've gotta let them go. Yeah. And I mean, you know, asking any of them why they're coming back, it's just because they, you don't realize what you've got or what, you know, you, and maybe it's the different time of,

[01:03:50] Jen: and sometimes you do need to go out and

[01:03:51] Brooke: experience all, all that.

Yeah. Experience it. It might even be the different type of your life.

[01:03:55] Jen: Yeah.

[01:03:55] Brooke: Um, and you are, you personally need something else or whatever that the business or the team or the leader can't give you. And then you realize that you're in a different space now. Like, you know,

[01:04:08] Samara: I think your ability to be like, Ugh, so annoying.

I was over it like three seconds ago. Like, she like will marinate on it for like 10 seconds and then she'll be over it. And I think having that type of friendship with you and I'm like this and you're like, yeah, and then I'm over it within like 10 seconds. Yeah, you have this, but it allows people to stay within your realm because you don't stay angry.

No. Like you're like, oh,

let

go and let God, let's move on. Yeah. Like, and I think that's a really beautiful quality inside of business because it's hard for us because we get so emotionally attached, but being able to have that friend that's like, oh babe, this. And you're like, oh yeah, I can move on from that.

Cool. Thank you. Help me switch out of that. Yeah. I think you have this really beautiful ability to do that and not hold, I try

[01:04:49] Brooke: not to hold

[01:04:50] Samara: things. Well, you don't hold onto a lot of things man. Your friends started dating and you were still my best mates, so, um. And Amber's as well. Yeah. Um,

[01:05:00] Brooke: I just

[01:05:00] Samara: have to, I just have to learn how to, Amber, she should come on one.

She, we'll have the co mom conversation. That's

[01:05:06] Jen: actually a really good idea.

[01:05:08] Samara: Amber's probably like, absolutely not. Um, we'll have Brooke here. We'll make still a whole thing. Um, but, you know, but that's what you want, right? Like, I, I want that period co-parented beautifully

[01:05:18] Brooke: in

[01:05:19] Samara: your relationships.

[01:05:20] Brooke: Yeah. Yeah.

With my ex. So I wanna do that again. Um, and I just think it's so much easier. Like, why would you wanna be sitting at, I don't know, in years to come your, your kids' wedding and then they're getting married and you're angry at your, I mean, you know, my parents did that to me. I didn't wanna do that to anyone.

I want them to be happy.

[01:05:43] Samara: Mm. I love that. You need them.

[01:05:45] Brooke: Everyone, everyone is just on their own journey. They're just doing what they. What they think is right. And like we said before, even the husbands that aren't getting it, when you are plain as day, you know, sending them reels, telling them and sending, sending them whatever, telling them text messages, phone calls, like all this, I'm like, there's no other way that I could have got through to you.

Yeah. I said it every day for 12 months when I was trying, you know, I feel like they, it's just

[01:06:11] Samara: different journey.

[01:06:12] Brooke: Just happen to be a different journey when they, when they're ready to know which is now, which is too late. That's fine. It might be, it's already, yeah, it's, yeah. And you are gonna learn from Yeah, that.

Exactly. Exactly. And I'm gonna learn from that. And you know, maybe not to hold on for so long, but they will learn to listen to the next person or, yeah. Or just, you know, maybe the kids will learn not to, you know, hold on for so long. Or to give grace where it's needed.

[01:06:43] Samara: I love that. I love you. Thank you.

Thank you. Love you. I feel like this is definitely a six month. We need to come back and sit. Where are we babe?

[01:06:52] Jen: We are swimming in bio

[01:06:54] Brooke: order.

We'll just, I'll just be like, yep, we did it.

[01:07:00] Samara: Yep. We got, we are here. So the six Watch your space game. I know. Thank you for coming on. I love check in on your

[01:07:06] Brooke: friends

[01:07:07] Samara: and I'm very proud of you and thank you. Yeah. I love this conversation. So yeah. Connection is key guys. Thank

[01:07:13] Brooke: you darling. Thank you.