163: Better Parenting & Better Business: Parallels Between the Lives of Young and Older Adults

Andrea Liebross: Welcome to the Time to Level Up Podcast. I'm your host, Andrea Liebross. Each week, I focus on the systems, strategy, and big thinking you need to CEO your business and life to the next level. Are you ready? Let's go.

Hello, my friends, and welcome back to the Time to Level Up Podcast. Today, I have a very special episode for you, something that I have not done yet on my podcast so I think we're up to Episode 160 something and it's about time that I interviewed my children.

I started this process with interviewing my daughter and two of her friends. I didn't really know how this was going to go but they were very excited about it and they were very willing to do it. I learned a lot from it and so I hope you're going to learn a lot from this conversation as well.

Now, a couple of warnings here, the audio quality is not great because we did this in my office sitting on the floor with my phone but bear with the audio quality, it is worth it. It is worth it. You may have to turn your dial up and down a little bit as you're listening but it's worth listening to.

The other thing that I want to just point out before we even get started is I don't really feel like I was totally surprised by anything they said. What I was surprised about though was the similarities in what they're going through and what I'm going through or maybe you're going through as an adult, a full adult. I refer to them here as young adults which is funny.

But the things that I see my clients struggle with, the things that I still struggle with are things that they're struggling with. I guess that's the good news, bad news that what we worry about when we're 19 might be the same thing we're worrying about when we're 49. But I hope we get better at it.

I am going to narrate this interview as we go through and Stacey, my producer here is probably going to chop me up a little bit, chop up the interview, and chop up my commentary so that this flows into hopefully a very useful piece of content for you. Even if you don't have kids or your kids are two and one, this still is pretty insightful and helpful to just see what's going on in the lives of the young people of America, we'll call it.

The first question I asked them was what's a typical Tuesday. This actually I was a little bit surprised by the fact that they are not staying up at all hours studying even if they have a test the next day. I was super surprised that they love mornings. I was noticing that they too, like you, have identified times of the day when they do their best work. They've figured out when a workout is most effective. They recognized that they had to learn how to study. They love schedules and they appreciate taking in their surroundings. Listen in to what they had to say about what's a typical Tuesday.

RL: For me, a typical Tuesday, I need to sleep in because if I wake up early, I'm not productive at all. I wake up around 10:30 AM. I usually start my morning with a workout because I like to do it the first thing and not the last because I think it gets my day started and I think it's better to start than to unwind with a workout and then I go to all my classes and then honestly just get dinner and go to bed. I spend my weekdays a lot differently than my weekends because I'm very productive on the weekdays and then I like to relax on the weekends.

KM: I feel like my day is pretty similar. I wake up, I tend to work out. I tend to do my best work in the morning so I'll wake up and actually do my homework or do whatever I have to do for the day. Then I don't have classes most of the time till later in the day so I'll exercise somewhere around noon and then I go to my classes. When I come home, I'm actually exhausted so I think that's why I just do my work in the morning. Typically, past 6:00 PM, I will be doing no school work.

Andrea Liebross: What are you doing?

KM: I guess instead, I'm just hanging out with my friends at my sorority house. There's always someone to talk to or hang out with. I'll eat. I'll sit in my bed. Sounds boring but I'll scroll my phone. But in the morning, I just get everything done because my brain can't function as well at night. 8:00 PM is cutting it. I'm more like 6:30 PM.

Andrea Liebross: What happens if you had a test on the next day at like 9:00 AM? Would you be studying that night before?

KM: Yeah, but my studying is definitely better in the morning and past 8:00, it's not even worth it.

RL: There are some girls that I know that stay at the library until like 2:00 AM. I could never do that. I make schedules for my tests. If I have a test on a Tuesday, I'll start on Sunday and I'll do it during the day to literally avoid night studying.

KM: Well, yeah. I think in my freshman year, I didn't really know how to study. I thought studying was, not useless but I thought I knew more than I did.

RL: Because when I study, l have to relearn everything and that's just not practical.

KM: Yeah. My brain's different. MG, do you want to go?

Andrea Liebross: MG, what about you? What's your Tuesday like?

MG: A typical Tuesday for me, I feel like it's like what KM and RL both said, unwind in the morning, I actually do really like taking in our really pretty campus because I feel like we're so lucky to be in a town where the sky, you can see everything. There's not like buildings walking that. I like take that in every here and there during the weekdays.

RL: You're a big morning person.

MG: I am a big morning person. My mornings are awesome. They're like my favorite part of the day. I hate when it gets to noon. I'm like, “Oh, the day is fleeing.”

RL: This is very rare for a college student. We're different.

MG: You're what?

Andrea Liebross: You guys are different you think?

RL: I feel like all my friends are sleeping till like, I won't lie, I'm a sleeper. The only reason I'll wake up early in the morning, I can't have a class before 9:45. It's like unrealistic, I won't go. I'm up at like 8:00 AM.

MG: Yeah. I'm not out ready for class.

RL: I do a slow morning. I'm fine if I have a workout class 8:00 AM. If that was a class, that's not realistic for me.

Andrea Liebross: Okay, alright. Some very similar themes that we experience as full-blown adults. We love schedules. We love a plan. We know when we do our best work. I don't think anyone on this call really loves staying up until all hours of the night working on business and they don't like staying up till all hours night studying. I thought there were lots of similarities there as to what's going on in their world and what's going on in ours.

The next question I asked them was what happens on a weekend. What kept coming out was what happens on a weekend, first of all, the weekend includes Friday, starts Thursday night, but everything is different for them on a weekend on a Friday and Saturday. The meals are different. They don't do any homework. They sleep more. You know what, it's kind of what we strive for as adults.

I hear so many adults saying, “I want to be able to turn my brain off on a weekend and I can't.” Well, this is something that they are better at than us. I wonder what happened to us as we became adults. We struggle with this turning our brains off on weekends.

A lot of times, when I'm coaching women, they say they want to have more fun, they want to have more time for fun. These girls still are including the fun factor and I think we probably should take a page from their book so listen in.

The mood has changed.

KM: I feel like the weekends are just completely different. I don't know. Like my Friday, I don't have any classes on Friday so it starts Thursday night. I'm like, “Oh, I'm going to self [inaudible]” So Friday I wake up and it's so different because on the weekdays, I use my morning so well but this is like when I become my sleeper, I'll sleep half the day because I know I'm going to be up late, not like half the day but I'll wake up at like 11:30 which is pretty much half the day. Then my day will revolve around like we go out at 10:30. Even my meal schedule is different.

RL: The meal times that they serve us are different. On Saturdays and Sundays, our breakfast doesn't start till 11:30 because they just know so like everything's different.

KM: I honestly don't work out on the weekends.

RL: Yeah. Neither do I.

MG: Those are break days.

RL: I'll like try to do something on Sunday. Friday and Saturdays like nothing.

KM: Mhm. Okay. Then it's like we get ready enough sometimes. If it's a date party or we're wearing like dresses somewhere, you get ready to plan time and have pictures. It sounds stupid but the whole day is leading up to just getting ready to [inaudible].

RL: But it’s fun. So if your child is not doing anything on a Saturday besides going out, they're normal and they are living a good life. If they're doing school work, good for them but like come on. Saturday is like No Homework Day. I will do homework on Friday sometimes, Sunday [inaudible] But Saturday, yeah.

MG: And especially the school we go to.

RL: Yeah. [inaudible] big school.

KM: I feel like it's easier in college to just like not do it on Saturday. I feel like in high school, there were some times where I was like, “Shoot.” Personally, I have more work in high school than in college, like more everyday work. This is all bigger stuff that takes longer.

Andrea Liebross: Do you think it was just more consistent daily work?

RL: Yeah.

Andrea Liebross: Because the assignment was due every day.

KM: Yeah, it was like the same amount of math homework every day. I'm done with math so I'm not taking math. It's like bigger projects that take me like three to four days that I have to like time out.

Andrea Liebross: Okay, alright. MG, does your weekend look any different than these two?

MG: Honestly, no. I feel like since we're all living in sororities, we have matching weekend lives.

Andrea Liebross: Even though you're not all living in the same sorority, it's very similar.

MG: It's very similar. I feel like social life, I think there's Greek life and there's also stuff like that's not Greek life which is awesome too.

RL: That's just what we're around these days. Everyone around us, the people that we live with, obviously, influence our behavior. If I wake up on a Saturday, I'm the first one up. I'm like, “Oh, I can relax.” Because me and MG both live in our sorority in the most crowded hall. If I wake up and it's empty, I'm like, “Oh, everyone's still sleeping.” But if I wake up and I see people doing homework, I'm like, “Oh, I need to be productive.” Then someone's going to the gym like, “Oh, I need to go to the gym.” Saturdays, it's not like everyone's just sitting on the couches and stuff.

Andrea Liebross: I want you to reflect on what they said and then think about your weekend versus your ideal weekend. Does your ideal weekend look a little bit like their weekend? Except the part of going out at 10:30. Maybe you're going out at 7:30. Then I asked them what happens after 10:30 on a weekend night. They gave the answer like it's not what you think. It's not what you see in the movies.

In fact, oftentimes after a while, we get burnt out of what happens on a weekend. We don't need to go out every single weekend. That was interesting to me so listen in what they have to say about what happens after 10:30.

RL: Secret society activities. We all stand in a circle and sing cult songs. We skip.

MG: Can you sing us something?

RL: My vocals aren't very good right now even though I'm holding the sparkly microphone. I think everyone can infer what happens past 10:30.

KM: It's honestly not as bad.

RL: Yeah. No one is out there hanging from the walls except MG. Sometimes she gets a little freaky.

MG: That's only when I'm home with the parents.

RL: She hangs off the rafters with Andrea Liebross.

KM: It's just like honestly basic stuff. You like pregame, you go out, come back, get to go to bed.

MG: I will admit it's the same thing every single time.

RL: It does get boring. But you're burnt out of it. It's like the same thing, the same frat, same people but it's fun every time obviously but you don't need to go out every single day. None of us go out, maybe I want to say, how many weeks are in a semester, like 16? I think maybe 40% of the weekends, I go out every single day.

KM: I feel like when I first got in it, it was like I sounded weird when I first got it.

RL: No, but it's so new to you.

KM: Because freshman year, first semester, we couldn't do anything. When I finally started to have plans every weekend, I was like, “Oh, my gosh. This is so fun. I get to meet people, go out, and hang out with my friends I already have.” But now that I live with everyone and obviously, just close with all my friends that it's like I look at the schedule like my schedule now and I'm like, “Oh, I want to do it these days. I have to go every single time.”

RL: Yeah. I feel like the people who are, I'm going like take it back to this because I think it's a very important topic and something that all parents would want to know is that the kids who are hanging off the Raptors, if that's how we're going to talk about it, are the kids who, growing up, had no exposure, no experience, were very not held tightly. But yeah, held on a tight leash. All of our parents in high school-

KM: Yeah. I feel like our experience with that is different though because we grew up, we've known each other since high school and we had like a tight-knit friend group and all of our parents like knew that we were going to party together. That's different for some people because your child doesn't need to be drinking.

RL: Yeah. But I think it's very, very evident who knew about this stuff in high school and who didn't. It's very obvious.

Andrea Liebross: Then I asked them, “What would all parents want to know about weekends?” I thought they answers were interesting here. It melds into the next question I asked which is what do all parents need to know about prepping a child for college.

A couple of things that came out here that I want you to notice in the conversation is they said that they don't think there should be tons of rules actually prior to arriving at college because that just makes you want to break rules and kids that were held on a tight leash in high school, you can tell when they get to college and it's not a good picture. I think the best piece of this was don't let your kids hide what they're doing, have open dialogue.

KM: I think there are rules obviously.

RL: Just accept the fact that your kid is going to drink in college.

MG: Don't deny it. Don't let them hide it from you.

RL: Yeah. Don't let hide it from you. I feel like my mom's always good about this. She cares where I am but as long as she knows where I am, it doesn't really matter. She also tracks me. But most of the time-

MG: My parents track me too but I don't mind it.

RL: Yeah. I don't really care either.

KM: Yeah, there's nothing to hide.

Andrea Liebross: I don't have any reason to think that you're not going to tell me where you are.

RL: Yeah. I don't think there was any point in high school where I was like lying to you about if I was drinking, where I was. I think it was pretty much-

KM: Also I didn't have a curfew in high school but my dad always said like nothing good happens past 12:00.

Andrea Liebross: Yeah, that's true. I think we all agree.

MG: Nothing good happens past 12:00 in high school.

KM: I feel that to me was more like influential than being like, “You need to be home at 12:00”

RL: Yeah, I agree. Because if there's a rule like that like, “You have to be home here or else,” then kids are going to want to break that rule. It's just like human nature.

KM: You're going to want to do it. Like, “I wonder what it's like to stay out.”

Andrea Liebross: Okay. Do you agree that nothing good happens after midnight? I certainly do. I think that's a great one. Alright, next I asked them what helped them most adjust to living away from home. Again, this goes into, “Hey, how can we be a better parent?” RL was very vocal in this one.

I think the moral of the story here is that you don't have someone do everything for you. If you think about this in terms of business, so often, we want people to do other things for us but so often, the way we learn the best is when we at least in the beginning do it ourselves.

I think that's a similar thing here. Going back to the tight leash, hey, if you hold your employees on a tight leash, they're not going to be their best selves so let's see what they had to say about what helped them most adjust to living away from home.

RL: Holding your kids on a tight leash is a different story but doing everything for your kid is almost worse. Have them do their laundry. If they say no, oh, my God.

KM: Also, this is such a small thing but once you turn 18, people are like, “You can make your own appointments for stuff.” In college, you're going to have to call people and schedule appointments with your advisor, meet with your groups, and stuff. If you don't have good time management skills, if your mom or your dad made your schedule, I think time management is a big thing.

RL: Yeah. I guess I want to say since I was 12, I've been like scheduling my own haircuts, my own nails, my own doctor's appointments, everything. She sent me into the office alone. She, as an Andrea Liebross coaching, sent me in alone. It was not a bad thing, I was an independent woman. Yes, thank you, KM.

KM: MG's also extremely independent.

RL: Yes. MG's also very independent but I guess I also went to sleep away camp. That's one thing I'm used to being away from home for like eight weeks at a time.

Andrea Liebross: Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

RL: I think that's why I'm so independent. I was like, again, thrown into an environment where I knew no one at like eight years old and had to make my own friends, do whatever, and overcome challenges.

Andrea Liebross: I loved RL's mention here of sleep away camp. I am a big proponent of sleep away camp and if you ever want to talk about it, call me or DM me on Instagram and we can chat about it. I will tell you all the great things and the bad about sleep away camp.

Okay, next. I asked them what was challenging. My friends, I'm just going to let them talk here because the things that are challenging to them are the things that are challenging to me. Most obvious here was the compare and despair type of situation. That was really a challenge that they voiced and I think we as adults also voice it.

MG voiced the challenge of having to be a translator for her parents. I think as a business owner, we get frustrated when we have to spoon-feed things. Similar, again, their world and ours, listen in.

RL: The main things, not like not like the basic things but the things that everyone knows like comparison to other girls because in college, it is true. You go out and say you're wearing the same top as another girl and you're like, “Oh, she looks better than I do,” it's stuff like that. It's the basic things that everyone knows that happen but it's real.

MG: Yeah, especially when you're at a school with like 40,000 people and you like see a group of, I don't know, I just feel like comparisons.

Andrea Liebross: Is it really mostly just looks, clothes, or is it comparing to other things?

RL: I feel it's also grades. I think people just get really competitive about if you're in the same classes. The second a test score comes out like, “Oh, what' you get?”

Andrea Liebross: Is that different than high school?

RL: No. I don't know, for me, it's more like comparison like grades and also having a very successful older brother is for me too, it's just like comparing myself to him.

Andrea Liebross: Are you him? You always tell me you're not him.

RL: No, I am not him but when I get better grades than him on test, I'm obviously going to flaunt it. But again, it's just like, he already has a job, he's making money, and I'm out here not.

Andrea Liebross: But you're not at that place.

RL: I know, exactly, but it's just like sometimes hard to grasp. That's a challenge you ask.

Andrea Liebross: Okay, fair, fair, fair. Thank you. Okay, MG, I'm going to ask you a specific question. How do you think having parents that weren't born in America has impacted you?

MG: That's good.

Andrea Liebross: Okay, so tell the listeners where your parents are from, and well, you too, but you were born here.

MG: Yeah. I was born in Indianapolis, Indiana. My mom actually was born in Cairo, Egypt and my dad was born in Alexandria, Egypt. They came here like 20, 30 years ago maybe. Growing up, I've always had to, at such a young age, Arabic was my first language, English wasn't even my first language, I learned it from watching just TV channels and Sesame Street and Christian cartoons but my parents, they did I think fairly well with like raising me with the cultural barrier that they had.

But school and everything, they put me in really good schools, which I met all my really good friends and I feel like that helped me also pave my path, find who I am. Obviously, at first, it was really hard in school with everyone because I was so different but I was like a translator for them for so long, still am. I still am.

It made me really independent, which I didn't really notice till I was way older, and when I was younger, I would always get really frustrated because I'd be like, “But all these kids have their parents doing this for them.” Even like the doctor appointment thing, I remember getting so mad at my mom when sometimes, it's not like she couldn't do it, it's just like sometimes she'd be like, “Can you just do it?” and I'd get so mad and be like, “Come on. This is what moms are for.” Also, moms are there to help you grow to be that independent person that they want you to be.

Andrea Liebross: Yeah. She actually in a sense, you could argue, you were becoming more independent faster, maybe not the rate of speed that you want.

MG: Exactly.

Andrea Liebross: Okay. I think you're very patient because of it.

MG: I think so too. I love being patient. My dad actually, funny story, he's not patient whatsoever at all, 0%. I think I got that from well, when I see him not being patient, I always like, “Remember, MG.”

RL: You need to be patient with his impatience.

MG: Exactly.

Andrea Liebross: Next, I asked them what's a good way for a parent to ask you a question. This turned into a discussion about your relationship with your child. I want you to take note of the comment about moms being too invested in their kids' relationships.

I think this is a similar thing when you're too invested, there's a fine line being too invested in your client, I don't want you to take this the wrong way, but you need to let your client do some thinking and exploring on their own. That perfect level of balance between what you provide them and what they do on their own is tricky. I think that's the same thing here that they're expressing. Listen in.

RL: Well, I think especially in college, if my mom doesn't hear from me for a day, it's normally a good sign. If I'm texting her non-stop, I don't usually do that but you know what I mean, there's obviously something that's either bothering me or something like that, not texting majority of the time, would you agree? You're not texting your mom 24/7 about random stuff.

KM: Well, I also think it's different because obviously school is like only like an hour away. I go like two to three days without calling either of my parents.

RL: Yeah, same.

KM: There are some girls that I know that tell their moms everything, every little thing.

RL: But I think there's always some moms who are too invested in their child's drama like relationships, friendships, and I think all of our moms did a good job because they're all of our moms, they know everything about all of us like we all hang out all the time that they knew the good stuff, if something really bad happened, they knew that. We had little bickers and everything like our moms didn't know about that.

Some other moms know about that like so much that it changes the way they look at some kids and I'm like, “That does not need to be affecting.” There's also some parents who get too invested in high school relationships.

KM: Yeah. That's like weird.

Andrea Liebross: Okay. Now, I asked them about relationships with the opposite sex or significant other and I loved the line that they are focusing on making bridesmaids and not husbands right now, so tell me what you think and why they're not interested in a relationship.

Alright, so let's talk about relationships. No one is in a relationship, is that a fair statement?

KM: Yes.

RL: Yes.

MG: Yes.

Andrea Liebross: Okay, single girls. Independent women, so does anyone want to be in a relationship or is it just something that you don't really think about? Do you think about it?

KM: Right now, not at all.

RL: Yeah, same.

MG: Far from.

KM: Because me and MG are in the same sority and RL is in a different one, no obviously you didn't know that RL is a different one. But I feel it's already so hard, because I live with 90 girls and I'm friends with all of them, to leave that and go somewhere else.

I don't even think right now. I don't have a busy schedule but I'm just in the point where I'm trying to make good friendships. I don't think I would even have time to make time for another person.

MG: I definitely think the friendships we're making right now are going to pan out to us finding these so-called long-lasting relationships.

KM: But that's true because I feel right now, we're sophomores in high school, no college, we're in college, we're sophomores in college, we need to be making friends right now. We're making our bridesmaids, not meeting our husbands.

Andrea Liebross: Oh, that's a good way to think about it, okay.

KM: That's why everyone used to tell me, is that the quote like you meet your bridesmaids in high school?

RL: No.

KM: There's some saying.

Andrea Liebross: Alright, well, right now, you're still meeting your bridesmaids. So a relationship is not at the forefront of your brains.

KM: RL.

RL: No, I agree.

Andrea Liebross: Do you have something to tell us?

RL: Oh, KM is just making things up.

KM: Are you searching for love?

RL: No. No, I agree with everything they said. I think it's just like one, I'm not too busy necessarily. Obviously, it's nice to have someone but I feel like college relationships, in my opinion, for the most part, make things more complicated rather than easier.

KM: I also think, I don't know if it's just me but me and MG are actually talking about this but we see that everyone starts dating like end of junior year and beginning of senior year. I feel like relationships don't start until senior year where you know more about yourself.

Andrea Liebross: Okay, okay, that's fair.

Isn't that all very similar to business, fear of missing out? You're always looking at what's happening outside of you and you feel like you are missing out. That FOMO is a real feeling that sticks with you.

Okay, next, I asked them about the future, what do they worry about, what do they think about. Again, comparison came up but what was really interesting here in this little bit is their discussion of how they worry about having a job that they are going to like.

Think about you as an adult, don't you always want to love what you're doing? That never goes away. But a lot of it is exploring and recognizing that maybe all parts aren't going to be enjoyable. I think they recognize that too that all parts are not always going to be enjoyable for them. Listen in.

Alright, not just necessarily relationships, do you think a lot about what's going to happen after college? Jobs, careers.

MG: All the time.

KM: This goes back to the comparison thing.

RL: Yeah, I would agree with you on that. Because we both have older brothers. My brother already has a job, who knows where he's living? I don't even know if I'm going to end up liking my [inaudible].

KM: I don't know if I'm going to make it. I don't even know if I’m going to graduate.

Andrea Liebross: Okay, I think you're all going to graduate.

KM: I can graduate early. I thought I was going to worry about it a lot more.

RL: I am so worried about it.

Andrea Liebross: Grades or jobs?

KM: Grades, I don't worry about grades. Like my grades now?

Andrea Liebross: Yeah.

KM: I don't know. I've gotten to the point where I know how my mind works and my time management. I'm confident that I can get good grades. I feel none of us have ever struggled with grades. I don't know, we just know.

RL: But I do, I don't worry about that aspect but I don't worry but I'm just curious when I'm going to meet my husband.

KM: Oh, my gosh, same.

Andrea Liebross: Curious when you're going to meet your husband.

RL: Yeah, because I just know I don't think it's going to be in college.

Andrea Liebross: Okay, so career, job, internship.

RL: I just hear about so many people just hating where they work and I think I’m most worried about I want to work somewhere like fun, I want to work somewhere where I actually like working there, doing what I do. I know it's just so hard to come by right after college but I want to make that happen because I don't know, I feel like it's a little defeating graduating college and just like going to somewhere that sucks or just sucks for you personally because you just have four years of amazingness and you don't want to just have an immediate downfall.

Andrea Liebross: Then I asked them what's the most stressful. For one, participant, the most stressful thing for her is she used the word balance and worrying about what she should be focused on. Again, isn't that similar to us?

Okay, comparison is a thing, worrying about whether wanting a job that you're going to love or like at least, where are we going to find our husband, any other things that we worry about or stress about? What's the most stressful thing?

MG: I feel like just balancing everything and feeling like everything just keeps getting piled on.

KM: I think that's a big thing for you.

RL: Yeah. I don't worry about those kinds of things.

MG: Yeah. I always feel like everything's just getting piled on and I don't have enough time to be dedicated to one thing. All my passion, I'm like, “Where does it go?”

KM: I feel like it's a good thing for you though like your everyday schedule just when you're outside as point of view. I feel like you get stressed about just what time you're going to the gym.

MG: Yeah. Everything's a process with me.

KM: Like her going to shower takes like 35 minutes to [inaudible].

MG: I like see us are very different.

Andrea Liebross: Do you worry about all that stuff?

RL: Not really because I just do it as it comes.

MG: But I'm very easygoing and I'm very flowy. I feel that's the thing we have all in common. We're all like laid-back people but not laid back with myself.

Andrea Liebross: Okay, oh, that's something that a lot of people struggle with like being harder on yourself. Or sometimes I'll say what's getting in your way of X and most of the time, people say, “Myself.”

Okay, my friends. This next little bit is interesting. These really smart girls have recognized that they have to learn how to manage whatever they're in right now. They have to figure out how to manage things from the place they're in, the stage they're in, the season they're in, and that too is what we have to do as business owners.

It's interesting here, ladies, is a lot of the things that you struggle with, a lot of women who are 49 struggle with.

KM: It's going to be here for a while.

Andrea Liebross: It's going to be here for a while. So figuring out now how to manage it and the place you're in is super important.

KM: Back to the mom thing, I think that's because of our moms. Learning how to do it, how to deal with her earlier.

RL: I mean, I know everything. I have a life coach as my mother. Guys, it's hard.

Andrea Liebross: It's hard? What's so hard about it?

RL: I don't know.

Andrea Liebross: Do I make it hard?

RL: No, you don't make it hard but sometimes I’m just like, “I've had like 19 years of this, I wonder how much she can do in a one-hour session on Zoom.”

Andrea Liebross: Then you've had the benefit of 19 years in person.

RL: Yeah, I get this for free. I have the all-inclusive package. She sleeps at my house.

KM: 24 hours, no extra charge.

RL: She even cooks me meals.

KM: She’s driving you to school, extra time for conversation.

Andrea Liebross: Extra, extra time for quality conversation. Weren't you lucky?

RL: I'm so lucky.

Andrea Liebross: Then I got to drop you off and yell things out the window.

RL: Yes.

KM: She helps you become the good friend that you are.

RL: I know. Oh, my gosh. Thanks guys.

MG: Long life friend, yeah.

KM: Long life, lifelong.

RL: She always gives me words of affirmation.

KM: Oh, the socks.

RL: The socks. Last year, in my freshman year of college, she would mail me socks that say, “You are beautiful. Socks, by the way.” This [inaudible] on my toes.

KM: I would look down at RL’s feet and see, “You are beautiful.”

RL: But weren't you like, “Oh, my gosh, maybe I am.”

KM: My toes told me.

RL: One says, “You are beautiful and then you are amazing,” those are my two favorites.

Andrea Liebross: You're amazing, right?

RL: Yes, you're amazing. Go do amazing.

Andrea Liebross: Okay, as we finish out this episode, I am just not even going to say anything about this last little bit and I'm just going to let you listen because at this point, we were a little delirious. We were doing this at night because they didn't want to do it during the day of course. This is fun for them so they wanted to do it at night when they were ready for fun. But I want you to listen to the end of this and then hopefully, it'll give you a giggle.

Alright, I think we're going to wrap this up. Do you have any words or anything else you'd like to share with our amazing listeners?

KM: I don't remember what I said.

RL: Guys, we’re getting some quality advice from A. Lieb Coaching.

Andrea Liebross: Alright. MG, any final parting words?

MG: All I have to say is I love this. Thank you for having us on the show.

Andrea Liebross: Okay. Here's the speed round, you ready?

KM: Oh, I like speed rounds.

Andrea Liebross: Okay. This is how we're going to do this because it's going to be a little different since you don't usually live at home. Ready? Three things in your dorm room, name three things that are in your dorm room.

MG: My decorative rock. My fan. My bucket.

Andrea Liebross: KM, three things.

KM: My makeup mirror, my winter coats, and my backpack.

RL: My sneakers, my phone charger, and my apples, my green apples.

Andrea Liebross: Okay, MG, three things in your car.

MG: My lotion, my charger, and my water bottle.

Andrea Liebross: Okay, KM.

KM: My charger, my ChapStick, and probably an empty water bottle.

RL: I was going to say that. Definitely gum, a receipt, and just like a random chapstick just hanging out, or a hair clip like a claw clip.

Andrea Liebross: That's true. Alright. Last question, how do you want to be remembered by? Many years from now, if someone says, “That MG, she was…”

MG: Oh, I love this question. I hope they just smile and laugh and just remember that I will always be a smiley soul.

Andrea Liebross: Okay.

KM: Mine is the same as MG. I feel like just remembering that I was a welcoming positive spirit.

RL: I think I'm the same way. I think for me, just always being there in like any certain situation whether it's like happy, sad, like being able to accommodate.

KM: I hope people think I'm funny.

RL: I know. Oh, my gosh. My eighth-grade one and they will never let this down, I didn't even write it but when I walked across the stage at my eighth-grade graduation, they said, “RL Liebross wants to be remembered for her witty side comments.”

KM: Everyone else was probably like such a good [inaudible].

Andrea Liebross: That's pretty accurate though.

KM: Your high school graduation?

Andrea Liebross: No, eigth grade.

RL: She's Googling but it’s not there.

Andrea Liebross: Alright. We're going to end on that note.

Okay, I hope you enjoyed that episode as much as I did. I think there are some things in there that are really valuable from a parenting perspective but also valuable to recognize that the things you're worrying about now, you probably were worrying about when you were 19, or at least today's world 19-year-olds are worrying about the same sort of things.

This is like looking She Thinks Big, there's a picture or a graphic where I have a spiral about how our businesses just are very cyclical. I think this is so true of life. Life is cyclical. We worry about similar things just in different ways as we evolve. But hopefully, we get a little smarter along the way.

I would love to help you become a smarter, sassier, bolder woman and business owner this year. I want to help you through some of the things that you're struggling with. Let's have a conversation. Your next step here is for you and me to have a conversation. You can head over to andrealiebross.com and schedule a call. You can go to andreaslinks.com and schedule a call too and find lots of links to other things.

You can message me on Instagram. You've got lots of ways to connect with me and to schedule that call. That's the first step. Don't be afraid to talk. They weren't, so now it's your turn. Let's chat about what you're going through, what it's like to be you, and how we can create the best version of you in 2024. Okay, my friends, until next week. Remember, now is the time to level up. There's never been a better time. See you soon.

Hey, listening to podcasts is great. But you also have to do something to kick your business up a notch. You need to take some action, right? So go to andreaslinks.com and take the quiz. I guarantee you'll walk away knowing exactly what your next best step is to level up.