# Episode 20 - GenX Speaks Series: Jenn's Story

- Podcast: GenX Adulting Podcast
- Published: 2025-02-17T04:00:00.000Z
- Audio: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2398379/episodes/16634985-episode-20-genx-speaks-series-jenn-s-story.mp3
- Page: https://genxadultingpodcast.com/transcripts/podcasts/genx-adulting-podcast/episodes/episode-20
- Source: https://genxadultingpodcast.com/episodes/genxadultingpodcastepisode20.html
- People: Jenn (guest), Brian Barker (host), Nicole Barker (host)
- Topics: GenX Speaks

## Summary

In Episode 20 of the GenX Speaks Series, Jenn shares her life story as a member of Generation X, discussing her upbringing in Buffalo, her career journey, and her experiences as a single mother. The episode highlights her transition from law school to becoming a Buffalo Bills cheerleader, her various professional roles, and her current venture as a DJ and entrepreneur.

## Key takeaways

- Jenn was born in Kansas City, Kansas, in 1974 and grew up in Buffalo, New York.
- She is the oldest of five siblings and has maintained strong relationships with her family despite a significant age gap.
- Jenn has a diverse career background, including law school, cheerleading, waitressing, and pharmaceutical sales.
- She emphasizes the importance of community involvement and creating special moments for her children.
- After her divorce, Jenn focused on creating a positive environment for her children and maintaining a good relationship with her ex-husband.
- Jenn started a DJ business, incorporating unique elements like pudding shots and cold spark machines to enhance events.
- She believes in the power of faith and gratitude to navigate life's challenges.

## FAQ

### What inspired Jenn to become a DJ?

Jenn has always loved music and decided to pursue DJing after seeing an ad for a DJ certification course. She wanted to follow her passion and create memorable experiences for others.

### How did Jenn manage her career and family life?

Jenn emphasizes that it's impossible to do it all perfectly. She focuses on doing her best in each area of her life and believes in the importance of being present and grateful.

### What advice does Jenn have for those going through a divorce?

Jenn advises not to wait for the right time to leave an unhappy situation, especially when children are involved. She believes that children adapt better when changes happen early and are handled positively.

### What are Tipsy Temptations?

Tipsy Temptations are pudding shots that Jenn makes for events, combining flavors with alcohol. They can be customized for special occasions, adding a unique touch to her DJ services.

### How does Jenn stay connected with her family after moving?

Jenn maintains close relationships with her family by regularly communicating through phone calls and visits, ensuring that they stay involved in each other's lives despite the distance.


## Referenced links

- [Watch on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XvgO362ODE)
- [Listen on Apple Podcasts](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-20-genx-speaks-series-jenns-story/id1764838823?i=1000692927792)
- [Listen on Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/episode/5Ogcfh6UosdhRJLJyfh6Uj)
- [Listen on Buzzsprout](https://www.buzzsprout.com/2398379/episodes/16634985-episode-20-genx-speaks-series-jenn-s-story)

## Transcript

[Music]
Welcome to GenX Adulting and today we
have Jen with us. Welcome. Thank you so
much. I'm so excited to finally be here.
We are so happy you're here.
Beautiful studio. You guys are amazing.
Thank you. Excellent. Thank you. We're
very happy to have you. So our first
question is always what year were you
born? Oh, yeah. 1974. Okay, so you are
GenX. Yay. You are definitely GenX. Yes.
Yes. And where were you born? Yeah. So I
was actually born in Kansas City, Kansas,
because my dad. Really? Yeah, my dad was
a paramedic. Okay. So they're from
Buffalo. Okay. And then he got a job.
Kansas City. So we, you know, my mom
moved there and then they had me and had
me on Easter Sunday. And Easter has never
fallen on that. On April 14th ever ever
again. Just that day. 50 years. That is
amazing. Yeah, I was the only one born in
the hospital that day. Oh my gosh. Wow.
Fun fact. You know, Nathan, our oldest
son was born on Easter and it's fallen
twice. I didn't know that. March 31st.
But that's more in the heart of that
timeframe. You're kind of more at the
end, right? 14th.
That's right in the center.
Is it? And every other day since I guess
was the end of March would be the
beginning of that timeframe because
April's more Easter. Yeah. And my dad
delivered me. So no way. No way.
Delivering me goes. I'm really a
paramedic. So oh, my
God.
The hospital. Wow. Okay. Wait. So there
wasn't an emergency thing. He wanted.
Yeah. He wanted to say they gave him the
honor of doing that. He was a paramedic.
Yes. That is awesome. That is amazing. So
they're both from Buffalo. Yes. And then
we move right back. So I'm from Buffalo.
I mean, Buffalo, I know nothing about
Kansas. Kansas City. But how, how did he
end up in Kansas City? Did he just got a
job? He just got the job. Like a
paramedic job. He put the feelers out
there and that was the
town that the city was.
And he was the one that was the one that
responded basically. And how long were
you guys in Kansas City? So I don't even
have any I don't even know wasn't long at
all. Okay, just moved right back. And
then he must have gotten a job in
Buffalo. Yes. And you guys move back.
Yeah. And do you have any siblings? So I
am the oldest of five. Oh, wow. Yes.
Okay. So what's the brother and sister?
There's four girls and
one boy, my poor father.
See the young to liver your sibling.
You're the only one.
Think so. I think I might have been the
only one. That's cool. I don't know that.
But that's a good question. I should find
out. Is your brother the youngest? My
brother is the second youngest. Okay.
Okay. So and are you guys spaced pretty
closely? Yeah, I will. Um, let's see. So
I'm 50. And then I was in the youngest
sisters. Oh, let's see. She just is about
30. Okay. So over 10 over 20 years.
Wow. I was always the old you know, the
big sister like always, you know, just
watching out for them. And how is your
relationship? Since there's such a big
age gap between your youngest sister and
you. Did that affect how close you are
with your younger assembly?
Members like me doing great things with
her. And she remembers me just teaching
her so much that she's learned and funny.
She remembers me teaching her everything
about makeup. Wow. I don't know anything.
She's got great memories with me. So I'll
take it. That's wonderful. And I stay
close with all of them. So it was really
special. Yeah, unique. That's really
great. And so your childhood elementary
school, middle school, high school is all
in Buffalo. Everything's in Buffalo. Yes.
So and describe for
people that haven't been to
Buffalo, or haven't lived there. What is
the vibe in Buffalo? Buffalo is I, I
cannot be more thankful for growing up
there. It is the most wonderful place and
you don't really know unless you know. So
it's very hard to describe. But the
people are like, no, I mean, they'll
literally give you this shirt off their
back. I mean, anything you need. And I
think it really does. You know, that that
weather, you know, you got to be tough
skinned, but hearts of gold. No. And
then, of course, we live
and die by our Buffalo bills.
That was a heartbreaker this year.
That was rough. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. You know
what, we're used to it. And we just pick
our chins back up and like we say in
Buffalo, there's always next year.
Work record, I think they kind of got
robbed. I'm not a conspiracy theorist,
but there's a lot. They did. And you
know, we didn't play our best against
them. So kind of with both. But we got
our consolation prize. Josh Allen was the
MVP. So we were thrilled for that. Yeah.
So it was like our little prize. Yeah.
It's amazing place. And there's really a
lot to do there. Like, what is it? You
get into it and there's just shows and
art and they built up the water now. And
there's new restaurants every every
place. Every time I go back home and I go
home a lot like I'm.
It's just growing.
It's just simply. Yeah.
Is it kind of a small town
vibe though? In a big city?
Yeah. In a way, everybody knows
everybody, which I love. You know, you
couldn't ever get away with anything
really because someone knows someone, you
know, your dad was a paramedic. Right. So
he probably knew every I would assume
there's so many people. And then he
branched out and had his own businesses.
And so he's well known.
Okay. And then what about your mom?
Yes, my mom's amazing. She's stayed, you
know, she stayed at home and raised us
and she was just I was so
blessed to have the best parents.
So what were some of your childhood
memories of growing up with your mom was
a stay at home mom, your dad was a
paramedic. There's five kids in the
house. I'm sure it got chaotic. But what
were some of the things that stuck with
you from your childhood that you've
continued on to use in your as you've
raised raising your children?
Yeah, you know, they really went out of
their way to make absolutely everything
so special. I mean, everything I can
imagine, like, remember, which is
magical. Yeah, it was just, and I really,
you can tell it definitely rubbed off.
Because I am, you know, holiday queen.
Yeah, I love it all. And I just, you
know, life's so short. And it's just
like, you know, you got to make it count.
And your kids are always watching
everything you do. Yeah, you know, and so
many times you're like, Mom, why are you
doing all this? You know what I mean? And
I got involved with my neighborhood,
right? And so I was on the social
committee and started putting together
this huge Halloween haunted walk and
always doing events. And they're just
like, Mom, why are you doing that? Like,
you know what, we
don't, we don't continue.
Because it is hard, right? It's a lot of
work. And, you know, it's but if you
don't, then who's gonna do it? Just dies
out. It's, you know, and then there's
nothing special. You know, during COVID,
we put together parades, remember,
walking in a blow up shark outfit in a
parade, you know, making everyone just
try to drop the neighborhood. I got stuck
in that thing. I couldn't have post
traumatic. So was that something that
like, were your parents also involved in
the community around the holidays, doing
things? Or was it
more, they just made your
home so special that you are
now sharing that with others?
Yeah, I think it was just at home. Maybe
my dad, I remember one time there was a
wicked snowstorm and it was in the
middle. It was in April, this crazy
snowstorm. And so him and his his
paramedic best friend neighbor built the
biggest snow bunny that you've ever seen,
like in our front lawn, you know, when we
made the newspaper. And oh, wow.
Yeah, it was great. And then he you know,
they made both of them. And I remember
with my grandparents, they turned our
whole garage into a haunted house, like
for Halloween. Okay, so they would have,
you know, just a neighborhood kind of
actually go, they would just have the
local, you know, kids on the street or
whatever, like come through for Halloween
and do the Halloween. So maybe I think
now I'm thinking back, that's probably
where I got spirit for Halloween. And
yeah, the walk I put together and it
sounds like they were involved with their
name, their neighborhood, their community
and kind of shared some of
that magic. And it inspired me.
It inspired you to do it on
probably even a larger scale.
Another level here, right? Yes, that
helps. Yes, that's true.
Almost too warm. You know, like, yeah, it
was funny when you'd be like, look at my
Halloween costume. You
know, it's a nice winter coat.
Now you're dying.
Yeah, we're in in Florida. We're sweating
in Halloween. Yeah, if it's even a little
bit chilly, we're the kids are so
excited. It feels like
fall. Okay, so you you graduate
from high school and
did you go to college?
Yes, so I went to college. So I went and
I got my political science degree. And
the whole time, the goal was, you know,
my dad kind of put it in my head, go to
law school, you know, if you go to law
school, you're just going to have the
world, you know, at your feet, whatever
you want to do, it's going to be there.
So it's kind of always my goal. And I
didn't really, and I grew
up watching a lot of LA law.
Yeah, that was a big show. Yeah. So I was
just like, I'm gonna put these bad guys
away. Like, that was my thing. So that
was always a focus. So I went through
college really focused on that I did.
While I was in college, I just did a lot
of coach cheerleading.
Okay, oh, did you cheer in high school?
So I cheered in high school. Was that
your first time cheering or did it start
as far back as middle school?
It did start I was on the TTFA town team.
So it started with middle school, middle
school. Okay. And then went through high
school, it was huge. We're really
competitive. We would compete in Canada
and we would blow it out. I mean, the
choreographers we had at the time, we're
so forward thinking. It's like what you
watch today, college level, just the most
incredible choreography they did. And so
we would blow it out. And I was captain,
I became captain. It was just
high school team. So that because now
there's travel cheer, right? There's more
competitive cheer boat. So this was just
your high school team. This wasn't a
competitive cheer team. Right? Wow. And
then we would we just we would go to
Canada. That was like the big meet. And
we would compete there. Very cool. So
then in college, I don't I didn't end up
trying out for cheerleading. I just
turned to coaching. So I coached at
Niagara University. I was in college and
I coached grammar school. Kids, little
kids, I did the coaching.
And I loved it.
While in college, you did that?
Yeah.
Where is that? Where's
Niagara University located?
So it's right in Niagara Falls, right
before you would go over
to Canada. So it's New York.
Okay, that's very cool. So then you coach
the local elementary schools.
In elementary school.
Oh, that is very, very cool.
So terrible.
Not because of you.
Well, it's funny, we got on the grease,
like the choreography and music, you
know, we're great, but there was there
was so adorable. Yeah, it was great.
And then you did four
years at Niagara University.
So when I went to school, I did four
years at Kinesius. So
that's where I went to college.
Oh, okay.
Yeah, I just kind of
coached at the different.
So you went to Kinesius.
Was that where was that?
Yeah, so Kinesius is
right in the heart of Buffalo.
Okay, so you went to Kinesius, but then
you coached at Niagara University. And at
the end, so how close is
Buffalo to Niagara Falls?
Just maybe 20 minutes, very close.
I didn't really
actually went through there.
So when we drove around the country, we
were in Canada, came down through
Niagara, went through Buffalo.
The funny thing about Buffalo is we were
there on a Sunday afternoon during
football season, and we
were probably 100 miles away.
And we stopped at that rest stop.
I don't know if you remember, but
everybody was in Buffalo Bills gear.
Oh, yeah, everybody.
We're 100 miles away.
Yeah.
Oh, yeah.
And you know, another thing I remember,
it was, I remember correctly, it was
cold, but it was early October.
Something and people were already putting
their Christmas lights on, I think, to
prepare for a storm like the storm.
Or mid October.
I can't remember, but there were
Christmas lights already up.
So I'm like, they must do this.
Maybe they never took them down.
Or maybe they didn't take them.
I didn't know.
Is that a tradition?
Like you just prepare that early for
Christmas because of the snowstorms.
I wasn't sure.
But there was quite a few people that had
their their Christmas lights on.
And now when you go home,
that's all you see is bills.
I mean, the people at their houses, deck
signs everywhere,
flags, like it is bills.
Cool nation.
That's very cool.
We went through right after
the Jim Kelly Thurman Thomas era.
Yes.
Right.
Where they went to the Super Bowl like
three or four times in Boston.
Yes.
So they had the sort of a 1993.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Around that time.
So you went to Kenesha's for four years.
So Kenesha's for four years.
And graduated with a poli sci.
Yeah.
Okay.
Political science degree.
Okay.
And then you went for the law degree.
Your dad was the motivation on that.
Yeah.
He put that plant in my ear and he was
like, just you'll be
able to just do anything you
want with it.
Just go for it.
So where'd you go to law school?
I went to University of Buffalo.
Wow.
I got into California Western.
I was going to go to California because
that was I had went out
there for a trip when I
was in college and just fell in love the
mountains, the ocean.
I was like, this is me.
Yeah.
And I got into California Western and I
got waitlisted for University of Buffalo.
They were higher ranked and I was just on
a waitlist and then I got into UB.
And so now I had this
choice and it was so pivotal.
University of Virginia.
University of Buffalo
or California Western.
So it's the same Buffalo with all my
family that I didn't
want to leave or go out to
California by myself, cross country.
And so I stayed home.
Okay.
Yeah.
That's a question.
We kind of skipped over it, but did you
have a lot of extended
family in Buffalo when
you were growing up or was
just you and your siblings?
I did.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Well, I had a lot of my my mom has like a
lot of brothers and
sisters, you know, so we
had a lot of aunts and uncles around
grandparents and a big
family and cousins and then
cousins, my cousin.
I have cousins in Colorado in Colorado.
Okay.
So it's like my dad's sister.
They live in Colorado and you were
surrounded by your
immediate family and your extended
family in Buffalo.
So when you went to University of
Buffalo, though, did you
live at home and go to school
or did you get your own place?
Yeah, I ended up along the
way getting my own place.
Okay.
I had a roommate and did that.
Yeah.
Okay.
And how long was law school?
So law school was three years.
Wow.
Yeah.
And how hard was that?
Well, whenever I think of law school, I
just think it sounds
so challenging and hard.
The funny thing is, is right.
The hardest thing about it is at UB, they
did it a different way
than other law schools.
They teach you everything and you have
one final exam at the end of the year.
So that's what made it so hard.
Because if you don't keep track of what
you're doing, you know, you could really
And that's not typical in law school?
Typically not.
So in typically, typically in law school,
you're getting tested regularly.
Constantly, which would almost be easier
because you can track it and
all of a sudden you get this
big exam at the end of the year.
So the pressure.
Yeah.
Oh my gosh.
But it was such an
experience, such a good experience.
Did you work too?
Funny because I always waitressed.
So I put myself through school, all
school, college, law school, waitressing.
Wow.
So I took out loans.
Yeah. I'll be paying those to them.
Well, out of this place.
But just tell myself
I'm very well rounded.
Very.
Very well rounded.
So yeah.
And then it was funny because when I was
in law school, that's
when I tried out for the
Buffalo Gills.
The Buffalo Gills.
So here I'm at law school.
Oh, wait, wait.
Okay.
So did you continue to
coach over at university?
So no.
What was it?
Niagara University?
No, that ended.
And then when I started law school, you
had to wait till
you're 21 to try out for the
Buffalo Gills.
Okay.
So the bills.
Yeah.
You had to be 21 and every little girl
that is ever even in the chilling world.
This was the dream.
You know, you turn 21 and you
go and try out for the Gills.
So you're going to law school.
So I'm going to law school.
And I'm cheering too.
And you will know you.
So you go to try out, describe with that.
What's that like?
Trying out for an NFL football team.
Unbelievable.
And I have the funniest story.
So here you are.
You practice this
routine that you have forever.
You know it in your sleep.
Backwards, forwards.
And you have to get up on stage in front
of everybody else that's trying out.
And so there's hundreds of girls.
And so you get up and you have your five
girls that you're up on stage with and
ready for your routine.
Okay.
So that you've practiced and you keep
going, you know, you
go on to the practices
that have led up to this moment.
So they put the music on.
Here I go.
I know this routine.
I am up there.
I am nailing it.
And all of a sudden.
I am not.
My brain is just taking over.
Oh my gosh.
This routine.
And I just completely lost it.
And I just kept going.
Kicking, spinning, smiling.
Like there's no tomorrow.
Like everybody knew too.
Like what is this girl doing?
The other four girls are
still doing the routine.
And you're in here.
It's like girl flailing.
Kicking.
Were you in the middle?
Yeah, that's funny.
I think I was actually in the middle.
When I tell you it was like an out of
body experience, which is not happening.
I remember running off, running into the
bathroom and I was, I lost it.
Right.
Like there's just how to do it.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So we're waiting to find out.
And guess who makes the team?
No way.
Because they loved so
much that I just kept going.
Didn't give up.
Yeah.
I was like, you're kidding me.
Yeah.
Oh my God.
So now next year
comes second year around.
Here we go again.
Now I know the routine better.
I did it longer.
I studied this routine even more.
Right.
So I get up there, got the five of us.
Here we go.
Now everyone, this is like a kind of a
joke, which I'm going to do.
Right.
Right.
Well, she's going to nail it.
Right.
So I get up there.
I'm killing it again.
Awesome.
Here I go.
Perfect kicks.
Everything's timed.
And I'm starting to think
everybody's watching me.
Oh no.
And it goes again.
And now it's just like a joke.
Oh my gosh.
But not to me.
I was like dying inside.
Right.
So I'm kicking,
smiling, same thing, whatever.
And made it again.
Right.
Because just this is the
girl that just keeps going.
And so now, thank God I became captain
the next year and then you don't have to
try out anymore.
So then I was captain of the team.
And so then you don't have to try out.
Thank God.
So you have to try out every
year unless you make a captain.
So now the legend lives on.
No kidding, right?
The girl that just didn't stop.
And if you make a
mistake, just keep going.
It's pretty cut throat though, right?
Like high stress, high
pressure cook or stuff.
Yeah.
What's it like being an NFL cheerleader?
It was one of the most incredible
experiences of my life.
It was, I mean, I've met the best friends
to this day that I still keep in touch
with the girls were phenomenal.
The whole city just loves you.
You know, it was just amazing.
We would drive in, you know, we had our
secret entrance and the fans would know
and they line up and you'd just be going,
you know, and you just running through
with the pom poms and they would just
wait for you to come.
Get in the, um, into the community.
We did so much
volunteer work, which I loved.
And these little kids would just come up,
you know, can you sign my napkin?
You know, and just involved with
Make-A-Wish Foundation and just made
help in, it was just so incredible.
And I just tell you too, it's so funny.
Like I have one of the most, you know,
when they say, Oh, what is your one of
your most embarrassing
moments of your life?
You know, not just tryouts, right?
So the one year, you know, you get so
excited to like, where are the cute
outfits, you know, and just, you know,
get into the, you
know, posters at the time.
We had posters and we didn't calendars
yet, but, um, posters.
And so here we go.
We get these new outfits because it was
kind of a cold game because it was cold.
You know, we're not there.
So we get out there and we get these
uniforms and they literally
look like flying Elvis suits.
Like we were going to jump
out of a plane at any moment.
They were hideous, right?
So they bailed out and then we have our
boots on and I'm like, this cannot be,
this is a joke, you know?
Right.
So no.
Okay.
We got to wear these suits.
So here we go with the game.
So now we would switch sides.
So you'd have to run and you'd go and
switch sides all around the whole field.
Yeah.
So here we go.
I'm running, smiling.
Boom.
Down Jen goes.
Here was my boot got caught in my flying
out this pan and I wiped out.
I mean, it was hysterical.
I'm like, did this really happen?
So I'm like, right
son, it's on the recovery.
Here we go.
And I got up and I was just like, yeah.
And did everybody share for you?
Yeah.
I had thousands of people like, yes.
Oh my God.
It was so funny.
It's like, just such a good life lesson.
Like just keep going.
Yeah.
Yeah.
No matter what you do, just keep going.
Just keep going.
That's how you recover and look for you.
You did it and you got what you wanted.
You know, at Triad's you
kept going and you got what?
The dream that you wanted.
So, so how long were
you a cheerleader for?
So for four years.
So how hard was it to do that and law
school at the same time?
Yeah, it was really good.
I kind of found, I have this personality,
the busier I am, the better I do.
Okay.
I feel like the more I'm structured and
you just have to be, you know, you just
got to be on the schedule
and it's kept it together.
And then I was, I was
waitressing at the same time.
Oh my goodness.
Unbelievable.
I loved waitressing.
I, it was such a great experience because
I learned how to talk to anyone.
We, it was, um, amazing
restaurant still in Buffalo today.
It's called mothers, my home away from
home, but you would
have judges and lawyers
and like after dark
people coming after work.
And so you just really learned how to
just talk and deal with everybody.
It was such a good experience and, you
know, challenging too.
You know, I, I remember this one time
this businessman, he was at the table
and you know, he's with a bunch of people
and they're all sitting around, you
know, and I was making sure that this
order was going to be absolutely perfect.
You know, so I'm writing
everything meticulously.
I got this, right.
And we sat at a little
table, nothing was computerized.
You had no, no tray and like no trays.
You would just bring,
you know, no uniforms.
It was, it was amazing.
So we sitting there right now at a table
decide he must have been watching me.
So our wait just comes over.
She said, he's really looking for you.
You need to, you need to
come over to the table.
So I run back.
He's like, do you need
help telling up that order?
Like snap my head off.
I was like, and the whole table went
silent and everyone's looking at me and
I'm like, actually, that would be great.
Could you please help me?
And everyone was like, thought
it was the funniest response.
I don't know where you're from.
And it snapped him out of his thing.
He requested me every time he went into
that restaurant again, give me the
biggest tip ever.
It was just so great.
He came right back at him.
It just really, but in a nice way.
Cause I was, I was like, what?
He was like, you know what
I call that a bitch craft.
It's when you put someone in their place
with a smile, with a sweet smile.
And you snap, like you said, you kind of
snap them out and you shock them.
Yeah.
He never expected me to say that's right.
He was trying to start crying because he
was trying to make me cry.
No question.
Yeah.
Yeah.
That is so funny.
He loved it.
Tipped me, you know,
and then he requested me.
It was so great.
Is that place, is it family owned?
Like if you go back now, we'll let go.
Hey, Jen.
So yeah, they still know me like a lot of
the same servers,
some of my best friends.
My best friend still works there.
That is different ownership, but I still
stayed friends with the owners.
I had my dear friends and
yeah, that's very, very amazing.
So after you graduated law
school, did you practice?
So well, it was funny because as I was
there and I was in law school, I was
realizing criminal law, just it wasn't
really what I thought it was going to be.
You know, it was so much wheeling and
dealing and keeping
everything out of the courts.
You know, I thought I was
going to put the bad guys away.
Yeah.
And I was like, this is kind of the
opposite of what I thought.
But I know I enjoyed it and I thought of
different types of law.
I know it's going to maybe go into sports
law or I was thinking
of all these different
kinds of things.
And then I kind of, you know, dug down to
my heart and I was like, I really want to
make a difference in lives.
And I think I can do that
teaching so crazily enough.
I graduated and I went back then to
school and got my
master's in teaching because I
was like, you know, I just want to follow
my heart and I just
want to really think I
can make a difference that way.
So I went back to school, totally insane.
Oh, my goodness.
Where did you go to school?
Like, say I'm really smart.
My 90 degrees.
So funny.
Yeah.
So then I went back to Canisius, which
was great because it
was, you know, a little bit
better.
They had all my, you know, some of the
credits counted, but
that took another two years.
And were you still sharing then?
Or was that done?
So yeah, I think I was just wrapping up
cheering and then yeah,
I was just wrapping up
the cheering.
And then so you were waitressing and
getting your master's.
I'm getting my master's.
OK.
And then anything else going on because
you seem to have three
or four things going on
at one time.
This is only two things.
Was there anything else
going on during that time?
Then I was actually getting married.
Oh, OK.
Next.
Like right after I got my degree, like
went back to teaching.
Then that's when I got married.
While you were getting your master's.
Yeah.
You met your ex-husband.
Yeah, I just kind of just had ended.
Just finished school.
Law school.
Yeah.
How did you meet your ex-husband?
So we had met.
It was back in the.
It was like the in my cheering.
Like when I was cheering back in the day.
And was he like a fan or?
So he was a good friend.
Well, he was good friends.
He I know I'm like trying to.
It's so funny.
It seems so long ago.
Did he have a sign saying friends?
Yeah.
Yeah.
Right.
I mean, you know, he's dream.
Yeah.
So like through mutual, you
know, through mutual friends.
OK.
And so and he's from Buffalo.
Yeah.
From Buffalo too.
He's working.
You're getting your master's.
You guys get married.
And then when you graduated with your
master's, did you teach?
So well, this was funny.
So I started I started setting up.
I got a job as the girl
was going on maternity leave.
So it was like a
permanent sub kind of position.
OK.
And Buffalo is really tough.
They didn't really
have a lot of positions.
And you had to kind of either sub or
there wasn't really
anything open at the same
time as I was graduating.
But I got the permanent sub position.
So I remember I can remember this like it
was yesterday, setting up the classroom
because I'd always wanted a classroom.
But I knew it really
wasn't going to be mine.
Right.
And then as I was setting it up, my
girlfriend calls out of the blue.
She's like, Jen, I have
no idea what you're doing.
Law teaching.
I don't know.
She's like, I have this amazing
pharmaceutical position that's open.
I think you'd be perfect for it.
And I was like, I don't like sales.
I was like, I don't
think I want to do sales.
And she's like, no,
just just think about it.
You know, you've got
a personality for it.
I think you could do it.
And I did.
I started thinking, I
was like, you know what?
You do sell everything, right?
You sell a good movie.
You sell a bottle of wine.
You sell, it's like, maybe I can, you
know, I was just kind
of talking about what you
love. And if I can find passion behind
it, I can sell
anything as long as I believe
in it. And it was for
type two diabetes drug.
Oh, my mother-in-law had just been
diagnosed at the time with type two.
And I was like, maybe
this just makes sense.
You know, I can find
this passion behind it.
And then sure enough,
I ended up loving it.
You know, it was amazing.
So it was Solve, the company isn't around
anymore, but I started with them.
And you loved it.
Yeah, yeah.
Just being with, you know, I just love,
you know, talking to
people, being at least on
connecting doctors with the patients,
being that helper role.
You know, I just love helping people.
And that was in Buffalo.
Yes, that was in Buffalo.
So to backtrack a little
bit, why did you stop cheering?
Is there a limit to
how long people cheer?
No, you could go.
You could go for as long as you know,
that you you can you'd
want to if you can make
you know, and you can just keep trying
out or, you know, or
your captain or whatever.
I just think it was just it was time.
You know, things were just a
little bit, you know, changing.
And, you know, I was just
getting so busy with working.
And it was just time to make it change.
Yeah, it was just time for a change.
They don't pay them that well.
Right. And especially
probably when you were doing it.
Well, when I was doing it, we got 30
dollars a game and one ticket.
That's what I mean.
That's yeah.
It was you did not do it for the money.
You did it for the love of it.
Right. Right. Right.
If you did appearances, you
could make some good money.
Yeah, I did a lot of great appearances.
So you could parlay that into things like
did you do any pageant stuff or anything
or did that lead into
stuff like that or modeling?
Yeah, I was always kind of that's always
also been in the background for me.
Like I got into the pageants when I was.
Gosh, I won my first pageant when I was
sweet 16 pageant at the
Thruway Mall in Buffalo.
I remember. OK.
Hysterical. Yeah. Good prizes.
You know, it was so much fun.
I have I literally have the Eden Corn
Festival pageant story.
Like it could be out of a movie.
It was it's not in Buffalo.
That's outside of Buffalo's Eden.
And they always have
this corn festival here.
So funny.
And so but they were
giving away a prize at Cancun.
So like, oh, yeah, huge back
then, like a trap. Absolutely.
So, oh, my gosh, I met this great girl.
She was like one of my close friends.
And she was like this beautiful girl.
She had these big doe eyes and her and I
were kind of neck and neck.
And we were just you know, we would be
each equally happy if
she want to find one.
So everybody kind of knew it was maybe
going to be one of us.
You know, we just but
literally her question was,
what is your favorite
part about the corn festival?
She's like, I'd have to say the corn.
I mean, that is how corny it was.
I mean, it was just a zero point.
Hey, it was a trip to Cancun.
So I'll eat however
much. Right. Right. Right.
So hilariously, it ended up being
the mayor's daughter won the
Eden Corn Festival that year.
So that was very interesting.
OK, so you two were going for it, but the
mayor's daughter got it.
The mayor's daughter won one of those.
But it was it was politics.
Yeah. But did you ever win it?
And then I went to no,
not the Eden Corn Festival.
OK, OK. And then I went on and I did the
Miss New York State USA.
No way. Yeah, I was going to.
I was like, wow, I should just go for it.
So I went to the Miss New York.
Yeah, Miss New York.
What got you into it?
So you said 16.
So what what makes you
want to do that at 16?
Like, did somebody approach you or was
your mom into it or?
I think it was just a kind of like a
local kind of like a local
like three months having this pageant.
I'm just wondering, you can win prizes.
And I was like, why not?
So yeah, I just went for it.
So then Miss New York State.
What's what? What does that entail?
So that was huge.
I just remember, I think eating like rice
for a really long time.
I was like going to be
the thing is that it was.
But then it was don't ever.
Well, don't ever.
No, no, no. This was back in
let's look what the early 90s.
Yeah. Yeah. So it was back
when you was rice and fruit.
Yeah, it's all about
being thin and thin thin.
Never again, because it
comes back with a bench.
Yes. Yes. Now that was in the database.
Any page and outfit after no.
I have not to the rice and fruit forever.
Yeah. But no, it was intense.
You know, and it was definitely I only
did it the one year.
And I think if you really have to kind of
get the whole stick of it,
you know, and then just if you
keep doing it year after year,
then you kind of learn little tricks and
little the right color that'll make it
stand out. And it was just a lot.
And really, did you have to
go somewhere else to do it
like for months at a time or were you
doing all this out of Buffalo?
Oh, yeah, I was out of Buffalo.
OK, so would you what would be the
competition you would have to do?
What were some of the things you had to?
Yeah, so what was just like the I
remember doing that with the swimsuit
you know, competition and
you had to do an interview.
You know, you had to
ask, get interviewed.
Yeah. Be asked a lot
of questions on stage.
And yeah. And did you advance?
Yeah. So I think I was
like one of the top like 15.
I want to say out of all the whole state.
Yeah. Wow. Yeah.
That is amazing.
Or might have been.
Gosh, it was a long time ago.
It was definitely like the in the area.
Yeah. Yeah. It was like Buffalo.
And so that's really that's crazy team.
But, you know, I was hoping for.
Top three. That's OK.
Was this during the cheerleading days?
Was it going on at the same time?
So I think it was.
Yeah, I think it coincided.
So you were really out there
like putting yourself out there.
Yeah. With the pageants, with the
cheerleading, even waitressing.
You were really connecting with people.
Yeah. So it makes sense in
a way you went into sales.
True. You know, it's yeah.
But I never thought of myself as my dad.
My dad is a sales king
to this day, to this day.
The man does not ever.
I mean, no one says no to him.
He's unbelievable.
That's a talent. Yes.
That is a talent.
Every one he talks to, he sells.
He's incredible.
So now are your other siblings like that?
Like, is this something that's a family
thing where everyone
kind of has that neck?
Or was it are you
really the most outgoing?
Would you say?
I think I've I've definitely the most out
there like in front of people.
No question. Nobody really is.
Yeah. Yeah.
My sister is the one
that's right under me.
Yeah. She should have
been a lawyer for sure.
OK. She's got I mean, she
is amazing businesswoman.
Yeah. And she yeah, she definitely she
runs everything with my dad back home.
And those are like incredible partners.
So so you were more the one
that was like out there and.
Has a notoriety. Right.
Interesting. Everything.
Yeah. It's never.
Yeah, I just never wanted to pass up an
opportunity, I guess.
I mean, it's like the the I always say in
the nine lives of Jen, you know, what?
And then we'll so with
pageants and with cheerleading,
it seems like modeling
would go along with that.
Did you dabble in that at all?
Yeah, so I did.
I always, always into the modeling.
I got with one modeling agency.
I just called them TAC
modeling back in Buffalo.
And I was doing some work with them.
And then, you know, I started thinking
like the opportunities like nowadays,
I think and I'm like, I would never have
ever gone anywhere alone.
Like I used to like one
time I remember in Rochester,
I was like at a house doing a
you know, just a photo shoot.
I mean, you think anything
could have happened to me.
You mean like you really live and learn.
And even like I would think now like, you
know, girls would always bring a friend.
You know what I mean? Right.
But I was my parents were so
thankful for my guardian angels.
Yeah. So true. Yeah.
Well, I'm sure you didn't run into any,
you know, I never had an issue.
Thank God. But you get back, you know,
what kind of happens?
Then we didn't think about that.
So, you know, now it's
a generational thing.
It is so much more awareness now.
You know, much more aware.
You can see, you
know, you just everywhere.
What could happen in it?
Yeah. And you were coming from also just
a very loving environment,
just your family, but Buffalo in general.
So you grew up with this security.
Yes. And then our generation just want to
naturally think to be fearful.
Right. You know, we just kind of go out
into the world, you
know, so it makes sense.
So was that how old were you when you
started doing the modeling?
Yeah. So it's probably
like maybe like 15, 16.
You know, like when you
were a mom, maybe like 18.
It was funny.
I actually somehow I
got picked up by Mattel.
And I was Barbie.
No, which is awesome.
Historical. What does that mean?
The your Barbie explain.
You have to explain that.
So, you know, he would go to like
breakfast with Santa.
Well, I was at breakfast
with Barbie and it was amazing.
You know, my sister actually found an
ornament with the actual dress
that I wore as breakfast with Barbie.
So it's a real Mattel dress.
The Barbie exists. She got me the Barbie.
I have it. And yes, I got
to be Barbie for a few years.
I was in Niagara Falls.
And Niagara Falls.
Niagara Falls. Yes.
I would go to the convention center and
all the little kids, you know,
would think I was Barbie.
And then randomly, this is really funny.
So I was out one night at a bar and this
girl friend acquaintance,
he was just like, Jen, you have to do me
the biggest favor tomorrow morning
because she was never making it wherever
she was supposed to be going.
You know, the next day I'm like, what?
She goes, you have to be Barbie for me.
I have this party.
I'm supposed to be Barbie.
You have to be Barbie for me.
And I'm like, wait, what?
OK, wait, why was she
supposed to be Barbie?
Were there more than one Barbie?
No, she just like had
had this gig, I guess.
And she's both blonde here.
OK, she just was going to be Barbie at
some little girl's party.
And I'm like, I would love that.
So I'm like, OK, sure.
So no matter what, I always
get up, you know, crack it on.
I still get up, no problem.
So 9 a.m. I was Barbie and I loved it.
They really thought I was her.
And it was the 20
questions, you know, where's Ken?
I'm like working today.
You know, I got his truck because I had
like this big black truck.
Like I got his truck and
there's always one in the crowd.
You're not really Barbie.
There's always one.
But and then I kept it going.
I would just on the
weekends, it was great.
I just started my own thing and I would
just kind of promote it
like locally, you know, anybody, you
know, Barbie parties and the word spread.
And I would do their nails and, you know,
bring in little treats
and play kind of like a hot potato purse
version, you know, with the little pies
and the Barbie purse, you know.
And was this what time
frame are we talking?
What are you what else are you doing
among the during this time?
Kind of coincides with I think it was
kind of during the
time I was waitressing,
you know, and just going
to school to law school.
Yeah. Yeah, I think.
Yeah. OK.
You would have been through law school,
college, law school.
Yeah. OK, wow.
OK, so and how long did that go?
Yes. What did you say?
Probably, I mean, I still can remember, I
think, doing some of
them when I was married.
I mean, I kind of just kept it going.
So even when you were getting your
master's in education,
you kept doing that on.
That's a great it's a great side hustle.
It was so fun.
Yeah, I love it.
Wonderful. So you though you ended up
going into pharmaceutical sales.
Was that was Buffalo your territory?
Yeah, so it was most of the year.
Yeah, it was mostly Buffalo,
some of the outskirts towns.
OK. And then how long did you guys
because I know you moved eventually.
How long did you stay there in Buffalo?
Well, and what made you leave Buffalo?
You love Buffalo so much.
Your family is there.
Your friends, you've
had multiple businesses.
You've represented
Buffalo as a cheerleader.
I mean, it must have been hard when you
found out you had to move.
I mean, my heart is
definitely that is everything.
And I was never moving.
So we were actually building our dream
home on Grand Island.
I had picked out every single thing you
could think, you know,
how it goes into
putting together a house.
Yeah. So all of a sudden,
and this one day I ended up
finding out I had a miscarriage.
And like a few hours later,
my husband at the time was like, Jen, we
need to make the move to Florida.
He's like, I'm he was real estate
wholesaling at the time.
He's like, there's just
the money doesn't compare.
We got to make the move.
And almost like a few hours earlier, I
found out that I had this miscarriage.
Few hours later, I need to
pack up my life and move.
And it's like, you know,
looking back, I can see, you know,
they really say
everything happens for a reason.
I think both things were
so almost traumatic for me
that they canceled each other out.
Right. Like I couldn't
even get upset or get worried.
Like, of course, I was upset about the
miscarriage, but I couldn't dwell on it.
I had to pick up my life and move and I
could have never left
Buffalo without this distraction of
having that miscarriage.
Because I was just out of my mind.
And it was funny, like I
just and now that I see it,
because I'm so happy here now in Florida,
you know, and I go home all the time.
Like I have definitely
the best of both worlds.
And so you just don't
realize it at the time.
You know, you weren't like all there.
No. So it was you were
probably just kind of going through
the motions of life at that time, because
you were still kind of processing
the miscarriage, but yeah, in trauma from
it and couldn't
really get too down on it.
Thank God, because it's you know, I, you
know, when it's just the one thing
linked to any advice, it's like you can
just you can get through it.
There's going to be,
you know what I mean?
Yeah, because it's hard.
I mean, I was really actually it was a
blessing that I had that, you know,
the distraction. How far along were you?
I think it was the three, you know, right
before you're supposed to tell everybody.
So I don't my family
didn't even know that I was.
OK. I had to basically
tell them I was scared.
And I was in your movie.
Yeah, I mean, I remember telling my
friend, she thought I was moving around
the block from her, my best friend.
And we just you know, in her backyard,
just crying devastated, like what?
I'm moving. It was it was huge.
That is no, I can only imagine because
what was the timeframe?
How quickly from the time your ex-husband
said we need to move
to you actually moving?
It was quick. I remember my mom just
coming over and
helping me pack, pack, pack.
And we just got down and we were just
down here trying to find
where we were going to live.
What happened to your home that you were?
So we ended up selling it. OK. Yeah.
So it was mainly real estate was the
motivation that was
happening down here in Florida.
He was a wholesaler and it
just wasn't in the markets.
You just could never
compare Buffalo to Florida.
And I was never going
to hold them back. Right.
You know, and but it was kind of like go
on a three year plan.
We'll come back.
I think that's the only
reason why my mom let me go.
I was going to say, how
does your family handle it?
They were never going to let me go. No.
So it was kind of like that was the plan.
You know, we would just come down here
and make the money and go back.
Yeah. And then when we did it, but I kept
going back and I never stopped.
And it's like when you move away or, you
know, you're away from people
and you have to separate like that, my
best advice would be you have to make
those phone calls every single two, three
times a day, because it's not now.
It's like I haven't left them because I
talked to my sister like
four or five, six times a day.
Yeah. My mom.
Yeah. Like constantly in the more you
talk, then it's like real life.
You know, if you separate, then all of a
sudden it's like, how's the weather?
Right. How's school or the kids?
You know, it just gets really dry.
Yeah. And then you just lose that.
And then you don't feel like talking
because you're busy and whatever.
Yeah. If you keep on the daily constantly
a couple of times a day like, oh, my God,
how was I meeting you just had?
Oh, you just had you talked to so and so,
you know, it just brings the life.
You still do that. This
you still earn that mode.
Yeah, that's awesome.
And this is the only way it works.
Great advice, then, because you've
probably stayed fully
connected instead of that surface.
So surface topic of the
weather, what's changed in town.
Right. You already plugged in.
Because you would just lose it, you know,
and then now it was so
fun for all these years.
I mean, it's gosh, it's been almost it's
been almost 20 years.
I get to sneak back and
like surprise everybody now.
You know, but I mean,
they're on to me now.
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
I pulled off some epic surprises.
You know, just always sneaking back.
And I just don't want
to miss the big things.
You know, like, of
course, these are so important.
Like 50th friends, birthdays, you know,
like you just want to be there for them.
You know, even though
it's like, yeah, it's hard.
And yeah, I have to
leave my life and pick up.
But it's like those things matter.
You know, they do.
And it's like, yeah, I found that when
our when our older son went to college
is when I was the most grateful for cell
phones, because we started a family chat
and we would constantly
talk in it, all of us.
So that when he to your
point, when he would come home,
there was no awkward catching up because
we had been connected every day.
I knew everything.
So when he'd walk in,
we just continued on.
And there wasn't that dryness.
There wasn't that.
OK, tell us about your life now.
And that is a blessing of phones like
cell phones, I think,
because especially with
kids, they want to text.
They don't want to get
on the phone five times.
And so they can even FaceTime a FaceTime.
All of that.
So that's one piece of advice I'd have
for when you're
sending your kid to college.
Get a family chat, talk in it daily, even
the most dumb things.
Send pictures.
Have it have it while
they're in high school.
Have it in grade high school.
Get a family.
Long chat.
Absolutely.
We send pictures in it.
We go, you know, and it
keeps a family connected.
But it's the same concept
that you're talking about.
Yeah, even if you think about it, like
even on like friends, text chains.
Yes.
Those that just throw out random info,
just all of a sudden
connected with their life.
Yeah.
You know what I mean?
Instead of just like the the
surface, like surface stuff.
Yeah, you fell and you
send a picture of your life.
It's like, bam.
Oh my gosh.
And you get involved.
Yeah.
And like you said, you're also there for
the big moments and you get it.
You know, you understand the importance
of what's happening instead
of just being like, oh, great.
But you were there along the way with
that person, hearing about all the things
that led up to that.
It makes it more meaningful.
Are you the main driver or
do you do folks reciprocate?
And I don't want you to get anybody in
trouble, but do you do you keep it going
or is it really organic at this point?
Yeah, this point is definitely organic.
You know, like, and it's especially with
my family, you know,
that's like automatic.
But there's definitely I think in every
relationship, there's always got to be,
you know, the one that puts out more.
The hub.
I call it the hub.
Yeah, the hub.
Yeah, the hub.
For sure.
And I think that's
true in friendships, too.
You know, always be the one, you know,
even though you're like, oh,
always someone has to reach out or I'm
always one of the calls.
Like, don't stop.
Yeah, because it's not you got to like
not take it personally.
I really learned.
Along the way.
Because like it's so easy to like, man,
I'm just so I got to keep calling it
really like, you're not
getting back to me like whatever.
And then all of a sudden you find out
something horrible has
been going on in their lives.
Yeah.
It's just like, oh, my God, like, I'm so
glad I didn't really get that mad at you.
Yeah, it's true.
And I think that there's just some people
that are not planners.
They just aren't.
They get overwhelmed.
So true.
And if they don't the decision fatigue or
the decision making is too
much, they want to be there.
They want to join in, but they need you
to do it and play it.
Well, I've noticed.
I mean, it is hard to like keep going and
you don't feel like going out, you know,
like, you know what I mean?
You don't feel like getting on a plane.
It's like a lot, you know, even like
going out with friends locally.
It's just like you think you want to see
the people like the
getting ready and the driving.
Yes.
It's like, oh, you know what I mean?
Like, no matter how much you love the
person, it's like, oh,
my God, it's such a chore.
Yeah.
Once you're there, you always
think of it when you're there.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Oh, this one.
I've told you.
Yeah.
Brian requires a three week plan before
we go to dinner with a
PowerPoint presentation.
Well, no, no, come on.
But even then I try to get out of it.
You do even like to the last
minute when we were younger.
Oh, man, we'd finally get somewhere.
I'd be sweating.
I might have cried and we get there and
he's like the bell of the ball.
Everyone's like, oh, yeah, they would
think he planned it.
He's the plan.
And I'm my hair's all mess.
You know, my lipstick smeared and I'm
just like barely making it.
And you wouldn't know we
battled just to get this guy here.
And everyone's like, Brian, so great.
It would make you out to
be the asshole again here.
Party.
Yeah.
Yeah.
That's what this whole podcast is about.
Making sure everyone knows.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Okay.
So you guys are in, you
chose South Florida, right?
So yes.
And then, um, found a
home, I assume, and settled in.
Yeah.
Well, we had gotten a condo at first.
Okay.
And so we were in the condo and we moved
right in time for Wilma.
Were you always here in
Boca or Palm Beach, Miami area?
So thankful because we
almost did West Palm.
And, but we had friends in
this condo building in Boca.
And so he was kind of letting us stay at
the place or had one, you know,
for rent or however it worked out.
But we ended up in this condo in Boca,
but we moved in the night before Wilma.
Wow.
That's great.
So that'd be what, 2007?
2005.
2005.
And Wilma hit Boca.
Wilma hit Boca.
And thank God the footage was all on
Miami because my parents, I don't even
know what they would have done because I
never have ever in my life almost text
them, I love you.
Like if you don't ever talk to me again,
it was almost like goodbye.
That is so scary.
Oh my gosh.
So you wrote it out.
We will, we'll, it was supposed to hit.
That was when this was hit Fort Myers.
So it's coming to Fort Myers and then all
of a sudden is heading right towards
Boca and all the neighbors in the condo
building the night before, like,
yes, and it broke on 30 years.
You need a case of water.
If the power goes out and
like a couple cans of soup.
Okay.
That's what I got, you know, cause it was
not, I was going to Fort Myers.
Well, sure enough, all of a sudden is
heading right towards Boca.
And we, I was looking and we didn't have
any, you know, kind of hurricane
glass or anything at the place.
And I look and I can see the windows
getting blown out in the, in our plate
coming like it was a tornado turns out
was going right through the waterway.
Cause we were right on the water.
So tornado was whipping right through.
And I'm like, Oh, I
took, I took my rosary.
I took all my
important stuff in the thing.
And I ran to the back room.
It's just like they say, when you feel
like a train's coming,
my head was against the wall.
Were you alone with
your ex-husband with you?
He was there.
I've never seen him rattled.
Never in my life.
We were shaken.
We were looking like, and that's when I
really have to text my family.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And then they were like, you know, when
they say the eye comes over.
So they didn't, I
came on car really calm.
And then they said the
back end is about to hit Boca.
And I'm like, I knew the back end was
supposed to be worse than a hurricane.
I says, can't possibly get worse.
And it did.
And it looked like, Oh my gosh, it looked
like Armageddon when it was done.
I mean, it was just,
windows blow out of the room.
You were in my place
above and below destroyed.
I think it was on my brain.
It was unbelievable.
Yes.
It was just everything around us.
I mean, the cars, our
car was not touched.
Every other car.
No way.
Trees on top of them.
It was.
All right.
So next hurricane you're coming on.
I want to know where you got your rosary.
Yeah, right.
I might become a believer here.
This is fun.
Oh my God.
I think Irma, we came shortly after Irma
a couple of years, but it's, it,
it feels like it changed how things were.
Well, we were here for Irma.
Well, we were here for Irma.
Irma was pretty bad.
Irma was very bad.
Irma was very bad.
Yeah.
It hit Boca pretty well,
pretty hard, but not like Wilma.
Wilma, I think Wilma was
definitely the worst area.
I remember there was like
three or four in a row, right?
Welcome to Florida.
I was like, I want my snowstorms.
Like I was running.
Oh my God.
I'll take a 10 foot snowstorm.
Any day.
That had to have been such a shock coming
from Buffalo and then Hurricane Wilma
hits, I can't even imagine.
No, it was, but see again, total blessing
because you say category two, I'm out.
Cause that was a two and that was not
supposed to be strong.
That's why everyone's like, oh, two.
We can deal with that.
Yeah.
That was a two, but as a tornado spin
off, I know what he thinks about.
So it's like, I'm a chicken little, like
everyone thinks I'm insane.
The minute they say category two, I have
to, I'm out west as
you know, I'm out west.
Well, there was so that last storm that
rolled through on the west coast that
came across the state, there were
tornadoes touching down a west Palm.
Yeah.
And I knew it.
That's why I took, I always take off and
they think I'm insane.
No, I mean, you
probably have a little PTSD.
Honestly.
So yeah, I get on a flight.
The second right before they declare the
state of emergency, cause then
they jack all the prices.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
No, it makes sense.
Okay.
So you guys get through Wilma and get
settled here in Boca and your, did you
get a job before you moved
down here or when you got here?
Terrible.
So when I first moved down, I'm in that
condo building and it was, it was
like an episode out of a show.
I was swimming every day at the pool with
all the, the older guys, you know,
that retired and they'd be like, Hey,
Jen, every morning I'd hear their
same stories.
It was epic.
Oh, Charlie, nice to see, you know, yeah.
It's like your waitressing again.
Oh, it was great.
And they just couldn't wait to see me and
like tell me about
their, you know, ailments.
It was awesome.
So this is so fun.
So I was swimming and
just interviewing and then.
Hysterically, I just, I, I got, um,
connected with, um,
this company in Delray
and they were doing this spokes modeling
for like the first time where you pop up
on people's websites
as a live spokes model.
And I could read the
teleprompter like a champ.
I don't know.
I could just read it.
I didn't even have to take second takes.
I just would read it.
So I would whip through all these jobs
and I'd be up on
these, you know, websites
and be like, hello, welcome.
And I'd point out there, you know, like a
Vanna kind of white, you know, Vanna
white, like this is look here.
And what concept is this?
I don't remember anybody
live coming up on a website.
It's just the popups.
Yeah.
Little popups.
And you were live at the
time talking to people.
So I wasn't live, you know, it was
recorded and then they
would put me on there.
Okay.
Okay.
Gotcha.
On their website.
So I was raked.
It was great.
Cause I was their only model, but then
they started hiring a lot more other, you
know, different kinds, tall,
short, all different sorts.
And then, you know, the jobs kind of, and
then, you know, eventually they folded,
but then I went down and I got a
newscaster job in Miami
for this worldwide news.
Well, I was like, this is terrible.
Wait, what life are we on?
No, I know.
It's really starting counting.
When they say three truths and a lie,
like I always have
like, no one's going to
remember this one.
No, no.
So you were a newscaster in Miami.
Miami.
Okay.
A little bit, but I still interviewing
for pharmaceutical
sales, you know, because
I really, um, so I was kind of going back
and forth and then I got hired with a,
with like another company down here and
it was, it was great.
So then I got to that and then I.
Okay.
Wait, wait, wait.
When you were a
newscaster, were you on TV?
So it was web based.
Okay.
It was just all kind of the web.
So it was this Miami
world news on the web.
And would you be sitting like at a desk,
like an anchor and talking?
Oh yeah, they had my hair all done.
I looked like you
wouldn't even recognize me.
Yeah.
Oh my goodness.
How long did you do that?
So it was not too long.
It was, it was maybe like, maybe like
eight months or something.
You know, it wasn't very long because
again, I think these
companies would kind of
come and go and Miami
is a whole other world.
Then you started
working pharmaceutical sales.
Yeah, I just got my pharmaceutical job.
Okay.
And then, um, did you
guys start a family?
So we did.
Yes.
So then eventually, um, I had my two boys
amazing, you know, one older one's 15
and then the younger one's 12.
I can't believe that.
I've known her boys
since they were little.
It's unbelievable.
And they're just, you
know, it's so great.
But again, I'm so lucky, you know, that
we, it just made the
decisions that we made,
you know, so just dumb to kind of just
fast forward a little bit.
Um, well, yes.
So, so your first son was,
were you guys in the condo?
Check on these slides.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So you're doing pharmaceutical sales rep.
Um, and are you guys still in the condo?
When he was born, I had,
yeah, I had him in the condo.
My first one.
And then we quickly grew out of that.
So then that's when we started looking
in, but then it was
like the housing was, you
could not find a place down here.
It was kind of like that kind of time.
Was this right before the bus?
Yeah.
Is that what you're going to ask?
Yeah.
Yeah.
So it was like bidding wars everywhere.
And I remember I was at one of my
pharmaceutical meetings.
I was out of, I was out of way and I
would constantly be looking for houses.
And I was like, we definitely were trying
to be actually like East, you know, we're
trying to do East Boca, you know, cause
West was like the wild West.
Yeah.
Yeah.
You just don't live in West Boca.
And then we're just alligators out there.
Right.
And moonshine and things.
So I was like looking for middle Boca and
I remember finding this house in middle
Boca and it was everything I'd wanted.
And I was so excited, except I needed a
lot of work and it
was right on top of the
other houses, but I just loved it and,
um, gotten a bidding war, lost it.
I was devastated.
I'm like, well, something will come.
Everything for a reason.
You just have this faith.
Yeah.
It's going to work out.
And I did.
I'm like, oh my gosh,
there is this house.
It's not too far West.
You know, it's West.
But I was like, just go check it out.
Just go see what it is.
And then we lucked out
and I, I will never leave.
Yeah.
You love your house.
I'm just going to be there forever.
I love it.
You're right.
Because you are out
West, but you're just there.
Yeah.
It's not hard to get to.
It's not hard to get to.
You don't have to go
too far out for anyone.
People don't understand that unless you
live in Boca, but for people who live in
East Boca, going to West Boca is like,
you might as well be
going to like New York.
I avoid it.
Like it's, like,
everyone, you know, if you
live East, it is like, you know,
and that's what we were.
We were East kind of people.
And then to move West was
like, but you know, I met it.
It's been great for me.
I met one of my closest friends lives
right around the block.
You know, I got to go to school together.
We still, you know, 15 years, we just
figured out, you know, we've been friends
and she still lives there, which is hard
because so many people are so transient.
Yeah.
Down here.
Yeah.
Make this great friend.
They're gone.
Yes.
I started being like, you know what?
Don't be too nice.
If you're just going to move, I don't
want to be her friend.
And then you abandoned me again.
So then was your second son born after
you guys moved into this home?
And so you guys are humming along.
Yeah.
And then did things kind of.
Yeah.
So I mean, it was, we
were married 17 years.
Okay.
So that's a good stretch.
It is.
And towards the end, you know, I just, it
was a lot of
differences and I just really
started, you could just tell, like my, my
sparkle was starting to dull and, you
know, I was just, I
was not the same person.
It was just, you know, we just didn't
agree on a lot of things.
And I was like, you know, this, I just
knew, I knew for like three years, I had
to make a change.
I didn't know how I had these two boys.
It was like the hardest thing I've ever
done, you know, and I just, but I knew
that if I just somehow some way, I just
needed to just figure this out.
I needed to be, I kind of had this vision
and I was like, if I can do this when
they're small enough and they're not
going to know the difference, it'll just
be like, dad has a house.
Mom has a house.
They have two of everything.
It's going to be great.
And they remember me taking him to a
playground and I was like, guys, this is
how it's going to be.
I'm like, we're going to be in two, you
know, two places, you know, just kind of
put it just this huge
positive spin on it.
I mean, don't get me wrong.
It was not as easy as I'm making it
sound, but it was just
like, that was kind of my
vision.
And I was just like, and then
we will all just be happier.
You know, like he'll do his thing.
They'll know him as a great dad, you
know, and they'll know
me as great mom and just
they'll be okay.
And I, anytime anyone's ever going
through a divorce, I
really try to stress that when
they have kids, because everyone tells
you, you wait till the kids get older.
Just wait it out.
You know, like you're going to, you just
wait till they get through high school.
Wait, wait.
That's what everybody was telling me.
Wait, wait.
And thank God I did not wait because they
do not know the difference.
And it was like just my vision.
They, you know, they just, they just,
that's all they've ever known.
Your logic is so on point, I think,
because then it just
grows up the way it is.
They don't
necessarily know any different.
Yes.
They weren't traumatized.
This is normal for them.
They weren't traumatized.
It wasn't like, who's fault
and what are we going to do?
Because if you wait and there is this
little window and I was
getting really close to
my oldest window, I could feel it.
And I was just like, I
could just feel it coming.
And I'm like, if I don't do it now, you
know, I'm going to be in it for the long
cause you can't, if there's a certain age
where you split, the kids take the fault.
The kids get messed up and they got to go
to counseling and so thank God that would
be my biggest advice if
anybody, you know what I mean?
There is just no matter how hard it is,
you just do not stay.
And I had no idea how
I was going to do it.
I was like, I mean, I was lucky for me.
I had my separate finances.
We always kept everything separate and it
was great for us too.
Like we're amicable enough where we just,
we didn't fight it out in the courts.
That's like another thing.
I mean, all the lawyers want to do is
just take your money.
So we mediated everything out.
Wow.
So civil.
We were just really lucky and now it's
been seven years and
you know, we're friends.
We run everything like a business.
The kids are a business.
That's it.
So, um, how did you mediate?
Would you say that you would have to be,
how do I want to frame this?
What, what, um, space does a couple need
to be in that are divorcing to only use a
mediator and not use lawyers like
mentally, where do you guys, why was that
successful for you?
Cause you are divorcing.
That's, that's upsetting.
There's trauma.
People have different, each couple has
feelings about the situation, but you
guys were still able to use
a mediator and not lawyers.
Do you think that, um, that's something
most people could do or do you think
your situation was unusual?
I think it might've been unusual, but I
highly recommend it.
I mean, if you can use a mediator and
just try, I mean,
cause otherwise the lawyers
get it all, they get it all.
I think that I think the key point
probably is the financial aspect of it in
that you had your money.
He had his money.
So by not commingling, it probably kept
it a little bit, a little bit, a little,
little easier.
That was probably easier.
Oh yeah.
That's actually a really good point.
That probably, you guys
always kept your money separate.
So then you were able to use,
it was just, yeah.
Yeah.
And I guess in that way,
use the mediator because I'm sure they're
not nearly as expensive as the lawyer,
the mediator.
No.
And it was just one versus
two lawyers battling it out.
And then just all the
money goes to lawyers.
Yeah.
So we were,
keep it civil.
Yeah.
We were really lucky.
I mean, he was, yeah, he was great.
I mean, it has been great in that way
since just, you know, always keeping up
his, you know, barking with the kids and
just always being there for them with
their sports.
Right.
And you guys both
stayed in the same town.
Yeah.
In same town.
And for a while he lived very close, like
a couple, you know, like big major
blocks away.
So he would see the
kids, you know, all the time.
And I just never, we just kind of rose
above all the petty things that get in
the way.
Yeah.
And like, even like, timesharing with the
kids, like they really suggest, you know,
you take those kids in the middle of the
week, you know, when you're splitting it
up.
So we did every other weekend and then
usually you're supposed to switch in the
middle of the week.
And I was like, why would
you disrupt the kids like that?
Yeah.
Pack them up, make them
move, sleep over one night.
What?
You know what I mean?
So it was just like, no, just week.
And then every other
weekend and it worked out amazing.
And when you start mixing it all up, the
kids are the ones that suffer.
They're just shuffled
here, shuffled there.
Just no sense of, so that was great too.
Consistency and no security in knowing
how everything's going to be.
There's not going to be
any big changes for them.
Right.
They could predict like,
this is how my life is.
And then this is what you do.
You just go to dads, you go to moms, you
go to dads, you go to moms.
Yeah.
So would you say though, that once you
became a single mom, there was some
adjusting though for you?
I mean, what would you say were the
biggest things you
noticed about your life?
I mean, definitely a huge change, but I
just, it was, I just was free again to be
myself again, to make my own decisions
again, to have like, I don't think I'd be
doing the crazy fun I would be doing.
You say like, you know,
just celebrating the holidays.
I mean, it's just, just so many things I
think of, like, we
just wouldn't have been
able to do really if we were kind of all
in a family, you know, just in the family
home altogether.
Um, I mean that leprechaun has torn apart
that house, like toilet paper flipped
over chairs, like insanity, like crazy,
crazy stuff, but I just always wanted to
be like a fun place for them, you know,
and just fun and light, happy, you know,
arguing, no, nothing.
Just, and it was, that's
exactly what I turned it into.
Yeah.
You know, and I always tell my kids, you
know, like, you better just prove me
wrong because I'm not the most
disciplinary, you
know, mom, there is, you
know, like, you know, the like points
don't cross with me,
but I'm definitely not
strict.
I'm definitely more fun mom.
And I'm like, you need to prove me wrong
because you're, I'm supposed to be way
more strict.
Right.
Like they hardly, I hate grounding them.
It's terrible.
And you know, even though they know and
they're like, I can't remember the last
time I was grounded.
I'm like, that's not a good thing.
You know, like I need to be more strict,
but they're turning out amazing.
They are.
They are.
So blessed.
Like, thankfully, like really great.
Well, you've done a wonderful job, Jen.
You really have.
I mean, you're an amazing mom.
And I think that the way you handled, um,
the decision about when to get divorced
and how to handle that had a huge play in
this as well, because
it, not that it wasn't
seamless, not that it was seamless and
not that there weren't ups and downs, but
the boys really kind of their lives
stayed humming along pretty nicely.
They just adjusted perfectly and they
weren't like so little.
They didn't know the difference.
That's why I'm like, if you, if you need
to get, if you need to change your
situation, you know, you
have to do all their young.
There's like no other option.
And I think it's interesting.
You said you knew three years before, um,
you got divorced that you wanted to get
divorced.
Do you think that's pretty common for,
um, women that they've known for a while
before they make the move?
I think it's either almost, I want to
think it's one,
either one way or another.
It was kind of like the three years.
That was such a termulatuous time
deciding that once it
happened, it was great.
And I think that, or if you get divorced,
then there's kind of like a three year
adjustment, I just feel like there's kind
of like, it's either, or, I don't know if
that makes sense, but there's definitely
a period of adjustment.
And I think I was kind of adjusting while
I was deciding almost.
And I think a lot of times when I've
heard other, you know, friends and things
get divorced, it's kind of like an after
adjustment period of like three kind of
couple of years of tumultuous, you know,
tumultuous, like kind of ups and downs.
So, but that, I know I just, that was
obviously the hardest decision.
So you, the processing's going to happen.
It's just, is it going to be pre-divorce
or post divorce in a way?
Yeah.
I'm wondering if it, if it happens
pre-divorce, if it
helps once the decisions
made, if it helps a woman make that
decision, if they've already kind of
processed a lot as opposed to after, but
it just depends on the situation
and what's going on, I think.
Yeah. I think it's probably a
lot of individual situations.
You guys, you and the boys, like you, you
got your life humming along and with
your ex-husband things were going
smoothly and you doing pharmaceutical
sales and doing all your fun holidays
and, and, and you travel a lot.
I mean, you've taken the boys many
places, trips, you know, and then you
personally travel a lot.
You are always going somewhere.
You just came back from
the Super Bowl, I know.
So, but to me, it seems, well, we should
also mention, I think you are seeing
someone that also
doesn't live in this state.
So you also have another landing pad.
Yes.
I literally, my heart is in three states.
It's so funny.
And I love how it is too.
Yeah.
And that's another thing.
Like I just, I never thought I could do
like a long distance relationship that
most people are like, are you going, you
know, everyone doesn't think they will
ever work, but I'm in a
great example that it really.
Works if you have the right situation.
So of course it always
comes down to trust, right?
That's the biggest thing.
So if you have that trust, but then our
lives are so, he's so busy, you know,
where he is and he's got
three, you know, four businesses.
So he's, you know, just
constantly working and golf.
It's his passions golf.
Then you have me down here and I'm just
so busy with the kids with working and,
you know, doing all my things.
And then when we get together, it is
like, Oh my gosh, brand new date.
You know, like there's
nothing to fight about.
And it's like brand new, you know, it's
like, can you spend every single minute
and you don't want to waste any time?
You know what I mean?
You just, and it's like,
you're on a brand new date.
It's amazing.
Well, and he's, he's in Charlotte, right?
So that's right in
between here at Buffalo.
And he's also from Buffalo.
So that's amazing too, because he knows,
you know what I mean?
Like from the same, you know, and so he
goes back, his family's there.
So he's got his dad
and some family there.
A lot of times, you know, we'll meet at
Buffalo, Charlotte, Florida, or halfway.
So we really make it work.
And it's really cool that he's from
Buffalo because there's things that he
just gets about you probably.
Exactly.
Yeah.
And same with him.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
That's the Buffalo background.
Did you guys know each other?
So just acquaintances, acquaintances,
friends, you know, Hey, how are you?
You know, but they were never like not in
the same circles there.
So you weren't like the famous Buffalo
Bill's cheerleader that
he always had a crush on.
I don't know.
I should ask him that you don't know.
Maybe.
So you kind of have three homes.
If you think about it, it's so true.
Your heart's in three different places
for three wonderful reasons.
Amazing.
So yeah.
I love what I can not ever,
you know, I love living here.
Yeah.
I love Charlotte with him, you know, and
then it's a great time there.
And then Buffalo and I go home all the
time, especially the games, you know,
it's funny seeing the other side of the
games, you know, I was
always on the flip side.
And then I'm like, this
is, this is my crazy city.
Like, this is what goes on.
They're hardcore fans.
Unbelievable.
Yeah.
We're when I tailgate, I'm not in the,
you know, table breaking section.
That's like on the other
side of town, like broken faces.
Here we are.
But, you know, that's funny.
So, um, you, I think you recently turned
50 if I go by your birthday, right?
If I do 1974, you are 50.
I know when I turned 50, I made some
changes in my life, um, health wise and
starting this podcast
and, you know, big thing.
Congratulations.
Thank you.
But I feel when we turn 50, a lot of us
Gen Xers, um, we kind of reevaluate where
we're at and looking forward to the next
half of our life and maybe, uh, start
doing some of the things we've always
wanted to do or say, why don't, why don't
we try this?
Is there anything you did after you
turned 50 along those lines?
Well, it's so funny cause I never thought
of it as like an age thing.
This I'm going to start doing.
Well, it just so happened to coincide.
Okay.
Your theory is, you know, spot on.
I was coming across, I see this ad or
something and it was for DJ certification
course, and I was like, Oh my gosh, I
have always loved music.
Ever since I was little, I was like with
my sister, we'd be mixing boom box
tapes, you know, and like making them.
And I've just always loved it.
And I always thought, Oh, in the next
life, you know, that's what I should have
been a DJ or, you know, singers.
And then I almost said it and I was like,
Hey, I have one life right now.
Better take it.
Well, I can, I'm like,
I'm just going to go for it.
So I just started taking these courses.
It was, um, it was such a
surreal experience, right?
Cause it's, I am 50, right?
And all these kids, it was great.
They're like 25, 30, you know, I mean
this, you know, class
with all these young
kids, with the Gen Z and millennials,
younger millennials
received, you know what I
mean? Like, you know, so I, um, you know,
went down there and we have to get this
recital, like we had to
start giving recitals.
So you're just, you were on showcase for
all these, you know, for everyone.
You're taking lessons, you're going, how
many times a week did you go?
So I was going, um, two times a week and
for like six weeks, six weeks.
And then you had to do a recital and we
would have to start doing recitals each
week. Oh, okay.
Okay.
So performing, right?
Performing.
Yeah.
They love that they called them recitals.
I know.
I was like, I'm going to get my baton.
I guess I only have it.
You're like, I got hold my beer.
I got this.
Ready.
It was all building up to this moment.
For this moment.
You've reached the peak.
In front of these young kids.
I'm like, here we go.
Where did you take lessons?
Like in Miami?
Okay.
Yeah.
Cool.
Yeah.
So, um, I get up for my first, you know,
performance and their faces were, I
couldn't believe it.
They love, they were like, no way.
They're all high fiving me.
That was incredible.
Like seriously, like they loved it.
I was blown away by their response.
I just was so, it was
amazing just to have that feedback.
I have no idea what these people are
going to think or say, like, all right.
You know,
were you the only one
your age in the class?
Yes.
And how many women were in there?
So there was one other
girl with her boyfriend.
But, okay.
But it was mainly men.
Yeah.
Okay.
So those are two big things.
And then to get that validation.
Yes.
Yeah.
And they really, they,
they were dancing to my music.
Like even the ones, I mean, there was the
one, the couple, they were so stiff.
Everybody would play their music and they
would just be like, you know, like just
head bobbing and I started playing.
They're like dancing in the back.
I got them to dance.
Like this is amazing.
What's your, uh, what's your genre of
music you're playing?
Well, it's funny cause I've always, like
I, I kind of did like a lot, like some
pitbull and I mix it in, you know, which
is kind of considered
old now, you know what
I mean?
But yeah, but some real, like some fun
dance and I've listened to kind of
everything growing up I've always loved,
just loved music in general.
And so to just kind of mix kind of the
old and the new, you know, and then now,
so now that I've graduated, you know, and
now I started, I've been doing these
parties, you know, I've been having
people come up to me, you're the best DJ
we've ever heard.
I'm like, what?
They're like, you're playing like crowd
appropriate music, like age appropriate
music.
There are like so many times they'll just
stand there and just be on their
cell phones and not even care.
And I was like, really?
Like, it just blows me away.
I'm like, this is amazing.
And then you probably engage with them
too, to a certain degree.
And I'm dancing up there, like, yeah, I
guess you're having fun.
But on a recital, you know, like a whole
show, that's what the one bar
channel goes.
I've never seen anyone put
on a show like that before.
You know, I had like
the cold spark machines.
I made sure I got those.
You know, I wanted to have like the
latest of everything.
So I got all my equipment.
And so how are you
differentiating yourself?
Like, what do you bring
to when you get a gig?
What are you bringing with you besides
what you need to play the music?
Yeah.
So I was thinking is I've always loved
the party event kind of side of things.
I started making my tipsy temptations,
which are these pudding shots that have
just taken over every
party I've brought them to.
And I always bring them because I always
was trying to find something different.
You know, like, what can I bring to a
party that, you know,
instead of cupcakes,
or like something
everybody's bringing, you know?
And I was like, these pudding shots I
started bringing to all these parties
and people are just loving them.
And I was like, you know what?
I just got to start doing this.
So now I've added it in to if I DJ.
So I started Pink Space Productions.
So I started a company that kind of
incorporated everything.
So you can hire me as a DJ and then you
can do add ons, right?
So you could add on the tipsy
temptations, the pudding shots.
You can add on the cold spark machines.
I've got bounce houses.
I've got champagne walls, you know, all
sorts of fun, different things.
Just trying to think of something unique,
you know, because everyone's just
trying to do something different.
You know, everyone's just like at the
same, you know, what's
the cold spark machine?
So they're like they look
like fireworks shooting.
I don't know.
Yeah, if you never saw them, they're kind
of like firework machines.
It's kind of like if you had you've seen
like pyrotechnics, but it's not hot.
It's not going to burn the place.
No, it looks like
pyrotechnics, but it's not fire.
OK, cool. Yeah, it's cool.
They're on either side, right? Yeah.
Yeah. Like almost.
Yeah. You know, those fireworks we light
and they go up in the air.
Yeah. Yeah. It's like, yes, they look
like that kind of 4th of July.
So you're bringing a vibe.
Yeah. Yeah. And I just do.
I love to be, you know, these are special
moments for everybody, you know,
that the times they're
going to really remember.
So to be able to be part of that is just
such an honor, I think.
And like to just, you know, make it the
best party you can possibly make it.
You know, that's so important.
What's your market then?
Is it Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale area?
Yeah. So, you know, I'm
not a stranger to driving.
I've never driven and I did a gig in
Charlotte before I did
a party from it was for a one year old
birthday party that started at one p.m.
And we went to one a.m.
So it's epic. That's awesome.
And I drove to Charlotte.
So I'm not a stranger to driving.
So but yeah, pretty much pretty much
ideally Fort Lauderdale,
you know, to West Palm.
Yeah. But you're also can go, I think,
spreading across your
three home bases, right?
I'm starting. I was thinking, you know,
I'm in all these three places so often.
So I just bought a whole set just
recently for Christmas.
I did a corporate Christmas party and put
and bought all new equipment for Buffalo.
So now I can just you know, I was going
to try to drag all my stuff on the plane
and think I did not because, you know,
it's that's pretty challenging.
Do you have just like the
board and the other stuff?
But you plug in the
speakers, I assume, right?
Yes. You bring speakers.
I bought I bought new speakers.
I bought speakers for there and I bought
a new board for there because it's also a
little just I don't trust, you know, if I
ever had to check it, I know.
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
I'm officially jealous.
I would love to do what you're doing.
Really? Oh my gosh.
Totally. Thank you.
I love that stuff.
No, it's really cool.
And I just thought, oh my gosh, you know,
I'm in Charlotte and like I'm meeting so
many people constantly. So I'm going to I
think that's my next step.
I'll like probably get all
the equipment for Charlotte too.
And then just be able
to do it everywhere.
It makes sense. You know,
but what about the extras?
Are you if you are you buying that for
Buffalo to like the cold?
What's it called?
Gold spark machine.
Gold spark machines.
Probably eventually.
Yeah. You know, you'll have the setup.
So you're kind of along the Eastern
seaboard a little bit in three spots.
You know, if you think
about it, you need some party.
And I can do there.
Can you go a little bit more into tipsy
temptations, like give people a visual
of what you're making, basically?
Yeah. So so it's so so think of pudding.
So like putting
treats mixed with alcohol.
Usually I do, you know, Tito's alcohol,
but I can mix in anything and any flavor.
So they turn out so fun.
So and then I can customize them.
So I've been doing so.
Say it's your 50th birthday party.
You know, I just can get a picture and
put your label right on there.
Happy 50th, which makes
it a nice special touch.
Absolutely.
So they're in like a little plastic.
Yeah. Like almost if
you're doing Jell-O shots.
Right. But it's very similar to Jell-O.
But putting and you
have little spoons, right?
Yeah. And the little spoon.
What are some of the flavors you've done?
Yeah. So I've done a
lot of different flavors.
The funfetti is a really popular one.
There's funfetti, anything with the
peanut butter, like
chocolate peanut butter.
So I'm ready for some right now.
Yeah, that sounds good.
The pistachios.
I feel like that's popular.
Yeah, that's a popular one.
I've done banana.
I've even done like tequila, like tequila
rose, like the strawberry tequila.
If you have a tequila drinker.
Yeah, I can really
literally make any flavor.
And so that would be an add on.
Yeah.
For that. That's brilliant.
The DJing.
And then I wanted to
do it separate without.
You know, I can just
pretty much branch out, however.
And are you loving it?
Yes, I do. I love it.
You could tell it's a thing.
Yes, I know. I'm definitely loving it.
Are you how often are you are you going
to events or to gigs?
Yes. So now I just I just got recently
got a call for another one.
So that'll be in a couple of weeks.
So I was busy over the holidays.
Yeah. And they
already booked me for this.
You know, Halloween weekend.
So that was a great compliment.
So, yeah. Nice.
Yes. And I'm getting second gigs.
That'll probably start happening, right?
As you start doing
things, people will book you.
Yeah. Again.
So that was fun to see.
That was a nice compliment.
Yeah. That's awesome that you're doing
that in this next part of your life.
That you're you're a DJ.
Yeah. You know, it's great.
It's like a weekend, you know, and then I
figure if I'm traveling so much,
you know, then I might as well be just,
you know, I can just fit it all in.
Yeah. So that would be maybe the 12th
life, 13th, 14th life.
So we started.
Let's just let's just go back.
We've had we call it a poli sci degree,
law school, master's
in education, pageant,
going from Miss New York, USA, right.
Waitress and Buffalo Bill's cheerleader,
pharmaceutical sales note, newscaster,
and modeling up on the web
model on the web and modeling.
And now a DJ.
So and you were married and had
became a mother during this time and then
divorced and became a single mom
during this time. So that's a lot. Right.
That's a lot of life in your life.
It is insane.
Well, and let's not forget
you did go through miscarriage
and also you left your family and the
town where your heart was forever
and survived and landed and
then had a hurricane hit you.
OK, so I mean,
there's a lot there, right?
Now that you laid it out.
Yeah, this is your life.
But my point is, is has what has gotten
you through all those times?
What's the constant thing in your life
that you think has kept you steady
and kept you optimistic and kept you
going without question my faith?
I mean, there's no way I could have
gotten through what I've gotten through
without it. Like no question.
I mean, when there's been points when
I've just been like, I
have I can't do this.
You have to do this for me.
Like take it because I
can't. It's too heavy.
God's plan.
So, yeah, for sure.
And I just always that trust that gut
feeling and just trust in him that,
you know, he's just leading you and
there's a reason for everything for sure.
And you just might
not see it at the time.
You don't know what's
happening is happening.
We just keep going.
It's got the plan for sure.
Were you raised with strong faith?
Yes. Very.
Did you attend public school
or did you go into Catholic?
Little Catholic grammar school, which I
think two really instal,
like that's I started the kids here in
Florida and Catholic
small grammar school.
I just wanted them to have the same base
and just that same faith, strong faith.
And and I think that does that when you
have it, that young,
especially I always look at it as giving
your children the gift of faith.
And then when they get older, they can
decide what they want to do with it.
But at least give it to them
so they can have that choice.
Whereas if they have no faith.
Yeah, kind of lost.
Yeah. And then it's harder to find it
once they become adults.
Because life gets harder. Right.
So finding it as an adult is even harder.
Even for us with faith. Right.
So I'm constantly telling them, just keep
praying every every second of the day.
Be thankful for everything you have.
You know, your face, you like
things you don't think about.
Walking, talking. Yeah.
You know, someone crosses your path and
you're like, wow, you know,
you realize like how blessed.
So I'm constantly making them thankful,
like everything you have.
Yeah, absolutely.
That gratitude is and and wherever anyone
places their faith, that gratitude,
that gratitude and being grateful for.
I just saw somebody
say, you know, a sick,
healthy person has so
many things they want,
but a sick person only
has one thing they want.
And it's remembering that
that, you know, if you are healthy
and you wake up every
day, that's that's it.
You know, everything else on top of that
is just icing, you know.
So it but that faith is is really it
because especially to get
you through all of us
have our ups and downs.
But yours is a variety show.
Now that you've pointed that out, but it
seems more way more ups.
Now I've been so, you know, you know, and
I think a lot of that
has to do with your positive attitude,
your positive energy, your positive vibe
and probably why you are finding such
success as a DJ and you said it.
You are recognizing this is a moment for
these people and it's special
and you feel honored to be there.
And that radiates when you show up
because a lot of people
don't respect, don't really care.
They don't care that you're a part of
someone's memory right now.
And some people are just treating it like
a side gig, side job, whatever.
But you're recognizing
what's happening in that.
That's probably part of I would assume a
lot of your success.
Oh, thank you. Yeah, I
definitely get into it.
Like I just pour my heart and soul into
everything for sure.
You do. I'm here to say that for sure.
On that line, I have a question for you.
You've had great
professional success as well.
And we've seen a lot of
our audience, we talk,
get into the corporate
conversation and work life.
And there's a lot of probably
disenfranchised folks out there.
But as a professional woman, what do you
what what advice would you give her?
How have you navigated that to to be
successful and keep a positive attitude?
It's really interesting, you know, when
it when it gets so crazy, right?
And you just don't know how you can
handle and juggle everything.
I remember one time I read something or I
came across something and it said,
you're not meant to do it
all like it's impossible.
Like you can't be like this.
You know what I mean? So you
just do the very best you can.
And my dad had installed me in that too.
And he was just like, as long as you're
doing the best you can do,
nobody can ask anything different of you.
You know, and I remember at that point, I
was like, you're right.
You're really not meant to do everything.
You're not meant to be, you know, this
working mom and the
perfect stay at home mom.
You just like, it's
impossible. You cannot do it all.
It's like just so true possible.
And I kind of like when I heard that I
took a step back and I'm like,
yeah, I'm just going to do the best that
I can do at everything.
And it's really thankfully fun.
It's a place because
you cannot do it all.
So you get it's more
like get into the moment.
You're here. You're be present.
Yeah. Work hard.
Do my best.
Then I'll transition to whatever's given
everything you've got.
Yeah. You know what I mean?
And then, you know, just everything will
fall in line like it's supposed to.
Yeah, it's almost also kind of not like
you said, being present.
Yeah. But not giving
into anxiety to some degree,
like you're having to calm the anxiety
and because when you're present,
it's harder to be anxious for sure,
because you're just you're
you're forcing yourself to just take it
minute by minute,
step by step, day by day,
because anxiety can completely derail.
For sure. Completely.
So it's a great skill to have.
Yeah. To be present in that moment.
And to have faith.
Yeah, I think it's faith.
I think it comes. You
just mentioned faith, right?
It that probably gets
you through that anxiety.
Yeah. Well, I have a really
interesting story about that.
So I was it was very recent.
I just felt like anxiety.
You could just feel it coming.
I don't know what it was about.
You know, who knows
life events, whatever.
But you could feel this
anxious feeling coming.
And so I went for a lymphatic massage
and that always would
just like relieve everything.
So I show up, you know,
for my for the massage.
I always feel amazing afterwards.
And right in the middle of the massage,
she starts just, you know, working on me.
And all of a sudden there was this she's
we both got this electrifying feeling
went right through her, went through me.
And she started to the
masseuse started to freak out.
Honestly, she's like saw this beam of
light shooting from my leg to my heart.
And she's like, I see a cross.
I was like, what?
I was blown away.
She's like, I see a cross.
And she is Buddhist.
So it's not like we had like this
religious connection in any way.
Right. And she's she's
she's just blown away.
She couldn't believe it.
We really didn't know what it meant.
You know, she's like,
whatever you're doing or believing.
She's like, I feel like you just you keep
believing, keep being thankful, keep
keep your faith, you know,
she's like she was blown away.
And then and then I had
went on my other side, too.
And same thing happened.
She got to this one part of my leg.
She saw this beam of light and she was
like, she's like, I see.
I see Jesus. Wow.
She was like, I can see the shadow.
And I think she was
actually so freaked out.
She kind of just wanted me out of there.
I was just like, what is happening?
And I yeah.
And I got in.
But that was kind of
like her message to me.
She's like, whatever.
Just don't be anxious.
You know what I mean?
Don't come back.
But don't come back.
Yeah. And then I got in the
car and then I had turned on.
I just had listened to Joel,
listing a message from him.
And that's exactly what the message was.
It was like, don't be anxious.
He's got the plan.
Just stick with the plan.
And it was just exactly
what I had felt like going in.
It was pretty it was pretty miraculous.
The miracles are all around us.
I think you just got to
really keep your eyes open.
One hundred percent. I believe that.
And they're everywhere.
One hundred percent. That's amazing.
Because it was just
like about the anxiety.
It just tied down so unbelievably.
And just a reminder, have faith, be
present, you know, and be grateful.
It's also hard to have anxiety when
you're feeling gratitude.
So if you can constantly remind yourself
of the things to be grateful for,
it's hard to have
anxiety at the same time.
But that's that's amazing.
It was unbelievable.
That was a huge moment.
Now, are all your siblings the same with
their faith, with having faith in?
Yeah.
Everything and and guiding.
And have you?
There's been so many
instances where it's just showed up.
So it's it's within the whole family.
Yeah. Yeah.
My it was there's one
more story that blew me away.
I was out at a pharmaceutical convention
out in Vegas and I was
supposed to get back.
I was supposed to be with the kids.
I was still married.
I needed to get home.
Something was pulling me.
I had to just spend like one extra day
and go see my sister in Arizona.
She was living out there at the time.
And something was just pulling me there.
And I should not.
I mean, I should have
been back with the kids.
Like, you know, I was
gone for, I think, a week.
But I'm like, I got to go.
I'm just going to go see her.
I just didn't care what anyone said.
I just had to be there.
So I get there and she was so sick and my
sister is so stubborn.
There's no way she'd ever take herself to
the doctor, to a hospital, anything.
And she was really like just in back
baking, you know, breaking pain.
She was bent over like she couldn't move.
I was like, no, no, no, I'm taking you.
We're going to the hospital.
Turns out I get her to the hospital
within the doctor said
if I hadn't gotten her
within like an hour or two later, she had
gangrene of the pain of her.
Her.
Pancreas.
When your appendix.
It was, it was gangrene of her appendix
and it was shredded.
It burst.
It was shredded.
He'd never seen anything like it because
she went in for surgery.
They took her right away
and she was in there forever.
Like it was supposed to be like a one
hour kind of routine.
Take out your
appendix, whatever shredded.
Had it first.
So it was, it had burst and it was
shredded and it was
shredded and gangrene.
We never heard anything like it.
She must've been in
like excruciating pain.
Yeah.
You said that.
Yes.
And sepsis, I would assume.
Yeah.
He said, if you wouldn't have got here,
so it was definitely divine intervention.
Like that led me there.
And then the whole
hospital was in Arizona.
This hospital she's in
was a complete nightmare.
She's in, they put her in with another
person in the room and all of a sudden
this snoring.
I thought it was a man.
Like I remember asking them, I'm like,
did you, did you put
her in the room with a
man? They're like, we don't do that here.
I'm like, well, looks like a man.
Sounds like a man.
She needs her own room.
You know, so I rallied for
her, got her her own room.
Was she, was it a man?
It wasn't, but they said it wasn't.
Okay.
But it was supposedly
wasn't, but it was something.
So it was bad.
So we get her into her own room.
Then they're coming in the middle of the
night with diabetes tests.
I'm like, she's not getting a diabetes.
I sat vigilant over her.
I'm like, she's not
getting a diabetes test.
Then they came in to
give her her last rights.
I mean, it was like a
phone show at this point.
I'm like, no, no, no.
So I sat up all night by her bedside.
When they had brought her back in at one
point, she was, she was just coming out
of the surgery.
It was, it was before that, but she was
coming out of the surgery.
She's like, there's someone over me.
She's like saying that
there's infections in this hospital.
I'm like, no, honey,
you're just dreaming.
You're just under, you know, no, she's
like, no, no, there was somebody.
I go out on the hallway floor.
Sure enough.
There was this strange, like I said, did
you read us in that room?
You talking to her?
And, um, he was like, yeah, I go, did you
tell her that there was
infections in this hospital?
He's like, yeah, you could tell.
He was just like, not right.
Like, like I had mentally ill.
Yeah.
So I rallied him.
I got him off the floor.
I mean, it was a, it was a whole thing.
Well, I, I'm a big believer that every
patient needs an advocate.
A hundred percent.
Did not be in the hospital alone.
It was ever so true.
Yeah.
That was such eye opener.
Yeah.
Like I'm, I'm huge about that.
If any relative is in the,
I'm, I'm like, I'm there.
Yeah.
I, because stuff goes down.
Yeah.
You would never think I see it in the
movies, but you don't really
think it's going to happen in real life.
No, it's crazy.
And it can be the smallest thing.
You have to be, you have to be.
So it's, it's amazing that
you stayed and saved for life.
No.
It was amazing.
Yeah, she loved me every day.
She's my go-to girl.
I mean, cheerleader through life, but
she's where she goes.
You know, I would have never gone in.
I know she's now, that was divine
intervention for sure.
So that's, you got to really trust that
you know, like you have that feeling.
You got to run with it.
One hundred percent.
Well, I have to ask you about the super
bowl because you are in an unusual
situation that you've been the super bowl
more than once, right.
How many times?
Wow.
Wow.
Yeah.
I've been out there for five times
and lucky enough to get
a ticket for four times.
What's it like?
It's unbelievable.
It's incredible.
Yeah.
Especially with this one in New Orleans,
you know, the jazz and the live.
And when it was extra.
Yeah.
It was really extra, extra special.
So I'm blessed enough.
I have a dear friend who's got a very
close friend connection
and gets these tickets.
She's gone for 30 years.
Oh, wow.
And she always knew me
from the side back in Buffalo,
like the cheering days and all that.
And then one year, four years ago, well,
she was down in Miami.
And Jen, would you want the extra ticket
to go to the Super Bowl?
Oh, my god.
It's like winning the lottery.
Yeah.
Yes.
And so then, you know, we just--
we have an absolute riot together.
So then I've just been blessed enough
to be able to go for the
last five years with her.
And it's a whole weekend, right?
It's not just a game.
It's a whole week.
A week.
OK.
We started Wednesday.
And it's just one
amazing event after another.
Just the people are great out there.
You know, everyone that
you meet is just wonderful.
It has been the best time.
And then this past Super Bowl, we
were really bills mafia
infiltrating as Philadelphia Eagle
fans because, you know, anyone but the
Chiefs at this point.
So she started her own
business with the Water Buffalo Club.
And she makes-- based off of Fred
Flintstone back in the Stoney,
just remember, he would wear those hats.
So she started, geniously,
her own Water Buffalo Club, 716.
And so they have
these Water Buffalo Club.
So she makes them on
all different styles.
So you can get St. Patrick's Day hats.
You can get blue, white,
all sorts of different kinds.
But it's all related to Buffalo Bills?
So they were all
related to Buffalo Bills.
But no, she did the Eagles.
So she had the Eagles with the bird ears
instead of the horns.
So the wings were on the side.
So we're wearing these
green hats all over New Orleans.
That's hilarious.
It was hilarious.
We ended up now-- she has
close friends from Philly.
So we're totally rapping for them too.
And they gave us this hot lead that Good
Morning Philadelphia
was filming.
So we got up 5.30 AM.
We get on-- we storm their set at 6 AM.
Running in cheerleader style.
I was ready for my mission.
We storm the set.
And they couldn't get over the hats.
I mean, it was just such a hit.
Was it an outdoor set?
So Noah's inside this cat's meow,
which we had got drawn up on
stage for karaoke the night
before.
I'm like, we're back.
Oh my gosh.
We come running in, and they loved it.
So they were going crazy over these hats.
So you were on TV?
Oh, yes.
Yes.
And the funniest thing was--
That's hilarious.
I don't know the Eagles fight song yet.
Because we're totally imposters.
So here we are.
Every time I didn't know a
word, I ducked behind her hat.
Like, I kind of knew that just--
It was like trying out
for the Buffalo Bills again.
Just rolling.
I'm just going, ducking.
I'm ducking behind her hat.
Oh my god.
And we didn't know.
And her friends were
like, you are so busted.
You do not know the
words to that chant song.
I'm like, we've got to learn it.
We're up on stage.
I'm like trying to Google the words.
I didn't know they had a chant song.
Oh, they do.
And if I sing it for you right now, I
won't stop singing it.
I've been singing it
since I stepped foot in LA.
I can't do it again.
I've been singing that.
Because then the next day,
she's got the great idea.
We've got to get in the parade.
Because it's the Super
Bowl parade in New Orleans.
Let me tell you, it is like Macy's huge.
Thousands of people lining the street.
So all right, I'm up for anything, right?
So we start heading towards the beginning
where the parade starts.
All of a sudden, you hear her name
shouted out in the crowd.
I'm like, what?
So she had had her
house up for an Airbnb.
And this guy had stayed
at her house in Buffalo
with 15 of his
buddies, all from New Orleans.
Well, they're part of this big dance
troupe down in New Orleans.
It's called 610.
And they have ordinary
men, extraordinary moves.
And they do
choreography like the cheerleaders.
It's the funniest.
You know, it's got a huge New Orleans.
Regular guys?
Regular guys.
Hysterical, trying to do all these moves.
Like Brian doing a whole
cheerleader dance routine.
Yes.
So what about the Gen X men?
His...
Yeah, it was 610.
They were so funny.
So come in.
You can stand behind us in the parade.
You just get behind.
So now we're like
sneaking into the parade.
We are not on the lineup.
We are not supposed to be here at all.
That's awesome.
Amazing.
Off we go.
We walked that whole
parade, singing that chance out.
Because now we know it.
Now you know it.
Singing the fight
song and throwing beads.
People were loving it.
We...
I never...
I think I laughed for four miles.
Was it right on Bourbon Street?
It was down through the whole city.
We walked four miles.
Four miles.
Oh my God.
Singing that song,
throwing our beads in the house.
Is there any proof?
I would love to see videos of this.
Oh, I have it all.
Yeah, okay, good.
Miami News picked it up.
So we were in Miami News.
We got interviewed on Miami.
That's awesome.
On Miami Station.
Of course.
Then we end up the next day.
Yahoo Sports cover the hot...
Yahoo Sports, when
you look up on the web.
There we are.
No.
It's like, yeah, we were...
We end up everywhere.
And then the funniest
thing, we played back live
what they were saying through the parade.
And they said,
"Oh, these ladies might have
just walked into the parade."
They might be part of the Super Bowl.
The other guy's like,
"I don't think so.
They're not in the official lineup.
Maybe they're lost."
And that is the commentary.
That's us.
Oh my gosh.
Walking through this parade.
Did your family see it?
Oh my gosh.
So I sent it to...
You know, like a bunch of people.
Like, I'll definitely
have to send it to you.
Yeah, yeah.
Oh my gosh.
That is just amazing.
So yeah.
So like, just go crazy, right?
I'm telling you.
No, kid.
That's definitely you, Jen.
That's for sure.
I'm not surprised though.
Because I feel like wherever you go,
something like that happens.
It just all works out.
You create these
opportunities though, right?
You're just getting up
from 5.30 to give it a run.
Yeah.
But when I'm there,
when I'm at the Super Bowls,
I am like a connector of people.
You tell me a person you
need to find in the crowd.
It's like my skill.
I never knew I had.
I can go find anybody.
And since I can talk to anybody,
I will walk up to the
host of the whole party.
I don't care who they're talking to.
I'll be like, "Follow me."
And I can make them follow me.
I mean, I could take
them into like a black SUV.
They never be seen again.
And I connect them to
like who they're looking for.
Like their best friend.
I mean, big name celebrities.
I'll just bring them.
I don't care.
It's so much fun.
It's like my little challenge.
What can I get someone to do?
It's a skill.
I asked the biggest guy.
I was like, "You look like
you can get things done."
I'm like, "Can you just
put this stool here for me
because he needs a VIP section."
He was like, "Okay."
He just goes and does it.
I mean, I end up running.
You have all the audacity.
That's what it is.
You own your audacity.
Like you're just like, "Why not?"
It's right.
It's a wonderful skill.
It becomes like a little game for me.
No, I love it.
It's a wonderful skill.
Well, where are you taking the skill over
the next five years?
Where do you see yourself?
So yeah, that's interesting.
Who knows what life is
coming up next, right?
Yeah.
I mean, you've reinvented yourself again.
I would say that that's your thing.
Yeah, for sure.
I do love doing that.
So we'll see where we end up next.
But I do love the three states.
And so I do see myself
continuing to be in all three
as much as I can.
And continuing just growing, you know,
pink space productions.
Yeah, and kind of
having those three landing
spots for pink space productions.
My little heart, my whole face.
Because it can branch off of there.
You could get into
different areas out of Charlotte,
different areas out of Buffalo, and then
down here in Florida.
So yeah, so it's the limit.
Who knows?
Now with that, though, you
have five more years, I think,
before the boys are out of high school.
Do you think you'll stay in Florida?
Or do you think you'll--
So I think I will always
definitely have a place here.
I don't ever see myself leaving my house.
So I do see my-- I don't
ever see myself out of Florida
completely.
I could see myself just
spending maybe a little more
time in Charlotte, a
little more time in Buffalo,
maybe the summers in Buffalo, you know,
fall, kind of breaking it up.
Which I'm sure are absolutely gorgeous,
the summers and the fall.
Beautiful.
Yeah.
Yeah.
It's amazing.
So then just really
having the best of both worlds.
Yeah, for sure.
Three worlds.
Three worlds.
So five years, maybe
pink space productions,
or I'm sure it will be
solid in all those three areas.
And you'll have your
three little home bases,
and the boys will be in school.
So you'll have even more time--
Yeah.
Doing football.
But you'll have more
time to devote to that.
And having your relationship, you know,
still-- because you've been able to
master that long distance.
Yeah.
Yeah.
We are so excited about that.
We're both so happy, and
it's been really amazing.
Yeah.
So maybe settle into this
life for a little while.
Yeah, exactly.
See where it goes.
But again, I would
say that you definitely
are an inspiration for
women in general in that--
go for it.
No matter how old you
are, 20, 25, 30, 35--
go for it.
50, 55?
You do.
You have got one shot.
Just take it.
Even if you embarrass
yourself, you fall on your butt,
you are in the parade.
Like, you're in a
complete full of yourself.
It always works out.
Fail forward.
Yes, for sure.
For sure, and have faith.
Yeah.
And just--
100%.
Trust.
Yeah, and always be just so thankful.
And yeah.
And optimistic.
But I think that faith is
the root of your optimism.
Yes.
Because I will say, Jen is one of the
most optimistic people
I've ever met, honestly.
Oh, thank you, Shriekal.
And loving, and giving,
and generous, and thoughtful.
All those good things.
But even when things
aren't always wonderful,
you still radiate just this--
I say you're my sunshine friend.
You radiate the
sunshine and bring goodness
to every room you walk
into, to every person you meet.
I think it's a
blessing to be your friend.
I'm honored to be your friend.
No.
That's what I feel about you.
And I have you in my life.
You know?
And--
You're supposed to make me cry.
I know.
I know.
But it's-- and I think for a
lot of women that hit our age,
we've met a lot of
women through the years.
Yes.
And if you end up with
real friends that you cherish
and that support you,
understand you, get you,
don't judge you, and clap
when you walk by, cheer you on,
no matter what you're doing,
and believe in you, it's rare.
Yes.
And it means everything.
It's so true.
It's inspiring, because
we keep each other going,
and we support each other.
And we need that.
As cheerleader.
Yeah.
Yeah.
You know?
Oh, too.
So-- and I think the
younger generation, the women,
they just kind of
have that knack already.
You know, like that Gen
Z-- those Gen Z women,
they all seem to really
have good, strong support.
But I don't know if
our age always had that.
True.
There was always something.
So I'm just so grateful
that you're one of my people
and that I have you.
And it's-- you know, it's real.
And cherish it.
I feel that you stay the same.
I adore you.
And I know Brian loves you, too.
I know.
We love Brian.
Well, I'm thinking, you know, as she's
saying all these things,
you just radiate kindness, I think.
Oh, thank you so much.
I just love you both.
What you've done, it's amazing.
Well, we're just happy that
you came to share your story.
Because again, it's an inspiring story,
because you're a
self-made woman many times over.
And even when things didn't go the way
maybe they should have,
you made it go the way it should.
So that's inspiring.
That's inspiring, not
just to young women,
but to young men, too,
is to just keep going.
You know, it's important for people
to believe in themselves
enough to just keep trying
and keep challenging themselves.
And you are a testament to that.
Oh, thank you so much.
And I can't wait to see where
Pink Space Productions goes.
It's exciting, I know.
It is.
It is.
So thank you for coming on.
Thank you so much for having me.
Yeah.
Awesome.
Thank you, guys.
Yeah, it was cool.
And thank you to our listeners.
If you have any comments or
questions, please leave them.
We'd love to read whatever
you have to say, good or bad.
We welcome it all.
And we look forward to
having Jen back in the future
and hearing what life she's on then.
I know what number we're on next.
I lost count.
It's all good.
So thanks again, and
we'll see you next time.
Bye.
Thank you.
Bye.
Bye.
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