July 5, 2025 • 16 mins
Cut The Tie Podcast with Thomas Helfrich
Episode 286
What happens when you stop grinding and start walking—literally? In this episode of Cut the Tie, host Thomas Helfrich sits down with Susan Anderson, founder of Idlewild Woods and Triumph Communications, to talk about cutting ties with hustle culture and reconnecting with creativity, clarity, and the outdoors.
After nearly two decades running a successful copywriting business, Susan realized she was stuck in a mindset that equated busyness with success. What followed was a bold move: selling it all to build an off-grid entrepreneurial retreat in the Tennessee mountains. Now, Susan helps others unplug from noise, pressure, and burnout—so they can finally think again.
About Susan Anderson:
Susan is the founder of Idlewild Woods Retreat Center in Northeast Tennessee and Triumph Communications, a copywriting firm she’s run for over 20 years. A passionate advocate for creativity, nature, and slow business, Susan blends decades of entrepreneurial experience with a growing mission: helping people rediscover themselves beyond screens, status, and the hustle grind. When she’s not writing or coaching, she’s building domes, hosting retreats, or just soaking her feet in the creek with a notebook in hand.
In this episode, Thomas and Susan discuss:
- Cutting ties with hustle culture
Susan shares how the “always-on” mentality robbed her of peace, joy, and creativity—and how stepping back opened everything up. - The spark behind the retreat vision
A road trip, a book, and a moment of clarity led Susan to leave it all behind and start building a mountain retreat for entrepreneurs. - Why walking beats working (sometimes)
Forward motion, no screen, no noise. Susan breaks down the neurological and emotional magic of simply taking a hike. - Building something new from scratch
From angel investors to raw land to geodesic domes—Susan shares what it really takes to bring a bold vision to life. - Redefining what success looks like
Today, Susan measures success not in money or metrics, but in creekside ideas, hammocks, and quality conversations.
Key Takeaways:
- Nature is your greatest productivity tool
Go outside. Unplug. Let your brain breathe. That’s where the good ideas live. - Success isn’t always scalable
Not every business has to 10x. Sometimes, building something meaningful is enough. - Say no to more things
Boundaries are powerful. Slowing down makes room for clarity. - Don’t wait until you’re burned out
Rest is not a reward. Make space for it before you need it. - Your business doesn’t define you
You get to change direction, start over, or walk away—and still be enough.
Connect with Susan Anderson:
🌐 Website: www.idyllwildwoodsretreatcenter.com
💼 LinkedIn: Susan Anderson
🖋 Triumph Communications: www.triumphcom.com
Connect with Thomas Helfrich:
🐦 Twitter: @thelfrich
📘 Facebook: Cut The Tie Community
💼 LinkedIn:Thomas Helfrich
🌐 Website: www.cutthetie.com
📧 E
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to the Cut the Tie podcast.
Hello, I'm your host, ThomasHelfrich, and I am on a mission
to help you cut a tie towhatever it is holding you back
from success, from becoming thebest version of yourself.
And today we are joined bySusan Anderson.
Susan, how are you.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
I'm doing fantastic Better now that I'm talking with
you.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
Right, come on.
Not everyone has like aperiwinkle and magenta-ish,
pinkish background like I do.
If you're listening, I did myhomework, man, right.
Well, susan, take a moment,introduce yourself and what your
business does absolutely so.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
I'm susan anderson.
I'm the founder of idle wildwoods retreat center here in
northeast tennessee, and alsotriumph communications, which is
a copywriting firm I've beenrunning since 20 oh sorry, 2005,
20 years.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
What was the name, again, of your business?
The first one.
The first one is Idlewild Woods.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
It smells like nobody can ever smell it.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
I was going to ask that question, but is it a
wealth center or a health center?
Speaker 2 (01:01):
It is a retreat center, so this is where
entrepreneurs can come.
Unplug from everything, get offthe screens, go sit under a
tree, think great thoughts, comeup with their next brilliant
idea and meet real humansface-to-face, Share a campfire.
Speaker 1 (01:16):
What if it's raining?
If it's raining, do I have aplace to stay?
Speaker 2 (01:18):
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, we're building it very nice
Off-grid but luxurious.
Speaker 1 (01:24):
I like the idea of that.
When is it going to beavailable?
Speaker 2 (01:27):
Our very first geodesic dome is two-thirds of
the way built, so we're thinkingabout another month, month and
a half, before it's fullyoutfitted, and then it'll be
ready.
Speaker 1 (01:36):
So that would be in June, june, okay, that might be
an interesting place to do oneof the retreats.
It's like, hey, we're going togo check out this
entrepreneurial dome.
I may go check it out first andmake sure I don't go up there
and be like we could die.
Yeah, I'm not saying wewouldn't.
Just on the way up, don't stopat this gas station.
That guy may have murderedpeople.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
I do hear bad shows.
Keep driving.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
Tell me why, though, people should come to you for
this retreat, to you for thisretreat, like what makes you
unique?
Like why did they pick yourretreat spot?
Speaker 2 (02:10):
This place is.
It's gorgeous.
First of all, we've got a Creekrunning the whole 35 acres
length of this property, whichis amazing.
But really I mean I don't careif they come here, they go
somewhere else.
I just really want to getentrepreneurs outdoors off the
screens, get the stuff out oftheir ears.
No pod, no anything, anything.
Just go take a walk.
I feel like hustle culture kindof it can bite.
You know it's not good and wefall for it.
(02:33):
I spent the first 17 years ofbuilding my 20-year business.
I didn't go outside like Igotta work if we're not working.
What gary b said work your faceoff, you can sleep when you're
dead.
Turns out that's not greatadvice.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
No, it's not great advice.
You're spot on.
By the way, it's starting toget nice outside here.
It's now April in 2025.
Every time I walk outside,they're like just go to Garbage
Can or get mail.
I'm like why did I pick astudio, as opposed to just say
I'm going to do my phonewherever I want to be?
Anyway, I'm with you on that.
In your own journey, though,you have another business.
(03:09):
Your own journey is full, I'msure, of just challenges and
triumphs.
What's, though, been thehardest challenge, the hardest
tie, you've had to cut?
Speaker 2 (03:17):
Oh man, it's definitely this, the hustle
mentality, like I literally likeI didn't go out.
It's like you can take a restwhen.
Take a rest, go play whenyou're done with that was never
finished sentence.
It was like finish everythingand then you can go play.
It was stupid, it's.
It's costly to you personally,it's detrimental to your
(03:39):
business.
Yeah, you're not going to getthe same creative ideas kind of
important as a copywriter tohave creative ideas or as an
entrepreneur of any kind really,and just walking around outside
, do that first, not as a treatafter my gosh, what a difference
, just crazy your tie was I haveto cut this mindset that I have
(04:01):
to be always on working onthings.
Speaker 1 (04:03):
Do you have any regrets along?
Well, well, we'll get back.
I'm going to.
I'm going to pause that onebecause that's going to be
something that'll probably beanswered in another question.
So so, in your journey, you,you the biggest tie was a
mindset shift from getting Ihave to always be on, I have to
be working.
I can't take the time the wholeday to go through things to now
.
I.
Can you release this?
(04:25):
Do you remember the momentthough?
Speaker 2 (04:26):
when you knew it, that was the tie you were going
to cut.
Yeah, it was crazy.
I was.
I had done at Frank Kern right.
So he has this video on YouTubecalled perfect average day.
I watched that.
Two weeks prior I read thisbook by Trevor Blake.
Trevor G Blake called threesimple steps.
Dude has built numerous ninefigure businesses, starting when
he was 50.
And he spent.
He's like oh, I spend aboutfour hours a day working and
(04:49):
three of those hours I'm outwalking in the woods.
So this is all percolating.
I took the long drive fromBristol, tennessee, down to
Huntsville, going throughChattanooga, of course, lovely.
And all of a sudden it was likecrazy, hey, you should totally
build a retreat center forentrepreneurs up in Smokies.
Like, excuse me what, hold over, I'm taking mad notes.
(05:13):
I still got a long drive.
So I'm like all right, I'mdriving and writing, I'm not
watching, I'm watching the road,I'm just driving, driving and
writing.
And then you can imagine theconversation I get home hey,
honey, hear me out.
How about we sell everything,we go, move to the Smokies and
we build a retreat center forentrepreneurs?
God love him, I'll be.
(05:33):
Went with it.
Here we are.
It's crazy, it was memorable.
Speaker 1 (05:39):
That's amazing and and the fact that you said that
right, that you have thisretreat center, I listen.
I mean, I just here in Georgiamy wife and I were thinking
about business ideas that wepossibly could do together and I
said, hey, let's just go buyany kind of normal looking house
in the Blue Ridge and strip itdown, make it nice, put the
whole basement to be steam roomsand stuff and maybe not a pool
(06:03):
but like a cold plunge and a hottub outside and say here's a
safe, put all your phones inhere for the weekend yes and be
like obviously you can come takethem, but the idea is put them
in here and check out, likethere's no tvs on the wall,
there's not even wi-fi in there.
You know, it's maybe, it'sinternal maybe, but like the
point is you go there, then it'sa detox house, to go there and
do steam and do saunas and justlike read a book and listen to
(06:27):
music, and I was like I thinkpeople would be like hell, yeah,
I'm taking that place for aweek and I'm going up there and
you know, and here's a writingplace.
I love what you've done withthat Sell everything.
That's 10 X is easier than twoX mentality.
So I like, I like that idea.
All right, so you have themoment since doing it though you
know, actually I'm going togive an intermediary question
(06:49):
how did you take that moment andcut that tie?
Like you said, you soldeverything, but there's more to
that.
Like you had to find a property.
You know you could have gone upthere and like, oh, you can't
do that up here.
How did you take those steps tomake that a real thing?
Speaker 2 (07:02):
Yeah, I started talking about my vision, this
crazy vision that I had, likeanybody who'd hold still long
enough, I would talk to themabout it.
I went on podcasts.
I was at the time working for acompany called capitalismcom,
got on that podcast because workthere and I was able to attract
two angel investors to help usstart buying the property.
Talk to a realtor I'm like it'sgoing to be years, I'm sure.
(07:26):
But no, of course.
This was one of the firstproperties we saw and I was like
it became the litmus test forall other properties.
I'm like, no, this is the one,this is the one, very nuts.
So a little bit of money gotgoing on this thing.
We came here.
It's raw land, so it's been alot.
I've never done this before.
My in-laws used to owncampgrounds.
(07:48):
They developed and ownedcampgrounds.
They developed and ownedcampgrounds.
I'm like, hey, then I need someadvice.
Sometimes hubby had been inconstruction for a long time,
years and years ago, beforeopening a Volkswagen restoration
company which we grew and itwas world, world renowned, which
was really cool, but this was abig change.
Speaker 1 (08:07):
Yeah, that's a huge change and and and you had to
have vision and you had to youdo have to to find money.
That's something that to dothis, you have to be independent
, wealthy, or you got to bringsomeone who just says I
understand that, I believe in itand I see the potential for it,
and it's one of thosebusinesses that they know is not
, like a 10X exit, scalable.
I'm not even sure how you exitthat business and repeat the
(08:27):
model because you need land.
So, different conversation,maybe another podcast, another
day.
What advice would you give tothe listeners?
Speaker 2 (08:35):
Go outside, for Pete's sake, take a hike.
I'm going to be writing a bookbecause people keep saying you
ought to write a book.
You ought to write a book.
This will be my next book.
It's going to be called Take aHike and it's about hustle.
Culture can go take a hike, butalso we ought to go take a hike.
It doesn't take that much time10, 15 minutes.
Get out in the woods, justforward motion with your feet,
(08:55):
with nothing, that you're, noscreens or anything like this,
and it literally will do wonders.
It took me a while.
I didn't want to go outside.
I was like buggy, hot, boring,what the heck?
I lived in Alabama.
What was I going to do?
It wasn't going to be hot.
You don't want to go outside,but the more you do, it wasn't
going to be.
You don't want to go outside,but the more you do it, the more
it grows on you and before longyou're going to be like a fifth
grader, like jonesing forrecess time and trying to sneak
(09:18):
outside more and more.
And there's a reason for that.
We're not meant to be under,under the lights and in front of
screens all the time we'vestarted this thing called
camping.
Speaker 1 (09:27):
Apparently you spend a lot of time and effort putting
up a structure so you can beuncomfortable all night.
Yeah, I've done that.
That's awesome, yeah, but Iusually I really do like it.
So we've done it and we did inflorida last week and I will say
that I I told my wife it's only150 bucks for a week to have a
campsite.
I'm sure that's a lot forcamping, but it's like right on
the beach, right, and I'm like Iactually enjoy it because I
(09:49):
have.
I might shower, I may not, youknow it's.
I take a, we ride a bike to thebeach, we go fishing, we have
there's a little ice cream placethere.
It would.
I love it because, like on anow in the middle of summer,
probably not going to love that,that's gonna be way too hot,
nowhere to escape.
But right now in the fall orspring, yeah rapid fire.
Who gives you inspiration?
Speaker 2 (10:12):
Really the entrepreneurs.
I've worked with them for 20years and I kind of realized,
like wait, they take ownershipof a problem they never caused.
They devote themselves tocoming up with a solution to
serve people with it.
That's pretty freaking cool.
We can't do a whole lot toimpact the world, but that
really impacts our little cornerof it.
That's pretty freaking cool.
So I keep thinking of themanytime when it's cold, muddy,
(10:35):
buggy, wet, well, any of thatkind of stuff.
I'm like who am I doing thisfor?
Speaker 1 (10:40):
And right, I mean, that's a great one to be
inspired by.
It's like you get a new streamand your business serves them,
and so that's a nice fuel cycle.
What's some of the bestbusiness advice you've ever
received.
Speaker 2 (11:06):
I met a guy who said he says no to everything, like
any new person.
He's like it's no for the firstyear, so we really get to know
each other.
I was like that's so slow.
Amazing, I like it.
Speaker 1 (11:15):
Some would call him a dick.
I hope that makes the cut floor.
I have no show.
It's my show, but I don'tunderstand it.
Speaker 2 (11:24):
Who knows.
Speaker 1 (11:28):
See, I've lost my train of thought with that.
If you could go back to anypoint in your life, when would
you go back and what would youdo differently?
Speaker 2 (11:38):
Oh man, I would like to bounce around.
I don't know if that would befair, but there are a lot of
moments there that I would like,like when I was a little kid
and I liked writing andeverybody else was like, oh,
it's creative writing time.
I would have gone you should dothis, you're great at it, it's
fine, you're going to bewonderful.
Math class, it's okay.
You're failing it, it's fine,you'll be fine.
And then, as a young businessperson, I would have said, all
(12:01):
right, there's going to be thisthing called hustle culture soon
.
Hustle bros here's a strictlist Like do not let these
people in your ears or in yourheart, in your mind, nothing
like steer clear, and I thinkyou're going to be a lot happier
and charge more always thatbalance.
Speaker 1 (12:26):
I tell people to charge more.
You do a few very inexpensiveto figure it out and then throw
a turd on the table and see whocleans it up, Like I mean, let's
say you're a hundred bucks foryour class, go charge 5,000 on
the next one and see whathappens.
The worst you could do isdiscount it to 2,000 people Like
, wow, what a deal.
Speaker 2 (12:40):
Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 1 (12:41):
Anyway, I mean it's true and it's a great advice.
You know, say no to more things, do all that.
I mean that's fantastic.
What's your must-read book?
Speaker 2 (12:51):
I got to go with Three Simple Steps because it
just dramatically, I didn't seeit coming.
You know, like you read books,you're like, yeah, whatever, and
then all of a sudden you'relike, oh my gosh, this whole
thing just changed my entirelife.
Those three simple steps.
Speaker 1 (13:03):
That one I've never heard of there's.
I hear a lot of the repeats onthere, but that's something new
there.
G Blake Steps.
All right, I'm going to readthat one.
I like that.
Simple is good.
Yeah, um, I mean, simple isdefinitely better than
complicated.
Can we just keep that in mind?
Yeah, and you're like, andprobably you're building your
dome and stuff, you're like yougot to keep facing that Like, do
(13:24):
we need that?
Do we need that?
Is that too much?
And I'm sure you're like no, wedon't need that.
Speaker 2 (13:28):
That's not the point Exactly.
Speaker 1 (13:30):
Running water generally airlock things, so
bugs don't get on me, I'm goingto throw that out there.
That's a must.
Yeah, sorry, it's fun, right,this is all good.
If there was a question Ishould ask today and I didn't
ask you, what would thatquestion have been and how would
you have answered it?
Speaker 2 (13:51):
I think it would be.
What would success really looklike to you?
Because that's changed for me alot and I've been thinking
about it a lot Like now.
Before it would have been likeoh, I'm feeding my family, this
is wonderful.
I have extra, I can give, thisis great.
I can invest a little bit, thisis nice.
Now, yeah, I want all that, ofcourse, but I also want to be
able to just go sit in a hammockand write or think or create
(14:15):
that kind of stuff.
So time spent down by the creekwith my feet in the creek
that's a day where I get to dothat and I get the great ideas
and I capture them.
Speaker 1 (14:31):
That's a successful day.
I like that.
I mean, the definition ofsuccess is something that I tell
lots of people you need todefine yourself and then, when
other people start defining itfor you, you won't ever find it.
Speaker 2 (14:39):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (14:39):
And I struggled.
I struggled with this one too,because I'm still, I'm still,
yeah, I'm stuck between themonetary and the free time and
other things.
So I, I, I battle with that one, I think almost hourly.
It's not even daily.
Yeah, it's like it's a thing.
Yesterday, though, I did spendthe entire most of the day just
like pretty much loading thedumpster because we're doing a
(14:59):
basement rehab, and I was likeyou know what I can do that.
Speaker 2 (15:02):
Oddly satisfying, isn't it?
I didn't really enjoy it.
No, I didn't say enjoyable, Isaid satisfying when you're done
right.
Speaker 1 (15:10):
Yes, when you're done , and I was like I am so glad to
be done with this.
The backdrop is I have a hurtfoot and I always feel like my
Achilles is about to blow off atany point.
So I was kind of like is thisthe moment?
Is this the moment it has to be?
It does as soon as it does.
It's one year of rehab and I'mlike it's going to suck.
Don't do that.
Not going to make the cut forhim.
(15:33):
Anyway, all right, thank you,by the way, susan.
Thank you so much for coming ontoday.
Who should get a hold of youand how do they do that?
Speaker 2 (15:42):
Yeah.
So people who are kind of tiredof having to shout into the
void and they're like why isnobody bothering to even listen
to what I'm doing?
I can help you with that, withyour writing.
But more than that, if you'relooking to host or go on a
retreat this summer or any timeof the year, I would love to
(16:02):
have you.
We're talking off grid, so it'sspecial.
It's not going to be all thebells and whistles of a Hilton,
but no beige carpet, no beigewalls.
You'd be outside.
Speaker 1 (16:14):
Some beige grass depends on the time of year,
Just to be fair.
There might be some beige grasswhere people are upset, but I
don't like beige.
Susan, thanks for joining ustoday.
I appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (16:24):
Thank you for having me.
I appreciate it.
You for having me.
Speaker 1 (16:26):
I appreciate it and those who are still listening
watching.
Thank you for being here and Ihope you get out there.
Go cut a tie to somethingholding you back at least the
best version of yourself, andthank you for listening.
Welcome to the Cut the Tie podcast.
Hello, I'm your host, ThomasHelfrich, and I am on a mission
to help you cut a tie towhatever it is holding you back
from success, from becoming thebest version of yourself.
And today we are joined bySusan Anderson.
Susan, how are you.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
I'm doing fantastic Better now that I'm talking with
you.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
Right, come on.
Not everyone has like aperiwinkle and magenta-ish,
pinkish background like I do.
If you're listening, I did myhomework, man, right.
Well, susan, take a moment,introduce yourself and what your
business does absolutely so.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
I'm susan anderson.
I'm the founder of idle wildwoods retreat center here in
northeast tennessee, and alsotriumph communications, which is
a copywriting firm I've beenrunning since 20 oh sorry, 2005,
20 years.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
What was the name, again, of your business?
The first one.
The first one is Idlewild Woods.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
It smells like nobody can ever smell it.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
I was going to ask that question, but is it a
wealth center or a health center?
Speaker 2 (01:01):
It is a retreat center, so this is where
entrepreneurs can come.
Unplug from everything, get offthe screens, go sit under a
tree, think great thoughts, comeup with their next brilliant
idea and meet real humansface-to-face, Share a campfire.
Speaker 1 (01:16):
What if it's raining?
If it's raining, do I have aplace to stay?
Speaker 2 (01:18):
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, we're building it very nice
Off-grid but luxurious.
Speaker 1 (01:24):
I like the idea of that.
When is it going to beavailable?
Speaker 2 (01:27):
Our very first geodesic dome is two-thirds of
the way built, so we're thinkingabout another month, month and
a half, before it's fullyoutfitted, and then it'll be
ready.
Speaker 1 (01:36):
So that would be in June, june, okay, that might be
an interesting place to do oneof the retreats.
It's like, hey, we're going togo check out this
entrepreneurial dome.
I may go check it out first andmake sure I don't go up there
and be like we could die.
Yeah, I'm not saying wewouldn't.
Just on the way up, don't stopat this gas station.
That guy may have murderedpeople.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
I do hear bad shows.
Keep driving.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
Tell me why, though, people should come to you for
this retreat, to you for thisretreat, like what makes you
unique?
Like why did they pick yourretreat spot?
Speaker 2 (02:10):
This place is.
It's gorgeous.
First of all, we've got a Creekrunning the whole 35 acres
length of this property, whichis amazing.
But really I mean I don't careif they come here, they go
somewhere else.
I just really want to getentrepreneurs outdoors off the
screens, get the stuff out oftheir ears.
No pod, no anything, anything.
Just go take a walk.
I feel like hustle culture kindof it can bite.
You know it's not good and wefall for it.
(02:33):
I spent the first 17 years ofbuilding my 20-year business.
I didn't go outside like Igotta work if we're not working.
What gary b said work your faceoff, you can sleep when you're
dead.
Turns out that's not greatadvice.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
No, it's not great advice.
You're spot on.
By the way, it's starting toget nice outside here.
It's now April in 2025.
Every time I walk outside,they're like just go to Garbage
Can or get mail.
I'm like why did I pick astudio, as opposed to just say
I'm going to do my phonewherever I want to be?
Anyway, I'm with you on that.
In your own journey, though,you have another business.
(03:09):
Your own journey is full, I'msure, of just challenges and
triumphs.
What's, though, been thehardest challenge, the hardest
tie, you've had to cut?
Speaker 2 (03:17):
Oh man, it's definitely this, the hustle
mentality, like I literally likeI didn't go out.
It's like you can take a restwhen.
Take a rest, go play whenyou're done with that was never
finished sentence.
It was like finish everythingand then you can go play.
It was stupid, it's.
It's costly to you personally,it's detrimental to your
(03:39):
business.
Yeah, you're not going to getthe same creative ideas kind of
important as a copywriter tohave creative ideas or as an
entrepreneur of any kind really,and just walking around outside
, do that first, not as a treatafter my gosh, what a difference
, just crazy your tie was I haveto cut this mindset that I have
(04:01):
to be always on working onthings.
Speaker 1 (04:03):
Do you have any regrets along?
Well, well, we'll get back.
I'm going to.
I'm going to pause that onebecause that's going to be
something that'll probably beanswered in another question.
So so, in your journey, you,you the biggest tie was a
mindset shift from getting Ihave to always be on, I have to
be working.
I can't take the time the wholeday to go through things to now
.
I.
Can you release this?
(04:25):
Do you remember the momentthough?
Speaker 2 (04:26):
when you knew it, that was the tie you were going
to cut.
Yeah, it was crazy.
I was.
I had done at Frank Kern right.
So he has this video on YouTubecalled perfect average day.
I watched that.
Two weeks prior I read thisbook by Trevor Blake.
Trevor G Blake called threesimple steps.
Dude has built numerous ninefigure businesses, starting when
he was 50.
And he spent.
He's like oh, I spend aboutfour hours a day working and
(04:49):
three of those hours I'm outwalking in the woods.
So this is all percolating.
I took the long drive fromBristol, tennessee, down to
Huntsville, going throughChattanooga, of course, lovely.
And all of a sudden it was likecrazy, hey, you should totally
build a retreat center forentrepreneurs up in Smokies.
Like, excuse me what, hold over, I'm taking mad notes.
(05:13):
I still got a long drive.
So I'm like all right, I'mdriving and writing, I'm not
watching, I'm watching the road,I'm just driving, driving and
writing.
And then you can imagine theconversation I get home hey,
honey, hear me out.
How about we sell everything,we go, move to the Smokies and
we build a retreat center forentrepreneurs?
God love him, I'll be.
(05:33):
Went with it.
Here we are.
It's crazy, it was memorable.
Speaker 1 (05:39):
That's amazing and and the fact that you said that
right, that you have thisretreat center, I listen.
I mean, I just here in Georgiamy wife and I were thinking
about business ideas that wepossibly could do together and I
said, hey, let's just go buyany kind of normal looking house
in the Blue Ridge and strip itdown, make it nice, put the
whole basement to be steam roomsand stuff and maybe not a pool
(06:03):
but like a cold plunge and a hottub outside and say here's a
safe, put all your phones inhere for the weekend yes and be
like obviously you can come takethem, but the idea is put them
in here and check out, likethere's no tvs on the wall,
there's not even wi-fi in there.
You know, it's maybe, it'sinternal maybe, but like the
point is you go there, then it'sa detox house, to go there and
do steam and do saunas and justlike read a book and listen to
(06:27):
music, and I was like I thinkpeople would be like hell, yeah,
I'm taking that place for aweek and I'm going up there and
you know, and here's a writingplace.
I love what you've done withthat Sell everything.
That's 10 X is easier than twoX mentality.
So I like, I like that idea.
All right, so you have themoment since doing it though you
know, actually I'm going togive an intermediary question
(06:49):
how did you take that moment andcut that tie?
Like you said, you soldeverything, but there's more to
that.
Like you had to find a property.
You know you could have gone upthere and like, oh, you can't
do that up here.
How did you take those steps tomake that a real thing?
Speaker 2 (07:02):
Yeah, I started talking about my vision, this
crazy vision that I had, likeanybody who'd hold still long
enough, I would talk to themabout it.
I went on podcasts.
I was at the time working for acompany called capitalismcom,
got on that podcast because workthere and I was able to attract
two angel investors to help usstart buying the property.
Talk to a realtor I'm like it'sgoing to be years, I'm sure.
(07:26):
But no, of course.
This was one of the firstproperties we saw and I was like
it became the litmus test forall other properties.
I'm like, no, this is the one,this is the one, very nuts.
So a little bit of money gotgoing on this thing.
We came here.
It's raw land, so it's been alot.
I've never done this before.
My in-laws used to owncampgrounds.
(07:48):
They developed and ownedcampgrounds.
They developed and ownedcampgrounds.
I'm like, hey, then I need someadvice.
Sometimes hubby had been inconstruction for a long time,
years and years ago, beforeopening a Volkswagen restoration
company which we grew and itwas world, world renowned, which
was really cool, but this was abig change.
Speaker 1 (08:07):
Yeah, that's a huge change and and and you had to
have vision and you had to youdo have to to find money.
That's something that to dothis, you have to be independent
, wealthy, or you got to bringsomeone who just says I
understand that, I believe in itand I see the potential for it,
and it's one of thosebusinesses that they know is not
, like a 10X exit, scalable.
I'm not even sure how you exitthat business and repeat the
(08:27):
model because you need land.
So, different conversation,maybe another podcast, another
day.
What advice would you give tothe listeners?
Speaker 2 (08:35):
Go outside, for Pete's sake, take a hike.
I'm going to be writing a bookbecause people keep saying you
ought to write a book.
You ought to write a book.
This will be my next book.
It's going to be called Take aHike and it's about hustle.
Culture can go take a hike, butalso we ought to go take a hike.
It doesn't take that much time10, 15 minutes.
Get out in the woods, justforward motion with your feet,
(08:55):
with nothing, that you're, noscreens or anything like this,
and it literally will do wonders.
It took me a while.
I didn't want to go outside.
I was like buggy, hot, boring,what the heck?
I lived in Alabama.
What was I going to do?
It wasn't going to be hot.
You don't want to go outside,but the more you do, it wasn't
going to be.
You don't want to go outside,but the more you do it, the more
it grows on you and before longyou're going to be like a fifth
grader, like jonesing forrecess time and trying to sneak
(09:18):
outside more and more.
And there's a reason for that.
We're not meant to be under,under the lights and in front of
screens all the time we'vestarted this thing called
camping.
Speaker 1 (09:27):
Apparently you spend a lot of time and effort putting
up a structure so you can beuncomfortable all night.
Yeah, I've done that.
That's awesome, yeah, but Iusually I really do like it.
So we've done it and we did inflorida last week and I will say
that I I told my wife it's only150 bucks for a week to have a
campsite.
I'm sure that's a lot forcamping, but it's like right on
the beach, right, and I'm like Iactually enjoy it because I
(09:49):
have.
I might shower, I may not, youknow it's.
I take a, we ride a bike to thebeach, we go fishing, we have
there's a little ice cream placethere.
It would.
I love it because, like on anow in the middle of summer,
probably not going to love that,that's gonna be way too hot,
nowhere to escape.
But right now in the fall orspring, yeah rapid fire.
Who gives you inspiration?
Speaker 2 (10:12):
Really the entrepreneurs.
I've worked with them for 20years and I kind of realized,
like wait, they take ownershipof a problem they never caused.
They devote themselves tocoming up with a solution to
serve people with it.
That's pretty freaking cool.
We can't do a whole lot toimpact the world, but that
really impacts our little cornerof it.
That's pretty freaking cool.
So I keep thinking of themanytime when it's cold, muddy,
(10:35):
buggy, wet, well, any of thatkind of stuff.
I'm like who am I doing thisfor?
Speaker 1 (10:40):
And right, I mean, that's a great one to be
inspired by.
It's like you get a new streamand your business serves them,
and so that's a nice fuel cycle.
What's some of the bestbusiness advice you've ever
received.
Speaker 2 (11:06):
I met a guy who said he says no to everything, like
any new person.
He's like it's no for the firstyear, so we really get to know
each other.
I was like that's so slow.
Amazing, I like it.
Speaker 1 (11:15):
Some would call him a dick.
I hope that makes the cut floor.
I have no show.
It's my show, but I don'tunderstand it.
Speaker 2 (11:24):
Who knows.
Speaker 1 (11:28):
See, I've lost my train of thought with that.
If you could go back to anypoint in your life, when would
you go back and what would youdo differently?
Speaker 2 (11:38):
Oh man, I would like to bounce around.
I don't know if that would befair, but there are a lot of
moments there that I would like,like when I was a little kid
and I liked writing andeverybody else was like, oh,
it's creative writing time.
I would have gone you should dothis, you're great at it, it's
fine, you're going to bewonderful.
Math class, it's okay.
You're failing it, it's fine,you'll be fine.
And then, as a young businessperson, I would have said, all
(12:01):
right, there's going to be thisthing called hustle culture soon
.
Hustle bros here's a strictlist Like do not let these
people in your ears or in yourheart, in your mind, nothing
like steer clear, and I thinkyou're going to be a lot happier
and charge more always thatbalance.
Speaker 1 (12:26):
I tell people to charge more.
You do a few very inexpensiveto figure it out and then throw
a turd on the table and see whocleans it up, Like I mean, let's
say you're a hundred bucks foryour class, go charge 5,000 on
the next one and see whathappens.
The worst you could do isdiscount it to 2,000 people Like
, wow, what a deal.
Speaker 2 (12:40):
Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 1 (12:41):
Anyway, I mean it's true and it's a great advice.
You know, say no to more things, do all that.
I mean that's fantastic.
What's your must-read book?
Speaker 2 (12:51):
I got to go with Three Simple Steps because it
just dramatically, I didn't seeit coming.
You know, like you read books,you're like, yeah, whatever, and
then all of a sudden you'relike, oh my gosh, this whole
thing just changed my entirelife.
Those three simple steps.
Speaker 1 (13:03):
That one I've never heard of there's.
I hear a lot of the repeats onthere, but that's something new
there.
G Blake Steps.
All right, I'm going to readthat one.
I like that.
Simple is good.
Yeah, um, I mean, simple isdefinitely better than
complicated.
Can we just keep that in mind?
Yeah, and you're like, andprobably you're building your
dome and stuff, you're like yougot to keep facing that Like, do
(13:24):
we need that?
Do we need that?
Is that too much?
And I'm sure you're like no, wedon't need that.
Speaker 2 (13:28):
That's not the point Exactly.
Speaker 1 (13:30):
Running water generally airlock things, so
bugs don't get on me, I'm goingto throw that out there.
That's a must.
Yeah, sorry, it's fun, right,this is all good.
If there was a question Ishould ask today and I didn't
ask you, what would thatquestion have been and how would
you have answered it?
Speaker 2 (13:51):
I think it would be.
What would success really looklike to you?
Because that's changed for me alot and I've been thinking
about it a lot Like now.
Before it would have been likeoh, I'm feeding my family, this
is wonderful.
I have extra, I can give, thisis great.
I can invest a little bit, thisis nice.
Now, yeah, I want all that, ofcourse, but I also want to be
able to just go sit in a hammockand write or think or create
(14:15):
that kind of stuff.
So time spent down by the creekwith my feet in the creek
that's a day where I get to dothat and I get the great ideas
and I capture them.
Speaker 1 (14:31):
That's a successful day.
I like that.
I mean, the definition ofsuccess is something that I tell
lots of people you need todefine yourself and then, when
other people start defining itfor you, you won't ever find it.
Speaker 2 (14:39):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (14:39):
And I struggled.
I struggled with this one too,because I'm still, I'm still,
yeah, I'm stuck between themonetary and the free time and
other things.
So I, I, I battle with that one, I think almost hourly.
It's not even daily.
Yeah, it's like it's a thing.
Yesterday, though, I did spendthe entire most of the day just
like pretty much loading thedumpster because we're doing a
(14:59):
basement rehab, and I was likeyou know what I can do that.
Speaker 2 (15:02):
Oddly satisfying, isn't it?
I didn't really enjoy it.
No, I didn't say enjoyable, Isaid satisfying when you're done
right.
Speaker 1 (15:10):
Yes, when you're done , and I was like I am so glad to
be done with this.
The backdrop is I have a hurtfoot and I always feel like my
Achilles is about to blow off atany point.
So I was kind of like is thisthe moment?
Is this the moment it has to be?
It does as soon as it does.
It's one year of rehab and I'mlike it's going to suck.
Don't do that.
Not going to make the cut forhim.
(15:33):
Anyway, all right, thank you,by the way, susan.
Thank you so much for coming ontoday.
Who should get a hold of youand how do they do that?
Speaker 2 (15:42):
Yeah.
So people who are kind of tiredof having to shout into the
void and they're like why isnobody bothering to even listen
to what I'm doing?
I can help you with that, withyour writing.
But more than that, if you'relooking to host or go on a
retreat this summer or any timeof the year, I would love to
(16:02):
have you.
We're talking off grid, so it'sspecial.
It's not going to be all thebells and whistles of a Hilton,
but no beige carpet, no beigewalls.
You'd be outside.
Speaker 1 (16:14):
Some beige grass depends on the time of year,
Just to be fair.
There might be some beige grasswhere people are upset, but I
don't like beige.
Susan, thanks for joining ustoday.
I appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (16:24):
Thank you for having me.
I appreciate it.
You for having me.
Speaker 1 (16:26):
I appreciate it and those who are still listening
watching.
Thank you for being here and Ihope you get out there.
Go cut a tie to somethingholding you back at least the
best version of yourself, andthank you for listening.
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