August 10, 2023 • 60 mins
Join Joyce, MaryBeth and special guest Kristen Brown, the talented woman who did Joyce's recent tattoo. Joyce candidly shares her first tattoo story, starting from the exhilaration of getting her first ink, the ensuing shame and regret, to the eventual removal. But it's not just about a tattoo; it's about the weight of our decisions and the depth of meaning we attach to them.
Transitioning from a mere art enthusiast to a hand poke tattoo artist, Kristen shares her fascinating professional journey. Hear how an Instagram post about a tattooing ritual sparked her career shift, the notable differences between hand-poked tattoos and machine-powered ones, and the conscious infusion of her energy into her art! And it doesn't stop there. Kristen also unveils her nomadic lifestyle and upcoming escapade to Morocco, along with her love story that's intertwined with her future plans.
Finally, we get to see Kristen's world fueled by yoga, adventure, and synchronicity. Her van isn't just a vehicle; it's a crucial part of her business journey. Discover how her life intersects with those she's most like, the magic behind her mystical van, and more. We also delve into her plans of establishing a tattoo studio in Morocco, thus creating an inspiring fusion of travel, art, and personal experiences. So, buckle up for a riveting ride with Kristen Brown and her tattoo tales, filled with art, transformation, and exploration.
Learn More about Modern Yoga.
Like us on Facebook.
Follow us on Instagram
Or Twitter.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Two microphones and make a full cast.
Two microphones and you make afull cast.
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
Hi, this is Joyce and this is Mary Beth.
Speaker 3 (00:31):
Welcome to the Modern Yoga Podcast.
Today's special guest isKristen Brown, and Kristen is
the owner.
I want to say you areIntentional Inc.
It's just you right, that'sfair.
Intentional Inc is the name ofher business.
Kristen did my tattoo and I'mso happy.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
I'm delighted that you agreed to do this podcast,
because I'm delighted that youjust used the word delighted in
a sentence.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
I had such.
I just had such a wonderfulexperience with you and I've
talked about it a little bit onthe podcast, but I am excited
and delighted, super delighted,to and that rhymes.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
So now you're a poet or a songwriter.
Speaker 3 (01:20):
Excited and delighted , I'm excited to dive deeper
into.
Oh, I should have coffee too.
We all do, you guys just dothat we all can sip.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
It was like you.
Before we get into theimportant stuff, I have a
serious question for Kristen.
Whatever beautiful locationyou're coming to us from, which
looks so zen and peaceful that Iwant to be there, but I'm
concerned that like did youlight a candle on that shelf and
it almost burned a hole in theceiling.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
Oh, oh, that is because this space is heavily
incense and the smoke has leftthat nice little mark on the
ceiling.
Speaker 2 (01:59):
And smoke is OK as long as there wasn't a flame
ready to reach up through thereand show you the sky.
Speaker 1 (02:05):
I'll have to do a nice little paint job over it
before I start with that it's agood story.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
It keeps character.
Speaker 3 (02:12):
For sure.
Speaker 2 (02:15):
So the shelf I'm speaking of I don't know if
you'll have any still photos ofthis, but there's there's a
beautiful shelf with plants andstuff, and then there's like a
little garland of hanging moons.
It's just.
I'm feeling very peaceful rightnow.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
That's the intention for the space, for sure.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
That's the intention for intentional ink.
Speaker 3 (02:37):
Does it make you want to get a tattoo?
Speaker 2 (02:38):
Mary Beth, I don't have that itch yet.
Speaker 1 (02:43):
You don't have any tattoos.
Speaker 2 (02:45):
I do not have any tattoos.
I'm one of very few people Iknow that doesn't have tattoos
Older, younger, everywhere.
I haven't gone down that road,yet I just switched categories
for you, huh.
Yeah, but yours is beautiful.
And actually at yoga I see somany there's not a lot of
clothes on people and I see somany beautiful tattoos and so
many not at all beautifultattoos.
(03:05):
I'm not delighted to see allthe tattoos.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
I never know what you're going to get.
Speaker 3 (03:12):
Right, this is true.
So I just kind of want to sharemy I guess story or journey
about my tattoo, and so I wroteit out this morning because I
because, it's Remember, we onlyhave an hour choice.
It's such a big deal to me,though I know Minimum relevant
(03:35):
words.
Mary Beth, I'm not sure who theauthor was of the story of my
tattoo, but I have recentlyassumed the responsibility of
writing the sequel.
It all started when an oldfriend of mine drew a logo for
his band called Slam and Sally.
I don't know if I've ever toldyou that before.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
Oh, I like the Slam and Sally part.
Is that like laying down Sallyonly without her consent?
Speaker 3 (03:56):
No, Sally was a guitar.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
Oh, and the band.
Speaker 3 (04:00):
The band sounded very much like the Black Crows who I
also love.
Not only were they good, theywere like a little family that I
spent a lot of time with duringcollege.
No, I never dated any of them,but I did watch their kids and
hang out at their parties andbefriend their wives and
girlfriends, some of whom I'mstill in touch with.
The logo was one thatencompassed music, peace, love,
(04:21):
woman and man, and I think itstruck me with a meaning that
was deeper than maybe it wasintended to be.
I don't know.
What I do know is I thoughtit'd be a cool tattoo.
A friend from a differentsocial circle had a lot of
tattoos, so I asked to beconnected to his tattoo artist
and I was introduced to Ron.
The original design was ofdripping paint.
(04:42):
Ron asked me multiple times ifI was sure I wanted it like that
or with clean lines.
I wanted it like it wasoriginally created, so he
suggested doing the outline witha tiny bit of color, letting it
heal and coming back to finishafter I physically and mentally
absorb it.
I loved it so much that Ididn't want to add any more
color.
It represented something thatmade me proud of who I was.
(05:03):
It meant I stood for peace,music, gender, equality.
My parents hated tattoos.
We were sort of forbidden fromgetting them.
I was 19 at the time and I hidit for several years, or at
least I thought I hid it.
My brothers were 12 and 9.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
It's on your ankle right.
Speaker 3 (05:20):
Yeah, and I showed them.
I wore a lot of socks.
I hate socks.
Who?
Speaker 2 (05:23):
trusts their 7 and 9-year-old brothers.
Speaker 3 (05:25):
I'm sorry, my brothers were 12 and 9.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
12 and 9.
Either way, who trusts a 12 or9-year-old boy?
Joyce.
Speaker 3 (05:32):
I was only 19.
I don't know.
I don't think they told on me.
They were kids, though theycouldn't keep a secret.
My tattoo became a reminder formy family to come down on me.
Like many parents of mygeneration, shame was the main
source of discipline In thistattoo.
That originally brought me somuch joy made me feel worse
(05:52):
about myself each time I lookedat it.
It was near my right ankle, soat first I thought, well, I
don't look here often, so it'sOK.
Then I couldn't stop thinkingabout it, and when I got to the
point when I was completelystressed out about it, I went to
the Cleveland Clinic and had aconsultation on its removal.
It took about two years andeight painful treatments, but
(06:14):
finally it was removed, and thatwas about 10 years after I got
it.
It was never forgotten, thoughyou couldn't see it, but it was
still there to me.
I still loved what I loved, andI think I fought who I really
was for a long time.
My dad passed away on October2nd 2020.
At this point, I was startingto feel more open about tattoos.
(06:34):
My dad was a Vietnam Warveteran and, although he had
never spoke of the war, he had amilitary funeral and I had such
mixed feelings about my dad'smilitary recognition.
Because he was drafted, he hadno choice.
He served on the front lines ofthe Marines and his experience
forever changed him.
I think his experiences tookhim and they kept him and he
(06:56):
rarely even mentioned it.
And yet here we are honoringhim in a military way.
I have nothing against themilitary.
Speaker 2 (07:03):
No, no, no, of course , but, as you said, it's only in
death.
Then there was this bigmilitary focus, when he never
spoke of it.
Speaker 3 (07:12):
I thought maybe I'll get my dad's military number
somewhere, but I couldn't thinkof the right place on my body.
I wasn't really excited aboutit.
And since he never talked aboutit, what would it really
represent?
My dad's emotional withdrawal?
I wouldn't say we were close ina way some fathers and
daughters are.
So would these numbers remindme of the military, the Marines,
the Vietnam War, all thesethings that kind of took my dad
(07:34):
away from me before I was born?
So was this a tattoo I reallywanted?
Or do I really want a tattooand I'm looking for an excuse to
get one?
Then it hit me.
I want my old tattoo back.
I want to reclaim thatpeace-loving, music-loving man
and woman-loving, art-loving,expressive piece of myself that
(07:54):
I beat up and buried long ago.
It felt so good to come to thisrealization that I didn't need
to make a plan.
I trusted that if it weresupposed to happen, it would.
And then this April, trevorHall posted photos of him and
his wife getting tattoos fromintentional ink.
So I clicked on the tag andimmediately wanted Kristen to
tattoo me.
Her work is incredible, it'smeaningful and it spoke to me
(08:15):
very loudly.
It turned out she was in theBuffalo area and James and I had
happened to have tickets to seeDave Matthews play at Darien
Lake in mid-June.
I messaged Kristen.
She said it would work.
She was going out of thecountry for a few weeks but if
all went as planned we mostlikely could do it.
So James and I left for Akron,new York, on Tuesday June 13.
(08:35):
My appointment with Kristen wasat 4 PM.
She told me to meet her atAkron Falls, which is a
beautiful park.
When we were getting close, shesent me her exact location.
I didn't quite understand howKristen operated.
I got the impression that shewasn't with the studio, though
she told me to look for her in awhite van.
James was like you want me todrop you off in a park.
Speaker 2 (08:55):
That's just what any girl wants to hear.
Look for me in a park in awhite van.
Don't ask any questions.
Speaker 3 (09:01):
James was like.
You want me to drop you off ina park with someone you've never
met, so she can give you atattoo in her van while I check
into her Airbnb.
Speaker 2 (09:09):
Yes, James, really Follow directions.
Speaker 3 (09:11):
I'm like, yes, absolutely.
I stepped into this littlesacred space.
Kristen offered me tea andwatermelon and incense was
burning and Trevor Hall wasplaying and the back doors were
open and we could hear the fallsand she asked for my story.
She wanted to understand and Ishared and she created and we
decided and then she pulled outroomy cards and that was awesome
(09:34):
and they completely nailed thesituation and spoke to me and it
was perfect.
And Kristen, this tattoo reallyhealed me.
I'm going to cry so.
Speaker 2 (09:44):
I oh cry.
We love crying on the podcast.
Speaker 3 (09:47):
Thank you so much.
You are so special, you havesuch a special gift and I just
feel really honored that I gotto spend some time with you and
I've been asked like if Ithought I would get another
tattoo and there's nothing rightnow that's like I really am
thinking about doing, but I knowthat if we cross paths again, I
would want to have thisexperience again.
(10:09):
So I know that I would haveanother tattoo and I'm already
okay with it.
Ever since I got this, Ihaven't.
I look at it every now and then, but it's like it's just
completed me.
I love it, I love it.
Speaker 2 (10:24):
Yeah, there's been no regrets with this one.
Speaker 3 (10:25):
And I don't care what other people think of it in a
good way.
I really, like everybody who'sseen it has loved it, but like
it's mine and so welcome again.
I would love to hear how youcame to do what you do.
I know I'm familiar with thisbeautiful space that you're
(10:48):
sitting in.
I didn't recognize the incenseburn stain on your ceiling when
I was there, but I know thatyou're.
I know exactly where you'resitting.
I can almost like smell it.
It's just, it's such a, it's areally cool thing that you're
doing.
Speaker 2 (11:05):
And how do you come to have Trevor Hall in your van?
Speaker 1 (11:10):
Well, he wasn't in the van.
So well, I'll share first likehow I started to do this.
It's been a crazy journey.
My 20s were all about just likefollowing whatever lit me up,
which happens to be like a lotof artistic kind of hobbies like
(11:32):
screen printing, lettering.
I've always been into art, sowhen I was in high school I was
in this like Academy of VisualArts, so it's in a lot of art
electives and it just crossed mymind like I'll be super dope to
be a tattoo artist at that time, like I wanted to do a million
(11:54):
things, so I never really putall of my energy into following
that.
Then, about three and a halfyears ago, I came across this
tattoo shop on Instagram.
They're looking at Mbali, theirname is Carmel House, and I just
saw that they were doing theselike rituals before tattoos, so
(12:17):
the Balinese woman would comeand they would do like a water
blessing and it just looked sobeautiful and sacred and it was
like nothing I'd ever seen inthe tattoo world before.
At that time and I was the oneand I we had a business together
and our kind of like end visionwas to have a retreat center,
(12:39):
and so it was like this would beso cool to offer at a retreat
center, something that couldhelp someone remember like a
transformative experience, butan intention behind it.
And so I was so inspired, likein that moment, that I grabbed
my sketchbook and I wrote downI'm gonna become a tattoo artist
(13:00):
.
I had no idea how to do that atthe time, so I just wrote down
some little bullets that Ithought were actions that I
could take.
And then, just from like talkingabout it and researching
tattoos, I started getting theseads on Instagram for stick and
poke kits and I was like, oh,this looks like a good way to
(13:23):
just start learning tattoo andworking with the skin.
So I bought one and I did oneon my toe and then all of my
friends started asking for them.
God bless them.
It's like, wow, y'all reallytrust me.
Speaker 2 (13:35):
Really.
I mean, in our last episode wetalked about me piercing my best
friend's ears in eighth gradewith a thumbtack, which is not a
lot more reckless than whatyour friends let you do.
Let me ask you did you alreadyhave any tattoos from
professionals before?
Speaker 1 (13:51):
Yes, okay, not too many.
Most of the ones I have now arejust practiced from myself.
Speaker 2 (13:58):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (13:59):
But I didn't have a few before that and they were
never like good experiences.
So what I wanted to do wascreate an experience, because I
feel like there's so much powerin a tattoo and so after I
started tattooing my friends, Ijust really fell in love with
(14:21):
this hand poke thing.
Like it seemed to really fit myenergy more, like it's more
gentle, it's quieter, it feelsmore intentional to me, like I
as the artist, with each poke,can kind of put my love in a
prayer or a good energy intothat tattoo.
(14:42):
So, yeah, I just never stoppedit, so let me stop you again
here.
Speaker 2 (14:46):
So the hand poke then is different than what many
people might, who don't know,associate with tattoo artists,
where you hear sort of thatdentist drill kind of thing
coming at you.
Speaker 1 (14:55):
Yeah, yeah.
So it's not machine powered.
It's just I'm using the sameneedles, same ink, same process.
It's just a different technique.
So it's not powered by amachine.
It's not like grinding againstyour skin, it's just poke by
poke.
I'm almost like lifting theskin up and putting the ink
underneath.
That makes sense, yeah, andthen just doing it like the dots
(15:20):
are like so close together thatit makes a line.
Speaker 2 (15:24):
Excellent.
Speaker 3 (15:27):
That's a lot of dots.
It's never really thought of Alot of prayers, a lot of prayers
.
Speaker 2 (15:33):
Which is so true, though.
You are able to sort of infuseyour energy, which Joyce and I
have talked about relating toteaching yoga as well.
They're touching people On thedays when you don't feel awesome
.
I'm sure other people's energycan turn you around, but do you
balk a little bit then at kindof worrying about transferring
any bad energy to somebody?
Speaker 1 (15:56):
Oh, 100%.
I actually just recentlychanged the way that I schedule
myself.
For a while I was sketchingmyself like a crazy person.
I hate saying no and I lovewhat I do, but it does get to be
draining, like on my body, andjust I wasn't prioritizing that
(16:18):
time for myself my morning, atnight, 14, and then taking care
of myself.
So I just started to feel likein such a funk and obviously I
want to take care of myself, butI also don't want that to be
projected onto somebody else.
So it was really important forme not just for me but for
(16:38):
everybody who's in this space toschedule myself a little bit
differently so that the energyis all good.
Speaker 2 (16:45):
Yeah, and that's the only way to say it.
It wasn't for you, evennecessarily.
It was for the people that youserve.
That's what I wish more peoplecould get to.
Speaker 1 (16:54):
I think the things that we do that are selfish are
really selfless, because thatenergy that you give yourself,
you're then able to get toothers.
Speaker 2 (17:04):
Yeah, and we say that in words, but it's hard for
people to really understand youare serving differently or not
giving the best product, orwhatever it is that you do if
you're tapped out.
So yeah, I remember.
Speaker 3 (17:18):
I think the day that we were messaging cause I was on
the way and you said I'm goingto take a nap and then I'll get
up and prepare, and I was like,oh, that's kind of cool.
Speaker 2 (17:34):
She's going to be well rested, Not only is she
taking a nap, but she'sadmitting that she's taking a
nap.
It's like part of the process,yeah.
Speaker 1 (17:43):
Yeah no, I try to be really transparent with people
and how I'm feeling and what I'mdoing to prepare for this space
.
Speaker 2 (17:53):
And they have to make life easier.
Speaker 3 (17:55):
And when I saw where you were this park is just
beautiful, the falls arebeautiful and she, when you
tattooed me, I was layingbasically on your bed when the
doors were open and it was justso incredibly relaxing that it
would probably be an amazingplace to take a nap.
So the energy that you'retaking in, I feel like came out
(18:21):
in your tattoo too.
Speaker 1 (18:24):
It seems clear that it did.
That's just adds to the space.
Yeah, yeah, it's such animportant part of the process
that kind of goes unseen.
Speaker 3 (18:33):
Oh, it's seen.
Well, I saw it.
Kristen is also a yoga teacherand as she and I we're talking,
we had at some point, I think, Ilooked at you and I'm like are
we the same person?
We've done a lot of verysimilar things.
So I didn't do my teachertraining in India, but you spent
(18:54):
some time in India.
When did you do your teachertraining?
Speaker 1 (18:59):
It was February to March of 2019, and I did it in
Rishikesh, India.
And how long were you there?
Speaker 3 (19:07):
A month A month.
You don't mess around when yougo out of town.
We're out of the country.
She's not like she's not doinga day trip to St Petersburg, but
that way.
Speaker 2 (19:18):
Like you, yeah, yeah.
So, kristen, are you kind of anomad?
I mean, are you based somewhere?
Speaker 1 (19:24):
I would say so, yeah, so my hometown is Buffalo, new
York.
I'm not a winter girly, so forthe past few years I have
traveled down to Florida for thewinters.
So I go back and forth betweenthe two mainly.
I've taken a few trips outsideof that.
That's why I have the van.
(19:44):
It makes it easier for me to dothat.
But I've done a fewinternational trips and I am
actually moving to Morocco, so Ijust officially bought my
one-way ticket yesterday.
Speaker 3 (19:59):
Oh, oh my goodness, tell us that story.
That's a good one.
Speaker 2 (20:07):
I'm already sad.
I just met you online a fewminutes ago and I'm like what
are you talking about?
Speaker 3 (20:11):
You're about to schedule a tattoo, so I'll just
have to come to Morocco.
Speaker 1 (20:15):
Oh, wow.
So back in May, I took afive-week trip with my friend
Jess and we visited a bunch ofcountries along the
Mediterranean and Europe,morocco being one of them, and
so, previous to this, I metsomeone through my ex actually.
(20:39):
And so my ex was Moroccan.
He was born in the States andhe went to Morocco last summer,
spent a lot of time with one ofhis friends, came back so I got
to meet that friend on FaceTime.
I remember from the very firstFaceTime his English wasn't that
good but he just had thiscontagious big smile, such good
(21:02):
energy.
I could tell he was so genuineand joyful so I loved any time
that he would fall over together.
And then when my ex and I brokeup, he was always on my team
fighting for me and then westayed in touch.
(21:23):
He actually asked my ex if itwas okay if he started talking
to me.
Speaker 2 (21:30):
I was going to say are they still friendly?
Speaker 1 (21:32):
Yeah, I was going to say no, but he was always just
so respectful, so kind, and sothe FaceTime.
Here and there we talkedthrough messaging and I told him
that my friend and I werecoming to Morocco.
So we went on a FaceTime calland he planned our entire trip
(21:53):
for us, like a whole itinerary,and wrote it all out, sharing
his screen with me and showingme the places that he was
recommending.
And it was just so sweet, itwas so thoughtful.
He sent that to me.
So when I went to Morocco, Iwent there first by myself for a
week.
My friend Jess wasphotographing in Spain and so I
(22:15):
got to spend time with him andthen I left, met up with my
friend Jess and then her and Iwent back to Morocco together.
We were about three and a halfhours from where he lives, but
he ended up coming to meet usbecause our first day was just
so chaotic and we had so muchtrouble like we got lost trying
(22:38):
to find our way in.
So I sent him our location.
He pulled it up on his laptop,was like watching us walk
through the Medina and liketrying to get us back, and he
was like you know what?
I'm just going to come help youguys so he came and he just
helped us our entire way throughMorocco.
Speaker 2 (22:59):
What a gentleman.
Speaker 1 (23:01):
So, like truly unlike anyone I've ever, any man I've
ever met, and so I reallystarted falling in love with him
, and for a while I had beentalking about living outside of
the States for a bit, but thismade it feel more real and so,
(23:23):
yeah, I just, I just decided Iwould, instead of going to
Florida for the winter, I wouldgo to Morocco and start to live
my life with this beautiful man.
Speaker 2 (23:35):
Wow.
So there's no expiration dateor return ticket.
You're just going to go wherethe wind leads you at this point
.
Speaker 1 (23:43):
Yeah, I mean I still plan to come back to the States
in the summer.
My family's here, it's reallyhard to leave my family.
Speaker 2 (23:53):
I'm sure that was my next question is do you have
family there and how do theyfeel about that big move?
Speaker 1 (23:59):
Yeah, they're not happy about it.
I really I hate breaking mymom's heart, but I also have to
follow my own, so it's been areally it's been hard to
navigate actually.
Speaker 2 (24:14):
I'm sure we we just talked about, even on the
smaller scale of you needing totake a nap or make your
boundaries for your businesslike the person you would be
holding yourself back fromwhatever you feel like your
destiny is wouldn't be theperson you should be.
But that's hard.
Mom's are hard.
(24:34):
It's hard.
Speaker 3 (24:37):
I think when, when I was there, you you had mentioned
that it's much easier for youto go to Morocco than for him to
come here, right?
Speaker 1 (24:45):
Yeah, yeah, Just because of like visas.
Like I, I actually justrecently learned of this, but
we're we're pretty privileged tobe born in the States and have
our passport and be able to gowherever we want with relative
ease.
(25:07):
So for him it would probably bea very lengthy and annoying
process of like filling outapplications and like interviews
, and I can take anywhere fromlike two to six months, I
believe, to actually get thevisa.
So it's just a lot more of aheadache, whereas for me I can
just book my flight, show up,show on my passport and welcome
(25:29):
to Morocco.
Speaker 2 (25:31):
Is there?
Yeah, you're right, that'sanother thing.
We don't always know about.
That we just take for grantedwe get to do what we want.
Speaker 1 (25:37):
Yeah, I, I and so similar.
In Morocco, like when we werein Turkey, we were finding the
same thing, like people we metwere telling us that they have a
lot of trouble traveling andit's just not easy for them.
So it makes me sad, honestly.
Speaker 3 (25:54):
Yeah, well, and there's a.
I mean there's so many otherprivileges that we have that you
don't really realize orunderstand until you've gone
somewhere where they don't haveprivileges.
And I know I've spoken to bothof you about my trip to Nepal
but like there's not a garbagesystem or electricity all the
(26:16):
time, or you know, if you don'thave money to put shoes on your
kids, you don't have shoes onyour kids.
You know there's not agovernment system that will pick
you up and support you or put aroof over your head.
You know, and we can read aboutthat or hear about that.
(26:38):
I think until we reallyexperience something like what
we're talking about, it doesn'treally settle, you know, into
like wow, this is, this countryis pretty amazing, even though
sometimes we feel like it's notamazing you know with political
climate and everything, but likeit's, it's, we're, we're very,
(27:00):
very privileged to live here.
Speaker 2 (27:03):
We are, and we're usually thinking about it in one
way or the other, like we'reeither bashing it, but some of
these things are so secondnature to us that we would be,
we would balk, in a foreign land, like what do you mean?
I can't get seen at thehospital.
What do you mean?
I can't get this power turnedon?
Yeah, garcon, give me thebottle please.
Speaker 1 (27:26):
Something to get used to is not being able to just
like, order Amazon and have itat my doorstep in the next day
yeah, which is like, and that Ifeel shameful that I have fallen
prey to that whole system, butit is.
It's so convenient, and so I'mreally craving a simpler and
(27:46):
slower life, but there willdefinitely be some adjustments.
Speaker 2 (27:51):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (27:52):
So can you go there with an open-ended like agenda,
Can you?
Is there a certain amount oftime that that you can be there,
or is there, like you know, isit?
Speaker 1 (28:04):
90 days.
Speaker 3 (28:05):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (28:07):
Um, but he's told me that it's pretty simple or easy
to get residency.
Um, no-transcript, not like theactual citizenship.
Yeah, but residency I guessshouldn't be a problem.
But yeah, I think you can bethere 90 days without a problem.
Speaker 2 (28:30):
Wow, and that's a lot .
That's good.
That gives you time to get thelay of the land and see how you
feel.
Speaker 3 (28:37):
It's exciting.
What is the weather like there?
Speaker 1 (28:40):
It depends where you are in the country.
So more inland is like desert.
So right now it's probably upto like one 15, one 20.
Oh my God, but it's dry.
It's dry heat.
Up in the north, like Tangier,it's like right across from
Spain, it can get colder in thewinters.
(29:02):
You can even see snow, like inhigh Atlas Mountains, and then
along the coast it's pretty mild, like winters, I think are like
50s, 60s, and then summer like80s A little different than
Buffalo.
Yeah, yeah, most evidently InCleveland.
Speaker 3 (29:18):
There's a practically the same.
Speaker 2 (29:20):
There's a musician here in Cleveland from Buffalo
named Thor Platter.
I don't know if you've everheard of him, just a local
Buffalo guy.
I'm sorry, thor, I'm trying.
Speaker 3 (29:30):
I'm always talking about.
Speaker 2 (29:31):
Trevor Holland, you're always talking about Thor
Platter.
Thor Platter, well, there's asong.
He wrote a song about Buffalo.
It's got one line in it aboutcold, snowy Buffalo, which is
kind of what you think of.
That's the best.
Speaker 3 (29:42):
Buffalo.
Yep, that's very interesting.
Have you ever spent any timethere, mary Beth?
Speaker 2 (29:46):
Not a lot of time, just mostly around the Niagara
Falls experience as a kid.
Or I have some relatives inToronto and stuff, so through
Buffalo but not a ton of timeactually in Buffalo.
Speaker 1 (29:58):
But I like the word Buffalo.
It's actually a little jam, butjust not in the winters, and
the winters seem to last ninemonths, yeah.
Speaker 3 (30:07):
Yeah, our winters aren't funny either, but I think
you have it a little bit worse.
Speaker 2 (30:11):
For sure.
Speaker 3 (30:12):
Yeah, buffalo was interesting.
I mean, we spent, like what,two and a half three days there
and we went to the falls becausewe were close and that was
actually really nice.
But I guess I was I don't knowwhy, as this is coming out of my
mouth like I was so surprised.
I was surprised how rural itwas, at least where we were.
(30:32):
You know, I don't know thatactually we didn't really go
into.
Maybe I wasn't actually inBuffalo, I think I was just in
the burbs, right Cause, yeah,how far is Akron from Buffalo
itself?
Speaker 1 (30:46):
Probably like 35, 40 minutes.
Speaker 3 (30:48):
So just like Akron and Cleveland, we we have an
Akron here.
Speaker 1 (30:52):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (30:53):
We have a lot of similar, similar city and town
and county names here as well.
So do you teach yoga?
Speaker 1 (31:04):
I haven't taught in a while.
I was.
I was teaching for a bit, likeright after I came back from my
training and was like on fireabout it.
I still love it and I still Ido really miss teaching, but my
lifestyle, like the nomadiclifestyle, just hasn't been
conducive to you know, likehaving a weekly class or
(31:27):
anything like that.
So I definitely look forward tothe day that I teach again, but
it's it's something that'salways with me.
Speaker 2 (31:36):
Yeah for sure.
Do you practice just on yourown?
Speaker 1 (31:40):
My practice definitely ebbs and flows, so I
have been in kind of a big ebband and that I'm referring to
like my movement, the awesomepractice right.
Speaker 2 (31:54):
Thank you for clarifying that, yeah.
Speaker 1 (31:56):
Yeah, the yamas and the yamas and all of that.
Speaker 2 (31:59):
I was going to say the rest of that seems like it's
very much part of your life andyour business.
Speaker 1 (32:04):
Yeah, yeah, I mean it has changed the way that
operate in the world, justbecause of the way it's changed
by inner world.
But yeah, as for the awesomepractice, it's definitely,
definitely ebbs and flows.
Just over the past few days,I've like made a commitment to
myself to just doing some yogabefore going to bed and it's
(32:27):
made such a drastic impact on mywell-being like immediately.
I kind of fell out of a lot oflike the habits that I do for
myself.
Like I was saying, I wasscheduling myself for your crazy
person, not leaving a lot oftime to like take care of myself
.
So the last three days Icommitted to not having my phone
(32:49):
on from 9pm to 9am just doingsome meditation morning and
night, a little bit ofstretching, and I have this
little like Oro ring that tracksmy sleep and my heart rate and
things like that, andimmediately my resting heart
rate went down.
My heart rate variability wentup, which is kind of like shows
(33:11):
like your ability to managestress.
My sleep went up, so everythingjust like immediately.
Speaker 2 (33:20):
So that's something.
It's not just you saying, oh, Ifeel better.
Speaker 1 (33:24):
I mean this is measurable results.
Yeah, it was crazy.
Speaker 2 (33:28):
Do you live in your van, that you that you do your
tattoos from?
Speaker 1 (33:33):
It's more part time Like when.
I'm here at home.
I just stay at home with myparents when I'm in Florida.
I live in it, but I also have alot of friends.
Speaker 2 (33:44):
Yeah, so you just sort of let yourself go follow
whatever wherever you're goingto be.
Speaker 1 (33:53):
Yeah, but I'm definitely ready for, like a
home grounded space.
It's good this has anexpiration date.
Speaker 2 (34:01):
Yeah, and now, how did Trevor Hall find you?
Speaker 1 (34:06):
So that's a crazy story actually.
So I went to see him at RedRocks last April and a few
months before going I startedjust saying like I want to
tattoo Trevor Hall.
And then I started saying likeI'm going to do it.
And it didn't happen at RedRocks, and then I, about a month
(34:33):
later, I hired this mentor forlike a one off, like business
meeting.
He's actually the owner ofKarma House, the tattoo shop
that inspired me to starttattooing.
He's a great, super powerful,yeah, in Bali.
Speaker 2 (34:49):
That was the place in Bali, right.
Speaker 1 (34:51):
Yeah, was he here.
He's originally from Vancouverbut he's opened like I don't
know.
He's on like business numbereight, maybe yeah.
He's a really really great guy.
He's got a lot of like amazingstories and he was really
helpful in giving me some likebusiness actions to take to grow
(35:15):
my business.
But his very first question waswho's your dream tattoo client?
And I said Trevor Hall and Ihave it written down like in the
app that we're using for ournotes, and it was maybe a month
later.
I was going to see him inCanada but I put out a flash
(35:35):
sheet just a few days before andit was just little tattoos that
were inspired by his music andart and hit the other band gone,
gone beyond their music and art.
So I tagged them both in it andit wasn't until the day of that
I got a message from Trevor Hall.
He was like hey, are you inCanada?
(35:57):
I'd love to get some ink.
I lost one.
Speaker 2 (36:02):
I know the power of social media.
Just that you tagged him andand he saw it, or somebody put
it in front of his nose.
Speaker 1 (36:09):
Yeah, I guess his wife.
I'm ready to saw it and showedhim.
So, yeah, I got to tattoo himthat day Was your hands shaking.
Speaker 2 (36:20):
Were you so nervous?
Speaker 1 (36:22):
It.
I was definitely a littlenervous like going to the venue,
but he's just such like a downto earth easy going guy that it
just felt really natural andeasy to be there.
So good, and then has he sharedor supported your business?
Speaker 2 (36:39):
Has he shared it on social media?
Is that how Joyce found out?
Speaker 1 (36:42):
Yeah, yeah, he shared a video that day.
And then I've gotten to tattoohim two other times as well and
he's he's been really great.
Speaker 2 (36:53):
And did that impact your business right away.
Speaker 1 (36:56):
Yeah, I got to new followers and there are people
like Joyce that like hey, Ifound you through Trevor Hall
and and that's always reallycool because I made so many of
my friends through his music andhis music has impacted me so
much the last 10 years, so itwas really just so special to be
able to give something back tosomeone who, without even
(37:16):
knowing it, has changed my life.
Speaker 2 (37:19):
And isn't this like the best of humanity right here,
Like just this connection overthings that may maybe
meaningless or not, but likejust the connection, like
helping each other out, Like canwe all just be citizens
together and help each other outwith stuff?
I know a guy who does this.
I know a guy who does this.
We share a love of this musicor art or whatever.
Speaker 1 (37:38):
Oh, I might cry now too, Joyce.
I think those things are slowlyhappening in little pockets of
the world.
So we just have to keep going.
Speaker 3 (37:47):
Well, kristen and I, after I read where I pulled the
roomy cards, I was very silentreading because I was a little
taken aback, although I wasn'tsurprised because things like
this happened to me.
But we were talking about how,how, when you're open to to
receiving messages, they'reright there in front of you.
Speaker 2 (38:10):
Oh, my gosh.
Speaker 3 (38:11):
You know, and so I shared some stories about you
know, like my wedding dress andlike other other other things,
that, like the, the, when I hadmy inner child tarot cards read
to me before we opened the yogastudio and there was an ice
skater and an infinity symboland and I can talk about that on
(38:32):
another podcast but we weretalking about or I said like I
wonder how many signs I missedprior to being open, you know,
and and I wonder if if I'mmissing any now, you know, but
they're like if, if you're open,they're just there, yeah.
Speaker 2 (38:53):
That's the whole point of the of taking the time
whether it's meditation or yogaor prayer or just the space is
that if you're so busy workingand running on the treadmill all
the time, you are running rightpast that stuff and sometimes
it's really important stuff andreally great stuff.
Speaker 1 (39:10):
Just yesterday I bought a planner for Marshall's
course.
You know, you go in thecheckout and they get you at the
last moment.
Speaker 2 (39:18):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (39:19):
That's a very best planner for Marshall's checkout.
Speaker 2 (39:22):
Yeah, I bought this stuff on the line.
Speaker 1 (39:25):
Yeah, I'm such a sucker for a good planner, so I
bought one and, yeah, the coversare so nice and everything.
Yeah, they're so cute, theyreally get you.
But this one, it has like thesecute little stickers in it and
there was a flight sticker.
So I was like, oh, I'm going towrite my flight in.
It was the very first thing Iwrote in this planner, so I
flipped the page, put it in.
(39:46):
And then I looked on the nextpage and it says the right
choice will never feel wrong.
And it was just like exactlywhat I the confirmation that I
needed.
Like I feel really right aboutmaking this move, but just
knowing how it impacts my familyhas been really tough.
(40:09):
Yeah, so it's just like this,this nice little confirmation,
like okay.
Speaker 2 (40:14):
Right, because that's hard to discern the voice Like
do I feel right about this?
Yeah, I do.
It's the other thing.
That's yeah, so that's goodNice.
Speaker 3 (40:25):
How do you, how long do you think, or do you have, or
have you even thought about, doyou think you'll be tattooing
for open-ended?
Speaker 1 (40:35):
Yeah, I can't imagine not doing it.
I'm always open to my pathchanging and evolving, as it has
so far.
But this has really been, likeI said in the beginning of the
podcast, like my 20s were allabout just like following
everything that lit me up, andthis has been the thing that has
(40:55):
kind of brought everything likefull circle.
It really like plays on a lot ofmy strengths of like I'm
naturally pretty introverted,but I also am really good at
listening and I'm good atholding space for people and
good in like those intimatesettings and it challenges me
artistically and really greatways, really frustrating ways
(41:20):
sometimes, but you know it'sjust been really good for my
growth and my strengths in somany ways.
So it's helping me to be abetter person.
Speaker 2 (41:32):
Just following your passion always does More people
could get there.
Can I ask how old you are?
30.
30?
The big three?
Speaker 1 (41:43):
oh, I have a feeling my 30s are going to be good.
Speaker 2 (41:48):
Yeah, a guest recently.
Joyce, I'm trying to think, ifit was, she was talking about a
podcast she was listening tocalled Almost 30 or something
that was really good Was it.
Makayla.
It was Makayla, I think.
Yeah, I think that's what I'mtrying to figure out.
Will you be able to continuethis in Morocco?
Yeah, so we'll ask you.
Speaker 1 (42:10):
But as a culture it's definitely not as accepted.
It's a mostly Muslim countryand that's it's kind of like
against their religion.
But from what I've experienced,they're also like a more open
country and they're verywelcoming, very kind people.
But when I went there the firstweek in Casablanca, I actually
(42:36):
did a guest spot at a tattooshop and they were great.
They were so friendly.
I'm really excited to go back.
But we visited this littlevillage along the coast and it's
like a surf village and it'sall like surf yoga retreats and
there's no tattoo studios.
(42:57):
I really fell in love with thevillage.
It's kind of just starting tobloom Like little cafes are
popping up, there's a lot oftourists, and so my plan is to
open a studio there.
Speaker 2 (43:12):
Excellent.
What will become of thismagical, mystical van?
Speaker 1 (43:17):
I'm going to sell her and I have a friend that's
interested.
It's a girl that I've tattooedbefore and I would be so happy
to give it to her.
So, I'm hoping that works out.
So I'd love to like follow thecontinued journey and see her be
loved.
Speaker 2 (43:37):
Yes, that's like your blood, sweat and tears in there
.
How long have you had the van?
Speaker 1 (43:43):
Almost two years and my.
So I bought it empty and my dadbuilt it out and like two and a
half weeks, which is justamazing.
Speaker 3 (43:55):
It is really cool inside.
It's just a really I mean evenjust the tiny bit.
Speaker 2 (43:59):
I can see it's like such a home.
I can feel such a home.
Speaker 1 (44:03):
I would show you the rest, but I've got like dishes
in my sink and those are all inthe sink.
Speaker 2 (44:07):
Yeah, listen, we understand that.
Speaker 3 (44:10):
Joyce and I are normal people.
Speaker 2 (44:13):
There's dishes in our sink too.
Both of us, at least mine,Joyce.
Can you boast dishes in yoursink right now?
Speaker 3 (44:18):
Actually, I think they're in the dishwasher right
now.
Well, there's a few.
Speaker 2 (44:21):
I don't have a dishwasher.
I don't have a dishwasher, andI made one of Aaron's daughter's
eggs for myself this morningbecause I had fast food
yesterday.
Speaker 3 (44:33):
Kristen, you mentioned Canada.
Is that how you say it A coupleof times?
That's not too far from you,right?
Speaker 1 (44:43):
It's about an hour and a half from me.
I'm in the Finger Lakes area,so it's like just outside of
Rochester, oh my God.
It's a busy trip though.
Speaker 2 (44:56):
My husband's uncle.
I'm sorry who we just lost wasfrom Rochester, so we were just
in Rochester.
I've heard it.
Speaker 1 (45:05):
It's like neighbors to Buffalo.
Speaker 3 (45:08):
I've heard that's a beautiful venue wherever.
I think Trevor Hall playedthere recently, right.
Speaker 1 (45:14):
Oh my God, it's so cute, so cute.
It's like a farm and you canwalk around.
There's a big pond, there's agarden.
They usually have a sun carfield, so it's like a little
music festival.
Yeah, yeah, it's so cute andall ages there were just kids
kicking around soccer ballsrunning.
(45:34):
It was really sweet.
Speaker 3 (45:37):
That's awesome, I think.
Well, he posted about beingthere and I was like why didn't
we go to that one?
And I don't know if it was likeI don't know what it was, but I
have to get there now for somemusic because it sounds like
he'll come back there for sure.
But the last place that youwere at or I don't know if it's
(46:01):
the last place, but somewherewhere you were at in these last
few weeks that you posted quitea bit about looks like you were
tattooing in a yoga studio thatkind of had a window that looked
out over the water.
Yeah, it was there because Iwanted to just get in the car
and go meet you.
It looked amazing.
Speaker 1 (46:19):
Oh my God, stunning.
So I was convinced it waspronounced Skeneadles, but
apparently it's Skinny Atlas.
It's one of the finger lakes inthat area.
So the studio I was at iscalled Sky Yoga.
It was really crazy how thathappened.
(46:41):
So I was talking to this girl,courtney.
She was asking me to come outfor this festival they're having
in August and I was trying tofigure out my schedule and again
, like I've been in kind of likea burnout, so I'm trying to be
honest to myself about what Ican handle and whatnot, but
(47:02):
anyway.
So I was trying to figure outif I was going to go to that or
not.
And then I had to go out toSeneca Lake.
I think it was last week that Iwent for a wedding tattoo.
I had a couple of friends thatgot married at this private
waterfall and so they invited meto come out and they got the
(47:24):
waterfall tattooed.
It was really sweet and special, absolutely beautiful.
And then my friend, kevin, who'sa musician, kevin Parris, if
you've never heard him,definitely look him up.
He's got the voice of an angel.
But he was going on tour and Iwas like, oh, who's going to
(47:45):
Buffalo?
I haven't seen him in so long.
So I was checking out all theplaces that he was going and I
saw Skinny Atlas and I was like,where is this?
I had no idea what it even was.
When I clicked on it, I sawCourtney's name, and so she's
the woman that I was talking toabout the festival.
So it was just this reallyweird synchronicity, and so I
(48:06):
decided that I would rearrangemy schedule to be able to just
stay out on the lakes that week.
And so that Thursday KevinParris was doing a live yoga
event, so he was playing liveacoustic for two yoga classes
and I decided to pop up at theyoga studio before that.
(48:29):
So I walked into the studio andI almost cried the moment I saw
it, because I've beenenvisioning in my mind what I
want my studio in Rocco to lookand feel like, and I really
wanted to be this closed spacebut big open doors to see the
water.
And that was exactly what itwas.
Speaker 2 (48:49):
So it was so crazy.
Speaker 1 (48:52):
And then, before getting the day started, Kevin
had asked to play us a song.
So we were just laying there inShavasana and as soon as I
dropped into the space, he'stuning his guitar.
It felt like a moment.
I literally jumped up.
So it was a really really crazyexperience.
Speaker 2 (49:10):
Like almost a deja vu feeling.
Speaker 1 (49:12):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, it was so cool and I get to go out
there again in August for thisfestival.
Different little, differentlocation, but yeah, just the
synchronicities of how it allhappened.
And Courtney was just so great,just like super kind, really
hospitable and welcoming.
Speaker 2 (49:35):
And so at the same time, we talk about the whether
it's social media or technology,and what it takes from us.
I mean it is giving as well,Like a lot of these
synchronicities happen becausewe have that opportunity to
touch each other more easily inthis Medium.
Speaker 1 (49:54):
Yeah, it's such a blessing when it's used right,
but there's such a fine line and, like it's all, a good balance
to use in it.
Speaker 2 (50:04):
Like everything.
Speaker 3 (50:08):
I wanted to also mention you know Kristen talked
about the hand how she does handpoke.
Have you ever done it with aregular or traditional needle?
I guess this is hand poke isprobably more traditional.
Speaker 1 (50:21):
Yeah, it depends on how you look at it.
So I bought a machine back inDecember.
Time is so weird, but I reallyonly played with it for a few
minutes and I've.
It's definitely always kind oflike floating around, like
whether I want to incorporatethe machine or not.
Speaker 2 (50:44):
Because it's quicker, or does it give you other
capabilities?
Speaker 1 (50:47):
It's quicker and the lines definitely come out a
little bit like cleaner.
Speaker 2 (50:52):
Sure.
Speaker 1 (50:55):
Because it's just a different aesthetic.
Speaker 3 (50:58):
Gotcha.
Speaker 1 (51:01):
Yeah, so I've played around with incorporating it,
but I always just fall back onlike how much I love hand poke
and how like sweet of anexperience it is.
Speaker 3 (51:11):
So you can't.
Can you use color with handpoke?
Speaker 1 (51:15):
Yeah, yeah, I mean you can essentially do
everything a machine can do,just takes a bit longer and has
a little bit of a differentaesthetic.
Speaker 3 (51:29):
I honestly can't like I can't see you with a regular
electric needle.
Speaker 1 (51:36):
With a motor.
Just the sound alone, I'm likeit doesn't really fit me.
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (51:44):
Interrupts the piece a little bit.
Like I said, a little bit of aDennis drill thing going on
there.
Speaker 1 (51:49):
Yeah, and just what I hear from people about their
experience with hand poke itmakes me not want to use the
machine.
Speaker 3 (52:00):
I've heard and I have not researched this side, this
is just out of my head, but likethere's some, I mean there's a
lot of different ways to dotattoos too.
I think there don't the Samoanslike use some kind of?
Have you ever tried that?
Speaker 1 (52:20):
No.
I would love to like go toThailand and get one.
Speaker 3 (52:25):
How many tattoos do you have now?
Do you even know?
Speaker 1 (52:27):
I don't know, and I kind of like blended them
together, so I don't know whatto count that.
Speaker 2 (52:34):
Right, you can add on or change something.
How nice to be an artist.
It's not nice Like it's, youwork at it, but how nice to have
that talent.
I don't, yeah, I have so muchof an artistic thing, at least
in anything you know visual artslike that so it's.
I just envy it.
Speaker 1 (52:51):
What's so funny?
Because, like I, I usuallydon't think it's like anything
special and I'm like, oh, anyonecan do this.
But I mean, I really think thatanyone with with practice can
do something like this.
Speaker 2 (53:06):
If you give me a stencil maybe I don't know.
Speaker 3 (53:11):
I'm not going to let Mary Beth tattoo me anytime soon
.
Speaker 2 (53:13):
No, nor nor are you going to let me pierce anything
with a thumbtack.
Speaker 3 (53:16):
No, although it sounds like you had.
You had some success.
What have been some of yourmost memorable tattoos?
Like some challenges or ormaybe you know, like your
favorite or any tattoos thatsort of stick out in in your
experiences?
Speaker 1 (53:34):
I should have been prepared for this question.
I was.
I was like what kind ofquestions are you going to ask?
And this is something thatpeople ask me all the time.
And it's like as soon as I'masked the question, like I
forget all the tattoos.
Speaker 2 (53:47):
Your mind goes blank.
Speaker 3 (53:49):
She's like hold on.
Let me look at my Instagrampage.
Speaker 1 (53:52):
Honestly, like sometimes that will help.
Kind of like, becausethroughout the day I'll I'll
think of experiences that I'vehad with with tattoos and and
each of them are so special intheir own way and that's
probably part of it is it'sprobably part of it, because at
the time you know, when you'rewith Joyce and her story and her
(54:12):
image, that's just miraculous.
Speaker 2 (54:16):
But then in a couple of days you're going to have
someone else's miraculous storythat affects you just as much.
So it's, it's brilliantactually.
But it's understandable thatthey don't stand out from each
other, because you're not justdialing it in and stamping
something on somebody, Like.
All of them are an experiencefor you and for the person,
which is unusual.
Speaker 3 (54:37):
And as the day goes on, because I know that I have
these moments after we podcastit's like, oh, I should have
said this or I should have saidthat, which is why we plan on
having all of our guests back atsome point.
We keep talking about this, butit's okay, Like I actually
talked about that kind of inthis, this subject in a
(54:57):
different way, and one of thelast episodes I think you both
know that you know we went to StPetersburg on a whim to go see
Trevor play and I was justsometimes, like you're, so into
the like, I'm so absorbed in theexperience that I almost don't
(55:18):
remember it clearly.
You know, like it's almost likeI have to be in that zone to
like really remember the details, and I was.
I was trying, I took a fewphotos and videos, but I was
trying to like not touch myphone.
You know, I was just trying tobe in the experience and there
was only one song that I that Isort of wished I had gotten some
(55:39):
of, but like it, you know youcan't.
We, we talked about how youcan't really relive an
experience through a video and Ithink you're, you're expressing
the same thing.
You know it's like and what yousaid, mary Beth, like it's.
Each, each experience is sobeautiful in and of its own
(55:59):
right, and I believe that I knowyou want to remember it.
Speaker 2 (56:05):
Yeah, but I don't even think remembering it is
necessary.
It's.
It's like you've absorbed itnow.
And it's part of you and and ithas changed you and whatever
you've learned or taken from itand little glimpses of that
might come back to you, but I dobelieve we're too fixated on
trying to remember and keep.
Speaker 3 (56:23):
Yeah, it's the same as a yoga class, right Like your
.
You get into the flow of yourbreath and movement and you
don't.
Speaker 2 (56:33):
you know some days your, your balance is spot on
and some days it's not, but you,every day's, every class or
every practice is flow may bedifferent for you and it adds to
you, you absorbed it, it iswhat it is, and and you move on
you know, you know what Iabsorbed last night In your
(56:54):
husband's oh Yiddin class, wherewe used myofascial release with
tennis balls.
His cue to try and not let yourballs roll out.
Speaker 3 (57:11):
So, we have two studios.
Kristen and I teach in one ofthem from 6 30 to 7 30 on
Wednesday evenings and Jamesteaches from 7 30 to 8 30.
So I clean up and check thenext class in and then I drive
over to the other studio becauseWednesday is also date night
and so who knows where James'sballs were that night?
(57:32):
And Wednesday night is achallenging date night, but we
just we, we go out.
Speaker 2 (57:39):
Those are sweaty balls.
Speaker 3 (57:40):
on Wednesday night I'll tell you that, and so when
I got, I got there maybe a fewminutes before the class ended,
and so I was in the lobby andMary Beth walks out and she's
like you know what your husbandjust said and didn't.
So he said try not to let yourballs roll out, roll out or
(58:01):
something, or fall out or MaryBeth whispered.
That's what she said, orsomething.
That's what she said, did youthink?
Speaker 2 (58:08):
I whispered.
Well, james said, everybodyheard you know just James and
probably Tiffany Luccarelli infront of me.
Speaker 3 (58:16):
Mary Beth sometimes can help it.
Speaker 1 (58:19):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (58:21):
Sometimes I'm in the right place, but sometimes I'm a
sixth grader.
Speaker 3 (58:29):
Her classes are very inspiring, but they're also very
funny sometimes.
Speaker 1 (58:37):
I love when, when a teacher is like personality
comes through their teaching.
Speaker 3 (58:43):
That's definitely happening in Mary Beth's 20s
class in all of ours, I'm sure.
One of our trainees in one ofone of the recent sessions was
like Mary Beth said something.
She couldn't even remember whatit was and she was like I was
laughing so hard I was almost intears and I was almost angry
because nobody else was laughing.
Speaker 2 (59:04):
I don't know if that's what everybody wants from
a yoga practice, but every nowand then it's okay.
Right, it's all good, it's allgood.
Speaker 3 (59:11):
So, kristen, thank you so much for spending this
time with us and, if you are, ifyou want to put Cleveland on
the map before you, you head toMorocco.
I know that a lot of people arevery interested in my tattoo
and would yes, yeah.
Speaker 2 (59:26):
Oh my gosh, it would be great.
Speaker 1 (59:28):
I wish I could.
There are so many trips I wantto take before leaving, but I've
had to really just like slow itdown.
Something to sausage I neverthought.
Speaker 2 (59:36):
I'd have to say that.
And when?
Speaker 1 (59:38):
are you leaving?
I leave October 4th.
Speaker 2 (59:42):
Oh, so that is, that's quick.
You've already got.
You've already talked about anAugust trip, so our next time
that we podcast with Kristenwill just be live from Morocco.
We'll have to find a time zonesituation that works.
Speaker 3 (59:55):
Yeah, that would be really cool.
Yeah, you better not lose touch.
Definitely not.
We might have to do a retreatin Morocco.
Speaker 1 (01:00:06):
Because honestly, that's like.
The goal is to eventually builda small villa to be able to
host retreats and things likethat, so keep it on the map.
Speaker 2 (01:00:17):
We'll keep each other on the map.
Speaker 3 (01:00:19):
We can do that, yeah, so thanks again.
Thank you, good luck witheverything Good luck.
Speaker 2 (01:00:26):
We love seeing this flower in your hair.
I love a girl with a flower inher hair.
And Godspeed, have wonderfultravels and wonderful
experiences and we'll see youagain.
Speaker 1 (01:00:35):
Thank you so so much.
Have a great day, guys.
Speaker 2 (01:00:38):
You too, All right, we're done.
Two microphones and make a full cast.
Two microphones and you make afull cast.
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
Hi, this is Joyce and this is Mary Beth.
Speaker 3 (00:31):
Welcome to the Modern Yoga Podcast.
Today's special guest isKristen Brown, and Kristen is
the owner.
I want to say you areIntentional Inc.
It's just you right, that'sfair.
Intentional Inc is the name ofher business.
Kristen did my tattoo and I'mso happy.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
I'm delighted that you agreed to do this podcast,
because I'm delighted that youjust used the word delighted in
a sentence.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
I had such.
I just had such a wonderfulexperience with you and I've
talked about it a little bit onthe podcast, but I am excited
and delighted, super delighted,to and that rhymes.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
So now you're a poet or a songwriter.
Speaker 3 (01:20):
Excited and delighted , I'm excited to dive deeper
into.
Oh, I should have coffee too.
We all do, you guys just dothat we all can sip.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
It was like you.
Before we get into theimportant stuff, I have a
serious question for Kristen.
Whatever beautiful locationyou're coming to us from, which
looks so zen and peaceful that Iwant to be there, but I'm
concerned that like did youlight a candle on that shelf and
it almost burned a hole in theceiling.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
Oh, oh, that is because this space is heavily
incense and the smoke has leftthat nice little mark on the
ceiling.
Speaker 2 (01:59):
And smoke is OK as long as there wasn't a flame
ready to reach up through thereand show you the sky.
Speaker 1 (02:05):
I'll have to do a nice little paint job over it
before I start with that it's agood story.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
It keeps character.
Speaker 3 (02:12):
For sure.
Speaker 2 (02:15):
So the shelf I'm speaking of I don't know if
you'll have any still photos ofthis, but there's there's a
beautiful shelf with plants andstuff, and then there's like a
little garland of hanging moons.
It's just.
I'm feeling very peaceful rightnow.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
That's the intention for the space, for sure.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
That's the intention for intentional ink.
Speaker 3 (02:37):
Does it make you want to get a tattoo?
Speaker 2 (02:38):
Mary Beth, I don't have that itch yet.
Speaker 1 (02:43):
You don't have any tattoos.
Speaker 2 (02:45):
I do not have any tattoos.
I'm one of very few people Iknow that doesn't have tattoos
Older, younger, everywhere.
I haven't gone down that road,yet I just switched categories
for you, huh.
Yeah, but yours is beautiful.
And actually at yoga I see somany there's not a lot of
clothes on people and I see somany beautiful tattoos and so
many not at all beautifultattoos.
(03:05):
I'm not delighted to see allthe tattoos.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
I never know what you're going to get.
Speaker 3 (03:12):
Right, this is true.
So I just kind of want to sharemy I guess story or journey
about my tattoo, and so I wroteit out this morning because I
because, it's Remember, we onlyhave an hour choice.
It's such a big deal to me,though I know Minimum relevant
(03:35):
words.
Mary Beth, I'm not sure who theauthor was of the story of my
tattoo, but I have recentlyassumed the responsibility of
writing the sequel.
It all started when an oldfriend of mine drew a logo for
his band called Slam and Sally.
I don't know if I've ever toldyou that before.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
Oh, I like the Slam and Sally part.
Is that like laying down Sallyonly without her consent?
Speaker 3 (03:56):
No, Sally was a guitar.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
Oh, and the band.
Speaker 3 (04:00):
The band sounded very much like the Black Crows who I
also love.
Not only were they good, theywere like a little family that I
spent a lot of time with duringcollege.
No, I never dated any of them,but I did watch their kids and
hang out at their parties andbefriend their wives and
girlfriends, some of whom I'mstill in touch with.
The logo was one thatencompassed music, peace, love,
(04:21):
woman and man, and I think itstruck me with a meaning that
was deeper than maybe it wasintended to be.
I don't know.
What I do know is I thoughtit'd be a cool tattoo.
A friend from a differentsocial circle had a lot of
tattoos, so I asked to beconnected to his tattoo artist
and I was introduced to Ron.
The original design was ofdripping paint.
(04:42):
Ron asked me multiple times ifI was sure I wanted it like that
or with clean lines.
I wanted it like it wasoriginally created, so he
suggested doing the outline witha tiny bit of color, letting it
heal and coming back to finishafter I physically and mentally
absorb it.
I loved it so much that Ididn't want to add any more
color.
It represented something thatmade me proud of who I was.
(05:03):
It meant I stood for peace,music, gender, equality.
My parents hated tattoos.
We were sort of forbidden fromgetting them.
I was 19 at the time and I hidit for several years, or at
least I thought I hid it.
My brothers were 12 and 9.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
It's on your ankle right.
Speaker 3 (05:20):
Yeah, and I showed them.
I wore a lot of socks.
I hate socks.
Who?
Speaker 2 (05:23):
trusts their 7 and 9-year-old brothers.
Speaker 3 (05:25):
I'm sorry, my brothers were 12 and 9.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
12 and 9.
Either way, who trusts a 12 or9-year-old boy?
Joyce.
Speaker 3 (05:32):
I was only 19.
I don't know.
I don't think they told on me.
They were kids, though theycouldn't keep a secret.
My tattoo became a reminder formy family to come down on me.
Like many parents of mygeneration, shame was the main
source of discipline In thistattoo.
That originally brought me somuch joy made me feel worse
(05:52):
about myself each time I lookedat it.
It was near my right ankle, soat first I thought, well, I
don't look here often, so it'sOK.
Then I couldn't stop thinkingabout it, and when I got to the
point when I was completelystressed out about it, I went to
the Cleveland Clinic and had aconsultation on its removal.
It took about two years andeight painful treatments, but
(06:14):
finally it was removed, and thatwas about 10 years after I got
it.
It was never forgotten, thoughyou couldn't see it, but it was
still there to me.
I still loved what I loved, andI think I fought who I really
was for a long time.
My dad passed away on October2nd 2020.
At this point, I was startingto feel more open about tattoos.
(06:34):
My dad was a Vietnam Warveteran and, although he had
never spoke of the war, he had amilitary funeral and I had such
mixed feelings about my dad'smilitary recognition.
Because he was drafted, he hadno choice.
He served on the front lines ofthe Marines and his experience
forever changed him.
I think his experiences tookhim and they kept him and he
(06:56):
rarely even mentioned it.
And yet here we are honoringhim in a military way.
I have nothing against themilitary.
Speaker 2 (07:03):
No, no, no, of course , but, as you said, it's only in
death.
Then there was this bigmilitary focus, when he never
spoke of it.
Speaker 3 (07:12):
I thought maybe I'll get my dad's military number
somewhere, but I couldn't thinkof the right place on my body.
I wasn't really excited aboutit.
And since he never talked aboutit, what would it really
represent?
My dad's emotional withdrawal?
I wouldn't say we were close ina way some fathers and
daughters are.
So would these numbers remindme of the military, the Marines,
the Vietnam War, all thesethings that kind of took my dad
(07:34):
away from me before I was born?
So was this a tattoo I reallywanted?
Or do I really want a tattooand I'm looking for an excuse to
get one?
Then it hit me.
I want my old tattoo back.
I want to reclaim thatpeace-loving, music-loving man
and woman-loving, art-loving,expressive piece of myself that
(07:54):
I beat up and buried long ago.
It felt so good to come to thisrealization that I didn't need
to make a plan.
I trusted that if it weresupposed to happen, it would.
And then this April, trevorHall posted photos of him and
his wife getting tattoos fromintentional ink.
So I clicked on the tag andimmediately wanted Kristen to
tattoo me.
Her work is incredible, it'smeaningful and it spoke to me
(08:15):
very loudly.
It turned out she was in theBuffalo area and James and I had
happened to have tickets to seeDave Matthews play at Darien
Lake in mid-June.
I messaged Kristen.
She said it would work.
She was going out of thecountry for a few weeks but if
all went as planned we mostlikely could do it.
So James and I left for Akron,new York, on Tuesday June 13.
(08:35):
My appointment with Kristen wasat 4 PM.
She told me to meet her atAkron Falls, which is a
beautiful park.
When we were getting close, shesent me her exact location.
I didn't quite understand howKristen operated.
I got the impression that shewasn't with the studio, though
she told me to look for her in awhite van.
James was like you want me todrop you off in a park.
Speaker 2 (08:55):
That's just what any girl wants to hear.
Look for me in a park in awhite van.
Don't ask any questions.
Speaker 3 (09:01):
James was like.
You want me to drop you off ina park with someone you've never
met, so she can give you atattoo in her van while I check
into her Airbnb.
Speaker 2 (09:09):
Yes, James, really Follow directions.
Speaker 3 (09:11):
I'm like, yes, absolutely.
I stepped into this littlesacred space.
Kristen offered me tea andwatermelon and incense was
burning and Trevor Hall wasplaying and the back doors were
open and we could hear the fallsand she asked for my story.
She wanted to understand and Ishared and she created and we
decided and then she pulled outroomy cards and that was awesome
(09:34):
and they completely nailed thesituation and spoke to me and it
was perfect.
And Kristen, this tattoo reallyhealed me.
I'm going to cry so.
Speaker 2 (09:44):
I oh cry.
We love crying on the podcast.
Speaker 3 (09:47):
Thank you so much.
You are so special, you havesuch a special gift and I just
feel really honored that I gotto spend some time with you and
I've been asked like if Ithought I would get another
tattoo and there's nothing rightnow that's like I really am
thinking about doing, but I knowthat if we cross paths again, I
would want to have thisexperience again.
(10:09):
So I know that I would haveanother tattoo and I'm already
okay with it.
Ever since I got this, Ihaven't.
I look at it every now and then, but it's like it's just
completed me.
I love it, I love it.
Speaker 2 (10:24):
Yeah, there's been no regrets with this one.
Speaker 3 (10:25):
And I don't care what other people think of it in a
good way.
I really, like everybody who'sseen it has loved it, but like
it's mine and so welcome again.
I would love to hear how youcame to do what you do.
I know I'm familiar with thisbeautiful space that you're
(10:48):
sitting in.
I didn't recognize the incenseburn stain on your ceiling when
I was there, but I know thatyou're.
I know exactly where you'resitting.
I can almost like smell it.
It's just, it's such a, it's areally cool thing that you're
doing.
Speaker 2 (11:05):
And how do you come to have Trevor Hall in your van?
Speaker 1 (11:10):
Well, he wasn't in the van.
So well, I'll share first likehow I started to do this.
It's been a crazy journey.
My 20s were all about just likefollowing whatever lit me up,
which happens to be like a lotof artistic kind of hobbies like
(11:32):
screen printing, lettering.
I've always been into art, sowhen I was in high school I was
in this like Academy of VisualArts, so it's in a lot of art
electives and it just crossed mymind like I'll be super dope to
be a tattoo artist at that time, like I wanted to do a million
(11:54):
things, so I never really putall of my energy into following
that.
Then, about three and a halfyears ago, I came across this
tattoo shop on Instagram.
They're looking at Mbali, theirname is Carmel House, and I just
saw that they were doing theselike rituals before tattoos, so
(12:17):
the Balinese woman would comeand they would do like a water
blessing and it just looked sobeautiful and sacred and it was
like nothing I'd ever seen inthe tattoo world before.
At that time and I was the oneand I we had a business together
and our kind of like end visionwas to have a retreat center,
(12:39):
and so it was like this would beso cool to offer at a retreat
center, something that couldhelp someone remember like a
transformative experience, butan intention behind it.
And so I was so inspired, likein that moment, that I grabbed
my sketchbook and I wrote downI'm gonna become a tattoo artist
(13:00):
.
I had no idea how to do that atthe time, so I just wrote down
some little bullets that Ithought were actions that I
could take.
And then, just from like talkingabout it and researching
tattoos, I started getting theseads on Instagram for stick and
poke kits and I was like, oh,this looks like a good way to
(13:23):
just start learning tattoo andworking with the skin.
So I bought one and I did oneon my toe and then all of my
friends started asking for them.
God bless them.
It's like, wow, y'all reallytrust me.
Speaker 2 (13:35):
Really.
I mean, in our last episode wetalked about me piercing my best
friend's ears in eighth gradewith a thumbtack, which is not a
lot more reckless than whatyour friends let you do.
Let me ask you did you alreadyhave any tattoos from
professionals before?
Speaker 1 (13:51):
Yes, okay, not too many.
Most of the ones I have now arejust practiced from myself.
Speaker 2 (13:58):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (13:59):
But I didn't have a few before that and they were
never like good experiences.
So what I wanted to do wascreate an experience, because I
feel like there's so much powerin a tattoo and so after I
started tattooing my friends, Ijust really fell in love with
(14:21):
this hand poke thing.
Like it seemed to really fit myenergy more, like it's more
gentle, it's quieter, it feelsmore intentional to me, like I
as the artist, with each poke,can kind of put my love in a
prayer or a good energy intothat tattoo.
(14:42):
So, yeah, I just never stoppedit, so let me stop you again
here.
Speaker 2 (14:46):
So the hand poke then is different than what many
people might, who don't know,associate with tattoo artists,
where you hear sort of thatdentist drill kind of thing
coming at you.
Speaker 1 (14:55):
Yeah, yeah.
So it's not machine powered.
It's just I'm using the sameneedles, same ink, same process.
It's just a different technique.
So it's not powered by amachine.
It's not like grinding againstyour skin, it's just poke by
poke.
I'm almost like lifting theskin up and putting the ink
underneath.
That makes sense, yeah, andthen just doing it like the dots
(15:20):
are like so close together thatit makes a line.
Speaker 2 (15:24):
Excellent.
Speaker 3 (15:27):
That's a lot of dots.
It's never really thought of Alot of prayers, a lot of prayers
.
Speaker 2 (15:33):
Which is so true, though.
You are able to sort of infuseyour energy, which Joyce and I
have talked about relating toteaching yoga as well.
They're touching people On thedays when you don't feel awesome
.
I'm sure other people's energycan turn you around, but do you
balk a little bit then at kindof worrying about transferring
any bad energy to somebody?
Speaker 1 (15:56):
Oh, 100%.
I actually just recentlychanged the way that I schedule
myself.
For a while I was sketchingmyself like a crazy person.
I hate saying no and I lovewhat I do, but it does get to be
draining, like on my body, andjust I wasn't prioritizing that
(16:18):
time for myself my morning, atnight, 14, and then taking care
of myself.
So I just started to feel likein such a funk and obviously I
want to take care of myself, butI also don't want that to be
projected onto somebody else.
So it was really important forme not just for me but for
(16:38):
everybody who's in this space toschedule myself a little bit
differently so that the energyis all good.
Speaker 2 (16:45):
Yeah, and that's the only way to say it.
It wasn't for you, evennecessarily.
It was for the people that youserve.
That's what I wish more peoplecould get to.
Speaker 1 (16:54):
I think the things that we do that are selfish are
really selfless, because thatenergy that you give yourself,
you're then able to get toothers.
Speaker 2 (17:04):
Yeah, and we say that in words, but it's hard for
people to really understand youare serving differently or not
giving the best product, orwhatever it is that you do if
you're tapped out.
So yeah, I remember.
Speaker 3 (17:18):
I think the day that we were messaging cause I was on
the way and you said I'm goingto take a nap and then I'll get
up and prepare, and I was like,oh, that's kind of cool.
Speaker 2 (17:34):
She's going to be well rested, Not only is she
taking a nap, but she'sadmitting that she's taking a
nap.
It's like part of the process,yeah.
Speaker 1 (17:43):
Yeah no, I try to be really transparent with people
and how I'm feeling and what I'mdoing to prepare for this space
.
Speaker 2 (17:53):
And they have to make life easier.
Speaker 3 (17:55):
And when I saw where you were this park is just
beautiful, the falls arebeautiful and she, when you
tattooed me, I was layingbasically on your bed when the
doors were open and it was justso incredibly relaxing that it
would probably be an amazingplace to take a nap.
So the energy that you'retaking in, I feel like came out
(18:21):
in your tattoo too.
Speaker 1 (18:24):
It seems clear that it did.
That's just adds to the space.
Yeah, yeah, it's such animportant part of the process
that kind of goes unseen.
Speaker 3 (18:33):
Oh, it's seen.
Well, I saw it.
Kristen is also a yoga teacherand as she and I we're talking,
we had at some point, I think, Ilooked at you and I'm like are
we the same person?
We've done a lot of verysimilar things.
So I didn't do my teachertraining in India, but you spent
(18:54):
some time in India.
When did you do your teachertraining?
Speaker 1 (18:59):
It was February to March of 2019, and I did it in
Rishikesh, India.
And how long were you there?
Speaker 3 (19:07):
A month A month.
You don't mess around when yougo out of town.
We're out of the country.
She's not like she's not doinga day trip to St Petersburg, but
that way.
Speaker 2 (19:18):
Like you, yeah, yeah.
So, kristen, are you kind of anomad?
I mean, are you based somewhere?
Speaker 1 (19:24):
I would say so, yeah, so my hometown is Buffalo, new
York.
I'm not a winter girly, so forthe past few years I have
traveled down to Florida for thewinters.
So I go back and forth betweenthe two mainly.
I've taken a few trips outsideof that.
That's why I have the van.
(19:44):
It makes it easier for me to dothat.
But I've done a fewinternational trips and I am
actually moving to Morocco, so Ijust officially bought my
one-way ticket yesterday.
Speaker 3 (19:59):
Oh, oh my goodness, tell us that story.
That's a good one.
Speaker 2 (20:07):
I'm already sad.
I just met you online a fewminutes ago and I'm like what
are you talking about?
Speaker 3 (20:11):
You're about to schedule a tattoo, so I'll just
have to come to Morocco.
Speaker 1 (20:15):
Oh, wow.
So back in May, I took afive-week trip with my friend
Jess and we visited a bunch ofcountries along the
Mediterranean and Europe,morocco being one of them, and
so, previous to this, I metsomeone through my ex actually.
(20:39):
And so my ex was Moroccan.
He was born in the States andhe went to Morocco last summer,
spent a lot of time with one ofhis friends, came back so I got
to meet that friend on FaceTime.
I remember from the very firstFaceTime his English wasn't that
good but he just had thiscontagious big smile, such good
(21:02):
energy.
I could tell he was so genuineand joyful so I loved any time
that he would fall over together.
And then when my ex and I brokeup, he was always on my team
fighting for me and then westayed in touch.
(21:23):
He actually asked my ex if itwas okay if he started talking
to me.
Speaker 2 (21:30):
I was going to say are they still friendly?
Speaker 1 (21:32):
Yeah, I was going to say no, but he was always just
so respectful, so kind, and sothe FaceTime.
Here and there we talkedthrough messaging and I told him
that my friend and I werecoming to Morocco.
So we went on a FaceTime calland he planned our entire trip
(21:53):
for us, like a whole itinerary,and wrote it all out, sharing
his screen with me and showingme the places that he was
recommending.
And it was just so sweet, itwas so thoughtful.
He sent that to me.
So when I went to Morocco, Iwent there first by myself for a
week.
My friend Jess wasphotographing in Spain and so I
(22:15):
got to spend time with him andthen I left, met up with my
friend Jess and then her and Iwent back to Morocco together.
We were about three and a halfhours from where he lives, but
he ended up coming to meet usbecause our first day was just
so chaotic and we had so muchtrouble like we got lost trying
(22:38):
to find our way in.
So I sent him our location.
He pulled it up on his laptop,was like watching us walk
through the Medina and liketrying to get us back, and he
was like you know what?
I'm just going to come help youguys so he came and he just
helped us our entire way throughMorocco.
Speaker 2 (22:59):
What a gentleman.
Speaker 1 (23:01):
So, like truly unlike anyone I've ever, any man I've
ever met, and so I reallystarted falling in love with him
, and for a while I had beentalking about living outside of
the States for a bit, but thismade it feel more real and so,
(23:23):
yeah, I just, I just decided Iwould, instead of going to
Florida for the winter, I wouldgo to Morocco and start to live
my life with this beautiful man.
Speaker 2 (23:35):
Wow.
So there's no expiration dateor return ticket.
You're just going to go wherethe wind leads you at this point
.
Speaker 1 (23:43):
Yeah, I mean I still plan to come back to the States
in the summer.
My family's here, it's reallyhard to leave my family.
Speaker 2 (23:53):
I'm sure that was my next question is do you have
family there and how do theyfeel about that big move?
Speaker 1 (23:59):
Yeah, they're not happy about it.
I really I hate breaking mymom's heart, but I also have to
follow my own, so it's been areally it's been hard to
navigate actually.
Speaker 2 (24:14):
I'm sure we we just talked about, even on the
smaller scale of you needing totake a nap or make your
boundaries for your businesslike the person you would be
holding yourself back fromwhatever you feel like your
destiny is wouldn't be theperson you should be.
But that's hard.
Mom's are hard.
(24:34):
It's hard.
Speaker 3 (24:37):
I think when, when I was there, you you had mentioned
that it's much easier for youto go to Morocco than for him to
come here, right?
Speaker 1 (24:45):
Yeah, yeah, Just because of like visas.
Like I, I actually justrecently learned of this, but
we're we're pretty privileged tobe born in the States and have
our passport and be able to gowherever we want with relative
ease.
(25:07):
So for him it would probably bea very lengthy and annoying
process of like filling outapplications and like interviews
, and I can take anywhere fromlike two to six months, I
believe, to actually get thevisa.
So it's just a lot more of aheadache, whereas for me I can
just book my flight, show up,show on my passport and welcome
(25:29):
to Morocco.
Speaker 2 (25:31):
Is there?
Yeah, you're right, that'sanother thing.
We don't always know about.
That we just take for grantedwe get to do what we want.
Speaker 1 (25:37):
Yeah, I, I and so similar.
In Morocco, like when we werein Turkey, we were finding the
same thing, like people we metwere telling us that they have a
lot of trouble traveling andit's just not easy for them.
So it makes me sad, honestly.
Speaker 3 (25:54):
Yeah, well, and there's a.
I mean there's so many otherprivileges that we have that you
don't really realize orunderstand until you've gone
somewhere where they don't haveprivileges.
And I know I've spoken to bothof you about my trip to Nepal
but like there's not a garbagesystem or electricity all the
(26:16):
time, or you know, if you don'thave money to put shoes on your
kids, you don't have shoes onyour kids.
You know there's not agovernment system that will pick
you up and support you or put aroof over your head.
You know, and we can read aboutthat or hear about that.
(26:38):
I think until we reallyexperience something like what
we're talking about, it doesn'treally settle, you know, into
like wow, this is, this countryis pretty amazing, even though
sometimes we feel like it's notamazing you know with political
climate and everything, but likeit's, it's, we're, we're very,
(27:00):
very privileged to live here.
Speaker 2 (27:03):
We are, and we're usually thinking about it in one
way or the other, like we'reeither bashing it, but some of
these things are so secondnature to us that we would be,
we would balk, in a foreign land, like what do you mean?
I can't get seen at thehospital.
What do you mean?
I can't get this power turnedon?
Yeah, garcon, give me thebottle please.
Speaker 1 (27:26):
Something to get used to is not being able to just
like, order Amazon and have itat my doorstep in the next day
yeah, which is like, and that Ifeel shameful that I have fallen
prey to that whole system, butit is.
It's so convenient, and so I'mreally craving a simpler and
(27:46):
slower life, but there willdefinitely be some adjustments.
Speaker 2 (27:51):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (27:52):
So can you go there with an open-ended like agenda,
Can you?
Is there a certain amount oftime that that you can be there,
or is there, like you know, isit?
Speaker 1 (28:04):
90 days.
Speaker 3 (28:05):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (28:07):
Um, but he's told me that it's pretty simple or easy
to get residency.
Um, no-transcript, not like theactual citizenship.
Yeah, but residency I guessshouldn't be a problem.
But yeah, I think you can bethere 90 days without a problem.
Speaker 2 (28:30):
Wow, and that's a lot .
That's good.
That gives you time to get thelay of the land and see how you
feel.
Speaker 3 (28:37):
It's exciting.
What is the weather like there?
Speaker 1 (28:40):
It depends where you are in the country.
So more inland is like desert.
So right now it's probably upto like one 15, one 20.
Oh my God, but it's dry.
It's dry heat.
Up in the north, like Tangier,it's like right across from
Spain, it can get colder in thewinters.
(29:02):
You can even see snow, like inhigh Atlas Mountains, and then
along the coast it's pretty mild, like winters, I think are like
50s, 60s, and then summer like80s A little different than
Buffalo.
Yeah, yeah, most evidently InCleveland.
Speaker 3 (29:18):
There's a practically the same.
Speaker 2 (29:20):
There's a musician here in Cleveland from Buffalo
named Thor Platter.
I don't know if you've everheard of him, just a local
Buffalo guy.
I'm sorry, thor, I'm trying.
Speaker 3 (29:30):
I'm always talking about.
Speaker 2 (29:31):
Trevor Holland, you're always talking about Thor
Platter.
Thor Platter, well, there's asong.
He wrote a song about Buffalo.
It's got one line in it aboutcold, snowy Buffalo, which is
kind of what you think of.
That's the best.
Speaker 3 (29:42):
Buffalo.
Yep, that's very interesting.
Have you ever spent any timethere, mary Beth?
Speaker 2 (29:46):
Not a lot of time, just mostly around the Niagara
Falls experience as a kid.
Or I have some relatives inToronto and stuff, so through
Buffalo but not a ton of timeactually in Buffalo.
Speaker 1 (29:58):
But I like the word Buffalo.
It's actually a little jam, butjust not in the winters, and
the winters seem to last ninemonths, yeah.
Speaker 3 (30:07):
Yeah, our winters aren't funny either, but I think
you have it a little bit worse.
Speaker 2 (30:11):
For sure.
Speaker 3 (30:12):
Yeah, buffalo was interesting.
I mean, we spent, like what,two and a half three days there
and we went to the falls becausewe were close and that was
actually really nice.
But I guess I was I don't knowwhy, as this is coming out of my
mouth like I was so surprised.
I was surprised how rural itwas, at least where we were.
(30:32):
You know, I don't know thatactually we didn't really go
into.
Maybe I wasn't actually inBuffalo, I think I was just in
the burbs, right Cause, yeah,how far is Akron from Buffalo
itself?
Speaker 1 (30:46):
Probably like 35, 40 minutes.
Speaker 3 (30:48):
So just like Akron and Cleveland, we we have an
Akron here.
Speaker 1 (30:52):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (30:53):
We have a lot of similar, similar city and town
and county names here as well.
So do you teach yoga?
Speaker 1 (31:04):
I haven't taught in a while.
I was.
I was teaching for a bit, likeright after I came back from my
training and was like on fireabout it.
I still love it and I still Ido really miss teaching, but my
lifestyle, like the nomadiclifestyle, just hasn't been
conducive to you know, likehaving a weekly class or
(31:27):
anything like that.
So I definitely look forward tothe day that I teach again, but
it's it's something that'salways with me.
Speaker 2 (31:36):
Yeah for sure.
Do you practice just on yourown?
Speaker 1 (31:40):
My practice definitely ebbs and flows, so I
have been in kind of a big ebband and that I'm referring to
like my movement, the awesomepractice right.
Speaker 2 (31:54):
Thank you for clarifying that, yeah.
Speaker 1 (31:56):
Yeah, the yamas and the yamas and all of that.
Speaker 2 (31:59):
I was going to say the rest of that seems like it's
very much part of your life andyour business.
Speaker 1 (32:04):
Yeah, yeah, I mean it has changed the way that
operate in the world, justbecause of the way it's changed
by inner world.
But yeah, as for the awesomepractice, it's definitely,
definitely ebbs and flows.
Just over the past few days,I've like made a commitment to
myself to just doing some yogabefore going to bed and it's
(32:27):
made such a drastic impact on mywell-being like immediately.
I kind of fell out of a lot oflike the habits that I do for
myself.
Like I was saying, I wasscheduling myself for your crazy
person, not leaving a lot oftime to like take care of myself
.
So the last three days Icommitted to not having my phone
(32:49):
on from 9pm to 9am just doingsome meditation morning and
night, a little bit ofstretching, and I have this
little like Oro ring that tracksmy sleep and my heart rate and
things like that, andimmediately my resting heart
rate went down.
My heart rate variability wentup, which is kind of like shows
(33:11):
like your ability to managestress.
My sleep went up, so everythingjust like immediately.
Speaker 2 (33:20):
So that's something.
It's not just you saying, oh, Ifeel better.
Speaker 1 (33:24):
I mean this is measurable results.
Yeah, it was crazy.
Speaker 2 (33:28):
Do you live in your van, that you that you do your
tattoos from?
Speaker 1 (33:33):
It's more part time Like when.
I'm here at home.
I just stay at home with myparents when I'm in Florida.
I live in it, but I also have alot of friends.
Speaker 2 (33:44):
Yeah, so you just sort of let yourself go follow
whatever wherever you're goingto be.
Speaker 1 (33:53):
Yeah, but I'm definitely ready for, like a
home grounded space.
It's good this has anexpiration date.
Speaker 2 (34:01):
Yeah, and now, how did Trevor Hall find you?
Speaker 1 (34:06):
So that's a crazy story actually.
So I went to see him at RedRocks last April and a few
months before going I startedjust saying like I want to
tattoo Trevor Hall.
And then I started saying likeI'm going to do it.
And it didn't happen at RedRocks, and then I, about a month
(34:33):
later, I hired this mentor forlike a one off, like business
meeting.
He's actually the owner ofKarma House, the tattoo shop
that inspired me to starttattooing.
He's a great, super powerful,yeah, in Bali.
Speaker 2 (34:49):
That was the place in Bali, right.
Speaker 1 (34:51):
Yeah, was he here.
He's originally from Vancouverbut he's opened like I don't
know.
He's on like business numbereight, maybe yeah.
He's a really really great guy.
He's got a lot of like amazingstories and he was really
helpful in giving me some likebusiness actions to take to grow
(35:15):
my business.
But his very first question waswho's your dream tattoo client?
And I said Trevor Hall and Ihave it written down like in the
app that we're using for ournotes, and it was maybe a month
later.
I was going to see him inCanada but I put out a flash
(35:35):
sheet just a few days before andit was just little tattoos that
were inspired by his music andart and hit the other band gone,
gone beyond their music and art.
So I tagged them both in it andit wasn't until the day of that
I got a message from Trevor Hall.
He was like hey, are you inCanada?
(35:57):
I'd love to get some ink.
I lost one.
Speaker 2 (36:02):
I know the power of social media.
Just that you tagged him andand he saw it, or somebody put
it in front of his nose.
Speaker 1 (36:09):
Yeah, I guess his wife.
I'm ready to saw it and showedhim.
So, yeah, I got to tattoo himthat day Was your hands shaking.
Speaker 2 (36:20):
Were you so nervous?
Speaker 1 (36:22):
It.
I was definitely a littlenervous like going to the venue,
but he's just such like a downto earth easy going guy that it
just felt really natural andeasy to be there.
So good, and then has he sharedor supported your business?
Speaker 2 (36:39):
Has he shared it on social media?
Is that how Joyce found out?
Speaker 1 (36:42):
Yeah, yeah, he shared a video that day.
And then I've gotten to tattoohim two other times as well and
he's he's been really great.
Speaker 2 (36:53):
And did that impact your business right away.
Speaker 1 (36:56):
Yeah, I got to new followers and there are people
like Joyce that like hey, Ifound you through Trevor Hall
and and that's always reallycool because I made so many of
my friends through his music andhis music has impacted me so
much the last 10 years, so itwas really just so special to be
able to give something back tosomeone who, without even
(37:16):
knowing it, has changed my life.
Speaker 2 (37:19):
And isn't this like the best of humanity right here,
Like just this connection overthings that may maybe
meaningless or not, but likejust the connection, like
helping each other out, Like canwe all just be citizens
together and help each other outwith stuff?
I know a guy who does this.
I know a guy who does this.
We share a love of this musicor art or whatever.
Speaker 1 (37:38):
Oh, I might cry now too, Joyce.
I think those things are slowlyhappening in little pockets of
the world.
So we just have to keep going.
Speaker 3 (37:47):
Well, kristen and I, after I read where I pulled the
roomy cards, I was very silentreading because I was a little
taken aback, although I wasn'tsurprised because things like
this happened to me.
But we were talking about how,how, when you're open to to
receiving messages, they'reright there in front of you.
Speaker 2 (38:10):
Oh, my gosh.
Speaker 3 (38:11):
You know, and so I shared some stories about you
know, like my wedding dress andlike other other other things,
that, like the, the, when I hadmy inner child tarot cards read
to me before we opened the yogastudio and there was an ice
skater and an infinity symboland and I can talk about that on
(38:32):
another podcast but we weretalking about or I said like I
wonder how many signs I missedprior to being open, you know,
and and I wonder if if I'mmissing any now, you know, but
they're like if, if you're open,they're just there, yeah.
Speaker 2 (38:53):
That's the whole point of the of taking the time
whether it's meditation or yogaor prayer or just the space is
that if you're so busy workingand running on the treadmill all
the time, you are running rightpast that stuff and sometimes
it's really important stuff andreally great stuff.
Speaker 1 (39:10):
Just yesterday I bought a planner for Marshall's
course.
You know, you go in thecheckout and they get you at the
last moment.
Speaker 2 (39:18):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (39:19):
That's a very best planner for Marshall's checkout.
Speaker 2 (39:22):
Yeah, I bought this stuff on the line.
Speaker 1 (39:25):
Yeah, I'm such a sucker for a good planner, so I
bought one and, yeah, the coversare so nice and everything.
Yeah, they're so cute, theyreally get you.
But this one, it has like thesecute little stickers in it and
there was a flight sticker.
So I was like, oh, I'm going towrite my flight in.
It was the very first thing Iwrote in this planner, so I
flipped the page, put it in.
(39:46):
And then I looked on the nextpage and it says the right
choice will never feel wrong.
And it was just like exactlywhat I the confirmation that I
needed.
Like I feel really right aboutmaking this move, but just
knowing how it impacts my familyhas been really tough.
(40:09):
Yeah, so it's just like this,this nice little confirmation,
like okay.
Speaker 2 (40:14):
Right, because that's hard to discern the voice Like
do I feel right about this?
Yeah, I do.
It's the other thing.
That's yeah, so that's goodNice.
Speaker 3 (40:25):
How do you, how long do you think, or do you have, or
have you even thought about, doyou think you'll be tattooing
for open-ended?
Speaker 1 (40:35):
Yeah, I can't imagine not doing it.
I'm always open to my pathchanging and evolving, as it has
so far.
But this has really been, likeI said in the beginning of the
podcast, like my 20s were allabout just like following
everything that lit me up, andthis has been the thing that has
(40:55):
kind of brought everything likefull circle.
It really like plays on a lot ofmy strengths of like I'm
naturally pretty introverted,but I also am really good at
listening and I'm good atholding space for people and
good in like those intimatesettings and it challenges me
artistically and really greatways, really frustrating ways
(41:20):
sometimes, but you know it'sjust been really good for my
growth and my strengths in somany ways.
So it's helping me to be abetter person.
Speaker 2 (41:32):
Just following your passion always does More people
could get there.
Can I ask how old you are?
30.
30?
The big three?
Speaker 1 (41:43):
oh, I have a feeling my 30s are going to be good.
Speaker 2 (41:48):
Yeah, a guest recently.
Joyce, I'm trying to think, ifit was, she was talking about a
podcast she was listening tocalled Almost 30 or something
that was really good Was it.
Makayla.
It was Makayla, I think.
Yeah, I think that's what I'mtrying to figure out.
Will you be able to continuethis in Morocco?
Yeah, so we'll ask you.
Speaker 1 (42:10):
But as a culture it's definitely not as accepted.
It's a mostly Muslim countryand that's it's kind of like
against their religion.
But from what I've experienced,they're also like a more open
country and they're verywelcoming, very kind people.
But when I went there the firstweek in Casablanca, I actually
(42:36):
did a guest spot at a tattooshop and they were great.
They were so friendly.
I'm really excited to go back.
But we visited this littlevillage along the coast and it's
like a surf village and it'sall like surf yoga retreats and
there's no tattoo studios.
(42:57):
I really fell in love with thevillage.
It's kind of just starting tobloom Like little cafes are
popping up, there's a lot oftourists, and so my plan is to
open a studio there.
Speaker 2 (43:12):
Excellent.
What will become of thismagical, mystical van?
Speaker 1 (43:17):
I'm going to sell her and I have a friend that's
interested.
It's a girl that I've tattooedbefore and I would be so happy
to give it to her.
So, I'm hoping that works out.
So I'd love to like follow thecontinued journey and see her be
loved.
Speaker 2 (43:37):
Yes, that's like your blood, sweat and tears in there
.
How long have you had the van?
Speaker 1 (43:43):
Almost two years and my.
So I bought it empty and my dadbuilt it out and like two and a
half weeks, which is justamazing.
Speaker 3 (43:55):
It is really cool inside.
It's just a really I mean evenjust the tiny bit.
Speaker 2 (43:59):
I can see it's like such a home.
I can feel such a home.
Speaker 1 (44:03):
I would show you the rest, but I've got like dishes
in my sink and those are all inthe sink.
Speaker 2 (44:07):
Yeah, listen, we understand that.
Speaker 3 (44:10):
Joyce and I are normal people.
Speaker 2 (44:13):
There's dishes in our sink too.
Both of us, at least mine,Joyce.
Can you boast dishes in yoursink right now?
Speaker 3 (44:18):
Actually, I think they're in the dishwasher right
now.
Well, there's a few.
Speaker 2 (44:21):
I don't have a dishwasher.
I don't have a dishwasher, andI made one of Aaron's daughter's
eggs for myself this morningbecause I had fast food
yesterday.
Speaker 3 (44:33):
Kristen, you mentioned Canada.
Is that how you say it A coupleof times?
That's not too far from you,right?
Speaker 1 (44:43):
It's about an hour and a half from me.
I'm in the Finger Lakes area,so it's like just outside of
Rochester, oh my God.
It's a busy trip though.
Speaker 2 (44:56):
My husband's uncle.
I'm sorry who we just lost wasfrom Rochester, so we were just
in Rochester.
I've heard it.
Speaker 1 (45:05):
It's like neighbors to Buffalo.
Speaker 3 (45:08):
I've heard that's a beautiful venue wherever.
I think Trevor Hall playedthere recently, right.
Speaker 1 (45:14):
Oh my God, it's so cute, so cute.
It's like a farm and you canwalk around.
There's a big pond, there's agarden.
They usually have a sun carfield, so it's like a little
music festival.
Yeah, yeah, it's so cute andall ages there were just kids
kicking around soccer ballsrunning.
(45:34):
It was really sweet.
Speaker 3 (45:37):
That's awesome, I think.
Well, he posted about beingthere and I was like why didn't
we go to that one?
And I don't know if it was likeI don't know what it was, but I
have to get there now for somemusic because it sounds like
he'll come back there for sure.
But the last place that youwere at or I don't know if it's
(46:01):
the last place, but somewherewhere you were at in these last
few weeks that you posted quitea bit about looks like you were
tattooing in a yoga studio thatkind of had a window that looked
out over the water.
Yeah, it was there because Iwanted to just get in the car
and go meet you.
It looked amazing.
Speaker 1 (46:19):
Oh my God, stunning.
So I was convinced it waspronounced Skeneadles, but
apparently it's Skinny Atlas.
It's one of the finger lakes inthat area.
So the studio I was at iscalled Sky Yoga.
It was really crazy how thathappened.
(46:41):
So I was talking to this girl,courtney.
She was asking me to come outfor this festival they're having
in August and I was trying tofigure out my schedule and again
, like I've been in kind of likea burnout, so I'm trying to be
honest to myself about what Ican handle and whatnot, but
(47:02):
anyway.
So I was trying to figure outif I was going to go to that or
not.
And then I had to go out toSeneca Lake.
I think it was last week that Iwent for a wedding tattoo.
I had a couple of friends thatgot married at this private
waterfall and so they invited meto come out and they got the
(47:24):
waterfall tattooed.
It was really sweet and special, absolutely beautiful.
And then my friend, kevin, who'sa musician, kevin Parris, if
you've never heard him,definitely look him up.
He's got the voice of an angel.
But he was going on tour and Iwas like, oh, who's going to
(47:45):
Buffalo?
I haven't seen him in so long.
So I was checking out all theplaces that he was going and I
saw Skinny Atlas and I was like,where is this?
I had no idea what it even was.
When I clicked on it, I sawCourtney's name, and so she's
the woman that I was talking toabout the festival.
So it was just this reallyweird synchronicity, and so I
(48:06):
decided that I would rearrangemy schedule to be able to just
stay out on the lakes that week.
And so that Thursday KevinParris was doing a live yoga
event, so he was playing liveacoustic for two yoga classes
and I decided to pop up at theyoga studio before that.
(48:29):
So I walked into the studio andI almost cried the moment I saw
it, because I've beenenvisioning in my mind what I
want my studio in Rocco to lookand feel like, and I really
wanted to be this closed spacebut big open doors to see the
water.
And that was exactly what itwas.
Speaker 2 (48:49):
So it was so crazy.
Speaker 1 (48:52):
And then, before getting the day started, Kevin
had asked to play us a song.
So we were just laying there inShavasana and as soon as I
dropped into the space, he'stuning his guitar.
It felt like a moment.
I literally jumped up.
So it was a really really crazyexperience.
Speaker 2 (49:10):
Like almost a deja vu feeling.
Speaker 1 (49:12):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, it was so cool and I get to go out
there again in August for thisfestival.
Different little, differentlocation, but yeah, just the
synchronicities of how it allhappened.
And Courtney was just so great,just like super kind, really
hospitable and welcoming.
Speaker 2 (49:35):
And so at the same time, we talk about the whether
it's social media or technology,and what it takes from us.
I mean it is giving as well,Like a lot of these
synchronicities happen becausewe have that opportunity to
touch each other more easily inthis Medium.
Speaker 1 (49:54):
Yeah, it's such a blessing when it's used right,
but there's such a fine line and, like it's all, a good balance
to use in it.
Speaker 2 (50:04):
Like everything.
Speaker 3 (50:08):
I wanted to also mention you know Kristen talked
about the hand how she does handpoke.
Have you ever done it with aregular or traditional needle?
I guess this is hand poke isprobably more traditional.
Speaker 1 (50:21):
Yeah, it depends on how you look at it.
So I bought a machine back inDecember.
Time is so weird, but I reallyonly played with it for a few
minutes and I've.
It's definitely always kind oflike floating around, like
whether I want to incorporatethe machine or not.
Speaker 2 (50:44):
Because it's quicker, or does it give you other
capabilities?
Speaker 1 (50:47):
It's quicker and the lines definitely come out a
little bit like cleaner.
Speaker 2 (50:52):
Sure.
Speaker 1 (50:55):
Because it's just a different aesthetic.
Speaker 3 (50:58):
Gotcha.
Speaker 1 (51:01):
Yeah, so I've played around with incorporating it,
but I always just fall back onlike how much I love hand poke
and how like sweet of anexperience it is.
Speaker 3 (51:11):
So you can't.
Can you use color with handpoke?
Speaker 1 (51:15):
Yeah, yeah, I mean you can essentially do
everything a machine can do,just takes a bit longer and has
a little bit of a differentaesthetic.
Speaker 3 (51:29):
I honestly can't like I can't see you with a regular
electric needle.
Speaker 1 (51:36):
With a motor.
Just the sound alone, I'm likeit doesn't really fit me.
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (51:44):
Interrupts the piece a little bit.
Like I said, a little bit of aDennis drill thing going on
there.
Speaker 1 (51:49):
Yeah, and just what I hear from people about their
experience with hand poke itmakes me not want to use the
machine.
Speaker 3 (52:00):
I've heard and I have not researched this side, this
is just out of my head, but likethere's some, I mean there's a
lot of different ways to dotattoos too.
I think there don't the Samoanslike use some kind of?
Have you ever tried that?
Speaker 1 (52:20):
No.
I would love to like go toThailand and get one.
Speaker 3 (52:25):
How many tattoos do you have now?
Do you even know?
Speaker 1 (52:27):
I don't know, and I kind of like blended them
together, so I don't know whatto count that.
Speaker 2 (52:34):
Right, you can add on or change something.
How nice to be an artist.
It's not nice Like it's, youwork at it, but how nice to have
that talent.
I don't, yeah, I have so muchof an artistic thing, at least
in anything you know visual artslike that so it's.
I just envy it.
Speaker 1 (52:51):
What's so funny?
Because, like I, I usuallydon't think it's like anything
special and I'm like, oh, anyonecan do this.
But I mean, I really think thatanyone with with practice can
do something like this.
Speaker 2 (53:06):
If you give me a stencil maybe I don't know.
Speaker 3 (53:11):
I'm not going to let Mary Beth tattoo me anytime soon
.
Speaker 2 (53:13):
No, nor nor are you going to let me pierce anything
with a thumbtack.
Speaker 3 (53:16):
No, although it sounds like you had.
You had some success.
What have been some of yourmost memorable tattoos?
Like some challenges or ormaybe you know, like your
favorite or any tattoos thatsort of stick out in in your
experiences?
Speaker 1 (53:34):
I should have been prepared for this question.
I was.
I was like what kind ofquestions are you going to ask?
And this is something thatpeople ask me all the time.
And it's like as soon as I'masked the question, like I
forget all the tattoos.
Speaker 2 (53:47):
Your mind goes blank.
Speaker 3 (53:49):
She's like hold on.
Let me look at my Instagrampage.
Speaker 1 (53:52):
Honestly, like sometimes that will help.
Kind of like, becausethroughout the day I'll I'll
think of experiences that I'vehad with with tattoos and and
each of them are so special intheir own way and that's
probably part of it is it'sprobably part of it, because at
the time you know, when you'rewith Joyce and her story and her
(54:12):
image, that's just miraculous.
Speaker 2 (54:16):
But then in a couple of days you're going to have
someone else's miraculous storythat affects you just as much.
So it's, it's brilliantactually.
But it's understandable thatthey don't stand out from each
other, because you're not justdialing it in and stamping
something on somebody, Like.
All of them are an experiencefor you and for the person,
which is unusual.
Speaker 3 (54:37):
And as the day goes on, because I know that I have
these moments after we podcastit's like, oh, I should have
said this or I should have saidthat, which is why we plan on
having all of our guests back atsome point.
We keep talking about this, butit's okay, Like I actually
talked about that kind of inthis, this subject in a
(54:57):
different way, and one of thelast episodes I think you both
know that you know we went to StPetersburg on a whim to go see
Trevor play and I was justsometimes, like you're, so into
the like, I'm so absorbed in theexperience that I almost don't
(55:18):
remember it clearly.
You know, like it's almost likeI have to be in that zone to
like really remember the details, and I was.
I was trying, I took a fewphotos and videos, but I was
trying to like not touch myphone.
You know, I was just trying tobe in the experience and there
was only one song that I that Isort of wished I had gotten some
(55:39):
of, but like it, you know youcan't.
We, we talked about how youcan't really relive an
experience through a video and Ithink you're, you're expressing
the same thing.
You know it's like and what yousaid, mary Beth, like it's.
Each, each experience is sobeautiful in and of its own
(55:59):
right, and I believe that I knowyou want to remember it.
Speaker 2 (56:05):
Yeah, but I don't even think remembering it is
necessary.
It's.
It's like you've absorbed itnow.
And it's part of you and and ithas changed you and whatever
you've learned or taken from itand little glimpses of that
might come back to you, but I dobelieve we're too fixated on
trying to remember and keep.
Speaker 3 (56:23):
Yeah, it's the same as a yoga class, right Like your
.
You get into the flow of yourbreath and movement and you
don't.
Speaker 2 (56:33):
you know some days your, your balance is spot on
and some days it's not, but you,every day's, every class or
every practice is flow may bedifferent for you and it adds to
you, you absorbed it, it iswhat it is, and and you move on
you know, you know what Iabsorbed last night In your
(56:54):
husband's oh Yiddin class, wherewe used myofascial release with
tennis balls.
His cue to try and not let yourballs roll out.
Speaker 3 (57:11):
So, we have two studios.
Kristen and I teach in one ofthem from 6 30 to 7 30 on
Wednesday evenings and Jamesteaches from 7 30 to 8 30.
So I clean up and check thenext class in and then I drive
over to the other studio becauseWednesday is also date night
and so who knows where James'sballs were that night?
(57:32):
And Wednesday night is achallenging date night, but we
just we, we go out.
Speaker 2 (57:39):
Those are sweaty balls.
Speaker 3 (57:40):
on Wednesday night I'll tell you that, and so when
I got, I got there maybe a fewminutes before the class ended,
and so I was in the lobby andMary Beth walks out and she's
like you know what your husbandjust said and didn't.
So he said try not to let yourballs roll out, roll out or
(58:01):
something, or fall out or MaryBeth whispered.
That's what she said, orsomething.
That's what she said, did youthink?
Speaker 2 (58:08):
I whispered.
Well, james said, everybodyheard you know just James and
probably Tiffany Luccarelli infront of me.
Speaker 3 (58:16):
Mary Beth sometimes can help it.
Speaker 1 (58:19):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (58:21):
Sometimes I'm in the right place, but sometimes I'm a
sixth grader.
Speaker 3 (58:29):
Her classes are very inspiring, but they're also very
funny sometimes.
Speaker 1 (58:37):
I love when, when a teacher is like personality
comes through their teaching.
Speaker 3 (58:43):
That's definitely happening in Mary Beth's 20s
class in all of ours, I'm sure.
One of our trainees in one ofone of the recent sessions was
like Mary Beth said something.
She couldn't even remember whatit was and she was like I was
laughing so hard I was almost intears and I was almost angry
because nobody else was laughing.
Speaker 2 (59:04):
I don't know if that's what everybody wants from
a yoga practice, but every nowand then it's okay.
Right, it's all good, it's allgood.
Speaker 3 (59:11):
So, kristen, thank you so much for spending this
time with us and, if you are, ifyou want to put Cleveland on
the map before you, you head toMorocco.
I know that a lot of people arevery interested in my tattoo
and would yes, yeah.
Speaker 2 (59:26):
Oh my gosh, it would be great.
Speaker 1 (59:28):
I wish I could.
There are so many trips I wantto take before leaving, but I've
had to really just like slow itdown.
Something to sausage I neverthought.
Speaker 2 (59:36):
I'd have to say that.
And when?
Speaker 1 (59:38):
are you leaving?
I leave October 4th.
Speaker 2 (59:42):
Oh, so that is, that's quick.
You've already got.
You've already talked about anAugust trip, so our next time
that we podcast with Kristenwill just be live from Morocco.
We'll have to find a time zonesituation that works.
Speaker 3 (59:55):
Yeah, that would be really cool.
Yeah, you better not lose touch.
Definitely not.
We might have to do a retreatin Morocco.
Speaker 1 (01:00:06):
Because honestly, that's like.
The goal is to eventually builda small villa to be able to
host retreats and things likethat, so keep it on the map.
Speaker 2 (01:00:17):
We'll keep each other on the map.
Speaker 3 (01:00:19):
We can do that, yeah, so thanks again.
Thank you, good luck witheverything Good luck.
Speaker 2 (01:00:26):
We love seeing this flower in your hair.
I love a girl with a flower inher hair.
And Godspeed, have wonderfultravels and wonderful
experiences and we'll see youagain.
Speaker 1 (01:00:35):
Thank you so so much.
Have a great day, guys.
Speaker 2 (01:00:38):
You too, All right, we're done.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.