June 17, 2025 • 33 mins
Click here to tell us about your favorite car, car story or automotive trivia !
In this episode of To All The Cars I’ve Loved Before, hosts Christian and Doug explore that metaphor with Lisa Richer, founder of Journey2Bloom (https://journey2bloom.com) and a Leading Thought Partner and Consultant collaborating with individuals to navigate neurodiversity, address caregiver exhaustion, and foster a higher quality of life.
What You’ll Hear
- BMW-Green Celica Confession: How a scholarship reward turned into a freshly repainted 1990 Toyota Celica—proof that you can change the paint yet keep the same inner workings.
- Total Loss, Total Growth: The rainy-day crash that totaled Lisa’s first car, pushed her into a ’96 Acura Integra, and taught her why calm minds (and automatic transmissions) matter.
- Under the Hood of Ourselves: Lisa explains how she helps parents, educators, and neurodiverse professionals “lift the hood,” understand their wiring, and fine-tune life skills—just like diagnosing a misfire before it becomes engine failure.
- Caregiver Pit-Stops: Holistic and innovative solutions from the new Quality of Life™ platform, designed to refuel growth oriented women, caregivers and families so they don’t run on empty.
- Car Memories & Culture: Family road trips in a seven-seat Acura MDX, Subaru reliability, and why Monster Jam’s thunderous sensory overload mirrors neurodivergent experiences.
And don't forget to check out Lisa's favorite episode with a dynamic student/instructor duo from Weber State University's Automotive Technology Program - https://pod.link/1733902541/episode/6101fe7007f56a999211944be3a14faf
Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite platform and visit https://carsloved.com for show notes, our automotive blog, guest road trip playlist and our new CARousel of Memories photo archive. Rate & review to keep the engines of automotive storytelling—and personal restoration—running strong.
New episodes drop every Tuesday. Please Follow, Like, and Subscribe to be the first to hear our latest content and past episodes - https://linktr.ee/carsloved
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Christian (00:00):
You have found, to all the cars I've loved before,
your authoritative podcast onautomotive nostalgia, where
every car tells a story, everycar has a culture, and it's time
to plug in, dust off, get alittle grease under our
(00:22):
fingernails.
Hey, I love your shirt, by theway.
Oh, thanks.
Call back to a previous guest.
The antique Ferrari restorer,Tom Young, graciously sent us a
couple of shirts.
Great guy, interesting guy,wildly skilled.
Doug (00:38):
Yes, his videos are just amazing.
Perfection, knowledge, but not–he doesn't come across as a
perfectionist when you talk tohim.
Christian (00:49):
Yeah, and when you look at what the guy does is he
has this garage full ofFerraris, and you've got to say–
Well, he's just got to have ateam of people, an interior
specialist, motor, you know, apaint guy.
He does everything himself.
He's just a one-man band, andhe tells his customers, it may
take me eight months, a year,year and a half to get to your
(01:12):
car, but, you know, it's in theright hands, and you know he's
going to do it right, right?
Isn't
Doug (01:17):
that what he said?
He's going to do it toconcourse, to win at those
judging events.
Unknown (01:24):
Yeah.
Christian (01:24):
Yeah, and one interesting thing we were
chatting about was the historyof the Notre Dame Cathedral and
the handcrafting and not takingany shortcuts and honoring
history and that sort ofpainstaking eye for detail and
attention to a job well done.
Interesting guy.
And, hey, is there a T-shirtlike that with my name on it?
(01:46):
Well, this
Doug (01:48):
shirt says Tom Young's name on it.
Very nice.
For everybody who's listening,it's TomYang.net.
You can also find him onYouTube.
But great videos.
He was such a great guest.
And, yes, there is a shirt uphere in the northeast for you.
If I see you soon enough, I'llgive it to you.
(02:10):
If not, I'll mail it to you.
Don't worry.
I'll steal it.
It's
Christian (02:13):
what I do.
I could probably give it toyour son.
Please do review, share, anddownload.
If you like the podcast and youthink you know someone that
would enjoy it, please share.
And if you think further theymay like to be on it, just let
us know.
You can shoot us their name,number, email, and we will be in
touch.
But perfect segue because...
(02:35):
We have a very fun guest today,and I'm going to hand off the
introductions to Doug.
So how did Lisa come into ourworld?
Doug (02:46):
Well, let's see.
I met Lisa, I want to say itwas probably close to 25 years
ago.
Does that sound right, Lisa?
Lisa (02:56):
Sounds about
Doug (02:57):
right.
Yeah, we were friends.
stayed in touch thanks to thepower of the internet.
Doug is so good at this, by theway.
He's just very good at this.
It's kind of my thing.
I like staying in touch withpeople.
I call myself the LinkedInmatchmaker, too, because I like
connecting people job-wise.
In fact, Christian, just aquick reference to our last
(03:20):
podcast with Matt, the painter.
There's a gentleman in myDeLorean club who's moving back
east.
He's He's a painter.
And so I just happened tomention to him that, hey, we did
an interview with a painter.
So he asked to be connectedwith him.
Maybe you can get him a job.
So, yeah, I think you're what
Christian (03:39):
they
Doug (03:39):
call
Christian (03:40):
a super connector.
But enough about you.
Let's talk about Lisa.
Lisa, how are you?
Doug (03:44):
Yeah.
Lisa (03:45):
I am good.
And just another thing Doug andI have in common, I too am
known as a connector and someonethat- I can see that.
Unknown (03:53):
...
Lisa (03:53):
brings people together.
So something that we, anotherthing that we have in common.
And you had mentioned Ukraine,listening in.
My husband's side of thefamily, they're from Kyiv.
And my- Your oldest son isfirst generation American.
Doug (04:11):
Yeah, that's so awesome.
Lisa (04:13):
And little connections.
Doug (04:14):
Yeah, definitely.
Lisa, you are self-described,before we get into your cars,
you are a self-described serialpodcast guest, otherwise known
as you're down with OPP, otherpeople's platforms, other
people's podcasts.
Lisa (04:30):
And that's
Doug (04:33):
Lisa's term.
I'm just reusing it.
I thought it was very, verysmart and funny.
Just like reduce, reuse,recycles.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Christian (04:41):
Acronyms from the 90s can be new again.
Doug (04:44):
Yeah.
Christian (04:45):
And
Lisa (04:46):
more appropriately used.
Doug (04:47):
Thank
Lisa (04:49):
you.
More appropriate to articulateon a friendly podcast.
Christian (04:54):
Indeed.
Lisa (04:55):
Yes.
I find that in collaborationgoes along with that connector
thing.
And I find that doing things incollaboration allows me to have
a broader reach and moreengaging conversations and keep
my energy because people haveasked me about starting a
podcast myself for years.
And I said other people'spodcasts.
(05:16):
And then I was like, oh, I justsaid APP.
You got it.
That's where that came from.
Very creative.
Doug (05:21):
And you have been a guest on over 11 podcasts, maybe 12,
including us.
Where
Christian (05:27):
the Bakers doesn't.
Doug (05:28):
Yep.
Yep.
Broke the bank there.
So at the
Christian (05:32):
end, we have to ask her what was her experience like
on ours and how do we compare?
Yep.
Very curious.
But go ahead.
Doug (05:42):
Sorry.
I didn't mean to interrupt,Doug.
You are fine.
You are fine.
We could talk to Lisa all day.
But we do want to talk about–Lisa had an interesting
experience with her first car,but I'm going to let her– Tell
us about her first car, how shegot it, what kind of car it was,
whether it was a stick shift orautomatic.
There's a funny story there,apparently.
(06:02):
But tell us about your firstcar.
Lisa (06:04):
All right.
So my first car was a ToyotaCelica.
What year?
It was a 90.
Doug (06:12):
1990, flip-up headlights.
Love it.
Lisa (06:16):
Yes.
Love
Doug (06:16):
it.
Lisa (06:17):
So actually, I think it was...
I don't think mine had flip-upheadlights.
Doug (06:24):
I think it did.
I looked at a picture of a 1990and I saw flip-up headlights.
Lisa (06:29):
Okay.
Then it had to have flip-upheadlights and I just didn't
know that.
So see, I'm not perceptive insome areas and very perceptive
in others.
Doug (06:39):
They're making a comeback.
No, they're not.
But I love them.
Lisa (06:43):
I loved it.
So it was a gift.
It was a conditional gift.
I would say.
So I was an elite levelathlete.
My whole from not my whole lifewas an elite level athlete, but
I started gymnastics at fiveand went all the way through
(07:04):
through college.
But in high school, my parentshad said, you get a full
scholarship, we'll buy you acar.
And so that was part of that.
That was that offering in thecondition of getting that
scholarship and I could keep thecar as long as I kept the
scholarship.
Oh, wow.
(07:24):
That was the conditions uponwhich I received my Toyota
Celica.
It was black with the goldpinstripe.
Oh, the pinstripes.
And it had the sunroof.
Doug (07:36):
Sunroof, nice, sporty.
Automatic or five-speed?
Lisa (07:40):
It was 100% automatic.
I cannot drive six shiftsautomatically.
Between my executivefunctioning and ADHD and all the
things I've learned aboutmyself as an adult.
Yeah, no.
Now I know why I could neverdrive a stick shift.
I could not do the three thingsand focus on the road at the
(08:00):
same time.
Doug (08:02):
Gotcha.
And I think you said that youmaybe experimented driving stick
shift and made some people theopposite of drunk.
Unknown (08:10):
Yeah.
Lisa (08:10):
Yes.
Passengers,
Doug (08:12):
passengers.
Lisa (08:13):
A passenger.
So I was typically thedesignated driver often in the
early years of end of highschool, early years of college.
And my friends weren't always.
And she had a six shift and Idrove us.
We were in outside of we weresomewhere in the Jersey Shore.
(08:35):
And we were driving from ourside to wherever we had to go
over a bridge.
So by the time we got throughthe little town and over the
bridge, both of the passengerswere sober.
Because it took me that long tobe able to focus and do that.
So I got us where we needed togo, but it was not pretty.
Doug (08:56):
And that was the first and last time?
Lisa (09:01):
That was actually the first of two times.
Okay.
Other people tried to get me tolearn it.
They said, there's no wayyou're not going to be able to
drive this.
And then after that second try,that was it.
They didn't let me use theircar because the clutch was going
to go in the one time I droveit.
And I said, I'm not interested.
Yep.
Doug (09:25):
Well, we won't put you in a right-hand drive car with a
stick shift because, you know,who knows?
Although I'm thinking aboutgetting one of those just to
train my other side of my brain.
Christian (09:36):
That's very neurodivergent, isn't it?
Yeah.
You train yourself to dosomething that you're not used
to.
Doug (09:44):
Yep.
Christian (09:45):
Got to do it.
That's one way to do it.
Doug (09:48):
Challenge yourself.
Yeah.
And there's another neat storyabout this car which makes me
think about a previous guest wehad who's a painter who painted
cars.
And you did something with yourfirst car that I think a lot of
people wouldn't do.
You painted it, right?
(10:09):
You had the color changed.
Lisa (10:11):
It was only two years old and I had the color changed.
I had it changed to BMW green.
And specifically BMW green.
So a car that I couldn'tafford, but that I absolutely
loved was a 325i BMWconvertible.
(10:31):
And I've mostly seen it in redfor my younger years.
However, I loved the BMW green.
And so I found a body shop thatwas willing to paint my car.
Toyota Celica, BMW green andput the black pinstripes.
So I kept the pinstripes and Ifelt like I had a brand new car.
Doug (10:52):
Nice.
Nice.
And were your parents surprisedwhen they saw it?
Lisa (10:56):
I did tell them and they were fine with it.
Doug (10:58):
Okay.
They're like your money, yourcar.
Lisa (11:01):
A little hook to keep me at college because I was not
very happy there.
So I think it was like, oh,we'll give you that.
Doug (11:07):
Well, some people dye their hair red.
You just had your car paintedgreen.
Lisa (11:12):
I did dye my hair red at some point in college, Doug.
Oh, red or pink
Doug (11:17):
or whatever color
Lisa (11:18):
you have.
That wasn't enough for me.
I had to do something biggerand bolder.
Christian (11:21):
So what is BMW green?
Is it that kind of really deep,foresty, glittery green color?
Lisa (11:29):
Exactly what it is.
Christian (11:30):
Yeah.
Yeah.
It wasn't kind of that.
I remember the flat red BMWs ofthe 80s.
Boy, you had arrived if you hadone of those cars.
They were just verydistinctive.
That was all the cachet.
But yeah.
Okay.
Sorry, Doug.
Doug (11:45):
No, no, no.
You're fine.
So what happened to that nowgreen, BMW green Toyota Celica?
Lisa (11:54):
Oh, that's a story.
So I was living in NorthCarolina.
Doug (11:59):
Uh-huh.
Lisa (11:59):
And I worked at a Y in Durham.
I was their gymnastics directorand I lived in Chapel Hill.
So I had to drive down what wascalled 15501 to get there.
And there were, I think I'msaying the right road, but there
were double lanes going eachway and there were service roads
(12:21):
that would cross over.
And I was driving on thestraightaway And somebody came
out of one of the service areas.
So you had to turn off the mainroad through a service area to
get to all the car dealerships.
Right.
And somebody was turning out ofone of those side areas onto
the main road.
And they cut me off while itwas raining.
(12:44):
My car spun around and landed,like, into the ongoing traffic.
Oh.
Thank goodness the person thatI was heading towards was an
off-duty police officer.
And his...
Reaction time was extremelygood.
And my car was totaled.
And that's when I got my secondcar.
Not a fun story, but yeah.
(13:09):
But you walked
Christian (13:10):
away.
You walked away.
I did.
Service roads always make me alittle nervous.
I'm not really sure why.
If it's the kind of people atspeed that are right next to
each other, and then you havethis guy coming off the road
here, and he's going to cut infront of this service road.
There's always a lot of actionin a service road.
(13:31):
There are only two little bittylanes.
Absolutely.
Yep.
This
Lisa (13:35):
was like a couple lane highway, like not quite a
highway, but I guess like hereit would be like 100.
Maybe like driving on 100 hereand where I am in Ellicott City
area.
And the person just came oninto the road and was raining.
And thankfully there werewitnesses who waited that saw
(14:00):
the whole thing.
And they said it was...
Wasn't me.
I mean, it was going to be hardto be me when I was driving on
the straightaway and they wereon the side, but yeah, it was,
it was pretty scary, butsomebody was watching out for me
that day.
Doug (14:13):
Yep.
So, so you didn't end up with aBMW next though, did you?
Lisa (14:21):
No, I didn't.
A green
Doug (14:22):
BMW.
Lisa (14:23):
What was your next car?
My next car was an AcuraIntegra.
Doug (14:28):
Okay.
Lisa (14:29):
It was a white.
1996,
Doug (14:31):
I think he said.
Lisa (14:33):
I believe so.
96 or 98.
96.
I'm pretty sure it was 96.
Doug (14:37):
Okay.
Lisa (14:38):
White with tan leather interior.
Doug (14:42):
Okay.
Lisa (14:43):
It was a great car.
Christian (14:44):
Man, I'm going to give you a little virtual
handshake representing theAcuras from the 90s, from the
middle 90s.
I had a 32 TL.
I remember.
96.
Gorgeous car.
I got more compliments on thatcar.
Black with a little goldpinstripe going down the side.
It was it was lovely.
(15:05):
I love that car.
I had that car for a long time.
Then, yeah, had the third kidand had to get rid of it.
I tried to squish three kidsabreast in the back seat and a
stroller wouldn't fit in theback.
And I said,
Doug (15:18):
oh, that's when you want to do it.
Christian (15:21):
Yeah.
No, no.
I think I got a you.
I get the expedition afterthat.
Doug (15:27):
Maybe.
There was some point where youboth had minivans.
Man, I love a minivan.
I
Lisa (15:34):
love a Honda minivan.
I refuse to do the minivan.
Christian (15:36):
I'll take it all day.
Lisa (15:38):
Not a soccer mom, so I said I won't do a minivan.
Doug (15:41):
Well,
Lisa (15:42):
I'm not a soccer mom either.
Yes, I'm a soccer
Doug (15:44):
dad.
So the Integra was replacedwith another Acura?
Is
Lisa (15:50):
that right?
Oh, yes.
It was replaced with the MDX.
Christian (15:53):
Yes! Same as mine, 2007 Acura MDX.
Look at us.
We're Acura twinning.
By the way, you know what Acurastands for, right?
No.
I do not.
Another costly, unexpectedrepair again?
That's it.
That's Acura.
Doug (16:08):
Well, that's only when they get to be like 20 years old
like yours.
Nope.
It's only 18.
Hey, we're getting there.
But yeah, what can you say?
What color was the MDX, Lisa?
Lisa (16:22):
It was silver.
Doug (16:23):
Okay.
My favorite color.
Lisa (16:24):
black interior
Doug (16:25):
yep that's the best combination
Lisa (16:28):
the dvd player it was the whole nine yards yeah and the
guy sold me on it we had a idon't know joseph must have been
two months old at the time andwe were there looking at new
cars because we knew we wantedsomething bigger than what we
had and the guy said we i said ineed to go change my son's
(16:48):
diaper and he said come on outhere let's Do it in the back of
the trunk.
Christian (16:53):
Yeah, this one has the changing table option.
You'll love it.
Lisa (16:56):
Right.
Brown pink stripes.
I'm thinking first time on, thecar is going to explode in the
back of the car, and this isn'tgoing to end well.
But instead, we left there withan Acura MDX.
Christian (17:10):
I dig it.
That is fantastic.
So, okay.
So, you're saying you went fromthe Acura Integra to the MDX?
Yes.
Yes.
That's interesting.
So, so what you did, so youobviously like the Acura
product, the Integra way toosmall.
And I find with my MDX, it isjust the, it's just a great size
(17:33):
automobile.
Um, you know, you could, uh,third row is not an option
standard, uh, pull 5,000 poundswith it, right?
You You know, and you can haula boat, you can haul a trailer,
you can haul anything you want.
So truly a Swiss Army knife.
(17:54):
So anyway, sorry, I didn't meanto interrupt.
Please keep telling us aboutthe MDX.
Lisa (18:00):
That car drove everywhere with us for a very long time.
Kept us, kept our kids engaged,kept us engaged, had all the
bells and whistles.
It was a wonderful car.
I absolutely loved it.
Doug (18:16):
How long did you own it for?
Great question.
All good.
Lisa (18:20):
If
Doug (18:20):
you remember.
I
Lisa (18:22):
don't even remember.
I think, I want to say I tradedit in for the Subaru that I
have now.
Doug (18:33):
Oh, the current Subaru, which is a Subaru, what model?
Lisa (18:38):
Outback.
Christian (18:39):
Outback.
You said Outback, but you know,she reminds me, she's talking
about, you like your Outback,right?
Lisa (18:45):
I do like it.
I also had a Maxima in there atsome point.
I can't remember when I hadthat.
But the steering wheel was myfavorite part of the Maxima
because it was a heated steeringwheel.
And none of my other cars hadthat at the time.
But the Subaru is an Outback.
And I got it, I want to say, in2016.
Yeah.
Christian (19:05):
Who was it?
We had Melissa on in seasonone.
Who had a Subaru?
Doug (19:11):
She has a Subaru Ascent, which is the largest Subaru that
you can get.
Yeah.
She loves her.
She loves hers.
She does love it, yeah.
Lisa (19:21):
They did not have the seven-seater when I got my
Doug (19:23):
Subaru.
Lisa (19:24):
It wasn't out yet.
Doug (19:26):
I see.
I see.
Gotcha.
My girlfriend has a Subaru aswell, Crosstrek, but it's a
plug-in hybrid.
It's a real nice car.
Lisa (19:34):
Oh, interesting.
That's the newer Crosstrek.
My best friend has a Crosstrek,but her model didn't have the
hybrid, but now they do.
Doug (19:43):
Yep, yep.
There aren't many of theplug-in hybrids, but she found
one.
So, yeah, it's a neat car.
Christian (19:49):
Well, that takes us through the automobiles, but you
know what?
There's more to Lisa than justa shiny repainted car.
Lisa, tell us a little bitabout what you do and what your
passions are.
When you're not painting cars.
Yeah, when you're not, yes, andcoloring your hair a different
color.
Lisa (20:07):
Let's be clear, I did not paint the car.
And my mother-in-law, love herto death, she colors my hair.
She owned a hair salon.
I've been very lucky.
I've had my hair colored a lot,but I've always had somebody
else color it.
My car got colored by somebodyelse too.
So that is not something I'mpassionate about or something
that I do well.
So, gosh, so what do I do?
(20:30):
The work that I do is really mylife's purpose, I believe.
And the business I own iscalled Journey to Bloom.
And the name came from my greataunt, Mildred Bloom.
So yeah, so Bloom is a familyname.
(20:54):
But it really resonated withme.
She and I were the black sheepsof our family.
And so she's my favorite greataunt.
Love my other one too, but thisone and I just, we just really
got along in a different way.
And even my logo is, if youlook at it very closely, there
are hearts as the petals and theleaves is actually a infinity
(21:20):
heart as well.
Never ending ebb and flow.
And so, What the business is,is I am a neurodiversity
consultant and I focus onsimplifying the neurodiverse
learning journey by offeringpersonalized support, education,
and advisory services for neurodistinct professionals and
(21:41):
parents of neurodiverselearners.
I, go ahead.
Christian (21:49):
No,
Lisa (21:49):
no, please continue.
Please continue.
And so I do that in three ways.
I work with parents andeducators navigating the
neurodiverse learning journeythrough the school systems.
I work with professionals thatmay realize they're
neurodistinct or just want tounderstand how to work with
their children better, whateverthe case is.
Sometimes they're trying tofigure out how to navigate the
(22:11):
corporate world because they'realso neurodistinct like I was,
and they aren't quite gettingpeople to understand them, how
they think.
So there's like the gaslightingand all those things that come
into play.
And the third way is workingwith organizations and really
helping them understanddifferent neurotypes and how to
navigate and engage across thoseneurotypes and tying in what I
(22:33):
like to call the art ofrelationship building.
And because I do things verydifferently I start in the
middle and then I workbackwards.
So I don't do top down, bottomup.
I do middle out and then fillin the blanks from there.
And so I help others understandthat it's not always that it
has to be black and white.
(22:53):
And so it's my passion, butit's also my core business.
You asked what else I'mpassionate about.
And there's another...
offering that I've become partof, that I was invested in
time-wise for the last aboutthree years.
(23:14):
And it's called A Cheap Qualityof Life.
And we just did our officialopening on Saturday, this past
Saturday.
Christian (23:23):
Congratulations.
Lisa (23:24):
Thank you.
It's very exciting.
I am the IntegrativeCollaboration Officer for the
company.
And we really help caregiversbuild their energy, connections,
and clarity Anyone who offerscare to another person is a
caregiver.
So whether it's yourprofession, you are the person
being cared for or vice versa.
And we are really, the goalhere is really to have a
(23:50):
platform for integrativeempowerment and wellness,
redefining what it means to be acaregiver in the 21st century,
because we don't want people tohave to sacrifice themselves in
the process.
Yes.
So we're, bringing both sidestogether to offer a place to
(24:10):
learn and grow both from thewellness and the empowerment
sides of the, of the world.
We have some differentassessments that we're doing and
things like that.
So those are the two corebusiness offerings that I, that
I, that I'm invested in.
Yeah.
Christian (24:28):
Yeah, I think that's beautiful and needed.
And you take this holisticapproach from youth to the
adults.
They both need help, a littleextra help, and two very
different sets of what'shappening.
You also mentioned thecaregivers, and that's very
important.
So these people that arelooking out for these others,
(24:51):
they need help too.
They need support.
They need somebody to talk to.
Any help that can be provided.
I just think that's wonderful.
That is God's word.
Thank you for that.
I just think that's wonderful.
I
Doug (25:04):
think that is wonderful.
As a parent of twoneurodivergent kids and then who
learned himself later that heis neurodivergent, I am so
thankful that you're doing thisfor other people.
I wish I could contribute.
But I do stuff about podcastsand cars.
Unknown (25:23):
Yeah.
Lisa (25:23):
Well, I think that though you have contributed.
I mean, Doug, we've known eachother quite some time and I've
learned about different programoptions and things that I can
gift to clients or people thatcome and connect with me.
And it's back to full circlefrom the beginning of today,
right?
We were talking about beingthose connectors and being in
collaboration, right?
(25:44):
That's what this is all about,you know, is the giving back.
And I want to help people helpthemselves in a way that I
wasn't helped at first, but Iwas surrounded with like my
dream team of people.
When my oldest first gotdiagnosed, it was a long journey
to get there.
And they've traveled with meall these years.
And I see myself in helping tobring that to other people and
(26:08):
meet them where they are.
No, they're not alone becauseit's hard to be a parent to
begin with.
and a caregiver and it's evenharder to be one of one or more
neurodivergent individuals orpeople that are going through
different things that requireunique supports and
understanding that many peopleare judgmental and they just
(26:30):
don't, they don't understand itand the fear comes out as
combativeness and anything I cando to help change that way of
thinking and we can all grow andbe better together and let go
of social norms that somebodysaid was so, that's something
I'm always going to lean into,which is why I sit on boards and
(26:50):
I'm an advisory chair.
I mean, I'm a board chair on anadvisory board because I want
to continue to help grow andgive back.
Christian (26:59):
Thank you.
Well, you are a saint.
That's wonderful.
Thank you.
Thank you for all that you do.
Doug (27:04):
If people want to find you...
Sorry, Christian.
If people want to find you...
I think your website here isjourney2bloom.com.
Is that the best way to findyou?
Lisa (27:19):
Yes.
And my email address is lisa atjourney2bloom.com.
And if you're looking for me onLinkedIn or on Facebook, I
believe that both of them havemy maiden name in the middle.
So it's Lisa Lazar, L-A-Z-A-R,Richard.
Unknown (27:38):
Okay.
Christian (27:40):
Fantastic.
And as we guide the podcastgently to the off ramp here, one
last question for you, Lisa.
I see that you have your that'san Orioles hoodie, right?
Or an Orioles sweatshirt thatyou
Lisa (27:54):
got.
Christian (27:55):
You're a big fan.
How often do you make it toCamden Yards?
Lisa (27:59):
So I did not grow up an Orioles fan, but my kids have
drilled pirates
Christian (28:06):
fan.
Lisa (28:06):
No, I was actually a Yankees fan.
Well, I was a Phillies fanreally little because I met Tug
McGraw.
We did an exhibition at PhillyStadium and I got to sit on Tug
McGraw's lap and hold themicrophone.
I'll have to send that photo toDoug.
Christian (28:21):
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Love
Lisa (28:24):
it.
The Phillies were my team andthen it shifted to the Yankees.
That was my mom's team.
But my children and my husbandare big Orioles fans.
So to answer your question, um,Many times.
We actually gone there many,many times.
We have like a partial packagenow where we try to go to at
least five or six, if not moregames a year.
It's just such a great park.
(28:45):
Even when I was a Yankee fan,my best friend and I would meet
in Baltimore to go to the YankeeOrioles games just because of
the stadium was so amazing.
Christian (28:54):
Yeah.
And if, if you've not been, andif you have a chance, the whole
inner Harbor area, Camdenyards, taking a Ravens game,
Orioles game.
It is a great, great way tospend an afternoon, a weekend,
get a hotel there, takeeverybody down.
You will not regret it.
So how are you feeling aboutthe upcoming season?
Lisa (29:18):
Great big
Christian (29:19):
shrug.
Lisa (29:21):
I was shrugging, you know, right, because I know I'm very
animated.
My younger son is is verydisappointed that Santander will
not be part of the team nextyear.
Christian (29:30):
Yep.
Lisa (29:31):
So that was where my shot came from.
I do think that there is somuch goodness and so much raw
talent.
I think there's a lot of goodyears ahead.
They just need to figure outhow to play in the playoffs, and
that comes with time.
Amen.
Christian (29:47):
Amen.
And it looks like this rightacross the wire.
We have agreed to terms withoutfielder Dylan Carson.
on a one-year contract for the2025 season.
So everybody go check it out.
All right, Lisa, last, lastquestion.
I promise.
How did our podcast compare toall the other podcasts?
Lisa (30:07):
Be honest.
No, I will be honest.
This was the most unique oneI've ever done.
All right.
Very neurodivergent.
Tying the car piece into thestoryline.
I didn't know how I was goingto feel about it.
And I know Doug...
prompted me, you know, and youguys gave me some questions.
That's how you knew about someof the cars.
(30:27):
But I didn't know what toexpect and which I love the
unexpected, but I thought it wasreally neat how that you have
this love for cars and you finda way to tie it into the
experiences.
I found it interesting thatsome things came up that I had
forgotten about when we weretalking about the cars, they
(30:48):
really do have deeper meaning.
And I think that's a beautifulthing that you guys are bringing
to the surface.
Thank you.
Thank you for meaning to thecars.
The other thing that's veryunique is I've never been on a
podcast where there were twohosts.
So that was also very unique.
And with my brain, I, ADHD andtrying to, the executive
(31:12):
functioning, I always writenotes so I can just kind of stay
on track.
Christian (31:15):
Me too, me too.
Lisa (31:16):
What I found very interesting though was, yeah,
was that the way that theconversation kind of ebbed and
flowed, it was really natural.
And so not knowing how it wouldbe when there were two people
on with like three of usessentially, right?
Right.
I thought it was really neatand it was fun.
I'd love to do it againsometime, but I definitely, I
(31:37):
love what you guys are doing.
Thank
Christian (31:39):
you.
Lisa (31:39):
Great spin.
on the podcasts that are outthere that are typically one
person with a microphone.
You know, I just think you guysare doing it differently and I
love unique and differentthings.
So I celebrate you guys forwhat you're doing.
Christian (31:52):
You are very kind and wonderful.
We appreciate your kind words.
And it's interesting that setup the soul, the heart.
This is all Doug.
This is Doug's pet project.
Maybe the project of hislifetime.
We'll see.
But it was your idea.
Yeah.
There's something special aboutthe third person that I can't
(32:13):
really describe.
I mean, it takes greatchemistry, and I've known Doug
even longer than you've knownDoug.
But it does take chemistry, andthere's something about the
third voice that just kind ofhelps things go.
I don't know why that is.
Yeah.
Anyway, but you've given us alot to think about.
(32:33):
You've been a fantastic guest.
Thank you for taking ourpodcast for a spin.
And if, listener land, if youlike what you heard, I'm
Christian at carslove.com.
He is Doug at carslove.com.
She was Lisa.
Lisa, we had a ball.
Thank you and come backanytime.
Thank you.
Thank you, Lisa.
So that was the...
(32:55):
We appreciate you listening.
We will see you next time.
Thank you, ListenerLand.
You have found, to all the cars I've loved before,
your authoritative podcast onautomotive nostalgia, where
every car tells a story, everycar has a culture, and it's time
to plug in, dust off, get alittle grease under our
(00:22):
fingernails.
Hey, I love your shirt, by theway.
Oh, thanks.
Call back to a previous guest.
The antique Ferrari restorer,Tom Young, graciously sent us a
couple of shirts.
Great guy, interesting guy,wildly skilled.
Doug (00:38):
Yes, his videos are just amazing.
Perfection, knowledge, but not–he doesn't come across as a
perfectionist when you talk tohim.
Christian (00:49):
Yeah, and when you look at what the guy does is he
has this garage full ofFerraris, and you've got to say–
Well, he's just got to have ateam of people, an interior
specialist, motor, you know, apaint guy.
He does everything himself.
He's just a one-man band, andhe tells his customers, it may
take me eight months, a year,year and a half to get to your
(01:12):
car, but, you know, it's in theright hands, and you know he's
going to do it right, right?
Isn't
Doug (01:17):
that what he said?
He's going to do it toconcourse, to win at those
judging events.
Unknown (01:24):
Yeah.
Christian (01:24):
Yeah, and one interesting thing we were
chatting about was the historyof the Notre Dame Cathedral and
the handcrafting and not takingany shortcuts and honoring
history and that sort ofpainstaking eye for detail and
attention to a job well done.
Interesting guy.
And, hey, is there a T-shirtlike that with my name on it?
(01:46):
Well, this
Doug (01:48):
shirt says Tom Young's name on it.
Very nice.
For everybody who's listening,it's TomYang.net.
You can also find him onYouTube.
But great videos.
He was such a great guest.
And, yes, there is a shirt uphere in the northeast for you.
If I see you soon enough, I'llgive it to you.
(02:10):
If not, I'll mail it to you.
Don't worry.
I'll steal it.
It's
Christian (02:13):
what I do.
I could probably give it toyour son.
Please do review, share, anddownload.
If you like the podcast and youthink you know someone that
would enjoy it, please share.
And if you think further theymay like to be on it, just let
us know.
You can shoot us their name,number, email, and we will be in
touch.
But perfect segue because...
(02:35):
We have a very fun guest today,and I'm going to hand off the
introductions to Doug.
So how did Lisa come into ourworld?
Doug (02:46):
Well, let's see.
I met Lisa, I want to say itwas probably close to 25 years
ago.
Does that sound right, Lisa?
Lisa (02:56):
Sounds about
Doug (02:57):
right.
Yeah, we were friends.
stayed in touch thanks to thepower of the internet.
Doug is so good at this, by theway.
He's just very good at this.
It's kind of my thing.
I like staying in touch withpeople.
I call myself the LinkedInmatchmaker, too, because I like
connecting people job-wise.
In fact, Christian, just aquick reference to our last
(03:20):
podcast with Matt, the painter.
There's a gentleman in myDeLorean club who's moving back
east.
He's He's a painter.
And so I just happened tomention to him that, hey, we did
an interview with a painter.
So he asked to be connectedwith him.
Maybe you can get him a job.
So, yeah, I think you're what
Christian (03:39):
they
Doug (03:39):
call
Christian (03:40):
a super connector.
But enough about you.
Let's talk about Lisa.
Lisa, how are you?
Doug (03:44):
Yeah.
Lisa (03:45):
I am good.
And just another thing Doug andI have in common, I too am
known as a connector and someonethat- I can see that.
Unknown (03:53):
...
Lisa (03:53):
brings people together.
So something that we, anotherthing that we have in common.
And you had mentioned Ukraine,listening in.
My husband's side of thefamily, they're from Kyiv.
And my- Your oldest son isfirst generation American.
Doug (04:11):
Yeah, that's so awesome.
Lisa (04:13):
And little connections.
Doug (04:14):
Yeah, definitely.
Lisa, you are self-described,before we get into your cars,
you are a self-described serialpodcast guest, otherwise known
as you're down with OPP, otherpeople's platforms, other
people's podcasts.
Lisa (04:30):
And that's
Doug (04:33):
Lisa's term.
I'm just reusing it.
I thought it was very, verysmart and funny.
Just like reduce, reuse,recycles.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Christian (04:41):
Acronyms from the 90s can be new again.
Doug (04:44):
Yeah.
Christian (04:45):
And
Lisa (04:46):
more appropriately used.
Doug (04:47):
Thank
Lisa (04:49):
you.
More appropriate to articulateon a friendly podcast.
Christian (04:54):
Indeed.
Lisa (04:55):
Yes.
I find that in collaborationgoes along with that connector
thing.
And I find that doing things incollaboration allows me to have
a broader reach and moreengaging conversations and keep
my energy because people haveasked me about starting a
podcast myself for years.
And I said other people'spodcasts.
(05:16):
And then I was like, oh, I justsaid APP.
You got it.
That's where that came from.
Very creative.
Doug (05:21):
And you have been a guest on over 11 podcasts, maybe 12,
including us.
Where
Christian (05:27):
the Bakers doesn't.
Doug (05:28):
Yep.
Yep.
Broke the bank there.
So at the
Christian (05:32):
end, we have to ask her what was her experience like
on ours and how do we compare?
Yep.
Very curious.
But go ahead.
Doug (05:42):
Sorry.
I didn't mean to interrupt,Doug.
You are fine.
You are fine.
We could talk to Lisa all day.
But we do want to talk about–Lisa had an interesting
experience with her first car,but I'm going to let her– Tell
us about her first car, how shegot it, what kind of car it was,
whether it was a stick shift orautomatic.
There's a funny story there,apparently.
(06:02):
But tell us about your firstcar.
Lisa (06:04):
All right.
So my first car was a ToyotaCelica.
What year?
It was a 90.
Doug (06:12):
1990, flip-up headlights.
Love it.
Lisa (06:16):
Yes.
Love
Doug (06:16):
it.
Lisa (06:17):
So actually, I think it was...
I don't think mine had flip-upheadlights.
Doug (06:24):
I think it did.
I looked at a picture of a 1990and I saw flip-up headlights.
Lisa (06:29):
Okay.
Then it had to have flip-upheadlights and I just didn't
know that.
So see, I'm not perceptive insome areas and very perceptive
in others.
Doug (06:39):
They're making a comeback.
No, they're not.
But I love them.
Lisa (06:43):
I loved it.
So it was a gift.
It was a conditional gift.
I would say.
So I was an elite levelathlete.
My whole from not my whole lifewas an elite level athlete, but
I started gymnastics at fiveand went all the way through
(07:04):
through college.
But in high school, my parentshad said, you get a full
scholarship, we'll buy you acar.
And so that was part of that.
That was that offering in thecondition of getting that
scholarship and I could keep thecar as long as I kept the
scholarship.
Oh, wow.
(07:24):
That was the conditions uponwhich I received my Toyota
Celica.
It was black with the goldpinstripe.
Oh, the pinstripes.
And it had the sunroof.
Doug (07:36):
Sunroof, nice, sporty.
Automatic or five-speed?
Lisa (07:40):
It was 100% automatic.
I cannot drive six shiftsautomatically.
Between my executivefunctioning and ADHD and all the
things I've learned aboutmyself as an adult.
Yeah, no.
Now I know why I could neverdrive a stick shift.
I could not do the three thingsand focus on the road at the
(08:00):
same time.
Doug (08:02):
Gotcha.
And I think you said that youmaybe experimented driving stick
shift and made some people theopposite of drunk.
Unknown (08:10):
Yeah.
Lisa (08:10):
Yes.
Passengers,
Doug (08:12):
passengers.
Lisa (08:13):
A passenger.
So I was typically thedesignated driver often in the
early years of end of highschool, early years of college.
And my friends weren't always.
And she had a six shift and Idrove us.
We were in outside of we weresomewhere in the Jersey Shore.
(08:35):
And we were driving from ourside to wherever we had to go
over a bridge.
So by the time we got throughthe little town and over the
bridge, both of the passengerswere sober.
Because it took me that long tobe able to focus and do that.
So I got us where we needed togo, but it was not pretty.
Doug (08:56):
And that was the first and last time?
Lisa (09:01):
That was actually the first of two times.
Okay.
Other people tried to get me tolearn it.
They said, there's no wayyou're not going to be able to
drive this.
And then after that second try,that was it.
They didn't let me use theircar because the clutch was going
to go in the one time I droveit.
And I said, I'm not interested.
Yep.
Doug (09:25):
Well, we won't put you in a right-hand drive car with a
stick shift because, you know,who knows?
Although I'm thinking aboutgetting one of those just to
train my other side of my brain.
Christian (09:36):
That's very neurodivergent, isn't it?
Yeah.
You train yourself to dosomething that you're not used
to.
Doug (09:44):
Yep.
Christian (09:45):
Got to do it.
That's one way to do it.
Doug (09:48):
Challenge yourself.
Yeah.
And there's another neat storyabout this car which makes me
think about a previous guest wehad who's a painter who painted
cars.
And you did something with yourfirst car that I think a lot of
people wouldn't do.
You painted it, right?
(10:09):
You had the color changed.
Lisa (10:11):
It was only two years old and I had the color changed.
I had it changed to BMW green.
And specifically BMW green.
So a car that I couldn'tafford, but that I absolutely
loved was a 325i BMWconvertible.
(10:31):
And I've mostly seen it in redfor my younger years.
However, I loved the BMW green.
And so I found a body shop thatwas willing to paint my car.
Toyota Celica, BMW green andput the black pinstripes.
So I kept the pinstripes and Ifelt like I had a brand new car.
Doug (10:52):
Nice.
Nice.
And were your parents surprisedwhen they saw it?
Lisa (10:56):
I did tell them and they were fine with it.
Doug (10:58):
Okay.
They're like your money, yourcar.
Lisa (11:01):
A little hook to keep me at college because I was not
very happy there.
So I think it was like, oh,we'll give you that.
Doug (11:07):
Well, some people dye their hair red.
You just had your car paintedgreen.
Lisa (11:12):
I did dye my hair red at some point in college, Doug.
Oh, red or pink
Doug (11:17):
or whatever color
Lisa (11:18):
you have.
That wasn't enough for me.
I had to do something biggerand bolder.
Christian (11:21):
So what is BMW green?
Is it that kind of really deep,foresty, glittery green color?
Lisa (11:29):
Exactly what it is.
Christian (11:30):
Yeah.
Yeah.
It wasn't kind of that.
I remember the flat red BMWs ofthe 80s.
Boy, you had arrived if you hadone of those cars.
They were just verydistinctive.
That was all the cachet.
But yeah.
Okay.
Sorry, Doug.
Doug (11:45):
No, no, no.
You're fine.
So what happened to that nowgreen, BMW green Toyota Celica?
Lisa (11:54):
Oh, that's a story.
So I was living in NorthCarolina.
Doug (11:59):
Uh-huh.
Lisa (11:59):
And I worked at a Y in Durham.
I was their gymnastics directorand I lived in Chapel Hill.
So I had to drive down what wascalled 15501 to get there.
And there were, I think I'msaying the right road, but there
were double lanes going eachway and there were service roads
(12:21):
that would cross over.
And I was driving on thestraightaway And somebody came
out of one of the service areas.
So you had to turn off the mainroad through a service area to
get to all the car dealerships.
Right.
And somebody was turning out ofone of those side areas onto
the main road.
And they cut me off while itwas raining.
(12:44):
My car spun around and landed,like, into the ongoing traffic.
Oh.
Thank goodness the person thatI was heading towards was an
off-duty police officer.
And his...
Reaction time was extremelygood.
And my car was totaled.
And that's when I got my secondcar.
Not a fun story, but yeah.
(13:09):
But you walked
Christian (13:10):
away.
You walked away.
I did.
Service roads always make me alittle nervous.
I'm not really sure why.
If it's the kind of people atspeed that are right next to
each other, and then you havethis guy coming off the road
here, and he's going to cut infront of this service road.
There's always a lot of actionin a service road.
(13:31):
There are only two little bittylanes.
Absolutely.
Yep.
This
Lisa (13:35):
was like a couple lane highway, like not quite a
highway, but I guess like hereit would be like 100.
Maybe like driving on 100 hereand where I am in Ellicott City
area.
And the person just came oninto the road and was raining.
And thankfully there werewitnesses who waited that saw
(14:00):
the whole thing.
And they said it was...
Wasn't me.
I mean, it was going to be hardto be me when I was driving on
the straightaway and they wereon the side, but yeah, it was,
it was pretty scary, butsomebody was watching out for me
that day.
Doug (14:13):
Yep.
So, so you didn't end up with aBMW next though, did you?
Lisa (14:21):
No, I didn't.
A green
Doug (14:22):
BMW.
Lisa (14:23):
What was your next car?
My next car was an AcuraIntegra.
Doug (14:28):
Okay.
Lisa (14:29):
It was a white.
1996,
Doug (14:31):
I think he said.
Lisa (14:33):
I believe so.
96 or 98.
96.
I'm pretty sure it was 96.
Doug (14:37):
Okay.
Lisa (14:38):
White with tan leather interior.
Doug (14:42):
Okay.
Lisa (14:43):
It was a great car.
Christian (14:44):
Man, I'm going to give you a little virtual
handshake representing theAcuras from the 90s, from the
middle 90s.
I had a 32 TL.
I remember.
96.
Gorgeous car.
I got more compliments on thatcar.
Black with a little goldpinstripe going down the side.
It was it was lovely.
(15:05):
I love that car.
I had that car for a long time.
Then, yeah, had the third kidand had to get rid of it.
I tried to squish three kidsabreast in the back seat and a
stroller wouldn't fit in theback.
And I said,
Doug (15:18):
oh, that's when you want to do it.
Christian (15:21):
Yeah.
No, no.
I think I got a you.
I get the expedition afterthat.
Doug (15:27):
Maybe.
There was some point where youboth had minivans.
Man, I love a minivan.
I
Lisa (15:34):
love a Honda minivan.
I refuse to do the minivan.
Christian (15:36):
I'll take it all day.
Lisa (15:38):
Not a soccer mom, so I said I won't do a minivan.
Doug (15:41):
Well,
Lisa (15:42):
I'm not a soccer mom either.
Yes, I'm a soccer
Doug (15:44):
dad.
So the Integra was replacedwith another Acura?
Is
Lisa (15:50):
that right?
Oh, yes.
It was replaced with the MDX.
Christian (15:53):
Yes! Same as mine, 2007 Acura MDX.
Look at us.
We're Acura twinning.
By the way, you know what Acurastands for, right?
No.
I do not.
Another costly, unexpectedrepair again?
That's it.
That's Acura.
Doug (16:08):
Well, that's only when they get to be like 20 years old
like yours.
Nope.
It's only 18.
Hey, we're getting there.
But yeah, what can you say?
What color was the MDX, Lisa?
Lisa (16:22):
It was silver.
Doug (16:23):
Okay.
My favorite color.
Lisa (16:24):
black interior
Doug (16:25):
yep that's the best combination
Lisa (16:28):
the dvd player it was the whole nine yards yeah and the
guy sold me on it we had a idon't know joseph must have been
two months old at the time andwe were there looking at new
cars because we knew we wantedsomething bigger than what we
had and the guy said we i said ineed to go change my son's
(16:48):
diaper and he said come on outhere let's Do it in the back of
the trunk.
Christian (16:53):
Yeah, this one has the changing table option.
You'll love it.
Lisa (16:56):
Right.
Brown pink stripes.
I'm thinking first time on, thecar is going to explode in the
back of the car, and this isn'tgoing to end well.
But instead, we left there withan Acura MDX.
Christian (17:10):
I dig it.
That is fantastic.
So, okay.
So, you're saying you went fromthe Acura Integra to the MDX?
Yes.
Yes.
That's interesting.
So, so what you did, so youobviously like the Acura
product, the Integra way toosmall.
And I find with my MDX, it isjust the, it's just a great size
(17:33):
automobile.
Um, you know, you could, uh,third row is not an option
standard, uh, pull 5,000 poundswith it, right?
You You know, and you can haula boat, you can haul a trailer,
you can haul anything you want.
So truly a Swiss Army knife.
(17:54):
So anyway, sorry, I didn't meanto interrupt.
Please keep telling us aboutthe MDX.
Lisa (18:00):
That car drove everywhere with us for a very long time.
Kept us, kept our kids engaged,kept us engaged, had all the
bells and whistles.
It was a wonderful car.
I absolutely loved it.
Doug (18:16):
How long did you own it for?
Great question.
All good.
Lisa (18:20):
If
Doug (18:20):
you remember.
I
Lisa (18:22):
don't even remember.
I think, I want to say I tradedit in for the Subaru that I
have now.
Doug (18:33):
Oh, the current Subaru, which is a Subaru, what model?
Lisa (18:38):
Outback.
Christian (18:39):
Outback.
You said Outback, but you know,she reminds me, she's talking
about, you like your Outback,right?
Lisa (18:45):
I do like it.
I also had a Maxima in there atsome point.
I can't remember when I hadthat.
But the steering wheel was myfavorite part of the Maxima
because it was a heated steeringwheel.
And none of my other cars hadthat at the time.
But the Subaru is an Outback.
And I got it, I want to say, in2016.
Yeah.
Christian (19:05):
Who was it?
We had Melissa on in seasonone.
Who had a Subaru?
Doug (19:11):
She has a Subaru Ascent, which is the largest Subaru that
you can get.
Yeah.
She loves her.
She loves hers.
She does love it, yeah.
Lisa (19:21):
They did not have the seven-seater when I got my
Doug (19:23):
Subaru.
Lisa (19:24):
It wasn't out yet.
Doug (19:26):
I see.
I see.
Gotcha.
My girlfriend has a Subaru aswell, Crosstrek, but it's a
plug-in hybrid.
It's a real nice car.
Lisa (19:34):
Oh, interesting.
That's the newer Crosstrek.
My best friend has a Crosstrek,but her model didn't have the
hybrid, but now they do.
Doug (19:43):
Yep, yep.
There aren't many of theplug-in hybrids, but she found
one.
So, yeah, it's a neat car.
Christian (19:49):
Well, that takes us through the automobiles, but you
know what?
There's more to Lisa than justa shiny repainted car.
Lisa, tell us a little bitabout what you do and what your
passions are.
When you're not painting cars.
Yeah, when you're not, yes, andcoloring your hair a different
color.
Lisa (20:07):
Let's be clear, I did not paint the car.
And my mother-in-law, love herto death, she colors my hair.
She owned a hair salon.
I've been very lucky.
I've had my hair colored a lot,but I've always had somebody
else color it.
My car got colored by somebodyelse too.
So that is not something I'mpassionate about or something
that I do well.
So, gosh, so what do I do?
(20:30):
The work that I do is really mylife's purpose, I believe.
And the business I own iscalled Journey to Bloom.
And the name came from my greataunt, Mildred Bloom.
So yeah, so Bloom is a familyname.
(20:54):
But it really resonated withme.
She and I were the black sheepsof our family.
And so she's my favorite greataunt.
Love my other one too, but thisone and I just, we just really
got along in a different way.
And even my logo is, if youlook at it very closely, there
are hearts as the petals and theleaves is actually a infinity
(21:20):
heart as well.
Never ending ebb and flow.
And so, What the business is,is I am a neurodiversity
consultant and I focus onsimplifying the neurodiverse
learning journey by offeringpersonalized support, education,
and advisory services for neurodistinct professionals and
(21:41):
parents of neurodiverselearners.
I, go ahead.
Christian (21:49):
No,
Lisa (21:49):
no, please continue.
Please continue.
And so I do that in three ways.
I work with parents andeducators navigating the
neurodiverse learning journeythrough the school systems.
I work with professionals thatmay realize they're
neurodistinct or just want tounderstand how to work with
their children better, whateverthe case is.
Sometimes they're trying tofigure out how to navigate the
(22:11):
corporate world because they'realso neurodistinct like I was,
and they aren't quite gettingpeople to understand them, how
they think.
So there's like the gaslightingand all those things that come
into play.
And the third way is workingwith organizations and really
helping them understanddifferent neurotypes and how to
navigate and engage across thoseneurotypes and tying in what I
(22:33):
like to call the art ofrelationship building.
And because I do things verydifferently I start in the
middle and then I workbackwards.
So I don't do top down, bottomup.
I do middle out and then fillin the blanks from there.
And so I help others understandthat it's not always that it
has to be black and white.
(22:53):
And so it's my passion, butit's also my core business.
You asked what else I'mpassionate about.
And there's another...
offering that I've become partof, that I was invested in
time-wise for the last aboutthree years.
(23:14):
And it's called A Cheap Qualityof Life.
And we just did our officialopening on Saturday, this past
Saturday.
Christian (23:23):
Congratulations.
Lisa (23:24):
Thank you.
It's very exciting.
I am the IntegrativeCollaboration Officer for the
company.
And we really help caregiversbuild their energy, connections,
and clarity Anyone who offerscare to another person is a
caregiver.
So whether it's yourprofession, you are the person
being cared for or vice versa.
And we are really, the goalhere is really to have a
(23:50):
platform for integrativeempowerment and wellness,
redefining what it means to be acaregiver in the 21st century,
because we don't want people tohave to sacrifice themselves in
the process.
Yes.
So we're, bringing both sidestogether to offer a place to
(24:10):
learn and grow both from thewellness and the empowerment
sides of the, of the world.
We have some differentassessments that we're doing and
things like that.
So those are the two corebusiness offerings that I, that
I, that I'm invested in.
Yeah.
Christian (24:28):
Yeah, I think that's beautiful and needed.
And you take this holisticapproach from youth to the
adults.
They both need help, a littleextra help, and two very
different sets of what'shappening.
You also mentioned thecaregivers, and that's very
important.
So these people that arelooking out for these others,
(24:51):
they need help too.
They need support.
They need somebody to talk to.
Any help that can be provided.
I just think that's wonderful.
That is God's word.
Thank you for that.
I just think that's wonderful.
I
Doug (25:04):
think that is wonderful.
As a parent of twoneurodivergent kids and then who
learned himself later that heis neurodivergent, I am so
thankful that you're doing thisfor other people.
I wish I could contribute.
But I do stuff about podcastsand cars.
Unknown (25:23):
Yeah.
Lisa (25:23):
Well, I think that though you have contributed.
I mean, Doug, we've known eachother quite some time and I've
learned about different programoptions and things that I can
gift to clients or people thatcome and connect with me.
And it's back to full circlefrom the beginning of today,
right?
We were talking about beingthose connectors and being in
collaboration, right?
(25:44):
That's what this is all about,you know, is the giving back.
And I want to help people helpthemselves in a way that I
wasn't helped at first, but Iwas surrounded with like my
dream team of people.
When my oldest first gotdiagnosed, it was a long journey
to get there.
And they've traveled with meall these years.
And I see myself in helping tobring that to other people and
(26:08):
meet them where they are.
No, they're not alone becauseit's hard to be a parent to
begin with.
and a caregiver and it's evenharder to be one of one or more
neurodivergent individuals orpeople that are going through
different things that requireunique supports and
understanding that many peopleare judgmental and they just
(26:30):
don't, they don't understand itand the fear comes out as
combativeness and anything I cando to help change that way of
thinking and we can all grow andbe better together and let go
of social norms that somebodysaid was so, that's something
I'm always going to lean into,which is why I sit on boards and
(26:50):
I'm an advisory chair.
I mean, I'm a board chair on anadvisory board because I want
to continue to help grow andgive back.
Christian (26:59):
Thank you.
Well, you are a saint.
That's wonderful.
Thank you.
Thank you for all that you do.
Doug (27:04):
If people want to find you...
Sorry, Christian.
If people want to find you...
I think your website here isjourney2bloom.com.
Is that the best way to findyou?
Lisa (27:19):
Yes.
And my email address is lisa atjourney2bloom.com.
And if you're looking for me onLinkedIn or on Facebook, I
believe that both of them havemy maiden name in the middle.
So it's Lisa Lazar, L-A-Z-A-R,Richard.
Unknown (27:38):
Okay.
Christian (27:40):
Fantastic.
And as we guide the podcastgently to the off ramp here, one
last question for you, Lisa.
I see that you have your that'san Orioles hoodie, right?
Or an Orioles sweatshirt thatyou
Lisa (27:54):
got.
Christian (27:55):
You're a big fan.
How often do you make it toCamden Yards?
Lisa (27:59):
So I did not grow up an Orioles fan, but my kids have
drilled pirates
Christian (28:06):
fan.
Lisa (28:06):
No, I was actually a Yankees fan.
Well, I was a Phillies fanreally little because I met Tug
McGraw.
We did an exhibition at PhillyStadium and I got to sit on Tug
McGraw's lap and hold themicrophone.
I'll have to send that photo toDoug.
Christian (28:21):
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Love
Lisa (28:24):
it.
The Phillies were my team andthen it shifted to the Yankees.
That was my mom's team.
But my children and my husbandare big Orioles fans.
So to answer your question, um,Many times.
We actually gone there many,many times.
We have like a partial packagenow where we try to go to at
least five or six, if not moregames a year.
It's just such a great park.
(28:45):
Even when I was a Yankee fan,my best friend and I would meet
in Baltimore to go to the YankeeOrioles games just because of
the stadium was so amazing.
Christian (28:54):
Yeah.
And if, if you've not been, andif you have a chance, the whole
inner Harbor area, Camdenyards, taking a Ravens game,
Orioles game.
It is a great, great way tospend an afternoon, a weekend,
get a hotel there, takeeverybody down.
You will not regret it.
So how are you feeling aboutthe upcoming season?
Lisa (29:18):
Great big
Christian (29:19):
shrug.
Lisa (29:21):
I was shrugging, you know, right, because I know I'm very
animated.
My younger son is is verydisappointed that Santander will
not be part of the team nextyear.
Christian (29:30):
Yep.
Lisa (29:31):
So that was where my shot came from.
I do think that there is somuch goodness and so much raw
talent.
I think there's a lot of goodyears ahead.
They just need to figure outhow to play in the playoffs, and
that comes with time.
Amen.
Christian (29:47):
Amen.
And it looks like this rightacross the wire.
We have agreed to terms withoutfielder Dylan Carson.
on a one-year contract for the2025 season.
So everybody go check it out.
All right, Lisa, last, lastquestion.
I promise.
How did our podcast compare toall the other podcasts?
Lisa (30:07):
Be honest.
No, I will be honest.
This was the most unique oneI've ever done.
All right.
Very neurodivergent.
Tying the car piece into thestoryline.
I didn't know how I was goingto feel about it.
And I know Doug...
prompted me, you know, and youguys gave me some questions.
That's how you knew about someof the cars.
(30:27):
But I didn't know what toexpect and which I love the
unexpected, but I thought it wasreally neat how that you have
this love for cars and you finda way to tie it into the
experiences.
I found it interesting thatsome things came up that I had
forgotten about when we weretalking about the cars, they
(30:48):
really do have deeper meaning.
And I think that's a beautifulthing that you guys are bringing
to the surface.
Thank you.
Thank you for meaning to thecars.
The other thing that's veryunique is I've never been on a
podcast where there were twohosts.
So that was also very unique.
And with my brain, I, ADHD andtrying to, the executive
(31:12):
functioning, I always writenotes so I can just kind of stay
on track.
Christian (31:15):
Me too, me too.
Lisa (31:16):
What I found very interesting though was, yeah,
was that the way that theconversation kind of ebbed and
flowed, it was really natural.
And so not knowing how it wouldbe when there were two people
on with like three of usessentially, right?
Right.
I thought it was really neatand it was fun.
I'd love to do it againsometime, but I definitely, I
(31:37):
love what you guys are doing.
Thank
Christian (31:39):
you.
Lisa (31:39):
Great spin.
on the podcasts that are outthere that are typically one
person with a microphone.
You know, I just think you guysare doing it differently and I
love unique and differentthings.
So I celebrate you guys forwhat you're doing.
Christian (31:52):
You are very kind and wonderful.
We appreciate your kind words.
And it's interesting that setup the soul, the heart.
This is all Doug.
This is Doug's pet project.
Maybe the project of hislifetime.
We'll see.
But it was your idea.
Yeah.
There's something special aboutthe third person that I can't
(32:13):
really describe.
I mean, it takes greatchemistry, and I've known Doug
even longer than you've knownDoug.
But it does take chemistry, andthere's something about the
third voice that just kind ofhelps things go.
I don't know why that is.
Yeah.
Anyway, but you've given us alot to think about.
(32:33):
You've been a fantastic guest.
Thank you for taking ourpodcast for a spin.
And if, listener land, if youlike what you heard, I'm
Christian at carslove.com.
He is Doug at carslove.com.
She was Lisa.
Lisa, we had a ball.
Thank you and come backanytime.
Thank you.
Thank you, Lisa.
So that was the...
(32:55):
We appreciate you listening.
We will see you next time.
Thank you, ListenerLand.
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