Episode 1: Meet Your Hosts

Hi there. Welcome to the Power Up Your Life podcast. I am Kelly Resendez.

And I am Mandy McAllister.

And we're so excited just to share a little bit about ourselves today, why we're here, where we're going, and why you should really be listening to the Power Up Your Life podcast. So we're gonna get this started and learn a little bit more about my cohost, Mandy McAllister. So, Mandy, tell me a little bit about your history. How'd you get here?

Yeah. You've got it. So I, I did all the right things. I did all the things that you should do. I got the the right grades and was the division one athlete and did all of the things and ended up, not going to medical school because I didn't wanna be on call. And I ended up in medical sales on call and, wanted to to be there, be be fully involved in my kids' life. So I really leaned into buying apartment buildings.

And after I started doing that, I felt freaking crazy. I felt like the only person I knew that was buying apartment buildings that was taking these calculated risks, leaning into passive income. And I I realized once I found a community of women at GoBundance Women that I'm not crazy. I'm just the first one I know trying to do something.

So a big deal in my life was, figuring out how to get around the people that are are doing the big crazy things that I'm doing. And that is how I met you, Kelly. That is my in a nutshell, how we got here. What about you? Tell me about, where you're at, the things you're doing that fire you up in your journey. Yeah. So I'll tell you, my path is a little different. I was classic overachiever

and got into the mortgage industry at a really young age and built a very successful mortgage business where I was in the top 1% of loan officers in the nation. And by anyone else's standards on the outside, it looked like I was crushing it. But I was absolutely miserable inside, had my awakening twenty years ago, got into personal growth and development, and really just found that I wasn't aligned with my purpose. I wasn't really passionate about what I was doing, but I I didn't have the freedom financially to be able to let that go. So really worked on a plan to be able to do that and then made a huge pivot, close to fourteen years ago to join more of a financial technology company, kinda still in the mortgage, but now we're in the home improvement space and have really gotten a lot more alignment.

But while I was on that journey, had massive loneliness. You know, as a as a female that was doing a lot on on the side, writing books and speaking while I was an executive, just I I just didn't feel like I had those like minded connections in my life. I love my friends, but I also wanted to have deeper conversations about building passive income or what was what was gonna happen next. And that's how GoBundance Women came, was just through through that, my personal journey through really navigating that loneliness and and wanting community. And, of course, that's how I met you.

And what I would say, like, being on this personal growth journey, and that's why we have this podcast because we know there are things that are gonna help you power up your life that so many of our guests are gonna share. You know, we have access to more information known to man, and that's even changed with the speed of AI and chat g p t. But we know information is not the key. You know, really, how do we unlock our our potential? It's through having the right mindset, the right disciplines, and then and then getting a lot of ideas from other people and having that accountability as well with the community.

I I say a lot that you have two arms for a reason. One to pull yourself up, but one to pull other people up with you. And it it's so much more fulfilling to be on this journey with other people that are doing running in the same direction as you.

And, you know, you said something that I absolutely loved that resonates a lot through all of our members in GoBundance that we see time and time again. That once you figure out the money to a point, then you get a chance to spend your time on the stuff that actually matters. Right? But if you are, you know, all in on, a job that drains you just to pay your bills, like, you don't get a chance to pay attention to the stuff that matters. So absolutely love that.

But, you know, Kelly, we didn't you just didn't become this, like, incredible version of yourself with all of this wisdom and, you know, fire in you. There there had to have been a time that you felt stuck. One thing that I love to know from our brilliant guests and from you, is when you feel stuck, what do you do to get through it? What are some things that you do to actionably move yourself through that stuck period?

Yeah. So when I look at what stuck means, it's kinda lacking clarity or motivation. Right? Maybe you have an idea of what you wanna create in your life, but you just haven't gotten the momentum to be able to do it. And so many people feel stuck. Man, I was just looking at statistics the other day. We have, like, close to sixty percent of people that are feeling burnt out. That's another way to describe stuck. Right? A lot of us could could describe it as I don't have clarity. I'm confused. I don't know what's coming next. There's so many ways to look at it.

So what I would tell you is it happens to me regularly. Like, a lot of times we see the person that looks like they have it all or whatnot, and and we don't realize that they go through the very same things that we do. They just have found a recipe that's really gonna move the needle in their life.

And so what has worked for me is number one, really leaning in to my mindset and the beliefs that my mindset has created. So I've worked on really just hitting control alt delete on my mindset and creating one that supports my goals and vision for how I wanna feel in my life. And so one of those beliefs is that clarity will come and everything's always working out okay for me. So rather than getting impatient, I really lean into the areas that I do have clarity. So for one, my physical and emotional well-being, I really focus on those a lot, and and it helps me feel more centered. It helps me feel more focused.

The other thing that I do is I really tap into the collective wisdom of both our community and go abundance, but also just the community of mentors that I've created for that board of advisors in my life. And I and I just start to share a little bit more because sometimes their questions unlock something that I've been waiting for. And then I also just stay really open to infinite possibilities. Sometimes we think we want something, but we we feel a little stuck when in essence, maybe the universe or God shows you you need something slightly different. When you believe in unlimited possibilities, you're way more open to attracting and magnetizing yourself to exactly what it is.

The other thing that I would add, Mandy, is that so many of us believe that we think our way to clarity. Like, I need to think my way to clarity. And I'm completely like, I I've annihilated that belief in my life. So what I what I really look at is what ease are things flowing to me? That's how I get clarity. Like, where are the connections coming from? Where are the resources coming from? And then how am I feeling in it rather than believing that I've gotta think my way to having the answer.

So I'm gonna throw that one back to you because, obviously, you know, you've made huge transitions. You know, I got to be there on the journey where you went from being a w two to, like, retiring from it and now really running your own empire. So share a little bit about how you get through failing stuff.

Girl, let me tell you. You were there when I felt full on dumpster fire in my life. So there is no more stuck than your girl Mandy felt for a very long time there.

And I'll I'll say that, you know, in terms of, like, being this work in progress, the the things that I I recognize now is when I feel that dumpster fire happening around me, how do I, like, detach? Like, I am not a dumpster fire. Right? Like, Mandy is not a dumpster fire. The things that are happening are not going in the direction Mandy has looked for. That is true. But Mandy is not a dumpster fire. Right? So if I can detach that, that kinda removes, it makes me a little more objective. I think that is what I need when things feel like they're going crazy in my life, when I feel really stuck.

And I you know, a couple things that you said are exactly the way I feel that that god's delays are not god's denials. Like, how can I really reframe whatever's happening that man, I really wanted that? I really wanted that asset. I just like, no, ma the not that not working is keeping me open to maybe something even bigger. And it's not just that some, you know, legislated optimism, some requirement to have me smiley. Yeah. It's this true belief in my core that something better is coming because that couldn't happen. And and feeling that when I feel stuck is super helpful.

One more thing that helps me is, you know, whenever I get into action, I feel like I'm doing something about it. Right? So in the midst of the dump dumpster fire, what is the just the next right step that I can take? What is one little action that I can do that is gonna help me figure out that if that's the right way or if I need to pivot? That really helps me, if I can have some level of action.

And like you said too, like, the I I've heard that, praying is asking God for things, but meditating, getting quiet is listening for the answer. Right? So, I'm not a we've we've talked about this a lot of times. This comes up in a lot of GoBones retreats that your girl, Mandy, she's a talker. She doesn't get real quiet all the time. But all my incredible epiphanies come when I'm doing, like, I call it nap yoga. Like, some sort of yogic sleep. The the great ideas of how to really move the needle come to me when I'm willing to get vulnerable and lean into the quiet. So I I totally, do it scared anyway.

Yeah. Something came up in this, Mandy, for me. Let's talk about dumpsters. Right? One of the one of my first experiences in meeting Mandy is we were in Cinnamon Shores. If you have not been to Cinnamon Shores, one of our amazing members, Jody Peters, has an amazing development down there with beautiful homes on the beach and whatnot.

So I got to meet Mandy. We actually did what we call wisdom circles in the pool where we all get to support one another on some of our greatest things.

But, you know, one of my most priceless memories is is about the dumpster. So would you mind just sharing a little bit? Because I never saw you the same.

I mean, girl, like, do what it takes. So one of our one of our friends, one of our members, was cleaning up after, like, we we did this poke bowl, like, in a really interesting cool event, like, on the lawn at Cinnamon Shores. It's Cinnamon Shores. Google it, guys. It's, it's like, the Hamptons had a baby on the shore of, of Texas. It was beautiful and incredible. Right?

So we had just finished up the night's things, and one of our members, like, just had a baby, and she lost her phone with all of the pictures that hadn't been, like, backed up. So this was more precious than just a phone being lost. So some of us, you know, we knew that the last place she had it, and we started digging through the the trash of those poke bowls, figuring out how to find that phone.

And triumphantly, we come back in. Because we found the phone and her memories, and that was that was really neat for we we called it CEO dumpster diving because we all were these companies, and we were just digging through that fish, girl. We were just digging. That's amazing. Talk talk about, you know, just getting it getting it done, Mandy.

Really appreciate that. So, you know, I think as we talk about getting getting unstuck, there are also some unconventional things that that you might believe that go against the grain of what other people are doing that have allowed you to create the level of success that you've had in your life. Like, what would you say some of those unconventional things or beliefs that you have are about what you do?

One thing that I really realized in a w two when I was in my w two, I medical device sales is kind of a job people, like, covet. Like, it's kind of a, oh, that's a you make a lot of money. That's a really great gig. Right? But I, it I was on call. I was I had a boss that was asking me to do stuff that I knew was not okay.

So the thing that I did that was unconventional was lean into the betting on myself. Lean into you know, I realized that if I really went after the w two income, if I sold 4,000,000 this year, I make the 200,000. If I sell 8,000,000 next year, I'm gonna make that same $200,000 But if I'm buying apartment buildings or I'm figuring out a way to set up something that's gonna pay me every single month, that's gonna continue to build on itself. So what is actually worth your time, the thing that's going to serve your empire, or the thing where you're gonna end up chasing your tail.

It was very unconventional that the people who loved me, who saw me having done these master's degrees and and gotten these really incredible gigs, like, they, you know, they would ask me, well, what are you doing? You're a single mom. Why are you putting your kid at risk by choosing to leave your w two that is so stable? Well, I knew in my soul that that wasn't the case. The thing that was more stable is what I was setting up for myself.

And, you know, honestly, I don't think I woulda had the bravery to lean into that fully. And until I met a bunch of people who had done that, and thank God for the this community at GoBundance because I got to meet those people and lean into it. So Yeah. Something very unconventional is bet on yourself. Figure out how to really find that courage and and what hack you need to lean into it. Because that's what's gonna really fulfill you.

Kelly, you know, I know that you are one of my queens of, contrarian thinking. Tell me some stuff that you you do that is unconventional.

You know, I truly believe that that most people just don't live a very intentional life. Right? And and then they complain about it. And so one of the things that I do much differently is I really do have recipes and rituals that I'm so committed to that they're they're just completely nonnegotiable in my life.

So I kinda have this overall philosophy that I'll share with you that that most of us need to start with desire. So that's really getting clear about what we desire in our life and having an idea of, like, you know, what values do I want my kids to leave my home with? Like, what are the big things instead of where are you going to college, which is or what are you gonna do? Those are the big questions. No. I wanna know what my kids value. I wanted to raise kind and loving children that also could find passion in other things. So, you know, that desire is really what's your vision for how you wanna feel. That's where I always start.

And then having really good alignment with our priorities. I know one of the greatest challenges that people have today is stress. And I believe stress is optional. That's a very unconventional idea. So many people are like, but you don't understand. No, I understand. Like, I I understand. Like, I I have a very full life that is very full of opportunities that I'm that I'm definitely prioritizing on a regular basis. And so, you know, I'm really thoughtful about that desire with I I believe I'm the creator of my own reality and that success is an inside out job. So I really focus on that.

The second piece is discipline. So it's desire plus discipline, and that discipline is really just the dailies, my morning ritual, my, you know, my nightly routine before I go to bed, the the way that I network with people, every phone call, I wanna know how I can support you. I'm gonna also ask for help. That is a discipline that I've really maintained.

And then the last piece is really, I'm really thoughtful about the environment that I create for myself. So some people might think of environment as, like, all external. I look at environment as our energy, as really just the vibration in which we operate at. And we we need to be fine tuning that environment on a regular basis. So, you know, one of the greatest things that I believe in is that we generate energy. You know, most people live like a gas tank. We just use energy all day long, and then we're depleted. And the people that we believe are most important to us get the crumbs. That was a big reason why you made the shift. Right? You didn't wanna live that way, and so I didn't either. And so I'm really thoughtful about environment.

And I think just the intentionality of the way that I live life and the way that I've created my life has been unconventional because most of us and a lot of people listening don't even know that they're not their thoughts yet. They haven't had a very conscious moment. They haven't really put that in. Maybe they've done goals, but they haven't really had the intentionality about who they're being. They focus on what they're doing. And that's just the one area. Having this recipe in my life every day, I'm being thoughtful about it, how I show up.

That's part of this. You know, part of this desire is to reach more people to help reduce self suffering. And I think when people are stuck, they feel like they're suffering. And and you and I align on making a bigger impact and contributing to making the world a better place. And so it's truly you know, that's why I'm here.

Mhmm. I love it. And I I do think it's important to point out that these rituals and recipes, the way that you have the outcome the same every single time is by having something to apply. Like, if you're gonna bake a cake, you just don't throw random stuff together and hopes hope it works. Right? Like, you in your life, you have a recipe that you follow to continue to move towards success. I think that's an important distinction here.

And I I also have, you know, a a recipe or two that has has served me well, specifically around doing stuff that feels scary. Right? So when I was buying my first 53 unit apartment building, I had just recently gotten divorced, and I felt I had people in my life who loved me, were worried that I was making this big $4,000,000 loan commitment. Right? And I I just just I knew in my soul that all of the work I did and all of the math math, all of the things that that were going to happen were.

And I I realized that if I just, like, looked at the worst case scenario, not the will toilets break, will there be a problem with the the the gate, But the actual worst case, scenario. It's a real, like, stoic philosophy issue that if you get comfortable with that worst possible case scenario, and you can mitigate the risk around that, then it doesn't feel so scary to go into the brand new thing.

And then I promise you, whenever you go try to do that thing again, it's like a muscle. You've done it. Right? So it's less scary the second time. So if you are doing something that is new, understand that it is more than likely that it feels scary because you haven't done it before, not because you're not capable. That that is a really important distinction and something I remind myself of when I'm doing new things as a recipe.

Yeah. And I would just expand on that, Mandy. Like, let's talk a little bit about failure. Right? Part of the reason why you and I are where we are is we've been willing to fail.

And a lot of people won't put themselves in that situation, whether it's fear of rejection, you know, fear of whatever it might be. You know, they they feel like they can't fail. How have you made friends with that fear of failure?

Girl, I have spectacularly failed in so many directions that that is why I am successful. I so firmly believe that. But one thing that I I think high performing women, especially, were high performing girls. Right? And if you look at that girls were taught to be perfect and boys were taught to be brave, as a high performing little girl, you waited your turn, and you got straight a's, and you raised your hand, and you followed the formula of perfection. Right?

And if you're going to lean into something entrepreneurial, then by definition, you have to go, like, pave a path for yourself. Right? You you're gonna have to screw something up in order to move forward. The whole idea of, like, fail fast, fail forward, that does that's not in the lexicon of a perfect little girl.

So, you know, one big original failure, early failure in this that I had is I I trusted a man who went to my church and went out on investment with him, lost a hun he stole a $110,000 from me right after, like, I had just gotten divorced too. So I this identity of I I thought myself to be a savvy real estate investor, and then that happened to me. This nefarious guy came in, and I I I had this, like, lay in bed for a long time thing. Well, not a long time, a number of days until I had this epiphany that, oh, wait. In order to move forward, I I have to be willing to fail. And that's what I did here. Yeah.

So I was able to fix that problem by acquiring the assets that he never bought and ended up kind of getting that money back, quote, unquote. But end of the day, I I think that the if you let that if I would let that define me, then I wouldn't have done any more deals. And I wouldn't have gotten to have the life freedom that I've got to be running this race that is defined by me. But I I could have absolutely let it define me as some friends Yeah. Told me I should. You know? Talk to me, Kelly, about

failure for you and what that means and kinda how you turn it on its head. Yeah. Absolutely. So what I would say is that one of the biggest transitions in my mindset is is really believing I can't fail. You know, I just look at it as I'm either winning or I'm growing, and those are the two possibilities. And when I look at the large number of opportunities that I've had, especially in the investment space in the last three to four years, man, it's been a rodeo. You know, I, you know, I get to be an executive at Good Leap and co own GoBundance Women, but I also invest at a high level both in businesses and in real estate.

And and there have been failures, you know, or opportunities that I would reframe that. Sometimes I have to catch my own language, which is something that it's really important as we describe these things to ourselves so that we don't weigh ourselves down with shame or guilt or wish that something would have happened different. What I really try to do in every situation is gain massive clarity. Like, what is the clarity that I that I can gain from this situation that I went through?

Number one, how you choose your partners is one of the most decisions, and this is personally and professionally. And so you really need to be thoughtful about compatibility, alignment, emotional intelligence. How does your partner manage, you know, when things go sideways? That's when, you know, when things are great, things are great. When things go sideways, how are they gonna show up? Are you willing to carry them through something if if they don't have the skills yet to be able to navigate that? And so that's a that's a big one for me is really how you choose your partners.

And then the next piece is just knowing that we need massive diversification. So not only have I learned this through our adventure at Good Leap, which we were the largest solar financing company, and and we pivoted fortunately into home improvement financing as well just at the time that solar started to go down. Right? Had we not innovated, had we not made that diversification play, we wouldn't be in the position that we are today. I've done the same thing in my own portfolio, is that instead of being all in storage or all in multi or all in, you know, Airbnb, you know, small small midterm or or whatever it is and in businesses as well, I really have tried to diversify my entire portfolio.

And I look at it differently when it comes to money. I see money as an energy that just flows, and I have flowed a lot of it that way. But then when I look at other things, it's also flown back to me. So many of us have a misunderstanding of what I call the law of reciprocity. We believe when I give you something that I should get back And they do the same thing with investments. If I give you money to invest, I should get it back from you.

When we open up to this new idea that the law of reciprocity is in totality, it's the entire universe, it's how God rewards you, You get so much back in other ways, but it may not come from where you thought it was coming from. And so you have to be radically committed to this idea that I'm detached. Like, I really am just gonna be open to whatever it is, and I'm gonna keep, you know, keep it refining my buy box.

I think you and I have this conversation a lot about, like, what is my buy box for a business or for an investment or whatever. Where we get off track is when we get outside of it. And someone's got a shiny idea, and they tell you how great it's gonna be. And, really, you know, a pro form a is worth the paper that it's that it's printed on unless you really go deeper and you start asking questions that most people don't ask.

So for me, that's kind of the strategy that I use. Number one, I just don't believe in failure. And then, really, it's just a matter of of making sure that I stay committed to, hey. I have an idea of what my superpowers are. I'm gonna stay in that buy box and then really vet my partners out as well.

Oh, girl. I have made some spectacular failures there too. But I but when you lean into the really good partnerships like, I actually just got off a call with my my other fantastic partner, and we're we're leaning into that. I well, I'm leaning into my partnership with you and just, you know, really doing a better job defining what it is that I need. Because, you know, the the people you're around matter so incredibly much. Yeah. So much.

Yes. So, you know, Kelly, one big thing that we're looking to accomplish with this podcast is, you know, you've got to be prepared as a a human to have your ask. Right? If you are going to go further, faster, the more precision you can give on an ask, the more likely you are to get it, from someone or they can make a really great introduction for you.

So, Kelly, tell me and all of our listeners that, you know, if there was, an introduction or a resource that would change the ballgame for you, what would that be?

Yeah. Such a great question, Mandy. And it's it's it's ironic. I actually asked this question to somebody yesterday when I was on a podcast, and they couldn't answer it.

And one of the one of the big areas of focus in in my next book that's all on on abundance practices is really having that list of things that you need help with.

And so for myself personally, I would say a little selfishly, I need help getting more people to listen to this podcast. You know, we want you to share and like this podcast and give us testimonials everywhere. But then on a personal basis, you know, my my reach, you know, the influence that I have in the world in helping people reduce suffering and increase joy and really get to this next level is is what my heart's desire is. So the more stages, the more connections that I can have to do that, the better.

So I'm gonna throw it back to you, Mandy. Like, what is that what's that next best resource or connection that's gonna change the ball game for you? Oh,

absolutely. We're we're so all in on this idea of impact. And I the the reason that I have gone gone through this transformation of my life to live with time freedom, with choice freedom, is because I got around people like me crazy enough to do these big things. So one big introduction that would be great is any women who want to, like, live a big version of their life. Like, go check out GoBundance Women because that is what we are here for. We two arms. Pull yourself up. Pull other people up along with you.

And another thing that I do is I I invest in multifamily real estate, mostly, cash flowing b class stuff. So if you are interested in,

investing in that, would love to to book a call a chat about those things too. So thank you for asking, Kelly. Yeah. And what I would say, Mandy, you know, a lot of times people don't really know what a mastermind community is. You know, it's a collective group of of like minded people that wanna support one another, hold them accountable, but then also give them actionable ideas. So if you're a business owner, if you're a coach or community trying to build, we really help people accelerate the growth of what they're trying to achieve without sacrificing their relationship and and personal well-being.

And so a lot of times I hear people say, I don't have enough time. If you find yourself feeling, I am I have too much on my plate. I'm stressed. I don't have enough time. I feel a little imposter syndrome. Who am I? Or I've got some guilt around work life balance. Those are the very things that we really help you through in our community because we've been there, and we have created a life that that we've designed so that we can feel absolutely fulfilled and amazing in in in this life.

So this has been so much fun being with you today. I think we could chat for hours, which we do on a regular basis. And I will tell everybody she is the funnier one. She is the funnier one. I'm quite so funny. Okay. Yeah. But but I but I'm here to have fun too. So we're just excited to be able to share, you know, long term with you.

And I think, you know, my greatest takeaway, Mandy, from what you said is that you've gotta be willing. Gotta be willing to fail to create the life that you really love, and I just I'm so proud of you. It was so amazing being being a witness to you, having this goal to leave your w two and then celebrating the day that you did it and and being able to create, you know, this amazing business. And now you have multiple verticals that you do too. So thank you.

I wanna tell you a couple of things that impacted me that you said too, but thank you for that, my love. I I I learned from you every single time that we talked. So thank you for for that gift.

And a couple of things that you said here and that you've said to me before in my life that have really impacted how I live is is that intentionality, especially with language. Because the what you put into the universe gets returned to you. So it's not, oh, I'm so busy. My life is full. Which one feels better? Thank you for for that gift.

And I I think also the the idea that stress is a choice. Like, that might make somebody wanna flip a table, but, man, does that change the ball game? When I say that. Yes. My my well, Duncan, my eight year old son your son. He wants to he wants to throat punch you when I tell my eight year old son that stress is a choice because he's stressed out about having to wear jingle bells tomorrow.

You know? So thank you for that gift, and thank you for this journey because we're we're here to learn from the the thought leaders. And we're, you know, I I'm so grateful to be doing this by your side. Thank you for joining us.

Everybody who's listening, please continue to like and subscribe so that we can, you know, pass this on to a friend. If somebody needs a friend that, needs a little, power up your life juju, put please share share like, and, we will see you in the near

future. Awesome. Thanks for joining us.