Tuesdays with Corey interview with Bonnie Daneker, Rhonda Caudell, and Cody Jones

Bonnie Daneker is a Consultant and Owner at Write Along With You. The former CEO of Write Advisors has been working in publishing and advising writers for more than a decade. If you’re a would-be author, you can rely on our seasoned writing professionals to ease you toward the destination of a finished manuscript. You’re not alone with Write Along With You.

Bonnie Daneker holds an MBA from Emory University, and a BA in Journalism from The Ohio State University. She is President-Elect of the National Association of Women Business Owners (Atlanta Chapter) and serves on the Board of the Green Chamber of the South. She is the author of several books including her latest, It’s In There! The Innovation, Dedication and Determination Behind the Birth of Prego Spaghetti Sauce.

The $30 billion marquis product from Campbell’s Soup can be found in kitchens worldwide. Foodies and biography lovers alike will love It’s in There! The book is part memoir and part product history, highlighting the many professionals who contributed to the famous sauce. All proceeds go to fund food technology scholarships at Ohio State University. Available at amazon.com and OhioStatePress.org.

Follow Bonnie on Twitter.

Rhonda Caudell RN, CCM, The Aging Parent Expert, at Endless Legacy, struggled helping her aging parents utilizing the same planning process that worked well with her senior clients in her care management consulting practice. Ultimately, she discovered the transformational breakthrough of what must change for an aging parent and adult child cooperative partnership to work well. Over time her Dad developed Alzheimer’s and Vascular Dementia requiring her care for 8 years. She also helps other adults of parents with dementia to know how to thrive and connect with their parent, not just survive. Those adults find community with others and support at Dementia Distress Relief and Facebook closed group: Answers for Adults of Parents with Alzheimer’s and Dementia.

Follow Rhonda on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn.

Cody Jones, the owner of Bernadette's Hair Salon and Wig Studio, was hired by Bernadette while fresh out of beauty college in 1999, and purchased the business from her friend and still-mentor in 2006 in an effort to further Bernie's original vision for the salon. For 15 years, Cody has concentrated on cuts and cuts only, She has enjoyed attending shows and classes in Las Vegas, Miami, New York, and Chicago. Cody is also trained in Toni and Guy cutting techniques, Keratin straightening, and works with the Aveda Institute for continuing education, as well as boasting training with Jacque Desage, as well as Martin Parsons on up-styling. She is our leader, our mentor, a fabulous mom, and an incredibly motivated business owner.

Follow Bernadette's on Pinterest.

Intro: Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, it's time for Atlanta Business Radio, spotlighting the city's best businesses and the people who lead them.

Katy Galli: Hi, everyone and welcome to another episode of Atlanta Business Radio. I'm Katy Galli. And I'm joined today by our wonderful host, Mr. Corey Rieck. And that means it must be time for Tuesdays with Corey, right?

Corey Rieck: It is, Katy.

Katy Galli: Yeah. So, are you excited for today's show?

Corey Rieck: Absolutely. We have one of the best shows we've ever had without question today.

Katy Galli: Yeah. So, who did you bring with you in studio?

Corey Rieck: Well, we have three guests today, three extraordinary guests. Rhonda Caudell is an aging parent expert and owns a company called Endless Legacy. Rhonda, welcome.

Rhonda Caudell: Thanks, Corey. Thanks for having me.

Corey Rieck: Of course, Cody Crews owns the fabulous Bernadette's Hair Salon. Cody, welcome.

Cody Crews: Thank you so much.

Corey Rieck: And Bonnie Daneker has written several books, is the owner and operator of Write Along With You, and is the president elect of the Atlanta-Association Group of NAWBO. Bonnie, welcome.

Bonnie Daneker: Thank you. Thank you for having me.

Corey Rieck: Well, it's great to have all of you on the show. We're going to start off by talking with Rhonda. Rhonda, you've built a great business helping people deal with aging folks in their family. Tell the listenership about that.

Rhonda Caudell: Yeah, I'd be glad to. They're dealing with parents for the most part. So, years ago, I worked as a nurse, geriatric care manager, worked directly with seniors. And then, my own parents began to start aging, three of them, as a matter of fact, and my whole world fell apart. I thought I was so smart, but what I had learned in the past didn't really work with parents. So, I began-

Corey Rieck: What do you mean by that, Rhonda?

Rhonda Caudell: Well, seniors who hired me, they wanted my help from the get go, and they were open to direction, and following my advice and my recommendations. When it comes to parents, they still saw me as the baby, which I was the baby of the family, especially my dad. So, it's like, "Oh, I didn't really know anything, and they didn't really pay any attention." So, I had to figure out how to make it work with parents. What is different? What do you need to do different? And then, I began to open up my business to other people who had the same struggles and begin to really show them how you have to shift the relationship to a different conversation altogether. And then, I added in my piece that I've known all my life about planning for the future, for your aging life, and what it's going to look like, and what what you can expect, and how you build in staying as independent as possible because that's what people want.

Corey Rieck: Where were your parents located when you were helping them?

Rhonda Caudell: They were located here in the Atlanta area. I grew up in the Atlanta area. And fortunately, all my family was in the area. But-

Corey Rieck: Brothers and sisters?

Rhonda Caudell: Yeah, one sister I have. So, yeah, everybody was close. But in my past business, I always worked with people who were sometimes cross country from their parents. And now, most of my business is online. It's virtual programs. And everybody works, everybody has kids in their own lives. So, we can really just do what we need to do with them through conference calls, video chats, and that sort of thing. So, it works out well.

Corey Rieck: The world has certainly gone virtual, and you've built a great business helping people. How do you get to people and get out ahead of this issue before it becomes an issue? How do you help them plan forward before they're sort of knee deep in the hoopla?

Rhonda Caudell: Well, that's the challenge, because people don't understand that that kind of help is out there. They think, "Nobody knows my parents. They don't know what I'm going through." And most of the people that were like me, they thought they were all alone with these issues. And my parents are the only ones who do this, or say this, or don't do this, and all of that. So, if they can just reach out and realize that they're not alone, that it really happens to everybody. Not that there's a cookie cutter way, but there's definitely steps that everybody needs to take to get you on the right track.

Corey Rieck: Was it an advantage for you to have the background that you did with nursing and so on for what you're doing now?

Rhonda Caudell: It was an advantage in that I knew what was coming if certain proactive things were not done and preventative measures were not in place. And most people don't understand that. So, those are the people that I really look for are people who care about their parent, they're not satisfied with just waiting to see what's going to happen next, which is usually a crisis. But they're proactive, and they want to be preventive, they just don't know how. So, those are really my ideal people that I love to work with.

Corey Rieck: We find a lot of times that people that are helping their families, if there's any sort of geographic dispersion, that can make it incredibly difficult, and compound in already challenging set of circumstances. How do you help families that are spread out, where not everybody's in the same city? I mean, I would imagine your company, your virtual company is really helpful there.

Rhonda Caudell: Well, what we do is one of our programs that I really like for people to start with, if they're having trouble with the conversations with their parents, and everybody's kind of dispersed, like you say, and maybe there's some family dynamics going on, which happens-

Corey Rieck: No. Families don't have dynamics, do they?

Rhonda Caudell: It happens. It happens to the best of us.

Corey Rieck: Doubts.

Rhonda Caudell: So, that's one of the programs I like to start with. And within that program, we basically all get on the same team. We all get on the same page as to what our goal is. And then, we start to figure out, "Well, who can contribute to reaching this goal?" And everybody might have a different set of issues that they're going to address, different tasks that they're they will volunteer for, so that there's no question about is it going to be balanced or who's going to do what? We all establish that upfront, so that the parent's not confused. And then, the parent will sometimes play each other. And so, that just kind of puts that to rest from the very beginning.

Corey Rieck: Well, that seems like it's extremely advantageous to have things mapped out before the crisis hit, and to get out ahead of it. But so many families don't do that.

Rhonda Caudell: And I think it's because they don't know that there's help. They don't know how to do it. And the things that they've tried for the most part haven't worked and sometimes ends very badly. So, if they just knew that there is help, people that have been through it before, and we've all learned from things that we tried, then I think they would be more willing to get ahead of all of that.

Corey Rieck: So, there's survey after survey after survey that's been taken, and it asks kids, do you want to take care of your parents? And what do you think the answer is?

Rhonda Caudell: Well, I think it's no.

Corey Rieck: Yeah.

Rhonda Caudell: Yeah.

Corey Rieck: And how do you think ... it also seems to me that most kids, if they're backed into a corner, they will.

Rhonda Caudell: Some of them will. And it's all in the definition of ... we speak very broadly when we say care for your parents. And when you say that, in everybody's mind, they have a picture. And some of it's actually doing the hands-on care. Other people may think, "Well, we'll make sure that they have the care from somebody else that they need, because I know I can't do it for whatever reason." So, all-

Corey Rieck: Yeah, managing the care instead of-

Rhonda Caudell: Yeah.

Corey Rieck: Managing the plan instead of being the plan.

Rhonda Caudell: Right, right.

Corey Rieck: Two vastly different set of circumstances.

Rhonda Caudell: Exactly. And that's the other thing that I try to do even in my blogs and different things, trying to get the word out is separate between actual hands-on care. The carer, we care about them, and the overseer-

Corey Rieck: As opposed to for them.

Rhonda Caudell: Yeah, and the overseer of care. So, all of that is built into the plan, and everybody can have a part to play.

Corey Rieck: How do you get clients?

Rhonda Caudell: Primarily through the internet, and it's through my blog post. I probably have over 200 blog posts right now on Endless Legacy. I have another website that's primarily for people whose parent has some form of dementia. That website is Dementia Distress Relief. So, both of those sites have blogs where we try to educate the public on what's going on and how to deal. And so, my articles and my posts do get shared on social media. And that's usually what people find me initially, unless it's word of mouth. In the local area, I get a lot of word of mouth because I'm a native to the area. So, that's nice.

Corey Rieck: Well, and that does not surprise me. You've done a nice job of positioning yourself. You're clearly credible. You have a lot of experience. And I think having the medical background of being an RN, I think, to me, it seems useful.

Rhonda Caudell: Yeah, it has been very useful. Except for when it came to my parents, I thought I was so smart. And then, I realized all the other things that need to happen before the medical part kicks in. So, that's my main focus with people who don't understand that. They think, "Oh, well, you're a nurse, you've done this before. So, of course, you know how." And they think, "I don't want to be a nurse." Well, I didn't either for my parents, so.

Corey Rieck: Yeah, that's actually ... certainly, people, no matter what mode of business you're in, it seems to me that it's more challenging to do whatever that business is with your own family.

Rhonda Caudell: Yeah, I think that's happened a lot.

Corey Rieck: For whatever reason. And it doesn't matter what your credibility is.

Rhonda Caudell: Right, right.

Corey Rieck:You've published a lot of blogs and publications. Tell the listenership about that and how you came to do those things, because I know your blog is extremely impressive.

Rhonda Caudell: Well, I actually didn't start out impressive - thanks for the compliment - I started out with a friend that was in the internet marketing business, and I said, "I really want to reach people outside my area and be known throughout the US because I want to go virtual with all my programs, because I know how it is that people can't even get to a support group anymore and in person." And so, that was the first thing he told me to do. He said, "You've got to create a blog." And I said, "Well, I'm not really a writer. I'm a talker." He said, "We'll just talk into a recorder, and then have somebody transcribe it." So, that kind of took the fear out of, I guess, I really can't write. And it grew on me. And then, as I had more and more clients and began to utilize their words, and their concerns, and their real-time problems, and issue, those are the ones that I, then, began to write about and offer some solutions in the article itself. And then, for anybody that wanted to go for a deeper dive, of course, they can then contact me for some more programs and information.

Corey Rieck: Yeah, I found your information to be very educational, not salesy. And, to me, that's the key to doing a good job. And that's the key to generating interest with me for whatever it's worth. What is your biggest challenge, do you think, in your business?

Rhonda Caudell: [Well, I think my biggest challenge is people automatically, well, they might hear about me, or they may read something, but they automatically think, "Well, that's not going to work for my parent." And-

Corey Rieck: Gee, nobody's ever heard that before.

Rhonda Caudell: So, I know that I was kind of there at some place too, but I still kind of bit the bullet. And I began reaching out to other senior industry professionals that I knew from my past. And I would go to them with my specific problem. And most of them really understood it, and they'd heard it over, and over, and over. But they didn't have a solution. So, I knew that that was somewhat unique. And I thought that this is really ahead of the curve because this whole wave of aging parents is just beginning. So, that was the main problem that I began to focus on. It was that communication piece and that relationship piece. And I think people think that nobody else can help them. And so, they are ... then, maybe they're skeptical when they come to me or they're skeptical that there's even anybody out there that understands.

Corey Rieck: Do you think maybe it's people being in their own heads and having experienced the failure of trying to help their family, and then they just assume, "All right. Well, no one else can do this if I can't figure it out. It's my family"? You think that's part of it?

Rhonda Caudell: Yeah, yeah. I think that's a good point that you make because I do-

Corey Rieck: Well, every now and again, I have one.

Rhonda Caudell: Well, that was a good one, Corey. They do think that, "Nobody knows my parent as good as I do. And so, I've already tried all the things that anybody else would come up with." And it's really amazing when I do get to talk to people on the phone and work with them, and they give me all the scenarios. Sometimes, I even surprise myself with the answers that I spit out. And I think, "Oh, I didn't know that. Where did that come from?" And I really think it's intuitive. It's just a gift that I'm thankful for, and one that I have. And I don't even know half the time where I come up with my ideas, but they work.

Corey Rieck: Do you have a set regimen or a plan that you follow for blogging, or do you do it so many days a week, or do you do it when an idea comes in? Walk the listenership through how you decide to do that.

Rhonda Caudell: Well, most of the professionals that do internet marketing say you should blog at least three time week. There's no way I can do that. So, I try-

Corey Rieck: That seems like a lot.

Rhonda Caudell: It is a lot, and I just get them, unless I had a lot of advertisers that wanted to pay me for my blogging, then maybe, but I don't do that. So, I try to blog new material, at least, once a month. And then, throughout the month, I'll re-purpose it in different places, maybe in a video, the same content, and then an article, or an audio, or something like that. So, just different ways to get the message out because, certainly, all the people out there, they receive their content in different ways.

Corey Rieck: Because of the familiarity that can sometimes be the family dynamic, do you find it's an advantage for you and your organization to be sort of that independent third party that doesn't have the emotion, that doesn't have the family dynamic? That, to me, seems like it would be very advantageous.

Rhonda Caudell: Yeah, it's interesting because there are people that call me, and they say, "I've read some of your stuff. I think you can really help me. So, I want you to go talk to my parents and do ABC, or get them on the phone and do ABC," or whatever. And I tell them, I said, "I'm not going to talk to your parents. I'm going to show you how to talk to them, so that they listen and they respond."

Corey Rieck: I could have used you, like, 40 years ago. Where were you when I needed this 40 years ago?

Rhonda Caudell: Well, yeah. I use the word partnership because I want them to just ditch the parent-child relationship and become a partner. And through that partner, then you can co-create your own plan. Because even if I did go and talk to their parent, their parents gonna be so nice to me, and tell me how wonderful I am, and totally agree with me. And then, when I leave, they're going to look at that son or their daughter, and they're gonna say, "You sure wasted your money on that."

Corey Rieck: Yeah. You mentioned you work with the folks that have dementia and dementia-related matters. Tell us about that. Because that's a big deal now, isn't it?

Rhonda Caudell: It is a big deal, unfortunately, and it's becoming a bigger deal with even younger parents because I'm beginning to-

Corey Rieck: How so?

Rhonda Caudell: Well, people who are now being diagnosed with early onset of Alzheimer's or some kind of dementia, it's happening more and more to people in their 50s and 60s. So, their sons and daughters are beginning to contact me or join my closed Facebook group for those people, and I'm seeing more and more people in their 40s who are looking for some support or help because, now, their parent has dementia, and they're really clueless about what all this is going to mean for them. And it will change your life. My dad was diagnosed with vascular dementia and Alzheimer's, and I oversaw his care for eight years. And even with my medical background, it was just a one-of-a-kind situation to me. And I think everybody feels that way. But people don't understand that you can't relate to someone with that kind of diagnosis the same way you always have, but it doesn't mean that you isolate them or isolate yourself. So, if you make some shifts and some changes, you can still have a great relationship for a long time with that parent, but you've just got to change your approach.

Corey Rieck: That's very crucial advice, in my estimation, separating the part about being a child and moving into the part where you're gonna be a partner. I think that's very, very accurate. People that have dementia, if you don't mind, the arc of your father's circumstances, you probably helped how many hours per day early on?

Rhonda Caudell: Well, I actually lived with him for a while. He had a spouse that lived with him that died before my dad, of course. And then, I knew he was probably in the early stages at that point, but she was there, and he really didn't need a whole lot of help or direction. Well, after that, he ended up finding another woman that was the love of his life. And I'm thinking, "I hope she understands what she's getting into," but she did, she knew, and she took care of him. She loved him dearly. And unfortunately, she passed away five years into the relationship. So, those two deaths caused a real problem for my dad and that he just went downhill, downhill, downhill. So, that was a sudden death from the second woman. And I was actually out a town at the time. And someone that knew my dad told me about it and said, "And your dad's by himself and really needs some help." So, anyway, we had to jump in and do a lot of things for him until I could get to town. And it took me a while to kind of live there with him to really figure out what he was going to need. But then, it was just almost an impossible situation because, usually, when someone with dementia has a crisis in their life, that's gonna set them back, and they don't regain what they had. It just begins another downward spiral.

Corey Rieck: Is it stressful to be in those circumstances being the caregiver?

Rhonda Caudell: Oh, yeah, of course it is.

Corey Rieck: A loaded question.

Rhonda Caudell: Yeah, yeah. It's pretty stressful. I do have a closed Facebook group now for adults. It's answers for adults with parents living with dementia. And we have people in there, and we support one another because most of them are the hands-on caregiver, the ones that are members now. Not all of them, but a lot of them are. So we give a lot of support to each other in that group. And then, my role is answering questions, in addition to education.

Corey Rieck: How did you decide to start your company? I mean, what was the jumping off point for you?

Rhonda Caudell: Well, my company originally was working with seniors. And then, when my parents really began to have medical issues and start to decline, that's when I decided, "Wow, everybody I know is in this situation. I don't think there's any help for them." And so, I shifted my business at that time. That was about seven years ago.

Corey Rieck: You've been invited on the show because you have been favorably introduced by a former guest. What separates you?

Rhonda Caudell: What separates me from the industry?

Corey Rieck: Yes.

Rhonda Caudell: I think it's-.

Corey Rieck: Industry, competitors, or generally.

Rhonda Caudell: Yeah, I think it's that I'm not done for you kind of service like I used to be with care management. I'm more of empowering people how to do this for yourself. This is your family. You got one shot. So, you want to do the best you can do.

Corey Rieck: Rhonda, if you could look back, and give the younger version of Rhonda some advice, what would it be?

Rhonda Caudell: Probably slow down a little bit.

Corey Rieck: Boy, that's some true advice.

Rhonda Caudell: Slow down, smell the roses, doing that. I have to make myself do that.

Corey Rieck: Yeah.

Rhonda Caudell: Yeah.

Corey Rieck: Are you successful making yourself do that?

Rhonda Caudell: Most of the time. I think that came with age and that-

Corey Rieck: So, it does come with age.

Rhonda Caudell: It does come with age. But I would liked for it to have come sooner.

Corey Rieck: And finally, if there were a young lady that wanted to follow in your footsteps, what advice would you have for her?

Rhonda Caudell: I think I would just say, if you recognize something that you feel like you're gifted to do, and you have the desire to do, go for it no matter what. There's ways to figure it out as you go.

Corey Rieck: Rhonda, you built a great company and great business. How do people get a hold of you if they want your services? Do you have an e-mail address or a phone number that they call?

Rhonda Caudell: My email is Rhonda@endlesslegacy.com. That's the best way to get a hold of me. My number and a lot of my free stuff is on there.

Corey Rieck: Rhonda, you've been a great guest. Continued success. Thank you for being on the show.

Rhonda Caudell: Thanks, Corey. Thanks much.

Corey Rieck: Next, we have Cody Crews. Cody, good morning.

Cody Crews: Good morning, Corey.

Corey Rieck: How are you this morning?

Cody Crews: Good. Thank you.

Corey Rieck: Cody, you built a great business, Bernadette's Hair Salon, and you've worked in this business since you were 18.

Cody Crews: Yes.

Corey Rieck: Did you start when you were three?

Cody Crews: I was actually 19. Right out of high school. I went straight to beauty school. I've loved hair, worked in hair salons throughout high school, and I just knew that's what I wanted to do.

Corey Rieck: How did you know, though? How did you know that that's what you needed to do being?

Cody Crews: I don't know. I mean, just in middle school, I feel like if anyone stood still, I'd try to cut their hair, do their makeup. I mean, I've been cutting my mom's hair since I was in sixth grade. She has good hair. So, it always looked good.

Corey Rieck: And you've been a business owner for how long?

Cody Crews: Well, 11 years in May.

Corey Rieck: Was it helpful to work for a period of time, six, seven, eight years, at Bernadette's as an employee? Was that useful for you to give you perspective on whether or not you wanted to own a business?

Cody Crews: I guess so. But I don't think I really thought about it. Even when I was presented with the opportunity to take over the business, I just saw it as an opportunity and said yes. I mean, I knew that there was an established business, which I think that really helped me be able to fail, and learn, and still have clients coming in and the reputation of the business.

Corey Rieck: So, I don't see any evidence of failure anywhere in the company.

Cody Crews:Well, I'm very lucky. I'm very lucky. And I think surrounding yourself with good people, I think that's the secret for my business is having great workers around you because you're only as good as your best worker.

Corey Rieck: It does help. And how many employees do you have now?

Cody Crews: 12. 12, all girls. All girls.

Corey Rieck: That's not-

Cody Crews: Women.

Corey Rieck: That's not a hair salon. That's an operation. How many clients do you see a month, you help out a month with your service?

Cody Crews: We see about 600 a month coming through there. The girls are busy. We try to stay current.

Corey Rieck: I'll say.

Cody Crews: Yeah, with education. And I think the biggest thing as of yet with the business is moving locations. So, five years ago, we moved a salon from Brussel Road into Dunwoody. And that has really helped us. Dunwoody has been a great community. They're super supportive. And there's a hair salon in every shopping center and-

Corey Rieck: How did you decide to do that?

Cody Crews: Clients. Being a hairdresser, you always have a connection with somebody - clients and Bernadette. Bernadette is still actually a huge mentor for me. And so, it's easier to make decisions when you know you have good people to back you and that you can go to for questions.

Corey Rieck: Having a mentor like Bernadette, how's that been advantageous for you?

Cody Crews: I mean, she'd do what she was doing, and she was successful. So, I knew I could count on her for good advice. And she built the salon. It was a good foundation from the beginning. She built it on love, and on community, support, and giving back. And that's what it's all about. And so, I just wanted to continue that. And I think that since she established it, that it was able to stay. The love in the industry too.

Corey Rieck: Well, you clearly love what you do. I get that loud and clear from having been introduced to you by another person that's been on the show. What do you like best about what you do?

Cody Crews: People. I love people. They give me energy. They have a lot of wisdom to share. Again, with moving the salon, I had a client who was in the real estate market. So, I went to him with all my questions. I've kind of learned over the years, it's not how smart you are, it's where you go to for your answers to your questions.

Corey Rieck: Yeah, it's okay not to know the answers to everything.

Cody Crews: Yes, yes. And I learned that, that you don't have to know everything. I put a lot of pressure on myself at the beginning of, "I don't know this. I don't know that." And I think a lot of people don't know what they're doing, and they just have to seek out the right people and resources and figure it out.

Corey Rieck: Well, I think having a trusted mentor or a trusted group of advisers that don't really have a vested interest in anything other than you doing the right thing for you is really crucial.

Cody Crews: Yes.

Corey Rieck: And I think having someone like Bernadette is, I mean, incredibly helpful because she's done it, she's been a big part of building it, obviously. To have her there on a go forward basis is really useful.

Cody Crews: Very useful. And she even comes in and does education for us, her and her daughter have a salon. And so, it's really neat. And for the younger stylists to see that Bernadette is still a part of Bernadette's. And Bernadette hasn't been the owner since, I think, like 2001. And I kept the name because of reputation and-

Corey Rieck: The branding.

Cody Crews: ... the branding, but who she was. I saw her, she was a role model for me, lipstick and smelled like patchouli. So, I just always loved her. And so, I didn't want to change it.

Corey Rieck: That's a nice tribute to her, and I would imagine useful for you in terms of branding.

Cody Crews: Yes, especially with the wig studio. So, she established the wig studio in 1989. And you got to think, this was before like the internet or anything. So, people were undergoing chemotherapy and losing their hair, they didn't know where to go or what to do. So, that was super intuitive of her then to see that need and fill it. And we've kept it going ever since.

Corey Rieck: What do you think is the most challenging thing about what you do?

Cody Crews: I guess, it would be, I think, managing people and being able just to-

Corey Rieck: No. People are challenging? I thought you said you had all women there.

Cody Crews: I have great women, but you just have to go with the flow. I mean, every day, things are going to change. People have their own lives and things happen. And just coming into work and everything going smooth, I'm thankful for it. Sometimes, I walk in to say, "Okay, what's going to happen today? How are we going to handle it?" because things happen every day, and you just have to be able to roll with the punches.

Corey Rieck: How do you find your talent? How do you find your employees?

Cody Crews: Again, through other people, other stylists that have work there. I mean, even some front desk people that we've had, they'll still come back and get their hair down done. Other stylists that have worked there, they're still coming and get their hair done, or their family comes in and gets their hair done. So, it's just like a big networking group. And career days at beauty schools. Mostly word of mouth, though. So, it's really been so sweet how everyone, there's a story how everyone has found Bernadette's.

Corey Rieck: It seems like you've built a great brand, and it seems like that's a place where people were in that industry, they would want to work. It would be a feather in their cap, so to speak, to work there.

Cody Crews: Well, thanks. Thanks. It nice. I do like to kind of keep it small just because of our space and the more-

Corey Rieck: Yeah, you have 12 employees that work for you. You're not small.

Cody Crews: More headaches.

Corey Rieck: This just in.

Cody Crews: Yeah, I guess because we're so close, and we work so good together, it really is a little family. I mean, I feel like all of us come there to get away from our lives and do what we love. I mean, we all love what we do. And all of the stylists are self-motivated people. Like it is their business, and they're super professional, they know their money. So, having a bunch of alpha girls behind you is pretty cool. They can make it-

Corey Rieck: I concur. As a man, I concur. How do you achieve balance? I mean, you're married, you have a family, you have this incredible business. How do you keep everything straight and do the thing that they refer to now as work/life balance.

Cody Crews: Yes.

Corey Rieck: Do you do it?

Cody Crews: I don't know. No. I think that when you're at home, you think about work. And when you're at work, you think about home. So, I just really try to be in the moment as much as I can. And-

Corey Rieck: Boy, that's some great-

Cody Crews: ... and realize that my kids being small-

Corey Rieck: How old are they?

Cody Crews: They're two and six. So, I'm really just trying to hold on to that sweetness.

Corey Rieck: You were only three when you started.

Cody Crews: Thank you, Corey. Glad we're on the radio. So, having the girls, having the staff that I have allows me to be with my children more, and be in the business as long as I have, and working as hard as I have worked, I, now, can be with my kids. I'm part time, and I love it.

Corey Rieck: How does a business like yours decide what hours to stay open and so on? And is there any kind of logic to it or is it based on your schedule or?

Cody Crews: Well, I mean, it's kind of based on my schedule that I've had since I was 19. It was just the Bernadette's operating hours, and we have stuck to those operating hours. If some of the staff wants to come in early, then come in. I trust them all. But we're not open on Mondays. It's a hairdresser holiday every Monday. So, Saturday is our-

Corey Rieck: Is that artistically just not a good date for?

Cody Crews: I mean, Saturdays are way calmer because nobody is thinking-

Corey Rieck: Really?

Cody Crews: ... that, "I got to get home and do dinner or get back to the office." So, there's not so much energy around. Saturday appointments, they'll come in, they'll have their coffee, they don't care if they have to wait. They can read their magazines a little longer. So, Saturdays, they're busy days, but it's a different energy to Saturdays, even though they're busy.

Corey Rieck: What are some of the most satisfying things about your business that it gives to you?

Cody Crews: Well, having our wig studio, it's a business and it's a ministry in a way because these people are going through really hard times. In the 10 years, more than 10 years that I've worked there, women would come in, and they would be so sick with chemo. So sick.. And nowadays, they'll come in and they've had their chemo, but they're stronger. They can go pick up their kids from the soccer practice the next day. They don't lose their eyebrows and eyelashes. So, it's seeing that we've evolved with medicine has been awesome, especially in the wig studio, and to see that this is a temporary solution to a temporary problem with the wigs.

Corey Rieck: And that's a dignity thing, too. I mean, having my mother before she passed battled breast cancer twice, and I know that that's a big deal.

Cody Crews: It's a big deal. I mean, it's biblical. They say it's your crowning glory. It is a big deal, big deal. And even if you're not sick, you want your hair to look good.

Corey Rieck: Yes.

Cody Crews: If you have one bad haircut, you're kind of traumatized for the rest of your life. People will come, and it could be when they were 12 years old, and it still sticks with them. So, it's pretty interesting how it can affect your personality if your hair doesn't look good.

Corey Rieck: Well, I think a relationship with your hairstylist is one of the most important ones you can have.

Cody Crews: Yes, it is.

Corey Rieck: I mean, they know what you want. You probably have people that come in that don't tell you anything, you just do it because this is the way they've always done it. But getting a bad haircut, and I've had plenty of them, I mean, it takes three weeks to respond.

Cody Crews: Yes. yes.

Corey Rieck: And then, people have to ask you about all the sorts of things that they ask you. How come you're not wearing a hat? Did you get a bowl of soup with that haircut? Those kinds of things. Plus, it affects your appearance. It affects how you think mentally. So, that's a really important thing, your relationship with a stylist.

Cody Crews: And you have to think, too, there's not a lot of people that are licensed to touch you. So, you have your doctor and your dentist, and then your hairstylist, and it's intimate. I mean, I've read that in stages of intimacy, like you hold hands, you kiss, and you touch heads, and it makes you open up more. And we're just like, "Hey, all in your business." So, I think that's why people tell us so much is because we're touching them, and we don't look at them. We're looking at them through a mirror. So, it's not like a therapist where you're face to face. So, it's easier to open up about things.

Corey Rieck: How would you say your business has evolved over the years?

Cody Crews: I think that Bernadette's, it's because of the move, I think five years ago, and we've grown. I think me being better day to day, month to month, year to year as a leader.

Corey Rieck: How did you get better?

Cody Crews: Making mistakes, and learning from them. And learning from them. I mean, even the people that have come and gone from Bernadette's, I see as somebody that I've learned from, good or bad. So, that's what it is.

Corey Rieck: What would you say is the differentiating point that you offer? I mean, you were highly recommended by someone else that's been on the show, and that's how people get on the show. And what sets you apart? I mean, to me, I see plenty of things that set you apart from the others that think they compete against you. But I want to hear it from you.

Cody Crews: I think our wig studio service sets us apart. But I think that the staff, the business itself. We're not a factory. We all are real passionate about what we do, and we care. And I really think it's the staff that sets us apart. And the feeling of Bernadette's. And people say when they walk in, they feel good, and it doesn't feel like, "Oh, next, next, next person." We spend time with them, and we're thorough. And it's really the staff that brings it all together.

Corey Rieck: It sounds like you've done pretty much everything right. And so-

Cody Crews: Thank you.

Corey Rieck: ... my compliments there. What do you do with any free time that you have?

Cody Crews: Spend it with family. Spend it with the family, for sure. Even reading over your questions, it was like, what are your hobbies? It used to be shopping, but now with kids, I don't have time-

Corey Rieck: Yeah, I never would have picked up on that.

Cody Crews: ... or money, so.

Corey Rieck: If there was a younger lady ... well, let me back up. What would you tell the younger version of Cody? What advice would you give her knowing what you know now?

Cody Crews: Probably not to be so hard on myself. No, light up. Say nicer things to myself.

Corey Rieck: You're 100 percent right with that. That's anybody.

Cody Crews: I think that that would be my greatest happiness would to be nice to myself, as nice to myself as I am to other people, so.

Corey Rieck: Well, you're clearly nice to other people. I've seen that.

Cody Crews: Thank you, Corey.

Corey Rieck: If there was a young lady that wanted to follow in your footsteps and follow your track, what would you tell her?

Cody Crews: I would say, listen, listen a lot. Ask a lot of questions. Know that if you fail, you can always redeem yourself and surround yourself with good people.

Corey Rieck: Cody, if the listenership wanted to make an appointment with you or get information on you, how would they get a hold of you? Do you have an e-mail address, or do you have a phone number, a website.

Cody Crews: Call the front desk, 770-394-7539, or you can go online at bernadetteshairsalon.com. We do do haircut appointments online. But other kind of services and whatnot, call the front desk, and they can answer any questions, and set you up.

Corey Rieck: Well, Cody, you built a great business. Much success. Thank you so much for being on the show. You've been a great guest, and I wish you continued success.

Cody Crews: Thank you. Thank you so much for having me.

Corey Rieck: You're welcome. Let's welcome Bonnie Daneker. Bonnie, how are you this morning?

Bonnie Daneker: I'm doing great, Corey. How about you?

Corey Rieck: I'm great. I'm sitting here talking to you. Bonnie, you've had a lotta just tremendous experience here. You have an MBA. You've written books. You help people write books.

Bonnie Daneker: Yes, I do.

Corey Rieck: Do you sleep?

Bonnie Daneker: Yes. In fact, this weekend was fantastic for that. I caught up for about three years. No, that's the tricky thing about writing. When you write and when you help people write, you can't fake it, right? Nothing gets down on the page or on the computer screen if you're not working on it. So, that's something that you have to be very dedicated about, and very disciplined about to set aside the time, and really make it happen.

Corey Rieck: Did you grow up here?

Bonnie Daneker: I did not. I've spent half my life here, so I feel like a native. But I grew up south of Cleveland, Ohio. And it was a big change moving down here because, of course, the patterns are much different. And I actually wanted that. I was visiting a friend in December, and they were playing tennis, and I thought, "Holy cow, I'm shoveling up there. What am I doing? Something is wrong." So, I made plans to move down when I was single and very mobile and haven't looked back. It's been a tremendous experience because there's also that wonderful southern hospitality that still exists here that's not as present in the north. The north has a lot of other wonderful qualities. And I still have friends and family up there who I much love. But it's something that I think the southern hospitality has helped me to appreciate both ways of dealing with people and be able to relate to them a little bit more in a way that they're comfortable with. So, you have kind of more tools in your toolbox to work with different people.

Corey Rieck: Was it a difficult transition moving from Ohio to here-

Bonnie Daneker: Absolutely.

Corey Rieck: ... in Atlanta?

Bonnie Daneker: Absolutely.

Corey Rieck: How so?

Bonnie Daneker: First of all, I tend to be very straightforward, and you cannot do that.

Corey Rieck: Never would have ended up on that.

Bonnie Daneker: So, right. I remember very distinctly walking into a gas station and putting a dollar bill on the gas ... I mean, on the countertop and asking the cashier for four quarters because I want to put more air in my tire. They had a little machine in the back, right? And he looked at me like I was purple and green. I didn't realize I had to say, "Hello. How are you doing? Do you have change? Do you make change here? Would you mind? Would you please give me some change, so I could air my tires because they're low, and I really need to drive the rest of the way home." So, I mean, something that would have taken me 10 seconds up north probably took me three minutes. And it's not even the time. I just realized it's a different way of dealing with people. And it's wonderful. And I do it now. And when I go up north, everybody's like, "Oh, she's so sweet. She's so kind. She's-"

Corey Rieck: What happened?

Bonnie Daneker: Exactly, exactly. What happened? But it was difficult to understand what the pace was. And dealing with the weather was much different when it was so hot. I wasn't used to it. And then, traffic. But the biggest change, I think, was the reception for women doing business. And I was used to that up north.

Corey Rieck: What do you mean? What would you mean about that, the reception for women doing business?

Bonnie Daneker: I can remember working part time in a retail store, and having women come in, and having credit cards with their husband's name on them.

Corey Rieck: Oh yeah.

Bonnie Daneker: And I cannot remember meeting any women in Atlanta when I first moved here who owned their own businesses, with the exception maybe a hair salon or like a babysitting childcare operation. And up in Cleveland, Ohio, women had businesses of all sorts, restaurants, and retail shops, and all kinds of businesses. And so, when I came down here, I was kind of taken back a little bit like you hear the thing about your stepping back in time, and it really kind of was that. And something that I'm glad you mentioned in my introduction that I would like to talk about a little bit today is the National Association of Women Business Owners, we're celebrating something this year that happened actually just before I moved to Atlanta, which was the passage of House Resolution 5050, which enabled women to have business loans, so they could build businesses, they could have their own cars, they could have their own homes, but that was implemented a lot faster in the north than it was in the south.

Bonnie Daneker: So, when I just moved here, I had already experienced it up in the north, but I hadn't experienced it down the south. And I said, "What's going on here? Why aren't more women opening their own businesses and really taking those business chances?" It's because they hadn't had the exposure. They didn't have someone, like you were saying, Cody, a Bernadette to follow in her footsteps. I mean, who did Bernadette follow? I'm not sure, right? So, it was very hard for me to adapt for, like I said, that the climate, the traffic, and mostly the business because I grew up working. I've been working since I was nine years old too. So, yeah.

Corey Rieck: You mentioned NAWBO, the National Association of Women Business Owners. You have the president-elect there. Tell us about that organization, and what your duties are, and you've had a lot of experience with them.

Bonnie Daneker: Yes. Actually, this is my ninth year being involved with them. The National Association of Women Business Owners was started in Washington, DC. Another chapters in almost every state. So, California, surprisingly, has the most with 16 chapters. I mean, it's a very large state, but population-wise, you'd expect maybe New York or Texas to have more chapters. But we are the only chapter in Georgia. So, we service Macon, we service Savannah, we service, of course, Metro Atlanta, every major metropolitan area if the women business owners want the support from our chapter and from national. And then, as a differentiator between women's organizations and business organizations is that we have that attachment to legislation, and what's happening in Congress that helps general business and the practice of business. Okay. So, things like insurance, and advocacy, and taxation that it doesn't really matter which side of the aisle in which you sit, you're gonna have to think about how you run your business and how these laws affect you running your business.

Corey Rieck: It seems like NAWBO has done a lot of great things in Washington and in Atlanta. How many members roughly do they have here in Georgia?

Bonnie Daneker: We have 2500 women business owners in NAWBO and in Georgia.

Corey Rieck: That's great.

Bonnie Daneker: It's fantastic. And we'd really like them to be a little bit more vocal and a little bit more mobile, but we're running our businesses, right? So, I encourage y'all to join National Association of Women Business Owners, if that's something for you. Our focus is on education. And we want every interaction with our events to be educational for you, have some kind of kernel that you go home with that you can really implement in your business. So, we've had things like let's look at your social media presence, let's look at your financial projections, let's look at your legal counsel, let's look at your stage presence. How do you interact with news and the media. Things like that, where you want a trusted source, you want good information, you want to be able to ask questions.

Bonnie Daneker: So, my responsibility as president-elect is to interface with our national group, and then also be a constancy with the other chapters to kind of be a link between them, so that we have that kind of national network that's very active. So, if someone came to me in our chapter and said, "Can you recommend someone in the construction industry who might be able to answer my construction questions?" I might be able to say, "Yes. Well, here's this gal in the Indianapolis chapter, who I met at National. Talk to her because she probably can feel your pain and give you some great advice." So, yeah, those are two of my charges with the education and the national reach.

Corey Rieck: So, you have a company called Write Along With You.

Bonnie Daneker: I do. And what we like to do is help people finish their manuscripts, right? So, for years, I had a literary consultancy where we worked in nonfiction business, biography, and health and wellness. And we created a lot of books, and we created a lot of derivative works, which included things like merchandise, and documentaries, feature film, gaming, those different communication vehicles for talking about the subject at hand. Well, we really decided to downsize a little bit and focus on the writing. And we also decided to focus on, not only nonfiction clients, but fiction clients and poetry clients because there are a lot of people with really great stories to tell, whether they're based in truth or not. So, fiction has sometimes gotten a bad rap about, is it as valuable as non-fiction? It is. It's fun. It's an escape. And oftentimes, good fiction is written with good research. So, you can learn a lot from fiction, too. And then, of course, poetry with songwriting, and speechwriting, and greeting cards. Everybody likes a good greeting card. So, yeah, we try to really help people achieve their dreams of writing and publishing. And it's a lovely vocation for me.

Corey Rieck: So, you are a writer, but you also help others get their works published.

Bonnie Daneker: It's true. So, that's actually our differentiator. So, there are a lot of companies who will talk about, "This is the way you write. This is how you should sound. This is how many words. This is who you should market it to." And then, there are those who actually write. But it's very rare to have a combination of a person who can coach and write. It's the same thing is if you can coach golf and you actually can swing a club, right? So, in our business-

Corey Rieck: It's helpful, by the way if you can do those two things.

Bonnie Daneker: It's helpful. Well, also, here's one thing that is probably our second greatest challenge. First one, of course, is time. Second one is like a bad haircut, you know, like a bad caregiving experience, we have a lot of clients that have had red-penned papers, right? So, there's some teacher back in their background or some parent that said, "You can't write. This sounds terrible. This is not the way it should be. This is bad grammar. This is just an awful use of the English language." And we have to heal those wounds. There's that psychological piece to it to say, "You really are a writer," especially those people who work with the public who speak very well, like my two colleagues here. If you can speak, you can write. It's just a matter of changing your format. And there's a lot of wisdom that can be passed down with that. And so, there's the coaching piece, which we're very effective at. It's not just me. It's project managers that work with me. But all of us, our published authors, we've been there. We've had the red pen. We know how to deliver edits because we don't want to hurt. We know what it feels like to hurt. So, we cross that line between that criticism and that constructive criticism very easily because we've been there.

Cody Crews: You've written multiple books. But the latest of which is one that's called It's in There.

Bonnie Daneker: Yes, thank you for bringing that up. So, this is the innovation, dedication, and determination behind the birth of Prego Spaghetti Sauce. And "It's in there," is the tagline that we use to market the product when it first came out in 1981. And even I wasn't part of the product development itself, I feel like I have ownership in this product.

Corey Rieck: And that is a great product.

Bonnie Daneker: It is, isn't it?

Corey Rieck: It is.

Bonnie Daneker: It is a $30 billion dollar product.

Corey Rieck: It is so. When we make pasta, it's not even a question I'm going to get Prego. It's what kind.

Bonnie Daneker: Exactly. Thank you. And there were-

Cody Crews: I mean, are there competitors out there? There must be, but-

Bonnie Daneker: No. And my husband I'll tell you, I'm a purist. I've got it in my cabinet too. But I co-wrote with the product developer who will tell you - and it's actually present in the book - that there was tomato breeding involved to get just the right taste of tomato. And there was a long series of recipe formulation.

Corey Rieck: So, hang on a second. They have their own tomatoes? They have their own tomatoes that they-

Bonnie Daneker: Absolutely. They're called the C147s, C for Campbells. So, in early times, we wanted to make sure that the tomatoes were ... early in Prego history time, I should say. So, this is like the 1960s-1970s. The main products that came out of Campbell's Soup Company were tomato-based. So, you had tomato soups, and you had stews, and you had TV dinners, and so forth. And so, tomatoes were in the central crop for that. Plus, they're based in Camden, New Jersey, which is the tomato capital of the of the nation.

Corey Rieck: Is it really?

Bonnie Daneker: It is. And it has wonderful ... they used to say the streets bled red and the rivers bled red because during these 10 weeks between mid August and early October, everything was blooming tomatoes. And you could smell it and taste it. I've seen the tomato crops, just mountains of tomatoes piled on the backs of these trucks. And it's just a really impressive operation. Of course, now, they source tomatoes from all over the world because we need them yearly. So, the growing seasons are different per hemisphere and things like that. But yeah, there are special tomatoes, and there are special recipes, and there are special, obviously, ways to cook that, and can that, and distribute it that all leads to this wonderful product that we're all so crazy about, even in Italy, right?

Corey Rieck: It is-

Bonnie Daneker: We sell in Italy, yeah.

Cody Crews: It is a great product. How did you come to be involved with this book and what's the background?

Bonnie Daneker: So, my undergrad is from Ohio State University. I have a Bachelors in Journalism.

Corey Rieck: Ah!

Bonnie Daneker: I know.

Corey Rieck: Ohio State.

Bonnie Daneker: And they've been getting a little-.

Corey Rieck: That's a vocational school, right?

Bonnie Daneker: Right. Exactly. Agriculture vocation for certain. I think you're on the opposite side of that, UM Battle, right? Ohio State and University of Michigan rivalry. Anyway. So, my undergrad is in journalism. And I sit on the board for the Culture Arts and Sciences. And I am very active. I really get a charge out of being involved with new programs to mentor students and help guide the university in ways that people can use their talents in arts and sciences to get back. So, anyway, my co-author is also on the board at Ohio State University. He is in the College of Food, Agriculture, and Environmental Sciences. And we are connected my colleague there, because Bill always wanted to write the story of Prego, and I was the person to help him out. So, it was a tremendous learning experience. I had no idea about science.

Corey Rieck: I'll bet.

Bonnie Daneker: Yes. And he is such a learned, wonderful, talented man. He has over 20 patents in food science. And it was just a labor of love. And he did it, obviously, to set the story straight. There's a little bit of drama with that. But I do want to say, every book sale, the proceeds goes to fund scholarships in the food technology area at Ohio State. So, we want to sell some of those. But I have to tell you a little bit of the drama behind the start of this, which was Malcolm Gladwell, which many of you know for doing TED talks, is a business profit, and I'm a big fan of him. But he had recognized someone else as the founder of Prego Spaghetti Sauce in one of his TED talks. And the man he recognized is a behavioral psychologist who actually did work later on in the formulation of Prego after the product was launched for three years. So, Bill thought it was appropriate to give the credit to the people that actually worked-

Corey Rieck:Where it's due.

Bonnie Daneker: Exactly. So what's really, really beautiful about this book - and of course, I'm biased. I wrote it and I love it - but there are many profiles of the people that were involved. So, people like Onion Mary, who chopped up hundreds of thousands of bulbs of onions, and the people that are working with the soil, and the guy who got cut by glass when they were first trying to put the jars through the can lines and the processing and so forth. Like we said here, it takes a village to get anything done. And this book is a conglomeration of a lot of wonderful talent and care. And we want to use this to encourage the next generation of those in the food industry to keep providing us nutritional, clean, healthy food and knowing the kinds of earth that we have right now, the soil and environmental concerns, and we just want to keep healthy and keep our population strong.

Corey Rieck: It's a great product. How have you promoted your book?

Bonnie Daneker: So, we went through a series of book signings early on. The book launched in October of 2017. And we were thankful. We were lucky enough, very thankful that the university supported us with some tailgates, with some of the football games featuring Prego sliders.

Corey Rieck: Oh, that wasn't any fun.

Bonnie Daneker: Oh, no. But we just-

Corey Rieck: That was a hard sell to get-

Bonnie Daneker: Oh, my God. I went kicking and screaming, right? No, but we did that. And that was really encouraging to people who hadn't even tried it before, which I was surprised that there were some people still out there. Of course, there always are. But we did unusual recipes. We did like chicken parmesan. And then, the sliders and spaghetti meatballs, the meatballs being in the extra. But most people don't know Campbell's had a cookbook that was focused on how to better use their soups, and how to better use Prego and so forth to encourage the sales of their products. So, that's what we did. And we went on kind of a cooking tour and book signing tours. And I'm still actually doing that today. So, I love to go talk to some of the schools that have food tech programs and talk to them about this, because it's kind of a business case about how he had to fight to get the product out there, and what kind of competition there was, and what the results were at the end. So, yeah, we've continued to promote that. Here I am promoting it today, so.

Corey Rieck: How exactly did you go about the book signings? I mean, did whoever helped your publish it, do they help you with that? I mean, I know Ohio State was a big supporter, but how does that work?

Bonnie Daneker: It's different for every kind of book. And this book personally is different than other clients that I've had who I've helped promote their books. Basically, you know who the book is for. And this one has a cross marketing potential. We've got a business audience, a business academic approach. We've got those in our audience who are students, those are foodies and so forth. So, we've got multiple audiences, multiple ways to reach those. And what we did is we started with the schools and the libraries. So, that was a ready-made audience, and they wanted to eat Prego, and so forth. And then, now, like-

Corey Rieck: Are there people that don't want to eat Prego?

Bonnie Daneker: There are some people who are allergic to tomatoes.

Corey Rieck: Poor soul.

Bonnie Daneker: I know, right? Right? No. And actually, I have great respect for those other products on the market who continue to keep this food category stable because not everybody can get access to Prego. We're working on that. So, if you have to eat a competitor's sauce, that's okay, as long as it's good nutritionally and able to feed your hunger. But we like to pair this with Italian-based events because this is really a reflection of part of our Italian heritage and, also, the movement of women getting into business because women did not have the time that it used to take for women, especially of Italian descent, to spend 6 to 10 to 20 hours on meals, right? So, they would cook their grandmothers' spaghetti sauce, and it would take them all day. Well, they started working. They started having their own businesses. And to have a product that was just as tasty, just as nutritious, just as fresh, just as wholesome as what they would have made on their own in a fraction of the time-

Corey Rieck: With the fraction of the work-

Bonnie Daneker: Right, and work, and money, right? So, that was really part of the revolution of women getting into business. So, this all kind of ties together. It's one of our convenience foods; yet it is, it's just something that is really steeped in tradition literally and figuratively with the focus groups that we had for Italian women coming in, and tasting, and bringing it home to their family, and asking their family to respond to it. And some of it was not very good feedback that I learned about that they called it garbage at first in one of the early renditions because it wasn't sweet enough, or it didn't have the right kind of tomato, or it didn't have the right kind of onion. So, we go to the store, we pick a jar off the shelf, and we think, "There's nothing to it. You just throw it in a pot and it works." And there's a lot to it. I mean, there's nearly 14 years of development process, and there are hundreds of people involved, and a lot of wonderful science and technology. And it's just a really fun read. And I joke on the back where we write what's in there. Well, here's why you should read it. It's got revenge, passion, sex, intrigue, politics, high drama, and accomplishment. And it really does. But I'll tell you, the sex part is just with the tomatoes.

Corey Rieck: Bonnie, you've been invited on the show by a prior guest because you stand out. What do you think makes you stand out?

Bonnie Daneker: Personally, I get energized by people too, and I really try to be supportive of people's dreams. My kids will tell you that, as I say, I don't want to step on your dream. If this is what you want to do, let's figure out a way to do it, and let's be smart about it. And I try to bring sunshine to a room. I want to start the activity with a positive note because you never know, it could turn bad at any moment. I know that from caregiving, I've got a few care-giving books under my belt, but it's really tricky. There are a lot of things that could bring me down in life, and I want to be one of those things that bring or one of those people that brings you up and brings an attitude that supports you in what you're trying to do.

Corey Rieck: Well, you definitely do that. I think if you could give the younger version of Bonnie some advice, what would it be?

Bonnie Daneker: I have to side with these ladies here. I would say be a little bit kinder to yourself and get more sleep. It can wait. Here's a lesson that I really learned, if you're so tired when you're doing something, chances are you're gonna have to redo it the next day. So, just get some rest and [indiscernible] the first time in the mornings. Yeah.

Corey Rieck: If there was a young lady that wanted to follow your success pattern, what would you tell her?

Bonnie Daneker: I've actually had that experience, which is really wonderful. I work with a group called Endeavor, and they are high school entrepreneurs, and some of them are interested in the business of communications, which is changing all the time with our different education needs. And what I tell them is that you have to think about what the world needs now, and then think about what the world might need in the future, and try to find a path between those two, so that you can keep yourself on the right track. That's kind of your own guiding star about how you can contribute what you think the world is going to need. And that's really tricky because it's hard enough to find out what the markets want right now. But if you keep in mind there's always something else you should be working for, then you'll keep yourself hustling and ahead of everybody else that's just dealing with the here and now when you're looking at the future.

Corey Rieck: How does somebody go about buying It's in There, your book?

Bonnie Daneker: Definitely, contact me. I'll make sure you get as many as you'd like. Again, these are to support scholarships for the Ohio State University Food Science Technology majors. Please contact me at bonnie@writealongwithyou. That's W-R-I-T-E-A-L-O-N-G-W-I-T-H-Y-O-U. Or you can go on Amazon.com. The book, It's in There, is on Amazon, but we prefer that you sell it or you buy it from us directly, so that more proceeds can go to the scholarship. So, you can also go to Ohio State University Press. We are published through Ohio State University Press and find it there. So, thank you.

Corey Rieck: Well, Bonnie, you've been a great guest. Continued success. Another great show. Rhonda, Cody, and Bonnie, thank you very much. It's been another great day with Tuesdays with Corey. Thank you.

Katy Galli: Yeah, absolutely. And Corey, of course, Tuesdays with Corey would not be made possible without the support of The Long Term Care Planning Group. So, if somebody wanted to learn more about that and what you do, where might they do that?

Corey Rieck: Well, they can email me at corey@thelongtermcareplanninggroup.com or they can visit our website at www.thelongtermcareplanninggroup.com. Thanks, Katy.

Katy Galli: Well, great. And yeah, it was a great show. Thank you to Rhonda. Bonnie, and Cody. It was great to see you guys. And we'll see you all next time on Tuesdays with Corey.