From Wreaths To The Super Bowl: A Mom-Built Brand Finds Its Voice

What if hustle wasn’t a badge of burnout but a promise to show up with heart, speed, and boundaries? We sit down with our friend Monica Blakely of Passion for Ezra to trace an all‑too‑relatable path: from rolling ribbon on the floor to dressing America’s favorite football mom on Super Bowl Sunday. It’s a Maryland-made story with national edges—proof that a single DM, a smart read on style, and a willingness to overnight a bold idea can flip the lights on for a small business.

We dig into the early days—wreaths, tutus, onesies—and the moment Monica realized women deserved sports apparel that actually fit, honored team colors, and felt fabulous. From there, we talk about pivoting through hard seasons, including sewing and donating thousands of masks during the pandemic, and the ongoing work of setting boundaries that protect your joy: saying no to on-site handoffs at games, carving out family time, and defining healthy yeses under pressure.

There’s also a candid look at women claiming space in male-dominated rooms. Monica and her husband Taylor model a partnership that flips assumptions, while the Washington Commanders earn real flowers for investing in small businesses and elevating women across roles. That support created a ripple—introductions to other teams, new collaborations, and a louder platform to pull more local entrepreneurs up the ladder. The takeaway is both practical and inspiring: shoot your shot, overdeliver, and keep the community at the center.

If you’re building a brand, parenting while pitching, or just need a reminder that “no” is often a stop on the way to “yes,” this conversation will move you. Subscribe, share with a friend who needs a push, and leave a quick review to help more moms and makers find the show.

Follow Passion for Ezra to keep up with Monica’s latest designs, collaborations, and behind-the-scenes moments of building a brand with heart. 💛✨🧵

 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/passionforezra

🌐 Website: http://passionforezra.com

📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Passionforezra

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome And Today’s Focus
• 0:39 Why “Hustle” Feels Different
• 1:21 How Claire And Monica Met
• 5:10 National Name, Local Roots
• 6:38 Origin Of Passion For Ezra
• 11:52 Pivoting Through Hard Times
• 17:05 Redefining Hustle Without Burnout
• 23:10 Boundaries, Seasons, And Balance
• 28:15 Creating Magic For Families
• 30:14 Shoot Your Shot: The Split Jacket
• 38:30 The Super Bowl Moment
• 44:55 Small Wins As “Promotions”
• 49:18 Women Owning Space In Sports
• 56:10 Partnership Dynamics And Respect
• 1:04:45 The Commanders’ Support And Shift
• 1:09:35 Community Shoutouts And Paying It Forward

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:00

Hey friends, and welcome to Mom Talk Maryland. I'm your host, Claire Duarte, founder of the Columbia Mom. And this is your spot for real conversations, local love, and a whole lot of community. Whether you're folding laundry, running errands, or hiding in your car for some peace and quiet, let's dive in. I have one of my very best friends in the world, Monica Blakely, here with me today. And if you know me, then you know Monica. But in case you don't know, now you know. And I have her here today to share your story. And but one of the actually things that like we wanted to talk about today was talking about. I we both agreed about this. We don't really like the word hustle. I definitely don't like hustle culture and the connotations that come with that, but we want to talk about what it means to, I guess, hustle as a woman-owned business or a woman in business or a woman running your own business as we both are, um, because that correlates literally directly with everything about your story from how you got started, your why, and how it's literally carried you through. Um, and there's so many things that I have always admired about you because of that. So that's what I think is gonna be the main core of what we get to talk about today, and why I'm so excited to have you here. I'm really excited to be here. Thank you so much. Yeah, all right, so let's dive into it. Okay, let me do my quick little brief intro. So I first met you, God, was it two years ago? So two or three years ago. I'm like forgetting the timeline. Yeah, I think it's at least been three years. Yeah, and it was at Hops and Harvest. That's right. I was with my girlfriend Katie. And I wasn't even at the table. You weren't even at the table, that's the best part. My friend Katie goes, and we're like across the lawn. We're like literally across the lawn. She sees your table. We weren't even like walking next to it. We were like across the lawn. She was like, oh my god, that's passion for Ezra. And then dumb me, I'm like, what? And she was like, no, no, no. Like, and this was the same year. I think it was because it was fall time, so it was like a month later. She was like, No, no, no, she's the one that made Donna Kelsey's split jacket, like Super Bowl jacket. And I was like, and everyone knew, and I was like, I'm not a football expert, but I've I like football. I watch football, and like yeah, with like you know, the shot scene around the world. I'm like, I know this jacket, right? Um, and I was like, oh my god, that's crazy. Um so uh I I walk up and she was like, You gotta meet her, like you gotta, you gotta say hi, whatever. And I was like, I don't know, but then I was like, okay, screw it, fine. Um so we walk up there, Taylor was there, your husband, and I like try to do my like my whole like oh hi, I'm blah, blah, blah. And um, I was like, Oh, well, Monica's not here right now, but I can like, you know, give her your number or whatever. And I think he literally did. I think he either texted you my number or back to the table and he's like, um, so this woman came up to the table.

SPEAKER_03: 2:47

And that's because we've been in business for 13 years. So he's like, this this lady walked to the table, he goes, I don't know if it's BS, I don't know if it's true. He's like, but she says she, you know, she's a local influencer and she'd love to talk to you and maybe do an interview and that type of stuff. And I was like, okay. And I'm one of these people that yeah, I'm like chat from uh SNL. I'm like, okay, let's do it. Great, right? And so um he was like, Oh wait, hold on, there she is. And so then we had that just you know that small conversation, and I told Taylor, I was like, I'm a I'm a gut feeling type person. So I was like, I think this will work out. I was like, I was like, she seems very, she seems very cool, not very mean girl-esque, you know, which is important and general, right? And then, ooh, I kind of feel like this is very good and very organic, and I'm that's the best type of relationships. I feel like those are the ones that are lasting long term are the organic conversations, the organic friendships, the organic business plans. And so I was really excited for that.

SPEAKER_00: 3:45

So that was perfect. Gut feelings, absolutely. That's I agree, and that's why like we're we flock to each other, I think, so naturally, because we're so like I don't know, in tune in so many different ways. And um, and that's why I love it. But yeah, so it was meeting at Hops and Harvest and to doing some fun kind of um little projects, you know, from I'm wearing them, you can't see them, but I'll show a picture of the sneakers, um, to doing our fun little local legends project to getting you to speak as our uh essentially our headline, our featured speaker at the YPN Summit last year.

SPEAKER_03: 4:24

Also, when you say, like, yo, yeah, you're just you know the local legends. That was one of my favorite things I have ever done between you and Joe and the magic you guys make. Yeah, it really was. I like I'm like, dude, I should play that like when I get my like content. I was like, I should play background when I walk on a stage. Like that's just it. Yeah, like that was perfect.

SPEAKER_00: 4:48

I I love it, and you know there's you know so much more to come, and that we're brewing with all of those pieces, and um, I couldn't have thought of a better person to kick that off with, you know, and um okay, but before we keep going, you know, you and I love to go all over the place, which we will, but let's share with everybody that to everybody that doesn't know, right? Um, because that was one thing that I was so excited as okay, here is this, like what I would think is kind of like a a mega micro like celebrity in my mind, and you live right here in Howard County. Like when I like, you know, yeah, you made Donna Kelsey's Super Bowl jacket, and you and then I slowly started to learn about all the different things because you had your table laid out of all these pieces and these articles, and I was like, oh my god, this woman's like bigger, bigger than what I didn't even realize, and you're right in our backyard. And we both found out we're Moco girlies, all the girlies, you know, and um I was like, holy crap, but the world needs to know that you are right in our freaking backyard, and that's why I was like, we gotta get you on this platform, we gotta like the nation knows who you are, but we need to make sure Hoko and Maryland knows who you are.

SPEAKER_03: 5:53

I know it's really, really weird. So it's it's we're known nationally and even internationally more than we are known in our backyard, which I think is I think it's funny and ironic at the same time, and that's why we did the events. Is that I always told Taylor is that I want to connect with our local people, right? You know, the people we shop with, the people that buy from us that don't even know that they're buying it, you know, down the street from them. So that's what I love about it. And I I think that's almost what's most important to me is to be known in our neighborhood even more than internationally.

SPEAKER_00: 6:29

Yeah, right, exactly. I mean, that's what I know we as business owners all, you know, want. And you know, we'll keep talking about that too. But okay, but take us back, right? Like passion for Ezra. Tell us how and why you got started.

SPEAKER_03: 6:43

Taylor always likes me to tell this story, even though I feel like I've grown so much from it, and I don't ever want it to be like the reason why necessarily people come to us. But um, it all started. Um, I was pregnant and I was a widow, newly widowed, um, and I had just had Ezra. And my love language is gift giving. I'm just, and it's it always has been. Yeah. And so I decided for Christmas that I wanted to give Ezra everything in the world, yeah, but I couldn't afford to give it to my parents, to the people I love, to my friends and family. And so one day my mom and I were walking through Michaels and she saw Reed, and she was like, Oh my god, I would love that. And so for me, I was like, Oh, I'm gonna buy it for her. And I checked the price tag and I was like, just kidding. So I was like, you know what, I could make that. Yeah, I've always been like an artsy kid. Um, I went to cosmetology school, I went to real estate school. I've always been one of these people who I couldn't find exactly what I was made for, yeah, but I was always searching. And so, my like I said, I'm I'm a gift giver, that's my love language. The other thing was taking care of people. So I kind of blended two things together. I take care of people's needs and I make I want to make them feel as amazing as they are. So it started out with a wreath, and I made one for my mom, and then all our family, you know, my mother-in-law, my sister-in-law, my parents. So I made all of these team wreaths, and I sat on the floor and I rolled these inch ribbons and I glued them, and it took forever. Yeah. And then my mom hung hers on the front door, and somebody came by and goes, Hey, I really like that. I leave for Denver in two days. Can you make me one? And I was like, Yeah, sure. Because I've always known you never say no, like you just on Facebook because nothing's real unless you post it. That's right. This is also the big Facebook era, yes, yes, and so I went from you know that one wreath to 30 to 300 within like a month. And that's where we really started was team wreaths for your front door. Yeah, and some of our clients still have those wreaths on their front door to this day, which I think is it's it's so sweet. And I my biggest thing is always wanting to find one of our products in a secondhand store. No, because I think that'd be really cool for it to be like, you know, they always talk about like you find like vintage like Louis Vuitton and Tiffany's things and all these things in secondhand stores that people don't know are like priceless. So it's one of those things where I like I want to walk into a secondhand store one day or like a vintage store and find one of our first pizzas. Yeah. Because I think it's a weird idea. No, I agree. So I started doing that, and in the midst of this, I had worked for a company who had known me for pretty much all my childhood. And during the death of my first husband, they were not, they were not very nice people to me. They weren't not understanding of the circumstances. Um, I think until something happens to you for a lot of these bigger companies, yeah, you're not going to understand your employees. So I decided that day that everything happened that I never wanted a boss again. I wanted to be able to provide my time because I I learned in the death of James that time is fleeting.

SPEAKER_04: 9:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03: 9:58

And so um that's kind of where I was. Now, in the midst of James dying, I I've known Taylor since I was eight years old. Um I was in a really, really dark place when I was pregnant and I was in my parents' basement, and we had sold the house that I lived in, you know, packed up all my stuff, and I moved into their basement. And at like 24, 25 years old, that's you know, it wasn't the cool thing to do. No, no, of course not. And so I kind of felt like I was a failure at that point because you know, I was pregnant, I was just a widow, I didn't have a job. But I have always been taught by my parents that you always, you know, make lemonade out of lemons. So I just started the business and I told my dad, I said, um, but you know, between the support of you know dating Taylor and him being there from pretty much the beginning of everything for me and like a second second life.

SPEAKER_02: 10:51

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03: 10:51

Um, I told my dad, I said, I want to be Martha Stewart without the criminal record. Like that was my exactly that was my thing. I was like, oh, I could make wreaths and I could, you know, do all this stuff. And my dad was like, Look, I don't know how you're gonna make this a business, but you have our support, like always. And you know, it it turned from wreaths to two-two's and onesies, and I would sit on the floor and and roll the tool, and then it went to custom shoes. One day I'd go, I you know, got along. I said, I could do that, never done a pair before in my life. So funny. And I was like, hey guys, here's a deal for the first ones that I've done. Yeah, and you know, I was selling for like$35, and the shoes themselves already cost like$15. Right. But it took me at that point, because it was the beginning of it, like hours to paint. So I really wasn't making my own person even, but it was just to get those first steps out, yeah. And then, you know, it went from shoes to my first pair, my first set of cornhole boards, yeah. Which is what we were if if I was gonna say I remembered that evolution, yeah. If anything, locally were known for our cornhole boards, or we were, yeah, and that's what everyone knew us for. They didn't realize that we did all the other things on top of it. Yeah, so we started doing cornhole boards, and you know, someone came to me and they was like, Oh, can you do a set of cornhole boards? I didn't even know what cornhole was. Right. So, of course, I Googled it and I was like, Yeah, of course. And I came to Taylor and I was like, Hey, we're gonna do this. And he's like, How? And I was like, I don't know, but we're gonna do this. Yeah, and that's how we started with that, and then it the the more custom apparel. And the whole reason I really started this business and the whole thing with the wreaths and everything else was because I could not find um clothes that fit, first of all, for women. Yeah, secondly, clothes that were cute that weren't just pink. Because back then, for example, I'm a huge football fan, that's really where they took off. Is um everything was breast cancer pink. Right. And that was it. Right. So you had team colors and they were geared very much toward men, or pink for breast cancer. Yeah. And I personally, I love pink, I don't want to wear pink during football. I want to wear my team colors. Right. I want to walk in that stadium and I want you to know that I am a Washington fan. Yeah. And a woman. Exactly. And a woman. Like we don't need to hide being a woman. The other thing is, I think from what I've learned over the past 38 years of being on this planet, if I'm wearing men's attire to these events, they think it's my dad's jersey or my husband's. They don't realize, they think I'm a I'm tagging along, yeah, not necessarily belonging. Now, that has dramatically changed, obviously, because the environment's changed. Um, they're trying to make it more inclusive for women and kids, especially in sports and making it more family-friendly for sure. Yes. But at that, at that point, it wasn't. So I was like, okay, I want to start this business and create this business to be geared toward mostly women. And I want them to feel fabulous going to these events. Yeah. Whether it's football, soccer, hockey, even their kids' sports. Right. Right? A mom wants a good sweatshirt to wear that has her kids' photo on it or something like that, right? Yeah, yeah. And so that's where uh the the beginning was. And a lot of people don't realize we've been doing this for 13 years. Yes. It's it's a long time. Right. And we've dealt with other celebrities, we've made stuff for other people, other professional teams, and everything else, but this is what really kicked it up in the right.

SPEAKER_00: 14:26

Right, right. And what do you remember about what year it was where you started? Because it's funny, because now I think the big things that you're known for obviously are the apparel pieces. That's what we see most, right? And that's and you made the formal announcement too that that you were kind of like that's like what you're what you're focusing on, which is smart as a business. Like, we'll we can talk about that too. You know, it's um because as business owners, we we can't we can't do everything and offer everything. They you know, it is smart to kind of be like, okay, these are my offerings, because then you can specialize in that and get even better.

SPEAKER_03: 14:58

So the one big part about our business that makes us different. Yeah, I once had a gentleman ask me what makes your company different, and when he asked it, it threw me off. I've always had answers for everything, right? Right. I think about it. Right. I realized we have broken the wheel of business. Everything that people have told us you can't do, we've done. And I think pushing against it and pushing against the grain is healthy for a lot of this stuff. Yeah. So everyone always told us, I mean, even family members, not my parents. My parents all 100% have always told me everyone needs.

SPEAKER_00: 15:36

Everyone needs your parents and everyone needs Taylor.

SPEAKER_03: 15:39

Everyone needs Bubba and Michelle, and everyone needs Taylor. Everyone needs a tailor. But we were told, you know, oh, cornhole boards wouldn't last. I still get people coming to me now, 13 years later, yeah saying, Hey, can you it's Christmas? This is my first season. I'm not making cornhole boards. Because I love to do this stuff for people because people get excited. Right. We still have people coming to us for it. Yeah, we still have people coming to us for the original stuff that we do. So we've kind of broken the mold where you know a lot of businesses just focus on like, okay, they're only doing shirts, they're only doing kids' apparel. We do everything. Yeah, that's what makes us different. And when they've told us that this isn't long term, we've shown them it is.

SPEAKER_01: 16:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03: 16:26

And we've kind of beaten the odds for a lot of things. Now, I mean, obviously, during COVID, uh the day everything shut down, I called my dad emotional, and I was like, We're gonna lose everything, I'm gonna lose the house. My dad was like, hey, hey, pull it together. I'm gonna give you this day. He goes, and then get your game plan. And you know, I sat down, I talked with my parents, they are my sounding board. Um, they're gonna be the people that have the best interests, you know, them and Taylor, and now Ezra because she's older. Yeah. Um, and I said, Okay, my mom and I talked back and forth, and we came up with the idea that okay, we're gonna make masks because there's a shortage, yeah, there's a supply, there's a demand, but another part of us is if I make a profit, I could make much more of a profit, but I would rather it be affordable to everybody and make a little profit than it be available to 10 people and make millions. And so during the COVID time crisis, if you bought one, we donated one to first responders. And we hand made these masks. So we were up 6 a.m. to 3 a.m. every day for six months. No vacations, no days off. And we donated, you know, we donated like six thousand masks at the end of it.

SPEAKER_01: 17:56

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03: 17:56

At least. Yeah. And we wanted to make sure that we made enough to stay afloat, but we wanted to make sure that the people that we even we didn't know were taken care of. So we took care of the local hospitals, we took care of uh the local nursing homes in Montgomery and Howard County, in DC, Maryland, and Virginia. We wanted to make sure we shipped across the country as well. So we wanted to make sure that we took care of everybody in that time period. So again, we may have not ever made masks before, but you better believe I Googled it. I made sure what we could we could have available, I made sure we had the supplies, we made sure we had it all taken care of so we could take care of people and ourselves at the same time so everyone could eat, everyone could be healthy. Yeah, and I think that's the biggest part of this is we have constantly pivoted. We have con it's like the friends episode pivots. We have constantly made sure that we are changing with the green and pivoting for the next things coming. And I mean, even right now, like you know, businesses have their flows ups and downs. We always just pivot to try to estimate, but you know, the world, the world how it is. Every day is different, right? But we try to make sure that we can pivot to different ideas, uh different clients, making sure, like I said, that we can we can cater to you know mom down the street, all the way to the professional athletes and the professional teams. And so that's kind of where we've where we've started, where we're where we're going, and kind of why I think going back to the whole like hustle conversation, yeah. You have to be able to do that to think on your feet, to go, okay, the world's shutting down tomorrow. What are we gonna do? Because giving up's not really an option. No, it really isn't, especially being a mom.

SPEAKER_00: 19:52

I was just gonna say, like, that c parallels exactly with moms. Like, we don't have the option to to close shop, to stop, to slow down. Not only that, but our kids look at us.

SPEAKER_03: 20:02

Yeah. Our kids look at us as the what to do, the how to react. Yeah. Oh. From birth. So when I had that conversation with my dad, I went outside, I balled my eyes out, I came back in, and I was like, all right, let's go. You know, because our kids are looking at us, and then we have to, we have to make the decisions, we have to execute, we have to do all these things. So that that to me is that hustle mentality. Yeah. I think it's uh the reason why it's that more negative connotation is because everyone thinks maybe hustle scam and hustle of not getting good quality or whatever when you're using that connotation. I think of it entirely different. I think when I think of the word hustle, I think of the word getting it done. Yeah. So when you when I get a text message at set on Saturday at 3 p.m. saying we need, you know, an outfit for so-and-so Sunday at 9 p.m. I'm gonna get it done.

SPEAKER_01: 20:57

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03: 20:58

There is no is not an option. I'm gonna get it done. It may not be exactly what you're looking for, we're gonna have to compromise. Right.

SPEAKER_00: 21:05

But I'm gonna get it done.

SPEAKER_04: 21:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 21:07

And you do, and that's what's crazy, and that's what's amazing. I mean, um, you know, I mean, when I I I agree, I definitely think there's a lot of good in hustle. And I think for me, sometimes how I feel, and I I agree to like, you know, finding a way and getting it done. Um, I think what what what I try to push against with hustle culture is the historical like industrialization of it, of just like and and that equaling and kind of be snowballing into burnout, of like, you know, hustling at there's kind of and I there's a very fine line, you know, and a lot of times we just have to kind of keep that good self-monitoring, you know, of like what which where which lane am I in? Am I hustling to get it done, or am I hustling at the expense of myself or at the expense of my family and my boundaries and blah blah blah? And it because it's hard, it's again, it's being a woman mom-owned business, right? It's a lot of those lines blur a lot of the time. A thousand percent. Um, and some is and to be honest, it's not like it's ever going to be perfect, you know, because uh, I mean, I tell my husband too, there's like some days and weeks where I'm like, I this is my schedule, you know, you're gonna need to give more than I can right now, and I know that you're you're always so open about that too. And and there's different seasons, right? And but yeah, I know for I know for me personally, I I try to push back on the burnout side of cult of the hustle culture because I'm like, I refuse to kill myself in this process because I am still a mom. You know, I still have wants and needs, and I want to build this and I want to do this, but I refuse to ignore myself and my needs through that process.

SPEAKER_03: 22:56

You know what though? That I think that makes you um very I think it makes you better aware. See, the first eight to nine years, so we've been in business for 13 years. So for the first eight to nine years, I had no vacations, I had no breaks, I had no nothing. Yeah, and it was just myself. Now, granted, Taylor helped me whenever he could because he also had school, he was going to school for his degrees and that type of stuff. Then he got a full-time job and everything else. And because of his service, we're you know, work. I'm so thankful for all the work he's done.

SPEAKER_01: 23:33

Oh, exactly.

SPEAKER_03: 23:33

But for the first eight years, it was just pretty much me.

SPEAKER_01: 23:37

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03: 23:38

And I couldn't because I realized that it had it had to be done. Right. And I didn't understand that I needed that balance. I was also younger. I think age plays such a big part. But I think that shows how aware you are because your business is younger than mine is, right? And you're realizing it at that younger stage. It took me having almost like a full-fledged meltdown to realize. I think that, but I think that's I think that's speaking volumes on on who you are also, right? And I think that's speaking volumes as there's so many different, there's so many different levels out there for even people who are listening and watching and all that stuff, is that you may fall on the scale of Claire. You may fall on the scale of Monica. You want to fall in between. Yeah. And I and I think that's normal. It is. And I think it just takes a moment in time to realize when that it's not sustainable long term.

unknown: 24:36

Right.

SPEAKER_03: 24:38

But with that hustle, you can still get the things done. And there are late nights that you're gonna have to stay up until two o'clock in the morning. Of course. Doesn't mean you're a failure, doesn't mean you can't do it. And then there are times where you're gonna be able to go on vacation, yeah, and you're gonna be able to, I can't say I do it, but not look at your phone.

SPEAKER_00: 24:58

Right one day.

SPEAKER_03: 25:01

One day, but I've been able to, I I finally realized at one point, and I think it was also because my like I said, I feel like this is two lives. My previous life before this, before as before everything, and now I've already realized that life is too short. Yeah, I've already realized that any day you can die at 23, you can die at 38. Outside of our control. Yeah, that I don't want just to be involved in business, I want them to coincide with each other. Yeah. And I want to get the projects done and I want to be known for the stuff, but I also want to be able to have that time with my family or to be able to go to the events. So now, for example, um previously going to games, I'd like lug stuff around. I'd stop what I'm doing, I'd I'd leave the game, I'd go up to the section, you know, 325, and I need somebody for something. And now I don't. They're like, Can you bring stuff to the game? The answer is no, unless it's the actual team or people who are working for the team, because that's business. Yeah. And but it's a different type of business.

SPEAKER_00: 26:02

Well, that's a boundary. Yes, right.

SPEAKER_03: 26:04

I'm able to, I'm, I'm working with these people, but I also need time to enjoy myself. Absolutely. So if I'm if you're willing to come to the seats that I'm at and that type of stuff, I'm absolutely game to meet you and that type of thing. But I can't stop the only peace I have and the times that I have to be able to conduct business. Right. And so I think that's what's I think that's what's most important. Right. And the other thing I enjoy, which I find really funny, yeah, is I post all the time when I'm at these events. Yeah. And if our clients see it and they see me out in the wild, because that's what I call it, I'm like, you come up and you come up and say hi.

SPEAKER_02: 26:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03: 26:46

I want to meet everybody that supports us. Yes, yes.

SPEAKER_02: 26:49

Because I think that's that's what's fun about it. That's the best part, yeah.

SPEAKER_03: 26:55

That's what's fun about doing the things we do, and it's not the recognition, it's the appreciation. Yeah. So when you hear or you get these messages where people are like, hey, like on top of everything else we talked about, I go against the grain of everything, right? Is I we do Santa and Easter money.

SPEAKER_01: 27:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03: 27:17

And we started that during COVID. Yeah. And we just started our Santa season the day after Halloween, and I know it sounds crazy, but we've already had our opening week. And I'm getting messages from families with kids with disabilities or health issues, or just tired moms. Yeah. And they're like, thank you for giving us this magical experience.

SPEAKER_04: 27:42

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03: 27:42

And like it helps to hear that because you're just like, oh, they get it. They understand that when they let, when they like, when they when they kick back and they just let me do what I do best, yeah. It is magical. And I think that speaks about our whole business.

SPEAKER_01: 28:00

Right.

SPEAKER_03: 28:00

And you know, now Taylor and I, because we brought him on full-time four years ago, yeah, we're able to create those magical experiences, whether it's with Santa, with the Easter bunny, with a mom wearing a blinged out outfit going to her kids' game and everyone asking her and stopping her and saying, Oh my gosh, I love your outfit. Right. All the way to the professional athletes that you know are in sports illustrated.

SPEAKER_00: 28:25

Yeah. Insane. So wait, real quick, I mean, just tell us this, because this is obviously, I mean, I love, I don't love you because of this moment and this story. But um, for many of us, this is uh outsiders, this is what as a nation, what we see is kind of what puts you on the map um in that regard, even though you had been on the map. No, no, I mean, absolutely, but this is one of my favorite stories, and this is you know what I um what I why you kind of fuel and inspire me constantly. I call it, you know, you know, your shoot your shot. Um, but tell us about um tell us about the split jacket and how all that came about.

SPEAKER_03: 29:05

So the shoot your shot is is usually what I tell people, right? Is if you shoot your shot, what's the worst that happens? Yeah, you know, you're told no. And then another one of my things is no is just another way to the word yes, right?

SPEAKER_00: 29:17

And that's an actual true, like you read everything in sales and stuff like you're gonna hear no. Yeah, you're gonna hear no.

SPEAKER_03: 29:22

Yeah, that's because they don't know who you are, yeah. They don't know what you're selling, they don't know why you're different.

SPEAKER_04: 29:27

Right.

SPEAKER_03: 29:28

And you know, it's even in this moment, like I told you, I said you think about things. I need to hear that to myself every once in a while. It's so true. It's very easy to preach it, yeah. But every once in a while you're like, you know what? That's that's right. I know. Right? Yeah, that's just it's a it's a little blur. It is you're you you're gonna get to that word yes. Yeah. But um, what ended up happening was it was my birthday, and my dad was having heart surgery, because that's how everybody likes to celebrate their birthdays. Yep. And um, we were in suburban hospital, and my dad and I are always joking, and we're always talking football, and we're always that's real quick.

SPEAKER_00: 30:10

This is like January.

SPEAKER_03: 30:11

Oh, yeah. Yeah, I was painting the picture of like the timeline, the time of the this is so they moved the Super Bowl back again another week, but this was like one week from birthday to Super Bowl. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 30:24

So seven days. I didn't how did I not? I'm had to have known that it was seven days. Seven, it was literally only seven days. It's like seven days at that point to get like product in hand or like seven to ten days. I didn't realize it was just that number of days.

SPEAKER_02: 30:45

Uh a lot of people don't realize that.

SPEAKER_00: 30:47

Oh my god, okay, so keep going, keep going.

SPEAKER_03: 30:49

So hold on. This is another part though. Big business, like, there's nothing wrong with big business, but when people are looking to work with a team, this is something big business can't do that small businesses can do.

SPEAKER_01: 31:04

Right.

SPEAKER_03: 31:06

So my dad and I are sitting there talking, and of course, I know football, my dad knows football, and that's honestly why I am I'm an only child, and I'm my dad's son and daughter at the same time. I go to all the games. So we're sitting there talking football and trying not to make this an emotional moment because you know he's going in for heart surgery. It's not the first time.

SPEAKER_02: 31:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03: 31:26

So, you know, I'm sitting there and I go, you know what? I said, I couldn't remember if it was like two days before or something like that. It was the it was the uh the playoff games. I said, it's Kansas City and Eagles, you know, Kelsey's mom's gonna be there. I bet you I could make her a better outfit than probably what she's gonna buy. Because you know, a lot of people, and there's there's nothing wrong with it, you know, go high-end and want to wear whatever, which is fine. Yeah, but I was like, dude, she's like a mom's mom, right?

SPEAKER_00: 31:58

And she's a boy mom.

SPEAKER_03: 31:59

And she'd been getting press, you know, because small, small ones, little, yeah, little ones leading up because it wasn't a huge, huge, it was it was a big deal, but it wasn't a huge deal until battle at the Super Bowl, right? That's when it started a little bit. Yeah, because that's that was the first time a mom had both kids in a Super Bowl playing against each other. Exactly. So I was like, all right, uh I'm gonna I'm gonna send her a message on social media, right? And I was like, she's on Facebook. I was like, let's let's send her a message, you know. It might hit spam, it may hit whatever. I don't know how many people are reaching out to or what. Right, right. And so I reached out to her on social media. You just sent her a message, yeah. From the hospital. Yeah. And I'm sitting there, and you know, my dad's in the hospital bed, we're pre-op, right? And uh I get this message back, hey, you can reach out to so-and-so, they'll handle any of any of these matters. And I was like, okay, and I look, and it's a 410 number.

SPEAKER_00: 33:03

Oh my god.

SPEAKER_03: 33:04

Yeah, tell me about it. And I'm also, I mean, however anybody feels, I'm a big believer in like God's plan. Oh, 1000%. And I was like, are you kidding me? I was like, this is a this is a like a Baltimore number. 410 to me. Yeah, right? Yes. Okay, so even if that person is not in the area, they are at least from that connection. Uh-huh. And I reached out, and her name is Emily, and I owe all of this to Emily. So she is one of the best people on the planet. She really is. Everything she touches turns to gold. She is an amazing agent. She's just a great advocate for for whoever she handles. She really is, she's amazing. Yeah, she's one of my favorite people on this planet. Um so I reached out and I'm sitting there, I go, Oh my gosh, dad, dad. She responded, she responded. I said, and it's a 410 number. And my dad's like, what? I said, it's a 410 number. Yeah. And he's like, is it real? And I was like, oh, we're about to find out. Find out exactly. So I called, left a voicemail, and within like two minutes, I got a phone call back.

unknown: 34:27

Holy shit.

SPEAKER_03: 34:28

So I like, I'm like, quietly, because you know you know, and then I'm like, I had like the cell phone up to my off, and I'm like, hi, uh yes, my name is Monica, and I'm a small business owner, and you know, I I I shot my shot. And she's like, okay, let's let's see what you you know, let's see what you what you can do. And she was like, is there anything like you know, you want or whatever? And I was like, I just would like if she posts to tag me in a picture. And she was like, I think we can make that happen.

unknown: 35:00

Oh my god.

SPEAKER_03: 35:01

So I do some recon mission and I get on social media and sorry, did you already have a vision and idea of what you were gonna do?

SPEAKER_00: 35:08

Like what you wanted to want, what she wanted to make at that point?

SPEAKER_03: 35:10

Not a blue.

SPEAKER_00: 35:11

Did you tell her what you were going to make?

SPEAKER_03: 35:13

I just said I'm gonna make, I think I can make her some really cool split concepts because I've already done it for like hers was the first real split jacket and shoes I've done. But I'd already, when I've gone to games for myself, I'd already kind of done different things like that. So I was like, I with like patterns and colors, right? So I was like, all right, so I I got on the internet and I looked and I was like, oh, she's wearing a lot of denim. And I was like, she's a boy mom. And it's more, it's more subtle, right? At least from like what I could tell, is like it'll be more subtle, not like over. We're not going blink feminine, like fitted, we're going in a different way. I was like, her personality doesn't speak, doesn't like it's not she doesn't look like she you know wants to be rhinestone head to toe. Right. Or like a fitted top kind of thing. Right. So I was like, I think I'm gonna do a denim jacket, and I didn't tell Emily any of the stuff I was doing. I was like, I'm gonna I'm gonna do a jacket, I'll do a jersey, and I'll do uh maybe a pair of shoes. And that like, because that would, you know, I'm thinking like head to toe. Yeah, she could wear the jersey, she wear the jacket, she wear the shoes. And so I was like, Alright, so my dad, this was in the mid-the middle part of designing and everything else, happened when my dad had his surgery, he hops out. I was like, hey dad, I'm gonna be making something for Don at Kellsley. And he's like, There's no way. And I was like, Oh yeah. He goes, How did that happen so fast? I was like, I don't know, but it did. Did so um I of course called my mom. I of course texted Taylor, and then of course Taylor's like, Well, what are you gonna do? I was like, Oh no, we're gonna figure it out. And within like 48 hours, I had had the jacket and the shoes done and the jersey done.

SPEAKER_02: 36:52

Oh my god.

SPEAKER_03: 36:53

And so I show up and I pull it out, and God bless Emily. Emily's like, do you know she loves denim? And I'm like, I was like, I did do a little Facebook stalking. I was like, I'm not gonna lie, I did the Yeah, yeah, yeah. She's like, I think she's gonna love this. And I originally had done a pair of um Converse shoes that were half and half, they were like a split, and originally in the picture that's in all the articles, it's a pair of Converse shoes that were with it. But I was like, dude, that's not enough. Like, there's something, she needs something else. Yeah, so um she I met her, I met Emily, she took all the stuff, and you know, they're off to the Super Bowl, and it was in Arizona that year. Yeah, and I sent her a message and I was like, hey, I have an idea for a pair of shoes, I will overnight them to you. She's like, Are you sure? And I'm like, Yes. And I did a pair of light up shoes, and those are the ones I made to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Yeah, buddy. And so I overnighted them, and I had no idea what she was gonna actually wear to the game, but media started immediately.

SPEAKER_00: 38:01

And well, and you had no idea what was going to happen, period. First of all, it's not like this was premeditated. You were just like, I want to make pieces for.

SPEAKER_03: 38:09

I just wanted a picture and to be tagged on Instagram or Facebook. Right. Like I just wanted, I just wanted a social media post.

SPEAKER_01: 38:16

Right.

SPEAKER_03: 38:16

That was it. And between Donna and Emily, and like I said, I had done stuff for celebrities before. They had posts, they have they've done a post and they've, you know, at the bottom, or they've, you know. Yeah. The things that those two did, I could never in words explain my appreciation. One I'm roughly the age of Jason. Yeah. So looking at Donna, Donna is like a mom figure to you, right? She was America's mom for a solid year. It was like to me, mom was taking care of another one of her kids.

SPEAKER_04: 38:55

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03: 38:56

It really was. And then to have another woman with Emily looking out for a small business and going beyond, right? I just wanted a tag. She really, between those two, they went on Good Morning America, they went on ESPN, they went on everywhere. And she was showing off the jacket, and I was getting sent the links, and I was literally on my living room floor bawling my eyes out. Because I think the other thing that I think that needs to be talked about is there's enough room for everybody to eat at the table. And I have found there are certain groups that don't want anybody to sit at the table.

SPEAKER_01: 39:51

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03: 39:52

And these two open the door to be able to sit down at the table.

SPEAKER_02: 39:57

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03: 39:58

Without with And doing it beyond what I even asked. And I think because I do that for my clients, it was really refreshing to see somebody else do that for us and do that for me. Yes. And it was one of the most pivotal moments of my life. And it I think, I think what's crazy about it is it was one of those moments where I could prove that a daughter of an immigrant who just came to the country, and it's a sport that my dad and I have bonded over. Yeah. And it's a mom taking care of like a just another another kid on this planet. Yes. Which is kind of like what we all do, right? Right. Like when your friend brings home the kid that's you know from next door, you treat them like they're one of your own. Literally. Those two treated me like I was, like I was, I belonged.

unknown: 40:53

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03: 40:53

And I think that's what's amazing about it. So that was that pivotal moment for me. And then of course, like all week, all week. So I finished painting the light-up shoes and I sent them out, and they arrived, I think, like the day before the game.

SPEAKER_01: 41:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03: 41:06

And then that morning, we all sat down. And I will tell you, the year before, at the previous Super Bowl, I had told Taylor one day we will have an ad in the Super Bowl. And we sat down and we turned on the TV to watch all the pregame. And in the middle of this, as everything's going, I think more locally as well, we had other people, like local news sources and stuff, sending us messages, asking for interviews, which was fun. Oh, yeah. And we did all of that, but we sat down, we watched the pregame, and she posted a picture of her on either Instagram or Twitter or something like that. And it was the shoes, the jacket, and then a purse and her jewelry for the game. And she was wearing our light-up shoes and she was wearing our jacket. And I because we didn't know she was gonna wear the jacket necessarily to the game, maybe she was gonna wear the phone.

SPEAKER_00: 42:05

No, you were just like, I just you didn't even be like wear this to the Super Bowl. You're like, I just want to give this to you to pick a literally a picture in the hotel room, and then you strip it off.

SPEAKER_03: 42:14

Exactly.

SPEAKER_00: 42:15

Right.

SPEAKER_03: 42:15

And she did like a game day fit, and then all of the pre-game, she's on the sidelines, and I will never forget it. Erin Andrews interviews her and they pan from her head to the while she's spinning around. Oh and I lost it. Oh my gosh. And I turned to Taylor and I turned to my dad and I turned to Ezra and I said, Oh my gosh, we got her out in the Super Bowl. Oh my god. How is that possible? Like, how is that life?

SPEAKER_00: 42:52

Were you just screaming? I feel like I would have just been screaming.

SPEAKER_03: 42:55

Like I really ball and then my phone was blowing up, and then I had people like texting me, you know, people I haven't heard from in years, and then people who you know I've I've been talking to this entire time, and then you know, like the Washington Post, like all of these people are trying to reach out. And I told my dad, I was like, and then my dad's just oh my god, oh my god. And I think even looking at it from a different angle, like my dad came came to this country with nothing in his pockets, ideally. He really didn't have support either. And he's watching his daughter, who wanted to be Martha Stewart without the criminal record, have an outfit on a football field at the Super Bowl, on television, and we're just chilling in Colombia. And just you know, we're just on our sofa in Columbia. Just watching the Super Bowl, and again, it comes back to you know those moments where you kind of have to hear it over again to kind of remind yourself. Yes, it's one of those moments. Like my heart still gets I get still gets so excited. But you want to know the funniest part? Yeah, I get excited when Sally down the street posts wearing any of our stuff, feeling good about herself.

SPEAKER_00: 44:07

Yes, it's it's really weird. I you know, I can obviously like we obviously have completely different businesses, but I I do fully agree, and I'm realizing it's nothing I I should be, I need to be more public about, but like, you know, for instance, I know that like you know, I share things all the time, and I know that like I can I can say I have influence in the community, but I have no way of literally tracking, you know, who goes where and and buys what because there's just no that's impossible for me to track that, right? Um, or even if they're I I have a coupon code, some I'm guilty of this too. Like, I'll go somewhere because somebody recommended it, but then I'll forget that to use, you know what I mean? It's just natural. But when somebody told, you know, message me is like, oh, I went there because uh because of you, or I made an appointment here because of blah blah blah, like and I don't I don't know who these people are, you know what I mean? And they don't have to tell me that, like they don't, you know what I mean? But I'm like, that makes my day. I'm like, I feel like I'm doing a little bit of good.

SPEAKER_03: 45:06

We all want to be something in the world, and as a small business owner, I was trying to explain to my one friend who, for example, um, she's a baseball fanatic. I tried to explain to her what the Super Bowl and what that meant because it's different worlds. I think when that happened, to me, it's like getting a promotion because when you're a small business owner, that's it. There is no anybody else telling you, hey, you did a great job this year. Here's a bonus. Hey, you know, you've been working hard and we're really recognizing how hard you're working. Let me promote you to the next step. You're it so you don't get that positive reinforcement necessarily unless there's moments like this, that or you know, you get a big contract or anything like that. You don't have those moments, and so we kind of have to make them for ourselves, or you get breaks like this. Yeah, and so when you get those messages and you get that stuff, it is it's like those mini promotions where you're like, all right, it is working, you are seeing my value, right? You know, I was questioning myself this morning, amen. And then you have those moments, yeah. Like I think every year it happens around the same time. Yep. I always look at Taylor and I go, I don't know if I can do this business anymore. And that's at eight o'clock in the morning.

SPEAKER_01: 46:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03: 46:40

And then by 2 o'clock p.m., I go, dude, don't you love this stuff? Ain't that the freaking truth? You're just like, at 8 o'clock in the morning, you get one message or something goes wrong. Because you know, everything everything can go wrong. It does. And then you're just like, I don't I hate this. I don't, I don't want to do this anymore.

SPEAKER_02: 47:02

No.

SPEAKER_03: 47:02

Maybe the maybe, maybe I'm a failure, and maybe I shouldn't. This is a bad move. Yeah. And then two o'clock rolls around. You've also eaten something. Maybe you had your coffee. Maybe you had like a single sip of water. Something a Diet Coke. And then you're like, oh no, I really do love this job.

SPEAKER_00: 47:19

This is Oh my god, I know, I know. Um, well, and like I still, first of all, I still get complete goosebumps over your whole story. And it's kind of crazy because, like, yeah, there's like even a thousand more waves since that moment. I mean, you had essentially like that year, like I think of it kind of like a massive victory lap, but then it was it didn't just end there. It's just kind of like keeps shaking out differently, and that's why I love watching your story and seeing that evolve, you know, but kind of bringing that back to, you know, that's why I like knowing your story because it there's hustle in you, there's grit in you. I mean, it was forced in you, it's kind of which is so cool. We can sit here and analyze it from like, you know, kind of like the immigrant, daughter of an immigrant mentality, right? That it's like it's coming from that place, right? It's coming from a place of also like you know, getting that a sense of love and support from your from your family, from Taylor, right? To kind of keep launching you in the next thing. But there's that that commonality of that, like, I'm gonna hustle, get it done, which again goes back to the core of of motherhood. Yeah, you know, and there's so many aspects of business that you and I have talked about too. And you know, we you even mentioned too about being a woman in in the arena, and when you're talking about you know, women wearing men's jerseys, I was just thinking too, because we've talked about this in the frame of business. I was like, as women, I feel like I want to say this like kind of like on this like platform. I was like, we don't just need to be a woman in a man's world, and I mean that from whether you're showing up to a game or if you're a business owner, regardless, you don't have to be a business owner, you know, woman in business, right? Like they because that exists in both places.

SPEAKER_03: 49:06

I think it needs to be said, and like you said, this could be the platform to do it. Yeah, the world has come leaps and bounds from what it used to be. Yes, but some of the stuff is still very much there. Yeah, it is very much still for a lot of things, still very men-driven, men making big decisions, and you know, being a guy's guy, ideally. But I will say we have been blessed that with the things that have that have changed and everything else, um the Washington Commanders have been a huge supporter of small businesses in general. I think that seeing all the females that work there, yeah, it's refreshing.

SPEAKER_01: 50:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03: 50:08

I think that there is a lot of people there, men and women, that realize that there's room for everybody.

SPEAKER_01: 50:18

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03: 50:19

And that they've they've provided a lot of support and pointing me in the direction of the resources that I need to be able to go to the next level. I think that there are still a lot of moments where you have to be dull at to be taken seriously. I think you have to um be in the right presentation uh presentation of yourself to be taken seriously. You know, we go to we go to the draft for the last five years. We provide our own transportation, we provide all the stuff, we we do it as a business, also as fans. Yep.

SPEAKER_00: 51:03

But we when we go, we go and we show out.

SPEAKER_03: 51:05

Oh, I love it.

SPEAKER_00: 51:06

And when we That's like my little mini Super Bowl watching you do that. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03: 51:10

And I love it. I love every moment of it. I love the fact that we can go to these things and we can show our support for a team that we love, and we can show that we're different than the other teams. Yeah. But that was my sports set. But the thing about it is when I usually go to every sports event that I go to, they come up to Taylor and talk to Taylor. And he goes, Oh no, no, no, no, no, no, no. My wife brought me here.

SPEAKER_00: 51:44

I just because I know Taylor so well, like I already know that he's having that mint meant internal mental panic attack.

SPEAKER_03: 51:51

Oh yeah. Yeah. Now, don't get me wrong, Taylor can talk sports, he can do whatever. I think if you're gonna rate, if you're gonna rate who's the higher football fan, I mean clearly he played football. Clearly, right, right, right. Um, like as a kid and stuff, but if you're gonna rate who's the higher sports fan, it's gonna be me. It's gonna be right, and I know the players with their helmets off, yeah, rather than just seeing a jersey for, you know, unlike a lot of people that I know, even a lot of men that I know. Right. Um but it's one of those things that you know, we go into an event, professional event, and they come up to Taylor to talk business. And they think I'm the, like I said, when I would go to the games wearing a man's jersey, yeah, they think I'm a tag-along.

SPEAKER_01: 52:42

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03: 52:43

And Taylor makes it very clear he's the tag-along. He's he's my arm candy, you know, he's like he's my partner. But he realizes that the more and more because of bringing him on full-time, he realizes that, oh wow, they really do always come up to me and talk. And I said, I don't. I think also though, that has made me the type of person I am.

SPEAKER_01: 53:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03: 53:06

Because of going, okay, I know I have to make a statement walking in the door. Yep. Then Taylor directs them to have a conversation with me. And I think that's the best part.

SPEAKER_00: 53:19

Yeah. Well, and I was gonna say, I bet it's kind of like, I'm sure there's a lot of outsiders that could look at the two of you and assume, okay, yeah, she's the business owner, but like maybe you're more of the creative head, but he's the executor. Yeah. Like, you know, he's the one that like maybe he handles the finances or the big decisions, right? I mean, because that's a lot of easy assumptions. And not that not that there's anything wrong with the dynamics and of the.

SPEAKER_03: 53:47

I think whatever dynamic you have with your business partners, with your spouse is great. But every room I've walked into, right off the bat, especially, you also have to remember, I'm not necessarily, I'm not, I'm necessarily not necessarily walking into a, like I said, the world's come leaps and bounds, but I'm not walking into a woman's world, right? I'm not even walking into women's sports. I'm walking into men's sports. And like I'm the toughest, biggest one in the world, really. Yeah. And it's not just, you know, it's not just football, it's the baseball, it's all it's all of the things. Yeah. I the world has come leaps and bounds, it really has. But there's still a lot of uphill climb.

SPEAKER_02: 54:34

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03: 54:35

And it is one of those things, and I I tell them, like, when we walk in, I need you. And it was one of the conversations we had to have.

SPEAKER_01: 54:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03: 54:45

Um I need you to understand that they're going to come to you first thinking you're the owner, you're the executor, and you're the decision maker. Right. And I need them to understand that it's me that is, and that we work together, but ultimately this is my business. Right. And I will tell you, and I think this is also very important. It's not easy, nor has it ever been easy, just like marriages. Yeah. It is very hard for most men to be able to sit in the backseat compared to their wives. Yeah. And my husband has executed that at a level that is unheard of.

SPEAKER_01: 55:34

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03: 55:34

He really has. Yeah. And it's especially going to a sports world, you know, where a guy's supposed to be, you know, a guy's guy. He he lets me just like peacock and you know, and do that. And I am lucky that I have the support system I have. Same thing with my dad. My dad is just, yeah, you know, my and my mom. My mom's one of the my mom's been the small business owner all my life with my dad, and my mom's always been the one that's like the forefront of the small business. I talk more about my dad because of the sports. Yeah. But my mom is truly where I got that never give up attitude from.

SPEAKER_01: 56:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03: 56:14

And, you know, that's that's a huge part of it. But going into these rooms, he has made it very clear he knows where everything stands. And he does it with such pride. And he he tells me, he's like, I love, he goes, one of my favorite things is watching you walk in that room and like taking over the room.

unknown: 56:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03: 56:35

And a lot of men, a lot of men, I don't think, could really handle that. Yeah. Not just one event. Right. Every every big event we go to. Yeah. But a lot of women also couldn't handle constantly being everyone thinking maybe she's she's supposed to be the partner and not the business maker. Right. And so I think that's why we work so well. And I think that's how we've been able to navigate the situation. Yeah. But again, on top of that, you know, there was one point where the woman wouldn't be able to be this. Right. Oh, yeah. Or even have the opportunity to even be invited to this. Exactly. And so that's one of those things where I think we have to give flowers where flowers are due.

SPEAKER_02: 57:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03: 57:20

You know, the NFL is doing a great job incorporating women into it. Yeah. Um and putting women in power for a lot of the roles, which I think is amazing. Right. I think a lot of these other sports teams are doing a great job with women coaches and you know, administration. I mean, look at the Indianapolis Colts. I mean, she's on the side and wearing the headset, and they're doing an amazing job. I just think that the world is changing in the in a better direction. I don't think it's there yet, but I think we're I think we're getting there. And I think with that, that's why the hustle is so strong. I think, you know, they always talk about pressure uh makes diamonds. I think that's kind of what I've been, or I've I'm I'm a stone in one of those like you know the rock turnware, yeah, yeah, yeah. You know, each little turn is just polishing me more and more, but that is a huge part of it. Yeah. Is getting through all of those those things and those no's and and saying, okay, also what's what also makes you stand out for maybe other women that are there, or maybe previous small businesses that they've worked with.

SPEAKER_00: 58:27

Well, and and as we get wrap up here, I feel like the I do want to shout out the commanders as a whole because and I've shared this a little bit too, but I what I've kind of loved watching you is again, I'm a born and raised DC girl. I'm I know that I'm obviously we all know I bleed Columbia Blue. We all you know what I mean, but I'm you know, I was born in DC. My parent both my parents' families were from DC. Um, you know, I remember as a child, like uh, you know, my entire both sides of my family are, you know, Washington fans, um, Washington sports fans as a whole, right? Um, you know, the the anthem from as a little kid and teaching my friends learning how to throw football, like those are all absolute core memories of me. Um, and watching this franchise, I mean, if you're a DC fan, if you know, you know. Like that's kind of like all I really need to leave it at. And watching this franchise evolve, you know, if you're a DC fan, you got thick blood. You got thick ass blood. Yeah. And um, you know, when I moved to Baltimore, you know, I it was definitely at a time where I was like, I was mentally like done with the franchise. I was just, you know, as as we all understand the part, you know what I mean? And um, you know, at that point, you know, that was I I was living literally in the city when the the Ravens won the Super Bowl, and I was wearing my RG3 shirt, and I will say it it it was. That season felt really cool to be a DC fan because the amount of respect that I feel like I got as a DC fan in Baltimore territory wearing his shirt absolutely was a number like I was like, wow, that feels because you know to feel any ounce of respect as a DC fan was just impossible. So that was a cool season. But then I was like, wow, it also feels fucking good to watch, you know. I'm like, I'm happy to support this team in winning the Super Bowl. You know, you fought a good fight, you played well, you know, and then at that point I was like, you know what? I got a little bit of a taste of like, wow, it feels kind of good to support a team that, you know, in a like of a blue-collar city, you know what I mean? So it's not like I, I mean, you can definitely call me Fairweather, bandwagon, or whatever, but um I think you're evolving, right?

SPEAKER_03: 1:00:47

Because that's it's it's ideally being up in Columbia. I mean, this is this is we are support territory.

SPEAKER_00: 1:00:53

We are. I mean, it really is, right? It's definitely a half and half. I think it's we're much more Baltimore than we are DC, I think. Um, but kind of so like you know, but I I knew that I was never 100%, but I was like, okay, I'm kind of I'm just gonna go sit over here because you know what? This feels a lot better than like I was like, what am I doing? Supporting over here. But anyway, this is my long game of how I get to talking about the commanders um and the franchise evolution because watching you not only with the work that you've done with them keeps giving them more spotlight, and I'm getting more appreciation and like for what they're doing as for as a franchise as a whole, that it's actually it's been making me want to come back, you know. And obviously, I mean last year's last season was phenomenal. Yeah, you know, I mean there's ups and downs, like we're not we're not gonna get into this season, you know what I mean? Every every team has one, has that, you know. Um, but um it doesn't matter because it, you know, you're shedding light on what they're doing, and it it makes me excited as a DC fan to see that, and it's bringing that love and enjoyment back for me with everything that they're doing, and um, I love getting to see you support them and them support you and everything that you share about them, and you know, um it just it it kind of reignites my excitement for DC again. No, I I appreciate that.

SPEAKER_03: 1:02:21

I think that's a huge part of it. I think you know how it we had already done stuff for you know Washington Redskins and Washington football team and that type of stuff previously, obviously before this in the past 13 years, but it really was one of my favorite human beings, Sophia, who talked about me to other people because I need Sophia something. And it really kind of took off from there. And then of course I have I have all my ladies that I absolutely love there that have watched my back and have supported small business and have really taken care of us, and um, you know, I have lead contacts that I work with with them, and to see them support us, even though they could go to you know bigger businesses in the DMB, because I mean this there's no there's no um there's a lot of businesses in the DMB. You know, you have your pick, yeah, but they they come to us for whatever they need, and we really appreciate each and every purchase and each and every design, each and every thought, even each and every text, conversation, everything. And I let them know all the time how much I appreciate them personally and in business, yeah. Um, and especially like ownership and everything. I think the other thing is that because they have given us an opportunity, you know, I can only speak positive things. And it I think it's set it's separate from football because I've been a fan all my life, and I've been I've been doing business with them for years when it wasn't good years. Right. There's been more negative years for the football team and the you know the records than there have been positive. But to see the shift and to see the shift with this ownership and to see them really, like really leaning into I mean it was like a hard right leaning into the support over the past few years of just this new it's it's a whole new it's a second life. You want to talk about hustle? It's it's a second life. Yeah, like I'm I'm I'm seeing them, you know, be reborn into this great. I was just gonna say like a re like a rebirth.

SPEAKER_02: 1:04:49

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03: 1:04:49

And to see that. And because of them, we've had other teams look at us and invite us. And you know, whether it's the Indianapolis Colts or, you know, doing Atlanta Falcons female events and that type of stuff, yeah. It's it's given us, you know, all right, they've worked with us, okay. We know that she they're legit, you know, they now know we're legitimate and we're not just out here just doing whatever. And I think that's what's really important. And I think if you are a business out there and you're you know you're listening and you're watching and everything else, I think it's great to give a shot to other small businesses. And that's what I try to do, is I try to, you know, I found instead of using maybe some of these big businesses that have failed me a few times when I needed product immediately, or I've given them a week and they're not showing up on time, going, okay, you know, I'm going to drive to Chantilly, Virginia for this. And I've had a company that, you know, has done my transfers for me. Yeah. Or if I send him a text message, he is there to immediately respond. Yeah. You know, and and do that that hustle that I'm doing, I can see the hustle in these other businesses. And I think that's also why I love like what you do and that type of stuff. I see your baby, your baby business in mine, you know. Like it's one of those things where it's like, I see the potential that you have. I'm excited to see in a year, in two years, and five years, I'm really excited to see the growth that it's gonna be. I think that you know, there's there's other companies like watching Heather at Adora like kill it, and um watching Medesthetics and seeing them do their head spot thing. Like it's all of these things that like watching these other businesses that you see those those same type of yeah, people with that hustle, with that grit, watching them just kill it. Yeah, I think that's that's I want to do what the commanders did for me, and I want to open the door for other businesses. Exactly. And I think the most important part of all of this is if I'm climbing up the ladder, I am not one of those people that's gonna pull that ladder. Right. I'm gonna be reaching my arm out and going, hey, come up. There's plenty of space, there's plenty of, you know, there's there's a lot of room to eat. And my biggest thing for 2025 was if there's not a spot at the table for me and nobody's gonna pull my chair up, I'm gonna make room for myself. Yeah. Respectfully. Respectfully, and I think that's what we've been doing. I think that, you know, circling back to the beginning where I talked about we're doing things that other businesses we've we've broken the wheel for businesses, is we're bringing other businesses along with us. We're promoting other businesses, uh, whether it's our photographers for Santa and uh Magnolia Roots photography with our Santa and our our Easter bunny, whether it's you know, you when we're talking about our social media games, whether it's Heather with making me look fabulous for our events, yeah, that type of stuff is we want to make sure that we pull small businesses along with us and we understand that they're also going through their struggles, and that every year is not, you know, 100% all the time.

SPEAKER_00: 1:08:01

No, no, well, I think that's the perfect way for us to wrap, you know. It's just it all comes together, and I think that's just the core of like who we are as women, as moms, as business owners, as we keep fighting for what's most important to us, but you know, it's the hustle that that gets that keeps us there and what gets us there.

SPEAKER_02: 1:08:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 1:08:21

So well, cheers to you. Cheers. Um, your story is incredible. Uh, you know, and thank you so much for sharing us. So, where can people, if regardless if they just want to buy from you, get gifts from you, we're seeing we are starting now in the holiday season, or if they're another business, they're like, you know, how can they find you, reach out to you, where's the best place to get in touch with you to move forward?

SPEAKER_03: 1:08:44

Well, obviously, passionforesra.com um is our website. I will say social media is the best place to see our work. You'll be able to see like who's wearing our stuff, when they're wearing it, kind of concepts of like what's possible, yeah, and also, you know, what could be possible. And so Instagram, Facebook, TikTok is all at Passion for Ezra. You can find us, send us a message. Yeah. Uh, I think the best part about it is if you're thinking it's possible, or maybe you think it's impossible, we can make it happen.

SPEAKER_00: 1:09:14

Well, and that's the awesome thing about you is like, you know, even if you don't, you know, you you're just an idea factor, you'll just create stuff.

SPEAKER_03: 1:09:21

Yep, two o'clock in the morning, five o'clock in the morning. I'm just like, all right, here are the ideas. Let me figure out what we can make happen.

SPEAKER_00: 1:09:26

Exactly. Well, cheers to you. So excited for what's more to come because it's coming. Yeah, it's coming. All right, cheers, Ben. Whee! Thanks for tuning in to this episode of Mom Talk Maryland. If you loved it, leave a review, share it with a friend, or tag me at the dot ColumbiaMom on Instagram. I'd love to hear what you think. And don't forget to follow the show so you never miss an episode. Until next time, keep showing up, keep supporting local, and keep being the incredible mom, woman, human that you are.