Ep. 141/ Trae Bodge's Lessons on Exiting, Passion, and Carving Your Path
SHOW NOTES:
Please leave a rating and review for the show!
++++++++++++++++++
Trae Bodge is a successful lifestyle writer and TV commentator who made the brave leap from beauty brand founder to creating her own unique space in retail and shopping expertise. I loved discussing our shared experiences of separating our identities from our corporate personas. After Trae left RetailMeNot, she discovered that her value wasn't tied to a corporate email address or brand name, but rather to their skills, relationships, and reliability.
One of my favorite moments was discussing those inevitable TV mishaps, like when Steve Harvey and Rachael Ray mispronounced Trae’s name on air. But what really resonated was Trae’s advice about finding "white space" - not just following your passion, but identifying what people actually need and where there's room in the market. Her journey from beauty entrepreneur to becoming one of the go-to shopping experts for major networks is a testament to the power of reinvention and staying true to your expertise. And now, she's launching a foundation to help other midlife entrepreneurs, which perfectly exemplifies how success can come full circle into giving back.
You will learn:
How to network even when it’s frustrating - 3:14
How to become self made through innovation - 11:12
How to overcome a layoff - 14:20
How to gain confidence as a freelancer - 21:08
1. Take a screenshot and share it to your IG stories. Tag me @kimrittberg
2. Leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts!
LISTEN BELOW! And don’t forget to ‘follow’ and leave a rating & review!
Click below to Follow, Review & Give a 5-star rating to Mom’s Exit Interview Podcast.
Trae Bodge is an accomplished lifestyle writer and TV commentator who has covered smart shopping, personal finance, parenting, and retail for over a decade. She has appeared on TV over a thousand times, including Today Show, Good Morning America, and NBC Nightly News, and has written hundreds of articles for her own platforms and others, including Woman’s Day and Newsweek. She is also a frequent panelist and podcast guest, addressing such topics as saving money, media relations, and entrepreneurship.
Trae has founded or co-founded several brands and businesses over the years, including the cult cosmetic brand Three Custom Color Specialists, Trae Bodge Media, LLC, OneTake Media Coaching, and her newest project, Threadneedle Alley Foundation, a public charity that will give grants to aspiring entrepreneurs in midlife.
Trae has been named a Top Black Influencer to Follow by Nerdwallet, one of 10 Best Savvy Shopping Bloggers by Cardrates, a Top Voice in Retail by LinkedIn, and a top personal finance expert by GoBankingRates and Flexjobs. During her time at Three Custom Color Specialists, the brand earned awards such as Allure Best in Beauty, Redbook MVP, Real Simple “Best of,” and several trade association commendations for entrepreneurship and innovation.
You will learn:
How to network even when it’s frustrating - 3:14
How to become self made through innovation - 11:12
How to overcome a layoff - 14:20
How to gain confidence as a freelancer - 21:08
Quotes from our guest:
“I founded a beauty brand with two friends. We ran it for almost 15 years, and I hit a wall. I needed more, I wanted to do more, I wanted to learn more and grow. And so I left. And it was a big jump and a big risk.” - 2:50
"My suggestion really is to maybe look for those bigger jobs, but also think about how you can create your own little empire that you control that you own, because that's, that's really much more stable than, you know, working at Meta, for example, and getting laid off so quickly." - 06:45
"I am convinced, like the more I streamline, the more successful my business is." - 11:06
“You gotta get over those bruises. You have to dust yourself off and pick yourself up and think, you know, what did I learn there that I can use in this next thing?" - 14:45
Subscribe to Kim's YouTube Channel to Make Better Videos that Convert
FREE DOWNLOAD: Top 5 Tips To Be Confident on Camera Click Here
Follow host Kim Rittberg on Instagram & Subscribe to Kim's YouTube Channel to Make Better Videos that Convert
LINKS:
Kim (00:02):
Trae Bodge is here and she's sharing her experiences working for herself twice. Trae was a beauty founder and then shifted to be a very accomplished lifestyle writer and TV commentator. She shares some funny experiences like the time Rachel Ray and Steve Harvey calls her the wrong name or title. And we talk about how to have an identity away from your employer, which led us to have a great conversation about how we identify with work. I share a little bit more about my personal identity crisis. Trae also shares why maybe following your passion is not the only standalone advice to follow.
(00:37):
Welcome to the exit interview with Kim Rittberg. Do you work for yourself and want to supercharge your business while still having fun? Well, this is your go-to podcast, part MBA Part Cheer Squad. Every week I'll be joined by top business owners who share the secrets to their success. After I found myself working during childbirth true story, I quit my executive media job to bet on myself fighting the fear and imposter syndrome to eventually earn six awards, an in-demand speaking career and features in Fast Company and Business Insider. Now I'm here to celebrate all you rock stars betting on yourself, and I want to help you win. Tune in every Wednesday to hear from remarkable founders and don't miss our Solo Friday episodes, a treasure trove of video and podcasting mini masterclasses with me. Exit the Grind, enter success on your own terms. Don't forget to subscribe today and grab my free video tips at my website, kimrittberg.com.
(01:38):
All right, we have Trae Bodge. She is an accomplished lifestyle writer and TV commentator who has covered smart shopping, personal finance, parenting, and retail for over a decade. She's appeared on TV over a thousand times. Wow. Including the Today Show. Good Morning America. Inside Edition NBC Nightly News and Network Affiliates Nationwide. Trea has been named a top black influencer to follow by NerdWallet, one of 10 best savvy shopping bloggers by card rates, a top voice in retail by LinkedIn, and a top personal finance expert by Go banking rates and flex shops. She has a money saving feed on MS on MSN, and her writing and expert commentary have appeared in Wall Street Journal Buy-side, real Simple, fortune a RP, MarketWatch and numerous others. She also founded the Cult Cosmetic brand three Custom Color Specialists and is in the early stages of launching a nonprofit that will provide grants to aspiring entrepreneurs in midlife. Trae, I'm so excited to have you here. Thank you for joining me.
Trae (02:27):
Thanks for having me. I've been looking forward to this,
Kim (02:29):
So I love talking about exits. So I want you to start with giving me your exit in one short sentence.
Trae (02:35):
My exit from my most recent job or from the business that I founded, the beauty business,
Kim (02:40):
The very first exit. So I feel like the very first exit's the hardest and the other ones come forward. So if I can get your exit in one less than one sentence.
Trae (02:50):
Yeah. So I founded a beauty brand with two friends. We ran it for almost 15 years, and I hit a wall. I needed more, I wanted to do more. I wanted to learn more and grow, and so I left and it was a big jump and a big risk.
Kim (03:03):
So talk to me about what's the first thing you did? Okay, so you have all this experience at a beauty brand, so you leave, and then how did you decide what you wanted to do next?
Trae (03:14):
I felt a little bit braver than usual because I had been networking a lot and I met this amazing woman who worked at Estee Lauder Brands, and she assured me that she was going to show me around and encourage people to see me, and she was very senior, and so that kind of gave me a bit more of a confident nudge that I would've had otherwise. And so when I left, she did stay true to her word. She made some introductions for me and people were very curious to meet me around the Estee Lauder companies. And then through other connections I was able to meet with several people at L'Oreal companies as well. But the super frustrating part of it for me is that I thought that I was going to land some kind of VP of marketing or product development job, and no one could figure out what to do with me and the people who I look back now, and I'm very grateful for this, the people that were really upfront with me basically said, you're not going to fit in here.
(04:13):
You're not going to like it here. You're going to be bored out of your mind. We cannot fit you in one box. And also, I wanted to make products. I wanted to be in the lab getting my hands dirty as I had been doing for many years, but I was also front of the house with the brand that I co-founded. And so I was back of the house and front of the house. Not a lot of jobs offer both of those opportunities. And so many people who I met with said, you're not back of the house. You're a front of the house person and we don't have a place for you. And so it was a very frustrating probably year during that time, I started writing budget friendly content for a few different websites and started freelancing actually for retail Me not, which you probably know now, but back then in 2008, 2009, no one really knew who they were. So I started writing for them and then coincidentally, they just happened to be looking for a spokesperson. And I put my hand up and I said, I'm media trained. I've done QBC, I've been the spokesperson for my own brand for many years. I might be able to fill these shoes. And so I was put in the fighter's seat and auditioned on a satellite media tour with 25 interviews, which was one of the scariest things I've ever done. And then I got the job. So it was a pretty exciting journey, but frustrating along the way.
Kim (05:33):
This is something that I feel like a lot of people are curious about. How do you take something that is interesting to write about retail and make it a career? How do you make that be your job versus, oh, this is something I enjoy and I enjoy doing on the side?
Trae (05:46):
Yeah, so that's a great question. I mean, I think for a while I was freelancing. I was just kind of doing it to earn money and I found that I really loved it. I do admit that I very fortunate, a spokesperson position at a company like Retail Me not is very rare. There are only so many out there, but it's certainly worth if that's something that you're interested in doing, writing about retail and going on TV at the same time. Those positions are out there, but they're just very few and far between. So really what I would suggest is pursuing those topics that you really love and writing about them nowadays, you could start your own, could start a blog, a website. There are ways to kind of build this from the ground up and create a reputation around your work. And then hopefully larger opportunities will come. I mean, it is a very tough landscape out there for writers. There have been so many corporate layoffs as you probably well know also. And so it's a very tough landscape. And so my suggestion really is to maybe look for those bigger jobs, but also think about how you can create your own little empire that you control that you own, because that's really much more stable than working at Meta, for example, and getting laid off so quickly. So again, it's tough out there. So your own thing is what I would say
Kim (07:08):
Own your own thing. And so what does that mean? What would that mean for different people in different industries for your industry? You mean find something that no one can take away from you? You're not waiting for a yes or a no, but you're actually building yourself and you're spreading it across maybe multiple clients or whatever that might be.
Trae (07:26):
Exactly. So with platforms like substack or you can build a website on Wix and Squarespace fairly easily. Start a blog, do a Tumblr. That's the kind of thing where you can build your bench of content and then start looking around for those paid gigs. You have to be in a situation where you can afford to do that. So maybe it's got a side hustle going where you're driving for Uber and then you're also doing these other things, or there are so many little side hustles that you can do to kind of pay the bills, but it's a long game if you're interested in getting into this space, it's tight, it's crowded, there are limited budgets, and it takes a long time to build that reputation where you then become the go-to for that specific subject. And that kind of leads me to another thought. It's really hone in on what you're passionate about and what you really enjoy covering and build that space for yourself. So now if a shopping story comes up at most major networks, there's really only a handful of people that they will call. And I'm one of them, and I'm very, very fortunate to have arrived at this place. But it took a really long time.
Kim (08:41):
And then talk to me about, I loved one of the piece of advice that you mentioned was really make sure there's white space. Don't just start doing something because you enjoy it. And this is something actually, so my dad was an entrepreneur, he was an engineer, and then he had his own computer company. And when I thought about launching my own company, and he'd always say to me, what do people need? I think often you go to a job, you go to work and you're like, I do my job. They pay me and it's fine, or I like it, or any range run, I hate it till I love it, it's fine, but they're paying me. But when you launch your own business, people think, oh, it's 1:00 AM I passionate about. But in fact, my dad would say, no, what do people need? If you find what people need, they will pay you. And so I love that that was something that you gave as advice. So talk to me a little bit more about how someone can figure out when they're on the path, what direction they should be going in and how to identify the white space.
Trae (09:29):
That's a great point. So yes, it's passion because you need to be in it every day and be excited about it to learn and grow and continue to write content around it. But whitespace is huge. This is not about, let me see what everyone else is doing and jump on that bandwagon. So for example, if you love writing about shopping and products, that's great, but guess what? There are dozens and dozens and dozens of fantastic lifestyle experts out there already writing product roundups either for themselves or for other platforms. They're going on tv, they've got all their products on the table. That is a very crowded space. However, my specialty is about how to save money. So I'm kind of clearing out the clutter as I'm going. I don't talk about luxury. I don't talk about babies and young kids, for example. I have a very clean through line to where I'm trying to go, and the reason why is because I'm passionate about that money saving space, and I live it and breathe it and walk the walk in that space.
(10:27):
But second to that is that it is not a very occupied space. There's really only a couple of us who do it. And the thing is, is you can't just jump into it and be an expert on retail. For example, if you're invited to talk about Black Friday on a live news station, sure you've submitted your suggested talking points, and maybe they're just going to go off the script or maybe they're going to talk about the consumer price index, or maybe they're going to talk about unemployment or which brick and mortar retailers have closed this year, and why. If you're just flying by the seat of your pants, you can't answer those questions. And so you have to really become an expert in that space and stay very clean and straight, and then the opportunities will come. I am convinced the more I streamline, the more successful my business is.
Kim (11:12):
Yeah, I love that. And then talk to me about, I feel like you're such a self-starter. You had your own beauty brand and now you created this job that, I don't want to say it doesn't exist, but it is one of those things that if you tell someone that's this person's job, you'd say, that's cool. What a cool thing you're doing and that you did it yourself. So I do think that you're one of those people who you've kind of exited and entered several times. I think that you have lessons to be drawn from several points in your life. So what are the kind of through lines that you find that you're like, Hmm, this was true 20 years ago and is also true in this next venture. What are the through lines you have found about betting on yourself?
Trae (11:53):
So I do want to start this answer by stressing that not everyone is an entrepreneur.
Kim (11:59):
I always say to people when they're like, tell me about working for myself. I'm like, you should not leave your job. I'm like, you should consider it.
Trae (12:07):
Not everyone's built for that, right? And so that, that's a really important question to ask yourself. If you're unhappy at your job, for example, and you're like, I think I'm going to go off and do something on my own. There are a few things that you must have. You must be able to do your created job that you're building your own platform. You have to treat that job. The other job, you have to get up early in the morning. You have to put on clothes and look decent. At least for me, I have to exercise in the morning. There are things that I have to do. And it's funny because some of my friends who are maybe authors and have kind of looser schedules, they always tease me like, oh, don't invite Trae for lunch in the middle of the day. She's just not going to come.
(12:46):
And there's a reason for that because I treated myself to lunch with a couple of friends the other day, and when I looked at my phone two hours later, I was drowning. So I have to treat my job, my job as any regular job. So that takes a lot of discipline, and that's not for everyone. The other thing is always keeping your eyes on what's next, and that's an entrepreneurial trait. Do you have those eyes? Can you look into the landscape ahead of time and say, okay, I think TV is changing in this way. How do I navigate this? A great example is, so when covid happened and lockdown happened and we were all sitting in our homes, I thought, oh, this is so awful in a million ways. But the kind of little nugget there was that I had done virtual TV segments before.
(13:35):
I had been writing my own content before I knew how to do everything in a self-contained space in my little home office. And I was like, I'm going to be the best damn virtual on air guest anyone has ever seen. So that's what I set out to do. And my business grew by 40% in 2020 where everyone else was, or mostly everyone else was really struggling. So I just kept my eyes on it. I knew that I knew that there was white space that I could fill, but that again, is an entrepreneurial trait. So it's those very specific things that you need to have or you need to groom yourself to have in order to be successful as an entrepreneur in any industry, in my opinion.
Kim (14:14):
What's been a moment in your career where you're like, I need to hide under the table right now and cry?
Trae (14:20):
I think when I was laid off by retail me not in 2015, a layoff is being pushed off a cliff. And it's so complex because even maybe if you look back and think, maybe I shouldn't have been there so long, maybe the push that I needed, it's really hard to have that perspective. It's very hurtful to be laid off, especially when you're told that your job is being eliminated, and then you see someone else doing your job a few months later, you're like, oh, right, I got it. So you got to get over those bruises. You have to dust off and pick yourself up and think, what did I learn there that I can use in this next thing? And in this particular situation, it was very clear. So I was pushed off a cliff. It was hurtful and hard at first, but once I kind of took a step back and looked at it, I thought, you know what?
(15:07):
The thing I really didn't like about working there, it was an amazing launchpad for I learned everything I needed to do to do now. So it was very, very valuable. But what I really didn't like is that I wasn't listened to as often as I would like. And that's another entrepreneurial trait. You have to have a lot of ideas and they have to be coming at a good clip. So I just felt a little bit underutilized there. And so I felt like, you know what? I have to pull myself up by my bootstraps and have the confidence that I can go out there and do that job or a very similar version of that job for myself. And I saw, again, the white space was there, and so I knew that I could do it. Someone asked me a really interesting question during that process where I was kind of thinking, do I need a manager, an agent?
(15:55):
Do I do this myself? I couldn't just kind of researching and someone said, does Trae Bge matter without retail me not? You would think that was a little bit of like, oh, wow. And I looked at him and I said, thank you for asking me that question because I know how to answer that. Yes, Trae Bodge does matter. Without that other job, I had the confidence and the understanding in order to move forward and do this on my own. And I gave myself several months. I just thought, let me see how this goes, and then maybe I'll start looking for jobs or whatever. And then it just became really clear that everything that I had learned there, combined with everything else I had learned along the way, I could do this myself and never look back and no regrets.
Kim (16:44):
I love the question of does Trae matter without retail me not? And such a big aha moment for me when I decided to launch my own business was actually I had a different process of actually saying it's sort of like an adjacent thing to what you said to yourself, but I thought about, what if no one responds to my emails because there's not some fancy media email@the.com. If I'm not kimberg@fancymedia.com, is anyone going to reply to me? And I actually felt that I had to get very comfortable with the idea that perhaps the answer was no. And that's okay because anybody who's actually interested in the skills and talents that I have is not only staying in touch with me because I was at this one media outlet, or rather four, I've worked at four major media outlets, but I feel like I had to kind of be totally at ease in the universe.
(17:47):
I had to be totally at ease with the fact that my job might not be glamorous anymore, and that's okay. And so I had to separate. When you work in media, you know that when you go to a cocktail party, people actually are interested in hearing your stories because you're a part of pop culture, you're a part of the things people can talk about. My husband works in reinsurance. He's not the person people are making a beeline for to hear work stories. But I think it's also separating. That's not necessarily the only reason I did what I did. I actually like writing. I like being in the middle of a story. I like convincing people to share things that are meaningful with me, and I love being creative. And I think once I said, okay, maybe I won't have some glamorous project. Maybe I won't be on a red carpet.
(18:36):
Maybe I won't go to the Democratic National Convention. Okay, alright, I'm going to do work that I enjoy and have flexibility and freedom. That was my goal. I wanted to be able to have dinner with my kids and not be traveling so much and all of that. Once I actually became okay with that, I then started getting jobs that were just as good, if not better. But this time it was under Kim Rittenberg and the work I was doing actually was more meaningful to me. Like these people came for me, they're really here for me. It's not because of the brand that I have. And then I ended up reframing similar to what you said is do I matter without X brand? Does Kim matter without X Media brand? In fact, I was able to reframe it and think of my resume is Kimberg and those places, Netflix, US Weekly, inside Edition People Magazine, Fox are bullets on my resume. They are bullets on my resume. I am not some antenna or part of them. They are a small part of me and it took a long time to get there. But I love what you said because I think it's a matter of thinking about what is our relationship to work, what is our relationship and our identity, how it relates to work.
Trae (19:55):
Yeah, I agree. And I think there's nothing wrong with being part of a bigger thing if you're not an entrepreneur and you work well within those systems. However, if you are going to go off on your own, you do have to build your own place of your own palace. And that's built on those media companies that you worked for. For me, the business that I founded plus retail me not in places I'd written for. And that can become just as powerful, I feel like. And a lot of it too, and I feel like we're similar in this way, is that a lot of it is about relationships and reliability. Those two things also are other really important arms to being an entrepreneur. Any client or potential client coming to me knowing who I am or vetting me wherever they know that I'm going to deliver what I promised to deliver.
(20:50):
And if they're new to me, it's funny because sometimes I get this potential clients who are kind of suspicious of me at first where I'm like, you could just watch my reel and you could see that I, I'm doing this for real. You know what I mean? It's kind of funny. And I'm like, okay. And I kind of take that. It's amusing to me just like, don't you worry in a couple months you're going to be all in because I have enough trust in myself that I'm a good human and I treat people fairly and I do good work always, and I never take advantage. And so there are things about me, my moral compass of work that is the kind of thing that actually follows you throughout your freelance career. Not only finding that white space and following your creativity, but that work ethic that you apply, that taking the job really seriously.
(21:47):
No one would ever say about me, oh, she just fell apart through that partnership, not once. And if I make a mistake, I cop to it, of course, because we're all human. And then what happens is that you get the snowball effect, and I'm sure you experienced this as well, where you do some work for someone and then maybe they don't need you right now or they don't budget or they get laid off or they leave and they come back to you through another thing because you did something good for them before. And then they tell a friend and then they come to you and that's how you build your business is on your own back. But it's a thing that you can be really proud of building. I feel.
Kim (22:26):
Oh, I totally agree. And by the way, I always am like, yeah, and then I just decided this no way. It took me years to have a healthier relationship with identity and work and all of that. But I agree with you so much in terms of once you're able to determine who has the weight of the name, the value, where does this value exist and the value exists inside you, and it doesn't exist inside that office building. It exists inside you, but it takes time to process that. It's okay. American work culture is what it is, and it's okay to say, Hey, it's taking me a bit to separate. I know a lot of people who are either in transition or launching their own business and these struggles takes them a while to say, this is the new me or I'm okay with this. You said something also, you had a couple things that I wanted to ask you about in that I do a submission form listeners. I do a submission form. Talk to me about the funny moments in media. I understand some people have a hard time saying your name properly.
Trae (23:27):
Oh my gosh, yeah. My name has been mispronounced so many times and on air where I'm just really okay. And I understand it's a weird name, and maybe they didn't ask before, but there was one particular situation where I was on set with Steve Harvey, who is a very powerful presence, very charismatic person, and there's a studio audience there, which is a whole other animal. It's not like being in a studio. It's very, very different. And so it's very distracting, and I tend to get to distracted. I'm like, oh, this a shiny thing here. There's a shiny thing there. And so you have to keep very, and his producers were like, keep Steve in line because if you lose his interest, he's just going to wander away and he's going to start doing a bit with his audience members, so you keep him. I'm like, how am I in charge of Steve Harvey?
(24:16):
But the funny part was is that he's like, he introduced me and he was like, Trae, and then he said, Tracy. And I was like, no. And then we had a laugh about it, and then it ended up in his blooper reel for that year. And I was like, you've made it when you're in Steve Harvey's blooper reel. It was just really funny. And then coincidentally, Tracy is actually my birth name. And so I was kind of like, whoa. How did he know that? Obviously he didn't. But it was just a funny moment where I was like, oh, that person, I haven't known that person since the early nineties when I changed my name legally.
Kim (24:51):
That's so funny. And then you just have to brush it off. You're just like, well, I'm on live tv, so that's how it goes.
Trae (24:57):
I was just on CBS mornings plus, and the anchor mispronounced my name, and she was really mortified and I felt like it was my job to make her feel better.
Kim (25:08):
Yeah, I think it's also, I actually, I've been a TV producer for a long time, not producing anymore, but I mean, the worst thing is when someone makes the host feel bad, that's not the way. So even if you want to say something else, it's like that is not the way. So yes, it's a part of this whole thing is like, yes, you can do your best, which is to say, now people are better about, my name is pronounced as the M Medic thing. I mean, I can't tell you how many people have called me. I don't even want to say it out loud because then it'll start the thing. But my last name has two syllables, but people will always say it as three
Trae (25:44):
Oh.
Kim (25:45):
And now when I go up to the place, I say, my name has two syllables. Thank you so much. And I'm like, do not say it it. It's not Rittenberg, it's Rittberg, but it happens. And I just smile and say, thank you as long as you get my Instagram handle. Right, that's
Trae (26:00):
Fine. Exactly. I have one other funny story too on that topic where I was on Rachel Ray and I was representing one of my clients who the site is called Gift Card Granny, and she introduced me as the gift card granny. And I was like, first of all, I'm not a granny. You're like, oh, I'm nobody's granny. I mean, that one really, I had to take a deep breath. I was like, oh. Because then I'm thinking like, oh my gosh, then I can't share this clip, this place, and I can't use that. And it was funny also. And she is absolutely a delight, and it was just a mistake and I just let it go, but I just thought I just died inside for a second. Yeah, you're like,
Kim (26:50):
Amazing. And so, Trae, before we wrap up, where can people find you and learn more about you and connect with you?
Trae (26:56):
Sure. So Instagram at True Tray, that's my favorite platform. I also have my website, truer.com, where I have a bimonthly newsletter where I'm always offering lots of savings content. And my daughter, my 18-year-old daughter, if you want to support that, she designs the newsletters, which is how we keep it all in the family. And then I do have an MSN feed, as you mentioned, and that's where I'm publishing maybe three to five times a week, money saving content, gift guides, product roundups, all of that. And then I am starting a foundation that will have the website up in a couple of months. It's called Threadneedle Alley Foundation. And we will be starting to accept applications in about six months for financial grants for entrepreneurs in midlife, ideally from underserved communities. And this was inspired by my mom who passed away a year and a half ago.
(27:47):
And my founders and I were all in the family and we're all entrepreneurs and we are so excited to give back in this way. And we will have a bench of mentors that the winners will have access to for an entire year. And these are rock stars in business and creativity and all the things. And so I'm super, super excited about my next chapter there. And that is kind of like the road to my soft retirement that I'm planning in a couple of years though. It's early, it's an early retirement. Don't want to say that it's actually time to retire, but
Kim (28:23):
We have to make sure as soon as it's live we'll make sure to announce it so everybody knows love. You can support it. It's so amazing that you're giving back in that next stage.
Trae (28:30):
I'm so excited. Yes, thank you.
Kim (28:32):
True. That was like true Trae. And it's true Tre, by the way. True. T-R-U-E-T-R-A-E. For everyone listening, call her Trae. Only call her Trae and only Call me Kim Rittberg. Well, thank you so much, Trae, for joining us. It has been such a pleasure.
Trae (28:46):
Thanks, Kim.
Kim (28:51):
Thank you for joining us. Don't forget to exit the grind and enter success on your own terms. This is the exit interview with Kim Rittberg. Don't forget to grab my free download, how to Grow Your Business with Amazing video at kimrittberg.com and linked out in the show notes. I love to hear your feedback. Make sure to submit to me what you learned from the show and how your crushing it on your own terms. Connect with me on Instagram or LinkedIn at Kim rit, R-I-T-T-B-E-R-G. And this show is edited by Jillian Grover and produced by Henry Street Media. I'm your host and executive producer Kim Rittberg.