Podcast Transcription

Melina: I don’t even know how the “Hawaii Five-0” sound. What does that sound like?

Joel: Doesn’t sound like that.

Mary: Yeah.

Joel: All that I remember is, “Book ’em, Danno.”

Melina: Welcome to “Flippin’ Off,” a purpose-driven podcast about flipping houses and making a difference.

Melina: Well, hello out there, all of our fans. Melina Boswell here, co-founder of New Wealth Advisors Club. And today is a very exciting day for me. We have in the house Hawaii.

Joel: Aloha.

Mary: Aloha, everyone.

Melina: So, we have Joel and Mary Ann Bongco with us today. Did I say your last name properly?

Joel: Yes, that’s perfect.

Melina: Oh, thank you, thank you. Are you being serious?

Joel: Yeah. It’s good, yeah.

Melina: Oh, okay. And also Oscar Solares.

Oscar: Hey. Howdy. Hi, hello.

Melina: Hi, yeah. So, we’re excited. I am thrilled to introduce you to… Well, what you’re going to hear right now is one of my dreams come true. And that’s an amazing feeling. I don’t know if anybody out there has had a dream or an idea. I’m pretty 99.999% positive everybody’s had that. And sometimes our dreams feel so unachievable, and we think, “Oh, there’s no possible way that could happen.” But I’m living it, and this is not the first time in my life, and specifically in this business where I’ve been able to fulfill a dream and a goal. I guess a goal but I don’t even know if it was a goal, just a dream for me. And that is to open up a satellite office, a new chapter of NWAC. And so, Joel and Mary Ann are actually here because they are the ones heading up NWAC Hawaii.

And so, I am thrilled and I thought it would be important for everybody out there to be introduced to them, to you guys, and hear your story, hear who you are, and why, and what you’re doing here. And so, Oscar is here with us today because Oscar is the glue that… The glue, is that right? Like, the Lego arm that connect?

Mary: The bridge.

Melina: The bridge, yeah.

Oscar: Bridge, okay.

Melina: The reason. Okay, good. You like that better. You don’t wanna be glue?

Oscar: Yeah, I’m kind of tacky sometimes so. It’s all good.

Melina: So, Oscar and you guys, you and Joel met each other, how long ago?

Oscar: I believe it was ’99.

Joel: Yeah, yeah.

Oscar: ’99. And so, I had gotten out of the Marine Corps. I went into consulting. Then this weird guy approached me at something that we were doing for work. And he’s standing next to me with a drink and looking at me weird. And so, he started talking to me. Then I found out that he was gonna actually be my new boss. It was an interesting shift in the story.

Melina: Uh-huh. So, were you acting like…

Oscar: It was like, oh, so it must be a new guy, right?

Melina: Uh-huh. Trying to make nice with you, trying to be your friend?

Oscar: Yeah. Like, he wants to get connected here locally. He’s just a new guy. Got it. And it turned out that I actually had been with the company for a while, and was coming from Northern California down to Southern California to take over our office, and all.

Joel: Surprise.

Melina: Yeah. So, that’s interesting. I mean, I love that approach, Joel.

Joel: Yeah, right, right.

Melina: So, would you talk about that?

Joel: Yeah.

Melina: Like, why did you do that?

Joel: It’s pretty funny. I mean, for me, I ended up being informed that I was gonna take care of the San Diego office. And the first thing that I was assigned to do is to meet my new team members at a Christmas party over in Hotel del Coronado.

Melina: Nice place.

Joel: And one of the first people that I see is Oscar. He’s sitting there in the corner and I’m like, “Oh, let me go talk to this guy.”

Melina: You total engineer nerd alert.

Joel: Yeah, exactly. So, you know, I introduced myself. I’m a little quirky and, you know, said who I was and stuff. And I felt like I was talking to a tree stump.

Melina: Yes, yes.

Joel: He didn’t really give you the time of day.

Melina: Uh-huh.

Joel: So, I went crawling back to my wife, with my tail between my legs and I told her that, “Oh, this guy is gonna be hard.”

Oscar: I don’t know if I’m gonna be able to crack this one.

Joel: Absolutely.

Melina: So, you didn’t know your first encounter, you did not know? You found out later, after you had already met? So he didn’t tell you?

Oscar: Yeah. No. I had no clue at that part. I had no clue that he was actually brought down to take over the office. Zero concept of any of that. It was just a bunch of us getting together for a Christmas party and that was it. [inaudible 00:04:31]. So, it was like, “Yeah, whatever. Just another guy.”

Melina: That’s so funny.

Joel: Yeah, yeah. And he was really the first guy that I introduced myself to. So, that was really difficult.

Melina: Yeah. Out of all the people in the world, you chose Oscar.

Joel: Yeah, exactly.

Oscar: Yeah. You went for the toughest one first, and the rest were easy. It’s awesome.

Melina: Exactly. That’s a good way to put it. So, fast-forward, you guys end up working together. You build a friendship, obviously. Is that right?

Joel: Absolutely.

Melina: Is that a fair assessment to say? And so…

Oscar: Yeah, yeah.

Melina: …your families meet. Like, how did that…

Oscar: Yep. At a certain point, that happened. I mean, we were on a… So, one of the stories that I was reminded of was we were in a Habitat for Humanity project as a group. And we’re on the roof, right? And he’s trying to recruit me to become one of the managers. And so, he’s giving… So, he’s pitching me the whole time, right? It’s like, “Well, you know, it’s great, and it’s this, and it’s that.” And I’m trying to hammer things. I’m like, okay, look. So, then we got to the point where we’re actually talking about raises and all this, right?

Melina: Oh, oh, oh.

Oscar: He’s feeling me out, right? Where’s he at, where does he wanna be at. And I remember he told me that day, he’s like, you know…because he’s trying to convince me not to ask for a big bump, right? Because I’m taking a…you know, responsibilities. So, he says, “You know, it’s not about how much you make, it’s about how much you keep.” Isn’t that brilliant? I was like, “Wait a minute, if I make more, obviously, I keep more.” So, help me understand this whole concept, right? So, that’s when we got to know each other pretty good because then I started…I was his direct report at that point. I wasn’t reporting to another manager after that. So, that’s when things started to change and we went through a bunch of things together, and then started meeting clients and so forth. So, it was good. Yeah. That was a good relationship. Yeah.

Melina: So, then fast-forward, you guys end up… So, talk to us a little bit about where you were during that time. Why don’t you just give us a little bit of your background, if you would like? Where did you guys meet? Where were you living? Because I don’t even think I know that.

Joel: Yeah. So, Mary Ann and I, we’ve been married for 26 years. We’ll make 27 this year. And we actually both met working at McDonald’s.

Melina: Really?

Joel: She was my boss. Yeah. Very, very many moons ago.

Melina: And where was that McDonald’s?

Joel: That was actually in Honolulu.

Melina: Okay.

Joel: And it was actually at a base. It was called Barbers Point. It was a naval base, naval air station. Yeah. So, we met there. And we knew way up front that we were kind of like oil and water because I really wanted to make McDonald’s my career, and she wanted to get out.

Melina: That’s so funny.

Joel: Yeah. And by the way, she won.

Melina: Uh-huh. Obviously. Thank God.

Mary: Yes.

Melina: Yes. Mary Ann is like, “That’s right.” And she continues to win.

Joel: Yeah, exactly. Happy wife, happy life, right?

Oscar: Yep.

Melina: Uh-huh. That’s exactly right. So, you guys dated and then you got married.

Joel: Yeah, exactly. And then, you know, so we got married. Actually, we moved to the mainland and we got married in Las Vegas. We got married by a wizard over at the Excalibur. Yeah. It’s funny.

Oscar: I know this.

Joel: Yeah. So, we got married. And I actually had my first IT job in San Diego because we moved to San Diego from Hawaii. I spent a couple years there. And then we eventually wanted to move back home. So, we moved home and had our first kid. And then we had our second kid, so two boys. And I was working at various hospitals there. And then finally, during the mid ’90s, I got an opportunity to work for a company in Silicon Valley, and basically moved up there. And I moved the whole family up there. So, that’s really where things moved forward for us in terms of my career. And, you know, on Mary Ann’s side, she ended up being more of a stay-at-home mom.

Melina: Yeah. Well, raised some pretty awesome kids.

Mary: Thank you.

Melina: So, why don’t you tell us about them?

Mary: First correction, it’s 28 years.

Joel: Oh, 28, oops. I didn’t look at my phone.

Mary: That’s all right, that’s all right. The first year where he had total amnesia. Like, the first year.

Melina: Oh, he did, the first year, total amnesia, got it. Okay.

Oscar: So, being so in love.

Melina: So, yeah, that’s all right, that’s all right. So, you guys got married in 1990?

Mary: Yes.

Melina: Got it. Okay. Okay.

Mary: And when we moved back, when we got married, my mom cried.

Melina: Because?

Mary: Because we were getting married by the wizard. And she wanted us to get married in church. So, she cried. And so we made a promise that when we move back we’ll get married at the church, and we did.

Melina: You did?

Mary: Yeah. For them.

Melina: Nice. Good. Your kids.

Mary: We have three boys… I mean, no, three kids, I’m sorry, two boys and a girl. One is 25, 21, and the girl is 16.

Melina: Yes. Okay. All right. And tell us about them.

Mary: Justin is our oldest. He just graduated from USC Law in May. Passed his California Bar Exam in November.

Melina: Yep, congratulations.

Mary: Thank you. And currently working at a law firm in Downtown LA.

Melina: Yeah. He told me yesterday. I thought it was so funny that…could you share the story of what you told him?

Mary: Oh, yeah. So, I told him that I want grandkids. And so he said, “No.” And so I said, “Did you know that I gave you life? Paid for your whatever so that you can gift me with a grandkid.” And he said no. And I said, “Well, in that case, then you need to pay me back every penny I put into you, child. That’s the only reason why you’re in this world, is to give me grandkids.”

Melina: That’s right.

Mary: So, we’re still working on it.

Melina: We’re still working on that, right.

Oscar: It’s still early.

Melina: Okay.

Mary: So, he’s kind of, they call him mini-me. What do you guys call me? Twinsies.

Joel: Yeah, twinsies.

Mary: Twinsies. They call us twinsies.

Joel: They like to argue.

Melina: Got it. Same.

Oscar: So, he’s a great attorney, then?

Joel: Yeah, absolutely.

Melina: Obviously.

Joel: Absolutely.

Melina: Yes, that’s great.

Mary: And the so the middle one is like Joel, Austin, 21, very kindhearted kind of guy.

Melina: And what’s he doing?

Mary: He’s following dad’s footstep. He’s actually interning right now for his company.

Melina: Awesome. That’s great.

Mary: He’s supposed to be graduating in May. But just like dad, you know…so, yeah.

Melina: Okay. All right.

Mary: And then Lauren, the young one, is a hybrid, I think, of Joel and I in terms of personality. She’s 16, Lauren. Aspiring to be, I don’t know, filmography or something like that. But praise, she got accepted to USC Cinematic Summer Program this summer.

Melina: Wow. That is exciting. That’s great. That’s great.

Mary: Yeah, yeah. So, they’re following their passion.

Melina: That’s great, that’s great. So, we’ll fast-forward a little bit to…you guys always… So, when did you move back to Hawaii? When did you do that?

Joel: Well, it was kind of two-pronged. One is, my journey back home, what had happened was, my company got bought and sold. And at the last leg of it, as we decided to move back home from California, it was a really tough job market in Honolulu. So, I got really creative. And basically, the company I was working for was opening up an office in Singapore. So, basically, what I did was I moved the wife and kids home to Hawaii, and then I commuted from Hawaii to Singapore.

Melina: Wow. I don’t think I even knew that.

Joel: Yeah. So, six weeks in Singapore, two weeks with the family, six weeks in Singapore, two weeks with the family.

Melina: Wow. That must have been hard.

Joel: Yeah. It was really, really tough, especially, you know, having your kids sing happy birthday to you via the computer. Yeah, that was really hard.

Melina: I’m sure, I’m sure. So then, but you got home?

Joel: Yeah, absolutely. So, you know, things happen for a reason, and while I was in Hawaii, I started reconnecting with really the community, with my friends. And one of my friends was working at the company I was at now. And then serendipitously, what had happened was, one of the key executives was moving back to Canada. And I interviewed with the CEO and basically after, you know, a couple of hours of interviewing, he offered me the job. So, that ultimately solidified my journey back home. So, I’ve been with that company ever since.

Melina: That’s great, that’s great. So, at some point in there, did you always have a desire to do real estate or like, you know, to be in real estate? Have you always been in real estate? Did you not have any desire?

Joel: Yeah. It was on the bucket list. It was things that we dabbled with over time. We went to seminars. Mary Ann, she’s, you know, been a realtor. So, it’s always been kind of something on the side that we’ve had. But it was really our journey home. And ultimately, it sparked something in us because, you know, in the first part of our lives, it was really about climbing the corporate ladder. And I call it the rat race. And then something turned when we went home, and basically, it was not focusing on ourselves but ultimately out into the community.

So, today, our mode really isn’t about climbing up the corporate ladder. It’s really about pouring back into the community. So today, I’m definitely still one of the executives at the company I’m working with. But we’ve also started other things. We’re also part of a local non-profit that serves the homeless.

Melina: And how long have you been doing that?

Joel: We’ve been doing that for, I’d say for about a year now. And it really started with our daughter needing to connect with a non-profit. And ultimately, what had happened, again, serendipitously, we were assisting her and then eventually we became part of the non-profit. So, it’s been a family affair.

Melina: That’s usually how it happens.

Joel: Yeah. It’s been a family affair. So, we’ve been serving on that.

Melina: Yeah, that’s awesome.

Joel: As well as in our church.

Melina: Right, that’s great. Okay.

Christian: Hi, this is Christian Rios. As many of you know, I’ve been a member of New Wealth Advisors Club for over seven years and got started when I was 17 years old, with absolutely no real estate experience. One of the biggest lessons I have learned from being in the industry is the need for authentic relationships. If you’re looking for an actual team locally, in Southern California, with all the resources needed to close deals, register for one of our free workshops by visiting www.joinnwac.com. Thanks for listening to the “Flippin’ Off Podcast.”

Melina: Okay. So, back to, let’s see, around 2013, I guess. Can you talk a little bit about that? You and Oscar, you guys kept in touch. And then maybe, you know, typical friendships. A year goes by and you’re like, “Oh, we haven’t seen… Oh, Merry Christmas,” you know, “Happy birthday,” those kinds of things, right, because you’re back home and you’re raising your kids, and in that season in your life. And then in around 2013, is that right? You decided to reach out and find Oscar.

Joel: Yeah, yeah. Because, I mean, going back to our real estate bucket list, and, you know, we were kind of in do-it-yourself mode. So, you know, we did some stuff on the side. And it was kind of a hobby. And then after a while, we wanted to kick it up and take it up to another level. And I’m always fairly good at connecting with people. And one of the people that I connected with for a long time, I think he’s one of a very few that I connect with in my previous company. You know, I kind of reached out to him, because he was doing our real estate. And on his side, he was doing real estate investing.

So, he kind of talked to me about an organization that he was with, and the fact that he related some of the attributes to the company similar to what we had in the company that we were working with, things like collaboration, and teamwork, and being, you know, about being trustworthy. And it was just a phenomenal culture. And he was telling me that, you know, the community that he was a part of was like that.

So, that kind of sparked my interest because, you know, that company that he and I were working with was life-changing, and I’m like, wow, he’s now into doing real estate into an organization that was like our old one. So, that got me really curious. So, I ended up reaching out to him. And one of the things that we did see is, I was surfing, I think it was on YouTube, and I saw a video of Oscar and his wife, you know, talking about the community that he was part of. So, I ended up giving him a call.

Melina: Right. So then, you know, you wanna talk about that, Oscar? Was that funny?

Oscar: Yeah. What I remember about it is that he reached out to me out of the blue because we hadn’t talked for a while. So I’m like, “What the heck does he want?” Right?

Melina: Not again.

Oscar: Yeah. So, he calls me and he says, “Hey,” because he never said, “Hey, I found this video.” He said, “So, what are you up to?” I go, “I don’t know. What do you mean, what am I up to?” He goes, “Yeah. What are you doing nowadays?” I was like, “Well, you know, I’m working here. I’m doing that,” because at the time I had just finished working, so “I’m doing real estate.” And he’s like, “Oh. So, yeah. So, tell me about that.”

Melina: Yeah. Wife, kids, how’s the family? Duh, duh, duh, duh, duh.

Oscar: It was later.

Melina: So now, tell me more about this.

Oscar: It was later on that he finally clued me in to like, “Oh, yeah. I got kind of creepy and I was looking to see what you were up to.”

Joel: Of course.

Oscar: So, yeah. And yeah, so I shared with him over the phone. It wasn’t just one phone call either. I kind of threw up a little bit on him on what we do, and what we’re all about, and all that. And then let that marinate for him for a bit because there was a lot, right? It was a lot to receive and listen to.

And then, we agreed to have another conversation. And I walked him through the entire process. And Joel being Joel, you know, one of the questions was, “Well, do I have to go through all of that?” Like, just kind of like…

Melina: The whole process?

Oscar: So, how do I fast track? He’s like, “How do I get there?”

Joel: I remember asking him, “Hey, can I skip boot camp?”

Melina: Nope. Nope, nope, nope.

Oscar: I was like, “Well, you can, but not with us.”

Melina: Mm-hmm. That’s true. That’s very, very true. So, you ended up coming out.

Joel: Yeah, yeah.

Melina: I know I had a conversation with you over the phone. We talked for a while on the phone, I think.

Joel: Right, right.

Melina: And so, then you decided to come on out. So, you came out and you came to an RPP. And that was in 2013. Was it April? Did we decide April or March of 2013?

Joel: I think it was March. Wasn’t it March of 2013?

Oscar: It was March. So, I actually made him come out to an introduction.

Melina: Oh, that’s right.

Oscar: I was like, “You’re gonna go through the entire process.” So, he came out to the introduction, and then immediately went into the RPP training for three days. And then from there, you know, went onto more curriculum, more learning, more doing. And then, you know, I’ll let you fill that part of the story in.

Joel: Yeah. You know, one of the things, I was a little nervous as we were driving up to your facility. And, you know, I’m like, I’ve always got voices in my head, “Hey, you know, what are you doing? You know, why did you fly all the way out here to do this?”

Melina: Totally.

Joel: But something happened as we walked through the doors, and we went in there, and we met. You know, we pretty much met you guys. We met the community. And then, you know, things came together from there. And it’s been awesome ever since.

Melina: Right. So, over the last six years, you’ve been doing real estate?

Joel: Yes.

Melina: Yes. And how would you say that… Because I feel like I know a little bit. You gave me the bigger picture. Maybe that’s what you should share, is the bigger picture of you figured, “Okay, this works. I know how to do this.” What you said to me was, you know, we, of course, bought into the culture and the mission. And the mission really being, you know, putting people first and money second. You bought into that. But what you realized is that the money started showing up. And then it kind of became a little bit about the money, right? And then you realized that we really need to get back to basics.

Joel: Yeah, exactly.

Melina: Is that an accurate…

Joel: Yeah, absolutely, absolutely. And, you know, one of the things for us is, I really didn’t get this. And it was later on where, you know, one of the things you guys talked about is real estate is what we do, but it’s not who we are. And it really took going through a couple of our deals to really get that because, you know, in every one of those situations, there was a family behind it. There was people behind it. And there was people that were broken behind and devastated behind what was happening to them. And it was just awesome to go in there and connect up with them, and basically help them in their situations.

Melina: Yeah. So, Dave passed away in March of 2018. And I was stunned at Dave’s celebration of life because Mary Ann and her cousin Lynn were there, flew in just for Dave’s celebration, which blessed me unbelievably. I couldn’t believe that, you know, that she took that time and made that trip. And so, do you wanna talk a little bit about that, Mary Ann?

Mary: Yeah, yeah. Yeah. In fact, like I was telling you folks, we were at a conference, a Christian conference and, I don’t know what we were doing, but I was like, “Hey, Dave passed away.” And he’s like, “What?” And, you know, we couldn’t believe it. And so, it was interesting because nothing needed to be said, you know. It wasn’t like, “Oh, should I go? Should we go?” There was no question. It was just, go. Make plans.

He couldn’t go because his brother and his family was flying in from Japan right around that time, and we had a mini reunion. Needless to say, my mother in law was a little upset that I wasn’t there, but that’s okay.

Melina: Yeah. Yeah. Well, I’m very, very grateful.

Mary: Yeah, yes. So, I know he wanted to come, too. Yeah. It’s one of those where you just know. You don’t have to say anything. You just know. There was something about Dave that Joel put on him, you know, just like Oscar and, you know, they’re so many years apart. And, you know, we talk to you folks. But the presence and the spirit was there no matter we’re like 3,000 miles away. So, I don’t know, it was just something like that, you know.

Melina: Yeah, yeah. So, at Dave’s celebration, one of the things that I purposed myself to do that the thing that has continued to resonate for me as a necessity is to honor Dave’s life, and to really create his legacy and to honor his legacy. You know, I think the legacy is already there. It’s just what do we do with it, right? And I want his legacy to live on. And I want the man that he was to be, like, spotlighted, highlighted. And I want people to have a little bit of a glimpse of who Dave was. And, you know, Dave’s two words, his mission, his personal mission statement was provoking greatness.

And so, at his celebration of life, I challenged everybody with…I gave out these little cards and I said, “If you wanna honor Dave’s life, I’m gonna challenge you right now to do something great.” And I said, “But do me a favor, and don’t tell me what you’re going to do,” right? Because words are just words and they mean nothing. You know, people just say, “I’m gonna…” blah, blah, blah.

So, I said, “Write it down on your card. And then when you do it, share it with me. Tell me when you do it.” And I’ve been really blessed, you know, over this last year. I’ve been able to experience some things of people that have done some pretty great things. But you had decided at that point in time that you were going to open up NWAC Hawaii. And that was gonna be your one great thing. And I’ll tell you, if you go back to the very beginning of the club when Dave and I were talking about what we were doing, and we realized we’re really onto something. Like, this is a real need. The mission is powerful and necessary.

And so, our goal has always been let’s duplicate the club everywhere. And we’re always like, “Yeah, we’re gonna open up an office here and there, and here and there.” And then what we learned is that it’s not the office that’s difficult, it’s the people. You need real leaders. And you need leaders that are servant leaders, that are drivers, that are about other people, that have had elements of success in their life but still are willing to be mission-focused. And it turns out, that’s not easy to find. It’s just not so easy to find.

And so, what we thought, you know, would be a no-brainer, we learned, oh, not so much. And so, it’s always been when I opened up today saying, “Hey, this is one of my dreams come true.” I feel like at some point, Dave and I, that was our goal. Like, it was a goal. And then it turned into a dream almost. Like, wouldn’t that be great? You know, from, “Hey, we’re gonna start pinpointing cities,” to, “Wouldn’t it be great if somebody showed up?” That was, you know, really had all of that, had all of that skill set in one body. And it turns out that that’s really the two of you. You absolutely are that.

And the idea that you took on the challenge and decided that’s what you wanted to do is nothing short of a miracle. I do believe it’s a miracle. And so, you started holding meetups. And you know, for your local community. And I know you were saying you were trying to kind of share the community, what we are doing. And it’s difficult to articulate it to somebody, right, until you really experience it. Because the club, the mission isn’t…it’s not a place. It’s not one person. It’s not a book. It’s not any of that. It is a collaborative effort that happens. There is a magic that happens when you have these people together with the same mission in mind. And then magic just takes place.

Joel: Absolutely, absolutely.

Melina: Yeah. So, you guys started doing the meetups. And, me and Oscar were like, “Wow, they’re doing meetups.” And then at some point, Oscar said, “You know, we need to do an introduction. We have to introduce people to the club from Hawaii. They wanna come.” And so, we were like, “Oh. All right.”

So, John and I just kind of did it. We recorded it and sent it over. And then the next thing I know, I mean, this is from my perspective so you see what happened, right, I record this. And I do wanna point this out. We recorded that two days after my mom passed away. And so, you know, to be 100% transparent, I didn’t want to go and record. And I just was like, you know, we had already set the date. But obviously, we didn’t know my mom was gonna pass away. And I was like, “How am I gonna get on video and, you know, possibly share what I do with people when I’m just heartbroken in deep grief, you know?”

And my sons were like, both David and Andrew sat there and talked with me. In the beginning of the conversation, I just sat down and I was like, “I just can’t do this. I don’t wanna go. I don’t wanna go do it.” You know, and they both were, “It’s okay,” you know, walked me through it. And then at some point, David said, “You know, mom, you just got to suck it up.” Just go do it. And I was like, “Yeah. All right.”

So, I went and did it. And then the next thing I know, I swear, it was like a week later, Oscar goes, “They’ve got people in the introduction in Hawaii and we’re gonna go live. We’re gonna Skype with them so we can meet them.” And I was like, “Say, what?” And so, that’s how it happened in my mind, you know. It was a week later, and all of a sudden Oscar was like, “Here, come sit with me. We’re gonna talk to people in Hawaii.” And that was it. And then the next thing I know, Oscar goes, “We have five people coming to our…”

Oscar: Flying in.

Melina: …flying in.” I said, “What?” And so, here we are.

Joel: Yeah, exactly. I mean, it’s really hard to describe because, you know, we’re doing the introduction. We’re out in Hawaii. And, you know, people, you know, watched the video. And they were definitely touched, moved, and inspired by who you folks were, who we are. And as something happens when you walk through the doors of the New Wealth Advisors Club in Riverside, and then it just, like, hits them. And then they realize what we’re all about.

Melina: Right.

Joel: It’s unreal.

Melina: It is unreal. It is kind of supernatural.

Joel: I mean, all the people that came, they were walking out of there glowing. And, you know, I got a whole bunch of text messages wanting to get on this and get started, and, you know, crush things in Hawaii.

Melina: Yeah. And I’m very excited about the prospects moving forward. You know, during the three-day event, I think it was great how…you know, because something magical does happen during those first three days inside the room. Relationships are built, and walls come down, breakthroughs happen. All kinds of amazing things happen during our RPP. And I know every time I’m sitting with somebody, I hear every single person say, “It’s so much more than I ever excepted. I had no idea that it was gonna be this great.”

And so, I recognized that Hawaii, it’s the same thing. They’re having the exact same experience. They’re not different. They didn’t know each other. It doesn’t like, you know, everybody from Hawaii automatically knew each other. They didn’t. So, you guys were having the same bonding experience. And that is just unbelievably exciting. And it’s funny because during this training, I had already have vacation planned in March to be at Aulani. And so I said, “I think I’m gonna extend my time, my vacation by a week, so I can come hang out with you guys.”

Joel: Absolutely.

Melina: And so, I am doing that. And so, I’m very excited about the opportunity that exists in Hawaii for…you know, it’s the ground level. It’s the ground level of something really spectacular. And I was so inspired by you guys and by your team that you brought. I go, I’m like, “I can’t wait to go hang out with you guys again, so I’ll see you next month.”

Joel: Right, right, exactly. Exactly.

Melina: So, I think for anybody listening to the podcast today, my encouragement is this. Ask yourself the question, what do I dream about? What do I want? Where do I see myself making a difference? What is my contribution to the mission? Because New Wealth Advisors Club is a group of people committed to empower and encourage all people, to realize their core purpose in life. And with that realization, we believe everyone can live and inspire life full of enthusiasm as they in turn inspire others. That’s who we are. So, it’s no different in Hawaii. And the question is, what are you gonna do to inspire others? And you need to be inspired yourself first. And that’s really where the club comes in. You get inspired and you start to see success. And then you pay it forward and inspire others.

So, I’m excited for Hawaii. Thank you, Joel and Mary Ann, for stepping out, for your leadership, your unbelievable leadership in sharing your success, and who you are, and being willing to share it with other people. And I am looking forward to Hawaii soon.

Mary: Yay.

Joel: Yay.

Melina: All right. So, aloha.

Joel: Aloha.

Mary: Aloha.

Melina: I’m Melina Boswell, your host of the “Flippin’ Off Podcast.” I really hope you enjoyed it. If you did, we’d love for you to subscribe. Give us a five-star rating and tell your friends all about us. You can find more episodes of the “Flippin’ Off Podcast” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever else you like to listen to awesome podcasts like this. If you like what you heard, we’d really appreciate it if you’d follow us on Facebook and Instagram, and tell us the stories that you’d like to hear.

Tim Jackson is our senior producer. Luke Jackson is our editor. Josh Mauldin is our producer. Sound design by Frequency Factory. Our executive producer is Mind & Mill. This was all created by Dave Boswell for New Wealth Advisors Club.