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Bridget Kaigler [00:00:05]:
Hi, this is Bridget Kaigler. When I’m not creating an awesome outdoor space, I am listening to John Garrett on What’s Your “And”?.

John Garrett [00:00:13]:
Welcome to episode 693 of What’s Your “And”?! This is John Garrett and each Wednesday I interview a professional who just like me, is known for a hobby or a passion or an interest outside of work. And it’s put it another way, it’s encouraging people to find their and those things above and beyond your technical skills, the things that actually differentiate you when you’re at work. It’s the answer to the question of who else are you beyond the job title. And if you like what the show’s about, be sure to check out the award-winning book. It’s on Amazon, Indigo, Barnes & Noble Bookshop, a few other websites. All the links are at www.whatsyourand.com. The book goes more in depth with the research behind why these outside-of-work passions are so crucial to your corporate culture. And I can’t say how much it means that everyone’s reading it and writing such great reviews on and Amazon.

John Garrett [00:01:00]:
Thank you so much for those because it’s completely silly how much that matters and more importantly, changing the cultures where they work because of it. And if you want me to read it to you, that’s right, this voice reading the book, look for what’s your and on Audible or wherever you get your audio books. And please don’t forget to hit subscribe to the podcast. You don’t miss any of the future episodes. I love sharing such interesting stories each and every weekend. This week is no different with my guest, Bridget Kegler. She’s the CEO and founder of Bringing Leadership Back in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and the immediate past chair of the Society of Louisiana CPAs. And now she’s with me here today.

John Garrett [00:01:37]:
Bridget, thanks so much for taking time to be with me on what’s your end.

Bridget Kaigler [00:01:40]:
Absolutely. Hi John, thanks for the invite. I feel so special.

John Garrett [00:01:43]:
Oh well, I’ve been practicing for 692 episodes to just come to this one, so finally. But it was so fun hanging out when I was able to facilitate the leadership retreat for the Society of CPAs in Louisiana there. And it’s just cool to have you be a part of this because you’re a living, breathing example of what’s your end already. And so it’s important to share that. And part of this is 17 rapid fire questions. Get to know Bridget out of the gate here, things I never asked you when we were hanging out because I didn’t want it to be weird. So I thought, let’s record it for everyone here. This is an easy one.

John Garrett [00:02:17]:
Favorite color?

Bridget Kaigler [00:02:18]:
Pink. A light pink. Let me be a little more specific. There’s different shades of pink, so I like a very soft, light pink, like a baby pink.

John Garrett [00:02:28]:
Oh, okay. All right. Soft. Nice. I like it. How about a least favorite color?

Bridget Kaigler [00:02:33]:
I don’t know if I have a least favorite. I mean, I can wear all.

John Garrett [00:02:36]:
I mean, it’s not like they’re listening and gonna get offended. So you can say one. I mean, it’s all right, you know, but. But that’s cool. I get it. I figured you’d go with, like, Barbie hot pink.

Bridget Kaigler [00:02:45]:
And, you know, with color. I love to mix different colors for certain things because for so many years, I only had brown, black, and gray in my closet. And then once when I said, hey, this is me. This is my personality, I just start mixing in all types of colors. So I will wear hot pink in moderation.

John Garrett [00:03:06]:
Okay. Okay. I like it. All right. How about. Are you more early bird or night owl?

Bridget Kaigler [00:03:10]:
I am early bird. However, if I have to, I can stay up until maybe 8 or 9pm.

John Garrett [00:03:19]:
All right. Sun’s still up by then, but what else? Right? Right. If we really got to try. Do you have a favorite actor or an actress?

Bridget Kaigler [00:03:28]:
Gabriel Union, I would say, is my favorite actress.

John Garrett [00:03:32]:
There you go. There you go. How about Star wars or Star Trek?

Bridget Kaigler [00:03:36]:
Oh, I didn’t watch either.

John Garrett [00:03:38]:
That works.

Bridget Kaigler [00:03:39]:
Yeah.

John Garrett [00:03:41]:
Any sort of a trilogy or a series or anything.

Bridget Kaigler [00:03:44]:
Spider Man. When my son was younger, Spider man, was it?

John Garrett [00:03:48]:
That’s solid. They got some great movies. Absolutely. Spider Man’s awesome.

Bridget Kaigler [00:03:51]:
Someone told me, I think there’s a recent Spider man movie. I haven’t seen it yet, but yeah, Spiderman. My son was all into Spiderman.

John Garrett [00:03:59]:
Okay. All right. How about your computer? You go PC or Mac?

Bridget Kaigler [00:04:01]:
Well, I have a PC right now. However, interesting question that you asked is I’m in a market for a new computer, and I have an iPad and I have an iPhone. So I have been researching Mac computers. So I think in the next months, by the end of the year, I may be part of the full Mac family.

John Garrett [00:04:23]:
You’re going to be all in the cult.

Bridget Kaigler [00:04:25]:
I know, right? I mean, that’s how they get you.

John Garrett [00:04:30]:
It’s one step at a time. Then you get the chip implanted. Then it’s a tattoo. Yeah, yeah, totally. It’s all good. You start wearing turtlenecks. It’s all on, like, bring back Steve Jobs. How about ice cream? Do you have ice? Favorite ice Cream flavor?

Bridget Kaigler [00:04:44]:
Strawberry.

John Garrett [00:04:44]:
Strawberry. Okay.

Bridget Kaigler [00:04:46]:
You know, still got a little hint of pink in there. Kind of small red. But, you know, depending, it can have a. It’s part of the family.

John Garrett [00:04:52]:
Yeah, yeah. There you go. It’s part of the family. They’re cousins. Heels or flats?

Bridget Kaigler [00:04:56]:
Definitely heels. Definitely heels. Now, I do wear flats, but generally I am a heels person.

John Garrett [00:05:05]:
How about. Do you have a favorite word?

Bridget Kaigler [00:05:08]:
Well, inspiration, of course.

John Garrett [00:05:10]:
Oh, okay. All right, all right. I was going.

Bridget Kaigler [00:05:15]:
Yes, yes.

John Garrett [00:05:17]:
But Shenanians are inspiration. So there you go. There you go. Like, it’s. How about when you were a kid, did you have a favorite cartoon?

Bridget Kaigler [00:05:25]:
The Smurfs I love. Do you. Do you remember this?

John Garrett [00:05:28]:
Oh, yeah, I totally remember the Smurfs. Yeah, absolutely. Papa Smurf and Grumpy Smurf and. Yeah, it was Gargamel. Wasn’t that the bad guy?

Bridget Kaigler [00:05:36]:
Isn’t there a movie or animation about the Smurfs?

John Garrett [00:05:39]:
Yeah, I think there was, yeah. Recently. Yeah. Yeah.

Bridget Kaigler [00:05:42]:
Bring the Smurfs back. Bring them back. I think they did.

John Garrett [00:05:46]:
There you go. Four more. Are you more. Balance sheet or income statement?

Bridget Kaigler [00:05:50]:
I love a great income statement.

John Garrett [00:05:54]:
Great, as in, like, a big net number.

Bridget Kaigler [00:05:56]:
Yeah. I like to see the net profit on the income statement. However, on the balance sheet is all about the owner’s equity. I love checking out that owner’s equity. So I don’t know. I mean, depending upon day time a month, I can. It could vary.

John Garrett [00:06:14]:
No, I’ll take it. I’ll take it. Do you have a favorite sports team?

Bridget Kaigler [00:06:18]:
Not really. Oh, okay. So full disclosure, like, when I go to sporting events, I go for the social aspect. So I’ve learned.

John Garrett [00:06:25]:
Well, you’re in Louisiana.

Bridget Kaigler [00:06:26]:
Yeah. Yeah. Because I don’t want to be screaming for, like, the wrong team, but, you know, Louisiana, lsu. Lsu. But I go for, like, the social aspect of it.

John Garrett [00:06:36]:
Yeah. I think. I think about three quarters of that stadium goes for the social aspect. To be honest with you, I’ve been to the games. Yeah. I’ve never seen a stadium where can leave at halftime and still come back for the second half because we just got to get more in. Or even people leave the game early to just go hang out.

Bridget Kaigler [00:06:52]:
I know, right? They’re still in the parking lot at the games. The party is outside the stadium. There are more people outside of the stadium than inside.

John Garrett [00:07:01]:
It’s like, hey, can you guys turn that down? We’re trying to listen to the game in here. How about a favorite number?

Bridget Kaigler [00:07:07]:
Favorite number? I would say my favorite number be 7.

John Garrett [00:07:11]:
Is there a reason or just because.

Bridget Kaigler [00:07:13]:
I asked you, you know, just because you asked me. And that’s the number that I picked.

John Garrett [00:07:17]:
There you go. I like it. I like it. Do you have a favorite band or musician?

Bridget Kaigler [00:07:21]:
Not really. I like our music.

John Garrett [00:07:24]:
All right, I’ll take it. How about puzzles? Sudoku or crossword or jigsaw puzzle?

Bridget Kaigler [00:07:28]:
Maybe I haven’t done one in a while, but I loved a great jigsaw puzzle. Or look behind me Connect four. Like, does that count?

John Garrett [00:07:38]:
Oh, connect four totally counts. I’ll use that puzzle. Absolutely. I will take that. Or. So it’s a little bit of fellow because it’s the black and white. I like that, too.

Bridget Kaigler [00:07:46]:
Someone asked me, they was like, so do you play against yourself? I’m like, yeah, we got to work.

John Garrett [00:07:52]:
On getting bridges and friends.

Bridget Kaigler [00:07:54]:
Like, I work for two hours on an income statement, a balance sheet, and I just like, oh, let me just go drop a trip today. Yeah, but now it’s. Oh, so this has been up here for like six or seven months. So now I need to empty it and start all over again.

John Garrett [00:08:08]:
Yeah, but you always win. So that’s awesome. Like, that’s awesome. There you go. Like, I’m always winning. Toilet paper roll. You go over or under?

Bridget Kaigler [00:08:16]:
Over.

John Garrett [00:08:17]:
Oh, you were very serious. Yeah.

Bridget Kaigler [00:08:19]:
Over. Yeah.

John Garrett [00:08:20]:
Are you going to change it at someone’s house if you visit?

Bridget Kaigler [00:08:23]:
I’m going to try to refrain myself.

John Garrett [00:08:25]:
From doing that, but you’re going to judge. And then the last one, the favorite thing you have or the favorite thing you own Besides your Checker Connect 4 board.

Bridget Kaigler [00:08:35]:
I would say the favorite thing that I have is a piece of jewelry that my grandmother gave to me. And any special events, I always wear that gold watch. So she gave it to me on my 16th birthday. I’m not going to tell you how old it is, but I always wear that. And it’s. Yeah, it’s just a special piece. That’s how I feel that she’s always with me.

John Garrett [00:08:57]:
That’s very cool. Very cool. So let’s talk gardening and yard beautification in general. Like, how did this get started? Were you always into that?

Bridget Kaigler [00:09:07]:
No. It’s so funny. So I’ve been in my home 20 years and probably for 15 years. I never touched the backyard. It was just basic, you know, I kept up the maintenance on it. But it wasn’t. It wasn’t like showroom or magazine ready or anything, you know, like tv. Now I think I’m HGTV ready.

Bridget Kaigler [00:09:26]:
So it started with. I would tell you how a lot of things started for people. It started Started during the COVID crisis, you know, so I’m like, well, if I want to be at home for a certain period of time, I want to walk outside and I want to feel as if I’m in a vacation resort. So I started with one project, very simple and really just getting things off of Marketplace, going to Habitat stores. I didn’t really spend a lot of money, so I started with one thing, and then it led to something else. And then it led to something else. So five years later, I think a magazine ready now? I think so.

John Garrett [00:10:04]:
It’s beautiful. I mean, those pictures, you. I mean, you posted them on the LinkedIn even, and I mean, the comments were just.

Bridget Kaigler [00:10:10]:
It’s such a retreat for me, you know, so after a long day of work or working with clients, it’s sort of a therapy. I mean, it’s therapy, you know, it’s something when you’re playing, your hands are playing with soil and you’re nurturing something from when it was really tiny, and now you’re making it grow. And the hope is. Is that you get food from it or beautiful flowers. Or beautiful flowers.

John Garrett [00:10:38]:
Yeah. Yeah. But I mean. But you get to see it all happen, and I love that. I mean, that’s really awesome and really cool. And. And do you have, like, a favorite memory or one of the favorite projects that you did during this transformation?

Bridget Kaigler [00:10:50]:
I would say my favorite project was definitely the landscaping, because I didn’t start with landscaping. I started with more hardscape. So it was the pavilion, and really, it was trying to design it. So I designed it myself by looking at all of these different pictures of everyone else space and, like, what will work for me. So I think it’s the design of the hardscape. And then after that, then I came with the landscaping. And I think the landscaping just really just enhanced the beauty of it.

John Garrett [00:11:23]:
That’s awesome. That’s so cool. Yeah. I didn’t even think about what the process would be, but that makes sense that you would get all the big pieces in first and then kind of that. That beautification last piece to really just bring it all together.

Bridget Kaigler [00:11:36]:
This was my space. But you know what? I’ve had so many friends that have asked me to help them design their outdoor spaces, from small yards to things like, hey, can you help me do something that we’re just. Feels like just a really nice retreat. So I’ve done that for a few people.

John Garrett [00:11:54]:
There you go. Okay. I like it because, I mean, that’s just. That’s just a part of you that was able to sing, you know, that was able to come out and able to play.

Bridget Kaigler [00:12:03]:
Exactly.

John Garrett [00:12:04]:
Is there any side of this that you’re able to bring to work, whether it’s a skill or a mindset or anything related to that that you feel like translates?

Bridget Kaigler [00:12:12]:
I do. So there are several things. So I am, as you can tell, my personality is truly extroverted. Did you know that? That I truly.

John Garrett [00:12:21]:
Oh, very much so, yes.

Bridget Kaigler [00:12:23]:
So in my beginning years in my career, I tried to not show that as much, you know, because I am a cpa, you know, I need to kind of keep it together. I try to contain it.

John Garrett [00:12:35]:
Yeah, you thought.

Bridget Kaigler [00:12:36]:
But then after three or four years in a profession, I’m like, if I’m going to truly get everything out of the profession, I need to bring my true self. So my true self is having a very extroverted personality. However, still being a very great employee. Right. Still being the driver, still getting things done. But what I realized is that being in a profession, so many people think it’s a lot to do with a technical aspect in which for certain components, it is. Right. However, the relationship building.

Bridget Kaigler [00:13:17]:
I had no idea that with me having an extroverted personality and building and fostering relationships only enhanced my ability on the technical side. So it was a correlation that I never thought would happen. But the more people that I know in different departments, they give me an insight that I could have never got off of a deliberate report.

John Garrett [00:13:42]:
Oh, totally.

Bridget Kaigler [00:13:43]:
So, relationship Bill, when you truly bring your true self, individuals know that and they are more inclined to help and share information. Right. Just share information. Like, well, did you know this? And I’m like, oh, no, I didn’t know that.

John Garrett [00:13:59]:
Yeah. Or it happened to me, too. Yeah. Where it’s, you know, hey, I know you asked for this report, but what I think you really need is this one because you’re going to end up coming back. And. And it’s, oh, yeah, thanks all. But it’s because I feel like it’s not just the extroverted piece of you, but it’s also the part of you that genuinely cares about others. And so I feel like that’s the magic because there’s a lot of extroverted people that are just floating around like butterflies and it’s all surface level and whatever, but there’s a depth to you that you care.

John Garrett [00:14:27]:
People feel that and they can resonate that. And it’s what’s your. And loud, you know, which is great because it’s you knowing and caring about the people. And I’m sure accidentally Knowing their ends and then that matters.

Bridget Kaigler [00:14:41]:
And what you just described is regardless of the profession that we’re in or more the role, we have to humanize it. Right. Everyone knows there is a role that has to be done, but we have to humanize what we are doing. And as you say, it’s all about caring.

John Garrett [00:15:01]:
Yeah. And it’s free. It’s literally free. And it doesn’t take much. I mean, it really doesn’t take much. And so is this something that you shared about the gardening? But even before the gardening, was there something else that came up or was it just Bridget in general? All around, everything, Nothing specific.

Bridget Kaigler [00:15:17]:
So let’s see. So it’s gardening. Of course. I have a consulting firm, so I actually do a lot of speaking as well. So before the gardening, one of my very good friends mentioned, you know, you have a very practical approach to leadership. I think you need to share this with individuals. And I was like, really? Like, we’re CPAs. Like, I mean, like, how can I go from being CPA to talking about leadership? But just with my story, my story is a very non traditional story.

Bridget Kaigler [00:15:47]:
You know, I didn’t start college Till I was 23 and went to night school and, you know, just trying to raise my son and that I never realized on how relatable that story would be for individuals in the profession and individuals that didn’t think there was room for them in a profession because they did not go the traditional route. The non traditional route works too.

John Garrett [00:16:14]:
Oh, totally. It’s the same end game. I mean, it absolutely is. And if anything, it might be even more dynamic because you have different perspective and different. I guess basically that really just brings some magic to the profession and it needs to be there. You know, it can’t be all the exact same thing. I don’t care what, you know, gender and age and skin color and whatever. If you’re all the same, then it doesn’t matter.

John Garrett [00:16:37]:
Like, I mean, you know, the same backgrounds and the same, you know, education and the same route to get there. You know, DEI doesn’t matter if you all are ingrained in the same thought. You know, DEI comes alive when it’s different perspectives and different backgrounds and different paths to get here. That’s where true DEI is. And sadly, it’s kind of more the first one that gets drummed up and it’s like, no, no, no. Over here, everybody. You know, it’s, it’s, it’s deeper than surface level. And I think that’s where what’s your end can play in.

John Garrett [00:17:09]:
As well, where. What’s your end is. Is almost true dei, because it’s on a soul level, like, what lights you up, you know, type of thing.

Bridget Kaigler [00:17:17]:
And we all have a story to tell, and we have our journey. Sometimes we think that our journey. Because I used to think my journey was only for me. But what I did not realize is that I was just the vessel at the time. I never realized my journey would help and continue to help so many. And that’s what I discounted when I was going through it. I never just realized the story would be an anchor to bring others to the profession. Or maybe some individuals didn’t consider coming into the profession until they heard my journey.

Bridget Kaigler [00:17:52]:
And that’s why I absolutely love what I do.

John Garrett [00:17:57]:
Yeah. Or somebody else who loves gardening. And it’s like, what? Like, here we go. You know, like, now it’s on. All right. You know, that’s exactly it. And how much do you think it matters that the organization creates space for people to have an. And.

John Garrett [00:18:13]:
And share their. And. Or how much is it on the individual to just create that circle on their own?

Bridget Kaigler [00:18:19]:
We definitely have to create the circle on our own, first and foremost. And this is why is we give so much to our career. But when we step away from our career for the day or for the week, what else is there left? Like, there has to be something that you are passionate about outside of your career. And I had to realize that. Right. Once when I’m done for the day or for working on a project, what else is there? Because it has to be something more that fuels your passion. So we need to figure out what that is. And that’s different for everyone.

Bridget Kaigler [00:18:57]:
Right. Someone. It may not be gardening. It could be. I have friends that run marathons. I am not crazy.

John Garrett [00:19:05]:
Crazy. Like, that’s.

Bridget Kaigler [00:19:07]:
I just can’t do it. I would have been in. Passed out. Right. I mean, but I. Look, I can’t walk a lot.

John Garrett [00:19:13]:
I could cheer you on while you’re running, but then I’m gonna be eating some pizza while you run by, probably, or something like it.

Bridget Kaigler [00:19:19]:
So it doesn’t matter what it is, but just figure out what is that for you. And you know what it could be? You go through some discovery. Because I think that’s what I had to do. Is that. Because I’ve tried. I think I’ve tried a few things. And you know what? If you try something for a few months or, you know, a year, be like, okay, I really don’t enjoy it how I thought it would be something else.

John Garrett [00:19:43]:
Totally zero pressure. Zero. Like, you know, it’s. It’s for you. And also too, if someone comes over and looks at your yard and is like, eh, it’s like, well, I don’t care. It’s my yard. I did it for me. You know, I didn’t do it for you.

John Garrett [00:19:56]:
And that’s the thing is I think so many people think, well, you know, your. And has to be revenue generating side hustle, next level world record. No, none of those things. Actually. It’s better if it’s not revenue generating. It’s better if it’s. Because then there’s zero pressure. I’m just doing it to light me up.

Bridget Kaigler [00:20:11]:
Exactly.

John Garrett [00:20:12]:
And I’m doing it for me. And so you don’t have to call yourself gardener. You could just say, I enjoy gardening. And then it doesn’t matter if anything grows or if my yard looks amazing or if I’m doing it because I enjoy gardening.

Bridget Kaigler [00:20:26]:
Yeah. And it’s a great conversation starter because I meet with my clients and my colleagues and before we get to the real work stuff, everyone’s asking, well, what are you planning this season? Right. So it stirs conversation where you may have not had anything in common with an individual, but just by you doing that one specific thing, it will spark a conversation. So I get everyone that’s asking, what are you planning? I get individuals that give me, like, plants now, like in seeds, like colleagues and clients, like, oh, we had some extra seeds, so he brought some for you. So I just never realized what an impact gardening would have in the profession. But this is what I realized too, is that if we think of a message, and my message would be bloom where you are planted. And that’s what gardening has allowed me to see is just bloom where you are planted. So wherever you’re planted, bloom there.

John Garrett [00:21:32]:
I love that. That’s so fantastic. So fan. And I mean, just when people ask you about, you know, the gardening, it’s, wow, you appreciate Bridget. Bridget, not Bridget. CPA people always say they want to feel valued. And in all the surveys are where I want to feel valued. And yes, it works.

John Garrett [00:21:50]:
But what if you valued as a human being, that’s what you feel valued as. And there’s more to it than the work that you do. And that’s awesome. That’s so great. Bloom where you’re planted. I love it. Before we wrap this up, because this has been fantastic, but I rudely peppered you with so many questions at the beginning, and I feel like it’s only fair if we turn the tables and make this the Bridget Kaigler podcast. Yeah, I know.

John Garrett [00:22:14]:
What, what? And so I’m in the hot seat. Whatever questions you have for me, I’m all yours.

Bridget Kaigler [00:22:19]:
Awesome. Well, John, thank you so much. So first question is, I absolutely love what you’re doing with this, this podcast because it is bringing individuals together. What made you decide to create a podcast so people like I, who are starstruck could listen to you?

John Garrett [00:22:39]:
I see what you did there. I created this podcast so then I could have 30 minutes of talking to Bridget like eight or nine years ago, or maybe 10 now. I don’t even know. Honestly, I started it because I knew it wasn’t just my story. What’s your and is our collective message? It’s not my message, it’s ours. And so people need to hear this and see this. And, you know, there’s 22 year old, 23, 24 year old us that needs to hear this of, you know, you’re a human that does the work. There’s other aspects to who you are and other dimensions.

John Garrett [00:23:17]:
And it just, it gives me confidence seeing the Instagram profile and just scrolling through and looking at everyone’s ands and everyone who’s been a guest and just saying, you know, these are all very successful professionals who have other things that light them up also. And so it’s making it the norm and just flipping it upside down of what we think the stereotypical professional is, because it’s not at all somebody that lives and breathes their work. That’s the very small, you know, percentage of people, based on my own research, but about 8%. So that’s 92% of us that have hands and none of us are sharing them or talking about them or, you know, should I put this on LinkedIn? Should I not? Should I tell my colleagues? Should I not like all these things? It’s like, yo, put it out there. Why not? You know, I mean, because that’s your differentiator, otherwise you’re just another cpa. Well, we’ve got a couple of those around, you know, but not, not one that’s got a backyard, one that loves gardening, or one that loves shenanigans that have inspiration. So that’s really what it came to was, you know, this is our message and we need a platform for all of us. It’s truly all of us.

John Garrett [00:24:33]:
And it’s really cool because it started in accounting and now it’s grown to almost everything. You know, it’s just awesome because it’s a universal.

Bridget Kaigler [00:24:41]:
Absolutely love it. Second question is, I heard that you have done over six. This is. You’re over 606. 96, 93. What is one lesson that you have learned during this journey that can help all of us as we’re navigating our journey?

John Garrett [00:25:01]:
Look at you with, like, hard questions. I did not sign up for this. When I come in, I’m just. I’m totally teasing. I’m totally teasing. I’m over here asking you your favorite color, and you’re like, hey, that’s a great question. And I’m obviously delaying. But I would say that probably the biggest lesson that I’ve learned is to not hold back.

John Garrett [00:25:26]:
That I’ve been talking about this. I was a guest on the Accounting Today podcast in 2015. I stumbled across a couple months ago talking about this over 10 years ago. And yet I just sort of kept it small and kept it safe and kind of down the middle. And, yes, I have my foot on the gas pedal, but I very much have my foot on the brake also. And the more that I lean into it and the more that I trust that what I’m doing is good and right and needs to be out there, and the deeper I get, the more messages I get from people that are in audiences at conferences of, hey, why have we not heard this before? Everybody needs to know about this message. Like, this is a thing. Like, this is universal.

John Garrett [00:26:07]:
Like, everybody. And so it’s like, yeah, my bad. I’m working on it. We’re getting it out there more. But, yeah, so that’s what I tell people is like, just take your foot off the brake. Like, don’t hold back. Like, I was scared that, like, well, what if the car, like, runs off the road and I go off a cliff? It’s not going to. Dude, you’re really good at.

Bridget Kaigler [00:26:26]:
Yes, you are.

John Garrett [00:26:27]:
Rip. Just go. So thank you. No, I appreciate that. So, yeah, I mean, you just don’t have anybody on your show. So, I mean, clearly. So that’s really. It is.

John Garrett [00:26:36]:
What I would say that I’ve learned is just be more confident in myself and in what I do, that it makes a difference and love it.

Bridget Kaigler [00:26:42]:
That’s going to help so many of us. And last question, because I’m dying to know this, I have to know this. You were in Louisiana a few months ago. What is your favorite food? When to Louisiana.

John Garrett [00:26:59]:
Now, I didn’t. I didn’t get to try it, but I heard that fish in a bag.

Bridget Kaigler [00:27:06]:
The next time that you come to Louisiana, we are going to have to take a road trip, and we are going to have to do the fish in a bag.

John Garrett [00:27:14]:
I cannot unhear fish in a bag. I cannot get it out in my head. I can’t get it on my breath. I think it’s make believe, but also I don’t think that everybody knows about. And that’s what I appreciated about when I was facilitating that retreat is I got true Louisiana, and I’ve been to Louisiana quite a few times, but I don’t. I didn’t get, like, the true. Like, because Louisiana is a little bit guarded on their cool stuff and they don’t, they don’t just let it out. And so we’ll have to fish in a bagot and see what that’s all about for sure.

John Garrett [00:27:44]:
But no, it was, it was a blast. And this has been so much fun. Bridget, thank you so much for being a living example of what you’re in and taking time to be a part of the show.

Bridget Kaigler [00:27:51]:
Absolutely.

John Garrett [00:27:55]:
And everybody listening. If you want to see some pictures of Bridget in her fantastic garden and backyard, I’m telling you, it’s amazing. Or connect with you on social media or LinkedIn is on fire, be sure to go to www.whatsyourand.com everything’s there. And while you’re on the page, please click that big button. Do the anonymous research survey about corporate culture. Culture. And don’t forget to read the book. So thanks again for subscribing on Apple podcasts or whatever app you use and for sharing this with your friends so they get the message that we’re all trying to spread that who you are is so much more than what you do.