From Bullying to Resilience: Justine Rodes’ Mental Health Journey

Sponsored by Courage 365

In this inspiring episode of Conversations with Rich Bennett, Rich sits down with Justine Rodes, a mental health advocate and host of the Mentally A Badass podcast. Justine shares her journey of resilience, from facing severe bullying and mental health challenges as a child to becoming a powerful voice for authenticity and vulnerability. She opens up about her bipolar and BPD diagnoses, her transformative experience working for Disney, and how these moments shaped her mission to break the stigma surrounding mental health.

Sponsored by Courage 365, this episode delves into the importance of community, healing, and living with courage every day. Justine also discusses her clothing line and her vision to inspire others through her brand and podcast. Tune in for an emotional, empowering conversation about turning pain into purpose.

Mentally A Badass

mentallyabadass | Instagram, Facebook, TikTok | Linktree

Sponsor Message:

This episode of Conversations with Rich Bennett is proudly sponsored by Courage 365, a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering survivors of abuse to live with courage every single day. Courage 365 provides resources, community support, and healing opportunities to help individuals transform their pain into purpose.

Whether it’s through their 30 Days of Courage events, monthly Courage Clubs, or free empowerment tools, Courage 365 is committed to ensuring every survivor has the chance to thrive. Visit Courage365.org to learn more about their mission and join a community that’s here to support you.

Take the first step toward courage today with Courage 365.

Transcript

Rich Bennett 0:00
Thanks for joining the conversation, where we explore the stories and experiences that shape our world. I'm your host, Rick Bennett. And before I introduce my guests, I got to tell you, the way I met her. So thanks to Alex and Pod Match, she put together a podcast network. Which is a true podcast network. I want it when I mean by that is the podcasters actually meet, I believe it's once a month and we sit there and we talk and, and basically shoot ideas around. And I met this young lady and then I was like, okay, I got check out her podcast because. When she talks about we cover a lot on this show as well. So today, I'm honored to welcome a truly inspiring guest. Justine Rhodes. Justine's journey is one of profound resilience and transformation from facing severe bullying as a child to battling her own mental health challenges, including a diagnosis of bipolar two at 17. Justine has channeled her experiences into a mission of hope and empowerment with a B.A. in psychology and a relentless dedication to personal growth she created. And you all go check this out. The mentally are bad, asked Brand, a podcast community that uplifts those facing similar struggles. And if you go to good pods, check it out. Mentally a bad ass. She is kicking tail 80 episodes in and she's already this month and we're recording this November 1st. She's in the top 100 when it comes to Mental Health podcast, so she knows what she's doing and got an awesome clothing line to poke fun at. Find out more about all that. So how are you doing, Justine? 

Justine Rodes 1:53
I'm doing great. Thank you so much for having me today because I had a chat. 

Rich Bennett 1:57
Oh, my pleasure. And I, I have to ask you this right off the bat. 

From Jersey to Florida. What? What happened there? 

Justine Rodes 2:09
That is fantastic question. 

I'm so excited to answer that. So. So yeah, I was in college in New Jersey, right? And then my junior year of high school there was this girl who did a Disney college program and. 

Rich Bennett 2:26
Okay. 

Justine Rodes 2:26
I love the attraction here. And then I saw on Facebook all her photos and I was like, That sounds like so much fun. Like, I would love to do that. So I applied, but I had no, I didn't think I was going to get at all. Actually, this was a time where I still had my self-esteem issues, so I didn't think that this was something like this needs a huge company in the very popular company. 

Rich Bennett 2:47
Right. 

Justine Rodes 2:47
Sure there's thousands and thousands of people applying for this, Right? So, yeah, I was just like, you know what? Let me just throw an application. Like, what's the worst that can happen to? I'm just saying that right? So then I Yeah. So then I put the application in and then naturally, I took a nap like a college student. 

And then an hour later, I woke up and I get an email saying that I was pushed to the let's see. Oh, yeah, the Web based interview. So I was like, okay, I'll take this. And also with the Internet. The Internet, where to go? Well, they don't care. You're 

Rich Bennett 3:21
Right. 

Justine Rodes 3:21
you're. You're done. So I went to the library on campus because I trust the internet there since it's, like, connected and not like wi fi. And so I won't do that and then automatically would tell you if you to the next round. And so I was like, okay, I'm schedule your phone interview. And I was like, okay, yeah. And then so. Yes. So I did that. And then I like, okay, I need to go home for the weekend because I do not trust my roommates because I live with girls that would just come in screaming like they had no consider. Yeah, I got honest. I could do like, a whole freaking episode about my roommate. 

It's it's pretty bad. A little traumatic, but I guess a whole other episode. So, yeah, so I was like, I don't not trust them. They have no consideration. I would be on the phone for the interview and then they're going to be like screaming. 

Rich Bennett 4:14
Right. 

Justine Rodes 4:15
Inappropriate, you know. So I was like, okay, I'm going to send a drive home for the week. And I told my parents I was like, I don't want anyone in the house. On Saturday at 1pmi have this interview. So then I had the interview, right? And then I hear that like you may not hear back for a month. Like, that's like a. So I didn't expect that to get to hear back in a month, but I heard back in a week. 

Rich Bennett 4:37
Wow. 

Justine Rodes 4:38
Yes. And a week. And I was just I remember I was in Walgreens and then I looked at my phone and all I saw was congratulations before I even opened the email. I see congratulations. And I was like, I literally wanted to scream. But I also was in public that thankfully, I was like in one of the like, not the aisles, you know, the I also. 

Rich Bennett 4:56
Yeah. 

Justine Rodes 4:57
No are in my I'll thank God and then like. 

Rich Bennett 5:01
Doing a little day. 

Justine Rodes 5:02
Yeah, exactly. And then so I wanted to, like, call my mom right away. So I call her. She doesn't answer the phone. I was like, okay, that's nice. I call my dad and he answers, and I'm like, Dad. I go to the college program. He was like, What am I gonna do, go to college? He was like, Really? I was like, She begs. 

I was like, I appreciate the 

Rich Bennett 5:24
You're 

Justine Rodes 5:25
support. Thank you so much that I really helped my self-esteem. So yeah, And then I had to make a decision if I wanted to, you know, leave school for a semester and move out and go to Florida to work for Disney. 

Rich Bennett 5:37
right. 

Justine Rodes 5:37
And I was like, I really want to, like, make sure I graduate on time. So then I went to the the advisor or the guidance or whatever, and I told her she was like, I love Disney. You should totally do that. You're like a huge Disney fan. And I was like, Okay, I want to graduate on time. And then she's like, Okay, yeah, what we can do is you take two online classes in the summer and the Disney offers like a program where they you can take like two classes over there and then it would transfer into credits over here. And I was like, Okay, yeah, cool. So I was like, Yes, it's no brainer. I'm going. So then I went and I was like, So? And she's going to be like, I'm moving to a different state, like away from New Jersey. Like, that's all I 

Rich Bennett 6:17
Big 

Justine Rodes 6:17
know. 

Rich Bennett 6:18
difference. 

Justine Rodes 6:19
Oh, yeah, right. I mean, I'm familiar with Florida because I have family in Florida, so I've done, like, my vacations 

Rich Bennett 6:24
Right? 

Justine Rodes 6:24
and such, but I never actually live there. So. So yeah. So then I went there and I didn't like, know anybody. But actually, I think I remember I got lucky where there was like a big Facebook group, whereas like trying to find roommates 

Rich Bennett 6:40
Mm hmm. 

Justine Rodes 6:41
and there was this one girl that she was like, Oh my God, I go to your college too. So it's like, This is perfect. So we like met up at like one of the coffee shops. So I was like we were able to, like, get to know each other before we actually moved there. So that felt like pretty comforting. 

Rich Bennett 6:54
Right? 

Justine Rodes 6:55
All the girls. We all we all clicked so well. And then the greatest thing, too, is that everybody's from different places. 

Rich Bennett 7:02
Yeah. 

Justine Rodes 7:02
I had a person from Texas, a person from Oregon. Louisiana? 

Rich Bennett 7:07
Wow. 

Justine Rodes 7:08
Yeah. Like, and then one girl from, like, upstate New York. So it was it was really cool. So we all, like literally all different walks of life. So I love and I you know, the greatest thing, too, is that growing up in New Jersey, you know, I love the the people like like, you know, my friends and family. 

Rich Bennett 7:25
Right. 

Justine Rodes 7:25
But to be honest with you, like New Jersey is a little like it's aggressive and can be a little hostile. So I grew up in that environment. Right. But then when I moved when I went to Florida and all these people, I was like, Wow, you guys are actually nice. Like I was. It was kind of like an eye opener that everybody thinks differently and everybody was so kind. 

Rich Bennett 7:47
Wow. 

Justine Rodes 7:48
And New Jersey is kind of like, get over yourself. Kind of. 

Rich Bennett 7:52
Right. 

Justine Rodes 7:53
Culture, you know, it's like, suck it up, like. Yeah, clearly. I think we're kind of going to. A health pass here. So I grew up in that environment. And then when I went to and people are actually like caring about your feelings and your mental health. And I was like, Wow. So anyways, I worked for the company and I fell in love. I loved their culture. I loved everything they stood for. I felt like I belonged. 

Rich Bennett 8:17
Right? 

Justine Rodes 8:17
I never really had that certain feeling before of feeling like I belong. So it was just like my book. And nothing too is that they said about I think it was like 20,000 people applied and like 2000 and something got in. 

Rich Bennett 8:33
Mm hmm. 

Justine Rodes 8:33
So that like made me feel pretty cool. I was like, Oh, I'm like, I guess I'm kind of cool. Like, I guess I, you know, have value. So that like, helped like that literally boosted my self esteem by a lot. And then so I learned a lot of, a lot of different things like working for the company. And then so we had two classes that we were you don't have to take classes when you were there, but I chose be up for the credits 

Rich Bennett 8:57
Right. 

Justine Rodes 8:58
and there were fun classes, like I took creativity, innovation 

Rich Bennett 9:01
Ooh. 

Justine Rodes 9:02
and then organizational leadership class. So. 

Rich Bennett 9:05
Wow. 

Justine Rodes 9:06
Yeah. So in the creativity innovation class, I, I met these two girls. They were still like really good friends today. And so, yeah, that one girl, I that was the girl I was with last night. So and then the. 

Yeah. And then the organizational leadership, one, everybody at my table were like, from different countries. 

Rich Bennett 9:27
Oh, wow. 

Justine Rodes 9:28
So that was really cool. And then we had like a report that we had to do, like a paper for the end of the semester and then everybody had to have their own roles. And so everybody looked at me and the table was like, okay, so Justine is going to be the the editor here. And then I'm like, Why am I the editor in my head? First I was thinking in my head I was like, Why are people volunteering me? Like if we have to, we like talk about offers. Like that's kind of rude. But then I was like I said, so I was like, Why are you guys picking on me for this? And they're like, Because you're the only one here. The first language is English. I'm like. 

Rich Bennett 10:01
Makes sense now. 

Justine Rodes 10:02
I know MLA for Miley. So. I was like, Oh, hey, that makes sense. Any of of getting in a like a 98. So we we August so happy we're like taking selfies with our paper. Yeah it was super cool. Like two people are from France. One was from Puerto Rico 

Rich Bennett 10:21
Okay. 

Justine Rodes 10:21
or. Yeah it was. So it was, it was awesome. So yes. Anyway, so I follow the company and then I didn't want to leave. But also I'm like, I have one more semester of school. I'm not going to drop out of college. 

Rich Bennett 10:30
Right. 

Justine Rodes 10:31
And then so I said, okay, well, I'm going to leave, finish, let's do the semester. And thankfully you could apply for the program six months post-grad. So once I even I graduated college, like you have one more chance to go. And so I was like, okay, cool. So I applied to, to go back and then I got accepted pretty I actually know that one. It took a month, which is really weird. You think? 

Rich Bennett 10:55
Interesting. 

Justine Rodes 10:55
Fast You what? You think it would have been faster, considering they already have my record card and they can see that I was a good cast member, 

Rich Bennett 11:01
Right. 

Justine Rodes 11:01
but it took longer. So I don't unless they see I was a previous cast member and then they had to like look back to make sure I was a cast member. Maybe. I don't know. I don't know, I. 

Rich Bennett 11:11
Sue Cast member What were you? Selena Gomez Double. 

Justine Rodes 11:15
Oh, I wish. Yeah, know, I know a lot of people when they hear cast member, like I've had people ask me, Oh, were you pro were you a princess? And I was like, No, no. Yes. So like, the cast members is just me as an employee. 

Rich Bennett 11:25
Yeah. 

Justine Rodes 11:26
Yeah. And then, like, for our uniforms, it was a costume. Yeah. So. So anyway, so I went back and actually worked. I didn't take like the classes and I didn't do the Disney housing because I just, I already had like the experi tions. So I just wanted to just get back into the company and, like, be full time. So. So, yes, that's what I did. And then I've been here since 2017 and then I worked for the company for about five, 5 to 5, six years. I. 

Rich Bennett 11:55
Really? 

Justine Rodes 11:56
Yeah. And so I quit at 2022 because that's kind of like I can't really go into it till the magic kind of stopped after a couple of years. Because after a while, like, you know, everything is so fun in the beginning, but then couple of years later, you kind of get burnt out. 

Rich Bennett 12:13
Yeah. 

Justine Rodes 12:13
By the way, people at the like, not the company, but the guess like. People. I tell people like sometimes what the guest would say to us or what they would do to us, and they're like, Wow, people are that mean. It's like, yeah, like my. 

Rich Bennett 12:25
And after COVID, they went through a lot of changes to ordering COVID. 

Justine Rodes 12:30
Yeah. I mean, all of this started way before COVID. 

Rich Bennett 12:32
Yeah, 

Justine Rodes 12:33
Yeah. Like, I literally like what I saw. I'll tell you, the job that I did, the first job I had was a vacation plan, and I sold the tickets. That one wasn't too bad. Like, 

Rich Bennett 12:42
right. 

Justine Rodes 12:43
majority of the people were fine, right? But then the second one, I worked a test track at Epcot, so I worked on attractions. So that was pretty high stress 

Rich Bennett 12:52
Huh. 

Justine Rodes 12:52
because. Yeah, so that was pretty high stress. And then some people just choose not to cooperate and choose to like I mean, there was a time where people were trying to like, threaten to beat me up and I was like, go for it. I like because like, I didn't let them do the fastpass line because they didn't have a fastpass because you don't actually, if you don't fastpass, you can't go in the fast. 

Rich Bennett 13:08
Right? Yeah. 

Justine Rodes 13:09
Right? Yeah, but now they're like, Really? You're not going to in the fastpass line, just. And I was like, No, I'm not. You got to go on the stamp. I say, Well, it's too long. And I'm like. 

Rich Bennett 13:17
Are these people you knew or just guessed? 

Justine Rodes 13:21
These are guests. 

Rich Bennett 13:22
Wow. 

Justine Rodes 13:23
I've heard I've had people like literally these three guys ganged up on me once, right? And then I was like, Go for it. Give me right here. Because if they did hit me, I'd get worker's comp. So I was like, go for. 

Rich Bennett 13:34
Way of looking at it. 

Justine Rodes 13:35
Go for it and then see if they do that and then like they'll get kicked out for like. 

Rich Bennett 13:39
Right. 

Justine Rodes 13:40
Yeah. If they assault me. And I think to use that we have a security person in each section 

Rich Bennett 13:45
Okay. 

Justine Rodes 13:45
of the park, right? The guy who's working security was my ex-boyfriend. 

Rich Bennett 13:49
Oh, God. 

Justine Rodes 13:50
And I was like, Please don't make me call my ex-boyfriend. Well, I didn't say that to them because they don't know that, obviously. 

Rich Bennett 13:56
Yeah, 

Justine Rodes 13:56
Yeah. If it escalated, you had to call. Right. 

Rich Bennett 13:59
right. 

Justine Rodes 14:00
But I was like, in my head, I'm like, okay, like, I do not want to get the phone and call the security in the area. Like I say, I want to do is call my ex-boyfriend over. 

Rich Bennett 14:09
God. 

Justine Rodes 14:11
I like. Yeah, I can. I have so many stories. You want to make this whole episode about? I got you. 

Rich Bennett 14:17
What or what did you do after you left there, though? 

Justine Rodes 14:20
Oh, great. Good question. So, yeah, I do a social media management for 

Rich Bennett 14:25
Oh, 

Justine Rodes 14:26
like small businesses. Yeah. So I got I've been doing social media stuff since like 2016, a 

Rich Bennett 14:32
right. 

Justine Rodes 14:33
personal lives. I get that YouTube and everything, right? So I've been in that world. And then when I was working for the company, I knew I, I was intrigued by marketing 

Rich Bennett 14:42
Mm hmm. 

Justine Rodes 14:43
and then I wanted to do like work in social media, in the company. But so to be honest with you, it's really hard to move around the company like once you're in. So there's a lot of competition. And I didn't have anything on my resumé that I went to school for social media, but they actually came up with a program in 2019 called a Disney Aspire Program where they'll pay for your school. So I saw a graduate certificate for social media and I went and I took it and it was free because Disney paid for it. 

Rich Bennett 15:13
Oh, wow. 

Justine Rodes 15:13
So during that, yeah. So between 2020 and 2021, I went back to do like online school at the University of Florida. So I got that. So I have a backing of psychology and that right. And so I was applying for a bunch of places and then in within Disney, I've had like these, they call them be ingrates, where you can like email leaders in the other areas and like, try to like, you know, mingle. And they did tell me they're like, to be honest with you, I would recommend finding experience outside the company because it's because it's very competitive. Right? And then there's people who have like marketing degrees or like communications. So they're obviously going to be prioritized. So I was like, okay, so I was applying for jobs around like all over the place. And fun fact, the one job that I almost got was actually for like a podcast network. 

Rich Bennett 16:01
Really? 

Justine Rodes 16:02
Yeah. So it's pretty much the person that would like look for talent. 

Rich Bennett 16:06
Yeah. 

Justine Rodes 16:06
And so I was like, okay, this is like right up my alley, right? And I just started doing my podcast and this is like 2021. And then there was like four interviews and I did three interviews. What super well, I was like, at that point, I feel like I kind of got it. 

Rich Bennett 16:19
Mm hmm. 

Justine Rodes 16:20
And then so after the third interview, I went really well, by the way, I didn't like hear anything, so I was a little confused. And then so, you know, I was being patient. And then because they said they were going to get back to me. And so I waited like I think one or two weeks. And I just, you know, follow up the email. 

Rich Bennett 16:35
Yeah. 

Justine Rodes 16:35
And then they were like not answering. So I was like, hey, like, you know, I guess I follow up again and they're like, Hey, sorry, we're doing something different with the role or Thanks for your time or whatever. And I was just like, All right, I don't know. So that kind of you know, that really upset me because I was so miserable at the job at Disney at that point. Like, I was so miserable that I had to be on medication and I was calling into work like once a week, like I was that miserable. 

Rich Bennett 17:02
Wow. 

Justine Rodes 17:02
And then like, I would wake up in the morning and I would dread going like I would cry in the shower, like not wanting to go. 

Rich Bennett 17:09
Was it 

Justine Rodes 17:09
But 

Rich Bennett 17:09
fun 

Justine Rodes 17:09
as. 

Rich Bennett 17:09
anymore? 

Justine Rodes 17:10
It was. It is because over time, like these guests, like, you know, you know, people say like when you work in these kind of jobs, you can't. Can't let. Don't take a personal right. That's what they teach you. Which I understand that. But also, like as a human being, my brain is not aware of that. My. 

Rich Bennett 17:27
Right. 

Justine Rodes 17:27
Just hearing all of this negativity. So let me just go back. The last couple of years I was working as a group specialist, which is essentially a call role. Like a phone role. 

Rich Bennett 17:38
Okay. 

Justine Rodes 17:39
So, yeah, so the beginning was fine. Like we're working with like conference people and sports people and their role was pretty like chill 

Rich Bennett 17:47
Mm hmm. 

Justine Rodes 17:48
because they were going there for work versus like a vacation where they vacation their Colaba more, you know, spicy with their, 

Rich Bennett 17:54
Yeah. 

Justine Rodes 17:54
with their attitudes. So in the beginning it was great. And then the phone, like the, the phone volume wasn't that bad. So I'll get a call like every, I don't know, ten, 15 minutes. I'll have time between like read a book. Like it was chill. I enjoyed it. But then over time they kept adding more leads. So I was group reservations, Sports weddings run Disney. I was like, Honestly, I was so many different things. And then we had a different greeting every time. So when the call came in and the call came, it would tell you like on the bottom, like what it is. So you had 

Rich Bennett 18:27
Right. 

Justine Rodes 18:27
a. So your greeting, whatever it is, but then sometimes it wouldn't come in like technical stuff. So I just sometimes I'll like, you know, actually I think one a couple of times I would say like, you know, for weddings and it will be like sports, like there'll be some technical issues. So I'll be like, Oh, thank you for calling Disney fairy tale what it's like, huh? I'm here for the sporting event. And it was like, Oh, they get the wrong line. And I was like, Now. 

I am now sports. Let's go. Yes. 

Rich Bennett 18:56
Wow. 

Justine Rodes 18:56
Yeah, we'll have those moments. And then during some of the challenging times with when it was Pop Warner season. Are you familiar with Pop Warner? 

Rich Bennett 19:04
Pop Warner and Woo hoo! That sounds familiar. 

Justine Rodes 19:07
Yeah, it's like it's football for, like, young people, like us kids and it's like their Super Bowl. So, like. 

Rich Bennett 19:14
Okay. 

Justine Rodes 19:15
Towns, they compete and then like, they do their like Super Bowl being at Disney at the ESPN. 

Rich Bennett 19:20
Okay. 

Justine Rodes 19:21
So Pop Warner season was always so much anxiety and so chaotic because to be honest with you, like these like coaches and like they're like, really mean to us, Like, they're very aggressive. Yeah. And then so and then also, like, when Pop Warner sees it, like everybody is just like, angry and just stressed, so they take it out on us naturally. So when Pop Warner season comes and we go to our meetings and like just, you know, prepping for Pop Warner season, I remember this one girl. She's like, okay, so when we get to go out for margaritas after this, like everybody just like we're just talking about margaritas instead in this meeting because everybody just knows how we just are dead inside during the season. 

Rich Bennett 20:03
There. 

Justine Rodes 20:04
Yeah. And that's actually the my first pop was Pop Warner season. Like when I started. That's when I started to, like, lose the magic. 

Rich Bennett 20:11
Wow. 

Justine Rodes 20:12
That was the event that I was starting to lose that magic. And it was just slowly like I took it went from being also having being a part of the company to like, oh, you know, and then varsity season. Oh my God, Varsity season was horrible, too. And the crazy thing too, is like, so these like the cheerleaders. These chair moms. These chair moms. Oh, and you know the crazy thing. 

Rich Bennett 20:35
God. 

Justine Rodes 20:37
The other crazy thing too, is like the one that they call us. It's like they're not supposed to call us. So apparently, like with Farsi, they actually hire like a travel agent 

Rich Bennett 20:46
Right. 

Justine Rodes 20:46
and then they book it for them. But like, if there's a post like these two, your moms are supposed to do this in advance cause they have like a certain amount of, like a block. 

Rich Bennett 20:55
Yeah. 

Justine Rodes 20:55
And so if they're out, they're out because they're like a special rate for them. So when they're out, they'll call us and ask us to book. And I'm like, we we don't book varsity. And they're like, Well, can you just like book a room for us? It's like, no, like we don't have access to just like, general like we'll have this, you know, transfer you to the to like their regular vacation line. But those lines would be like 3 hours long and like three, like three hour wait times. And we. 

Rich Bennett 21:22
Wow. 

Justine Rodes 21:23
Yeah. No, it's. It's insane. It's insane. Especially like during, like, free dine promotion. They don't have this promotion where it's like, Oh, if you book a room here, you're going to get a free dining package. But in reality, they're just upping the price for the rooms. But, you know, it's like a marketing tactic, right? So yeah, yeah. I feel like I'm giving you all of the. I'm so glad. More with the company. More they'll sue me. 

Yeah. Yeah. So that was that. And that's varsity was pretty bad. 

Rich Bennett 21:51
So with it, because it seems like I hate to say it, but a lot of people don't stay there that long. Do you still have friends that stay there or that are still there? 

Justine Rodes 22:02
You mean working for the company? 

Rich Bennett 22:03
Yeah. 

Justine Rodes 22:05
Let me try this now. Well, the girl is with last night. She works. 

Rich Bennett 22:09
Okay. 

Justine Rodes 22:10
She works at Hollywood studios. And actually she got treat a way worse than 

Rich Bennett 22:14
Why? 

Justine Rodes 22:14
me, like she got caught. She got called a Nazi once 

Rich Bennett 22:17
What? 

Justine Rodes 22:17
because, yeah, she got called the Nazi. She it was like a situation where she didn't let someone do the fast line. So they called her a Nazi. They also call her racist. They pulled the race card on her. If they don't get what they want. Yeah. And she's been pushed to the she's been pushed to the wall a couple of times and. 

Rich Bennett 22:32
So weird stuff like that, because I know some other people that worked there. I mean, a lot of complaints about it. Do they offer therapy or anything for you guys? 

Justine Rodes 22:44
They they do. So they 

Rich Bennett 22:45
Okay, good. 

Justine Rodes 22:46
Yeah. So they have this thing called Employee Assistance program, right? 

Rich Bennett 22:50
Hmm. Hmm. Hmm. 

Justine Rodes 22:50
And so they pay. So basically, if you have a problem like a depression, let's say, though, they'll pay for your first. I think I think it's like five or six visits. But 

Rich Bennett 23:01
Hmm. Hmm. 

Justine Rodes 23:01
then after those five or six and it's like $20 per visit, so it's like affordable. 

Rich Bennett 23:05
Yeah. 

Justine Rodes 23:06
But as a life hack, you can just switch your problem. Okay, Have depression for this problem. Let's do my five or six visits. Okay. Now I have anxiety. Okay? Now I can't sleep. Like like, like that's a life hack. And they don't care. It's like if. 

Rich Bennett 23:19
She's. 

Justine Rodes 23:20
We'll give you freebies as per problem. And like my leadership team are like, you can literally just say, okay, now you have this and now you have this. And it's like pretty much free. So. So yeah, so they'll have like they also on property, they have like a medical like a doctor's office. 

Rich Bennett 23:37
Right. 

Justine Rodes 23:38
And so, of course, these are like real dogs. So they hired doctors like, I guess, third party to work in there, like it's literally a doctor's office. Like if you have like Disney insurance, like you can do like your primary there, you can get certain shots on like even a pharmacy. Like they had everything and it was just cast exclusive. So, you know, I mean, even though I've been through a lot of like challenges working there, they do have resources. So they do that to the you know, a lot of people, if you ask different cast members, you would hear different stories. 

Rich Bennett 24:09
Right? 

Justine Rodes 24:09
Different opinions, like some Catholics would be like, Oh my God, this is the best thing ever. And then some people were like, Oh, So it's just like for me, I'm really glad I see both sides. 

Rich Bennett 24:19
Yeah. 

Justine Rodes 24:19
So I feel like I've experienced both. Like I feel like it's also another thing too, is has a lot to do with your leadership team. So like, I've done like I think how I like four different roles, which we call them roles, not jobs, by the way, 

Rich Bennett 24:32
Mm hmm. 

Justine Rodes 24:32
because or as our role on the show. Now they say that that's what they say. They 

Rich Bennett 24:37
Yeah. 

Justine Rodes 24:37
go like we're in. Yeah, exactly. We are. 

Rich Bennett 24:41
It is a giant show you think 

Justine Rodes 24:43
Exactly 

Rich Bennett 24:43
about. 

Justine Rodes 24:44
right. Yeah, exactly. Anyway, so it depends where you hear. I've I've worked in areas where the leadership team wasn't so great, and then I worked in some where they're like, we're like family. Right. 

Rich Bennett 24:55
Okay. 

Justine Rodes 24:56
But I. Yeah, but I notice I mean, I notice that you have, like, the best leadership experience when you're on a smaller team. So, like, when I worked that test track, you have, like, I don't know, 50 different cast members, like, throughout the week. Well, because, you know, like, it's a it's a big ride 

Rich Bennett 25:12
Yeah. 

Justine Rodes 25:12
and it's some people are part time, so people are like seasonal, like there's a lot of people on the roster. So they would have, I think like maybe two or three leaders for that particular. Actually not even that particular attraction, that particular area which had like I think two different rides. 

Rich Bennett 25:29
Mm hmm. 

Justine Rodes 25:30
So you know, they don't give you as much like one on one time. 

Rich Bennett 25:34
Right. 

Justine Rodes 25:35
So it's it's like they forget about you, which it's like if you want to, like, talk to lead, you have to like, requested and it's like, it's not fun. So you don't really feel supported. And so but when I worked in, I worked at the Central Florida sales team, so we were like a team of like I think like six or seven or eight. So we're very like, we're a very like, you know, close to each other. 

Rich Bennett 25:59
Yeah. 

Justine Rodes 26:00
We have one leader and then we'll we'll have meetings every single morning at like 830 before we go out to the field. So we always, you know, connected like right before. Right. So that's when I did a professional internship. So that was actually my favorite role with the company because I had a lot of independence. 

Rich Bennett 26:16
Mm. 

Justine Rodes 26:17
I had like my own car, Like it was really cool. 

Rich Bennett 26:21
They supplied you with the car. 

Justine Rodes 26:23
I mean, I can only use it like when I'm on the clock. 

Rich Bennett 26:25
Right. But still. Wow. 

Justine Rodes 26:26
Yes. So pretty much with the actually, this role doesn't even exist anymore. But what it was is that we sell our tickets, like in different like hotels in the area. Like, even Walmart. So those are our partners and our clients. 

Rich Bennett 26:39
Right. 

Justine Rodes 26:39
So what? I was a client service coordinator. So I was faced with like, I was like the face of the company. So it's like I would go to the locations and supply them their marketing material at the most, like new stuff. There would be questions like, I was like, there, their point of contact. 

Rich Bennett 26:57
Okay. 

Justine Rodes 26:58
The company, right? So Superfund, I had to go to like eight locations a day. But I mean, it's not really that back a lot of sometimes it could be like one across the street or, you know. So I was able to drive like a Disney SUV car and like there cars were grabs. I had Buzz Lightyear. 

Rich Bennett 27:14
Oh, wow. 

Justine Rodes 27:16
Yeah. Yeah, it was cool, but I think too, I had to keep in mind. So when you're driving, if someone acts like a jerk, you know, you just want to just, like, flip them off, right? See, I can't do that. I kind of had to remember that I was on the clock, and I'm a Disney castmember, so. Oh, your was. Yeah. One time I was driving, going into, like, turning into Walmart and the jogger decided to not, like, stop as I was literally in the middle of me turning in and he was so cool and I almost ran him over. 

Rich Bennett 27:42
Chase. 

Justine Rodes 27:43
And I wanted to be like, But it's okay. Can I curse? I'm so. 

Rich Bennett 27:47
Yeah, you're fine. Look. Hey, Justine. You're from Jersey. Come on. 

Justine Rodes 27:51
No, I just want to I know some podcast at all. I just always I should s just 

Rich Bennett 27:56
Yeah, 

Justine Rodes 27:56
be respectful. 

Rich Bennett 27:57
you're fine. 

Justine Rodes 27:57
Yeah. So was. Lucky me and I wanted to be like that, but I was like, 

Oh, you know how many times I had a mass my emotions? 

Rich Bennett 28:13
Oh, that's got to be hard. 

Justine Rodes 28:16
I was dead inside. Oh, my God. I was like, you had. I had to be, like, literally, like, on medication to deal with these people. But yeah, and you starting to. It's like, Imagine I ran that guy over that. Would it be a nice headline? Disney Cast member Red over Jogger. 

Rich Bennett 28:35
Who got. It would have been even funnier if you were in a costume dressed like a duck or something. Duck flattens draw girl. It's like. 

Justine Rodes 28:47
Yeah. That I would have easily been fired, Blake. Yeah. No, I mean, one customer did get into a I think she got into a fender bender, but like, they weren't, she didn't like, get in trouble for that because they understand that stuff happens. 

Rich Bennett 29:00
Right. 

Justine Rodes 29:00
You know, like if it's something like that, like they have like, I mean, she was completely, like, freaking out, but we're like, taught, like, okay, yeah, the insurance is here. Do this, do that. Like, obviously we know what happens if you get into an accident, like, naturally, but we have, like this friggin big ass book that I had in my head. I was like, like pretty much like a how to at an event that you, you hit someone's car. This is what you do. Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 29:29
Oh, my. 

Justine Rodes 29:29
So, yeah, I'm so glad I wasn't that girl. 

Rich Bennett 29:32
Instead of one form. You got to fill out a book. 

Justine Rodes 29:35
I mean, it was just I guess I mean, it makes sense because 

Rich Bennett 29:39
Yeah. 

Justine Rodes 29:39
they want to make sure, like every. 

Rich Bennett 29:41
But meanwhile, the person you hit there, Breitling, is the watch. Come on. We've been here for an hour. We're all. You're filling out Everything. I got to get out of here. The cops said it's okay. There's no damage. Why was. 

Justine Rodes 29:55
You know what I think, too, is that I'm actually for my memory. I don't know for sure if people were trying to purposely get into an action with us. Because if you think about it, I mean, if you really think about it, you probably want to get hit by Disney car. 

Rich Bennett 30:08
Yeah. Because that be a big. 

Justine Rodes 30:10
Maybe that's why the Joker kept going. 

Rich Bennett 30:14
Got it. 

Oh. Oh, man. I. I want. I want to talk about your past, Will you podcasting your clothing line, first of all, because the clothing line is also mentally a bad ass, right? 

Justine Rodes 30:30
Yes. 

Rich Bennett 30:31
I love that title. How did you come up with that? Mentally Obey is. 

Justine Rodes 30:36
Another fantastic question I love. So yeah, so pretty much mentally badass. The actual brand comes from by like, my personality. So I before I had the Missy Badass brand, I like to brand myself as a badass. It's just like it's my, like, energy. 

Rich Bennett 30:51
Smart. 

Justine Rodes 30:52
By spirit and such. Right. And so when I was originally starting doing mental health content, that's when I was doing still doing YouTube, right? 

Rich Bennett 30:59
Okay. 

Justine Rodes 30:59
And so I was actually originally started as like. I was doing kind of like a segment thing, like an interview thing on my YouTube channel, and it was called Breaking the Stigma with. So 

Rich Bennett 31:11
Oh. 

Justine Rodes 31:11
that's how like. Yeah, yeah. And like, no one really knows about that. Can I pirate all those videos? But I only really interview two people close in person and I only had so many friends who will be willing to do it. So it kind of flopped. So I was like, okay. But I was like, I guess people don't maybe don't want to like, look at me and like, you know, if I want to just maybe hear me and, you know, okay, listen. 

Rich Bennett 31:30
Oh, please. 

Justine Rodes 31:31
So no doubt. Okay, so here we are. So think about it. If you are want to hear like a podcast, like want to hear about mental health, you want to hear about some advice, right? 

Rich Bennett 31:40
Okay. 

Justine Rodes 31:40
A lot of people probably wouldn't want to, like, feel restricted and sit down and watch. They probably maybe like, want to hear like a podcast. 

Rich Bennett 31:46
Okay. I thought you meant something different. Like. 

Justine Rodes 31:48
Oh, no. 

Rich Bennett 31:49
Okay. Okay. 

Justine Rodes 31:50
My choice of words. I swear. I know. 

Rich Bennett 31:53
Nobody wants to look at my guy. I have a tendency to break cameras, so. 

Justine Rodes 31:59
Yeah. So. So yeah, I was like, okay, with your podcast. But at first I thought only like famous people did podcast. Like I had no 

Rich Bennett 32:06
Really? 

Justine Rodes 32:06
way. Yes. I was like, I don't know how I got Spotify. I don't know how to get an Apple podcast. Like, you know, these are like big name companies. And I was like, I don't know how to do this. But then I realize I saw Anker and I was like, Oh, okay. So I, I saw my podcast. So we just doing it from my phone and so. So anyway, so my tweet about us came from obviously that the whole badass thing. But then also like the mental and I think it kind of just came to me. 

Rich Bennett 32:32
Yeah. 

Justine Rodes 32:32
Like monthly about us. And it was just super unique. And so people loved it. They loved it. And then I actually made a coloring book, which no one really knows about, and 

Rich Bennett 32:41
Really? 

Justine Rodes 32:41
it's been so long. Yeah, it's on Amazon and I didn't know. Nope. What my gosh, coloring book like in 2020 was. So this was all like really fresh. And this is also when I'm starting to figure out the brand 

Rich Bennett 32:54
Mm hmm. 

Justine Rodes 32:55
and originally the whole like Brand's mission was like society shouldn't see people as weak minded but badasses. So that's still, you know, very important. Yeah, the still very important. But now I'm switching things up a little bit. But as I want, like, like what I want to do with this brand and I want to encourage vulnerability and authenticity. So my whole thing is like being vulnerable is pretty badass. 

Rich Bennett 33:18
Yeah. 

Justine Rodes 33:19
So, so anyway, so on, I mean, obviously a badass and people love this so much and I made the coloring book and everything. This one friend I had was like, You should trademark this. And I was like, Oh, I don't even think about this. Like, Yeah, because your name is unique. Last thing you want to do is someone take it and then. 

Rich Bennett 33:34
True. 

Justine Rodes 33:35
Then you have like, you know, legal stuff. So I trademark this. I do like legally, all mentally a bad ass. 

Rich Bennett 33:40
That's good. That's smart. 

Justine Rodes 33:42
But yeah, especially with this brand. So like I own the rights for the podcast, the clothing line, and before I even decide who the clothing line like, I already had it down for apparel just in case. I'm so glad I did it. I want to know how long it took me to get this trademarked. Like, over to, like, two years. 

Rich Bennett 33:59
I believe it. 

Justine Rodes 34:01
Yeah, it took forever. And I'm like, Thank God I have it now. So yeah, so that's like where the name came from. And so essentially, just like the brand overall, like the there's a, the whole community is to, you know, encourage vulnerability and to that's also my personality. It took me a lot to actually be able to talk about things. 

Rich Bennett 34:25
Right. 

Justine Rodes 34:25
And, you know, this was sparked by like my Instagram post from like years back where I would like talk about mental health. And I had like a whole paragraph like back on Instagram, which was photos I would like take a photo of I have like a whole thing for mental health, like with the whole bipolar and people like responded to it. They were like, wow, it took a lot of courage. So that's kind of like what this where it happened. I was like, Oh, I did not realize. Yeah, I didn't go with the influence I had there. So that was like I should of how should have started with that. But yeah. 

Rich Bennett 34:56
Well, it's amazing because when I started my now, I've been doing my podcast since 2015, but when I originally started it was focused on just talking to basically local business owners. And then when I rebranded a couple of years ago, 

actually just before I rebranded, because I got introduced to somebody that runs a nonprofit helping women in recovery. So we started talking about I start talking about addiction more. The local health department is one of my sponsors. We start talking about mental health and now we it's I love it because I learn from all my guest. 

And we are making people aware. And if this hasn't happened to you yet, I guarantee you it will. Because your podcast is a particular niche. You're strictly talking about mental health. Whereas me, I cover a little bit of everything. 

One of the best rewards I've ever gotten was hearing from a guest from another country or not a guest hearing from a listener from another country thanking me for an episode. And I had a certain guest on because they were stuck. They didn't know what to do. And hearing that that conversation of my that particular guest helped them. And that's just yeah, if you haven't gotten that yet, you will you. 

Justine Rodes 36:25
I have. 

Rich Bennett 36:26
Okay, good. It's rewarding, isn't it? 

Justine Rodes 36:28
Yes, I love her. 

Rich Bennett 36:31
It feels good. And the thing is, it's people like you. You're you know, you're doing this. You're not afraid to talk about it. And I think once other people hear you talking about it, then they realize, oh, it's okay. You're breaking the stigma. It's okay to talk, because when you talk about it, you're helping other people. You're also helping yourself. It's like therapy for yourself, right? 

Justine Rodes 36:56
Yes, absolutely. 

Rich Bennett 36:59
It's great. So with the podcast, now that you're you don't do video anymore, right? You're strictly audio or do you do video? 

Justine Rodes 37:07
I do put the video on YouTube. 

Rich Bennett 37:09
Okay. So as I mentioned before, you know, you're you're on the charts on good page, which I love good coupons. But where is what's something you want to do for your podcast that you haven't done yet? 

Justine Rodes 37:24
Hmm. That's a good question. And look what I want to do. You know, one thing I would love to do, and it's called my podcast kind of helping me get there is I would love to do like a tour for, like, schools, 

Rich Bennett 37:38
Oh. 

Justine Rodes 37:38
you know, like speaking at schools because I was struggling the most when I was in high school. 

Rich Bennett 37:43
Right. 

Justine Rodes 37:44
You know, and I feel like, you know, people in like teenagers or kids, like they don't have the knowledge that we have or the experiences. And I remember that there was like this one teacher that pretty much, like, saved me. Right. I was going through a lot. Right. And so he was actually my course teacher. And when I was going through it, he says to me, I'll always remember this and thank him. Is that just? He said, Justine, we are in a fishbowl right now. So. Because think about it. High school. You're in like a fishbowl. 

Rich Bennett 38:18
Yeah. Okay. 

Justine Rodes 38:20
And then once you graduate, you're in the ocean and there's like endless 

Rich Bennett 38:23
Yeah. 

Justine Rodes 38:23
of opportunities. So even though you're going through a hard time when silly people don't like you and people are mean to you and think of this of you and you're just struggling, it's like, keep going, because once you get out of here, you are your life. Literally. You can do whatever you want. And and he's right. Think about it. I. 

Rich Bennett 38:42
Yeah, 

Justine Rodes 38:43
Out of New Jersey and I moved to Florida and I completely, you know, changed my life and nothing to that. I'm in a committed relationship. Right. 

Rich Bennett 38:51
right. 

Justine Rodes 38:51
And he actually is from Washington State. 

Rich Bennett 38:55
Oh. 

Justine Rodes 38:56
And we met at VidCon in California. Yeah, I know. So we met there. And the way we met is I was we happened to be eating our lunch at the same time. And so I went to the food truck to get food and there was like, there was like nothing available seat wise besides one spot in this table, Right. And I was a little like, a little anxious, cause like, all these people sitting there, like, I have to say, like, go associate OC, I eat with you guys, you know? So I didn't they were like, very nice. And then that was like, you know, my boyfriend there. 

Rich Bennett 39:27
Right. 

Justine Rodes 39:27
Person. And here's something really funny. I thought he was a hippie. 

Because the way he was, like I thought he I thought him in this girl, like, lived out like, you know, one of those people that, like, live out of a van. It's like, you know, cool. Because I mean, because there's a creative people. 

Rich Bennett 39:42
Yeah. 

Justine Rodes 39:43
That's expected. Right. And also at the time, I had this like her persona. I had like this lavender wig that I would wear. And people were like, yeah, I got. If you really go deep into my Instagram, you will see that whole brand's. 

Rich Bennett 39:57
Okay. 

Justine Rodes 39:58
Yeah. Yeah. And it looked real too. So I was like pretty much known for that. So naturally when I was going to VidCon representing my brand, I was dressed like that. So he met me with like purple hair. So, So yes. Anyway, so we're like talking about, I don't know, five, 10 minutes. And then as we're leaving, naturally, just like, Oh, let me follow you on Instagram and this and that. Right. And then didn't think much of it. And then, like, I guess the pandemic happened and, you know, he would just maybe like respond to one of my Instagram stories and just, you know, and that just like little by little, like we didn't like each other then. Like, he didn't like. 

Rich Bennett 40:35
Right. 

Justine Rodes 40:36
Our mush is friendly stuff. And then I was doing this like this thing for one Hope wine, where I was like doing events and raising money. And him and I. One thing we had in common was was how our passion for mental health. And so, you know, to write love in her arms like the the nonprofit. 

Rich Bennett 40:54
Yeah. 

Justine Rodes 40:55
So I was like, Hey, like, I'm trying to look for someone to help me raise money for this. Like, do you want to do? And he was like, Yeah, absolutely. So were there these fundraisers on Facebook, in the Facebook groups? 

Rich Bennett 41:05
Yeah. 

Justine Rodes 41:05
So naturally we had to bring our relationship to Facebook. So I went from Instagram to Facebook, and that's when it gets more personal. So we're doing that together. We had a talk like every day to do this. And then after 

Rich Bennett 41:16
He's still 

Justine Rodes 41:16
we. 

Rich Bennett 41:16
in California at this hour. Watch 

Justine Rodes 41:18
Oh, no. He's Washington. Yeah, Washington. 

Rich Bennett 41:20
how. 

Justine Rodes 41:21
Yeah. So. And then. So. Yeah. So right now we're successful. We made, like, pretty good money. And then after he was like, Hey! And somebody started liking me, and this was like January of, like 2021. And at that time I was like, and I was like, I was like, I was like, You seem very nice. And I do. I am very flattered, but I'm not interested. And I also just got out of a relationship. 

Rich Bennett 41:45
Right? 

Justine Rodes 41:46
So I was just like that. I was like in my whole independent era, like, yeah, So that's how I was like single. And so I was like, I appreciate. He's like, look. And he's like, I totally understand. I would just like to still say friends. Like, you're really cool. I love talking to you. And I'm like, Yeah, absolutely. And so over like that year, he would like, reach out and be like, Hey, what's up? Like, you know, just being friendly. 

Rich Bennett 42:07
Uh huh. 

Justine Rodes 42:08
And I mean, it wasn't like every day where it was weird. It was just like an appropriate amount of time throughout the year. And then like around Thanksgiving time, he didn't have a good relationship with his family, so he didn't have anywhere to go on Thanksgiving. And I felt really bad. So I invited him, like virtually to like me and my friends Thanksgiving. And so me and my roommates, like, we had Thanksgiving and I literally had him on like the tripod. And so that was fun. And then I had a little too much to drink that night. And I apparently was like saying things where I look like I had feelings and I was like, at that time I was denying these feelings because, you know, I was still working at Disney. 

Rich Bennett 42:50
Right? 

Justine Rodes 42:51
Two five and you only get so much vacation time. And I was like, You're all the way in Washington, like, this is not going to work. I'm going to be doing like, long distance. 

Rich Bennett 42:59
Yeah. 

Justine Rodes 42:59
But then around that time I was able to break free from that 9 to 5 and be my own boss. So I was able to work for my own laptop. So naturally you can, like, you know, move around. Oh, yes. Anyway, so I was like, Hmm, should I take a risk on this, do a relationship? And I said, Well, I want to, like, go on a date, like I can fly over to Washington and we can go on a date and like, let's see how it goes. So, yeah, so then that's like when we start a relationship. And then because I also did say I'm like, I don't really do this long distance thing and, and I was like, I'm not moving to Washington, I'm not leaving Florida. And he was like, Will we get serious? Like, I'll move there. And I'm like, okay. 

Rich Bennett 43:35
Wow. 

Justine Rodes 43:35
And. I'm thinking he's like all talk and everything like that. But he's sure he's right there. He's in the he's he's in the room right there. It's like. Overnights. 

So yes, after we did it for a year and then that was like, okay, we're serious. So then he moved to Florida. 

Rich Bennett 43:54
Wow. 

Justine Rodes 43:54
Yeah. So it's not kind of crazy. 

Rich Bennett 43:56
It is. I want to go back a minute, though, to your teacher who helped you. 

Justine Rodes 44:02
Okay. 

Rich Bennett 44:03
Have you had him on the podcast? On your podcast. 

Justine Rodes 44:07
No. 

Rich Bennett 44:08
I think you should. 

Justine Rodes 44:09
I mean, think about the. 

Rich Bennett 44:11
Get him on and talk to him and. 

Justine Rodes 44:14
If he says, yeah, they'll reach out to him on Facebook. I haven't like seen him. And I was in New Jersey for a weekend and I was like, Hey, I'd love to see you. And then he had to cancel last minute. 

Rich Bennett 44:25
Right. 

Justine Rodes 44:25
But, but, you know. 

Rich Bennett 44:27
Yeah. 

Justine Rodes 44:28
The. 

Rich Bennett 44:29
Yeah. I mean, there's the thing is the viewers are so many. And actually going back to that time because you said you were bullied a lot in high school. It was by a group of people or one particular person or what was it? If you don't mind me asking. 

Justine Rodes 44:45
Oh, yeah. So I would say I want to kind of go back to grade school because I was when my severe bullying was 

Rich Bennett 44:52
Engaged 

Justine Rodes 44:52
I was. 

Rich Bennett 44:52
elementary school. 

Justine Rodes 44:53
Yes. Yes. So that's where it really started in third grade. I was in a private Catholic school with like 30 people in the in the actual class. So. 

Rich Bennett 45:05
Right. 

Justine Rodes 45:05
To get everybody against me. There was like this one girl. We were like friends. But then she turned on me, like, out of nowhere and got everybody against me because she was like, this popular. So she bullied me a lot from 35th grade, had everybody against me, even like the teacher one time and then. 

Rich Bennett 45:23
Really? 

Justine Rodes 45:24
Yeah, it was like we were in church and like, her and this girl were, like, being loud and, like, you know, and I, I turned around, I was like, Can you guys be, like, a little quiet? Like, I'm trying to, like, listen. And then the teacher was next to her, but she didn't. She only heard me trying to be like, Hey, can you guys be quiet? She didn't hear the whole chuckling from the other. 

Rich Bennett 45:41
Huh? 

Justine Rodes 45:41
So when we came back to the classroom, she was screaming at me, saying that I was misbehaving and being disrespectful. And and I was like, I. It was embarrassing because it was. In front of the whole class, and I still remember the actual image in my head. So that was like another moment. And then my mom told me too, that at one point I would come home every single day crying. Every single day. And my mom tried to go to the principal and talk about like, hey, like this girl's bullying this person. 

Rich Bennett 46:12
Right? 

Justine Rodes 46:12
So she so the principal got me, my mom, the girl and her mom and but the principal ended up thinking that we were crazy and that we were like the new people because I was also like a new kid. 

Rich Bennett 46:23
Yeah. 

Justine Rodes 46:24
And this particular girl has been around and she heard her family are well respected in the community. So you to see how that goes. So pretty much it kind of pushed me to lead with Grace. I had to go to a different school. The bullying was so bad that I had to transfer because I couldn't live in that kind of, you know, pain as a child. So then I. 

Rich Bennett 46:43
And it's hard for you to learn. 

Justine Rodes 46:46
Yeah. I also did really bad in school. 

Rich Bennett 46:48
She's. 

Justine Rodes 46:49
Yeah. I also got the I did really bad school too. My grades were not that great. My grades didn't actually start getting better until, like sophomore year of high school. 

Rich Bennett 46:58
Wow. 

Justine Rodes 46:58
There were pretty. Yeah. I mean, I never, like, failed, but 

Rich Bennett 47:00
Well. 

Justine Rodes 47:01
I was like a C student kind of thing, right? 

Rich Bennett 47:04
Yeah. 

Justine Rodes 47:04
So that was that. And then in high school, the bully wasn't really direct, like, Oh, you're so ugly or this 

Rich Bennett 47:11
Yeah. 

Justine Rodes 47:11
or that, right? But it was more online. So there is a thing called Formspring. It doesn't exist anymore for a reason. And it was pretty much I think we can ask like anonymous questions. So that was like a playground for bullies. So. So that's all the people who did it like me, who couldn't say things to my face, would say it on their look. I've had people send death threats. I had people tell me how they want me to kill myself like 

Rich Bennett 47:38
Why? 

Justine Rodes 47:38
I've had. Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 47:41
So basically, that was a place for cowards. 

Justine Rodes 47:44
Oh, yeah, absolutely. 

Rich Bennett 47:45
Yeah. 

Justine Rodes 47:45
Like, I would get literally anything in the book that you can think of like I got. And so I, you know, and that's like also during like eighth grade to junior year, I was like cutting. So I had like a super low self-esteem and I had like episodes. And when I had a, an episode that my mom caught me. And I will always keep my episodes private. 

Rich Bennett 48:09
Yeah, 

Justine Rodes 48:09
My parents. That's when they had take me to a psychiatrist and they were like, Yep, she has bipolar. And I was like, I did have like that sense of relief because I felt like, what is wrong with me? And that's when I was like, suicidal. 

Rich Bennett 48:22
right. 

Justine Rodes 48:23
But, but yeah, so apparently, yes, I have bipolar and BPD, so they put me on meds and that's kind of when I started healing. Ali. 

Rich Bennett 48:31
What was the second thing you said after bipolar? 

Justine Rodes 48:34
BPD is borderline personality disorder. 

Rich Bennett 48:36
Okay. Got you. 

Justine Rodes 48:38
Yeah. So you hope. 

Rich Bennett 48:41
Van. 

Justine Rodes 48:41
Question. 

Rich Bennett 48:44
Yeah, I just. 

Justine Rodes 48:47
That's only there's only a little bit of it. We're only on the surface. 

Rich Bennett 48:51
So actually, and I don't know if you've done this or not, have you seen where any of those people are doing now? The ones that were bullying you? 

Justine Rodes 49:02
Oh, okay. So the main girl that was the boy, Michelle, who just got married, like last week. 

Rich Bennett 49:09
Oh, really? 

Justine Rodes 49:10
Yeah, 

Rich Bennett 49:11
Do you talk 

Justine Rodes 49:11
but 

Rich Bennett 49:11
to. 

Justine Rodes 49:13
no, but to be honest with you, I'm not going to hold a grudge. 

Rich Bennett 49:16
Right. 

Justine Rodes 49:17
I mean, she was a kid and people who bully people or they're unhappy at home. 

Rich Bennett 49:21
Hmm. 

Justine Rodes 49:21
So who knows what was going on. 

Rich Bennett 49:23
Yeah. 

Justine Rodes 49:23
And also, she is she dealt with a lot of pain recently. Her brother died. Her dad died. You know, so her her twin brother died. So that's even harder. One is a twin and he died from a heroin overdose. 

Rich Bennett 49:37
Oh, shit. 

Justine Rodes 49:38
So that kind of tells me that there was a lot of stuff going on. You know, so it kind of made me sympathize a little bit. So even though she kind of messed me up a little bit in the head, I'm, you know, I'm not going to hold on to it. I mean, there's I think there's sometimes there are moments where I get a little angry just because my brain has been, like, altered. Bullying because it was developing. But, you know, I got to also remember that she was a kid, 

Rich Bennett 50:03
Right 

Justine Rodes 50:03
so. 

Rich Bennett 50:04
had. 

Justine Rodes 50:04
But yeah. 

Rich Bennett 50:05
Have you thought about maybe seeing if she would like to come on and talk to you? 

Justine Rodes 50:13
You know, I've had those thoughts, but I don't. You know, if she comes on, I just kind of put her in a bad light. 

Rich Bennett 50:20
Well, no, no, no, no. I would say 

not necessarily to talk about what she did to you, but explain to her how you are you are the host of this awesome podcast. You know, she went through with her brother and all. And if because let's face it, that can create anxiety and depression. And ask her if she would like to come on and talk about it. 

Justine Rodes 50:50
Yeah. No. 

Rich Bennett 50:50
You might be able to help her, which in turn can come right around. And you never know Dawn, as she may apologize for everything she did, because there are the things with bullies a lot of times. 

From what I understand is they don't remember some of the people they were bullying or or that they were actually bullying them. Because there's something else going on in their head. Oh, wow. 

Justine Rodes 51:19
Yeah, 

Rich Bennett 51:19
Okay. 

Justine Rodes 51:19
well, yeah, in in high school. So I left in fifth grade so I didn't have to, like, you know, deal with her. But then in high school, she went to the same high school as me. 

Rich Bennett 51:28
Oh, so 

Justine Rodes 51:29
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 51:29
it was this name Girl from elementary school. 

Justine Rodes 51:31
Yes, but she didn't really bully me in high school. But she did. I remember she did go around like laughing, like I bullied her in school. So she knew she knew what she was doing. 

Rich Bennett 51:41
God. Hmm. All right. So is there any certain guests that you want to get on that you haven't gotten on yet? 

Justine Rodes 51:50
Like. 

Rich Bennett 51:51
Like that wish. 

Justine Rodes 51:51
At. 

Rich Bennett 51:52
I mean, some people have a wish list, some people don't. I threw minor. 

Justine Rodes 51:55
Yeah. I mean, I actually do want one person to be a certain person, but it's I don't know if it's kind of I don't know. So anyway, I have an ex-boyfriend that's actually now a woman, and I kind of want to talk about that. I. 

Rich Bennett 52:10
I've been wanting to do that as well. 

Justine Rodes 52:12
Yeah. Like I. 

Rich Bennett 52:15
It's 

it's weird because you, like, you don't know what to say. Hey, you don't want to say the wrong thing. I mean, I don't know if that's. Yeah, it's like that. I mean, that could 

Justine Rodes 52:29
Yeah, 

Rich Bennett 52:29
be an. 

Justine Rodes 52:30
I know. It's sensitive topic. 

Rich Bennett 52:31
It is. But I like. I wanted to. 

Yeah, that. That would be. 

He had a very sensitive. 

Justine Rodes 52:41
Courage. Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 52:44
On both parts. 

Justine Rodes 52:46
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 52:46
Because your your guests want to know. Like, for example, one of the questions I would always want to know is because I have one of my sponsors on. Who owns her own business. And she was saying that everything she had to go through to get the I guess, were not verification. I guess it would be verification verified as a woman and business. And it's a lot that you got to go through. So my question was, oh, I didn't ask you this, but I've always wondered if somebody transitions to a woman, can they still can they apply 

for and become verified as a woman in business? 

Justine Rodes 53:32
You know, I have no idea. 

Rich Bennett 53:34
Yeah, I just. Yeah, I mean, I don't have a clue either, but this is. And if that's the case, how does somebody that went through all those as a woman. Feel bad that it's. Yeah. There's so many different things. And. And I'm sure you've been through this. You have to. 

Well depend on the type of packages you're doing, but you're basically doing it the same way as me. You have to wear both hats. That makes sense. In other words, you have to 

figure out how do you how can I explain this? All right, look, let's say like right here, right now, you got the election going on. So if I have people running for office, whether they be Democrat or Republican, independent, whatever, you have to wear all those hats. And 

Justine Rodes 54:32
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 54:32
and B, what sort. I'm looking for bias or a bias. 

Justine Rodes 54:38
Bias. 

Rich Bennett 54:39
Yeah. Anyway, you know, a lot of talk, which is hard at times. 

Justine Rodes 54:44
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 54:45
But yeah, I mean, I've had different guests on that. At first when they came on, I'm like, God, I really want to do this. But I learned. 

Justine Rodes 54:57
Yeah, I think there's a learning experience. 

Rich Bennett 54:59
It is. 

Justine Rodes 54:59
I do get what you're saying. I actually do like, you know, do talking about that just. Opinion wise. I 

Rich Bennett 55:08
Yeah. 

Justine Rodes 55:08
mean, I don't I don't talk politics on my podcast and I never would like ask their affiliation at all. 

Rich Bennett 55:14
Mm 

Justine Rodes 55:14
But 

Rich Bennett 55:14
hmm. 

Justine Rodes 55:15
I think if anything, I like how you think it's like in a positive way. I know our country is very divided 

Rich Bennett 55:22
Yes. 

Justine Rodes 55:22
and it's kind of sad, but I think too, it's like I like to learn from other people and I have it understanding that we all come from different backgrounds. 

Rich Bennett 55:31
Mm 

Justine Rodes 55:32
And if somebody has a belief and thinks a certain way, like, for example, a lot of people can hatreds, 

Rich Bennett 55:39
hmm. 

Justine Rodes 55:39
which obviously like I don't agree with, I don't I don't hate trans, I believe in equality. And that's like where I stand, right? But then I also understand that people may not understand it. 

Rich Bennett 55:51
Right. 

Justine Rodes 55:51
And we got to give those people grace. We can't just assume that they know, you know, exactly like they may like a lot of a lot of hate comes from fear and confusion. 

Rich Bennett 56:03
Mm hmm. 

Justine Rodes 56:03
And I did talk to this one girl. She's like younger than me. And she said that she didn't agree with that and that instead of me being like, well, you're you're fricking crazy or you're an asshole, added me saying that I'm just like, okay, well, can you tell me why you don't? 

Rich Bennett 56:19
Right. 

Justine Rodes 56:20
You don't agree 

Rich Bennett 56:20
Bingo. 

Justine Rodes 56:20
with. Yeah. Then she was like, I just don't get it. And then I'm like, Okay, fair. And then I just try to explain it. I just try to, you know, talk about I don't know for sure how I remember how it ended. I don't. I think that she the way I talked to her, I don't think she's a bad person. 

Rich Bennett 56:39
Right. 

Justine Rodes 56:39
I just think that it's just based off of lack of knowledge and experience. Because 

Rich Bennett 56:45
Yes. 

Justine Rodes 56:45
another thing, too, is she did say something about gay men. And at first I was like, Oh, come on. But then she said to me she had bad experiences. And I was like, You had bad experience with gay men? And I'm like, What happens? Like, they were just like these. I guess there was apparently maybe some guys that didn't treat her right. But I did say to her and I'm like, okay, I get that, But also you. I'm sorry you had those experiences. But there are going to be, you know, amazing people out there. And I guess I think gay men are the best. Like, there's so much like they're awesome. But I think that I told him, like, I hope you can have a good experience once so you can change the way you're thinking. 

Rich Bennett 57:27
Yeah. 

Justine Rodes 57:27
She was like, Yeah. She's like, okay, yeah, you make sense. And so we're good at it because I don't think she's like, Oh, I hate that. I just think it's just like she had a bad experience or her opinions negative. 

Rich Bennett 57:38
Yeah. 

Justine Rodes 57:38
And we just people have got to understand that just because you had a negative experience with one person in that group doesn't mean that every. 

Rich Bennett 57:44
They're not all like that. 

Justine Rodes 57:45
Which is another thing too. But I can go back on like the other side too. It's like just because we're getting political, but just like does it just because, like one Trump supporters, like, filled with hatred, but then one is just likes him for certain policies that. Like I have like a family member who is a Trump supporter, but he's not like, Oh, I love you. 

Rich Bennett 58:08
Right. 

Justine Rodes 58:09
It's just like he says. He says he's like, I hate Trump, but I, I there's a certain things that I would like for him to do in office. 

Rich Bennett 58:17
Right? 

Justine Rodes 58:19
And he was like, it's not a popularity contest. And I'm like, you know, I wish a lot of people would hear that 

Rich Bennett 58:23
Mm hmm. 

Justine Rodes 58:24
because it's like, just because you hate someone as a person, it should it make you have a decision of what they can do in office because that's what you're voting for. We're not like in school voting for who's more popular than the other, Right? 

Rich Bennett 58:35
Yeah. 

Justine Rodes 58:35
And it's like it's like just vote for like the way I vote, too, is I see what each candidate believes in and what they prioritize. 

Rich Bennett 58:45
Mm hmm. 

Justine Rodes 58:45
I try to keep myself from being from thinking of like. Like, who should I pick based off of also people influencing. You know, people talking about this. That's another thing, too. It's like you got to have the courage and the kind of strength to block out all that noise 

Rich Bennett 59:02
Yup. 

Justine Rodes 59:03
and what everybody thinks and just listen to the facts. 

Rich Bennett 59:06
Yeah. 

Justine Rodes 59:07
Watch the bait. Do whatever you think you feel is is right. And then also, you don't have to be talking about who you voted for. 

Rich Bennett 59:14
Thank you. 

Justine Rodes 59:15
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 59:16
Thank you. And here's the other thing, too, with you mentioned in heat, because you hear that, oh, I hate this person. I hate that person, but they don't even know the person personally. 

Justine Rodes 59:27
Oh, my gosh. We can talk about this. 

Rich Bennett 59:29
How in the hell can you hate somebody if you've never met them or sat down with them or talked to them? 

Justine Rodes 59:34
Oh, my God. I would love to get back on this podcast again because I can go. Thank you. Thank. 

Rich Bennett 59:41
And the other thing is, too, and this is something we were taught this when I was in the Marine Corps, You know, there is no black there is no white, there is no yellow. You guys are all green. 

Justine Rodes 59:55
I heard that before. 

Rich Bennett 59:56
Yeah. And the thing is, one of the things I believe is 

what color do you bleed? 

Justine Rodes 1:00:05
Co-leader, I believe. 

Rich Bennett 1:00:06
No bleed. When you bleed. What? Come. 

Justine Rodes 1:00:08
Oh, these. 

Rich Bennett 1:00:09
It's red, right? 

Justine Rodes 1:00:10
Red. Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 1:00:11
And people of other race. When they bleed the blood red, the heart's the same color, the brain's the same color. We're all the same inside. 

Justine Rodes 1:00:21
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 1:00:21
It's only the outside. It's different. 

Justine Rodes 1:00:24
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 1:00:24
You know. 

Justine Rodes 1:00:25
On the way. The way I think about it, I think that there's so much going on in this world. There's so much evil that I kind of want. See, there's somebody love being really negative right now, but. 

Rich Bennett 1:00:33
But no, but you're right. There is. 

Justine Rodes 1:00:35
Yes, there's a lot of crap going on in this 

Rich Bennett 1:00:37
Mm hmm. 

Justine Rodes 1:00:37
world. So it's like, why are we putting our energy to just hate people for, like, their skin color? 

Rich Bennett 1:00:45
Yes. 

Justine Rodes 1:00:46
Why? Who fricking cares? 

Rich Bennett 1:00:49
You know. 

Justine Rodes 1:00:50
Who cares? 

Rich Bennett 1:00:51
And I'm going to tell you why right now. And I've talked about this before, and it sucks, but it's true. 

Negativity has more power over positivity. Negative. I mean, you know, negativity just it's like. I mean, it just pours people in and it gets bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger. Positivity. It's well, the law of attraction. You have to. You have to set it in your mind. And you got to look for it because there's not a lot of positive things out there. That's one of the things that I love about doing this, you know? And some people said that and this came from the website. I started it, which I featured nothing but good positive news. There's negative shit everywhere. I don't want that. 

Justine Rodes 1:01:48
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 1:01:49
And somebody so rich, you talk about addiction. That's not positive. I'm raising awareness and we're helping people. That's positive. 

Justine Rodes 1:01:58
Exactly. 

Rich Bennett 1:01:58
So just because you may bring up negative things on the show. We're still talking about what makes it past. You know, I always tell my kids this because I say there's yeah, there are some bad people out there, but there's something good about every person out there no matter what. And I always bring up Charles Manson. 

Justine Rodes 1:02:22
I'm. 

Rich Bennett 1:02:23
But Charles Manson was a hell of a songwriter. He was a good swimmer. He said there was something good about him. Yeah, I mean, you look. Everybody is. Yeah. Granted, they may have a lot of bad things about him, but there's always something good. So anyways, Justine. Yeah? You are going to be coming back on because I got, I got a lot of different ideas and one of the things we, we've already done it and we want to do more is a real a virtual roundtable on mental health. And it definitely wouldn't go on that. 

Justine Rodes 1:03:01
Also 

Rich Bennett 1:03:01
What? 

Justine Rodes 1:03:01
fun. 

Rich Bennett 1:03:02
But because I'm looking at the time, too. But before I let you go, since you've been doing this, where is it that you what's the next step for the podcast? Where do you want it to go? 

Justine Rodes 1:03:13
Yeah, good question. I mean, right now I've. I definitely never being consistent cause that was one thing I was struggling with 

Rich Bennett 1:03:21
Mm hmm. 

Justine Rodes 1:03:22
down the road. I mean, right now my main focus is increasing listenership. 

Rich Bennett 1:03:27
Mm hmm. 

Justine Rodes 1:03:27
So that's thing. And then another thing is I would like after that to then, you know, look for sponsors to help support the podcast so it can grow and do more things and potentially fund like a tour or, you know, help 

Rich Bennett 1:03:42
Yeah. 

Justine Rodes 1:03:42
with the. Yeah. So even I don't like I hate talking about money, but that's just the reality. 

This is the reality of life. But yeah, I mean, I might, but my whole goal with this podcast is just put the brand overall is to encourage as many people as possible 

Rich Bennett 1:04:02
Mm 

Justine Rodes 1:04:02
to 

Rich Bennett 1:04:02
hmm. 

Justine Rodes 1:04:02
have to feel comfortable talking about their mental health. I a lot of people, they talk about how they feel, they get anxiety, 

Rich Bennett 1:04:10
Mm hmm. 

Justine Rodes 1:04:11
they get anxiety because they fear about what people are going to say. But if we create a community where everybody is accepting of that, then we're doing it. We're breaking that stigma. And that's what I love about the power of the Internet is that we could do this faster. 

Rich Bennett 1:04:24
Yeah. 

Justine Rodes 1:04:25
Yeah. So the more I see like listeners growing and the like people following the immensely about us brand. It just gives me so much joy because it's working and I think everybody in this world, everybody wants definitely wants the stigma to not be here anymore. I think people do want to talk about it, but they're scared. And, you know, that's okay. I'm here to. You know, be like that, helping hands 

Rich Bennett 1:04:56
Yeah. 

Justine Rodes 1:04:56
that it's okay if you want to open up about it. Like I know a lot of people think, oh, we're talking about it for the health there being some negative like that kind of goes back to what you were saying and it's like it's it's not if we're talking and comforting people because we're human beings, you know, 

Rich Bennett 1:05:10
Mm 

Justine Rodes 1:05:11
and at the end of the day, human beings want to be accepted. They want to be part of something. And one of the biggest battles we have as humans is our mental health between, you know, the negativity. People being mean, and then also like we can pick a scientific with the pollution and the food. Like that's another thing that people don't talk about, but it's, you know, life's life's hard, you know, life is hard. So if you feel I don't feel comfortable talking about things like it can drive you to jump off a bridge, like that's just a reality. 

Rich Bennett 1:05:41
mm mm mm 

Justine Rodes 1:05:41
And, 

Rich Bennett 1:05:41
mm. 

Justine Rodes 1:05:42
and yeah, this there's a lot of suicide. It's just it's sad. It's so 

Rich Bennett 1:05:46
It is. 

Justine Rodes 1:05:46
sad. But I think too, that when it comes to like, wanting to really make a change is I have you at that point yet but I you know Selena Gomez is trying to do this. I don't know how it's going I hope is doing well. She wants to put mental health education in the schools again the curriculum 

Rich Bennett 1:06:04
I think 

Justine Rodes 1:06:05
and. 

Rich Bennett 1:06:05
it should be. 

Justine Rodes 1:06:06
It should be, you know, I mean, I took a psychology course when I was a senior in high school, but that was an extra elective, right? 

Rich Bennett 1:06:12
Right? 

Justine Rodes 1:06:13
But it should be like as far as gym, like, you know, like phys ed, 

Rich Bennett 1:06:17
Yeah. 

Justine Rodes 1:06:17
like how that's a party, you know, take care of your body. It's like, why don't we have someone take care of our brain? 

Rich Bennett 1:06:22
And if you have a healthy brain, you're going to have a healthy body. 

Justine Rodes 1:06:25
Exactly. A lot of people forget that our brain is like the brain system. So 

Rich Bennett 1:06:29
Mm 

Justine Rodes 1:06:29
if you're. 

Rich Bennett 1:06:30
hmm. 

Justine Rodes 1:06:30
Not doing well is going to make you sick physically. It's going to make you a crabby person. And I hate when people call that people, Oh, you're so miserable. This is it's like people are born miserable. There is a reason they are where they are today. Why can't we take the time to try to understand if we take the time to actually try to understand other people, you know, how much more love we will have in this world. 

Rich Bennett 1:06:51
Uh huh. 

Justine Rodes 1:06:52
So I think like me talking about and you ask me this question like that's the goal is to get more understanding people because I've seen change. I've seen people who did not understand mental health and did not care at all. I love the transformations. 

Rich Bennett 1:07:08
God, you're awesome. 

Justine Rodes 1:07:11
They. 

Rich Bennett 1:07:12
Tell everybody the website so they know how to find you because the PI and the clothing line is all right. Everything's right on that website. Right? 

Justine Rodes 1:07:21
Yes, I actually did just like the embed, the actual podcast onto the website, because originally monthly about us, that column was focused more on the apparel brands. I do have like a link tree that you could put that goes to like everything that's 

Rich Bennett 1:07:34
Right. 

Justine Rodes 1:07:34
the about the clothing line as they want to be on my podcast and such. But I, since I now put the podcast on the website, it would definitely be a lot easier for them to see everything so they can just go to like monthly about us dot com. 

Rich Bennett 1:07:48
Those of you listening, go to the website. Look, these shirts are freaking awesome. I don't know who came up with some of these sayings, but as I was looking through them, I am just. I'm cracking up. I'm tearing up. It's like, Oh, my God, this. How are you? Are the sales going well with them? 

Justine Rodes 1:08:10
In the beginning when it was No. Yes. 

Rich Bennett 1:08:13
Right. 

Justine Rodes 1:08:13
I mean, I'm not going to lie to you. It's a little challenging right now, but. 

Rich Bennett 1:08:19
Well, we'll change it. 

Justine Rodes 1:08:21
I appreciate that. What's your favorite one? 

Rich Bennett 1:08:25
Even though I don't have one. Brighten your mood. Hug a dog. 

Justine Rodes 1:08:29
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 1:08:30
I love that. It's like I need a dog. I 

Justine Rodes 1:08:34
Yes. 

Rich Bennett 1:08:34
want a dog so bad. But also the alien one is funny too. 

Justine Rodes 1:08:38
Yes, This plan is bad for mental health. 

Rich Bennett 1:08:40
Uh 

Justine Rodes 1:08:41
That. 

Rich Bennett 1:08:41
huh. 

Justine Rodes 1:08:41
Yeah, I believe that's when I thought of that one. So, like, I have a partner. Her name is Ariel. And so she's also like part of the actual, like, mental health brand. And she designed everything. 

Rich Bennett 1:08:51
Oh, really? 

Justine Rodes 1:08:52
Yeah, she's an artist, so she designed everything. And a lot of the sayings came from both me and her. Well, we made up in our heads. 

Rich Bennett 1:08:59
Okay. Oh, God. I love them. I love them. They're great. 

Justine Rodes 1:09:03
You. 

Rich Bennett 1:09:04
They are great. Next thing I do is work on a book. 

Justine Rodes 1:09:08
Like. 

Rich Bennett 1:09:09
Yeah. Write a book. 

Justine Rodes 1:09:11
You know, I was actually thinking about. 

Rich Bennett 1:09:13
Should, I think. 

Justine Rodes 1:09:16
You have attempted now. 

Rich Bennett 1:09:17
Why not? 

Justine Rodes 1:09:18
Yeah, I'm actually going to start another a guest that I had encouraged me to do coaching. 

Rich Bennett 1:09:24
Mm hmm. 

Justine Rodes 1:09:25
Like mental health coaching. So I made, you know. 

Rich Bennett 1:09:29
Just remember, don't get too busy. 

Justine Rodes 1:09:32
Yeah, I got to. I'm all right. I have honestly, I honestly, if you look at my schedule, I'm pretty balanced. 

Rich Bennett 1:09:38
Okay. 

Justine Rodes 1:09:39
And I do prioritize. I do prioritize my self-care. I have a scheduled into my calendar. 

Rich Bennett 1:09:44
All right. Oh, my God. I said when I started. Well, you saw the calendar I use when I started using that man. It made everything so much easier. 

Justine Rodes 1:09:53
Oh, yeah. 

Rich Bennett 1:09:54
Because. 

Justine Rodes 1:09:55
The cowardly one. 

Rich Bennett 1:09:57
Oh, look at tidy cow. That's when I use it. One time fee. And you? 

Justine Rodes 1:10:03
The difference. 

Rich Bennett 1:10:05
Well, can we do just to pay a monthly fee? 

Justine Rodes 1:10:08
No. 

Rich Bennett 1:10:08
Okay. Never mind then. 

Justine Rodes 1:10:12
I'm pretty content with it for now. I mean, the only thing is I if I want to calendar's, I can't do that because. 

Rich Bennett 1:10:17
Oh, okay. 

Justine Rodes 1:10:18
Yeah, I would love to have a second calendar for like, because I didn't officially start the mental health coaching. I actually did a give away on the mentally about as account. 

Rich Bennett 1:10:26
Right. 

Justine Rodes 1:10:27
One of the giveaways, one of the prizes was about the free mental health coaching. So I'm using that as an opportunity to like practice. 

Rich Bennett 1:10:34
Oh, okay. 

Justine Rodes 1:10:35
So we'll see how it goes if it does really well, that I may just like, you know. 

Rich Bennett 1:10:41
You're going to be busy. I can see it already. 

Justine Rodes 1:10:44
This is helping people at. 

Rich Bennett 1:10:45
Exactly. 

Justine Rodes 1:10:46
Feels me. 

Rich Bennett 1:10:47
Exactly. Justin, is there anything else you'd like that before we wrap this up? 

Justine Rodes 1:10:53
Good question. I mean, I feel like we've touched on a lot of things. 

Rich Bennett 1:10:56
Oh, there's a lot we're going to be touching on later, too. 

Justine Rodes 1:10:59
Yeah, 

Rich Bennett 1:10:59
Let you. 

Justine Rodes 1:10:59
yeah, 

Rich Bennett 1:11:00
Right. There's a lot we're going to be talking 

Justine Rodes 1:11:01
yeah. 

Rich Bennett 1:11:02
about 

Justine Rodes 1:11:02
That. 

Rich Bennett 1:11:02
later. 

Justine Rodes 1:11:03
Stop at to. Oh, yeah. Well, I mean, I appreciate you having me on. I feel like this conversation was somewhat like it was so 

Rich Bennett 1:11:10
Oh, 

Justine Rodes 1:11:10
much 

Rich Bennett 1:11:10
my. 

Justine Rodes 1:11:10
fun. Like I could talk to you all day. 

Rich Bennett 1:11:12
My pleasure. Like I said, the door is open. The door is open. And once we wrap up, I got some ideas. I want to run by it as well. 

Justine Rodes 1:11:21
Okay. 

Rich Bennett 1:11:22
Justine, thanks a lot.