 There's a lot of new struggling insurance agents that watch our stuff, and you've been extremely successful. But you also have a way, well, from what I've seen, of communicating to those new and struggling agents as well as anybody, by the way, okay? So you guys that are on, keep watching, okay? And pay attention, take some notes. What are some things that you would share with somebody that isn't quite Galen Hendricks yet, but they believe in themselves and they know they can be one day? You know, I wasn't built overnight. You know, it took me a while to figure out what I really wanted to do. Man, I have a powerful guest for you guys today, Miss Galen Hendricks, welcome to Springfield. Hey, I am loving this. Good. It's been cool to finally come see your place, your hangout, your culture. So impressed, dude. Thank you so much. It was a fun morning with the team. Good, it's even more fun with you though, because you're always having fun. When I think about you, you have like one of the biggest hearts in the insurance industry. Oh, that's sweet. You care about people. I've loved you ever since we met, right? You're my, well, I already have a good second mom. So third mom, maybe, you know, that's second mom in the insurance industry though. Hey, hey, Medicare mama's what Christian Brindle says. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. Have you always been that way? I think so. I think I came out of the womb that way. You know, I just love to be happy. My son always says, we don't need Richard Simmons every morning. And I didn't even know what that meant for the longest. But you know, I love the morning time. And I loved, here, you know, I was a little late because, you know, we had some calls this morning, but you know, man, walking into your team and seeing how happy everybody was. And, you know, they just all get excited. And I loved how they were standing. Yes. I love that. You know, you never quit learning. You know, I've done sales meetings for as long as I've been old, it seems like. And that's a long time. As we so discovered this morning, but you know, man, it was just so great seeing everybody stand up. And then when you and I walked out and they were exercising, I love that. And I'm so I'm gonna have to implement that. That is so cool. And you know, everybody's just had a great attitude. And I love that. You know, one of the things that I think is really great about where this business has come leaps and bounds since I started is the camaraderie. You know, everybody can get kind of been out of shape at somebody from time to time, but it's like marriage, you know? You kind of have to just go, hey, you made me mad. We're gonna move on. And we still love each other. And I think that's what's great about the culture I see here. I see that everybody can be forgiving and move on. And you know, when I'm in call centers or agencies and I see that, I feel it. So I know it's real. So that was cool this morning. Good news to you. Thank you very much. That's that we've learned, you know, and we're still learning the culture is important. People matter. Like I really believe people are the centerpiece and the biggest part of business. Yeah. You seem to be able to read people really well by the way too. I think that sales, you know? I think that, you know, one of the great things about sales to me and, you know, we were talking about this earlier is that when you get on this side of, I guess, age, you know, you just kind of get where things that used to just bother you like nobody's business when you were younger, you tend to be a little more patient. And I try to read people from the viewpoint of, you know, what have they been through, you know? And cause I used to be like, eh, you're gone. Right. Cause I didn't have any patience. And I think having more patience has given me the opportunity to be more understanding. But it's kind of like when you're in sales and you're trying to get that client. I remember the very first time I sold an annuity. It was like I was sharing with y'all last night. It was easy cause I really felt it was God-given gift. But the next one was not so easy and the next one was not so easy. But, you know, it seems like the harder ones to sell are your best sales. Totally agree with that. Because you had to work for it. And, you know, that's one of the things I'm trying to get into everybody's noggin' these days is that, you know, work's not spelled F-U-N for a reason. But it doesn't mean you can't have fun at work. That's right. And then when you're having fun, have fun. I think the balance thing has become very important to me. I was reading something the other day and I can't remember what motivational speaker said it. But they said, you know, work is not like a balance. You just, it's not gonna be work and fun and family. You've got to be able to balance those. But it's more of like, what do you enjoy doing? And if you enjoy doing sales and you enjoy your job, then bring your family along. And I think that's one of the things that happened to me when I turned 50. Dan took me to Alaska for a 50th birthday party and I was running out of a convention to get to go. You know, and David Harris, the chairman of Manhattan Life said, where are you going? And I go, well, I want to spend my 50th birthday with my family. And he goes, why don't you just bring them on these trips? That's what these are about. They're about family. And it was the first insurance convention that I'd ever been on where family was included. And we started using that as a recruiting tool. And let me tell you something. It went off the chain. I have some great friends in this business. You know, the guys at Spring, I don't know where, if it's North or here or South or here. Yeah, a few hours North. Okay, I'm directionally challenged today. But I don't know that I can point in the direction, but... It's somewhere around here. Like there. But you know, I remember him saying, hey, I can't go on this trip. I can't go on that trip because the girls are out of school. And I was like, dude, you can bring them with you. And I remember when he got to bring his family to Portugal, it was such a big deal. And our family's bonded. And it created a friendship. And you know, that's what I think has happened in the insurance business. I think more and more people are creating those lasting friendships. For sure. You know, where like, my granddaughter, Haven, she loves Grace Murray Broad. You know, they'll FaceTime each other. I mean, that is the coolest thing. That is so cool. Was it always like that? Or do you think that's changing? No. So how's that change? Cause I feel like it's really prominent now. I wasn't around as much before. So I'm like, okay, I hear that a lot though. You keep clarifying that you haven't been around as long as I have today. I need to slow down and stop. But that's cool. It's good, it's good. At least I get to hang. I feel a little much you though. Even when I'm like, okay, I like put my foot in my mouth. He was like, I don't care, whatever, just be you. That's the way it is. But you know, when I got started in this business, man, it was incredibly cutthroat. And a lot of it had to do with the leadership in this business. You know, it got to the point to where I was afraid to tell people when I was trying to create deals that I was from Texas. Because that leadership existed right there in Fort Worth. You know, and everybody was just like so eager to get to the top. They didn't care who they smashed or ran over to get there. And now it's more about opening the door. It doesn't mean we don't all still have the same competitive spirit. For sure. Some of my best friends in this business are my competitors. You know, but when we're on an insurance convention, it's like, hey, what's Galen doing? Where y'all gonna go? What excursion are y'all gonna do? And I love that. You know, I've gotten to get to know the people at Agent Popline that way. I've gotten to know the people at Eldercare that way. I mean, and you know, they're for the longest. It was all of us just kind of neck and neck. I mean, Sam's and Hockaday. I remember when I first started with AIMC, they were at the top of the leaderboard and I looked at them and I said, I'm gunning for you guys. And they were like, bring it. You know, they were so nice, so respectful. And then the next year we jump ahead of them and they're like, congratulations, that's awesome. And you know, I love working with all those guys. It's incredible how welcoming the insurance community is now. And you know, and I'm not gonna say there's not TIFFs and you know, all that kind of stuff that goes on in the Facebook world, but you know, man, it's just a great environment now. And that's where you wanna bring your kids. You want them, and my grandkids, I've gotten to spend so much time with my grandkids like in Tahiti. You know, how on earth does that happen? Well, it only happens in the insurance business. And you know, I remember when we walked on the ship with Manhattan Wife and the owner's wife welcomed my two grandkids. We have the sweetest pictures of her with my two grandkids. And she's just like, I can't imagine them not being here. And so I wished more and more insurance companies would open that up. I think that they would see the culture of their company's change. You know, I got an email from somebody the other day going, hey, on this next convention, are you bringing your extended family? And I said, no, my grandson's got football camps, but we're doing a company trip for our team. And you know, so we're taking them on that, but you know, I think it's so cool that it's now kind of becoming the norm. Yeah. Well, I think one is two things I've noticed. Number one, it's hard not to love Galen, okay? Like, if you don't, there's something freaking wrong with you, okay? Let's keep it real. Y'all are sweet. Two, when you speak, people listen. And so I think if carriers are adopting it, you're doing it, you're talking about it, you're talking about it here, you're talking about it everywhere else. And I think it's really cool because like, for example, my wife works with me, right? Landon's wife works with us. My parents are literally working on the other side of the building right now, my mom and my dad. My brother-in-laws are both in the business and partners in Secure Insurance Group now. That's crazy great. Like it's fun, you know? It's just awesome. It is. And I think that the culture needs to change. You know, what's weird is for years, people thought the business I have was my dad's. Because there's a lot of lineage of business, right? I have never taken offense to that by the way. It wasn't, you know? But he certainly educated me along the way and I'm so grateful. But I would have given the last dollar in the bank to be able to work with my dad. So that is incredible that you get to do that. It's just absolutely incredible. And, you know, not too long ago, I kind of got into a, hope this doesn't offend our audience, but you know, we kind of talked about transparency. A pissing match with somebody on Facebook because, you know, they were kind of giving these guys a hard time about, you know, hey, you just landed your dad's business. You've not had to work. And I think it's the exact opposite. I think when you are the kid of a business owner, you bust your butt to stand out. And I think it's so offensive when someone says that to somebody because they have no idea. It's like being the teacher's pet. You know, there's just sometimes teachers just gravitate towards certain kids. Totally. But it doesn't mean that kid had a free ride. That's right. It means that kid actually had to do more to stand above. And I think that we need to be more respectful in that regard. I think we need to be more understanding. You know, I'm very blessed. I have had my whole family work with me. You know, my son and daughter-in-law, they rock it as leaders of our business. And, you know, so much that some people will go, I can't believe y'all work together, vacation together, you know, live together, next door to each other, whatever. But we don't see each other that often. It's really crazy. I mean, they're doing their jobs. They're raising their families. And they're leading a company just like anybody else would. And they're doing it without my favoritism. You know, yeah, maybe because I had the company, they got an opportunity. But everybody gets opportunity. That's right. I mean, you just have to seize it. Yep. And, you know, I look at my history, you know, even though I didn't work with family, the people I've worked with became my family. So I don't see any difference. And that's what you guys got here. Totally. Yeah, and I love that. I think the more we do that, the more it's accepted. For sure, yes. And those individuals that, like I personally had a little bit of an advantage growing up in an entrepreneurial business owner insurance specific home, you know? And I will never say for a second that it didn't help, right? You know, now my dad will say that I did all of my own, but that's not true. You know, you need mentors and people you can learn from. Yeah. Right? Whether they're actually family or not. And so you're one of my mentors, someone I've learned from all the time. That is so respectful. I appreciate that. Thank you. Someone I've learned a lot from. Someone I enjoy spending time with. Yeah. Can we get to share? I actually spent time with you guys. I don't think I've ever said this on my YouTube channel. We got a chance to share a bottle of wine last night. Yeah, it was awesome. My favorite bottle of wine too, which is Camus. It was amazing. Yep. I had the leftovers. Yes. Okay. Did you have a little bit of leftovers? Yeah. Okay, good. It's good. It's good. I had that in my, you know, Dr. Pepper Zero. There you go. My light cap. It was awesome. Awesome. But you know, Cody, I want to say something right there though, you know, when I look at people in this business that are coming up in this thing, you know, first of all, so proud of my team. You know, I've got a lot of young energy around me all the time and they're buzzing with new ideas. And I think when you are responsible for an organization, you tend to be kind of, for a better sake of words, a control freak in the beginning. Yeah, for sure. You don't want to let go, but then you find yourself going, okay, I'm going to trust these people and I'm going to start letting go. And I found myself in the last year challenging myself to let go more. And I will tell you, I have become so much more relaxed. I think it's almost to the point where people are like, is she involved in the business? You know, and I am, but I want to see these people fly. Totally. I think, you know, for the longest, I was clipping their wings, you know, I thought that I was helping them fly. This is so good, by the way, this is huge. Yeah, but I was basically clipping their wings and I was talking to my daughter-in-law the other day and I said, you know, I know I've clipped some of your wings and she goes, no, no, no, no, no, I think you're letting us fly and that's great, but we still want to have your involvement. And I think that as a business owner and, you know, one of the things I want to get across to anybody watching today, whether you're a one man shop, a two man shop, or you've got 20 seats, you're a leader and people are watching you. And so if you're doing something that is not right, they're watching that too. And one of the things that I say a lot and will probably be on my tombstone is, you know, I learn a lot what to do from people, but I find myself learning more and more what not to do. Because, you know, the older you get, the more you look at that and you go, oh, I don't know if I'd want that in my business. And, you know, I'm very blessed, but at the same time, it's one of the things I shared with you last night. I love being a female in this business. Like I told you, I give you credit for this. I quote you all the time. You're the one that first told me, you know, 52% of the licensed insurance agents were women. And I was blown away by that because you probably thought I was full of it too. But I checked you and I am telling you it was actually, if you remember, I called you back and I said, hey, I think it's more like 53%. But then I started looking at who was in the top 8%. You know, that's one of the reasons I elevate percent nation. And then I started looking at the 1% because that's what you were saying. You said, Galen, you do realize and you said you are in the 1%. And I'm like, whoa, well, I was like, wow, that's that's awesome. But then I started looking around. I was like, we need more of that. But at the same time, I don't want to be so pigeonholed where the women are in this box and the guys are in this box. You know, I was talking to Danielle Roberts the other day and I was like, you know, I just don't want it to be all women or all men. I want it to be an event where, you know, everybody comes in and we learn from each other. I've been so incredibly spoiled in this business because I have so many guys that have supported me all the way up. You know, I've had some great mentors in this business. You know, this business is so enjoyable. I even forgot last week was my 36th anniversary in this business. What? Yes. So on the 14th or the 13th, I was like, oh, I need to commemorate this, you know, because that's what I use Facebook for now. It's my scrapbook of memories. Yeah. And one of the things that I was doing when I was right now, I was just going to make a short little post. But then I thought, you know, I want to thank some of these people that have really helped. But there's too many to thank. And then I would leave somebody out and I didn't want to offend anybody. But I think the cool thing is that, you know, this young gun group of guys that have said, hey, Galen, you can do this and Galen, you can do that, you know, are just so encouraging. And you're you're one of those. And, you know, and I could go on and on and on. But, you know, what's so great about it is that I tell some of these young women I mentor to, you know, don't just think you've got to hang out with the women. That's right. You know, and guys include them. You know, I loved being in your meeting this morning and seeing that young lady over there just grinning. And like I told her, it takes bravery to be in that room with all those guys and know that you have something to prove every single day. That's right. And I love that. I love that y'all are encouraging that. And that's what I would tell the audience today, you know, bring in those young women and, you know, women that are retired and women of all ages, you know, because here's the thing. The one thing you said to me last night that was awesome is we were talking about age. And I said, I think your dad's close to me. He did call you seventy four by the way, Brian. I'm just going to throw that out there. Nothing's a secret. That's true. But that part's not true. But yeah, me acting like it was true was true. Yes. But he clarified you're a lot younger than I am. So there you go, Brian. Barely. But the thing is you're is it's like we talked about last night, you know, I don't see myself as fifty seven going on fifty eight. Most people don't see me that way. There are mornings that it feels that way. I'm not going to lie and night time. But you know, it's the brain. You know, it's what the brain and the heart does. And I think back about people that I know that are I visited with some dear friends as I told you yesterday that are eighty three and eighty two. And I was sitting there going, how are they eighty three and eighty two? It just seems like yesterday they were teaching me how to be a good grandparent, a good mom. And, you know, it's so cool to be around people like that that give you life's lessons and you don't make those same mistakes. And so I would just encourage anybody watching today, you know, watch those people that have been doing this a while and be around the ones that love it. You know, the ones that are being, you know, negative and complaining run from those people. Totally. Please run, run as fast as you can. I don't care if they're making a gazillion dollars. If they have a negative attitude, run. That's right. Run quick and, you know, mentor to those around you, even if you're twenty eight years of age, there's somebody you can mentor to. That's right. And teach them to volunteer, teach your kids to serve. You know, it just makes them better people, you know, and and I see that all around here. I see it and I love it. Well, so congrats. Thank you. It's fun. We've had a blast with you today already and we're still only halfway through, I think, you know. Here's what I want to kind of pivot to. There's a lot of new struggling insurance agents that watch our stuff and you've been extremely successful. But you also have a way over what I've seen of communicating to those new and struggling agents as well as anybody, by the way. Thank you. So you guys, they're on. Keep watching. OK. And pay attention. Take some notes. What are some things that you would share with somebody that isn't quite Galen Hendricks yet, but they believe in themselves and they know they can be one day. You know, I wasn't built overnight. You know, I it took me a while to figure out what I really wanted to do. You know, for the longest, I thought I wanted to just run an insurance company. I wanted to be the COO. And then it was, you know, shortly in my career, I figured out that I really enjoyed marketing and I enjoyed sales and I enjoyed salespeople. And I figured out I had a mentor in this business who said, I think you do both. And I asked him one day, I said, do you think that's kind of like the rooster watching the henhouse? You know, and he was like, it probably is, but it'll teach you a lot of things. And it's kind of like you're running your own business. And so I really figured out how to balance those two. And I figured out fairly quickly that I really love helping people. And so what I always encourage new agents to do is smile when you're on that phone. Smile if you're a belly to belly agent. Smile because you don't know what people just went through right before you got there. It's true. And I think the greatest thing about being a sales person is we get to actually be happy. Yes, there's not a lot of jobs out there that you actually get to be happy. You know, happy is a verb in our world. We're happy is a noun. And if you're in a role that you don't get to be happy. And I think when salespeople appreciate operations people, you know, and operations people appreciate salespeople, it creates a camaraderie that everybody's supportive. And it doesn't mean they get along every single day. It doesn't mean one doesn't think one's not doing whatever. So if you're that new agent, what I would encourage you first is get to know your carriers, you know, get to know what their rules and policies and procedures are. Get to know that person that's handling your business and make that person realize that you don't want to keep making the same mistakes. You know, you want to be better and they'll start encouraging you. And the more you're encouraged, it's kind of like that bless to be a blessing. The more you're encouraged, the more you encourage. And I think that overall attitude is great. Now, that sounds so cliche. So how do you do that? Well, one is you've got to start being successful. The only thing that makes you happy as a salesperson is to make sales. So you have to figure out how to get that done. So you have to listen to your people, you know, your bosses, the people that are encouraging you. You need to listen to them. If you keep doing it the same old way, you're going to keep getting the same old results and the same old goose eggs going to create negativity. So find somebody that you want to be like, that you want to emulate and take up their habits. You know, that that's kind of what I did. I watched people that I wanted to be like. And so two of those instrumental people, I only got to meet one of them. And it was during a Sunday school class. So my dad, as y'all know, most of some of you have watched this and seen before is that he handed me two books because I didn't have very good instructors when I first started in sales. Because the the guy that ran our organization, I don't think he saw in me initially, what he saw in me later. So that's another thing y'all need to remember. Just because somebody doesn't see you in it, see that in you right now. Don't give up. That's right. They'll see it in you eventually if you have the motivation and the drive. So keep trucking. OK, I know that's a 70s thing, but keep on. I like it. But I think what you need to do is, you know, find that person and Zig Ziggler and Norman Vincent Pill. My dad handed me two books. I brought both those books to Medicare con. And I gave those away and I signed those books. And I took pleasure sign in those books. But Norman Vincent Pill, I didn't get to meet. But I will tell you what, a book he wrote in 1963, the year I was born, is more relative today than I think it was when he wrote it. And it's about being the optimistic mind in a realistic world. And, you know, one of the things that I'm going to give y'all a little tip on, I'm going to talk to you guys at 8% Nation about how to be extraordinary in ordinary times. You know, we're in a very ordinary time. People think it's a different time for our world. It's not. Our world has gone through these changes over and over and over. And guess what? People survived them. People thrived in those times. You need to be a thriver, not a survivor. You know, most people are going to tell you need to survive. I'm going to tell you need to thrive. You know, it's time to thrive. It's time to stand out. Yes. And so when you read Norman Vincent Peale, you just can't help but get excited. Zig Ziglar. You know, I got to meet him. He was teaching Sunday school at, I believe it's Preston with Baptist Church. Zig Ziglar was teaching Sunday school. Every Sunday. Are you kidding me? No, every Sunday. What? And I got invited to go by a friend. She goes, I think we can just walk in and I was like, oh my gosh, I'm sure we'll have to take it. Wait, where at? Where at? I think it's Preston Wood, Baptist Church. Somebody can check. That was in, that's in Texas. Uh-huh. And so we walk in and he's teaching Sunday school and I am just like Starstruck. I'm getting goosebumps right now. I know. I love him. And I tell all new people, read, see you at the top. Believe you're going to be at the top. No matter if you are in Ops, if you're in sales, if you are the janitor right now. That's right. Be the best janitor you can be. You know, your guy telling the story today in the sales meeting. Steve, yeah. Oh my gosh, I was trying to guess who the person was and I was thinking about the guy that started Sun Records and I was thinking about the guy that started this. And it ended up being Simon Cowell. Yeah. You know, most people would not tell you that Simon Cowell started that way. Most of them will tell you he landed a gig by being a smart A or whatever. Right, exactly. But he didn't. He worked hard to get there and he deserves our respect. That's another thriver. That's it. And I think one of the things that we've all gotten so hooked on is just how to survive. Yeah. That's the bottom of the barrel, y'all. That's right. Set your goals higher. Be a thriver. And that's probably something we're going to start doing, Cody. We need to brand that right down today. I just thought about it. We do. Kitted with your people. I'm Dr. Seuss. But, you know, in order to survive, I think you have to thrive. And so I want to see all of you young agents do that. You know, hey, follow me on Queen of the Bundle. If there's anything I can do to help you. That's one of the things that I think the women need to focus on. Bundle sell. Yes. You can package sell better than anybody because you can talk about cancer. You can talk about short term recovery care. You know, you can talk about products that other people are like, I don't need that product. I got these renewals. I don't need anything else. You know what? Those guys one day are going to wake up just like they do to me today and go, how did you get there? Well, because when you weren't looking and you were comfortable sitting on your bank account over there, I was working my tail off. And that's how I passed you to the finish line. That's your goal. That's it. Get to the finish line. I want to go back to what you're saying a few minutes to go to. It kind of seemed kind of tied back to me when you talk about surviving, thriving versus surviving. I really believe a lot of that's it's a decision. It's a mindset. It's it's a it's a belief. It's a confidence. And I really see a most a lot of agents in our business, at least 92 percent struggle with personal confidence. I'd love for you to speak on that because that's that's like you have a lot of personal confidence. You see a lot of other successful people. They have a lot of personal confidence. Yeah, they've had plenty of wins to build their confidence along the way. Some agents are going out they're they're getting goose eggs every day. And that's not that they're not they're not seeing wins, which is it's only going to detract from their personal confidence. It really takes people back when I tell them at my first job that I had no confidence. I had very low self esteem. So hard to believe seeing you now. I had a mentor. You know, I wanted to go to college like everybody else. And it still blows everybody away that I don't have a college education. But you know, I don't have to look much further than Sam Walton or some people up the street here in Nebraska that are pretty dadgum famous. But I will tell you that I had a mentor. Her name was Twyla Ophill. When I first started working for her name was Twyla Folsom. She ended up marrying a guy that I went to school with daughter. I mean daughter, his. Okay, start over. Jennifer Ophill's dad ended up marrying Twyla and ended up being the love of her life. But it was interesting. She hired me at 17. And she said, you're going to be awesome. And I was like, okay, she goes, but Galen, I'm going to tell you right now. I don't care if you cuss, but I do not ever want to hear you use the word can't. If I hear you use the word can't. Bad news. So I got rid of that word very quick in my vocabulary. And one day I was struggling with some stuff and she goes, hey, maybe you want to seek out counseling. I was like, not crazy. You know, and she goes, no, no, no, I want you to seek out counseling. And I know the United Way works on works on budgets. I wasn't making much money, you know, and I was living on bologna and cheese and the occasional seven dollar happy hour. That's how I eat dinner. You know, fry it or just eat it. Hey, I just ate it because, you know, I sit on my some bologna. And I did not like bologna as a kid. But you know, when you're broke and want to prove something, you'll you'll make sacrifices. And I think making those sacrifices early on in my life is what created the confidence and created the want to in me. But I went to counseling and it was interesting. This counselor said, what do you want to do in life? That was the first session. It's a good question. And I said, well, I didn't know that you were going to ask me that. And he goes, well, but what do you want to do? He goes, I've asked you now. The question's out of the bag. And I said, well, I wanted to be a lawyer, but I'm not going to go to college. So that's out of the bag. And he goes, well, what do you want to do? And I said, well, my dad wants to be an insurance business. I don't want to be in the insurance business. And he said, well, what do you want to do? And I said, I want to be great. And I don't feel like I have greatness in me. And he goes, OK, well, then that's what we're going to work on. And I was with that counselor for about a year. And, you know, and I won't say I was like a superstar overnight, but I got lots of promotions at the Lubbock Avalanche Journal. It was the only newspaper for Miles Around. And I just was encouraged to be as great as I could be there. But I was also that employee y'all that I got talked to about every other Friday. Galen, I need you to be quiet. Galen, I don't need you to talk to your neighbor. Galen, I need you to be more productive. Galen, Galen, Galen. And I would cry every Friday. I don't see you. I don't see that meshing well with Galen. I would cry every Friday. And I would come back in on Monday determined to not have to get back in there another Friday. And when I left the Avalanche Journal, it was the most crazy thing that they did for me. They built me this scrapbook and everybody took a picture and they wrote quotes down under their picture that they heard me say every other day. And I treasured that scrapbook. That's awesome. And it set me on the right path. It was like I never ever questioned being great again because I knew if I could make it there, I could make it just about anywhere I went. And everywhere I went after that, you know, that the first insurance job I had, I had one of the best friends and they thought she was a rock star. And Lisa Black, Lisa, if you're watching, she knows. She was my biggest encourager, probably my biggest competitor. She was gorgeous and I wanted to be her. I wanted to be like her. I wanted to be poised like her. And she wrote me the sweetest thing on Facebook the other day. She said, I knew out of everybody of all of my friends, you would be the most successful. You're the most balanced person. You're faith driven. You love everybody. She goes, if everybody had the heart you had, the world would be a better place. And I read that and I just cried. How do you not just bawl? I just cried because that was my biggest competitor. But she she was just so encouraging. And then, you know, I went to the top of that company and then I went to the top of the next one. And, you know, it's it's crazy when you look back and I'm like, you know, how do I end up having these great products with companies like Etna and Manhattan Life and, you know, they're so supportive and they they they just make me want to be a better person every single day. And the people I get to work with like Etna, Steve Patton, Fred Roth, Jennifer Henson, oh my gosh, how did that happen? How did that happen? Like, how do you wake up now as Galen Hendricks and have phenomenal relationships with carriers and products and people and like all this. There's like a little you got you got a lot of amazing, really cool things going for you now. It's it's so crazy. So Ty Bouldridge of he's the president of Etna, you know, a guy that works with him, Steve Patton, who's turned out to be an incredible friend. He goes, man, we need to look at more ancillary type products. He they saw the vision early on. And Steve was like, hey, there's this girl out there right in a boatload of cancer. We need to we need to talk to her. So he called my business partner and Taylor goes, hey, I think she would love to visit with y'all and see how we can help. And of course, you know, they were all senior distribution and I was writing all this in underage because I had another great friend by the name of David Morgan, who was an incredible visionary. He was the president owner of United Teachers Associates, another great encourager on my path. And, you know, when you have when you run across those people and they make you think you can do anything. Oh, my gosh, latch on to them. To this day, David Morgan will brag about me in any crowd. And I don't feel worthy of it ever, but I'm so appreciative. Anyway, we were at the Gay Lord. We were talking about the Gay Lord last night. And, you know, Ty goes, do you think you can get it done in the senior distribution? And my brain was saying, I don't know, my heart was saying, Galen, you can do this. To be able to be in the underage world and have a co-branded partner with Etna. How cool would that be? And, you know, that was 2012 and then 2013 we launched. And then, you know, a couple years down the road, Ty goes, hey, I think you could be the Paula Deen of insurance. You know, at first I was like, oh, gosh, I don't know if I want to be Paula Deen. But then I started reading about Paula Deen. I was like, who wouldn't want to be Paula Deen? You know, she's she's a rock star. And they they've just been so encouraging. Same way with Manhattan Life. I mean, David Harris saw something in me early on that I didn't even see in myself. I mean, he walked to Jim Daniels and he goes, hey, there's this girl, you know, and I love it when they refer to me as a girl. And, you know, I think I was probably in my mid 40s at that time. There's this girl in Texas that writes a boatload of underage help. I want to get to know her. And Jim Daniels goes, I know who she is. And so he introduced me to David Harris and, you know, my relationship with David Harris. I mean, I think what's so great about those relationships, Cody, is I don't see those as business relationships. I see those as friendships. I see those as family. I mean, I look at Cygna David Chambers. I hired into the business. He's now a hot dog with Cygna. And I'm just so proud of him. And, you know, and I look at all those relationships. But a young, oh, my gosh, Southwest Service Life. When I walked out of one organization, Galen, I'll have you set up in business in 24 hours. And I had financing. I had a product. But a young is really responsible for a lot of my success. And a lot of people don't even know who he is. But he has this little company in Fort Worth, Texas. He's worked with Frank Croy and Jerry Hall for years. And they were just so instrumental in my career. And, you know, I'm I'm just so grateful. You know, I think that is what my parents instilled in me at a very early age is that we all put our underwear on the same way and we're all people. We came in this world the same way. We're going to go out the same way and treat everybody like you would want to be treated. And I've just been very blessed to have had the parents I had. They died way too young. But the legacy of them live on in my sisters and now in their grandchildren and great grandchildren. And that's when you know that and that's where I get emotional because, you know, I tell people all the time, my dad may have lost his battle with cancer. But he didn't lose the war because all of those senior agents at at night, every time they write a cancer policy, my dad lives. And that is so powerful to me. It is. It's just incredible that agents believe in you that much to take your product and run with it and work their tails off. And and I'm just so grateful. I mean, the agents I get to work with every day are just. They're crazy awesome people. Yeah, you know, they're great salespeople, but they're crazy awesome people. You know, I mentioned to elder care earlier, John Bettis is one of the best friends in this business. He and I have had a ton of fun together. But he's somebody to watch. You know, Mike White in this business has been such a great mentor for me. I can call them morning, noon or not, they take my calls. Shanna Clark used to be at United Health Care, now runs a big agency. You know, I went through some really hard times. She lost her husband too young to melanoma. Amazing woman. Karen Frederick says another great woman to watch in our business. I mean, I'm just so blessed. Mariana DeMoss, you know, I mean, we've had so many great people. And you know, when you're thinking about superstars, you know, we were talking about baseball last night, y'all, because I love baseball. There are lots of stars in baseball. Yeah. But, you know, when I think of stars, I think of the people in this business I've gotten to know. There's a guy in Norfolk, Nebraska by the name of Brent Ellers, Jake Bailey, my business partner, Taylor Martin. My husband is a superstar in my eyes. He has believed in me since the day we married. My son, Sean and Shanna, they kick butt, our marketing team. I mean, I would put our marketers up against anybody. They're incredible. Our in-house agents. How many marketers and agents and all that? So we have four marketers that work for Sean right now. And we hate using the word work for. We like the words work with. Or a team member versus an employee. And, you know, and our sales agents, I would put up against anybody. I mean, you know, there are days when I know that they get on everybody's nerves and we get on theirs. But, you know, that's family. True. Do you and your brothers get along 24-7? Exactly. But it's what you do at the end of the battle. That's right. That makes it, you know, fun. Yes. And so, no, I'm just I'm very excited about where I am in my life. I'm very excited about these new agents that you and I get to work with every day. They're all everybody is really gravitated to you too at like conferences and stuff, like literally. I don't care how much experience they have or how new they are, like people respect that you are there to help anybody at any time. And they gravitate to that. You know, and I've seen that. I've seen you do that many times and it's just it's just it just speaks to who you are as a person. I love hanging out with those guys. You know, I've gotten to know some of these younger kids in our business and they are really kids, too. I mean, I mean, and you know, we had so much fun in Mississippi and actually it was Memphis, but, you know, when I think of Justin, I think of Mississippi, but we had so much fun in Memphis. And, you know, I love that, though. You know, I think that that just shows that no matter what age you are, if your heart is young, you're still viable. And if you're, I will say this, if you're a young person and you're needing help, ask. Don't forget, ask is an acronym. I learned this from a pastor years ago, Ed Young Fellowship Church and ask means always seeking knowledge. And as long as you're asking, you're growing, you know, there's no stupid question unless you ask it three times. You know, ask it once, ask it twice, learn from it. You know, just to find your job. A lot of people are afraid to ask stuff. They are. And don't be, you know, that's what we're here for. Hopefully, Cody and I are going to have some really great stuff to announce throughout the year to help some of you young people. I think that being able to teach thriving over surviving is just, it's going to be better quality life, you know, and you're going to have a good time. You know, one of the things I'll tell you about Leeds, y'all, they're just a lead. They lead you to the water. It's up to you to drink it. It's up to you to soak it in. It's up to you to make those people interested and don't get negative. You know, my dad's best advice and I just gave this to my landscaper last week is know what's spelt backwards. It's on to the next. You've got grumpy customers. You don't need those. Go find the happy ones. Find the ones that will talk about you. Find, find those ones. You know, I'm, I'm very blessed. I get to do this. I mean, do you know Phil Blyth? We're hanging out. You know, I mean, I don't know one movie star or singer that could say they have more fun than I do. You know, it's it's fun to just get to be able to be around young people. It makes me feel younger. Yes. And you know, hey, look, look at Dylan. Dylan's loving what he's doing. If y'all don't know Dylan, he's a rock star. We were just talking total rock star. And you know, try to take him. Hey, no, I won't. I won't. I mean, I mean, I mean, then I don't cross a lot people. You know, that's that's a bad thing y'all that that'll hurt your reputation. Yes, it will. But you know, but I will just say this, you know, stay steady, you know, and stable and love what you do. Yes. Here's one thing I wanted to close on. What numbers are you okay sharing? Because you've you've built an incredible business. You're writing a ton of applications and policies and a ton of premium. Just for that early agent or the agent that's not quite there yet. What numbers are you okay sharing as far as what you what you and your team and your company and partners have built? Yeah. So, you know, this year with Aetna was a rock star year for us. And we're still growing, which I keep going. Wow. But you know, it was funny when we were talking to Kevin Morey, he goes, Do you have any idea what your numbers are this year? And I was like, I think we've got a pretty good idea because we go off paid business. And so when we did the review in January, you know, with ancillary meds up and everything, we were right under $54 million. Wow. And I don't I don't know some insurance companies that write $54 million. Yeah. So that was exciting. Yeah. You know, we've had a 22. Todd Hayden and I've talked about this with Manhattan Life when I very first started with Manhattan. He and I, David Harris, their president, Dan George and Taylor. We had we always have a meeting at the end of the year to discuss goals and where we want to grow with Manhattan. And we didn't get to do that in December because of COVID. And then January came. So we finally met in February. And we were talking about when we very first started working together in 2008. And there was a opportunity presented to me that I walked away from. And I felt like, Oh gosh, David Harris and are going to never work together now. And in 2010, I called him and I said, Hey, these kiddos need insurance. Obamacare is knocking them out. And we were sitting there fast forward to February of this year. And I said, guys, do y'all remember, you know, the fact that we wrote 20 something million dollars with you guys last year? Do y'all remember when we were just wanting to do 2 million? Yeah. You know, so it's crazy stupid how God has blessed us. You know, I think one of the things that, you know, I will always say from any stage is I would not be here without God having been in our business. I invited God into our business the day we started it. God is in our business every day. That's why I've stayed away from getting over a certain number of employees, because I don't want to be told I can't discuss that or share that with my employees. So that's why you heard me say small is great. Yes. But God has just been so good to us. And he's still good to us. He's he's blessing us every day. You know, I'm super excited about this year 2021. You know, I went around saying 2020 was going to be our year. And there was a time in 2020 when I got a little negative. I shared that with you guys because I found out, you know, I don't need a lot of things, but I need people. Yes, that's what I do need. And so I've decided 2021 is going to be fun. And Cody, I will tell you what 2021 has been so fun so far. I cannot wait till we get on the stage at 8% nation. Hey, Cody, and I have some some surprises and prizes at 8% nation. So y'all need to get your tickets have to be there and register for ladies not ladies. And I don't care if some of you guys want to crash the party. Sure. You crashed it last year. I did have fun. I was like, I gotta go and see what's going on. Hey, some beautiful, beautiful hearts were there. You know, we have got a lot of women coming up in this business. Myra Luna tagged us in some stuff today. That was awesome. If y'all don't know who she is, y'all need to get to know her Victoria. Oh, gosh, Rebecca Davis. I mean, I have just been so blessed in 2020. But Renee, you know, um, it's crazy how we've been brought together by these people that introduced us and created such a great alliance and a great friendship and partnership. And so we thank you guys for introducing us. Absolutely. But yeah, y'all need to get your tickets. What do we have? Do we have any platinum still left that they can buy? We have. I'm looking at my board. We have we have less than 10 per fire now. Wow. We have eight or nine fire. We have gosh, I remember this time last year when we were pushing knows crazy. Now we have as of now, I think we had 913 tickets sold. Wow. There may be one or two this morning already come in. You guys, I'm serious. Yeah, I know a lot of you. Okay, so I'm talking to my health friends, health insurance friends. I know a lot of y'all three years ago said all that's just a life conference. I don't want to go. Okay. It's so much more than a life conference. We have turned this thing upside down and all around where all of our friends are there. Life, health, employees, benefit specialist are there. Man, it is it's rocking and rolling. And I heard last night, the statler is sold out. I cannot believe y'all sold out the statler. I was working with these guys today about looking at other hotels in the area. So, you know, we're gonna we're gonna get rooms. We're gonna make sure we have places for you guys to stay. You know, I know American senior benefits home office not far from here. You guys need to get on the bandwagon. We're gonna Airbnb Galen's house. Hi. Come on. Come on. We'll go got some long horns. They've never been ridden. But you know, hey, it's always a party. But you know, I mean, we it's always fun when we always get together. So y'all come join us. It'll be a great fun. It will absolutely be a ton of fun. You being there and being a supportive and helping bringing so many ideas. I mean, you've been a huge help to the event to the really the growth of all of it. So thank you. And I'm glad you got to meet my friend Richard Cantu last week. Yes. Unbelievable guy. Oh, gosh, such a humble dude. Oh man. There's a lot of amazing people that you're introducing me to that I'm very fortunate of that because there's a lot of good people in this industry. Yeah, just like Miss Galen. Okay, so thank you for being here. Thank you for having me. Thank you for sharing everything. Go to the go to Facebook page Queen of the Bundle. Please make sure you follow Miss Galen. She's unbelievable. She's a rock star. And I love spending time with you. So thank you for sharing. Thank you. I love it. We'll get her in the hot seat soon. Otherwise, we'll see the representation 2021. If you enjoyed this, I got another one. You're going to love it's right there. Click on it. See you in there. At least it seems like to me you guys are doing a really, really, really good job. It's been a process. I think it just started with understanding who he was. Like instead of trying to change who he was or get him to adapt.