WMH Season 2, Ep 3: Balance, Harmony, and Finding Life after Grief

This is a transcript of Watching Mental Health Season 2, Episode 3 with Magdalena Brandon which you can watch and listen to here

Katie Waechter: Hi everyone, and welcome to another episode of Watching Mental Health. I am very excited. Today we're going to dive into a conversation that we haven't had yet here on our channel, and we're going to talk a little bit more about personal experiences with mental health, with grief, with just managing life, which I think is super, super important. And I'm really excited to bring on this guest because she has really experienced a lot of hardships in life, and yet she shows up every single time I see her with a smile, and I just think that she's beautiful from the inside out.

And so my guest today is Magdalena Brandon, and she's always had a passion for color and design, and that's why she is a Feng shui specialist and she's very good at her job. She understands the importance of balance and harmony, not only in one's environment, but also in the mind, the body and the soul. She's creative and passionate and an ethical business professional who's always fun and loves supporting others in achieving their objectives, be it creating a beautiful home or creating a beautiful life internally or externally. I have personally worked with her. I have also networked with her women's networking group, which is just filled with wonderful women that she's managed to bring together for I think over a decade now. She has experienced an immense amount of grief and trauma in her life, however, but her ability to choose to live life and to focus on making her world better is truly an inspiration. I have seen her face very difficult tribulations, and she continues to shine. And so I'm really excited to bring on Magdalena Brandon. Without any further ado, Magdalena, welcome to the show.

Magdalena Brandon: Thank you so much for having me here, Katie, and it's so nice to see you and congratulations on bringing this topic out to everyone.

Katie: Well, thank you. Yeah, it's such an important topic and it can be so stigmatized, and so I'm really excited to get into it with you today. But before we do that, just first tell us a little bit about who you are and a little bit about your background in Feng shui. It's a little bit of a creative endeavor. It's not something that does or can do, I believe. And so I want you to tell us a little bit about who you are.

Magdalena: Well, I was born and raised in East la. Chose to move out here 30 years ago, almost 31 because my last husband was an electrician, and pretty much there was no work in California at that time in the nineties. So we moved out here. I actually opened up my own furniture and accessory store also in design, and then a very good friend, she worked with me and certified me in Feng shui in 2004. And it goes hand in hand with design because placement of furniture, artwork, accessories, plants, et cetera, have a lot to do with the balance in your home. So I was really happy to bring the two entities together. Not a lot of people that do both. I had a son and he's unfortunately, well, I guess fortunate for him, unfortunate for me. He's on the other side right now, 13 years ago, and he was my only child.

But that doesn't stop me because I adopt animals. I crazy. In fact, I'm not a crazy cat lady, but I'm close. I have four. So I love animals. I love dogs. I love people as long as I'm able to communicate with them, very straightforward and direct, sometimes to fault. So I watch, I have to breathe sometimes. So I'm not so curt. I've been doing this, the design for 40 years, and I've been doing the feng shui now for 20. Oh my God, time just flies. It really does. But I have a home in southwest Las Vegas. I love my space. My house is my sanctuary. I tune everybody out when I walk in.

I make sure I make sure it's protected. I make sure if things aren't working smoothly for me, I look at those faces and the areas I'm like, oh God, that's why. And the minute I change things up, all of a sudden things happen. So that's a little bit about me. I love jazz is my biggest. I love going to jazz concerts and seeing and listening to live music. I love all kinds of sports. I'm a football fanatic and I really just enjoy different venues out there. I mean, I feel I like a little bit of everything. I'm not one sided both sides. And I finally got to enjoy the nights. I haven't been to one of their games and our women's group got to go because it was Women's month or something like that in March. So that was a great experience to see that. Not that I probably would be a big hockey fan and who knows.

Katie: That's wonderful. Yeah. So yeah, I love that you went to the Knights game and I'm a big Knights fan. But yeah, I have also started coming around to sports and become a much bigger sports fan in the last few years. I think as Vegas has grown with sports, I've grown with sports. But before we get into any mental health stuff, I wanted to touch back on. So this idea of feng shui with interior design is being not something that is very common to combine the two that we don't see that very often. And I just find that so peculiar because to me, and maybe it's because I know you, and so I've learned this stuff through you, but to me it feels like it really should go hand in hand. And I see how you do that. It's not just about moving furniture. It is about the whole environment. It is about achieving that balance and harmony in your environment, and that's so essential for mental health. And I think you need both in order to really accomplish that. So I just find that really interesting that not a whole lot of people are combining those two the way that you are.

Magdalena: No, because when I first came to town, there was a lot of designers that, or sorry, Feng shui individuals that would contact me because they knew my ability and color's like my thing. That's my biggest area I feel. I mean, I have many, but color is, I love combining three to four to 10 colors together. Not making it into a play zone, but making it very sophisticated as well. You can do things very, it doesn't have to be so bold. It could be a little bit softer, but the colors blend. So that's why they brought me on because they didn't understand how to use color, and they really didn't know how to place the furniture in the power positions. Because in your career area, that's extremely important. Also in your relationship area, that's extremely important and colors to use not to use. So when I work with somebody in the design aspect, let's say they don't know anything about feng shui, nor would they be being open to that.

Sometimes people look at you, so I don't let them know, but I do it in that fashion. I cannot do something that doesn't belong there in my world. I'm not going to put, I am not going to go into a master bedroom that this individual wants a relationship and a single person, whether it's male or female or whomever, and not have everything in pairs, well, let's just do this lab like this and let's do another ette like this. And I guide them as much as I can, and especially letting them know if this is what you want, you want more money. If you want to change your career, you want to get better health, it all this needs to happen. So it was so important for me to combine the two. And now I have an opportunity because I'm off for three months to further my education in that, which I'm excited about. And that's probably one of the reasons why I'm at the standstill. I, I'm totally fine with. So it really goes hand in hand. And even when I walk into this a space that's been professionally done, if it's off with something, I feel it. And I mean, I don't say a word, not my place to do it. And a lot of people, honestly, Katie, don't like me coming to their house. They think I'm going to tear it apart. But if I'm just, I'm not going to say anything. You're not paying me. You pay me. I'll say something.

But if I get to speak to this individual and then something's not working in their world, if they come to me and just confide as a friend, and I'll just say, well, if you're interested in a consult, because that's what I did notice, and I would be happy to do a consultation with you so that way I can show you and in black and white. And I just let them know, if you want this to work, you have to work with me and manifest it and not go into it. Go, oh yeah, whatever. She just full, she's all woo woo. She's all this. She doesn't know what she's talking about. I've had success stories after success stories after success stories with people that do what I asked them to do well and tell them to do, and then the results happen and they're like, oh my gosh. And I said, that's what happens. And I've had people come to me go, well, this isn't working. That isn't working. I said, let me ask you a couple questions, and then we go on the list. You didn't do this, this, this, this, and this. I mean, so

Katie: I love it.

Magdalena: So it, it creates such a nice energy between the two different, amazing. They're different. They're similar, but they're different entities. Design in a Feng Shui, but it all relates to each other. Color proportion, lighting. I mean, it does this. So anyway.

Katie: Yeah, absolutely. And you're somebody who I always have really looked up to because I feel like in many ways you walk your talk, you're not just telling people to go and live their life and to maybe change this or change that. If you want to change or if you need movement somewhere, you're working through it yourself. You're doing things, you're out there doing physical things. I've seen you do Pilates for years, you're doing mental things. You're constantly trying to evolve and find your sense of balance and harmony. Am I right in saying that?

Magdalena:

Absolutely. Because I feel you're always a student,

You're always learning. And if you turn off that off for ego, whatever, I think you lose out because the more I learn, the more I grow and the more excited I become to whatever I'm looking at, whether it's seeing a counselor, whether it's okay, why does it feel so heavy in this house? And I'll share that story later. I just fixed my house and I'm like, what is going on? And then if you let open up the channels, because I'm very much into intuitiveness. I have a spiritual guider. I mean, I'm a little over here, but I'm a little over here. So I'm like, and I

Katie: Love that.

Magdalena: And then it's almost like my inspiration, you're too young for this, but Felix the cat,

He had a bag of tricks. Hello? When I used to sit in front of that TV at five years old watching him and just pretend like I had a bag of that. I can make this look pretty and this look pretty. And even back in the day, my parents had plastic on their furniture. And some of your viewers, they might remember that they might not like, what is this woman talking about? And here I was at five years old with my scissors cutting it off because this was unacceptable. You cannot be sitting on a piece of furniture and slide off. You want to fill fabric underneath you. So I got in a little bit of trouble, and that's how I started back when I was five years old. So 63 years ago, because I'm 68.

Katie: That's amazing. So you knew from the get go, if something is off, I need to fix it.

Magdalena: Yeah, I wouldn't do that to anybody's house right now. And when they're like, oh, you're so right. I'm like thinking. Yeah, thank you.

Katie: Yeah, yeah, I know. So now your life has been really interesting, and so I think it's been really great that you've managed to keep a lot of these really important and just these tools, these tricks in your bag because it's almost like you've really needed them because you've had a lot happen to you. So tell us a little bit more whatever it is you're comfortable with about your mental health journey, about your family, about maybe something that you've experienced.

Magdalena: Well, I always say I'm an only child from a family of six. And the reason I say that, it's a little unfortunate. And unfortunately my family, they don't like me. They all still live in la. The only one that does is my younger brother, and he and I have somewhat of a relationship, not a big one, but at least I can talk to him. The others I don't speak to because they don't want to talk to me. So for whatever reason, I did not get into that area as far as having mental breakdowns. My mother was clinically depressed. We almost had to institutionalize her. So she really wasn't a mom to me. My older sister was my mom. There's big age gap. My dad was a paranoid schizophrenic. So he did something that shocked us, and luckily he didn't go to jail for very long, but because he was unstable, I have brothers the same paranoid, schizophrenia, agoraphobia, on and on and on.

And so I saw this being number six. So I was blessed to be towards the end, and I thought, I don't want to be like that. What is going on with this person? And I want to get more into adventure and playing. And I was a big, I played sports. I played volleyball. In fact, volleyball was my game and actually got written up in a newspaper, a local newspaper, because I made 13 straight points with my serve. I mean, nobody could return it. I don't know how I did it, but apparently I did it. So I got into baseball or softball. I mean, all of that kind of stuff. I tried out for drill team didn't quite make it because I couldn't kick my butt. If you didn't kick your butt, you wouldn't make it, even though I was fit enough, but I guess my legs were too.

They were tight or whatever the case or my butt wasn't big enough. I don't know. So I was always attempting to activities, so I wasn't just sitting at home and brooding or just not having any sense of self or just zombies, I guess. So with that, unfortunately there was a lot of trauma in my life. So I don't remember from five to nine, which I'm okay with. I do remember what happened, and I know I was molested as a child. It happens. I have worked for 25 years plus now to find the forgiveness, to find that love again and respect for my parents, even though they weren't really my parents or were not parental units, I can say. And they showed me what I didn't want. So I was very grateful that I got to see what I didn't want. So it having my child fast forward to that, I started really saying, well, I need it.

I want to go here. I want to do this. I want to talk to somebody. I started searching. So the amount of energy I've put into my own mind, because there have been times, and one of the things that happened after I had my child and I had 'em young, we were 19 and a half years apart, and I didn't want kids, honestly. I was taking care of all my older brothers and sister's children, and I'm like, oh my God, I already took care of six kids. No, I don't want you kids. No thank you. Well, again, the universe decided even though I was taking all these precautions that no, you need to have this baby. And they were amazed that I couldn't even get pregnant when they told me I couldn't get pregnant. I was doing a happy dance out the doctor's office. He thought there was something wrong with me when I didn't want no. So anyway, sweet,

Katie: I don't have to worry about it. Have

Magdalena: To worry about it. I guess you have all kinds of money, no birth control. And then it

Katie: Happened, and here are

Magdalena: It happened. It's like, oh, okay. But what was beautiful about that, Katie, is it gave me the ability to heal from my mother and I became the mother to my son that I never had.

Katie: To your little child, to your little girl.

Magdalena: My inner child was developing a child and we were best friends. I took him out every weekend. We went to go play. We were riding bikes, we were traveling together. We hung out. And then his dad left with, he was only three, which actually he needed to leave. He was very abusive. That was the other thing. I come from a very abusive Mike Tyson kind of family that they box. It's just disgusting. So he attempted that once, didn't do it again, I knocked him out with a frying pan and then called my brother to come take him away, which they did. And so I raised my son. So I was both mother and father to my son, but there were times that we were just both children and having a good time. He was the best. He graduated high school, graduated college. I couldn't ask for more. And then stupid entered into his life again. That's what was supposed to be. So he got involved in things, drugs and stuff that he shouldn't have. And unfortunately, he contracted HIV. I saw him and I knew he wasn't going to live, even though I did as much as I could to save him financially, mentally, spiritually. I had healers coming. I mean, I don't even know how I got through a year and a half. I don't remember. It was just so traumatic. Watching your child die.

Katie: Yeah, slowly dying.

Magdalena: I'm sorry. Yeah. And I never cried in front of him. I'm like, Nope, not doing it. Because he knew once he left, I had no one he knew. And he's like, who's going to take care of you? And we had that discussion when I had to take the hospice. And again, I didn't hold anything back. Sometimes I feel when you harbor what's really going on and you don't share exactly what's happening with health-wise, whatever, you need to let somebody see the whole picture. So with Richard, I was just like, excuse me. I had to make the decision what I was going to do, hospice or see how long we can keep 'em alive.

So I stood there and I said, you know what really pisses me off, and this is exactly what I said, is that I took care of your little booty growing up and make sure you were okay and everything so you could take care of me and wipe my little booty when I get older. Now what am I supposed to do word for word? And I'm standing there with my sassy little hand on my hip, and then I went, I'm just kidding. I said, I love you. You're getting weaker. You'll take care of me better on the other side. So we're just going to do that, and I hope you're okay with that sun because I don't know what more I can possibly do or the doctors, I don't want you having a trach here and this. No. So we did. The beautiful part was he lasted three days in hospice.

We kept turning down the machine. He was fighting. He didn't want to go. I kissed his face with my red lipstick. So he had my lips on him. I knew it was close. Richard was born on a full moon at one 10 in the morning. He passed on a full moon at 1 45 in the morning. That's 35 minutes. He was 35. Wow. Oh my God, you can't tell me this wasn't supposed to be. So that's part of how I was able to grasp it. But then I also delved into HIV and I supported, I worked for a nonprofit. I supported aan.

I was out there educating people, doing speeches, and just really out there. But what deterred me was the organizations I was working for wasn't about the people. It was about how much money they were making. That doesn't work for me. No, that doesn't work for me. This is all about them and this is what you're doing. So I do have a foundation I've set up, and when I have time, by the time I stop working at 80, maybe I will start that to see and really bring more awareness to it because it's still an unfortunate disease that's out there big time.

But it helped me heal. So it was okay. And then I just started getting back into reality and getting back into living because there were times, and I'm going to be very frank, that I said, why am I here? I don't have a family, even though there's blood. I don't have a family. My son's gone. What the hell am I doing here? It's time for me to go. Let me just go. Let me just go. Well, that stood in my head for maybe five seconds. I pushed things in and push him out. Especially it goes to that negative. And I said, no, I heard this. I'm sure it was my son talking to me. He doesn't talk to me. You put your big girl panties on. You've got to live and you have a purpose and you have to teach. You have to make people aware. Stop feeling sorry for yourself and get your butt out of bed now. And I just kind of went, what the hell was that? And I'm like, okay,

Because that's how I've always lived my life. I might, you get a little whatever we have to allow that to also happen. There's also a time to turn it off and get back up, dust yourself off and keep moving forward. So is been 13 years and I know that I still carry his loss in me. How can I not, this month is not really the best month for me, only because it's his birthday. If he lived, he would've been 49 Mother's day, John and i's first ever meeting face-to-face, May 19th. So May is kind of like, and I think I'm doing very well, actually. I had a beautiful Mother's Day. I have something special planned for his birthday, and I'm having a big party for him next year. So he would've been 50. So I'm having big party. Yeah, I mean serious aid.

Katie: Good party

Magdalena: For him. Exactly. It's going to be, I'm planning it now. Then I will be 70 in November because like I said, 19 and a half years apart. So I was able to be young enough to run around with him and do all that stuff. So that's what happened then.

Katie: That's so big. And it's just amazing to watch you continue to put one foot in front of the other and to get up, like you said, to allow yourself to feel and then to know when it's time to get up and start moving because you just can't wallow in it forever, but it's always going to be with you. So for our listeners out there, for anyone who may be experiencing grief or anyone who really knows someone who's experiencing grief and maybe doesn't know how to communicate with them or how to talk with them about it, or if they should or shouldn't, what would your advice be to someone who's maybe not sure what to say to someone who's grieving?

Magdalena: Well, first of all, they have to make sure that whomever they are allowing into that space, because it's very delicate and you have to feel safe. So whomever they feel safe with, who they really know that they would fight for you because they're your friend. This is a true friend, not an acquaintance. It could be a sibling. It could be a best friend, it could be, it could be me, but you have to trust them. And I don't say anything initially about why they're depressed, who's past, who's this, who's that. And they could be going through some health issues themselves and getting ready to cross over whatever. I just start asking 'em about who they are, and we kind of break the eyes to talk about me. I can talk a whole lot. And then they start feeling comfortable because I really do my best to make you feel comfortable.

And because there's nothing like talking to somebody with a shell in front of them and they like, oh, I understand. No, they know you don't. You've never been through this. I had a gay son, Mike son was gay. I raised him a mother and father when he was three years old, I started telling him, you're finishing. You're getting your high school diploma and you're going to college, period. So he did. I mean, I groomed him from the very beginning. So I mean, I have that aspect because I don't want to hear, I'm an only parent. I can't do this bullshit. Sorry. No, that is possible. You can. So you want to somebody, you can go through it, but you have to be very organized. You have to be very disciplined. You have to stick by your word. There's so much. So I attempt to let them talk, and then we slowly go into it because it has to come up and come out.

The first thing is they have to release all of that. I call this liquid love right now because of my retina surgery three weeks ago to keep me closed, to keep me taking care of me better, and I catch up with everything I must, I'm afraid to cry because I don't know if it's going to affect my eyeballs. So I see the doctor on Saturday, and I'm going to say, because his birthday's coming up and I am going to do my best. If he said, no, please don't cry. But I don't know if that's the case or not, but I want to make sure, because if says, no, you really can't cry. You really can't put anything in your eye.

He tells me I can then who knows how long it's going to be till I stop. But you have to want to, they have to want to talk to somebody. They have to want to live again, because especially, and I've seen mothers and fathers that have other children and they forget they have other children because they're so focused on the one that's passed. I have niece set. We don't really speak. She's got whatever that is, and I love her. And if she's watching, God bless you, she lost a daughter. And I let my brother know I can't talk to her because I have no way to communicate with her if she wants to talk to me. She knew my son. She loved my son. My son loved her and her sister. So have I heard from him? No. And will I? No, because my brother tells me something that's going on and they're kind of focusing on the child that's gone.

They have five others you have to give the attention to, whether it's your husband, your wife, you know what I mean? But it's got to come from within. And if they don't have that, let's try to find it. Let's attempt it to get it out. And I'm not capable or qualified by all means. And I can refer you. I've worked with a lot of people I can refer you to, I think would be your best fit. I know a lot of people, that's what my Instagram page is. Ask Magdalena, people call me for whatever I will refer. I have people that I know personally and that have done work for me or others are blah, blah, blah, blah. But mainly for me because I'm very picky. So I guess that's something, I mean, that's the very first step, but they have to be able to cry and be okay with it. It doesn't matter what time of day it is. It doesn't matter who you're in front of. It doesn't matter. Just let it out.

Katie: Yeah. Yeah, you do. It's so important to let it out and in a healthy way. So with that, let's end the episode on, tell us a little bit more about what are some of your self-care techniques. And you mentioned before that you had something happening in your house and you made a change, and then that was helpful. So walk through these items and we'll wrap up the episode.

Magdalena: I'll try. I'm attempt to make it quick because I talk a lot Anyway. So I've uncovered the fact that my weight challenge was because of my past trauma of being molested. We uncovered it, my therapist and myself, and just the books that I read and all of that. So this was back in, I guess, well, Richard passed in 2011, and I really didn't focus on myself as much as I do now. So it was 2012 is when I finally said, okay, I know what happened. It is passed. You can't see it. And I'm kind of grateful I can't see it, but that's when I had the weight. So I started on my journey. So I worked, I trained, I got a personal trainer because that's important. And then figuring out what I like to do.

I've done Pilates for seven years. Before I went in for my hip surgery last year, I was attempting to get to 900. I only made 878 or something like that. Classes. That's impressive. I impress myself and I continue still to do it. But anyway, so I went to the professional, is what I'm saying, got their input, did what they told me to do, went to go see a naturopath because something was going on with me. And as it happened, they had me on this prescription medication that could have killed me, and it didn't. And my hormones were all kitty totally whacked. And even when I walked into the naturopath after I took the blood work, what the fuck? I'm sorry. Probably should have said that. You could bleep it out. But seriously, and I'm just looking at her like, oh, what? And she goes, I'm surprised.

Haven't had a stroke. You haven't had, don't have cancer. And I just said, well, I'm not supposed to. So how do we fix it? That's it. So I'm on bioidentical hormones. I still am. I started at 2012. I still am from that working out, eating correctly, working out. I started at 2 24. I'm down to 1 58. That's beautiful. And I've kept that. I fluctuate between, well after John passed, I went up and 10 pounds. But I attempt to stay there. And I'm working out currently, I just hired a trainer because it's 68 years old. I have to make sure that I'm healthy. It is not about how I want to look. It's all about can I walk up the stairs without pulling myself up? Can I get up of my chair instead of having somebody help me? Can I lay down and get up and not get up?

Do I need one of those little things on my neck? I mean, that's why I'm doing it. And the money, it should never stop you. If you really want it, you can manifest it. And I have lived my life my entire life. I've been the only one that pays my own paycheck for 40 years. So been raising a child that was full of money. So it's all about what you want and what you want to manifest. So that got me to this point, which I'm still at my age, I'm still working out. And I go walking with my friends until it gets too hot early in the morning for a two and a half to three mile walk. So I like the movement. And I'll be training for a while to build my muscle. And I can't lay on my back just yet because this retina. So I'm not doing Pilates or Gyrotonic, which is another modality. That's incredible. So I've learned all of these things because I've attracted all of these things because I wanted all of this for me. I come from a family that they died at 74 and 79. I am 68, that's not far away. So I know I'm going to live longer, but it's because they have diabetes. They were overweight, they had heart, they had this. It was a nightmare. And I'm like, my dad's, both of his legs had amputated. Wow. So what is that? And how do I stay away from that?

Katie: Knock? Not do that. Yeah,

Magdalena: No, the only thing I have is hypertension, which that's why I hired a trainer. And that's why I'm doing what I'm doing to help that as well. And I'm taking other supplements to help that as well. But it could be a multitude of things. And again, I'm not going to just say, oh, okay, give me another pill. No, I can probably say, I only have one brown bottle at my age. That's impressive. I not be getting rid of the bottle. I don't want it.

Katie: Right.

Magdalena: I'd rather have 20 different supplements that I'm taking instead. So that's how I did it. And it is a constant, again, that's what I wanted. I saw how I was brought up in crazy and I didn't want that. I wanted a peaceful, harmonious, abundant, loving life.

Katie: And you created it.

Magdalena: And I created it.

Katie: And that's good.

Magdalena: Actually, that felt good saying that I'm going to pat my little ass on the back. Yeah, right back here.

Katie: You did. You did it.

Magdalena: I'm sorry. I got to watch it. You know me. Things just come out.

Katie: No, you're perfect. I love it. So tell us, what did you change in your house? And then we'll end this episode on that.

Magdalena: So, and I have a friend that we used to be a couple, and then we stopped being a couple. And then I hated him. And then I thought, no, he helped me through the worst time of my life. We have to be friends. So we have now a friendship, which is nice. I know he still loves me. I always wants to get back together. And he's insane. I'll never happen. Magdalena does not go backwards. Magdalena only goes forward. But he asked me, do you need some help? And I said, oh, yeah, I do. So he was here. His energy is so toxic. And after, because I had to lay on my face for a week and a half and had to put drops in my eyes twice a day. I couldn't do it because I couldn't see and I couldn't cook. So he stepped in and I had him doing all kinds of chores, and we get along okay, but his energy

Katie: Is what I'm

Magdalena: Talking

Katie: About...

Magdalena: So when he left, because after the doctor says, okay, well you can sleep on your side now. Perfect on my right side. I could only sleep on my right side for now, and we'll see what he says on Saturday. So I was sleeping better. I started calming down, and then I'm walking around going, oh my God, this just, ew. It just feels like ew in here. Oh, you know what I mean? And full moon's coming. So I sage at New Moon and Full Moon, but I missed the new Moon, so I'll do it on Full Moon. So I had my cleaning lady come in and we were talking about just her doing a basic one. And then I'm like, oh, no, no, I'm just looking around. I'm feeling this. Let's do a complete clean. Let's clean the house from top to bottom completely. We're talking baseboards, we're talking obviously the dusting, the fans, the vents. I mean, we're talking, I have these pot shelves in my house, which why they invented these. All they do is our dust collectors. And I have three of them. And I won't tell you how long it's been since I had 'em clean, but let's just say it was, I could have made several weaves out of the dust that works up there,

What the hell is that? So it got all clean. The house feels so much better. And I know obviously he didn't create that, but he got me to feel more uncomfortable. And then, I mean, what a difference it made in my house. So things are moving again better. I don't feel that ickiness when I come home, I'm sleeping better, the house feels better. And people walk in, they go, oh my God, I just love how it feels in here. I said, thank you. So that's what I did. So every now and then, those areas coming for me. Those areas that you kind of don't look at, because why bother looking at it up there eventually have to get just saying,

Katie: Directly to me.

Magdalena: I have to admit it, but hey, I'm real. I'm being real. Yeah,

Katie: I love it though. I need to know that. So I'll go dust air. Because I have not dusted,

Magdalena:

But I'm telling you girlfriend, girlfriend, oh no, my cousin who lives in Tucson, she goes, oh my God. Because I show the pictures and I told her I swore her to delete them and don't tell anybody to show anybody. She goes, oh my God. It was like arachni phobia up there. They could have had Aspire family up there probably, right?

You forget, and that'll never happen once a year. This will be done once a year. I'm not ever, ever doing that again. Shame on me. And so I'm human. We learn. Exactly.

Katie: We're all human, and that's what life is. It's just a learning day in and day out. And you have taught me a lot. So I am just so grateful to have you in my life. I met you when I first started networking, when I was still just a little duckling coming out into the world.

Magdalena: And that's what you've done that for me too, Katie, because without you, there was a lot of stuff I could not do. And when you stop doing it for me, I'm like, now what the hell am I going to do? Because I don't want to know anything about social media. I don't want to know. I mean, would love to be able to do a podcast or do what you're doing. If somebody just says, here, mag, just stay right here and handle it. I've already set everything up. I'll do it. But for me to figure this out, oh no, because everybody gets telling me you should. And I'm like, yeah, okay. One day, maybe this next three months, who knows? But you've shown me a lot, Katie, and thank you for letting me know that I'm there and I've supported you. Because that's how I feel about all the ladies that come through because I've seen so many of 'em flourish and just become amazing business woman.

And that's why I do it. I don't do it. I don't make any money, at least the social media stuff, the website that all gets paid and printing and that kind of thing that gets paid. But that's not what I want. I want. And then the amount of business that goes on with this two chapters, we have two chapters. We have 50 women, the tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of dollars I can say. And so 10 years. And we've had some members that have been there almost the full time. So it's kind of cool. And I love that because it's like you're my little babies. They're my little, yeah, my little chickens.

Katie: That's how I feel. I'm a little baby.

Magdalena: Lemme help you here. And I love doing that, but only you have to have that right energy for me because you will meet women. I've met women that there are wolf and sheep's clothing, and I've been very much taken aback. Several people. I never thought that would happen, but they would do something like that. And you are like, okay, but that doesn't warp who I am. I'm not going to always be suspicious about, oh, they're going to be just like her. Everybody is their own individual. And I've just become smarter and how to pick that up or how to have better boundaries. So it takes two, right? Absolutely. Another learning. I've learned so much, Katie. Really.

Katie: I know I have. I should have you back. I should have you back.

Magdalena: You should. Anytime. I got alls

Katie: Of other, I mean, there's questions I didn't get to anytime.

Magdalena: No, seriously. Because we didn't even get to John. I

Katie: Know. Exactly. John or yeah, I had other stuff. So we'll have to bring you back on. And in

Magdalena: The meantime, anytime, not doing anything right now for three months.

Katie: Well, I'm just so grateful that you are here and you were so vulnerable and just so open, and you're just such an open book. And just like I said at the be top of the episode, just an inspiration. Your energy is something I always aspire to see and to emulate, and I just think that you're doing amazing things. So thank you. Thank you all. I'm glad. I'm glad that resonated with you because it's important to know, just like you said, we don't tell people how important they are to us sometimes, and I think we need to do that more. And so I'm just so grateful that you came on and we will end it here, but really fast. What is the name of the women's group in case any women who are local Las Vegas business entrepreneurs wants to get involved?

Magdalena: It's called the Las Vegas Women's, L-V-E-W-N, Las Vegas Empowered Women's Network https://lasvegasempoweredwomensnetwork.org/ And we have two locations. And basically whatever profession you in, we have one category, but you can connect with me on Meetup. We have our lunch and learn there.

Katie: Yeah, we'll have your information for anyone who wants it. But thank you so much again for being here. And we are going to be live every first and third Wednesday of the month at 3:00 PM Pacific Time. But you can catch all of my episodes, including this episode on my katierosewaechter.com. So thank you so much everyone, and we'll see you next time.

Magdalena: Thank you.