Krystal J [00:01:06]:
Today we have the incredible Judi Moreo, who is, oh, my gosh, so many things. I don't even know if I can list it all in this bio, but she has spoken to thousands of people all across the globe. She's written numerous books, she has a talk show, a magazine. She's doing so many incredible things. And she is one of the fabulous women that I have the honor of connecting with through Women Thrive And you are all going to love her. Love her energy, love her spirit. So, Judi, I cannot wait to dive into this conversation with you. It's always such a pleasure chatting with you. So thank you so much for joining us today.
Judi M [00:01:48]:
Thank you. It's a privilege. I'm so happy to be here and to see you again.
Krystal J [00:01:53]:
Yeah. So let's go ahead and just dive into it. Well, with everything on your plate, I know you have a lot going on. So let's just start kind of with your background. How did you get started into this crazy entrepreneur woman that you have now become? Like, how did your path lead you to where you're at now and then what is, like, one or two things that's, like, really lighting you up right now and regards to all of the projects that you're working on, what is something that's really exciting you right now?
Judi M [00:02:25]:
Okay, well, how I got started on the entrepreneurial journey is I used to be they don't even have the department store anymore. There used to be a department store by the name of Montgomery Ward, and it was a real popular department store across the United States. And they always had a Wendy Ward director, and they hired me to be the Wendy Ward director. And I taught little kids how to walk and stand and turn and how to take care of their fingernails and their skin. And so these were, like, four to seven year olds and eight to twelve year olds. And then we put in a teen program for 17 to 18 year olds, and then we put in a woman's self improvement program for women, 19 and over. And it was so popular, we did so well, that out of the 500 stores, I became the number one Wendy Ward director in the country, because my program just did so well, and everybody was real proud of me. But I kind of got too big for my britches, and I thought, well, I should just start my own business.
Judi M [00:03:31]:
If I'm so good, I'll go out there and start my own finishing school and model agency. And so I had a savings of $2,000. I quit my job. I took my $2,000, rented an office, bought equipment, and two weeks after I opened, they turned off all the lights on the Las Vegas Strip. For the first time in history, we had a major strike. Nobody was hiring models because the hotels were all closed. Nobody was sending their kids to modeling school because they were all out of work. And there I was at the end of the first month, I didn't have enough money to pay my rent.
Judi M [00:04:05]:
So I went to my landlord, and I said, I've got a problem. Actually, you and I have a problem because I don't have enough money to pay the rent. And he looked at me for a long time. Now, he was one of these old Las Vegas guys with the chains around his neck and his shirt open to his waist and hair. Looked like he used his daughter's curling iron on his chest, right? And he looks at me and he says, well, honey, he said, the guy next door bet me you couldn't make it in business six months. And I bet him you could. So he said, if you can hang in there six months, we'll make enough money to pay your rent. True story.
Judi M [00:04:42]:
True story. That's how I got started as an entrepreneur. I spent my $2,000 on the equipment and the. And the first month's rent and the next five months rent. I got free because he made a bet. And by me hanging in there, he won it. And I stayed there in his office building for several years paying my rent, and he was the most supportive landlord on the face of the earth. And eventually I made enough money to buy my own building.
Judi M [00:05:12]:
So I moved out of his facility and I bought my own building. And then, of course, I became very, very successful. But it was, it was a little rough beginning, but I was so young, I didn't know the difference. You know, I thought I was just, I was just going for it. And later people said to me, you know, most people would have just gone to their landlord and said, I can't pay the rent, I'm sorry, and walked away, you know, but no, you went and included him in your problem. You know, you and I have a problem. And so, you know, he helped figure out a way to keep you in business. He turned out to be a wonderful mentor.
Judi M [00:05:47]:
In fact, we're still friends to this day, which is 60 years later. So it's just amazing, you know, that that's how I got started in the entrepreneurial journey. I ran that business for 21 years quite successfully. We went from being just a modeling school and a modeling agency into being a convention service company. And I was instrumental in helping the Las Vegas convention center bring conventions to Las Vegas. When we started that, we didn't have conventions. And as you know, now we are one of the largest convention center cities in the world. You know, we bring more huge conventions here.
Judi M [00:06:23]:
The conventions that I started out with, my very first convention that I started out furnishing all the personnel for and taking care of all of their little problems and things was over 55,000 people that attended. So it just grew into this huge business. And I was so fortunate that it did and that I had great support and I ended up selling that business for cash. Did an infomercial, was one of the first women in America to ever do an infomercial. Made a ton of money on the infomercial. Didn't know what I was going to do with my life after that. I got an offer to work in Africa. So I'd never been to Africa, so it felt like a good thing to do.
Judi M [00:07:06]:
I ran away to Africa and took the job over there and worked in the job for a couple of years in a corporate environment and realized I don't belong in a corporate environment. I am definitely an entrepreneur. I need to be out there on my own, running things my way. I don't do real well with people telling me, no, you can't do that, and no, that's not going to work. And so I said, no, sorry, and I left and I opened a training and development company in Africa with my business partner. And we were there about eight years before we brought that company back to America and had it until now, all this time. So we've done wonderful. We specialize in casino customer service, and I now do mainly coaching with women who want to be entrepreneurs.
Judi M [00:07:56]:
I can tell them stories forever about what they don't want to do because I think I experienced most of those. I had the good fortune to speak in 29 countries around the world. And so I've met incredible people all over the world. And people laugh at me now because they say, well, are you going to Trinidad? And I go, yeah. And they said, well, won't you be lonely there? No, I know people there. It's okay. Or are you going to Australia? Yes, I know people there. But it's because I've spoken in all these countries so many times that when I get there, I just, I have my friends there.
Judi M [00:08:28]:
I just have the people I met, because people are wonderful. More so in other countries than in America. I don't mean they're more wonderful, but I mean they're more generous. Like as a professional speaker in America, at the end of the day, everybody says, oh, it's great to meet you. Goodbye, we're gone and they're out of there. Whereas in other countries, people say, oh, you're not from here. Would you like to go to the opera with us tomorrow night? And everybody goes to lunch. They always say, oh, let's make sure you get some lunch. Come with us. So, you know, you get spoiled when you work in the international market. It's, it's fabulous.
Krystal J [00:09:05]:
That is incredible. Your story is incredible. And I love how you are just kind of like you have this energy about you that I feel like you're just drawing everything in so naturally. And it seems like everything has come so easily for you, all of your successes, all of your opportunities. So, I mean, did it feel that way for you? Aside from that whole, like, landlord thing, right, where you didn't make your rent because Las Vegas shut down their lights, but everything else, like running a business, transitioning from just being an associate for someone else's company to all of a sudden running your business and turning it into what you turned it into. What do you attribute your success to?
Judi M [00:09:44]:
Not knowing any better.
Krystal J [00:09:47]:
I love that answer.
Judi M [00:09:49]:
You know, I've always believed I could do things. You know, it comes from my mother. I think my mother was one of these people. You know, I grew up right after World War two. And so back then, we didn't have like disposable things. If your iron broke, you had to fix it. If your coffee pot broke, you had to fix it. And my mother could fix anything and she would always say, everything is "figureoutable". If the chair got a hole in the COVID she would upholster the whole chair. She would always say, oh, you can do this. It's no problem. And because she did all these things and she was so capable, I think we just grew up thinking, well, and, you know, we can figure it out. We could just make it happen. And so I just never doubted that I was going to be able to be successful. I just went out there and did it.
Judi M [00:10:39]:
And because I didn't have that much to start with, it wasn't like I had a lot to lose, you know, and I went out there and I just did it. And it's just been wonderful, because now I look at my beautiful home and my beautiful life, and I think, wow, would I have ever thought back then that one day I would have this kind of a life? I probably never even dreamed of it. And so it's pretty wonderful. People say to me all the time, well, this lady the other day, this is funny because I teach art. Everybody laughs at me because on my Saturdays, when most people like to have a day off, I teach art at the university here at UNLV. The other day, there was an ad that said that the city was looking for an art teacher for teenagers. And I thought, you know, I'd be good at that. And they wanted somebody for Thursday night, and I thought I could teach kids on Thursday nights.
Judi M [00:11:34]:
That'd be great. So I went on the interview, and in the interview, the lady looked at me, and she goes, do you just do everything? She was looking at my resume. She goes, it looks like you write and you paint and you photograph and, you know, you run a business. And she said, do you just do everything? And I said, well, I believe in lifelong learning, and I've lived a long life, so I've learned a lot. And she was like, I guess you have. You know what's so funny? Because I just felt like I kind of overwhelmed her. You know, she was. She was so nice and so sweet.
Judi M [00:12:06]:
And at the end, she says to me, okay, I have a personal question. I said, all right, what is that? And she goes, what are you most proud of in your life now? I've never had anybody ask me that before, you know, so I thought, I said, well, I'm proud of the books I wrote, and I'm proud that I made a lot of money at one time in my life, and I was able to buy my mom a new home for cash for the last ten years of her life. And I'm proud that I've made a difference in a lot of other people's lives. And most of all, I'm proud of the person I've become. And she just looked at me with her mouth open and she said, nobody's ever said that before. And I said, well, I am. I'm really proud of who I've become because I came from being a spoiled rat and a rowdy teenager into I'm a pretty nice person nowadays. She was just like, oh, okay.
Krystal J [00:12:59]:
You should be so proud. And I am surprised that you said that you're a spoiled brat because I would have never in a million years guessed it. You, like, I've probably said a couple times already, and we haven't even been talking that long, but just have an incredible energy that you bring to all of the people around you. And I feel like you are like the epitome of resiliency. And despite whatever gets thrown your way, I love your perspective of everything is "figureoutable". Everything. You know, you're very much a problem solver. It's not just like, okay, how can I get out of this? But what can I do to keep moving forward? With all these tough times, it seems like you're still just showing up and you're still just attracting all of these amazing things.
Krystal J [00:14:37]:
I know 2023 was a really difficult year for you personally, and yet there were still so many amazing things happening to you. In terms of your career, and you were waking up to awards and all of these amazing things.
Judi M [00:14:51]:
And I think it was really the worst year of my life, 2023. I mean, it was amazingly horrible. I had four major surgeries. I spent a lot of time in bed because I couldn't walk because both my knees had to be replaced. And I had my boyfriend of 14 years died unexpectedly. That was a shock. And then my kitty cat that I'd had for 23 years, and my little kitty cat was like my child to me because I don't have any children. And he passed away, and that nearly killed.
Judi M [00:15:25]:
And then, you know that I own part of the tv station, and we were robbed there, and they stole all the equipment. And then the water heater blew up over Christmas, and I had no hot water for a week. I mean, it was just like, when is this going to stop? When is this going to stop? And I was starting to go like, God, you know, what did I do? You need to help me out here. This is kind of a mess. But, you know, what can you do? There's nothing you can do except pick yourself up and deal with it and go forward. I mean, there is absolutely nothing you can. I do have to admit, I had a few days there where I cried when all of the glass bricks on the waterfall at the swimming pool fell into the pool. I mean, they were the waterfall and they fell into the pool.
Judi M [00:16:15]:
The whole thing fell madly apart. And I was standing there looking at it, crying, and I went, well, at least I've got a pool. I mean, other people may not have a pool. Why? Why am I crying about the bricks floating around in the pool? We'll get it fixed. You know, that's all we can do.
Krystal J [00:16:29]:
So, this is exactly what makes you so amazing. And I think what, from my outside perspective, what I feel like your story really represents is the frequency that you operate at. And despite everything that's been thrown your way, you've been. You continue to attract all of these amazing things into your life. And it's because of that perspective, and it's because of this energy that you continue to let flow through you and to the people around you. You are still showing up to, you know, our Women Thrive speaker calls. You are still being so incredibly gracious with all of the women around you and seeing what can you do to support other people. And I feel like that was, you know, despite all the negative things the universe was throwing at you, it was still matching your frequency in that way where it was still providing all of these amazing opportunities.
Krystal J [00:17:22]:
So, do you have any advice for other women that are kind of in the habit of maybe more putting themselves into a victim mentality and saying, you know, okay, everything is happening to me. I'm not meant to have anything nice. Obviously the universe is telling me something. What do you have to say to women like that or to people in general?
Judi M [00:17:46]:
It's just hard. You know, life is. Life is not easy. I don't know who told me it was going to be easy, but it's not. Life is hard. And we go through a lot of things, and I just try to stay focused forward because, I mean, every minute we live, it's gone. That minute I talked to you a few minutes ago, those are gone already. So I can't replace what I said or did, so I have to just keep going forward and I try to stay focused that way.
Judi M [00:18:15]:
Focus forward. I've been thinking, I'm going to write a book called "Focus Forward" because I think it would be so good for people to realize that what's done is done. There is nothing I can do about what's done. I might can apologize if I was a creep or something, but I try real hard not to do things that I have to go back and apologize for because I just know that that life is too hard for everybody and even people that I don't like. And believe it or not, there are a couple people I don't like in this world. But if I see them in public, I'm gracious to them because I just don't feel that life is long enough for us to walk around being mad at people or being angry at people or displaying bad behavior towards people. I get angry. Yes, I do.
Judi M [00:19:03]:
And I carried a lot of it for a very long time. When I got divorced, I married the man that I thought was going to be my partner for life. And I was just devastated when I got divorced. And I was angry. I was mad at him. But what good did that do? He didn't care. I was just hurting myself. He was off on his new adventure with his new wife, and I'm just sitting around being angry. That didn't help me anymore, you know? So I just said, pick yourself up and get going. There's nothing I can do about the past. There's nothing anybody can do about the past.
Judi M [00:19:45]:
And there's nothing I can do about other people and their behavior either. You know, so if they want to behave nasty or they want to be tacky or whatever, I just either remove myself from the situation or I just say, well, aren't you being nice?
Krystal J [00:20:00]:
I love that. I love that it's really having grace with yourself and being very mindful of how you're responding to the situation, knowing that it's not your responsibility to change everything around you. And I love this title of the potential book that you'll probably be writing. I don't doubt for a second that you're actually going to go and do it because you seem like the type of woman that's just like, once you have your mind set on something, you get it done and it turns out amazing. So I think we kind of skipped over the question from earlier, but are there any big projects that you are really focusing on in this moment that we can look forward to in the future? What are they, what's really lighting?
Judi M [00:20:44]:
Yes. Well, I am. I'm building the Women Entrepreneurs Association. That's my biggest project right now. And I'm really excited about that because women really don't have the support they need to have more so now than they did when I started. But when I started, there were not a lot of women entrepreneurs because people made fun of us. People thought we were supposed to stay home and take care of our family and our children. And I just believe that women helping other women is a major movement forward.
Judi M [00:21:17]:
I think that we need to collaborate with each other. We need to connect with each other. We need to celebrate with each other. If you're successful, it doesn't hurt me any. So I need to help you be successful. I need to help you get up there, because the more people I help, the more I end up being successful myself. And women in my age bracket didn't feel that way. But the younger women, that's why I love women, I thrive so much because I'm working with you all and you're so young and full of energy and exciting, and I think I'm the oldest person in the group, but that's okay because I just love being around you and the things I learned from you and how you get along with each other and you collaborate with each other.
Judi M [00:22:01]:
I think it's just wonderful. And so I. Yeah, that's my big one right now, the Women Entrepreneurs Association. But I am trying to finish up two books that I started long time ago that I haven't quite finished. One is "You Are More Than You Think You Are", which is a sequel to my "You Are More Than Enough" book that did so well in the marketplace for 16 years. And so "You Are More Than You Think You Are", it's really for both men and women where "You Are More Than Enough" is just for women. And then I'm doing another one called "Are You All In?" and it's based on the fact that in Vegas, where I live, the gamblers always, you know, say I'm all in, and they put all their money, they're all in.
Judi M [00:22:41]:
And I got to thinking about that one night and I thought, how are we in life? Are we all in? You know, when we're going through life, do we put everything we've got into it, or do we just kind of make little bits and think, well, I'll try this or I'll try that. But are we all in? Like right now, I'm all into this Women Entrepreneurs Association. I'm making it happen. I got the first magazine out. I'm building the website. It'll be up next week. Today I'm putting together membership packages and sponsor packages. And it's just fun to build a new business and make it happen.
Krystal J [00:23:20]:
It blows my mind how much you're juggling. But I love that you are living proof that, you know, we as women, we are so multifaceted and definitely as entrepreneurs, a lot of us are just creatives and we have so many big ideas and you are living proof that you don't have to limit yourself to just one or two things. If something is calling towards you or makes you really happy, like teaching kids how to paint, even though it has nothing to do with coaching women in business, go out and do that and really live your life and enjoy every bit of it. But how on earth do you manage it all? Judi, what is your secret?
Judi M [00:24:04]:
I'm very good about focusing on one thing at a time. If I have a project, I focus on that project. Now, if it comes Thursday night. And by the way, they didn't hire me, but had they hired me, if it came Thursday night, I would stop, put it aside, go teach art. And that's what I would be totally focused on for the whole night. And when I leave there, I'm done with that. And I come back and the next day I pick up on the project that I'm working on. I'm extremely organized.
Judi M [00:24:34]:
I wasn't in my younger years, and also in my younger years, I never finished anything. I would start something, but I would never get it finished. And now it's like I have to finish everything before I start the next thing. But I'll get a great idea of something else I want to do. But I write it on the list. I put it over there on the parking lot until I get this one done and out of the way, and then I'll go do that one. And, like, you know, I do own part of the television station, but I don't have to run the station. Somebody else runs it.
Judi M [00:25:06]:
I just go out there one day a week and do my shows, and I do, like, five, six shows in one day, and that saves me having to put on the eyelashes five or six different days. I just put on all the makeup, do the hair, go out there, do the show, and then I do one after another after another, and they're done for the week. So I try to lump everything because the tv station's way on the other side of town, too. You know, it takes me an hour to drive out there. I don't have that kind of time to drive an hour each way every day, you know, so I just do it once a week and that's it. I'm the only one at the station that does that.
Krystal J [00:25:43]:
Yeah. Really integrating that efficiency, right? I would do the same thing if I were you. Just batch, film, everything. Do you have any tools or anything that you rely on to stay organized that you could suggest to our followers and our viewers? Are you naturally so, so good at being organized in your head?
Judi M [00:26:04]:
No, I have what I call my Achievement Journal. This. Can you see it? Yeah, this is my Achievement Journal.
Krystal J [00:26:17]:
All right.
Judi M [00:26:17]:
And I designed this myself to go with my book "You Are More Than Enough". You can see it on the bottom. And what I do is I'll just kind of run through it real quickly with you in the front, I have directions of how to work your Achievement Journal. And then I have a page that says, my greatest achievement so far. And I list for myself every time I achieve something so that I can keep a long list of all those things. Let's see, where's the camera? I can't get it where you can see it.
Judi M [00:26:50]:
Anyway, there's a long list of all the things that, that I've accomplished in my life so I can feel good about myself. And then there's a bunch of questions that ask me about what are my possibilities and how am I going to choose my future and how am I going to continue to imagine where I'm going and how I'm going to talk to myself and how I'm going to believe that I can and what I'm going to look like when I do it. And every year, I write myself a letter that tells me I dated one year out, like, right now. I just wrote a letter that's dated for February 1 of next year. And it says, though I've already lived the year that's coming up. So I write myself a letter that says, like, I finally got a mentor who can help me understand systems and how to work them to monetize my products. My book, "You Are More Than Enough", has made some comeback and is selling again along with my two new books;
"You Are More Than You Think You Are" and "Are You All In?". I've lost 50 pounds, and now I look really good in my clothes. And it has given me confidence to get back up on stage. My presentation skills are better than ever, and I have more confidence than I ever dreamed. And it just continues on like that for, like three and a half pages. And, and so I do that every year. I write myself a letter about the year I lived, but it's really the year coming up. So I write it as though it's done, it's completed.
Judi M [00:28:15]:
And when I read it, I feel like it's done. So it gives me that feeling, that visualization that, yes. And so I will accomplish most of these things, if not all of them, during the year because I get the feeling in with it when I'm visualizing it. And I read it to myself every day. So I remember how successful I've been even though I wasn't, but I am. And then you go on in this, it's got old pages where every day you write down every week you write down your goals for the week. And every day you write down what you did toward that goal. You write one thing every day what you did.
Judi M [00:28:59]:
And so it doesn't matter what you did, as long as you did something. Now just think about this. If 365 days of the year, you write down one thing you got accomplished that day, whoa, you got a lot done that year, didn't you? And then in the very back, I have all these peel and stick gold stars so that you can peel off and stick whatever size gold star you think what you accomplished deserved. And that's my anchoring technique of anchoring in the good feelings about what I did. You know, when you physically stick that gold star, you're anchoring in those feelings of accomplishment. And then behind that, I have a bucket list, 21 things to do before I die. And last year, I did the last one. And so now I either have to die or write a new list.
Krystal J [00:29:47]:
We're going to stick with a new list. Okay, Judi. But, oh, my God, I love everything about that journal. I mean, first of all, you have books, and then now you have journals that go with it. I have learned so much about you in this conversation, but I think that is such a beautiful practice to be able to write that letter to yourself in the future. But as if it already happened, I was just having a similar conversation with another woman that when you are visualizing your future self, what you want your future to look like, it really is so important to tie that emotion to it, right? So feel what it feels like to have all of these things that you envisioned and so you can feel like, you know, it's possible because you felt it already. And, you know, that feels like, I love that so much. I'm definitely going to have to look into that.
Krystal J [00:30:40]:
I wanted to bring up that, "You Are More Than Enough". I know that's one of your books and that's also something that you love to just, that's like one of your key topics when you are speaking at a lot of places that you speak at, what is one or two key messages that you can give to all of our women that are viewing or listening to really drive home the fact that they are more than enough if they're not in a place where they actually feel it in this moment.
Judi M [00:31:08]:
Well, first off, I know people have heard this before, but God didn't make any junk. We were born to be an individualized expression of God, each and every one of us. So we're individual, we're unique. We're unlike anybody else. So the first thing I say is, stop comparing yourself to everyone else. Because when I was younger, I always compared myself to my older sister because she was smart and she was beautiful and she had everything going for her. And my dad sat me down one day and he said, you know, no matter how much you love someone else, you can never be that person. So quit trying to be her and find out who you are and express yourself to the best of your ability.
Judi M [00:31:54]:
And I think that's what's so important for people. Don't compare yourself to someone else. Just find out who you are and express yourself to the best of your ability, because you are more than enough. You can do whatever it is you want to do. You can have whatever you want. You can go wherever you want. You just have to make up your mind that you're going to do it. A friend of mine said to me yesterday, well, I don't have any confidence.
Judi M [00:32:19]:
I'm just waiting until I get confidence. I said, why? Why are you waiting until you get confidence? Why don't you just do it. She goes, I don't know. I said, well, then get up and go do it. Don't tell me you had to wait for confidence. You don't have to wait for confidence. Just do it. You want to do something, just do it.
Judi M [00:32:38]:
If you screw up, so what? Try it a different way, you know? And I guess it has to do with my parents. They just constantly encouraged me just to go and be and do who I was and I like me. And that's, you know, that's kind of arrogant to say, I guess, but it's not. It's, I didn't like me when I was growing up. I didn't like me. I didn't feel good about who I was or what I did or. I mean, I've got so many nightmare stories of how I screwed up and life, but now it's like I'm making things happen and I'm making a difference in the world, and that's what it's all about and make a difference in other people's lives. I had one lady come into my art class the other day and she said, hi.
Judi M [00:33:24]:
And I looked up and I knew who she was right away. And she said, you haven't seen me in 58 years, have you? And I said, no, I haven't. But you were always one of my favorite students. And here, 58 years later, she comes back to a class that I'm teaching because she saw I was teaching it and said, I want to go and be there with you. And that, you know, it makes you feel so good inside. Or when someone reads your book and they call you and they say, judi, my husband died and my dog died, and my life is the pits. But at night, I put my hand on your book. It's right by my bed, and I put my hand on your book, and I know you're there with me.
Judi M [00:34:01]:
That's the kind of things that make a difference. And so I think if we quit focusing on ourselves, you know, when we go out and around or around other people, many of us have a tendency, like I did when I was younger, that I constantly focused on myself. Do I look right? Am I dressed right? Is my hair right? Am I perfect? And I wasn't. And I get all upset about all those things. And why don't we just forget about us? Get dressed, go out, forget about us, and start to see how we can make other people feel important. Just a simple thing, like saying to the waitress that comes to the table, wow, aren't you cute? You know, people get so excited that you said something nice to them. And I love it. I mean, it's just, I love seeing people light up.
I don't know. It's just me. I just, I love, I love working with other people.
Krystal J [00:34:52]:
Now that, that's such a beautiful message.
Judi M [00:34:54]:
Did I answer your question?
Krystal J [00:34:56]:
Yes, you did answer my question. And I think I love that you're coming from a place of service, right? Everything that you're doing now, from helping, you know, from wanting to teach art to helping women in business, you're really coming from this place of service. And I love that you really are practicing what you preach. And it's not just telling someone that you're more than enough, but you're really going out there and helping these women transform their lives. And that's so incredibly beautiful. Did you always, I mean, well, I guess you didn't always have that confidence in yourself because you had frequently compared yourself to your older sister. So where was that transition for you in your own life to realize that you yourself, Judi Moreo, is more than enough?
Judi M [00:35:50]:
It took a while. It really did take a while. My older sister was a model. And on top of that, she had an IQ that was off the chart. And she worked at NASA, and she designed the insignias astronauts wore on their uniforms. I mean, everything she ever tried to do, she did it bigger and better than everybody else. And I always wanted to be smart because I wasn't considered to be the smart one in the family. I wasn't considered to be the pretty one either.
Judi M [00:36:20]:
So I worked real hard at being pretty and being smart. But most of all, I was being funny. And I would make smart cracks and things because I thought they were funny and they hurt other people's feelings. And it took me a while to learn that, that wasn't getting me anywhere in life. And so my mother sent me to modeling school to teach me to become a lady. They had finishing schools back in those days, and she sent me there to see if they could teach me how to keep my mouth shut at the appropriate time and say the right things at the appropriate time. And so I did.
Judi M [00:36:58]:
I did modeling, and I did all right with it. And then eventually, I opened my own modeling. Of course, you might know I know more than everybody else, and so I always have to go do it better than everybody else. Ha ha. And so we had this modeling competition on the west coast, up in Salt Lake City. And I had students that were competing, and I was telling them, just get up there and here's what you do. And one of the boys said, well, if you think it's so easy, Miss Moreo, why don't you just get up there and do it? And I said, okay. So I went and paid my entry fee, and I got up on the stage, and I did my thing, and I tripped over my own foot and fell down and had to get back up on stage and continue.
Judi M [00:37:38]:
And in the end, I won the contest. And they said the reason I won was because I was so gracious about falling down. And then I got back up and continued on without saying anything. And they sent me on off to New York City to represent the western United States in this competition. In New York City. Well, I didn't think I'd win because the winner in New York City was going to go to Paris for the international competitions and would represent the United States in this international World Modeling association competition. Well, I didn't think I'd win, so I didn't take my passport with me to New York, and I got there, and we did the competition. And the night of the contest, they announced who was best in Runway and who was best in photographic modeling and who was best in the narration and who was best in tv commercials.
Judi M [00:38:29]:
And I didn't win any of those things, and I didn't even come in second place or anything. And so I was standing up to leave the room when they said. And the overall winner, who came in number one in all categories, is. And it was me. And I was already standing up. Now I'm embarrassed because I'm standing up like I expected it, but I wasn't. I was leaving the room because I was disappointed, and I felt like a fool, and I didn't know if I should go up there and get it or not.
Judi M [00:38:57]:
So then I went up there, and they gave me the trophy, and then they said, you leave tomorrow morning for Paris. And I said, I can't go. I don't have my passport. And they went, what? I said, I didn't bring my passport to New York. I can't go. And so they said, okay. And they took the first runner up to Paris the next day, and I came home, and I was so devastated because I didn't believe in myself enough to stick my passport in my purse here. I had a chance to represent the United States in the world modeling competition, and I blew it because I opened my big mouth and said, I don't have my passport.
Judi M [00:39:35]:
My husband said, we could have mailed you the passport, for goodness sakes. We could have put it on an airplane and gotten it there by morning. But no, you sabotaged yourself. So I think that was the turning point for me, that I needed to quit sabotaging myself. I needed to quit thinking I'm not good enough to do these things, because I never thought I was good enough to win that competition. And it was. It was a big disappointment. And I always tell that to my students.
Judi M [00:40:04]:
Now, even my art students, you know, when they talk about, well, my art's not good enough to put in a show, I go, what? What do you care? Put it in there. It costs 15 dollars to put it in there. You can find 15 dollars somewhere. Well, what if people don't like it? I said, what do you care? You like it? Did you paint it? It's not about them. It's about us. And we have to learn to quit being so horrible to ourselves. And I did that over and over in my life, and I'm not doing that anymore. I stopped that about 20 years ago, and I started doing what I wanted to do to be the best me that I could be.
Judi M [00:40:38]:
And it doesn't matter what other people think. I try to behave in a way that they'll think I'm okay and not make a fool of myself in public and those things. But if I'm doing the best I can and you don't like that about me, I can't do anything else. That's just me.
Krystal J [00:40:56]:
Another incredible story. And while I know it might have been, like, incredibly devastating for you that you didn't go to Paris, that's an incredible opportunity to have passed up. But it was a learning opportunity. Right? Because that was such a pivotal moment in your life that has led you to this trajectory of doing all of the incredible things that you're doing. And while that confidence might not have always been there in your life, I do see kind of this. This thread in your life where you've always been the just do it kind of girl that's kind of stuck with you. And it's making me think of that conversation that you had with that colleague of yours where you were telling her, just do it.
Krystal J [00:41:38]:
So what? Just do it. And even though she didn't have the confidence. But the confidence comes right the more that you do it. And there's going to be those moments where you have. You get slapped with the reality and you realize, like, oh, my gosh, I could have done this, or I feel like I totally blew that. But you learn from it, and you get better, and you keep showing up, and you keep doing it. And then the confidence starts building, and then you start recognizing more and more and more that you really are more than enough and that you're capable of so much.
Judi M [00:42:09]:
Yes. I had another young lady that was over at my house the other night, and she said, boy, you changed my life one day. And I said, what? And she said, remember when I said to you, I would love to go to Africa? I would love. Miss Mario, what does it take to get to Africa? And you looked at me and you said, a plane ticket. That's all it takes. If you want to go to Africa, buy a plane ticket. You know, you'll get there. You just get on the plane.
Judi M [00:42:37]:
And she said, it was so simple. Your answer was so simple. And I said, well, that's what I did. So I just. I feel like we make it too complex. We make it too hard. We're like, I have to wait until my children are grown. I have to wait until, you know, I'm happy.
Judi M [00:42:55]:
I have to wait until we make a lot of money. I have to wait until the house is paid off. I have to pay off the car. We wait on all these things. And the truth is that we don't have to make it that hard.
Krystal J [00:43:09]:
100%. Yeah. There's definitely, you know, this pattern of overthinking that we, especially as entrepreneurs, get into, especially when we have our big brand visions and we think about all the things that could potentially go wrong, but we don't know what's going to happen in the future until we actually allow ourselves to step into it and to do it. And you're so right. Like, not everything has to be so complicated. Even the message in what you're saying now, just do it. It's so simple. But it can make the biggest impact if you're just showing up and taking that first step and then taking that second step and allowing yourself to do that and have grace with yourself and just realize that you love who you are and you're proud of what you're doing, regardless of how many learning lessons that comes with.
Judi M [00:44:00]:
And there's a lot of them, you know, there's a lot of them that come to us. And, I mean, I've had people cheat me out of money. I've had people, you know, try to destroy my business. I've had. I've even had employees that pretended to be me. And when people came in, they tried to take care of, you know, I mean, it's just amazing what, what people will do. And you've just got to face the fact that you know, life isn't going to go like we wanted it to or what we thought it would, and, and we just have to pick ourselves up and just keep going. It's either that or give up, and I'm sure not going to give up.
Judi M [00:44:36]:
So you just have to go. And that's, sometimes it's really hard. Right before I went to Africa, somebody cheated me out of many thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars. They really did a number on me. And I, and the FBI couldn't catch up with the people, and they took the money out of the country. I mean, it was just a mess. And living in Las Vegas, the first thing you think of is, where can I find a hit man? But you can't find one.
Judi M [00:45:09]:
You think you probably should be able to find one, but they're never around when you need them. And so here, these people just stole all my money and left. And I didn't know what to do. I didn't know where I was going to go or what I was going to do. I didn't have any money. And somebody offered me a job in Africa. And I thought, well, I don't have another choice. So I went to Africa.
Judi M [00:45:29]:
It was the best thing I ever did in my life. I went and I lived in another culture for nine years. I met incredible people. It changed my life. If I had had all that money, I wouldn't have gone to Africa. I only went there because I was broke. So those things happen for a reason, I guess. My mom always said everything happens for a reason.
Judi M [00:45:49]:
I didn't believe it. And I used to say to her, but God shouldn't have allowed it to happen. And she said, you know, God answers all of our prayers, but sometimes he says, no. Oh. She said, God only does what's best for you, so you just quit throwing your fits.
Krystal J [00:46:07]:
Yes. I love that. I love that. It's really taking the reality into perspective. We can't have everything that we want, but there is a reason for it, and there's always reason to keep pushing forward. You need to speak with Netflix or one of the streaming channels to get a documentary about your life because I could listen to your stories all day Judi.
Judi M [00:46:29]:
Oh, thank you. That's such a compliment. Thank you. Sometimes I think, you know, I, sometimes I think I'm just too much for people because I'm so excited about life. I'm so excited about, you know, I mean, last year, do you know that when my grandmother broke her hip years and years and years ago, there was nobody that would give her a new hip. She had to live on crutches the rest of her life. Me, I've got two knee replacements and a hip replacement in the last year. And I'm walking now again, almost as good as I used to walk.
Judi M [00:47:02]:
And I go to physical therapy every day. And I think to myself every day, what a wonderful time I live in because they could replace my parts. I'm going to be like the bionic woman out there. It's like, so exciting that every day you look at these incredible inventions that have come about in the last decades, and you just go, wow, this is me. And they fixed me. They couldn't fix people 20 or 30 years and let that go like they can now. And so life is good. It's really good.
Krystal J [00:47:38]:
Well, superhuman. You definitely are. And it has been such a thrill to chat with you. I know. I I'm already keeping you for quite some time, so I don't want to keep taking up all of your time. But, Judy, where can everyone find you and all the amazing things that you're doing, from the books that you have to this Women Entrepreneur Association that you're launching, where can people connect with you to get to know you more and start working with you? Because I'm sure there are people out there itching to do it after this conversation.
Judi M [00:48:10]:
Thank you, Crystal. They can find me at judimoreo.com. They can find me there, or they can find me on just about anywhere on the Internet. If you just go on and put my name in google, you'll find me either on https://www.instagram.com/judimoreo.creativitycoach/ or https://www.facebook.com/JudiMoreoPage/ or many of those places. Or they can find me via the Womenentrepreneursassociation.com. Our website will be up later this week. So by the time people see this, it'll be there, I'm sure.
Judi M [00:48:46]:
And my books are, "You Are More Than Enough". And it's companion Achievement Journal. And then I have written a whole series of others, including the one from when I got cancer, "Overcoming A Journey Of Faith". And I send that book free of charge to anyone who's going through cancer. So if anyone knows someone that's going through cancer and they want that book sent to them, they just have to let me know at judimoreo.com.
Krystal J [00:49:15]:
You continue to amaze me. You absolutely continue to amaze me. I'm so inspired by you. Every time that we get to chat, every time I get to see your gorgeous face.
Krystal J [00:49:25]:
Oh, I love that you continue to show up. So thank you again, Judy, so much for sitting with me today and sharing all of your incredible stories. And I'm looking forward to the day, the next day that we get to chat again.
Judi M [00:49:38]:
Thank you for having me on your show. It was my pleasure.
コメント