The Home Service Expert Podcast - She Watched A1 Go From One Bathroom To $200M | My Fiancé, Bre

Episode Date: August 19, 2026

🚀 FREEDOM 2026 Get your Tickets Today! https://homeservicefreedom.com/ For the first time in 700 episodes, Tommy hands the other mic to his fiancée, Bre. From interviewing to be his EA at A1 Garage to planning their January wedding, they cover how they met, the season of scaling that scared her most, living below your means, faith, family plans, and the honest answer to what building something big takes from the person sitting next to you. -- 🕐 TIMESTAMPS 🕐 -- 00:00 - Introduction 01:31 - How We Met At A1 03:28 - The Early A1 Days 09:30 - Bre's Upbringing 10:56 - Grandpa Stories 14:30 - Does He Ever Stop? 16:00 - Living Below Our Means 23:39 - The Work-Life Balance Debate 24:49 - What We Sacrificed 27:02 - The Wedding Plans 28:40 - The Scariest Season 34:04 - Faith And Getting Baptized 37:11 - The Next Five To Ten Years 38:53 - Rapid Fire: Who's More Likely? 48:37 - Advice For Couples Who Work Together 🚀 FREEDOM 2026 Get your Tickets Today! https://homeservicefreedom.com/ Check Out My Social Media: Tiktok ⟶ https://www.tiktok.com/@officialtommymello Instagram ⟶ https://www.instagram.com/officialtommymello/ Facebook ⟶ https://www.facebook.com/thomasmello/

You know, I'm 43, never been married. No kids. I sacrificed having a family for this business for the last 20 years. I mean, I didn't see you for two weeks. It was like you were gone at 5 a.m. And you were home at 10.30. And then it was just like, I know you didn't sleep. You were tossing the attorney and so much on your mind.

You started getting alopecia. Losing hair. Yeah. It was a very scary time. And I'm like, man, is this like worth your health? Like. Welcome back to the Home Service Expert. Today is a really special day by Popular Demand.

And I got my fiancé Brie joining us from this beautiful house in Idaho, this work of art. We have some of our best friends and our coworkers coming to visit in about three hours. And we are very excited. You guys hear me talk about business leadership and building A1 all the time. But behind every bit of that is this incredible woman who keeps me grounded, pushes me to be better, and loves me through the chaos of building something big. For the first time ever, my fiancé Brie Revelo is. here and we're going to be pulling back the curtain on our life together with our wedding coming

up in January. There's never been a better time. I'm very excited to welcome Brea under the Home Service Expert Podcast, Relationship Edition. How you doing, baby? I'm good. I'm nervous. Yeah, so I think I've done about 700 podcasts. You remember my first time on stage when you brought everybody upstairs? Yeah. And I was wearing a light blue shirt. Yep. And I was wearing a light blue shirt. And I had to memorize that and I was like sweaty and you guys were just cheering me on. Well, that was before we even started dating, I think. Yep. I made everyone block their calendars to watch you on stage.

It was really good. You did so good. And you were so prepared for that one. You had note cards. You studied for like seven days. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, that was at Salt Lake at a sendout cards?

Send out cards. Yeah. So first time on the podcast, the listeners have been dying to hear this. I mean, we got a lot of comments. Let's start in the beginning. How do we meet? And what was your first impression to me? We met at A1.

I started, I was interviewed to be your EA. Second EA. Yeah. Well, and I was supposed to be part-time. And then part-time turned into full-time by second date, which was a lot. And then it's funny, a week in, Tommy was in Washington, and he calls me, and he's like, at the time the EA had quit.

And then he's like, I'll tell you more on Monday. I was like, this is weird. I have no idea what I'm doing. But it worked out just fine. My first impression was, you're very strong. Blunt? Blunt, very blunt. I just didn't know you well enough yet.

And I was just like, wow, this guy is kind of mean. You were in a relationship with another Grazger guy. Yeah. That's how I found A1. At the time, my ex, we lived in San Diego, and he started doing garage doors. And then we had to move because of some stuff that had happened. And we moved to Phoenix, and I wasn't working at the time. And the position came available.

And I was like, well, I know a little bit about garage doors. It can't be that hard. So I applied and I got the job. And it turns out I needed to know nothing about garage doors. But I think it was the best decision I ever made. I think Nancy was a really good coach. She had some underlying issues, but she was really a strong woman to learn from. Yeah, she was a great mentor, really, really good mentor.

Even after she left, I was able to call her and ask her for advice. So that was a really, really big help. Because I had no idea what I was doing. No, it just, you know, back then we were just, that was really the beginning. Yeah. Although I was over 10 years in a business, that's when I met out. Levy. That's when I was reading the two-second lean book and wanted people to clean the bathrooms and all that. Remember that whiteboard? And then I had... We only had one bathroom,

by the way, for everyone in the office to share. I mean, we built... Remember when the fire department came in? And we built that huge wooden training center. We had our training center in the warehouse. We had our mechanic shop in the warehouse. I mean, the parts were in the warehouse. I built that SEO room. Yep. Without a permit. Yep. Dispatch call center. It was like door sales, HR. I mean, We only had, what, three or four offices up front? And we made that work? Yeah. And that was nuts.

We had one conference room. We had guys sitting at small cubes everywhere. Bruce sat up front. I mean, he was dealing with customers all day while clients were coming in and he's on the phone trying to figure things out. I mean, that office was so chaotic. And then we got the place across the street and that's where Door 48 was. And we moved all the door department over there.

Bill sat over there. Luke sat over there. Yeah, we had Karen. Karen. That was the hardest day of my life when I had to fire her. You know, I talk about business all the time on this show, but I don't think I've ever told a story from your side. What was it like dating in the early day? Look, the fact is we didn't date when you started out.

And I will say this, you know, Bree, what I was admired about her in the early days, and I still do is like, she knows what she would call the tea. She always knows what's going on. She remembers everybody's names of their birthday. She's thoughtful. At parties, she's just the life of the party. She's very giving.

And it was like the opposite of me. I don't think I'm selfish, but I just, I do what I want. And you're more like, I'm going to entertain. For sure. Well, I think, like, at the time, I was, like, guarding you from stuff that you, and I still do to this day, from things that you need to know and stuff that you don't need to know. I mean, it's like... And I don't want to know.

Right. I personally am like, I just... I got to walk in with a smile every day. So, like, I don't want to get... infested with the drama, you're very good at it and managing it. And you're excited about it. You're like, oh my God, I heard something, but I don't know if I should tell you. And I'm like, I don't even care unless I need to know if it's like. But then sometimes you're like, what is it? Tell me.

Yeah. Yeah. So the early days, what happened was we actually wanted a raise and it wasn't a it wasn't like a crazy raise and we could have afforded to do it. It's not like, it was just a hourly rage wage increase. And I was like, no. I was like, because everyone's going to find out in the office. And then everyone's going to want to raise. She's like, all right, well, I'm out, peace out. We had a big celebration, a big party. And we stayed close. I mean, even with your ex, I mean, you guys will come over all the time. I remember you made this nacho dip. We were at our apartment. And that was the day I feel like I really fell because you were just laughing the whole time. So long story short, I had a new EA. She picked up the pieces where she could was

nowhere near as strong as you. And she stole 10 grand. And I called you up. And I said, I need you back. And you said, dude, I'm really happy. I got a better job. And then you said, I'm going to need that raise if I come back. But I was in a weak position. I was nowhere to, I tried to negotiate.

I was like, no, you're calling me. We're not negotiating this. He's like, fine. And then it was, I remember that. That was a Friday. I was on my lunch break. And I was taking classes to be promoted to help train throughout the state of Arizona. And you're like, well,

okay, can you come in tomorrow and start helping me? I was like, no. I was like, I need one weekend because I know after this, it's like 24-7 we're going to be on. And I think I ended up coming in to help you anyways, and that's when I helped you move into the new building. Yeah, so that new building, what's interesting about that new building on Broadway

is that was a bridge loan from the bank because the SBA was going to come through and give me the money to buy that building. And then I get a phone call three months in that the SBA had declined us. Yeah. And like, we went, we went in there and just started construction. I mean, we had wheelbarrels.

Yeah, I wasn't there for a part for that part. And I saw, like, to this day, those videos resurfaced. And Tommy has people with wheelbarrows and, like, sledgehammers. And I'm like, it, Tom. Oh, man, Bill was there. We really used everyone to treat me this building. That was when we had a little bit more grit. We just did what we had to do.

Now I'm like, one of the lessons I've learned is just pay for the best, get it done. But look, we didn't have any money. We weren't making much money. Like, at that time, too, I feel like A1 was so small that like the, I mean, we still are like a family, but it was just everyone knew everyone. You knew everyone's name in the office. Like there's not one face that you didn't know. Yeah. I mean, maybe if it was like someone new. But I mean, the fact that everyone came together on the weekend or late nights to help you redo that office is insane. I mean, now. That would never happen. No permits. And then I got nailed after. But that's just the way we did stuff. Remember? Well, we do stuff correctly now. No, no, no. But that was like, so there's this. piece to me, like there's this old saying you can't take the person out of the trailer park. We can't take the trailer park out of the person. Right.

Is that I was just raised really like frugal. Right. And it's hard for me not to negotiate and get a deal. But at the same time, every time I get a deal, it's less quality. It takes longer. It's not permitted. Just the simple things. And I used to buy used trucks.

The only thing I could afford was $1999 Dakotas. Right. And then I go to Harbor Freight, put a roofing rack together, or the ladder rack. Those, I got them down to $125. And we put them together and then I realized like, I was with Aauthentic, Daryl. And he's like, dude, you can depreciate it. The guys will be happy.

You won't have any breakdowns. It's all under warranty and that changed everything. And you and Daryl were. Yeah, he introduced you to Tara, right? Yeah, Tara with Enterprise. But that was 2015 when we went to Top Golf. Then we ended up buying out his company. And a lot of great people came from there.

Yeah. David. David Greeley, yeah. I wonder what the top guys. So tell us about a little bit about your upbringing. Obviously, this is hard to believe because you're way more mature than me, but we're 16 years apart.

But tell us a little bit about your upbringing. It's an extended family. Yep. I got a lot of family in Texas in California slash Yuma. Yep, I come from a big family. My mom was a single mom growing up and seeing how much she should.

struggled growing up when I graduated high school. I only did half a semester at college and I realized it wasn't for me. And I just, I mean, I knew I was pretty smart and I know the real world is hard. I just had really good people around me who helped me. My godparents really helped push me and help me believe in myself. I think that's the biggest thing. But I just picked up everything along the way and like thankfully with you, I found like my passion that I love to do, which is planning events. And without you, I mean, you've taught me so much, too. Everyone at A1 has taught me so much.

But it's like, and my grandfather had a big play in my upbringing too. Unfortunately, he's passed away, but he really supported me and believed in me. And I think without the people in my circle, I wouldn't be where I am today. Yeah, 100%. I mean, grandpa was great. We were playing, was it catchphrase? Yeah. And I was like, it was 99 bananas.

And I was like, what comes after 98? And he's like, 100. And I'm like, no. And we were laughing. We laughed so hard. And she's like, don't yell at him. And I'm like, we're playing a game. He needs to win.

And we were just dying laughing. Yeah, it was good. We went out fishing. We went out. Remember when we were at the lake? It was the, wait, it was the funniest thing. Two parts to that story. Tommy really wanted a wakeboard, right?

And so they tie me and grandma up to the bridge and we're on tubes. They leave on the boat, but then they like circle back. And grandpa is like, the coolest guy. And Tommy's sitting in the front of their boat and they're playing ice ice baby. And they're just jamming out. And me and grandma are just cracking up like the best time. And then they leave. Grandma's tube pops. So we're like on like survivor mode because I don't know how far they went out to get this board. And it's to we're just cracking up. No, we went to get ice and then I bought the board. Yeah, yeah. And then so we buy the board and grandpa hasn't like taken the kids tubing or anything in years, right?

Oh, dude. The dude was going mock one. And then my strong. shorts fly off. So I'm freaking, and we watched them float away. Yeah. And, uh, yeah. That was actually the first weekend you met my grandpa. And, well, let me backtrack. My grandparents came into town one weekend. Um, and we weren't dating, but my grandpa really wanted to see what I was doing with work and all the things. And Tommy at the time had, um, he was a business partner in a Christmas like company. And so they had just gone this massive, uh, shipments. Um, he was a business Shipman in. Yeah, from China. Yeah, it was all hands on deck to get this unloaded. My grandpa was so excited to meet him and we go back there. And we weren't dating.

No, we weren't dating. No. Um, and my grandpa's like, hello, Tommy. It's really nice to meet you. And Tom's just like, yeah, very nice to meet you too. And then like, my grandpa's like, oh, he's not going to say hi. So my grandpa just is like given him. He was a little bit jaded. And then I earned his trust back. But at the time, dude, I'm emptying out a freaking full-ass cargo trailer. Right, right. Full. Dude, those were the manual labor days.

A friend of yours who knows us and knew you in your early 20 said you've always been mature and wise beyond your years. I think that you were the youngest of you and Jasmine and you guys are practically twins. And you got a lot of extended family. Your mom and dad had other kids. But I think you had to grow up early. I think I had to grow up a little bit early. But you really are more mature than me. handle different things like I think we do well we're not alike in a lot of ways like you hate

movies I hate shows yeah opposites do attract and that's something that we need to work on so I've started liking shows and every once in a while I go to a movie yep but what where do you think like this motherly instinct you just look after people I don't know um you you had to do like it was tough in the early days yeah but I think also like sometimes it's a flaw because like you tell me too sometimes I care too much about what people think, but I just want to make people feel happy and loved and like, and I want people to like me. You could be a raving asshole, too.

That's true. Well, don't piss me off. Yeah. I mean, I have to tell you sometimes, like, dude, that's our neighbor. Tone it down. Well. Let's not go there. Yeah.

What is it? You know, people are like, does he ever stop? Never, never, never, never. I mean, this guy wakes up doing math. I mean, it's like five in the morning. Yeah, but I know how to relax. You for sure do. I mean, I think being in Idaho is probably the best thing.

Like, it makes me so happy when we go home to Phoenix. And three days in you're like, I'm ready to go back to Idaho because you just shut it off. Like, you relax and you have fun. I mean, you work constantly when you're up here too, but I think it's a different level of like being stressed. I just feel like it's really important for my coworkers and your co-workers to see us not slacking off because they see these pictures of Idaho. And by the way, we built this, like we got a massive amount of people coming here today. Yeah. And I do.

I want some of the people that we're close to, whether it's, you know, the technicians, like, I really, and I know you're like, don't mix too much business with pleasure, but that's all I like to do. Right. We didn't build this place for us. I agree. We built it to host. Yeah. And, I mean, we've made so many, so far.

I mean, what's today? July 30th. Since the fourth, I think, in total, we've probably had about like 75. people here just constantly like being rotated out like every weekend. I mean the 4th of July was the best. We had 28 people here. Tommy's cousins, some of our best friends, all of their kids. It was just, it's so perfect with all the memories that we make. Like I would not trade this for anything in the world. Oh no. We're going to put this in a trust. This is going to live in our family forever. Yeah. But look, we live below our means forever. Like I tell everybody, hey, you spent two decades of

this company. You will be wealthy. Yeah. Yeah. And. Well, I mean, you take a of your people too. I think like a lot of business owners don't. They're so greedy and they come into money and then like you said like, you know, we do this and I do. Sometimes I just get a little protective and I just don't want like people just being disrespectful because I feel like we do have right. We have to have that boundary. But you're such a good leader. I mean anyone like if you were to get up and start something new or you know, I don't even know, so many people would come with you because they believe in you that much. Like, they are your rider dyes, for sure.

Well, when I make a promise, I keep it. Right. And, you know, a lot of people change at the end when the money comes. And I'll tell you this, I don't think money will ever change us, but it changes everybody around us. For sure. And sometimes you give an inch, they want to take a mile. And I'm not, my mom and I remember my stepdad, my dad, they try.

They see, everyone takes advantage of you. And I'm like, maybe 3% of the time, but the 97% we got to remember. and I can't stop trusting because that doesn't show leadership. And by the way, we embrace failure now. I remember, like, Luke made a mistake about those openers. It was a $50,000 a mistake. And I'm like, cool, we know what not to do. Right.

But $50,000 in 2015 would have broke us. It would have broke us. Yeah. But, you know, we made mistakes and we learned from them. And Luke is an exceptional leader. Dustin's, Adrian and I always got into it. But now we have this relationship that we've just grown fond of each other. And you're very close with Adrian.

Yeah. Yeah, for sure. And I'd never got along with the CF. Yeah. Adrian's amazing. I mean, he just knows what he's doing. Yeah. He's built a great team around him.

Right. For sure. Becky. I mean, everybody around him is exceptional and he's become a really good leader. And he's always getting coached. He's part of these groups. And Luke's getting coached. And, you know, Dustin is amazing.

And I just, I just feel like we're just getting started. Yeah. And the thing is, a lot of people think, like, how does it feel when you arrive? I'm like, it doesn't. doesn't change anything. It's like you stop and you breathe the air and you're like, cool, what's next? There's always a bigger mountain. For sure. And that's why I feel like there's so many more people we've got to take with us. Yeah. I agree. Let's see here. What's something people would be surprised to know? About you? About us? About you? About me? I don't know. I don't really

know because we're kind of an open book. I don't think there's really anything that people don't know about us. I mean, our friends people would probably tell you different, right? But what do you think my favorite class was in middle school and high school and college? History? Well, you love history now. But what do you think I do the most of in my head? Math. Math. I mean, yeah, I was saying earlier, you wake up doing math. You get in the shower and you do math. At one point Tommy wanted a whiteboard in the shower. I was like, okay, this is like a little excessive dude but he's like if we do this

and like multiply and do this by six months and I'm like I don't even know like what you're even talking about like I'm just tuned me out now I'm just rolling out of bed like I need coffee I mean at one point before Claude my favorite app was my calculator for sure well funny story Tommy's carried um

what are those calculators uh he had like four of them in his backpack and I like we finally took him out like Tommy when are you ever going to whip this thing out and be like hold on let me just well those are very handy before They're in your nightstand. Yeah, no, I love those things.

You give you some really good matrix, matrices. What's one way Tommy shows up for you that you appreciate the most? One way. There's too many to count. No, there for sure is. There's so many. I mean, I really can't think of anything off the top of my head because you literally are there for anything that I need. There's not just one thing.

I like the fact that I get along with your dad I get along with your stepdad I get along with your mom I get along with your sister You're such a peacemaker though Like that's you A lot of people say I'm not confrontational

But I'm confrontational with a few people Correct only if they do something to you though But then like you just like let it blow over You have that like moment And then it's like okay Like let's move past this and be on Like not me I'm holding a grudge for like seven months And you're like it's not worth it

Like it's not worth to be mad Yeah, I'll I'll go to war with somebody and then I'm like, let's make up. But that's kind of a dude thing. Like you get in a fist fight and the next day you're hugging it out. Where girls like will never talk again. Right. They're like, they'll stop after second grade knowing each other.

Yeah. And that's fine. I just, life's too short. I don't think people really understand what it's like. There's a lot of pressure. We're involved with private equity. There's people that lie stealing. and cheat.

Accidents happen. So there's a lot of bad news, and I've really tried to not listen to the bad news. And I got great people around me that actually say no a lot. Yeah. And they kind of handle, they protect me. Well, it was never like that. I think everyone used to be yes people. And I think that's what drove you crazy because things wouldn't get done.

And it's like, people were just like, well, you don't understand all the things that I'm already working on. And you're like, well, if you can't do it, tell me no. and then I'm gonna have someone else do it. And now people are like, no, Tommy. And they give you like actual reasons why it's like, either it's a good idea or not. I will say that people,

one thing I've learned is Elie Tommy, the eight steps of delegation and deadlines and real responsibility. And if you're gonna accept this, because everybody says it's impossible to double in eight months. Not Elon Musk. Right.

And smart people figure out a way. A lot of people have scapegoating. They find a reason why not. They find every reason why not to go for it. Why not to jump in? It's this delay of action that I can't stand. Of like they say, do you know how hard that's going to be? And I go, the harder it is, the better off word out,

because we're going to mess up 10 times. Like Thomas Edison, he failed the light bulb a thousand times over. And so we figure out what not to do because nobody else, the harder it is, the more unlikely some move. And I think like right now, too, where A1 is at, like we are going more towards corporate. And like, I think it drives you and I crazy, people are like, well, we need to get with this department and this.

It's like, no, just start executing. Like, throw that in an email, throw it in a text message. Like, let's get this thing started. And don't take seven, like, I love that we're doing like project management boards and all the things, but I'm like, if I can just handle it. And I think that's a flaw that I have because I want to do everything on my own. Yeah, I've had to step away from running any projects. Yeah.

Because there was one that recently came up. And I'm really putting a lot on the team and saying this is going to be a really, a really good indicator if you're going to do well at this position. And the problem is, I'm like, give me a deadline. And they're like, I'll get you a deadline by next week. I'm like, I need a deadline today. Right. Like, think this out.

Use Claude. Do what you need to do. But it's frustrating because I work weekends. I'll work nights. All work holidays. I always have. Well, I think a lot of the leadership team does, but there are some who are just,

I think it's like this new generation. And I'm part of the new generation, but I don't feel like. This work like balance bullshit? Yeah. That's crap. You're going to get ahead. You're off balance on purpose.

There's a great book about this. Like this idea that you're going to, you can't have your cake and eat it too. You're going to live under your means for a while. And that's just smart. Everybody wants to make a lot of money, get all the PTO, not work weekends. And I'm like, dude, you go hard for five years

and you're set for life. If you have the ability to live below your means. But I think that's like the different mentality, right? Like, not everyone wants, I don't know why people wouldn't want to, but they just, they're so fine with being comfortable at like, they're okay being okay. Right. And I always say winners focus on winning, losers focus on winners.

The same people that tell you how much you work and how annoying it is are the same people that tell you got lucky. Right. And I'm just over there. Oh, well, what was that quote that Luke sent you? That's pretty good, too, that you just shared on Facebook. It was, um... I have it. You can blame others and...

Yeah, so Luke had sent me a quote the other day. Luke and I share a lot together. I mean, we're... If you want to feel better, blame mothers. mothers. If you want to get better, if you want to get better, blame yourself.

Another listener asked, what's the sacrifice Brea's made for A1 that most people will never know about? What sacrifices Tommy made for the relationship that nobody else sees? Look, dating me is not easy.

I mean, I'm very strong-headed. And if you just say, I don't feel like doing that, I just go do it. And I'm like, I got to compromise a little bit more, I think. But I'd say that, you know, number one, you know, I'm 43, never been married, no kids. So I sacrificed having a family for this business for the last 20 years.

And I think that, you know, you sacrifice a lot. And it was never really about the money. the money is a byproduct of doing great things and I will say that like I've always I always think we can lose it I always think like there's never like I always have this fear of like they could get all taken away

I can wake up one day and like you know I'm not going to say enough is never enough because that sounds shitty yeah but I'll just tell you like I always have this fear of like at every level I want to be in the best shape I want to be a man of God I want to be a great dad and a great husband I just feel like

everything's been going too great I'm just waiting for something to go wrong. Yeah. And that's a shitty way to go through life. Well, and I'll say I don't think I sacrifice because I just believe in you that much. Like,

I think that's not a good way to word that. Because I know the good outcomes that are going to come out from it. It's not anything bad, you know? Yeah, a lot of the people are coming out of the woodwork. Oh, for sure. I'm like, I don't know. This is funny.

someone when we posted like what questions you want to hear from us and I mean this girl all she she asked she like sent this like long comment and then at the end she's like you know me and my husband really love you guys can we attend your wedding and I'm like whoa yeah it's going to be a cool wedding I mean I won't even go into details but it's going to be something pretty special but the problem is look I really wanted to have every technician but we've already got 300 70 people. Yeah.

And so it's so, I want to do something separate. We want every, I mean, like, we're not even inviting, like, some family. Like, it's just, and I also want us to enjoy the day. It's about us. Like, I don't. That's about you. I mean, literally at the end of the day. I'll tell you this.

Every girl thinks about her Cinderella story and it needs to be about you. I don't want to even take pictures. Well, I think it's so funny because people are like, oh, are you so excited for the wedding? I'm like, yeah. I'm like, but we also have, like, 17 other million things coming up. that we have to focus on too. And we hired a wedding planner. And Tommy's like,

well, why don't you just plan the wedding? I was like, I could, but day of. Well, I actually was a wedding planner as well, but that's just too much.

It is. I will say some of the times I find myself short, but that's just who I am. It's like, I'm not a chitter-chatter. Like, hey, how is your day? Let's catch up.

And it's just like, I don't even talk on the phone much. You've seen me end the conversation almost every time abruptly. So did you just hang up? You used to, I mean, Tommy used to call people at like 10 or 10.30 at night and I, and I don't know how they did it with wives. They just roll out of bed and like Tommy's calling, got to take it. Tommy would talk to them for an hour, but it was all good conversations. I mean, when we lived in the apartment, I think we had what, like two or three whiteboards. Oh yeah. And it was just, you were always, always whiteboarding.

And I got the vibes everywhere. Vibes. Mm-hmm. So, being married to a visionary is a wild ride. As you watched the team and I, and I, you watched the team. I and yourself, Ska, I won. What moments were you generally concerned for me? I think the biggest one is when we did the first transaction. That's exactly what I was saying. That was, I mean, I didn't see you for two weeks. It was like you were gone at 5 a.m. and you were home at 10.30. And then it was just like, I know you didn't sleep. You were tossing attorney and so much on your mind. You started getting alopecia. Like, losing hair. Yeah. It was a very scary time. And I'm like, man, is this like worth your

health? Like, yeah, I was probably drinking too much. I didn't really understand what I didn't know. And now that I know it, it's like, it's almost unlocking this power. I can't even explain it. But, you know, I feel like I'm in the driver's seat. And I'll say Cortec has been great. They've really been a great partner. They've, you know the most important thing that I appreciated the most is when Doug said, Tommy is the ultimate decision maker. If you do not work through Tommy and you try to bypass him, it's not going to be good. You might not have a job here. Right. And when he gave me the power, I felt like something just, but what he did is put all good or bad, it was going to be me. But that's, I'm here for it. Yeah. It's hard to make and maintain genuine friendships at this

level without comparison creeping in. I will say this, some of your best friends are the and others of some of our leadership team. Yeah, yeah. I mean, listen, we are always- You're one of those people that you don't want a lot of friends You just want the right friends. Correct. I would say I don't have a lot of best friends.

I have a lot of acquaintances, but I do have a lot of close people within the business and within home service. Yeah, and I think our, like, as we become more successful, like our friend group evolves in a better way, right? But we're always gonna be friends with the people that we started off with.

Well, I think the main goal, and I play this during orientation, is hang out with people, you got a common future instead of a common past. Correct. And be around people that are a positive. Who bring you up. Like, I just love, it's so funny.

Fourth of July, I was sitting with Chris and Anna. And, you know, we had partied all weekend, and we don't talk about, Anna hates when Tommy talks about work. So that's, like, banned when they're around. Yeah, but Chris loves it. Yeah. So we're sitting there and we're having her coffee. Everyone's getting ready to leave and we're talking about business.

And our friend Becca comes up and she's like, man, I forget you guys are, like, actually like business people and you guys like actually work. And it made me laugh so much. I'm like yeah, but that's the fun thing about it, right? Like you work hard, but you play hard. Well, yeah, I kind of feel like that's the thing is I want to get back to Phoenix just because I think it's important to show up. And there's a high level that I said, a high bar. And I don't park in the handicap and I clean up the parking lot. And I try to keep my desk clean and actually helps with that. But you got to have high standards. And part of the standards are you get to work from home

whenever you want for the leadership team, but also they show up. Like come to the meetings, come prepared. Like, and I think leaders need to show up in the biggest way. And considering I consider myself at the bottom working for the C-suite. They work for the VPs. They work for the directors that all the way work for the technicians

and installers who work for the client. But I think a lot of people are like, they get burned out, private equity back, you're sprinting. And this is kind of what I figured out is like, this is in my DNA. Like, I'm cut out for this. Yeah. But a lot of people are just, I can just see it. They're burned out.

They just don't know how to maintain. You know, I will say Luke is just, like, he's adopted AI. It's crazy how much Luke has grown. I mean, I don't think I've seen anyone. Well, he grew a lot. Grow so fast like he did. I mean, obviously like you did. Like by far like 10 times more.

But like, Luke, like, well. I'm my big guys. has been a great addition. Like, I don't think people... The most important thing is the person you pick in life. Agreed. I mean, it's... Like, we have a lot of fun.

But we also give each other space. Agreed. And you don't mind. Like, you used to go on every trip with me, but I'm like, dude, just stay back. I'm like, look, I know you're my biggest fan, but also we've got dogs. We've got a family.

Well, and like, let's talk about Ashley for a little bit. Like, I think she has just changed our relationship so much that she's made me feel so much better about getting things done, staying home. If it's a 24-hour trip to Florida, I'm not going. I'm like, Ash, can you just sub? And usually it's just for a speaking trip. So I'm like, it's nice to see some of our friends at these events,

but I'd rather stay home, get stuff done, be with the dogs, and just not, I also like to be on the routine, too. Yeah, you get back in the swing of things. I'll tell you, you know, we built a nice gym here. It's still hard to get our asses in that gym. And, well, I will say this, we're getting 15 to 17,000 steps today. Yeah. But it just doesn't feel like,

It doesn't feel like, it's not to say, we both have personal trainers, it's just getting in, it's building the new habits when we're here. It's so hard though here. It's like, our friends are here the other day and Ryan's like, all right guys, we'll probably see you tomorrow.

I was like, I can't hang out with you guys every single day. No, they were like at 8 o'clock. It's still light and they're like, those wooden boats are made to be driven and I'm like, dude, we got to work tomorrow. I'm like, we can't do this. We just need a rest day, please. I mean, that's the problem with this place

is it's just like, it's literally heaven. It's so fun. Yeah. If heaven on earth was a thing, it'd be here. So I want to talk a little bit about faith. My dad's a born again Christian. My mom's a big faith believer. My sister believes in Jesus.

They're more Catholic. We started going, me and you got baptized together. We go to Impact Church. Sometimes you don't feel like your health. Maybe you got a cold. But we're really close with Pastor Travis Hearn at Impact Church. And it's something that's really important to me because I really believe that we're not put on this earth

to not have something. Like, I just, when we're on the boat and I look around, like, God is big. Yeah. It's just like, I think, I really believe, like, when my parents are getting older, I want everyone to go to heaven. Yeah.

And I think my grandma's waiting for me. And I think that, I think we, when I go to church, I feel like, I will say, like, sometimes it's hard. Yeah. I think it's hard. for a lot of people. You feel so much better by yourself. And like when you walk out of that door,

it's just like, you can conquer anything. And Travis is so good. He's just an amazing, like, if anybody gets an opportunity, if they want to go to church, they want to fly in and they want to go with us on a Sunday in Phoenix. We got to find a good church out here too. So if you're in standpoint, you know of a good church, let us know. Well, we can throw it up on the theater and watch PT on there. Yeah, the theater, Pastor Travis. That's a good idea. But do you, you, you, you, you, you, do we got baptized Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior. Agreed. I think one thing for you too about like faith is when Kea called you about your dad when he was super sick and she was like your dad's going to die and you made a promise and you've

kept that promise ever since. Yeah, I think it's weird when people like I don't like it when an athlete goes on one knee because of like what they believe because they're there to play football. But I just tell people I made it deal with Jesus Christ. Yeah. And I'm going to tell everybody about them, I don't need to have you believe, like if you, we're not going to tell you on it. If you believe in another God, that's okay. Then that's fine. I'm not there to make you, but I'm going to share my faith. Yeah.

And I'd like to do more prayers with people that I want to engage that kind of stuff. I don't think there's anything wrong with that. No, not at all. We're getting married in January. What are you most excited about? The entire day, actually. It's a, it's going to be a long weekend. I don't know.

I mean, I think just to celebrate us, I mean, we've been dating for, what, five, six years. It's like just to celebrate us that day with the people that we love and care the most. Dude, my 40th birthday that you threw, it's hard because you're there saying hi, get everybody hugs. And this is even way bigger than that. Yeah. So it's going to be a day. I hope everybody that's going understands that there's a lot of people that we need to spend time. Like, at least say hello to.

We've got to have our dances and get the pictures. and then where do you see us in five to ten years? Five years, we will, ideally, my plan is to have kids, two kids. I don't think you're ever going to slow down, but I think maybe you taking a step back. Like, I don't think I ever want to stop working and I know you'll never stop working.

No, I think when they're younger, look, at the end of the day, I'd like to have at least one meal together as a family, no phones. I would like, I do not want our kids on the iPads. Right. I do not want them glued to a TV. That's the easy route that's going to screw them up forever. And that means showing up in a big way.

I mean, that's why we got the ranch. And that's why, like, this is the best spot to raise a kid as much as possible to get them outside. Well, I mean, the hard part about Phoenix is it's like in the middle of summer, you can't go bike riding with your children. It's like 105 million degrees. It's not comfortable. But it's great in the winter. And, you know, there's a dream that I have this dream for you because I know you're a California Beach girl. this place was for me.

I wanted to be on a lake more than anything with mountains. You're an ocean girl. So tell us a little bit about your dream. And this isn't happening anytime soon. We've got too many projects and things going on. I just want to have a house by the beach. I think being by the beach is just so calm and relaxing. And it just feels like to me, being by the beach just feels different and I'm more calm.

And I feel like I'm just not stressed and life is good. I mean, I feel like that here, and that's probably how you feel here. But just being back there is something that you just can't describe. Just smelling that ocean air, it just feels, like, it even feels different on your skin. I can't describe it. Well, I like it here. So here's what we're going to do. I'm going to have Edgar read the prompts, and after three seconds, we both got to blur out the answer.

Okay, who said I love you first? One, two, three, me. You. Okay. Who's more likely to say I'm not mad and then be very mad. One, two, three, three. Uh, who's messier? One, two, three, break.

You. What? In what way? I've got paperwork. Dude. Dude. You leave stuff all around the house. How many water bottles are in this house right now that are yours?

Probably two. This is mine. You're crazy. Dude, other than a little bit of Zin line around. No. No. I don't want to hear it. Okay, you're up.

Who's more likely to say, I don't care where we eat, and then veto every suggestion. You. Yeah, sorry. Who's the better cook? One, two, three, me. I don't think either of us. Yeah, neither of us, fine. Okay.

Who's more likely to text back on my way while still on the couch? One, two, three, me. You, yeah. Who's the thermostat dictator? I don't know. One, two, three. I probably save me. You know, I don't like it freezing cold.

Yeah. I'm glad you like it cold, though. I think it's easier to sleep at night. For sure. Oh, who's the bigger risk taker? You. Who's more likely to be late? Me.

Oh, 100%. Who worries more? Me. Who spends more money? You? Well, I spend money. big shit. I'd say Amazon. I got books coming to the house. You got everything else. Okay. He says that because while we were buying stuff for this house, it was just we got a storage

pod so it was easier to buy it in Phoenix, put in the storage pod and put it up here. I mean, it was like kitchen stuff and just random things. Well, here's the deal. I don't even like to know what we're spending because it pisses me off. That's fair. But shit's got to get done right. Yeah. But here's the deal. What I've learned is rather than saving money, this is where I shift to figure out a way to make more money. Yeah. Well, I think you should also save. Who's more stubborn?

One, two, three, you. Dude, I always ask you what's wrong like seven times a day. Okay. That's not true, actually. Who's the early bird and who's the night owl? You're neither. Yeah, you're for sure both. Who's more likely to get lost

and refuse to ask for directions? That's for sure you. I'd say I'm the first one that wants advice, though. That's fair. Who's more likely to Google their symptoms and convince themselves they're dying? Me. Me. That's you.

No, I'm not. Well, chat doesn't help. Chat's like, and Chad also resurfaces other questions that I have asked them. And I'm like, okay. Who's more likely to plan to surprise you all day? Who's the funnier one? You. I'm a goofball.

Don't forget the count die guys. Oh. Who's more likely to sing in the car? One, two, three. Me. You. Who's more competitive? One, two, three.

You. Okay. Who's going to cry at the wedding? One, two, three. You. I would say both of us. I don't need to cry. Don't get mad if I don't cry.

I'm celebration. You better be crying. I'm not going to cry. I'm going to be happy. You need to cry when I walked down that aisle. Get out of here. The first thing Bree does every morning is. I don't know because you're always asleep when I get up.

I think you get up. You're a big time coffee. Yeah. Like you make your certain coffee and you definitely check your phone, probably call your sister, check on your nieces. For sure. Bree's guilty pleasure TV show is. All of them. There's no show she hasn't seen.

The thing that made me fall in love with Bree was. She's the life of the party. She's a giver. She's a go-giver. She cares a lot about people. Bree's biggest pet peeve about me is. I buy my nails. I don't think she likes that, but it's not a big deal to her. But she doesn't like the Zen line around. because they come out of my pocket. I could go on on this. Like, I'm not a picky eater, and she's the most picky.

I probably talk about work too much. I'm not the type of guy that plans a trip. Like, here's what we're going to do at 8. I like to just go, I think you're a bigger planner than me. You like to have an agenda. I don't live by an agenda. Yeah, our friends are coming, and I created an agenda for the weekend. I'm like, if free could live anywhere in the world, she'd pick.

Yeah, I mean, probably on the ocean in California, but we're not don't align with necessarily the people there. So I think we're in the right spot. Yeah, yeah. The meal Brie could eat every single day. She loves Italian. Whether it's spaghetti, lasagna, it doesn't really matter as long as it's got pasta she's in. Bree is secretly good at? She's really good at a lot of stuff.

You know, I don't think you're the most athletic. person on the planet. No. But you can figure anything out. Like, whether it's a puzzle, it's planning. It's, it's like you know, like you're considerate. Like you think about people at the most random times. Yeah. I can go out and on.

The song that reminds me of Bree is. Oh, Bluebird. Oh. The best gift. There's a lot of songs, I mean. I love songs. The best gift Bree ever gave me was. No, the canon was cool.

I flipped it, but I think that 40th birthday party was probably the coolest thing that I was just shocked. My mom was there. It was her birthday as well. And that was just, I'm more of a, I like gifts. Don't get me wrong. But I really like the moments, the special time. You love seeing people so happy. Yeah.

And I don't like the, like, phones. I honestly, like, I just don't like talking to people on the phone. Like, even you, I'm short with when I'm on a trip. It's just not like, we'll see each other in a couple of, like, we'll catch up. Right. But she's like, what did you do today? I'm like, the same shit you know I do every day. It's like.

Oh, and you call me sometimes and you just stay quiet. I'm like, hello? You know, I'm like, I'm like, if you don't want to talk, then don't call me. I'm like, text me. And then I'll see you when I get home. Yeah. And I'm like, I'll just talk later. That is your pet peeve.

That's probably my biggest pet beef. And I do that with everybody, though. You know what's not. Yeah. And then everyone's like, Tommy, are you still there? And then it's still quiet. They're like, hello? And you're like, yep.

All right, the first thing Tommy checks when he wakes up is Checking his phone The most annoying habit for Tommy is Tommy's most annoying habit is Biting your nose The thing that made you fall in love with Tommy was How loving you are Tommy's biggest fear is

Oh I don't Probably losing my parents Yeah for sure You know I don't really worry about my niece and or my sister because I think they got they'll probably well they'll outlive me I'm hoping all of them. Yeah for sure.

If Tommy had a whole day off with nothing to do, he'd find something to do. It depends. If it's been a long week and he just wants to rest, Tommy won't have a lazy day. He'll sit on that couch. He will take phone calls. He'll check his phone or he'll go see his dad.

He'll, I mean, go to work. What do I do when I see my dad? You play pool. I mean, what do you guys do? Race. Race to 10. It's either race to five, race to 10. Tommy's secretly really bad at... Nothing.

You're not bad at anything. Driving the boat? Because they just learned? No, you're not bad. We're learning. That's a learning curve. Tommy's comfort food is... Watermelon.

The funny thing Tommy has ever done is... Oh, my gosh. What's the funny? I don't know. You're just so funny. Well, I know a lot of... jokes and I try to be a goofball. I agree. Well, listen, we had fun today. I will say that it's 90 miles an hour with us. There's no off. Like, even though we relax through things, we go, go, go.

And I don't think that'll ever really change because once we have kids, we're going to be involved with their lives and we're going to be going, making sure they're living their best life. What I want to do is just make sure I stay healthy. Because think about it, I'm 43. If we're 45 when we have kids. I'm 63 when they graduate. So I got to keep going. You're going to be, you're only going to be like, freaking my age. I know. I'm going to be young. Young buck. So listen. I think one thing we should probably just like tell those who are listening are like, a lot of people who commented on the post really asked, um, how do you make it working with, you know, someone who you do business with? And even if you don't,

If you support your husband and your stay-at-home mom, like, I think don't let the hard times knock you guys down. There's going to be better days for sure. Communication is key. We've really learned that throughout this relationship. When you don't communicate, it gets really hard. And it gets scary at times. But you'll push through.

And if- Don't all the grudge. Right. That's one of the biggest things is have a short memory when it comes to negativity. Yep. And you made a commitment and keep your commitment. Yep. I mean, you, this is the one choice.

You don't get to choose your kids or your parents. Right. You get to choose your significant other. And you need to put them first. And you made bows to one another. Yeah. And bring God with you and it'll be a lot easier. Agreed.

And I think we're in open books. So if people want to. Yeah. If you went around two, let's get some questions. But I love you very much. I love you. You're the love of my life. It was the good first podcast.

You did great. Thank you. One last thing. People want to get a hold of you. How do they do that? You always give out your cell phone number. I don't know if I wanted to do that. No, give an email.

Yeah, you can reach out. This is so complicated. Facebook. Yeah. Just add me on Facebook. And close us out with one final thought. Me? Yeah.

Wrap us up. Okay. I would just say, live every day like it's your last. And love everyone. Carbidia? Yeah. All right. And love everyone.

like there's no tomorrow. Text someone and tell them that you love them and you appreciate them. There we go. What did you learn that from? You. Love it, baby. Love you. That's a wrap.