The Skinny Confidential Him & Her Podcast - Heather Rae & Tarek El Moussa - Flip or Flop, Selling Sunset, & How To Create A Happy Life
Episode Date: April 1, 2024#680:  Today, we're sitting down with Heather Rae and Tarek El Moussa. Heather Rae El Moussa is a top real estate agent for The Oppenheim Group, known for selling luxurious million-dollar properties ...to affluent buyers in Los Angeles. She also stars in the popular Netflix series Selling Sunset. Tarek El Moussa was previously the co-host of the HGTV hit series Flip or Flop. With their latest show, The Slipping El Moussas, the couple joins us today for a raw conversation about their love story, the real estate industry, and all things related to living a happy life. We dive into everything from things to look out for in a house you want to flip, to why you should live every day like it's your last.  To connect with Heather Rae El Moussa click HERE To connect with Tarek El Moussa click HERE To connect with Lauryn Evarts Bosstick click HERE To connect with Michael Bosstick click HERE Read More on The Skinny Confidential HERE To Watch the Show click HERE For Detailed Show Notes visit TSCPODCAST.COM To Call the Him & Her Hotline call: 1-833-SKINNYS (754-6697) This episode is brought to you by The Skinny Confidential This episode is brought to you by Toups & Co Visit www.toupsandco.com and use code SKINNY for 15% off your first order This episode is brought to you by Kerastase Visit Kerastase-USA.com and use code SKINNY15 to receive 15% off your purchase. Offer valid through 5/31/2024. This episode is brought to you by Ritual Start a daily ritual that you can feel good about. Visit ritual.com/SKINNY to receive 25% off your first month of Ritual. This episode is brought to you by Vanderpump Villa Watch new episodes of Vanderpump Villa every Monday, now on Hulu. This episode is brought to you by Clean Simple Eats Clean Simple Eats protein powder is non-GMO, gluten-free, 3rd party tested, always grass-fed and made with zero artificial ingredients. You can get 10% off your first order by using code SKINNY10 at checkout at cleansimpleeats.com. This episode is brought to you by The Farmer's Dog It's never been easier to invest in your dog's health with fresh food. Get 50% off your first box & free shipping by going to thefarmersdog.com/skinny Produced by Dear Media Â
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The following podcast is a Dear Media production.
She's a lifestyle blogger extraordinaire.
Fantastic.
And he's a serial entrepreneur.
A very smart cookie.
And now Lauren Everts and Michael Bostic are bringing you along for the ride.
Get ready for some major realness.
Welcome to The Skinny Confidential, him and her.
America followed our journey. Potential, him and her.
America followed our journey.
Like, Flip or Flop became the number one show on TV.
Like, we were beating NBA playoffs.
It was wild.
And I mean, there'd be days I came home to him, like, crying from the stress of everything.
And then you film it, you go through it.
It's your real life.
And then the show comes out, you have to watch it and then deal with all the stress again. And then you have to hear from all the fans and you get attacked for almost everything you do because the fans are so vocal and on social media. And so it's like,
you're going through the stress and you're filming and then you get a little break and then
it comes out and you go through it again. Tarek El Moussa and Heather Rae El Moussa are on the
show today. This episode is like an octopus.
We literally go everywhere. There's tentacles everywhere. We talk about real estate. We talk
about reality television, wellness, skincare, fitness, relationships, marriage. They have been
in the public, both of them separately and together for so long. And I think it's a really
cool thing to see behind the scenes in this episode. You may recognize
Heather from the popular Netflix series Selling Sunset, and I'm sure you recognize Tarek from
the HGTV hit series Flip or Flop, and together they have a show, The Flipping Almooses.
I learned a lot about real estate in this episode, and I think you will too,
but you'll also just learn about them as a couple
together from a real perspective. With that, Tarek and Heather, welcome to the show.
This is the Skinny Confidential Him and Her.
We are doing a him and her on a trifecta. We're having a foursome. We're doing a him and her
foursome. Another foursome. Another foursome. We're so happy to have youa. We're having a foursome. We're doing a him and her foursome.
Another foursome.
Another foursome. We're so happy to have you guys. We wanted to interview you both together.
And I feel like there's a lot of parallels in your story. So let's just first start out.
Maybe we'll start with Heather. Talk to us about how you got into real estate,
because I know that you've like, I've seen you, I feel like, everywhere,
even before I saw you on Selling Sunset. Well, that's good. Yeah. Maybe from modeling. I did
some modeling. I did some acting. And it was kind of just an easier transition for me. Like,
what was the next step for me? I was sick of being in that. It was auditions all the time.
I'd be like five to 10 auditions a day. And sometimes you don't, most of the time you don't
make it. And you're told, you know, you're too fat. You're not right. You're this, you're that. So it was a lot of
like negativity. So I'm like, what am I going to do next? And someone in my life told me like,
why don't you get into real estate? You have a good personality. You're bubbly. Like, I feel
like you could do well with it. You know, I'll get you a mentor. And I, and that's how I transitioned.
And then I moved from Manhattan Beach up to Los Angeles, met Jason Oppenheim, and then I got in the Oppenheim group.
Wait, so I have a question about this.
What do you mean you met him?
You go into his office to like interview?
Is it natural?
Is it for the show?
No, it wasn't for the show.
The show wasn't even thought of at that point.
So we were already all in office.
I was already doing real estate.
So I brought some clients to a listing up in Los Angeles. I think it was like a six, $7 million listing. And Jason was
a listing agent. He was the broker on it. He saw like, oh, wow, young girl. She brought in like
high-end clients. And he actually called me up and said, will you come to my office and meet with me?
And then he's like, will you join the Oppenheim Group? And I was looking to transition from
Manhattan Beach up to LA. And it was like the perfectenheim Group. And I was looking to transition from Manhattan Beach up to L.A.
And it was like the perfect fit for me.
And then I'd say probably about two years later is when the show actually started.
Do you think being in auditions and being told no and being told you're to this, you're to that, you're to like set you up for a really successful career in real estate because you did have that resiliency?
Absolutely.
Yeah.
Yeah. I think it was just that natural transition. Like it was a, it's kind of like the same type of industry and,
you know, real estate is really tough. You have to deal with a lot of negativity as well. And I
think being a young woman in real estate, not so much anymore, but back, you know, seven, eight,
10, 10 years ago, it was a lot harder. A lot of men in the industry would just say, oh, you're
young, you're pretty, you don't know what you're talking about,
you don't know what you're saying. And you just have to come in with your facts and
prove them different. I'm going to guess that you have a different story of how you got into
real estate. Much different. Yeah. What's your story? Have you always been such an entrepreneur
from a young age? Yeah. So 100% entrepreneur from a young age. I mean, I remember being five years
old, going door to door, trying to sell things to my neighbors. I started my first company at 15. It
was a clothing company. I went to the courthouse, filed the paperwork, printed like 500 shirts with
my life savings. And then turned out I filed it wrong and someone already had the company name.
So I think those shirts are still at my mom's house. Getting into real estate.
And you sold knives. Wait, the knives, Cutco.
Yeah. That's entrepreneurial. Oh, yeah, yeah. Wait, the knives, Cutco. Yeah.
That's entrepreneurial.
Oh, yeah, yeah. People used to crush at Cutco.
I mean, they probably still do, right?
I bet you were the top.
I was one of the top in the country,
but that's what led me to real estate
because I was one of the top salespeople
in the country slaying in knives, you know?
I was like a drug dealer,
but instead of drugs, I had knives.
Oh, God.
And I lost my lead book one day.
So like every client, every lead,
everything I was working on was gone.
And I wasn't going to start over my, you know, rebuild my knife business. And I was at this
Washington Mutual ATM in Cerritos. And I'm looking at the account. It's not looking good. And I had
one of those moments. I was like, shit, what am I going to do? And I looked to the right
and there was this crooked sign. It said, wise old owl real estate school. So I had what I like
to call a defining moment, which is a moment in your life that changes the trajectory of your life. So I thought to myself,
I was like, well, I can sell knives. I could probably sell houses. And that's how I got
into real estate. I walked across the parking lot and signed up.
So if someone's looking to get into real estate the way that both of you did,
what are some tips that they could apply immediately? Like, let's say they want to
start today. Go online, sign up for a course, and start working on your license.
Step one.
Yeah, you have to take the courses.
They're boring.
They take time.
The test is awful.
But that's your first step.
You have to get that done.
Yeah, but what do you have to have?
What's the recipe?
Like, you guys have been around the block.
What's the formulaic recipe?
Like, is it talent?
Is it beauty?
One thing.
There is one thing that's needed.
Okay. Drive. Drive and confidence. I've seen people show up to real estate office looking
half homeless, never sold in their life, barely speaking English, but they had to put their kid
through college and they became the number one agent. Like mothers, probably single mothers are
probably like hustlers. I'm talking about people you would never think. And then you'll see someone with a master's degree coming in an Armani suit and they can't
sell a house if their life depended on it because they don't have the hustle.
And you said confidence.
Confidence.
Yeah.
Because in the beginning, you know, you don't really know what you're doing.
And for me, it was working with a mentor like that really helped me because, you know, you
don't know how to do the paperwork.
You don't know what you're doing.
But I, you know, showed up at every listing
appointment. Like I was there at the house all the time. Like my first listing was $7 million
listing. And my second was one and a half million dollar listing, which is really rare in the
beginning. And I didn't know what I was doing. Yeah, very rare. So I didn't know what I was
doing, but I showed up every day. I drove to the appointments. I was there all the time. And I sold the house, both of them within three months. And they had been on the market
for almost a year. And I took over the listing. Well, think about it. If you're on the other side
and you're the owner of that property, who do you want? The person that's kind of like half-assing
it or the person that you know is just going to break their back for you to get your house sold
at the best price? And the way I got that listing was the confidence. I said, you know what? It
hasn't sold in almost a year. Why don't you let me try? And I was brand new. That was my first time. And he's like, okay.
And I did it within three months. I'm sure if I asked that question,
it would have been a big, big no. It probably didn't help that, you know,
I mean, I just put my sweet voice on. So her first sale was a $7 million house. I think my
first sale was a $50,000 condo in Rialto. And I think I made
a negative $200 after paying all the fees and paying for the guests.
Is there fees? Because when you watch the show, Selling Sunset, of someone who doesn't know a
lot about real estate, me, and you see a $50 million house that they're selling, and then
they say like, whatever commission, you guys can probably do it quick. I'm just going to make it
up $500,000. With that $500,000, is there a lot of fees that are paid out that people don't
understand? Absolutely. Yeah. It depends on the volume of the agent, but typically anywhere
between 20 to 40% of that is gone in fees into the brokerage and then the agent keeps the remainder.
Damn. I mean, it's still like good money. but it's just crazy how much they take. And it takes a long time just sometimes
sell a house of that status. You know, it's not like, oh, within three days it's sold and you
make the money. Like sometimes it can take, I've shown clients homes for, I mean, I showed the
Dubros, Heather and Terry Dubro. How many months? Eight months, seven months. I showed them
properties and finally we found one. And the next for that process was like four months? Eight months? Seven months? I showed them properties and finally we found one.
And the next process was like four months.
So it takes a long time.
Is this their new condo or their huge house that they had in Orange County?
No, their new condo up here in Los Angeles.
That looks beautiful.
I love Big House by family.
It's gorgeous.
And they negotiated one heck of a deal.
Props to them.
They did a great job.
What makes a good negotiator?
Saying no.
Yeah.
Being able to walk away.
Being able to walk away.
That's what it was with this one.
Yeah.
100%.
Why did, and I want to hear both of your stories separately because they are separate.
Did you guys decide to do television?
Oh.
Well, yours is, yeah.
Also very different.
Well, mine was just totally random.
I'll just, the fast version is I was at a real estate convention of 5000 people.
Somehow I got invited to sit in the front row because seats opened up at the break.
I met a guy who was on stage talking about how he made a million bucks a year, told me
he had a local TV show.
And then I said, TV, wow, that's interesting.
And I couldn't stop thinking about it.
And then I said, I want to get a TV show.
So I just jumped on Google.
You want to make money. Yeah. So I wanted to get a TV show. So I just jumped on Google. You want to make money.
Yeah.
So I wanted to get on TV to build a brand to make money.
So I came into TV as an entrepreneur.
So I was like, well, if I can get on TV,
people are going to know me
and then I'm going to make more money.
It was marketing.
It was marketing.
So I literally went on Google
and I typed Hollywood production companies.
They came up and one by one, I just sent,
hey, my name's Tariq.
I want to flip houses.
Call me.
What year was this?
2010. Okay. So it was still early enough when TV looked a little bit different in some ways.
Yeah. Because I have tuned in a few times to the show that you were on and there, I'm sure there's
marketing, but there's also a lot of other stuff that you are forced to deal with. We've had
Christine on the show. We've talked about a little bit, but my favorite person,
which we could talk about.
Hi,
Christine.
And no,
Lauren and I always like,
we have seen doing what we do these,
some of these opportunities over the years.
And I'm like,
I am not equipped to do that.
I like this environment.
I control it.
I do what I want.
I say what I want.
There's nobody telling me anything.
I don't have to get permission.
We own the company that produces everything.
I don't have to, you know, it's like, it's, it's, it's our, I don't have to get permission. We own the company that produces everything.
I don't have to.
It's R.
I don't have to think about it.
Depends on the show.
You kind of sign your life away on reality TV.
Depends on the show.
At this point, I'm like, why?
But I can also understand.
But I don't know if I personally would be able to handle all of the stuff that you guys are forced to handle. I think you're talking about two different shows, too.
I feel like yours is,
I don't know that you would tune into yours for drama.
Yours was more business-focused.
It's like house drama.
We're like, oh, no, oh, shit, the plumbing broke.
Oh, no, we got a squatter.
It's not like the production company
trying to pin us against each other and ruin our lives.
Nobody's screaming, you're a bad father if the pipe broke.
Yeah, exactly, exactly.
What are the pros and cons
when you look back on how you first got into TV?
Like, what did you take away from it that you really liked?
And what were you like, I fucking hate this?
At the beginning?
At the beginning or middle or end?
Oh, I mean, at the beginning, I mean, I like the fact that, you know, I made it happen.
Got a TV show.
That's impressive how you, I've never heard of anyone, you're very entrepreneurial.
I mean, that is like, that is like next level shit.
Every thing.
Giving Gary V.
Yeah, yeah.
Every single thing I've done, it comes from, I call it outbound prospecting.
Like I'll pick up the phone and I'll ask the question.
Like every single thing I have in my life is not from waiting.
It's from going out there and doing.
The cons were, you know, you're literally on camera all day.
So like, when are you going to work on the houses? When are you going to work on the business? But here's
the craziest part about my story is I pitched getting a house flipping TV show before I ever
flipped a house. So, so then I got a contract to do 13 houses in 10 months and I had two problems.
I didn't have money and I didn't know how to flip houses. So I literally taught myself how to do it and raise the money while filming a TV show my first year on TV. So it was a wild year. I didn't
sleep. Like I worked 20 hour days. As a tangent, because I think there's a lot of people listening
that think about flipping houses or maybe they're in a house that they want to then upgrade.
What are the like maybe two or three key things that people need to keep in mind if they're going
to consider either flipping the house they're in or thinking about getting into the flipping business? Yeah. I mean, honestly,
like flipping is not that difficult. There's four steps. Step one, you got to find it. Step two,
you got to fund it. Step three, you got to fix it. Step four, you got to flip it. Right.
So what are the mistakes I guess then that people make most commonly when they're trying
to flip something successfully? Two mistakes, very easy to fix. People did that, their life
would change. Mistake number one, they need to learn what to pay for these houses. So that's what I teach at my program called Homeschooled with
Tarek. I teach people how to analyze properties, how to flip properties. And then the second thing
is they choose the wrong contractors. And that is one of the biggest, that is the biggest mistake
behind paying too much for the house. Because if you have the wrong team in place, a house that
should take you eight weeks is going to take you eight months. How do you find the right contractor? Research. So you don't call a custom builder.
You don't call the kitchen and bathroom guy, right? You want to find out who is the contractor
that's been working in this market for 10 years that has worked on a thousand flips.
Yeah. My buddy came, I'm not going to say who, but my buddy came and was like,
hey, I found a flipper we're going to do out in Texas. This thing was like,
I'm like, this ain't a flipper. Like you got to tear this whole fucking thing down and start it over.
I was like, my idea of a flip was like, we're going to improve the kitchen.
We're going to maybe improve some of the fixtures.
We're going to like, we're not tearing down the whole thing and running a construction
site.
Like, I don't have time for that.
Probably not for your first flip either.
That would be challenging.
This thing I looked, I think someone died in this house.
I'm like, you got to get the bad juju out of here.
You got to tear the whole thing down.
Bad juju out of here. You gotta tear the whole thing down. The bad juju.
Yeah.
But anyways, I looked at it at the time and I was like, this is not going to be an eight
week process and this is going to be way more expensive.
And it's basically like we have to build a whole new house.
It was like out.
Oh yeah.
Yeah.
And that's what happens.
And people lose their asses because one, they pay too much.
They underestimate the rehab and then they choose the wrong contractor.
It's like the perfect recipe for the perfect store.
Like impossible.
You make it really digestible.
Like sometimes I feel like to me,
real estate is not my brain language,
but you make it like I understand.
Yeah, because honestly it is simple.
And like, that's why I'm so passionate about it.
Like I went from delivering pizza to selling houses
to flipping houses on TV.
Like that's my story, right?
And the house flipping there's there's
two ways to find a house to flip one you talk to people that own houses two you talk to people that
sell houses yeah that's it if you talk to if you ask 50 people a day if they knew anyone that's
looking to sell a house you're going to get leads and you're going to be a house flipper you're not
allowed to do one fucking thing with flipping a house until you talk to him. So you're going to have to ask a couple questions.
I'm not getting some black rolled teardown.
Here's why.
And I actually have flipped a house before.
But here's here's why.
Before me.
Here's why.
For me, I think that there's also some people that think that they can just passively do a lot of this.
And for everything that we're doing right now,
I'm like, it has to be such a great opportunity that that opportunity is going to replace some
of the other stuff we're doing. And I'm also of the mind where I cannot just trust some random
contractor or some random person to do this for me. If I can't actually be focused on it,
I don't even want to think about it. 100%.
You know what I mean? By the way, I don't believe in quote unquote passive income. I think a lot
of people are like, how do I get passive income? It's like,
passive income comes from being very, very active in stuff prior.
Yeah. So like, so, well, this is what I tell people there. I mean, the reason like we flip
houses is to make money, to buy more real estate. So there is passive investing through the
syndications that we're doing, but I know what you're talking about. Like if you're a hands-on
in real estate, there is nothing passive about it. Now, if you invest with like a syndication, like, like my
company, TEM Capital or Heather's HM Capital, then it truly is passive where our partners are
relying on us to go out there, find the deals, do the work and get the job done. And of course,
they're, they're part of the, they're part owner. So they get part of the upside.
Because you guys are the GPs then. Okay. For, for people that are just listening and wondering what a syndicate is that maybe they're unfamiliar with
real estate. Can you explain just quickly what a real estate syndicate is? Yeah, absolutely. All
it is, is we pool investor money together to go buy commercial real estate together. So if we want
to go buy a $20 million off market distressed building and we need, you know, $6 million
down payment to buy it, we'll go out and we'll raise $6 million from-market distressed building, and we need $6 million down payment to buy it,
we'll go out and we'll raise $6 million from other investors who want to buy it with us,
and together we buy it. That's cool.
And then for people that are thinking about getting involved, this is obviously they find
a syndicate that they feel good about, and then the trade-off is that syndicate will take care
of all of the active work. They become a passive investor in real estate. I'm sure there's management and
fees or whatever that are discussed ahead of time. And then they get to participate in the
real estate market, but without getting their hands dirty. Exactly. Because here's the thing,
everybody needs to invest in real estate. Okay. But you brought something up in a minute ago,
like you're working on so many opportunities. You can't leave these opportunities to go learn
how to flip houses. So because you don't want to lose your opportunities, it doesn't mean you shouldn't invest in real estate, but that's why
we exist because like everybody's seen what real estate has done over the last two decades, right?
I mean, it is just skyrocketing and it's not going to stop. Yeah. It's a way to get an active real
estate portfolio, but without having to actively be a real estate developer. I have to get Heather's
pros and cons. I'm sorry, guys, of being on reality television. I want to know,
because your experience was very different, it seems. Yes. This is a hunch. Very, very different.
Gosh, how juicy can we get? Well, you know, when the show first started, so I was there from the very beginning. We shot, well, first of all, we were just an office. We were a real estate office
on Sunset Boulevard. Different producers would come to the office and offer us a show because, you know, you have a lot
of pretty girls in the office. They're all real estate agents. Most were past models. And then
you have two twin brothers that are, you know, the Oppenheim group. So it was an interesting office.
And at first, like everyone was like, no, we don't want to do reality. And then we're like,
you know what, let's try it. And we shot a pilot and Netflix picked it up.
And then in the beginning, we're like, this is not going to go anywhere.
Because this is back when Netflix didn't have reality shows.
It was Bravo and it was MTV, things like that.
It wasn't Netflix.
So we're like, it's probably not going to go anywhere.
Season one, and then that's it.
By season, I met him right after I filmed season one.
It was like the summer after.
You got to keep your hands off him.
Yeah.
Sure.
Can you hold hands here?
I could use a break from you this morning, to be honest.
I didn't even realize we were holding hands.
She told me the same thing earlier.
Stop.
By season three is when Selling Sunset really got known. And in the beginning, it was just all like fun, not crazy drama. It was just we were all friends. Like any drama was just it was just, you know, simple. And then it just got worse and worse and worse. They started adding in more girls, it just became out of control. And I mean, there'd be days I came home to him
like crying from the stress of filming.
Yeah, and everything.
And then, you know, you film it, you go through it.
It's your real life.
And then the show comes out, you have to watch it
and then deal with all the stress again.
And then you have to hear from all the fans
and you get attacked for, you know,
almost everything you do
because the fans are so vocal and on social media. And so it's like you're going through the stress
and you're filming and then you get a little break and then it comes out and you go through it again.
But, you know, some of these girls are still my really close friends. So that was a really
positive that I took away from it. I filmed my show on Selling Sunset and our show together,
The Flipping El Musas, up until I was basically
about to give birth. I was two weeks before I gave birth to Tristan. So I was filming two shows
in high heels. I rocked it. And then I went on maternity leave right during season seven
of Selling Sunset. And then they did not ask me to come back. I am so excited about Toops & Co because I finally found a brand that I can trust
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When you get pregnant, you develop like this other sense and intuition of like what is actually
good for you and what isn't and what feels toxic. I guarantee you there was an energy
that you were putting out that was like maybe protective over you and your son that they felt
and that they realized that they couldn't penetrate anymore. It was better. I mean,
you know, it was a blessing that I wasn't asked to come back because I'm so much happier filming
my show with Tariq. And, you know, we get to we're co-producers on our show. So we pick the hours and with Selling Sunset,
I never knew when I was going to be filming. It was last minute. It took over my life. It was hard
to do my real job. Real estate was hard to do anything else. And I was away from him all the
time. I was away from our kids all the time. And I'd be gone for like 12 to 14 hours someday. It
was crazy because we live in Orange County. So I had to drive up to LA. And so it was pretty brutal.
And it's like, you know, they just want more and more and more. And, you know, you saw me on the
show. I pretty much was level-headed almost the whole time. I was kind of, you know, friends with
everyone and more like the chill. I kept things pretty
chill in my life. But yeah, it's very toxic. You're around a bunch of women that everyone
wants to be stars on the show and number one, and they'll kind of do anything.
I feel like, and maybe some of our other or future guests that have participated in reality
won't like me saying this so much, but I feel like it's one of those things where if you can use it as a tool to build a great platform and get some
exposure great but then some people get so sucked into it they like almost stay at the party too
long it's like they think it's their real life and obviously it is our real life to an extent
yeah like i always wonder like i'm like hey it's season 13 maybe it's time to hang it up you know
what i mean or like hey maybe it's season eight like have you not figured out how to expand beyond but again people might hear me say this and get
offended but i just i think everybody that we've talked to most people have an intention going into
these but i think some people over time lose sight of that intention like this is my new world and
you're so spot on yeah you're so spot on and i think that was like me and a few other other girls
we we didn't let that take over our real lives like he's more important to me than anything and our kids and our happiness
than, you know, filming a reality show. But I, you know, I got amazing benefits from it. I have
a great fan base and touch so many different people's lives and all around the world and
got my platform. And, you know, it was such a great transition to now be on HGTV and filming with him.
And I'm thriving.
I'm obsessed with what I do.
I'm now designing homes.
I'm flipping homes with him.
Like I have a whole new craft
and I'm so much more passionate about this.
And she is so damn good.
Oh my God.
Wait till you guys see season two.
I swear, like these are the most,
and I flipped a lot of houses.
These are the most gorgeous houses I've ever done.
I have an eye for design
because I came from luxury real estate.
But it's, you know, it's a very different craft
because we're flipping homes.
So you have to figure out how to make the most money.
So return on investment,
but also make the homes beautiful.
So we have a really good way about finding materials
for the houses that are inexpensive,
that looked very high end. I think it sounds like you squeeze the juice out of the orange and you got what you
needed to get out of it and you left at the appropriate time to do what you wanted to do.
She leveraged it into a career. That's the way to do it. It's like either do what you did and
go in with a mission where you're like, I'm here to promote my business or use it as a stepping stone, like a lily pad to get to where you want to be.
And I didn't know in the beginning, like I, you know, we just all signed up for this.
We didn't know what it was going to become, like if anything.
And so, you know, when I met Targ is when my career really, I feel like started and I was what, 30, 31 when we met.
And then I feel like my and I was what, 30, 31 when we met. And then I feel like my career
just got stronger and stronger because he's such an entrepreneur. And, you know, I, I was right
there. I just needed someone to come into my life and really like help me flourish. I would say he
really helped me flourish. That's true. I needed someone. Were there things that happened on that
show that maybe got you to a place where you're like, I'm done with this and I don't want to keep
tolerating it? Or is it like things that you felt were inappropriate or is it
just like it just kind of i've never talked about those type of details because i feel like you know
it's just not appropriate with what how i want to portray certain things i'm just not there in my
life where i would talk about those things yet but maybe one day yeah there's some pretty nasty
shit there's some nasty things private for. She's keeping it private for now.
Yeah. Maybe I'll write a book.
Yeah, maybe. Tell all.
Yeah, tell all.
You guys should write a hymn in her book.
Yeah.
And spill all the juicy secrets.
How did you guys meet?
Aw, we met 4th of July, 2019.
What was he wearing?
Were you wearing American flag boxers?
He was wearing these board shorts that he still has to this day.
He won't let me throw them away.
He is like a creature of habit.
He wore the same flip-flops, board shorts, black tank top or t-shirt, Brixton.
You still have it.
I'm simple.
I'll wear the same outfit five days a week for five years.
It's like, I'm easy.
That's the way to do it.
You don't have to think.
It's decision fatigue. I met Lauren
when we were 12 and I still wear the same underpants
because I feel like that's what keeps
it going.
Every day I've never taken them off.
So did you go up to
Heather? No.
I'll tell the story.
Let's hear his version.
Confidence is key.
Alright, so it's 4th of July.
We're at a bar in Newport Beach called Woody's where all the, you know, there's like four
spots for boats.
You're already missing some of the points.
So I was living in Los Angeles.
Story lasted four seconds.
We can do it together.
We're better when we bounce off each other.
So I was living in Los Angeles at the time because I think like you guys know you're
San Diego, Los Angeles.
There's a distance.
People that live in LA don't go down to Orange County that often. it's like a divine way back she's just like four score and seven
years ago I like to like wait hold on let's get the map so before we met on
4th of July she was born September 16 1987 hey don't age me but yeah so I came
down to LA for 4th july and it's a big
party down in fourth of july and in newport beach at this place called woody's it's like a famous
little dive bar boat dock area and it's hard to get a boat slip there so his boat was parked there
and the boat i was on was next to him a girlfriend of mine who was living in los angeles was on his boat
and i saw her and i was like oh my gosh so i went and jumped down on his boat
and i'll take it from here it was a good party by the way i still get in trouble for all the
girls on my boat that day by the way yeah he was a player so i'm like mid conversation and i just
see like this blonde hair and this braid and like mid-sentence stop talking and i look and i'm
like who is that i was fresh i haven't seen her around here so like i just walk beeline right
of course i'm feeling good i'm on my boat my yacht right so i'm like okay i'm ahead of the
game here right confidence i needed the boat trust me so i put my hand i go i'm taryn she goes
she shakes my hand she goes i know who you are so the first thing i'm thinking is yeah you know
who i am like my ego is getting even bigger of course you know who i am you know who
i am and then she goes you asked me out two years ago and then i'm like oh shit instagram retreat
retreat reach i was like where'd i ask you out she goes instagram i go my dms guys hold on so
then i spun my back to her i pulled it up i looked and and she wrote me back that she had a boyfriend
so i spun back around i was like we still got that boyfriend. She goes, no.
Yeah.
So then he asked me like, no jokes.
He says, next weekend, do you want to go to Paris with me?
Wait, pause for a second.
What is the appropriate DM slide in?
The appropriate.
Let's see.
Videos.
Ew, God.
It used to work for me all the time.
I'm just kidding.
No, videos that I got on Snapchat were like pulsing penises.
I can't look at videos.
I've been with Lauren for so long, I missed the whole era of online.
What's the appropriate DM slide in?
It's a really hard one because it's a very fine line between being.
He needs to know.
Well, I turned him down, so I don't know.
Whoa, whoa, whoa.
You didn't turn nothing down.
You had a boyfriend.
I don't know.
I mean, I do remember like seeing the DM him. This was years ago, back in 2000.
When did we meet? 19. So it was probably
2017 then. And I saw
his name and I knew who he was because of
TV and the divorce. I remember
that was like, oh, his divorce was
everywhere. So I knew who he was from both.
And then, I don't know. I think
he was just, you asked me to go to drinks or something.
No, no, no. I butchered this
story. Watch this. Okay, so I asked her to go to Paris.
She goes, no.
We're not there yet.
They're asking about sliding in DMs.
Oh, the DM message.
I moved way past that a long time ago.
Paris is a good move.
Yeah, I was thinking.
Paris, that's a hard to pass up.
Yeah, you got to swing for the fences.
I'm not at home.
I'm not going to go.
I told you we get to sleep in separate beds.
I told her.
I said, we'll get separate beds.
No problem.
Not separate rooms, separate beds.
So you didn't go to Paris?
No.
No, so then I said, fine. I said, what about Vegas? And she goes, no, I'm not going'll get separate beds. No problem. Not separate rooms, separate beds. So you didn't go to Paris? No. So then I said, fine.
I said, what about Vegas?
And she goes, no, I'm not going anywhere with you overnight.
And I said, okay.
Paris and Vegas is a big, that's a disparity.
He's like, let me try Vegas then, a little closer.
Listen, you swing for the fences and you just, you start at the top.
I was very skeptical because I'd been single in LA and most, yeah.
And I'm like, guys are just douchebags.
So I just thought he was going to be another one of those.
Like he's on TV.
Like I knew his story.
You know, you hear different things about people.
And, you know, I judged obviously.
But we did have a connection.
And we started having like a deeper conversation on the boat.
And then this girl comes up.
We were talking, I think, something about your divorce.
Yes.
This girl comes up and she goes like drunk. There'll be no talk about divorce on this boat and i just said you know what i was 31
at the time i'm like you know what i don't i don't need this and i was like i'm gonna i'm gonna leave
and so i left the boat so this is where i'm picking it up so now i'm like about to cry i'm
sulking i walk downstairs on the boat i'm sitting there feeling like miserable and sad and then i
realize i'm like wait a minute.
You're not a pussy.
Get out there and do something about it.
So then I ran upstairs and I went to the wheelhouse and I found the button that said horn because I looked across and she was talking to some handsome dude on the front of the boat.
He was making her laugh.
I saw her throw her hair back.
I said, oh, hell no.
I was a hot commodity back then.
Not the hair back.
I said, I am not going down.
I hit that horn so loud.
The whole dock, the whole bar, the whole restaurant.
He did, you guys.
We have it on video somewhere.
And I stuck my head out and I yelled at the guy to get off my girl.
And that was it.
Oh my God.
You know what I like about you?
You know what you want.
Oh, he does.
I'm going for it.
He goes for it.
Yeah.
So what'd you do?
I went back on the boat.
And the best part, I walk up to the guy.
He goes, big fan, bro.
Couldn't have been better we went back on the boat and like he took a picture with me he took like a selfie with me and posted it on social media and i and tagged me and i was like that's
weird like guys especially him would you don't usually do those things But then we exchanged numbers. It's a territory grab.
Exactly.
I respect that.
And then he asked me to go on a date.
And I said yes.
But then the day of our date, the day of the date, I texted him that morning and I just said, you know, I can't do this.
And I have to cancel our date.
Man, making me work.
And he said.
You guys love it when they make them work.
Right?
Yeah.
I didn't even know I was playing a game when I was.
It's the best game.
It was a game.
And he wrote me back and he said, I'm different than you think I am.
Give me a chance.
And I'm like.
And I am.
And he is.
And he was.
And that statement right there, I'm like, you know what?
And he kind of pursued, kept pursuing me without being like annoying about it. Because if he would have bombarded me, I would have been like, ugh like you know what and he he kind of pursued kept pursuing me without being like
annoying about it because if he would have bombarded me i would have been like you know
and we went on our first date and i i made him work i said i'm only gonna go to drinks at eight
o'clock on a monday night and he's like okay i got back from south africa the night before by the way
and but he did it and he picked me up and we went to somewhere here in Beverly Hills.
It was a disaster.
It was a disaster.
I mean, do you guys want to hear it?
We love the details.
Oh my God, it was such a disaster.
Like, I'm so excited for this date.
So before the date, I'm supposed to be like the main host at this big golf event with
the helicopter dropping the ball.
And as the helicopter's there, I'm sneaking out the back door because I got to get to this date.
So I like bailed on my events.
And I know I look good in this one blue sweater I have.
I wear it every Christmas.
It's like the closer, you know, it's my go-to.
I know if I wear this sweater, she's going to love me.
But I forgot the fact that it was in the middle of summer
in LA during a heat wave.
Oh, you sweat a lot.
Yeah, he sweats a lot.
So the whole dinner, I can feel beads of sweat
coming down my forehead,
off my nose, onto my lips.
And every two minutes, I'm like, I gotta go to the bathroom.
I gotta go to the bathroom. So I'm leaving her the
whole night, and I'm vaping in the corner.
He's like, are you on cocaine? He's going to the bathroom
every five seconds. Did you just think he was nervous, or what did you think?
Honestly, and he kept putting... I'm a weird dude.
He also, he's kind of, yeah, he's kind of kooky,
you know, and you don't really know that about him. he's also very swaggy so like i always thought he was kind
of dorky even on tv i i called i was like i told my mom like mom he's kind of a dork like i don't
know and and he kept putting on chapstick he'd like put it on and he'd wipe it off and i'm like
what are you doing wipe it off like over and over and over he's like nervous energy and sweating and he'd go to the bathroom it was a it was a disaster but she was having fun
like she was enjoying it here's the thing in his defense i think sometimes when man like there's a
there's a there's a pursuit of lust and there's a pursuit of like hey i want to be with somebody
you had a couple like nervous no no. Don't talk about me. Yeah, you don't want to talk about your nervous
moment. I was a different kind of nervous.
Okay. This is going to be
really fucked up to say, but maybe some of the
men and women listening will get it.
I think the pursuits of lust are very
easy because you don't have as much skin in the game.
You don't really care if it goes south.
100%. It's like, I want to sleep with this girl.
I liked her. But if you like someone, you're just
like, and also you've put this whole other framework and this whole other thought
and you're thinking of like building a lot it's like it just comes with this whole group of
pressure because like i felt that i was fine with women but then when i when i first started
pursuing like there was a bunch of that shit that happened to me and i was like it i was like what's
happening what is this what is this and i didn't understand why. I'm like, I'm not normally like this.
She's like, what are you talking about?
Get it together.
She looks at me.
So finally, I come back from the bathroom after like 700 times.
And she looks at me.
She goes, are you okay?
He's like, I'm not okay.
And I look at her and I go, I am not okay.
And she goes, let's get drunk.
I said, I'm in.
We started just doing shots and like having like a good time. And then we ended up going to like a speakeasy bar after and FaceTime the whole way home,
like the two hour drive home he had.
And that was kind of it.
It was like.
And then I think it was four days later.
I picked up a few days later, picked you up for our second day.
Well, I sent the van to get you in the boat and you and your girlfriends.
And I got caught filming. So I missed most of the day. Picked you up for our second date. Well, I sent the van to get you in the boat and you and your girlfriends.
And I got caught filming.
So I missed most of the day.
And then a few days after that, I showed up for our third date in the new Ferrari that I got her.
I got her Ferrari on the third date.
And then we moved in together.
I wonder if the Ferrari helped.
I think so.
What?
Wait, hold on.
You pull up in a Ferrari and it's yours.
A white Portofino.
Yeah, he brought me a Ferrari.
Why did I get my third date? Chill it.
I did this part out. I got like P.F. Chang's Calamari.
But you guys were younger, right?
I'd like a white Ferrari.
I was trying to figure out which pot to piss in back then.
Wait, so does he show up with a white Ferrari with like a pink bow?
Like what was the thing?
Not yet.
So he had asked me, first he asked me like what my dream car was.
And I said like a white a white sports car
white you know and i think did i say a white ferrari i can't remember i think no i think
you just said a white sports car yeah and then he shows up in this white ferrari and at first i'm
like is is he fucking with me like is this really like for me is it am i borrowing it like i didn't
know like what was going on and I think like so driving
around in LA in a Ferrari is very scary I remember ruined the wheels like right away and then a
little bit later he ended up getting like brand new wheels put on it and for my birthday he had
it like wrapped in a bow was all like tinted out like he like made it mine like because it was like
stock you know or Ferrari when it came and then he like souped it up and made it mine.
And then it was my car.
Thoughtful.
Yeah.
Did you know you were going to marry her the first time you met her?
Yeah, pretty much.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Well, as I was pushing the horn, I knew that was my wife.
Well, also because like, you know, I think a deeper, deeper side of it was he went through
a really, you know, rough personal life, rough divorce.
And he did not was not
planning on getting married again you went through the roughest divorce that i've never seen anything
like it was that just because all of the cameras were around was it because it's rough because of
just yeah michael doesn't understand i don't even know how to describe it was awful paparazzi
chasing me on the freeways
Waiting outside my house
And then like the thing is like most couples
In Hollywood or whatever
I'm not in Hollywood but I guess I am
You know they get pressed for two weeks three weeks and it dies
It was relentless
Why do they care so much about this particular one
I have no
Because I think like
America followed our journey
Like Flip or Flop became the number one show on
TV like we were beating NBA
playoffs it was wild and people
watched us from being like these broke kids
to like you know what we became
and I think they were really invested in our family
and then I think the world was shocked
when everything exploded
it was like an innocent couple and then all of a sudden they divorced
it was like the American dream had failed
it was very similar with Rachel
Hollis and David Hollis when they went
through that divorce. People like
had followed them for their relationship
and then they broke up and it was
almost like a projection on
to other people that they maybe were
worried that they would break up because this
couple broke up. Does that make sense?
A hundred percent. Well if they can't make it
how are we going to make it right?? Yeah, it's also what's happening with
Kyle and Mauricio. There's this energy
of like...
It's like they project their own
insecurity onto this reality
couple that is in a marriage
that they perceive a certain way.
And during the time, were you and your
ex, was there a contention
there too? Or was it just like there was so much
attention that you guys were both just bombarded? Or it like also you guys were not i mean they were getting
a divorce i'm sure that's good oh no you guys have no idea like it was not people were on set
with us like we it was the wildest thing for years because they had to continue to film we didn't say
one word to each other we wouldn't look at each other. Oh, wow. The second the cameras were on, bam.
Cameras off, bam.
Like literally, we did not communicate
unless it was on camera for probably three years.
And if we were communicating,
it was not good communication.
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If someone's listening and they are in a position,
I have a stepmom
and I know how hard it is
to come in.
My dad had two kids.
She had two kids.
To merge that,
it was hard for her.
How did you deal with that?
Well, before I met him,
I mean, he wasn't even in the picture of my life.
I always had said, I think it would be very hard for me to date someone that had kids already and had that situation.
And then fast forward, I meet him.
Ferrari didn't hurt.
Stop.
The Ferrari does help.
I mean.
No, but taking all that away, you know, like, I mean, he was very romantic.
But we just fell so deep in love so fast. And I met the kids right away. I met his whole family right away. We moved in together within like, what, two weeks?
Less than two weeks. so comfortable with the situation and the kids loved me right away so i got really close with
taylor who is my stepdaughter she was eight at the time and brayden my stepson was three so right
away they welcomed me and it wasn't like this awkward transition like she was singing the song
like tark and heather sitting in a tree kissing having babies the first day i met her so and then
he right away integrated me into his life like like our life, we, what do you
want to do to the house? Like it was never this awkward situation of me coming into their life
and becoming a step-mom. Sorry. My daughter, Taylor just knew like dad had been real sad for
a real long time. And Heather was like the first person that like, you know, I brought around as
someone I was interested in.
That wasn't a friend.
So it was a big deal.
She was ready for like a woman in his life.
And that's very mature for an eight-year-old girl.
How many years since you divorced or separated from your previous partner?
This was about three and a half years.
Okay.
So the kids, they had a lot of time between that.
They had time.
Yeah.
And, you know, they were still filming their show together, which I knew. So coming into the life, like I knew like he still has to film with this woman, you know, he still has kids with her. Like I wasn't coming in to change his whole life. I was coming in to be a part of his life. And, you know, it now five years, almost five years later, I look back, like a lot of things things are different so different now than they were back then and even my confidence in his life as his wife and the kid stepmom my confidence is so much better because you are coming into kind of like a chaotic situation right like I took on a
lot but I love it I mean I loved it from the beginning I loved being a stepmom that's really
what made me want to be a mom because I never, I always said like, I didn't want kids, but I also don't think I met ever the person I wanted
to have kids with until I met Tarek. So how did that conversation come up? Did you bring it up
or did you bring it up about having kids? We actually talked about it in the very beginning.
I remember I was sitting at, but this was before we moved in together and he came into the house,
my house I was living in. And I could tell like there was something like really bothering him. And he sat me down and he's like, I just
want to be really clear with you. And I hope this doesn't like ruin our, you know, our situation,
but I don't want any more kids. And I said, it's okay. I don't either. And then fast forward to,
I think I started kind of talking about like, maybe I want a baby.
And, you know, I just love being a stepmom so much.
I love you so much.
And then at first he was like, I don't know.
I don't think so.
And then, I don't know.
And then we decided, yes.
Yeah.
And then after we got married, we just, it was, you know.
Yeah, like weeks.
No, it wasn't weeks, but we had a lot of fun.
A lot of fun. And had a lot of fun.
And how do you guys like being parents together now?
Oh, I love it.
Yeah.
Heather's honestly like the best mom, like for reals, like the best mom.
I mean, the kids are number one.
And, you know, for me, this is just a different experience.
You know, I'm older, I'm more established, I'm a little calmer.
I have a lot more life experience.
You know, with my first two, I was, you know, my first one, I was 29 years old, overwhelmed.
Wow.
Never home, working.
I never even saw her.
My second one, I was right going after cancers, going through the divorce.
Like, so this time it's just been different.
And it's been a beautiful experience.
Like, he loves me.
Like, he loves me, loves me.
And it's nice to know that, you know, a 13-month-old baby loves me.
Because I really didn't have that with my other two when they were really really young how did you deal
with having cancer and everything you have going on with two young like that's all you've been
through a lot yeah how did you deal with two cancers actually so i found out so a nurse out
of texas was watching my my show saw a lump on my throat that That's how I found out through research that I had thyroid cancer.
And then because of that, I checked old medical records. And then through more research,
I found out I had testicular cancer. So in 2013, I had both cancers at the same time. So I was
really messed up about a year and a half, two years. And then I finally started feeling better
for like six weeks. And then I hurt my back on the golf course and that was worse than the cancer like I couldn't barely walk for over a year lost 60 pounds and then after and then after that had
complications with the surgery and then after like it was just hell so I was really banged up
I would say for about five years and then emotionally banged up for another you know
four years so looking back in my life I kind of feel like I lost nine years of my life, but that's
why today I'm in like hyper mode overdrive because I'm trying to make up for lost time.
When you get those kind of diagnosis or you get that news, how do you manage that
stress and information? Man, you just, you just deal with it. So like when I found out I had the
thyroid cancer, I was like, okay, let's start the fight. Right. A few weeks later, I found out I
had testicular cancer so
there's two different cancers and then that was the moment where i actually said okay i i'm i'm
gonna die like and i didn't know anything about cancer but when i hear i have two cancers like
i'm in big trouble most people would assume go to that same space so i i thought it was over so
then i made a decision in that moment that i was gonna ride it to the end and burn the boats and work my ass
off and leave my family with as much as I could. And that's what I did. And I filmed through,
I mean, I filmed through, I filmed the entire season with the cancers and the surgeries and
the treatments, like in between scenes, I'm throwing up in the bushes, you know, like,
but I did it. I imagine though that perspective, you know, I, I feel like, and you guys might
relate to this, having kids, like the worst thing that can happen is if you hear like when your kids is sick or there's
something going wrong, I don't think there's a greater hell on earth. And I've said on this show,
like, I don't, would not wish that experience even on my worst enemies. There's nothing worse.
But then second to that is like something like this going on with you personally,
I think it puts everything else in perspective. Like all of the work, all the money, all the
material stuff becomes so much less important.
I mean, in this case,
it's important to leave something to your family.
But you know what I mean?
And I imagine that's created tremendous drive
in your life now
because you're probably so grateful to have health.
Oh man, I can't even tell you guys
like how much gratitude I have in my life
because of all the hell I've been through.
And you know what?
I tell people, you know,
you want to live the fullest life possible, make sure you go through a lot of really hard times because it gives you a new
appreciation for what you have. And most people, they're not grateful and they're not appreciative
because they don't know how bad life could be. Sure. And I do. And obviously you're cancer free
now. Yeah. Yeah. 11 years. Good for you. Thank you. I would love to go in to routines that you guys have to be this
successful. There's a lot of stuff that goes on to set you up to thrive. What are some things that
you guys do in the morning that you think make a big difference, like maybe habits?
My life has changed a lot since having Tristan, and I've really had to kind of figure out a new
routine for myself. And this is something
I'm still figuring out. You know, I'm on my first baby. So life, as you know, you're a mom of two.
It's very, very chaotic in the beginning. And so for me, I'm, you know, early riser no matter what,
but I'm usually up by like 530 in the morning, sometimes like 545. Tristan's usually up right
around that time as well. So my mornings are just
busy with Tristan. I usually have my workout with my trainer. She comes to my house about three days
a week. I don't drink caffeine ever. No, I mean, I'll have tea, but I don't drink it to get myself
going in the morning. It's just not something that I need. I'm plant-based, so I eat a full
plant-based diet. And I've been doing that for like,
since I was 22 years old. I'm 36 now. But fitness, health, wellness has always been a big part of my life. But going through pregnancy, you know, there's a lot of things in my beauty routine
that I had to stop or things that I was taking that I had to stop. And so I really am like getting
back into my beauty and my health and wellness routine right now, now that I'm having like a
little bit more time. But, you know, both of us are really big on routines. I'm a
perfectionist, sometimes too much of a perfectionist. So, you know, we have assistants that really help
keep us balanced because our life is so crazy with filming. Like that adds a whole nother layer
to life. And it's not just taking care of the kids and meetings and Zooms and appointments.
It's filming is like a crazy, gnarly thing that we have to deal with and him he's i mean he is i'm so proud of him because
he used to he loves sleep and like now he's i do love sleep but you know interest rates doubled
things have changed you know i used to wake up at 6 50 in the morning now i wake up between 3 30 and
4 30 what yeah wait wait wait you wake up at three between 3.30 and 4.30. What? Yeah.
Wait, wait, wait.
You wake up between 3.30 and 4.30?
Yeah.
What time do you guys go to bed?
Usually we're in bed by 9.
Okay.
I go to bed, though, at 8.30.
Oh, my gosh.
I don't wake up at 3.30.
We normally fall asleep 10 to 11.
No.
11?
Are you insane?
No.
No, we're usually asleep by 9.30 to 10.
No, never 9.30.
I'll pull up the whoop right now.
You know what?
You just got to say yes, dear.
Yes, I'm your first.
God, you guys.
When are you going to learn?
Actually, let me correct you.
The other day I looked at you.
It's yes, dear.
Yes, ma'am.
Yes, ma'am.
I'm going to go to the fight.
So I wake up, you know, if I wake up at 3.30 in the morning, every day I go straight to work.
Like the first thing I I go straight to work.
Like the first thing I do is go to work.
I'm checking all the emails, the social media messages, leads coming in.
So in the morning is my time to actually think and create because I'm so busy through the day. There's no time to actually think and create.
So the first half hour is checking what came in since the night before.
And then from like, you know, 4 to 6.15, that's my time to study.
Like last week I was studying about AI and recreating myself in an AI version.
And, and I found a software where the eyes look at the lens, even though I'm looking
to the side.
So I'm always like research, that's my research time.
Yeah.
That's his quiet time before.
Cause usually Tristan and I come down around six or five or so.
And then he has his little moment with Tristan while I get his bottle ready.
And, oh, i go on walks
every morning like i mean like this i i hate to like be like oh kids no kids we can do that but
i do not think it is possible to be people ask like is it hard to raise because it's it's not
easy but we're not the first ones to do it right like but what i say is if you have kids you just
you have to do things like you're talking about like you cannot get up at the same time in the house
and just run out.
Like, what's that show?
Was that Shameless?
Yeah.
I was like throwing the toast.
That your kids are going
to become like that.
You have to have isolated time
by yourself to get away
because as soon as the day
gets going,
like you just,
I was telling my buddy
the other day
who doesn't have kids,
I'm like,
you in the morning,
what do you do in the morning?
You get up,
you do your routine,
you walk out of the house.
Like, that's not what happens
when our kids wake up.
I have to have isolated time for hours to
get away at least to get my mind straight yeah no you're not doing that as a parent i think you're
just at a serious disadvantage because you're just stuck into the chaos of the day and you
either have to do that the only time for that is mornings before everyone wakes up or late at night
when the kids go down and that's the big problem though people are not taking care of themselves
right right like life is overwhelming especially when you have a family like I'm so much happier with that, you know, two hours of me time in the morning. And if it wasn't for that, like, I mean, I would be just so overwhelmed. And then, you know, they come down and then I get to the gym. I leave the house about 630, go to the gym from like I get there at like 650 to eight o'clock. I listen to audio books on the way. do cardio for 20 minutes. I work out till eight Oh five, 17 minute drive home, listen to audio books,
have a protein shake. And then it's zoom, zoom, zoom, zoom. Then I get ready and then I go film.
Then I come back. And normally like my scheduled work normally ends around like six, I would say,
but then I work through the rest of the night just, you know, working. But
yeah. So people listening, when they hear that time, that sounds insane.
But when I heard it, I was like, oh, you have to do these things
or else the other stuff would just fall apart.
You know who you remind me of?
Rob Dyrdek.
Someone told me that recently.
He's so like that with his time.
Brian Holiday posted this thing about you.
People don't have enough silence in their life.
And the reason that they don't have enough silence
is because they don't actively seek out solitude.
And it's so true.
As parents, you have to actively seek it out.
For me, it's at the foot spa, the hole in the wall foot spa where I'll go work for two hours.
I'll ask for work while you're there.
I say, can I have two people, one on each foot for two hours?
And that's where I like, I literally, I've built my business in a foot spa.
Like, I'm not even joking you.
But whatever it is.
I want to try this.
It's the best thing ever.
It's got to be like a real hole in the wall foot spa where you're not going to run into like Stephanie from high school.
Do you know what I mean?
Like, I'm talking like, I might get a happy ending in the back.
I was going to say, the last time I went to one of those spots I got in big trouble.
Honestly like if you don't tell me I don't
know about it okay.
No but you know I think
I tell Lauren all the time the worst version
of me is the version of where I haven't taken
that time to be in solitude by myself.
You don't say.
Especially for what we all do there's a lot of stimulants.
Get the fuck away from me and go. I'm like go take a walk.
Go have your time.
But I think everybody has to have your time. Yeah, go.
But I think everybody has to have that time.
Like, I don't think that's an individual.
I think everybody has to take time to just be alone with themselves and be comfortable
being alone with their own thoughts and silence.
You know, it's without this or this and they get, you know, podcasts, audio books, TV,
this like social media.
People, people are just not good.
I don't think at sitting alone
with themselves. I think that leads to a lot of chaos and unhappiness. Agree. Tell us about what
you guys are working on your new book, flip your life. Tell us about all the things where everyone
can find you. Give us, give us what's what's coming up. Yeah. So flip your life just came
out February of 2024. And it's, it's my story. I know it's, it's the story of how I got to where
I got and all the lessons I
learned along the way. How did I go from being broke to where I am today? How did I get started
in real estate? How did I get my shows? How did I raise money to flip houses? How did I get through
my cancers, my divorce? And it's really a guide to help anyone turn their life around. You know,
I used to be a chain smoking, overweight alcoholic. Yeah. Sleeping 14 hours a
day. That was my life. How old were you then? Late teens or up until I was about 20. Yeah.
And but no, I was real rough on my on my body until I was about 31. A big drinker, big smoker.
When I got my cancers, I quit smoking and drinking. Wow. Not cold turkey. I just a lot less.
No more smoking. But yeah, like the book is there to help people. No
bullshit. If someone's going through a hard time, this book is a book that can help with the mindset
and help get them back on track. And with all the stories, it gives great ideas on how to get into
real estate and how to make money, how to start businesses. I cannot wait to read it. It sounds
right up my alley. Heather, what are you working on right now?
Oh my gosh, I am working on life. No, I'm kidding.
You have a surprise.
Oh, we do. Yeah, but we can't talk about it.
No, we can't.
I know. I wish we could, but filming on HGTV, the Flipping El Moussa, that keeps me really busy.
Being a new mommy and really figuring out my life as a new mommy. New mommy with a baby. I mean,
I've been a stepmom now, but it's different when you have a baby in the house, you know,
and a newborn and an infant. But I am really getting more vocal again on social media. I feel
like I'm myself again. It took about a year working on something in the beauty industry.
It's ready to launch. We're just putting all the things together right now.
And you can find me on my social media.
It's Heather Rae El Moussa.
You guys are so fun because Michael and I can really relate to both of you guys
because you guys seem like you do a lot together.
Like you work, you do business together, you film together.
We podcast together.
And you also have to make time for the marriage and the kids.
There's a lot of layers to the onion.
And you don't meet, I mean, I kids there's a lot of layers to the onion yep and so
you don't meet i mean i i don't meet a lot of couples that work together the way all of us do
i think you have to be really like best friends with each other in the end like that's so important
yeah you have to like each other yeah sometimes people will give us like shit because of the
banter we have because it's maybe not as common you know other people in like boring relationship
but what i always say is
like imagine if you were with your childhood best friend in the ribbing that takes place that's how
lauren we've known each other since we were 12 like we say we do things like as best friends and
you know i wish that everybody in relationship has that kind of relationship but i think from
that perspective like that of course that's why we have kind of the dynamic and banter we have
is like it's like my best friend right like that's how we that's how we have kind of the dynamic and banter we have. It's like my best friend, right? That's how we communicate.
Can't get rid of him.
Thank you guys for both coming on.
Flip Your Life.
Cannot wait to read it.
Thank you guys.
Thank you.
Come back anytime.
Yes, thank you guys.
And of course, if anyone wants to buy real estate with me and my amazing wife,
you got to check out temcapital.co capital dot C-O and H-E-M
capital dot C-O.
And we talk about it
on our Instagrams
a lot too.
I see maybe
a podcast in your future.
We've actually
been exploring that.
Yes.
Yeah.
The four of us.
We just take shots
and do a podcast.
I like this one.
We'll be your first guest.
I know a place
that produces them.
Yeah.
I know, right?
Yeah.
Beautiful place.