How Finding the Right People Builds a World-Class Community with Phoebe Mroczek – EP 313

Justin Donald: What's up, Phoebe? Welcome to the show.

Phoebe Mroczek: Thank you so much. I'm excited to spend time with you, as always.

Justin Donald: Well, we're going to have some fun. I mean, I always let people know, for me, it is an absolute treat to get a chance to actually interview my dear, dear friends. So, it's one thing that we go way back when, even before Lifestyle Investor. But number two, it's really cool seeing how you've come on board and really just handled all of our marketing, from A to Z, and really you've just kind of revolutionized and modernized our business. And so, I'm excited to dig into some of those, some of your past, what got you here, what we're excited about for the future. So, welcome.

Phoebe Mroczek: Thank you. And it's so funny because, as the business has changed and evolved over time, to see, to just get to be a part of it and to do it, I know you talk about doing business with people you love and your friends, and it's such a pleasure to spend time with you and Ryan and Dane and the whole team. It's just been so much fun.

Justin Donald: We've got a great crew. I mean, we have such a good time. Sometimes it's actually quite comical because it's pretty easy to get Ryan rattled or annoyed with all the fun that we're having. We love to have too much fun, especially in our staff meetings. So, yeah, well, let's dig in. One of the things that I'd love to even just open up with: there are kind of two things I was thinking about. Number one, you just got back from a darkness retreat, like the famous Aaron Rogers go in a cave with no light for, I don't know, five or six days. Talk about that and maybe some of the discoveries that you had in that process, and if you think that others should consider it.

Phoebe Mroczek: Yeah. So, I tend to do things, I would say, to the extreme in some situations, and just really, I love to challenge myself and to do things that are hard. And so, I was talking to one of my girlfriends, actually the Sunday before our live event, and I was just saying, I felt like I wanted to go do something different. And she's like, "Well, what would you do?" I'm like, "You know, I think a darkness retreat sounds really scary. I've been following these people on Instagram for years." And I looked it up, right? She's like, "Look it up." And so, I did, and there's a three-year wait list. And I was like, "Oh, man. All right." Well, I started looking at some in Europe. There was one in Poland and one in Scotland, which was in a shed in someone's backyard.

Justin Donald: Oh, my goodness.

Phoebe Mroczek: I was like, “I don't think so. I think I will just put myself on the wait list." And the next morning, I looked, I opened my Instagram, and they said, "We have one spot available, if anybody's interested." And I wrote in, and I just wrote the guy on Instagram. I was like, "You know, I really think I would like to do this." And he's like, "Okay, well tell me why." And I'm like, "You know, I've done a lot of personal development work, and this actually kind of scares me. I don't know who I will become in the dark. I've spent a lot of time alone, but just not in a dark cave somewhere," obviously, as most people. And I was like, "You know, I just genuinely think this spot is actually for me. I was just talking about it yesterday. Like, this has my name on it."

And he goes, "Can you be here on Thursday?" And that was like right after the live event. Live event, pickleball, everything stopped on Wednesday, and I had to leave Thursday morning and went in the cave on Friday.

Justin Donald: Wow. That's a lot to plan last minute. Because then also I remember, I mean, it's comical because I remember when you thought you couldn't do the darkness retreat, you were like, "I'd love to take some time off and go swim with the whales." So, then when I heard you were doing a darkness retreat instead of swimming with the whales, I was like, "Where did this come from?” But for you, that's a quick turnaround because there are so many things that we work on a weekly cadence, maybe even closer. So, it's like you've got to lay out the plan with the social media team, you've got to lay out the plan with the marketing team, you've got to lay out the plan for me and some of the stuff that we're creating and building.

And so, I remember getting the email of like, "Well, I'm about to head out. Here are all the things. Like, I've got everything prepped. Here's everything you're going to need for a whole week." So, that was very well done.

Phoebe Mroczek: Yeah, and a little bit stressful. And I think that was part of it. I think when you make the decision, everything else becomes possible. And so, I just decided and had to, you know, I was on my computer until the very last second, until I went into the cave, making sure that everybody had everything, and I wasn't going to drop the ball because it was a little last-minute. And then, I mean, the experience, so it was four nights, three days, but then you're there with a day on either side to actually talk to the guides that were there. His name's Scott. He's the founder. He comes in every morning between, you know, you really kind of lose the concept of time. But he comes in between, I think it was 9:30 and 11:00 in the morning, for about 20 minutes to bring your meals.

So, he brings three meals at the end of the day, between, I think, probably 4:30 and 6:00. And in between then, you're just in there, and you're prompted ahead of time where you're like, "Here's kind of what's going on in my life. Here's what I think it's going to be about." But they really say you have no idea how you're going to respond until you're in there. And it was so calming and gentle and peaceful in there, which, he was saying, is not everybody's experience. So, for me…

Justin Donald: Yeah, I could see that.

Phoebe Mroczek: I mean, it was a little scary at the very beginning. I think my biggest fear was going to sleep because I was like, "Then I'm going to wake up and not know where I am." And one of our mutual friends has been, well, I'll say, high up in the government and has been in I would say trickier situations where he was giving me all these survival tactics. So, I was very well-equipped on that, and then I realized that that's the opposite of what you need, which is just to relax. You know?

Justin Donald: Yeah, just let it all go.

Phoebe Mroczek: Right. And working through stuff. And so, I'll say one of the big things that came out for me was how little peace I feel like I have in my life or how I'm not wired for peace. I'm wired for excitement. And so, on one hand, that's really awesome, and it's part of what makes marketing really exciting, because I get really excited about things and ideas and people. But on the other hand, or on the other side of that, there's a lot of chaos that comes with that. And while I think I thrive in chaos, there's a part of that that I really worked on recalibrating myself to a sense of peace that I hadn't felt before. And so, now, even as that's carried on through, there were so many lessons and learnings that I uncovered in that time. But what I've really carried over is just this recalibration to a sense of peace and safety that I just didn't know that I needed in my life.

Justin Donald: That's incredible. I mean, I've had several friends that have done the silent retreats. And I remember thinking to myself, I mean, maybe I could. I mean, I do think that I like the challenges of where, mentally, it seems hard, and can you overcome? And so, I love that. For me, I think not talking for a few days, that would be really tough. I've had friends that have done it for a week. You're my only friend that has done a darkness retreat. And so, it's cool hearing about that, learning about that. On the flip side of things, I thought it would be interesting to talk about maybe one of the most traumatic yet impactful experiences of your life.

And I don't know how many people, even inside Lifestyle Investor, know this, but you were hit by a car as a pedestrian crossing the street. And literally flew however many feet, 10, 12, 15 feet, and had some crazy brain damage through the process of this, could have died. I wonder if you might share some of that crazy experience with us.

Phoebe Mroczek: Yeah. It feels in some ways like a lifetime ago, and then in other ways, even when I'm in Austin, I go to that intersection every time, and I am just so grateful because it was a Wednesday in October. Actually, in my little anniversary, I always celebrate that day because it was so, so scary. So, I just stepped out to cross. I had the right way.

Justin Donald: So, it was actually a number of years ago from right now, this month when we're recording.

Phoebe Mroczek: Exactly. October 23rd. Yep.

Justin Donald: Whoa.

Phoebe Mroczek: It was 2019. And I went to walk. The little person lit up, and a man ran a red light, turned, hit me and the guy behind me in the crosswalk. And it was just the craziest experience. I wake up. Or I don't think I actually went unconscious. I actually don't know. It all happened so fast. But I open my eyes, and I'm on my back, or I'm facing the sky, and this man comes over, and he's a cardiologist, thankfully. He just happened to be walking by, but there are just screaming women. That's all I remember, was hearing the women screaming, and all these people. I mean, it was causing such a scene. The guy did pull over. I think, I mean, obviously it was just the adrenaline, but I was so concerned about the guy behind me.

His pants were ripped, and everyone was like, "No, you're the one who got full on." The last thing I remember, I remember hitting his car or hitting my hand on the roof of the car. So, it happened so fast. But everyone was like, "You went so high." And it was a crazy experience. So, for the next year, I was just trying to figure out what was going on and what was going wrong because I couldn't remember anything. And my memory, I had people come to my apartment to bring me food, which you and Jennifer were so kind to bring me food, and I would just not remember. And I had Post-it notes on my door and around my house being like, "Wednesday at 4:00 PM," and it would be Wednesday at 4:00 PM, and I'm like, "What am I supposed to be doing?"

So, I went to neurologists and all kinds of people, and they thought that I was trying to get medication, and I was trying to cheat the system and do all… And I'm like, "I just need you to fix my brain." Because I then had to get rid of all my clients because I couldn't remember anything. So, it was a really intense… 2020, again, was intense for a lot of people. But I had already been inside and indoors for six months prior to COVID starting. So, I mean, the first thing that I said, though, when I stood up, and the man was helping me, and I was like, "This is a gift, and I don't know why." And he kind of looked at me, and that's all I kept repeat. That was my mantra the whole time, was like, "This is a gift."

Justin Donald: That's such a good mantra. Powerful.

Phoebe Mroczek: Yeah. It just led me every time that somebody was like, "You know, are you just trying to get med? Are you just trying to get pills, or what are you trying..." I'm like, “This is a gift, and I don't know why.” And I really learned to advocate for myself and to see the gift in everything. And now, working my way back, looking at it now, I'm like, what a gift. What an absolute moment for my life to really go on a different path, which was amazing.

Justin Donald: No kidding. Well, what's incredible to me is that if I didn't know you ahead of time, I mean, you're so sharp, you're so thoughtful, but also like future-oriented, so strategic and futuristic in the way that you think. You would never know. You would absolutely never know. So, I love the mantra of it's a gift and what's this moment teaching me? I think that's powerful, and I have to imagine, that played a huge role for you in your evolution as a marketer. Even just the gift of life. The gift, like, you could have been gone. And by the way, people get hit like that all the time, as sad as this is, and they are gone. They don't make it. So, you made it. I do believe there's a reason for that. But that has to have impacted your evolution as a marketer, what your purpose and meaning in life, like what you want to do to make it count from the standpoint of impact and fulfillment and those sorts of things, right?

Phoebe Mroczek: Yeah, it's so much more than what we all think it is. And I really see the depth in an email could be an email. It could also change somebody's life. As dramatic as that is, but I really, that's what I see it as. And some of these Instagram things that we're doing, even on social media, I'm like, "This is an opportunity to reach somebody at a really pivotal moment. This could be the turning point in their life, in their career, in their family.” And so, even so much of what we talk about on the team and behind closed doors is really impacting people and their families and what really matters to them. So, the thoughtfulness, I think, that you're alluding to is really just going a little bit deeper than, yeah, everybody wants to make money and everyone wants we could talk about the fancy cars or whatever.

But that isn't what this is about for any of us that really know kind of what we're doing here. And so, I think having the opportunity to be intentional about where we're putting our focus and attention, that is what marketing is, right? Like, grabbing that focus and attention, holding that. So, that's really how I look at it, and how I think our whole team moves forward with the company.

Justin Donald: Well, I love just the, I mean, our team is so amazing. I love working with everyone. We have such a special bond. The chemistry's great. I mean, it's just so much fun, okay? So, let's talk a little bit about you coming on board, because in a past life, you had your own podcast. You were and are a marketing genius, and you would teach people. You would consult. You have teamed up with other people and their companies before, but there was a moment where, I think, there was probably some sort of impact or experience you had with Lifestyle Investor where you were like, "This is it." Like, "Yes, this is awesome. I'd love to be part of this." And I remember talking about it with you, and I remember thinking, "How, how cool is that? I could work with another one of my dear friends."

Now, our team is going to be three of, I guess, four of my closest friends, most amazing people. Like, how awesome is that? And so, I remember walking through, I want to make sure that this works. Everyone, like, it has to be a win-win. I don't want anyone regretting a decision later. I mean, that's my big concern. It's like, well, if we're going to do this, let's make it work, because I don't want to have to undo it later.

Phoebe Mroczek: Yeah. Dan actually told this story from stage at one of the events, and I don't know if you were in the room. It was so funny, because we had just been talking about it. Because he didn't even know. He's like, "Oh yeah, how did that come about?" And I'm like, "Well, I remember you had said kind of in passing in a conversation like, 'Oh yeah, it would be fun.'" And I was like, "Well, I'm kind of doing a lot of stuff, and I'm not sure." But then I started listening to the audiobook. And as I was listening to it, I was like, "Oh my God. This is amazing.” Like, I knew obviously that you were very intelligent, but I didn't really know you in a professional way or capacity.

So, when I started listening to the book, I'm like, this is awesome. I really would love to dive deeper into this. And then I think the stars aligned, and having those conversations was getting me really excited, because I know in my family, being financially free or having a good financial education was at the forefront of everything that I was learning as a kid. And as I was growing up, my granddad has been a huge influence on my life, talking about financial education. And so, as the conversations continued, I was like, I really think not only do I want to be a part of this, but I think I can really help. And my skill set aligns really well with what you guys needed.

Justin Donald: Yeah, it really does. I mean, I'm always looking for the relationships that are one plus one equals three, or one plus one equals five. And this is definitely one of those relationships. But what's interesting is the marketing, I guess, approach here. Because you are balancing a personal brand, and a company, and a community, but it's not you. You're not the face. And then for me, it's interesting because I have to have the trust that I can hand over a brand or a face that at one point was me. I think we've really shifted away from me to the greater value of the community, being community-driven, not single-person-driven. But in the early days, it was certainly me. And to a degree, there are still aspects that it is me, right?

And so, I have to have the right person that I think can speak in my voice and can take what I'm teaching, and the whole idea here is we're taking an audience through like a one-to-many type of communication, right? So, talk about that a little bit.

Phoebe Mroczek: Yeah, I think what's made it a lot easier for me is that I knew you before. And so, just understanding your values and where... And I think our values are very aligned in so many ways.

Justin Donald: For sure.

Phoebe Mroczek: And then understanding where we're going, what's the end goal? And so, we are building this amazing community. And so, for me, because in the past, a lot of it had been me-focused and understanding where I wanted to go, but I've also had experience with a co… You know, I was a co-founder, and I had a business partner in the past, so I had learned how to just make sure that everything was aligned in our messaging and our positioning and where we wanted to go.

Justin Donald: Well, you also had a personal brand. I think your brand was Becoming, right, if memory serves me correctly.

Phoebe Mroczek: Unbecoming.

Justin Donald: Unbecoming.

Phoebe Mroczek: That's right.

Justin Donald: I messed that up, but I was pretty close, alright, but actually the exact opposite. But that was your personal brand.

Phoebe Mroczek: Yeah. So, that for me is something that I think, to be honest, after the accident I was like, "This is important to me, but it's not it. It's not the only thing." So, I do still do that, and that's more like I have a lot of spare time, or maybe I don't have a lot of spare time, but I do a lot of fun things. And so, that is one of them. And I love podcasting, but I really love communication, and I love connection. And so, for you to understand where you were coming from, what the business needed, and how to build a community around the values and the principles that you're teaching, it just helped me understand. Because I love to listen to things, I love to read, so I'm diving into a lot of your transcripts, a lot of things.

I mean, I think the live events have been really helpful for everybody, for the growth of the business, but also for me personally to understand what we're doing, how we do it, how you do it. And I love understanding people. I think that's like understanding people. The friends’ thoughtfulness is really just getting into kind of somebody's brain. So, it's been such a pleasure and also really interesting, and I've learned so much, just from you, from the community, from the members. And that's helped me do a better job to make sure that our group isn't just what it was at the beginning when I first came on, which was like this, not unknown, but more like hidden, exclusive to how do we get it out to the public? How do we preserve this core community that we want to keep, but also grow it and keep the integrity of the group, which is the challenge and the opportunity that we've had?

Justin Donald: Yeah. You sum it up so well. There is this element of exclusivity, and really I wanted to build that. I've been in countless masterminds, right? And I talk about this all the time. I'm generally anywhere from 10 to 20 different masterminds at a given time. Right now, I think I'm at 14, okay? I'm probably going to be cut. I'm going to trim some off. I need to buy some time back. But over the years, over the last decade, I've probably been in 50 to 75 different groups. So, I've seen everything. I know what I like, I know what I dislike, I know the groups that do things at whatever that thing is the best. I know groups that epically fail at certain things. So, it's like there are pros and cons and strengths and weaknesses to every group.

But my goal was: how do I create a group that encompasses everything that I think is the highest of value? And hopefully, there's a marketplace that also feels that is the best or that is the most important. And luckily, we did build that network. We built that community. So, there is an aspect of, like, exclusivity because we had 100 members in Lifestyle Investor as a mastermind on a wait list for the first close to seven years, right? And we're now opening it up to go to 125. So, there is a set number. We've opened up other communities around it with Tribe of Investors, which is almost at the same size, and Foundations, our young adults program. And so, there's this aspect of exclusivity.

But I think in the early days, we thought we were in a different business than we really are. We thought we were in this like exclusive investment community, you know, investment, let's call it business, but really we're in an investment community. It's more community than business, right? And I still think the exclusivity exists, and we want it to exist because this was covered in the Lifestyle Investor Lens that the level to which you are exclusive in getting people in, or the bar to which it takes for people to get in is going to really replicate the bar to which you're going to learn the type of person, the values alignment, the quality of conversations. So, I do think that matters. But you've also spearheaded something that's been near and dear to you, which is our open community, where we can curate a much bigger organization.

I think it's like 3,000 people or so that are in that community, and it's growing. It's growing fast. It's growing every single day, and this is kind of your baby. And between you and Ryan, it's like your brainchild to take this message that was reserved for just, what, 100 people in this group, and almost 100 people in this group, and then the young adults program is newer. So, it's being built to the masses, doing that via social media, doing that via live events. When you started, we did no live events except our end-of-the-year retreat. We had no open community. And so, it's cool watching you in this community sharing the things that you're learning, sharing the things that we're doing in the mastermind.

We're never going to share all the stuff. I mean, the vast majority is going to remain for those members in that exclusive group. But they're getting pieces of it, and they're getting education, they're getting community. And I think what you've done there is brilliant.

Phoebe Mroczek: Thank you. And the part that I want to note is for you being in all these mastermind groups, I had a year of saying yes, where I was in all these groups. So, I also have been in a couple of the groups that you were in, not obviously all of them, but I know what I loved as a member, and I also know what I didn't love. And I've been in part so many communities, and I'm always pulling and taking from what I think they're doing really well. And what I noticed in what we were doing is, yes, when you're at that level for the mastermind, it is a steal. And for the people in there, and every time I'm talking to members, I'm like, "What was it?" And what I hear all the time is, "I came to the live event."

This is a lot of the live event conversations I'm having: "I came here to see if it really was as good as I thought it was or as good as it kind of sounds on paper or on the podcast. But when I got in the room, it's not just the Justin Show. It's the members and the people in the room." And how do you capitalize on that? And how do you really... That's a hard sell. As a marketer, I'm like, it's hard to sell a community that is exclusive because you don't actually know who's in the mastermind. And so, that's been really fun to almost… I love to solve problems and to look at the puzzle and put the pieces together. And so, it's like we can put on the forefront, or in the front-facing social media, we put a lot of your content up there, but once people get in the room, they have an amazing experience.

But then what I was noticing is it's not for everybody. The mastermind isn't for… Some people just aren't ready, but that doesn't mean that they can't start learning. And the book has been such an instrumental catalyst to so many people that I know. I've given it as Christmas presents to my family. And that's really great, but I think what people want is other people like them going through the same experience and understanding what does the roadmap actually look like. And so, that's what we've been creating in the open community, which I'm super proud of. I love the people in there. They're asking questions. They're getting resources. After every live event, I put my own notes in there. I'm like, after every session, "Here's what I took from it. Hopefully, that's helpful."

And then the conversations spark from there. But I love the open community because it's a place that you're having conversations that a lot of people can't have with people, with family members or their spouse, even sometimes, or just friends and colleagues, because we're talking about things that, historically, have been taboo, but in this community you're like, "Just share it. What are you winning at? What are you having questions about? No question's a dumb question." And then we're bringing in people we ask, "What do you want?" And then we find the expert or the member to actually support them in that. So, I love the open community. I think there's so much room for growth in there and in a lot of what we're doing at the live events and stuff. So, it's been so fun to take that on as a project.

Justin Donald: Oh, it's been so fun watching you do it and watching what we're building. It really is inspiring to me, and it gives me the energy to just keep going, keep doing more, trying to have for me the greatest impact I can have with what I've learned and be able to teach that to the masses, and you do a great job of taking that and helping me share that, which is awesome. Now, you brought up a good point about taboo topics. And I just think there are no taboo topics when you're with the right group of people. Like, you really need to be able to say anything and everything that's on your mind. It doesn't mean that you would do that publicly at an event, but you would certainly do that privately, or some things, by the way, most certainly publicly, right?

I remember being young, trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life, and I remember asking someone how much he made. And I remember my mom was appalled. She was like, "Oh, Justin, we don't do that. We don't ask that. That's so rude." And I'm thinking to myself, "What's rude about this? I got to figure out if I want to do this. And for me, I got to know that it's worth my time. I need to be able to make a good amount of money if I'm going to do it." Like, that was my whole thing. Like, I didn't want to be a teacher because teachers didn't make enough, even though all the aptitude tests said that I should be a teacher. And then, ironically, today, what am I? I'm a teacher.

And so, I just remember that, and I remember thinking like, "How is anyone going to get ahead if we can't talk about this?" And there were a bunch of other taboo topics that I just don't believe are taboo. And so, we want people to share freely on everything. How much they make, how much they lost, how much they invested, how much they got hit with taxes, what they want to do for inheritance and wills and trusts, and what's passed down to kids and what's not, what's too much, what's too little, charitable giving. Like, this should be a place where we can talk about anything and everything, and most people don't have those groups. Most people have friends that they go across the spectrum of different levels of success, different times in their life, different...

So, a lot of the successes that people have, they may not be able to share with some of their friends because they feel like that could put off their friends a little bit, right? Whereas I try and encourage with our members, "Every success you have, share. This is the group you share it in. And every failure you have, share that too, because no one has too big of an ego, because those people don't make it in. We can sniff them out in the interview process really fast, right?” And so, that comment that you made on just taboo topics, like we have to be able to talk about all of it. If kids are going to move into the family business, and maybe they want to, maybe they don't want to, how do we handle this situation, that situation? How do we set up our estate to continue being charitable long after we're gone? Like all these things. What does charitable even mean to you?

How do you get involved in giving where it becomes such a personal and fulfilling experience that you want to do more of it, and that you can get past being stingy and trying to hoard wealth, right? So, all these things, we've got to be able to talk freely about them.

Phoebe Mroczek: Yeah, and I think also there's a lot of pressure on relationships to be all one thing. So, if you only have three close friends, then if that's really the only place that you feel safe to ask questions, you better hope that they have the answers to whatever questions you have other than books and podcasts and stuff. But I think what I didn't realize is, I mean, I think I'm pretty self-aware enough to know what I don't know, but also, there's the stuff that I didn't know I needed to know. And so, being inside, at the retreat last year, there was a whole session, early session, on raising kids and understanding the family business and how to structure it. And that for me, I was like, there were a couple of things that I was like, "Oh, I've heard of this before," and those are some good ideas.

But it was an hour long, and there was probably 45 minutes in there of things I had just never heard. And I was asking other people afterwards, and they're like, "That session gave me so many ideas." So, it wasn't even people just asking questions and them answering questions. It was like, oh, well, then the two guys on stage, they're sharing their knowledge and expertise, but then it was like the seven other people who were like, "Oh, well, here's what I do." So, it really truly was this mastermind experience, which I find, if you don't have that in... And what I think we've curated really well has been these people being really intelligent, really smart, really giving, generous, grounded, down-to-earth. But so, I think generosity has been the leading guiding principle that I experience and witness at all of our events.

And you might not know how to do this one thing over here with this tax strategy or whatever, but you also have so much value to add to somebody else when they have a question that's unrelated to finances. And that's what I love is sitting in and seeing all these conversations happening where people are building real deep connections, real deep relationships. And so, the taboo topics are now it's just off the table because you feel safe and comfortable in that environment to ask whatever it is that you want to ask.

Justin Donald: Yeah. People are becoming lifelong friends, which is awesome. They're becoming lifers in the mastermind, but lifelong friends, like deep, deep relationships. A lot of these people getting regular weekly or monthly calls or teaming up in different small groups, doing monthly calls, it's just awesome to see. And it's fun because when I looked at all the groups I was part of, no one did a good job with deal flow and actually vetting deals. Not a single group. I've been in all of them. Not a single group did that, and I thought, "Well, how do we win in that category?" I joined all these groups hoping for good deal flow, hoping to learn from other smart investors, and I just never found it in any group.

And the people that would be let in, and the deal flow that would be let in, and people that would be compensated if they would let a certain deal in. And I was like, "No, we can't do that." What if we become the best, like world-class, at the deals that we do, at the vetting that we do? Not just vetting for great deals but teaching people how to be great investors and spending. Now it's about 350,000 a year on internal and external analysts that are helping us, family offices. And so, that's really awesome to have. But then no one really did a good job with tax strategy. There are a couple of groups that touched on it a little, but no one made that the priority, that we help people save money. We help them take money that would go to the government and, legally, be able to offset or eliminate taxes, try to eliminate, not defer, as you know.

But then be able to take those dollars and put them back into wealth creation or impact. And so, no one did that very well at a high level. No one really teaches family office at a high level until people are at that level. And so, we wanted to really democratize what is going on in a single-family office so people can learn, understand, and start making these moves earlier using the frameworks and blueprints and strategy. Now, you don't have to wait until you're a billionaire to do it. And I think most people don't do events very well. And so, I wanted to become a very, like if we were going to do events, and remember when you started, we didn't invite guests to anything. We did one event a year, and that was it.

And I said, "If we're going to do this, if we're going to run events, we have to be world-class in this category," and we've done that. We've really built into a great team. And between you, Ryan, and Dane really pushing for allowing guests, you kind of got me to cave on this because I always wanted only members. Like, this is exclusive to just our members. And so, a few years ago we opened the doors. Three years ago, I think, we opened the doors to what? 15 to 20 guests, maybe 15 to 25 guests at an event. And this will be the first year ever, and this one we've never let guests come to our year-end retreat, but I think we're letting five guests, that are all friends of members, come for the first time and be able to pay their way.

So, it's neat seeing that we're opening that up, and I think that we really have operated at an awesome level. We've got one of the highest-ranking producers at Fox Sports that is a member, and Courtney just crushes it. So, she produces our events, and it's part of her give back for the impact that Lifestyle Investors had on her life, which is really cool. So, I'm proud of what we've built and what it's become, and how much we're reaching out beyond just the 100 members of each group.

Phoebe Mroczek: Yeah, I think I'm a stand for the members. I love, I mean, Tribe, I think is probably our fastest-growing, and then there's so much opportunity in Foundations. But I think for the events with me, I'm like, Dane and I are always, "I think we should... Can we do some more events?" Because what we find is there are some people that will read the Lens, or they'll watch us on social media, or they'll go to an event that you're speaking at, and they're like, "Oh, I'm in. I already know. I don't really..." You know, the process, getting them to the application is pretty quick and seamless, and then they go through the application and the vetting process and interviews and whatnot. But there are some people who want to actually experience it, and for those people, as you said, there's like, we open, well, we set aside 20 to 25 tickets for guests to come.

And those people we know in the room, like we hold them to a really high standard. We're vetting. Our vetting process is incredible. I think our team's done an amazing job with that, to make sure whoever's in the room understands kind of how we do things and how this is going to go. And so, those people are right on the fence. They're like I just want to double-check. And then they get in, and I'm like, "As soon as you're coming to a live event, we're going to wow you no matter what." Because the people in the room, I mean, the content, the education, is awesome. The event as a whole is very well produced. But it's really the experience of being in it.

Even though I'm a words person, it's really hard to communicate what that is. And so, as a marketer, I'm like, this is like the Super Bowl. These are the moments that I'm like, this is what I'm taking away from it, and also how to convey that to other people that they have to be in this room because it will change you, and it forces you or maybe invites you to play at a different level. And that's so exciting, so.

Justin Donald: Yeah, there's no doubt. And I always tell people all the time, "You're going to learn stuff, guarantee that." The biggest wow is going to be how impressive the people are, how deep the relationship goes, how quickly that happens, the impact, the give that people want. Because we only bring in people that are humble, people that are hungry, want to learn and grow, and people are selfless in sharing their gifts. And so, people are just wowed by that type of energy and that type of depth. And so, it's really neat. And so, people are always like, "Oh my goodness, the speakers were great. The content was great. The event was great. I'm blown away by this, that, and the other thing."

But the one thing that I didn't expect was, "How amazing the people are. There are no bad apples. I didn't meet a single person I didn't want to have more and more conversations with,” and I think that's powerful. And by the way, that's the curation process. Like, that's the vetting that we do for members on this side, and it's the vetting we do for guests. So, I'm not sure if people picked up on this, but of course we're vetting and doing interviews to figure out if someone can join the mastermind, if they're a right fit or not. But we do that for guests as well. We don't allow people to just show up. They can buy a ticket and go through our interview process to make sure we think they could be qualified to join at some point. And if we believe they are, then we can pass them through and add them as a guest. But if not, there are plenty of other places for them and ways that they could get started.

Phoebe Mroczek: And I think also, as a marketer, the typical numbers that I would be looking at or that people would ask me about, I'm like, it kind of goes a little bit out the window here in a really beautiful way because what we're looking at is not the speed of growth or all the... It's really how intentional are we being about the right people in the room. And so, our curation or maybe our content creation and our social media and our front-end marketing is really so specific, and it's evolved so much over the last couple of years to make sure that the content that is attracting, or our content will attract the right person, right? So, that these people are going to see it and know whether the content's for them or not.

They usually join the open community. They get involved. They start seeing remnants of like what's going on in the mastermind. They start to understand who's there, who's present, who's teaching the kind of content that they're seeing. They're just starting to get results, and they're like, "Okay, now what?" And that's why I get so many DMs. It's really funny in the community. I'm like my inbox is full of people being like, "Where was that resource? How do I get involved? What's the next step? What's the roadmap? Where do I go?" I'm like, this is awesome. So, I'm in there obviously every day. People, I think, when they see me at the event, they're like, "Oh, you're the one who sends all those things." I'm like, "That's me."

So, it's fun to be able to put faces to names, and also to acknowledge the people who actually go in and want to do the work and want to get the results and want to be in the room with these people. So, that makes my life, on one hand, a little more intentional, and I have to be a little more selective about how we do things which I love. It's the thoughtfulness. But then there's the other part that's like, I love how much we're growing. It's really, it's so exciting. It's a great place to be.

Justin Donald: Yeah, there's no doubt. So, I mean, people, it's funny, like hopefully this episode helps tie things together where people are like, "Oh, that's the Phoebe Mroczek that's been reaching out and sharing stuff in the open community.” Yeah, because this is your baby. This is your brainchild, and you're excited to teach and grow. And by the way, we haven't talked a ton about this. We've hinted at it, but for anyone that hasn't signed up for the Lifestyle Investor Lens, it's the work that I'm proudest of. It's, to me, the best-written work, no AI involved. Like, this is to me, like what's happening now, what's relevant, what's going to be relevant. And so, I just want to encourage everyone to check that out, and that email list is growing. I think we're close to 30,000 followers.

I mean, I don't know the stats here, but you were telling me open rates in the 46th percentile, or 46% of emails sent. And I'm like, wow, I'd love everyone to open it. And you're like, "You don't understand. This is crazy high for the world of emails and people tuning in." And so, I think that work there can help so many people, and I just want to make sure everyone knows that it's there. So, I mean, where can people get the Lifestyle Investor Lens newsletter? Where can they sign up for that? And then how can they get plugged in with the Open Community?

Phoebe Mroczek: Yeah. So, the Lens is just lifestyleinvestor.com/lens. Super easy. It comes out every Sunday. And as you said, it's probably the closest to what you're talking about consistently. And wherever you are, I'm always looking at things that you're talking about so that we can put it into the Open Community. And so, in the Open Community, again, there are so many resources. There are free courses. If you've bought the book, you get the free course. I mean, there are so many things in there. We do monthly live expert sessions where they'll come in and talk about whatever the members actually want. And so, that's lifestyleinvestor.com/community. You can go there. Super easy to sign up. It's in Circle, so I know that sometimes people get a little hung up. They don't see the email.

Just know that you get an email, sign up, create a login if you don't already have one. Circle is probably the best membership platform that I've found. I love it. It's really easy to understand, super easy to navigate. And we're in there, and you can always send me a message. You'll see me. You'll see my little face in all of the conversations. I'm sparking a lot of different things because I want to keep that engagement high. That's what makes the group so impactful.

Justin Donald: And for people that just want to reach out to you that may have a question about marketing or the way that you've helped grow Lifestyle Investor, how can they reach you?

Phoebe Mroczek: Yeah. So, you can email me, phoebe@lifestyleinvestor.com. I'm on Instagram, @phoebemroczek. My name is a little tricky to spell, but hopefully in the podcast you'll see it.

Justin Donald: We'll hit it in the show notes.

Phoebe Mroczek: Yeah. But I'm open to helping. I know you pass friends along to me, and I feel really privileged to be in a space that I really care about. And anyone who's part of the Lifestyle Investor community is someone I know I should meet. So, super happy to help however I can.

Justin Donald: Love it. Anything else you want to share before we wrap things up today? This has been such a fun episode. For me, it's such an honor to be able to showcase you and feature all the cool things that you're up to in your personal life, but then also just the great stuff that you're doing for Lifestyle Investor. So, it's fun for me to share you with the world. Anything else they should know before we kind of wrap things up here today?

Phoebe Mroczek: Well, I do want to say, obviously, thank you for having me on. This is awesome. And what I would like for people to know is when I have been at different points in my life, there are people who show up, and I have a mantra where it's, "We show up for the people we love." And in a moment where I was having a hard time with getting hit by the car, you and Jennifer showed up for me in such a way that was bringing me meals and just so supportive and helpful. And so, I just want to publicly thank you and Jennifer. Hopefully, she listens to this. And I love your family. I love what you're about. And it's such an honor and privilege just to be your friend, but also to get to put your message out to more people. So, thank you so much.

Justin Donald: Well, thank you for the kind words. The feelings are absolutely mutual. It's an honor to get to work together, and I just love that everyone can now see some of the secret sauce that we have behind the scenes, and all the cool things that you do for Lifestyle Investor. Well, I like ending every episode with a question for our audience, so question's simple, but it involves some action. So, what is one step you can take today to move towards financial freedom and move towards living a life that you truly desire on your terms, not a life by default like most people, but a life by design? I challenge you to pick one thing that you learned from Phoebe today and put it into play in your life. Thanks so much! And we'll catch you next week.