Join us as we delve deep into the evolving world of influencer marketing with a former reality TV star who's now making waves in the industry. Discover insights from his journey through the hype and reality of influencer impact, exploring whether it's just a passing trend or the future of marketing.
From his unique experiences on Netflix's "Love is Blind" to his current role in a dynamic influencer marketing firm, we uncover the challenges and opportunities that lie within personal branding and digital influence. Plus, get a candid look at his thoughts on navigating professional transitions, the influence of reality TV fame on personal and career growth, and much more. Whether you're in marketing, interested in the influencer lifestyle, or just curious about the behind-the-scenes of reality TV, this video promises valuable perspectives and real-world advice.
Don't forget to like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell to stay updated on our latest content!
📢 Stay Connected with Us:
Don't forget to subscribe for more inspiring interviews and startup stories.
- Follow me on X (Formerly Twitter): https://twitter.com/andymewborn
- Follow me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amewborn
- Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andy.mewborn
📩 Feedback & Contact:
We value your feedback and questions! Leave us a comment below or reach out at: andy@distribute.so
🎙️ About the Channel:
Our channel is dedicated to uncovering the stories of entrepreneurs who are changing the game. From tech innovators to wellness pioneers, we bring you the insights and behind-the-scenes looks at the journeys of today's top founders.
🔔 Hit the bell icon to stay updated with our latest content and dive into the world of entrepreneurship with us! 🔔
Andy Mewborn:
They're all having a tough time and kind of the big hype cycle right now. And I don't know if it's a hype cycle or I think it is the future. Some people are calling it a hype cycle because it's influencer marketing.
Kwame Appiah:
When you look at a company like Apollo, Apollo.io, it almost feels like their entire workforce are influencers. I didn't actually really watch reality TV, but I only ever watched one show due to circumstance. It was the height of COVID and it was being blown out on every like Netflix queue you could ever find. And that show was called.
Kwame Appiah:
Man, what's up, dude?
Andy Mewborn:
How you doing, man? I'm good. I'm good. You got my email?
Kwame Appiah:
Uh, yeah, I did. I did. Don't you worry, man. Yeah, we're all, we're all good. Everyone's always late a few minutes to call. So yeah, I'm in that space too, man. I'm late like five to seven minutes. So, uh, but you know, I do, people are like, how long do you wait for people? They don't hit you up and tell you they're going to be late. My magic number is like seven for whatever reason. I'm like, you know, after seven minutes, like they ain't coming, you know? Do you have a number or what? Do you have a number that you use or what?
Andy Mewborn:
So I think I'm about the same range, right? Because like even when you thought like when I was fully in sales, I'd give it three minutes and I'd like shoot a little reminder email like, hey, just, you know, just a quick reminder. And then about five to seven, if there's nothing, I'm out.
Kwame Appiah:
Yeah, man. Yeah. Seven minutes is for me. I'm like, nope, that's it. Like it ain't happening. And and I'll have only 23 minutes to get, you know, say what I need to say. So or have listen to you say what you got to say, you know, so. Exactly. Yeah, man, dude. So how's life, man? How's life after? What is it? Love is blind, man. You know, the craziest part for people that are so I'll just preface this because people, some people might listen to this and not see the show. So Kwame was on this show called Love is Blind. And one night, and I'm sure you get this question a lot, Kwame, so we won't strictly focus on Love is Blind, bro. We'll get more into sales stuff too. But I was watching it one night and my, cause my wife watches the show and I was like, I'm pretty sure I'm connected to that guy. I'm like, dick. And so I go to LinkedIn and I'm like, I'm like, well, I mean, I'm like, yup, we're connected. That is interesting. I see on there. I'm like, I'm like maybe a DM this guy in the past or something, but I was like, yeah, we're, we've been connected for a minute. So, um, yeah, yeah, man. So how's life been after the show, man?
Andy Mewborn:
It's been good. It's been a lot, but it's been good. Yeah, a lot is definitely the best way to put it, man. You know, I think right when everything went down, I think there was, I would say there was sensory overload. Um, especially like when you, yeah, yeah, yeah, man. Um, but I guess like of the internet kind, you know? So yeah, I mean, there was just like, there was, there was way too much going on everywhere. You know, I was getting messages, uh, I was getting, uh, you know, comments, followers, just like, uh, I was even, sometimes I'd even get people somehow find my phone number and like, text me or call me. Like people are internet sleuths. You know what I'm saying? Yeah.
Kwame Appiah:
So just calling you and texting you like.
Andy Mewborn:
Yeah. Yeah. So it's a little, it's a little crazy because, I mean, you don't realize, I mean, you do and you don't, you, you don't realize the power of the internet, I think, until you are so strongly connected to it. And then all of a sudden you realize that, my goodness, like there's so many people out here. Um, they have so many different opinions and they're going to share it with you, whether you like it or not.
Kwame Appiah:
What's some of the weirdest, like, stuff that, like, people, like, share their opinion about with you? Was there some, like, that you want to talk about, right? Like, was there any very weird things that happened where you're like, what the hell? People are crazy. Or maybe the opposite. Something where, like, you're like, wow, people are amazing. I don't know.
Andy Mewborn:
Yeah, I mean, it's interesting. There's definitely, there were definitely some moments of people are amazing. And I think that it's always important to highlight that as well. Yeah, exactly. I want the world to know that the world still has a lot of positivity in it. But you definitely see a lot more of, a lot more of the negative, I think, when you get put out into the world like that. But I think the most interesting thing that was a consistency was like everybody becomes an internet therapist. like everyone, right? They're just like, there were so many times where I had so many people think they knew more about me than I do, right? Because they saw what, maybe four hours compiled of, you know, a 30 day span of my life. And they're like, oh my gosh, you're doing this. You should definitely do this instead. Like, this is where your life is going. You should go in this path instead of like, But if people have comments about what you're wearing, like they're like, don't dress like this. It's crazy. It's crazy, man. It's just like people have an opinion about everything. Everything. And so, yeah, man, there's a lot going on. But all in all, you know, I think it's It's gotten to a really, really, really good point with all that where I don't have way too much going on in the internet. It's died down. When it first happened, I couldn't walk one block without having two or three people stop me.
Kwame Appiah:
No way. And that's because they knew you were in, what, Seattle or Portland? I think you were both or something like that, right?
Andy Mewborn:
Yeah, primarily Seattle, I think. So the show being highlighted in Seattle, a lot of Seattle people watched it, you know? Yeah, yeah. But this is the thing. It wasn't just Seattle, though. Like, I feel like my friends would always throw around, like, the term, you're a local celebrity. And, like, you don't realize the impact of this show until you're in it. I mean, I was I think we were in Rome. We were somewhere in Italy. We were in a lot of different places in Europe. and people were stopping us like every other step. You know what I'm saying? And so, yeah. What in Rome? That's crazy, bro. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I'm telling you, like, the impact of this show was wild. When it first happened, like. Yeah. My friend called me a B-list celebrity the other day, and I thought it was hilarious. Let's go. Let's go. Right. But by impact and notoriety, and I think like, just awareness, I think, I think it was more like A, because I could go, like, I went to an event where it was strictly, like, big Seattle sports presence, right? And I'm talking NFL players, people who used to play for the Sonics when they were here, you know, some hockey players and every sport there, MLB players. And people were coming up to me And like, they were like ignoring the players. And it was so crazy to see that, that people just, when it's top of mind, it's so fresh and people are so infatuated with the situation. And you're, I think one thing that connects is you're a bit more relatable in that sense than somebody who is making a, you know, $30 million a year pro athlete contract. You know, that was a big difference was the relatability of these, you know, so yeah, it's definitely, it's gotten to a cool chill point, but when it first happened, it was a lot. It was a lot.
Kwame Appiah:
So it's more chill now because they got new seasons. Like I saw like Love is Blind Sweden or like Love is Blind, you know. So I, the question I'm sure everyone asks is like, how the heck did you, did you originally get on that show? Did you apply or did like someone apply for you? Or like, what was like, you always wonder how these certain people end up on the shows. Right. And like, what did that look like? Yeah.
Andy Mewborn:
Yeah. It's a full time job for the casting team here. Right. Like my, my wife actually started working on the casting team for, at about a month because she said, you know, she's passionate about what happens on Love is Blind, you know, and she said that she wanted to help other people become, you know, go through the process and, you know, possibly find their person as well. And so she hopped on the casting team for a little bit. And the amount of work that goes into it, is rigorous. They are everywhere. You know, they're scrubbing every inch of the Internet to find potential people. Like I'm talking LinkedIn. Yeah, LinkedIn is one of them. I know one of my classmates who was successful in the process was found on LinkedIn. Yeah. Yeah. You know, Instagram, Facebook, any and all social mediums they're going to be on. And apart from that, I think, yeah, they're also like, I think the biggest thing is also reaching out and talking to people and finding out who they think would be good. And so like, My wife was found as a referral. So somebody found her friend on Instagram, reached out to her friend and her friend was like, no, I'm in a relationship. However, my friend would be good for it. And so she gave her Chelsea's contact info and that's how they got together. And so, yeah, for me, they actually reached out to me a very long time ago. Right. So which is funny, you bring up love is blind in Sweden. I used to play soccer in Sweden for quite some time. So, yeah. Yeah. When I came back from that stint, I was in between, like, decisions trying to figure out what I'd do next. And as I was figuring out, you know, what I would do with my life, I randomly get a call one day. from a lady and she said, hey, would you ever want to get married like right now? And I'm like, whoa, this is crazy, lady. You know, I have no idea what you're talking about. She goes ahead. She, you know, explains the situation. Hey, I'm from a casting team. We're casting for a show called Married at First Sight. That was this was like 2017, 2018. This is a long time ago. And I said, oh, I'm not quite. Yeah, I'm not quite sure I'm really I'm ready for it right now. Um, so like if anything changes, I'll let you know. And then I talked to my sister after and she was like, she was cracking up about it cause she actually watched the show. And she said, you know, as of right now, the interesting thing in life is that, um, getting married might not be the thing that you want to do, but you don't necessarily know what direction you want to go in. Right. And so, hey, for for shits and giggles, for lack of a better term, I say go forward with it, because it's not just that you're going to potentially be on the show, but there's also like a lot of networking and conversations that happen within castmates. Yeah, she was like, you know, go meet some people, go see what's going on and figure it out from there. So I signed up for that. Went for like the first day or two as we were going through that process and then like actually met a lot of interesting people, which one of them actually led to a little slight career path drift, which I became like a photographer for wedding for some time from a guy that I met in that process. But after a couple of days, I was like, I don't think this is for me. And so there's like a tiny little clip of me doing like the first day, like somewhere on the Internet for, yeah, for me to first site DC. Yeah. So after after that day, I was just like, you know, you know, just it just didn't pan out. You know, it just wouldn't align. And I don't think it was really meant for me at that point in time, but it did do exactly what was meant to do, which is create some connections. I met some people, I ended up doing photography for about a year, which is really, really cool. So long story short, it's the same exact studio that makes both shows, right? And so they had my contact information on file from that point. And so they reached out to me a couple of times, I think from then, just to see kind of what status I was going through in life. And around when I moved to Portland, Um, I got a call about possibly casting for a show that was based in Seattle, but they were going to span it across the Pacific Northwest, um, called Love is Blind. And at that point in time, I didn't actually really watch reality TV, but I only ever watched one show due to circumstance. It was the height of COVID, and it was being blown out on every, like, Netflix queue you could ever find. And that show was called Love is Blind. And so, so I was like, you know what station dude, you were manifesting it, bro. Yeah. So yeah, dude, that's, that's what it lined up to. That's what it worked out to. It was, it was cool. Yeah. I got that original call a long time ago and I think it just created that minor relationship that just kept it going. But yeah, they find people through all avenues.
Kwame Appiah:
That's so crazy, man. And like, I'm curious about it now in the workplace, man. Cause you know, like personal branding is like a big thing. You know, I harp on it. Everyone harps on it. Right. And you run, you run a sales dev team right now, right? You're director of sales development at a company here.
Andy Mewborn:
Um, so I actually, I actually, I'm not just so for research purposes, I guess. So I transitioned from there. I'm actually working with a different company now, um, at a different capacity. Yeah. Oh, okay.
Kwame Appiah:
Well, what are you doing now, man? Well, tell us what you're up to now. Cause I want to get into like how has it helped you professionally, you know? Cause I think that's always the, especially in sales, but maybe you're not doing sales anymore. So yeah. What are you up to now, man? I want to hear that.
Andy Mewborn:
Yeah, for sure. It's interesting because I feel like my personal brand would definitely help in sales now, but. Um, yeah, it would, but I'm not, um, in that capacity, which is actually why I'm not, um, posting as much on LinkedIn right now. I'm in kind of in a transition phase, uh, learning my new role and, um, the meeting and all that good stuff. Um, and I feel like once I get a deeper understanding of things, that's when I can start sharing some thoughts.
Kwame Appiah:
Uh, yeah, yeah, yeah, of course. Exactly. Of course. Yeah. Yeah.
Andy Mewborn:
So, uh, Yeah, so I'm working with a company called Later. It was two different companies for some time. A company called Maverick, which is a completely influencer marketing focused company, acquired a company called Later, which was a social media management platform as well. And so combined the two and we just rebranded, what? Full rebrand was what, two days ago? A day ago? Like, yeah, literally just happened. And so, yeah, if you go online, you can see all of it right now. So, it's pretty cool.
Kwame Appiah:
Wow, so you're still in that world. It's like influencer marketing, so you're kind of working on that, which is super interesting, because you're probably, now your job's probably more recruiting these people, right? For like a marketplace or something.
Andy Mewborn:
In a way, there's a part of it. My role is twofold. It's events and influencer experience. And so, yeah, so the influencer experience portion of it is really just making sure that we are taking care of our two-sided marketplace, right? Because as a company that caters to primarily organizations and helping them understand how to leverage the influencer market for their marketing campaigns, We want to make sure that those influencers are also happy, that those influencers are excited about being part of these projects, reaching out, being proactive, and also knowing, I guess, how to be more effective in that space. And so I've been fortunate to obviously be on both sides of an organization and from an influencer perspective. And so, yeah, I kind of dove right into it. And so now I'm on the marketing side of things, which is definitely interesting.
Kwame Appiah:
Nice, man. Well, and that's a good segue, I guess. Right. Because you you have an interesting background. One, you're kind of the you are the influencer type, right? You're on a Netflix show. So you kind of have that background. You're dealing with these influencers now. And I think. the way of marketing is changing right marketing is moving from like all the old school shit like you know pdfs and all this stuff like all that like marketing is the game is changing and i've talked to a bunch of cmos recently right they're like quite of like big companies, uh, tech companies are like, we are trying to figure it out. Like it's different now. Like we have no, like they're all having a tough time. And the, kind of the big hype cycle right now, and I don't know if it's a hype cycle or I think it is the future. Uh, some people are calling it, I guess it's influencer marketing. Right. And so where, where do you think it's going? I I'll share you my thoughts. I got, and then I want to hear yours, which I think, like salespeople are going to be creators. They're going to have to become more creator type and they're going to ride like, and then you're going to have like a creator. That's almost like the face of like most companies, uh, is where I kind of feel like it's coming and they're going to be paid higher than like a CEO, right? Like it is my thing because I mean, really, right? Yeah, I think it might be that it would be, but like if you're bringing in the cash, Like, come on, like, and if it's your face and you're bringing in the cash, you're going to have Mr. Beast and these, like, like next level ones could just create their own companies. Right. But but I think because they have a whole team already. But then I think you're going to have this this mix of like people are going to want to hire these creator influencers and they're going to pay him for good money because they're like people pay attention to you. And it's a game of attention, right? So I think that's kind of where the future is heading. I'm already seeing it for, you know, my company, you know, that we just launched Distribute. And I mean, I'm kind of doubling down on affiliate marketing, right? Like building like a sales team to recruit basically influencers. You know what I'm saying? Almost like that casting process that you mentioned for the show, right? I'm almost doing that for these people that can capture attention and then promote the product. And so that's where I see that going. But you're more in this world, right? What's happening in this whole influencer world? And I think how can companies be set up for success with that?
Andy Mewborn:
Yeah, you know, I'm still learning a lot. But I think the one, you know, I guess the few things that I'm taking away from it is you are right, there's in anything that we do, especially things that involve volume, and people, it's ever changing, it's ever evolving, you know, and so when it comes to something like this, it's just been about understanding the trends, you know, and, you know, back in the day when I'll throw out an original influencer, King Bach, who was, you know, he started making, yeah, right. He started making vines. You know, back in the day, if you were to tell someone that, hey, this King Bach guy who makes funny videos is going to have, I think he has like 13 million followers now, and he could put out something and everyone's attention would go to that. You probably wouldn't believe that, you know, and so I'm definitely leaning more towards what you're saying as well. I think it would be interesting to think about the actual pay there and how that really applies. But there are levels of influencers and their impact. And the term influencers really is, right? Like they're influencing, they're guiding people's opinions, their thoughts, and they're pointing people in directions, right? And even if it's not necessarily getting them to focus or do that thing, it at least brings awareness in a really, really big way. And that awareness has a ripple effect. So when you think about the influencer market, it's primarily meant to make sure that these people who can hold people's attention, these influencers who can have people's attention, people who can guide people in the right direction, continue to spread the message that you want to be spread. And if it's about organizations, if it's about getting the word out, it's like, okay, can I have this point person or these point people talk about my organization? Because there's people who follow them and people who are interested in what they say. And when you look at a company like Apollo, Apollo.io. It almost feels like their entire workforce are influencers. They're posting every single day about every single thing. They're hiring, I forget her name, but a really, really big influencer who I've been connected with for some time. It's funny when you say really, really big influencer, but in the sales and marketing world, Zoe, Zoe? Yeah, she's been a massive LinkedIn influencer for some time. Like when you talk about LinkedIn influencers, she's about as big as it gets, right? They hired her, brought her on to lead, I think it was demand gen or community or something like that. And they're bringing people just like her in. So when it comes to influencing, if you are finding people who are able to draw attention in that specific subject, which when you're talking about, hey, maybe bring someone in who could be the face of this company and we would pay them because ultimately they're bringing people within their market, within their communities, and those people are our target market, right? So I could see business influencers being a massive part of organizations, you know? And when you think about it in general, it really is just companies partnering with these influencers who have those specific niche or even widespread umbrellas and are able to garner this attention. So it's cool working at a company and seeing it really happen in full effect because before I joined later, I thought it was really cool being an influencer. You know, I thought that, yeah, it's great being an influencer. I work with these companies. They send me some free stuff. I use it and then I post about it and that, you know, sometimes I make some money and that's really cool. But now I realize what the skill is like, what you really, really do in influencer marketing, which is, maybe partnering with an entire Rolodex of influencers and pushing that message out to all of their audiences. Because now everyone is more focused on getting that message from people who are relatable. Once again, when we talk about my brief stint in that little meet and greet with athletes, right? People were coming to me because I could have been seen as more relatable. So they're more likely to listen and be in tune with what I say than maybe paying someone you know, $30 million to go say, hey, use this product or, you know, do this or whatever the case may be. Instead of marketing through, I don't know, a quarterback, Gatorade might just say, hey, who are these people who have 10 to 100,000 influencers or followers and they're an influencer and they play sports and people are like, hey, I want to be more like them and they push out content every day. How can we partner with them to cater to their audience because That commercial we put out might be seen by the audience we're targeting, but if we give it to these influencers who are actually delivering content to people who are relevant, then they're more likely to see this. And maybe since they're more relatable, the people will think, Hey, this is actually something that I can achieve. Maybe let me go buy a product. Yeah. So I do think marketing is shifting very heavily from a, um, from a massive, massive macro level to just like targeting and distributing at volume from a micro level.
Kwame Appiah:
Uh, that's a good perspective too. And like, The thing that I've been noticing, and that's amazing, is what I hear in there, and I know this is a word that gets thrown around a lot, but people are starting to love the content that's just like... Hey, here's a true day in the life of me. I work a nine to five. They're like, they're like starting to like the realism. Like we're moving towards this world of like, as you mentioned, relatability of following people that we can like relate with and be like, yeah, that's me. And that's super accurate. Right. Um, you see there's this big, there's this gym YouTuber, I think he's got a million subs in a year. And he's literally just like filming himself at the gym, no crazy edits, like literally just with his iPhone. And he's, and it's crazy, I forget what his name is. He's Jacked, right? He's like this super big Jack dude, but like no edits, like him in the car and just like basic transition, no crazy edits. you know, animations or any of this stuff. And like, I think people are getting kind of fatigued from all like the, the, the games we try and play with like these fancy edits and like these, these like animations and stuff. And they just want that like simple realism, uh, which is interesting, you know? And like when I screw, when I'd like test things on like LinkedIn or Instagram or whatever, the stuff that I just film on my phone, the super basic does better than like the highly edited stuff, like all the time. And it's just interesting to see that. So I could see that with the micro influencers, right? Like if it's an everyday, like my wife watches like everyday moms and how they have an 18 month old son and like what they do with their kids, you know? And she'll just, just like everyday moms, you know? It doesn't need to be like some crazy Netflix show, you know? And so it's interesting, man. And yeah.
Andy Mewborn:
It's so crazy. I think like to, you know, just to play off of the terms that you're using, right? Like just that realism equals relatability, right? And that relatability creates relevance, you know? If it's relevant to you, if it's applicable to you, you are way more likely to be drawn to it, way more likely to buy there. There's many, many pages and many, many Reddit and other internet streams about TikTok made me buy this. Because like, yeah, you know, just crazy things that people buy on TikTok because they saw somebody else use it. And we're like, you know what? I watch this person all the time. I believe what they say. I'm into what they're delivering. Why don't I try this product? You know, why not, you know? Yeah. And so it definitely, it helps at scale in such a massive way because you can get people who really believe in somebody to buy something that that person believes in, like in the snap of a finger, because they're more relatable. Whereas I just do feel like when you just go at a big scale and you pick one or two major people to represent your brand. I feel like you definitely miss out on, um, on a marketplace that's within your customer base, you know, area where people, yeah, people, people want that more relevant, relatable content to be able to feel like they want to purchase this or be part of this.
Kwame Appiah:
Yeah. And have you ever been hit, hit up to like sell some weird shit where you're like, nah, that ain't me.
Andy Mewborn:
Oh, yeah. Oh, 100%, man. When this all started and we were all getting just an over influx of brands who wanted to work with us, yeah, we definitely got some weird stuff. You know what I mean? And sometimes you think about it, you're like, that looks like a lot of money. But then in actuality, it's like, it is your brand, right? You can make one mistake. And I've talked to people who, you know, have millions of followers. You know, I think when you get into this world, I think one awesome luxury that it provides is access to other people within this field. I think it is really interesting because this quote unquote fame. It gives you access to other quote unquote famous people. And so you learn a lot about them and how they handle these things. And I've talked to people who have gotten really, really crazy brands and really, really crazy products, hit them up. And sometimes they said, you know what? I might lose part of my audience, but the amount of money that's involved might be worth it for me. You know what I mean? And so, yeah, it definitely happens. I haven't sold my soul yet, no. I haven't gotten to that point where I'm, you know, but there's definitely been some crazy opportunities.
Kwame Appiah:
Yeah, that's crazy. Yeah. I think. Yeah. Yeah. It's it's this interesting world where like it's also balanced and like I'll get hit up from people that'll be like, oh, we'll pay five grand to do like a post on like our software. Right. And you're seeing software companies like throw some money at this stuff. but like I run a software company. So for me, I'm like, I don't want to be like pushing other people's software. Cause like, like I built my, you know, I put in work for years, like building my own thing so that people can buy my software.
Andy Mewborn:
You know what I'm saying?
Kwame Appiah:
So I'm not, I'm like, I'm not, you know, five grand sounds good, but in the grand scheme of things, like I'd rather like push that, uh, like people would be like, Hey, use mine, you know, uh, versus anything. So, It's kind of interesting, man. I'm definitely, you know, not at the scale of fame in any way, shape or form that you've been on. Once you hit Netflix, that's crazy, man. So, dude, next question I have for you is, you know, one, I think you're still happily with your wife from the show. Yes. If I'm not mistaken.
Andy Mewborn:
Yeah, she's over in the other room actually on some calls as well, so.
Kwame Appiah:
Oh, nice, man. And so that's amazing, man. That's amazing. And so I got to ask you, man, like, are you guys planning on kids or what? What's what's the next step?
Andy Mewborn:
Because I'm sure people want to know that, you know, they do. And I think it's to be blunt about it. I think we get that question a lot. And I think we'll leave that. We'll leave that question as a question. Yeah, quite frankly, when Vanessa Lachey asks about it, everybody gets on her, but everybody else wants to know the same exact darn answer. So, for right now, leave it as a question, you know. I think, but to speak to that, I think, I do think a lot of people see that as the next step in a journey, you know, and especially in a marriage journey. But I do, like, I encourage people to think about, um, any steps or any accomplishments that couples feel like are relevant to them as the next step in their journey, right? Like, we don't have to have kids to feel accomplished. I think we can buy a house. We could, I don't know, decide to sell our place and, I don't know, go travel the world. That'd be a big step for us as well. So, yeah, there's some things on the horizon. But right now, I think we're just focusing on us because, keep in mind, we have only known each other for a year and a half. That's really important. Oh, this is true. This is true. Yeah. People need to digest that. I remember I had a friend. I think this is a really funny moment. I had a friend who has been with his girlfriend for six years. Right. They're not engaged. Yeah. They've just been dating. Right. Like everybody's probably pressuring them for the engagement step. And we're on the phone with he's on. We're on the phone with him, his girlfriend, me and my wife. And he's like, oh, so what are you guys having kids? And I looked at him like, I know you did not. Hey, when are you guys getting engaged? There's always that pressure to the next step. I want everybody to pause and absorb it. Right now, I want to travel the world with my wife. I want to see things. go rent a Lamborghini in Italy and drive across the coast, you know, something like that. That's, I think, the big next steps for us. And once we get to a point where we're ready, we'll go there.
Kwame Appiah:
Yeah. That's good, man. That's good. That's a story about everybody's fun.
Andy Mewborn:
Yeah.
Kwame Appiah:
It's always those friends, man. It's like, Dude, what are you talking about? Like, okay. Like you're over here. Like, you know, y'all haven't even like kissed each other yet after six years. It's crazy, man. That's funny though. But man, uh, well that's good traveling. I think, you know, um, Yeah, my wife and I had a kid recently. You know, like it was definitely a surprise for us. You know, I was like, oh shit, how'd that happen? Well, I know how it happens, but like, you know, like how I was there, but like it was like, well, we weren't necessarily planning that. And so, yeah, man. And so I think for us, it was like, this, uh, we kind of made a pact and our pact for, for having, um, a kid was like, Hey, we're not going to let having a child stop us from what we want to do. We're just now going to have, it's a package deal. We're just going to have someone along to, to go do it with us, you know what I'm saying? So, so that was kind of the thing, the pact that we made is like, we're not going to say, oh, we shouldn't because we have our son, it's going to be too much work or whatever, you know? And so, That was the pack we made. And I think last year, man, we flew like, man, we went everywhere. Europe, East Coast, like with him as a baby, you know, which flying with the babies, I'm telling you, it's like going to war sometimes. That's the hardest part. I would say long flights with like an eight and he went one year to like three years old. He's 18 months now, but that's what I hear. He's the hottest part. So I think for us, that's what works, right? Is like, hey, just making sure we can still fulfill ourselves and then bring our son along to teach him like, hey, cause we've both lived in multiple parts of the world. Like, hey, these are different parts of the world. This is different cultures. It's like, we live in Mexico right now, you know? So yeah, so we live in San Jose del Cabo, close to Cabo. So we're like, Man. So he's learning Spanish, you know, and all that, like the nanny doesn't speak English. So, you know, we're yeah. So we've got to speak in Spanish and he's doing that, which is amazing, man. But yeah. So hopefully I didn't offend you by asking the question, because I'm sure that's OK.
Andy Mewborn:
It happens. And I understand. I understand. It's part of life as part of society. So it definitely makes sense. And plus, you having your own, it makes it's relevant to you. And so I think it's really cool. I think it's cool you bring it up, but also you gave a little tip, but also that y'all live in Mexico, because I think that would be, honestly, if I could do that, if we could have a kid and move to Mexico, I would do the same thing.
Kwame Appiah:
Yeah. I mean, it's, yeah, man, I think it's amazing. And I will not just live in Mexico, but the point being here that like, I always tell people like, yo, if you don't want kids, don't have kids. Or like if you're not ready for kids, don't have kids. And I think some people push it on others a lot. And trust me, I have a kid and I think it's now I don't imagine my life without the kid. Don't get me wrong. But like you change as a person, that's for sure. And you know, you change as a person and You know, you don't change entirely, but like you develop, I would say a level of empathy. That's like, like something you never felt before. You know, you're like, holy, like you truly, and I was married before we had the kid and you have an empathy for your wife for sure. But like when you have a kid, you're like, yo, that is like 50% me. Like, or, you know, 49 point whatever, what, you know, for the people are going to say, well, technically it's, you know, 49.7. But whatever it is, you know, like it's, you look at the, you look at them, you're like, holy shit. Like every day I still am like, oh my God, you started as like a little sperm that went in the egg. That's some, it's magic, bro. It's magic. Like it's crazy.
Andy Mewborn:
You know? I think, I think, I think it's beautiful. And I'm actually, you know, at some point in my life and some point in our lives, I think it'll be amazing to have kids. Yeah. It's something that we do want. You know, I think it's something that we want to make sure we have the right bandwidth. We're in the right state of mind. We feel relaxed where we are. We live in an apartment in Center City, Seattle right now. And we don't know if that's the best place. You know what I mean? Yeah. It's a slightly more suburban area, if that makes sense. But, you know, once again, You know, we're coming up on our second year, you know, a year and a half. Yeah. Yeah. We want to give ourselves some more time, you know, but I think it'll be a beautiful thing when it happens.
Kwame Appiah:
Yeah. Well, and you got that, uh, you know, your, your, your family's from Africa, right? They're from Ghana. Correct me if I'm wrong. They were from Africa, if I'm not mistaken. You got the Africa chain on.
Andy Mewborn:
Yeah. Yeah. From Ghana. So Ghana. From Ghana. That's right. Yeah. They're from Ghana.
Kwame Appiah:
Yeah. So, Yeah, I know your mom's asking you for babies, man. That's what I'm saying. My mom's Latina. She's always asked me for babies. So I know your mom's like, where are them babies, Kwame? Come on, man. I know she's asking that question every day. I'm sure you get the text, man. Oh, man. So, yeah, bro. Well, hey, man, it was it was good having you on, dude. This has been amazing, man. OK, dude, take it easy, my man. Follow me. I'll talk to you soon. I'll email you for yourself. So, dude, you can text me about Cabo or whatever. I mean, freaking. Yeah, man. Well, well, hopefully. So I'll talk to you soon, bro. All right.
Andy Mewborn:
Sounds good. Later, man. I'm going to talk about these.
