Like every fifth episode, it’s Kevin + Steph sharing their stories with you, and this time they are joined by a friend and one of the few repeat guests of the show, Joe Serio.
Dr. Joe Serio is a popular and entertaining keynote speaker and trainer on leadership and communication. He is the author of numerous books, including Investigating the Russian Mafia which documents his experience working as a CIA agent in Moscow for five years. Steph also considers Joe to be the “Kevin Bacon of Tell Us A Good Story” because he’s introduced them to so many guests who have been on the show. Stories in this conversation include:
– What happens when Joe sends Steph cupcakes for her birthday…and then Kevin eats a few.
– How Steph didn’t know that Joe was a professional speaker.
– How the Mason’s recently moved into a new house.
– Fun facts about Kevin + Steph, including who Joe thinks will be a future guest.
AND make sure you listen to the end to hear the hilarious moment when Joe informs them he worked for the CIA.
We can’t wait for you to hear this great conversation with our good friend, Joe Serio.
Guest Details
Website: joeserio.com
Instagram: @drjoeserio
Facebook: @joeseriospeaks
📘 Their book titled ‘You Met Her WHERE?!’ can be ordered here: 👉 kevinandsteph.com/book
Access the Show Transcript Here
Today, like every fifth episode, it’s Steph and I sharing our own stories with you.
And today we’re telling stories with the man Steph calls the Kevin Bacon of Tell Us a Good Story, Mr. Joe Serio.
That’s because he has introduced us to so many people. I think the majority of our guests are connected to him in some way.
In this episode, we share stories with Joe, such as how we just moved into a new house, what happens when Joe sends Steph cupcakes for her birthday, and I eat too, and how Steph didn’t know that Joe was a professional speaker.
Also, Joe turned the tables and did a list of fun facts about us, including who he thinks will be a guest of ours this next year.
Plus, this conversation took a turn towards the end that I was not expecting when our friend informed us that he used to work for the CIA. That was so funny.
Friends, we can’t wait for you to hear all these stories and more with our friend, author, and motivational speaker, Joe Serio.
I’m Kevin. And I’m Stephanie. And during our marriage, we have dealt with an electrocution, a brain tumor, brain surgery.
Then doctors telling us that children were not in our future, followed by miscarriage, and then Kevin’s cancer diagnosis.
However, today, we live a life completely healed and restored with three healthy children who doctors said were not possible.
And we’re here to tell stories that inspire, give hope, and brighten your day.
Welcome to… Tell Us a Good Story.[1:28] Okay, friends, before we get to this episode, just a friendly reminder to please hit the subscribe button on YouTube and Apple podcast or give us a review. Five stars, please.
In our world, this is super, super important because it will help with the algorithm to make it easier for people to find us.
And thank you for sharing our post across your social media.
That really helps with engagement and with us getting guests.
Yes. So, hey, if you want us to keep working our way up to talking to Chip and Joanna, please share us with your friends. But regardless, thank you for listening to Tell Us a Good Story.
All right, Steph. You ready for another fifth episode here?
Fifth episode. And today we get the opportunity to share stories with a former guest of the show.
Can I say it? And now a good friend of ours. Oh, he is. Mr. Joe Serio.
Welcome to the show, Joe.
Thank you for doing this for us. Yeah, I can’t get this hour back, right? I will drop you the next time I see you. I will drop you.
You don’t have to drop me. Just hug me. That’ll be enough to kill me. [2:30] Well, for listeners who are not aware, Joe is one of three repeat guests on Tell Us a Good Story.
So Joe, Bob O’Dean, Jim Comer, who Joe actually introduced us to. He did.
Yes. Actually, and Bob O’Dean is an indirect invite from Joe as well, because he introduced us to Dennis Welch, who then introduced us to Bob O’Dean.
Joe is like the Kevin Bacon of Telltale Story.
Isn’t he? Yes. Yes, absolutely. Everyone somehow has come from Joe Serio.
That’s true. And Joe, I don’t know if you understand, but Joe actually routinely texts me.
Like feedback when he’s on the road traveling, he’ll send me like a review of episodes that he’s listening to. Don’t you, Joe?
I listen to every single episode. And I was debating about whether to get into this with you or not during this show.
Let’s just get this out of the way right up front.
I was on, I think episode 49. Was that the first one? Yes.
So since that time, Kevin and I have been talking and we talk about episodes and whatever. I think I gave you one note maybe about what should be slightly tweaked because you guys have been so great. You’ve been so great.
And it just finally popped in my head the other day that I realized what this creature is. [3:46] The Kevin and Steph creature is a single brain put together.
You’re a perfect complement to each other. Oh, Joe. [3:55] Thank you. Thanks, Joe. Thank you. And I know that being the people yourselves, it’s still probably hard to believe you’ve heard it over and over and over.
People love you. You guys are a natural fit.
And the funniest thing to me about you guys is you can disagree on the air with each other.
And nine and a half out of 10 other couples probably would have been sniping at each other.
And who knows what happens off air and we don’t need to know but the fact of the matter is when you disagree it still feels healthy it still feels normal it still feels like oh yeah my wife is this and this and this oh yeah my husband is this and this and this and we know that about each other and we roll with it that’s exactly what i see with you guys by the way stephanie kevin’s a funny guy thank you he’s a funny guy he’s a funny guy he’s a very different sense of humor than yours but he’s a funny guy.
Anyway, I know you didn’t ask for that. It’s just been on my mind so much the last 24 hours about you guys.
Thanks, Joe. Thank you. Well, that’s nice to hear because Joe, about a week ago, I’ll tell you this story.
We were at our daughter’s middle school play. Yes.
And we had an episode that dropped that day that I thought my dad was going to really like, and we were actually very proud of it. It’s one of our favorite episodes, right?
I asked my dad there at the play.
I’m like, Hey, did you listen to today’s episode? He’s like, Yeah, I did. [5:23] I’m like, well, what’d you think? And he’s like, I was all right. And Joe, I’m not joking.
It turned into what felt like I was in the middle of an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm here with Larry David, because I’m like, dad, what do you mean it’s all right? Well, I thought it was kind of boring.
And I’m like, boring? [5:41] And technically, Steph, you did not hear this. I did not hear that.
Or you would have jumped in this conversation.
I’m like, what was boring about it? It was amazing. So I go, what was boring? He goes, well, I didn’t really like your questioning.
Like our questions which one and he told me i go dad i asked that question which then led to this story and he goes oh yeah that was that was really funny i go exactly i go what else did you like he’s like well i didn’t like you know steph’s question about x i go but that led to him sharing this story he’s like oh yeah that was funny what are you talking about so i think at the end of of the day, and I’m telling this because my dad would always put me in his sermons as a kid to prove a point.
So now it’s like the tables have turned so I can talk about him here publicly, which is nice.
But I think my dad, though, at the end of the day, he loves the fifth episodes.
He loves us sharing our stories versus us interviewing other guests.
So I think that’s what he really likes and wishes that we could just do it every time. Got it.
Yeah. And you know, it’s a little complicated, I guess, because he’s your father, but he’s an an audience member yeah you guys know what you’re doing you do it really really well and some people are going to have a preference for goofing around or right fifth episode or step sister you know whatever it’s like she’s she comes on everything lights up right. [7:05] But it’s just different for everybody. I loved the last few episodes.
I mean, all the episodes are really good.
Now, you want to talk about a stinker? I can’t really identify a stinker in the whole bunch.
Oh, thank you. Thank you. But the last bunch have been exceptional.
And you guys are getting better and better and better when you think about where you started.
And you think about stuff like, you’ve got to get more guests. I’m afraid of this.
Yes. And now people are banging down the door to do it.
You know, they want to be part of this because every single guest tells you, I know it for a fact.
They tell you it was fun.
It was the most fun I had a podcast.
You guys are so awesome and made it enjoyable.
And that’s just because it’s organic.
You’re just so good at being yourselves on the air.
Well, it’s interesting because you did say like, we’ve gotten better.
I’ll sometimes go back to like, if I’m with the kids or I’m taking a road trip, I’m like, oh, I just want to laugh or something. Let me grab an episode. [8:08] And I cringe. I said, oh my gosh, Kevin, we sound so bad.
I’ll tell people like when they go to listen to tell the story, go in reverse.
Like don’t start from the beginning. Go in reverse because it’s different today than it was. Yeah. I guess four years ago.
Just like we’ve gotten better. We promise we’ve gotten better because Because I’ll listen to an episode, and we’re so slow.
Oh, yeah. Like, I’m putting myself to sleep. I’m like, thank God these listeners have stuck with us. No kidding.
Well, thank you. You know what? It’s just the price for growth.
So, cringe factor is good in this case. [8:44] All right, Steph. I’ve got a question for you. What’s your favorite book of all time? Obviously, you met her where?
Oh, I thought you were going to say the Bible. Oh, oops. Oh!
What’s your second favorite book of all time? You Met Her Where? [9:03] A distant second totally distant it’s pretty good book sorry god it’s still a pretty good book but we’re so excited where can people get our book okay i know this uh amazon.com yes barnes and noble yes and and our website kevinstuff.com and what happens if they buy it off our website what do they get uh an autograph from us yes who wouldn’t want that so listeners if you’ve You’ve already read the book.
Thank you so much. We’ve had such good feedback.
One thing that helps us, if you can give us a review on amazon.com, we would greatly appreciate it. Thank you so much. And thank you for listening. [9:42] Well, Steph, tell Mr. Serio here what we’re doing this week.
Oh, my gosh, Joe. We got a house. Yes. We’re moving.
Can’t hear anything you’re saying. I can’t hear anything you’re saying.
No, I can’t. Your mic is going out. I can’t hear what you’re saying.
Are you serious? Yeah. You’re yelling into the microphone.
Yeah, it might be too loud. Well, you were scared that you couldn’t hear me. I told you. Now I can.
I told you. Now I can hear you. All right, tell them again. Do I need to say it again? Go ahead. Yeah, you have to say it again. No, I’m not going to say it again. We’re moving.
We’re moving. I can’t hear anything. I’m serious.
Exactly when you’re telling me what you’re doing, it just goes out.
That’s so weird. Do you sign language or something here? You’re the first person I’m going to know what’s happening.
We are moving. We’re moving! Oh, yes, you’re moving. Yes. Yes! We got a house!
Oh, my gosh. I’m so excited, Joe. [10:46] That’s awesome. Congratulations. Joe, wait till you hear the story.
You ready to hear the story? I’m ready. First off, Joe, let me share what it’s like to go to an open house with Steph.
Okay. We’ve been looking, we sold our prior home almost four years ago. Four years ago.
We’ve been looking for four years. We thought it was, we’re only be in this rental for a year. For a year.
Yeah. Because we sold our house and we wanted to downsize. And then we’re like, oh, we’re going to get this rental.
We’ll be here maybe a year max.
And then we’ll go to our final house because Kevin hates moving.
I hate moving. Everyone hates to move. Oh, so we’re saving the world for me.
We hate to move. So we’re like, we’ll be here for a year and then we’ll move into our final house. And then almost four years later, we’re still in this rental.
Yes. So we have lots of stories to share about buying this house.
So the first thing is, Joe, let me share what it’s like going to an open house with Steph. Okay, we will go to an open house.
And Steph cannot control herself.
Like there is zero poker face. We will walk in the house.
There’ll be multiple realtors and you’ll hear Steph from another room. Yeah. I love this house. [11:55] The price just went up 20,000. Yes. I’m like, Steph, stop talking, please. You are not helping.
Right. So then we’ll go to the other room. I love this house, Kevin. Like I love, I’m like, okay, I get it.
So then the one time we brought our children, and it was just us with the realtor we walk in and stephanie’s like all right kids don’t pick out your bedrooms which one do you want and i’m like stuff i don’t think that’s a good idea so the kids are like running like scavenger hunt like all right this is my bed like hey get off the bed it’s actually not ours okay stop jumping on the bed while your mom is doing basically snow no angels on the carpet in the living room.
I am like jumping up and down holding Kevin’s arm. I’m so excited. [12:41] We just walked in here. It goes for auction next week, Steph.
It’s actually not ours yet.
Oh, so tell them the story about the auction. Okay. So have you ever gone to an auction for a home, Joe? I have not.
I hadn’t either till the last four years. I’ve gone to a couple of them now.
So this one in particular, I read all about it. It was going to start at like 10 a.m. Saturday early morning.
The realtor wants to get with me. So show up there. [13:05] And Steph and I had come in agreement. Okay, here’s what the max price was going to be.
Here’s what we thought renovations would be on this house to get it functional for our family, all of that.
So we show up. And of course, there’s a bunch of people there, Joe.
It is so intimidating when you go to an auction because a lot of times it is general contractors, it’s construction people, and they’ve got cash.
And then it’s you wanting to actually use this as a full-time residence.
Yeah. Right. Not I’m trying to flip this.
I’m trying to make an investment. None of that. [13:36] So we show up. The realtor keeps drilling me. Hey, how much are you going to bid?
What’s your max bid? What’s your max bid? And I’m just trying to push it off because Steph and I had come up with agreement, but it was kind of a low offer. Yeah. Okay.
God, if this is our home, you’re going to make it happen. Right.
So they start the bid and the starting bid, Joe, is higher than what our max price was going to be.
Oh, shoot. we just lost it come on god i’m standing there joe i’m like please nobody bid please nobody bid please nobody bid and nobody bids i’m like all right here we go here we go let’s get it so then he starts he stops doing his auctioneer thing he’s like okay listen folks i need somebody to start bidding here this is an estate sale this is going to the family portion of this is going to you know feed the needy all this all right let’s do it so then he flips the switch again. [14:27] Right. And then some of my bits.
And I’m like, crap. I keep bidding, keep bidding. And this realtor is right beside me.
And she’s tapping me at one point like, hey, are you going to raise your hand here at some point?
I’m just looking straight ahead. And I didn’t bid one time.
And so it got to like $700,000.
And I turn. I go, sorry, it’s too much out of our league now.
And she just looks at me, Joe, like disgusted. Like, I can’t believe I hitched my wagon to this family because I didn’t raise my hand once.
Not even once. Did you raise your hand or did you have a paddle?
Did they give you a paddle? No, they don’t give you a paddle.
You just raise your hand. I would have loved a paddle. I probably would have been waving myself and I would have bought a house. No, because the starting bid was.
You would have gotten a million dollar house. Who got that? Right. [15:20] So that one didn’t work. Then about six weeks ago, Joe. Can I tell the story?
Can I tell the story? Yeah, go ahead. Okay, okay. so we started looking at homes and what it was friday night at like 11 o’clock and kevin found this home where i found this home and we’re like this could be it we say okay we’d love to see this house the next day literally 11 o’clock a realtor contacts us and we’re like holy cow it was one of those things joe i’m on realtor.com i put in hey i would like to inquire about this 40 seconds later Later, I’m getting a phone call from a realtor at 1030 at night.
I’m like, these realtors are- Piranhas. Yes.
Aggressive. They hustle. They were hustlers. This guy was a hustler, and I respect that.
So we went to go see the house the next day, and I might have had the kids pick out their bedrooms. I did. [16:12] Like, oh, here we go. But it was very intimidating. It made me kind of sad because we start walking to this house.
There’s 20 people walking into the house too. Cards are lined up on the road for their 10 minutes, 10 minute time slot, right?
To go into the house. To see the house. And I don’t want to say I felt defeated, but I kind of felt defeated as soon as I went into this house.
Kevin and I are looking at the house. He’s like, what do you think?
I’m like, no, there’s potential here. [16:40] So our realtor goes up to the other realtor and they had a relationship and he said, what’s it going to take for my client to get this house?
The realtor told him. So he’s like, this is what it’s going to take.
Put in your offer. So we made an aggressive offer, what we thought was fair.
And he said, you have until 11 o’clock the next day. So 11 o’clock the next day, we’re on our way to a wrestling tournament. and we get a call from the realtor.
And we’re like, what did they say? And he said, y’all aren’t even close. And we’re like, what?
At that point, there were over 20 offers, some cash offers of over $100,000 over asking, no home inspection.
Then the buyers were going to pay the sellers, closing fees, the realtor fees, all of it.
And I looked at Kevin and I’m like, Like, no, like we can’t compete with that.
And I don’t want to compete with that. Right.
Yeah. So kids were upset. They’re like, no.
And I’m like, OK, Kevin, from now on, kids aren’t involved.
Like it’ll just be Kevin and I looking at houses. And once we buy one, then we’ll tell the kids.
I think I think a good plan, a good strategy would be to walk through the house, Kevin, with your laptop on Zoom and have Stephanie in the car. Yes. Oh, no.
Yes. We’ll see a part of the situation. And have her on mute. [18:07] Right? That would have been good. [18:12] If you like what you hear, please tell someone about us.
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And to get more information about us or our entire catalog of episodes, be sure to check us out at kevinandsteph.com.
Thank you for listening to Tell Us a Good Story. [18:42] So, tell Mr. Cereo here about the house we did get. Okay, okay, okay. Ready for this, Joe? I’m ready. So, it was a Saturday.
Four o’clock and Kevin had just spoken at a men’s conference and he had gotten home and I was looking on the internet and I found this home.
And a year previously, we had written out as a family everything we wanted for our home, for our family’s home.
And this probably had 90% of what we were asking for. Or will have. Or will have, yeah.
So I said, oh my gosh, this is amazing. And I said, Kevin, what do you think about the house? And he’s like, yeah, it’s nice.
And I said, okay, they have an open house right now. And he’s like, Stephanie, I am so tired. He’s like, I’ve just been speaking.
And the open house was from 3 to 5. And it was like 4, 4.15 at this point.
And I said, okay. I was on my way home.
Oh, you weren’t home yet? I wasn’t even home yet. Okay.
So I was like, okay. And I said, what do you think about me just reaching out to the realtor? He’s like, Stephanie, that nice of a home is going to be gone today.
And I was so sad. Because we just went through that process three weeks prior.
And I was so sad and I’m like, okay.
But then I was like, there’s something in me. They’re like, just reach out to the realtor.
So reached out to the realtor, heard nothing. I’m like, hey, house is gone.
Tuesday morning at 6.30, this realtor texts me in the morning and said, hey, the house is still available.
Are you guys interested? And I’m like, oh. [20:10] I’m like, yes, we are. So I heard it been told Kevin, like, what do you think?
What do you think? And he’s like, call our realtor.
So I called our realtor and I said, this was Tuesday. And I said, you know, maybe we can get on Friday.
And the realtor’s like, look, Steph, if you want this house, you guys need to jump on it.
So we couldn’t do it Tuesday. So Wednesday, which was Valentine’s Day.
We went at lunch. We went at lunch.
And as you can assume my reaction, I walk in and I’m like, oh, my gosh. [20:38] Kevin. I just held Kevin’s hand. I’m like, oh, my gosh. Oh, my gosh. I was trying to be calm.
Every room. Like the grip on my arm got tighter and tighter.
And by the third room, she literally looks at me. I want this house.
Kevin, make it happen. I want this house. I want this house.
You had to say yes. You had to say yes. I’ll do my best. Just get the circulation back in your arm. It was fine. He could walk around with one hand. It was totally fine.
But I was just like, this is it, Joe. [21:04] Like every part of my body just felt like this was our house.
Yeah. So our pastor at church talks about how God will hide things from you for you. [21:14] This home, the owner had passed away a year ago.
It has been sitting in a trust for the past year. Just sitting there. Nobody’s there.
And so they had this open house and apparently they did not have a lot of activity.
They didn’t have a lot of good pictures on the internet, on realtor.com and all of that. And so there wasn’t a lot of stuff going on.
So they texted you, we show up. And as we show up, they’re bringing a brand new photographer in to take pictures of this home and restage it.
So it was going to get restaged for that weekend.
So we ended up putting it a bid and they end up transferring it to us the same price that the owner bought a few years ago. [21:54] Oh, wow. Which never happened. Which doesn’t happen here in Columbus.
No. No, Columbus is a hot market right now for houses. Yes, absolutely.
It was such a God moment for us. So the long story short, we get the house.
The next day, the realtor sets it up where we can go show the kids now because we didn’t make that same mistake of bringing the kids to this house.
So we bring the kids to the house and we show up the front of the house in the driveway and tell the kids, hey, welcome to your new home. [22:23] And Emmy starts crying. Yeah. Kids are so excited.
I’m trying not to cry. But man, that was a cool moment.
Just because in this house, this rental, it’s been a great house for us.
But it’s been a house for us. It hasn’t been a home.
Like we don’t have pictures on the wall. We have all the bags full of groceries because we have no pantry.
Like it hasn’t been a home for us. So we’re so excited to have this home.
And then our realtor reached out and said, hey, the homeowners want to know if you guys want any of the furniture.
They’re like, we’ll sell it to you for like pennies on the dollar.
And we’re like, oh, okay. Well, maybe we’ll go take a look at it. Yes.
So we drive to the home and there’s two cars in the driveway and neither of them are our realtor.
And I’m like, oh, Kevin. Who’s here?
I’m like, who’s here? Does somebody live here? I’m like, is the homeowner’s son here?
And I’m like, oh my gosh, this is so uncomfortable. I’m like, just drive around the block, drive around the block.
So drove around the block and parked like a distance. And we’re like, where’s our realtor? We called the realtor. He’s like, yeah, I’m here.
And we’re like, well, we’re sitting down the street. Like, we don’t know what to do. He’s like, there’s been some communication situations. [23:35] Come on in. The homeowner’s son who’s selling the house is actually here to talk to you guys about the furniture.
And we’re like, oh, this is so uncomfortable. And I thought, okay, typically you’re not meeting the person in the transaction.
You’re not. That’s why you have a realtor.
So we open the door and this amazing man. [23:58] Opens the door 60 plus years old like beautiful smile so happy to meet us and he said which one of you is the homeowner and kevin and i raised our hand because it’s us our friends paul michelle and the realtor yes so what do i do she literally runs over there joe and gives this man the biggest bear hug i did i hugged him and he’s just like oh my gosh you’re a hugger and then apparently he’s a a hugger too he’s hogging stuff yep all right i’m my spirit animal it was him it was like i mean you know how steph hugs right it’s too long of a hug like it is an aggressive hug and i don’t let go it looks like steph just ran into her long lost friend somebody that she hasn’t seen in years is what this looks like the way she’s hugging this guy and so you know realtor’s like what’s going on i’m just like that’s just how steph you know meets people right so but he’s hugging her back It’s a long hug.
And then it kind of confused him, though, because it was like, do you know me? Yeah.
Yeah. So he was like, so we say, you know, we introduce ourselves.
I’m Stephanie. This is my husband, Kevin. [25:06] Kevin shakes his hand. And he’s like, do I know you? [25:11] And I’m like, I don’t think so. He’s like, I’m a part of this like musical group.
There’s like 100 people in it. He’s like, are you a part of that? And I’m like, no.
And he just kept looking at it. And it was like the wheels were turning in his head.
And he’s like, wait a second, Kevin and Steph, are you guys on the radio? [25:33] I said, yes, we are. He’s like, I listen to you guys on the radio.
He’s like, you’re those podcast people, right? And we’re like, yes.
Tell us the story. He’s like, yes, I listen to you guys.
And then he turned to me and he’s like, and sir, you are hilarious.
And I was like, thank you. This woman doesn’t think that.
Thank you. I was like, are you talking about Adam? I think you’re talking about Adam. It’s okay. I just think you got him reversed.
So then Steph goes back over, gives him another bear hug because he recognized us or recognized your voice. Yeah. Knew who you were.
Steph’s touching his face like she’s so excited. And I’m just like, Steph, don’t you need consent for that or something like that?
Why are you touching his face? [26:16] You’re so excited. It was such a cool moment for us. So this man ends up being Jewish, Jewish man, very strong in his faith. Yeah.
And his mother had lived in this house, loved it. And so now he and his sister were in charge of the estate, selling everything.
And so what he had said was it wasn’t a money thing.
They wanted to sell this to a family, to an owner that would love this home as much as their mother did.
So he’s like, Kevin, he starts getting tears in his eyes. He’s like, I prayed to God. [26:52] That we would be able to sell this home to someone who’s going to love it as much as my mother did.
And then here today, I open the door and there’s Kevin and Steph Mason.
And this woman’s hugging me. And he’s like, my prayer has been answered. Oh.
And the little extra, he already knows you.
Yes. Isn’t that incredible? It was just like such a God moment for us.
Like this is the house. Yes. [27:19] So, Joe, any stories you have, anything you want to share here on the fifth episode? Because, of course, we don’t want to be talking the whole time here. Yeah.
You know, Kevin, funny you should ask. And this is your setup.
Kevin, you and Steph have no idea. I don’t. We’ll see how this goes.
Well, hopefully this will fly.
Okay. So for the last four years, I’ve been listening to you.
And you have your little list of fun facts. Yes.
Talk about with your guests. So, I have a list of fun facts. Oh, no. Yes.
Here it is. Fun fact number one. Uh-oh. Let’s see if these are true. Okay.
Well, you know, look, I’ve been listening to your shows. I listen to all of them, and I listen to the fifth episodes.
I heard all of those, and I hear the stories. So, here’s follow-ups.
Okay. Fun fact number one.
Steph, it has been scientifically proven that when one car is supposed to follow another, The perfect distance between those cars is five car lengths. [28:20] I’m done with fun facts. Fun facts are now over. Scientific fact. No.
Yes. Not when you’re trying to stay with that person because you don’t know where you’re going.
False. So fun facts are not fun. Wow. I just, I totally made it up.
What are you talking about?
Did you make that up? Yes, I just made it up.
I just made it up because I thought you would laugh, but apparently you’re more competitive than I thought. No, I didn’t. [28:48] So listeners, those are not aware of what Joe just referenced.
In one of the fifth episodes last year, we talked about us being at Myrtle Beach, Steph and I getting to a, I would say a very passionate conversation because I was following her parents and I was trying not to just ride their bumper on the way to a show.
So I was probably five car lengths away, giving them space.
And then a car got in between us. They put on their brakes for a light and we lost your parents. Lost them.
Yes. Yes, we lost your parents and it was just a fiasco for me.
So thanks for bringing that up, Joe. This will be a tag team.
So I’ll say the fun fact and you can fill in the details. [29:28] Fun fact number two, Kevin, there are mountains in Colorado. Yes, yes.
We found that out. With our pictures.
Oh, Joe, literally. I don’t know what I was expecting.
But when we flew into Colorado Springs and got out, it was like, oh my gosh, Steph. Steph, it looks like those aren’t real.
Well, in Ohio, we have hills compared to Colorado. Not mountains.
So for us, we’ve never seen something like that. It was amazing.
But it was funny because Steph and I, you can tell we’re not from here because we’re just our faces against the window.
And people waiting on their plane was like, hey, do you want us to take a picture?
Since it’s the first time you’ve ever seen mountains in your life, right?
So they were kind enough taking pictures, and we’re just like minds blown.
You can tell we don’t get out. We don’t get out much right now. No, we don’t.
Fun fact number three. Kevin hula hoops. Oh, gosh. [30:27] Waterslides. Steph is going to beat you.
Every time. Every time. Every time. Even on the water slide, she broke a ribbon. You didn’t break any. Oh, that’s true.
He didn’t. He didn’t. That is true. That is true.
It was all who’s going to win. And she won. Broke the ribbon all.
He kept asking, hey, do you want to go down the slide again?
I’m like, no, I don’t. Like, I’m good.
I’m totally good. And then you hurt yourself trying to beat my score.
I did. I did. That’s right. And you came down faster, but she broke a bone. I broke a bone.
That trumps speed. I’m sorry. Broken bone does trump speed.
So I did still win. You did. You did.
Here’s what’s awful. We’re on vacation, Joe, and we’re on a date night, and yet it turns into a competition.
We can’t just go to the arcade and have fun. We can’t just go to go-karts and have fun. We have to make it into a competition with each other.
Yeah. But it was fun. It was fun.
Okay. Last one. Chip and Joanna Gaines will appear on Tell Us a Good Story within the next year. Yes. Oh. [31:31] We received that, Joe freaking Serio. Yes, yes. Amen to that.
Well, you’re close to them down there, aren’t you? How close are you from Waco?
I am an hour and 10 minutes. I’ve been to Magnolia.
I’ve stopped in there. And yeah, they’ll be on your show. That’s a bucket list, yeah. That’s a bucket list. But Joe being our Kevin Bacon.
Right, right. I feel it’s going to happen.
You’re related to them somehow, right, Joe? Please tell us. I’m sure.
I’m sure. We’ll find a way. [31:59] All right, Steph. Steph, I’m going to test you again here. What is your favorite book of all time? Obviously, it’s the Bible, Kevin. Yes. Nailed it.
Very good. This time you didn’t say the book we wrote called You Met Her Where.
But it’s still a really good book. That is true. And it would make a great gift for friends or relatives on their birthday or for Christmas.
Friends, you can order your copy of our book titled You Met Her Where at kevinandsteph.com.
And we will make sure to personally sign a copy for you or whoever you want.
And as always, thank you for listening to Tell Us a Good Story.
All right. Well, next time we record episode stuff, we will be in this other house.
We will. And I’m sure we’ll have a… More stories. More stories and an even better setup here.
Tell us a good story. So I’m sure episode, what, 215 will be post-moving what had happened. Yes, absolutely.
After you move in, you got to send me your address so I can get you some housewarming cupcakes.
Hey. Joe, I freaking love you. Hey, but can I eat some this time?
Okay joe he sent those to us right this past year yeah so you sent the mini cupcakes all right so step the next day gets back home i’d had two, Too many ones, right? We get in the house. She opens it up, Joe.
And she starts yelling at the kids, which one of you have eaten me and my cupcakes? I’m like, oh, crap. [33:22] I inventoried them. Like, Steph, hey, sorry, honey. That was actually me.
Weren’t there like 24 of them? Wasn’t there like two dozen of them or something?
Yes. Maybe. Yes, exactly.
It was a big batch. Exactly. So I can’t have two of them? Maybe. I inventoried them.
Totally fine. It looked like more was taken than just two. I didn’t know how many of the kids had eaten.
She’s yelling at the kids like, oh, I better get in there and save the children. [33:49] Mama loves her sweets. She was not happy. Mama loves her sweets. Yes, I do. [33:56] No, it’s funny. So last thing, and this might be a big deal, a big thing, but if you can, if you can, stop thinking about whether the hopper is full.
Stop thinking about how many weeks or months out.
Because that slides into the scarcity thinking.
Right. You guys don’t need any scarcity thinking. You’ve got everything you need. And you know that God’s going to provide.
So don’t get anxiety about we don’t have the right people. Because they’re always going to show up.
So let that go. Just let all that go.
Because those are the things that keep us back and keep us scared from taking the next big, big step forward.
Because you can’t hang on to this stuff. It’s scary. The whole thing is scary.
You can’t hang on it’s like you know the elephant tied to the stake in the ground yes it’s been conditioned to think that he can’t pull the stake out himself yeah it’s like no that’s not how this works some of it’s a leap of faith some of it is just smarts and logistics and planning and you have to have both and that’s what i was saying at the beginning of the show you guys have both, you have the logistics guy who’s absolutely vital and you’ve got bubbly personality who appeals to They’re the people in the household who spends the money, right?
And you guys have both of those critical elements. [35:12] Thank you. And you’re doing great things in people’s lives. I know it doesn’t always feel that way, but people are taking what they need from what you’re saying.
Thank you. Joe, are you a motivational speaker? [35:27] You should be. You should be. You’re really good at this. You should write that down.
I’ll get on that. I’ll get on that. You should write a book someday, Joe. Ha, ha, ha.
My bad. I’m like, you didn’t know that’s what he did?
It is Thursday night, y’all. I’m having a full week. You’re starting to hang out with Russian mafia guys. That’s what I thought.
He’s collecting his money for the mob. He’s just laundering it to him. He is. I got it.
You didn’t know that. Did we ever talk about the CIA? Wait. You know that I work for the CIA, right? Did you not know that?
I’m going to hurt you. Did we ever talk about this? Joe. No, I’m being serious. Did we ever talk about this?
Wait. You wrote for the CIA? I worked for the CIA. I don’t think so. Wait. For five years.
Okay, got to go now. Bye. Listen, when you went over to Russia, you were working for the CIA then, right?
Yes, but that’s not why I went to Russia. Next episode! Hey, so when we asked you, hey, do you have any stories tonight?
You should have led with that, Joe. That’s what you lead with.
Like, do you know I work for the CIA?
Dude, you’ve been holding out here the past hour? We get fun facts out of you and not CIA fun facts. Why are we talking about moving instead of CIA fun facts?
Right? Because my role was just to sit here and laugh. [36:48] What are you doing? Let me tell you something I thought about also, by the way.
I was thinking about who would be great CIA agents. And you know who would be?
Not Stephanie Mason. Yes, I would. The two of you. Totally.
The two of you. Yes, I would. Yes, I would. I would. Go ahead and hug everyone.
Stephanie, let me just clarify the point so I’m not misleading you here.
It’s because of your listening.
You’re non-threatening and you listen. And when you make it about the other people, you guys are fantastic listeners.
And by developing fun facts and doing a deep dive on the research, this is all CIA stuff.
The first thing we would do is get a psychological profile on the person we were looking at.
It’s like, okay, who are these people? What’s their address?
How much money do they make? Who are they married to? Where do they drive?
Where does their money come from? What’s their connection to mafia?
Are they mafia? Are they connected to mafia? Are they just a, you know, whatever, all that stuff.
You guys are really good at eliciting information, getting people to want to talk.
And then you say, oh, well, let’s, I want to help you. Oh, Stefan and Kevin, they’re just these Ohio naive church people. [38:00] Yeah, let me help them. let me help them understand right you did it with victor marx badass victor marx says oh you guys are lovely let me take you to my compound how many strangers off the street you think he’s taken to his compound oh yeah you know what i mean yeah you get access to people, And then you start figuring out how to read people. That’s exactly what we did at the CIA.
Steph, we could totally be the people in the room. Yes.
Underneath the lamp. I could be. The light. I could. Just shining on us and just drilling people with questions. I’m going to get them. Because apparently we’re such good listeners. We are. And if not, I’m going to waterboard them.
I’m going to do it. No, no, no. No, the person’s going to sit there under the light and he’s going to say, I’ll tell you anything you want.
Just make her stop laughing.
If she gives me one more hug, I’m done. I’m enough. I can’t take it anymore.
This lady. Do you hear her voice? It’s so weird. Are you hearing this?
Are you hearing this? She’s just squealing constantly. [39:01] Oh, man. I’m surprised we didn’t talk about that. You’re the very first person ever who has said we would be good CIA agents. I love it. It’s going to happen.
I thought you were going to say because we could fit in, right?
We could be incognito, right? Put a mask on us.
Put a beard on me or something. All the CIA stuff happens in the open.
Other than the guy who was slitting his throat, it’s just sizing people up and getting information and getting them comfortable with you and easing them into what you need them to do.
But you know what? I already know how to slit somebody’s throat with Victor Marks. So if I need to, he’s right there. As long as there’s no dogs involved, I would be good. They’re there too. Exactly.
Next episode with you, Joe, we’re going to talk CIA and you’re going to say, hey, you two are going to be agents.
Love it. Next episode. We’re going to make it happen. Listen to yourself.
Next episode makes what six episodes for me five i think five i’ve interviewed you three times yeah okay so anyway my point would be fifth yeah why why do you keep doing that we felt sorry for you we don’t even know sometimes we didn’t think you had any friends like hey i bet joe’s lonely on the road right now why don’t we give him a call, Please say no. Please say no. Oh, he’s doing nothing. He’s literally doing a shocker step. He had nothing going on tonight.
Of course he would like to talk to us. All right. It’s happening.
Oh, thank you. Oh, he showed up. Shoot. He was early. He was early. [40:26] So is this like a Saturday Night Live thing where when you’re on the fifth episode, we have to give him like a suit jacket or something?
You don’t know how that works? It’s like the Masters in Augusta. Yes.
That’s how it is. On Saturday Night Live, when you host it five times, you become part of this exclusive club, and they give you a suit jacket.
Oh, I didn’t know that. And a former member who’s also part of the five-time club puts it on you. Oh, that’s cool.
So it looks like you’re probably not going to be on for a while.
We haven’t figured out the suit jacket stuff yet. So it might be a while.
I think maybe next year. We’ll try to figure it out by then.
That’s fine. It’s all good.
No. Thanks, Joe, for joining us. We love you. and so appreciate you. Yes, Joe.
Oh, thanks for having me. It was fun. And congratulations on the house. That’s amazing.
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