Turning 40: Embracing Life's Quirks with Karin

Ever wondered how to juggle a thriving career, family life, and a love for travel, all while maintaining your sanity in your 40s? Join us as we navigate this exhilarating journey, sharing insights on how to pursue your passion for travel without compromising on professional growth or personal responsibilities. From attending work events without a laptop to embracing the freedom that comes with delegation, we explore the art of balancing life's demands. You'll hear firsthand accounts about the joy of traveling with kids and the significance of prioritizing health to keep burnout at bay.

We also dive into the rollercoaster of family, finances, and parenthood, capturing the essence of turning 40 with humor and heart. Discover the lifelong impact of early money management lessons and the cultural backdrop that shapes our aspirations, like the iconic Sex and the City. Parenthood comes with its own set of challenges, and we open up about the triumphs and trials of raising teenagers. Plus, there's a lively discussion on tackling skincare woes during COVID and the rewarding realm of social media marketing. With a teaser for the upcoming season of "Diva Tonight with Carlene," this episode is packed with wisdom, laughter, and a few beauty tips to boot!

Chapters

• 0:05 Prioritizing Travel and Work Growth
• 5:27 Family, Finances, and Parenthood
• 14:01 Beauty Products and Social Media Marketing

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:05

diva tonight. Glamour for your ears.

Speaker 2: 0:08

This is 40 a female perspective with carlene humphrey so you were talking before about traveling, right, how you want to travel more, right yep just want to be true to me and that's what makes me and side note so like my husband doesn't love to travel that much.

Speaker 3: 0:28

So, I go without him. So I'm actually going this weekend. I'm going with my one kid, and that will segue us to parenting, but I'm taking my 15 year old to Boston for four days. For four days, I took my 12 year old to New York in September, and, yeah, I'm just trying to do that because that's what I like to do. The hard thing with real estate, though, is going away, so part of my plan to travel has been figuring out a system that works in my business that allows me to travel. So I remember, right before COVID, we went to Orlando. After Christmas.

Speaker 3: 1:11

And I remember distinctly because I was with other family and I brought my laptop to the pool. And I remember the other family member who's also in business. So I fully appreciated his comment. But he said to me what are you doing? Like you're on vacation, why do you have your laptop? And I was just like do not understand what I do, like I have to, I have to, I have to, and it took me way too long to realize. No, you don't like just figure it out. So I figured it out I have three assistants.

Speaker 2: 1:43

Oh, that's what I was going to ask, yeah.

Speaker 3: 1:45

Yeah, and that doesn't mean that I work less. In fact, my husband always says whenever cause I'm really good at like building in systems and he says, every time you find an efficiency that frees up time, you fill it. So I just fill it with different tasks. So that's been the one growth Also in my 40s to realize that like I don't have to do every single task. Delegating is my weakness and I've learned that like just delegate. So now my big thing is I just went away for a week in October for a Remax event. So that's where it's work. But it's also like an amazing way to travel Because again, it's part of my identity. So like I'm with my Remax people and it was the elite group, so it's like top agents and then you're in California, together, networking and just talking. But I went away for the very first time with no device for a week.

Speaker 2: 2:42

So that to me is a success.

Speaker 3: 2:43

No device you weren't plugged in, you didn't check anything. Well, wait a minute. Wait a minute. Oh, you meant for work. I had my phone of course you meant for work. No, no but like I had my phone, but I didn't bring a computer. I didn't bring work.

Speaker 2: 2:55

Yeah, that's what I meant. You didn't bring work. Yeah, yeah, absolutely was working the entire time you were still. I have people, so I have this thing called whatsapp and I have then. You can't turn it off, you just pretty, you pretty much like you cannot not check your email oh my gosh.

Speaker 3: 3:13

So remember, rewind, it's my identity, right? So it's who I am. It's like I live, breathe, like I'm always on, but I need to be able to go away and just yeah, like that, like that so Corinne is like I am, I'm plugged in, like literally plugged in.

Speaker 2: 3:33

Yes, it's, but it's part of who you are actually. That's why you're. Because of that, I haven't been able.

Speaker 3: 3:38

because of that, I haven't been able to go on a cruise in a long time because it's really hard. But now it's all different. Like now, you can just pay for unlimited wi-Fi on a boat. So I'm finally going. Oh my God, yeah, I just can't. It's not possible. It's not possible to disconnect Although I shouldn't say that because I was at this elite event and I talked to other agents who actually do disconnect. They have two phones and, like they leave their work phone with their office disconnect not there.

Speaker 2: 4:06

That's your thing of the past, you know, yeah, yeah, no, it's not and I don't want to like.

Speaker 3: 4:11

That's the thing is. I don't want to, yeah. So yeah, travel is really important to me and like and and so that's like. My thing in the 40s is like that's what matters to me. That's what I'm gonna do. Um, learning how to grow like be mindful of things that hold me back. That's what I'm going to do. Learning how to grow like be mindful of things that hold me back. That's a big 40s thing. Like delegating better, like not banking things for the future.

Speaker 2: 4:32

That's been a big thing, and just like feeling like we haven't gotten into the other topic, like you want to talk about being a parent, but let's go back to the where we are and what's happening. I'm Carlene and this is Diva Tonight. I haven't recorded an episode in like two years. That's how long it's been. It's crazy, you know what? I got sick. I remember getting sick and then it took me a while to recover. Like I got like really bad cough. It lasted six weeks and I think I just was focusing on work because it was like I recorded 70 episodes nonstop. It was like back to back to back and yeah, it was hard for me like to take it Like I don't know, I don't think it was planned for me to go that long about doing the show, but I think it's one of those things where a lot was happening in terms of like work.

Speaker 2: 5:27

What I wanted to do, like the podcast is great, as as like my passion, but it's not paying my bills and so I had to put it on hold. I think in the interim I probably only saw it as a few months, but it went a lot longer. Like diva tonight is part of the entity like there's two shows. So this is my baby and not magnation has been like my focal point for the last year, so I was doing both at the same time. It's a little bit much.

Speaker 2: 5:59

So, high achievers, you know hard, yeah, no, this is yeah, yeah, you know, but no, I, my friend, I think this whole 40, the milestone itself and, like us as women, you know turning 40, I think there's something to be said about it. Right, like you said a lot of things about yourself, like and saving, and you know, I don't think I've never been good at saving, but I think it is important to save, it's important to have a good credit score. There's a lot of things that hold you back when your finances are not where they should be. It really, it really does hinder you your experience in life and what you're able to get without it.

Speaker 3: 6:43

So you know, and like we're not, like I don't know if your parents taught you like about finances or if they helped you save Um actually I don't know about being taught so much, but when I was 12, my mom marched me to the bank and opened a youth account for me.

Speaker 3: 7:02

And I don't know if it was really her it must her and or just my personality that I remember just like scraping like quarters and dimes and getting all excited and then walking by myself to the bank and I remember that I put coins in a envelope and shoved it in the machine and I didn't realize until I was older that you don't do that, like it's for bills, it's not for coins.

Speaker 3: 7:28

But like I was like, okay, like I have this and now this is mine, and since I was 12, I would babysit at 13 years old, which is so crazy I would never don't tell my kids but like I wouldn't even trust my any of them to babysit. But and then I would like go and seriously, I put coins in the machine. So I think my mom facilitated that because it was like important for her, as soon as I could, to have a bank account. And then it was probably probably my upbringing, but like a lot my personality, that I was like, okay, let's go, like let's save, save, save. So yeah, I think it's a mixture of both and, yeah, I think I did have some family.

Speaker 2: 8:05

Yeah, I didn't even open in a bank account till I was 16. And it was my decision. I'm like no, open the account. I want my money in a separate account because your first job was babysitting, mine was delivering flyers. I had a paper route at 13. Boy, oh boy.

Speaker 3: 8:22

So where was the money going?

Speaker 2: 8:23

Right, where was the mom mom's account? Yeah, that's why I was like no, I want my own account. This is my job. Yeah, yeah, yeah, but yeah it's really an important lesson.

Speaker 3: 8:37

Like you have to feel the work and then see the numbers and realize like I just spent the whole night with these kids snotty kids just to have 30 bucks in my account. Like this, 30 bucks really matters to me. I'm not going to go and spend it on Gucci or what did you call brisket? What?

Speaker 2: 8:56

did you call it Birkin? It's a Birkin. Now, after this, you're going to go and look up what a Birkin is and you'll be like it's like a red, it comes in. I think the Birkin is, and you'll be like it's like a red, it comes in. I think the Birkin is known for the red.

Speaker 3: 9:15

It's red and it's, but anyway, so we have, we have to get right to the meat and potatoes.

Speaker 2: 9:16

So you're a mom, oh yeah, oh, you see what the Birkin is. I can't even see that. Oh, there we go. Yeah, see, you see that price tag there, samantha, finally Forty says 42 000 so I was wrong with the price.

Speaker 2: 9:30

I didn't remember I don't know. It was like on an episode of sex in the city and, like samantha I think, she rented it. She didn't pay the full price, or someone. Yeah, she was able to rent it and then I think it was like a big deal when she was finally able to buy one. I don't know.

Speaker 2: 9:46

But, yeah, from Sex and the City with the whole. Like I mean, yeah, I never got into the show when it was like trending, but I watched it after and, like you, you learn a few things from New York City lifestyle. Like, ok, I'll try.

Speaker 3: 10:04

I think it doesn't suit me.

Speaker 2: 10:08

I'm the same way. I think my purse is an Aldo purse. I've had it for a few years and then I bought this other one. I'm like, oh, I'm trying to be more feminine because I'm a Tom girl, like I've always been like. If I could wear jeans and a t-shirt every day, I would you know but don't.

Speaker 3: 10:25

So. A 40s thing is like own it, like that's who I am, that's who I am, you know, and like be like yeah but you know, guys, guys don't really.

Speaker 2: 10:35

They sometimes find that intimidating, I think, when you're like, you know, I think I'm intimidating yeah see, and you're, you're in sales, so there's something to be said about that too, right, but some key points. So you have three, three kids now. Two are like in their teen years. You said one's 15, girl 12,. Girl 10, baby boy, your baby boy, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 3: 11:05

And yeah. So it's wild, right. Like you have this baby thing like a baby, and then you figure out what to do with this baby thing and then it turns into something else and you're like, okay, like let me figure this part out. And then by the time you figure that out, it's something else. So it's really hard, you know, and you don't want to screw it up Cause you know, I told you before like this is really important to me should be it's like everything, and there's a lot of room to make a lot of mistakes. It's you know. So I think the other thing is, you know, not only is there a lot of room to make mistakes, but also their growing up is so different from when we grew up that what was right for us isn't necessarily what was right for them. So it's just hard to know what's right and what's wrong. And there's, you know, no textbook and no like OK chapter, 15 years old.

Speaker 2: 11:59

This is what happens and this is what you there is the textbook, though, like for when you get pregnant and your mom in there. It's like that one book that I guess most people read, but it doesn't. There's no handbook with advice, and then there's different ways. That's like chapter zero, yeah, but there's different parenting styles too. Like you homeschool your kids.

Speaker 3: 12:18

You homeschool your kids too.

Speaker 2: 12:18

There's different ways. Chapter zero, yeah, but there's different parenting styles too.

Speaker 2: 12:20

Like you, home and there's different kids you homeschool your kids I have three kids and they're all different yeah, there's this one thing, I believe, like there's five of us and I have four sisters and we're all different, like two of them got married at 24. Never would have thought like that would happen. I was surprised. I was like, oh, wow right, wow Right, and I'm the oldest, I'm not, I'm not married. And then my other sister, who's three years younger than me, but we're all different in our own way and like same household and different experiences, and yeah, so all are different and I we've had to teach them over the years.

Speaker 3: 13:02

You know it's not equality, it's equity. So, like different kids need different things and you have to parent each one to facilitate their best self, and that's not the same for every kid, so it must be hard from their perspective. But from our perspective it's like we love each one of them and we want to do what's best for each one of them, and that's not the same thing for all three.

Speaker 2: 13:21

Yeah, I feel like we haven't talked that much about your husband, but we only have like two minutes, so how long have you been married? Hold the mind. Oh wait, I know this, this was our 18th anniversary.

Speaker 3: 13:33

Wow, but we've been together for 30 years, so since we were 13,.

Speaker 2: 13:38

That's like a whole other episode right, we have to do another one. See, this is like a theory. Yeah, we do, I will definitely. We will definitely do that. But to sum it up, like I'm not going to ask your age now, so I'm 40, 43.

Speaker 3: 13:51

Oh you're 43.

Speaker 2: 13:52

Okay, and look at the skin. Your skin's glow. What's your skin routine, Karen?

Speaker 3: 14:01

Oh my gosh, somebody asked me the other day and I just finished telling you that I'm not a products person, but it's a whole other. I have so many long stories but I won't take up so much time but I did post on Facebook one day like oh my God, I've got these like two horrible cysts. It was cysts, no zits. It was during COVID and I was wearing a mask, a lot, and like I got these two horrible things and I posted about it because I was desperate. And then this one, lady Shana, she replied like sending you a private message, and then she's wrote in and fields, which is a product. And so like that's what I do. I like it because it's like nothing, like there's no smells, because, again, like I'm not a products person, I'm not like a sense person.

Speaker 2: 14:45

I'm not into that at all, but it's just whatever every team. So if anyone wants to work with you, you're on all socials, right, like if they just want to work with the mermaid they want to buy.

Speaker 3: 14:51

Yeah, instagram, um, I on Instagram, I have my Corinnerotem and then I have separate for real estate at Friday Harbor. It's real estate at Friday Harbor. But, yeah, anybody is able to work with me. I do rentals, I do sales. I have a lovely, lovely team that works really well together with me and that was part of like turning 40 and like really understanding how to grow is finding really good people, and for me, the most important thing is like a really good soul and people that are like me that way.

Speaker 1: 15:26

Diva Tonight with Carlene will be back. New season, new ideas and great guests. Send us a message on Instagram at diva underscore tonight.