What I'm Up To - Vol. 56

1. Superb “Owl” Sunday!

The NFL playoffs exceeded expectations this year. Buffalo versus Kansas City, especially the final two minutes, pushed the boundaries of what great competition looks like. The cherry on top for us? An owl took up residence in our owl box on Superbowl Sunday. We’ve decided to name him Calcifer after the fire demon in Howl’s Moving Castle.

2. Going to Disneyland!

Back in Superbowl XXI, Phil Sims started the tradition of declaring a trip to Disney after winning the MVP award. As luck would have it, our KW annual convention was set in Orlando this year. So to Disney we went. (How’s that for a segue?)

Our convention is called “Family Reunion.” 2022 marked our first live event since 2020. Almost 12,000 associates joined us for the event, with another 7,500 tuning in remotely. (We live-streamed all the main stages and breakouts.)  Being among the throngs was a post-COVID shock to the system. Timing was with us as the Omicron wave collapsed. And I’m unaware of a single person testing positive.

I’m super proud of our team for pulling off the biggest, truly hybrid training event I’m aware of. Highlights for me included an interview with Levi Rodgers, a decorated Vet and new head of our military segment, keynote speaker Shawn Achor’s talk on happiness, seeing all my work family, the Empire Building podcast getting an amazing booth, full-size cutouts of our team showing up in random pictures (and karaoke parties), and watching Papasan Properties ace, Warren McEnulty, fulfill a 4-year goal of earning the right to be interviewed on stage.

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Oh yeah, and we also announced an expanded second edition of Your First Home, coming to a bookstore near you in September.

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3. What I’m Reading

I devoured The Police by Jo Nesbo. As I mentioned last month, the books get richer with each new installment. Quite the opposite from most series. I also loved The Almanack of Naval Ravikant. I’ve been following Naval on Twitter for a long time and love his deep insights into business, investing, and life. It’s my first 5-star non-fiction read this year and well worth picking up.

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4. What We’re Watching

Wendy and I went into The Wheel of Time (Amazon Prime) with low expectations and we’re happily surprised. This is Jeff Bezos's attempt to create a Game of Thrones for Prime. While it fell short of that mark, it was well done and brimming with strong, female characters. Quite progressive for the fantasy genre.

In my limited spare time, I watched Reacher (Amazon Prime). As a long-time fan of the books, I love that they cast a 6’5” giant in the role. Tom Cruise is not Jack Reacher.

After being inspired by the Ukrainian resistance, I revisited Red Dawn (1984 edition). Dang, that movie was so much better when I was 15. If you’re following the conflict as closely as I am, I found this great Twitter list of journalists on the ground. It's worth following if you're active on Twitter. Prayers for Ukraine!

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Be sure to tune in next month for a big announcement! In the meantime, please reply back and let me know what you’re up to!

Be well, do good deeds, and eat tacos!

‍Jay

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