120: Wendy Weston | Founder, Perfect Picnic

Speaker A
What do I need to be good. At to be great at something?

Carlea Milatzky
Hello, everyone. You are listening to. She leads with Carly, and in this. Show, we talk to the absolute best, brightest, and, yes, badass leaders. Tap into where your natural curiosity takes you.

Speaker A
Just making sure you're not your own roadblock. Even if you do fall, you're gonna fall and you're gonna lure together, let's build a DNA of what it takes to rise to the top and truly make an impact.

Carlea Milatzky
I'm your host, Carlea Milatzky. Hello, everyone. I am super excited to welcome our guest today, Wendy Weston. Wendy started perfect picnic with a dream, a small blanket, and an endless drive and passion, she decided to hang up her figure skates. Moving on from her career as a successful competitive skating coach, she has worked her way up from the bottom, literally.

From the basements of Chinatown, to her perfect picnic storefront across from Central Park, Wendy now delivers her vision of delicious food and a luxury experience to New York City, the Hamptons, and Cape Cod. Over the past 13 years, Wendy has transformed her vision into a successful business selling millions of dollars worth of picnics. She was recently awarded the woman in business award from Chase bank. Wendy, I am so excited to have you on the podcast. Welcome.

Wendy Weston
Thank you so much. Thank you for having me. Of course. So, Wendy, this actually, I'm particularly excited to talk about because I know it was such a big part of who you are today. I want to know, where did you grow up?

Carlea Milatzky
What type of kid were you? Well, I grew up a competitive figure skater as a kid. You know what? I was a rule follower as a kid, which is really funny to me now because I'm definitely not a rule follower now. I loved being good at something.

Wendy Weston
So when skating came along, it was like, oh, this is great. You know, it was a creative outlet. I was good at it, so I was excited to do it. And, yeah, I feel like that kind of started what set the. I started around six years old, and it kind of set my childhood where I was very, I just did what I was told for many, many, many years.

Carlea Milatzky
And Wendy, at that age, around six, you know, obviously a few years after, was your dream of being a figure skater? Olympics? Like, how were you thinking of the future if you were? I loved being special. I loved that I had something that was definable.

Wendy Weston
That was me. I remember that. I'm not sure that skating was what I was in love with. I liked having a focus and a purpose. Yeah.

And skating was like a great way to do that where you could kind of see, you could measure your success. You could. You know, there were a lot of things that made sense for me and brought a lot of joy in skating, but a lot of it was the practice more. Not practice practicing, but the practice of being an elite athlete that I loved. I I really like that you said that.

Carlea Milatzky
Even that framing, which you don't hear a lot, but it's very true, which is just, like, I liked being special. Like, I liked having. Yeah. That aspect of my identity and having the metrics of success and being the best, you know, like, the competitiveness of it seems very natural to. Yeah, and.

And so walk me a bit through. You kind of. You get into your teens, you know, 13 1415, and things seem like they started to shift. Walk me a little bit through that process. I started to realize that, again, it wasn't.

Wendy Weston
Skating wasn't my passion. It wasn't my heart. And I, like I said, I loved being good at it. I was. I remember so specifically, I was with my friend Alison, and we were in a car, and I saw these kids at the local store, like, hanging out, just, like, eating bagel chips in a big gulp.

And that vision was so. It just, like, woke me up. I hadn't really thought about it. Freedom was not something that I ever even. I didn't think about it.

I was very, like, just did what I was told. And up until that point, it was okay for me. And then in that moment, it all changed. And interestingly, this weekend, a friend of mine from high school came over. He's actually considering opening a perfect picnic.

And so we hadn't seen each other in years and years, and out of the blue, he said, oh, yeah. Remember when you quit skating? And I was thinking, you know, kind of, you know, like, yes. But in my own version, he said, yeah. We were all shocked.

It was so weird. One day you just quit, and then he said, and then all of a sudden, you were free. And I was like, oh, my God. That is like. It was just so funny.

He's like. And you were really free. He's like, you weren't that fun before. And he's like, it was like you were a different person. I felt like I grew strong, like, mentally and physically through skating and got so many gifts from it.

But I was stunted in other aspects of my life that I didn't realize until you take away the label of. It's so comforting when you're young to have a purpose and a focus and a vision, but then you take that away and you're like, oh, my God. Like, I could be anything, and I had never felt that. I want to know. Even hearing that from this friend, you know, years blast into the past, if you will, how did you feel even just hearing that framing of saying, like, remember when you quit?

Carlea Milatzky
You know, it's kind of like. It's a strong statement. So how do you feel about it now? Is it very, like, you're very at peace with it, or is it something. That'S still 100% at peace with it?

Wendy Weston
It was sort of validating the way he used the word. I mean, to have someone who knows nothing really about my current life and, you know, but knew me really, really well back then, and to use the word free, which is, I think what I said to you initially, it was validating, you know, over time, it changes the way you perceive your past. Right. And so to have somebody validate with the language that, as we thought about doing this podcast or, you know, the language that I had previously used was like, yeah, it was very validating. It felt great to hear that.

And I was, you know, it caused a lot of upheaval in my life and definitely some tough times, but it started the journey of, like, the never ending journey of finding, like, yourself, you know, like, who you really are without the tags or labels that you put on to be something. You know what I mean? No, I love that. And all of a sudden, it was just me. I wasn't Wendy the skater or Wendy who wants to be the Olympic champion.

I was like, oh, shit, I'm just Wendy. Now. What? So, Wendy, I think you bring. And we've actually talked about this in different episodes on the podcast, but I think you bring up so many, so many good points.

Carlea Milatzky
Even, like, Wendy the skater. Right? Like, I had that same experience with soccer, and there are elements of it that, you know, you still think about and whatnot. But you mentioned, and it seems like your friend also mentioned as well, where it seemed pretty shocking, like, it was kind of out of nowhere. It seemed like a very adamant decision that just happened.

Wendy Weston
Right. I would love to know. You mentioned there's. There were some challenges in that. What were some of those?

I didn't know what to do, you know, I mean, my life was totally regimen. It was like I knew, you know, I got. I did the same thing every day, year after year, and then you practice and you. You do the same thing every day, year after year. And I just found myself, like, I have no idea what to do.

And so my parents were like, all right, you have to do a sport. I was like, but I don't know how to do any other sports. You know, I was like, I hadn't. You know, I didn't take gym classes, so I found myself very mediocre at a lot of, like, new sports that I was just so. I mean, I was so far behind everybody else, which was also really unique.

Like, when you're not used to that, it's a weird feeling, like, everyone thought I would be, oh, join, we want you on the field hockey team. I'm like, no, you don't. Like, I don't know anything about field hockey. And, you know, it was interesting. So people's perception of what they thought I could do was very different than what the reality was.

Just trying to figure out, like, how to fill the time in a productive way, because I didn't know how to not be productive. It was a weird time. Even, like, academically. How were you in school? Did you start to shift the focus more from a, okay, what's college gonna be like?

Carlea Milatzky
And, you know, what is the future? So I went the other way. I was all about freedom. Okay. Yeah.

Wendy Weston
Everyone. All my friends left and went to college, and I drove my best friend Heather out to meet her father for the first time and kept driving and then ended up, like, literally just drove. My parents were like, she's lost her mind. You know, it wasn't going well at home because I was. I was never rebellious like, that angry teen.

I was just not going to not be free, and I didn't. Wasn't going to listen to anybody about that. So I would respectfully decline taking anyone's advice. So I drove. Cus.

Yeah, it was. It was, you know, it was like a weird rebellion, but. So I'm picturing just you by yourself, driving across the country, right. And. Which is amazing.

Carlea Milatzky
And there's a lot of. I mean, look, at the end of the day, it's incredibly scary, too. You know, you don't really know where you're going. But I'm wondering, how was that experience for you? Was it as you expected, like, that independence was very freeing.

Wendy Weston
Yeah, it was a little lonely. I remember at points thinking, wait, should I be doing this with someone? But it was very freeing. You know, those are the moments when you really get to see and know yourself, when you're challenged like that, you know, and on your own. What did you most learn about yourself during that time?

Maybe that I was capable. You know, there's, like, when you only know how to do one thing and you can do it really well, I think a lot of the lessons that you bring forward from discipline and commitment and all those things. Like, I'm a very capable. If there's, you know, if something goes wrong, like, you want to be with me, you know, it's like I'm a. Like, I would be a great partner on survivor.

You know, like. Like, I have a good sense of. Yeah, the apocalypse. It's like, I got you. And I think being able to feel strong outside of one focus felt really good.

Carlea Milatzky
I love that. I love that. And I think this is why I actually think there's so much value traveling. Right? Like, you being in an uncomfortable position and seeing.

I think it's. You're right. You gain that confidence that you're capable and you're, you know, you're a human. You can live out there in the world and you don't have to necessarily rely on others. And I think that seems like what.

What resonated. That's at least what I understand. Yeah. Yeah, 100%. And it's, you know, and being uncomfortable is valuable.

Was there almost, like, an inflection point during that journey where you're, like, light bulb went off? Like, this is what I need to do in life? Or were you not even thinking, like, you were? So in the present moment, how are you thinking? I was very present.

Wendy Weston
And I think that's an illusion in life. Right. Like, for me. And everyone's journey is different, which I will always say, but I don't know that there's this moment of arrival or that there is this light bulb or it feels like. I think that's this, like, why?

Like, old wives tale that people are told, and so they're constantly looking and waiting for a moment, and there's no moment. It's like, I'm 54. Where's the moment? I think you're right. And I think a lot of people, especially when you're in your early twenties and you're trying to navigate life and all the question marks and you're just trying to find that answer, and you're basically saying, like, look, at the end of the day, you don't really have that clear answer.

Carlea Milatzky
So given that, how do you mentally evaluate opportunities? Like, how do you navigate your life and what does that look like for you? I think I have a really good moral compass. Like, I think that that's part of it. I have a very good intuition that I trust.

Wendy Weston
All of us have intuition. It's just whether or not you trust it. And I think between feeling like I have a good moral compass and trusting my intuition, I don't know what's best for anybody else, but I do for myself, and I try to trust that I'm always a risk taker. You know, I just have always been like, I mean, what's the worst case scenario? Like?

And I do think about that with skating. Like, I really disappointed my family. Like, there were a lot of stakes when I quit that they weren't real. Like, looking back, I was never gonna be an Olympic champion. That was an illusion.

When you have disappointed the people you love the most, they're really. When I take chances, I've learned to really depend on myself, and I don't have the fear of disappointment of others that I did. Cause I already did it. Like, in this, like, the wounded part of your child person, like, I already did that. Like, I.

I didn't become an Olympic champion. I didn't, you know, follow this straight line path, and getting over the fear of disappointing people again was definitely a thing. But once you get past that, it's like, wow, I can set myself up personally to be comfortable with my choices. And then you really taking that influence of the outside out of it, I think you can make, like, some good, clear decisions that suit you. That might not suit everyone, but suit you.

Carlea Milatzky
So I'm curious, and I can go on a couple different tangents here, but I'm curious about one particular point, which is that disappointment disappointing others. Right. And the heaviness of that. And I think a lot of people can relate to this. I'm wondering for you, is there an element of that that is kind of an illusion in the sense.

And I'm not, like, I would love to hear your particular story, too, of, like, that. That real moments of disappointment and how you navigated that, because I also think there's that element where you've heightened it tremendously. Right. And, like, at the end of the day, you have a community who love you, and they just want what's best for you. And you've created this whole, you know, this whole narrative in your mind that you're disappointing everyone around you.

So I'd love for you to talk a little bit about that. Yeah. I think part of it's real and part of it's not real. Right? Part of it.

Wendy Weston
You know, my dad, who I love dearly, grew up with absolutely nothing and was a fabulous athlete and terrible broken home and ended up, you know, he was this rock star hockey player. Ended up, because the situation was so bad at home, leaving high school and going into joining the service. He left high school early and joined the service and had given up a lot of, you know. And I think that experience, knowing that when he put his heart into me, I was living his dream. And so I knew it crushed him.

I say this with love, but it was more about him than it was about me. The disappointment, I think. Yeah, the disappointment was more about him than me. And, you know, I didn't make the best decisions when I graduated. I mean, I drove across the country.

I followed the Grateful Dead for way too long. I had a blast. And, you know, I made some questionable decisions, for sure.

And then it took many years of sort of, you know, paving my own road and choosing, making different choices than the people around me. Till my family, not my sister, but till parts of my family respected that. And we're like, oh, wow, you did okay. And now I think my dad takes pride in that. Like, he gets a kick out of it almost.

You know, like, it is a sense of pride for him that I kind of did it my way. That took many, many years to kind of get there. But I think that acceptance from family, especially having gone through something that's important, and not everybody gets it eventually. They don't, you know, so it's important, but it can't be so important that it takes away from your personal choices and journey. I love that.

Carlea Milatzky
And I love how you. There's, like, a interesting, like, full circle moment, too, in that. And, Wendy, now, you know, you have a daughter and thinking of your own journey and what you got out of it and the learnings of your own, you know, who you are as a person. Are there elements that you can kind of take out of your journey that you would want your daughter to see or at least to learn? Like, are there replicable things?

Wendy Weston
Yeah, I mean, I think committing to something is wildly important. Go in and see what's in there and find what's happening. Whether, you know, if you love to write, write whatever you can, as much as you can, and try and explore it, which she loves to write, but, you know, and commit to something and so you can start to reap the benefits of your hard work and see it, and it's not always going to go your way. I think that's another thing. Like, just because you're wildly smart, she's wildly smart, she's wildly beautiful.

She doesn't need to be anything. Like, I want her to choose things and go for it. But at the end of the day, it's like there's no guarantee, you know, who you're. You don't need to be the president you don't need to be, you know, I mean, of course I want her to aspire to her dreams, but aspire for herself, you know, and whatever that is. I mean, like, Rick Rubin, what does he say?

Something about, you know, he tells us, you know, an artist should, you know, create for themselves. You shouldn't create with the audience in mind, and I feel like that with life, right? Like, create your vision for yourself. You can't be thinking about, you know, oh, what if I'm just such and such, like, whatever it is, and you never become a New York Times bestselling author. Like, that's okay, you know?

And if it does, great bonus. But do it, because you can't not do it, you know? When perfect picnic started, I mean, there was zero chance I could not do it. It's like, I had to do it. It wasn't a choice anymore because it was my heart and my passion.

It's what I wanted. And I hope that for her, you know, it's like, lean in to what you love. I love that. And there's so many nuggets in there that it actually reminded me. I recently listened to, and I actually recommend anyone to go listen to this.

Carlea Milatzky
It was the founder's podcast with Charlie Munger. It was reflection of his biography. And he. He mentioned on that, that bit about commitment, right? He said, almost like, the biggest mistake we make is multitasking.

Like, specializing in something is so valuable and to just really lean into that a lot. And then the other piece as well is you mentioned about, like, mistakes and whatnot. He said, I wrote this down. He said, only those who are asleep make no mistakes. You know, like, it's part of life.

Anyway, I love it. So I'm so excited to get into perfect picnic now. Tell me a bit. What was the inspiration behind it? And, yeah, how did you get it started?

Wendy Weston
It started. My best friend, I hadn't been out of the country, and her grandmother was from Sicily, so she. When her grandmother passed, she said, we're going. So we got our tickets. We went for a couple of weeks, two or three weeks, and traveled down the Amalfi coast and then across Sicily and back to Rome.

And it was just this. I mean, it was a life changing experience. And part of what I loved so much was each little village we'd go to, we'd run and get a bottle of wine, our cheese, our baguette, our, you know, we'd run and go to the sunset and have a moment, a moment that wasn't rushed. It was just like being present with something delicious to share. And it was, you know, just a quiet, lovely.

It was like the highlight of our day. And when I got home, I thought, wow, we're so. We race around like crazy in this country, and, you know, where's that moment? So I came up with the idea, and then it was put on hold. I got pregnant with my daughter.

I was teaching skating still, and I was like, oh, I'm not really in the position to make some major change. Then when she was three, I was, I gotta do this. You know, I felt like I was doing not only, you know, I was doing myself a disservice, for sure, but I felt like I was doing my daughter a disservice because I was afraid. I was afraid, you know, of failing. And what if I blew it and I couldn't, you know, as a single mom, and I might fail, but if I don't try, then I definitely failed.

So I, you know, I went for it, and I was super proud of that and super proud of, you know, I feel like my daughter has learned so much watching me struggle and go for it and try and just keep trying and keep trying and keep trying. You know, for every, you know, 30 nos, you get one. Yes, for every, you know, it's like. And really having a commitment to the business and the vision and to what I thought I could create. And, you know, I'm still learning and growing with it, and it's, you know, just.

It sort of feels. I mean, it doesn't feel 13 years old. Parts of it feels like it's just begun. And I'm not sure where, you know, where it will go, which is exciting. And Wendy, reflecting back on that, on the 13 years, right.

Carlea Milatzky
What has been, would you say, the most rewarding and then the most challenging aspects of founding your own company? I think the most rewarding part, I love people. Like, I'm wildly passionate about people, whether it's a customer or my crew or, you know, I say my passions, you know, perfect picnic was the culmination of my passions. I love people, food, and creating experiences. And I feel like there's something really, really fun about that, like being able to deliver just a.

Wendy Weston
Just a nice moment for people. Like, that's high quality that people can just really enjoy. I love that. I think the hardest part was you sacrifice a lot when you build something. And my daughter sacrificed a lot, as, you know, basically, I just had her under my arm running.

It was nonstop. She was with me. She was in the basement. She was just with me. And she learned a lot.

And she saw that me trying and sometimes succeeding and sometimes failing, and, you know, she was part of that. But there was a certain sacrifice for her that her life wasn't like a lot of her other friends, you know, so that was hard. You know, it isn't part time. You know, you don't go home and the day ends. It's.

It's every minute of every day. Balance isn't really, like, a thing. So given that, right, is how. How did you. What did you do to put yourself first sometimes?

Carlea Milatzky
Or at least, like, you know, prevent burnout? And, yeah, I see the face you're making, which is, like, probably not a lot, but what? Did you ever have a moment where you were like, okay, shit, you know, I gotta do something, or, I'm really. Really lucky that I have a wildly good group of friends. A lot of my energy, and, you know, I get from being around other creative driven people.

Wendy Weston
So I feel like I had a lot of support in that, emotionally. And not having one partner is. It's like a different way to live. So you have a community. That's amazing that, you know, it's that.

Yeah, that really, really helped. I mean, that refueled me. I mean, it could be a conversation with somebody who just really gets you and knows you and knows what you're going through. That conversation I could live off of for days. You know, it's like, you know, it's somebody who gets it and respects what you're doing, too.

And, you know, that that was, you know, and I'm very social, so we'd be half dead at the end of the day, and we still. We sit outside on the sidewalk in front of my house. And, you know, it was always full of people and, you know, like, you know, Ruby would be in bed, and you sit like, I live in a ground floor apartment that we actually sit with a table and chairs on the sidewalk on the Lower east side. And it's, you know, that brought a lot of community and fun. That was it.

Carlea Milatzky
One thing that I find strikingly similar from a founder, at least like the founders I talk to. Right. And then high athletes or high performing athletes, is the difficulty almost to separate the success of you as a founder, you know, a perfect picnic compared to, you know, Wendy's worth as a human, if you will. And do you find that, and how have you navigated that a bit? Well, it's funny, because my mom said to me once, you know, I'm really worried about you, Wendy.

Wendy Weston
And I said, you know, why? I was like, why and she said, well, because you've put so much of your value and your self worth, you know, is so dependent on perfect picnic succeeding. I didn't agree with her. I felt like I had lost my identity once before in skating, and I didn't feel like that. Like, I didn't feel like I wanted to succeed and it wasn't going to be because I didn't try my hardest.

Like, I knew if it didn't happen, it definitely wasn't because I didn't do everything in my power to make it happen. You know, some things just don't work, you know, and it's not necessarily about you. And, you know, the concept was so new. Everyone was like, what is a picnic company? Like, it's, you know, and now I tell people I have a picnic company, and they go, oh, which company are you with?

I'm like, oh, my God. So it's changed so much over the years, you know, when it, you know, it's, it could have just not worked because no one cared about picnics in the same way I did, you know, and that would have had, you know, you have to frame it and get it out there in a way that people can understand. And, you know, a lot of your success, too, a lot of it's hard work and dedication, and then there's luck, you know? I mean, luck plays a big part. And I had a little bit of luck.

I had one piece of press early, early on that validated my concept to myself and to my people around me. It was like, oh, she's onto something, I guess, because everybody wrote about it, you know, and I was like, phew. And meanwhile, I had no idea what I was doing still, but I was just glad somebody cared, you know, that's always a good sign. If someone cares, you're like, yay. It reminds me of in Guy Raz, his podcast.

Carlea Milatzky
You know, he asked his founders at the end what percent was luck and what percent was hard work, you know, because I think most of them, there's always an element of luck, and it's just a matter of, like, grabbing that luck. Yeah. Yeah, because you're not the only one out there trying, right? I mean, everyone, you know, there's, you know, and some people get luckier. You know, it's like I've done really well, and I'm super proud of where I am.

Wendy Weston
Am I done and satisfied? No, not yet. Yeah. So, I mean, there's still. There's always room to stretch and grow, but I do think it's important, and this is something I've worked on the last few years is to actually be proud of yourself and where you are.

And that's not that easy, especially if you're so used to gunning for the gold, you know, it's like, wait, I did okay. You know, and I think that's having those moments really, I think, can change the quality of your life and your path. I think there's. I think there's also that value of community, which you touched on. I think that's an element, too, where it's almost like those reminders, right?

Carlea Milatzky
To be proud of yourself and, like, take a step back and realize what you've done and how far you've come and whatnot. So I love that. Yeah. Because it's hard to see when it's you. Absolutely, absolutely.

Wendy Weston
You know, especially when your head's down and you're just, like, grunting and struggling. You're like, oh, wait, where am I? You know? So. So, Wendy, I.

Carlea Milatzky
A lot of the founders that I've had on, she leads, a lot of them have this, you know, whether it's college background, different careers within tech and whatnot, whereas yours, it's very one experiential, you know, like, you've just learned by living in the world. And I think probably more valuable than all, you know, the confines of a school combined. But I want to know what aspects of founding perfect picnic required the greatest learning curve. Well, I remember the first time I met with one of my mentors. He.

Wendy Weston
I literally am like, I'm like a tornado of creativity and all passion, and, like, I had. I knew nothing. Like, actually nothing. And he was like, okay, well, this is what we're going to do. You're going to build a deck, and da da da.

And I'm thinking, I write in my, you know, write down deck question mark. I'm like, what the hell is a deck? I've never heard of it. Never. Like, there is nothing in my life that I would have needed a pitch deck for, you know, simple things like that, that you just.

I knew absolutely nothing about. So, you know, going from, like, you basically have your PhD in figure skating where there's nothing I didn't know. I mean, of course there's things I didn't know, but not really. I mean, you at least knew 100% of the basics of everything, and I knew 90% of the other stuff, you know? Right.

And this was like, I just got a good idea, and I feel like I can do it, you know? And it was like, a lot of those things were tricky, and finding myself in rooms with people who I literally didn't know what they were saying or talking about. And I'd write it down and go home and be like, what was that? You know, no idea. That was fun and interesting and I've learned a ton.

Carlea Milatzky
And how did you of navigate that? Did you lean on others or was it, was it complete fake it till you make it? Like you acted like you knew exactly what. Okay, yeah, I faked it a hundred percent. I had no idea most of the time what was happening.

I love that. And you just, you know, you ask, you try to ask appropriate questions and then research and then watch a lot of shark tank. You know, I was like, that's when it first started, right? It's probably 15 years old or 13. It was around the time that I started the shark tank started.

Wendy Weston
I was like, oh, my God, the greatest thing ever. You know, there was just so much to learn and to think, you know, business feels like I used to, people ask me, what do you do? And I was like, I don't know. I like to make stuff. And I mean, like, I like to make a lot of stuff, a lot of different things.

But business to me is like a creative process. You know, it's, it's so interesting and there's so many different things that it can be, you know, it's not one way. So there really is a lot of, like, creativity in it that I think I didn't realize and I really love. You know, it's like that I've really enjoyed and was a surprise for me. You know, I didn't anticipate that.

Carlea Milatzky
I also, I really appreciate that you said that even from the vein of, I think so often. And this could be, like, rooted when you're very little. Right. But you get put in a box of saying, you know, you're good at math or you're the creative type and, like, those two usually don't go together or, you know, so I think even bringing into the conversation of, like, founding a company, right. That could be so creative and it could be, you know, not the most exciting company, but still there's so many different angles to go about it and whatnot.

So I love that. I love that perspective. Yeah. No one of us will, like, create the identical thing, right. So whatever those choices are and decisions you make and how you unfold it and what you choose is you have multiple options.

Wendy Weston
So you're using your, you know, your instinct and your, you know, to kind of get where you end up. And it will always be different than someone else in some capacity because it's you. So, Wendy, I want to know, outside of perfect picnic, what is something that you're obsessed with that others rarely talk about or are as well, sex. I would say. I love it.

I would say women's sexual health, I think it is. Yeah. Our sex, both. I mean, and that's combined in women's, you know, I feel like now we're in such a tough, you know, terrible time as far as, you know, losing control of our own bodies, obviously is wildly concerning. So from one level to the, you know, from the fact, you know, in the function side to the physical, just, you know, pleasure side, I think people really underestimate the importance of, like, sexual health.

And women especially, I mean, men, it's like a joke, and women, it's like no one talks about it. And I find that wildly shocking. And I think it's super fascinating. And I just think there's so, you know, they say, like, youth is wasted on the young, and they're young and having, you know, like, the 20 somethings with all these experiences. And I'm like, what is everybody talking about?

Like, there's so much left to explore in life and especially with menopause, which also isn't talked about, you know, all the changes. And now, thank God, people are actually paying attention to what happens to women and just, there's so much sexual joy and that can still exist at 54 years old. You know, that is like, I feel like I haven't even got. I mean, in so many aspects of my life, I haven't feel like I've really gotten started yet. Like, I'm just beginning everything, right?

And I think, yeah. So, anyway, that's something I think about a lot. And I just think I meet so many people. No one's having sex. It's like, it's no one.

It's so weird. And it's. It reminds me. And I would definitely. I think you would love it is.

Carlea Milatzky
I talked not too long ago to Pauly Rodriguez on she leads, and she's a founder of unbound, and she has an incredible story where she had cancer and she had to go through menopause at 21 years old. But, like, her whole passion, that's why she started this company, which is, you know, woman's sexual health isn't talked about, and there's still the stigma around and, like, breaking that barrier. So, anyway, it reminds me so much of that. I love it. Yeah, I love it.

Wendy Weston
I love that. And I think it's really important because I say, like, men I mean, they have one day, they, like, can't get an erection, and the next thing you know, the entire medical community is, like, you know, like, behind them, you know, it's like, my God, you know? And here we are, like, quietly struggling, and it's. You know, I think. You know what I mean?

Carlea Milatzky
It's great. It's. Jeez. Okay, so, Wendy, I want to hear it. Maybe this is similar, but what is your most contrary opinion?

Wendy Weston
All right. One of my beliefs, because it's what happened to me, is I believe, and it's a spiritual thing. I've never. I do not believe that my daughter lived inside my belly. For me, personally, it's a completely ridiculous concept for me.

I'm not saying that for anybody else, to be clear, I am like a. I think that's one of the mistakes that our current society makes, that no one's allowed an opinion, and everyone thinks they're right, and that is not me. You know, I am like, live and let live. For me, when I conceived my daughter, she chose me. I felt it that instant, which I feel very blessed that that happened to me.

I immediately called my best friend and said, I'm pregnant. She's like, no, you're not. And I'm like, no, I am. And she chose me. Sure enough, I was.

And that experience changed the way I viewed a lot of things. I grew the vessel that she entered. I mean, clearly, I grew the vessel, but for me, she entered her body at birth. And then I watched my mom pass, and she exited her body. And death.

It was very clear. It 100% happened. And people think, you know, it's. It's just. It's.

It's an interesting topic because it also has to do a lot with women's health and, you know, our abortion laws. And, you know, I'm not saying we should be having full term. You know, I'm saying, you know, that's what happened to me. And it's very. I believe that someone chooses you, and it doesn't need to be in.

You don't need to grow the vessel either. One of my best friends, she and her wife had a child, and she said, you know, I can't tell you how helpful that was for me. When their daughter Annie came, that Annie was coming for them. Like, this is. I believe that, like, she chose them as her parents.

And I think whether it's an adoption process, like, be open to receiving in many different ways. Right. And you'd be really. I think it's really interesting to see what could come from that. And it's not always traditional, and it's just as beautiful and profound and intentional, you know?

Carlea Milatzky
I mean, there's also an element here, even from finding peace with death, too. Right? I it reminded me, I read in a book, and this is never. I've never forgotten this. Um, I don't even remember the book, to be honest.

But I read in a book where I think it's almost like you think of life and death almost as realms, and, like, before birth, you're in a different realm, and then you enter life, and you don't even know what realm you were in before. You don't know what death is like, you know, it's a different realm and same thing with death. So, anyway, I mean, no, I think. I think there's a lot of, like, there's power in that. And at the end of the day, it's.

It's all a matter of just finding that inner peace, that inner core, what works for you and what you can resonate, what you resonate. So, anyway, I think that's excellent. And, okay, my last question is, what craft are you spending a lifetime honing? Let's see. I guess if I were to pick one thing, it would be the practice of acceptance.

Wendy Weston
You know, we all can say, oh, I want to be more grateful. I want to be more, you know, it's like we have these things that we cut, you know, all the buzzwords that we know, which are amazing, and they're important and they matter. But I think there's an acceptance part of life that is, will bring a lot of peace and beauty. But it's a. It's a practice.

It's not something that I think can happen. Super. I mean, some. It happens supernaturally, never all the time, you know, and kind of checking yourself. I say to my daughter, move through the world in a way that you're proud.

You do that, you're good, right? I mean, if nothing ever, like, you know, obviously you want to have some financial success. You want to have this, you know, you don't want to be, but, like, do that, and you're winning already, right? If you can just do that simple thing, and then the rest is like, you know, and it's not like, accept passively. Like, oh, it didn't work out.

I accept that. But there is an acceptance and move on to the, you know, try harder. It do change the way you're trying, change the way you're doing, whatever. But an acceptance of a moment, an acceptance of a situation that I think has a lot of power in it. Incredible, incredible move through the world in a way that makes you proud.

Carlea Milatzky
I love that. It's a good one. It's a way to live, that's for sure. It's an amazing one. I think just like having those mantras, right?

Like that's one that you can just stick to. So Wendy, it has been an absolute pleasure having you on Sheely's. Thank you so much for coming on the podcast. Yeah, I love that. That was so fun.

Wendy Weston
Thank you so much for having me. Thank you so much for listening to the show this week. If you enjoyed, please spread the word, tell someone about she leads or post about it on social media and tag us if you want to contact us. Feel free to send over a message through the she leads Instagram pagehealeads show. If you want to follow us on Twitter.

Speaker A
Our account is she leads show and mine is arleigh Milatsky. This episode was produced and edited by Nick Firchau. Thank you. Also to our partner, Floodgate. If you are passionate about startups and want to learn more about the starting journey of those who have built groundbreaking companies, I highly recommend listening to starting greatness with Mike Maples Jr.

The founding partner of Floodgate. He has an incredible show that, in my opinion, is definitely worth your time. Thanks again.

120: Wendy Weston | Founder, Perfect Picnic

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1: Introduction

2: Career Transition

3: Building Perfect Picnic

4: Personal Growth

5: Entrepreneurial Insights

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