Episode 40 - Cody Wright - Capturing Moments

Cody Wright (00:00):
You know, you always hit that period where you realize that your parents aren't infallible, you know, that, that they don't have all the answers. And they're trying the best that they can. I feel like success is not only really like meeting your own goals and aspirations, but you know, also building up people around you and feeling like you can have an impact on, on their lives, their goals and their aspirations

Young Han (00:30):
Hey guys, I'm young, a full-time dad and a full-time professional with the goal to become the best parent possible. The girl dad show is my journey interviewing fellow working parents to be both good at work and parenting. I'm gonna do this by gathering and sharing unfiltered perspectives from my guest to join me as I research parenthood one interview at a time.

Young Han (00:53):
Cody, thank you so much for joining me on my show today. I really appreciate you taking the time.

Cody Wright (00:58):
Thanks so much Young. I'm I'm really excited to be here.

Young Han (01:01):
Yeah, it's gonna be fun. I have talked to you about all of this stuff, but it's gonna be really great to dive really deep into parenting and, and work and all that stuff, but let's get into it. Cause since I already know you, but the listeners don't what do you do for a living?

Cody Wright (01:17):
So I do a couple of things. Now. I am the founder and a consultant with a company called on Plumeria. We consider ourselves to be a culture company. We help companies nurture the talent within their organizations, teams, and individuals. I also recently took on a position as head of learning and development at open C, which is an NFT marketplace.

Young Han (01:40):
Yeah, that's awesome. I I know you as Plumeria and I know the recent thing of open C is really, really exciting cause I know of open C and it's like the, the hippest coolest NFT company to work for right now. Isn't it?

Cody Wright (01:55):
I think so. That's, I'm there. Yeah, yeah,

Young Han (01:59):
Yeah. I feel like I don't know enough about it right now. And it's like, so I feel so dumb and like just like behind the ball and I'm like, am I, am I getting like, am I becoming that old, old guy? That's like, doesn't understand the new technology because it's so hard for me to wrap my brain around cryptocurrency web three and NFTs. And and it's just so exciting that, you know, these new platforms are coming in and then getting to hear about it from you and and talking to you a little bit about it, but what are some of the big projects you're currently working on?

Cody Wright (02:30):
So with Plumeria so we are helping a major sports brand renovate their facilities in pursuit of a new collaborative work style. That's especially been interesting given the pandemic and physical lockdowns of of workspaces and so on, so forth. So that's been an interesting project to be a part of. We're helping a prominent ratings and awards company improve the performance of one of their fortune 10 retail clients. So that's exciting as well. At open sea, I don't know how much I can tell you about what I'm doing, but building out a culture, learning within the organization, there you go. Building out a culture of learning within the, and then seeing how we can maybe become more of a thought leader and educator in, in the public space. So to make it a place where people can come to learn all the things that you're hoping to learn and that's right. I'm hoping to learn and all those things yeah. On my own, I'm working on a book about learning experience design and trying to refresh my guitar skills to hopefully collaborate with a few musicians on things and all of my downtime, which is wow. Almost nonexistent.

Young Han (03:50):
Yeah, I had no idea you were doing that. I kind of, I knew the first thing I kind of knew about the second thing and I did not know that you were working on a book and starting to perform. That's amazing. Yeah. Where do you find the time?

Cody Wright (04:05):
I'm not sure exactly. It just kinda fits in the cracks. It is an interesting benefit of working from home in that, you know, if you have like a 10 minute gap from one meeting to the next or something like that, there's really not enough time to do anything substantial. So it's a great time to pick up a guitar and go through a few things and so on and so forth. So I find myself doing that a lot throughout the day and it helps me think when I need to focus on, on things as well. So yeah.

Young Han (04:37):
And is guitar your mainstay? I thought it was piano. Wasn't what, what you tell me what, what's your main instrument?

Cody Wright (04:44):
I would say my main instrument is guitar. I can find my way around a piano. I used to teach keyboard harmony, but I can't I, I don't have the dexterity to have one hand play one thing and the other hand play something else. So I can play like block chords, but the moment there's an, a, the left hand and the melody and the right. I, I can't do it.

Young Han (05:05):
Yeah. Is that one of those things where you like pat your head and like rub your tummy? Is that kind of the one of those?

Cody Wright (05:10):
Exactly.

Young Han (05:10):
Yeah. Got it. Yeah. Yeah. So that's awesome. And so it sounds like you're kind of exploding in, in different activities and projects and you're just kind of fitting it all in. How about, how about your, your kid? Why don't you tell the list about your daughter?

Cody Wright (05:24):
Oh my gosh. So my daughter is definitely one of the best things in my life. She has hit that magic age of 13 this year. So it's, it's sort of like a switch flips, you know, there's, there's all these stages of development that happen. You, you know, when they hit a certain age, suddenly they start making sounds that sound like vocalizations. And, you know, suddenly they start crawling, suddenly they start walking and when they hit 13, suddenly they start becoming a little more passive about things, not wanting to express like emotion around things. So everything's kinda like cool, man. Cool. You know, So yeah, it's, it's really weird. Cause it's like almost on the dot, like you turn 13 and now you are a teenager, you know, with that kinda mindset. So yeah. So that's been fun to watch, but yeah. She's a great kid

Young Han (06:18):
I know that a lot of these new endeavors are fairly new, although your consulting business has been how long you been consulting for now?

Cody Wright (06:28):
It's been two and a half. About four years. Yeah.

Young Han (06:29):
Four years. You've been consulting. Oh,

Cody Wright (06:31):
It be five years this year. Yeah.

Young Han (06:32):
Wow. You've been doing it a long time. And then what is what is your daughter think about all the things that you do and the work that you do and, and your business that you're building and, and the job that you got. And then now you're gonna write a book. Like, does she understand all these things to a degree?

Cody Wright (06:51):
So she really likes the work that I do with Plumeria, even though I think she's not exactly sure what we do, but she actually, when she was nine, she named the company, I couldn't think of a good name for the company. And she came strolling in and I was like, yeah, I can't think of a name. I can't think of a name. And she was like, how about Plumeria? I said, oh, that's a great name, but it's gonna be taken, you know, 10 times over. But I checked I checked and it was available. Like there are a couple companies named plum Maria, like some variation of plum Maria in different industries, but it was pretty much wide open. Whereas most names you check 'em and there's like 20 companies with that exact same name. That's right. So yeah, so she named that. So she's always happy when I'm doing that and when this opportunity with open sea came up, that was one of her first questions is wait, is Plumeria shutting down, like what's going on, you know? Yeah. but no, so she was relieved when I said, no, it's alive and well, it's gonna keep going. So on and so forth with NFTs I guess there are definitely mixed feelings about NFT. So some people are excited, see it as the wave of the future, but kids in middle school, they think it's a big joke and I guess it's become like a massive meme and so on and so forth. So she's just like, oh my gosh, don't let anybody that I know. See you like reading about NFT, see you listening to podcast about NFTs. Like don't mention where you work. Like yeah. She, she believes she will be the laughing stock of the school. If people find out that her dad's in NFTs

Young Han (08:33):
That's what happens. Cause is, cause I'm sitting here, I'm sitting here on the back end of that, you know, category age wise and I'm going like, oh, I learn it. Or also I'm not cool. And then you have like these young kids that are like, oh, don't talk about it. Or you're not cool. That is so funny. Yeah.

Cody Wright (08:48):
Yeah. It's so funny. Yeah. The balance of those.

Young Han (08:52):
Yeah. So I'm really excited about the open sea job that you have. And I'm assuming that you took on that head of learning job because of the same reason, what, same reason that I just articulated earlier on. Right. Like I, I want to be involved. I want to know what it is, but I just don't know what I'm, what I'm doing or like how to even like start the process of learning. Right. So I'm sure that that's one of the big things that you're tackling is like helping the education process of this new frontiering industry. It's not even it's, it's not even a category. It's like its own industry. It's like its own space.

Cody Wright (09:25):
Yeah. Yeah. And yeah, that's absolutely why I got involved with it. I was actually at the time that the opportunity came about, I was researching open C because as a musician, I wanted to figure out, can I turn my music into NFTs? How does that work? How do copyrights around it work, you know, in this new space, can you do, does it have to be recorded material? Can you turn sheet music into an NFT, you know, like all this kind of stuff. And so when the opportunity came up, you know, I, I sort of, of, I guess out of a scale of one to 10, I would've rated myself maybe like a three in terms of NFT knowledge when the opportunity came up. So I, I really figured it was an opportunity to not only learn more about the space myself, but to help other people like me learn a lot more about the space. Cuz there are a ton of resources out there to learn about NFTs. They tend to be really technical though. And they tend to be very focused on how, and I think a lot of people in my position have questions about why, like why is this important? How, why will this be the, the wave of the future and you know, all these types of things. And so I'm really interested in helping contribute that. Why to the greater learning resource community around the space.

Young Han (10:45):
That's awesome. Yeah. And I can't think of a better person to help educate the masses on it. And it's definitely people like me. You, you definitely have a natural way of like breaking things down into very understandable bite size nuggets. That being said, I would love to talk to you about how, like you came to do all these things. Cause I think it's super important that everyone understands like that you're you were, you were actually, I don't know. I it's unfair because I, I, you know, you're like a, a special guest in the sense. I know you, right. So I'm like kind of like, I'm like kinda like filling in the gap for you. So let me just ask the question, tell, tell us about your childhood. Tell us about how you grew up.

Cody Wright (11:27):
Oh boy. My childhood was I would say it was a, a mixed variety of experiences. So we had some really great memories. My mother was the type who would volunteer in the classroom on a weekly basis and was one of the cool parents that the other kids liked when she chaperoned her own field trips and so and so forth. We did a lot of things. It was also tinted by a lot of hardships. So we were, I remember when I was like eight years old, my parents gave me the book. Like, what does it mean when mommy and daddy say we can't afford it? You know, and, and different things like that. We definitely had some family alcohol use disorder in play. And then when I was about 13, my daughter's age, that's when my parents divorced and so on and so forth. So there were, there were a lot of challenges in there. But you know, holidays, for example were always a really big deal. So Christmas was a really special time. Halloween was a really special time Easter, you know, all these types of things. Mm. So, so it's really like you have these difficult moments and these difficult things that you're dealing with, but also there are these really magical moments interspersed in there.

Young Han (12:47):
Wow. Dang. I thought I knew you and I was leading you on, but I just learned so much more about you. And, and do you think that that's really impacted you and your, your career trajectory and your parenting style?

Cody Wright (13:01):
I think so because I would say at a young age I was sort of required to become rather independent. And you know, you always hit that period where you realize that your parents aren't infallible, you know, that, that they don't have all the answers and they're trying the best that they can and all that stuff. I probably discovered that maybe a little bit earlier, which made me a little more skeptical of authority in general, and that definitely reflected in my studies as I grew up, I was definitely the type of kid where if I didn't understand why I was learning something, I couldn't learn it. And so I'd get bad grades in, in those subjects. Teachers would often either love having me in the class cuz I'd ask all the questions nobody would ask or they hated having me in the class because the questions. It didn't make sense and yeah, yeah, exactly. And I think that kind of reflects on my career as well. So with all the things I do in learning and development, I take myself as my own more student and think if I was going through this, would I, would I buy it? Would I be interested in this? Would I agree with the conclusions that are being made and if not, what, what I want in there, you know? So it's really caused me to shape the learning experiences that we do as very learn driven. So it's up to people in the classes to come up with their own conclusions based on information that they're given so on and so forth. So there's a lot of debate and different things. I like that. I would definitely say that came from my childhood, and, and just trying to look at things in, in different ways. I think even when it comes to my trajectory in terms of what I believed I was capable of and like what I've actually done is probably motivated a lot by my childhood too. I felt, I feel like I really had to push hard to make things happen because I was having to make things happen myself. Like I paid for my own college by working, you know, four jobs simultaneously to my studies and all sorts of things. Cuz my parents didn't have any money to contribute and so on and so forth. So yeah, that, that actually gave me a lot of skills in terms of trying to be self-sufficient and and make things happen. So yeah.

Young Han (15:32):
How and how do you how do you think about that as you think about your, your daughter and being a dad? Like what are some of those things that you want instill in her? What are the things that you wanna provide differently?

Cody Wright (15:43):
That's a great question. Definitely. I, I, I want to mix special those things that were special to me when I was younger. So as, as you can imagine, holidays are a big deal. Yeah. In my house, like you go all out for Christmas and Halloween and all that kinda stuff. Mm. Just because I, I remember how magic those moments were and it's, it's a language that I can understand that I think I can pass on. And then it's about trying to mitigate some of the things that, that I had to deal with that were hardships for me. There's also the other lens, which is my daughter is half Japanese. And so I think it has also made me aware of a lot more of my own privilege growing up and some things where, you know, I thought I was fighting really hard battles, but you know, know at the same time I had an edge that a lot of people wouldn't have to, to be able to achieve those same things. So when it comes to my daughter you know, I'm, I'm really trying to be sensitive to that and recognize, you know, when she goes to school, for example, she identifies as Asian. And so she kind of looks around to, are there other Asian kids here? There's not many, you know and so they kind of group together and so on and so forth. And that's not something that I really had much experience with, you know, being a white kid in a white city. I mean, actually I guess my city was pretty we had a lot of Latino people and so on and so forth in where I grew up. So I guess I was exposed to different races and cultures early on. And then when I went to school, I went to music conservatory. So most everybody there is international. So I think that helped, but yeah, it's really nice to see rehears. We're really nice to be cognizant of that as, as my daughter's growing up and just to help her in ways that maybe I didn't need that help before.

Young Han (17:43):
Yeah. That's a great answer. You're very, very thoughtful about your, your, your parenting strategy here. This is really great. It's I think you you're naturally like that, right. Even in your, you know, even in your career and your job, but it's really cool to see how you parlay that into parenting. And as it relates to parenting what, what about parenting, as you're thinking about her and kind of like where you're going with this with her in this next stage, and, you know, you said she's a teenager now and where she's headed, what are the things that you're actually trying to keep and maintain like the holidays, but what are you things that you're trying to change?

Cody Wright (18:25):
What am I trying to change? I would definitely say I was, was, was one of those protective parents with Oli when she was younger. I think she also had that benefit of being the only child. So she didn't have to compete for attention with those things, but I was always in her classroom. I was always chaperoning field trips, you know, all that kinda stuff. And watching out for her. And now I think she's really feeling this need to assert greater independence and so on and so forth. And so I think that's one of the things I really need to change is how can I support her in being more independent while at the same time, making it clear that I'm here when she needs me and so on and so forth. So that's been she's been a big challenge.

Young Han (19:11):
Is she telling you this or are you feeling it you're just picking up on it?

Cody Wright (19:14):
Maybe a little bit of both. I definitely feel it in a lot of circumstances because you'll pick up some attitude and things in different areas. You're like, what where's that coming from? I'm not used to this. Like we don't, we don't usually have this reaction or this, this conversation at this point. And then, yeah, I think there have been times where, you know, she's asked for that space or she now says, you know, I'm gonna go hang out in my room for a while. Whereas before, like she never would, even if I was working, I'd be like, don't you wanna go hang out in your room for a bit? And she'd be like, no, I wanna stay here with you. You know? Yeah. So so that's been an interesting shift to watch.

Young Han (19:53):
Oh, wow. That is awesome. And that that's really, really and really scary for me because everyone tells me that like, you need to enjoy the time that you have with your kids when they want to be around you all the time, because the moment that switch happens, they like don't wanna spend any time with you. And then it doesn't come back until they're like 30, 35. Right. Then they wanna spend time with you again. Yeah. so it is really true. So you're validating that what everyone's been saying, you're like, Hey, I'm living proof that it actually is starting to happen. Yeah. That's great. Right. Right. And then as it relates to your career and business, what are your, some of the, the, what are the, some of the things that you qualify success at? Like how do you think about when you think about building your business and your career?

Cody Wright (20:42):
I, I guess I would use my relationship with you as an example. You know, we we collaborate on things. We've had our disagreements, we've sort of had our ups and downs with different things. We are always interested in pursuing amazing opportunities and seeing how we can work together, you know, and at the end of all of it, you know, we still love each there. I love you, man. And you know, it's been really great fostering a relationship with you. And, and so, yeah, I feel like success is not only really like meeting your own goals and aspirations, but you know, also building up people around you and feeling like you can have an impact on, on their lives, their goals and their, and I think I think that's articulated pretty well in our relationship.

Young Han (21:31):
Yeah. I love you too, man. I love you too. And I think that that's a really well said statement because we have been through a lot together and it's been like short but not short. Right. And we've gone through a lot in that in those few years, and we've probably experienced a lot of trials and true relations way more, most people do just because there's business mixed in friendship and relationship and situations that are not normally there during a normal friendship. Right. Cause our, our relationship was really right built around this kind of development cycle of, of life and, and building businesses and stuff. So it's a really good point. And I think that if you think about business at the end of the day, like it really is still about people, you know, and, and the relationships that you build and the brand that you set for yourself and, and it, it's, it's very, very deep and philosophical of you to say that. And that means a lot that you actually articulated on the podcast as well too. So thank you for, thank you for doing that. Very cool. Yeah. Awesome. And then is there is there any kind of like goals or aspirations you want from your daughter as it relates to her career and her trajectory and where you wanna take her, do you want her to kind of fall in your footsteps or do you think that she has an inkling for some sort of like passion or different trajectory in life?

Cody Wright (22:46):
Oh, man, that, that is definitely the age old question when it comes to your kids. I, I want her to feel like she's making her own decisions and pursuing the things that she really wants to she's in a particular peculiar situation in that, you know, I'm, I'm this white dude and her mom is this Japanese parent. And we both have pretty different expectations when it comes to what our kids will do. So for example, if my daughter is baking things and she's saying, oh, I love baking. You know, I'll say, oh, you know, there are culinary schools in the area you can even yeah, yeah. You know, look at maybe doing that, you know, and you know, her mom is like, no, you will not be going to culinary, listen to real school. Like you need to, you need to get a real degree at a real school and, you know, stuff like that.

Cody Wright (23:40):
When it comes to even her middle school grades, you know, I'm, I'm like, oh, great. You got like an a, and she's like, oh my gosh, but I should have gotten an, a plus and this and that. And they're gonna see it on my high school transcript and you know, all this kinda stuff. I'm just like, don't worry about it, man. I had like some CS on my, on my high school transcript and you know, I'm doing okay. So but so I think she's doing a really good job of balancing those competing pressures. Like I really want her to do what she loves doing something she'll be happy doing. And also something that she'll find fulfilling and that can sustain her home life that she wants as well. You know, so she'll make enough money and all of stuff, but I want her to be happy with it. So if she ended up running a bakery somewhere or, you know, something like that, I would be totally happy with that. So she's balancing that with, you know, the high expectations that her mom has and so on and so forth. And I think it's actually a really good combination. I'm hoping she'll end up somewhere in the middle where she really sets a are for herself and for success, but at the same time, make sure that, you know, she's happy and she's doing something that she wants to do and that she's doing it for the right reasons. So so I'm, I'm pretty hopeful that she'll end up in a good place. 

Young Han (25:00):
That's awesome, man. And if you actually think about whether or not it is beneficial or not at the very least she's getting the perspectives, right. And so whether she turns into a hybrid model of that and she gets best of both words or not, at least she's actually aware and exposed to the different types of ways of thinking about this, because as I've gotten older, what I realized is that it's actually a combination of both. Like you just said, you know, like it's a hybrid of both, right? Because you can't just follow your passion, which is something that I've like really pinged hard to, you know, in my thirties, I'm like, oh, I just wanna be passionate. I just wanna be happy about it, but it's like, it still needs to pay the bills and it still needs to sustain life. And it needs to be something that people want and that provides value for somebody. Right. Or else like, you could be happy, but it, then your other parts aren't because you're poor or you're not able to like make, you know, make rent or, and so then it, the overall happiness gets kind of diversified cuz we're such complex creatures. Right. And so you do need a kind of approach. This is a diversified mindset and, and you know, like really think through like, sure, what are you passionate about? But what also is the market, you know, saying is valuable and like what can you provide? You know, like there's a lot of things that go into it. Yeah,

Cody Wright (26:10):
Exactly.

Young Han (26:11):
And so that's a really, really good way of like thinking about it. I will say though, I say that and you know, I'm talking all dramatically and smart, but secretly, I just want my kids to be musicians. Yeah. All this stuff about being smart and then for providing value. But like all I really want for my kids to do is like learn how to sing and play guitar. That'd be amazing. Yeah. Thanks. Do you have a thing? Do you have a thing like that where you like secretly want them to do something?

Cody Wright (26:41):
I mean, I, her mom and I are both musicians and so I think we both secretly would love it if she was a musician. She, I, I think we maybe pushed her a little harder in music than maybe she was ready to be. So she played violin for eight years and then finally told me, I just don't wanna do it anymore. I gave it eight years, you know, it's enough time for me to figure out that I don't wanna do it. Which for me makes a lot of sense because when I play guitar and all those types of things you know, I don't do it for a career. And I tried doing I tried writing music as a career, fresh outta college for a little bit. And it was really stress and I found that I wasn't enjoying it. And things like that. So I'm actually kind of glad that she put her foot down and said, you know, I'm not gonna continue with this. Because now actually it's so interesting cuz every once in a while she'll be doing her thing and then I'll hear her violin from her room. Wow. And so I'll ask later, oh, I heard you playing some violin. She's like, yeah. You know, I I was watching thise or whatever and there was this melody and so I just wanted to play it. That's awesome. And so she's starting to get to the point where she plays when she wants to play and plays what she wants to play, which I think is a much preferred. But yeah, secretly I think her mom and I, if we could wave a magic wand, she would be doing music somewhere.

Young Han (28:10):
That's awesome. That's actually a really good way of thinking about it. Cause I think back to when I grew up and my, my parents in typical I mean it's very typical in Asian culture, but like you have to learn piano, you know? And like you have to just like, that's just like a man thing. And in Korean culture you have to learn TaeKwonDo as well. So it's like Tew do and piano. But, but long story short, we like you know, we talked to same situation. We like, Hey, we did piano for so long and we want to quit. And so we, the siblings got together and we quit together. But very similar to what you just said. Like I went back to and my mom, like two or three years later and said, I actually wanna learn piano again. And, but it was like me driving it. Right. And it's, I think that separation and then allowing for me to like figure out what it is that I wanted versus like being told. And I think that's part of growing up and I think it's part of like, you know, grave grabbing your independence and then, and then understanding a little bit more about, you know, the diversification of yourself. So maybe the secret is reverse psychology. Maybe I should tell her not to play the piano and then my kids will hopefully will actually wanna play the piano. Yeah. That'll probably be my strategy at tactic. Yeah. Right. Very good. Hey, let me let jump into some of my questions. I like to ask every guest here, just so I can have some consistency about conversations that I have in every episode. Okay. What advice do you have for other parents and soon to be parents?

Cody Wright (29:40):
Oh, geez. My first go-to advice is, is the one that everybody knows, which is, you know, take a lot of pictures, you know, that time goes by so fast. And when O was younger, I used to keep an almost daily journal. It it's kind of dropped off over the years and so on and so forth, but just to take that time to live each moment, slow it down you know, and take, take notice of how it feels, how it looks, how it smells, you know different things like that, so that you can think back on them. And you know, I think it's also really important to recognize or to think back when you were a kid, what are those things that really were magical to you when you had a magical moment? What did it feel like? What, what do you, what do you imagine that was like, you know, and just recognize that that's kind of what your children are experiencing now is, you know, these, this is a magical age for them, which they'll never be able to get back when, when they get older. So just them to do that is definitely I, I, I think helpful in terms of really making sure that they have the childhood that you want them to have and that they wanna have.

Young Han (30:53):
That's a great answer. If you can go back and tell yourself one thing before having kids, what would it be?

Cody Wright (31:00):
What would that be? I guess, you know, I mean, part of it is, is that it's a, it's okay to make mistakes. So, you know, everybody always jokes, kids don't come with a owner's manual or anything like that. But people will take that to different degrees, right. Some people say, oh, they're unbreakable. Some people like were worry about every little thing. And I think, I think there's a balance to it and, and about allowing mistakes to happen. And then I think a big part of that is also, you know, being honest with your kids. So I realized like early on remember I was eating a cookie or something like that. Anomaly said, oh, can I have a cookie? I said, no, it's almost dinner time. You shouldn't have a cookie. She's like, exactly, you're having a cookie, you know, and that's the, that's the place where you can totally pull the parent card, you know, or be like, I'm older than you. I know how to balance my appetite better than you, you know, like all this kind of stuff. But but it may me stop and think I am having a cookie that's right. Why can't she have a cookie like so that we could address it, like from her standpoint? Cause I have my reasons as to why I wouldn't have her have a cookie, but think it's okay for me to have one at that time. But if I can't articulate that to her, then she gets a cookie that's. Right. Because kids are actually really strong with that logic. And if you can explain, Hey, this is like this because of this and so on and so forth. They usually understand. And so so if I could go back, I would say anytime that you think about pulling the parent card or saying, because I said so, or because I'm the parent or whatever I would not do that. I would, I would instead, you know, try to meet them where they're at, because it also, you know, I think if you play the parent card, it will affect their behavior down the road where they all start to pull rank or, or they'll start to, you know, hold their privilege over other people in different areas.

Young Han (33:03):
Yeah. No, it's a really good point. And I, I definitely try to follow that same logic as well. Right. And probably to an extreme because my wife always likes to tell me that I, there, she has like, she has three kids not to, because I mean, I always get talked into having, you know, donuts for lunch and ice cream for dinner. Like I'm, I'm always the pushover debt. I'm like, that does sound like a good idea, you know? And like they negotiate with me and they win and I'm like, yeah. And I'll have a good argument. So I'm like, let's, we're doing it. You know? And so I'm, I'm on, like, I don't think as I'm as Sage about it or as like a thoughtful about it as you are, I just, like, I just don't have a good argument. So I'm like, you're right. Not fair. Let's go do it. And then we just go end up doing it. So, yeah. Right, right. Very cool. Yeah. What is the most the inverse of that question? What is the most surprising thing that you've learned about yourself after becoming a parent?

Cody Wright (33:54):
I don't know if it's specific to me, but I think one of the things that has been so surprising is recognizing where your parents were at, at, at different stages in your life. Right. So there's that moment when you see that picture of you as a kid with your parents and you look and say, oh my gosh, my dad in this picture is like 12 years younger than I am now, you know? And so it, it, it reframes everything in this perspective of, Hey, my parents are, are people, you know, and, and I'm older than my dad was in that picture. And when, and, and so then you start thinking of it through your kid's eyes, you know, what did I think of my parents' around 13, you know? And is there a good chance that that's sort of how, you know, my daughter views me and so on and so forth. So it's just, it's just this really weird, like meta moment, you know, where it's kind of like, what is, what does this all mean? You know? And, and it just kind of like makes you more of the cycle of life and, and all that kind of stuff. So, yeah. I don't know if that's really a realization about myself, but it's definitely something that I wasn't expecting.

Young Han (35:11):
Yeah. I think it goes back to, you know, like you just being super insightful and, and introspective. I mean, that's, I think you're always kind of looking inwards to see, you know, like, like the, the, the things that you can pull from it right. And things that you can learn from it. And so I, I, that's actually a pretty code answer in my opinion. Yeah. I've actually, I like it a lot. Okay. So let's keep moving. Do you have a favorite book or a favorite business book that you kind of like would recommend people read if they wanted to read something and get to know you a little bit better?

Cody Wright (35:46):
Oh boy. So it's probably cliche at this point, but my favorite book is the Alchemist by Palo Culo. It's just, it's one of those ones that you can read at multiple different stages in your life. And it's a different book when, you know, if you read it when you're young, it's one way, and then if you're middle aged and read it, it, it's totally different. And it's totally different. Now, each time that you read it, just because of all the perspectives and thoughts and philosophies and everything that are in it, it's really cool for business. I think that's where my distrust of authority comes into place. Like I think you know, Steve jobs once said something along the lines of, you know, there comes a point out which you realize that everything that's out there, something that somebody thought of, like just another human, like the out of this, or came up with it. And so once you realize that you can come up with your own things. So there's a lot of things when it comes to business and things like that, where I try to pick up on best practices and things, but also like I trust my gut a lot when it comes to certain things. And so I'll read books and sometimes be really critical of like the mindset of the person, or think that they're missing like a perspective or something like that. That said I, I do like a lot of Simon cynic's work. So even just, you know, start with why is a, is a good one that especially in my apple day seemed particularly relevant. And then I've seen bene brown speaks a several times, and she's always amazing. And so I, I think I've read a half of one of her books, but just been so busy, but my book list has a lot of her books on it as well.

Young Han (37:29):
And then when you're not building up an amazing culture business called Plumeria and training the masses on NFTs at open sea and learning how to be a musician and not learning how to be a musician. Sorry, launching your redo of your musical career here and being a super dad what does Cody do for fun? What's your downtime activities?

Cody Wright (37:52):
Oh my gosh. Downtime activities. Definitely like guitar, even though I can fit it in the cracks. It's definitely one of those things where if I have, you know, a span of time or an evening to myself, like, that'll definitely make an appearance. I have gotten on the PlayStation five bandwagon recently. So a lot of that I've watched a lot of soccer games and, and things like that. So yeah, that's great. A few of the things I do for fun especially being here in Portland, Oregon, it's great to go outside, go hiking in the summer. I love taking a kayak onto the lake or the river.

Young Han (38:32):
Cody. Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to me about life love, business, children, parenting, all that stuff. I really appreciate you taking time out of your incredibly busy schedule now. It's awesome.

Cody Wright (38:43):
Yeah. Thanks for thinking of me. Thanks for the opportunity.

Young Han (38:46):
Thanks again for being on the show! Thanks for tuning into another episode of the girl dad show. We really hope you enjoyed that interview and as always least take a moment to review, rate and subscribe. We'll see you next time.