Hey y’all.
Welcome to this week’s Meet the MC Bees.
Today I’m going to be recapping the madness, the insanity, the honestly amazing experience that was Bravo Con. Give you up to date thoughts and feelings on where we are and where the state of the farm is and really uh our heads or our mind space and head space going into the new year, what the plan is going to be um for the farm, what the plan’s going to be for all the businesses really and what what is to come.
Let’s dive into it.
So, saddle up. Let’s get down and dirty.
We just got back from Bravo Con. I had no idea what to expect. Candidly, the network had sent us a couple Zoom uh meetings that we could have joined for first time Bravo Connors to learn exactly what Bravo Con is, how it works, what happens during Bravo Con, and just what to expect.
With us being right in the middle of season 3, us selling the grain facility, selling this headquarters right here, having to be out of here by December 1st, we did not have any time to watch that.
So, Jesse, Cole, Ally, and I flew in blind to Bravo Con.
No idea what to expect.
And let me tell you right now, what an experience.
It is amazing.
I didn’t realize how big Bravo Con is. So there was 30,000 tickets sold I believe roughly all from around the country, around the world even flying into Las Vegas to celebrate, enjoy everything you get to see on Bravo. There was 150 cast members from Bravo TV shows that came in for it.
It really is such a neat experience.
I guess I see it online, you know, we see the comments, we see the social media pages growing, but it’s hard to really wrap your head around what that means. So, you get 10,000 likes on a photo. You don’t actually think or understand that that’s 10,000 people liking that photo or a thousand people commenting.
Like, that’s a full arena worth of people supporting you, your family, your show, your farm.
And until you go out to Bravo and really feel and see the love firsthand in person, you don’t understand what that means.
And I can tell you right now, it is a re-energizing experience getting to talk to all of you face to face, getting to see how much y’all really care about what we’re doing out here in the middle of Missouri and seeing how much y’all are enjoying the show.
I know everyone from the show wishes they could have made it out there. Casey and Ally obviously would have loved to have made it out there.
So, all of us Bravo talent were given a plus one. That’s why I had Ally come out. She was my plus one. She came out to support me. It was incredibly kind of her to cancel what she had going on. It was a big week for her.
CMA week is one of the biggest weeks for her and her influencing world and brand deals, and for her to put that on hold to come and support me out there was really, really cool.
I know Ally and Casey would have loved to have gone. They have newborn babies so it makes things a little more challenging as far as travel goes.
But knock on wood, next year—actually I think Bravo’s every other year. See, that’s how much I did not know about it going into it. So, 2027, we’ll all be out there. My mom included.
So many of y’all wanted to make sure that we told our mom that y’all loved her, supported her, and wished that she was out there. That means the world to her.
I don’t know how to express in words how much we appreciate y’all’s support and how much getting to see that firsthand in person really meant to us. So, thank you so much.
It was also great getting to meet all of the Bravo family. We know several from Bravo now just through social media. Obviously, Craig Conover, Sally Carson, some of the Southern Charm people we’ve met in person.
This was our first opportunity to meet several of the Bravo family, Bravo Universe cast members that we’ve talked to on social media.
And I don’t have anything but positive things to say about our experience in meeting all of the other Bravo cast members. Everyone was incredibly nice. Everyone was incredibly welcoming. Really enjoyed the entire weekend from start to finish.
It was an action-packed weekend.
Jesse and Cole are recovering right now. They are sick as dogs, which is a given. Whenever you’re meeting thousands and thousands of people and not getting much sleep and traveling across the country, you’re going to get sick.
So, they’re laid up this week. Jesse’s got influenza B, I believe. So, he’s struggling right now.
But again, hearts are filled with gratitude for everyone that came out and supported us.
I don’t know if it was the hats. I may be biased, and I guarantee it was the hats. We stick out like a sore thumb walking around Bravo Con in three cowboy hats.
But the lines that we had for people that wanted to meet us, the cheers that we had getting in and out of the cars—Cole probably would have stayed out there. I don’t think Cole wanted to leave. He was enjoying every minute of it.
He said he felt like a rock star, except we have no talent. So, it’s pretty funny.
But we really, really appreciate y’all and appreciate the network—NBCU, Bravo—for putting that on for all of us. What a neat experience. What a well-ran experience.
So, look forward to 2027 Bravo Con. If you didn’t make it out this year, make sure you come on out. It is a great time. And what a great place to host an event like that than in Las Vegas.
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Speaking of Las Vegas, we’ll be back out there in a couple weeks for NFR.
Really looking forward to getting back out there.
I think everyone, including Cole, Casey, Ally, Jesse, Jake, Tegan—like anyone that you see on the show—aside from my mom, she’s got to babysit—will be out at NFR enjoying the rodeo, enjoying Cowboy Christmas.
That is my favorite event of the year.
We have so much fun, and we may or may not be bringing out some cameras to shoot part of season three for that weekend.
So, I’m excited about that too.
I hope to see y’all there. We’ll have a good time, and we’re going to cut loose and have a little fun.
It’s been stressful, and obviously during NFR, that’ll be a week after we take my dad up to where he’s going.
So, it’ll be a nice stress relief and a nice break from a pretty heavy November and what we’re dealing with on December 1st.
So, December 1st—it’s coming up.
By the time this podcast airs, this will be Thanksgiving week.
So, December 1st is coming up, and you know, it’s a very sobering feeling knowing this will be the last time we get to see my dad for some months.
I think it’s felt more and more real as the days get closer to December 1st.
And he’s still doing great.
Like, the man—stress does not bother him the way it bothers normal people.
If anyone is optimistic and positive, that man is taking it so well.
I think my mom and I are feeling the stress the most.
And then the other boys are right behind us on feeling stressed out and knowing that dad’s going away for a little bit.
But we feel confident.
We feel good about everything that’s happening around the businesses, around the farm.
We’re confident in the direction that we’re heading.
We know we’ve made the right moves to prepare for this.
And we know that we are going to be in a much better place six months from now than we are today.
And a year from now, we’re going to be in just a tremendously better spot.
And I think that a really major theme I’ve talked about over the last couple weeks is that a humbling experience is such an asset to you if you use it correctly.
And I think for me, the last few years have really opened my eyes to how thankful I am to enjoy the life that I have, enjoy the time in the outdoors that I get to spend, and enjoy the scenery that we have here at the farm.
There was something I posted on my Instagram.
I was able to get out and actually harvest a buck with my bow, which was really, really neat.
And it just had me thinking as I was sitting there.
He was a great deer, but more than that, it was such a great experience.
And what kept coming to mind is the parable of the businessman and the fisherman.
And I’ll read it here quickly.
I think it was just a good reminder and a good perspective for all of us to really think about what we enjoy right now, to savor it, and to really take to heart the good times that we have in front of us right now.
So, there was once a businessman who was sitting by the beach in a small Brazilian village.
As he sat, he saw a Brazilian fisherman rowing a small boat towards the shore, having caught quite a few big fish.
The businessman was impressed and asked the fisherman,
“How long does it take you to catch so many fish?”
And the fisherman replied,
“Oh, just a short while.”
“Then why don’t you stay longer at sea and catch even more?” the businessman asked.
“Well, this is enough to feed my whole family,” the fisherman said.
The businessman then said,
“So, what do you do for the rest of the day?”
The fisherman replied,
“Well, I usually wake up early in the morning, go out to sea and catch a few fish, then go back and play with my kids.
In the afternoon, I take a nap with my wife.
And when evening comes, I join my buddies in the village for a drink.
We play guitar, sing, and dance throughout the night.”
And the businessman offered a suggestion to the fisherman.
“I’m an experienced businessman. I could help you become wealthy and successful.
From now on, you should spend more time at sea and try to catch as many fish as possible.
When you’ve saved enough money, you could buy a bigger boat and catch even more fish.
Soon, you will be able to afford to buy more boats, set up your own company, your own production plant for canned food and distribution networks.
And by then, you will have moved out of this village into São Paulo, where you can set up headquarters to manage your other branches.”
And the fisherman continues.
And after that, the businessman laughs heartily.
“After that, you can live like a king in your own house.
And when the time is right, you can go public and float your shares in the stock exchange, and you will be rich.”
And the fisherman asks,
“And after that?”
And the businessman says,
“After that, you can finally retire.
You can move to a house by the fishing village.
Wake up early in the morning, catch a few fish, then return home to play with your kids.
Have a nice afternoon nap with your wife.
And when evening comes, you can join your buddies for a drink.
Play the guitar.
Sing and dance throughout the night.”
And the fisherman, with a puzzled look, says,
“Isn’t that what I’m doing right now?”
And I think that parable hits me hard, especially right now.
I know it’s hit everyone in my family.
You sometimes go on this journey—trying to grow businesses, trying to work your life away for a reward that you already had at the beginning.
What do we enjoy doing?
We love spending time outdoors.
I love sitting in a tree stand.
I love spending time with my family.
And I was doing all of that before these businesses—before we spent years and years toiling away at them.
To come full circle and realize that I had all of this at the beginning.
I’m not saying it’s not good to pursue something passionately.
I’m just saying don’t lose perspective on what the important things in life are.
And I think that parable does a really good job of explaining that.
It definitely resonated when I posted that picture of my deer, along with a few comments of people not enjoying a harvested deer photo on Instagram—which I’m not going to apologize for.
I appreciate y’all’s support.
We were farmers, ranchers, outdoorsmen our entire lives.
This is the way of life up here.
This is the way we’ll always be.
We’re not going to change our way of life or hide a major aspect of our lives.
We run a meat facility.
The sacrifice of animals to feed us—that’s a whole other topic—but we’re not going to change.
Anyways, besides those comments, I’ve received several DMs about the carousel story I posted of the parable of the businessman and the fisherman.
Just about how it resonated and hit hard, and people sharing it with their family members.
So, I hope you take that to heart.
I know I have.
And it really just puts into perspective what’s important in life.
Towards the end of the year, obviously we have my dad’s deal coming up here in the next week.
I may try to get him in the studio one more time before he heads off, just so you all can hear from him.
Obviously, he hasn’t been a part of the show, and he’s taken a step back on most social media.
But I would love to get him in here for the last podcast before he goes away—just pick his brain, see how he’s feeling, and make sure that he knows that we love and support him.
And most of y’all do on the internet, too. Most.
But yeah, we’re excited about what’s to come.
We’re excited to turn the page, close this chapter, start moving on with our lives.
And we’re excited to announce the news with this podcast.
I swear it’s coming.
I’ve been teasing it for a few episodes now, but it is coming.
We’re going to have a much more structured format.
We’re going to have some exciting guests coming in here.
We may even have a new co-host, too.
You can tell it’s been pretty lonely in this podcast studio.
I feel like I’m talking into an empty room here lately.
So yeah, I’m excited about what’s to come with this thing.
So guys, I promised—hang on.
We’ll be going into a whole lot more detail as soon as we can.
And I’m excited for what’s to come.
We’ll see y’all.
We’re taking off Thanksgiving week.
We’ll be back in two weeks.
So, we’ll see y’all two weeks from now.
Looking forward to talking.
And I think for this next one, I should be able to get my dad in here.
Bye, y’all.
