21. Girl Get After It / Cass Wendell
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Cassidy Wendell founder of #girlgetafterit, ambassador of Lu Lu Lemon and On Running, and podcast host of the The Highlight Real is here today to share the evolution of her business and all her beautiful wellness insights.
Girl Get After It is a wellness community bringing women together through sweatworking events and gear that gives back. We talk about Cass's journey with starting her business and how the evolution unfolded. She took her love for wellness and her knowledge with marketing and started to host her own sweatworking events in Bozeman, Montana. After realizing there was something special about these events, she stated to fully invest her time and money. Starting with stickers and a bonfire clothing launch, now Girl Get After It has an online co-brand partner with Lu Lu Lemon. It is impressive and inspiring to hear Cass's journey with finding purpose and passion as an entrepreneur.
We also talk about Cass's own insights on wellness. Starting in college with her own body struggles: the partying, eating & drinking too much, and how it was negatively influencing her mental and physical health. We talk abotu what she did to change her patterns and mindset, and now fully loves moving her body and taking care of herself through intuitive self-care. We
dive into how Cass defines wellness, encompassing everything, and why she thinks community is so important to living a well life.
Let us know you are listening and/or reading! Take a screenshot listening to the episode and post it to instagram. Tag Cass @thewellnessrookie_ & KatieKay @katiekaygraham
Cass
My name is Cassidy Wendell and I am a Montana native and I love all things outdoors. I'm huge into health and wellness and fitness you can probably catch me skiing down a mountain or running on a trail or hitting up some sort of group fitness class to get my endorphins going. And then in the sort of business aspect of my life, I am the founder of girl get after it and we are a wellness community that brings women together through sweat working events and gear that gets back to yeah and I've been doing that unofficially officially for like five years but more so full time in the past year and a half. Yeah, yeah. My gosh, so cool. Yeah. And and so it's hashtag girl good after it was kind of its origin right? That's kind of as this movement that started online. Yeah, yes. So a little brief into that. Hashtag girl good after is something that I would use on all of my fitness related Instagram posts like way back when my account was called fit with cast and I thought that I was going to be some crazy cool online personal trainer and health coach. Anyway that didn't work out. So girl good after it just kind of stuck with me. And I started to host these in person free swag working events. So I defined sweat working as a healthier form of networking. I started to host those here locally in Bozeman because I wanted to meet new friends. And I wanted to try new things in the health and fitness space here locally. So I've always said instead of creating a squad I created or sorry, I've always said, instead of searching for a squad, I created one. And at that first ever event, I put hashtag girl going after it on a set of stickers that everybody then took away as sort of a take home. And then there was like this crazy hot demand because people ate it up. They loved it. I mean, why wouldn't you? It's very, very empowering, very bold statement. Yeah. And then it just sort of took a ton of twists and turns from there and became this whole brand and movement and wellness community that were literally known all over the world. That's so cool. Yeah,
Katie Kay
it's so cool how it started, like you personally, were searching for a community for connection. And it just like came into this crazy business and like movement and connecting with the community in such a powerful way and inspiring women. And so it's really amazing to hear how you started that.
Cass
yeah, it It definitely changed my life. I mean, it changes my life every single week. And why I sort of was searching for that was because I lost my dad when I was 23 years old. And I went through a very deep dark period of depression and isolation. And I just felt like I couldn't relate to anybody. And I felt like the people that I was surrounding myself with at the time just weren't lighting me up in the ways that I needed. And I've always had this innate interest in health, fitness and wellness. And I thought that that can be the commonality to allowing me to kind of dip into a new community and meet new friends and try new things in this space too. So it's really cool to see like not only myself, look for this and crave this type of connection, but see so many other women all over the world and also here locally who are searching for that same thing.
Katie Kay
Yeah, yeah. And I heard that story. And you were so vulnerable and open sharing on your podcast about your dad and the journey you went through and it's a very inspiring and powerful story. So definitely check out Cass's podcast is called the highlight reel. And I'll put that in the show notes for sure people can check it out.
Cass
Funny thing about that episode I think it's Episode Two. I actually had to record that probably three or four times and as you know, you're somebody who hosts a podcast that's so frustrating but it was my first solo episode and of course I chose like the most vulnerable topic to talk about and several times I recorded that episode and I paused and I realized that I was sharing too much and this episode was gonna be like two and a half hours long and I was like no that cannot happen like that's way too much but yes, I finally feel like I nailed it and shared my story in like a true genuine way but I thought that was kind of funny as like a new podcast or to record a podcast like four times
Katie Kay
Yeah, totally relate the first episode I did was like I felt the need to just share my own story and it was like if I'm going to interview people like I want to open up first and make sure like I'm being vulnerable and true to myself as well and but like 10 times I swear like I was there all day and I just like I walked out of the room I went upstairs and sternly my husband I was like, I can't do it like I've done I've like recorded this 10 times and it's just like I wrote a script and I'm following it and it doesn't feel good and I'm messing up and he was finally just like just talk like normal like just be a normal person and just share your story and and so I went back down there and it was just one take and I just like that's what I needed I I needed to just be like okay, I just need to be real and open and like that's exactly how I felt listening to your episode is you were just speaking from your heart. Yeah, insane. And so what, let's go back a little bit to that journey of maybe but even before creating your wellness brand and like What was that? Like, going to school and and then your Going through that process of transition with your dad's death. And then then like coming into that wellness brand. Can you give us a little background?
Cass
Yeah, of course. So I went to college at Washington State University, and I studied advertising. And I thought that I wanted to work in an ad agency, specifically Wyden Kennedy, based out of Portland, who handles all of Nikes commercials. And I wanted to be in that space, because I remember seeing a tiger woods commercial when I was in high school. And it was this black and white commercial, and it had an overlay voiceover of his father, you know, after Tigers whole scandal series, and it just like made you feel something. And I was like, that is what I want to do, right there. And I've always been kind of equal parts creative, mixed in with like a numbers person. So I thought something in advertising and agency work would suit me, well, then Washington State had an amazing program. So I went through the program. And then while in college, I actually did a couple of internships working for their sports marketing department. And I went down to UCLA and the Roseville stadium and did an internship down there in LA for one summer. And then I came back for my senior year at Wazoo and I worked for IMG college for, you know, the football team, women's basketball, all of that and kind of dip my toes into there. So I had this advertising schooling mixed in with this love for sports and sports marketing specifically. So I thought that's where my life would lead. And it did. Turns out, I got a job offer right here in Bozeman, Montana, for the Montana State bobcats for learfield sports, which is basically a marketing agency that handles all the corporate sponsorships and partnerships for the Bobcats. And I yeah, I landed that job. It was basically quote, unquote, my dream job. And I loved it. Because I've always had this love for wellness and sports, I grew up playing basketball, basketball was my life. And then it was just a perfect blend of what I learned in school, mixed in with this love for sports. So I was there. And I thought my next step would have been into sales and more like account executive work. So actually selling these corporate partnerships and corporate sponsorships. And it was my time. It was during that period, that period that I had that job that my dad got sick. So my dad ended up passing away from stroke complications. And he had a stroke in October of that year. And then he was in the ICU for about three months. And it was one of those situations where he took one step forward, two steps back. And then in December of that year, he ended up passing away. And during that time, I was still working for the Montana State bobcats. But I was also helping my mom out with the family business that historically her and my dad ran 5050 it was a barn steak house in middle of nowhere, Montana, you blink, you miss it. So I was still at the Bobcats but I was also helping her out run the family business. And to be honest, I was pretty checked out in anything that I was doing, except helping my mom and being there for my dad when I could. And then when he passed, it really made me look at my life through a different lens. And I didn't feel like this job in sports marketing was really fulfilling any type of purpose for me. And I think that I wouldn't have felt that without the loss of my dad. And maybe I would have been not for a long time. And not in that sort of magnitude. So I like I said, I always had this love for health and wellness growing up. And I thought that I could kind of dive into that world again, and help people prevent a problem rather than react to one. Because my dad, even though he physically looked like he was a healthy guy. He's was six, five, you know, slender guy, always pretty active. Internally, he didn't take very good care of himself. He always took better care of other people than himself, and obviously, later in his life that showed in a multitude of ways. And so I dove into the health and wellness space. And the first thing that I thought about doing was becoming a personal trainer, because at the time, you know, this is seven years ago, I thought that that was the only way you could tap into that space. Also at the time, health coaching was becoming really huge. And you sort of heard about people going through AI n program. You know, I've heard of that. Yeah, I don't know how big of a deal it is anymore, but back then it was like everybody was doing it. So I got my personal training sir, after about an eight month self study, you know, went and took my quiz passed, got my aggravations, then I went through a health coaching program for about nine months, and I got certified in that. So I started to see clients, one on one both in person and do a little bit of online training. And this entire time, I was also helping my mom run the business. So this was a very, very part time, you know, not a lot of stakes in the game, because I had a full time job basically working for my mom. So that allowed me space and time to sort of just dip my toes into this industry and see if I even liked it, see if I was good at it, see if I can make any money doing it. And I did that for about a year and a half. And I absolutely hated it. I'll be super honest, it just wasn't the profession. For me, I found myself becoming super anxious and stressed out whenever I would get ready to go see a client. Because a lot of people who do use personal trainers or who do use health coaching, I feel like have some sort of underlying problem and the workouts you do and the foods you're eating are not going to solve it. Interesting. Yeah, yeah. And a lot of people would use that time as sort of a therapy session which, great like, I want you to express your emotions and get them out. Because if they're just hiding inside you, like that's not healthy for anybody. But for me, I would take on those emotions and their problems a little too deeply. Because I am a recovering people pleaser. And I feel like me too, right? Like your experiences my experience. And one thing to note, like as a personal trainer, and a health coach, you are with somebody in such a small amount of their daily life, their weekly life, that so many other things could go wrong. And it's not your fault, yet, I would feel like it was. And it just got, you know, it made me realize that it wasn't for me. So I put that to the side. But while I was personal training and health coaching, I decided to start a blog. And that's really where I feel like all of this stuff has stemmed from and blogging at the time was pretty popular, way more popular than it is right now everybody was doing it. And I started to blog because I have always been an emotionally closed off person. And I felt like I could never express my emotions or say what I was truly thinking out loud. And a safe way for me to do that was to write or put things in this case on my computer. And I started that blog at the time, it was called Hello cast. And it was a way for me to sort of express what I was feeling going through losing my dad. And I remember reading that first post. And it took me almost three or four months to actually hit Publish because I was so nervous. And I finally did and strangers on the internet. My friends, my family, they sent me text messages calls saying how much they enjoyed reading it, and also how they can resonate with it in their own lives, too. And then that blog slowly moved into something called the everyday athlete. But I almost got sued because there was somebody else called the everyday athlete. Of course. And then it finally made its way into being called the wellness rookie. Which when I first shared that name with a couple of people in my circle, all I got was like question marks and puzzle books. And they were like, I don't get it, shouldn't you be an expert. I was like, No, like, you don't get it. Like, you want to go into everything with this rookie mentality. Because one minute, you're going to feel like you're conquering life. And the next is just gonna slap you in the face. Like, we're always a beginner every single day of our lives because every single day looks different than the next. And then I applied that mentality to the wellness space. And so the wellness rookie is still around, it's kind of morphed into my own personal brand these days. But it used to be a dedicated lifestyle space where I would share blog posts and content that has to do with health, fitness and wellness. So anyway, I just say that because while I was personal training and health coaching, I made the decision to quit doing that type of work. But I kept blogging and I kept sharing thoughts from my life. Things that I was going through, you know, tips and tricks on on wellness and health and all of that jazz. And then once I got to a place with my mom and her business and getting her secure To where she was, I finally stepped out and, quote unquote, started my career backup. And I ended up landing a job in downtown Bozeman at this Hospitality Group, and I was their events program manager and marketing director. And I learned a ton about events, we hosted everything, from weddings, to conferences, to meetings, to bar mitzvahs, like the whole nine. And we were, we were technically the space. So I learned a ton about logistics and just working with under other vendors and other sponsors to kind of create this experience for somebody or some group of people. And it was while I was working there, that I gained enough confidence to start hosting my own events. And it was there that I hosted my first sweat working event here locally, in Bozeman. And that first event, my my team at the hospitality space, they sponsored everything, they sponsored the venue, they sponsored the food and the drink, they even set up like this cute little photo booth wall, like all they wanted to do was to allow me to step into this space and feel empowered, and also bring a whole new crew of women into their space. And like it was a win win for everybody. So I hosted that first event, and I put it up on Facebook. Obviously, that was the only thing at the time that was really working for events. And I thought that a nobody was gonna come or be that I would get five of my friends to show up for free food and drink. And turns out 50 women showed up, and I knew probably three of them. Yeah, wow. And what that kind of showed me was, I wasn't the only one searching for this. And that was sort of the catalyst to it all and to hosting these monthly events to create a wellness community that matters, that I turned into a line of apparel, and then it turned into more online content and online events. And then it just landed me here. And I'm like, how did I get here? This is insane. Like, this is like my reality every single day. And I'm so grateful because I finally feel like I'm living my purpose. And it's something I'm passionate about. Even on the bad days.
Katie Kay
What a beautiful job of explaining that whole story. Hopefully, it wasn't too long window. Me amazing. And like, there were so many things that like I just wanted to grab and like, one of the biggest things that I saw through your journey was that sense of purpose that really began coming out of that darkness. Yeah, and your dad died and you looking for some more meaning in your life and how that beauty came out of that transition and what you've become an what your brand has become, and how many people you influence now and, and just like, I love how you say, you went into, you don't know where to start, you went into personal training, thinking that was the best route and health coaching. And it's like, making that one step in a direction of, like, I know, I want to have purpose. I know, like, I want to have more meaning in my life. And then maybe that step didn't work, right?
Cass
really hated this. This wasn't like what I really wanted to do. But just making that choice is so empowering to just start, like leading you down a path. Yeah, that eventually, you know, completely served you, right? totally amazing. Yeah. And you know, that whole notion of quote unquote, finding your purpose, that's what everybody achieves to do, right. But it's way easier said than done. And I think some of us like we don't find our purpose till we're 70 years old. And that's okay, too. And I think like you said, like taking that first step was a huge part of it. And another thing that I'll throw in that I believe was a huge part of it was not paying attention to how everybody else was doing it. I think I knew that I wanted to be in the health and fitness and the wellness space. But to be honest, what I'm doing right now, I don't think is really out there, at least not that I know of. And so if I would have just kept looking at what she was doing or what she was doing what they were doing, I would have been blindsided on what actually enjoy doing, what I'm actually good at, and what is my true purpose on this earth to and just like putting your blinders on and going for it no matter if it doesn't make sense right away. And just like believing in yourself and trusting the process that it will all work out. Yeah.
Katie Kay
Oh, I'm so glad you added that. Because I feel like I'm recovering, following what's right and what's wrong, and always looking outside of myself for that superhero to tell me what to do and the experts and like, with my body, especially like, like how, like, exercise and what I'm supposed to eat and yeah, but also in life, like, it wasn't until I really realize I actually had control over my own choices and looking inward was more powerful than looking outward. And, like, isn't that interesting how that transition flows? And I think everything's supposed to happen for a reason. And we're all supposed to go through our certain struggles to learn and, and grow and we're exactly where we're supposed to be in that moment. But like, it took me a really, it feels like it took me really long time to get to that place that I was actually in charge of my own life. Yeah, sounds silly. You
Cass
know, it's so true. It's such a process. And then like, it's not even like, the moment you realize you're like stepping into your truth. It's like, one day you just wake up and you're like, I feel pretty damn good about my my life right now. And then you look back, and you're like, wow, like, that took a really long time. It was really hard. And it was just this combination of so many things to get me where I am today.
Katie Kay
exactly. Yeah. And, like going through that struggle point where, like, I can't like, I can't imagine like losing anybody that close to me, and but I do know, like points in my life where I have felt the darkest. Like, I've been through that depression and feeling like there's no way out. I think like, sometimes we resort to have the intellect and word to get out of that. And it's most often can be the brightest light for us to find our path. And yeah, it sounds like it kind of was like that moment for you that you really decided, like you needed to, or you want it to change and you wanted something new and Yeah, totally. I
Cass
I definitely think that everybody's stories are valid, too. I, you know, I hear a lot of people who talk about, well, nothing's really happened to me, right? Like, why do I feel this way? And I think, like nothing big has to happen to you quote unquote, big, like, everybody is going through some shit. Everybody is dealing with something, whether you know it or not, whether it's, you know, out on social media or not, or whether it's big or small or in between, and it all matters. And I think recognizing that and using that as a source of change is what you need to do to change your life.
Katie Kay
Yeah. Oh, yeah. Yeah. And that I love that because that like it reminded me of when you were talking about the wellness rookie and like, having a beginner's mind And like every moment is valuable like every small right and if we can approach it with that beginner's mind that you were talking about, like having that awareness and every moments fresh like whether we like approach our wellness or our life and so Lee you're exactly right it's like who's according to who is it big or small and like your story no matter what is happening is impactful and though I just love that like way of approaching our wellness as far as like having that perspective of letting go of all those like expectations right or wrongs or what like what people are telling you what like should be happening or you feel like bigs happening or not. So it's like that like wellness rookie mentality of like having that deep awareness. Your truth is for you to you know for you to experience
Cass
exactly and we're all just figuring it out in simplest form that's been like my go to mantra like nobody knows what they're doing. We're all just figuring it out.
Katie Kay
Yeah, and sometimes the not knowing is like exactly where you need to be Yeah, like for me I feel like right now I'm like changing and I mean, obviously like doing the podcast is uncomfortable, like just starting something new and getting out of my comfort zone. And then also like I'm going to therapy and gonna like moving through some transitions emotionally and it's like, being in the like, uncomfortable and then not knowing I think is like exactly where I'm supposed to be and I'm actually supposed to feel lost. Which is really hard, right? It's like really hard to be in that place.
Cass
Yeah. What's your sign?
Katie Kay
Libra?
Cass
I don't know anything about Libra.
Katie Kay
I know. I was like, I really want to do the podcast interview with Cass more. I just want to meet her like be her friend. Now you have a Libra in your life. Okay, so, you know, I kind of took us off on a tangent but yeah, tell us about the like how the clothing company started and I heard on your podcast you did the was a bonfire. Is that right? Yeah. So tell us a little bit about how that started. And then your connection with Lulu lemon?
Cass
I have no background in e commerce or retail or apparel, none of it. So I am figuring it out. And how it started was so back to those swag working events and putting hashtag Grogan after on a sticker. So all the stickers were gone after that event. And I kept getting friends and people who attended reached out to me being like, hey, do you have any more stickers? Like, can we get some of those? I was like, Sure. So made some order for some more stickers. And then those were all gone. And I figured, why not put it on a sweater. But at the time, I was like, Okay, how in the heck do I do that. So I went to everybody's best friend, Google. And I googled it. And I started to do some research. And I realized how expensive having clothing to print on was and how much overhead you had to put up front. And I was like, well, that won't work. Because I'm pretty broke right now. 23 years old, like let's figure something else out. And I stumbled upon this site called bonfire. And bonfire is basically like a Kickstarter for apparel designs. And how it works is you put a design on whatever type of clothing you specify. So they had hoodies, crewnecks, tanks, tees, hats, all of that. And so I put grog adapter on I believe I started with a crewneck and a tank top. And I put it out to this private Facebook community community called the Bozeman squad, which was the group that I was hosting those events for. And I put it out there not expecting to sell any I think you had to sell 24 at minimum for the campaign to go to print, and then to ship which bonfire handled all of that for you. So I put it out to the Facebook group. And the next day, I ended up selling the minimum I'm like, Oh my God, that's cool. Like, it's gonna go like people are gonna get these. And then the next day ended up selling like 40 I was like, holy shit, this is wow, what oh my gosh, just like Mind blown. And then I think the campaign they run for like two weeks or something like that before they automatically shut off. And I think that first round we had 60 some go to prayer. Yeah. And I was like, Oh my gosh, this is like so cool. So those want to print they shipped them out. And then I was like, Well, why not do it again? So I did it again with a new color of hoodie or something like that. And then we met the minimums and then we definitely exceeded minimums once again. And this was in you know, gosh, I think I was 25 at the time and again no experience in e commerce but I knew something was there. And everybody that would see a sticker or that would order a shirt or that would see me at an event would come up to me be like oh my god girl go doctor. That's so cool. Like, I want to wear this and rock this. It's so empowering. Like, heck yeah, girl power, you know, all the things. And I remember, I started thinking about it in my apartment one night being like, what is this? Like? How does this all work together? Why is this a thing that I can't stop thinking about? And like I said, I knew something was there. And I went to a trademark lawyer in town with my idea. And I started explaining Grogan after it and this clothing brand and the wellness jerky as best as I could because at the time, I really didn't know what it was. And the lawyer took everything in like a sponge. And he was like, okay, like, I don't see anything out there at the moment like looks like we're in the clear like we can get this done and he asked for all All this information from me and I gathered it up and gave it to him. And he submitted the trademark for hashtag girl good after it, as well as the phrase girl get after it. And then I also trademark the one was tricky, because I was like,
Katie Kay
Well, whatever, throw it out here,
Cass
why not? So added the wellness Ricky into it. And it wasn't until about eight months later that we finally got the approval for all trademarks and copyrights. And I was like, Whoa, wow, like, That's so cool. And blew my mind to just thinking like, nobody's thought of this before. Dang fat on the back cast, you know, for the advertising degrade to work to us, I guess. So I got it trademarked and dropped, you know, a couple grand on it. And I was like, Alright, well, I'm invested in this. So I need to make it work. And from there, the peril took a bunch of different twists and turns. I don't think I did another bonfire campaign. But what I did do was, I used a drop shipping service called printful. And I decided to use that because wasn't true startup mode didn't have any capital to work with for getting inventory, didn't even know how to source that kind of stuff, or basically where to go to even print it. And then you have to think about shipping and fulfillment. And I'm like, Oh my gosh, that's way over my head. So instead of having it all perfectly on our site, I use a drop shipping service called printful. And very similar to bonfire, but they handle all of the printing and the shipping, which is amazing. And they can do one off orders. So one person can visit your site, make a purchase for one t shirt, and that T shirt would go to print and then go to ship. So it's not like you'd have to order a 15 minimum quantity of sweatshirts to even get them shipped out. So that was really cool. And it was perfect for me at the time when I was just figuring it out. Then we started to grow. And then we started to incorporate in person pop up shops into the mix. So of course I had to have on hand inventory for that. But still, I wasn't quite ready to make the leap full time into this business. And so I was kind of half using printful half using my own like fulfillment process out of my home, I think got to be way too confusing, because so many reasons. But the main one was people would make an order for a few items. And some of those would be coming from printful. But some of them would be coming from me. So then they would get half of their order, send me this customer service ticket all pissed off being like, Where's my order, I'd have to just, you know, copy and paste this draft that I would have and trying to explain it all. So finally, once I made Grogan after it its own thing. I created its own website. And I finally felt like it was a true business. Then I migrated everything to in house and we started making orders for upfront inventory, we finally got our fulfillment process dialed in all the shipping supplies. You know what makes us unique branding was dialed in, and it was finally under one roof. And then the biggest thing that happened in our e commerce career thus far was last October of 2020. We got approved to be an online Cobra and partner with Lily lemon, which still blows my mind. So awesome. And that process took a year and that is not a unique situation. But it was unique to our business type. Now like Lululemon wholesales and lets people all over the world brand on their product, but they typically have to have a brick and mortar location. They can't do that online because online was their space, which totally makes sense. And us being a very small fish in a pond like we're a small business like I piece this thing together every single day. I approach them in 2019 because I am a Lululemon ambassador for our local Bozeman store. So I had a connection, and I got an email. And then I got a meeting. And the meeting was amazing. And I asked all the right questions I kept following up. And then obviously the pandemic hit and that delayed everything but I stayed persistent, I kept following up. And then finally October of 2020 we got the news. And since that moment I feel like it's just added this level of I don't know if prestige is the right word but credibility to our brand and to our e commerce line of apparel. Because Lulu lemon is some of the best in the business and people know them. People love them. People will only wear Lululemon. Right? So we got to be a part of that in a way. And it's been awesome to see that come to life. And me being an ambassador for them. I feel like I know their product super well. And I know what fits right and know what feels good. I know how branding should look on a certain item. So that has made the process a lot more seamless, I would say. And it's been a game changer for us in the online world, too. Wow. Yeah. Crazy. Yeah.
Katie Kay
I was just sitting back like I thought I was interviewing oh my gosh, such a cool story. Yeah, like Lulu lemon. Yeah. And I loved how you said, like, I kept following up, I kept following up and he said that on your podcast? Yeah, it was like, that's one thing, like showing up, like keep showing up. And that's probably like, not a very common thing. I think like a lot of us, myself included, if I don't hear back right here. I know. Like it's over. Like I won't ever follow up. So a big like entrepreneur. Insight bear.
Cass
Yes, biggest tip I think I could give anybody was just follow up until they either say no, or they block you. I mean, even like, myself, as the owner of Grogan after I feel like we get a lot of emails that come through the inbox of people wanting to collaborate or wanting to see if we're hiring or, you know, different aspects like that. And if if I could get back to everybody, I totally would, but I can't. And so I honestly will give people that follow up a second chance, because obviously, it hits to the top of your inbox, but it like shows me that oh, this person is truly interested, too. And not letting you know, silence defeat them either. But yeah, like, I've always said, I'm the queen of follow ups. And I try to take that into, you know, different aspects of my life do yeah,
Katie Kay
amazing. Yeah. And like entrepreneur spirit. Yeah. And like your parents were entrepreneurs guarding their restaurant. And so it's really cool to hear how they've probably inspired you to follow your own path.
Cass
Oh, 100%. Yeah. I mean, I, let's say we started that restaurant when I was two. And I worked in that place until I was 27. So just three short years ago. And my first job was I was eight years old, and I stocked the beer cooler for 20 bucks a week. Yeah, so I started young, I feel like that's where I got my arm muscles. And then from there, I literally worked every single position you can think of, in the restaurant world. And after actually, in college, I got my first job working for somebody else. I was like, Oh, boy, this is not gonna go over well. And I just realized young, like, I want to build my own thing. And I don't really want to answer to anybody else. And I think this might be a Capricorn thing, but my way of thinking is usually the best way of thinking. Straight up. Um, but yeah, like, I love being an entrepreneur. And I feel like it's the greatest and worst roller coaster of all time.
Katie Kay
Totally. Yeah, yeah. And I'm just starting out too. So. I haven't made any money yet with the podcast, but as it as it grows and evolves, like I'm loving every second of it. Yeah. It's funny when you're talking about, girl get after it. And like you're thinking you're like, and you're, like, paused, and you're like, Oh, what is this? And like, What's happening here? Should I create a brand and stuff like, your, like, mine is different? Because at the beginning, I was overthinking everything. I was like, Okay, what am I going to create? And what is the brand and what's the name and like, and so it's interesting to see like you just like, we're taking action after action and building and we're overthinking the process. And it wasn't until like something started to evolve that you were like, oh, like, this is something here and interesting. And, and I think a lot of people are more similar to me. And they like overthinking everything, analyzing like without just starting and putting one foot in front of the next
Cass
Yeah. What's that saying that they say? Done is better than perfect? Yes. Like, don't overthink it. Don't have everything in place. Just do it. Just go for it. Yeah, like nothing to lose.
Katie Kay
And you're such an inspiration as far as like following what felt good to you. And it wasn't something that was already out there. Like similar to that. So you were really following what your intuition was telling you and I kept hearing you say like somebody was there, I guess something was there. And that's like your intuition that something like your heart was following
Cass
for sure. Like I honestly didn't know what it was until two years ago.
Katie Kay
Now we're in her room with all this sugar tunda And the calendar and the computer and
Cass
saying our name on the wall. Yeah, that's pretty cool.
Katie Kay
Really, really cool. So can we go back to talking about your personal story and since this is body breaking free podcast, talk about your journey with wellness personally, and I remember hearing on your podcast, you were talking about college and you were running because you were trying to offset eating and being hung over and alcohol and you were talking about how that was a more of a negative thing. But then it transitioned to something that you really loved. And now you're like a huge runner trail running and you just did this like crazy race the ride, which you might maybe head on and tell the listeners what that's all about, because that was insane. But can you talk a little bit about college because college specifically for me, too, was like, I struggled so hard with my body. Like I was on every diet, I was trying to lose weight constantly. I hated how I looked. And I mean, underneath it was a lot of insecurity and kind of what you're talking about what the personal training like there were some deeper truths behind just the working out in the eating, which I thought was really insightful. So yeah, we can jump back on that. But like so many things, but yeah, college and what was that like and how did that transition out of that?
Cass
Yeah. So like I said, I grew up very into sports, basketball was my life. And food was a big part of my life because we under restaurant so we ate fairly healthy and I moved my body a lot and was always this fit individual in my grade school years. And when I went to college, at the time, Wazoo was top five party schools in the nation by Playboy magazine. And definitely lived up to the hype. We partied Taco Tuesday through Sunday, funday like, not even kidding. And obviously, drinking a lot leads to not eating well leads to mental health issues leads to depression, stress, anxiety, so many things. And I never stopped partying. So none of those other issues stopped. And a big part of that was not only weight gain, but my mental health was super low. I feel like the only way I can feel happy and good about myself was what if I was buzzed or drunk, and I partied all throughout college. And it wasn't until I graduated college that I discovered those like 12 minute workouts on Pinterest. Pinterest is like the go to back then it was Yeah. And I was living at home for a little bit at the time before moving to Bozeman to start my job. And in the middle of nowhere Montana there's no gyms there's like no fitness classes to go check out. So I had a garage and a couple of weights and my handy dandy Pinterest and I started to just work out and I started to not only lose the weight but have fun with fitness again, because like you kind of related to in college when I was working out it was a punishment for what I ate and drank the night before. And that's not fun at all. I ran on the treadmill all the time. I would try to do these you know crazy workouts that I would see other people doing in the gym and hated my life at the time. And I never had this love for fitness and health like I had in high school was sports and like I had after college either. College was a really hard time for me mentally and physically and emotionally. And so when I graduated college started doing those workouts started to eat way healthier obviously started to party less and then I like felt good physically. And you know maybe felt Okay, mentally I sort of closed off those emotions at the time. But I felt good physically and I was like oh yeah, I lost all this way and looking good. Like confidence is through the roof. You know, and then my dad died and after that, my my view on what it means to live a healthy and well life completely changed. Because at the time Yes, I was fit. Yes, I was eating right and yes, I was working out. But I was so unhealthy, mentally, emotionally. I mean, probably a little bit physically just from stress induced everything. And when I you know started to search for community, like I said, and created that local bosun squad community with The networking events started to meet new friends and feel supported, seen and heard. And like I was surrounding myself with the people that I needed in my life, that's what I felt the most healthiest I've ever been. And my perception on wellness is so much more than the workouts you do and the foods you eat. And I realized that my life is not defined by, you know, the fitness studios that I visit, or how many times I work out in a week, or what my meal planning and prepping looks like on Sunday night. Like my life is truly dependent on those that I surround myself with. And the thoughts that I'm filling my mind with as well. And wellness is, is just so much more than physical and nutritional value. Like I define wellness as community first.
Katie Kay
Yeah, wow. Yeah, yeah. And yeah, I love how you talking about wellness is like, it's like, way more expansive in that way. Right? Yeah. Like, and, like, I know a time in my life in college, specifically, when I was talking about really struggling with my body, and like, it felt so suffocating, like, if I felt like that my space was getting smaller and smaller and smaller until I couldn't do it anymore and fell into depression. And yeah. And then like therapy and working on my mind, and like, my mental health and like, yeah, thoughts and, and I guess in a way, like hearing you talk it was that like, expanding my understanding of what a well being like living a well, life really meant. Yeah,
Cass
for sure. Yeah. And a lot of the events that we host, both on our digital community, and then our in person one, we do it all. And we identify ourselves as a wellness community, because wellness is literally everything. You know, we have workshops on finances, we have workshops, on relationships, of course, we have workouts and moving our body in ways that feel good. We have things about food, we have things about beauty, too, and what that really means self care. I mean, I could give you a very lengthy list, but the moral of the story is it's very holistic and encompasses everything. Yeah, yeah.
Katie Kay
Yeah, I love I love that so much and having that community support. Until recently, I didn't really understand how community fit into my life I was very I would say, like very introvert and just kind of, like, very individual, like I would do things on my own and like specifically for wellness, like go workout by myself and, you know, keep to myself about what I was eating and my diet and, and, like recently, and I think it's my own journey, like I've kind of seen like its progression, I wasn't open to having that connection and building that community until I was ready for it and just my own way and, and until recently, like, I've been able to have that more open space in my heart because I've let go of a lot of that confinement and the just like the things that hold you back that we're all working like right now working through those blocks. And yeah, like I do think like, it's like you do have to, like have to have an open heart to invite in that connection with other people.
Cass
Yeah, for sure. 100% Yeah. And to like letting go the notion that the community looks the same for everybody, you know, it doesn't matter if your community is one person, it doesn't matter if it's 1000 doesn't matter if it's in person or online or you know, with your significant other like there's so many definitions of community but you are so correct that you have to be in a place where you're ready for that and where you're open to letting other people and other you know whether they're similar or different from you into your life and being okay with them. Getting a little bit closer to you do yeah,
Katie Kay
oh yeah. I love that. Like it looks different for everybody. Yeah, it's so true. It's not like one size fits all. Yes. That's when we get pigeonholed, right it's Yeah, and it's so easy it's just so easy and I think that's like why I really wanted to start this podcast is like a big reason was that confinement of what's right and wrong, especially when it comes to wellness. And then like more specifically body because, like you're right, like having this book. wellness is so expansive, and it's so beautiful that you're touching on all of it, because it's so so needed to get that perspective. And then for me, on the body side of it specifically, like same thing, like it might be a little bit more narrow focus, but like our right and wrong when it comes to body, like same thing as it confines us. And then when we look at our body, it's actually what you were talking about earlier about the Personal Training, it's like, there is a layer of deeper truths and emotions and like, our definition and perspective of body is like, so much more expansive than what word like then how we could be treating it. Right. And so I just like with the podcast, I want to open up a space to be able to talk about like, what is what is your relationship to your body? What is connection mean? I think the same thing that you're doing with wellness, opening up the space for people, like really powerful. Yeah, and yeah, yeah,
Cass
it totally is. And it's such a cool thing you're doing too, because bringing in so many different stories and backgrounds and experiences, from body issues, or, you know, celebrations, you know, the whole spectrum, I think, shows other people who may be going through it too, but haven't related to anybody yet. Like it gives them someone to look to or to connect with to on a whole other level than anybody else could provide them with. So it's a really special place that you're creating.
Katie Kay
And I remember you saying on your podcast, one of the driving factors for you is to make people feel less alone. And I love that, can you talk on that message and why it's so important? Yeah, yes,
Cass
because I felt alone for far too long. You know, specifically from losing my dad. And that experience, isolated me, I think, at the time, it was the first only and biggest loss I've ever experienced. I had never even been in a hospital before for anything detrimental. And so to have that happen to me that hits so close to home, I felt like nobody else could relate to me, when in reality, there's quite a lot of people that go through that kind of stuff. But for me, at 23 years old, I didn't know where those people were. And I honestly didn't make the effort to seek out those people because I felt like I had enough going on in my own world that kept me busy, mentally, physically and emotionally. And feeling alone made me depressed. It made me anxious, it made me not in a good place. And I felt like I couldn't even open up to family to in a weird way. nor my closest friends and realizing that and digging myself out of it and opening myself up to a new community realized how much it changed my life. And I feel like I guess I felt like if I could feel that I could help other people feel that too. And kind of like I said, like we're all going through something something that probably makes us feel a little bit isolating because we think we're the only person experiencing it and it is hard for a lot of people to express that to other people. But when you find somebody that you relate to there's an instant connection and you know, it's like nothing else you've ever experienced either so I've always had this goal to not make people feel so alone Yeah, yeah,
Katie Kay
it's so needed Yeah, that was the biggest thing that I learned in therapy was like being able to voice what was going on in my head and then my therapist would be like okay yeah like her reaction that we're not having a reaction was shocking to me and then you start to realize like oh, I'm like I'm not alone like this and then like also takes away the shame Yeah. of like, what you're feeling and and yeah, the more that we can have spaces to come and do events together like girl get after it and have other people around and just like starts to open up more, more and more space. So
Cass
it does, it does. I've always said this about myself too that I thrive off of making awkward people feel comfortable. And like one of my favorite things that I obviously used to do because I've been with my boyfriend for five years, but I loved Going on first dates, whether I was interested in the person or not, because I just like, thrived off of taking this anxious nervous person and like seeing them instantly relax with like questions or my body language or like how I express myself. And so I feel like that has been a really interesting part of what I enjoy in life. And I started just translated it into business, too. But it's so cool. I
Katie Kay
love that. And it's Yeah, it's like just having that awareness of your own, like strengths or whatever they are. It's like, and then being able to uplift those. Yeah. And like, in such a cool way with your business. Yeah. Like making women feel less alone and like being empowered to go outside and exercise together. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. So can you tell us about the rut because, like, I this is an insane trail race. And then also give us a little insight into how you take care of yourself nowadays. And just so we can get a reference and yeah, possibly relieve or get some new tips and tools.
Cass
Totally. So the rut? Let's see, where do I begin?
Katie Kay
1000 8000?
Cass
Yes. Okay. So the rent is hosted up at Big Sky ski resort every year. And there's different race links. So there's a vertical K and 11k, a 28k, and a 50k. And I signed up for the 28k. Now the thing about these races that so monumental, it's not necessarily the mileage, right? Like people do marathons or ultra is all the time. But the thing that's gnarly about this is, the 28k alone has over you know, just under 8000 feet of vertical Game Over the course of right about 18 miles. The 50k has like 11,200 feet of vertical gain. But anyway, they're all equally insane. And if you're familiar with lone peak up at Big Sky, the terrain up there is pretty intense. Like they make you sign basically a 10 page waiver saying that if you die, it's not their fault. How do you get away with this? I have no idea. But I'm so glad they do, because it's wildly fun. So yeah, I did the ret. And it was the hardest thing I've ever done physically. But it was also one of the most empowering things I have ever done. And I feel like I ran a hell of a race. I felt very trained and well prepared and strong, mentally tough, all of that. And when I cross the finish line, I teared up, because it was like, Holy smokes, I'm really happy that's over. But I'm also really sad, but it's like so many emotions, and just the energy at the finish line. And I had my best friend and my mom there cheering me on, which was so cool. They made these really great signs. And just like proving to yourself that you can do really hard things in physical form that translates in so many areas of your life. Like blew me out of the water. I 10 out of 10 would do it again, but might take a little convincing. Maybe a couple years break before I do it. I feel like I'm still recovering actually. Sure. Yeah, that's insane. Yeah, it was insane. So yeah, I did that. Also, I shared this on my podcast on my recent episode, but actually started my period on mile four. Did you hear that? Yeah, that's intense. That was not fun. That took a lot of strategic planning I would say but it only bummed me out for like 10 seconds and then it turned into sort of this like motivation for me because I was like, I'm not letting this one freaking thing ruin all of this hard work that I put in. And like chances are there's so many other girls running who are on their period or who may have started their period and like if they can do it, I can do it. So it was it was actually turned into an empowering moment. But that was definitely a wrench in the situation that wasn't super ideal. So yeah, I like you said on self care. I love to move my body in ways that feel good. And for me right now that's trial running. I also like to mountain bike, I'm definitely not that good at it. It's like one of the most humbling things I've ever done, but I really enjoy it and it's something that my boyfriend and I can do together. I love going to group fitness classes. I think the energy of a roomful of humans moving their body sweating to the beat of the music is just so inspiring. Like I love yoga, I love span. There's this really cool place in Bozeman called the mountain project. I don't know if you've ever been having oh so good. They are all about training athletes for mountain pursuits, whatever that looks like for you. Yeah, a lot of body weights. stuff and I love trying new things to like I think pre pandemic life when I was traveling a lot one of my favorite things was just to go check out the local fitness scene. And I feel like that shows you a lot about the community and just the vibe of the people there and I would always get a really unique cool workout from it too. And I definitely avoided more of the chain locations I would say. So yeah, I love to move my body in the winter I love to ski my boyfriend I do that a lot of a big sky I grew up doing that here in Montana so I have a soft spot for all the small town mom and pop ski resorts around the state which is so cool. So yes, moving my body is a huge part of my self care routine. A couple other things sleep. I you can ask Cody this my boyfriend, but I literally will pass out and start falling asleep on the couch at like 730 at night. And he's like really? Quick. I'm sorry, I can't keep my eyes open.
Katie Kay
Same exact thing. Oh, it's the clock is like the hour I'm sleep.
Cass
Yeah, yes. Yes. So sleep is huge. And I prioritize that a lot. What else do I do? I love to get a monthly massage. Oh my gosh, it's like the best way to decompress and chill out. Another thing that I do, which we talked about when you first got here was I love to pull from my spirit deck, my animal spirit deck. I just feel like getting a little woowoo like that and getting out of your head and into this like practice is so freeing because like there's no wrong or right there's just like this mystical voice it's telling you what to do. And you're like oh, thank you guidance. Yeah, like I don't think about it or once right? So I like to get a little Whoo. What else? Gosh. That's about it. I'm not big on morning routines. I'll say that I like tried to do that. And I was like No, like I can't be tied to this. So I kind of do a lot of just intuitive care like what do I need that day? What I need this week and just dig into that whatever that
Katie Kay
looks like cool and how do you approach your nutrition?
Cass
Yeah, I eat everything that wasn't always the case like like you had said I have tried so many diets so many cleanses so many like trendy things pills all that but for the last I would say solid five years of my life I've really just become a very intuitive eater and if I'm craving something I will have it and I do love to eat healthy right like I love vegetables fruits Whole Foods real food My boyfriend is a big hunter so we do have access to really high quality meat sources very grateful for that but yeah, I guess it to sum it up it's definitely intuitive eating yeah yeah
Katie Kay
that's awesome yeah so so valuable yeah I've been I've been in the last year so I've been really getting into intuitive eating and I it's insane how it shifts your perspective around food totally yeah yeah that saying like everybody's approach should be that but like and I love how you said you know morning routine is like not something that you like intuitively love to do and it's just good to hear like it's good to hear how people approach and and it's and I love when I hear people say that they don't do it a certain way because that's when the intuitive part shows up. And yeah, you can tell like people are really being aware of what works for them and right like what we what we've been saying that one size fits all is is a bunch of bullshit. Yeah.
Cass
The way to go. Do you take anything away from today?
Katie Kay
That is it a template a quote and the spirit animal deck, I'll put it in the show notes. So people can link to it and yeah, how do you then because I've like adding in, like some source of like, I like to call the universe or nature or something that's bigger than me gets me out of my head. And so like having a little woo and yeah,
Cass
yeah, yeah, just trusting it all. Just seeing the signs that the universe gives you. I always equate it to this where people are like universe What? What does that mean? So the most simplest form is say you're having a bad day and you leave the grocery store all pissed off because you have to go grocery shopping, and you get to your car and you unload all the groceries from your cart and you put them in your car. I need to park so far away because the parking lot was full and you're like Gosh, I don't want to bring this cart back to the store. grocery store, gosh, then say this stranger appears and asked to take your cart in for you, because he is on the way into the store or she like that is a little sign from the universe, telling you that it's okay. trust the process, be grateful for each and every day and this moment, and then go on with your life, right? It doesn't have to be this huge monumental thing from the universe and super woowoo that, like the spirit appears in your sleep, and like tells you all these things. Like you can be as simple as that.
Katie Kay
I love that. Yeah, I love that so much. I'm so glad you brought that example. Because I have been like trying to introduce like, those words on the podcast, like the unit, like the universe and trusting and surrendering to something. And it's hard, like it's hard. And I think it's me my own journey, I kind of like I'm blocking myself from it. So like seeing it on the podcast is like makes me feel more more vulnerable and uncomfortable. But like, the simplicity of that example is perfect. Yeah. And I like to think of like, if you smile at somebody at the grocery store, and they get like a little bit of your positive energy, and then they take that to their like, they go home to their wife, and they like pass that energy on and give them a smile. And then the kids and it's like, I like to kind of think of like, it's just like a like it's just like a transaction of energy and but like your example of like surrendering and trusting the process, like I love that.
Cass
Feel free to use it. Yeah.
Katie Kay
I will while I'm getting more comfortable, like with my own spirituality and sharing it, but yeah, it's beautiful. Are there any last? Oh, gosh, I don't know messages or tools or anything that's popping in that you would like to share with our audience about body or wellness or anything? Anything at all? Oh, man. I know, put you on the spot. Yeah.
Cass
I don't think anything new I think just to reiterate, I think I briefly said it earlier. But going into every situation, whether it's business related or personal related or family related or relationship related, like you name it, just realizing that nobody knows what they're doing. And we're all just figuring it out. Like even the highest CFO of a fortune 500 company doesn't really know what they're doing. They're he he she, they them are just figuring it out. And I think by approaching every situation in your life in that way. I think it will reduce a lot of anxiety, you know, anxiousness, sadness, confusion in your life, and just allow you to live a little bit easier. So I don't know if that makes sense. But I guess that's like the mantra. I want to leave you guys with.
Katie Kay
No, I'm taking it away. And I think that's, that is perfect. Thank you. Yeah, guys, thanks so much for being here. It's so fun chatting with you. And I feel like I could probably just like sit here for four hours. But you're really like this very just inspiration for for all of us and women specifically, and really grateful for everything that you've done with your company. And so keep going. Keep going with the podcast and the girl get after it and everything that you have lined up. And definitely our listeners check out Cass's podcasts. It's awesome. So awesome. And she gives up updates on the business and, and anything that's coming in future events. So it was great to have you here.
Cass
Yes. Thank you so much for having me.
Let us know you are listening and/or reading! Take a screenshot listening to the episode and post it to instagram. Tag Cass @thewellnessrookie_ & KatieKay @katiekaygraham
REFERENCES
Upcoming Yoga Retreats with The Collective Kula and Girl Get After It: @thecollectivekula
CASS WENDELL CONTACT
Personal IG: @thewellnessrookie_
Business IG: @girlgetafterit
Podcast: The Highlight Real
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INSTAGRAM: @katiekaygraham
EPISODE REFERENCES:
FREE MORNING MANTRAS PDF: Morning Mantras for Body & Food
Upcoming Yoga Retreats with The Collective Kula & Girl Get After It: @thecollectivekula
Spiritual Animal Deck
