EP 55 | honey, what do we got?

Summary

Podcast Summary: CHEERS! with Avery Woods - EP 55 | "Honey, What Do We Got?"

Release Date: December 9, 2024

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Introduction

In Episode 55 of CHEERS! with Avery Woods, host Avery Woods welcomes her close friends, Tom and Rachel Sullivan. Having met them in the Hamptons during the summer of 2023, Avery shares her immediate connection with the couple, highlighting their warmth and genuine personalities. The episode delves deep into the Sullivans' personal journey, their venture into social media cooking, their new book, and the challenges of parenting.

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1. The Sullivans' Journey: From Infertility to Pregnancy

Avery opens the conversation by exploring Tom and Rachel's unique story, particularly focusing on their struggles with infertility and Tom's diagnosis of PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome).

• Tom on PCOS Diagnosis:
  [03:07] “I was like, okay, why aren't we pregnant yet.”

• Rachel on Intentional Pregnancy:
  [04:09] “When Rachel got pregnant, it was very intentional that every week we were, we weren't going to try to get through it. We wanted to savor each moment.”

The couple emphasizes the importance of gratitude and being present throughout their pregnancy journey, especially given the higher risk of loss associated with PCOS. They adopted a mindful approach, ensuring they celebrated each week and remained thankful for their progressing pregnancy.

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2. Starting Their Social Media Cooking Account

Tom and Rachel's foray into social media cooking began as a private endeavor to document their journey towards managing PCOS through diet and lifestyle changes.

• Rachel on Documenting for Data:
  [06:08] “I needed the approach that I could look back at the data.”

• Tom on the Account's Beginnings:
  [06:26] “I was making these cute little pictures of the food I had made and that's how the account started.”

Initially a secret Instagram account, it was intended as a private space for Rachel to track recipes aligned with her menstrual cycle phases. However, the account unexpectedly gained traction, leading to broader engagement and support from the community.

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3. Balancing Careers and Building a Platform

Before embracing their social media presence, both Tom and Rachel maintained demanding careers. Tom served as a flight attendant for American Airlines, while Rachel was entrenched in the corporate world of medical sales.

• Tom on Balancing Flight Attendant Duties and Social Media:
  [16:08] “I was posting TikToks while I was doing it.”

• Rachel on Corporate Ambitions:
  [21:25] “I was very much, I'm going to be a corporate guy. I'm going to put in the hours... then I met her, and it threw a wrench in it.”

Their professional lives provided a backdrop against which they navigated their personal challenges, ultimately steering their focus towards a more fulfilling path through social media and entrepreneurship.

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4. The Proposal Story

A heartfelt moment shared by the Sullivans recounts Tom's spontaneous proposal to Rachel during a trip to Nashville.

• Rachel on the Proposal:
  [13:08] “I picked her up and threw her on my shoulder. So that's how you know you got the stamp.”

• Tom Reflecting on the Moment:
  [14:25] “When he proposed, it was like, you know, one day I had... like, we're on stage, pop champagne.”

The proposal, marked by spontaneity and public celebration, underscored their strong bond and set the tone for their collaborative ventures ahead.

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5. Growing Their Social Media Presence

The Sullivans' social media accounts began gaining significant attention, leading to viral moments and increased follower engagement.

• Tom on Going Viral:
  [19:53] “My videos were going viral at that point, and my name is Matthew McConaughey.”

• Rachel on Support and Growth:
  [23:07] “Rachel Ray reached out. Thank you, Rachel Ray.”

Their authentic content resonated with a wide audience, leading to collaborations and opportunities, such as an endorsement from Rachel Ray, which significantly boosted their visibility.

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6. Philanthropic Efforts: Feeding College Students

Leveraging their social media influence, Tom and Rachel initiated a philanthropic project to feed college students affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Rachel on Starting the Initiative:
  [26:12] “We used to feed college students every other week. It started with college kid Kevin.”

• Tom on the Mission:
  [32:08] “It was a home cooked meal on top of that. So that was always my mission and drive.”

Their efforts began modestly but quickly scaled, with requests pouring in from students across various states. Through platforms like GoFundMe, they were able to expand their reach, providing nutritious meals to hundreds of students weekly.

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7. Their Published Works: “Meal She Eats” and “Honey, What Do We Got?”

Tom and Rachel have authored two impactful books that blend their personal experiences with practical guidance on hormonal balance and pregnancy.

• Tom on “Meal She Eats”:
  [33:04] “Meal She Eats is a hormone balancing guide... it's about balancing your hormones through how you eat.”

• Rachel on Book’s Purpose:
  [34:26] “We wanted a guide for someone to be able to grab and say, okay, I was just diagnosed. What is PCOS? How do I tackle it?”

“Meal She Eats” serves as a comprehensive guide for managing PCOS through diet, offering practical advice, grocery lists, and recipes tailored to different phases of the menstrual cycle. Their second book, “Honey, What Do We Got?” celebrates pregnancy week-by-week, pairing each stage with corresponding meals and personal anecdotes.

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8. Parenting Challenges and Experiences

As parents of two children, Stevie and Sutton, Tom and Rachel share the joys and challenges of raising toddlers while managing their public personas.

• Avery on Parenting Struggles:
  [47:04] “Stevie has separation anxiety... Sutton is having major night terrors.”

• Tom on Balancing Parenthood and Responsibilities:
  [53:11] “Feeding is taking me an hour, and then I have to do it again in two hours. It's my whole day.”

They candidly discuss issues like postpartum anxiety, breastfeeding challenges, and the dynamic between their children, highlighting the emotional and physical toll of parenthood.

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9. Future Plans: Upcoming App and Further Endeavors

Looking ahead, the Sullivans are excited to expand their impact through technology and additional publications.

• Rachel on the Upcoming App:
  [55:13] “We're making an app that will walk you through getting your cycle, your hormones balanced and just put it into your pocket.”

• Tom on Sustainable Practices:
  [56:25] “No waste. You can take rotisserie chicken bones and make broth, ensuring nothing goes unused.”

Their planned app aims to provide daily support for hormone balancing, integrating meal planning and sustainable living practices. This digital extension of their books seeks to make their guidance more accessible and interactive.

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10. Conclusion

Avery wraps up the episode by expressing her admiration for Tom and Rachel's authenticity and generosity. She emphasizes the positive impact they've made through their social media presence and philanthropic efforts, noting how their genuine approach stands out in a digital landscape often clouded by superficiality.

• Avery on Their Authenticity:
  [50:10] “You guys are truly some of the best people I've ever met... you're just that genuine and that good.”

Tom and Rachel reciprocate the appreciation, highlighting the strength of their friendship and mutual support.

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Notable Quotes:

• Rachel Sullivan on Intentional Pregnancy:
  [04:09] “We wanted to make sure every single week we stopped. We said we're grateful. This is amazing.”

• Tom Sullivan on Social Media Impact:
  [19:53] “My videos were going viral at that point, and my name is Matthew McConaughey.”

• Rachel Sullivan on Philanthropy:
  [26:42] “Thank you, Rachel Ray. She really gave us our start.”

• Tom Sullivan on Parenting:
  [53:11] “Feeding is taking me an hour, and then I have to do it again in two hours. It's my whole day.”

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Where to Find Tom and Rachel Sullivan:

• TikTok: @rachsullivan__
• Instagram: @rachsullivan__ and @mealsheats

Their books are available for pre-order on major platforms, including Amazon, Target, and Barnes & Noble.

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Final Thoughts

Episode 55 of CHEERS! with Avery Woods offers an intimate glimpse into Tom and Rachel Sullivan's life, highlighting their resilience, creativity, and commitment to making a positive difference. From navigating infertility to becoming influential social media figures and compassionate parents, their story is both inspiring and relatable. Listeners are encouraged to follow their journey, explore their books, and support their ongoing projects aimed at fostering community and well-being.

Transcript

[Avery Woods]

Hi guys. Welcome back to the Cheers podcast. I'm your host, Avery woods and today I have two very close friends here, Tom and Rachel Sullivan. We met in the hamptons summer of 2023. I immediately fell in love with both of you. So today we are talking about really everything. But we want to focus on the new book which we're so excited about.

[Tom Sullivan]

So excited about.

[Avery Woods]

Let's talk about how the cooking on social media kind of came about because Tom made a secret TikTok account.

[Rachel Sullivan]

We were never trying to have a kid, but we weren't actively the story.

[Tom Sullivan]

Of the not not trying. I was diagnosed with pcos.

[Rachel Sullivan]

I always love cooking and Rachel was always very in tune with her body and she was always reading about new diets or new ways to approach helping your skin through food, etc. When Rachel got pregnant, it was very intentional that every week we were, we weren't going to try to get through it. We didn't want the pregnancy to just get done. With pcos, there is a higher risk of loss and if there was loss or whatever, we wanted to make sure every single week we stopped. We said we're grateful. This is amazing. Let's take this in. Let's think about where we are today because we know when this baby comes, life will change.

[Avery Woods]

Hi, welcome to Cheers. I'm your host, Avery Woods. Hi guys. Welcome back to the Cheers podcast. I'm your host, Avery woods. And today I have two very close friends here, Tom and Rachel Sullivan. And first of all, we met in the hamptons summer of 2023.

[Tom Sullivan]

Right.

[Avery Woods]

And I immediately fell in love with both of you because you're just the warmest, most welcoming people and I knew immediately that I would click with you. And one of my favorite moments was when Tom just picked me up and threw me on his shoulder and I was like, wow, it's really giving. I'm skinny. I just want to thank you for that because I had a baby about a year and a half tired and I was like, yes, I made it. But thank you so much for being here. I'm so happy to have you.

[Rachel Sullivan]

Thanks for having us.

[Avery Woods]

Of course. So today we are talking about really everything. But we want to focus on the new book which we're so excited about.

[Tom Sullivan]

So excited about.

[Avery Woods]

So first I want to kind of go back to give a background for those that aren't familiar with your guys story because I think it's really unique and cool. So let's talk about how the cooking on social media kind of came about because Tom made a secret tik tok account because you guys were struggling with infertility. Right.

[Tom Sullivan]

Secret Instagram account.

[Avery Woods]

Oh, Instagram. Okay, so tell me how that idea came about.

[Rachel Sullivan]

So we had been married for how long?

[Tom Sullivan]

God, don't ask me. We're so bad. Always. We've been married seven years, so whatever.

[Rachel Sullivan]

3. We were never trying to have a kid, but we weren't actively.

[Tom Sullivan]

The story of the not not trying. Yeah, yeah, I got, I thought it would happen. I thought like, you know, after. Yeah, it was like four years. I was like, okay, like, why aren't we pregnant yet?

[Rachel Sullivan]

And that's when your PCOS diagnosis came about.

[Tom Sullivan]

Yeah.

[Rachel Sullivan]

Rachel kind of started noticing things with her body and social media helped you limit it down. And then you went to the doctor.

[Tom Sullivan]

There was. I had an irregular cycle, which. So I wasn't ovulating, which means you can't get pregnant. Like when they tell you and you're a kid, you know, you have sex once and you're going to get pregnant. Yeah. It doesn't happen like that. We all know that now.

[Avery Woods]

Yeah, sometimes it does.

[Tom Sullivan]

Not for us. And, and so there was a lot of other symptoms that I had that I didn't know correlated to that. I had very heavy menstrual cycles. It did happen. I had really bad hormonal acne, migraines, irritability was like level 10 out of 11.

[Rachel Sullivan]

Yet cysts, once you went to the doctor.

[Tom Sullivan]

Yeah, there was cysts on my ovaries. So at that point I was diagnosed with pcos. And one of the ways to regulate your cycle is to go on birth control. And I didn't want to do the band aid approach and I wanted to take a holistic route.

[Rachel Sullivan]

So trying to have babies on birth control.

[Tom Sullivan]

Yeah, that's, that's a little, that's not.

[Rachel Sullivan]

The easiest thing, you know, that'll, that'll get your cycle back. And we're like, yeah, but then what happens when she comes back off? Are we back?

[Tom Sullivan]

And then.

[Avery Woods]

Yeah, for sure.

[Tom Sullivan]

So, yeah, I always love cooking.

[Rachel Sullivan]

That was always my thing, like my pastime when I'd get home from work. That was just what I did for 10 years up to that point. And Rachel was always very in tune with her body and she was always reading about new diets or new ways to approach helping your skin through food, etc. And we, we started deep diving on this whole PCOS journey. Yeah, I'm like, I, I learned there's four phases in the menstrual cycle and there's ovulation, follicular, luteal, and which is.

[Avery Woods]

Important for men to know, by the way. So it is Tom, for setting that standard.

[Rachel Sullivan]

It's truly amazing because your body is never the same two days in a row, and it's constantly changing. And there's days where, like, your energy, your. Your mental capacity is, like, through the roof. There's days where. Where it's like, you need to calm yourself. And it's just wild learning about all of that.

[Tom Sullivan]

I love listening. Go off into a tangent about the menstrual cycle because I'm like, yes, Ty.

[Avery Woods]

Like, honestly, like, that's attractive. Like, when.

[Rachel Sullivan]

When we have to start talking about LH levels rising and falling, you need.

[Tom Sullivan]

To be in your nesting mode.

[Avery Woods]

You're in luteal phase, giving maturity. Grown man.

[Rachel Sullivan]

Yeah, we. We. We started to learn that the same way when. When you're egg shedding and you're losing blood, your body's craving things and whatever. And throughout that whole cycle, your. Your. Your body's looking. So the food we're doing in our first book and to help her with her pcos is eating with your cycle, giving your body what it's looking for.

[Tom Sullivan]

But the. But the account started because Tom was documenting. Tom is documenting all of this.

[Rachel Sullivan]

And I needed the approach that I could look back at the data.

[Avery Woods]

Yeah.

[Rachel Sullivan]

So where can I take a picture? Where can I write the recipe? Where can I write the cycle?

[Avery Woods]

Yeah.

[Rachel Sullivan]

I had Pinterest boards, I had Safari saves, I had notepads. I was like, Instagram. I could take the picture and just write, like, luteal phase this soup.

[Avery Woods]

Yeah.

[Tom Sullivan]

Like, hashtag PCOS awareness. Hashtag, like. Yeah. No, it's, like, so cute.

[Rachel Sullivan]

Any clue? I didn't know social media. I didn't have any of this. I purposely kept it from her.

[Avery Woods]

Yeah.

[Rachel Sullivan]

Because you know what she would do.

[Avery Woods]

Yeah.

[Tom Sullivan]

And make it cutesy.

[Rachel Sullivan]

And, like, I need to cook three times a day.

[Avery Woods]

She's got the aesthetic eye. You have the kitchen skills.

[Rachel Sullivan]

Well, I didn't realize, you know, there's millions of people on there. So I'm like, I'll just have this one for me.

[Avery Woods]

Yeah.

[Rachel Sullivan]

Realize that there would be this stupid little feature that goes, people, you may.

[Tom Sullivan]

Know when you make, like, a new account. So it popped up on mine, and it was like, people you may know. And it was like, Tom Sullivan. And I said, meal, she eats. And like, my iconic line is, I was like, who's this she? Like, who's this woman that is eating these foods? Right? And I like, click on it. And it was. There was all of, like, three posts.

[Avery Woods]

At the time he has like a secret, like, right.

[Tom Sullivan]

Like second life. But it was, it was just the cute little pictures of the food he had made and, and that's how the account started.

[Avery Woods]

I love that so much. Tom, when did you first find a love for cooking? Because I don't even know this about you.

[Rachel Sullivan]

When I started med sales, I moved five hours away to start a career. Took a, took a gamble, didn't know anybody. And I just threw in the 14 day, 18 hour days and burnt myself out. And I needed something besides going to a pub. Yeah, I needed something. And I live right next to a co op. So on the way home, I just grabbed stuff I've never heard of my mom gave me. In Jew in Chicago, there's a Jewel Osco everyone calls the Jewels.

[Avery Woods]

Okay.

[Rachel Sullivan]

Grocery store, Chicago. She got points and she got me a cast iron skillet and a slow cooker.

[Avery Woods]

Cute.

[Rachel Sullivan]

And I, I wouldn't even, I'd order food almost every time I cooked, but it was the process.

[Avery Woods]

Oh, for sure.

[Rachel Sullivan]

Doing it. And then when we started dating, she's like trying vegetarian. I was like, oh, that's.

[Tom Sullivan]

I was trying all the things. Like, I was like, I want to try. I, like, I was trying to figure out my body. So I was like, tom, I think I'm like vegan at this point in time. It's like, okay, so what does that mean? We're not cooking with meat this week. And he had to learn how to do all the things.

[Rachel Sullivan]

Yeah, it was, it's, it's my therapy.

[Avery Woods]

Like, that's how.

[Tom Sullivan]

That's good.

[Rachel Sullivan]

Tough for me. I, she knows, like, time, like, go, go.

[Avery Woods]

Yeah, I, I've been sharing more of my cooking on.

[Rachel Sullivan]

I noticed that you've been doing it a ton.

[Avery Woods]

Well, I, that is, that is what I was raised on. Like my family. Big, big cooker. Like, my aunt is a celebrity chef. She's worked for, like, huge names and my mom has her original recipe cards from her mom.

[Rachel Sullivan]

That's so cool.

[Avery Woods]

But I always say cooking is like my therapy because it's like the one time that my kids kind of let me be. I'm like in my own thoughts and you try something and it could turn out really great. It could turn out not the best, but I feel like you're kind of just in the zone and you kind of method and.

[Rachel Sullivan]

Yeah, I'm big on, like, as I finish, like, I want everything put away as I'm going.

[Avery Woods]

Yeah.

[Rachel Sullivan]

Like in my head. Okay, I know I got five minutes here so I can get this done. Like, this soft.

[Tom Sullivan]

I'm over here watching you guys. Like, I hate cooking, like, language right now.

[Avery Woods]

Like, but that's why they say you can never marry someone that's too similar.

[Tom Sullivan]

Too similar. I always say, you have a ying to my yang. Like, you're so opposite, and that's so important.

[Rachel Sullivan]

Well, having somebody that enjoys your meals is truly, like, for sure. Gratifying piece.

[Avery Woods]

For sure.

[Rachel Sullivan]

Rachel has become a little bit of a food critic because she has this, you know.

[Avery Woods]

Well, she's always trying new, really great stuff.

[Rachel Sullivan]

We were out with friends, and they were like, we. We did a vacation with friends, and I. I cooked the whole weekend, and I loved it. And at one point, one of them looked at her and goes, do you eat like this every day? And she goes, yeah, see?

[Avery Woods]

Yeah, that's. I mean, that's. That's a big deal.

[Rachel Sullivan]

But she is good. She's like, is this. This needs, like, a little.

[Tom Sullivan]

Well, now, like, I feel like I'm like, tom, okay, you have two books out. At this point, I feel like I need to be that person because I'm eating your meals all the time. Like, I need to make you better.

[Avery Woods]

The honesty is good, though.

[Tom Sullivan]

And he'll get. He'll get so about it in the moment. And, like, I know that you take it in, though, and reflect and then.

[Avery Woods]

Yeah. I always say, David's the griller. Like, I can't. I can't operate a grill. That would be dangerous. I would burn the house down. So he will grill the meat, and then I'll make the other stuff because I. Yeah, I'm not gonna touch a girl. Going back. Tell me about your first date, because I've never heard the story, but I want to know.

[Tom Sullivan]

Oh, because it's so good.

[Rachel Sullivan]

It was awesome. We were. We just. This was Carbondale, so where we grew up, nobody leaves.

[Avery Woods]

Okay.

[Rachel Sullivan]

South side of Chicago, nobody leaves. Yeah, I'm in Carbondale. No. No man's land. She's in college at App State, and we started talking, and she talked about going to Nashville, and really, I had Nashville.

[Tom Sullivan]

I had gone. I had gone the week. Oh, yeah. You were like, friends. Yeah, that was, like, my part. Me and my best friend, we were like, we love to party.

[Rachel Sullivan]

My dumbass doesn't realize on the map, it's, like, still five hours or six hours from her. I'm thinking App states close to it.

[Tom Sullivan]

So Tom calls me, and he was like, hey, man. Some of my co workers were, we're going down to Nashville for the weekend. Like, if you're free, we're at Buffalo.

[Rachel Sullivan]

Wild Wings at noon. All those med sale reps were sitting there.

[Avery Woods]

Yeah.

[Rachel Sullivan]

We're like, dude, we need to get out of here.

[Avery Woods]

Yeah.

[Rachel Sullivan]

I was like, hey, you guys want to go to Nashville? Of course. Knowing Sheila, I was like, hey Rach, like, we're in Nashville. Like you want to meet us?

[Tom Sullivan]

So I didn't tell him. I was like, oh yeah, for sure. Like I can. I'll see you there tonight. And subtle results. Still you, but with fewer lines. Botox Cosmetic Adabotulinum Toxin A is a prescription medicine used to temporarily make moderate to severe frown lines, crow's feet and forehead lines look better in adults.

[Rachel Sullivan]

Effects of Botox cosmetic may spread hours to weeks after injection causing serious symptoms. Alert your doctor right away as difficulties swallowing, speaking, breathing, eye problems or or muscle weakness may be a sign of a life threatening condition. Patients with these conditions before injection are at highest risk. Don't receive Botox cosmetic if you have a skin infection. Side effects may include allergic reactions, injection site pain, headache, eyebrow and eyelid drooping and eyelid swelling. Allergic reactions can include rash, welts, asthma symptoms and dizziness. Tell your doctor about medical history, muscle or nerve conditions including ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease, myasthenia gravis or Lambert Eden syndrome, and medications including botulinum toxins as these may increase the risk of serious side effects. For full safety information, visit botoxcosmetic.com or call 877-351-0300.

[Tom Sullivan]

See for [e-mail] then me and my best friend who ended up being my bro, my, our maid of honor, we drove six hours to get there. We landed like 1am and you didn't know.

[Rachel Sullivan]

And I picked her up and threw her on my shoulder. So that's how you know you got the stamp. Like there's a special bond. If I feel like I can pick you up.

[Avery Woods]

I love that you said you're coming with me, bro.

[Tom Sullivan]

You're coming with me.

[Avery Woods]

I love it.

[Tom Sullivan]

But the, the highlight of it was, you know, we're out now. It's like super late and all the lines to the bars are like around the corner.

[Avery Woods]

Yeah.

[Rachel Sullivan]

This is eight, nine years. So Nashville, this is before Nashville was.

[Tom Sullivan]

Like in the crazy hype. Like all the celebrities didn't have their own.

[Rachel Sullivan]

There's at every place and there's the 13 story bar. I forget the name and I'm like, we gotta get them in there.

[Avery Woods]

Yeah.

[Rachel Sullivan]

So I looked at Rach and she had a ring on her finger and I go, give me that. And it was your grandma.

[Tom Sullivan]

It was my grandma's ring.

[Rachel Sullivan]

And there's a side door and there's a bouncer standing there. So I grab her and I get on my knee in the middle of this.

[Avery Woods]

No, you didn't.

[Tom Sullivan]

And Tom proposes. Our first day. And Tom, I did not know me in the middle of the street, and people are cheering like, the whole crowd's going wild.

[Rachel Sullivan]

The bouncer opens the door. They bring us for all, put us on stage, pop champagne. People are taking pictures.

[Tom Sullivan]

Some girl got a video of it. To this day, I gave her my wrong email. I think I told her, like, @awol.com or something.

[Rachel Sullivan]

I have one picture. Somebody sent me. Somebody took a picture because I scooped her up after yester. And we saw that, and we have that picture, but there's a full video of the proposal floating out there that.

[Avery Woods]

Stop. If anyone's watching this, please get that over to us.

[Tom Sullivan]

But then when we. When he proposed that, it was like, you know, one day I had, like, X amount of days ago. Like, I faked.

[Rachel Sullivan]

Oh. When I real proposed, when he really.

[Tom Sullivan]

Proposed, he, like, went back to those moments of how he faked proposals. Like, this time, it's for real.

[Avery Woods]

The balls. The balls that take you out your first day.

[Rachel Sullivan]

And then we, like.

[Tom Sullivan]

But I knew then. I was like, his personality for sure is amazing. Like, we vibe, you know, it was.

[Rachel Sullivan]

Like days later, we were on the phone till the sun came up. One of those, like, we just didn't. Stop that.

[Tom Sullivan]

What a.

[Avery Woods]

Guys, stop it. I'm gonna cry Fake proposals.

[Rachel Sullivan]

If there's a long line.

[Tom Sullivan]

Yeah.

[Avery Woods]

Kind of just throw it out there for anyone. I love that your girls will get to hear that story.

[Tom Sullivan]

I know.

[Avery Woods]

That's by the way. Oh, my God. I'm stealing both of them. You guys, we have two precious babies in my house right now. And Rosie is just the perfect little angel. And Sutton is so cute and sassy, and I'm just so happy for you guys. Like, they're just the greatest. And you guys are such great parents. Appreciate it. Okay, kind of going back you before social media, let's talk about what you guys did for work. So you guys obviously had careers.

[Tom Sullivan]

I love that, too, because I feel like we never get to talk about that.

[Avery Woods]

I feel like when people build a large social media platform, people assume it's all they've ever done.

[Tom Sullivan]

Yeah.

[Avery Woods]

And I think it's important to talk about where people came from and also that they worked a career on top of building a platform, and it didn't just get handed to them.

[Tom Sullivan]

Yeah.

[Avery Woods]

You know, because it takes a lot of work.

[Tom Sullivan]

We were. I was a flight attendant. Yes. For seven years for American Airlines, which I still love them. Until they. I was posting TikToks while I was doing it.

[Avery Woods]

Okay.

[Tom Sullivan]

And One of my TikToks blew up. And this was like. I'm talking, like, right when TikTok started.

[Avery Woods]

2020.

[Tom Sullivan]

Yeah, yeah. Like end of 2019, early 2020. And.

[Avery Woods]

And it's like dances.

[Tom Sullivan]

Yes. That's what I did. It was a dance. It was a dance in my uniform. Oh, I know that.

[Avery Woods]

I like that. I just knew that was so hot.

[Tom Sullivan]

I know.

[Avery Woods]

That was so hot, though. I know. You were like, yeah, the little scarf I had.

[Tom Sullivan]

And so that still has the uniform. That got flagged. That got flagged.

[Avery Woods]

Okay.

[Tom Sullivan]

And after that, I was. I was scared shitless to lose my job.

[Avery Woods]

Yeah.

[Tom Sullivan]

And so for me, it wasn't. It wasn't worth continuing to post and putting my, like, livelihood on the line for sure. So I took a huge pause from social media.

[Avery Woods]

That was me. I did the same thing.

[Tom Sullivan]

And then I just kept continuing on with the job until covet happened.

[Avery Woods]

Okay.

[Tom Sullivan]

And then I got furloughed.

[Avery Woods]

Oh, yeah, I forgot American did that to a lot, huh? Yeah.

[Tom Sullivan]

I meant all the airlines were doing that.

[Avery Woods]

Okay.

[Tom Sullivan]

So, yeah. So then I was. I was furloughed. And that was kind of me trying to figure out what my next move was. I always loved posting on Instagram. I always wanted to be like a travel blogger. Oh, yeah. I had a few websites back in the day, so I always love documenting my travels and storytelling in that way. And so that was what I was trying to figure out. Like, is there a way I can do this through social media? Nothing ever hit on that sense. And then Tom one day became my muse.

[Rachel Sullivan]

And, well, kind of like. Kind of like David said to you, I would be like, hun, you take all these pictures, you put all this time in, like, can you make it do something or can you stop?

[Avery Woods]

Yeah, yeah.

[Rachel Sullivan]

Because there was that point where you're.

[Tom Sullivan]

Like, you think so much time and it's.

[Rachel Sullivan]

And it's hard to watch the passion that she gets excited and she's a storyteller. But I'm like, when we have friends over, like, quit telling everyone to stop to take the picture and take 20 of them. And like, you just need one for the memory.

[Avery Woods]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Rachel Sullivan]

Shame on me. I was wrong.

[Avery Woods]

I think Tom and David were just talking about that inside because David was the one that was like, I am not taking a photo of you. It's so embarrassing. And now he's. Now he's like, let's get another one.

[Tom Sullivan]

I need a little bit that way.

[Avery Woods]

Yeah. Yeah. I love it.

[Rachel Sullivan]

The horizon would really be better at your shoulders than.

[Avery Woods]

The lighting. Isn't the best right now, babe. Let's. Let's wait.

[Tom Sullivan]

Wait till half an hour. But I had taken an influencer course, and this was, like, I think the turning point for me. And I thought it was going to be this very intimate course online with, like, maybe 20 girls, and we were going to get to talk back and forth to the person running it. And the first day I opened it up, and there was over 200 people.

[Avery Woods]

Oh, wow.

[Tom Sullivan]

In this online chat college course.

[Avery Woods]

Okay.

[Tom Sullivan]

And. And I'm over here, and I paid. It was a hundred or two hundred dollars doing it. And I'm doing the math, and I'm like, these Girls are making 20, 30, 40 grand off this. And that's where my head. I was like, okay, I want to be them. I want to do what they're doing. I want to get to that level. I need to be with up the consistency. And that was really, like, my drive, seeing that money. That was the first time I saw that money was behind it.

[Avery Woods]

Yeah.

[Tom Sullivan]

And that you could actually make a living.

[Avery Woods]

And you don't know that when you're, like, first getting into it. Like, I was so naive. I was like, how are people making so much money?

[Tom Sullivan]

Yeah.

[Avery Woods]

Like, it's kind of shocking when you start to figure it out, but then when you see that and you're like, okay, that's what I want.

[Tom Sullivan]

So I just. I kept consistently posting. My actual. My username on TikTok at the time was Matthew McConaughey. I still own to this day the IP address for Matthew McConaughey. Yes, I do.

[Avery Woods]

That's iconic.

[Tom Sullivan]

I'm waiting for the day for him. For him to buy it off.

[Avery Woods]

Yes.

[Rachel Sullivan]

She's got. She's got multiple videos hitting the millions. And I'm like, hey, babe, people need to know it's you.

[Tom Sullivan]

Yes. Like, my videos were going viral at that point, and my name is Matthew McConaughey. And I was like, okay. We were. We were on, like, NBC News or something like that.

[Rachel Sullivan]

Mr. Holt. And at that, Steve Harvey.

[Tom Sullivan]

And at that time, my name was still Matthew McConaughey on the screen. And I was like, okay, I need to make a name for myself. I need to start a brand for myself.

[Avery Woods]

What kind of content were you posting?

[Tom Sullivan]

That was. So after the Flight attendant stuff. I was just kind of posting anything. And what took off is when I found out Tom had that account. And so I was like, my husband has a secret Instagram account, but, like, I have this hormone imbalance and he's making these foods to help heal my body. And that kind of. That's what took off the account.

[Avery Woods]

Yeah.

[Tom Sullivan]

And it was fun for me because I'm not necessarily someone who loves to be in front of the camera all the time. Yeah. I really like the pov. Like, I love storytelling and seeing just things out of my eyes. So, Tom, it was like, wow. I get to post on social media, but I don't have to be the one in front of the camera every day. Like, I get to, like, record him and just what he's doing and what makes me, like, how he smile on my face and. Yeah, that's how. I mean, that's how that kind of tumble affected. Wow. And Thomas, still, you were still working med sales at the time?

[Rachel Sullivan]

Yeah, I. I was in med sales. I played college football. That's only relevant because coaches helped put my name in a hat to get into the med sales world. Oh, med device, not pharma.

[Avery Woods]

Okay.

[Rachel Sullivan]

We don't like each other. There's like a big gap, and everyone's like, oh, you didn't.

[Avery Woods]

Big distinction.

[Rachel Sullivan]

So, yeah, I got into med sales, moved territory, started in Carbondale, went back to Chicago. I was very much, I'm going to be a corporate guy. I'm going to put in the hours. I'm going to get to the C suite. I'm going to work until I'm 60, retire, and then live. That was. That was my mindset.

[Avery Woods]

Yeah.

[Rachel Sullivan]

And then I met her, and it threw a wrench in it because I could already feel. I'm like, I'm getting distracted from my corporate goals. And, you know, we don't want to.

[Avery Woods]

Work 80 hours a week. When you're in love with someone.

[Rachel Sullivan]

Yeah. And all of a sudden, she's a flight attendant. We can throw a backpack on. Hell, yeah. And it was actually, I think it saved us because if I vacation and I had to pay for the plane tickets, I'm staying for four or five days.

[Avery Woods]

Yeah.

[Rachel Sullivan]

But I'm not taking two or three days off of work. But if we can just fly somewhere for free, I'll throw a backpack on and we'll turn and go. We went to Miami, deep sea, fished, had somebody cook it, flew back and flew back.

[Tom Sullivan]

Oh, like, we were just doing dates like that. Yeah.

[Rachel Sullivan]

So, yeah, I was always gung Ho. Let's let. I want to work until I have enough money to retire, and then I'll start living. She gave me some purpose and some identity and realize. Made me realize there's a lot more to life than that. And when we moved to North Carolina, I had taken a new job to help a company sales team grow. And that's when the kind of. The furlough and everything hit. And we had started cooking for the college students.

[Avery Woods]

Yeah.

[Rachel Sullivan]

And when her thing went viral, Rachel Ray reached out. Thank you, Rachel Ray.

[Tom Sullivan]

I really think she gave us our start.

[Rachel Sullivan]

Oh, she gave us the Holy shit. People. Like, so many cares. You know what I mean? Like, it was that moment.

[Avery Woods]

Everyone needs that first person that believes. Yeah.

[Rachel Sullivan]

And especially when you got family. That's like, what are you guys doing?

[Avery Woods]

Oh, yeah.

[Rachel Sullivan]

You know how it is. It's just. It's hard to understand.

[Avery Woods]

So embarrassing.

[Rachel Sullivan]

It's even weirder to explain. And for me, we got the book deal for our first book. We didn't have an agency. We didn't have a brand deal. And my company was up my ass. They're like, you've been on Rachel Ray. You guys are posting about feeding these kids. When are you working? I'm like, my numbers are good. Like, leave me alone. And the book deal was what gave me the confidence. I'm like, hey, this book's paying us at least this. It's supposed to be done in six months. And I have an opportunity to write a book with my wife. What's like first, the chance to write a published book.

[Avery Woods]

It's crazy.

[Rachel Sullivan]

Is a tiny. But to do it with your wife and to potentially help others in situations. That's why we did it. So many people asked us to do it.

[Tom Sullivan]

Yeah. That just the way that fell into.

[Rachel Sullivan]

I was. That was my ticket that I was like, at least I have this. And I can go back to corporate and be like, guys, I left my job because they're breathing down my throat. And I had a chance to do this with my wife.

[Avery Woods]

Yeah.

[Rachel Sullivan]

And. And then I was out and never looked back.

[Avery Woods]

Do you know what? I have to tell you a really funny story because I just remembered this. So when we were in the Hamptons, and this is how I knew what your previous job was. We were sitting at that bar, and Emily and I were downing those pictures of those cucumber, like, lemon marks. I remember what that drink was at that hotel in the Hamptons.

[Tom Sullivan]

Brought that up last night. Literally. Liv got that exact drinks last.

[Avery Woods]

And we're like, just put it on the Room. Sorry to those brands that had like, probably a thousand dollar room charge. But we were sitting there and you guys came up and you're sitting like this. And I was like, holy, he's wearing a Rolex. These people are low. And I literally said. I was like, dude, you have a Rolex. That's my husband's dream. And you were like, oh, yeah, I know. I got this for my job. You're like, I won this at like a convention or something. And I was like, I was, I.

[Rachel Sullivan]

Was top, top 1% of sales. Yeah, there's 2,000 sales reps. So it was.

[Avery Woods]

Yeah, it was a big deal. Well, I mean, to get a Rolex as a gift, it's a huge deal. But I remember be like, you're a big deal. That's David Wonder Rolex. So bad.

[Tom Sullivan]

Oh my God.

[Avery Woods]

It's not funny. I look back, that was when I had new money.

[Rachel Sullivan]

See that, that. There's another example where I was like, this will stay in a safe and be passed down. And. And then there's Rachel. And it's like, no, let's wear it 100. That's how I break it in. Like when one day, if we have a son or whoever, it goes like, it'll be worn and it'll have stores.

[Avery Woods]

It'll have stores more. I'm not, I'm sorry, but like, well, that's different. You didn't buy it. But if I buy something, I am not going to use it as like, I'm not going to do a collector's item situation. Like, no, I'm wearing the shit out of that. Sorry.

[Tom Sullivan]

I bought it.

[Avery Woods]

So going back, because you mentioned the college meals, I wanted to touch on that. How did you have that idea? How did that start? Because I love it so much and I love your relationship with Kevin. So go back and tell me that story.

[Rachel Sullivan]

How it's. We don't know people. When people ask us things and if it's the right thing to do, we just say yes. So that's. That's the answer for most everything.

[Avery Woods]

That, that's the people you are. Yes.

[Tom Sullivan]

So for people who don't know, we used to feed college students every other week. And it started with college kid Kevin. And he was.

[Rachel Sullivan]

He was start that.

[Tom Sullivan]

He had just started college when Covid hit and the dorms were shut down and the cafeteria was shut down.

[Rachel Sullivan]

I ran into him at the gym.

[Tom Sullivan]

Tom ran into him at the gym. And he was a family friend. Okay. I didn't really know Tom had met him once before.

[Rachel Sullivan]

So I I see him walk up to him, and he's telling me, you know, you're jacked up, but you're scared. College. It's your first weeks of college. And he's telling me, hey, we just moved out of our dorm after moving in a week ago, and we have no cafeteria. And I'm just like, in my head, like, holy cow, college is a lot. Yeah, it threw me back, you know, like, those moments. And Rachel Ray actually gifted us a year free of groceries, $200 a week.

[Tom Sullivan]

And me and Tom are like, we don't need that.

[Avery Woods]

Yeah.

[Rachel Sullivan]

So, yeah, way more than we. We could even use.

[Tom Sullivan]

But being Tom, I. I told him.

[Rachel Sullivan]

I was like, hey, we got these free groceries. And he. He's, like, in the gym all the time and, like, trying to.

[Avery Woods]

So he's eating a lot.

[Rachel Sullivan]

He's talking about his micros and his macros, and he knows I cook for Rachel. And I'm like, dude, I'll just order extra. I'll text you. So I would text him, of course. The first one, I'm like, it's steak and lobster.

[Avery Woods]

Oh.

[Tom Sullivan]

And he's like, yeah, I'll be there.

[Rachel Sullivan]

Like, I got to show off.

[Tom Sullivan]

I'll be right. I'll be right over. And he. He came over, and I took a video of him, and I sent it to his mom, and I was like, don't worry. We're feeding Kevin tonight. Like, all taken care of. He's eating well.

[Rachel Sullivan]

And I always gave it to him in Tupperware so he didn't feel obligated to stay.

[Tom Sullivan]

And he never was, like, busy. You know, like, the first, like, 10 times he came over, it would just. He would, like, walk in, grab the Tupperware, like, walk out. And then, like, after that, I would be like, so are you dating a new. Like, I would start to ask, like.

[Rachel Sullivan]

Questions, like how school started lingering more. He started opening. He'd always bring back wash Tupperware, which to me was mind blowing.

[Tom Sullivan]

He started eating it as soon as he came over instead of taking it to go away. But. So I had compiled all these videos of him coming in that I sent to his mom. And I just made a compilation video for TikTok. I was like, we adopted this college student named Kevin, and we feed him, and he gives us back. This is an ad from BetterHelp.

[Avery Woods]

This holiday season, do something for a special person in your life. You give yourself the gift of better mental health. BetterHelp online therapy connects you with a qualified therapist via phone, video, or live chat.

[Tom Sullivan]

It's convenient and affordable and can be done from the comfort of your own home. Having someone to talk to is truly.

[Avery Woods]

A gift, especially during the holidays. Visit betterhelp.com to learn more and save 10% off your first month. That's betterhelp. H E L p.com Art Tupperware.

[Tom Sullivan]

And it went viral. And a bunch of college students were like, I want to be fed. Like, can I wish I had something like this?

[Avery Woods]

Steak and lobster.

[Tom Sullivan]

I wish I had something like this. And so me and Tom are like, well, if we have the means to do it, let's.

[Rachel Sullivan]

Thank you, Rachel Ray.

[Tom Sullivan]

Thank you, Rachel.

[Avery Woods]

Hey, Rachel Ray.

[Rachel Sullivan]

So the. So it was a holiday weekend and we're getting like, DMS on my Instagram. She's getting the tick tock messages. I was like, I'm just going to do it and just put it on our stories and say, bring, bring your college ID and DMS will give you our address. And I smoked wings. And we always. Everything's cooked to what Rachel needs as well. So everything's scratch made. No additives, free dairy, free blah, blah, blah. And we, we did the first one in three, four.

[Tom Sullivan]

Three. Three people came, which, like, I'm not expecting, like a hundred people at my house. It was like, Kevin, his friend. And then we had this girl named Krista, and we were like, all right. We had a lot of food left over, but we didn't want to, like, tell them that. We're like, oh, no, tons of people have come through. And she had wrote us a letter after, afterward just saying how much it had meant to her and how she was like, working a job very hard to get food that day.

[Rachel Sullivan]

And so I looked at Rach. I'm like, I don't care if there's one person every week. Like, we're.

[Tom Sullivan]

We're doing this.

[Avery Woods]

Yeah.

[Rachel Sullivan]

So we would. I would order extra stuff from Rachael Ray throughout the week and use that to. To. To make the meal fun. Fun fact. We just went to Krista's wedding.

[Tom Sullivan]

Yeah, we did. I know. Just like, I just hope that you.

[Avery Woods]

Guys have kept in contact with so many of these kids.

[Rachel Sullivan]

So it went three to seven to 30. And by like, meal four, it was like, like 40 or 50 signed up. And like, Rachel Ray can't cover this anymore and I can't order it. Like, Monday, Tuesday, like, I'm ordering it, like, to stockpile.

[Avery Woods]

Yeah, for sure.

[Rachel Sullivan]

So I told her. I was like, and again, this is like, she's furloughed. My job's up my ass.

[Avery Woods]

Yeah.

[Rachel Sullivan]

And I'm sitting there wondering how we feed more college kids.

[Tom Sullivan]

Yeah.

[Rachel Sullivan]

So I was like, as long as we can afford it, we'll do it. So we opened a GoFundMe and it was filled in an hour.

[Tom Sullivan]

Yeah.

[Avery Woods]

I love that.

[Rachel Sullivan]

And it turned into hundreds coming through. We started doing it weekly, then every other week.

[Tom Sullivan]

And then when we got pregnant with Sutton, it started to become monthly, but. And now we do like a huge year end thing every year. And that's kind of like our.

[Rachel Sullivan]

We had 1500 at the year end party because that was the capacity. It was filled in six months minutes. We had somebody drive 10 hours with their friend from Indiana.

[Avery Woods]

Yeah. See, that's so cool.

[Tom Sullivan]

It's cool. I love.

[Rachel Sullivan]

Just did our little Thanksgiving.

[Tom Sullivan]

Thanksgiving. Yeah.

[Avery Woods]

It's a rare thing, which I think is unfortunate, but for when you get a social media platform and you haven't, you know, an income, like what you're saying with the groceries with Rachel Ray, to be able to spread that outside of your family.

[Tom Sullivan]

Yeah.

[Avery Woods]

And that's such a big deal because it is really rare, you know, and I wish it wasn't, but you guys have helped so many people. You should be so proud of yourselves.

[Tom Sullivan]

Yeah. I think my biggest thing with it was I remember being out of state and not having anyone around. Like I didn't know anybody at my school.

[Rachel Sullivan]

She was 12 hour drive from college to home.

[Tom Sullivan]

Yeah. And so I just like, I always craved just being in a home. Like even just being in someone's home to be invited for dinner or just like being in a home for a moment. It just brings just so much like warmth and happiness and joy and a home cooked meal. And a home cooked meal on top of that. So that was always my like mission and drive and purpose behind. It was like giving someone that break to step away from their dorm room and be almost like a third place for someone for just a moment in time.

[Avery Woods]

Yeah. Which I love.

[Tom Sullivan]

Yeah.

[Avery Woods]

So talking about your first book, Meal Sheets. Let's talk about the comparison because I want to talk about obviously your new book, but what. What are people gonna find in Meal She Eats versus Honey? What do we got?

[Tom Sullivan]

Oh, those are two different. It's fun. I feel like part. It's. It's almost as if Meal She Eats is your part one, and then honey, we got's the part two, but they.

[Avery Woods]

Don'T have to go together, which is.

[Tom Sullivan]

No, absolutely not. So Meal She Eats is a hormone balancing guide. And I don't say cookbook because the whole first 150, 200 pages is just how to balance your hormones through how.

[Rachel Sullivan]

To go to the doctor's office.

[Avery Woods]

Yeah.

[Rachel Sullivan]

We had a doctor help us write questions so that you feel empowered at the doctor's office when they tell you this is your only option. And you, you worked in the medical world.

[Avery Woods]

Yeah.

[Rachel Sullivan]

And I, and I called on it.

[Avery Woods]

Right.

[Rachel Sullivan]

So we both have a different viewpoint perspective.

[Avery Woods]

Very much so.

[Rachel Sullivan]

But it, it's the whole first hundred pages is learning your body. What's that sticky liquid? What color is it? How dark is it?

[Tom Sullivan]

Yeah.

[Rachel Sullivan]

How do you do your basal temps? And then there's the practical things of, okay, we're going to ask you to start eating a little healthier. I'm going to, we're going to walk you through how.

[Tom Sullivan]

Yeah.

[Rachel Sullivan]

Here's how you grocery shop. Here's our list that I know is always in our home because these ingredients, I know how to make a dozen meals from all of them. Here's how when you're on a road trip, here's when you're going to a holiday. Very practical. But like the medical side, high level. The things we wish we knew.

[Tom Sullivan]

I mean, I think the big thing, like for me when I was going through it was I looked up all these books online for pcos and there was maybe one chapter of a book and then there would be a cookbook, but I didn't know why I was eating the way I was eating. It was just, here's some recipes and they put PCOS on the COVID So what I wanted was a guide for someone to be able to grab and say, okay, I was just diagnosed. What is pcos? How do I tackle it? Okay, I know how do I tackle it? Will now give me like, ways to be able to do that.

[Rachel Sullivan]

Ways to incorporate in your life.

[Tom Sullivan]

Yeah.

[Rachel Sullivan]

Areas you're going to run into pitfalls that are going to be tough. Like we, here's, here's our advice. And then, yeah, the recipes and then also the guide of, throughout your period, here's the foods to incorporate. If you don't have a cycle, here's how you start to eat. Assume you have a 32 day cycle and once you menstruate, then jump back in and start getting your days back. Because after, it's always three months to clean out. After three months. And all of her symptoms literally went away.

[Tom Sullivan]

Like, for me personally, she was like, my journey was I, you know, I was missing my period. We started incorporating all these different techniques and it took like 90 days. And I remember getting my period back and holding my breath and being like, oh my God, just please come back again. And I feel like that's one thing. And I don't know if you were like this or if you are like this, but mainly when women get their period, they're like, God, I never want that thing again. Like, I don't want to see it. And I was the exact opposite. I was like, give me this period. I want to know that my body is balanced and regulated and doing its thing. And so when I. When I got that period back, I remember, like, please, God, give it to me next month. And then I got it again, and then I got it again. And it was just days, like every day, like clockwork.

[Rachel Sullivan]

Crazy with social media. There's over a hundred thousand copies of that first book. We have endless DMS weekly about, hey, three months. It took three months or the amount. We never once talk about getting pregnant or trying to get pregnant or using the book to get pregnant. It's about balancing.

[Avery Woods]

Yeah.

[Rachel Sullivan]

We get the. Hey, I'm having my first. When I. We have thousands. And it's just. That's the beauty of social media.

[Avery Woods]

Yeah.

[Rachel Sullivan]

That we. We can. We get to hear that feedback and we get to share it back.

[Avery Woods]

Like, you're helping so many people.

[Tom Sullivan]

Yeah.

[Avery Woods]

That's amazing. So that's.

[Tom Sullivan]

The first book is very, like, how to. How to hormone balance and how to tackle that. And it necessarily doesn't have to be about getting pregnant. And that was a big thing that I wanted to, like, make sure people knew that was our story. But it didn't have to be your story. It was just like, I want you to be able to have your cycle back.

[Rachel Sullivan]

She was once told at the doctor's office, that's just part of being a woman, you know, like having. Having debilitating cramps. She couldn't get out of bed for days. And. And as the husband, I'm sitting there like, do I do the football coach thing? Because every. Every month or two months or three months, you can't be in bed for three days.

[Tom Sullivan]

Yeah.

[Rachel Sullivan]

Or do I do the. Here's a hot towel. I love you, hon. Call off everything. I'll run everything. Like.

[Tom Sullivan]

Like, I would call off work a lot for.

[Rachel Sullivan]

She'd go to the doctor and they'd be like, that's just part of being a woman. It's like, well, no, it's not.

[Avery Woods]

No. But what's sad is that so many people are intimidated by the medical professionals because they look at them like, well, you're the one with the education and I'm just the patient. So whatever you Say. Which it shouldn't be like that.

[Tom Sullivan]

Yeah.

[Avery Woods]

I'm so glad that you wrote questions like that. Where it makes.

[Tom Sullivan]

We worked with an amazing doctor of the book and Dr. Bryson.

[Rachel Sullivan]

Whin.

[Tom Sullivan]

Yeah, he's so great. And. And he has, like, little footnotes on his approach to all of it as well in there, which is just like. It's incredible. But. Yeah. So that's book number one. And then, honey, what do we got? Which.

[Avery Woods]

Yeah, I was gonna say. Let's hold it up, hold it up. Look at this. Beautiful.

[Tom Sullivan]

There's little Rosie. No, the COVID The whole fan made it in. Well, I felt like. So our first cover, I was pregnant with Sutton and I was like, fuck, she is on the COVID of a book now. I was like, what am I going to do for, like, the next kid? Like, they need to also, like, have a book and be on the COVID of a book. And then Rosie got us. Now I'm like, if we have a third kid, we got to write a book. And I don't know, it's going to be. But now I feel like they all got to be equal.

[Avery Woods]

You know what? We'll figure it out. It's fine. And we can share custody of the third. Be overwhelmed, so just let me know.

[Tom Sullivan]

Auntie Avery. Mommy Avery.

[Avery Woods]

Here.

[Tom Sullivan]

But, yeah, this one stemmed off of our journey of getting pregnant after we found out we were pregnant. A way to celebrate every week was Tom would make a dish based off the baby size. So.

[Avery Woods]

Which is when I got. Found you guys.

[Tom Sullivan]

Okay.

[Avery Woods]

When I first found you guys.

[Tom Sullivan]

Wait, that's so exciting.

[Avery Woods]

And I cry every time at honey, what do we got? And you turn around, you're holding something, and you said, it's a girl. And then you're hysterical. I literally.

[Tom Sullivan]

I would.

[Avery Woods]

I will cry, cry my makeup off today if I watch that. And I've seen it 500 times. So.

[Tom Sullivan]

Yeah, that. That one.

[Avery Woods]

Oh, it's the best.

[Tom Sullivan]

That's a good one. Where was I? Oh.

[Avery Woods]

Oh, sorry.

[Tom Sullivan]

Yeah. No, you're so good. You're so good.

[Avery Woods]

Distracted.

[Rachel Sullivan]

That put me in a happy place.

[Avery Woods]

Oh.

[Tom Sullivan]

I was like, some people dad swear and loves being a girl dad.

[Avery Woods]

Like, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Tom Sullivan]

But that's so it's based off all of the. Whatever your baby is like the size of a fruit.

[Avery Woods]

So all the apps will tell you.

[Tom Sullivan]

Yeah, all the apps will tell you it's the size of a mango. So we'll have three recipes each week based off that size. So I can, like, show you for an example.

[Avery Woods]

And for those that haven't seen Tom would be in the kitchen. Rachel was pregnant. She'd say, honey, what do we got? Which I loved. And then Tom would show what the food was and then they've transitioned into a book.

[Tom Sullivan]

So, like, if you are the size of a blueberry, which is week eight every week, I have like, kind of what's going on. And the coolest part about it was I was pregnant with Rosie during writing the entire thing, so I got to document how I was feeling and what I was going through. And so, yeah, there'll be three things, because not everyone we know. There's food aversions and there's different cravings.

[Rachel Sullivan]

Everything is still cooked to the dietary restrictions she has, which if you don't have, you'll never freaking know. They're just really good.

[Tom Sullivan]

They're really great. But it is. Everything is.

[Rachel Sullivan]

You will. See you later.

[Avery Woods]

I also love. There's multiple recipes per food, so that.

[Rachel Sullivan]

Those are like, there's mocktails, there's breakfast, there's overnight oats, dinner, there's dessert. And I, I really think, like, the whole cooking weekly was. We all. I. I feel like we all. When you start getting into pregnancy and your friend. Friends start having kids, you start to realize a lot of people struggle.

[Avery Woods]

Oh, yeah.

[Rachel Sullivan]

Miscarriages happen in silence quite a bit. Through our journey, we had endless messages of people not being able to conceive or struggling with it. So when we did get pregnant, when Rachel got pregnant. Sorry, I'm always a week.

[Tom Sullivan]

No, you can. I don't care. That doesn't bug me. I know it bugs.

[Rachel Sullivan]

It was very intentional that every week we were. We weren't going to try to get through it. We didn't want the pregnancy to just get done.

[Avery Woods]

Yeah.

[Rachel Sullivan]

And there comes a point where it's like, get this baby.

[Avery Woods]

Yeah, I get it.

[Rachel Sullivan]

But like, if with pcos, there is a higher risk of loss and if there was loss or whatever, we wanted to make sure every single week we stopped, we said, we're grateful. This is amazing. Let's take this in. Let's think about where we are today because we know when this baby comes, life will change.

[Avery Woods]

Yeah.

[Rachel Sullivan]

You know, so I, I feel like that we talk a lot in that book about just being very intentional, that it is about to change. Yeah, it's about to change.

[Avery Woods]

Yeah.

[Rachel Sullivan]

So enjoy where you're at. Stop. You know, you have all the doctor's visits at the start of the pregnancy and then it kind of fades and then at the end you have the freak outs. Is everything ready? What am I painting?

[Avery Woods]

Yeah. Oh, yeah.

[Rachel Sullivan]

So it's like, again, stop. Have a meal together. Take it in, take it in, celebrate, enjoy. And that. That, to me, is like, the essence behind. Behind what we're doing with that.

[Avery Woods]

It is so important, and it fly. It's feels like sometimes the slowest process, but then you look back, and I'm like, oh, what I would give to be pregnant again. You know, it's just so quick.

[Tom Sullivan]

It goes by so quick, and then.

[Avery Woods]

You'Re like, oh, my God, my kids are so old.

[Tom Sullivan]

The second one, did you feel, like Stevie went, like, by 10 times quicker. Yes.

[Avery Woods]

Because you're so busy running around chasing a toddler, and you're so busy. Like, the first baby is different because you're just kind of alone. And, you know, you go through every day, and you can be really sick. And then the second pregnancy is like, you can't sit on the couch all day.

[Tom Sullivan]

Yeah.

[Avery Woods]

You got a little kid running around that you're chasing, and then you're like. I remember being like, oh, my God, I don't have anything ready. And I was, like, 36 weeks pregnant with Stevie.

[Tom Sullivan]

I said, oh, I. We didn't have a name even by then, so I feel you there.

[Avery Woods]

Tell me about now having two babies. How's that going? How's the transition from one to two?

[Tom Sullivan]

I feel like it's been time.

[Rachel Sullivan]

It's been. It's been tough.

[Tom Sullivan]

It's been tough.

[Rachel Sullivan]

It's been really tough.

[Avery Woods]

For me, 1 to 2 is supposed to be the hardest, is what I've heard.

[Tom Sullivan]

Heard. And then it gets, like, easier, because.

[Avery Woods]

It gets easier with every kid. But it is different when you solely focus. Focus only on one child, and then you have another. It's also so hard, you know, for Sutton, that was the same thing.

[Tom Sullivan]

Yeah. That's, I think, where the biggest difficulty is coming right now.

[Avery Woods]

Or it.

[Tom Sullivan]

I mean, it's getting better, but it was.

[Rachel Sullivan]

Every day it gets better, but, like, Sutton exploded. It's like a bomb went off in her head where she's like, what did you guys do to me?

[Avery Woods]

Yeah. She's like, I'm not the center of your life anymore.

[Tom Sullivan]

Yeah.

[Avery Woods]

What the heck? I have to share.

[Tom Sullivan]

Say that funny thing that our neighbor said to us.

[Rachel Sullivan]

This is the dumbest I was ever told. I was like, I know this is coming from a place, a good place in your heart, but I'm walking. I'm walking Odin. And our neighbor's walking their dog. And they. She stops me, older lady, and she's like, how's it going? I'm like, I know they have two kids. And I'm like, I gotta tell you, like, Sutton is really struggling and it's, it's, it's really hurting me. Like, it's hard for me to watch. And she kind of offered some encouragement. She's like, well, you got to think of it like this. You and Rachel, like, you're really happily married, aren't you? Like, it seems like you guys really love each other. And I'm like, yeah. Like, I'm very lucky. I'm like, okay. She's like, so what if Rachel was like, tom, our marriage is so good. I brought home another guy because I want to have two of this because this is so amazing. And I'm just looking at her like, no, that ain't the same. Yeah, I'm not going to become best friends with this guy. Like, Sutton and Rosie are going to become best friends friends. Like, I was just like, okay, super not helpful.

[Tom Sullivan]

We're like, okay, moving on. Yeah.

[Avery Woods]

Okay.

[Tom Sullivan]

This episode is brought to you by Amazon. The holidays are here.

[Avery Woods]

And you know what that means. It's time to get your friends and family the gifts they deserve.

[Tom Sullivan]

Take the stress out of shopping.

[Avery Woods]

With Amazon's great deals and low prices on a huge range of items from toys to tech and much more.

[Tom Sullivan]

Whoever you're gifting for Amazon has great.

[Avery Woods]

Prices on everything you need. This holiday season, shop Amazon for all your gifting needs. Well, let me. Let me out. Okay? As someone that now has a three and a half and a six year old, I will tell you, when Stevie turned like two and a half, three, something clicked in Ziggy and he's like, I have a playmate for life.

[Rachel Sullivan]

Yeah, that's so cool.

[Avery Woods]

And it's so fun. I mean, don't worry, they will fight like, and bigger and beat the out of each other like siblings do. But like the other day, David and I were sitting out in the patio furniture by the fire. In the evening, they were in out the Jacuzzi, riding their bikes around the pool for like two straight hours. We're at one point we were like, we've never had this long of like, kids not coming. Mommy, like, bugging us. Daddy, I need a snack. I need this. Because they're just keeping each other entertained all the time. In the beginning, it's so hard because a toddler still needs so much attention. And like, Ziggy was still in diapers. We hadn't potty trained him yet. And like, he's pushing Stevie on that baby swing like she's about to fly out because he's, you know, a wild boy. And then it was really hard, too, because obviously breastfeeding. He see me hold and cuddle this baby all day long while I'm breastfeeding. And David's, you know, holding her and giving her a bottle, and he's like, I just want love. I just want you to hold me. And that was really hard. But they. I feel like they grow up really quick in the sense of they become more independent and they realize, like, mom, you can't get this for me right now, but you guys are in such a great position where you'll be able to. You're home and you're working together.

[Tom Sullivan]

Yeah.

[Avery Woods]

And, you know, for us, we were obviously working different jobs and working really long days. So I felt so guilty, like, immense guilt when I went back to work from maternity leave. But once that transition shifted, and mind you, Stevie was like the chunkiest baby ever. So it took her forever to walk. But once she was, like, up and walking, so he was like, all right, you could stay. Because she wasn't like a boring baby when they kind of sit around and do nothing. Toddlers are like, you're boring. I have no interest in you. Like, do something fun. That's why they want to, like, mess around with them, because they want them to do something. Once she was, like, gone, he was like, all right, I can with you, you know.

[Rachel Sullivan]

Yeah.

[Tom Sullivan]

Yeah.

[Avery Woods]

So it does. It does get better. It's just so hard.

[Rachel Sullivan]

Yeah. It's been intra. I mean, her, like, her breastfeeding journey has been as difficult as the first time. So there's. I'm sitting there like, okay, I have nothing to say.

[Avery Woods]

Yeah.

[Rachel Sullivan]

But then, like, Sutton having major separation anxiety.

[Avery Woods]

Yeah.

[Rachel Sullivan]

All of that. I'm. I'm sitting there like, it's just breaking my heart. I'm like, I have nothing to say. She's getting her ass kicked. We're not sleeping. Sutton can't sleep in a room now and comes in screaming with, like, night terrors.

[Tom Sullivan]

Yeah. She got like, really bad nights hair.

[Avery Woods]

Stevie has that sometimes. Actually, it terrifies me in the middle of the night when you hear that. When you're like sound asleep, you hear that, like death curdling screen scares the out of you.

[Rachel Sullivan]

And then like, honestly also just bringing Rosie stirred up.

[Avery Woods]

Yeah.

[Rachel Sullivan]

A lot with my mom and dad not being here.

[Avery Woods]

Yeah.

[Rachel Sullivan]

So I feel like that, that, that weighed on me much heavier than I could have anticipated.

[Avery Woods]

Yeah.

[Tom Sullivan]

I. I feel like it's not the. It's almost not the. I'm not gonna say not transition but you just mentally went through so much. Yeah.

[Avery Woods]

But your guys's year, as you were talking about, like, kitchen, has literally been a roller coaster, to say the least. So many ups, so many downs. But I loved what you said because Rosie is literally the smiley I've ever seen. And I mean, that's someone that not only is a mom, but worked in picky with kids for four and a half years. Like, I've seen a lot of babies. She is so content and smiley. And I loved what you said where you obviously, throughout your pregnancy, you experienced so much loss and devastation, and so you were worried about how Rosie was going to be born. Was she going to be a sad baby?

[Tom Sullivan]

I thought she was going to be the saddest baby.

[Avery Woods]

Yeah. And she is, like, the exact light that you.

[Rachel Sullivan]

She is joy that we.

[Avery Woods]

She really is.

[Tom Sullivan]

Yeah.

[Avery Woods]

And that is from your mom. I truly believe that. That was, like, sent from your mom, you know, which I love. And it's. It's meant to be. So I'm sorry make you cry. You guys. I wish people understood through social media, and that's why I started this podcast, was because social media comes with so much darkness. But you guys are truly some of the best people I've ever met. And I hope people, you know, see that and realize that, because sometimes social media is a show and you guys don't put on a show. You're just that genuine and that good, and I just want people to know that.

[Rachel Sullivan]

Thanks.

[Avery Woods]

No, truly, thanks. I'm so tired. I'm so tired of all that. No, I know. I'm like, Tom's like, all right, I'll hand you some coin later for that. I just. No, I just think it's. It's really hard because what we do can be such a dark place, and you just don't know when people are genuine. I knew the second I met you guys how great of people you were, so I'm lucky to have you as friends.

[Tom Sullivan]

You were. I mean, I wore my hair slick back today because.

[Avery Woods]

Hairline.

[Tom Sullivan]

You put my hair. My first slick back bond was with Avery.

[Avery Woods]

Yes, that's right.

[Tom Sullivan]

That was. Was that you came back. I was like, avery, I don't know how to do a slick back bun. And you were like, oh, let me bring in my products. And you were like, did my hair. And you're like, it looks so good. And I was like, it does look kind of really good. And I was like, I don't know if we've. I think it looks good today. We're just going to Pretend it does.

[Avery Woods]

No, it's the way that she just gave birth. And she is like the most perfect hairline. The thickest, most luscious hair. You're glowing.

[Tom Sullivan]

I was, I was born with that. I don't. I never had hair loss with Sutton. The only thing I've. The only postpartum, like, really thing that I've dealt with was the deamer, which is dysphoric milk ejection. Have you heard of that?

[Avery Woods]

No.

[Rachel Sullivan]

Oh, God.

[Avery Woods]

Is that.

[Tom Sullivan]

Yeah. So I, I didn't. So I didn't have postpartum depression. I had anxiety with Sutton. Okay. And I think that's just from being a first time parent for sure. But with both girls, every time my letdown happens before it happens, I feel like I want to throw up. I get.

[Avery Woods]

Oh, so you're talking about the car.

[Tom Sullivan]

Yeah. I get homesick feeling in my stomach. It's. I feel like I want to cry. I tell Tom, I'm like, I don't know what's, what's wrong. And then three seconds later, like, my milk will come out and I'll feel that way for. It's like it lingers for a good five minutes and then I feel fine. But to go through that five, six times a day, no, it's awful.

[Avery Woods]

It's awful because the feeling of nausea is the worst.

[Tom Sullivan]

And it's the homesick feeling that I truly, like, can't accept, explain. And I remember I went through it with Sutton and I had posted about it. I had never seen it online or anywhere in that nature. And so many people are like, wait, I've experienced this. I didn't know there was a name for it. I didn't know there was a thing for this. And I was like, I feel very in tune with my body. So to feel homesick all those times, I was like, something is just wrong. Like, I'm. I'm here, I'm with Tom. Like, I'm with my family. I don't know what I feel like I'm missing, but that's just been. It's been really hard on the breastfeeding journey because it's. It makes me. And I want to give up, but, like, it's just.

[Avery Woods]

It's hard to continue.

[Tom Sullivan]

It's mentally taxing. Yeah, it's mentally taxing.

[Avery Woods]

Even for people that have a successful breastfeeding journey, that's not easy, you know?

[Tom Sullivan]

Yeah.

[Avery Woods]

So let alone to add that on top of it is extremely difficult.

[Tom Sullivan]

And now, now, Rosie, lately is just like your left tit. Like, I don't like, it.

[Avery Woods]

Oh, my God.

[Tom Sullivan]

And I'm like, they choose a boo.

[Avery Woods]

And now my, like was a boob.

[Tom Sullivan]

My right boob is like 10 times bigger than my left boob. And I'm like, oh, my God. What are we doing here?

[Avery Woods]

Fix them. Like I did when I. When I got my boob lift. She was like. So I did have to take quite a bit of tissue out of the left. And I was like, that's because that's the one that Stevie preferred. So it was so much bigger.

[Tom Sullivan]

Yeah.

[Avery Woods]

Yeah. I was really giving. Uneven. That's.

[Tom Sullivan]

That's where. That's where I'm at right now. And it's the whole, like, you have to offer the boob first and then do the bottle. And I'm like, feeding is taking me an hour, and then I have to do it again in two hours. I'm like, this is my whole day.

[Avery Woods]

And it's overwhelming. And you were just sitting in the kitchen.

[Rachel Sullivan]

That's a full.

[Tom Sullivan]

I was. Yeah. Right. Right before we started.

[Rachel Sullivan]

I mean, it is incredible. Like, the effort. Sacrifice the holy cow.

[Avery Woods]

And you know what? That is best. Yeah. But I am proud of you.

[Tom Sullivan]

I'm. I'm combo feeding right now because I don't like. I just.

[Avery Woods]

Guess what. She's literally the happiest.

[Tom Sullivan]

She's so happy.

[Avery Woods]

She don't give a. She literally doesn't care. She woke up from her nap and I'm like, okay. Smiling for 45 minutes. Literally.

[Tom Sullivan]

No, literally, she's like, that's the thing.

[Avery Woods]

My kids would have been like, feed me now. And she's just farting on me, smiling. No, it's. She's the best. Okay, so when is. Honey. What do we got launching?

[Tom Sullivan]

Do we have a date that comes out February 25th?

[Rachel Sullivan]

Pre orders are going.

[Tom Sullivan]

Pre orders are going now. I feel like it's a great. My idea. What I think is really cool and where I see it going is like, when your friend finds out.

[Avery Woods]

Yeah.

[Tom Sullivan]

That they're pregnant and you want to buy them something and it's. And you don't know the gender yet. You don't know anything on the registry yet. You just want do something sweet. Like, this book will take them throughout their entire pregnancy.

[Avery Woods]

It's also beautiful. Like, so aesthetic. Like, I told you guys inside, I'm going to display it with my books. Because the spine. The spine is gorgeous. It's very clean. The. The taste. The taste is there. Where can people pre order it?

[Rachel Sullivan]

Everywhere.

[Tom Sullivan]

Everywhere.

[Rachel Sullivan]

Amazon's obviously easy, but Target Barnes Noble, your indie bookstore, should. Should also be Able to have it or get access. If you have a bookstore you like to support, ask them and they can get it on.

[Avery Woods]

Okay, so what, what do we have to look forward from you guys in the next, I don't know, five years future?

[Tom Sullivan]

Oh, well, we are launching. Yeah, not a podcast. I was like, oh, I'm sorry, we.

[Rachel Sullivan]

Are on a podcast. We are not launching one. Because Rachel almost threw up thinking about being on this one. Rachel goes, huh, Book number one. We are making an app. App that you can take and actually it will walk you through getting your cycle, your hormones balanced and just put it into your pocket.

[Tom Sullivan]

So yeah, it's book one. Just put into your phone and like be able to use it every day.

[Rachel Sullivan]

That will be the hormone side. As you can tell, it's like we have the hormone and it's always the food that's important on our end. So one aspect of it that I'm really excited about is it will give you your grocery list to line up with your cycle and your meals. But I'm a big fan of like, how do we take meals and recreate them? So like, for example, we're asking you to cook from scratch or get more organic. Etc. If, if I have a rotisserie chicken coming to you, I'm going to make chicken enchiladas, a chicken salad. Then we're going to take the bones, put it in, make a broth. We're going to have your broth for the week. We're going to make soup out of it. We're going to use everything we got.

[Avery Woods]

No waste.

[Rachel Sullivan]

You know, if we're having sweet potatoes and steak or whatever, the next morning you're going to have sweet potato hash with. You know what I mean? Like. Yeah, I'm excited about that aspect too. Take out the thought, right?

[Tom Sullivan]

Yeah, yeah.

[Avery Woods]

What? A lot of people love just having something on their phone that they can look.

[Rachel Sullivan]

It's a really cool part of the first book too is. And I think it makes us much closer. So I'd be like, hun, what phase are you on? And if it's follicular, I can look at the follicular and it's like, here's the proteins, here's the veggies. So now all of a sudden I'd just be like, hon, do you want beef or do you want lamb for your protein? And she. And it's crazy how your bodies are and how amazing they are. Yeah, it's like you just crave. That sounds amazing.

[Avery Woods]

Yeah, it's like.

[Rachel Sullivan]

And it takes out that what are we doing for dinner? Question. Yeah, that's a pain in the ass.

[Avery Woods]

Well, you can also feel in your body when you're nourishing with something that your body needs. Needs. It's a different type of feelings, different type of energy. You glow a different way. Like, it really is so important for women's bodies.

[Tom Sullivan]

Yeah.

[Rachel Sullivan]

Yeah. So that app will be launching early next year too.

[Avery Woods]

Yay.

[Tom Sullivan]

I know. We're so excited for that.

[Avery Woods]

Well, we have a busy night ahead of us because we're forcing Tom to cook, so we're giving them the full golf cart experience, and we're gonna golf cart over to get some ingredients. But thank you guys so much for being here.

[Tom Sullivan]

Thanks for having me.

[Avery Woods]

You did amazing. So proud of you.

[Tom Sullivan]

I'm good.

[Avery Woods]

I'm good. Where can everyone find you guys on socials?

[Tom Sullivan]

Tick Tock is Rach Sullivan. Underscore. Underscore.

[Rachel Sullivan]

And your Instagram.

[Tom Sullivan]

And Instagram is Rachel. Underscore. Underscore. And then Instagram is Mealsheats.

[Avery Woods]

Amazing. Make sure you guys go check out their book, pre order it, look out for their app, and go follow them on socials. Thanks for being here.

[Tom Sullivan]

Thanks for having me.

[Avery Woods]

So my giant blue lagoon. You got me.