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Ginny Urch
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Jenny Urch
Welcome to the 1000 Hours Outside podcast. My name is Jenny Urch. I'm the founder of 1000 Hours Outside, and I have a very, very interesting couple today. Kay and Tay. Would you guys say Tay and Kay or Kay and Tay?
Kay Dudley
Kay and Tay.
Tay Dudley
But at the end of the day.
Kay Dudley
It doesn't represent K. K and Tay. You don't matter.
Tay Dudley
The handles are K and Tay. But we're good with either.
Jenny Urch
You're good with either. Okay. K and Tay. Dudley, welcome. Thank you for being here.
Kay Dudley
Yeah, thank you for having us.
Jenny Urch
Okay, so you have the story that, like, everyone's like, oh, it'd be kind of cool to have that story where you took social media and you have turned this into a family business. So give us the backstory. What were you doing before and what's.
Ginny Urch
What changed?
Tay Dudley
Yeah, so I think we kind of have a fun, a fun beginning story. So Kay and I, we always go to her family for holidays. Well, we rotate, you know, back and forth between our families. But wouldn't we go to her family's for the holidays? We would always meet up with her siblings and her older daughter would be there as well. And we would always make these home movies. It was just like this fun thing we'd do on the holiday where.
Kay Dudley
Like a script.
Tay Dudley
Yeah, we'd make a script, we'd do a home movie and then we would like reveal it to Kay and Kay's mom and other family. And it was like this fun thing we did every holiday season.
Kay Dudley
I think it's been like nine years now. We've been doing it. Yeah, we've all been doing it, I guess.
Jenny Urch
So whose idea? I mean, that is a really fun thing. So you have it done ahead of time, but like you put in the work ahead of time and then you're gonna reveal it at the holiday.
Tay Dudley
Yeah, well, we. It's like a one day thing. So like we kind of on the spot film this whole movie and we make up the script and we make it all up on that one day when we're all hanging out and then we post or we don't post it but we, we show it to K.
Kay Dudley
My mom and I are not involved in it. We just like hang out and have a girls day. And then my older daughter and Taylor and my brother, we're 14 years apart so he's younger. They all like make it together and they're like outside doing it and then they come in and reveal it at night and we eat popcorn it. So we do that every year. We've done it for nine years now, I think.
Tay Dudley
And there's a, there's a reason we're telling you this because we're getting to a point here. So we had done this 2021 holiday. Yeah, yeah, 2021 holiday. And I was having this editing itch because like you know the home movies, we put them together, I edit them, I try to make them really fun. And so I'm like, I'm really wanting to edit something. And K had recently got TikTok on her phone. A month or two earlier I didn't even have TikTok.
Kay Dudley
My coworker was like, you need TikTok so I can send you like funny videos. Like I did not use TikTok prior to that. I only got it for her. Like so she likes to say, oh, I'm the reason you're on TikTok.
Tay Dudley
Yeah, yeah. So she had it on her phone and she was like, well we could do a little TikTok video and you can edit it and we'll just do something about our drive home. I was like, yeah, let's do it. And so we like edit this video. And I think it's like what was.
Kay Dudley
It, nine hour or ten out? No, 12 hour drive in 12 seconds.
Tay Dudley
Or something like that. That's like the video idea. And so we're going to like film little shorts and put them together and it's going to be this like 12 second video of our 12 hour drive. Kind of funny. Looking back, it seems like a good idea even now. Even now it seems like a pretty good idea. So we do that and we post it and of course it gets like seven views. But we're like, we have the bug now, we're hooked. We're like, wait a second, this was fun. So of course this holidays of 2021.
Kay Dudley
Last week of December.
Tay Dudley
Yep. And so we're about to hit the new year and Kay and I are big on resolutions. We love to do like, you know, like better ourselves. And that's like, that's just the point where we make our decisions every year we're like, we're gonna hold ourselves to it. And we usually do a really good job of whatever we set for our resolution. Like we do it. And Kay and I were talking and we were like, what if we made another one of these silly videos every day? Like that was our resolution and we just see what happens. Like we obviously I didn't even know about making money on social media or like not. I thought he didn't even have TikTok, you know. But we were like, let's do it for fun. Let's see what happens. And so that was our resolution. And yeah, that. It started like 1 1, 20, 22 and we went.
Kay Dudley
It was really just to like have something to do together because we just, we found it enjoyable like as a hobby because he was an engineering student who's a full time college student. I was a dental assistant, worked full time. It was never like something we thought, this is going to like change our life and be our career one day. Like we had full intentions of being an engineer, being in the dental field and it was just fine. Like it didn't take up a lot of our time. It was just something we were doing. And about a month into it, I think we had our first viral video and it was like a million views. And at that point I think we thought, what if this could turn into something? And we kind of set like a little goal. We wanted 10,000 followers on TikTok by the end of the year at that one year mark. So New Year's Eve of 2022, going into 2023 and on that, that New Year's Eve day we hit a million followers. So it just like exploded. And then fast forward the year. I was pregnant with Ellie and I think we grew like 9 million followers on TikTok and now we have 20 million just overall with all our platforms. So it blew up.
Jenny Urch
Yeah.
Tay Dudley
So that's how this story started.
Kay Dudley
Sorry.
Jenny Urch
So no longer a dental assistant?
Kay Dudley
No, not anymore. No. I do miss it, but I love that I get to be home with my children and this job has been such a blessing and so rewarding in so many ways. And although I love the dental field, it. I also have lupus and so I have health problems. And so it's just, it feels nice to be able to be home and work from home and be with my family and take time if I need it for my health, which on the, in the dental field I'm on my feet all day. So it was very hard on the feet too.
Tay Dudley
So the knowledge is still in there though. The other day Kay was getting her teeth. She has Invisalign. She was getting some. Some of the. What are they called?
Kay Dudley
Attachment.
Tay Dudley
Attachments, like put on for the next set. And she, like, the doctor was doing something and she was like, do you have a black light by chance? And the doctor was like, I think we do. And she was like, you should use it to help get the stuff off. She's like telling the dentist how to do it. She's like. She's like, oh, wow, this is a great idea.
Jenny Urch
I am an expert. I know you know me from social media, but I am an expert. Was a dental. I think that's cool. I know you said unfortunately, Dave, but I mean, like you said, it's like it pulls you out from being on your feet all day, gives you a little bit more freedom in your life. And then if you're dealing with health things.
Kay Dudley
Things.
Jenny Urch
This is wild. So it's only been three years. So at this current point, tell us where you're at. Instagram. Where can people find you? YouTube. Tick tock. Okay. You were also even in People magazine. They, like, announced when you were pregnant.
Tay Dudley
That's right. Yeah. That was. That was fun.
Kay Dudley
That was super cool. Surreal moment, for sure.
Tay Dudley
We wanted to, like, kind of have a fun, like, more elevated surprise. And. And so we reached out to People and the contact was like, just so thrilled. They were like, I want to cover this so bad. And I was like, let's do it. And so we, like did a whole photo shoot and everything for it. It was really fun.
Kay Dudley
Yeah, it was. It was really cool.
Jenny Urch
Yeah. So People. People can find you in People magazine, but also on different socials. Tell us where.
Tay Dudley
Yeah, So K and T on YouTube. I mean, K and T official on Instagram, on Facebook, on TikTok. We even have a Snapchat. I think it's the K and T on Snapchat. So we're everywhere.
Kay Dudley
Pretty much every platform we're on.
Jenny Urch
Okay, so then tell us. I mean, this is the big question of the day, is how do you keep balance with all of that? Because content creation can be so time consuming and it's just constantly changing, like what the algorithm is looking for and what are people posting. So how do you find balance there?
Tay Dudley
I think we. We did a good job, whether it was on purpose or by accident of setting the expectation with our audience and I. And to elaborate on that, some people will make these long, like, cinematic, like, takes five hours to create, like, videos, like every day. And like, that's their whole life. Like, they have a full team on it. And it's like K and I just film our life and like the fun moment of that day, that's what we post.
Kay Dudley
We don't special or like we don't, we don't think like, hey, let's do this, because this would be a good content idea. Like we just film like everything that's happening in our life. We try to make every moment exciting because we have one life. And so I know I use this example all the time, but like getting a mattress or I don't know, setting up my office computer for the first time, having my own setup. Like those moments in life that are, that seem kind of just mundane and just simple are like super exciting in our life and that's what we share with everybody. So I don't think like you said, like some people go like all out and it's like a whole production. We try to just film what's already happening in our life and go about our day.
Tay Dudley
And because of that, the content, I mean, our minute long video could be three minutes of filming. I mean, you know, sometimes it is that, but you know. Yeah, so it's.
Kay Dudley
The content part comes easy.
Tay Dudley
Yeah, the content. The content comes really easy. And you know, just by doing it every day and being honed in, you know, this in the podcasting world. But you know, your mind is on it every day and so you kind of naturally move with the, the bar.
Kay Dudley
You know, you must get used to it. But I think also like the balance part is we do treat this like a 9, 9 to 5. We try to turn ourselves off at the end of the day. We have a very like, good routine right now. We do post on the weekends, so we still do our daily videos on the weekends, but we don't work with brands on the weekends. We don't talk with our managers or like do any of like the administrative stuff that is going on behind the scenes. We try to really just focus on our, our family and doing things together. So we treat it like a nine to five. Very much so. Mm.
Jenny Urch
So the script idea, which you did at the very beginning, like before this blew up, that's not what you're having to do anymore. So you're making fun scripts for family, for holidays. It's like you don't have to do that anymore. So it's just a little bit more seamless. What do all your friends and family think about this?
Tay Dudley
I mean, they think it's really cool.
Kay Dudley
Everything's super awesome and they're so supportive.
Tay Dudley
Yeah. And there's always a slight Disconnect. Because you can never really know what it's like unless you're doing it. So, you know, you'll get those funny moments where they're like, you should go outside and golf and film it and.
Kay Dudley
Like, giving us ideas. But it's so cool that everybody has just been so, like, happy for us. And they all take it serious. I mean, they all. Nobody out there in our family has said, like, are you sure you're gonna, like, be able to support your family? Don't like, everybody trusts us. Everybody supports it. So that's been really cool because, you know, he did go to engineering school for six years, and it's kind of scary for people to think, like, oh, but you're not gonna do that. Like, you're not gonna focus on engineering. You're gonna do like, we thought people were gonna give us backlash for it, but really they haven't. And, you know, he still uses his engineering, so I think that's also. Yeah, yeah, we want that as. Because he has a degree, so obviously it's always there. And I think a lot of this job, honestly, his engineering degree has helped in a lot of ways.
Tay Dudley
Yeah, just attack everything. Kind of an analytical approach.
Kay Dudley
You know, at the end of the day, he's. He's an engineer. He loves to engineer and create. So it does help a lot in this career field, for sure.
Jenny Urch
What was the day when you were like, we know we're going to do this. Was there an actual day when you were like, I'm quitting the dental assistant? Or was it like a period of.
Kay Dudley
Time for me, it kind of landed in my lap a little bit because it was something that we felt financially we could do. He was working full time, I was working full time, but I had just lost my grandmother to cancer. That same month, my dental office sold to another dentist who said, like, she's not going to make anybody quit. She's perfectly fine with this all working. But it. The. The goals or like, I guess the vibes, nobody was on the same page and everybody was going to quit is essentially what it came down to. And I didn't really see the point in going to find another dental job. It almost was just like, maybe this is the sign that I needed to just do it and focus on my family, focused on the job, the career of content. So I did the first, like, I took a step back first, and then he worked full time at his. In office position for my whole pregnancy. And then he now does remote.
Tay Dudley
So, I mean, kind of like freelancing here and There. Yeah, yeah. Just when I want to kind of just scratch the itch every now and then.
Jenny Urch
It's amazing how fast your life can change, isn't it?
Kay Dudley
Oh, yeah, yeah, it's crazy.
Jenny Urch
Which is cool. I mean, I think that's as overwhelming as this day and age is with, like, information and the way that things have changed. I do think it also opens up opportunities that wouldn't have existed before. Is there anything about your pre social media life that you miss?
Kay Dudley
That's a good question. I feel like for me, I miss. How do I even, like, word that I miss that I could, like, turn my brain off. I feel like now I'm constantly thinking of the next thing and because you do have. You can't go a day without posting. You really can't. Even though the filming part does come easy, it's still like, okay, well, we do need a video. So out of yesterday's moments, what do we want to want to post today? You just constantly have to be on it and. And also, like, being in public, like, you. You always have to be on. You can't, you know, have. I feel like sometimes you can't have a bad day, you know? Yeah.
Tay Dudley
You have to have your, like, slight smile at all times.
Kay Dudley
At all times.
Tay Dudley
It's not uncommon for someone to film us in public from afar and post it online and say K and T saw them.
Kay Dudley
And so the last thing I want is to, like, have, like, just like rbf and I'm just, like, in the zone looking at the bananas I'm gonna pick. And I just look angry because I. I don't even know that I'm, like, making those faces, but sometimes I am. So I try to, like, be very aware of, like, how I'm looking because people do come and approach us too, and they want to take pictures. And I think it's amazing. I love meeting people, but also I do kind of miss the days where I didn't have to worry about people looking at me and judging if I'm, like, happy or mad or, you know, but gosh, yeah.
Jenny Urch
There's both sides of it, isn't there? There's both sides, like the fact that the videos allow you to change your career and then. But then there is that other side of it where you're like. You feel like you always have to be on. Can you remember the first time or near the first time when you were like, you're out in public and someone knows who you are?
Kay Dudley
Yes.
Tay Dudley
Yeah. I think it happened in a Target, if I remember.
Kay Dudley
No, it's a. It's a TJ Maxx. We were in it.
Tay Dudley
Oh, yeah. Yeah.
Kay Dudley
Well, the first time that some. So they didn't come up to us. I think they were nervous to come up to us, but they messaged us on Instagram. At the time, our Instagram was relatively small. It was maybe 25, 000 followers. So we. We used to see most of our DMs back then, and somebody DM'd us, and we're like, I think you were just in TJ Maxx. And I was like, oh, my gosh. They. They knew that it was us. Like, it was super cool. And then the first time that some actually came up to us was in Target. And I just remember texting my mom, like, people know who we are. So cool. It felt like we had, like, made a little dent in the world, you know, like, people. Because people will come up and say things like, you have, like, changed my life. I love watching your stuff. Or, you got me through this hard moment in life, and I think that, like, makes all of this. That's the best part of this for me.
Tay Dudley
Yeah.
Kay Dudley
Yeah.
Tay Dudley
Like, changing my perspective on relationships or. Yeah. Like, it's.
Kay Dudley
Yeah.
Jenny Urch
Does it happen quite a bit now?
Tay Dudley
Oh, yeah. I. I would say. I mean, unless we, like, sneak into a store right when we open and the people that work there don't notice. It's every time we go out, if.
Kay Dudley
We go to Sephora, the younger girls, like, they'll have a line.
Tay Dudley
Yeah.
Kay Dudley
Wanting to take. If one people. If one person recognizes us start turning and looking, then everybody recognizes. It's like.
Tay Dudley
I think I notice.
Kay Dudley
So. So it is cool. But we do. We do try to go to places now when it's, like, right when it opens or, like, during a school day in the middle of a work, like, that seems to be a great time to be at the moment, not cause, like, commotion. So. Yeah, it happens a lot. Especially in Dallas, I feel like Dallas.
Jenny Urch
For sure, in certain areas. Yeah. So, I mean, that's really changed in three years. You're a dental assistant, and now you go places, and you got a time when you go, we're gonna go out the back door. Different types of things.
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Jenny Urch
Talk to us about kids. You got young kids?
Kay Dudley
Yes. So. Well, I have a 13 year old daughter from a previous relationship. She's not on content, she doesn't want to be filmed, so we respect that. But Taylor and I have a 17 month old daughter and now I'm pregnant with our third, my third daughter, our second daughter. So yeah, three daughters.
Tay Dudley
All girls.
Kay Dudley
All girls.
Jenny Urch
All girls. All right, give us some advice on dealing with toddlers.
Tay Dudley
Honestly, we, it's. I always like, people ask me all the time for advice and I'm like, I don't know if I'm the best person to ask because Ellie is just like a blessing. I mean she is, she's such a great child. We, I, we haven't even got to the stage where disciplining is even a thing. Like she just is good and happy and unless she's tired. I mean, I don't even know the advice to give. It's. It's like we just got so blessed. It's almost like she's helping me. Like she's, she's like, no, I'll be good.
Kay Dudley
I will say that, you know, because this is my second time with a toddler. You weren't around when Kinsley was that age, but I feel like with, with infants and babies and toddlers, they can have their moments where they're Just like. Like you don't know what to do. And I try to remember, and the older I am now because I had my youngest when I was 19. I'm in my 30s now, and I feel much more patient. I feel like I look at things differently than I would have looked at it back then. And I just. I try to just remember, like, she. She is testing her limits. Like, she is trying to learn the world. This is the first time she's living and finding objects and like, you know what I mean? Like, it's. It's her first time and she's trying to learn everything. And so, you know, I just try to be patient. I think patience is so important when you're raising a toddler and just understanding that, like, they're trying to figure this out too. And. Yeah, to show her love and really just soak in because it goes by so, so fast. And one day you're going to look back and on those, like, chaotic, like the terrible twos, terrible three stage, like, you're going to miss it. You're going to wish that you could go back to those days. Because I miss those days with my oldest. Like, you know, she was just so sweet. Even though she had her moments, she was so sweet and. Yeah, just soak it in. Be patient.
Jenny Urch
Yeah. So some toddlers, I just read this book about how babies, like, or kids in general, they can be a rooster or a lamb. It was in this book by this woman named Maggie Dent. So, like, they come with a temperament, and so some are just a little bit more challenging, and then some are a little more sort of docile and. And you get what you get. So you got a sweet little toddler. 17 months. I mean, is. I don't even know that's quite even a toddler. To me. That's almost like a baby.
Kay Dudley
Yeah.
Jenny Urch
Like, they're toddling around, but I mean, that's. That's age one is my favorite.
Kay Dudley
It is.
Jenny Urch
It's like they're learning everything. But then you also have a teen. So talk to us about thoughts on raising a teen in this day and age, especially with this push for being on social media and those types of things.
Kay Dudley
I honestly, I feel so blessed that Kinsley has the head on her shoulders that she does, because I feel like I actually love that she wants nothing to do with social media. She, in fact, like, she doesn't even want to be friends with people who want to be friends with her because of us. Like, she doesn't want the popularity or the fame or any of it. And I just feel like she has a very mature outlook on all of it. She wants people to like her for her. And. And that's. That's probably a huge reason she doesn't want to be a part of it, because she feels like it's going to come with fake friends and. And that thing that, you know, I mean, I see the appeal to some teenagers probably thinking, oh, it might be popular. But I just love that she's so humble and, like, she doesn't care about it all. And that is really cool. I will say that the teen years, they do think they know everything.
Tay Dudley
Oh, yeah.
Kay Dudley
But, like, I remember back to when I was her age, and I'm like, I feel so sorry for how I was with my mom because I just thought I had it all figured out. And looking back, I did not. So, again, the patience, I feel like, comes into play with teenagers too. Like, I'm trying to be patient with sometimes when I feel like she just thinks, like, she has it all figured out and, like, you don't, but you're gonna figure it out one day.
Jenny Urch
So then you bring up an interesting point, really, from her perspective. But in general, this is a really big change. And I think that this is something that exists now that really didn't exist before. You know, if you became famous, it's because you were in the movies or. And there was a very small amount of people that did it, and they, you know, they had agents and they were in this whole world of other people that were in movies and rubbing shoulders with all of these other people. But now there's opportunity. There's opportunity through different types of ways to change the whole trajectory of your life. So it is interesting to learn how to navigate relationships. Post that. So you're talking about your daughter and you're like, she wants to make sure people like her for her and not because her parents are famous. How have the two of you dealt with relationships? Post this? It's like, do you feel like you have to be kind of on guard? Do you feel like you have to vet people a little bit more? Has that been tricky to sort of figure out?
Tay Dudley
Yeah, I mean, luckily we're at a stage where, like, you don't have a whole lot of friends because you're. You're married and you're an adult.
Kay Dudley
It's not like being in high school, luckily.
Jenny Urch
Luckily, high school.
Tay Dudley
I bet that would be a really big issue, like, because you're constantly. But no, like, I mean, there's a little bit of vetting. I can really tell if that's all they talk about. If people are constantly talking about content and. And not. And not content creators, because that's like our thing. Like, if we're friends with other content creators and of course, all we do is talk about content. It's our whole life. We do it every day. But when I hang out and we. We have, you know, we do things with people who aren't. If that's all they talk about, it usually is, whatever.
Kay Dudley
For people specifically that we meet after, like, the people that we met before, you know, the ones that were there and stuck by us before and that are here now, like, obviously we don't think they're here for the social media, but there are people that maybe were in our past, and then all of a sudden they're, like, coming back in their lives like, oh, my gosh, I haven't seen you guys in forever. And then it's kind of like red flags, like, okay, but you didn't talk to me for years, and now all of a sudden you're talking to me. So, I mean, yeah, there's a little bit of vetting, because I just think that's how it is in today's day and age. If you have some. If you know somebody in social media and they're somewhat big, like, yeah, you. You definitely got to make sure they're there for the right reasons. But, yeah, Tate was right. We do have a lot of content creator friends, and that helps because we're all going through this. We're going kind of through the same thing. And I don't think any of us are friends because of what we're doing. No, I feel like relatability.
Jenny Urch
Who's your favorite content creator friend?
Tay Dudley
Our best content creator friends. That's a tough one. There's so many that are, like, so fun to be around.
Kay Dudley
I love Mike and Sarah.
Tay Dudley
Mike and Sarah are so sweet. They're a couple out of New York.
Jenny Urch
Are there a lot of couple creator friends?
Tay Dudley
Yeah, mainly. It's mainly in niche because you end up doing the same brands and attending the same events, and you're managed by the same people, and so you just. You end up seeing those people the most.
Kay Dudley
Yeah.
Jenny Urch
What kind of events?
Tay Dudley
I mean, all kind of things. We just got back from doing, like, some stuff at Coachella. We went to, like, some of the after parties there to, like, network and stuff. So, like, Nylon House.
Jenny Urch
It's like, not my world at all. We're, like, getting outside. What is that?
Tay Dudley
Okay, so like, Coachella is like a festival, a music festival.
Kay Dudley
We didn't go to the actual.
Tay Dudley
Yeah, we had to work. So we weren't there during the actual festival part.
Jenny Urch
But okay.
Tay Dudley
That a lot of people go to watch artists sing and it's just opening concert in concert, but on a field and a giant field fairgrounds kind of thing. So that we went there and then the after parties are just invite only parties where business owners, content creators, celebrities all go and network and. Yeah. So Nylon House is just Nylon magazine throws one. So that's Nylon House. And then Zenyard is. I don't, I don't remember who hosted. It's Zenyard. You could look into it.
Kay Dudley
It's just brands will activate like events.
Tay Dudley
Yeah. And so we were networking because, you know, we want to, we want to do a brand one day and we're trying to, to learn how it all works and see how other brands actually meet other brand owners and see what works and didn't with them and.
Jenny Urch
Yeah, and so that's where like you're like, okay, there's a, there's certain couples that are going to be at a lot of the things that you go to. So you're rubbing shoulders a lot of the different times and making friends that way. Who is a famous person you've met that you never thought you would meet?
Kay Dudley
Good question. I'm trying to think about all the people that I've met now.
Tay Dudley
And you have to like, what kind of fame?
Kay Dudley
Yeah, what kind of fame are we referring to or referring to?
Jenny Urch
Well, like, you know how when you're like, okay, you know, in life, this is a stupid example in comparison, I feel like, but you know, I like books. So I go to the bookstore and for my entire life I would have never known any author in any bookstore ever. Now when I walk through the bookstore, I'm like, I've talked to that person, I know that one. So like, you know, in life you're like, oh, I probably would never meet so and so.
Kay Dudley
Okay.
Tay Dudley
I don't know if it's exactly the same answer to the question, but on the books thing, something that I never thought would happen, that happens all the time is the authors of books that I knew as like a child, they send us the books with like signing them and making notes for Ellie and stuff. And so like almost every book she has in there comes from the author with notes to her. And I think that's so cool that, I mean, she's gonna have this whole collection of, I don't know.
Kay Dudley
But there's also been like a lot of like content creators that we had watched prior to doing this that we got to meet and become friends with after the fact. And it's weird because I never would have thought that when I followed them 10 years ago that I would ever meet them. When we went to Zenyard, I actually.
Tay Dudley
You say rub shoulders. She actually went back to Emma Roberts. So there you go.
Kay Dudley
Physically, like Roberts, it was so cool because I was at the same event within Roberts. I didn't talk to her, so I can't say I met her, but we were at the same event, and that was really cool. But, yeah.
Tay Dudley
Yeah.
Jenny Urch
All these things that you just can never expect. Okay, let's talk about a little bit more before and afters. Obviously, being married, obviously, you know, working and finances and then having kids and all of this. There's just a lot of things that you can disagree on. Well, then you throw in content creation into the mix, and especially content creation. That's every day. And you're changing careers. Do you feel like you're, like, mainly on the same page in terms of what you're putting out there, or are there disagreements that come up because you're just throwing all these extra elements doing this type of work?
Tay Dudley
I think since we both started with knowing basically nothing and kind of evolving together, that really worked in our favor. We trust each other when it comes to finances, when it comes to business decisions, very rarely do we disagree on a decision. Yeah, like, and if it's not even, like, disagreeing, it's like, you know, sometimes there might be a video, and I'm like, do you think we should put this up? Why or why not? And then we kind of debate on it and figure out if it's good or not. And it's not even like a, you know, like a disagreeing in a negative kind of way. It's like a. That's crucial to, like.
Kay Dudley
Yeah, we take each other's advice a lot. Because ultimately, I think there's things that Tay is better at in the career and there's things that I'm better at, and we. We do lean on each other a lot. So he will say if I tell him, like, hey, I don't think that's a good idea. Post that, or I don't think we should word it that way. Or maybe we shouldn't work with that brand because of whatever.
Tay Dudley
Like, I'm immediately like, okay, he hears me out.
Kay Dudley
That's one thing that I think is like, we. We do really well together.
Tay Dudley
Or style. Like, I have no style. He's like, you need to wear this shirt. I'm like, put it on me, because I have no clue.
Kay Dudley
No, he's good. He has style. But I do help him out a little bit.
Jenny Urch
Is that like a typical, maybe an engineer thing?
Tay Dudley
Maybe? Yeah.
Jenny Urch
I don't know. I just offended a bunch of people and please forgive me.
Tay Dudley
Decision fatigue. You know what decision fatigue is? I'm the kind of guy that's like, I'll put the same shirt and shorts on every day so that I don't have to think about it. Yeah, I hate decision fatigue.
Kay Dudley
He's like that level of smart that I think he puts his brain power in like. Like, other areas and then those, like, what he wears, what he eats, that stuff doesn't matter to him. He wants to put his focus somewhere else. That's probably why we do well in a lot of. Like, a lot of the way. I feel like it's because he. He does put a lot of brain power into the, like, right things. Whereas I'm over here like, oh, my gosh, I need this outfit. This is gonna look cute. Like, he's just the total opposite of me.
Tay Dudley
So relation advice for people that maybe have that same dynamic when the girl is like, what should we have for food? And they're like, I don't know what I want from this restaurant. You just tell them, get two things that you think you want, and then the one that you end up wanting less, just give to me.
Kay Dudley
Yeah, that works.
Tay Dudley
And, like, I don't have to assume it. And she gets to try both things. And so it's like the quickest decision for food ever. I'm like, get two. One of them will be mine. I don't really care which one.
Kay Dudley
Yeah, he's just super easy going, and I love it.
Jenny Urch
Yeah, just go with the flow. Whatever. I'll eat whatever. Whatever you order and don't want. Okay, so what about changes? You know, when you first started, I think especially when you first start out, it's like. And it's a new career, you're going to say yes to a lot of things, right? Because you're like, you're trying to get the thing off the ground. Have you changed from then until now? Like, are there a lot more things that you say no to that you would have used to say yes to?
Kay Dudley
Oh, yeah, for sure.
Tay Dudley
Yeah. And mainly that was just an experience thing. When we were first starting out, you know, it was like a very typical, like, I'm a brand. I'll send you something. You can try it out. And then we know we'll pay you a small amount. To put, you know, video now it's like, it's so. I don't even know, like, we. We use things so long and for like. And really, like, what's the word I'm trying to think of?
Kay Dudley
We get.
Tay Dudley
Not to test them, but, like, oh, yeah, like, fully understand it. Before we ever even get into that.
Kay Dudley
Phase, we like to make sure that we genuinely feel, like, passionate about something. Like, there's some partnerships that we've worked with for, like, two years now, and I use them every single day. And I will always resign with them because I genuinely love them. And then there's other products that our managers will send us and say, hey, they have proposed to do, like, this brand collab, whatever. And we'll say, send us the product. We'll try it out, see what we think. But I'm not. I do not promote things unless I genuinely like them, because I'm trying to create a trust with our audience. And I think that's something I'm very passionate about, is just making sure that people trust my word. And I don't want to be known because I, before I did this job, would buy things that an influencer would promote and then hate it. And I'm like, why would they share this? Like, this was horrible. And I just don't ever want people to think that. And so anything I do, I take very seriously. If it's a brand collab where I design something or create something myself and put my name on it, like, I'm gonna put hours into that and I'm gonna be dedicated to it. I take that very seriously. So we pass up on a lot of things.
Tay Dudley
Like, we're also blessed to be at our size where a brand is. Brands are almost always willing to send the stuff. When you're a smaller influencer, a brand might say, like, we don't. You know, you're just going to have to do it. Like, we're not going to. We're only going to send it if you're going to do it, you know, but in our size, they'll all send it. They'll send it again. I mean, we can re up on a consumable for five months in a row before we finally ever share it, you know, so they're like giving me five months of product before I ever.
Kay Dudley
Even say it's harder when you're smaller to secure those brand deals that you feel passionate about. So it's a lot harder in the beginning for us.
Tay Dudley
Yeah.
Kay Dudley
But thankfully we're at a position now where we, we can pass on things we want to do. We don't need to take every brand deal, like for fight, like financially we don't have to take them. And so that's nice to be able to say, like I don't need that. That's going to reflect on my image badly and I'm not going to take that.
Jenny Urch
So yeah, you can be more choosy at this point. I mean it really has not been that long though. That's what's so wild that this only been a couple of years.
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Jenny Urch
Also dealing with before and after. This is something that I talk with my husband about which is that we're in this world where there's just so many reviews and public things and so something that you don't have when you are more obscure or you don't have a public facing anything is you don't have to deal with criticism.
Kay Dudley
Yeah. Yep.
Jenny Urch
So you know, this is a, this is a trade off as well. How do you deal with criticism, rumors, people being mean? Do you just ignore it? What advice do you have?
Tay Dudley
I feel like at first it was we, we didn't understand, you know, we came into this blind. And so when someone would say something mean on a comment, it would kind of be impactful. But now, I mean you gotta think just the sheer number of comments every day. I mean thousands and thousands a day. It's. I, I don't even like think about like I don't even have a second thought. You know what I mean? Like if someone says something mean, I'm like, of course they did. It's the Internet. Like of course there's always going to.
Kay Dudley
Be somebody that doesn't like you.
Tay Dudley
Yeah.
Kay Dudley
Even if you're like not on social media, like you're always going to have people that don't like you. The only difference in that scenario is maybe you don't see what they're saying, but there's always people talking bad about people. That's just people. And I feel like obviously it's a human, It's a human response to see something mean about them and feel sad about it. Like, that's just human. That makes us human. And in the beginning I would see something and I would take it to heart. The ones that affect me the most were always the ones that talked about me as a mother. Not my looks. Like I don't care about stuff like that, but the mother stuff. Because that's one of the things I take most seriously is being a good mother. So I used to let those things get to me. But the more time that's gone by, more following that we. We've got. I just, I don't read it. I, I can't read it. I mentally, I don't want to see any of it.
Tay Dudley
And it doesn't actually do any of the. I'm the kind of the moderator and the, and the poster and everything, like.
Kay Dudley
Friends that would send me things and they'd be like, did you see this about you? And I was like, listen, I don't need to see that. I. There's nothing, this will do nothing for me except cause me to be stressed. And so I think my, our friends and family get it now. Like, it, it does. It's not beneficial for us to see anything like that. People are going to cause rumors. Like, if anything, it has caused me to have like this whole open mind to celebrity gossip. Like, for instance, Taylor Swift could have like some rumor out there with her and like her boyfriend. And I'm like, yeah, who freaking knows that that's even true? Because people just say things and because they read it on the Internet, they believe it with no credibility. It's like, trust me, bro, this is true. And that's like all they need. And I just like, I mean, if you're going to be one of those people that believe stuff like that, then.
Tay Dudley
Like really, it just shows you.
Kay Dudley
Yeah, it just reflects on you. And so I don't even like, I don't read any of those, like, gossip headline. I take it with a grain of salt. I'm like, unless it comes from their mouth, there's no telling if that's even.
Tay Dudley
Remotely true and all that to say, like, sure, we get the negative comments online and stuff, but out of the thousands and thousands of interactions we've had in public, I've never had a negative, I've never had a meaner, rude person. So maybe they're not even real. Maybe the Internet is, like, there's, like, an AI that's going on. Who knows, you know?
Kay Dudley
Yeah.
Jenny Urch
What an interesting thing to say. Say that, like, it's not in person. It's only online. And it very well could be fake accounts or in, like. Yeah, for sure.
Kay Dudley
Like, one person that's made, like, a ton of it.
Tay Dudley
Very well could be some of those people. Like, hey, followers are a real thing. In fact, they're like, they keep the channel, Bill. And honestly, I mean, they view it more than our real followers. They're on their own.
Kay Dudley
Biggest fans don't watch this, for sure.
Tay Dudley
Hey, guys, thank you so much for supporting support, guys. You are making us money. Thank you.
Jenny Urch
Controversy brings eyes. That's interesting, and I think that's good, Kay, you're like. You just don't. Don't look and tell people. Don't send it to me because I. I don't want to see it. You talked at the beginning, Kay, about having lupus. Can you talk about your health journey and where you're at with that?
Kay Dudley
Yeah, So I was. So my mom has lupus. Autoimmune stuff does run in my family. So about six years ago, I started experiencing some symptoms that were a little bit alarming. And my mom was like, I think maybe you should just tell your primary care. Maybe you need to be referred to a rheumatologist because you have a family history, and this sounds like you're on the path of, like, maybe something automated going on. So I started seeing a rheumatologist six years ago. And at first it was like, because this is just. It's just how it goes with getting an autoimmune diagnosis. It can. I think the average is, like, seven years to get the proper diagnosis. I didn't know that starting out. So it was a very, like, long journey. It was sad. It was hard misdiagnosis. Like, when I finally thought I had answers, and it was like, no, that's not actually right. And I had to do a lot of advocating for myself. Like, I say this jokingly, but I feel like I could be my own rheumatologist. I've done so much research in, like, lupus and. And Sjogren's and the things I've been diagnosed with because I was so sure that that's what I was experiencing. And so finally, this was in January, I finally received the lupus diagnosis. And, I mean, it's. It's the only thing that makes sense, really. But the problem was I was put on medication five years ago that was helping kind of like mass, Mass. My, my. Not really. Like, my symptoms were still coming out. They weren't like, as bad as when I came off medication, but it was helping just enough that my body, my lab work was coming back normal on some of the tests. And so my rheumatologist had this, like, really good idea and she was like, why don't we just take you off this medication temporarily and see what happens. And within three months, all my labs started showing lupus. And she was like, okay, well, we have our answer. So. Something that I knew for like five years, but because the labs weren't there, they wouldn't just diagnose me on symptoms. It was like they had to have all the puzzle pieces. So I finally got the diagnosis and I am pregnant. So I can't take the medication, unfortunately. But I do feel like I'm on the track now where I know answers. I'm going to be able to focus on getting healthy and feeling good again. So that's been good. Just I have like a positive outlook.
Jenny Urch
On it now and having the opportunity, like you said, to work from home. So we're in this day and age where I do think people really value freedom in terms of their schedule and in terms of their ability to go different places. We're trying to get outside, but also I'm on social media too, so. But trying to get outside and just trying to have more time. Like, you know, you said you can be home and work from home and that type of thing. So for someone who is interested in content creation as a career, maybe even a side thing, something that's part time, something that, you know, helps to figure out the bills and just a little bit extra or that type of thing, what advice would you have?
Tay Dudley
I think it's going to sound so basic, but the most important thing is the. To keep the momentum going.
Kay Dudley
Yes.
Tay Dudley
You know, Kay and I started. It's a lot easier now because we do it full time and it's the only thing we do. But. And you know, in the past we both worked jobs and did content. And so you have to go, you have to go into it knowing, like, it is hard. It's going to take up a lot of time and you're going to have to do it every day. And if you do that for long enough and you iterate every day and change a little bit every day, you'll be successful. I mean, everyone will. If you can look at the video and say, yesterday's didn't do good. But two days ago's did what happened? Okay, now I'm going to try that again. And then you do that over and over and over. I mean, you'll get there.
Kay Dudley
I feel like it does come across maybe to some that, like, we just got lucky and like success just fell in our lap. But there was a lot of hard work that got us to this point and it happened quickly, but it was because of how much we put into it and how dedicated we were. And I think, like, people just need to understand, like, success is not just going to, like land in your lap. You're not going to just get famous overnight. Like, you have to put in the work, you have to try hard, you.
Tay Dudley
Have to be passionate about, you have to give up.
Kay Dudley
Because nobody should be doing something in their life that they don't genuinely love. I think working a job that you are miserable. Go. I've worked jobs where I had anxiety and panic attacks the night before because I didn't want to go because it was just that miserable going to that environment. And I think if you're working in an environment like that, that's not the job for you. So if you're having panic attacks and hating content creation, then it's probably not the job for you. But if it's something you're passionate about and you're enjoying doing it, yeah, it's going to be hard. But just keep going. It's like the snowball effect. Like, you keep rolling the snowball, it gets bigger and bigger and bigger and you just have to keep going. Like, consistency is key here. And that's why we've gotten to this point.
Tay Dudley
We've never taken a day off since we started that New Year's resolution.
Kay Dudley
Except when my grandmother died. We did take a couple days off during that. That was the only time that we've taken off.
Jenny Urch
And I think what you show then is that there's, you know, there's two sides to everything, right? That this is great. It give you freedom. You can come out of the nine to five, you know, as a dental assistant. But also it's affecting when you get to go shopping and there's criticism online and that, you know, you, like you said, it's constantly in your mind. But I like what you said, Tay, about the iterate, you know, you have to, you have to do. Right? Isn't that what everybody says about creative work and in whatever capacity it is, you actually have to do it?
Tay Dudley
That's right.
Jenny Urch
And then you can iterate little by little because you're like, and that's a really neat thing, too, that we live in a day and age where there's immediate feedback. If you write a book.
Kay Dudley
Exactly.
Jenny Urch
Out it goes. Like, you can't change it. You can't iterate. It's like, it is what it is. Here it is. So to be able to have that feedback and to grow, I think is a really cool thing that we have in this day and age that we didn't used to have. That seems like an engineering thing.
Tay Dudley
The apps do it for you. Every app incentivizes you to keep posting, and so they give you a little freebie every time. They're like, here's 500 people, you know, make them like it. And so it's not like back in the day, you know, in the earliest stages of YouTube, in the earliest stages of Instagram, you had to, like, go out and, like, know somebody and make connections to, like, get your startup. Like, the algorithms give you the chance every time, no matter if you have one follower or it really gets, like.
Kay Dudley
A certain amount of free views on a video, and it's about, like, retaining that audience and, like.
Tay Dudley
And yeah, go from there.
Kay Dudley
Yeah. And the algorithm is always, always changing, so you kind of have to just always be on top of. Of the changes that are happening. But I feel like if you're making content that people are liking and you gotta listen to your audience too, like you said, we have immediate feedback. If people are giving feedback and, like, listen to that, take the advice and take. Take what you think is doing well and then recreate it, and eventually you're gonna get, like, bigger. I think a lot of people don't focus on recreating what works, and they just want to do other things, and that's what gets them in, like, this rut where they're not moving because. And we have friends that have said this to us. Like, I had this really big moment, and then I didn't do anything about that big moment, and now I'm like, I didn't grow from that moment. They could have used that moment to grow. So I do think you have to listen to your audience and the feedback you're getting.
Ginny Urch
Yeah.
Jenny Urch
And capitalize on the momentum. Okay. As we wrap up here, you have become influencers, which is such, like, a new thing that didn't used to exist. You're. You're influencing. I. I don't know. I don't really like the word influencers.
Tay Dudley
Ourselves, entertainers. We don't even call ourselves influencers.
Kay Dudley
Yeah.
Jenny Urch
Okay. I like the. I like the entertainer. Like, you're, you know. Yes, it's an entertainer, but you are influencing.
Kay Dudley
Yes.
Jenny Urch
You have more influence than you would have in other stages of life. So I like that. We. We influence. Everybody influences other people. Yes, to a degree. So as you're influencing, you're influencing. You talk about these teen girls, people that are coming up to you. You're influencing all these millions of people, over 20 million followers, by sharing love, laughter, and family life with the world. What's a message you want to give about marriage?
Tay Dudley
One message.
Kay Dudley
One message. I know. No pressure.
Tay Dudley
I mean, honestly, it's just like, enjoy the little moments. Enjoy. Enjoy every detail. And, like, don't get, like, hung up. I don't know.
Kay Dudley
Your partner should be your best friend.
Tay Dudley
Yeah.
Kay Dudley
Like, I know that's kind of like. I feel like a cliche thing to say, but it's so true. You are going to spend the rest of your life with this person. They've got to be the person you go to for everything. They have to be the person you went to, the person you experience all of life's moments with. Like your best friend. I can't think of a better marriage than being with your best friend. And I was in a marriage without my best friend, and it's different. So I feel like it just makes the world of difference to be with somebody that you genuinely find to be, like, your favorite person. I think that's huge.
Tay Dudley
And just make every moment special. Like, an example would be, like, in the mornings when Kay's getting ready, I'll take Ellie down and do, like, breakfast and make breakfast. And when I come up sometimes I'll make the plate look pretty. Like, I'll do, like, pretty plating, you know, because I just want to see Kay's reaction to, you know, a smiley face, then the fried egg or something. You know what I mean?
Kay Dudley
Like, it's more about.
Tay Dudley
It's just a little thing.
Kay Dudley
It's about doing things. It's not always about the words you use. Like, you can tell your partner you love them and care about, but it's. Are you showing that you care about them? Are you. Are you making them feel loved in their actions? So I think doing actions for each other and showing how much you care about each other is huge.
Tay Dudley
It's fun.
Kay Dudley
Yeah. And it just sounds natural. If you're with your best friend, like, you just want to do that.
Jenny Urch
How interesting, K. That you have experienced both.
Kay Dudley
Well, it makes you. Honestly, I don't regret it because I feel like it's given me this, like, perspective of what it can be like, if it's not this. And it makes me so much more appreciative of having, like, such a good relationship. Not everybody gets to experience both. And I just try to use it as like an example, like a learning. Everything in life is learned. You learn from it, you grow from it. And I think even if you're not married, if you have past relationships, like, you will grow from those relationships and become the person you are and realize the type of person you need to be your partner for the rest of your life. Life.
Jenny Urch
Yeah. I love that. It just, it gives you that everyday reminder that you're grateful. Was it hard to get remarried?
Kay Dudley
It was definitely scary because you. You go through something hard and you're like, I don't ever want to go through that again. I don't ever want to, like, feel pain like that and hurt and sad. And it's like you. It's. It's scary. But. But at the same time, I think, like, you have to trust your heart and if you feel so much love for that person, like, you have one life, like, you've got to try, you know? And so that's what we did. We just, we were like, let's go for it. We love each other.
Tay Dudley
So, I mean, it was a two year process.
Kay Dudley
Yeah, two years into one sentence.
Jenny Urch
But yeah, of course it was a two year process because you're an engineer, so it wouldn't have been like, any shorter than that. You got to take your time, figure it out to your process. And. And here you have baby number two on the way, which is so exciting. How about a little word of influence for parenting, Case?
Tay Dudley
As it best, you know, enjoy every moment. Our channel, you know, we talked about how our channel is just like making every little moment exciting. That's what you should be doing with your life. You know, it's not just the first time they crawl and the first time they stand. It's the little pitter patters of their feet when they walk around, like, enjoy every little thing. You have the rolls on their wrists that'll one day go away when they go from baby to toddler to a child, like, really just enjoy it all.
Kay Dudley
And I think parenting never ends. I mean, you can. Your child can turn 18 and grow up and get married and have their own kids, but parenting never ends. It's just a different way of parenting. But you always love your. Your babies the same, and you're always gonna think of them as your babies. And I do think you should, like, savor the moments and, and really like, like, because it goes by so fast. But just remember, like, these are the good old days. These really are. Like, we're gonna look back one day and we're gonna, we're gonna think about our children being little because then it never happens again. Like once they're little and they grow up, it's done. And so you really gotta just enjoy every moment and remember that like one day you're gonna look back on this. So don't regret, like, don't miss out. Yeah.
Jenny Urch
Parenting never ends. Content creation never ends. K and Tay Dudley. What an honor. Over 20 million followers. Such a cool thing that you have going on. It was amazing to get a little bit of the behind the scenes and to learn more about what you have going on. We always end our show with the same question. What's a favorite memory from your childhood? That was outside.
Tay Dudley
Outside. I used to do this thing with my friends. I lived in Backwood. Oh. I lived in the suburbs of Alabama. You know, Alabama has like the most natural national forest of any state or something. I don't know, there's forests everywhere. And I would do this thing where me and my friend would go out in the woods and we found this like kind of cave looking thing and we built it up. We put like a rock wall and we had a door and we had like shelves in there. We had a little bridge that like went over a stream to get to it. And that was such a fun moment of my childhood. And sometimes I think about it now and I'm like, one day in archaeologist is going to find that and they're going to be like, what were the Indian, what were the Native Americans doing here? Like, why were they in these caves? And like, it's just two boys that were like stacking rocks. Yeah.
Kay Dudley
Mine's a little different. I remember growing up in a cul de sac in. On a military base. And me and my friends, because the, the specific section of, of base housing we were in, you had to have like a certain amount of kids to live in those houses because they were like four bedrooms or something. And so everybody had kids. There were so many of us. And I just remember all of us was playing outside in the cul de sac. And me and my best friend Kayla would get my Polly pockets and play Polly Pockets in the middle of the cul de sac because there was like this concrete like sidewalk thing in the center of it. It drove around and we would sit in that little thing out there and just play Polly Pockets. So not quite a cave, but it was still it was outside. Yeah, it was outside.
Jenny Urch
So it was a cave and a cul de sac. I think there is not. There's not much better than that for a kid. Caves are wonderful, and so are cul de sacs. You know, like, there's hardly any traffic, and you kind of just get to play there and have some freedom. I love those. I love those memories. It's so wonderful. Congratulations on your new baby. So excited for you. And thank you so much for taking the time to be here.
Kay Dudley
Yeah, thanks for coming.
Podcast: The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast
Host: Jenny Urch
Guests: Kay and Tay Dudley
Release Date: July 4, 2025
Jenny Urch welcomes listeners to the podcast and introduces the special guests, Kay and Tay Dudley. The couple shares their origin story, highlighting their tradition of creating home movies during holidays for nine years. These festive scripts and spontaneous filming sessions provided a fun family activity that laid the foundation for their future in content creation.
Notable Quote:
Kay Dudley [01:28]: "It's been like nine years now. We've all been doing it, I guess."
In 2021, Kay and Tay's casual holiday videos took a pivotal turn when they experimented with TikTok, encouraged by Kay who was new to the platform. Their first attempt garnered only seven views, but it ignited a passion for daily content creation. They set a personal resolution to post daily videos, which quickly led to viral success, culminating in a million followers by New Year’s Eve 2022.
Notable Quote:
Tay Dudley [03:46]: "We're hooked. We're like, wait a second, this was fun."
Within three years, Kay transitioned from her role as a dental assistant to focus full-time on content creation. The couple now boasts over 20 million followers across various platforms. Kay reflects on the positive changes, including the ability to work from home, which accommodates her health needs and allows her to spend more time with family.
Notable Quote:
Kay Dudley [05:25]: "I do miss it, but I love that I get to be home with my children and this job has been such a blessing."
Kay and Tay discuss the challenges of balancing their rapidly growing online presence with their personal lives. They establish strict boundaries, treating their content creation like a full-time job while ensuring they have downtime to focus on family. This disciplined approach helps them maintain a healthy work-life balance.
Notable Quote:
Kay Dudley [09:20]: "We do treat this like a 9 to 5. We try to turn ourselves off at the end of the day."
The couple navigates the complexities of fame, including the impact on their friendships and interactions with family. They share strategies for managing public recognition, such as visiting places during off-hours to avoid crowds. Their 13-year-old daughter prefers to stay out of the spotlight, allowing Kay and Tay to maintain a semblance of normalcy at home.
Notable Quote:
Kay Dudley [15:36]: "I love that she's so humble and, like, she doesn't care about it all."
Kay and Tay delve into the darker side of social media fame, addressing online criticism and rumors. They emphasize the importance of mental resilience, disregarding negative comments, and relying on genuine support from friends and family. Kay shares her struggle with negative remarks about her parenting, which she now blocks mentally and physically to maintain her well-being.
Notable Quote:
Kay Dudley [40:30]: "Even if you're not on social media, there's always going to be people talking bad about people."
Kay opens up about her six-year battle with lupus, a diagnosis that coincided with her rise in content creation. The flexibility of working from home has been crucial in managing her health. She credits her advocacy and research in managing her condition, highlighting the challenges of balancing health with a demanding online presence.
Notable Quote:
Kay Dudley [43:38]: "I finally received the lupus diagnosis. And, I mean, it's the only thing that makes sense, really."
Tay and Kay offer invaluable advice for those looking to enter the world of content creation. They stress the importance of consistency, passion, and adaptability. By maintaining a daily posting schedule and iterating based on audience feedback, they believe anyone can achieve success in the digital landscape.
Notable Quote:
Tay Dudley [46:28]: "The most important thing is to keep the momentum going."
The couple shares heartfelt insights on maintaining a strong marriage and effective parenting. They emphasize the significance of viewing each other as best friends, cherishing every moment, and showing love through actions rather than words alone. Their approach fosters a loving and supportive family environment.
Notable Quote:
Kay Dudley [51:03]: "Your partner should be your best friend. Like, I can't think of a better marriage than being with somebody that you genuinely find to be, like, your favorite person."
To conclude, Kay and Tay reminisce about their favorite childhood memories that resonate with the podcast’s theme of outdoor play. Tay recalls building a makeshift cave with friends in the Alabama woods, while Kay fondly remembers playing with Polly Pockets in a cul-de-sac on a military base. These memories underscore the importance of free play and connection with nature during childhood.
Notable Quote:
Tay Dudley [56:13]: "One day an archaeologist is going to find that and they're going to be like, what were the Native Americans doing here? Like, why were they in these caves? And like, it's just two boys that were like stacking rocks."
Conclusion:
Kay and Tay Dudley’s journey from casual holiday videos to commanding a massive online presence is a testament to the power of passion, consistency, and adaptability. Balancing family, health, and content creation, they provide inspiring insights for anyone looking to navigate the digital world while maintaining personal well-being and strong relationships.
Notable Quotes with Timestamps:
This comprehensive summary encapsulates the essence of Kay and Tay Dudley's transformative journey from everyday content creators to influential social media personalities, highlighting their personal growth, challenges, and the invaluable lessons they've learned along the way.