Podcast Summary: The blondEST – “I Was Bit By a Monkey”

Host: Savanna Boda
Episode Date: September 1, 2025

Episode Overview

In this lively and candid episode, Savanna Boda, aka The Dallas Aesthetician, returns from a world-traveling adventure and shares both the chaotic and healing aspects of her trip. The episode centers around her recent travels through Southeast Asia, her infamous encounter with a monkey (yes, she gets bitten!), running her business while abroad, and the emotional challenges and quirks that drive her professionally and personally. With plenty of humor and vulnerability, Savanna explores topics like persistence, internal drive, business logistics, local culture, and even the heartbreaking realism of nature’s survival rates.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Returning from Travel: Balancing Rest, Work, and Anxiety

• Savanna’s Experience:
  • Savanna talks about feeling “not rested, but healed” after three weeks of travel, emphasizing how being a business owner means never truly disconnecting.
  • She admits to sleeping only a couple of hours each night due to business anxieties and the pressure of keeping things running remotely.
  • Quote:
    • “It’s like, you get the luxury of traveling whenever you want when you work for yourself–but then also, I mean, it’s not all fun...I could have taken three weeks off, but that’d be, like, so stupid and, like, would cause me more stress.” (00:38)

2. Work Ethic & Team Dynamics

• Persistence vs. Patience:

  • Savanna playfully critiques Tyler (team member/friend) for his laid-back approach to supplier follow-ups, contrasting it with her obsessively persistent method.
  • Quote:
    • “If I don’t say ‘no rush,’ just assume ‘rush’.” (04:54)
  • She jokes about hunting people down across all social platforms until she gets an answer.

• Business Delegation:

  • Both reflect on the stress of running a small team, balancing day-to-day operations with the logistics of spa expansions.
  • Savanna discusses her inability to relax until everything is off her to-do list, and how this trait, while exhausting, has contributed to her success.
  • Quote:
    • “It’s my biggest strength—that I can’t [relax]...I would rather just suffer and stay up late and get it done. So then it’s completely off my list.” (09:37)

• Prioritization Philosophy:

  • Tyler brings up a philosophical point regarding priorities: “If everything is a priority, then nothing’s a priority.” (12:07)
  • Savanna disagrees: “No, everything’s a priority...if it’s on the list, it’s important.”

3. The Travel Debrief

• Trip Planning and Execution:
  • Savanna describes her trip as chaotic, mentioning how the original two-week plan evolved into three weeks, showing her tendency to maximize her experiences.
  • Through playful banter, they reveal how last-minute decisions led her to extend the trip even further.

4. Monkey Encounter and Medical Mayhem

• The Incident:

  • Savanna recounts a harrowing incident at the Monkey Forest in Ubud (Bali), where she was bitten by a monkey after a squabble for her attention (“they both started fighting…like…to see who was my keeper,” 17:13).
  • Despite initial reassurances from locals that bites were common, Savanna’s anxiety spikes after learning about the true dangers of rabies.

• Medical Response:

  • She details the scramble for medical attention, receiving a tetanus shot, multiple rabies vaccines, and, eventually, guidance from health officials back home.
  • Memorable Moment:
    • The episode includes a real-time call with “Sonya” from a health organization, with unintentional comedic relief:
      • Savanna: “Am I going to die?”
      • Sonya: “Rabies is almost 100% fatal. But you were right to call us; you’ve already started the series.” (20:06)

• Emotional Resilience:

  • Surprisingly, after the bite and a round of vaccines, Savanna returns to the Monkey Forest:
    • “I actually did after I got the rabies vaccine go back to have a better experience, because I didn’t want to believe that they didn’t like me.” (19:25)

5. Nihi Sumba Resort: Surfer Paradise and Eco-Realities

• Nihi Sumba Experience:

  • Savanna details her stay at Nihi, a luxury resort in Sumba, Indonesia. This was her “most anticipated” destination, and she reviews the high costs, surfer culture, and family-friendly environment.
  • Notable Activities:
    • Horse stables, chocolate factory tour, rock collecting (which airport security repeatedly tried to confiscate), and spa treatments.
    • A famous Russian soccer player is spotted at the hotel (she never recalls the name).

• Environmental Insights:

  • Savanna shares the reality of sea turtle conservation efforts by the resort’s foundation—and the cold, unavoidable harshness of nature:
    • “The survival rate of a sea turtle when you release them is 1%.” (30:56)
    • She describes the emotional toll of witnessing baby turtles die and being prevented by the staff from intervening: “You cannot touch the turtle. So I had to…walk away, and I was, like, crying.” (31:30)

• Cultural Context:

  • Stays in Sumba are intertwined with the local villages, where traditional lifestyles are preserved. She describes village structures, traditions, and the resort’s contributions via the Sumba Foundation.

6. Honest Travel Reviews

• Spa Disappointment:

  • Despite expectations, Savanna finds the spa experience underwhelming: “Maybe my expectations were a lot higher…” (33:04) but enjoys the fact they braid her hair and put a flower in it.

• Would She Return?

  • Unambiguously yes:
    • “I would definitely go back and take Cyrus. Yeah, it was beautiful. Food was great.” (35:15)
    • She especially recommends it off-season, and credits the resort’s all-inclusive food policy.

• Other Favorite Hotel:

  • Mandapa Ritz Carlton in Ubud is named as her favorite hotel ever (“If they had an ocean, I would have never left.” 35:51)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “If there is a fudgeing will—even if there’s no will, there’s a way.” – Savanna (05:37)
• “It’s my business. So at the end of the day, I’m going to care more because obviously it’s my business. But...I literally will not be able to fucking sit down and watch a movie until everything…is organized.” – Savanna (08:24)
• “So anyways, one of the things—besides, like, my fat ass—that I got from my dad and the big boobies before I chopped them off was being persistent.” – Savanna (02:42)
• “Am I going to die?” – Savanna (19:45)
  “Rabies is almost 100% fatal…but you were right to call us.” – Sonya (20:06)
• “You can’t control nature...it was so hard because one of [the turtles] got stuck in the sand and I’m like, dude…we gotta help him!...but she’s like, ‘You cannot touch the turtle.’ So I had to walk away, and I was, like, crying.” – Savanna (31:30)

Important Timestamps

• 00:38: Savanna on the reality of travel while running a business
• 04:54: “If I don’t say ‘no rush,’ assume ‘rush’.”
• 09:37 – 11:55: Savanna’s philosophy on task completion and business drive
• 17:08 – 20:31: The monkey bite story and health consultation call
• 21:20 – 23:50: Savanna on her approach to travel, maximizing memories, and activity planning
• 25:40: The emotional connection to rocks and the recurring airport battle
• 30:56 – 32:15: Sea turtle conservation, harsh natural realities, and emotional struggle
• 33:04: Spa review at Nihi Sumba
• 35:15: Final thoughts—her would-return endorsements

Tone & Takeaways

The entire episode is infused with Savanna’s signature mix of unapologetic honesty, self-deprecation, humor, and relentless drive. Her openness about her anxieties and quirks serves both as entertainment and insight into how she’s built her business and cult following. Listeners get raw stories—like an actual monkey attack, cultural observations, and high-end travel revelations—but always grounded in the realities of entrepreneurial life and personal growth.

Next Episode Tease:
The episode closes with the promise of more travel tales from other destinations on her itinerary (“We’re gonna pick up the next two places on the next episode...you’ll hear a little bit more later about how we got there”). (35:53)

Summary by AI Podcast Summarizer – TheblondEST, Sept 1, 2025