Loading summary
Transcript178 lines
- [00:05]
A
Hello, everyone.
- [00:06]
B
It's Leslie, and you're listening to the interview with Leslie Heaney. This episode is my first podcast taping at a studio in Nashville with a terrific technician. I guess the lesson from this one is do not judge a book by its cover. I was walking into a space that looked like Buffalo Bill's basement, and inside it was a magical studio. Had a section that he rents out on, like, Airbnb for bachelorette parties to do karaoke. It's got a recording studio, and then it's got this kind of 70s sort of section where I recorded this interview. You can see kind of the shag rug and orange backdrop there. But it was a really, really fun afternoon. And I most importantly, because I got to spend it with one of my favorite people on planet Earth, Alexis. Trina. Alexis is a very old friend, and she also happens to be one of the most glamorous and talented and wonderful human beings both inside and out. Talking to Alexis today, I wanted to interview her about this app that she founded called High Note. She's the founder and CEO of it. It's a app that allows you to text, post and share personalized notes, everything from birthday notes to thank you notes. They have, like, little reminders. I send them to my children. Two of my children are away at school. My son was supposed to take antibiotics. I was getting emails from the nurse that he wasn't showing up. So I kept sending him reminders. He was ignoring them. And Alexis has this really great one that says, you know, you're on my shit list. So I sent him that one as a joke and told him to go to the. Anyway, she's got something for everyone. It's as unique and glamorous as Alexis is herself. Truly, this is. As I told her and I mentioned this in our conversation, she's literally created and discovered the Hallmark greeting card for today. In this conversation, Alexis and I talk about her incredible and magical background and family, her inspiration for High Note, and we talk sort of about what it's like, you know, to take something from concept to reality, her life as an entrepreneur and as a mom, also as a wine connoisseur, having worked at her family's vineyard, her life as the spouse of a former ambassador, and her serving as a hostess there and a hostess in so many other capacities in her life, and, you know, learning about this incredible journey of an entrepreneur, learning about taking something from a concept into reality, or just spending some time listening to one of the most fun, smart, glamorous, and terrific human beings. This episode is for you, it's a conversation you won't want to miss. So with that, here is my conversation with Alexis Swanson. Trainup. Alexis, I'm so happy to see you. I mean, you're going to be able to see her on some video clips, but she looks absolutely gorgeous with a stunning background. I'm in a new studio, Ryan's studio. Ryan, what is this studio called? He's coming in. What is it called? It's called the Hideout, and that is apropos because I am really in Ryan's face here at the Hideout in a very cool new studio space in Nashville.
- [03:40]
A
Congrats.
- [03:40]
B
So thrilled and delighted to be with Alexis, who is a very dear and very old friend who's created the most incredible. Really, it's the Hallmark. It's the modern Hallmark. What you've done, you are the modern version of Hallmark greeting cards. And I can't wait to see what happens next. But I think before we talk about High Note, I think it'd be really interesting for listeners to sort of get an understanding of your background and what kind of brought you to creating High Note. So let's take it from the top. Tell me a little bit about yourself. Where did you grow up? And a little bit about your incredible and wonderful family.
- [04:23]
A
I love that. Les, thank you so much. Just so you know, I rearranged my whole house for you. I wanted to find the perfect wall. I turned on the Zoom filter, make myself look as good as possible. You look great.
- [04:38]
B
And I didn't know about the Zoom filter, which apparently I didn't know about it.
- [04:40]
A
Nobody should be on Zoom without putting on the face filter. I mean, that's just a no.
- [04:46]
B
I don't know if Ryan's done that yet. I think I'm just at this point, I've put enough bad video of myself out there on the Internet. I'm actually saving it so I can submit it to a plastic surgeon for a consult. But you, my friend, look perfect. Oh, my God, love. Thank you for the filter tip.
- [05:00]
A
Well, I'm just so pleased. You know, it's like we've been friends so long, we've seen every version point one, point zero. We've seen two, three, and four. It's kind of amazing. I mean, I think that's what's so special in life as we. As we get older is just to kind of see all the different iterations of life and kind of, where do we start? What was high school? What was college? You know, all those treacherous years and we're still standing.
- [05:26]
B
Les, I Know, but I mean, you like a fine wine. I mean, no pun intended, considering your background, but you are. You like a fine wine.
- [05:35]
A
I love you.
- [05:36]
B
So tell us. Tell us. Give us Swanson. Swanson story.
- [05:43]
A
I was raised in southwest Florida in a time where living in southwest Florida was like the Wild West. I was an only child for a long time, and in those years, my parents moved to Naples, which was almost kind of like a small Italian fishing village run by widows, like elderly ladies, who were my afternoon friends and playmates. And I treasured these women and probably learned all the secrets of life through them. You know, I would strategically know who to visit on Tuesdays and Thursdays and which chocolates were being served. And I think that, you know, it's like, in those moments, you kind of. If you're curious and you listen, you learn all the secrets of life, of men, of cards, of chatter, of gossip. And I just kind of always was very much a child who loved older people. And Naples was kind of this, like, very small place, and now it's kind of exploded into such a different universe. But, you know, we were raised kind of at the end of a beach. You know, a guy down the street had a magnificent, crazy zoo where his animals were constantly on the loose, you know, running up and down the beach and on the road. And, you know, it was just such a. It was such a kind of moment in time that I'm so lucky that I got to live then and see it and kind of witness life in a whole different pace.
- [07:09]
B
I love that I never knew about the zoo. I obviously knew about Naples, but I didn't really understand what that community was really like back then and how that could have sort of influenced not only your family, your mother's incredible, kind of eclectic and incredibly unique style, but your own, particularly with meeting with all these older people and watching how they entertain.
- [07:36]
A
And the ladies were so interesting. You know, it's like, to me, I always find that that's always the most interesting crew to look out for at any party at any time. I love the stories. I love. I love just listening and learning. And that's probably, like, maybe my greatest influence always these women, these. These kind of extraordinary women who knew how to live, who had seen so much. I dug that.
- [08:04]
B
I love the idea. The idea, too, of a widow colony. I have talked to some of my nearest doing, like, a Golden Girl revamp.
- [08:11]
A
I mean, this is the weirdest thing. Golden Girls was so spot on. I. There were never any men. Like, there were like, the husbands either had died, vanished. I don't know. But there were never men in the community, so it was always these elderly ladies of many colored hair.
- [08:25]
B
I love that.
- [08:26]
A
And small dogs.
- [08:27]
B
I kind of want to bring that back. I don't know where we. I would set up shop, but the concept of it is very appealing to me. So then your parents decide to move to California, Right?
- [08:42]
A
So before that happened, what was really interesting was my mom and dad had me, obviously, we lived together in Florida. And then my parents got divorced, and then, interestingly enough, within a year, got remarried. And that was just such a crazy set of circumstances because, you know, as a child, that's like, you know, divorce feels pretty terminal. And then to kind of within, you know, 12 to 16 months or it was pretty quick get back together and then immediately have another child, a love child, Veronica, and then a second child right afterwards was such an incredible whiplash. So it kind of set this spot for me where it was like, if anyone told me no, I'd be like, I don't know. I'm not sure about that. Like, no never meant no. Like, I just didn't see it. I didn't witness it that way. So I always saw the possibility.
- [09:34]
B
You never. Was it just sort of like having seen something that you thought was final and then finding out that it wasn't, in fact, final, meaning from the divorce?
- [09:42]
A
It was just like, no, didn't really ever mean that. It, you know, it always had the possibility. I think what was so interesting about them was that they, you know, set such an interesting example for me. Like, nothing has to be terminal. Nothing has to be final.
- [09:58]
B
You moved to London for.
- [10:00]
A
They did a bit.
- [10:01]
B
Okay. Oh, you were in boarding school then?
- [10:03]
A
Maybe I was in boarding school. They kind of shuffled a bit, but, you know, quickly found California. They moved to California right when I went to boarding school. And my dad had been in cable television and radio, and, you know, he'd always had this, like, deep desire to go into the wine business. He went to Stanford. He loved just this whole kind of romantic world of Napa, California, California wine. And so one day kind of just announced, like, hey, I'm thinking about we might be doing something radically different. And that was kind of an extraordinary experience to kind of find yourself in a whole kind of another part of the country. And as far as I was concerned, that area was like falcon crust all day. I was like, yeah, we're going to find Lorenzo Lamas. And it's a yes for me.
- [10:54]
B
That's so amazing. It's such an interesting.
- [10:57]
A
So.
- [10:57]
B
So you're a teenager. Right. They're out there, they're getting this vineyard set up. Right. And you're watching them not only pursue this dream of theirs, which, as you said, is a great lesson, I think, for your children. Right. To see you pursuing your passion no matter what it is. And in this case, it's very exciting and kind of glamorous and in a great location. And then were you sort of watching how they were entertaining and bringing people together during your teenage years, and then you eventually went to go work with them at the vineyard for a time?
- [11:34]
A
Yeah. I mean, I think what was so interesting about my parents were they had kind of two mantras. One was, you know, it was like, they were super people who cared deeply. Are you following your passion? Are you following your passion? And so people ask me all the time, like, you know, what was it like, kind of you, Veronica and Claiborne, like, what was it like in your household? What were your parents up to? And my parents just cared about, are you following your passion? And if so, that's great. But, like, what do you have to contribute at the table? You're showing up as a teenager, you're showing up in life. You're not just here to take up space. And I love that mentality. They weren't like, super. They weren't like, you know, helicopter parents. They just wanted to know that you were committed to following a reason, a purpose for being here and contributing. So I love that. That was a super space for them. And then the other thing that was very fundamental in our family was, you know, entertaining all the time, entertaining anybody and everybody. And then kind of when we went into the wine business, that just became a. Like an extended arm of it all.
- [12:39]
B
Well, and also just the way that. The way that you all bring people together. And I mean, the tablescapes. The tablescapes are really. In fact, you should. Elizabeth should do a book. Elizabeth should do a book on her tablescapes.
- [12:55]
A
It's her true love language.
- [12:57]
B
It really is. And it has trickled down to her daughters.
- [13:02]
A
Well, it was amazing kind of being raised by a mother who was, you know, her mother was Cuban, so I was really raised in a Latin household. We were. And our mother is basically like, you know, an everyday I Love Lucy. Like, it was just a segment that was rolling all the time. And so what was kind of just amazing was, like, the cast of characters that would show up. You kind of never knew. It was high, it was low, it was mixed. There was always kind of like a consistent food program that just was yum it wasn't like over, over the top. It was just. Yum. But her tablescapes were kind of, you know, before this whole kind of crazy Mrs. Alice and all these other people who are really amazing with tablescapes. That was really how she expressed herself in such a deep way. It was so her art, and I just kind of loved it. And we saw it all the time, but, you know, with that came, like, heavy elbow grease. Like, it'd be like, you're gonna help us set up. You're gonna be washing the dishes. We were all like, oh, shit.
- [14:01]
B
That's. But that's having you be part of the process, right? And part of the creative output, right?
- [14:07]
A
And then it was always kind of like her entertainment was kind of big, too. I mean, she would always have, you know, at the end of every night, lined up against the wall were probably something like 40 pairs of shoes with taps on the bottom of them so that everybody could grab a pair of shoes and not say, oh, God, they don't have my size. Because she covered the gamut for men and women. And she would go around and she'd go to, like, thrift shops and she would buy these shoes and she'd put the tops on the bottom. And so immediately after dessert would be like, all right, let's do it. And everybody would start tap dancing. And it was one of the funniest things because you kind of had to be deep in the cups to really go for it. And, God, did they go for it.
- [14:47]
B
See, I forgot about the tap dancing here. I. There's this.
- [14:50]
A
Oh, my God, the tap dancing.
- [14:52]
B
This couple. And I haven't done it yet, but they'd given me a karaoke microphone. They left one for me. They came over for drinks when we were away with them. They also go to the same place we go to in Antigua, and they have dinner parties and everybody gets their own karaoke microphone. At dessert, at the end, one of the, you know, the Amazon ones, I have to. Kind of. Brilliant.
- [15:16]
A
That's a brilliant idea. Because here's the thing is, when you're sitting there waiting for that one mic, you're like, shit. I know when everyone's got a mic and going for it, look out, right?
- [15:26]
B
And someone could start. You could do like a We Are the World over your.
- [15:30]
A
Honestly, I think I'm gonna have to steal that idea.
- [15:32]
B
Oh, yeah? Well, we'll talk about it offline. We'll talk about offline. So hear you. And then you start getting involved, actually, right. In the marketing and. And the building of Swanson Vineyards.
- [15:43]
A
So I graduated from college and my dad, you know, was kind of very early in building his company, Swanson Vineyards in Napa. And I'm super tight with my parents, and I was kind of like, I am dying to go check out this whole world in California and really, like, check that out. So I went and I started working with him. And so, you know, probably all told, we worked together like 23 years. And that's kind of like the most extraordinary thing. You know, people ask all the time, like, what's it like working with your parents or your dad? And I have to say, it's kind of like childbirth. It's like every year that passes, I'm like, that was the best. Oh, my God, I miss you so much. I mean, it was pretty amazing. We had a ball. I mean, it was big. And we, like, did it and we kind of. When I think back on just the opportunity to kind of, kind of live in that time where Napa Valley was pretty early, it was like super, super male centric and to kind of find space and kind of find voice, create products, create experiences that didn't exist kind of. It was. It was kind of an interesting opportunity to kind of invent kind of what we saw that didn't exist in Napa. Whether it was crazy tasting experiences, crazy products, collaborations, I just thought there was so much opportunity. And at the end of the day, who really are the entertainers? It's the women who are the gift givers. It's the women.
- [17:14]
B
Yeah.
- [17:14]
A
Who are the ones like menu planning? The women. That was an interesting one because you could see that there were just so many women who were, like, super interested in that space.
- [17:24]
B
So you're out there, you're. You're developing this brand, you're entertaining. You had the tasting rooms and all the collaborations, and you were probably inviting people frequently, right. To different events at the vineyard. And back then, you were probably doing that with paper invitations or by phone or by pigeon. Right. You would have done glamorous package drop offs occasionally, like hand, hand.
- [17:52]
A
I was into packaging. I was into, like, branding, messaging. I just thought, you know, it was just so interesting. We did this one crazy product that we collabed with Target, and it was called Modern House Wines. And, you know, it was one of these product lines that I kind of thought, you know, it's like I wanted to create something that was very kind of giftable, entertaining, sociable at a totally inexpensive price point. Things that said with love, here's to you. Just married, you know, like, big kind of Almost like graphic. I remember modern art on a bottle. Yeah, I love that idea because it was kind of like, that's the way people gift. That's the way people express themselves. And that's why it was kind of interesting at Target. So we did this collab with them again. We figured, we knew it was women who were kind of loving these types of things. We had so many funny ones. But it just opened the door, that idea of expressing ourselves, you know, it's like, how do we express ourselves again and again and again? And, you know, everything in our world telegraphs from your glasses, Les, my bracelets, my sweater, this phone case, you know, it's so incredible how everything telegraphs. And I just always loved that kind of storytelling. It was such an interesting one.
- [19:05]
B
I love that collaboration that you did with them.
- [19:08]
A
I love that collaboration just because it kind of opened the doors for me. And if you kind of like, look at. Even today, it's like high notes, like the communication version of that.
- [19:18]
B
Yeah, well, exactly, because it's tapping into that. You wanting things to have that personal touch. Right. And to have things be personal and thoughtful and special. Right. So you had this incredible life experience, right, as a child and then as an adult, bringing people together. And you've also had the experience of being the spouse of an ambassador and the entertaining that goes along with that, which is totally different also, I'm sure, has to be, you know, as thoughtful and, you know, personal, but probably a bit more formal.
- [19:57]
A
I mean, I think that when you're in a situation where you're representing your country, it's so fascinating because every touch point matters, right? From the outreach to the hello to the thank you, to you're invited to, you know, any of those moments confirming, you know, just all those pieces matter until the day that the moment they opened the door and the time they had in the menu and the friendships made. So it was interesting for us to kind of be into that space and entertaining and communication was just such a central piece of how we represent the United States.
- [20:34]
B
And there's a real protocol to that. You can't sort of go off piece there. You have to.
- [20:39]
A
Yeah, exactly. And I think that that was like a super aha for me. It's like I was. I remember being abroad and, you know, wanting to kind of reach out. You know, I understood, like, writing something by email, I mean, by snail mail. Like, did it land? Did it get there? Are they traveling? Is it two weeks late? The moments passed. Email just felt kind of just electronic and bland. And then, of course, you know, it's like texting was kind of always preferred and in that case out there abroad, WhatsApp. But it's always like blue and gray text bubbles. Really? Is that. It emojis. The emojis. You know, it's like I didn't have. I didn't have access to be able to communicate, you know, as I'd like to, with kind of, you know, with polish and personality and, you know, kind of change who I. What I wanted to say in the moment.
- [21:30]
B
So did. Was that the moment for you where you started thinking about.
- [21:34]
A
I was thinking about it. I was just thinking, my God, it's like in this world of so much personalization, so much customization, so much sizzle, how are we still, like, communicating in blue and gray text bubbles?
- [21:47]
B
Yeah.
- [21:47]
A
And then it really accelerated for me during COVID because here we were, like, tethered to our phones 24 7, unable to leave our homes, like an explosion of texting. And yet, you know, it's like blue and gray text bubbles.
- [22:05]
B
Right. You couldn't make it creative, you couldn't make it interesting. You could personally.
- [22:08]
A
It was that type of thing. It's like you wanted to kind of reach out and touch someone, kind of when touch was forbidden. You know, little things like, happy birthday, thinking of you, you know, you'll be okay. I miss you. I love you.
- [22:21]
B
So did you have a one moment or was this a build? I remember you telling me about the idea. Well, it was three or four years ago. And I, like, that is the most brilliant idea I've ever heard. This is incredible. This is gonna be huge.
- [22:36]
A
I just thought to myself, like, I can't believe in this kind of crazy modern moment that we don't have one kind of definitive source digitally on our phone, where all that kind of crazy communication that we grew up with that was available to everybody lived, you know, everything from stationery to, you know, holiday greetings, to birthday wishes to thank yous, to funny shit, to checking in to get better. You know, it's like all that stuff, it's like, it just. It didn't make sense that we were in this mobile world and yet didn't have any access or tools to be able to have that.
- [23:18]
B
So you have the idea. It kind of built over time. It wasn't sort of one day, right? You had this idea. You're kind of thinking about it. A lot of people have ideas. A lot of people have good ideas. But the difference, you know, the difference really is in those that actually, like, make the step or take the Step to turn the idea into reality. What was your first move? I mean, you had the idea. I'm sure you talked about it with your husband, you talked about it with some friends. You're kind of thinking through it, and then what do you do? How do you make this. This into a reality?
- [23:55]
A
I mean, I think that's the really interesting question in life because, you know, especially for us as women, you know, like we said, there's so many acts in our lives. And it was kind of one of those things where I knew I had, like, super chops to be able to kind of bring together, you know, a whole kind of world of modern communication. I knew. I knew I had all that. But, you know, the learning curve is always a scary piece in life. So it's like you kind of are like, I got this, but holy shit, how am I going to do that? And of all people, why do I have to be the one to do it? Like, it was kind of like, who all. No one else has done it, so is it going to have to be me? I think that's a daunting conversation. You know, it's like when you're like.
- [24:39]
B
If not you, then who? There is no one that's. That's better suited.
- [24:43]
A
Well, I think that's the crazy thing. And it's like, I think all of us have these crazy great ideas, and it's kind of the scary piece is like, how do I do this? Like, how do I do something that's wildly familiar and crazy unfamiliar at the same time? And so it's really trying to kind of navigate that wildness of, I've got an idea, I need to make it happen. And holy shit, this is going to be an interesting ride.
- [25:10]
B
And I just love the creative. I actually, I've got to find it in my phone, but I had another good idea.
- [25:15]
A
Oh, good.
- [25:16]
B
For a card for you.
- [25:18]
A
Well, I think the idea of, you know, the idea for us was modernizing that kind of paper stationary world by making it better, cooler, mobile. You know, the idea of just combining the best of paper and digital communication right on your phone, not on your desktop, but, like, right on your phone. So you could be like, sending out your birthday. Thank you. I miss you. Hello. Introduction. Right from the back of a taxi, the grocery line, whatever. Easy chic.
- [25:51]
B
So easy. But chic and personal. And when you. When you receive one, it's the excitement of receiving something in the mail like that someone took the time to personalize it and send it to you with you in mind. Right? With your.
- [26:07]
A
Yeah. That's right. I mean, I think that's what's really interesting. You know, we've moved so far away from that kind of world of personal touch. You know, we've just, you know, we've. And I think Covid really accelerated that because kind of all. All things that were kind of traditions or ceremonies or aspect of plight world seemed to vanish, you know, very quickly. And so I think, you know, that whole idea of like manners and grace, well, I think that's sexy. I think that's kind of like that level of communication that's like vital life skills. And we kind of have to find ways to bring all that back.
- [26:51]
B
Well, thankfully you have. I mean, so tell us. So you've done a lot of incredible and really interesting collaborations. What's your creative process there? So you came up with probably first all of your great ideas for note cards and invites with like, fun phrases and thoughtful little mottos. And then you've broadened it beyond that and worked with others in developing their own. Their own take on high Note. So what's that process? Like, where do you come up with these ideas? Do people come to you or how does that work?
- [27:28]
A
I think what was really interesting, when you're trying to introduce a new concept, in any case, it's like you kind of really, you need to kind of rely on. On friends, like word of mouth. So friends of friends, that was the critical thing. It was like friends and friends and their friends and friends. So we started kind of a whisper campaign of like, no more blue and gray text bubbles for you. Like, let's be chic, let's be cool, let's like, send out good shit. So that was number one, that kind of whisper campaign. And then as we kind of really looked, we kind of really. We had a very established kind of tone and voice and how we kind of thought this, you know, high note brand communication would look, feel. But then we started to kind of partner with a lot of our collective friends, yours and mine, who were kind of doing really interesting things, had really fascinating audiences, and who were kind of like authorities. And so we reached out to everyone from kind of like the Emily Post Institute, and we did a collab with them on like, polished texting, you know, like 10 to 12 really polished notes that were like, professional and correct and like, elegant. Or we reached out to the Sex with Emily podcast to create a whole capsule of like, good sexting notes.
- [28:48]
B
Yes.
- [28:48]
A
Just enough that, you know, it was like you felt really, like, confident in kind of what you were sending out. We've Done. You know, Plum Sykes in her book Wives Like Us, and we did a whole capsule of the characters in that book. We partner with Aaron Lauder. We've done with, like, a lot of these incredible women who have an incredible point of view and aesthetic. And so we introduced to their audiences, you know, all these different capsules that were amazing for us to kind of learn with their audiences, kind of almost as our focus group. So we kept kind of building and learning and refining kind of what. What this audience was. And at the end of the day, I think what's so obvious and so kind of important, it's like, who's this natural audience? It's women. You know, it's like women are the ones who are the natural communicators. Connection and communication are their love language. And so we really quickly understood who we were, who we were working for, who we were delighting, who we were trying to kind of go after and provide them with, you know, all the pieces of communication for their multifaceted life.
- [29:56]
B
But the thing is, too that's so great, you know, is that in doing all those collaborations and in you just being who you are and being. And being very multifaceted, you're providing something for everyone. Meaning, like, anybody who wants to use High Note can find something that reflects their style, their sensibility, and send something that's special and personal, but also kind of reflects their own take. Right? Because you've done, like, Love Shack Fancy, I think, and Love Shack Fancy is so different than Ken Falk or, you know, Aaron Lauder is different than Jill Carman. Yeah, Yeah.
- [30:35]
A
I think that's the really amazing thing, as you kind of are, you know, building community, and there's a delight factor, you know, so it's like we're always kind of looking at surprise. Like, you know, I think we've talked about it, but we did this crazy, awesome election capsule, and we wanted to create, like, just awesome communication around the election. Like, funny memes, like door knocking notes, rally the troops, you know, all this kind of stuff that just didn't exist. You'd have to kind of cobble all this stuff all over the place, like, go on Twitter and take that photo and, you know, go into Photoshop or Adobe and good luck, if you have the skills. We wanted to really go after creating delight for Team Trump and Team Harris and anybody kind of in between. But, like, we jumped in with I Am a Voter. That was great for us to be able to kind of create, like, election tools, you know, all about voter registration and, you know, all These different types of things. So I think always being able to provide kind of the unexpected kind of communication needs is cool for us, and.
- [31:36]
B
It'S relevant and timely. Right?
- [31:38]
A
I mean, yeah, at the speed of culture. That's the whole point. You know, it's like. That's one of the things I think that was so fascinating when I look carefully at the stationary world, you know, that that was our. That was our expressive vehicle for centuries. Right. But I think that they kind of failed to jump to digital, and they kind of were unwilling to kind of become relevant or meet their audience where they wanted to be met. And I think that cultural relevance is such an important piece of modern life. You know, we all want to be in on the joke. We all want to be in on the new trend, the new TV show, the new book, the new fashion brand. And so I think that that was, like, something that we saw as, like, a lot of fun and sticky.
- [32:23]
B
But you're actually create. You've created a whole new category. I mean, I've learned this. My husband's an entrepreneur. It's. You're disruptive. It's disruptive in the best. In the best way.
- [32:32]
A
Well, I guess it's really cool for us that we get to kind of invent something that doesn't exist, and that is really amazing. And that's also, like, super white knuckling.
- [32:41]
B
High note has been. Is it three years?
- [32:43]
A
Two years.
- [32:44]
B
How. How long?
- [32:44]
A
Two years?
- [32:45]
B
Two years.
- [32:46]
A
Yeah.
- [32:47]
B
And look at all that you've accomplished in those two years. I mean, I feel like every time I open it, there's a new, exciting form of communication that you've developed or a new note or a new take.
- [32:59]
A
I love that idea of delight. I think there's something so intrinsic in our spirits of wanting to delight, like wanting to be seen and see someone else. I think that's just such a. The world of that is so. It's so vital. You know, it's like we are humans by nature wanting to love and connect, and, you know, that's just such a forever part of who we are.
- [33:24]
B
And you're giving people a vehicle to do that in such a special and unique way. All right, so for people listening who know and regard you as the hostess of the mostest, I want you to kind of tell us favorite places that you like to entertain, ways that you like to entertain.
- [33:42]
A
I'm super into. I just. I love the high low of life. You know, it's like, to me, that's always the really critical ingredient. And I think my mom was Very much that way. You know, from menus to the. It pretty much starts with the first communication. It kind of sets the tone. And then you kind of, like, everyone kind of has an idea of where we're going with this. And then I think from there, it's like there's so many storytelling components and entertaining. You know, the icu, I mean, one of my favorites is always. I work with this crazy, amazing cake baker. And so it's like whenever we're doing any type of night, I'm always looking at, like, what's the story that that cake is going to tell the ICU moment? Is it your book? Is it your microphone, Leslie? Is it? You know, it's like, if you came to town, I'd make a cake in your microphone. I would love that. You know, it's like, I'm always looking at, like, what's that kind of amazing opportunity to celebrate someone's story through the creation of a cake we've made? I mean, everything from basketballs to maps, colors, flowers, whatever.
- [34:49]
B
Looking back on all the parties that you've thrown or that you've been to, is there any that stand out as, like, you just thought you got everything? Like, every touch that you wanted to make or that you made was like.
- [35:01]
A
I think that there's just certain key ingredients. It's the cocktail.
- [35:05]
B
Yeah, it's. Oh, signature cocktail.
- [35:08]
A
Always a cocktail.
- [35:09]
B
Okay.
- [35:10]
A
It's always a cocktail. It's always kind of. What's that? What's that? Nostalgic menu, you know, what's that? Like, what's that? Meatloaf, deviled eggs. I'm always looking for those types of things. And then kind of like, what's that dessert like, what's that? Fun.
- [35:25]
B
I love the dessert. So the dessert is in honor of the. The honored guest.
- [35:29]
A
The honored guest, yes. Or the moment. Whatever we're talking about, or whatever we're there for. And. And it's a good one because it's never crazy expensive. You know, it's like, it's. It's fun, and it's like a huge bang for the buck.
- [35:41]
B
And then you're going to. You're going to start incorporating my. My karaoke microphones into your entertaining. But your mom. Your mom has the tap shoes. Do you have any signature.
- [35:49]
A
I mean, the karaoke microphone's gonna become mine now.
- [35:52]
B
Yeah, I know.
- [35:53]
A
I'm into, like, signature things. So, like, the cake is a signature. The microphone's gonna be a signature. I love to collect old school colored crystal wine glasses, and these are kind of awesome because you can find them anywhere, like at the thrift shop, the swap meet, your grandma's, you know, garage. I love the idea of celebrating with those glasses.
- [36:17]
B
It's just an homage to the old ladies of Naples.
- [36:20]
A
It's totally an homage.
- [36:21]
B
I mean, I love that.
- [36:22]
A
A totally own homage.
- [36:24]
B
You're in your guest room with a beautiful backdrop. Caroline is there who thankfully helped us with some tech things. Who helps you with high note. How do you juggle it all? I mean, you have two children. You have a very active life outside of your professional life. Give some tips to, to the ladies out there.
- [36:46]
A
I think it's pretty amazing just to listen to all your women around you. I mean, I'm constantly asking, I'm wondering, how did that happen? How did you do that? How did you, you know, what, what's the day that you set up your, your week ahead? I like to kind of listen on those fronts. I kind of feel like everyone's doing the very best they can and winging it. Like, I typically try to wake up really early and get as much done that kind of sets my day as best I can. I mean, sleep is not. Sleep is not in the cards right now for a hundred reasons. That's one. I think it's. There's no, there's no real formula. I don't think. I mean, I just don't. I don't see that. I don't hear it. I think there's like an organizational component that sometimes happens, sometimes doesn't happen. You know, I think the other thing that's tricky is like, you know, navigating all these school emails on top of your personal emails and your work emails. That becomes a really interesting piece. Trying to keep track of who, what and where.
- [37:53]
B
How about portals? I mean, if someone has. Makes me log onto another portal, I am portal, by the way. There's something there. There has to be like some company there that we can call like the whole portal or all portal or something because there's too many portals. There's too many portals, there's too many emails.
- [38:13]
A
I think what's really interesting, going back I was saying to you earlier, like, you know, our customer base is like heavily like 90% women. But the one thing that I really find in all these conversations is they want it. They want it idiot proof. They don't want it complicated. And that's the thing that's so tricky. All these portals are complicated. You need almost tech it constantly to kind of get in there. And it's like the easier you make something, especially in portal Land, the better will be to use it. And so right now it's like you can see email just kind of broken out into different email. You know, email addresses kind of keep it a little bit. Separate portals are tough.
- [38:52]
B
Well, that's one of the things I love about High Note. Besides, I just love how creative it is and how unique each message is. But the. It's so easy to use. I mean, you could literally like tap. Your name's already there for you. Right. And then you just need to plug in the name of the. Or the message that you're wanting to send.
- [39:11]
A
We're all so busy. You know, it's like, we're all so busy. If it's not easy, if that portal's not easy, goodbye. That's true.
- [39:20]
B
I guess. Also like texting, which is why people often do sort of opt to text because it's that immediate you're getting that, you know, that the person's checking their text, you know. Right. More than they are there.
- [39:30]
A
Yeah. So that is. That is the amazing part. I mean, that's the one that is where intimate communication really lives. You know, we're seeing that.
- [39:39]
B
So it's actually our version, I think, today of using the phone. Right. Because the phone was the immediate. Right.
- [39:45]
A
I mean, speaking of the phone, I love just even painting pictures of what life was like in the 70s and 80s for our kids. Like, it's such a far. It's so far away from anything that they can even imagine. I mean, just even the idea of payphones.
- [40:01]
B
Mine don't even know how to use like a landline phone. I'd like to watch them use a rotary dial. We have to get, get on that.
- [40:08]
A
I mean, think about it. I was just in a house the other day that was very kind of frozen in 1983. And what I loved is they had all these kind of old colored phones that we all loved. With these, you know, the cord was like 40ft wide. Long.
- [40:23]
B
Well, that you get the long cords, the long cords.
- [40:25]
A
And the long cord was kind of the everything because you could kind of be like, I'm in this one room or I'm like on a porch, or you could drag it to the bathroom. It was kind of the amazing. We endured so much and it made us so crazy agile as a generation. Right. Like, we had to adapt and adapt again and again and again. And that was something that I constantly see when I look at and compare. Like, what were we doing in those critical teenage years? And we had just so much fun. There was nobody like tracing, catching Your photos on social media. Like we got away with murder.
- [41:03]
B
Oh, yeah. I mean, thank God. There is no.
- [41:06]
A
Thank God.
- [41:06]
B
Yes.
- [41:07]
A
I mean, horrors. There was no tracking. I mean, the idea that I can track my kids whereabouts is the only.
- [41:17]
B
Tracking with the landline phone was like following the cord to find the person who was on the other end. I mean, that was.
- [41:22]
A
And that was it. Yeah, I mean, those were really interesting days. Like it was just the level of freedom that we all had was fascinating. And you know, I think also we all kind of were in that era of benign neglect. So our parents were kind of like one eyeball looking, but kind of not.
- [41:42]
B
I would really like to get back there. I am, I'm very tired. I think I'm too old for a 12 year old. I don't know. I don't know. I've just. I'd like to bring benign neglect back. I have to. I figure out how to do that.
- [41:54]
A
That era was just kind of everything.
- [41:56]
B
I know if I didn't, if I wasn't worried that social services would come pick me up, I'd probably, I'd probably opt to give it a try. All right, so what are you working on now? Is there a person or a place or something that, that you're inspired by, that you would like to do a whole series of high notes with or about or anything or maybe you want to keep it, you probably want to keep it on the DL.
- [42:21]
A
I'm just trying to survive this college process. Yeah, I think that that's really the.
- [42:28]
B
Actually. Do you have college notes?
- [42:31]
A
I don't have actual college notes, but we've got like, you know, collections of like, congratulations stuff. Well, we got that. But it's also kind of like when the, when the child graduates, they kind of need to have their own set of, you know, stationary to like sent out into the world. Thank you for, thank you for the interview. Thank you for the introduction. So great to see you. It's like we kind of need to have our kids having some of those basics under their belt.
- [42:56]
B
Yes.
- [42:57]
A
I think the college whole experience is just, you know, it's such a fascinating journey, like how we navigate that, you know, how we set up our kids, how we set up ourselves.
- [43:11]
B
We were at lunch yesterday, 109, meeting this really lovely older gentleman who friends of ours introduced us to. And we both said, and we're applying to college. I mean, our daughter's applying to college.
- [43:24]
A
We're definitely applying. We are definitely applying.
- [43:26]
B
It's a family, it's a family affair. It's A family affair. But that's actually an interesting sort of line of high notes.
- [43:36]
A
Well, I think what was really interesting was, is that, you know, every interview I'd be like, you need to follow up with. You need to follow up with, you know, like a personalized note, your high note. You know, pick, pick, pick. There's tons of them.
- [43:49]
B
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- [43:50]
A
But what was interesting, what I loved about it was, was that it, like made a statement. It, like in a world of kind of no. No messaging or no communication or white emails, you know, it was like those kids that send out that type of communication, it stands out. It's like, oh, that child took the time.
- [44:07]
B
Yeah, that child.
- [44:08]
A
That child really cared.
- [44:10]
B
Well, that's what's so great about the high notes, too, is that it does send that message to the person that you're sending it to. Whether it's a. If I get a birthday message from someone who sends it to me through high note, it feels so much more sort of special and thoughtful than just getting the text blur.
- [44:28]
A
Yeah. And in a world of increasing kind of AI and kind of impersonal ness in our communication, you know, it's like those things really, do they. They do make a statement, they do stand out. They do, like, pause you. And I think that, you know, we're moving kind of in such incredible. We're moving so fast in all these different kind of spaces. So I think the idea of how do we kind of create our own. What's the message we're sending out? Everything about us telegraphs.
- [45:00]
B
Right. And finding that unique style and that. Or that unique space within High Note to really send a little bit of you. Right. To the person that you're sending the birthday message to or the thank you to.
- [45:12]
A
Well, I think that that's right. In a world where. In a mobile world where personal branding and messaging probably have never been more important, like, that's such a obvious kind of step.
- [45:24]
B
So what's next for you? What's next for Alexis Swanson Traina? And what's next for High Note?
- [45:31]
A
Getting our son into college is a. And that's just. And I think it's probably the bigger step is dealing with the parents on that front. So that's, number one, trying to hold my shit together for the next. I don't know, what, like 10 months until he actually.
- [45:48]
B
Till he leaves.
- [45:48]
A
Till we walk on that campus and I say goodbye.
- [45:50]
B
Yeah. Which is not so, you know, it's not empty nest. It's called launching birds or something. There's a new term, thank God, thank.
- [45:57]
A
God I have my little one, because that's going to be a rough one in a couple years. I think that's one. And I think, you know, it's just like, constantly looking at. You know, it's like, how do we acclimate? How do we evolve? How do we contribute? Like, what are we doing to kind of keep that train going constantly? I think that tapping into our purpose is, like, such an important part of our journey. It's like, what were. What were we here? What were the gifts we were given? Like, how do we.
- [46:24]
B
Do you feel like, though? I mean, some ways, you know, High Note is kind of the culmination of so much of your journey, for sure.
- [46:35]
A
But so is yours. I mean, Leslie, you're. I mean, this was just a matter of time. I mean, you should have been doing this 20 years ago. And every year that passed, it was like, when will that happen? I mean, I can chart your journey for so long, and your gift of, like, digging in and seeing people and talking through and asking questions, I mean, that's a true art today. I love that art. Curiosity, I think, is probably one of the most important personality traits anyone can have.
- [47:07]
B
I need.
- [47:08]
A
I love that about you.
- [47:09]
B
My. My life coach and booster. Maybe we should send daily High Note inspirations to each other. Because, of course, you know, between me not knowing about the filter.
- [47:20]
A
Oh, my God. How did you not know about the zoom filter?
- [47:23]
B
It's just. You really. It's kind of a. We need to. We need to step up the professionalism over here with the interview.
- [47:30]
A
But I do love what you said, though. I love the idea of, like, we can chart and see all these things that took us to who we are today. Like, you know, as I think through my sister Veronica, it's like she'd been talking about. I mean, she'd been, like, slapping together clothes her whole life. And even when we were, like, when she was in high school, she had a vision for this crazy. What was at the time a store. But it was like the store that she envisioned that had all these crazy, you know, staples that would kind of come and go each season. But we're kind of of a certain look, a certain cut, a certain silhouette, and it's like you can just see, like, you know, track all these people who. We. Who we know who were always kind of toiling in what their passion was.
- [48:17]
B
My fashion sense is. Is very lacking, and so I would always turn to your sister to say, like, can you just come with me and just get. I just want to get basics and she would say, you need to have a uniform. We're going to get you your uniform. She was talking about a uniform years before. But what I was saying to earlier though is that many people have the idea, right? They have the idea or they, they kind of feel or sense within themselves a kind of a, an interest in something or something that they think that they might be good at or something that they are interested in pursuing. But there's a difference between having the idea and taking a step. And you took the step and you've created something, you know, that's not only disruptive, but is just so special and meaningful and has really enhanced communication for people in so many ways. I mean, it's really a tremendous contribution. It's true. It's true. I love you dearly. I don't want to keep you because, I mean, this is like the longest interview that we, we couldn't kick off because some tech difficulties. But we got it, Ryan. We got it.
- [49:31]
A
Ryan. Thank you so much for amazing. Hey, welcome to your new life in Nashville. It's a big move.
- [49:39]
B
It's a big move. I was, when you were talking about.
- [49:41]
A
Your parents, it's a big move.
- [49:43]
B
Moving to California. I was thinking to myself, I wonder if how our kids will look back on the Nashville chapter after taking them out of New York City to do the Hudson Valley chapter. A lot of chapters. A lot of chapters.
- [49:58]
A
What's really interesting in those kind of tricky chapters is we look back and it was the greatest move of our life. Like, it opened up so much. Just, I mean, I think that probably when I think back, it's like that move to California kind of set in motion just a whole nother way of thinking of being, of navigating the world. I mean, I think shifting regions is so cool for kids. It really kind of challenges who they are and kind of forces them to absorb new ways of being. And I think that that's the gift that we always want to give our kids. That uncomfortable stretch is what's so cool.
- [50:41]
B
My daily parenting coaching for our 12 year old is that, you know, I know it's, it's a challenge and it's difficult, but that's when you're growing, that's when you're taking yourself, you know, a little bit further and you can't, you can't grow and you can't become a better version of yourself without having that, those kind of challenges. He doesn't see that right now, but hopefully he will looking back on, you know, moving in middle school. But anyway, it's an exciting time, and it's an extremely exciting time for you and for high note.
- [51:15]
A
And thank you so much, Leslie. I'm so delighted to be on this with you. I'm so proud of you. Oh, you really, like, dove in and saw this vision and you, I mean, we've all seen this vision for so long, but it was amazing to see you do it. That takes a lot of courage and a lot of bravery, and I love how you tackled it. You know, you just again, it's like one foot in front of the other in front of the other, spreading word.
- [51:41]
B
Without a filter, literally.
- [51:43]
A
Filter.
- [51:46]
B
I gotta get my filter game going. All right.
- [51:49]
A
I love you.
- [51:49]
B
I love you, too.
- [51:49]
A
Thank you. Thank you for having me.
- [51:50]
B
I'm so happy to see you. This brings us to the end of this episode of the interview. A huge thank you again to Alexis Swanson Traina for joining. I enjoyed every minute of our conversation and I hope all of you listeners did, too. If you did enjoy this episode, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. And I hope you'll also follow us on Instagram at the Interview with Leslie. I release a new episode every Wednesday, and until then, this is Leslie Heaney, and thank you for joining the interview sa.