Like of Ken – Vol. 17

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Happenings from the Homefront

Kai kicked off the fall sports season in double duty – baseball and football. Baseball has been his steady jam for five years now, and each season he’s been blessed with coaches who not only know the game but also know how to pour into the kids. This season’s no different. He’s already rotated through a few positions and even climbed the mound to try his hand at pitching – turns out, he’s not half bad.

Football, on the other hand, is a brand-new adventure. He joined the Eagles in a one-hand touch league, which feels like football’s kinder, gentler cousin – no concussions, just bragging rights. Their first couple of games were a little rough (let’s just say they weren’t exactly channeling the 1990s Dallas Cowboys), but they’re learning plays, finding their rhythm, and, most importantly, having a blast.

We were lucky enough to get some live music back into our lives this month. After dinner with friends at Union Station in Arlington, we strolled over to the Levitt Pavilion for an outdoor concert with Kat Hasty. The weather couldn’t have been better, and Kat put on a dynamite show. It was our third time seeing her live, and with each performance we find ourselves digging her music more and more – safe to say, we’re becoming regulars.

We celebrated my dad’s 82nd birthday with a Sunday lunch at Babe’s Chicken House in Burleson. Pops isn’t getting around quite like he used to, which made it extra special to have my brothers all together for a good meal and some much-needed family time. Simple moments like these feel more meaningful than ever.

We traveled a few hours north to Norman, OK to watch our mighty Auburn Tigers take on the OU Sooners. With our best friends’ kids both attending OU, it was the perfect excuse to get the families together for a fun weekend rivalry. Unfortunately, thanks to a combination of questionable calls and some self-inflicted mistakes, the game didn’t end the way we’d hoped. The Tigers looked strong, but the night was a reminder that penalties can change the course of a game faster than a quarterback scramble.

I wrapped up the month with a trip down memory lane, traveling to Boonville, MO for the 181st Old Boy Reunion at Kemper Military School. This was a return to the place that first instilled discipline, structure, organization, commitment, and leadership into my life – a decision I made to attend at just 12 years old, and one that shaped me profoundly. It was wonderful to reconnect with longtime friends and to see faces I hadn’t crossed paths with in more than 35 years. My friend James Hallam, President of the Alumni Association, has done an incredible job curating the Kemper Museum and filling it with artifacts from the school’s storied history. Founded in 1844 and closed in 2002, Kemper’s legacy continues to live on through its alumni. There will come a day when Taps will be played for the last of us – but until then, gatherings like this keep the spirit alive.

Work, work, work!

The month kicked off with another conference for the Laundry Luv team, this time as a vendor at Retail Live in Austin. The event brings together the commercial real estate industry and tenants expanding across Texas, making it the perfect stage for our growth story. We met with numerous brokers eager to present sites for our expansion, but the real highlight was connecting with several prospective franchisees. We’re now deep in conversations with one candidate in particular who is exploring the idea of opening multiple Laundry Luv units in shopping centers he owns—prime locations in ideal markets across the Southeast.

This month it was time to renew my broker’s license. For years, I’ve knocked out my CE requirements by attending the two-day SCR (Society of Commercial Realtors) education summit – an event packed with CRE-focused sessions and a room full of industry friends I’ve known for decades. Unfortunately, the timing overlapped with my Kemper reunion, so I was stuck taking the classes online instead. Let’s just say… they were about as exciting as watching paint dry. The content was heavily residential and seemed geared toward the lowest common denominator. Still, the dirty work is now done – and my license is officially renewed!

One of my favorite ways to both get to know people and share what I’m working on is through long-form podcasts. This month, I had the privilege of sitting down with Adam La Barr – fellow GoBundance brother and host of the BizDad Podcast – for a 90-minute deep dive into my story. We covered a lot of ground: what shaped me, my journey as a father, and how service to others has become such a driving force in my life today. Keep an eye out for the release—I can’t wait to share it.

I made a site visit to San Angelo this month with a long list of objectives, and it turned out to be an incredibly productive trip. I visited both of our existing stores in the market and conducted about a dozen customer interviews – one of my favorite activities, since it gives me firsthand insight into what’s working and where we can improve. I also checked on the construction of our 4th Laundry Luv location (our 3rd in the San Angelo market), identified potential tenants for a food truck park next door to our 19th Street store, met with a local broker, and spent time connecting with our staff and management team. It was a full itinerary, but one that left me energized about the continued growth and opportunities in this market.

We’re also in the process of evaluating an additional portfolio of industrial-office-flex properties for potential acquisition. My partners and I recently completed a site visit and are now gathering the data needed to fully evaluate the opportunity. If the numbers line up, this portfolio could be a strong complement to the one we purchased earlier this year. I’ll keep you posted as things develop.

Brain Food (what I am reading, watching, and listening to)

I went to see The Long Walk movie with Eliud Sangabriel, my cofounder of the Unbreakable 24-Hour Walk. The story is set in a post-war dystopian world where 50 of the nation’s youth are chosen through a hyper-competitive lottery to compete in the annual Long Walk. The rules are simple but brutal: maintain a pace of at least 3 MPH or greater until only one walker remains. Fall below that pace, and the consequences aren’t pretty.

The film was based on a book Stephen King wrote over 20 years ago under a pseudonym. While it was a good movie, having now completed six 24-hour walks myself, I couldn’t help but notice the heavy dose of “creative license” woven into the story. Eliud and I both laughed at the idea that the “winners” lasted as long as they did – because in real life, no way would those legs have held out that long.

My life comes with a fair share of windshield time, which makes Audible one of my best travel companions. This month, I finally dove into Ancient Secrets of a Master Healer by Clint Rogers. I first met Clint back in January at a GoBundance event in Utah, and I was immediately captivated by both his presence and his mission to support orphaned children in Nepal. I felt so moved that I made a donation to his foundation on the spot and signed up to learn more about how I could support his work.

Through him, I also learned a bit about his journey with his teacher, Dr. Pankaj Naram, whose healing practices impacted tens of thousands of patients using incredibly simple, cost-effective methods that have been passed down for millennia. Reading the book this month felt like it landed at exactly the right time, perfectly aligned with the spiritual growth journey I’ve been on through other recent reads. It was a wonderful and compelling listen, and I’m genuinely excited to begin implementing some of Dr. Naram’s teachings into my own life.

My friend Dr. Kelly Flanagan recently mentioned The Surrender Experiment by Michael A. Singer (author of The Untethered Soul). As fate would have it, I felt called to dive in, so I downloaded the Audible version and started listening on my drive home from the Kemper reunion. I was absolutely captivated by Singer’s story. The way he allowed the universe to guide his life stands in stark contrast to how most of us operate—pushing forward with ego-driven minds, trying to control every outcome.

There’s profound wisdom in his willingness to surrender and flow with what life presented him, wisdom that I’m eager to integrate into my own journey. His story is both humbling and inspiring—a reminder that sometimes the greatest growth comes when we stop gripping the wheel so tightly and learn to trust the road ahead.

Kaizen

I’ve been leaning hard into my wellness plan this month. If you missed last month’s update, I built an AI Wellness GPT to create a customized 8-week program for workouts, nutrition, fasting, and meal timing. I’ve been using it daily, and the results speak for themselves. More importantly, the process is helping me sharpen my awareness of the choices I make each day – and guiding me toward the ones that serve my health best. My body feels like it’s thriving on these new habits, and even my cravings for sweets and breads have started to fade into the background.

I’ve also been exercising daily and using the Hevy App to structure and track my workouts. It’s quickly become my go-to fitness app – I love how easy it is to pull up my previous results and see anytime I’m hitting new PRs. Week by week, I can feel myself getting stronger and stronger. Not too shabby for a 54-year-old dude!

Today marks the start of Day 3 of my 5-day water/coffee fast. This is my third time doing a 5-day fast, and while they’re never exactly “easy,” they’re always incredibly insightful and powerful. Fasting has become one of those rare practices that stretches both body and spirit – discipline for the flesh, clarity for the mind, and perspective for the soul. I’m curious to see how this one compares to my previous experiences and will share the full results in next month’s update.

Random Musings

Life philosophy. When you see something that makes you smile, take advantage of the moment.

Until next time.

Take action and be grateful!

-Ken

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