Plate 67 - BRK AWY - Trista's Pl8STORY PODCAST

BRK AWY - PLATE 67 - TRITSA'S PL8STORY PODCAST

This week we meet Hockey Fan, Sonja Hall, from Maine. Sonja is a physical therapist assistant that moonlights as a freelance makeup artist and an aspiring fashion influencer. She comes from a family of big University of Maine Hockey fans, who all have matching black bear plates! Go Blue!

EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

BRK AWY

[00:00:00] Trista, Host: Welcome to this week's episode of Trista's PL8STORY (Plate Story) Podcast. I'm Trista Polo from iwokeupawesome.com and I am your host. Each week, we learn the story behind that vanity plate. You know, the one you saw driving down the road... what did it say? What did it mean? Why did they choose it? 

Welcome. I'm super excited today. I have the owner of the license plate BRK AWY it's Sonja Hall from Maine. Welcome Sonja. Hi. Hi, it's great to have you 

[00:00:31] Sonja, BRK AWY: here. It's nice to be here 

[00:00:33] Trista Polo: so tell me the story. Why did you choose that plate 

[00:00:37] Sonja, BRK AWY: so I have a black bear plate, which is for university of Maine. And it's basically it's hockey themed. So it's, BRK AWY and that is a hockey term. It's a play in hockey and my family. We're huge MAINE hockey fans.

[00:00:54] Sonja, BRK AWY: And a couple of us actually have hockey related black bear PLATES. So that was just the one that I wanted. 

[00:01:00] Trista Polo: I love it. Now, was that your first choice or did you have to go through a few iterations? I 

[00:01:06] Sonja, BRK AWY: did. I had to go through a couple of different couple of different choices with the black bear plates.

[00:01:10] Sonja, BRK AWY: You only get six letters or numbers. So it was a little tricky. I wanted either power play or penalty box, but they were both taken. I couldn't get it to work with six letters, but I do love breakaways, so it definitely wasn't, you know, I wasn't settling. 

[00:01:27] Trista Polo: Now I'm going to admit I do not follow hockey.

[00:01:30] Trista Polo: So you get to it. Give me some of your hockey passion and some education around it. What is breakaway? What is that term mean? 

[00:01:38] Sonja, BRK AWY: Sure. So a breakaways basically you have, you know, the offense and the defense on the ice. The two sides, the two teams and a breakaway is when the defense of the other team is behind a player.

[00:01:49] Sonja, BRK AWY: And the player with the puck is in all alone against the goalie. So basically, you know, he's gotten past the defense or she has gotten past the defense and they have a wide open net with the goalie and they have more potential to score. There was no one that can block shots or kind of get in their way in front of the net.

[00:02:07] Sonja, BRK AWY: So. That's a great, 

[00:02:09] Trista Polo: optimal place to be. 

[00:02:13] Sonja, BRK AWY: And it's very exciting, you know, like the defense is really good and they're hard to get around. So when the puck goes around and they get in all alone, it's very exciting. And you know, it's just a great, great way to score. 

[00:02:24] Trista Polo: Yeah. Now, what is the likelihood that they'll score once they get to that spot?

[00:02:30] Trista Polo: Cause they still have to deal with the goalie. Right? 

[00:02:32] Sonja, BRK AWY: Right. Yeah. And it depends like if it depends on kind of where the ice they are when they get the breakaway if they're like at center ice and they have a lot of momentum going into it they have more of a chance because things are happening more quickly.

[00:02:45] Sonja, BRK AWY: If it's kinda like a half you know, ice break away, then maybe, they don't have as much time to set it up or think about it. But I mean, it all depends on the skill of the, of the player and then the skill of the goalie. So, you know, it kinda depends. 

[00:02:59] Trista Polo: Okay. That makes sense. Yeah. Now hockey is known for the fights on the ice.

[00:03:05] Trista Polo: What do you like better the game itself, the fights, the strategy, like what do you love about the game? 

[00:03:12] Sonja, BRK AWY: So when I first started going to hockey games, I went to ECHL hockey games, which is like minor league hockey. And they there's always fights going on like more than the NHL, but that was also a long time ago, too, like 20 years or so.

[00:03:28] Sonja, BRK AWY: And now the game has kind of moved away from fighting and more towards skill. So the fights still happen, but they're more it's more strategy. So they'll fight now, if they're behind and they want to like rile up the team, or if, you know, somebody, sometimes it's a vendetta thing. Like if you go after somebody's captain, you know, you might get fought by the tough guy on the team or something.

[00:03:50] Sonja, BRK AWY: But it's always exciting, but in college hockey, they're actually not allowed to fight. So when we go to mean games, you know, it's pretty rare to see anybody you know, punching or fighting, they get kicked out of the game. So I just, I really enjoy the atmosphere. I think. 

[00:04:05] Trista Polo: And you go as a family, right?

[00:04:07] Trista Polo: Your whole family's into it. 

[00:04:09] Sonja, BRK AWY: We do. Yeah. Mostly my sister, my sister and I have season tickets together. And then my aunt and uncle also have season tickets and we'll go with them from time to time. But a lot of times we bring my almost 85 year old grandmother and she gets such a kick out of it. She loves it too.

[00:04:24] Sonja, BRK AWY: So it's a family affair and we really like going, my dad does as well. When he comes to visit us, we'll take them to games and he's been going there since the early nineties. So. 

[00:04:35] Trista Polo: Yeah, I, I'm not a huge sports person, but I have to say once in awhile we get tickets to the regional baseball team that's in our area. They're called the Renegades. And it's super fun because like you said, it's the atmosphere of the game itself. Like baseball's a pretty slow moving game. But the atmosphere, because it's a regional team, they do a lot for kids. They have games. The announcer's really great. And just being there is it's like a fun way to hang out with my husband.

[00:05:09] Trista Polo: So I love that appeal of it, even though I'm not a huge follower of the team or the sport. So I could see what yeah, I would. 

[00:05:18] Sonja, BRK AWY: Yeah, I would totally agree with that. Like where Maine plays. It's called Alfond Arena and it's a very smaller arena. It's probably one of the smaller ones in all of college hockey, but like, The student section kind of like sits up on top of the opposing goalie and we have chants and songs and the band is really good.

[00:05:36] Sonja, BRK AWY: And like, they've been voted like number one atmosphere in college hockey multiple times. And it's just a really, it's just, I love going. 

[00:05:46] Trista Polo: That's awesome. I love that. And I love that you bring your grandmother. You said she's 85. 

[00:05:51] Sonja, BRK AWY: Yeah she gets a really big kick out of going.

[00:05:53] Sonja, BRK AWY: She she's gotten pictures with the mascot bananas and she, well, you know, eat the, the arena food and we've even taken her. We go on the road sometimes to see Maine play and we've taken her on road trips with us and she gets, she has a lot of. 

[00:06:09] Trista Polo: That's really great. 

[00:06:09] Sonja, BRK AWY: It's not how old you are about how old you feel. So just gotta like keep living life and, you know, age has just enough. You're 

[00:06:19] Trista Polo: absolutely right. I remember my mom had a lot of trouble with 60 cause she sort of had it like she was old at 60, but but I said just exactly what you're telling me.

[00:06:30] Trista Polo: You're only as old as you feel. 

[00:06:31] Sonja, BRK AWY: My dad turned 60 last year and his girlfriendtook himto Disney. So I was getting all of these text messages of pictures of him on rides. And he went to breakfast with Mickey and Winnie the Poo was there and he just had a really good time.

[00:06:46] Sonja, BRK AWY: And I don't even think he second guessed it at all, turning 60. 

[00:06:49] Trista Polo: So finding your inner child, how perfect is that? That's a great idea. 

[00:06:55] Sonja, BRK AWY: That is definitely my dad. He finds joy and fun in any situation. I try to be just like him actually, 

[00:07:01] Trista Polo: but I try and be just like him too. I tend to get a little serious. I have a corporate background, so, you know, things have to be done a certain way.

[00:07:08] Trista Polo: And then I really fight against that because that's how I'm trained professionally. But I always do prefer to have the fun in things, for sure.

[00:07:20] Sonja, BRK AWY: I'm the same way too. 

[00:07:23] Trista Polo: Yeah. Now you are more than a hockey fan. You have lots of other interests and skills and passions. So tell me about yourself. What do you do professionally?

[00:07:36] Sonja, BRK AWY: So professionally I'm a physical therapist's assistant. I work locally at a, at a kind of busy outpatient clinic. And I've been doing that for. Geez, probably just over six years. So, and I really like it. 

[00:07:51] Trista Polo: How did you get started in that profession? That's a very specialized thing to do for a living.

[00:07:57] Sonja, BRK AWY: So I went to college right after high school. And I actually took three years to do it instead of the recommended two, just to kind of ease into it. But it wasn't really anything that was on my radar for a long time. And then one day I was watching TV. It sounds really cliche, but I was watching Soldiers that had injuries.

[00:08:14] Sonja, BRK AWY: And they were working with physical therapists, like in the parallel bars, very quintessential DP like learning how to walk it in and manage prosthetics and things like that. And I was like, who does that? Is that a doctor? Like, how can I get into that? And that's kinda when I found physical therapy and to be a physical therapist assistant, 

[00:08:33] Trista Polo: I think that's great.

[00:08:33] Trista Polo: I actually have always. Every physical therapist I've ever met. I really liked, I liked their personality. They're really grounded. They're fit. They understand the body, but they didn't have to go all the way through the whole medical school thing. It's the, it's the profession I have always sort of regretted I didn't know about when I was choosing my path, because I think if I had known about it, I might've actually pursued it as a profession. So and you definitely fall in line with the whole physical therapy vibe. Like you're a nice person. You're really grounded. You're centered. You're easy to talk to.

[00:09:16] Trista Polo: I've just, that's how all the physical therapy people that I know are 

[00:09:20] Sonja, BRK AWY: thank you so much. That's really nice. Yeah. I found that as well, too, you know? I see it as like, we're, we're your health care professional, but when you go into a doctor, you know, you're there and doctors are great. Nurses are great, but you're there.

[00:09:34] Sonja, BRK AWY: Like when you're sick, you know, they don't get to see you through that whole process of getting better. It's kinda, it's a long game, you know? So we have to make people feel really comfortable because they see us for two, three times a week for, you know, 6, 12, 18. And so you know, I really enjoy like getting to know people.

[00:09:54] Sonja, BRK AWY: I mean, most of my patients, the older ones, they're like adopted grandparents at the time that I leave them, you know, and it's really great just to connect with people. And I meet so many cool people, you know all the way from I've worked with pediatric patients to, you know, middle-aged patients and older patients.

[00:10:10] Sonja, BRK AWY: Like everyone just always has a really cool story and a reason why they're there. And I just really think. 

[00:10:17] Trista Polo: And you're absolutely right. You get to be part of the whole entire process, not just the beginning or the end. You're part of the transformation of the physical health. That's great. Yeah, 

[00:10:30] Sonja, BRK AWY: definitely.

[00:10:31] Sonja, BRK AWY: And it's. That's something that I take a lot of pride in, especially in my area I'm in central Maine is just being part of like fighting the opioid crisis because there are so many patients who, you know, not unwillingly, but unknowingly kind of get fall into habits of like taking pain medication. And they're not given the steps to kind of get past that or you know, how to take them or how to come off of them.

[00:10:57] Sonja, BRK AWY: And so that's kind of a big part that I take pride in because we can help them manage their pain with less medication or to help get them off that medication and just, you know, return to function. And so, like I said, especially in this area, I think that's really important. 

[00:11:14] Trista Polo: Yeah. I super agree. I am on the board of an organization called theMatt Herring Foundation.

[00:11:20] Trista Polo: It's all about taking the stigma away from addiction because I think once a person becomes addicted, They get shunned, judged by the community, their family, oftentimes, and that makes it a lot harder to overcome for sure. So I love that you're part of that conversation as well. It's super important. I understand from the pandemic it's even got worse than it was, and it was not good to begin with.

[00:11:47] Sonja, BRK AWY: Yeah. I can definitely see how that would happen. Like I said, especially in my area, it's kind of a higher population for drugs and addiction. So, you know, I definitely noticed people coming in. I think they enjoy coming into the, because it's kind of, one of, it's kind of a social fitting in a lot of ways.

[00:12:05] Sonja, BRK AWY: So a lot of people, you know, get to get out and they get to socialize. And I know some people like see friends of theirs, cause it's such a small community and they're like, oh, I haven't seen you in, you know, however long. So it's definitely, you know, I just really enjoy physical therapy and I'm glad for so many opportunities and so many things that it's opened me up to.

[00:12:24] Trista Polo: Yeah. Sure, absolutely. I want to talk about your passions because I know you have some passions and you share them on your Instagram.

[00:12:33] Trista Polo: So where do you want to start? 

[00:12:34] Sonja, BRK AWY: I don't know. We can talk about my my passion for makeup and fashion and lifestyle. 

[00:12:41] Trista Polo: How did you get excited? And cause, I mean, I wear makeup. I knew you'd be on point today. So I went a little further than I usually do. I will say for the pandemic, I never wore a lot of makeup anyway.

[00:12:54] Trista Polo: But with the pandemic, it definitely went down, but I'm like, oh, see, she's into makeup. So I'm going to make mascara lipstick. So this is me made up. I did it for 

[00:13:05] Sonja, BRK AWY: you. I love it. I need to know that lip color too. Cause I really like it. Oh, 

[00:13:09] Trista Polo: it's one of my favorites. It's called Wine Not. Then I have a lip liner underneath.

[00:13:16] Trista Polo: I'll send you the colors, but yeah. So how did you get started in these? How did this become a passion and not just something you do because you're going to work or to the clubs. 

[00:13:25] Sonja, BRK AWY: Sure. So a couple of years ago, probably like five years ago or so I really got into makeup. I've kind of always been especially like in high school too, but I got into like how to apply it properly, watching a lot of YouTube videos.

[00:13:39] Sonja, BRK AWY: And I had a friend of mine that was also into. And probably spent way more money than I should as a young adult on makeup. But it was about four years ago, I was approached by a family member to do a wedding makeup, you know, session. They my cousin, he had a friend getting married and he was like, she doesn't have a makeup artist.

[00:13:58] Sonja, BRK AWY: It's really last minute. Is there any way that you can do her makeup and a couple of her friends? I was like, I've never done anybody's makeup in my whole life. I don't know if I can. And I did it and I, I think I ended up doing like five or six people that, that day. And it went really, really well.

[00:14:14] Sonja, BRK AWY: So I've kind of been doing that here and there. Yeah. 

[00:14:19] Trista Polo: That's really cool. I think YouTube created a lot of excitement and passion for makeup because you actually didn't have to go to cosmetology school to learn the, you know, the smokey eye and how to do eyeliner, how to do a lip line properly, the do's and don'ts.

[00:14:38] Trista Polo: So I think that was, that gave makeup access. Yeah. A lot more 

[00:14:43] Sonja, BRK AWY: people. I definitely think so too. Like in high school, I really liked makeup and I actually ended up doing a friend of mine from high school. I graduated with her and I did her makeup for her sister's wedding and she was like, I'm not surprised that you're doing this at all.

[00:14:59] Sonja, BRK AWY: She's like, you always looked so good in high school and I'm like, oh my God, I don't think I did it all. But you know, it's just like, you know, those opportunities that you have when she kind of learned about it to, and just practice what it is 

[00:15:11] Trista Polo: really. Yeah. I have this thing, like, I'll watch the videos because I think it's fascinating to watch the transformation and then I'll try it.

[00:15:20] Trista Polo: And I feel like here's the problem. I always have getting. I shadow to look blended with other things. I feel like I either have way too little or way too much. I can never quite get the balance, you know? So I don't know. I'm a little. Well, I'm definitely amateur when it comes to it. And I probably don't have the dedication of time and practicing.

[00:15:44] Trista Polo: That would make me amazing at it. But that's one place that I have not figured out. Maybe I have the wrong brushes. I don't know. 

[00:15:52] Sonja, BRK AWY: And I would totally agree with that. Like, it's hard. You know, it's it's art. So, you know how like then go wouldn't if painted with like Walmart 97 cent, little acrylic paint brushes.

[00:16:04] Sonja, BRK AWY: So that's where I would go with the blending is sometimes you have to find brushes that, you know, are a little bit better quality and just like what you're doing. For the job. So if you take a really big fluffy brush and you try to use it on your lid, that's going to be too big for the surface that you're trying to get to.

[00:16:22] Sonja, BRK AWY: So that's my biggest thing is just having the right brushes and they don't have to be really expensive, but just making sure that you, you know, use the right brush and when, and that it's of good enough quality, 

[00:16:33] Trista Polo: but I think 

[00:16:34] Sonja, BRK AWY: that's can depend too. You know, if your shadows aren't easy to blend that can make up.

[00:16:41] Trista Polo: Yeah, I think the same goes for painting a room, right? You don't use a regular brush for painting the edges. So I think you're right. The right brush for the job is super important. I did just get some new brushes and I thought, you know, if I'm gonna say that I'm not good at it, I better at least have the right brushes before I decide for sure that blending eyeshadows will never be me.

[00:17:08] Trista Polo: So, do you still do it for other people? Do you tag clients or mostly just for yourself? 

[00:17:14] Sonja, BRK AWY: I do it for myself but I don't really, I don't market myself that much. It's usually just kind of friends that will reach out or friends and friends that are like, Hey, I need you. And I'll usually end up doing like maybe three or four jobs a year.

[00:17:27] Sonja, BRK AWY: You know, my weekends are kind of sacred to me, so I don't like to do it all the time. But I kind of look at it as like a fun challenge. Like it makes me kind of nervous, you know? And so I go in and then I do it and it all turns out really well. And I really, I really enjoy. 

[00:17:45] Trista Polo: That's how I feel about podcasts.

[00:17:47] Trista Polo: I have a podcast. It's something I enjoy doing, but being a guest on other people's podcasts, I always like have this performance anxiety right before we're ready to start. Am I going to know what to say, like an imposter syndrome kind of thing. Do I really add any value? What are they going to ask me?

[00:18:09] Trista Polo: What am I going to talk about? I hope that this turns out to be a good final, so I know what you mean. I know what you mean. It's, it's fun. You enjoy doing it. It's a passion, but it can be a little, a little daunting as well. 

[00:18:21] Sonja, BRK AWY: Yeah. And you know what? I feel like it's a good kind of. Because sometimes with my job and things like that, you know, I have a lot of patients are really complicated patients or it's really busy and I get kind of stressed and it's not the best kind of stress, you know, you work through it, but like these, these opportunities you get to pick and choose when you want to do it.

[00:18:39] Sonja, BRK AWY: And it's always in a really fun environment and you love the people that you work on. And yeah, I really enjoy it. And I like putting myself through this. 'cause I'm always like, am I good enough? And then all the girls are just like over the moon, happy with how they look. And it makes it really easy when you just, they sit down and they're like, I don't care what you do.

[00:18:58] Sonja, BRK AWY: Just make me look good. You know, if somebody wants a specific look, then you're kind of a little bit more stressed, but mostly everybody I've worked with is like, oh, just do whatever. Just do 

[00:19:09] Trista Polo: whatever you want. I actually ended up doing my sister's makeup for her wedding. This was 10 years ago now, but my mother was very involved in the planning and they were planning it together.

[00:19:23] Trista Polo: And she asked me if I would do her makeup because she liked how I did mine. I was. Wearing it more and more consistently back then. But I was like, oh, okay. I'll I'll, I mean, I can do what I do to myself. If that's what you're looking for. 

[00:19:39] Sonja, BRK AWY: That's exactly how I felt when I did my first job. I was like, I mean, I can try.

[00:19:45] Sonja, BRK AWY: And I ended up having like a mature woman as well. And I had never, I mean, obviously I'm younger, so I had no idea, but I kinda like took. Tips and tricks that I've learned on YouTube and it turned out great. 

[00:19:58] Trista Polo: So yeah, I thought she looked great. I think she looked perfect. It wasn't over the top for the wedding, but it was done and it was beautiful for her photos.

[00:20:08] Trista Polo: She had I think it enhanced her beauty. It didn't take away or make it about the makeup and I'll tell you the other cool thing. It was really fun. To be able to do that for her on her wedding day. You know? So that's a memory I cherish. Yeah, I think 

[00:20:26] Sonja, BRK AWY: that's awesome. I was able to do my best friends makeup for her baby shower.

[00:20:31] Sonja, BRK AWY: And I just loved that. I loved having that memory and, you know, I had helped kind of set it up and then I left to do her makeup and you know, and actually her baby was born that same afternoon. So it was kind of like our last memory together, like before Grayson was born. And so like, I was like, goodness.

[00:20:50] Sonja, BRK AWY: Yeah, I really loved that memory. 

[00:20:52] Trista Polo: Wow. Now you're into fashion too, right? You do some posts about fashion. So tell us about that. 

[00:21:00] Sonja, BRK AWY: I do. So I'm definitely not like. Super out there with fashion yet. It's kind of a newer hobby for mine for myself, but it's something that I've kind of been into for a few years.

[00:21:11] Sonja, BRK AWY: And just trying to put looks together that are really simple that you don't really have to think about or like had a lot of really extravagant pieces for just kind of like the basics, but dressing them 

[00:21:22] Trista Polo: up. I always say I'm terrible at fashion. I have, I remember in my childhood, the Garanamals, I think they're still around where you want the child to be able to dress him or herself.

[00:21:36] Trista Polo: And so as long as the animals match, the child knows that they are. A good outfit. So put a lion shirt with a lion pant. You're good to go. So I have always wished that they had Garanamals for adults. I don't know why somebody has not come up with this idea. It's probably going to be the next home-based business that comes out and they should give me a cut because it'll be a really good idea and everyone will want it like me.

[00:22:03] Trista Polo: I actually had somebody come in and do a, a closet consult. So, what she did is she went through everything. I owned, she had me try on a lot of stuff. She had me decide like what I could put together, things I never would have matched. She had me donate a lot of stuff. We negotiated several pieces that I thought I should keep.

[00:22:23] Trista Polo: And she didn't. I won some, she won some, but it made it like more accessible to know that my closet had some great pieces, some great outfits, some great combinations that kind of revitalized my wardrobe and I didn't really have to buy very much to use what I had.

[00:22:40] Trista Polo: It was very cool. 

[00:22:42] Sonja, BRK AWY: That's kind of what it's all about for me. 

[00:22:44] Trista Polo: Yeah. We've touched on this whole concept of self-worth a few times it's kind of come up underneath. Tell me a little bit about your journey with your own self.

[00:22:56] Sonja, BRK AWY: Sure. You know, I've kind of always thought that self self-worth had something to do with like the way that you looked, but I think it's more the way that you feel, which can definitely come from how you look. But I think it has to do with just a healthy respect for who you are. And just knowing that if you're not kind of in a place where you want to be with your weight or your size or your bulk or your, you know, that you're, you're okay with everything else about you. Like you're really creative or you're very professional area, very intelligent. Or you have, you know, other pursuits that you can kind of look into versus just like the way that you look because that's so.

[00:23:38] Trista Polo: I love what you're saying about respecting yourself. I think that is a very important pillar in self-worth because if you can just respect yourself what you've been through. What challenges you've overcome, what, you know, what you've learned, your gifts, your talents, your creativity, whatever it is. I think that that is a huge piece to self-worth.

[00:24:05] Trista Polo: So I'm so glad you said that. 

[00:24:06] Sonja, BRK AWY: Yeah, I would definitely agree. You know, I went through a period of my life about four or five years ago where I was in a very dark place mentally. And it took a lot to kind of get out of that. And there was probably, I felt like two or three years of my life. Kind of lost because I was just like a roller coaster of emotions.

[00:24:24] Sonja, BRK AWY: And so, you know, I find myself feeling that like, I'm, I'm out of that dark spot, but I hadn't forgotten. I, you know, I haven't forgotten it. And I feel like for all that I went through, it was what I needed to do to become the woman that I really love and appreciate. And I think like for myself, I'm like, you know, I would go through it all over again.

[00:24:43] Sonja, BRK AWY: If I could just help one person, you know? So I think that's really. 

[00:24:48] Trista Polo: I really agree with you, you know, every wrinkle, scar, pound, everything we have is a result of what we've been through. So if we can look at that as our tapestry, as opposed to our flaws, I think that just really makes a huge difference and you're absolutely right.

[00:25:12] Trista Polo: We get to support and contribute to others from what we've learned from our challenges and our adversity, not from our life, going everything. We, you know, every way we wanted it to and being easy. 

[00:25:25] Sonja, BRK AWY: I completely agree with that. And I'm, I'm definitely big on the and it goes for anybody, you know, any gender, male or female and everything in between.

[00:25:33] Sonja, BRK AWY: But I feel like right now we just have this great opportunity for like women supporting women because women are stronger than ever. And there is no place in my. For competition or putting other women down for doing what they want to do. Like if you're not hurting yourself and you're not hurting others, then I will fully support you in whatever you decide to do 

[00:25:56] Trista Polo: is I want you to win whatever winning looks like to you.

[00:26:00] Sonja, BRK AWY: I agree. I always say like you, you lose nothing by lighting somebody else's candle with your own. So your flame is still going to be just as bright as there is at the end of this. 

[00:26:11] Trista Polo: Hmm, that is so good. I have not heard that exactly put that way. That's beautiful. That's really, really great. Well thank you for sharing that.

[00:26:21] Trista Polo: I appreciate it. I think that having conversations like that makes a big difference. I think it's sort of like what we were talking about before with the opioid thing, like the S the stigma. And one of the things that I'll say about social media that I love, I hate social media. It's such a time suck and it's like, you have to be there.

[00:26:41] Trista Polo: But one of the things I love about it is there's so much positivity, girl power, you know, boss babe kind of stuff out there. And I think that's important because it's easy to forget that we are strong and we are capable and we are bad-ass and we are awesome. I absolutely 

[00:27:03] Sonja, BRK AWY: agree. A hundred percent. Yeah.

[00:27:06] Trista Polo: Now I can't let this. And without touching on the fact that you are a Jeep owner, right? Yes, I 

[00:27:13] Sonja, BRK AWY: am. I heard 

[00:27:13] Trista Polo: of the Jeep family. Yep. Because I've had a few Jeep women on the podcast. So I got to call you out and, and acknowledge you for that. How did you end up being a Jeep person? 

[00:27:24] Sonja, BRK AWY: So I had a Mazda for a really long time.

[00:27:26] Sonja, BRK AWY: It was the first car I ever bought on my own. And that was actually the picture featured on the Instagram page with my plate. It was so weird cause I'd had my new Jeep for like three months. And then that picture to showed up all like when was that taken? I don't know who posted it, but I ended up getting my Jeep last August.

[00:27:43] Sonja, BRK AWY: It was right after my birthday. So it was kind of like a birthday present to myself. And I think I just really wanted kind of something more sporty, more SUV like, and my uncle has always really been into Jeeps and my aunt has a Jeep just like mine, same model. And I was just like, you know, I can't really see myself in anything but a Jeep at this point.

[00:28:01] Sonja, BRK AWY: Like none of the other SUV's really look like what I want or feel like what I want. And I've really been loving it so far. So 

[00:28:10] Trista Polo: that's awesome. And so you have the plate now on your. Jeep. 

[00:28:14] Sonja, BRK AWY: I do. Yep. I do. I have my BRK AWY plates and I have my little university of Maine hockey border on it.

[00:28:20] Sonja, BRK AWY: So I'm really liking it so far. And I've, I've gotten to put a couple of my I'm kind of picky about what stickers I put on it, but I have put a couple so far, but I'm making some, some modifications to it.

[00:28:31] Sonja, BRK AWY: I feel like that's what Jeep ownership is all about. It is. He wants to mod it out and change it. And that's kind of, what's fun about it. I feel like it's easy to do. 

[00:28:41] Trista Polo: It is, there's a huge community of Jeep owners that really embrace, customizing it, making it your own and really putting your own mark on it.

[00:28:53] Trista Polo: So that'll be a fun project. 

[00:28:55] Sonja, BRK AWY: I agree. And that's something definitely that I'll share on my Instagram page. Cause it's kind of all about just like my lifestyle basically, and, and kinda just like who I am as a person. Yeah. So it's something that I'll probably share on my Instagram moving forward, like, you know, changing the grill and putting on little applicase and I just think that's fun.

[00:29:12] Sonja, BRK AWY: Like it's fun to share interesting things like that because who knows, who's watching that might want to do the same thing, but they don't know how, or they just need a little inspiration. So, 

[00:29:21] Trista Polo: absolutely. Well, there's a huge community of Jeep owners, especially women that you can plug into and be part of, if you're not already well, it's been so fun talking to you about your life and your plate stories. So I always like to turn the tables before we wrap up. Is there one question that you have for me? 

[00:29:39] Sonja, BRK AWY: I do. I want to know that if you were a tree, what kind would you be in? Why. 

[00:29:46] Trista Polo: Oh, my goodness.

[00:29:49] Sonja, BRK AWY: I don't know any planted nature. 

[00:29:52] Trista Polo: We'll just stay with the tree. That's a good one. I just, you know, when I get these questions, I I'm not ready for them. So I have to think.

[00:30:01] Trista Polo: So there was a tree when I was growing up, I moved around a lot. And so having so many different homes. There's always like one thing that stands out from a place that had a lot of memories, good memories, bad memories, you know, hooks into my mind that just kind of stuck with me. And I lived in a house when I was a kid in Louisiana, in Baton Rouge.

[00:30:28] Trista Polo: And we had this weeping Willow in the, in the front yard, like on this mound, I guess it would be like a land landscape installation, sort of a thing. And that tree always struck me as beautiful. Peaceful, you know, the S the strands of leaves would just go with the flow, but it was the thing I will always saw, like out the window and coming to the house and leaving the house.

[00:30:58] Trista Polo: So it was very steadfast and strong. And. You know, really rooted in stability. And that was the year my parents got divorced. So stability was definitely a little Rocky at the time. Now, on the other hand, it was also the tree under which I stepped in a red ant hill in bare feet. And so there was this.

[00:31:24] Trista Polo: You know, the ants crawling up biting my legs. My mother rushing me into the bathroom to wash them off the pain that went with that. So like not perfect now, but like real and strong, but waving in the, in life as it comes. And so the symbolism of all of those things together. Kind of echo my own life and you know that it's not perfect, but it's good.

[00:31:54] Trista Polo: And going with the flow makes me feel more peaceful, but having a strong stable foundation to work from makes me feel safe and able to go outside my comfort zone. So that's my answer. I 

[00:32:09] Sonja, BRK AWY: love that. It's really, it's cool because, you know, we think, well, as I never really had thought about it that way, but they they're a tree, so they have really strong stable foundation, but they do have a little bit more, you know, femininity in you know, flowing this.

[00:32:22] Sonja, BRK AWY: And so I really like. 

[00:32:24] Trista Polo: Yeah, thanks for asking that question. I don't know that I would have known the answer until you asked it, so that was fun to contemplate for myself. 

[00:32:33] Sonja, BRK AWY: I like it. Awesome. 

[00:32:35] Trista Polo: Well, I'm going to put your Instagram accounts. You have two of them. I'm going to put them in the show notes. And so the people can follow you.

[00:32:43] Trista Polo: You have a lot of great stuff, especially on your page with the makeup and the fashion, some great advice and looks and products that you love. So we'll make sure people have a way to connect with you. And I want to thank you so much for being on. 

[00:32:58] Sonja, BRK AWY: Yeah. Thank you so much. I had a really good time. 

[00:33:00] Trista Polo: Good. Me too.

[00:33:01] Trista Polo: Me too. So have a great rest of your day. 

[00:33:04] Sonja, BRK AWY: Thank you, you too. 

[00:33:07] Trista, Host: Thank you for joining us for this week's episode of Trista's PL8STORY podcast. Please subscribe to Trista's PL8STORY podcast to get the story behind all those vanity plates, driving with you on the road. And if you would like to nominate the owner of a license plate, including you... Or visit any of our partners and sponsors come and see us www.pl8story.com. That's P L number eight story.com and give us the details. 

If you enjoyed this episode, please drop a review and give us a share. I'm Trista Polo wishing you well on the road to your next adventure.