The Entrepreneurs Radio Show 009 Aaron Murphy

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EPISODE #9: AARON MURPHY
Intro: You‟re listening to Diamonds in Your Own Backyard. The business owner‟s guide to discovering
success, wealth, and happiness within your own business where each week you‟ll hear inspirational
stories, strategies, and inside secrets of some of the most powerful small business owners themselves.
On the Amazing Women of Power Network powered by Raven International, and now here is your host
Travis Lane Jenkins and Sandra Champlain.
Aaron Murphy
Travis: Hey, it‟s Travis Lane Jenkins here.
Sandra: And this is Sandra Champlain over here. And we would like to welcome you to Diamonds in
your own backyard. How are you Travis?
Travis: I‟m wonderful Sandra. What‟s going on with you today my dear?
Sandra: Oh, I just got back from a trip I was in Baltimore for the past week, happy to be home, happy
to be on the show here with you today and with the next special guest that we have.
Travis: We have Aaron Murphy with us today, don‟t we?
Sandra: We do. And Aaron is a phenomenal architect who is the founder and creator of ADM
Architecture in Washington State, who has design over a million square feet in his architectural
business. And in addition, he is a certified aging and place specialist and I didn‟t even know this
existed, as people age or their health conditions get worst in life. He actually helped and he can explain
it more but to allow people to remain in their own homes I suppose to moving off to some other kind of
establishment. And he‟s just an extraordinary man who is much like yourself who just like to give and
make a difference with others. So it is my pleasure to introduce you and our listening audience to Mr.
Aaron Murphy.
Aaron: Thank you so much for having me on the call, I‟m really excited to be on the show today.
Travis: Hello Aaron.
Aaron: Hi Travis, how are you doing today?
Travis: I am wonderful. I have quick question for you, what is that mean Aging in Place, can you
explain it to me.

Aaron: Oh, for sure yeah. Beyond being a licensed architect I have taken additional portfolio, work and
training to have the accreditation of being an Aging in Place Specialist to the National Association and
Home builders. And that allows me to do to help those folks that want to regardless of the change in
your mental or physical or emotional abilities. We all see change during our life than any of those areas.
Travis: Right.
Aaron: The ability to stay in your home versus having to move at some point of alteration or
deterioration into a story. There are a lot of emerging in home care, nursing companies that care very
well with aging and place. They are the people that tell you that of the people over 50% or over 50
years old, 89% of those old would like to stay home for the remainder of their lives. It‟s a manner of
price tag, I mean, you would like to keep your dog, you would like to stay in your own garden, and it‟s
yours. You don‟t want to feel like, I saw a great cartoon once of this five storey building, and that is it at
the top floor was independent and the basement was your grave, right? You don‟t want to feel like you
have to be moved to a different wing every time someone else decides for you, that you reach a new
plateau, right?
Travis: Right.
Aaron: So everyone would prefer to stay home. That‟s why I am here to share information about, that‟s
why I‟m focusing on that, my residential practice for architecture. And that‟s why I started empowering
the maturemind.com, figure it out and share that message.
Travis: So basically your design is around just making the environment, the home, the existing home
more friendly to an aging population maybe in the 60 plus ranger.
Aaron: Well yeah. Even planning ahead the argument that a dime of prevention versus a dollar of cure,
right?
Travis: Right.
Aaron: We could pitch our health care system in the fingertip with that idea but we won‟t go there. But
the idea of planning ahead so really for my radio show listenership, in Seattle, our demographic is
mostly 40 plus and mostly women and they make the majority of decisions related to home and health
care. Yes, having them in millions where they did have commercial space. In my career, I was fortunate
to be in Seattle during the dot com. So you do a commercial office building and you do random
elevators and accessible bathrooms. But there isn‟t a real, true National ADA Code for Residential
Architecture. In fact, you don‟t need to be an architect to get those instructions there. So most of our
homes are broken, in the sense that we just flip over the age triangle for the first time in history. There
are more older people than younger people. For the first time since we started keeping track and

10,000 people started turning 65 everyday starting in January 2011. That‟s one new 65 year old every 8
seconds for the next 20 years, 30 years.
Sandra: Wow.
Travis: That‟s due to the baby boomer transition, right?
Aaron: Right. Yeah they call this as the silver tsunami.
Sandra: Well, people don‟t realize, I don‟t think, what an emotional thing happens when people are
forced to leave the house. My grandmother passed away few years back and she was just adamant
about remaining in her house and unfortunately she had a step of stairs to climb to go to her bathroom
and her bedroom. And she passed away before she was challenged what‟s going up and down the
stairs. But I have a friend of a friend that they ended up putting the mom on assisted living when she
wasn‟t ready for it. And all she wanted to do was stay in her home. And leaving your home I think is
kind of like leaving a relationship when you go through the stage of grieving. So to keep someone in
their home and I think that will actually keep them healthier and keep their mind healthier than to go
through the trauma of having to move.
Aaron: Absolutely true. In fact, our tagline from powering mature mind is dramatically improving our
client‟s ability to live a longer and happier life. And that‟s why, I mean it‟s just way proven that we are
living longer and we are happier and healthier when we are at home. And so that‟s my give back, for
me a little bit longer story I couldn‟t give it all to you right now, but my first light bulb that went off for me
was my grandmother. When I left for college at University of Washington to go to architecture school,
she is travelling the world as the masters levelled bridge player playing cards. When I got in college five
years later she was in a hospital cut in the living room and did not know who grandpa was. And so as
she processed on Alzheimer‟s and she was 7 inches shorter. But they live in a split level, the laundry is
downstairs, the showering facilities are upstairs. And she went through all the paces she did became a
no-walker in a wheelchair, and did have a stair chair, it goes up and down the stairs, the shower but
eventually the house just didn‟t work. And most of our houses except for the 50‟s rent style home, that
is closest we got to giving it right. But the hallways are still too thin and the doors are too skinny.
Travis: Right, right.
Aaron: And in the master on the main floor as a concept that was trendy in architecture started in 2003,
we have a 100 years work for homes that don‟t consider where we‟re about to go with silver tsunami.
Sandra: Silver tsunami, wow. I really acknowledge you for making that kind of a difference.

Aaron: Yeah, to me it‟s just a matter of how can I tie a personal passion and something that serves our
public in a way that is needed now. That allows me to bring the highest and best value to a client from a
next produced perspective as an architect. As for me I thought well for that half my practice, residential
half, that feels like a mission where my heart and soul, my passion are so clear, and anybody see me
speak I give a presentation probably twice a month in Washington area on the aging and place
phenomenon. And nobody questions my passion and that‟s cool, because that‟s what gives me up in
the morning and says “How can I help you?”
Sandra: Yeah. Aaron, one thing that Travis and I talk a lot about on our show, is we find out people‟s
passion, we find out how they found out their diamonds in their own backyard. And it sounds to me like
you‟ve reach the level of success that now you were tapping into your passion and you want to give
back. But could you walk us back a little bit maybe from maybe not necessarily the beginning but did
you always start out as in architecture, have you always been successful. Give us a little bit of history
on how you became Aaron Murphy.
Aaron: Sure, well I think maybe not everyone is successful to start in day one. But I think in my
scenario it‟s applicable, I actually came into the world at 29 weeks of age in 1973. There is lack of
technology compared to today at that time. I weighed less than 2 pounds, they took my footprints and
handprints on day 3 through an incubator and I was baptized in the Roman Catholic faith in an
incubator with an eye dropper, I wasn‟t supposed to make it. But my relationship with my parents is
really amazing, and I think that has a lot to do with the fact that at 22 and 23 years old they had to
decide on a huge amount of adversity both on personal, emotional, and financial but they were going to
keep, in fact back then there was I think a lot less lawsuits stuff and there was a doctor that said them I
was born with hydrocephalus and Gastroschisis. Gastroschisis means the skin over your stomach is
not even formed yet. So when I came out and hit the table it looked like an epic crash on a scale. It‟s
what I call yard sale if you ever crashed skiing you would know what I mean. You lose both holds, you
lose your hat, you lose your goggles. It‟s a joke. The point is the inventory all came out too which was
my stomach.
Sandra: Wow.
Aaron: They freaked out. I mean it‟s a little bit of medical stuff I deal with just this scarred tissue in my
intestines they had to go in and incubator over 2 months. You know anybody who has turned their
braces, like kids tighten their braces. That‟s what they had to do, they had to comb over my stomach
and over the course of 2 months in an incubator stretched my stomach skin and so they could sew it
together.
Sandra: Wow.

Aaron: And I went whoa! Like being really tiny and then my head started to swell. I mean I looked like
an alien at the time. I know it‟s pretty crazy. Skin and bones and this monster head you have a gate in
your head that lets water in and out letting it out that‟s hydrocephalus water on the brain. At that point
the doctor said to my parents he‟s going to be a vegetable. I recommend you‟d put him in an institution
and go home and try again.
Sandra: Oh.
Aaron: Over the radio you can‟t visual it loud maybe you can visualize my Mom put up 3 fingers and
said read between the lines Sir. I mean they made up their personal choice that that‟s not an option. I‟m
glad because I‟m still here. I‟m an only child because they didn‟t know why and so they didn‟t try again.
I‟m glad they kept me around, I‟m enjoying it.
Travis: So you started with the odds against you.
Aaron: Apparently, yeah.
Travis: The moral of the story is if you‟re no stranger to adversity, right.
Aaron: Right.
Travis: And you‟ve faced this as well in your business life?
Aaron: I have for sure. I have the great fortune being again in the dot com era doing commercial
architecture in my 20‟s in Seattle. Where people were fighting for office spaces with new businesses,
things were really great there, I chose not to live in Seattle I wanted to be in a little world county for
raising children with my wife at that time but moving over outside of Seattle and that‟s working for
smaller firms. I was laid off because of the fluctuation in the smaller firms for lack of work coming in
twice in 9 months after my son was born. He‟s 7 and a half now. And we thought that it appears he was
going to have specially made stuff made from US army, we are not sure yet he is under one but there is
sooner a sign, laid off twice in 9 months. And I finally said, I don‟t really like the boss thing. I don‟t like
somebody else is telling me if I have a job when I go to work this morning. So I read the business plan
for real estate investing. I talked to a friend of mine who is an Attorney brother in a structural engineer
and I said hey, I‟m an architect and you‟re a Construction engineer, here‟s real estate investment plan I
know you believe in that let‟s go deal it. And I went on to buy 18 houses on months between pre-
foreclosure and foreclosure auction and started letting and rehabbing and renting and doing this option.
So check what, could have been really devastating losing your job right after your wife says I would like
to be a stead home mom losing your job twice in the following 9 months. And turned it into a situation
where I went from being a $60,000 employee to being worth $1,280,000 on paper.

Travis: Right. When was this Aaron?
Aaron: It started December 2005, unfortunately, yes as I was saying with the housing crash, I have a
new rule it‟s kind of a joke, if you read it on the paper don‟t get started today it‟s too late. The light glass
4 house purchases would spring about 7 and real estate doesn‟t react quick enough. So by December
2008, I had to talk to the bank for due process, so yeah I mean to go from employee to 1.8 million to
zero and then have your wife say, thanks a lot maybe a stead home mom but I think I‟m going to walk
away. It was a challenging time of my life absolutely, and not easy to get through. I mean to go through
to quote and quote failures or setbacks of that magnitude, after seeing time I‟ve never been through
something that trying before, and it really, really help me decide how to come out of it. Well you do, like
you have to hit the bottom, I mean we all go through up with ups and downs and I have been on both
sides.
Travis: Well you know Aaron, I know it‟s cliché to say what doesn‟t kill you makes you stronger but it‟s
very true.
Aaron: Oh, absolutely. Absolutely.
Travis: There‟s an incredible amount of clarity that comes from having your teeth kicked in.
Aaron: Yeah.
Travis: It‟s just, I‟m always amazed that how little I learned from my victories and how much I learned
from my failures.
Aaron: Absolutely.
Travis: I have to really get into to the bottom of it yet. I guess, in your victories so many partial truths
can still exist and no one is going to call you on it. You‟re not going to have to eliminate them because
you have success. Where a lot of times and I‟m just taking this out loud.
Aaron: Yeah.
Travis: A lot of times would failure in order to move past the failure you have got to let go of what is not
serving you, what‟s inaccurate and basically what‟s BS.
Aaron: Yeah.
Travis: You get rid of that, you are not going to move on alright, for me I‟m going to speak for myself.
I‟m not able to move on to the next phase which is either recovery or success, right?

Aaron: Absolutely. I just have a vision when you have made the comment of having your teeth kicked
in, I just have this splash and I work very visually as an architect, I just have this thought and I turned
into a quote in my head. Giving kick in the gut and brought to your knees is the quickest way to bring
your head and your heart closer together.
Travis: Oh, without a doubt.
Aaron: Right. I mean if your hands is over your head and your heart to talk, and I think failure is a more
reflective process. I don‟t think success brings reflectivity. Right?
Travis: No it doesn‟t.
Aaron: Because you don‟t think to yourself as you just mentioned like half truths and partial truths. It‟s
very rare you come back for lessons learned on the wind. A W is a W and we know we got away with
some sloppy play, but the wind is in the book, let‟s move on. Now change sport attitude versus, now
again a young parent so thank God for my dad I mean, if my curve ball wasn‟t working in high school
then he‟d get behind home plate in his back shoes in the rain and take curve balls off his knees after
the game until I figured out what went wrong, right?
Travis: Right.
Aaron: You don‟t stop by the practice field on the way home after you‟ve clobbered the other team.
Travis: Right.
Sandra: I just want to ask to both of you gentlemen it is fair to say that those people that are more
successful tend to have more failures. What do you think?
Travis: Well I think without a doubt, I fell on a regular basis. As a matter of fact I would try to find ways
to fell faster.
Sandra: What do you say Aaron?
Travis: On smaller scales, I tried to avoid the gigantic ones.
Aaron: Yeah, I totally agree with that and I think that comes with being an entrepreneur and trying new
things, and things are changing pretty quickly the way we do business with the internet and technology
and all of that and it requires you to go through some trial and error. I agree with you Travis after I don‟t
want to make mistakes that cost Americans 1.8 million dollars again but I appreciate the chance to
reflect on things that did not work out. Like, I just got told that I was one of three betters to look at better
accessibility in the apartment complex and I didn‟t get the project. I would rather reflect on that and get

a take away and get a lesson learned. I‟m totally fine whether it‟s near my employees or whoever it
might be in my life, make a lot of mistakes and then have the goal for you to join make each one once
and that‟s a life pretty well lived and that‟s a lot of progress.
Travis: Right.
Sandra: But that sounds different I think than most, and I can‟t speak for most business owners. But I
know myself is a business owner, there is always that fear of failure so this is now putting a new twist
on it, like it‟s okay to fail but learn that lessons once and go for that success. And how about other fear
of people, anything you can address their Aaron that sort of fear of failure that business owners have
that you may have a little strategy or tips.
Aaron: You know in real estate investing they call it analysis paralysis, right. You sit on the sidelines
and you do the Math until you‟re blue on the face and your fingers are numb but you still only have one
toe on the swimming pool. So what‟s your answer when someone says you can you swim there? No,
you can‟t. You have to get in, you have to try it, if you can find a safe place to do that that‟s wonderful, if
you need to go deep end then hope there is a lifeguard well it doesn‟t matter how you go about it but
you have to go out the edge of the pool. And for most of us I think that it‟s a reality that necessity is the
mother of invention like it was me losing two jobs that required me to sit down and write a real estate
business plan and you know what without the recession and without the housing collapsed, that
business plan buying a house a month was based on 4% appreciation when we were doing 12-20%.
And I was supposed to be retired at 43 with $15,000 a month in passive income. Granted, I didn‟t get
that once and the crystal ball in the rear view mirror nobody did. But when I walked away from that, and
again thank goodness I had a great job in my 20s, I put $50,000 in trying to save Silver Lining
Properties. That‟s why I look at it and I said my dad‟s a great sounding glory and to be a business
owner and an entrepreneur as well. Then I said I think the news says we are not going to make it to the
light at the end of the tunnel. I said I can last another 9 months with the other $50,000 I have but is it
worth it. But that was 5 years ago and is housing any better? No. I made the right decision to pull the
plug and get on to the next phase. That‟s what we do and lessons learned. My dad made a great point
when I was wallowing and we all have our moments right, wallowing and I lost 401k and the other half
went to my attorney the other to my ex wife but the point of my dad made was, hey Aaron when you are
32, or 35 or 38 nobody is looking at the diploma on the wall on your office the way you talk. Tell
everyone what they need to know about your education. So let me tell you Aaron Murphy, $50,000 from
Master‟s Degree and Business and Master‟s in real estate is they‟re cheap education. You‟ve got to get
at „skin with me‟ university, right? But it‟s there, it‟s on the wall it‟s on the way you talk. Now go use it.
Travis: Right. I want to tell you from my personal perspective and I would be interested to see if you
agree. I accept regular smaller failures. I kind of view them as testing rather than failures now. But the
big, big failures that I thought were a life ending that scared the heck out of me. Those change me for

the better, I am a better person, I am more caring, I help more people, I am a better listener. I am a
better everything. There is some level of arrogance and I‟ve always tried to stay away from being
arrogant. I am a confident person than people that aren‟t friends of mine that take me as being
arrogant. And maybe there was an element of that one I was in my 30‟s. I know that is not present now
after I have lost everything and get on my knees and thinking that my world was over. Did it make you a
better person?
Aaron: Oh, absolutely. I mean as much as, whether its divorce or failed business or whatever as much
as you don‟t wish it upon anyone else there‟s just no better teacher or whether, I‟m not going to preach
to anybody that religious faith that it brings you closer to God, it makes you to pray or meditate, quit
drinking alcohol or there‟s just a point when you‟re in the trench, you have to make a decision about
who you want to be on the way out you‟re going to come out. And I make some great decisions that will
serve me well. In the true low of my life that had to do with things like that about giving back to church
and living cleaner not going right down the wrong road when it‟s clear that would have been an easy
way because that‟s how you escape and also to remind you in some way, just respecting out to reality.
But to see with yourself in the transition which way you want to go. I come out of that with a ton, a ton, a
ton of humility and gratitude, for everything I have, all of the little things I have. The smile of my children
the first day of school today, it all means so much more when you think you have it all and you lost it all.
Travis: Yeah, I gotten so jaded before all this happened to where it took something epic to get me
excited. It was like the taste, when you have so many things and you have so much success, all of a
sudden the richness of taste isn‟t there is there, add some wind something and not get so excited about
it. And I just felt like the flavour of life has left me. And I knew something was missing. And on this
journey I have learned to appreciate even the smaller things, and one of those practices was I decided
to just do two acts of random kindness everyday to people I don‟t know and just move on. And it shocks
and surprises people and a lot of times they think I want something in return. And it‟s a way for me to
get in touch with being respectful and appreciative for the success that I have had and that I have and
to enjoy the taste and smell of the proverbial roses along the way. Does that make sense?
Aaron: Absolutely, and I‟m not even back to a point where I am necessarily financially through that
comfortable to where I am back to a place where I have gotten excited again about the little things. And
I have also found the passion that makes it easy to get up in the morning because it is about helping
people. Actually, I have the chance as an architect to go over Seattle for a couple of months and work
on hotels that straight down the road for the Seahawks training facility in National Football League
team. And that was great couple of months but the part that‟s pained me the most commuting in the
Seattle for work every day was not going to rotary, missing my rotary and meetings and compose of a
town of about 88,000 people but our rotary is about 130 strong. We have an amazing community here.
People really care for each other. And I find that I am at my best in my daily life, that I am plugged in to

a place like rotary where you are giving back and where you are also constantly aware of how grateful
you should be. Because you go to rotary and the presentation is about child trafficking out in Mexico or
one way gets about clean water in Uganda and another which is about polio in Ethiopia. And boy you
walk out of there feeling pretty good about your life and wanting to give back as you recognize how
fortunate you are. And whether that‟s your church or your soot kitchen or wherever it is, I think we‟re all
at our best to our personality and attitude toward life when we are sharing whatever we have with other
people, at whatever level is comfortable.
Travis: Right.
Sandra: Actually that is very brilliant because one thing we discuss often in our show is how solitary
and experience it can be being a business owner. And I‟m not real familiar with rotary but it sounds to
me like you are getting a lot of juice and energy and personal fulfilment as to being involved. And
guessing you recommend to people to get involve like what you say whether it‟s rotary or church or
something.
Aaron: Right. Yeah, Lions or Qantas, there are a lot of ways to do that I mean the business owner
maybe you are republican who says can I keep my own money because I don‟t believe you are doing a
great job spending it. But let me give back in a way that I know that it‟s giving from point A to point B.
Rotary does a great job of finding those places around the world that need our help. And then right
there in our own community, in our group we spend our money about a $100,000 a year, we spend and
appeared in local community and appeared in international and then the other third scholarships and
stuff for kids and secondary education. But you can find something that interests you inside the
umbrella of an organization like that and again giving back is a chunk of your passion whether you call
it tithing in church or whatever you call it, it just sizzles up your soul.
Sandra: Yeah, I find there is a level of satisfaction that you cannot get simply by having a business,
making money. That‟s just not my experience I only found that fulfilment in making that difference with
the life of another.
Travis: Hey Aaron, how old are you?
Aaron: 38.
Travis: 38. Pretty wise fellow for 38 years old.
Sandra: That‟s right, young man.
Travis: Yes Sir.

Aaron: I think that‟s only in response to the relative number of learning experiences I have been
offered, right?
Travis: Well, I think that‟s kudos to your folks also
Aaron: Yes.
Travis: Obviously they‟ve did instil something on you that has put you on this path.
Aaron: Well yeah, I think even at young age and I learn that‟s what the team sports but I remember in
the 80‟s, I don‟t know if you guys know the name Bob Mohad.
Travis: No, I am not familiar with him.
Aaron: Well he did a lot of motivational stuff in the 80‟s and even as a kid, takes serious about. And I
can still hear the song in my head, picture in your mind the world you want to see if you believe in
magic it can really be. And the whole idea of even at five or seven years old and I have just started
thinking about this for my own son who is seven. Just letting them set with the idea that you can do
whatever you want to do. And you don‟t have to sit them in anyone else‟s mole. Just the power of
positive thinking that‟s something that our parents, that‟s totally the biggest lifelong lessons that I
learned from them which has allowed me to overcome things that they‟ve been looking at me now. And
they‟re like, excuse my parents how in the hell did you make it through this.
Travis: Right.
Aaron: Right. And they are just baffled at the things that I have been able to overcome. And it doesn‟t
mean I don‟t need help at times. But yeah I mean more thankful for the lessons that I was taught by
them, I don‟t know we age than anything else and the power of positive thinking was one of them.
Sandra: How does, oh, we both want to ask you a questions. Go ahead Travis.
Travis: Yeah, right.
Sandra: Go ahead Travis, we like you.
Travis: Is tenacity the key to success you think for you at least?
Aaron: I just deal a little bit of my social media in the morning, I can‟t remember who set it now but it
has to be somebody who never quits, the stick with it, the resilience, the ability to keep going and there
are a lot of quotes and I know you guys know them to right? I mean it doesn‟t matter how many times
you brought your knees as long as you get up to your feet one more time than that.

Travis: That‟s right.
Aaron: So yes, I think that tenacity is a must. I think any business owner probably already recognizes
the amount of time effort blood sweat and tears and so you better be passionate about it. You rather
have be where you get up in the morning; it allows you to stay late when that‟s required. You can also
just don‟t forget to be balanced, giving back is balance, turning off your cell phone when you are with
your children is balance, respecting your appointments with yourself, or exercise, or date night, make
sure your personal appointments are as important to you as your own client. Treat yourself the way as
you treat your own client which is what is best.
Travis: Right. You know a lot of business owners; they don‟t treat themselves with the same equality
as they do everybody else. I just speak with a business owner that doesn‟t pay himself for the work that
he does. And he is missing the most important parts; you got to pay yourself first.
Aaron: Right.
Travis: And of course, when a business is starting up and it‟s struggling, it‟s not in common to do
without for awhile. But once the business is up and running, you need to pay yourself first; you got to
block those times out and find some separation between those two. Sandra, you are going to say
something I just bold right over you.
Sandra: You did, you always do that Travis.
Travis: Sorry. Sorry.
Sandra: It‟s terrible like that I can‟t get a word and edge wise. Oh my goodness. Aaron, we like to have
a lot of fun. But I think Aaron actually answered my question and everything he just spoke of. Because
a world is going there‟s any practice we could put in place. I don‟t know if you remember the positive
thinking but it‟s easy to say how powerful positive thinking, but when you are down in the deep parts of
your mind and it‟s hard to pick yourself back up. I just going to ask if there‟s any practices you could put
in place but you rattled some up and I thought I can‟t wait to replace it and actually write some other
stuff down because it sounds like you need to have some practices in place to keep yourself positive.
Like you said keep back in touch with the passion while you are doing it and things like that.
Aaron: I mean you are kidding yourself if you don‟t think that life at some point isn‟t about getting more
education than it will always be that way and that‟s part of the joy of living in my mind. And I think that
journey part for me, I bet I watched The Secret on DVD, 90 times in the row over 90 days, I went to
sleep to it. I have ordered that one point, I think it‟s through The Secret, there‟s the Attitude and
Gratitude. I ordered the gratitude journal and that you end your day and start your day with three four
five things that you are grateful that you do that. And that can be a great place to start because I don‟t

think there is any quicker way to get perspective than to make note of the little things you are grateful
for when you don‟t feel like you have got much left.
Sandra: Another, go ahead Travis.
Travis: Sorry, no go ahead.
Sandra: Oh, I‟m just going to mention that, a friend of mine give advice of doing this practice is every
morning you spend some time writing down what you are grateful and then following that is what do
people love about you. And then start your day jotting those things down that even if you are in your
deep dark place and you are filled with gratitude and you are filled with gosh, I‟m not so bad, I am
successful and that can really shift your view for that upcoming day.
Travis: Sandra, sorry to interrupt that just some people that may not make sense because they don‟t
have the training that as 3 do but to some people it may sound, why do you need to write down, why
people like you, what is the reason for that.
Sandra: Well, I think it‟s the same with gratitude when you write down the things, it‟s so easy everyday
to wake up on the wrong side of the bed with, what‟s wrong with my life, you are not paying attention to
what you write. And I think it ties in with the power of positive thinking. When you start realizing how
much you do have, it is so much more than what you don‟t have. It‟s a human tendency to beat on
ourselves or not to be good enough or things like that, those kinds of self-defeating things.
Travis: Right. It‟s a good exercise to quiet down that negative voice, right?
Sandra: It is. And also what do people do love about you, what comes out are your strengths. And
there could only be one you with your own negative thoughts about yourself. And 20 people that think
you are successful and bright and have some tenacity and all these things. And so it shifts the mindset
from not being good enough to oh my god, I‟m fantastic. I can do this. So whatever mountain is that you
are trying to climb it will become doable and it‟s possible.
Travis: And all of a sudden you get start getting out of your way, right? And doing the things that you
really need to do, right Aaron?
Aaron: Well, yeah Travis made a good point earlier about the difference between confidence and
arrogance. It‟s okay in the privacy of your own home. Stand in the mirror and say I‟m a rock star, I
mean, you need to convince yourself of that because there is enough negativity out in the world that
would tell you otherwise just about the way the world is. I mean the news is not the greatest information
about positivity. It is really unfortunate in my opinion that our media lacks all the philanthropic
information that goes on. I think I saw an image once in a rotary presentation about what if we took

away everything the rotary did from the world in one day. And then they have a graphics for that, and
just jaw dropping. Volunteerism and the good in people when left to their own devices and the time and
energies and beliefs that will make a difference, it is outstanding. When I was a 15 years old, I wasn‟t a
normal teenager in the sense that my dad didn‟t like my attitude he made me write down the word
humility and the definition a hundred times.
Travis: Hmm, I Like that.
Aaron: Another great lesson that sticks with me because my head has gotten a little too big. There‟s
lots of teenagers do and they think they knew everything and their parents don‟t. And so he thought he
would reel that in and put me on check a little bit. And I still remember and it‟s a wonderful exercise but
my point of arrogance and confidence is that it‟s okay to talk to yourself about how good you are you
just don‟t broadcast that, right? Look information, it‟s for internal consumption. But it is important that
you talk to yourself positively every day because there‟s lot of feedback coming from the external world
at to the contrary you have to outweigh that.
Travis: Well you know that‟s how Sandra and I become friends. We first started talking and to me, we
met at the experts industry and we were sharing our stories of business and what we were up to and
just heard depth of conversation on a multiple of topics and it becomes crystal clear to me that she was
a rock star. And it also becomes clear to me that she didn‟t realize that. So I told her, “Do you realize
that you are a rock star?” And she thought I was playing and I was being 100% serious. And the reason
why she couldn‟t see that is because of the constant negative stuff she says to herself. I am not
isolating Sandra here because we all do it and I do it to myself too. And as we talked about this, I told
Sandra one day if a friend of mine talk to me like this negative voice talk to me I would disown him, I
wouldn‟t have anything to do with him yet I allow this negative voice to go on saying, Oh you are stupid,
you are damn, why did you do that. And I thought it was the voice of wisdom for years and I have
actually come to realize that it is not. And so we need these affirmations to help us get out of our own
way. And sometimes we need people like you and Sandra, and someone else, someone who cares
about us, to tell us that, so it‟s kind of give us permission to give ourselves a break.
Aaron: What I‟m thinking in my industry what I‟m up to and that‟s why right now I speak for free and I
hope that‟s not always the case because I would love to make living sharing my passion and I‟m
working on that model. But in the beginning just sharing an information was so fulfilling to me about the
Aging in Place piece, that people like Sandra said earlier I didn‟t even noticed it existed, well look
what‟s happening in our demographic, and just a chance to go out and say, you can be in control of
your housing and medical care decisions while you are into your 80‟s not your 60‟s, I mean you never
have to give up that freedom or that right it‟s uplifting it‟s powerful to share that to people and have their
eyes opening though and oh I could still be on charge. And that‟s pretty cool, starting before we got on
the call Sandra said I just work 99 hours in 5 days and then like and you never thought you are a rock

star? You are given back by cooking for a racing team and you just work for 99 hours in 5 days and I
couldn‟t imagine that you could have negative conversations with yourself. That blew me away.
Travis: Right, right.
Sandra: It‟s so true. I just had a „AHA!‟ moment can I share with you guys?
Travis & Aaron: Sure.
Sandra: This goes along with our conversation but if every listener including ourselves, we have a
magic wand and boom, we are living now the lifestyle of our dreams, we have all the money we want,
we have the relationships we want, we have cars that we wanted to have, that we are all set, right? So
the question I have for everyone listening right now is then what? What would you do with your life?
What would give you meaning. And why I am asking this is, if we can pretend right now that we have it
all then we start looking into our hearts as to what is next, how would we be giving. And so I think from
what I‟m really getting out of this show today, is to tap in to that piece of myself that‟s a giver. And
instead of waiting until I‟m all set financially with the relationship and the house and the car, it start
taking actions towards that thing where those people that are passionate about making a difference for
and doing that now and then that action the other pieces will be fulfilled. Does that make sense?
Aaron: Absolutely. And you may have a little less free time now, you may have little less money now,
than where you like to be in the future but starting it and growing it incrementally has a lot to do with the
concept of activist or the term fake it until you make it, right? Be the person today that you planned to
be in 5 years.
Sandra: Right.
Aaron: Or give yourself a permission to be that person today and what will happen is that you actually
draw energy quicker in that direction and things will start to fall into place if you‟re paying attention by
going hand just being that person in the future now.
Travis: Yeah, I think it that goes towards enjoying the journey because I‟m guilty of that. I am not going
to do XYZ until this happens and then maybe two years down the road. And sometimes I‟m a very slow
learner; I have to learn it over and over, and over again. But making life is not a destination, it is a
journey and so taking and putting those elements, the seeds of those elements in place and
experiencing them a little bit each week is how I understand what you are talking about, right Sandra?
Sandra: Yes.

Travis: So maybe it‟s finding what it is you are passionate about from a charitable stand point and
maybe dedicating in an hour a month and then it goes an hour a week and then 5 hours a week. But
there is a shift that takes place when you are in the act of doing, right?
Sandra: Right. Aaron I want to ask you questions, I know our time is coming to an end within the next
ten minutes or so but this show will have an audience of hundreds and thousands of people that will
have heard your magnificent words. Is there anything else you haven‟t shared that you want to give
people that you think will make a difference in their lives, you‟ve been such a wealth of information and
you‟ve been such a gift to us. That I want to make sure we have covered everything that‟s in your
hearts that you can give and also let people know how we get in touch with you and support you in
what you are up to. I really don‟t want to miss anything because you have been really a treasure with us
today.
Aaron: I appreciate it and it has been an absolute pleasure to get to know you both and spend some
time talking in a circle where we share so many things that the passion and education the desire to get
better every day and get back to our community. I mean I have created a personal kind of top 10 of
the things I have learned, the lessons I have learned over the last five years which a few of them I don‟t
know if I should try to read all ten but maybe I can put them on as a blog post on
empoweringthematuremind.com. That again is my website to reach out to aging population all over
America for residential side of architecture in fact you can stay in control of your decisions. So I am the
Managing Editor there and almost starting a radio show next Monday in Seattle on 11:50am TKNW
Sandra: Congratulations.
Travis: Congratulations.
Aaron: Co-hosting now with a friend of mine who is in her cap service station as well as an Interior
Designer, and really shares that giving back the passion and taking care of our families. That‟s on I
think it‟s www.1150kknw.com its where you will find On Call Living, that‟s what our new show is called.
It will be every second Tuesday and also every Monday of the month from 8 to 9am in Seattle airwaves
and online streaming as well. In my architecture firm as ADM Architecture if you want to go directly to
learning about Aging in Place and know what home consultation might look like where we can assess a
few hours for you. What are those best modifications based on your situation and we are going to help
make your home forever home. So that‟s where you want to go to learn about what we started about
today that would be at www.adm-architecture.com. And between those two websites there‟s lots of
ways to find me, @Aaron D. Murphy is my Twitter... and I love sharing what we both love sharing. I
share positive information and obviously you guys do too. And I really thank you for taking the time and
for the invitation for having me here today, talk about what we all believe in.

Travis: Aaron, let me ask you real quick, is your service, is that restricted geographically or can
someone in Texas or Boston, hire you to help them with their situation.
Aaron: Right. We didn‟t really get into this because it wasn‟t the main topic of conversation but I would
have chosen this as a niche for residential architecture and if didn‟t tinsel financially. It takes a dollar to
move a line. It takes a thousand dollars to move a law. My point is hire a professional and get it written
on paper. Which I‟m sure you know that from experience in construction. I do have the ability to
communicate with people by email, by trading drawings, and plans, and photographs not just the other
case by case I have not built a specific flat fee structure for that. But I‟m in the process of creating that
national community where my intention is that if I get phone call, or email, and empowering the mature
mind then that the remodelling her kitchen and her bathroom that all have that list of top certified
contractors within ADM I can give that lead. We‟re in the process of building that national community.
Don‟t let geography get in the way because through the public speaking and stuff that I do it‟s probably
if it‟s not me it‟s only a phone call away. We are trying to find a solution that makes sense to you.
Travis: So there‟s a good chance that you could either help them with the problem or connect them
with someone that can direct them to you.
Aaron: Exactly yeah, you can go through even to some of my blogs, and broadcast they‟re actually
radio interviews that I did like ordering a recorded a phone call. I interviewed a mom who is an Aging in
Place Specialist in Maryland, Marcela Bobby Roads in Texas, who wrote the 88 Companion Guide.
Can‟t brought mine in Seattle who is actually on the Obama‟s administration, he is a lifelong wheelchair
user and architect and a friend of mine. Pretty doing what I do, I guess my point is my connections are
nationwide and yes we can come up with solutions together. If you can contact me either as referral
source or I can help you directly.
Travis: Right, okay. Sounds great. One of the things that I want to mention, I tried to mention this every
episode is obviously the name of the show is Diamonds in Your Own Backyard, but the URL is
travisandsandra.com. And that‟s the best place to go and interact with Sandra and I, leave your
comments, feedbacks, Sandra‟s going to be both posting videos in that section and then of course for
some of you just want to listen through iTunes of course you can go in that way as well. The only
benefit of travisandsandra.com is you get to interact with us personally and also you can sign up for a
consumer guide that I feel like it‟s critical for all business owners to have in this day and age for
marketing and just running a successful business. What else Sandra do we need to cover today.
Sandra: Well just to join in get to consumer guide be part of our community we have mentioned today
how important it is to think positively and another tool people can have is to be in our website and go to
our podcast and just spend an hour and listen. And your whole life can change just for an hour
listening. I just want to encourage people to join our community and take a minute and click on an

episode that you haven‟t heard before and really let yourself be inspired. And then what‟s all you‟re
taking actions in your life that you normally wouldn‟t and have results that you would like to have.
Travis: Right. You are amongst likeminded people we are all business owners we understand the ups
and downs. We realize, before Sandra I didn‟t really have a friend I spoke with in a regular basis about
business, did really truly understood the things that I go through. So we know that you spend the
majority of the time alone, obviously we don‟t consider our employees our friends. And so that‟s where
the isolation comes from, you are caught up in business dealing with clients, managing employees. And
you became an island into yourself. And this is the community that where we are all business owners
and entrepreneurs. And we are going be doing an event here in the near future to where we bring
everybody together and do some training and masterminding in a group format. Erin, do you belong to
any mastermind?
Aaron: Yes, funny I wasn‟t able to mention that actually there was a mastermind group being built here
in the county outside Seattle and I recognize having already read Napoleon Hill spoke that I didn‟t
believe in the model. I actually created a mastermind with a friend of mine who is a business coach.. in
the area, there are 7 of us and I‟m absolutely so glad that we did it I just can‟t think highly enough about
the value that that a mastermind brings to a business owner whether it‟s keeping you balance with
home and work wise or pushing you the extra mile when you are afraid to get off the edge of the pool.
Travis: Right. These guys aren‟t in your payroll, they‟re not your buddies, they will become your
buddies but they‟ll tell you the real deal.
Aaron: Yeah.
Travis: They‟ll tell you what is good and what is not good and help you fast forward. Some processes
can take 3 years to figure out on your own. But you can turn to a guy that‟s been down that path and he
could tell you the proper things to do and shortcut that 3 years and turn it into 3 months. And so it‟s
extremely powerful, Sandra and I are masterminds for each other. We need support systems; we need
people building us, pushing us to go on. We are already driven and committed that‟s why we are
business owners, let me tell you when you link arms with other people that are likeminded you become
five, ten times more powerful. So wherever you are at find a mastermind. I think it‟s ideal to give in two
masterminds. One where everyone around you are the majority of people in the mastermind are a
wrong higher than you and a mastermind where you are wrong higher than everybody else. One you
are receiving and one you are giving.
Aaron: For sure now I think that makes a lot of sense because one says where you want to go and one
is little more of giving back. And I know that I have something they called the Washing and
Association of Self Help for entrepreneurs that want to start businesses. And I took the course work and

stayed around as a mentor for those that has personal goals or 2 or 3 of making 50 grand or more
versus the other 2 tiers which is I‟m thinking about a the business or sell teddy bears at the Saturday
market, right. But there‟s people I didn‟t want to have full time job and I stayed down as a coach for
that and again giving back help amazing but then I turned around and go to my mastermind group and
I‟ve got someone in my face saying “Oh your Beta testing is really just buying time because you‟re
scared, get off the edge go do it.” They hold you accountable in fact we have 7 to 8 in our group and
between our months of meeting we have what‟s called the accountability partner which is what you and
Sandra is doing for each other checking in hey you promised yourself that you would have two date
nights of sleep and so once your wife‟s heading out the door. Did you leave work? If not, put down your
pants and turn off your computer it‟s your wife‟s night or whatever.
Travis: Right, right. Aaron you are a rock star my friend.
Aaron: You guys are as well as a blessing and a pleasure that now I know you both. I‟m pretty sure this
connection will stay long after the phone call is over.
End of Interview
Sandra: I believe so too. Thank you so much Aaron, you are really been a treasure to be with.
Travis: Right, yeah. Yeah. Thanks for being on the show, we want to stay connected with you and help
support you. And we would like for you to be part of the event that we put in the future. We‟ll contact
you and let you know more about that. I personally want to say thank you very much. And to everybody
listening, thanks for taking the time out today and listening to me, Sandra and Aaron. Have a wonderful
day. Sandra you have anything to say?
Sandra: No, just thanks for giving us your time today, all the listeners and Aaron because it really takes
a community to make a difference in their lives. Thanks everybody for being here.
Travis: Thank you guys have a great day.

How We Can Help You
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This is a common problem for EVERY business owner. It doesn‟t matter if you are a one-man army, or
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Travis Lane Jenkins
Business Mentor-Turn Around Specialist
Radio Host of The Entrepreneurs Radio Show
“Conversations with Self-made Millionaires and High-level Entrepreneurs That Grow Your Business"

The Entrepreneurs Radio Show 009 Aaron Murphy

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