Welcome to another episode of Heart & Hustle! Follow us for more and let us know where you found us!!

Tati:

• IG - ⁠⁠@tationathomas⁠⁠

• TikTok - ⁠⁠@tati_thomas⁠⁠

Travis:

• IG - ⁠⁠@timefortravis⁠⁠

• TikTok - ⁠⁠@thejuicebeloose⁠⁠

YouTube: ⁠⁠LINK

🔑 Key Takeaways For Listeners✅ You can break generational patterns — even if no one before you has.

✅ Your past does not have to become your personality or destiny.

✅ Trauma doesn’t disqualify you — it prepares you.

✅ Presence with your family is worth more than profit.

✅ Being the cycle breaker is lonely, but it’s worth it.

✅ You are allowed to choose peace over blood relation.

✅ Success means nothing if you miss the moments that matter.

In this raw, funny, and deeply human episode of Heart & Hustle, Tati sits down with her husband and co-host Travis to unpack the story he’s avoided telling for years. Travis explains why he used to keep his life off the internet before opening up about the man he calls his true dad, the father who taught him practical skills and presence between long stints on the road. At 19, Travis’ world split open: his dad died in a car accident, and overnight he became the steady adult for a grieving mother and two young nieces. The conversation explores money chaos at home, alcoholism, and the quiet decisions a teenager makes to become the grown-up in the room.You’ll hear how estrangement from extended family shaped his values and why he rejected the “that’s just how our family is” script. Travis talks about discovering chosen family, what a healthy holiday felt like for the first time, and how that vision now drives his own parenting. He then walks through launching a brick-and-mortar collectibles shop with his brother, learning business in real time, and the $400 pricing mistake that forged his operating standards. From there, Travis breaks down his signature edge-owner-level customer service-and shares the most outrageous insults he’s swallowed with a grin.

Tati and Travis fast-forward to meeting through a local restaurateur they both considered a mentor, moving in quickly with intention, and becoming parents. The episode dives into why they chose stay-at-home parenting, how side hustles buffered that choice, and the way COVID forced them to re-evaluate time, priorities, and business models. Travis explains stepping away from daily retail operations, tightening SOPs, collaborating respectfully with his brother, and building modern, location-flexible brands that don’t require him on the sales floor to work.

The through line is identity by decision: refusing to be a product of environment, choosing family over appearances, and designing work that supports fatherhood first. If you’ve ever wondered how to break generational patterns, leave a storefront without abandoning a dream, or build a business around micro-moments with your kids, this episode is your blueprint.