Exploring Pop-Up Events and Locked-In Retirement Accounts

Darryl:
I learned something new the other day.

René:
You're always acting like you're a know it all. That surprises me.

Darryl:
Well, I have this neighbor, really nice guy, but he's a flat earther.

René:
What the fuck is that? He just really believes.

Darryl:
He believes the earth is flat. And he is always trying to convince me of this.

René:
You should send him on a flight.

Darryl:
Well, that's the thing. I'm like, dude, I've seen photos from space. I own a globe, I've been on a plane. The earth is round, but it's all a government cover up to him. Anytime I ask, like, they're just covering up. They're using Photoshop for this stuff. And I've asked him, why have I never seen photos of the edge of the flat earth?

René:
Where is the end?

Darryl:
Well, and that's the thing. He's like, oh, well, you know, we can't see it because it's very dangerous to where he would be to go. And I'm like, listen, I try to be nice to the guys. So what I do is I try to just end the conversation. I say things like, you know, I know. You don't know the answer. I don't know the answer either. Maybe sometime we'll circle back to this circle, you know? And then I say, see you around or catch you on the flip side.

René:
Fell into your trap. You're such an ass.

Darryl:
This is taming the hustle or something of the sorts.

Darryl:
It's a true story. He's 100% a flat earther. He's a sweet guy. I don't know. I know the flat earthers. They're good people.

René:
You should come out to the mountains with me. Not very flat out there. So please tell me we're not talking about flat Earth all day. What do you got in the roster today there, brother?

Darryl:
I constantly preach about thinking outside the box when it comes to promoting products or services and connecting with your clients.

René:
And I love you for it.

Darryl:
Yeah. And today I want to chat about pop up events.

René:
Oh, cool.

Darryl:
Yeah.

René:
Didn't we talk about this with Candace from Bush Beard about pop ups? That's awesome. Bring it on, man.

Darryl:
Well, you've seen them, you've heard about them. It's an empty space one day, and then for a few days or a few weeks, it's a pop up shop. Right? But I want to dive in a little deeper before you or anyone else listening says, well, that won't work for my business.

René:
Well, before you get into your topic.

Darryl:
Daryl, did I do that?

René:
I want to tell you that the most expensive pop ups that I've lived my life are Lululemon pop ups when Megan's around, because it gets very expensive with Lululemon pop ups. So they work.

Darryl:
They do work. They work.

René:
They definitely work.

Darryl:
There are some people who have no idea what I'm talking about. They're like, what is a pop up event? Well, it's simple.

René:
That's not a mini erection where you pitch in a tent, by the way.

Darryl:
No, it's not an erection. I've called that a pop up event before. That's a second date with my wife.

René:
Did it work for you?

Darryl:
Yeah. You know what it was great for marketing. Sale got made.

René:
I made a sale.

Darryl:
So it's a dynamic marketing strategy that has the power to revolutionize your brand's visibility. Right. So whether you're a boutique clothing store, a local baker, a tech startup, an accountant, a brick and mortar store, I don't give a shit what you are. Hosting pop up events in unconventional locations can breathe life into your marketing efforts. It's really about breaking free from the confines of traditional marketing and the traditional location of your business and bringing it to a new spot.

René:
You're using way too fancy words for this podcast.

Darryl:
Okay, so what I'm saying is take your business and go somewhere else.

René:
I've seen this from real estate agents too.

Darryl:
Oh for sure.

René:
Where all of a sudden they're in a mall, but they're like at such a predominant spot in the mall, like you have to stop and talk to them.

Darryl:
Yeah.

René:
And all of a sudden you're interested because you're seeing all these properties in your area and it's like, oh man, that's super cool.

Darryl:
Well, that's the thing. The first part is the strategic location. Right. So when you're putting together this pop up event, you have to think beyond where you would normally do business because that's the whole allure to the pop up event, is that it's in a unique spot.

René:
Yeah don't set up a sex toy pop up in front of a catholic church, for example.

Darryl:
No, no. Actually you probably do pretty good business wise coming from a kind of former Catholic here.

René:
That's right.

Darryl:
I think it would work. But consider those high traffic areas like parks or community centers, or even partnering and hold on to your hat complimentary businesses. So for example, say you're a fitness apparel brand. You could collaborate with local gym for a pop up event. Tap into the audience they already have that's interested in health and wellness.

René:
No kidding. When we go to these shows with Megan, when she's doing her figure competitions, there's all sorts of pop ups. And it's like, health food, apparel, fucking equipment. Like, everything in that industry is there.

Darryl:
And when I say, yeah, okay, so the fitness apparel at the local gym or a show, it is a pop up event. But let's take it to a different level. Let's say you're that fitness apparel company and I want to take your business. What's your tagline, René?

René:
Live well today while planning to live well tomorrow.

Darryl:
Exactly. So if I'm a fitness brand and I know your tagline, maybe I ask you, I go to you, and I say, hey, the last Friday of every month, can I host a pop up at your office?

René:
I love it.

Darryl:
Or maybe it's outside in the summer in the parking lot.

René:
I love it.

Darryl:
Maybe it's every last Friday of the month, you're hosting a wellness thing in your parking lot. And it's fitness apparel. It's a yoga class. There's protein shakes, whatever.

René:
Rotary park next door to our building is a beautiful venue, and we're trying to find the right yoga instructor to do yoga in the park. Can you imagine? Have pop ups with that? That's awesome.

Darryl:
And that's the thing. You are a certified financial planner. I'm saying you could host a pop up event, which does generate more business. And the marketing aspect of this is huge. But you don't have to go out and be like, let's talk about your future and your portfolio. No, it's nothing to do with that. Your service is your service. And you are going to mention that you are there, but you're not fucking creating portfolios during a yoga class.

René:
What are the underlying assets in your TFSA, ma'am?

Darryl:
While someone's asses in your face.

René:
Ass-cuse me, I would like to ass-k you a question. I ass-ume you know what is in your TFSA.

Darryl:
Oh, my God. Now this is going to sound. Just because of what we just said, this is all going to sound so dirty, and it's not meant to be. You need to incorporate interactive elements like live demonstrations or product tastings or hands on workshops. I know it sounds bad, but that's not what I mean. Let me give you an example. You are a homemade soap company. You could offer DIY soap making workshops at the pop up, right? I'm not saying to do anything to the yoga instructor.

Darryl:
Please leave her alone. She's a nice person with a family.

René:
But on a serious note, these things are genius ideas that could really help. I mean, it just. It helps broaden your horizon because you're going to expose yourself to a different audience that you're accustomed to. Right.

Darryl:
100%. And make it relevant to your business. Like, the reason this fitness thing works so well with your brand is because your tagline is live well today while planning to live well tomorrow.

René:
Yeah. Or a health food store. Right. Or a restaurant that cooks only with local ingredients from local farmers, and they source all that stuff locally. And naturally, there's just so many opportunities. You know what? I'm a foodie, Darryl, and I just love a great food experience. I'd love to have a little coffee shop inside my office. Because the live well today while planning to live well tomorrow complements, like, organic coffee beans and in house made treats that would go well with a nice cup of coffee on your way to work.

Darryl:
Exactly.

René:
And it's just like, it's not that I need a side gig. I mean, we work our asses off to build the empire that we've built over the last 25 years, but there's just so much that goes with live well today while planning to live well tomorrow that these pop up events could be just about anywhere, and you just have to pair up with the right people.

Darryl:
Well, the thing is, is it shows that you give a shit about your clients.

René:
Yeah.

Darryl:
It shows the things that you do.

René:
And your purpose !

Darryl:
Yeah. And so that's why these pop events, they need to be strategically planned and make sense for your company. But it works for every business on the planet. Everyone can have a pop up shop somewhere. If you just think outside the box, what works for me? Right. Well, the next part about this whole pop up thing is you need to market the fuck out of it, right? AmpLIFy buzz through social media. And the thing here is, okay, how many times? Doesn't matter. The business, your friends and family kind of promote you, but barely at all.

René:
Yeah, like, never.

Darryl:
Right?

René:
Just the way it is.

Darryl:
But if you host an exciting pop up event and you send it to your friends and family and be like, can you share this if you want, and they think it's cool, guess what? They're going to fucking share it. It's that simple. And when I say, have it exciting, maybe that's some sneak peeks. Maybe it's behind the scene footage of you getting it all together. Whatever it is, maybe it's an exclusive offer that you're going to offer to these people if they come to this thing, whatever it is, get people to share it. Encourage the attendees to share it when they're there. Right. If it's a three day or four day or two week, whatever it is, have people share.

Darryl:
Use branded hashtags. Right?

René:
Yeah, for sure.

Darryl:
It just extends the reach of your event beyond the physical location.

René:
And I know this was a goofy episode when we started talking about this, Darryl, but this is so impactful. This is fucking. This is music to my ears.

Darryl:
It's goofy because that's the thing. These pop up events bring out the best in people. It brings out the energy and life in everything in your business.

René:
Maybe you're onto something.

Darryl:
You know, I just think I am.

René:
How about you just live well today while planning to live well tomorrow and do a pop up event today?

Darryl:
Sounds good to me. We'll be right back.

Darryl:
Are you gonna. You're gonna have a mom and pop up shop?

René:
Yeah, I am. I am. I love it.

Darryl:
So what are you talking about today?

René:
I got the world's most boring topic after that one.

Darryl:
Ah, that's good.

René:
Locked in retirement accounts.

Darryl:
This one's important, though.

René:
Super important. Super misunderstood, super easy to demystify. So I hope that I shed a little bit of light on this topic. Okay, so locked in retirement accounts. Pension regulations vary a little bit from province to province, but for the most part, it's very similar. So we'll use the province of Ontario again, because they're the largest province in the country, but pretty much everywhere the same. So a locked in retirement account is money that comes from the provincial pension board. So the Ontario pension Board will regulate pensions that are set up with employers across the province.

René:
And when you leave your employer. So it's really rare now that you stay with one employer your entire career. Yeah, there are some. Like, let's say you're a registered nurse, and even though you go from hospital to hospital, you'll still. You be part of the H.O.O.P. pension, which is Hospitals of Ontario Pension Plan. Or if you're a teacher and you're part of O.T.I.P., you may go from school board to school board, but it's all the same pension with the province of Ontario.

Darryl:
Gotcha.

René:
And if you switch provinces, it's still fine. You can still move your pension over, but let's say, like, particularly for the private sector, not so much for public, is that you leave an employer and you end up with this locked in retirement account. So the LIRA is proceeds of a pension once you've left the employer. Okay, so essentially it's the same thing as an RSP, except it has some handcuffs. You're limited to your redemptions and you're limited on the amount of redemptions you can take at retirement in terms of minimums and maximums.

Darryl:
Yeah.

René:
So let's say as an example, you had 500,000 in a locked in retirement account and you retired, you'd be limited to a certain percentage that you can take when you turn 55, because typically you can't take any money out of your LIRA until you're 55 or older. People seem to think it's 65. It's not. It's 55. So once you're 55, you can start drawing from your LIRA and you're limited to a minimum. And you're limited to a maximum. Where it gets a little bit complicated and where people really need to understand is that in 2007, in the province of Ontario particularly, is that they give you an unlocking provision. This unlocking provision, again, is across most provinces, you just have to check with your certified financial planner in the province that you work with.

René:
But in Ontario in 2007, they allowed you to unlock 50% of your LIRA when you decide to start drawing an income. Okay, so the significance is this. Let's say you work for a pulp paper mill.

Darryl:
Oh, right.

René:
You make 120,000 a year and you decide, or you had the opportunity or you had the luxury of working with one employer your entire life and you made some good coin and you've got a million dollars in your group RRSP. When you leave your employer and you retire, you've got a million bucks and it's all in a locked in retirement account because it's regulated by the Ontario pension Board.

Darryl:
Yeah.

René:
Which means that you'd be limited, let's say, in any particular year, five and a quarter percent.

Darryl:
Okay.

René:
So that would mean that you could only earn 52,500 in that particular year. The way the formula is designed with the pension board is the formulas designed that you're going to run out of money at age 90. So the percentage that you can take out annually, which is determined on the 1st January of every year, increases based on your age. But presumably the capital balance, like the balance of your account, is going to be reduced because you're going to be slowly eroding your principal.

Darryl:
Okay.

René:
So the formula says we're going to make sure that the formula accounts that you're going to run out of money at age 90 as if it was a traditional pension plan, like HOOP, OMERS or OTIP. So the problem lies is that if you work for that pulp and paper mill your whole life and all of your resources, all your eggs in one basket, and you have a million dollars in a LIRA, is you may need more money than 52,500 per year to live because you've been accustomed to living off of $100,000 a year your whole life, right? So the government recognized this, and in 2007 they decided, well, we're going to allow Canadians living in Ontario with their Ontario pension plan to unlock 50% of their pension. What that means is you're not putting 500,000 in your pocket. What you're doing is you're taking the handcuffs away.

Darryl:
Okay?

René:
So what happens is we convert the LIRA into a LIF. So a LIRA stands for Locked in Retirement Account. LIF stands for Life Income fund.

Darryl:
Okay?

René:
So it's like converting a savings plan to an income plan similar to the RSP, which is registered retirement savings plan, to the RIF, which is registered retirement income fund. So you convert your savings account to an income account. So then once you've converted your LIRA to a LIF, you have 90 days to unlock 50% of that and put it back into a regular RRSP. You can cash it in if you want, but you're going to pay a boatload of tax on $500,000. It would be as if you had earned 500,000 in the year and you'll be left with, say, 300,000 because you're going to have to pay tax on that. So the unlocking provision then allows you to have half of your money in a LIF. Then we would just take the maximum LIF per year with the same formula. That will mean that you're going to run off money at age 90.

René:
But then the other 500,000 gives you a little bit of wiggle room. It allows you to take more than that 52,500 per year, which will allow you to say, in the earlier years, maybe spend 70,000 a year while you're young, active and healthy, where you may want to travel more, you may want to be a snowbirder, because you can get travel insurance, etc., etc. And then in the later years, you may run out of the Rif resources, where you just have the locked in portion left, but by then you're 74, 75, and you're less willing and able to travel, and you're okay with less income. So the government actually had a great idea when they set this up in 2007 to allow us to unlock 50% of that. But the difficulty in kind of running through that whole process is where you really need a certified financial planner, because it's not impossible to do. It's not extremely difficult where you need a neuroscientist to do this. Yeah, but it is some extra steps where it's a lot easier to handle than when you're trying to do it yourself. So you have your LIRA, which is regulated by Ontario pension laws, because you accumulated that through a pension plan with your employer, and then you left your employer, and you took the commuted value, and now you're managing that yourself, and it's got a pile of handcuffs.

René:
And you want to make sure that you free up those handcuffs as much as possible so that you have more flexibility in retirement with that million dollars that you've accumulated rather than being limited for your entire retired life. 52,500. Because keep in mind, if you've done a shitty job at investing and you have some bad years in the market, even though your percentage of withdrawals allowed on January 1 of that particular year, based on your income, if your investment return is in the negative now, you're reducing your ability to draw an income, and your 52,005 might be 47,000, and all of a sudden, you're seeing a decrease in your retirement income. So making sure that you execute this properly, because this is a one time deal. Remember, Darryl? So if you do not unlock your LIF within 90 days of converting your LIRA into a LIF, you are fucked for the rest of your life.

Darryl:
That's crazy.

René:
It is crazy, but it's pension laws, and you have to follow the rules, and you have no choice.

Darryl:
Yeah, yeah.

René:
Now, the next thing is, if it's federally regulated pension plans. Okay, so let's say you work for the military.

Darryl:
I'd be a decorated sergeant, by the way.

René:
Yeah, well, you know, being a colorful character doesn't make you a decorated.

Darryl:
Oh, I thought you just. If I make a couple jokes, I get some badges.

René:
Yeah. No, no, you're a colorful character, but, yeah. All right, so you've worked for service Canada or Stats Canada, and you've had a really fruitful career as a public servant. And you retire if you decide to take the commuted value. You have the same problem if you leave before retirement. So let's say you leave a stats can and you go into the private sector, and you're 48 and you take the commuted value and you invest that with your investment advisor. You then are subject to the same rules. However, the significant difference that people need to remember is that in a provincially regulated pension plan, okay, so you and Erin, as an example, you've accumulated your million dollars in your owners pension and you left, and you have that amount of money.

René:
Or you worked for the private sector and you have a million dollars in that pulp and paper mill.

Darryl:
Yeah.

René:
If you pass away, then of course, Erin inherits all of your money because you named her as beneficiary. But what happens with the provincially regulated pension plan is it becomes unlocked, which means that you have full access to it as a regular RSP. So your million dollar LIRA then goes to Erin as an RSP. So if she decided to cash the whole thing in and buy a Lamborghini, she could.

Darryl:
Yeah, she's always been saying, I'm worth more dead than alive.

René:
Yeah, that's because. That's because she's got. She's got her eye out for the pool boy. That's why. Wishful thinking, Erin Darryl's not going anywhere. However, with the federally regulated a LIRA. Okay, so they don't call it a locked in retirement account LIRA. They call it a locked in RSP.

René:
Is that at death? It still remains locked into second death. Okay, so if you have a million dollars, because you work for Stats Canada and you took the commuted value of that federal pension, and you pass away, Erin inherits a locked in RRSP, and it remains locked in for her as well. And the formula remains the same so that it expires at age 90. So when you're doing some financial planning on how you're going replace your income in retirement with the basket of goods that you have, your locked in assets could have a really, like, I would say, a significant impact in your ability to retire with the income that you're accustomed to, because you'll be subject to those handcuffs. Even if you pass away, your spouse will be subject to the same rules if it's a federally regulated pension plan. So you may be fucked. Like, you know, someone thinking, oh, I've got a million bucks, I'm golden. But if you're only limited to taking out 5% and you can't live off 50 grand a year, you're fucked, right?

Darryl:
Yeah, no kidding.

René:
So you have to have an understanding of how your investments are registered so that you know exactly how you're going to have the ability to spend that money in retirement. And having a good, solid plan with someone who knows what they're doing is really, really important.

Darryl:
This is one of the times I really don't like handcuffs.

René:
Yeah, yeah. It's like the ones that are handcuffing your wrists, but there's also a chain handcuffing your ankles.

Darryl:
I have a funny feeling these handcuffs aren't fluffy.

René:
Yeah, that's right. Have real keys. Yeah, yeah.

René:
No safe word.

René:
There's no safe word attached with a LIRA, let's be clear. So anyway, speak with your certified financial planner, have a chat with your trusted person, and make sure that you have a thorough understanding of how your investments are registered. So you have a thorough understanding of how you have the ability to structure your income in retirement to make sure that you don't feel poor, because you could really, in theory, have a ton of money and have limited annual income because you don't have access to that money because of those handcuffs. And you want to know that in advance. You don't want to know that after you told your boss to go fuck himself. Right, exactly. So having a good handle on your investments and what type of investment accounts you have is crucial.

Darryl:
Well, I am talking to my certified financial planner. I don't want. You just told me to talk to him, he's right here.

René:
You're good, you're good, you're good. You've been self employed most of your life. You have no LIRAs, and you're golden gold. Erin, on the other hand, is going to have a fruitful retirement with her OTIP pension.

René:
So, if Erin dies, is, you know, a topic for another day, but you're going to have a survivor pension from OTIP as well. And you'll get a minimum of 66 and two thirds of her pension.

Darryl:
Yeah Erin! Who's worth more dead than alive now?

René:
Well, actually, and, you know, again, it's topic for another day. But that is also very problematic to a lot of our clients, where the biggest risk is the one with the monster pension dying early.

Darryl:
Okay.

René:
Because imagine if your savings is just enough to replace your income and her pension replaces her income, but if she dies young, you're only getting 66 and two thirds of her pension. There would potentially be a shortfall there. So sometimes we have to make the pensioner stay alive forever as a fail safe, which is something that we can't control because we are not God. We can't play God.

Darryl:
Well, that's what bubble wraps for.

René:
So LIRA's. Locked in retirement accounts when they're federally regulated, they are locked in RSPs, two different products, two different sets of rules. Provincially regulated pension plans could typically be unlocked after age 55, where you get to unlock 50% of it to get rid of some of those handcuffs. So you're, like, half out of jail, and then your federally regulated pension plans are locked in even after your death, and are locked in until after the second death of the couple. Very important facts. Very boring and dry material.

Darryl:
I said it was boring. We talked about handcuffs. No burning retirement. If anything, you got me more excited than ever.

René:
Yeah. What should we have as our lifestyle topic after that one today?

Darryl:
Well, probably BDSM. We'll be right back.

René:
Oh, yeah, baby.

Darryl:
So I want to talk about making new friends. No offense.

René:
Oh, fuck you, too

Darryl:
But I have a bit of a predicament. Okay. So I have a neighbor. It's a husband and wife couple. They live, like, four houses down.

Darryl:
It's not the flat earther. And they've lived there for, like, three years now. But honestly, I think I've seen them maybe twice in three years. I've never met them. I've never said anything to them. I've tried to wave, but they were going in their car. They kind of live around the bend a little bit. But here's the thing.

Darryl:
Everyone on our block talks about this couple and how nice they are, how fun they are to hang out with. And somehow, like, me and my wife have never met this couple. And so I was thinking about it, because I'm like, oh, they sound so great. I'd love to hang out with them sometime. How do I go up to them at this point 3 years later and be like, hi, it's nice to meet you. Yeah, we just live right there. We've been neighbors for three years. We've never spoken.

Darryl:
Is it too late. Is it too late to make friends with these people? Like, you are the social butterfly. You make friends with everybody. How do you deal with somebody in your neighborhood that you just found out is nice and everyone loves?

René:
I would already know if they're nice and lovely.

Darryl:
I know.

René:
I know, because I am a social butterfly. But if it just happened that I had never met them before, I'd figure it away. If you see them, if you happen to see them out when you're out for a walk or you see them in their front yard or even in the backyard, you just give a little rap at the fence. That doesn't have to be awkward. You know what? We've talked about this in prior podcasts is finding commonality. Like, I am convinced that it doesn't matter your color, your gender, your ethnic background, where you grew up, what your upbringing was. You can find something in common with someone. That's how I connect with people is I talk my way into figuring out what they like.

René:
Oh, they like biking. Oh, they like music.

Darryl:
But so far, because we've never talked to them, the only thing we have in common is we go outside every once in a while and get in our cars.

René:
Yeah.

Darryl:
That's all I got. So you drive to work, too, huh? Yeah.

René:
Maybe you have to find another friend. Or you just walk over and introduce yourself and then just start conversation. Say, fuck, you know what? What I would do if that was the case.

Darryl:
Yeah. Tell me.

René:
If I had a chance to see them, I would find a chance to see them. And I'm like, hey, I'm at, uh. I'm at so and so on George street. And I can't believe that you've been living here for three years. We've never met, and, like, I'm outside fucking every day. Yeah. And I'm in and out of my driveway a thousand times, and we've never met. I'm René Boudreault.

René:
Nice to meet you, man. What do you do for a living?

Darryl:
I'm gonna do that exact thing. I'm not gonna say I'm René Boudreault. I'll say I'm Darryl Boulley instead, but pretty much the exact same thing.

René:
That could help or harm you. Yeah, that could help or harm you.

Darryl:
But that's the thing. Like, I think about this is, like, as an adult, how do you make new friends? Like, I have a couple friends that have moved to a new city, and they work in an office, literally alone. Like, no coworkers, no nothing, and they become hermits. And I'm like, you got to get out there. You got to meet people.

René:
It is tough. For me, I was fortunate because my father is super, super social, and my mom has a very social personality. She says she's an introvert, but she's very social.

Darryl:
Yeah.

René:
So it comes kind of natural to me. But you know what? You just gotta, like, I'll meet people in elevators.

Darryl:
Yeah, exactly.

René:
When we were out in our new place in BC, we knew absolutely no one at the time, and it just. It takes no time at all where, like, the next thing you know, you've got neighbors over, and you're having wine and cheese on the deck and you're just getting to know them. And then they tell you about the next neighbor, and then the next time you see that neighbor, you introduce yourself and all of a sudden you're just part of that community. Right?

Darryl:
Like when I was scouting in the hockey world and I would travel town to town and I'd go to restaurants by myself and I'd meet people. And then as iPhones and stuff like that came a little more predominant in our society.

René:
What do you mean a little?

Darryl:
Yeah. No kidding?

René:
Yeah.

Darryl:
But I would go into a restaurant and yes, I would sit alone at, say, the bar and eat lunch and other people be there alone. And you get talking now. You pull up at those bars and everyone's faces in their phone and you're like, how do I even start a conversation? You're not like, it's just so awkward.

René:
You know what? I didn't prep for this conversation at all because it's just one of those chats, you just wing it. But the first thing that comes to mind is that I was in Toronto last January, maybe. My father was having brain surgery. So I love going to Rodney's Oyster Bar. I love oysters. I'll eat a hundred fucking oysters. So of course when you're by yourself, you sit at the oyster bar and you have a cocktail and you talk to the oyster guys.

René:
They're shucking in front of you and stuff. So this woman was sitting just a couple of benches down and it was fairly quiet night. So I just scoot over and say, you mind if I join you? And, like, right away I mentioned, like, I'm married, I've got kids. I wasn't looking at hitting on her. I just wanted to have companionship and meet a new person. Like, I find that so energizing to meet a new person.

Darryl:
Oh, shucks, that sounds so nice.

René:
So she. Yeah, nice. Nice.

Darryl:
Good, dad joke.

René:
So she was a western kid too, and she was a stunt double. Oh, like, yeah, like a beautiful woman who was like a stunt double in race cars and doing all sorts of crazy stunts and shit. Like, it was so interesting to meet this person. It was just. It was only because we were both at the oyster bar and she was by herself. And I'm like, fuck. Who are you, man? Tell me about yourself. Why are you here? And.

René:
And I told her my story about my dad, and it was just. That's it.

René:
We didn't even have the rest of our meal together. We had appetizers and a cocktail and we spent maybe an hour together got to know this person. All of a sudden you're following each other on instagram. I still follow her and see what she's doing with her acting career as a stunt double. And. Yeah, it's the humanizing factor, dude.

Darryl:
It is.

René:
And you have it in you. When I'm out with you, it's right in you, man. Sometimes when I. We're walking down wherever, whether it's downtown or at a restaurant, and I'll fucking start chatting with someone, I'm like, Darryl just needs the, he just needs.

Darryl:
The little tap on the butt.

René:
He needs the little in. And once that little. Once the little window opens, I was like, oh, you can't stop this little fucker.

Darryl:
Yeah, I know.

René:
It's, so how do you make new friends? Is you can't be afraid of the awkwardness because the awkwardness is there for such a short time when you. You find some commonality in, you know, like, commonality with this person was, you know, she. She lived with her brother because she was always on the road and she just loved her nephew and I love kids. Right. So you just got. You get talking about family dynamics and all of that stuff. It's. It's astounding, the interesting conversations you can have with a complete stranger when you let your guards down.

René:
And you. You are not afraid of the awkwardness of meeting new people. And breaking the ice can be awkward, but it's usually very fruitful because it's very stimulating to meet new people.

Darryl:
Oh, for sure.

René:
That's a big part of what fuels me.

Darryl:
Yeah. Like, I don't know. I feel like when I was younger, I was less shy and it was easier to just open up and talk to anybody and anybody but.

René:
Cause you didn't care as a kid, now you care. You think about shit. What are they gonna think about me? Is this gonna be weird?

Darryl:
No, I know.

René:
That's baggage, man. Get rid of it.

Darryl:
I'm your baggage.

René:
But I have to say, though, even for myself, who? I don't feel I've ever really struggled with this.

Darryl:
Yeah.

René:
Mind you, you know what? In school, I wasn't the coolest kid. It wasn't the easiest to fucking make friends. It's not like I was Mr. Popular.

Darryl:
You wore a suit to school. I don't even know how I became your friend.

René:
It's when I stopped giving a fuck and I realized who I am as a person, and I was comfortable with that. And I didn't let anyone else compromise who I am. I am who I am. Fuck if you don't like me. I'm going to try to get you to like me because I hope everyone does, but if you can't, it's only because we're just not a good fit in terms of, you know, friends.

Darryl:
Yeah. Yeah.

René:
But I truly find that this whole, and we talked about this in one of the episodes when we had John Gilmore on, is when do we stop using the pandemic as an excuse? But I truly do find that the pandemic has made people more introverted, and more difficult to approach where people are more comfortable staying home, doing their own thing. Because it's easy, it's safe, it's less awkward. Whereas we were kind of forced to be interactive and we were more forced to be social. Now more people are working from home.

Darryl:
Right.

René:
Like you're saying you work in an office by yourself that is working from home.

Darryl:
Yeah, exactly.

René:
Like, it's the weird stuff.

Darryl:
It's the.

René:
Yeah, you've got smells in the office because someone's cologne or perfume. It's exactly. It's just all of the stuff that forces you to deal with the human race on its own. You're then in this fucking bubble, and you only get to see that person's backdrop. And half of the time they fucking blur it out. Right. So you don't really get to know them.

Darryl:
Right.

René:
Sometimes you get people walking like, whoa, he's a smoker. Oh, no, they just fucking had McDonald's for breakfast or, oh, my God, that person's got coffee breath. They love black coffee. Yeah. Like there's a humanizing factor to making new friends. I don't think that it's very easy to make new friends online, you know, through fucking Zoom or a chat or whatever. But I guess it happens. It's just not in me.

Darryl:
Yeah, same. Well, thanks for the advice. Next time I see the neighbor, I will approach them.

René:
Just introduce yourself. The awkwardness goes away, like, in 2 seconds.

Darryl:
I know. I just feel so bad it's been three years.

René:
There you go. That's your opening. Say, you know what? I feel so bad it's been three years, and I've never come over to welcome you. I've heard so much about you, and I don't even know who you are. My name is Darryl. I have a lovely family down the street. And you know what? It'd be really great to have you guys over for a cocktail at some point.

Darryl:
I'll tell you what, that'll do it. And if I get punched in the face?

René:
If you get punched in the face? You didn't do it right. If you. If you get punched in the face when I go to Toronto next, I'm going to go at your house and we're going to go reintroduce ourselves to the neighbor. I might do it without you, just as a test. And if I don't get punched in the face? Then you did something wrong.

Darryl:
Well listen, anybody listening today, know we are friends. Approach us. And I won't approach you until you give me the okay.

René:
And I'm a hugger. I'm a. I'm a frenchman and I'm a hugger. And you're gonna get a hug from me.

Darryl:
I like hugs. We don't have to hug now. That'd be awkward.

René:
No! And I'm not feeling your heartbeat. Fuck that noise.

Darryl:
Listen, we'll see you guys next time.

René:
Thanks, man. And thanks for tuning in, everyone. We appreciate you.

Darryl:
Definitely. We'll see you all next time.