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You're listening to the Radcast, a top 25 worldwide business podcast. If it's radical, we cover it.

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Here's your host, Ryan Alford. Hey, guys, Ryan Alford here, host of the Radcast. I am pumped for this episode, and you should be, too. We've had some of the coolest, baddest, most amazing women on the Radcast the last couple of years. And we want to aggregate it all for you. Some of the best of our baddest women in business sports and everything else.

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These women are spectacular. They're kicking ass and taking names and you need to take their names. We got Christina Ferrari. We got Tracy Doos, reality TV star, Heidi Montag. We've got the number two UFC fighter in the world in the women's division, Raquel Pennington. And of course the lovely Heidi Cortez. I'm going to let them introduce themselves.

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So much good knowledge, so much good insight for any entrepreneur at any level or any business person or anyone just wanting to know good habits for how to get ahead. So much great content all brought together in the one of the best of Radcast editions. I know you're going to love it. I loved it. You know where to find us to Radcast.com. Enjoy. We're talking water today, talking H2O, talking the Queen of Elixirs, talking Tracy Doos. What's up, Tracy?

01:33
What's up, Ryan? We're talking black and blue in the face. Raquel Pennington. Welcome to the show. Yeah. Thanks for having me. A charming woman that I was excited to talk to and she might not have no why, but we're going to get into that. But Christina Ferrari, great. Great to have you on the show. Thank you. I'm so excited to be on the show. I don't want to call this part two, uh, with, uh, with miss Heidi Montag.

01:59
Thank you. Thank you so much for having me. Excited for an interesting journey today with Heidi Cortez. What's up, Heidi? Hey, what's up? Thanks for having me, Ryan. Hey, my pleasure. Let's start from the beginning. I know our 40 minute podcast, we could only, we could just talk about your accolades and everything you've done, but let, let's, let's at least set the stage for everybody. I guess you're condensed life story. I, you know, I don't want to, I don't want to shortchange it, but you know, I do want to build.

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towards today and talk more about your recent books, which was where I saw some connection points. But let's at least tell everybody more about you if they haven't already heard. There's probably a lot of our listeners that have heard of you, a lot of executives that we work with, but I'd love to talk a little bit about your story. Well, I've always been an entrepreneur. Since I was a child, I started doing businesses at 12. By 13, I was lying about my age to get jobs because when you're...

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13, you can't really, you can't get a work license or a business license. And when I was 13, I used my sister's birth certificate and social security card to get a job and pretend that I was her. And I got a job at Ross, Ross Dress for Less. Her name's Courtney. So I had a name tag that said Courtney. I was working the registers during the holiday season for like $4 and 75 cents an hour. And I was so happy to have that job because we were really poor growing up.

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I was very underprivileged, grew up with a single mom, older sister, younger brother. And we were loved a lot, but we didn't have any money. We grew up on like eating beans all the time and lentils. And if we wanted to have nicer things in life or clothes or things like that, my mom really encouraged us to get a job. So my mom knew what I was doing about using my sister's birth certificate and social security card and getting a job at Ross.

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And I held down the job for several months until my sister got mad at me and called them and told them that I was her little sister who stole her wallet. But she was such a business person and entrepreneur too, that she was charging me every week to use her name. I would say if I had to say how I got the most successful is probably through ignorance is bliss, you know? Just not really taking no for an answer. When I was a little girl, my dad would tell me, just dream, anything's possible.

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So as I was growing up, I just thought, you know, if you just like work really hard, you can have whatever you want. So I just kept driving and pushing and it worked. Definitely worked. It became, I got all the things I wanted, became what I wanted to be. But it's interesting because I don't think like what one person's definition of success is isn't someone else's. So my definition of success has changed.

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my life. When I was younger, I thought success would be if I had the money, the house, the cars, the lifestyle, the trips. But now my idea of success is how connected are my relationships? How connected am I am to myself, to divine, to God? How healthy am I? Am I enjoying life? Am I waking up in the morning with peace, with joy, with excitement? That's my...

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higher definition of success now. Yeah, you know, I mean, I've always been an athlete. I've been doing sports since I was five and kind of just, I never thought in a million years, I'd grow up to be a professional fighter, but guess that's what I'm destined to do. And, you know, I started in the sport in 2010. And then in 2012, I believe it was, I made my pro debut. And, you know, the sport has been a journey. It's been a ride. It's fun. You get your highs, the highs and your lowest, the lows, but...

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Overall, I mean, for me, I've had the opportunity to where life has just like really set me up to where, I mean, I just straight focused on fighting and my life consists of waking up and go to the gym and having some lunch and focusing on nutrition and going back to the gym, getting some naps in and repeating five days a week. And then on the weekends, I just try to enjoy myself. So it's definitely a journey. Cleveland, Ohio, I was born there. I'm a good Midwestern girl.

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had, it was brought up there, so I had all the values of home and family. My parents were immigrants from Italy. Actually, my father was stationed in Italy. We moved to Cleveland, and by the time I was 14, my parents moved to Los Angeles. And then long story short, I came home from school one day, and my mother was having lunch with a new friend she made, and she said, your daughter is pretty. Have you ever thought of maybe perhaps modeling?

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So I ended up at the Nina Blanchard agency in Los Angeles, which is the equivalent to the Ford agency in New York. And I was 14 years old. And by the time I was 15, Max Factor put me under contract to them and I was their spokesperson for over 20 years, which is a very long lifespan in a model's life. But it ain't- Forever, isn't it? Well, I was actually living abroad in Italy in my junior year of high school and I didn't want to go back.

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to high school. So instead of having a senior year of high school, I ended up having a freshman year of college. And I ended up meeting Lauren Conrad there. And she was like, oh, I'm on this show called the Gunna Beach. And I was like, that is so cool. Great. Because there was a rumor that this girl was on MTV that was there, but it hadn't aired, so none of us knew. And her and I had become best friends, and then she told me about that. And then I lived with her over the summer.

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And then she said, hey, I'm gonna have my own for like a month in the summer. She said, I'm gonna have my own show. I really want you to be on it. I wanna move to LA with you. The producers actually didn't want me on. They're like, no, we want Lauren moving to LA by herself and we need this whole struggle with her in the city. And she's like, no, I'm not living alone and I'm not gonna live with a stranger and I want my best friend there. So her and I filmed season one. I met Spencer in between season one and season two.

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and I fell in love with him. He fell in love with me too, but he was a little scared, so whatever. What's been like a struggle? I mean, you know, entrepreneur to entrepreneur, like what's been your biggest struggle running businesses and you know, like wherever you feel like you've grown the most, I mean, kind of a two-part message there. Okay. So first of all, my biggest struggle in life ever was being a teenage mom. My son is now a 22 Army veteran

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everybody thought I wasn't gonna make it. They're like, how are you gonna do this? But I was a 18 year old single mom and I pulled it off. I can't believe it. I moved down to LA with my son, just he and I, and we didn't know anybody and I pulled it off. I can't believe I made it happen, but that was by far the biggest struggle. I've never been married, so I've never been divorced, and I've just done everything on my own. And I think when people find that out and they're like, well,

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you know, maybe she had help or financial backing, and that wasn't my case. And so when they find out that I was also a young single mom, it makes it more relatable, and people can understand that that is a huge struggle to go through by yourself. So that, to answer your question, is my biggest struggle. What is my biggest struggle? Well, the thing is, is a lot of people are paralyzed when bad things happen to them, and they don't know what to do.

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I was never that kind of a person because I realized that I needed to move forward. And I also realized too, for me, I needed to be independent. I needed to make my own money. I needed to have my own freedom. And that gave me freedom. But the joy that I received from that I had having children and having my husband and the support of

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of my family, that just kept me going forward. I look at myself now at 71 years old and it's hard. I look at myself in the mirror and I got makeup on. You take all this off, this isn't so perfect. But it's okay, I'm okay with who I am as a person. And I believe that even though I am aging and I don't have that power anymore,

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My daughters have it now. I mean, it gives me great delight to sit back and watch them do that, you know. But they're like I am. They don't think of themselves that way. They're very much into the same things I was about family and cooking and home. Oh, that's true beauty. For me personally, like, obviously my job just isn't only just being in the gym and getting into the best shape possible and working on my technique and skill.

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For me, I mean, I have genetics and I come from a Hispanic family to where my job starts in the kitchen too. So, you know, I'm constantly working there. And then there's just some days that honestly, training gets so tough that my body, I mean, being 33 being an athlete since I was five, I've had crazy injuries. And then the injuries you sustain throughout fighting and throughout this career. I mean, living in Colorado, Colorado, I feel the aches and pains when that winter hits, you know? And so it's like.

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There's some days that I don't even want to move and it comes down to, you know, sometimes maybe twice a week I have to go to physical therapy and I'm getting dry needling, I'm getting massages. Um, I have a massage every week. I live in the chiropractor's office three days a week and I'm constantly doing something like that. Some days it consists of, you know, just go sitting in a steam room or a sauna. And it's not to cut weight or lose weight, but just to like relax the body. And, um, other times it'll be at home. And.

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taking a hot bath and then some days it's just, it's nonstop grinds. Like you have to listen to your body. So I take Saturday and Sunday off, but even with that, I'm super active so I'm constantly doing something. And this sport, like I said, it gives you the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. And it's tough when you're on a platform, it's tough when you're in the spotlight and when you're in the media and you have all these expectations to live up to. So not only do you have to work on your body physically, but you have to work on yourself mentally. And so I do sports psychology in there and it's just, it's nonstop.

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Yeah, absolutely. It was definitely us versus the world. And at a point, you know, we weren't talking to my family because we felt like they were going against us and not being supportive and his family. And so there have been so many times where it literally was just Spencer and I and it drove us closer together. And for a lot of people would have completely tore them apart, but being against all these producers and conglomerates, and it just made us such a tight, you know, unit. And so I think the hardest challenge for us was has actually been running Pratt Daddy.

12:57
I think that's been the hardest thing for us because it's such a constant. So when it's TV and when it's your own personalities, there's just not as much that you have to deal with with all these details and like continually being hit over the head with payroll and how much do we spend on this and how much do we spend on that? And it's hard because at first it was Spencer's company basically that he was doing and I had a newborn. I'm like, great, whatever, I'll just promo it. And now it's become both of us and I always have to be the bad cop with finances. And this is like, I don't wanna be that. I don't wanna have to.

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get into that. So I think our hardest challenge has been this company. What makes, where does this entrepreneurial drive come from? Like, you know, I know you talked about the early age and doing it, but like, you feel like it's like innate. I mean, it sounds like you're born that way on some level, but maybe the, I don't know. What does that, what generates that? I think a lot of it has to do with, you know, my mom's support of

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like allowing me to get jobs early. And no matter what I told my mom I wanted to do when I was a kid, she was like, "'Heidi, that's a great idea. "'Heidi, you should do that.'" And she never said no. She never said, you can't do this. And like I said, we were so broke and I was so underprivileged that I would dream about how I can be successful or how could I provide for my family someday. So I think that for me is where my drive comes from.

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but I couldn't think of it any other way. This is definitely my passion and to be relatable to other people that maybe have upbringings like me. I grew up in a very conservative family and I chose a different route. I was not a traditional, by the books person and I didn't wanna go to college and my family was very supportive the whole way through.

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So I just wanted to be like that. So I thought the way that I could be like that, I'm talking about when I was really little, like five, six, I thought I had to be in Hollywood to have that kind of lifestyle. So I always thought one day I wanna go to Hollywood and do that, but also I wanna help people. So how do I do both? So I thought, well, I'm gonna be an actress, but I'm also gonna be a doctor too. So when I was, I was,

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blessed with the opportunity of getting through high school in one year and started college at 15 and a half. And I wouldn't say that I was the most like genius kid or anything like that. I was just very driven. And my first semester of college, I think I started with 21 science units.

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had to go, I remember walking into the dean's office at 15 and saying, I want to do this. I want to become a doctor someday. I want to help people. And I don't, I don't want to waste any time. Will you sign this so that I can take all these units? And he's like, sure. And, and I did well. I got on the dean's list that year and I just pushed through. And that next summer, since my dad was a missionary, I got to go to

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an indigenous village in Guatemala and shadow a surgeon, just witnessed so many things, surgery, vaccinations, you name it. And it was really fun and it was the most eye-opening experience. One of the things that I took home with me that I never forgot was how precious water is. Exactly. Where do you gain...

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Who are your influences now? Like, you know, like where do you go for inspiration? And I don't know, what keeps Heidi happy? You know, I don't know, this might sound so cheesy, but my mom, she is like the sweetest, like, I mean, she's like the sweetest angel that ever lived. My mother is my inspiration. And I just think about how she was so loving and so supporting. And you know, I thought everybody's parents were like that.

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And when I got older and I realized that everybody else wasn't. So my mom, you know, she's my inspiration. I live for my mother. I live for my son. And, um, you know, those are people that, that I love and I aspire to be like. I used to think about the opportunity. One thing that my father instilled in me was like, anything you want to do or become, you can, and your, your greatest struggle is going to be figuring out what you want that to be.

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because once you decide it, it'll be, but you just need to figure, you know, figuring it out. I wanna help people, but I don't wanna cut people open and give them shots. That didn't resonate with my personal journey. So I thought, hmm, okay, I wanna help people, but how else can I help them? And the second thing was how precious water was and to be grateful for it, and that someday I wanna go back and help these people. You know, I was in school.

18:09
before my fight career really kicked off, I was going to school to be a doctor. And so like, I have a lot of schooling underneath me and I love learning. So, I mean, I don't care what age I am, like I'll go back to school and do different things. And I have a lot of like credentials under me when it comes to like physical training and all this other stuff. I love coaching. I love just being around the athletic world. I'm really into like physical therapy and recovery and all different things. And

18:38
You know, I want to open a gym. Uh, I was getting ready to open a gym and then COVID hit. So there's different things there. Um, I have a lot of investments and stuff for myself and whatnot. Like I'm always thinking about with like the future and everything. I love living in the present, but at the same time, like I do things after every fight or just in my daily life to set up my future. And so, um, you know, I mean, I want a family, I want kids, I want to be able to run around my lower rugrats and hang out, travel the world. So.

19:07
There's a lot there. Like, you know, people wake up and they honestly like, they have two struggles in life and like, it really sucks and we all go through things and everything. But like, my issue is I wake up and I'm like overwhelmed because I have like too many goals and too much ambition. And it's like frustrating to like sort through and calm myself down with. So those are things that I'm like working on. There's a lot in the works and I feel like whatever I put my mind to, it'll definitely happen.

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What, um, what advice do you give to people that want to get into the sport? Like, you know, it's probably universal. Well, it doesn't matter if it's a woman or a man, but on some level, I mean, I know there's some nuances, I'm sure, but I mean, what, how do you, uh, counsel people, I'm sure you get a lot of questions about that. Yeah. Everybody always asks. And you know, like, you're not going to have an answer for yourself until you try it. That's all you can do. So go out there and try them, put your best foot forward and have fun. And.

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You know, I tell them it's going to be highest to highs and lowest to lows, even in training, you're going to have people of all different skill levels. And, you know, at the end of the day, remain humble and have fun, have fun with whatever you're doing, but I mean, you're going to get in shape and remember why you're there, like don't set these like outrageous goals and expectations for yourself, like just embrace the journey and have fun with it every single day and let yourself grow. What's been your biggest learning lesson to date from running Pratt Daddy?

20:34
Oh my gosh. Is it just that overall complexity? Yeah, it's so hard and it's just a balance of spending as well. So we just deal with that every month because the more crystals you buy, the more money that you make, but then you can't be spending all of your money into inventory payroll being more efficient. I'm the one who always has to fire and hire basically. So that has never been a fun job. I get other really fun jobs, you know, like the, I'm the bad guy. So good cop.

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but I think also knowing your roles and some, I think that's been the biggest learning curve with Spencer and I am like sometimes I'm just gonna let him be like great and let him figure something else out and pick my battles with certain things. So I think just between us and kind of getting that going has been hard. Also, we've just done so much trial and error with a photographer and product placement. So trying to eliminate that.

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And I mean, gosh, it's just been so much. Tracy, how'd you get so damn successful? I think really being successful is being able to just connect with people and have fun with people and create community and show up and have a vision and those kinds of things. If you just keep showing up every day and you're faithful and you're fun and you're kind and you're honest, you're gonna go somewhere. So.

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And just do the things that light you up. They get you excited. We've all been given gifts that are unique to us. And it's not an accident. So the things that make you smile or light you up, chances are you're really good at that. You know, as you go through life and I look at my life as a book and chapters in a book, and each part is a learning part, and there are good things that happen to you along the way. I'm pretty, can I say?

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shitty things. Oh yes, please. This is the Radcast. Okay, okay. Christina. All right, I'm gonna go from live to these. I'm always trying to edit myself. Oh, please don't. No editing on the Radcast. Yes. And then, you know, you have to pick yourself up and move on because life is a series of events and, you know, good stuff, bad stuff, and, you know, that's how I conducted my life. I know, it's been obvious. Like, I see that.

22:58
from what I've read and from afar, and it's what I admired about you, is it seemed like you're a damn fighter. Like, where does that come from? I've heard that you've told three or four different stories, but out of every single one of them, it's a theme coming through. And I always ask people, like, because not everyone is that way. Especially in today's society, since everyone kind of goes the other way, where did that come from? Oh, I'm Italian, number one. Okay, all right, it starts there.

23:28
Um, you know what, I don't know where that really comes from. It just, I know that it's always served me well, but my, my girls call this side of me, Christina Panari, that's their life evil twin. It's like whatever somebody, you know, backs me up or if I have to do something that the mom, you know.

23:51
Christina Panari came out today and I had to assert myself in order to get what it was that I needed. And they said, you know, it works. They used to get frightened every time they saw Christina come out and they would leave. But I think it's just a survival mode that I've always had because I enjoy.

24:12
everything I do. And like if you'd ask me like now, if you could go back and change one thing, would you change it? And I would say no, absolutely not. I don't sense that in you. That's why I wasn't even gonna ask that. I don't sense. Ask yourself that. I know, but I don't, I don't know. I don't sense that you'd change anything, but I have, because I feel like you've learned and you've rebounded. Like if you were someone that dwelled, which I don't sense in you, like I might ask that, but I could tell you don't dwell. You're a problem solver.

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you're a fixer, a fighter, whatever it is. I don't know, I don't even know you, but that's what I sense in you. Well, I think it's important, but I've learned in life, very young, and I believe that failure, or what you perceive as failure to be, is opportunity disguised as deep disappointment. You know, so it's, you know, I made that up by the way. Did you really?

25:05
All right, we're going to circle that one. That's going to make, we do highlight clips from these. That's making the highlight clips and going to be a quote. And if you see that on my personal page, I will obviously give you credit, but I love that. Oh, thank you. But I believe that. And every single time, and I'm not exaggerating or lying about this, every single time one of those bumps in the road happened, always turned out to be the best thing that happened

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It turned me around in another direction and brought new opportunity. If that hadn't have happened, I wouldn't have met my husband. If I had not gotten sick, I wouldn't have written the book. Or if I hadn't written the book, I wouldn't have come up with the idea for the food company that we just started. So everything turns out for a reason. And when you look back on it, did it hurt? Did you cry? Did you do? Yeah, I did all of that. Did I get mad? Did I? Yeah, I also believe in letting your feeling.

26:02
to show your true feelings. And you don't have to hold anything back. It's okay to be sad. It's okay to be mad. It's okay to, you know, to act not cruelly, but it's okay, not cruelly, but badly, as long as you're not, you know, physically hurting anybody or say, or your words. You have to be careful with your words too, because those are hurtful. Hey guys, you know where to find us? We're at theradcast.com. You'll find all the highlights from today.

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I'm at Ryan Alford on all the platforms, including TikTok, where I'm blowing up. Go find me there. We'll see you next time on the Radcast. To listen or watch full episodes, visit us on the web at theradcast.com or follow us on social media at our Instagram account, the.rad.cast or at Ryan Alford. Stay radical.