Betting on Paradise: How One Couple Left Corporate Careers, Moved to Costa Rica, and Built Their Dream Life | #210

Ever dreamed of quitting your 9–5, moving somewhere tropical, and starting fresh as your second act? 🌴 

On this episode #210 of the Second Act Success Podcast, Shannon Russell sits down with HGTV’s Betting on Paradise stars, Steph Sitt and Luke Shantz, to share their incredible journey from corporate life in Canada to renovating a rundown hotel in Costa Rica, all while raising two young daughters and filming their adventure for national television.

Steph and Luke open up about:

• How they knew it was time to leave their stable corporate careers
• Selling everything and taking the leap to move their family abroad ✈️
• The behind-the-scenes story of filming HGTV’s Betting on Paradise
• The challenges (and wins!) of running a boutique hotel in Costa Rica
• Starting over and creating a business — plus what they’re building next, including transformational Costa Rica retreats

If you’ve been dreaming about a second act, this conversation will inspire you to bet on yourself and take bold steps toward a life you love.

📺 Watch Betting on Paradise now on HBO Max and Discovery+ https://www.hgtv.com/profiles/talent/steph-sitt-and-luke-shantz
🌐 Connect with Steph & Luke on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/steph.and.luke
🎧 Subscribe to the Second Act Success Podcast for more stories like this!

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Transcript

Second Act Success Career Podcast

Season 1 - Betting on Paradise: How One Couple Left Corporate Careers, Moved to Costa Rica, and Built Their Dream Life | #210

Episode - #210

Host: Shannon Russell

Guest: Luke Shantz and Steph Sitt

Transcription (*created by Descript and may not be perfectly accurate) [00:00:00] 

Shannon Russell: Bet on paradise and bet on yourself. Today I'm chatting with HDTVs betting on Paradise Stars, Steph and Luke, who gave up their corporate jobs and moved their family to Costa Rica to buy and remodel a rundown hotel. Every moment of this renovation was documented for TV and the couple share how they did it, what they learned, and what they are up to next.

 Are you ready to quit your nine to five job and start a business of your own? Well, you're in the right place, my friend. Welcome to the second Act Success podcast. I am your host Shannon Russell, and my mission is to help you produce your best life. This podcast will teach you how to get from where you are now to where you want to be and how to build a business that fits your life and lights you up.

Shannon Russell: Let's get started.

All right. I wanna welcome Steph and Luke to the podcast.

How [00:01:00] are you guys? 

Luke Shantz: Very, very good. How you doing? Oh, 

Shannon Russell: we're 

Steph Sitt: so happy to be here. Shannon, thank you so much. 

Shannon Russell: Well, you've got lots of transitions, careers, businesses, all of it. So we're gonna get to everything and your new show on HBO Max, which is very exciting. Why don't you each tell me where your careers began?

Steph Sitt: Oh my goodness. Go first there. I mean, I think we both, well, we met in Asia traveling, teaching English for four years and then I, we decided we had to go home and kind of start our careers and I was always.

Interested in hospitality travel, you know, it was always, it was all very exciting and alluring. So I ended up starting off in like a little rundown, like a two star hotel somewhere. And, slowly worked my way and my dream was always to work for four Seasons.

So I had kind of slowly inched away every year. Like, you know, I'd go, I'd work for Star War, then I'd work for Marriott and I'd work for Westin and. All these like little stepping stones. And so finally I was like, I got my dream [00:02:00] hotel. Worked for four Seasons, settled into doing that for a couple years, right?

We had kids, all of that good stuff. And I think that I really loved it and I really enjoyed it, but I personally, I don't know about you. I got to a point where I think I was like, I'm at the pinnacle of what I thought I wanted for my career. And I was like, is this it? Like is this going to be my life now?

Is there not more? I think that that was like a big thing and because we had met as travelers, I think I always felt that pull to do something again. But you know, we had kids, we had a mortgage, we had a house. There's so many things that tie you down and it makes it hard to kind of see your way through that and where.

You can pick up and do something different. Yeah. When you're, you know, ingrained into this, like, you know, this job, you have bills, you gotta pay, you have kids, you got afterschool programs that are expensive. So many little things. And I think that's kind of where it started. 

Luke Shantz: Yeah. And then I started out, I finished high [00:03:00] school.

I lived in a really small town. There's like 1500 people in our town, never been on an airplane. And then I actually left to move to Australia and started working out there like I was a, a fruit picker. I worked in a little cafe. I was a moving man.

I kind of did all these things. Came back to Canada and , I actually went to school for tree climbing at Bora culture. So I used to like climb up 80 foot trees with a chainsaw and cut 'em down and do all that. Did that for a while I didn't really love doing that.

, and in the winters I do construction and then moved to Taiwan, where I met Steph. We were both English teachers there. Came back, started my own tree company, and then eventually I really liked the sales part of things, like talking to people. So, eventually I fell into like corporate sales, at indeed.com,

so I started out there like the, the bottom of the bottom. So I made my way all the way up to the top and that's where we were set in our dream careers. Yes. So we thought, and then, you know, just shake it all 

Steph Sitt: up. 

Shannon Russell: Let's just 

Steph Sitt: blow 

Shannon Russell: it all up.

[00:04:00] Blew it all. Well, and that happened during the pandemic is when everything kind of shifted for you all? 

Luke Shantz: We'd always thought there was like, there's one more adventure out there. And we'd always talked about moving south, but because we had our careers, we had our kids, we had the house, we had the car, we had everything that, you'd dream about it one day, but.

It never really felt like you could, it's hard to give all that up. That's like a really big security blanket. It's hard to take that off, for sure. Mm-hmm. , And we were about to investing in real estate and doing some other stuff.

we 

Steph Sitt: knew that if we did that we're forever tied. Yeah. Here because there's always things you need to, you know, manage. Yeah. If.

Luke Shantz: Staff working for four Seasons, but they eliminated like all director roles because hospitality went from a hundred to zero. Yeah. My company was like, we're not on the office anymore. And I think that was our, it's like the universe giving you a kick in the ass and being like, Hey, you asked for an opportunity.

Here's an opportunity. And then we just in a few [00:05:00] months. We sold the house, packed all of our stuff up. We'd never been to Costa Rica. We had two little girls. We booked a flight to a town we'd never really heard of, Airbnb. We just saw online and just.

Just left and we just kind of, you know, just left. Just hope to invest. 

Shannon Russell: Just moved there. Yes. 

Luke Shantz: Yeah. 

Shannon Russell: Oh my god. So many questions. What was it that made you say, let's book this plane ticket, sell the house, let's go.

Steph Sitt: We sort of knew this was a sign from the universe, right? That we had one more venture left in us. And I think we always were interested in Costa Rica just because it checks so many boxes and I think it's very alluring for a lot of people, right. Because it's, you know, the ecotourism, it's very safe.

There's a really good, healthy middle class. 

Education was very good. In the country. That was like a big thing. 

Luke Shantz: Yeah. 

Steph Sitt: So we were like, let's just move there and you know, you could live like a greener lifestyle, just outdoor and active. 

Luke Shantz: So, and we were, we were gonna be farmers.

Steph Sitt: Yeah. That was our originally, yeah. We were like, let's just be perma cultures because you know, with the [00:06:00] pandemic so many things were like, there was a, this whole scarcity mentality during that time. And I think we were like, we should just have our own farm and we'll never be hungry. I think we just had this idea, 

Luke Shantz: we'll live in the mountains for our own food.

Live off solar and wells. And then we got, we went to one farm and we were like, oh no, there's no way. No, no, no. Let's go find a condo. 

Shannon Russell: Wait, I have to interrupt and ask, , what did everyone think when you said, Hey, we're selling the house and we're moving to Costa Rica because so many of my listeners have these big dreams, but they're so concerned about what other people think that, I wanna know how that impacted, if at all,.

Luke Shantz: We had definitely had some pushback from people just being like, are you crazy? Come on.

Steph Sitt: , What are you gonna do? But you have this job. What about this? What about that? There's always a lot of what abouts but I think when you let go of it though, once we sold the house and all the things that I spent years like acculating in my house, I mourned them all, but then I set them free.

But I think also with the two kids, there's always people who are also very concerned about things like that. But what about the kids?

What about this? How are they gonna [00:07:00] manage? So there was a lot of questions, 

Luke Shantz: This huge leap that you're about to make, you're worried other people are gonna think you're nuts, which they do. After you've made that leap once you've done it. It's funny how the narrative changes from, are you crazy to, you're so brave. I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm admire that you guys made that step because I don't think I could ever do that. So it's funny how that the dialogue changes a little bit,

Shannon Russell: And self-aware enough to know like, this is what we wanna do and this is going to work because we're gonna make it work.

Not everyone is like that. So that's, , so admirable. So you take your girls, you get there and you're like, I don't wanna be farmers. Let's figure this out. What is next? And talk about that big opportunity that came your way. 

Luke Shantz: so we had a finally moved. We moved around in Costa Rica quite a bit to find the town we liked.

Found one that had like a bunch of schools to choose from. , more of the modern day amenities. They had good grocery stores, , doctors, dentists, all that. So we found the town we liked, and we were talking about just doing like a small Airbnb. 'cause Steph always wanted to own something [00:08:00] like that, we kept on driving by it as a corner unit. . We were able to raise some money, which was great. think the other thing was we were really enjoying our life there every day was feeling really good. Costa Rica felt like the right place at the moment. And so we knew though eventually the pandemic was gonna end.

When the pandemic ends, reality's gonna call and people are gonna go back to the office. we need to figure out a way make an income and sustain this life here. 

, so we just kept on going like, man, the spot about was calling us. .

The town we were in has a, , quite a long beach, the beach where our hotel was is like the safest. It's like, quite shallow, like the kids can play. Yeah, it's really nice part of the beach.

We got it. And then we realized afterwards it might have been, a lot nicer on paper. it was a lot to take on the hotel. We got, it was

Steph Sitt: way, it was so much we were so in over our heads. 

Luke Shantz: Yeah. Right from the beginning. 

Shannon Russell: A hotel is way different than an Airbnb. 

Luke Shantz: No, it's a small one. It's, it's only, it was only nine rooms.

Okay. So it's not, it wasn't a massive bun. It was, but it was like nine pretty horrific rooms 

Shannon Russell: You buy this, [00:09:00] you have to obviously renovate. Where did the idea of doing this on camera come from? 

Steph Sitt: I mean, it was such a fluke.

We, we were saying this would be really cool for us to docent, like even for ourselves, before we even started, we were like, this would be a very cool thing to docent, just because the hotel was so run down and then to kind of film that transformation. But then our neighbor, who just happened to be a doula for like this VP for of this production company in New York.

She randomly told her about us saying, oh, like there's this couple their story is kind of interesting. And this was during the pandemic, so there was a lot of like consption of reality tv and they were looking for a lot of content. So then she was like, she wants to meet you guys. Are you okay with this?

And we said, yeah, sure. We had a little call with her. She was interested. They sent some people down, filmed a little sizzle reel. That was like 15 minutes. And then shopped it around and then HGTV bought it and said, yes, we want six episodes. Yeah. And then we were like, we actually have to start doing this [00:10:00] project now.

Right. 

Luke Shantz: And everybody's gonna be watching us do it too, 

Steph Sitt: because we were just coasting on like, you know. 

Luke Shantz: Yeah. It was, it was very cool, but very unexpected. 

Steph Sitt: It all kind of happened within less than a year, meeting this person, them saying, yes, okay, let's green light this.

And then it was like, okay, go time. To film. And we were like, oh my goodness. And, 

Shannon Russell: and guys, that doesn't happen often. I come from television to greenlight a project can take a really long time. So they, they obviously knew you were doing this in real time, so let's come and they need to renovate this.

They're not waiting for us to send our crews down till they can start so, so smart. What perfect timing. 

Now you're learning how to renovate this hotel. On camera. 

Luke Shantz: We didn't really speak in Spanish. , you wanna be sensitive 'cause the guys work so hard doing it.

But like pur vita can also mean like, we'll see you today. And what I mean is Wednesday. So it was like coordinating, , a crew of people, the television show, trying to make sure all of that was lining [00:11:00] up, which was like, it was a great experience. Like we love filming it, we were doing it like every other construction thing.

Budgets kept going up and going up and going up. Again. So you're trying to find funds to do it, trying to keep it under budget, but it's also, you wanna make this hotel become like what staff envisioned it? Like, you wanna make it HGTV worthy, right? You don't want it to be a boring place.

Mm-hmm. Which we wouldn't have done anyway, but it's now gonna be magnified, , on network television. Right. So putting all of those things together was like, it was, it was really rewarding, but very traatic and stressful at the same time. And then it was, we had the bright idea that for the last episode, it should be our wedding.

So we also got married in episode six. So when everything's coming to a head like. We gonna hit the timelines, the TV show, the finale, and then all of our friends and family show up and at a wedding at the hotel. So had to be finished. It was bonkers. 

Steph Sitt: It was not, it was like the most like stressful time of our lives.

And I think our relationship was [00:12:00] really like under the most amount of stress it's ever been under, I think. Yeah, yeah, yeah. 

Shannon Russell: Yeah. If you can make it through that with two little girls, wow. 

By the end of episode six, you have your wedding and is the hotel finished, like completely ready to go having customers?

At that point? 

Steph Sitt: It was finished. We didn't have customers yet. No, 

Luke Shantz: we did. It was honestly, but another month after that, 

Steph Sitt: yes. Like it 

Luke Shantz: was ready but not few tweaks before you 

Steph Sitt: not guest ready? Yes. 

Luke Shantz: Okay. But it was ready enough. Yeah. Like, but fairly quickly after that, the doors were open because that was the other thing.

We had to hire a bar manager and like, and start hiring staff as well while all that was going on. So we took a few weeks after the filming wa well after the last episode, and just to kind of concentrate on the business and that thing.

Shannon Russell: Tell us about the name of the show and where listeners can watch it. 

Steph Sitt: It's called Betting on Paradise. And it's streaming right now on HBO Max. Yeah. And Discovery Plus. 

Shannon Russell: That is your, your second act coming to [00:13:00] life and, and then you've got this hotel and things are going well and there's some new news that you have about another act potentially.

Luke Shantz: Yeah. So things were, things were going well. . And it relates to kind of what you're doing. Honestly, like when, I was listening to your show and stuff, I'm like, it's, the timing was great. So we had built this hotel, but we'd also had done, I think a lot of it we built out of, reacting to things rather than like really zooming out and, and seeing are we heading in the right direction?

I'd met a friend of mine from, I knew her like 20 years ago. Crystal Lee. She happened to come to Costa Rica and message me and just like, Hey,, I'm in town. I'd love to meet up. She became a part of our community, but she does business coaching, kind of like what you're doing. we started just to really take Zoom out and take a look at our lives and be like, are we heading in the right direction?

And really the biggest thing we wanna do is really kinda serve people. Make sure that whatever we're doing is. Trying to help, trying to further anybody we're working with trying to build community [00:14:00] and so we'd started working with her on, , a retreat business as well. So like, like we were talking about, a lot of the people are like, I wanna do this, but it's really hard.

What are people gonna think of me? It's, how 

Steph Sitt: do I do it? How 

Luke Shantz: do I rip off this bandaid? Mm-hmm. Zooming out is great and setting it up with a process so that you, you try, take as much guesswork as you can out of it.

, is was the goal. So we are building retreats around that. We have our first retreats, october 25th in Costa Rica. , it's at this really gorgeous, place, but the idea is to kind of be able to unplug from.

Whatever craziness your life is, and it's, and this is a professional and personal, so, whether a CEO director or entrepreneur, just someone that needs to a change. , and what we do is there's a lot of coaching involved, but then what we also do is like, you might do a yoga session and then a breath work and a coaching session, and then you come out and there's like six dune buggy sitting in front and you get up and we burn up into the mountains and jp off waterfalls and go out on like catamarans, sunset tours and all that.

So. That's the [00:15:00] next, that's our next journey now that we're, we've launched and, we're really excited about it actually. 

Shannon Russell: That sounds incredible. What a different way to see Costa Rica and have that personal development that so many of us, especially in starting over need. Right. We need to take that pause, I think, to check in with ourselves and say, am I headed in the right direction and what do I need?

So that's like a place to actually get that quietness and sit with yourself and figure out. Your direction, your path and have a lot of fun in a beautiful location. 

Steph Sitt: Exactly. And I think like nowadays, because everyone in our, like our generation and beyond us, it's not like how it used to, it's not like our parents where they stayed in the same job for like 40 years.

Everyone is looking for better ways to do things and how are we able to sort enjoy our time here and not make our life about work. Yeah. Mm-hmm. And I think we're all searching for that. Yeah. This is kind of part of why we decided to do it, because we were like, surely there must be people out there who were like us, [00:16:00] who felt the same way.

Luke Shantz: was sparked by, this was like, running the hotel, you meet all these people. Through the show and all that, a lot of people reach out through our social media and that and just like, I've always dreamed of doing something like this, but I didn't, never knew where to begin.

And I think that's a biggest, I mean, you would know this too, you know, what's that biggest step is I have a dream and I can see it here. It's like you just need to take that first step to get going. Where does that first step come from and what does that first step actually look like?

And also maybe that first step isn't right. Like there's also one times when you're like, I want to go, and it could be very irresponsible enough. Yeah. But sometimes you don't know that until, again, you, you meet with someone like you or you sit down and you go like, okay, this is where my end goal is, are the steps I'm taking to gonna guide me down the right path to get there?

Even visualizing what is that end goal and, and just getting started. If we can help people at all to be like, let us be someone we can listen to and we can use our experience. , and working someone like Crystal who can be like also the coaching experience.

If there's any way we can [00:17:00] just help people change their lives a little bit, like I think that's super fulfilling. Then get hang out in Costa with a bunch of like people, which is awesome, but it's also really nice just having. Pretty powerful, you know? 

Shannon Russell: Right.

Because your show is called, I was just thinking betting on Paradise. But really the whole idea, even with your retreats, is betting on yourself. And that's where if you can bet on yourself, and you can know that this dream you're having is going to fulfill your life in a different way, but taking that first step towards it is really that powerful step that you need to take.

So really betting on yourself is, is everything. 

Luke Shantz: There's always that scary, scary leap. Mm-hmm. Like when you make it, when you jp, you always land. All right. You know what I mean? The world doesn't end. You're always gonna be there just making that jp. But it's so scary sometimes to. 

Shannon Russell: Well, because also I always talk with my clients too, there's shiny object syndrome.

So if you're really feeling unhappy and you're feeling stuck, it's like that first thing that comes [00:18:00] about jping at it is just your instinct. But then it might not be any better than where you are. So it's really taking that, I always say like learn before you leap, do a little bit of research. , then that'll just help your confidence as you're going.

You wanna make sure you're leaping in the right direction,

Steph Sitt: right? A hundred percent. 

Luke Shantz: I even look back as starting the way directions we went, the hotel and the show and everything like that.

We reacted so reactionary to everything. So you're making decisions. It's like you're, you don't even realize you're looking at a wall. You're looking at one little brick and you're trying to fix that. And when you zoom out, you're like, oh, there's a whole big thing here.

And, and sometimes you don't know. When you have a show and you need finance and you're doing all this, you make decisions that later you're like, oh, I really wish I had someone that would've been like. Hey, before you do that decision, just take a breath and, but you, you don't in the moment.

I think a lot of entrepreneurs have that too, where you're just like, you're, it's quick fixes for today just to get right. You wanna get there the next Yeah. 

Shannon Russell: To your credit too, I wonder, and you'll never know, [00:19:00] but if you didn't have the show filming you, how things would've been because you might not have felt as rushed, to make those decisions. 

Steph Sitt: Absolutely. And I think we would've taken things at a different pace and like so, and probably gotten a little bit more like, like taken more time with everything. Yeah. That was the main thing. I think because we were on such a tight timeline and things had to be filmed in a certain way, we definitely would've maybe have made different decisions.

Small things with suppliers and things like that. Yeah. Things that we maybe could have taken more time with. It all ended up working out, obviously, but, 

Luke Shantz: and the tv, like it was, it changed things. It's such a rare opportunity and we knew that especially to get green lit for a full six episodes,

but it did. Afterwards, you're like, would we have, Hmm. I don't know if I would've gone that way, you know, if it wasn't hgtv. True. You know, then we could got a less, a less expensive child. Right? Yeah, 

Shannon Russell: it's true. 

, But it all led you to where you are now, and now all of those fans and the people who are following you that didn't know you before, you've got a [00:20:00] huge following that are now gonna follow you to see what you're doing in this next leg of your business.

Luke Shantz: For the most part, it's been really supportive, which has been great.

People have lived that whole drama too, like trying to build something and try to do something.

Nothing ever goes right. And then you come out the other side and it, and it's okay. You know, a lot of people can relate to that sort of struggle. Oh 

Shannon Russell: yeah.

Just to bring it back to nothing as drastic as what you've gone through, but like just changing any job or starting any business, it doesn't mean it's going to be a success right off the bat or exactly how you pictured it, but I always say that at least you tried,

you try it and you can always go back to where you were, but you'll never have that regret of not trying it. You just have to again, bet on yourself and go for it. And you have that experience to live with. And that's what anybody wants, right? You just wanna know that you gave it your all.

It's so 

Steph Sitt: true. And I think that when you're in it, it's hard to see your way through it. But then like you said, once you've, once it's done and over with, you're like, you can look back and be proud of like what you've done and things that, and [00:21:00] things to come. 

Luke Shantz: And also other obstacles don't seem that hard after, 

Steph Sitt: right?

Shannon Russell: Yeah. Setting up a retreat is going to be so much easier than renovating a hotel. 

Steph Sitt: Yes. Than running a hotel for two years. Yeah. 

Shannon Russell: What's the name of your business and your retreat, and where can people find you? 

Luke Shantz: So we're teamed up with a company called, tour Global.

, you can, you can find all the information, , at Steph N Loop, just our Instagram. The first retreats are, , more on like the professional, like it is personal, but a lot of professional, , leadership is what

the first two are going to be, and then, , we're gonna be launching more for just like the everyday entrepreneur, the everyday person, every person that just is stuck and is just looking for another movement. , so yeah, , tour Global and then I guess that all the links will be on our, our social media.

Shannon Russell: Okay. I'll link to everything of course. , before we wrap up, I'd love to ask you about escaping the rat race, which you did, , creating something of your own and doing it together, how is that [00:22:00] different and how do you work together?

Steph Sitt: It was great in so many ways in the sense that we were just, could really lean on each other during those extremely stressful times. We could cry together. We could laugh together about the craziness of it all. The only downside I would say is that we could never escape it either.

Yeah. Because we're just always with each other. So that was like, I think it was a little bit of both, but it was actually really nice because we had never worked together before either. All of this. And it's one of those things where I think it really can break you or make you stronger, one or the other, depending on your personalities.

And it worked out 

Luke Shantz: A lot of times it felt like it was us against the world it just felt like there was a lot of weight on your shoulders. , and I think having someone to help carry that was really helpful.

And even with parenting too, like that was another huge part of it. 'cause we need to make sure that whatever stresses we are having at while filming while. Building while doing everything. It was important to us that, that did [00:23:00] not come home. We moved to Costa Rica to be closer with our girls, be closer with our family.

Like to unplug, when we were working, we are living, in Toronto. We didn't get home till seven o'clock at night. We barely saw our friends because, you know, hey, do you wanna get together? And it'd be like, sure, six weeks from now maybe we can plan a play date. , we wanted get away from all of that.

And so when we got there. We kind of got all that answered. We could call friends should we go to the beach? And you could have 15 people there in an hour. , which is great. But then the show came and we just thought, we need to make sure we stay true to that. And being on the same team with that, Steph, like there's times where I would just have a nervous breakdown.

Steph can see it and she would raise up and be like, hold on, I got the girls right now, and she could do it. And vice versa. So for us, like that was, I guess we're real. We're lucky that. We still love each other. , but like to have that person to lean on, I think 

Shannon Russell: yeah, 

Luke Shantz: helped us get through a lot of it together.

Shannon Russell: That's a great example for other people too. 'cause there are a lot of people who go into business together as a couple or as family or [00:24:00] best friends and you just wanna see it through to the other side. You're a great example that it can be done. , my last question for you as we wrap up guys is

what is one piece of advice that you would give to someone who's about to start a second act of any kind and get out of the rat race and bet on themselves? 

Luke Shantz: I would honestly say,

Find someone like, like yourself. Find a mentor or someone that has done it before.

Make sure that if you are taking that leap, you're taking in the right direction. 'cause I think a lot of times, especially as an entrepreneur, you can get very, you can get tunnel vision and you're like, this is this, this magic two hickey I'm making is the greatest thing the world's ever gonna see.

And you don't try selling any to anybody. You just go all in and you start paying thousands for a website and you don't really know if it's gonna be successful. So I think it's, sometimes it's just. Getting a second opinion from an outside source. , my opinion, is something I wish I knew and now that I have, that I find extraordinarily valuable.

Mm, 

Steph Sitt: Having partners that [00:25:00] really align with your values. Because I think that that was something that we really didn't think about. We were just so enamored and just jped in, you know, wholeheartedly without thinking about all those things.

And I think that was like the nber one thing that is like paramount to any good partner. You have to have partners that really align with your values so that you can go in the right direction and know that you're growing together and lifting you yourselves up together. Yeah. 

Shannon Russell: I love that advice.

That's perfect. And I'm so excited for your next act and everything that you're building together.

I want to encourage everyone who's listening and watching to go watch Betting on Paradise, on HBO Max and Discovery Plus. Go watch it, follow along, grab the links in the show notes to connect with Luke and Steph.

And guys, thank you so much for taking time to join us here and share your story with us. 

Luke Shantz: That is our absolute pleasure, Sandy. 

Shannon Russell: Aw, 

Steph Sitt: thanks so much Shannon. It was so much fun. 

Shannon Russell: Thank you.

Thank you for joining us. I hope [00:26:00] you found some gems of inspiration and some takeaways to help you on your path to second act, success. To view show notes from this episode, visit second act success.co. Before you go, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast so you don't miss a single episode. Reviews only take a few moments and they really do mean so much.

Thank you again for listening. I'm Shannon Russell. And this is second act success.