In the season one finale, Carla sits down with her husband, Porter, to talk about taking a leap of faith on love, building a marriage between two fiercely independent people, and why gratitude and a steady habit of curiosity keep them growing together.

Episode Navigation:

00:00 — Carla welcomes her husband, Porter, to close out season one, bookending the solo episode that opened it

01:24 — Porter on why he said yes, and why love is worth the risk

02:45 — Meeting in the vending industry and building a life together in Chicago

05:06 — Two fiercely independent people: not taking his last name, becoming "Carter," and the turtle tattoo

07:09 — Marrying before they had spent more than a week together, then seven straight weeks together in the pandemic

10:08 — Five-one and six-three: learning to see from each other’s view, and saying yes to new adventures

13:37 — Gratitude as the starting point, and Carla’s honest struggle with the first two hours of the morning

17:15 — A quiet morning early in Covid, and the big gestures, like Carla’s first fish in the Bahamas

24:03 — The question game, and why Porter is a turtle and Carla is a hummingbird

26:34 — A coin with a message, finding faith and community, and the courage to share your story

About Our Guest:

Porter is Carla’s husband and the chief operating officer of Canteen North America, part of Compass Group, where he has spent nearly three decades in the food and vending industry, the same industry where he and Carla first met. A Belmont Abbey graduate and father of two, Addie and Thomas, he has been Carla’s steadiest partner through more than a decade of rewiring, her number one fan, and the reason the show exists.

Tool to Use:

Keep asking questions: play a simple question game with the people you love, like "what was your first concert?", because people keep changing and so do their answers, and start each day with one small act of gratitude.

Connect and Resources:

Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rewiring-with-carla-v/id6795619317

Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/033XqpisjbnHw94qqE1d0B?si=5f039c284d604fa0

Website: https://5683justbe.com/

Follow Carla V. on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carla_variglotti_/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carla-variglotti-201b1736b/

The same year she sold the family business, Carla revisits the day she and her brother Vince jumped off a ferry into the San Francisco Bay for the Alcatraz Shark Fest swim, and what it taught her about fear, purpose, and asking for help.

Episode Navigation:

00:00 — Carla welcomes her brother Vince back to talk about the Alcatraz swim they did together, and the terrifying yes he talked her into

01:36 — Carla on losing her sense of purpose the year they sold the business, and why the swim was never her idea

03:01 — Vince on missing the challenge of running a business, and searching out marathons, backpacking trips, and open water swims instead

04:31 — How Vince talked Carla into the Alcatraz Shark Fest swim, and their shared swimming background from high school

06:21 — Training solo in the pool for an open water swim, and the mental toll of being alone with your thoughts

07:32 — Race day in San Francisco: walking barefoot to the ferry with family and friends there to cheer them on

09:27 — Jumping off the ferry into the cold, dark Bay, with sea lions, sharks, and a shifting current to contend with

11:28 — Carla's panic attack mid-swim, and the volunteer who told her, “you're already doing it”

15:04 — Finishing the swim, reuniting on shore, and finding Vince already chill and eating a banana

19:58 — Vince's advice for finding your own version of the swim: set a goal, build in structure, and use every tool available

About Our Guest:

Vince is Carla's older brother. A Navy veteran and Eagle Scout, he's spent the years since the family sold their vending business chasing physical challenges, from the Tampa Bay Frogman Swim to the Cleveland Marathon to backcountry backpacking trips, using the training and structure to stay grounded. In this episode, he and Carla revisit the day they swam from Alcatraz together, and the panic, and the payoff, that came with it.

Tool to Use:

Pick a physical challenge that scares you a little, a swim, a race, a multi day hike, and set a concrete goal, then let the training structure do the rest: it will keep your mind calm and prove to you that you can handle hard things.

Connect and Resources:

Listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify

Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RewiringwithCarlaV

Website: https://5683justbe.com/

Follow Carla V. on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carla_variglotti_/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carla-variglotti-201b1736b/

Carla sits down with her dad, Jim, and her brother, Vince, to trace the story of Cuyahoga Vending Group, the Cleveland food service company Jim started in 1988 after losing his job in a recession and the family built together for 33 years, and to talk honestly about what it took to rewire their identities once the business, and the community that came with it, was gone.

Episode Navigation:

00:00 — Introducing Carla's dad, Jim, and brother, Vince, and the story of building Cuyahoga Vending Group together

01:44 — Jim on losing his job in a recession and starting the business with a partner and nothing to lose

03:53 — Growing to nearly 8,000 vending machines, over 150 micro markets, and a dozen dining accounts

09:18 — Vince on their mom's role, growing up in Maple Heights, and learning the business on the routes as a teenager

12:09 — Vince's path through ROTC, the Navy, and Iraq before coming home to run the Columbus branch

15:09 — Jim's philosophy of handshake deals, reactive service, and constantly adding new lines of business

18:23 — Life changes collide: a divorce, a move back to Cleveland, and the call to sell

20:32 — Surviving a 50% Covid sales drop and selling the company in December 2021

21:25 — What nobody tells you about the morning after: Vince's new role, Jim missing the action, and Carla's loss of identity

25:03 — The “Jim-isms” that still guide the family today, and advice for anyone starting over

About Our Guests:

Jim is the founder of Cuyahoga Vending Group, the Cleveland-based vending, micro market, office coffee, and dining services company he started in 1988 with a partner after being let go from his job during a recession. Jim grew the business from two people to more than 300 employees at its peak, built on handshake deals and a reputation for taking care of clients, before selling the company to a private equity firm in December 2021 after 33 years.

Vince is Carla's older brother. He started working the family's vending routes as a teenager, then earned an ROTC scholarship to Miami University and served nearly seven years as a Navy officer, including a deployment to Iraq. After his son was born, he came home to run the company's Columbus, Ohio branch, eventually becoming its president, and continues to work in the industry today for the company's new ownership.

Tool to Use:

Borrow a Jim-ism for your own hard season: take the good with the bad, remember that all education is expensive, and keep showing up, because nobody gets through life without a few bumps.

Connect and Resources:

Listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify

Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RewiringwithCarlaV

Website: https://5683justbe.com/

Follow Carla V. on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carla_variglotti_/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carla-variglotti-201b1736b/