Lisa Hardwick 8:15

It is only an English. 

Carl J. Cox 8:19

And so that’s pretty incredible that you you’ve gone through that had I says, What do you think, other than the pure curriculum itself, which obviously has been a big part of success that’s had and going towards it, but what do you think has been a main contributor to keep things all together through that growth that you experienced at The Math Learning Center?

Lisa Hardwick 8:49

I think that the main contributor.

Carl J. Cox 8:54

Yeah, is there like one thing from internal, like within the company, that that’s been consistent to help you get through these challenges that you you’ve seen and experienced, because it’s not easy growing that that much over this past seven, eight years?

Lisa Hardwick 9:07

I think it’s our mission to inspire and enable individuals to discover and develop their mathematical competence and ability. And we’re not just talking about students, we’re talking about everybody. The educators and law students.

Carl J. Cox 9:26

Think that’s well said. You see that that right there is one of those missing pieces, often with it with an organization is once you have a clear mission and vision, you can get through all those challenges in between to help get to that part. So Exactly. Yeah. So Lisa, let’s talk about the next thing, which is your experience of growing with American Family you were living in a different town. You found out about this opportunity American Family wasn’t in Oregon and you helped them launch into the state of Oregon, which is pretty neat. And then You had this opportunity that Guy LED and you helped sport to actually open up an agency. Tell us about, you know, there’s there’s a lot of feeling a risk and you change towns and you go in an area where nobody you know, you don’t know anybody if that makes sense, you know, in the area, tell us walk us through a little bit about that in in some of those successes and challenges of getting to opening up a new region, new office, etc.

Lisa Hardwick 10:28

Initially, we were contacted by somebody I went to high school with who came into Guy’s workplace that he was currently at. And I asked him if he would like to be a part of something new. And he said no, at first, and then, after a few, he’d been at his old position for a long time, he came home one day, and he said, we’re gonna do this. And I thought, cool, this is great. I’m glad that we are going to start something. So initially, our first agency was in Hillsboro. And we sort of developed the idea of having licensed sales reps underneath us and got permission to do that. So instead of just Guy selling at that point, it was three people and then myself getting licensed to also do the same thing. Well, we were in, we had very good since, you know, American Family wasn’t in or again, we got in, you know, at the start, when there was, you know, word spreading the news, American Family. And we had a lot of success that first year and the company came to Guy and asked him to go into management. And going into management, meant that we were going to go to Salem, and for two years, we and I helped him with it. We we hired and trained agents. And then we decided that we were better suited to going back into our own agency. So we did that.

Carl J. Cox 12:14

And, and how was that? So, you know, insurance is an interesting business, right? Because, you know, our job is to help ultimate protect the lives of people when something bad happens, right? So they don’t have something happens, and they get through it. And and you had real, real positive success and growing that business. What What did it really mean to you to have an attorney what was really driving you to have that office, you know, from a professional standpoint, but also from a personal standpoint of having your own business there.

Lisa Hardwick 12:49

It was helping people initially, just making sure that they had what they needed in case something happen. You know, insurance is a hard gig because it’s not a tangible product. It is, I’m buying this in case something might happen. But we grew pretty quickly. We did old fashion networking, leaves groups, call calls, because back in the day, there was no no call list. We would get to grow it we would get recent sales transactions of home and approach those people through a handwritten letter. And it just sort of took off from that did some newspaper advertising and radio. We were also in the phonebook because we still had a phonebook at that time as well. So things have really changed since then. But that’s how it took off. It was and it was literally just a lot of hard work. A lot of thoughtfulness. We really wanted to take care of our customers and show them the value of having someone to write command what they needed for doing by doing a financial analysis. And just serving them. We just Guy had been at a prior position where he was helping people. So this was a nap but totally different. transition.

Carl J. Cox 14:38

So this is where this Yeah, I think your story and we’ll go into a different part here, Lisa of how things really changed for you and Lisa, we were actually at your home in Easter. And then something happened to Guy and that really had a significant impact on on The rest of both of your lives so so tell me tell tell the audience a little bit more about what happened there.

Lisa Hardwick 15:05

You know, Carl’s youngest daughter was running back and forth in the room and he started to get dizzy. And all of a sudden the world went 90 degrees on him. And Sarah was there who’s a nurse, your wife, and she definitely thought that there was something seriously wrong. And so it started with basically a bad vertigo episode. And by the time that some studies were done, he was diagnosed with a meningioma non cancerous brain tumor, but sitting in a difficult spot in the Sylvan Fisher. And also, within that year, six months, five months later, he was in the hospital, having four stents put in his heart, he was almost completely blocked and the ingoing artery and also the major outgoing artery, so they put two stands on each one. And so we had four. And then a year later, his tumor was growing so and he could not have the brain surgery until after he was off the blood thinners that he had to take birth, his heart stents. The coronary artery disease is directly related to his, you know what his father went through father passed away at the age 39, he had had his third massive heart attack. And their bodies just don’t make nitric oxide, which is, helps. Well, doesn’t really help but it increases the likelihood of having disease and the coronary arteries. So then he had brain surgery and to remove that brain tumor because it was growing. And so he’s had a lot of symptoms over the years. I’m not really sure what was cause of the initial incident, whether it was the heart or the brain. But he is now medically retired. He was sick in 2008. I think in 2010. They basically said that in order for him to stay alive, that he had to quit working, and the first cardiologist cardiologists gave them five years. And he, we are now here 13 years later, and he’s still here. Which is a blessing. Because we didn’t expect this.

Carl J. Cox 18:14

Yeah, I am having I’m trying to keep myself composed here I was it was very difficult. Going through all of that. And I if I recall, he was just trying to make sure he hits specific milestones like your kids grad, you know, your two daughters graduating from high school, and then getting them to see married and, you know, and there always seem to be a driver of something where he was looking ahead to, let’s just get through this get to this point. And, you know, Guy has had a remarkable impact on your life, but he’s also had a remarkable impact on people around him. And so for me, as well, when when he was sick, it was very unstable, right? You know, because you’re used to somebody who you just trust and rely upon to be there, be there for you. And it’s but what a blessing that he has. He is still with us. And but you, let’s go to the personal side of the worksite. So here is you have this agency, he’s not able to work because it’s too dangerous for him. So what how did you keep that going, you know, during that transition period,

Lisa Hardwick 19:32

that was a two year period. I had that initially, we had six people in the office and little by little and let them go and I stopped selling and I maintenance and took care of the 2000 households that we had and businesses that we had with support from our district manager who allowed the company you know, just said Do what you can hold it together. So worse, I would help people with additional business. But I basically just focused on running the business. Those were very long days and weeks. There were a lot of tears involved because I wanted to be taken care of my husband. And in a way I was because I was taking care of the business. But it wasn’t the same. You know, it just I was very concerned for his health. And there seemed to just be a multitude of things, reacting to medications, cetera. But that’s how I did it. I just focused on taking care of the customers. And yes, it did require long hours. And actually, our daughter came back from Hillsboro to help us through that period. And look after Guy.

Carl J. Cox 20:55

Yeah. Yeah, yeah. No, it was absolutely remarkable. Of all the, the, that part so. So that’s pretty incredible. And so from that, I think the agency was ultimately sold, right? You’re able to, or

Lisa Hardwick 21:12

it sort of went reverted back to the company. And that was a settlement Guy went on disability. We had had, we were fortunate that our district manager talked us into buying a disability plan that we paid for privately, because we had the business. And it was something that I sort of fought against in the beginning because it was just another expense. And we were trying to hire people, and we paid into it for 10 years, never thinking that we would have to use it. And it was there. So once we retired from the agency, I actually stayed in the agency for another two years, and helped a new agent tried to build the business. And when he decided that insurance wasn’t for him, I was unemployed for the first time since I was like 15. Well, and I had to find a new job, which was a whole new experience. I worked seven or eight hours a day filling out applications and five days a week, and was very serious about it. And I was actually unemployed for about 90 days. Lucky for me it was during the summer. So it was somewhat enjoyable. But then I went on an interview to The Math Learning Center. And after that, told the president of the company, I was interviewed by probably eight or nine people, they came in teams of two or three. They wanted to make sure I fit, I think. And the last thing I said to him was after the interview was I want this job. And he said do you do? And I said yes I do. Then they got back to me in a couple of days old man was hired. Well,

Carl J. Cox 23:22

yeah, it’s, it’s interesting. When I’ve been going through this process of coming out of the book, I have realized I’ve been working since 12. I remember working in the Strawberry Fields back in the day, but I there hasn’t been a period of time. I haven’t worked. And and so I bet for you having that first time. It was very Yeah, yeah, absolutely. I mean, well, because not only that you have Guy, right, who, you know, he’s, he’s, he’s unable to full time work and have yourself whereas it used to always working or doing of significance, and then they all send you don’t have that opportunity. So

Lisa Hardwick 24:01

I had to reinvent myself, you know, I, I didn’t want to stay in insurance. The district manager talked to me about taking over the business, but I felt that it was Guy’s baby, quote unquote, baby. And that continuing in, it might be hurtful. I didn’t really know. But I didn’t want to run it by myself. That was something that we did together. And so I knew it was time for me to leave. And they offered me a lot of money to stay even just temporarily during another transition. And I decided that I just needed to make a change in my life. Yeah. And then with the one that came up on maps list in Portland for this position, I thought, oh, here’s a nonprofit position. I can still Help people, you know, I could apply for this job and see if that’s something that I can still help people. And it, it worked out.

Carl J. Cox 25:10

So that in itself is a pretty awesome story. You know, you have you talked about you have, first of all your current The Math Learning Center, incredible growth, going through experience, you have the agency and the transitions. There’s a whole other part of your life. We says, we know if you have an incredible upbringing story that we’re not going to talk through to that, you know, an idea. Yeah. So we’re lucky to go through that. But but it surely is its own book in itself, but if not multiple volumes, but all of a sudden, you you were having you weren’t feeling well, a few years ago, what tell us tell the audience what happened there.

Lisa Hardwick 25:53

For a couple years, I had some symptoms of some different things like neuropathy and my legs and some swelling, and I just didn’t feel right. And I kept going to the doctor, and they couldn’t find anything. And the way it was just the weirdest thing. And then I got something that was compressing my spine, and they flagged it for cancer. And honestly, by the time I had my second scan, the whatever it was, and they called it, the tumor was dissipating, it was like vanishing. And we talked a lot about the vanishing tumor with the and I just told the spinal surgeon, I’m like no surgery, it’s going to go away on its own. That’s what we’re hoping for. So when they were doing a follow up scan to make sure that that was true, they actually found an aneurysm in my aortic root. And that’s like a tear in the wall. And it was borderline. And borderline means that it didn’t, I didn’t need an I don’t need open heart surgery. But they were following up on that three months later. And they did a I actually had an MRI for my heart. And when they did that, I showed some spots in my lungs, like eight different lymph nodes were involved. And right away, the pulmonologist and some others said they flagged it for cancer again, but they they didn’t think it was and even when I went in the hospital to have the lung biopsy. The pulmonologist when he got done said, You know, I don’t think this is lung cancer. And he told that to me and Callie and Haley, my daughters. So, a few days later, he called me at work. And I went into the conference room. And he told me that I had small cell lung cancer. And after kind of knowing that there were two different types of lung cancer, which one is worse? I had the worst one and my first question to him was, will they will they offer me treatment? And he said yes, that he thought the oncologist but offer me chemo and radiation. And that everything changed within a week I was in the hospital getting a port put in. And within another week, I was receiving my first chemo dose, which was a three day process every three weeks.

Carl J. Cox 29:00

And and through this, you know, what’s getting you have hair today? I mean, you you had hair loss you had I mean? Oh, yeah, right. I mean, so I

Lisa Hardwick 29:13

every day one of chemo that gave me 17 pounds of fluid 17 pounds, which was the drugs plus the, the water that they that they had to give. One day the nurse decided to just She goes, this is so heavy. I just need to wait to find out how much it is. I was like, holy cow. And I literally blew up like a balloon. It was so powerful and I was on steroids. And so the chemo because the type of cancer I had was directly related to smoking. I had Quit smoking due to the aneurism and three months later I had lung cancer, and I didn’t have it at the time that I quit. So a small cell is something that’s diagnosed and often it just it’s very aggressive. So a lot of people when they’re diagnosed their extent, there’s two stages limited and extensive. And I was limited, because it was only on the left the middle of my my mme, which is in the middle of the chest and over. And just on the left side. So instead of it being everywhere, so that way, it was a blessing. But yes, I did not work for seven months during treatment. So I had started with chemo, and by the second course of chemo, I was also doing six and a half weeks to chest radiation. And then following the chemo and chest radiation, I had brain radiation as a precautionary measure. And that’s called prophylactic irradiation. So, small cell generally travels to the brain or the liver. And so I even though I knew that maybe I was taking a risk with having radiation to my brain, and having lifelong symptoms, I just wanted to stay alive. And so I did what was recommended. So I had it. Oh. So now, how many years ago was this is, it started at, like, February of 2018. So three years ago. And I was back to work later that year in October, so I took the whole treatment time off, because I just could not function.

Carl J. Cox 31:58

There’s a neat story, actually, I think it’s fair to share of how amazing The Math Learning Center was for you. In that process, we want to want to maybe share some of the I’d say extraordinary measures they did to help keep you involved and help support your family,

Lisa Hardwick 32:16

they really did. And that’s a company is amazing, and the way that they treat their employees, but what happened was is I took you know, you start out you’re on stroke, short term disability, and you have to wait X number of X number of weeks or months to get to the long term disability. And so there were some gaps and, and like, co workers, which was pretty small group at that time, but they all pitched in their own PTO to help me get through that time. So they donated days. And instead of it just being days, I converted those days sort of into cash. So I would get more days from the you know, the people who had been more long term who donated compared to the people that say recently we had just hired and train. But they were wonderful. They helped me through the, through the whole process, and they stayed in touch. And they wrote me inspirational emails and send things in the mail make, I just kept thinking I had to I just had to, you know, I wanted to go back there. You know, when I was sick that that’s part of how I got through this like I that was my goal was to get back to a regular life back to work.

Carl J. Cox 33:58

It’s incredible. Once again, just amazing how much they supported you and you’re also giving you I think it’s so important that we have these things that we can go to write you know, it helps keep us mind off frankly, the challenge and the struggles were going through that to help have that lesson for those who aren’t aware of how dangerous small cell carcinoma is to hit the three year mark is is pretty phenomenal. What rough percentages just for the audience to have an awareness of this

Lisa Hardwick 34:31

you know, I’ve seen as low as 6% of people survive five years. I’ve seen some more recent numbers because finally, you know the treatment they give you today is the same treatment they gave people 30 years ago. It has not been a researcher I think the stigma of where it comes from discouraged any type of reading research to change it. And only in the last couple of years, I’ve seen worse when they’re introduced new drugs, in oral chemo, etc, they still don’t use that for small cell, but perhaps they will at some point, find a better treatment. Because a lot of people die within six months. Because basically you’re asymptomatic. And then all of a sudden, people are coughing up blood, or, you know, they’re, they’re just they’ve gone too far. And, you know, I didn’t, I couldn’t find anybody in all of my treatment that actually had any kind of lung cancer, most of the people that I met at radiation were females with breast cancer, which we have the tools to find breast cancer. And that just goes to show you that the more tools we have to discover things, the better off the better off, you might have more time, you know, and I kept thinking about it not in terms of living or dying. While I worried about timing a little bit, but my goal was to have more time, you know, because I wanted to see my grandkids grow up. Mainly, I want them to be old enough to have memories of me. And that’s been a huge focus over the last three years is creating those memories with them so that they remember they have a Yeah, a grandmother.

Carl J. Cox 36:37

Yeah. And yeah, yes, grandmother Greek for those who are familiar with the Greek heritage and terminology am Lisa. So that’s incredible of story in it. What’s one thing I have a good friend that I told him recently about your cancer, and he said, he had this kind of wide eye, he actually treats this cancer often he’s he’s in the pharmaceutical industry. And he just said, Yeah, Carl this is. He said, This is typically we just charge just trying to take care of give them pain relief. Yes, because the recovery is so difficult to get to a state where you’re in a position where you can be working and, and contributing and being you know, with your grand grandchildren, what a what a blessing has been. And and I want to just share I think I may have shared with you, I remember calling you i, this is not about me the story, but it just gave me a little bit of empathy. I had my first kind of serious bout of I had a panics burst, and I was in the hospital for a week. And it wasn’t a fun experience. And, but that was just a small thing of one week and just a few days of an energy to write and, and you had pain and challenges for months and months and months. And and I remember calling you and just saying I’m so sorry, because I finally had a little bit deeper empathy of, of those who are in these challenging chronic conditions and dealing with it and just I’m grateful again, opened my eyes a bit, you know, to those who are suffering. And once again, it’s nothing what I had. But But I appreciate you, Lisa, of how you have been so strong for yourself and for your family and for your children and your grandchildren. And for me, you are have truly been an inspiration. And I think in any way you You are the testimony of measuring success of that you’ve come through all the challenges. I said, this is just a part of the story. The audience Lisa has

Lisa Hardwick 38:55

no, I yes, but I’m here. I feel like I’m here for a reason. Even though I’ve had these challenges. I think that suffering brings you closer to God. I think that it makes you bring your focus back to what is important. And that is your your family and your friends. And I don’t think you should be little what you went through because it was I’m sure that you questioned whether you were going to make it through it or not. You know, because you were so you were really set. And I don’t think that you can compare. It’s not right to compare and not say that you didn’t go through the same thing as it wasn’t cancer. I mean, that was a struggle are all we were seriously worried about you as well.

Carl J. Cox 40:00

Yeah, it was not fun. For sure. And and for those who I think I think the the important lesson you know for a is, you think of Guy you know think Lisa, you know yourself we say and then myself, fortunately, we actually did go see the doctor. And and we did go check things out and thank God we had health care, you know, to take care of it help take care of it. And then we were diligent enough to follow through with what we’re supposed to do. And and I think that alone and then also I think the lessons that you provided with yourself and with Guy is having these additional points of where you’re fixing your eyes on something else, not just yourself frame, get yourself through the hardship, right of that you go through because I can’t imagine going through a 17 gallon bag of chemo. And I hope I never have to go through that. And I hope but just the the challenge of going through that and all the conditions afterwards, I think that’s the lessons for our audience to hear is to, to put your eyes on something else than yourself. So you can get through the challenges, whatever there may be.

Lisa Hardwick 41:14

I agree, I think that having a goal. Living one day at a time, living in the moment, like living each day, looking towards the future, but also just taking it a day at a time and realizing that you just need to keep moving forward, you’ve got to keep getting out of bed, you got to keep getting dressed. There was some times I was absolutely exhausted Guy and I’ve talked a lot about the Spoon Theory, it’s a story about a lady who had leukemia, I think, and she’s trying to explain to her friend why she’s so tired, and stare in a restaurant, she goes and she gathers up all those spoons from the tables, and she’s like this spoon is to get ready. And every single pass that you do when you’re sick, and you give away the spoon, and you have to reserve thumb for what you want to accomplish each day. So sometimes when you’re really sick, it’s just hard to brush your teeth and get up and get cleaned up. And I watched that with Guy, you know, and that’s, you know, in a way, he was a good example of how to face an illness. He was an example to me how strong he was. And taking the taking the time to stay in the day. And live each day and be grateful for that day. And then being grateful when you wake up. You know, first thing I say every day is like thank you for the day. When I when I wake up, I’m like I get a new day.

Carl J. Cox 43:11

Lisa, this is I knew this was gonna be a special podcast. And we do have a future goal. You know, you and I in three years. We’re we’re gonna make this Boston Marathon. Yeah. And so I’m gonna be there to cheer you on. Thank you, I have my I have some funny stories of my failures that I have not been recording recently because it’s been really pathetic. But today I try to run six miles and, and continue the path of getting towards there once again, is gonna be a three year journey. By the way, I’ll be doing a charitable contribution, get there because I probably won’t be able to do it. But But the goal is to get there nevertheless. And we’re both for those. We’re both from Boston Lynn area. And once again, it’s a different story. But Lisa, this has been amazing. And I really, really appreciate this I’m so proud of you, and grateful for all the courage that you had. And as I said you truly been a hero from my perspective and to those around lat my last final question I’d love to ask people what what, what are you reading these days and what’s keeping you motivated and something that you’d like to share with others.

Lisa Hardwick 44:31

Um, I am not reading any book books per se. I am very busy season at work and we’re implementing both these new data systems. But the beginning of the year, I made a commitment and that was to listen to a one a day podcast and it is The Bible in a Year and I’ve been really enjoying that. So I’m committing 22 30 minutes a day for growing my spirituality. Understanding what God wants for me and wants for me. And I’ve been really enjoying it. It’s been very inspiring. And we are still on the Old Testament, I just got we just got the gospel of John. So the Old Testament was, you know, the history is, is hard to listen to, I think in the in the Bible, but you know, now I’m getting to some more positive things. I think the history is difficult, you know? Yep. Yep. But I’ve been enjoying that. That, and I always keep in my mind that like, hope and faith are the pillars of the world. Like, that’s what drives moving forward.

Carl J. Cox 46:05

Yep. deployed. So to our jury, those the audience so we have been talking with Lisa Hardwick. Where can people learn about more about your company,

Lisa Hardwick 46:18

they can go to our website, which is www.mathlearningcenter.org, you’ll find the history of the company, the origins who were the leaders, and about the product, and how we believe in visual models, um, read get read, rather than remote memorization, which was now I learned the math. And they keep calling it the new math. So parents can get frustrated if they don’t know the kinds of things that we’re implementing. But once they see their child or their students succeed with it, they start learning themselves, then great.

Carl J. Cox 47:15

And then on a personal basis, there might be people out there from from your Guy, you know, story with Guy and dealing with the challenges that have with that and then your own personal efforts in surviving the Battle of cancer. Where were you covered with people reaching out to you to so they can maybe reach out to you if they have questions or they want to hear more to help them Inspire to get through their own challenges?

Lisa Hardwick 47:42

They can reach out to me on Facebook, and I’m on my, what have under on Facebook is Lisa Talty Hardwick and that’s my Facebook page.

Carl J. Cox 47:59

Alright, Lisa, this has been truly a wonderful podcast. Thank you so much for your time. And, and and, and to those of the audience, we thank you for listening to the Measure Success Podcast, and we’re wishing you the very best and measuring success. Thank you, Lisa, so much.

Lisa Hardwick 48:16

Thank you, Carl. 

Outro 48:20

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