Latest / Daily Influence / 583. Forward is Improvement: The Influence of Movement with Cindy Capistran of Life Time Fitness Algonquin

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583. Forward is Improvement: The Influence of Movement with Cindy Capistran of Life Time Fitness Algonquin · Daily Influence

• 0:10
  [SPEAKER_01]: Welcome to the daily influence where our mission is to deliver a daily dose of positive influence that can uplift you personally or be shared within your sphere of influence.
• 0:20
  [SPEAKER_01]: While not every episode may directly apply to your unique circumstances, we strive to provide insights and inspiration relevant to most people's daily, weekly, and monthly lives.
• 0:30
  [SPEAKER_01]: Whether you are tuning in during the morning, noon or night, the daily influence is here for you.
• 0:36
  [SPEAKER_01]: Listen, share, and embrace the power of influence in your life.
• 0:40
  [SPEAKER_01]: Hey everybody Brian Smith here with the IM team series and your daily influence and I am so excited today to have who is not only an amazing influence in the fitness and wellness industry at lifetime fitness but has actually been a friend of Renee and I since we moved back to Illinois back in 2013 and it is with great
• 1:07
  [SPEAKER_01]: pleasure that I get to introduce Cindy Capestrian.
• 1:10
  [SPEAKER_01]: Cindy, thank you so much for joining us on daily influence.
• 1:14
  [SPEAKER_00]: Oh, thank you for having me, Brian.
• 1:16
  [SPEAKER_00]: I really appreciate it.
• 1:18
  [SPEAKER_01]: As I said, really excited because I still have so many memories of only moved here and hadn't really his first introduction to Illinois was being on the Argonauts with Noah and then also after that being on a travel baseball team with him and
• 1:35
  [SPEAKER_01]: As it seems to happen here, because I grew up here, we grew up with these kids.
• 1:40
  [SPEAKER_01]: We play sports with them, but because our small communities are actually disconnected, our boys went to different high schools, so they actually just went a different way when high school happened.
• 1:51
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, they did.
• 1:52
  [SPEAKER_00]: But, you know, those years playing football and playing baseball together were great.
• 1:57
  [SPEAKER_00]: That's how you build relationships with other families, and how you introduce yourself to a lot of other people in the community.
• 2:02
  [SPEAKER_00]: So, a family within a family.
• 2:04
  [SPEAKER_01]: It is, and I'll tell you, it was amazing when one day we joined Lifetime about the same time that we moved here.
• 2:14
  [SPEAKER_01]: And then one day we were there,
• 2:17
  [SPEAKER_01]: you were there too and it allowed for us to carry on that friendship with you not only myself but with Renee.
• 2:28
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yes, yes, Renee.
• 2:29
  [SPEAKER_00]: I love Renee.
• 2:30
  [SPEAKER_00]: Renee is like the best to have in class.
• 2:32
  [SPEAKER_00]: She's always front row her enthusiasm her energy.
• 2:36
  [SPEAKER_00]: She gets everyone else around her goal and so it's always great to have her energy in class.
• 2:40
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, thanks.
• 2:41
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, she's, she's got enough energy for more than one of us.
• 2:44
  [SPEAKER_01]: That's for sure.
• 2:45
  [SPEAKER_01]: So, you know, makes me what took you Cindy and first drew into the health and fitness industry.
• 2:53
  [SPEAKER_01]: And why did you realize that that your work and as an instructor was something that you really wanted to lean into?
• 3:01
  [SPEAKER_00]: Actually, I started here as a member at Lifetime and I started in group fitness as well just taking classes And like most of us started in the back row, right when you're new you're like I'm gonna be in the back I don't want anybody to see me.
• 3:11
  [SPEAKER_00]: I don't want to you know So I started in the back row and as I started to get more comfortable You know, I moved to the middle and then became you know front row like hey, this is my spot.
• 3:19
  [SPEAKER_00]: This is where I want to be And an instructor a fellow instructor saw something in me and actually approached me and said, you know, you should really consider teaching and I was like
• 3:28
  [SPEAKER_00]: wait what?
• 3:30
  [SPEAKER_00]: Things like a lot going on on stage.
• 3:31
  [SPEAKER_00]: I don't know if that's for me.
• 3:33
  [SPEAKER_00]: But through, you know, through her guidance, she brought me into the program and here I am 10 years later, and I absolutely love it.
• 3:41
  [SPEAKER_00]: I absolutely love it.
• 3:43
  [SPEAKER_01]: You know, I hear a lot from Renee about these classes and as we've said, she's got a lot of energy and I know because I get actually to see you teach some of the classes that you do.
• 3:55
  [SPEAKER_01]: I'm there at the morning and you teach a class and Aquatics class that's right in front of the sauna.
• 4:01
  [SPEAKER_01]: So I get to see that energy and hear that energy for a good part of the year when it's indoors.
• 4:08
  [SPEAKER_01]: How?
• 4:09
  [SPEAKER_01]: You know, those group classes are full of so much energy, so much personality, how do you intentionally use your presence, your words, and an example to create that impact for the members.
• 4:26
  [SPEAKER_00]: Um, I just think like being here right and recognizing that I'm here for them.
• 4:30
  [SPEAKER_00]: I'm not here for me.
• 4:31
  [SPEAKER_00]: This is not my work out.
• 4:32
  [SPEAKER_00]: My, my responsibilities to make sure that everyone is having a good time through movement and music.
• 4:39
  [SPEAKER_00]: So I try and keep the energy really high with the music.
• 4:42
  [SPEAKER_00]: I try to express myself in a happy way with a smile.
• 4:45
  [SPEAKER_00]: I feel like the energy you give out is the energy you're going to receive back in, right?
• 4:49
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's reciprocated.
• 4:50
  [SPEAKER_00]: So I think through that energy with the class and with myself, just trying to keep in high all the time and positive, right?
• 4:56
  [SPEAKER_00]: It doesn't work.
• 4:56
  [SPEAKER_00]: It doesn't have to be boring.
• 4:58
  [SPEAKER_00]: As a matter of fact, if it's fun, it makes the time even feel like it goes by faster.
• 5:03
  [SPEAKER_01]: Have you always been, will you appear to be an extravert?
• 5:07
  [SPEAKER_01]: You know, Renee shared with me, she's not.
• 5:09
  [SPEAKER_01]: She's actually an introvert, which really shocks me sometimes when you see these people with a lot of energy.
• 5:14
  [SPEAKER_01]: How would you describe yourself?
• 5:16
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, um, I think I started off as an introvert and slowly became extrovert of that makes me sense like, um, I never like the spotlight on myself.
• 5:26
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's funny enough when I even first, when I first audition here at Lifetime, I went through my audition.
• 5:31
  [SPEAKER_00]: They gave me good feedback, but she said, let loose, you sound very much like a flight attendant.
• 5:36
  [SPEAKER_00]: She was, is that what you do by, is that like your regular day job?
• 5:39
  [SPEAKER_00]: And I was like, no, she's like, just have fun with it, right?
• 5:43
  [SPEAKER_00]: Be yourself.
• 5:46
  [SPEAKER_00]: That's when you can give your best performance because people feel that authenticity.
• 5:50
  [SPEAKER_01]: Did you have to do anything to help yourself transition from that nervous self to that more outgoing self?
• 5:59
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think and speaking to other instructors and just getting feedback from them, like the best feedback I got is right take everything with a grain of salt, like there's going to be times where people, your personality might not match their personality, so it's nothing personal if they don't come to your class, because then you're going to have those people that love your energy, right, and come to your class because of it.
• 6:21
  [SPEAKER_00]: And at the end of the day, we're group fitness instructors.
• 6:23
  [SPEAKER_00]: No one here is performing cardiac surgery, you know?
• 6:26
  [SPEAKER_00]: We're here to have a good time.
• 6:28
  [SPEAKER_00]: As long as we can provide a good energy and a fun experience and keep our people moving, I think that's what they're here for.
• 6:35
  [SPEAKER_00]: And that every one's experience here is necessarily to meet physical goals, right?
• 6:41
  [SPEAKER_00]: I like to say,
• 6:42
  [SPEAKER_00]: At some point in my life, it changed from being the physical benefits, which we on our great, right, physical benefits working out for your heart, all of it, for muscle, but it became more mental for me.
• 6:53
  [SPEAKER_00]: It became my place where I needed to relieve stress.
• 6:56
  [SPEAKER_00]: If I was having a bad day, get a workout, if I was feeling sad, get your ass up, get into the gym and get a workout, right?
• 7:02
  [SPEAKER_00]: I would always automatically feel better.
• 7:04
  [SPEAKER_00]: So I kind of had a flip in the switch and I just, from there on, I looked at it
• 7:12
  [SPEAKER_01]: For me, it's a mental health time.
• 7:15
  [SPEAKER_01]: I get to spend time with myself in a quiet place.
• 7:19
  [SPEAKER_01]: I don't bring my phone, you know, I don't listen to music.
• 7:22
  [SPEAKER_01]: I actually try to stay in my own head while I'm working out.
• 7:25
  [SPEAKER_01]: And I notice a lot of people do that.
• 7:27
  [SPEAKER_01]: Though there's a lot of different people that go there.
• 7:29
  [SPEAKER_01]: Some have music, some have headphones, you know, Renee actually has built a social network of people that lifetime really does a good job of promoting and bringing people together.
• 7:42
  [SPEAKER_01]: People from.
• 7:43
  [SPEAKER_01]: all over the socioeconomic background.
• 7:46
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yet in that environment, everybody is almost on a similar playing field, regardless of where they come from, they're there, or meant for for health.
• 7:57
  [SPEAKER_01]: It could be mental health, physical health, so I find lifetime provides this environment that really is conducive to that.
• 8:04
  [SPEAKER_01]: And I see what you mean when you say, it's not about you, it's about serving them.
• 8:11
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yes, absolutely and it's almost like we like to say we actually switch from group fitness instructor to performer because it's almost like performance right not in a sense of like circus performance like that, that but we sometimes we have baggage we have bad days, right, but
• 8:28
  [SPEAKER_00]: we can't bring that to the stage, because people are not here for that.
• 8:31
  [SPEAKER_00]: They're trying to escape those kind of emotions, right?
• 8:33
  [SPEAKER_00]: So when we come on stage, our personal stuff is our personal stuff.
• 8:36
  [SPEAKER_00]: We're here to serve the community, so it's like a flip in the switch and you're like, you're ready to go.
• 8:40
  [SPEAKER_00]: You got that mic on, you're here to provide a positive, you know, environment for everyone.
• 8:46
  [SPEAKER_01]: So leaning into that a little bit and what I mean by leaning into it is that you work with people at all fitness levels.
• 8:54
  [SPEAKER_01]: You can have people in your class that are beginners, people like Renee who have been there 10 years or more and everything in between.
• 9:02
  [SPEAKER_01]: From high intensity to low intensity to aged groups, people that are older to younger.
• 9:09
  [SPEAKER_01]: How do you adjust your approach so that every participant feels seeing capable and motivated?
• 9:19
  [SPEAKER_00]: Well, I mean, I think it's important to let people know from the beginning, right?
• 9:22
  [SPEAKER_00]: That this is their workout.
• 9:24
  [SPEAKER_00]: You're going to own it, right?
• 9:25
  [SPEAKER_00]: I always say when I come in, you know, and structured, I was like, this is the equipment we're using today, heavy, medium, lightweight, and people are always like, what do you mean by that?
• 9:33
  [SPEAKER_00]: What does it mean to you?
• 9:34
  [SPEAKER_00]: What does that mean to you today?
• 9:36
  [SPEAKER_00]: Right?
• 9:36
  [SPEAKER_00]: Like, this is, I remember, I'm here to guide you.
• 9:39
  [SPEAKER_00]: This is your workout.
• 9:40
  [SPEAKER_00]: It has to feel good to you.
• 9:43
  [SPEAKER_00]: We want to push never to the point of pain, right?
• 9:45
  [SPEAKER_00]: But to challenge ourselves.
• 9:46
  [SPEAKER_00]: So I think in owning your work out, right?
• 9:50
  [SPEAKER_00]: And recognizing what your body is capable of.
• 9:53
  [SPEAKER_00]: And having the grace to know that every day that might look different, right?
• 9:57
  [SPEAKER_00]: There's sometimes I wake up in the morning and I'm like,
• 10:08
  [SPEAKER_00]: everyone has those days.
• 10:09
  [SPEAKER_00]: So just owning it and giving yourself grace to know that every day it might not look like that.
• 10:16
  [SPEAKER_00]: And that we all started somewhere.
• 10:18
  [SPEAKER_00]: Movement is what's important.
• 10:21
  [SPEAKER_00]: Whether it's one step, two steps.
• 10:23
  [SPEAKER_00]: And I like to approach my classes as well as
• 10:27
  [SPEAKER_00]: trying to give back not I don't like the word modifications because that sometimes implies that you're not capable of doing something, but just you know, if you want to elevate it here you go, this is how you elevate a move, but if you're happy where you are if you're pushing as much as you can push today, then be be grateful for that.
• 10:44
  [SPEAKER_01]: You know, that's amazing advice to people who oftentimes can be intimidated by going to any gym, especially larger ones where they're busy.
• 10:52
  [SPEAKER_01]: You know, lifetime can be pretty busy and can be intimidating when you're surrounded by so many people doing so many different things.
• 11:00
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think that's amazing advice to own your workout, own your experience, you know, lean into you and have the the most positive influence
• 11:10
  [SPEAKER_01]: on yourself that you can't have in that environment.
• 11:13
  [SPEAKER_01]: So I love hearing that.
• 11:15
  [SPEAKER_01]: I'm going to pivot away from those of us that come to lifetime and into your peers.
• 11:21
  [SPEAKER_01]: One of the things that I've noticed about lifetime is that there are a lot of people there who have been there a long time.
• 11:29
  [SPEAKER_01]: as a person who deals with culture and influence globally on a regular basis, it's refreshing to walk into the my gym at Algonquin and see the same people, you know, from the people at the front desk to the people that help us in the locker room and take care of the machines, it's a very stable group.
• 11:51
  [SPEAKER_01]: So in in your own area of influence, how do you think
• 11:57
  [SPEAKER_01]: each of you supports each other.
• 11:59
  [SPEAKER_01]: And what do you think is the key to that culture at lifetime that keeps such a stable environment?
• 12:06
  [SPEAKER_00]: Oh, I think again, just recognizing that we're here to serve the community.
• 12:09
  [SPEAKER_00]: You know, we want everything to be an experience here.
• 12:13
  [SPEAKER_00]: You know, you can go to other places and, you know, sometimes they don't even have someone to greet you at the door.
• 12:17
  [SPEAKER_00]: You're just pretty much scanning.
• 12:18
  [SPEAKER_00]: You come and you do your thing.
• 12:20
  [SPEAKER_00]: We're very much into those first few seconds, right?
• 12:22
  [SPEAKER_00]: As you walk in, we want to make an impression.
• 12:24
  [SPEAKER_00]: So we want to make sure that we're greeting people with a smile.
• 12:28
  [SPEAKER_00]: We have that mentality of saying hello, making eye contact.
• 12:31
  [SPEAKER_00]: You know, if someone asks a question, if we can't answer it, you know what?
• 12:34
  [SPEAKER_00]: I don't know the answer to that, but let me walk you over to so and so, or, you know, so they can help address that question for you.
• 12:41
  [SPEAKER_00]: So just making sure that you remember that mindset that you're here to serve the community and give everyone a great experience.
• 12:48
  [SPEAKER_01]: That's awesome.
• 12:49
  [SPEAKER_01]: And you know, since life damage created this bridge from fitness to community and that's really important because as part of your role is managing events within lifetime and one of the events that's new is this every third Wednesday business networking event, but you have other events that go on.
• 13:11
  [SPEAKER_01]: Do you see lifetime continuing to enhance those types of event, that type of an event schedule that supports networks that can extend outside the gym and bring in other things that will create collaboration and community within that environment and within the your peers and the staff there.
• 13:33
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, absolutely.
• 13:34
  [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, the whole idea is to make it a place where people don't necessarily just come to exercise, but to your point, they come to socialize, right?
• 13:42
  [SPEAKER_00]: So many, I've seen so, the greatest feeling is when I see a group of people that have developed a true friendship, right?
• 13:49
  [SPEAKER_00]: Like, they met each other here and now they're actually doing stuff outside of these four walls, right?
• 13:54
  [SPEAKER_00]: You find them out when they're tapping dinner, you see them shopping, whatever.
• 14:01
  [SPEAKER_00]: So in doing our events, we're looking to build on that community, again, a community is very strong here, right?
• 14:08
  [SPEAKER_00]: As we spoke of earlier, it's not always about the physical.
• 14:12
  [SPEAKER_00]: the mental, you know, you develop those friendships.
• 14:14
  [SPEAKER_00]: Those people that you count on.
• 14:16
  [SPEAKER_00]: And, you know, having these events trying to socialize, whether it's business networking or in other ways, just doing stuff that happens outside of your regular routine, I guess, to get your workout in, right?
• 14:28
  [SPEAKER_00]: Like, that's great, my regular routine, you know, everyone wants fitness, but what can we do beyond that?
• 14:34
  [SPEAKER_01]: So I have one last question, and it's actually gonna speak
• 14:40
  [SPEAKER_01]: how you keep yourself motivated.
• 14:43
  [SPEAKER_01]: So that you at least bring that energy on a regular basis.
• 14:48
  [SPEAKER_01]: So what practices or routines help you sustain your own physical and mental health so that your influence can remain positive and authentic when you're in that environment.
• 15:02
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, so I actually I work out outside of the workout of that makes sense.
• 15:06
  [SPEAKER_00]: Like people are always like, oh, you teach so many classes.
• 15:09
  [SPEAKER_00]: You know, it must be great to keep that, but when I, when I'm coaching, again, I'll say this, I'm there for them.
• 15:15
  [SPEAKER_00]: So I'm not always necessarily moving on stage.
• 15:18
  [SPEAKER_00]: We get, you know, we get the people moving in, you get off stage, you correct form, you motivate,
• 15:23
  [SPEAKER_00]: So I still need that time for myself to actually physically work out and be in my own space, my own zone, to feel like I got my own workout in, so I still try and work out myself three to four times a week outside of just teaching.
• 15:38
  [SPEAKER_00]: you know, using the internet, right?
• 15:40
  [SPEAKER_00]: There's so many sources out there now too, whether it's through social media or through our creditations with different collaborations that we have within the fitness industry, attending seminars, things like that, just anything to kind of keep that.
• 15:58
  [SPEAKER_00]: keep the conversation going, being around others that can influence you.
• 16:03
  [SPEAKER_00]: You know, sometimes you feel like you're in a rut, right?
• 16:05
  [SPEAKER_00]: We start to say the same things in class.
• 16:08
  [SPEAKER_00]: We start to do the same movements.
• 16:10
  [SPEAKER_00]: So sometimes just going to someone else's class, right?
• 16:12
  [SPEAKER_00]: Like a fellow colleagues class so that you can be inspired or heard by them.
• 16:18
  [SPEAKER_01]: That's awesome, Sydney.
• 16:19
  [SPEAKER_01]: You know, I'm so thankful that we got to spend this time together.
• 16:24
  [SPEAKER_01]: Our mission here is people realizing that they have individual influence and that every single person matters.
• 16:32
  [SPEAKER_01]: And our goal is positive and responsible influence.
• 16:36
  [SPEAKER_01]: And with that in mind, could you share one last comment for our listeners and people that are watching that they can have as a
• 16:46
  [SPEAKER_01]: to just be a little bit better or more focused on their self.
• 16:51
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think every day just just get up and take one foot forward.
• 16:55
  [SPEAKER_00]: That's it.
• 16:56
  [SPEAKER_00]: Just take one foot forward.
• 16:57
  [SPEAKER_00]: If you take one foot forward, it leads to the other one leading forward.
• 17:01
  [SPEAKER_01]: That's actually really amazing advice, you know, forward is, is improvement for everyone.
• 17:06
  [SPEAKER_00]: They're simple, right?
• 17:07
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yes.
• 17:08
  [SPEAKER_00]: And it's so funny because I know when you, you and I first talked and you're like, I would you like to be, and I was like influencer.
• 17:13
  [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, I think a lot of times when people hear that word nowadays, right?
• 17:16
  [SPEAKER_00]: They're thinking, okay, what are you, are you an Instagram, where do you, or are you on YouTube, like how many followers do you have?
• 17:22
  [SPEAKER_00]: And I'm like, I don't consider myself an influencer and you're like, you make a positive impact on, and I,
• 17:28
  [SPEAKER_00]: So we instead back to say, I guess I am an influencer, maybe not, not in the sense of how many followers do I have, but you know, when people come to class and they say things to you at the end of class like, thank you.
• 17:40
  [SPEAKER_00]: I was having such a shitty day and I wasn't going to comment, I just feel so much better after that workout.
• 17:45
  [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, that's 99.9% of the time, right?
• 17:48
  [SPEAKER_00]: When you come in, you don't regret that.
• 17:50
  [SPEAKER_00]: You don't regret coming in.
• 17:51
  [SPEAKER_00]: You have actually leave feeling better.
• 17:53
  [SPEAKER_01]: we teach that influence can start with a smile and everything after that is a bonus and you're so right it doesn't every single human is an influence and there are different perspectives of influence however what people need to realize is that the smile you give or don't give the help you give or don't give the act of kindness that you that you can have is simple as
• 18:20
  [SPEAKER_01]: is a positive and responsible influence that we can have that we share with those around us.
• 18:28
  [SPEAKER_01]: And it is very important and it should be celebrated when we do that.
• 18:31
  [SPEAKER_00]: Absolutely, it's contagious to your point either way, right?
• 18:34
  [SPEAKER_00]: Whether it's a good thing, your smiling or if you have a bad attitude or what's wrong with that person, it'll get you off in a good mood.
• 18:41
  [SPEAKER_00]: So, yeah, just trying to keep that positive.
• 18:43
  [SPEAKER_00]: that positive energy going.
• 18:45
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, so city, how can people either get in touch with you, visit lifetime in person or check it out online?
• 18:53
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, so they can check it out online on our website.
• 18:56
  [SPEAKER_00]: They can come into the club if they want.
• 18:58
  [SPEAKER_00]: We can even do tours.
• 18:59
  [SPEAKER_00]: We love to do tours here at our club.
• 19:01
  [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, because we have so much more to offer than just group fitness classes, right?
• 19:05
  [SPEAKER_00]: We have pickle ball here.
• 19:07
  [SPEAKER_00]: We have
• 19:07
  [SPEAKER_00]: basketball, the kids academy.
• 19:09
  [SPEAKER_00]: We have a cafe, a spa, and you don't have to be a member at lifetime to use their spa either.
• 19:17
  [SPEAKER_00]: So that's why I love it here.
• 19:18
  [SPEAKER_00]: I can do everything here.
• 19:19
  [SPEAKER_00]: I get a workout, I can eat, so I can get an nails done, you know.
• 19:22
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, that's a great recovery without the golf.
• 19:25
  [SPEAKER_00]: Exactly.
• 19:27
  [SPEAKER_01]: And with a lot of great people.
• 19:29
  [SPEAKER_01]: So yeah.
• 19:30
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
• 19:31
  [SPEAKER_01]: All right, Cindy.
• 19:32
  [SPEAKER_01]: Well, thank you so much for joining me today on Daily Influence.
• 19:37
  [SPEAKER_00]: Thank you for having me, Brian.
• 19:38
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I look forward to seeing you and we'll talk to you again real soon.
• 19:43
  [SPEAKER_00]: Sounds good.
• 19:44
  [SPEAKER_00]: Thank you.
• 19:44
  [SPEAKER_00]: Have a great day.
• 19:45
  [SPEAKER_01]: All right.
• 19:46
  [SPEAKER_01]: Thanks everybody for joining us on the Daily Influence.
• 19:49
  [SPEAKER_01]: And be sure to listen to us on your favorite podcast channel, Apple SoundCloud, all of them.
• 19:55
  [SPEAKER_01]: And also our YouTube channel, the I&Tem series.
• 19:58
  [SPEAKER_01]: Join us again next week.
• 20:00
  [SPEAKER_01]: Have a great day.