Chimneys, Choices & Customer Care: Why Actions Speak Louder Than Smoke
This episode starts with two grown women spending hours staring at a chimney. When Pope Francis passed away and the conclave gathered to elect Pope Leo XIV, Vonda — a convert to Catholicism years ago — and Lori — not Catholic, but happily "a little obsessed with the Pope in a good way" — found themselves glued to the smoke watch, even mid-staff-meeting. What starts as a funny current-events confession turns into one of the most useful conversations they've had about running a flower shop: why actions always speak louder than words, in world events, in memory care facilities, in steakhouses, and behind your design counter.
Why the whole world watched
The hosts were struck by who else was watching. Lori's daughter Bailey — raised Christian, not Catholic — and her whole hospital team were following along. Cammy, deep in Mother's Day "hell week" with kids in tennis finals, went from "wait, the Pope died?" to "share your screen, send me the link." And both hosts admit they got choked up more than once at the crowds: hundreds of thousands of people, flags from every country, hugging. "They all came together for one thing," Lori says. "This is powerful... so much love and beauty."
So why did Pope Francis resonate with people who couldn't even understand his language? That's exactly the point, Lori argues: it wasn't his words. It was watching him reach out to children, to the marginalized, to people with disabilities — laughing when there was joy, weeping when there was sorrow. She tells the story of a little boy too shy to ask his question at a microphone, worried his late father hadn't gone to heaven; the Pope had him brought up and held him on his lap while Lori sobbed at her screen. Vonda ties a bow on it with a bit of word history: catholic with a small c means all-embracing. That's the standard — and it's set by actions, not statements.
The memory care test
Then Lori brings it home, and gets emotional doing it. She's been touring facilities because her dad, Lenny, may need to move to a next level of care. The places are painfully expensive — but watching the employees changed her math entirely. Nothing was elaborate or fancy; it was the quality of the care, the joy and laughter coming out of the staff, that made her think, "If I gotta sell my house, I'll do it." No sales pitch. They didn't even know she was watching. Just action. (It's also where the episode's best laugh lives: mid-tour, a resident they'll call Bob was spotted "watering" the garden planter box, because Bob owned a farm and old habits die hard. The staff laughed, redirected gently, and let the man finish. That grace, too, is culture.)
The lesson translates directly: you can feel the culture of a business the moment you walk in — a boutique, a restaurant, a flower shop. Vonda remembers Mother's Day weeks where the crew was slammed, working like crazy, and still laughing. Authentic joy in the midst of chaos isn't fake positivity; it's the thing customers actually sense. Her old holiday line to the team: "Are we having fun yet?"
Hire for desire — and be the leader you wish you had
Lori's son Reese is the case study for the second half. A man of very few words, quiet and reserved — and at his high-end steakhouse job, he has regulars requesting his section and customers handing him Astros tickets. He gets in a zone, gives people an experience, and always finds a little something extra for a special occasion. Why? Vonda's answer: look at how he was raised. He watched people being treated well his whole life. Which is exactly why hiring is hard — you can't interview for someone's upbringing, and a mask can hold for three days.
So the hosts reach for the hiring rule they keep coming back to — skill versus will — plus a new rhyme Lori picked up from Simon Sinek: hire for desire. It doesn't have to be a passion for flowers; you just need to see passion for something. That's also why a Facebook thread about a 15-year-old who asked to intern at a flower shop got them fired up: some commenters practically talked the owner out of it. Don't squelch desire — Lori started in this industry at 14, and she'll tell you the mentor you get at that age will make or break whether you stay.
Her closing story proves it: a young assistant manager at a NextGen event, eight months into the industry, full of ideas and being ground down by a conflict-avoidant manager. Lori's advice to her: be the leader you wish you had. You can't change the person above you — but the people underneath you will judge this entire industry by how you treat them. They're watching. Which is, of course, where the episode began: modeling, unity, joy. Or as Vonda closes, quoting a saying associated with St. Augustine (Pope Leo comes from the Augustinian order): preach at all times — only when necessary, use words.
Key takeaways
- People judge you by what you do, not what you say — customers read your actions and your team's body language instantly.
- Culture is visible: authentic joy in the middle of chaos is what makes customers (and families touring memory care) choose you.
- Hire for will and desire over skill — passion for anything beats a polished but empty interview.
- Young talent's first mentor makes or breaks them; welcome the eager 15-year-old instead of squelching them.
- Can't change a bad boss? Be the leader you wish you had — the people under you are watching.