Episode 41-
Tracey Nguyen
Accountability and Growth with Dr. Tracey Nguyen
Today's guest is Dr. Tracey Nguyen, the owner of Lansdowne Dental Care in Leesburg, Virginia. In addition to her general practice, Tracey specializes in airway health, with a particular focus on pediatric care. She is also among an elite group of only 350 individuals worldwide accredited by the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry.
Tracey’s journey to success was far from easy. Growing up in poverty and facing challenging circumstances, she lacked the guidance of strong role models. Now, reflecting on her past, she is committed to giving back by serving as a mentor and teacher to others in her community.
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Resources
Follow your curiosity, connect, and join our ever-growing community of extraordinary minds.
Dr. Tracey Nguyen on Instagram
Machell Hudson on resilience and compassion
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What's In This Episode
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Tracey’s origin story.
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Why airway health is important to dentistry.
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Why accountability is so important.
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How teaching should benefit the student and the teacher.
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Transcript
Dr. Tracey Nguyen:
When you see a kid struggle like that, reach out to that person and give them grace because I think that we all have to learn right from wrong, and sometimes people learn it the hard way. You do the wrong and then you realize it's wrong. And I think that's who I am. I've learned a lot of my wrongs by doing the wrong, and I almost wish that I had a little bit of that guidance. But accountability is huge. Give yourself grace and move on.
Dr. Kim Kutsch:
On Contrary to Ordinary we explore the motivations, lives and characters of innovators who see limitless potential around them. Through these conversations, we hope to provide insight into how you can emulate the mindsets of these extraordinary people in your own life and work.
My name is Dr. Kim Kutsch and I spent over 20 years in dentistry before creating CariFree over 20 years ago. We offer a range of dental products to the industry and the public, that promote the health and wellness of people suffering from the disease of caries.
This week, I'm speaking with the brilliant and talented Dr. Tracey Nguyen. Tracey is the owner of Lansdowne Dental Care in Leesburg, Virginia, and one of only 350 people worldwide accredited by the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, an incredible achievement in our field. One of her key areas of expertise is airway health, particularly in children. We'll dive deeper into that later, but it's safe to say that many children and their families owe her a great deal.
Tracey's own childhood wasn't without challenges. While she didn't ask many questions growing up about her mother's journey from Vietnam to America, her mother eventually shared the full story, offering Tracey a profound insight into their family's past.
Dr. Tracey Nguyen:
We came to this country with just my mother, and my mother has had a couple husbands. But in high school, we were bringing my brother into the country, and I was like, "What? I have a brother, and I have a father?" And I think what happened was my mom, the trauma of the war, she just basically didn't ... Well, one, I think the thing with the Asian culture, we don't really talk about a lot of things when you're younger. We don't bond like that. We don't talk about our struggles. You talk when you're forced to talk about it.
And so, my mom was like, "Yeah, basically I was a gas attendant for the boats." And the captain looked at my mom, it's like, "Do you want to leave the country?" And my mom was like, "Yes." So, the captain goes to my mom and is like, "Well, go get your family. Meet me at the boat at X time and then we'll get going." So, I was a baby, still being breastfed, and my mom went and got me. Well, my brother and my dad were not there. And so, my mom told my grandmother, "Find my brother, tell my husband, meet me at the boat." And they never made it to the boat. And so, I think my mom probably has ... She lives with that guilt of making that decision, "Do I get on this boat with my baby or do I wait for my husband and my son and potentially not make it to the country at all?"
Dr. Kim Kutsch:
Right.
Dr. Tracey Nguyen:
Yeah.
Dr. Kim Kutsch:
What an incredibly hard, difficult choice to have to make on the spur of the moment.
Dr. Tracey Nguyen:
Yeah. It's crazy because I think people are like, "Well, do you judge your mom?" I was like, "My mom..." I'm very fortunate to be around very strong women just in my career now, and then just seeing my mom and the choices that she made. I mean, coming to this country with nothing, living on welfare. It's funny how she depended on a lot of men to try to get her where she is, and then it just made me be more of an independent person. You know?
Dr. Kim Kutsch:
Uh-huh.
Dr. Tracey Nguyen:
But I think that she's an amazing woman. I think that's a tough decision for any mother to make.
Dr. Kim Kutsch:
I can't imagine.
Dr. Tracey Nguyen:
Yeah. So, I made it my mission to make that decision worth it for her. So, I was going to be somebody.
Dr. Kim Kutsch:
Well, you have certainly nailed that.
Dr. Tracey Nguyen:
Yeah. So, she could be like, "I did this for this little ... What are you now?"
Dr. Kim Kutsch:
But I'm just trying to put myself in your shoes and imagine what it was like to be here and just not have that discussed, your origin and the fact that you had, suddenly, "What? I have a brother?" Right?
Dr. Tracey Nguyen:
Yeah. Yeah. And I have a dad. It was just crazy. And then, when my brother came to the States, he was like, "Okay, we're going to go meet our dad." It was so weird because I was in my 20s then, I was like, "I don't know if I want to meet my dad. I don't even know who this man is."
Dr. Kim Kutsch:
Right.
Dr. Tracey Nguyen:
And then, the year that I went to go see him ... My dad's family, they're very poor. I mean, they basically live in a shack. There's not even a toilet there. So, when he saw that and when he knew I was coming, he was building a toilet for me.
Dr. Kim Kutsch:
Oh, wow.
Dr. Tracey Nguyen:
Imagine that, he's building ... They're like, "Oh, you don't want to bring Tracey in this state because Tracey, she's very Americanized. She needs a certain level..."
Dr. Kim Kutsch:
Right.
Dr. Tracey Nguyen:
It was crazy. But then the year that I came, he passed and I was like, "Oh..." He got into a motorcycle accident. But I think it's interesting because the Asian cultures, you do not show vulnerability. You do not talk about your struggles. You do not show vulnerability. You just have to be strong, and that's how you have to be seen. The Western culture has so much love and forgiveness. I think that's why I love the center so much because John is so vulnerable. Everyone here is like ... We love each other. We're like, "How are you doing?" We talk about things.
Dr. Kim Kutsch:
Right.
Dr. Tracey Nguyen:
And I didn't have that growing up.
Dr. Kim Kutsch:
Yeah.
Dr. Tracey Nguyen:
So, it's really refreshing to be around this community.
Dr. Kim Kutsch:
It's a really unique tribe.
Dr. Tracey Nguyen:
Yeah.
Dr. Kim Kutsch:
So, tell me about ... Then you were in high school, you made this discovery, and then what were your career plans? I mean, did you want to be a dentist when you were a six-year-old Tracey, or how did that happen?
Dr. Tracey Nguyen:
No. I think for me, I was just probably just getting by. Just growing up, living in different places and shelter houses. And then in high school, I kind of just messed around and played a little bit too much. And then it was kind of like, "All right, you got to go to college." I was like, "Oh, crap. I got to go to college." It was too late for me to apply to any of the schools. And I'm not a really smart person. It's funny because I'm-
Dr. Kim Kutsch:
Oh, you are not getting away with that. Oh, no.
Dr. Tracey Nguyen:
Because no, I struggle. I think people don't realize I struggle to be smart. I'm one of those people that I have to read a lot to really get it. When I study, I have to write it in different colors. And I almost feel like I was probably a little bit dyslexic when I was younger and how hard it was for me to struggle. I'm horrible at testing, but once I understand it and I can reiterate what I just learned. And I think that's how I became a speaker, because it's like, I try my best to make it simple because I don't get it. So, if I can explain it to myself simply, then I can teach someone.
Dr. Kim Kutsch:
Right.
Dr. Tracey Nguyen:
And so, my youngest aunt, so she was the first person in our family to go to college, and she was basically my tiger aunt, because my mom didn't speak any English, so my aunt was the one that really was like, "You got to take all these classes, you got to skip grades." So, I had to be smart for her. So, she was like, "Why don't you become a dentist? My friends are dentists. They make a lot of money." And I was like, "Okay."
And I'll never forget it because my tooth broke on New Year's Eve. I mean, we were poor. We didn't go to the dentist regularly. So, when I went in to the dentist, it was disgusting. My mouth, I had perio. She let me feel my calculus. I had several broken teeth. And I was like, "This is disgusting." I didn't have any money. So, she was trying to get her board license in California. So, she was like, "Look, if you can pay for your root canal, I'll pay for your crown as long as you're my board patient." And I was like, "Okay. How am I going to pay for my root canal?" So, then I worked at this nail salon as a receptionist because they needed someone to speak English.
Dr. Kim Kutsch:
Right.
Dr. Tracey Nguyen:
So, I was a receptionist and I communicated with all the techs and the clients. And obviously, my mom has no credit at all, broke, poor. And so I was like, "I need someone to co-sign so I can get a care credit for my root canal." And so, she co-signed. I was like, "I mean, I work for you, you can take whatever." And then, I got my root canal done, but the dentist that took me over, she kind of took me in, this little troubled girl. And I was messing up really bad. She was like, "You need to step up because you're the new girl and you're the reason why everything's breaking down." You know how it is in the dental office? Goes, "New girl did it." It was like, "So, you better step up."
Dr. Kim Kutsch:
Yeah. Oh, I know.
Dr. Tracey Nguyen:
So, that's how I got into dentistry. I was like, "Okay, I can do this."
Dr. Kim Kutsch:
There's no question, Tracey's journey has been challenging. The fact that she turned her struggles into a career helping countless other, truly makes her remarkable. Her story reminds me of another incredible guest, Michelle Hudson. She too faced a difficult childhood, yet her current mindset is one of deep compassion and care. It's truly inspiring. If you haven't listened to that episode yet, I highly recommend it. You can find the link in this episode's show notes.
As I mentioned earlier, Tracey specializes in airway health. Her interest in this area took off after hearing a talk by the esteemed Dr. Jeff Rouse at a Kois Center study club in Detroit.
Dr. Tracey Nguyen:
And I was like, "Okay, I get it. I get this airway thing." And then I was posting a lot on social media. Then I started to read. And I think the reading part I got just because I've always been a reader because I'm not that smart. I'm just joking.
So, then I made it my point that whatever I have to do has to be evidence-based. And so then I started doing a lot of that on social media. And I remember when it just started, people started listening. And then Jeff went up to me, he's like, "I've been talking about airway dentistry for 10 years. You've only been doing it for a couple of months." I was like, "Yeah, I just kind of made it sexy."
Dr. Kim Kutsch:
Yeah. And I think there was some timing to that too.
Dr. Tracey Nguyen:
Yeah.
Dr. Kim Kutsch:
Because I think even just as a society we're moving toward better awareness in our health.
Dr. Tracey Nguyen:
Yes.
Dr. Kim Kutsch:
Right? I think there's a real movement. We have this healthcare crisis in the US, but it's really, I think we have a health crisis in the US. And I think that as dentists, we didn't appreciate growth and development, and the role that the airway plays, and the role that the mouth and the floor of the nose, the nasal breathing. I don't think we fully understood and maybe don't fully understand yet, the role that plays in growth and development, and then the role that plays in being healthy as an adult.
Dr. Tracey Nguyen:
Yeah.
Dr. Kim Kutsch:
Right?
Dr. Tracey Nguyen:
Yeah.
Dr. Kim Kutsch:
The more we learn or the more I hear about people present and talk about airway and look at it, it's so important in terms of being able to be a healthy adult, that growth and development, and it all comes down to airway. And of course, that was the perfect storm. Right? I mean, it starts when the baby is born.
Dr. Tracey Nguyen:
It does.
Dr. Kim Kutsch:
Right?
Dr. Tracey Nguyen:
It starts when the baby is born, even the delivery. So, Hillary, how she gave an amazing talk about craniofacial strains. I was like, it's all connected to how we were delivered, to what we eat, to how we grow and we breathe, our environment, to how we look. I mean, if we think about some of the cultural risk factors, I mean, Asians are high risk for having sleep problems. Well, if you go to China, the air quality is so bad you know they're know they're breathing differently. Their facial structures represents the environment that they're in.
Dr. Kim Kutsch:
Right.
Dr. Tracey Nguyen:
Once you show that you care about the wellbeing, you're like, "This is not normal, how you're feeling, how you're restless and your child's acting out." These things, we really have to catch them. I was really amazed when I got into this field. I was like, "Why isn't there a dental consult? Why isn't there a craniofacial risk consult? If MMA is one of the most popular curative procedures for adults, why is it not so far-fetched to think that anatomy didn't create some of these problems?"
Dr. Kim Kutsch:
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I think we've always had this challenge in dentistry. The United States is somewhat unique from the standpoint that dentistry is a specialty of medicine in a lot of countries in the world. And here it became its own profession early on. Right? And that separation, it was kind of like, "Okay, this little zone here is our area of responsibility and we don't have to worry about anything outside of the mouth." And then you have medicine that says, "Oh yeah, that's the dental profession's responsibility."
Dr. Tracey Nguyen:
Yeah.
Dr. Kim Kutsch:
And then this whole airway, that kind of fell in the crack in between those two different disciplines. And it kind of has been neglected and nobody really has embraced and taken hold of it. And I think that that's a huge opportunity for us in the dental profession to be able to help people identify those issues, like you say-
Dr. Tracey Nguyen:
Early on.
Dr. Kim Kutsch:
... I mean, early on in life. So, I think you were kind of in this perfect storm of your passion and interest that you discovered, and it was great timing.
Dr. Tracey Nguyen:
I've gotten a lot of patients from social media. It's been interesting because I find a lot of dentists, they are having problems advocate for ... If dentists are having problems advocating for children, parents are having a really hard time. I get a lot of parents that find me through social media about, "My child has this problem too." There was this one lady, a dentist looked at her child and was like, "Oh, your kid's grinding her teeth. Maybe he should get a sleep evaluation." So, of course the mom's like, "What? What are you talking about?" And sure enough, she went and got a sleep evaluation and he had severe sleep apnea. She was so blown away that he was eight years old and it's been missed.
Because she was like, "He has all these problems." That she took it to social media, and she probably has a million-plus people that shared it. What was amazing about her is she started to write all these literature about breathing and sleep and ADHD, and that it's just one mom's mission to educate other moms. And it was pretty amazing. And then, she got that out and then he was still symptomatic. So, then she found me. We expanded him. Then we had to go back. I mean, there's all these treatments that we had to do.
Airway, for me, it's been very rewarding when I see differences in kids. And it's funny because it's like, "Do you only treat kids?" "No," it's like, "I do adults too." But the interesting thing that you'll find is the children get the anatomy from the parents. If an adult has airway issues, you can almost say 50, 70% chance your child will too. And so, you have to ask yourself ... That's the trajectory of your child. And a lot of times, I'll treat the child and I'll treat the parents. So, the whole family.
Dr. Kim Kutsch:
Yeah. So, Tracey, you have an incredible sense of drive. Where does that come from?
Dr. Tracey Nguyen:
I told you, I got to make it worth it for my mom. But it's so funny because she always puts a little guilt here for me. She goes, "You know I'm your only living parent." And I was like, "Yes, mom." Yeah. It was just like, "Okay, you made this huge sacrifice for me. I want to make it worth it." And then, once I started realizing the impact I made on people, it's like when I leave this place, I want someone to say like, "Wow, it's a little bit better with her in it."
Dr. Kim Kutsch:
Yeah.
Dr. Tracey Nguyen:
That's all.
Dr. Kim Kutsch:
Oh, it's a lot better with you in it, Tracey.
Dr. Tracey Nguyen:
Yeah.
Dr. Kim Kutsch:
Yeah. Your mom made some huge sacrifices. Right?
Dr. Tracey Nguyen:
Yeah.
Dr. Kim Kutsch:
And so, you just want to make sure that they were worth it.
Dr. Tracey Nguyen:
Yeah. What I'm doing now, it's interesting because now I educate and people will ask me, "Do you like it?" I was like, "The traveling's getting exhausting. And I don't think I love it anymore, but I do it because if I can help one dentist, I'm helping all of his patients."
Dr. Kim Kutsch:
Yeah. When you touch a dentist's life and open their mind and educate them, suddenly you've affected 1,200 patients. And if you do that for 1,200 dentists, suddenly you've touched the lives of a million people that you don't even ever get to see, but you know that you've done that, right? You've embraced that's how you're helping the world become a better place. And I think if we all look for those opportunities, just think of what a great world this would be if we were all just out trying to support and help each other-
Dr. Tracey Nguyen:
Yes.
Dr. Kim Kutsch:
... and help each other get better. Yeah. I know for me, I can just so totally relate to that, Tracey.
Dr. Tracey Nguyen:
Right.
Dr. Kim Kutsch:
Teaching benefits not only the students but the teacher as well. A fact that smart thinkers have understood for centuries. The Socratic method, for instance, was designed to foster dialogue, encouraging mutual learning between teacher and student. Even the legendary Chinese philosopher Confucius also recognized the value of a teacher learning from their students. However, Tracey doesn't just teach out of duty. She teaches because she's passionate about it. You can truly see the spark in her eyes when she talks about it.
Dr. Tracey Nguyen:
But I have to say, the education system, we complain about it a lot. It was really good for me. They really do figure out the kids that struggle and try to help them, but maybe they could do more. That was probably my drive. And just being in a group that was more challenged made me want to get out of the group.
Dr. Kim Kutsch:
It gave you this incentive to work harder.
Dr. Tracey Nguyen:
Yes. I was like, "No, no, no, I'm not staying in this group. I'm going to be better." But that was pretty much my drive. I always wanted to be better.
Dr. Kim Kutsch:
Uh-huh. So, every day, it still is your drive?
Dr. Tracey Nguyen:
Yeah. And I think that's also the whole Asian side, I think we don't get a lot of words of affirmation, and I'm totally not a words of affirmation person either. But that drive is like ... It took me a while for me to realize, "Okay, you don't need anything from anybody. You are your worst critic. Stop trying to make everybody happy. Just make you happy." And so, that took me a while to get to that point.
Dr. Kim Kutsch:
I think that that's a common thing for all of us is we tend to be our own worst critic. We don't need other people to put glass ceilings over us because we tend to put them over ourselves. Right? It's that negative talk, "Well, I'm not that good." And I hear people say that, and I go, "No, that's not true." And I see you being successful. You're amazing. And I think the role of mentors, we talk a lot about mentors-
Dr. Tracey Nguyen:
Yes.
Dr. Kim Kutsch:
... and I think one of the most important roles of mentors is that they see things in us that we don't see. Right? And I also think they're really good at being able to remove your ceiling and say, "No. Oh man, you are going to be so good at this. I see you doing this and see you being successful at it." And then you kind of go, "Oh, wow. Well, maybe I could do that." I think that, that encouragement and support from mentors is so important in life.
Dr. Tracey Nguyen:
Yeah. Giving back is really important. I see that now, it's just like, that's all I want to do is give back, "How can I help you? What's going on?"
Dr. Kim Kutsch:
Yeah. And I think it's so important, Tracey, too, for you to not just be mentored from above, but also mentor down.
Dr. Tracey Nguyen:
Yep.
Dr. Kim Kutsch:
Right?
Dr. Tracey Nguyen:
Yeah.
Dr. Kim Kutsch:
I think it's really important. I admire you for all the mentoring that you do. I know literally anybody that came to you with an interest and said, "Tracey, could you help me with this?" That you would even not even pause. You would just go, "Absolutely, I'm in. What can I do?" Right?
Dr. Tracey Nguyen:
Yeah, 100%.
Dr. Kim Kutsch:
So, if you could give yourself some advice when you were 25 years old, what would Tracey today, say to her 25-year-old self? What advice would you give yourself looking back?
Dr. Tracey Nguyen:
Choose your friends wisely. I think that they can either lift you up or keep you back. I think that is so important. You can get with the wrong crowd and really affect your growth. So, what is it? That you're a reflection of the five people you hang out with.
And then, I think everybody has a struggle. Everyone is dealing with some kind of struggle. Be aware of that and just, I'm always looking at trying to uplift people and just to see what's going on, but everyone's dealing with something.
Dr. Kim Kutsch:
Yeah. I think that's another thing that you don't appreciate until you get older. Right? I think we judge people. We all do. We judge people. We look at them and we judge them by looking at them, right?
Dr. Tracey Nguyen:
Yeah.
Dr. Kim Kutsch:
And have no idea what personal struggles might be going on in their life. Right? And I think I'm a lot more just, I know myself, as I get older, I tend to be a lot more accepting and less judgmental of people.
Dr. Tracey Nguyen:
Yes. Yes.
Dr. Kim Kutsch:
Because it's like, I have no idea what they're going through, right? And I know what I'm going through. I know where my struggles are. And so, it's really important to give people the benefit of the doubt, I think. Embrace that. And you don't know what they're going through. Right?
Dr. Tracey Nguyen:
No, you don't. I've been very fortunate that ... It's funny. So, growing up with me not having a lot, being poor, I've always been around people that have always helped me. I've overcame a lot of struggles. I wasn't taught a lot of things. I think I taught it myself. And I am definitely less judgmental now and I give myself grace, and I give people grace for making mistakes.
I was not a good kid growing up. My mother was never around. I was staying up late. I got into a lot of bad habits. I went to juvie. When you see a kid struggle like that, reach out to that person and give them grace, because I think that we all have to learn right from wrong. And sometimes, people learn it the hard way. You do the wrong and then you realize it's wrong. And I think that's who I am. I have learned a lot of my wrongs by doing the wrong, and I almost wish that I had a little bit of that guidance.
Dr. Kim Kutsch:
To say, "Don't do this."
Dr. Tracey Nguyen:
Exactly. And it's funny because when I talk to my members and me now, it's like I'm always looking for that. I think that my integrity is so much better now than what I was like in my 20s. But accountability is huge. Like you said, don't make excuses for it. Like, "I did it. I was wrong." Give yourself grace and move on. That's the key.
I wish I had more influences in my childhood than I have now, because today now, with that vulnerability, I ask for help. When I was younger, that Asian culture, I never asked for help. And so, I just did it, I was wrong and whatever.
Dr. Kim Kutsch:
Yeah. And I think if you beat yourself up too much, you never have the opportunity to become the person you were meant to be.
Dr. Tracey Nguyen:
Yeah.
Dr. Kim Kutsch:
Right? The keynote speaker, Will, yesterday-
Dr. Tracey Nguyen:
Yeah, he was great.
Dr. Kim Kutsch:
... the whole concept of unreasonable hospitality. And I think there was a quote that I heard, actually from a life coach that I interviewed, and she said, "If you are thinking about something, you were born with the power to make it happen." Right? "You already have that power to accomplish that." We talked about the glass ceilings, and I think we tend to put those on ourselves and not realize, if I'm thinking about something, I already have the power within me to make that happen. And that's such a beautiful inspirational thought because I think we all have so much more ability and talent than we give ourselves credit for. And there's so much more that we can help other people than we give ourselves credit for, or maybe see from time to time. So, Tracey, I love you to pieces.
Dr. Tracey Nguyen:
Aww.
Dr. Kim Kutsch:
This is so much fun. I hate to say, gosh, we're about out of time here. So, is there anything that we didn't talk about that you would like to add?
Dr. Tracey Nguyen:
I love your podcast. I mean, there's that inspiration and people just need to be lifted. It's like, like I said earlier, you're not a product of your environment. Anyone can do it. You can be where I'm at. I mean, I always say, keep moving. And if I look at all the things I've been through, it's like you just keep moving. There's a better path for you.
Dr. Kim Kutsch:
And don't be afraid to put the work in.
Dr. Tracey Nguyen:
Yes, 100%.
Dr. Kim Kutsch:
Right?
Dr. Tracey Nguyen:
If you want to get out of your situation, get out of it. And I think that every bad experience I had, it's like you look back and be like, "Okay, how am I going to make that a better experience for somebody else?" Like I said, I haven't made many great decisions and I've own it. You have to own it and move on.
Dr. Kim Kutsch:
Well, Tracey, thank you so much.
Dr. Tracey Nguyen:
Thank you for having me.
Dr. Kim Kutsch:
Thank you so much, Dr. Tracey Nguyen, for joining me today. And thank you for going on this inspiring journey with me. Around here, we aim to inspire and create connections. We can't do it without you. If this conversation moved you, made you smile or scratched that little itch of curiosity to today, please share it with the extraordinary people in your life. And if you do one thing today, let it be extraordinary. Bye for now.