Kym Coco: Finding Hope One Golf Shot at a Time

Wendy & Rich 0:01
Coming to you from the Freedom Federal Credit Union Studios, Hartford County Living presents, Conversations with Rich Bennett. My guest today is

Rich Bennett 0:28
Kim Coco, an author, Pete Vs. Performance coach, Yogey, an adventurer who has spent years helping people better understand the connection between the mind, body, and emotions. She holds a master's degree in sports kinesiology, has taught around the country, and now shares powerful tools for well-being through her writing, coaching, and her latest book Miracle on the Mountain Side. If they're losing her husband, Steve, and in 2023, Kim honor his memory in an extraordinary way. Traveling across the country in a Sprinter van, and playing a hundred golf courses while writing his memoirs and navigating her own journey through grief, healing, and self-discovery. 

Kym Coco 1:12
Rich, thank you so much for having me. It's a pleasure to be here with you and your listeners, and talk about the richness of life that we have 

Rich Bennett 1:20
Yes. 

Kym Coco 1:20
before. And every given moment. 

Rich Bennett 1:23
Oh, yeah. Yeah. And those of you listening, Kim was on my other podcast, the author, Pitch, where she pitched her book, and she, of course, she's got to come on again and pitch the other books, but an amazing book, that amazing book. And if you ever get a chance, make sure that you get it, read it, leave a four review on everywhere. You can leave a review Miracle on the Mountain Side. All right, so Kim, I just want to get right into this. So, if you're losing Steven, most people would probably retreat inward, but you got into a Sprinter van, travel the country, and played a hundred golf courses in his honor. So, looking back now, what do you think you were really searching for during that journey? 

Kym Coco 2:17
Rich, that's a great question about what was I searching for.But  before I answer that, can I take you back in time? 

Rich Bennett 2:24
Absolutely. 

Kym Coco 2:26
Steve was an incredible human. He had great foresight. He worked in the grief and loss world for many years. 

Rich Bennett 2:33
Oh, 

Kym Coco 2:34
He, after his motorcycle accident, 

Rich Bennett 2:36
which 

Kym Coco 2:37
is discussed in Miracle on the Mountain Side, this whole change of life happened for him, a new perspective, a new way of being able to understand your beliefs, who you are, what you stand for, and to move in a direction that's purposeful, 

Rich Bennett 2:50
right? 

Kym Coco 2:50
And so, we would have these morning conversations after he became ill, and he said to me, o morning, Kim, you're going to need structure when I'm gone. I thought, what the heck would that look like? We lived in a van most of the year. We had a bicostle situation going on. We traveled frequently, and I thought, my family is elsewhere, his was elsewhere. What would structure look like? It's not volunteering at our local animal shelter every week, or you know, helping babysit for my nieces and nephews. 

Rich Bennett 3:23
And 

Kym Coco 3:23
That stability wasn't possible. So, I thought structure could be golf. In golf, it's 18 holes. You have an objective within those 18 holes. And if you're not focusing on the shot at hand, you're going to miss. And even when 

Rich Bennett 3:39
Right. 

Kym Coco 3:39
you do focus, you can still miss. And so, this idea of how could I use play? How could I use sports and mental focus in this natural setting to rebuild my life? And so, literally the week Steve told me that back in 2022, I made a list of 100 golf courses I would want to play. And I thought, this could be a very fun adventure. 

Rich Bennett 4:05
Yeah. 

Kym Coco 4:06
I knew I would come at a cost, though, and I thought, 

Rich Bennett 4:08
Right. 

Kym Coco 4:08
"Okay." I'm not going to be able to do it with Steve. So, I tucked that list in a drawer, and he lived another year and a half. 

Rich Bennett 4:17
Wow. 

Kym Coco 4:18
So by the time it came for me to revisit what my life could look like once he was gone, believe it or not, I got a call. Two weeks later, I'm here in the mountains by myself. It was two weeks after Thanksgiving. And my sister calls me up and says, "Hey, we're coming from Ohio, down to LA. Come meet us. Luke is going to play golf in palace furties. It's 75 degrees. It's beautiful. What are you going to do anyway?" And I thought, "This could give me a chance to start my 100 

Rich Bennett 4:48
Right. 

Kym Coco 4:48
golf." 

And you know what happened when I got there? 

Rich Bennett 4:53
You be eating? No. 

Kym Coco 4:55
You know we both were very rusty having not played it a It was too sad. I thought, 

Rich Bennett 5:02
while. 

Kym Coco 5:02
"Oh my gosh, will I ever love golf again?" It's not the same without Steve. That was our common thread when we traveled. 

Rich Bennett 5:08
Right. Oh. 

Kym Coco 5:10
And I thought, "Okay, 

but I give, I'm not going to give up. I tried two weeks later in Santa Barbara for Christmas. It was still really tough and so I kept the clubs in the van, but it took me over a year to really commit and have the fortitude and the interbalance to say, "Okay, I'm ready to start over. I love the game again. Let's go." 

Rich Bennett 5:34
Wow. Yeah, I guess that would be hard, especially since you both played together all the time. 

Kym Coco 5:41
Yes. And so if I went back to your original question of what was I looking for, I was looking for possibilities. 

Rich Bennett 5:49
Yeah. 

Kym Coco 5:50
I was looking for what could this next chapter of my life look like, because grief and actually we don't even have to go through grief. How easy is it to look around us and think that this is our life? We can't predict beyond the scene very well. And now that my normal everyday experience with this person in my life for 15 years was gone, I needed options that 

Rich Bennett 6:11
could 

Kym Coco 6:12
I 

Rich Bennett 6:12
imagine. 

Kym Coco 6:14
And the golf adventure gave me a lot of possibilities of directions I could go moving forward. 

Rich Bennett 6:21
Okay. A hundred different golf courses. Yeah. Well, God knows there's hundreds, probably thousands in the United States, but how far did it take you? 

Kym Coco 6:36
I originally thought I could do this over the whole US because I'm very ambitious. 

Rich Bennett 6:42
Okay. 

Kym Coco 6:44
And then the reality hit of the first time I drove back and forth to Florida by myself, I thought this could be a lot. So I decided for my golf adventure, I'd keep it west of the Rockies. 

Rich Bennett 6:57
Smart. 

God. Wait a minute. So you drew the Florida twice by yourself? 

Kym Coco 7:04
I did. 

Rich Bennett 7:04
want to 

Kym Coco 7:05
I 

Rich Bennett 7:05
play golf. 

Kym Coco 7:06
Now, though, it was just to close up the chapter of our life in Florida. 

Rich Bennett 7:09
Okay. Okay. I was going to see that, because you're in California, right? 

Kym Coco 7:16
Yes. 

Rich Bennett 7:17
Yeah. Oh my God. That's a long drive. 

Kym Coco 7:21
Stephen, I did the cross country trek probably 30 times 

Rich Bennett 7:25
in that Sprinter van. 

Kym Coco 7:26
Yes. 

Rich Bennett 7:27
I take that thing was decked out with a bed and everything. 

Kym Coco 7:30
Oh, king size bed, full black beauty rest mattress. It's a real deal. Another four inch memory foam. You want to sleep well when you're on the road. 

Rich Bennett 7:40
And a Sprinter van, the Sprinter van's are those Mercedes looking things, right? 

Kym Coco 7:46
Yes. 

Rich Bennett 7:47
But it didn't have a kitchen in there. 

Kym Coco 7:50
Small kitchen. 

Rich Bennett 7:52
Oh, come 

Kym Coco 7:52
Basically, 

Rich Bennett 7:52
on. 

Kym Coco 7:52
cooked outside. 

Rich Bennett 7:55
So I cooked outside it. Okay. 

Kym Coco 7:55
Sink and the counter inside. I liked to cook outside. Think of very natural. Or we do. 

Rich Bennett 8:01
Yeah. 

Kym Coco 8:01
More charcuterie, very simple sandwiches on the roads. If weather was bad or we would stop and eat out, which is half the fun of traveling anyway. So we 

Rich Bennett 8:10
Right. 

Kym Coco 8:11
made the most of our indoor space and what do you do inside your van? You sleep a lot. That's a lot of your time either sitting 

Rich Bennett 8:17
passenger. Yeah. 

Kym Coco 8:18
Driver seats really comfortable and then sleeping. So we wanted to make sure those were spot on. 

Rich Bennett 8:23
A king size bed. I didn't realize those things are that big inside. 

Kym Coco 8:27
So technically it's a queen mattress. But 

Rich Bennett 8:30
Okay. 

Kym Coco 8:30
because it has a gap on either side, they built memory foam pieces so that it 

Rich Bennett 8:37
Okay. 

Kym Coco 8:37
becomes within inches of a king size bed. 

Rich Bennett 8:41
Wow. See now might have to get one and put a podcast studio in it and go. That could be fun. 

Kym Coco 8:48
Could be. 

Rich Bennett 8:48
It could be dangerous too. Right. So it was over a year before you started playing golf again, you said, right? 

Kym Coco 8:56
It took me 20, 24, 2023 was when Steve made his transition right after. 

Rich Bennett 9:02
Okay. 

Kym Coco 9:04
It took me until the September of 24 when my friend said, hey, we are going to this really cool mountain town. We're doing a big golf adventure. Why don't you join us? And I was nervous because I had just started taking lessons again thinking, maybe I'll get back into it. 

Rich Bennett 9:21
Right. 

Kym Coco 9:21
And then I met some friends who were also getting back into the game and we just tried these new different courses up here in the Lake Tahoe area. So there was the element of new I was looking for. It was new people, new places, a new experience possibilities. And from there, I thought, okay, 2025, I have this conversation with my friend by a roaring fire. Kim, you should write a book. You should take on this adventure. And she knew I was writing a book about Steve's life, but she meant, "What's your life? What are you doing for 

Rich Bennett 9:56
Right. 

Kym Coco 9:56
your life?" And it was that night I could not sleep. So by the spring of 2025, I committed. I said, "This is it. I can do this now. I'm ready." And let's go. I took out my map. I colored dotted every region by temperature. Because sunny in '75 is my absolute favorite. I figured... 

Rich Bennett 10:17
Oh, who am 

Kym Coco 10:19
I? I know. So mountains in the summer I could do... 

Rich Bennett 10:23
Yeah. 

Kym Coco 10:24
Climate's in the winter, desert in the winter, and then Washington, Oregon, a lot of Idaho. I could figure out these things Spring, Fall, Summer. And I didn't have an exact plan, but now I had at least... A general consensus of how I could work these courses into the next 12 months, although I didn't finish. But we'll talk about that story. I haven't finished quite yet given 

Rich Bennett 10:50
Okay. 

Kym Coco 10:50
some variables, but it's been a great way to explore and move forward toward a goal because moving forward toward a goal, I believe, is the best path or recipe for satisfaction in our lives. 

Rich Bennett 11:03
So, once you started swinging the clubs again, do you feel that that definitely helped with your grief? 

Kym Coco 11:10
Completely, for a number of reasons. I think golf and sport is a way to combat the sadness that a company's grief. 

Rich Bennett 11:19
Because, 

Kym Coco 11:20
one, it's playful. We're naturally playful because you watch kids. They're spontaneous. They're creative. They're in the moment. You have to focus on one thing at a time. 

Rich Bennett 11:32
Yeah. 

Kym Coco 11:32
If you're not focusing on receiving a ball, or in the case of golf hitting a ball, you're not going to play very well. It's going to be more challenging. 

Rich Bennett 11:40
Right. 

Kym Coco 11:41
Three, it's social. Many times it's so easy, like you said, at the beginning to want to curl inward in grief, because you don't feel like anybody else understands you. They're not your person. Your person has left. And so, with golf, for four hours at a time, or five hours at a time, I was with other people. There was no more of a commitment than that. 

Rich Bennett 12:02
Yeah. 

Kym Coco 12:02
Sometimes there was an exchange of phone numbers, or a recommendation to play different courses, or hey, come visit me. Or if we didn't get along, or it wasn't a click, the problem, that was it. And then I could take time to be by myself and process the new experience, quietly in the van by the water with my dogs. But this idea of socializing through play to elevate your mood in such a trying time is so helpful. 

Rich Bennett 12:31
All right. Here's a crazy question for you. Because you do yoga, and we all know. Well, those of us that do yoga know that doing yoga out in nature is meditating in nature is probably one of the best things for you with all these beautiful golf courses that you were going to. Did you ever mix the yoga and with it? 

Kym Coco 13:02
How do you mean? 

Rich Bennett 13:02
In other words, so you're going to, you're going to a course that's how you get there before your tea time. And maybe just you know how you get these pop up events, mob events, whatever you want to call them. But just say, you know what, this is a beautiful place. I'm going to see here and either meditate or I'm going to start doing yoga and see if anybody just joined in. 

Kym Coco 13:27
That's a fantastic idea and hindsight. Now, I think that would have been wonderful. I did practice a lot in my van prior to golfing, or when I'm done because 

Rich Bennett 13:34
what? 

Kym Coco 13:34
Matt stretches down the center of the sprinter. I would definitely stretch and incorporate that, as well as meditation. I just didn't do it in a communal setting. But it's such 

Rich Bennett 13:44
I 

Kym Coco 13:44
a 

Rich Bennett 13:44
come up with ideas once in a while. 

Kym Coco 13:46
I like it. 

Rich Bennett 13:47
Well, I because I mean, the thing I know I would think that doing yoga meditating, especially before you play around of golf, would help you and be able to focus so much more. 

Kym Coco 14:01
Yes, it changes your brainwave patterns. Your moment coherent, your more relaxed, you're more able to take in information from your surroundings without that lens of stress or anxiety. So I agree with you. 100% yoga is great for that. 

Rich Bennett 14:15
So Kim, I'm giving you homework. You have to try this next time you go out to play golf, try this. I know it's going to work and there's another new book for you. 

Kym Coco 14:28
Okay, 

Rich Bennett 14:29
meditate meditating and yoga before golf. I don't know that something. 

Kym Coco 14:34
Yeah, 

Rich Bennett 14:34
it? You write the books. You know how you know how to come up with titles. I don't have a clue. But I think that would be a great idea. I figured you were already doing that, but you're just 

Kym Coco 14:45
isn't 

Rich Bennett 14:45
doing it in a van. 

Kym Coco 14:46
So can I answer that in two parts? 

Rich Bennett 14:49
No, of course you can. 

Kym Coco 14:52
The first is I wrote the flexible golfer, 

Rich Bennett 14:55
right 

Kym Coco 14:55
to want to mystify what yoga really is because half of the yogic. Round four of the eight principles is focus. Is how we train our thoughts. The other half is, the other part is physical and our moral code. So I knew that yoga could help golfer. So, I wrote this book to demystify what yoga is. Make a case for why prepping your body in mind is a wonderful tool for the game and how it's a great practice to help you. Prevent injury, stay balanced physically energetically, all the things between rounds, after-year-round and then prepare for your next one. So, the flexible golfer is a way to get a golfer- body and a golfer- body in mind. So that's something I've incorporated a lot as I've traveled. 

Rich Bennett 15:40
I had no idea. So, you basically already written a book about you because you're just good for golf. 

Kym Coco 15:47
I did. Yes. 

Rich Bennett 15:49
Wow. Okay, what was- you said two-part answer. Or did you answer both parts? 

Kym Coco 15:55
Let's- let's get to go. That's the first part, I think. The second part. I lost train. I lost my train of thought because I 

Rich Bennett 16:03
So- 

Kym Coco 16:03
went too much. 

Rich Bennett 16:05
so did I. That's okay. Wow. Okay. So, with- I'm just amazed by everything that you do. And with the golfer, and- well, we already know the golfer, you said, that helped- helped you with your grief. Yoga meditation definitely- definitely do. But that- that break before you started playing golf again, were you still meditating and doing yoga? Because I know grieving is hard for a lot of people and everybody agrees differently. 

Kym Coco 16:34
I would say that yoga and meditation were my saving graces while caregiving for Steve and his final years of life, as well as the transition afterward. Life is challenging. There are ups and downs. We have arousal states where we get anxious or upset. We have these calm- relax states. Learning to navigate all of it. Without trying to be in this zen-like space all the time, which is impossible, we're human. So, we have to learn to say- okay, I'm going to appreciate all of me. I'm going to use this emotional data as information. And the meditative element you keep speaking to is, let's be aware of what's going on right now. Let's become familiar with who I am and who I'm changing, who I'm evolving into. Without judgment, with acceptance, with maybe an appreciation for what I could become if I was to let go of a certain script or a story or the way I've expected things to be in the past. 

Rich Bennett 17:32
Yeah. 

Kym Coco 17:33
And so, it's not anything other than stepping out of yourself for long enough in meditation to sit and be with that, even if it's uncomfortable. Or, yoga in the physical discomfort of maybe a challenging posture to say, I'm more than this moment, and I gain a wealth of information and understanding if I can sit with that long enough and see beyond what my eyes can only limited, limitedly see in the moment. 

Rich Bennett 18:06
Wow. With the golf, actually before I have to ask you this because I know your story from when you were on the other podcast, but for those people that are listening that don't know, can you tell everybody about Steve Steve? But don't give anything about the book. 

Kym Coco 18:27
Okay. Steve is a phenomenal human. I met Steve because I was studying sports kinesiology and he was an emotional kinesiology. I did mention he went over a cliff. Well, I didn't mention 

Rich Bennett 18:39
this. Oh, you didn't and the other 

Kym Coco 18:40
I 

Rich Bennett 18:41
one. 

Kym Coco 18:41
didn't. Okay. So he had a motorcycle accident. I did say that. This motorcycle accident caused him to go over a cliff. Lay there on the side of the mountain, wondering if he had done the best he could in his life because he was expecting those to be his final breath. He was in the wilderness. He knew the country with coyotes and large animals and unexpectedly had a near death experience and a miracle rescue. So when he came back into his body after sampling the love, And the piece of all that is you can call that God or so or so the divine 

Rich Bennett 19:23
right. 

Kym Coco 19:24
whatever whatever you want to call that. He just knew I wanted to come back to my life, but he didn't anticipate three years in a hospital bed, 28 reconstructive surgeries and three more to learn how to walk. And a complete life transformation because he lost everything from his past, his business, his wife, everything he thought gave him value in his community. 

Rich Bennett 19:48
Yeah. 

Kym Coco 19:49
Friends gone six years. Are you imagine stepping out of your existing life right now for six years and you just came back into that picture. It will be very different. And so his change of how he learned his mind can help his body heal. How he could see a vision for the future, even though it was going to take years to put together. How he could forgive his parents for the past. and start a new relationship with his dad. How he could teach other people what he learned to get well. All of these things took him on this new trajectory and I met him post-accident and the Kinesiology, the balancing of emotions and me and the sports world. We were a natural fit together. We had so much in common. We loved to read and write and talk and we traveled the country teaching together for many years. It was such a gift. And so this miracle on the mountainside book was not just a tribute to his life and just an incredible human. Every time we read a book about somebody else's life, we get the opportunity to step into what would we do in that situation. 

Rich Bennett 20:58
Yes. 

Kym Coco 20:58
How might I respond? What would I do differently? And we get to try on this potential in ourselves in a very low risk environment. So it's a lap out loud, cry at times, but a full picture, quick read on "look at the way somebody chose to do life." And there are nuggets in there I guarantee that could inspire you beyond what you think is possible for yourself. 

Rich Bennett 21:24
So with his love of golf and your love of golf, has there ever been like, you know, you see fundraisers all the time, whether it be for golf tournaments, scholarship, whatever. Was there ever anything like that done for his memory yet? 

Kym Coco 21:43
Not yet. That's a great idea. I think the miracle on the mountainside would be a great golf event to put together. I think he got me into the game and there is a chapter in the book on golf. He would call himself a golfer like he call himself a boder. And let me say what I mean here. 

Rich Bennett 22:04
Yes, please do because there's a big difference. 

Kym Coco 22:08
There's a huge difference. So I love the water, 

Rich Bennett 22:11
Yeah. 

Kym Coco 22:11
he loved the land, but I loved wake surfing, surfing, water skiing, all the things. And one day we're out with friends, and he said, I thought I was a boat person until I met boat people. Meaning you have people that eat, live, sleep, breathe, boats. He was not that person. And there are golfers that eat, sleep, breathe, live golf. And he was not that person. And 

Rich Bennett 22:38
loved 

Kym Coco 22:40
the game. He just loved it and he hit more animals than holes in one. So it's just one of those things he loved to play and he knew I would like it too. 

Rich Bennett 22:50
Oh, I know exactly where he was coming from too because where I live, I mean, I'm right on the water. I'm not a boder. But there's a ton of boaters around here. And it's funny how a lot of the boaters are not golfers. Advice Versa. And we have a golf. We have a few golf courses helped to run from me. But one thing I have noticed come to think of it. I don't know if him and were this way or not. But one of the things that a lot of boaters and golfers have in common drinks. 

Kym Coco 23:22
I 

think that's probably 

Rich Bennett 23:25
been. 

I mean golf is the thing about golf is the only sport that you can play and be served alcohol while you're playing. 

Kym Coco 23:37
And 

Rich Bennett 23:39
well, it helped me hit the ball straighter. 

Kym Coco 23:41
I 

Rich Bennett 23:42
mean, or at least it looked like I was hitting it straighter. And I never mind that's another story. Okay. So once, so you didn't start playing golf until you met him. 

Kym Coco 23:54
He got me into the game. He did. 

Rich Bennett 23:55
He got 

Kym Coco 23:56
He 

Rich Bennett 23:56
you 

Kym Coco 23:56
thought 

Rich Bennett 23:56
to 

Kym Coco 23:56
I 

Rich Bennett 23:56
the 

Kym Coco 23:56
would 

Rich Bennett 23:56
game. 

Kym Coco 23:56
enjoy it. Yes. 

Rich Bennett 23:58
And what's your handicap? 

Kym Coco 24:00
It's a 10 right now. 

Rich Bennett 24:02
Okay. Look, I haven't played so long. I don't even know what's a good handicap, I wish. 

Kym Coco 24:08
I like the handicap system. I 

Rich Bennett 24:10
okay, 

Kym Coco 24:10
controversial in this, but I find that I want to work my head down to single digits as I'm getting back into the sport. But as people age and their bodies change, the handicap system gives you a chance to compete a way that you couldn't otherwise. So I think 

Rich Bennett 24:28
in 

Kym Coco 24:28
that's really fantastic. 

Rich Bennett 24:30
All right. So you had that list of 100 different golf courses you want to play. But as far as golf, the game over all, is there a main goal, whether that you have whether be playing on the LPGA or playing like in some celebrity tournament with somebody or anything like that? 

Kym Coco 24:49
That's a great question. I find that every season of golf is different. And I think that having different goals in those different seasons is really helpful. So, for example, after Steve transitioned, it was get back into golf. Love the game. 

Rich Bennett 25:05
Right. 

Kym Coco 25:05
if I was to put a goal on it. Now finish the 100 golf courses because that's a chunk done. Writ my book about the space between each shot which takes you on this adventure, 30,000 miles in the sprinter van with me to all of these incredible golf courses and how you can cultivate some of the resilience, courage and focus needed to play well. This next phase for me is to not only get to single digit handicap but it's to travel and teach golfers these tools because I know mindset through yoga, meditation, sports kinesiology and how they can incorporate these tools to increase their own level of play whether they want to play internaments or just be the club champion or have more fun when they're out there. 

Rich Bennett 25:50
Any plans on ever becoming a coach? 

Kym Coco 25:54
I've thought about that. I think there's a difference in this sport. I love golf pros who can look at a swing and instantly diagnose. Hey, your thumb 

Rich Bennett 26:03
Yeah. 

Kym Coco 26:04
is over an eighth of an inch. Hey, you're standing back from the ball. Scoot four or a half an inch and they have set a detailed eye 

Rich Bennett 26:10
like. 

Kym Coco 26:10
for things 

I'd like to focus on since this is my background and my passion, how the mind works, how the brain is a predicting mechanism, how we can start to shift the neurobiology so that when you encounter a familiar situation, you see it differently. You have more resources available to you, and you're going to choose something different because you've up-leveled your skill set and I don't know if we're taught that really in school 

Rich Bennett 26:35
yeah, 

Kym Coco 26:36
unless you are exposed to it specifically or have someone that is introduced it to you and so teaching these fundamental skills of how to manage our thoughts, our emotions, rebuild a network that's going to support us, whether that's in the game of golf or in your life, that's the area that really ignites my passion, so I'd love to work with golf pros because they do their thing well and I do my thing well. 

Rich Bennett 27:01
Well, you correct me from wrong, but you actually teach a lot of female golfers, don't you? 

Kym Coco 27:09
I do. That's my specialty, if I would say... 

Rich Bennett 27:13
Okay, 

Kym Coco 27:13
okay, female golfers are in my wheelhouse and then I have one or one coaching in case a male is interested in learning the tools I have to offer, but my group programs are females only. There's just an openness and a vulnerability that can naturally evolve when you just have women in the cohort. 

Rich Bennett 27:32
Right, and that's one of the things I have noticed at least or I'm that, I'm seeing more and more and more women out there that are golfing and just running circles around these men. I'm serious. It's amazing. It's awesome to see because it's... I don't know when the LPGA started, but you know a lot of sports they say it's a man sport, it's a man sport. Golf is an anybody sport, I believe. And a lot of people say it's a very stressful game because let's face it you do see people out there if they miss this shot or just keep hitting it wrong into the woods whatever they get frustrated, they threw their golf clubs. I really enjoy it. I don't care how bad my game is or whatever, but when I used to play I just enjoyed it. I never threw my clubs and I was always amazed, especially if my older brother went with me because it was just funny to watch him golf. An only person I've seen and I forget how many times this happened, but the one time we're golfing and he teed up and he hit that ball so hard, but when he hit it somehow or another it went forward and did a u-turn and went behind him. Yeah, yeah, we were all like what the hell. How the hell do do that bone? Oh lord, you said the thing. So and I don't even think he was drinking yet at that when you know when we were on the course, but oh yeah, but I haven't been golfing since then, but yeah, I just think it's it's I think it's a relaxing game. I know a lot of people say it's stressful. I think it's relaxed. It is what you make of it I guess, which is why people with 

Kym Coco 29:28
everything in life. 

Rich Bennett 29:29
Yeah, you're listening to the conversations with Rich Bennett. We'll right back. I want to tell you about a partner I trust for both whom comfort and business needs. EcoCool HVAC. They're veteran-owned and based right here in Harford County, but they don't just keep your house comfortable. EcoCool also specializes in commercial refrigeration from walking cores and freezers to reaching units and ice machines. So whether you're running a restaurant, a grocery store, a lab, or any business that depends on reliable cooling, their team installs, maintains and repairs all makes and models so your operation keeps running smoothly. Would I appreciate most? Their commitment to service and honesty, they're available 24/7 for emergency refrigeration repairs and they focus on keeping downtime low and reliability high. For a team that understands your needs and shows up when it matters, call EcoCool HVAC at 443-324-9714. Again, it's 443-324-9714 or visit EcoCoolHVAC.com. That's E-C-L-C-O-O-L-H-V-A-C.com, comfort and reliability you can count on. Which is why people need to do the yoga, do the yoga. There you go again, do yoga, do yoga and meditation before they do that. 

Kym Coco 31:11
this is why I'm calling my book The Space Between Each Shot. How much of the round of golf is spent literally prepping for and actually hitting your ball? A small fraction. You have the opportunity, the rest of that round, to get to know somebody, to appreciate the nature around you, to let your mind wander, to imagine,to  learn the skill of zoning out, zooming out and then tuning back in and focusing when it matters, zooming out and letting your perspective broaden and then narrowing it when you need to. So you 

Rich Bennett 31:45
And 

Kym Coco 31:45
have this opportunity. Again, you can get upset, "Well how can I regulate this? How can I come back to call?" If I get upset and I have multiple bad holes or it turns into a horrible round, you get the resilience opportunity to come back again and try again. It's a game, we get to take it with a little more levity if so chew. So the game is full of space and the space is what you make of it. 

Rich Bennett 32:11
Actually, with golf, 

what did it teach you, I guess emotionally, that really surprised you? 

Kym Coco 32:28
What's interesting about golf is there is precision 

and to get the power you often want, it's less is more. You're not, for example, I'm flexible. I work on preventing over-rotation if you can believe that because you think, "Oh, I'm going to rotate more. I'm going to wind up this corkscrew and I'm going to get more distance." Not true. There's that perfect end point to maximize and create that perfect harmony of events, that kinetic chain to create the most power. So, same with around the green, it's finesse, it's less is more. It's understanding your intuition and your intuitive choices. So when you think about how beautiful a 300-yard drive can look or this smack of a ball is so intoxicating, but this underlying thread of less is more and there is a subtleness 

Rich Bennett 33:32
to it. Yeah. 

Kym Coco 33:34
It's caused me to appreciate focusing on things that aren't always visible to somebody's eye. 

Rich Bennett 33:43
Okay. Do you feel like a lot of people have forgotten how to truly play it? 

Kym Coco 33:54
I think we all come to the game for a variety of reasons. My husband got me into the game, like me. My friend suggested I play. I wanted to take up a new hobby. For whatever reason, you come to the game. I have friends who are in the construction industry. I actually just played around with three young gentlemen who graduated from school in Dakota, and they were told take up golf because you're. 

Rich Bennett 34:23
Yeah. 

Kym Coco 34:24
Yeah. People. So it just has a way to network and have connections because you can tell 

Rich Bennett 34:27
That's 

Kym Coco 34:27
a lot 

Rich Bennett 34:27
true. 

Kym Coco 34:27
about a person into round of golf. What's their character like? 

Rich Bennett 34:31
Yeah. 

Kym Coco 34:31
These guys were sprayed all over the place. They can hit it really far, but they had yet to refine the skill. And that's wonderful. They have so much time to develop 

a nuanced play for the game. And so I think no matter why you come to the sport, it has a lot of gifts it can offer you. And so 

Rich Bennett 34:50
yeah. 

Kym Coco 34:51
I think understanding why you're showing up in the first place, I've met people who say I just started to play because it looked fun, and then I met this wonderful community. Or it took me to these wonderful locations to travel and rebuilt my relationship with my father because he was a golfer, and now I'm playing. So Understanding why you're playing and then Savoring that and being open to how that could evolve 

Rich Bennett 35:14
Yeah, 

Kym Coco 35:15
it's a really good attitude to have 

Rich Bennett 35:17
that's the funny thing about golf and you mentioned the one thing there networking It's a great great for networking. It's also great therapy physical and mentally 

Kym Coco 35:29
Mm-hmm. 

Rich Bennett 35:30
I believe All right, so can be honest is there a course out there that you really want to play that you have? 

Because I know there had to be a hundred and one oh 

Kym Coco 35:46
My gosh that one hundred list that started has long since left the building Because every time I played with people they say oh you've got to come here and play this. Oh you've 

Rich Bennett 35:55
here 

Kym Coco 35:55
got it 

Rich Bennett 35:55
You're 

Kym Coco 35:56
here try this. I Had courses that were not even on my radar that I got to play and enjoy So there are a number of courses still on my list. I haven't played anywhere in Colorado yet I'm so thrilled to go to Colorado and play golf. 

Rich Bennett 36:13
I know Wow, all right, what about throughout the world? I'm not telling me just a country But anywhere in the world because I know a lot there seems like a lot of people when it comes to golf And I don't even know the name of the the course. I think it's in Scotland or 

Kym Coco 36:27
St. Andrews that's on 

Rich Bennett 36:28
Okay, 

Kym Coco 36:28
my 

Rich Bennett 36:31
okay, okay 

Kym Coco 36:32
yes, 

Rich Bennett 36:32
Wow, 

Kym Coco 36:33
I have friends that have gone. I have friends that go to Ireland every year I have the invite. I'm very thrilled to go It just hasn't been the right timing 

Rich Bennett 36:42
yet yet 

Kym Coco 36:43
So I know I'm gonna go I haven't done really any international golf so I Trust that's going to happen. This is what I want to do for the rest of my life and I I enjoy watching golfers I played with 

Rich Bennett 36:57
Yes, 

Kym Coco 36:57
the lady the other day whose two decades older than me and she made shooting a 76 Look like a walk in the park. She played phenomenally so this game Is Magnificent there's so much room to improve your mental skill your physical skill and as you just pointed out you can play Endlessly throughout the world. There's so many wonderful locations so yes I cannot wait to keep going and St. Andrews is definitely on the list 

Rich Bennett 37:26
So instead of spring or van now you need a plane 

Kym Coco 37:30
Yes, again next on the list. I like this. Let's just keep putting it down. 

Rich Bennett 37:36
it 

Kym Coco 37:36
I 

Rich Bennett 37:36
Whoever 

Kym Coco 37:36
like 

Rich Bennett 37:37
earns a private jet get in touch with Kim so you can take her around the world to play these different golf course What's the hardest course you played? 

Kym Coco 37:49
One of the hardest courses I played was Chambers Bay in Washington That was really a fantastic walk because you have to walk it which I do walk and carry my bag a lot because I think that's 

Rich Bennett 37:59
train 

Kym Coco 37:59
great 

Rich Bennett 38:00
Good exercise. Yeah 

Kym Coco 38:02
just the tall grass the elevation changes the 

Blind shots at times that was a great challenge 

Rich Bennett 38:11
Trying 

Kym Coco 38:15
to think of another I think of this course that I played in Long Beach with my friends It was me and three gentlemen and they said let's play a game of wolf and this is what 

Rich Bennett 38:25
a 

Kym Coco 38:26
I'm 

Rich Bennett 38:26
game of what? 

Kym Coco 38:27
Wolf, so you 

Rich Bennett 38:28
that's what I thought you said 

Kym Coco 38:30
Yeah, you get to pick teams as you go through each hole and it's a betting game So the person who has the most points at the end of every Round wins so you can partner up with who has the best shot off the teabox and The alliance is changed throughout the round you want to have yourself Poised to make the most points every hole. Basically. This is at a newer point when I was getting into the hundred courses 

Rich Bennett 38:54
Okay, 

Kym Coco 38:55
the game was off that day and I just could not for the life of me find a fairway. I found trees and 

You talk about throwing in the pressure of money on the table and Sometimes you melt under that pressure like a stick of butter and so I would say That course in Long Beach ended up being one of the most challenging courses on my adventure Because when your game is off you can take a straightforward track that seems unintimidating and Find out. Nope any green could get the best of you any fairway can too and just add a little pressure from your friends and Watch out Crowns can go down too fast oh 

Rich Bennett 39:42
God see that you're making me want to just get at the air and play again. I do miss I'd but nobody ever wants to play with me 

I don't know I Have no idea my brother my younger brother please call fall to time. He never invites 

Kym Coco 40:02
should bring him on the show and find out 

Rich Bennett 40:03
me 

Kym Coco 40:04
true 

Rich Bennett 40:04
We 

Kym Coco 40:04
confessionals. Why don't you play with Rich? That's 

Rich Bennett 40:08
I don't want to hear why because he he's he won't hold back Yeah, he'll say so he's an asshole or you're so I don't My younger brother won't hold back. He'll just he don't care 

Kym Coco 40:23
No, 

Rich Bennett 40:24
God, I was 

Kym Coco 40:24
great for that 

Rich Bennett 40:25
Yeah, 

yeah, I was just going to read all this stuff and went right out of my head that fast. See you threw me off. 

Kym Coco 40:33
I know. 

Rich Bennett 40:34
The 

Kym Coco 40:35
family talk. My mom still does believe golf is a sport. So speaking of you change beliefs and you move through creating your own view of the world. And when you do that you see doors that weren't available to you prior. And if you would have asked me 10 years ago are you going to spend the next four to years of your life in the golfing world specifically? I probably would have laughed and thought, no way! I thought that when Steve said you should play golf the first time. And here we are and how wonderful it is when. You don't give up on something that's challenging 

Rich Bennett 41:07
Yeah. 

Kym Coco 41:07
at first and you keep going and you never know what hobby or interest could catch your attention in such a way that it alters your life trajectory entirely. 

Rich Bennett 41:18
Oh, I get people tell me that I'm nuts because I can even, I can watch golf on TV, golf and soccer I can watch. And they're like why? It's boring. No, it's not. I can watch it all day long. I can't watch ice hockey because I lose. I can see where the golf ball goes better than I can see where that damn puck in ice hockey is. I thought every time I see that thing I think it's a fly on the screen you know that's that's that's another story. Okay, now remember what I was going to ask you because you're an author, you're a golfer, Yogi, but you also do speaking? 

Kym Coco 42:00
Yes, so I travel and speak to women's golf clubs to 

Rich Bennett 42:04
these 

Kym Coco 42:04
tools. 

Rich Bennett 42:06
Okay, so that's what you're speaking on. I wasn't sure what you go speaking about. because I 

Kym Coco 42:12
I 

Rich Bennett 42:12
knew 

Kym Coco 42:12
have 

Rich Bennett 42:13
there's a lot more you 

Kym Coco 42:14
Topics. 

Rich Bennett 42:14
could. Yeah, I 

Kym Coco 42:15
going 

Rich Bennett 42:15
was 

Kym Coco 42:15
to. You 

Rich Bennett 42:15
just 

Kym Coco 42:15
never know what's going to come up. So if you bring me and talk about mindset, I guarantee you in the Q&A, it's going to come up on how do I take these tools into other areas of my life. I'm also a widow. How do you suggest I navigate this next phase? There's loss and challenge and injury. Wow, I had an injury. I can't play the same way I use to anymore. How do I overcome that challenge? So 

the idea that we can utilize the skill of changing our mind and doing so on purpose, directing our attention on purpose. Is it just to play better in 18 holes? Although that's a really great thing to have happen. It's amazing how you can say, okay, but that's just your foot in the door. Let's see what else is possible. So we cover a lot of that. 

Rich Bennett 43:10
How come you're into your own podcast? 

Kym Coco 43:12
I'd like to at some point, I actually have a name for it already, which will stay undercover for a little while longer. 

Rich Bennett 43:18
Yeah, until you 

Kym Coco 43:19
it. Yes. 

Rich Bennett 43:19
start 

Kym Coco 43:20
And so I've recognized that even in this 100-course golf adventure, I am energized to start something and get it done. And you know what? Life happens. So when I was at 84 for my golf number, I was going to finish my last Christmas, my dog. And the other dog were playing in the van while I was grabbing lunch in Santa Barbara. I came back and she was lame on our back right leg. Took her to the vet. She had to have surgery. Well now we have months of recovery and physical therapy. And now we're in the middle of winter in the mountains. You don't really golf in that. Traveling in the van with a very injured dog was not in the carts. So. 

Rich Bennett 44:02
Wow. 

Kym Coco 44:02
Some time off. Then I had a run-in with my van. My van's been in the shop for a multitude of months now. That's a whole nother story. But this is where I get to this whole life concept. If you're willing to say, OK, golf is one element of my life. My business is one element of my life. My marriage, my relationships, my pets. You have all these beautiful threads that weave together to constitute our lives. Well, some threads get pulled out. Some threads seem to get taught and you have to or get nodded up. How can you adjust to say, well, this is still a priority to me. I'm going to finish, And then you have to navigate some logistics or readjust logistics in your world 

Rich Bennett 44:45
right. 

Kym Coco 44:46
to get the goal that's important to you. And it might take longer than you think. Getting good at golf takes longer than you think. 

Rich Bennett 44:53
Oh, yeah. 

Kym Coco 44:54
And so I believe if you can have some flexibility in the timeframe in which these things evolve. I call it moving at the speed of trust. If you can move at the speed of trust that you're going to get what you want, or you're going to go in the direction that's going to dovetail into what you most want with all of those different elements of your life. Then you're not fighting the current. You're not pounding your head against a wall or putting a square peg through a round hole and making a more effortful if it doesn't have to be. So I find that the podcast element will be something along the way. It's going to weave into this other, these other elements of how I teach and how I speak and how I play golf with these wonderful communities around the world. 

Rich Bennett 45:41
oh, I, I don't want to say I think I know, if you start, no, not if, when you start your podcast and launch it, because you have a particular niche, that thing will take off, it will take off, whether you have guests or even do it just yourself, because you're very, you're very good at what you do, you're very good at speaking about what you do as well, and that's a, that's a, that's a gift. That's a gift. That's something that a lot of people don't know how to do. A lot of people have to go through classes to learn how to do that, but you're, you're amazing at it. And I, I know, o you, look, Kim, when you're ready, would that mean that I love mentor in my casters or something, that's just me. It's just, people are, are made for it and some people aren't. When it comes, I'm talking about podcasting now, not golf. I'm definitely not made for golf. Um, but it, because it's still, most people are more successful at starting a new business than they are at starting a new podcast. It is hard, it is hard work, but just like with golf, if you're dedicated to it and keep doing it, practice and keep doing it, it's, it's going to be amazing. I know yours will. So yeah, when you ready, let me know. 

Kym Coco 47:13
Okay. Deal. 

Rich Bennett 47:14
Um, um, deep question for you here. Um, 

what do you think Steve? No, let me even phrase this. What would Steve think about the woman you've become since his passing? 

Kym Coco 47:38
If I'm completely honest, I think he's traveling in the van with me. I see him as a sparkle of light so many times. So I'm going to tell you a quick story. When I was down in Avala Beach, last winter, I'm, caught off guard by some seagulls making you some noise outside of the van. And it was actually a day I was feeling like I missed him because that 

Rich Bennett 47:59
yeah, 

Kym Coco 47:59
happens. 

Rich Bennett 48:00
Oh yeah. 

Kym Coco 48:01
And I see the water just sparkling. The seagulls making noise. You can hear the sea lions down by the wharf. The smell of salty air is blowing into the van window. And it was like this audible voice. Don't look for me where I'm not anymore. Look for me where I am. And this, so I get this sparkle of light through a stained glass window. I mean, I literally walked back into the house after being gone for a few weeks. And I adjusted a picture frame. And I thought, oh, the picture of Stephen, I used to be here. That was so wonderful. It brought a smile to my face. And, and I walked into the living, the bedroom, and this prism of light, purple and teal. I had not seen this before. It was reflecting off the mirror and threw this beautiful bowl onto the bed. And it just made me smile because he's here with me. 

Rich Bennett 48:49
Yeah. 

Kym Coco 48:49
I believe he's very proud of me. And I think the idea of acknowledging 

ourselves as consciousness as bigger than these meat suits of flesh and bone. 

Rich Bennett 49:02
Yes. This 

Kym Coco 49:02
love, this loving capacity we have within us, it doesn't end with our last breath. And I don't believe that ended with Steve. And so it just changes. And how can we honor those people that are very meaningful in determining who we've become? And that, I guess that I don't believe that ends. It just changed. 

Rich Bennett 49:24
Yeah. Any still there with you? I do believe that. And there's times, I don't know if this has ever happened to you, but with my older brother to when you hit the ball, because he passed away, it'll be, oh my god, 10 years in March. But there's times I'll be sitting here and I smelling. He had that distinct smell, you know, or just, yeah, you know, something pops up. It's like, Hey, is that boom? Do you that a lot where you just you smell Steve? 

Kym Coco 50:00
It's a smell. It's a sound. It's, it's like I said, light is my most common. But I think we all get the opportunity to define. How do we think of that person? How they come 

Rich Bennett 50:10
Yeah. 

Kym Coco 50:10
to 

Rich Bennett 50:10
Oh 

Kym Coco 50:10
us? And if we're open to it, the signs are there. 

Rich Bennett 50:13
yeah. 

Kym Coco 50:13
And there, I think there's still thinking of us like we think of them. 

Rich Bennett 50:16
Oh, absolutely. Absolutely. And it just makes you feel so good. And it's, it's because I can, I can, and I can sense, I can tell the different smells between my brother, my mother or my father. And it's like, okay, well, they're here and there. Sometimes I feel one of them smack me in the back of the head, but you know, that's, that's another story. 

I, I don't, don't you say that? Whatever. All right. So if, if somebody listening right now is grieving, burned out, disconnected or simply trying to rediscover themselves, what would you want them to hear today? 

Kym Coco 51:06
A phrase that's gotten me through. many of the times I felt alone 

is that we're all liquid love looking for places to flow and the grief strikes so hard because that person that was with us was an avenue through which we could pour so much love and it's like flipping the coins so you see the other side the grief is that I'm no longer flowing love to this person in the way I was before and how cool is it to think of I still want to flow love and that sadness is evidence of that and so maybe for the first 

months weeks years there's no definitive time frame you pour that love back into yourself I know I had people call me selfish they didn't understand out they said I was going on a passion project doing this golf thing people that couldn't understand and I know that it's really hard when you have people in your life that don't understand the choices you're making going through grief or going through a challenge and I'd love to give you the permission to say it's okay to pour that liquid love into you for however long it takes or the new people in your life that you start to meet or the avenues that being the most two that look different than before because you are liquid love and the grief that you experience the sadness is just a reminder that you do really care 

Rich Bennett 52:30
yeah yeah wow tell everybody okay because I'm gonna love this tell everybody the website where they can find you and how you came up with the name for the website 

Kym Coco 52:47
swagtail.com just like it sounds swagtail it is my playful dog one of the staffies Kai they strap down the street they're so happy and so wiggly she just knows she's got the confidence like check me out world I'm cool I'm so graceful. I'm poised and I just laugh at that because I think that's within us as well we might be a 

Rich Bennett 53:08
uh 

Kym Coco 53:09
little messier a little a little uh we might be a little more practice to come into that gracefulness but I think it is there and we have these gifts within us and so Kai distrets her stuff I know swagtail is formed just because all the tools I like sharing help people scrape off that dust and find their ways to shine again whether that's on the golf course you can check out miracle on the mountain side the focus the flexible golfer it just makes sense you can get chapters audio samples of these books get some freebies I got a lot of resources on how to change mindset so you can start to dip your toe into these ideas if they're interesting to you and then have some fun like playful dog loving happy present fun is my jam so that's a great way to add a little more of that to your life now 

Rich Bennett 54:01
when you're going to teach the dogs how to play golf 

Kym Coco 54:04
they love writing in the golf cart they both been writing 

Rich Bennett 54:07
your cup boy 

Kym Coco 54:08
think I'd fit in the basket in the back yes when they were smaller than my head cover yeah 

Rich Bennett 54:13
god 

Kym Coco 54:14
oh 

Rich Bennett 54:14
oh that is funny Kim is there anything you would like to add before you pick the last question 

Kym Coco 54:24
I think Richie said the best to this I hold time you circled around it with this idea of being present and open-minded with curiosity as you explore whatever that next step is for you is super helpful the curiosity the openness will make the journey a lot easier 

Rich Bennett 54:44
and I can't wait to get you on the other podcast and as far as this one goes you're welcome back anytime if there's a certain subject that you would like to talk about just let me know and yeah it's I say this all the time it may be my name on the podcast but the podcast belongs to my guest so anytime you want to come back something you want to talk about just let me know now the hard part I need you to pick a number between one and five 

Kym Coco 55:12
three 

Rich Bennett 55:13
three everybody always go for three all right now I need you to pick a number between 41 and 60 

Kym Coco 55:21
47 47 

Rich Bennett 55:28
you know what with everything you do I guess this question aligns with it what does community mean to you and how do you foster 

Kym Coco 55:41
it Rich I love this question because actually that's the last chapter in the book I was writing 

Rich Bennett 55:47
come on 

Kym Coco 55:48
seriously 

in those times where you forget your greatness your community has the opportunity to be a mirror that shows you who you truly are they hold space for you to work through the challenges in your life and remember your strength to know you're going to get through it and then to bolster you up when there aren't the skills you have or the time you have to get through some of those experiences and so I find that whether it's the golfing community the podcasting community the community and your family in your neighborhood however you define your community 

showing up saying thank you appreciating them and be willing to be vulnerable in those times where you don't have it all together 

RECEIVING THE HELP IS SOMETIMES THE BIGGEST GIFT YOU CAN GIVE, AND IN THIS CULTURE WHERE IT'S SO TEMPTING TO WANT TO FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE YOUR SHIT TOGETHER ALL THE TIME. WE DON'T. IT'S JUST EASY TO WANT TO PRETEND YOU DO. SO when you show up and you're appreciative and you let people give in your community, we all get to give and take, and it builds the strength to get through all the tough times that are inevitably going to face us all. 

Rich Bennett 57:13
Those of you listening, just to let you know, came to not see these questions ahead of time, and all my listeners know these are random questions that, and for somehow another, they aligned with what we've been told of. I had no idea that was going to be the last chapter in your book. 

Kym Coco 57:31
I should 

Rich Bennett 57:32
But 

Kym Coco 57:32
say 

Rich Bennett 57:32
that 

Kym Coco 57:32
it's 

Rich Bennett 57:32
could've 

Kym Coco 57:32
not the very last chapter, 

Rich Bennett 57:33
been worse, 

Kym Coco 57:33
it's the last 

Rich Bennett 57:34
but it 

Kym Coco 57:34
chapter 

Rich Bennett 57:34
didn't 

Kym Coco 57:34
I wrote. 

Rich Bennett 57:35
work. 

Kym Coco 57:35
It's literally what I just put together, I have two more, because it's 2016, Chapter 16 is community. It's so important. 

Rich Bennett 57:43
It is, but it's just weird that you picked that question. You sure you didn't sneak into my computer and look at that? 

Kym Coco 57:50
No, but I want to know what your other questions are now. 

Rich Bennett 57:52
I've got 100

Kym Coco 57:53
100. 

Rich Bennett 57:53
I have For once. 

Kym Coco 57:55
Fantastic. 

Rich Bennett 57:55
Somebody gave me a crazy idea, and I haven't tried it yet, about, if any guests wants to come on, jus have them pick a number, and whatever the question is, I'll read the question, and that's what the podcast will be about. Which could work, because technically, we could spend a lot of time talking about community. Alright, so Kim, you might be my guinea pig, you want to come back, you want to come back on to try that? 

Kym Coco 58:27
We could do it, we could do it. Every cent do 

Rich Bennett 58:29
it. Alright, you book it, and we'll do 

Kym Coco 58:32
it. Fantastic, I love it. 

Rich Bennett 58:34
That, that's your sandwich, you book it and we'll do it. You, you scab- 

Kym Coco 58:37
I knew what you meant. 

Rich Bennett 58:38
I know what I'm talking about. 

Kym Coco 58:40
Kim, 

Rich Bennett 58:42
thanks a lot, great to see you again, take care. 

Kym Coco 58:45
Thanks for having me, Rich. Chairs. 

Rich Bennett 58:48
.. What an incredible conversation with Kim. You know, when you first hear about someone traveling around the country in a springor van playing 100 different golf courses, you might think it's just one big adventure. But as we learned today, for Kim, it was about so much more than golf. It was about finding herself again after losing her husband, Steve. It was about discovering new possibilities, learning to embrace change, and realizing that even when life doesn't go according to plan, there's still so much worth living for. One of the things that really stood out to me was how Kim talked about grief and love. She reminded us that the love we have for someone doesn't disappear when they're gone. It changes. And sometimes the best thing we can do is take that love and pour some of it back into ourselves. I also loved what she shared about golf. It's not always about the perfect swing or getting the lowest score. Sometimes it's about everything that happens between the shots. The people we meet, the beauty around us, the lessons we learn, and how we respond when things don't go our way, and isn't that a lot like life. Another thing that's stuck with me was what Kim said about community. Sometimes when we forget our own strengths, the people around us can remind us who we really are, and there's nothing wrong with asking for help or allowing someone else to be there for us. I encourage you to check out Kim's books, including Miracle On the Mountain Side, and the Fuxible Golfer and Visit SwagTail.com to learn more about her work. And if you pick up one of her books, be sure to leave a review. It really does make a difference for authors. I want to thank Kim again for sharing her story, her wisdom, and Steve's incredible legacy with us. And I want to leave you with this thought. Life isn't always about where we're going or how quickly we get there. Sometimes it's about being present. Appreciating the people around us, and finding the courage to take that next shot, even when the last one didn't go the way we hoped. Until next time, I'm Rich Bennett. Thanks for listening and remember, every great conversation starts with someone willing to listen and someone willing to share. Now it's your turn. Join the conversation by sharing this episode, leave in a comment, or reaching out to me directly. Take care, be kind to one another, and I'll talk with you again soon.