Maine’s hometown hero U.S. Army SSG (Ret.) Travis Mills sits down with Alex in this episode of Serra Speaks. Alex and Travis talk about his unparalleled service to our nation and all of his business ventures, from restauranteur to brand ambassador…to a possible future run for office!
Podcast Transcript:
AS 00:07
Thank you so much for tuning into this episode of Sarah speaks, we are joined by the one and only Travis mills.
TM 00:15
I appreciate you saying one and only, but I will tell you, there is a rapper all over MTV that his name's Travis Mills too and me and him go back and forth on on Google searches.
AS 00:24
Okay, but even though he's a rapper and I'm sure super cool. You are cooler.
TM 00:30
He’s mediocre at best.
AS 00:31
And everybody knows that.
TM 00:32
Well, I appreciate it. Thanks for having me and good morning! You're a champion. How's everything going?
AS 00:36
Amazing.
TM 00:37
Yeah.
AS 00:37
How are you doing?
TM 00:38
I'm jealous of your fresh haircut. I mean, looking so good.
AS 00:41
Okay, well, you've got some things coming up with your hair, so I hear
TM 00:44
I do. You know, and the thing is, people wonder why keep telling everybody. It’s because I did a partnership with Bosley, and I literally by contract had to tell everybody, “I'm getting Bosley.” But you know, when you…
AS
Does this count?
TM
Yeah, no, I'm just saying like, when you have no arms and legs. You're like, how do I grow it back? And you can't and you find out, my hair is thinning, but I can grow it back. Oh, my gosh, take what you can get, you know what I mean?
AS 01:04
So if people have been living under a rock or tuning into this and don't know who the one and only Travis Mills is. Travis Mills, would you like to introduce yourself and tell everybody who you are.
TM 01:12
So I'm a Michigan native, and my mom and dad's favorite kid, you know, out of the three they have. And, you know, I just am army guy that happened to get blown up in my third tour of Afghanistan. My third tour duty in Afghanistan. And I lost portions of both arms, both legs, so I'm one of five surviving quadruple amputees to survive my injuries. My wife, when I told her she should leave me at the hospital, she said she's gonna stay. So we got through 19 months of recovery. And we live a pretty, pretty awesome life now, after injury. And this past April 10, made 11 years for me being injured. So I've been, you know, rock and roll prosthetic legs and prosthetic arm, you know, for like, 11 years now.
AS
01:53
Well, it doesn't seem enough. On behalf of I will speak for all Americans in saying thank you for everything; for your service, your sacrifice, and also how much hope you give people who have gone through similar journeys to yours, in part or in whole. So
TM
02:10
Well, I appreciate that.
AS
02:11
You really lead all of us every day.
TM
02:13
I'm not good with the compliments and things like that.
AS
02:15
I know.
TM
02:15
I appreciate it. And the thing is, you know, when you're given the chance to live, and you're getting the chance to like, make it through injuries, and you realize the price you could have paid. It makes it a lot easier to cope with what happened to me. So for me, I've had so many so many great friends that you know, they didn't make it back home, left behind spouses and kids and family members and friends. And I just realized how lucky I was to be able to make it. When I was injured, the medics instantly put tourniquets on me. And they rushed over, they knew what to do, they put tourniquets on me and got me to the hospital. Then for 14 hours, they worked on me and surgery. Nine doctors and seven nurses and they had enough belief that my life mattered, that they wanted to save me. Which was crazy, because if they loosened up one of my tourniquets on my arm, my leg, you know, whatever, I bleed out. You know, in two minutes. and they thought, “no your life matters,” so they saved me. And it’s kind of a crazy thing. There's actually a lady that was like, you know, working on me in that room, right. And then she comes back, nobody knows my story. Like, you know, when you go through the hospital Kandahar, they don't know what happens to those service members. Well, Judy Nuber she was living somewhere in Virginia, right, in the service still. And she got asked to house sit in Maine, and she comes up to Maine and happens to be on Long Pond right on the other side of the lake. And her friend was saying, “Hey, there's this guy Blah blah blah blah told her all about us. She was like, “oh my gosh!” recognized my Chloe Lynn tattoo on my left arm with the diamond.
AS
03:42
Right, your daughter?
TM
03:43
and she's like…oh, yeah… my daughter's tattoo. Yeah. Or I got for my daughter. And then she's like, rushed over now. She's like, one of our volunteers. And she well, she works for us in the summer, but she's a emergency room nurse
AS
03:53
Ubelievable.
TM
03:53
Yeah.
AS
03:54
And tell everyone about your foundation a little bit in case they don't know, because it's a huge part of Maine and it's a huge part of the veterans community.
TM
04:03
Yeah, so we were very fortunate that at the hospital we were showing so much support and love and respect that Kelsey and I thought we should give back. And how we were going to do that was we were going to start a nonprofit and just send care packages overseas to the guys I served with and their new units. Because a lot of care packages that you get in bulk were like socks and razors and shaving cream. And that's all well and good, but the ones I sent were peanut butter m&ms, you know orbit gum…
AS
You know what they want.
TM
Pepperjack cheese, you know, in the foreign boxes with the salami and the spicy mayo and mustard.
AS
04:36
Okay, everyone listening to take take note as to what our service people really really really want.
TM
04:42
Yeah, and you know, I would send those and we donated $5,000 from ourselves to do this and we did it. And then while we were going through those, I guess those motions for the foundation to be just that, I started doing these really cool things that Walter Reed, where there how to go downhill mountain biking and mono skiing and snowboarding, believe it or not. And I was so fortunate to be injured, so unfortunately, so like a big plan. Like a big weird way to put it, but because my injuries were so bad, my wife got to go on these trips with me. Whereas other sort of numbers and can take their families with them, if they couldn't maintain by themselves. And we thought, well, you know, I'm only getting better because my wife and my daughter are here with me. So might as we'll make it better for these trips and bring some families to Maine, where we have the same, you know, you know, outdoor activities or whatever we can do adaptively, but with families. And we did as a proof of concept the first year, we did it again the second year, and then decide to buy Elizabeth Arden's old estate that she built in 1929. I mean, really one of the richest people in the nation.
AS
05:44
And for Steel Magnolias fans, There's that famous line, “paint my door read and call myself Elizabeth Arden.”
TM
05:50
Exactly.
AS
05:50
There you go!
TM
05:51
That's why we actually have red doors at the foundation
AS
05:53
Seriously?
TM
05:54
Yeah. So like, the main doors are red.
AS
05:55
I love it!
TM
05:57
And she, she, she bought this place, and it was in really bad disrepair. We fix it up for two years, like to the tune of $3 million, and I never…
AS
I know it's an awesome place.
TM
And we just, you know, Kennebec Savings Bank gave us a loan, a balloon payment loan that was pretty aggressive, because it was it was taking a chance on us. But Andrew Silsby and the team over there were like, Nah, we'll do this. And we were able to raise money out of thin air, basically, and opened officially in 17. And we were, you know, bringing eight families per week. We're just gonna do like a summer thing then it turned into okay, we can run probably 20 weeks a year, and now we're up to 40 weeks a year.
AS
06:32
Unbelievable.
TM
06:33
And if people that are listening, have, you know, questions about, you know, who's eligible, right. So as a family vacay, like the family retreat, so we plan on is “physically injured due to service.” It can be a car accident, or it could be getting blown up in Afghanistan, but something that physically is debilitating. But we also have, and this is important for everybody listening, a Warrior PATH Program we partnered with, which is for post traumatic stress, which they call post traumatic growth, and it's for combat veterans and first responders.
AS
07:00
Okay.
TM
07:00
And we get funding from Boulder Crest Foundation for this program. We do 12 weeks out of the year, eight to 12 participants during those weeks, and it's really changing people's lives.
AS
07:12
So does it have to be for people with physical injuries or can be?
TM
07:15
That's post traumatic stress, I should have said that.
AS
07:17
With PTSD, only?
TM
07:19
You’re one great interviewer right there. So for the families, it's people with physical injuries for the PATH program. It's based all around post traumatic stress.
AS
07:29
Okay.
TM
07:29
So like, if you have a disability, you can still go for sure. We are barrier free, you know, place that we've built. That's our whole premise. But no, we have people locally that come, we have people from all over that come. And we've been so blessed with having wonderful staff that the other locations 10 other locations right now. They send counselors up to see how we're doing it. So I mean, all the credit goes to my staff. And we started this off an idea, now I think we have 20 full time employees, 33 total employees with part time. And I've never taken $1 of it, like being the Founder and President. I don't have a salary, have no bonuses, have nothing, because it's not about me or Kelsey getting money for this. It’s about giving back and doing the right thing.
AS
08:10
Another amazing bet by Kennebec Savings Bank. So shout out to Andrew Silsby and Kennebec Savings Bank. But really, could you ever have imagined that this was going to be the path that was laid out for you?
TM
08:25
No, no, I don't, I didn't as a kid thinking I'm gonna get blown up, I'm gonna take my arms and legs away, and, you know, stuff like that. I just think you know.
AS
08:33
But that you are gonna give back so much change so many people's lives and, and think of all the good.
TM
08:39
So for my, for my actual job? If you will, I do, I mean, I have a few things I'm involved with. But my, my actual job is like keynote speaking. And I was just out in Wisconsin the other day, and, you know, talking to 1100 people or 1200 people at this conference. And I was going through it and having a good time and joking and doing the things I do normally. And a guy was like, “we're always gonna be a public speaker?” And I say, “Well, I mean, I gave classes in the army. But this wasn't my plan.” He goes, “what was your plan?” So I wanted to be a high school teacher and a football coach. He goes, “That's literally the same thing. You got to get in front of people and talk.” and I'm like, Oh, well, I guess I always did kind of have a plan like that. But I thought I’d do 20 years in the military, get out as a major, because I was gonna cross over to the officer side, and get out as a major, maybe lieutenant colonel, and then be a high school teacher and a football coach. But, but, you know, life didn't pan out that way. But now I'm able to do a lot of fun things and thankful to still be around.
AS
09:34
But you are coaching people and you are teaching people. So it's just a different version of what you set out to do.
TM
09:39
Well, I do and it's not always the best lessons, right? I'm always like, “you gotta eat healthier!” Then look at me, you know? So I'm working on that. That's why I'm getting my hairline back, so I get my waist line gone.
AS
09:46
Okay. We got to talk about the hair situation, because your hair looks great to me. But what are we doing exactly?
TM
09:51
Well, we're building my confidence.
AS
09:52
Okay.
TM
09:52
Self esteem. You know, just like I bought a trigger smoker, because I saw all the ads all the time. And I was like, “I have to have it.” Yeah, I saw the Bosley ads and I'm like, “You know what? They're right. Don't wait! Don't let it get to a point where you can't.” You know, whatever. And I was like, “Oh, I can't wait.” So no, I'm gonna go in there. I'm gonna buy the laser hat that you got to wear at night, 20 minutes a night, Imma get all the vitamins, and Imma get the topical stuff. I mean, I'm gonna have a luscious, just luxurious set of hair.
AS
You’re going to have a mane of hair.
TM
I'm gonna tell you what, I'm in a wedding this summer. And I told the bride to be, I said, “don't be upset when I got my mullet with my mustache.”
AS
09:53
Okay. Are you gonna have a man bun? That’s the question.
TM
10:28
I am not. No, my hair is not going to change much from what looks like right now.
AS
10:31
Okay, okay.
TM
10:32
I'm just gonna keep it like this.
AS
10:33
Okay.
TM
10:33
And the funny thing is like, I love to grow up something cool, but because my body overheats because my injuries, like having hair in the back of my head. makes me sweat worse.
AS
10:41
So we have to take it easy on the amount of fuzz we put on top.
TM
10:45
Yeah, yeah.
TM
10:47
We'll see. We'll see. Maybe the hard parts coming back? I don't know. I don't know. I mean, look at these guys's hair. You got a…
AS
I know.
™
Show offs.
AS
10:54
The twins here. We have Ben and Aaron here, our producers and staff. And they we call them the twins because…
TM
Yeah. Fantastic beard line.
AS
They have the same fashion. And if you don't know what I'm talking about, go to our Instagram account. And you can see pictures of them together and you'll understand why we call them the twins. @serrapublicaffairs instagram.
TM
11:12
My long sleeve today.
AS
I mean, listen, I got it. So you're doing a bunch of other cool projects. First, we have to talk about The Wall on NBC. This is so cool. May 16.
TM
That's right.
AS
You're gonna be on national television doing The Wall. Yeah. So know what it is. Tell him.
TM
11:30
So it's TV shows game show.
AS
11:31
Yeah.
TM
11:32
And they invited us out. They give back people to give back. And they invited my wife and I out and we got to go out there. And
AS
11:39
where's out there?
TM
11:40
California.
AS
11:40
Yep,
TM
11:41
Yep. And just pretty cool. You know, we got to hang out go do wardrobe. And we took my parents with us and our friends Bobby and Paige. And they got to sit on the couch and like they were ones giving me advice, because Kelsey was behind making decisions on you know, answering questions. And if we sign a contract or contract up and it's this whole thing, but it's cool. And you know, it's on NBC on Tuesdays. It's pretty fun show to watch.
AS
12:03
Your episode is airing may 16. At what time? Do we know?
TM
12:08
Nine o'clock. Nine o'clock. Eastern.
AS
12:08
Nine o'clock. Eastern
TM
12:11
But here’s the problem. So like, at The White Duck. They want to have a big, a restaurant, my restaurant, The White Duck. They want to have a big screening, shut it down at nine, all friends and family. And it sounds great, I unfortunately will be in Chicago for speaking. So I gotta work.
AS
That’s such a bummer!
TM
I think Kelsey is gonna go. Maybe she's like, very like, she's Yeah, she's the opposite of what you would call, me. You know, she's an introvert for sure. And she hates the limelight. She almost didn't do the show. She was so nervous. Like the morning of, she's like, “I can't do this.” I'm like, “Oh, you're gonna do this!” Like, we're out here.
AS
12:43
So I've met Kelsey many times. I don't think she's an introvert. I think she's like normal. You're an extreme extrovert. So like, in defense of Kelsey, I think she's like, super chill, super cool. Yeah. And you're like, Let's go kids! Let's go! You're the coach.
TM
13:00
Yeah, yeah. But, but no.
AS
13:02
You’re a good yin yang balance for sure. The two of you.
TM
13:04
It was a fun experience. I mean, they said that our couch was kind of the most fun couch we had.
AS
I'm sure.
TM
Bobby was jumping on the couch like excited jumping on the couch and things. And my motto going in was like “you come with nothing you leave with nothing. You got to bet big.” Then I get up there and they have an option like going wall to wall or whatever. And you could lose a lot of money or win a lot of money depending on the answers right.
AS
I can't wait to see how it turns out.
TM
And in Paige. Paige, she yells out she goes, “you remember Travis? You remember what you said coming in here?” I was up there sweating. I said, “page, it's so much different when you're up here.” It's so much different. But we're excited. You know, we can't really talk about if we want to last but. But May 16th. Everybody's gonna hopefully tune in and, and check it out. And that was a cool experience. But
AS
13:48
Well, maybe we're all gonna have to go over The White Duck…
TM
Yeah.
AS
And send you a selfie of the whole Sarah public affairs team over there.
TM
13:55
Absolutely! I mean, there's gonna be, Renee is putting on one heck of a shindig I think.
AS
13:59
Okay, so, how amazing is Renee?
TM
14:01
Oh, fantastic!
AS
14:02
Okay, so Renee Adams is one of the heartbeats of the amazing White Duck Restaurant and Brew Pub. Did I say it?
TM
14:10
White Duck Brew Pub. Yep.
AS
14:10
Brew Pub and Restaurant. And if you haven't checked it out, it's in Manchester, Maine. And it's, the food is amazing. The ambiance is terrific. And in the summer, there's a whole outdoor seating area. My husband I go there all the time. Love the White Duck.
TM
There's also more to come.
AS
There’s more to come?
TM
14:27
So Renee, Renee being the you know, manager there and she's a lead bartender.
AS
Yeah.
TM
We believe that she's really great at what she does, and she does all the events. We put events on the back there. We can hold 300 people. But, the outside kitchen, after summer ends, and we get to like the more the cold months at the end of this year, we are going to build a 200 person meeting house. We're calling it. That walks out on top of the outside kitchen, so it's gonna be a deck over it. And then underneath, will be a brewery and…
AS
that's so cool!
TM
a tasting room.
AS
Okay, that's amazing because you're bursting at the seams there already. Like, it's busy.
TM
15:00
Yeah, no, we've been very, very fortunate people come show up in hanging out with us. I mean, sometimes word “pub” kind of people expect it's gonna be different. When they come in, it's all made from scratch, you know.
AS
And it's light and airy and it's not dark. It's just great in there.
TM
So, so it's going pretty well. But we have that, and then we're going to put the brewery in, and we brought brew master from Oregon out, that happens to be Connor Lacasse. So Mark's involved with us as well.
AS
Pretty cool.
TM
So it's gonna be it's gonna be exciting.
AS
All these local names. All the Central Maine trivia here.
TM
Yeah. So Bill, Zack, me and Mark and Andy. Were pretty fired up about it.
AS
That's awesome. Well, Renee and I have a special bond because back when she owned a bridal shop, I bought my wedding dress from her. So I have many, owe her a lot too many thanks to her for that. She's a wonderful soul of the White Duck. We love going out there and seeing her. So speaking of all that good, you also have another project called Rebel for Good.
TM
I do.
AS
We've got to talk about because it is super cool.
TM
It was terrible. I didn't wear like any Rebel for Good gear today.
AS
That's okay. What we'll do is we'll just get some and post it separately. How's that?
TM
16:13
But you know, I thought, basically was like, you know, I think I can sell a clothing line. And started it from humble beginnings. But, but a message, right? So it's got to be a message that people can relate to, get behind. And I got talking, it was gonna be called “One Alpha.” Because One Alpha was how you react to contacts, it’s a battle drill in the army. It's about, you know, you get shot at, what you do. And it was all about how you react to contact. And life's all about how you react to it. Well, it was a little bit more of a, it was a little bit too much of an aggressive name. More of a grunt style like shirt company. Where the firm I was working with, that did all the marketing and all that was like, “Hey, you realize what you're basically saying is be a rebel for good like, no matter what happens, like, you know, do good with it, and just, you know, go against the grain and do the right thing.” So they helped us come up with Rebel for Good. So instead of just trying to get the grunt style side of the house, we get all the sides of the house. And started Rebel for Good. And the premise is that we're a company that cares, we have a company with a cause. We give back to nonprofits with every sale. And when you wear it, it just means, you know, you want me to be a person. And I also think that there's a space for it. Because LIVESTRONG got so huge, you know, and then kind of, you know, went by the wayside a little bit. And I think we can, we can fill that void.
AS
So if people want Rebel for Good hats, T-shirts, all that stuff, where do they go?
TM
rebelforgood.com.
AS
All right.
TM
Yeah.
AS
There's an online store.
TM
Yep. There's an online Store, and we're excited for that. And then.
AS
Is there a new drop for spring 2023?
TM
Working on it.
AS
All right.
TM
Working on it.
AS
Stay tuned.
TM
So you know, we got to..Yeah, we’ll figure it out.
AS
Okay, okay, good. I'm excited. I am one that loves a good piece of swag. Yeah. Must say, I'm a swag connoisseur, if you will.
TM
Absolutely, absolutely. So we're working on that. And then I got into some contracting with, with GSA stuff. So I'm excited for that. But I don't know. Just kind of keep it moving.
AS
Kind of keep it moving? You have more things going on than literally anyone I know.
TM
Yes. Just like you though, if you build a good team, it makes life easier. You know.
AS
Isn’t it just true, though?
TM
18:09
Yeah, oh 100%.
AS
And it's more fun.
TM
I picked up my daughter's friend and took him to gymnastics. And I went and I said, you know, Bella, you know why I'm considered successful. And she's like, “you're successful?” I’m like, “Yeah, you little turd! Yes, I am.” No. I said, “you know, what makes everything in my life, like, like, tick.” And she goes, “what?” I said, “Well, my speaking, Kelsey runs, my wife.” I said, “the White Duck Brew Pub,” I said, “that one's really, you know, Bill Logan,” but that's, that's an anomaly. I said, “The Lakeside, Nicole runs it.” You know, I said, “the foundation, Heather runs it.” I said, “all you gotta do is put smart people in charge.” And usually, it's all these women and women are smarter than boys. Or guys or whatever. And she's like, Yeah, no, I get that. But, but no, I just if you build a good team, you know, it's weird to think like, I think in the summer times, when everything's plussed up, Lakeside the foundation, and Lakeside the foundation, and The White Duck. That’s like over 100 people that, that kind of worked for one of the entities. So like, that's a stretch right there. It's like, how do I make sure they have a paycheck to go home and take care of their family?
AS
Isn't that motivating?
TM
It is, it is. I mean, yeah, it's, it's wild. Sometimes.
AS
19:15
When you look at your future…
TM
Yeah?
AS
What are some things you want to do you haven't done? People have mentioned to me many times, is Travis Mills ever gonna run for office?
TM
Oh!
AS
Is Travis Mills ever gonna run for office?
TM
If my wife has her way, no. But she didn't want a marina, a restaurant, a brewery, or a lot of things. So, so there is a very good possibility. I just got, I got asked to endorse a candidate for Senate. And I was like, I don't know. Then I was gonna ask him are you gonna return the favor when you're done in six years, well seven? But I don't know if I'm gonna, I think, I think it's definitely in the cards of possibility.
AS
20:00
If you were elected to Office, would it…are you thinking federal office? You thinking state level?
TM
Oh, I'm going federal.
AS
Okay. What are some things you want to change?
TM
Oh, no. I just want insider trading. Yeah. You know, I'm saying like I want, it's about me. So, I tell a joke a lot. That's gonna be in a lot of ad campaigns against me, if I ever do run. They're gonna, that's gonna bite me.
AS
I would love to see your Travis Mills for Office campaign, because there's no way humor can't be a part of it. Like, oh, there's like it, people are gonna have to be like, getting it. In order to understand who you are, because humor is a huge part of Travis mills.
20:41
But I also I also wonder if I'm going to run as an independent, and then not have like a party backing. Or if I'm going to run as a Republican, you know, and then have to face like, backlash of like, you know, you're this you're that. Or if I want to run Democrat. Like you know, I don't know what party that like I even aligned with. Because I think there should be health care for all. There are people that can't afford to get it for free. People that can afford it, get the best doctors. And people that are caught in the middle class are the ones that really…Like you know how much it is for an employee to get health insurance?
AS
Yes! Yes, I do.
TM
It’s like 500 bucks a month.
AS
Oh, if you're lucky.
TM
Oh, exactly. Right, right, I'm just saying that’s what we were quoted. But like 500 bucks a month for that company per person. And it's just like, how is this the country we live in, right? But then again, I do think that stricter gun laws..all the people that do the stuff with the guns are the criminals. So, you know, people that follow the law. So like, do I want to take away, like AR15s? No, I love my AR15s. You know, so I'm kind of on both sides of the fence with with issues. And I think, you know…
AS
But don't you think a lot of people on both sides of the fence with issues?
TM
That’s why I’m like…
AS
That might actually be representative of a huge part of our population.
TM
Definitely. And that's why I think Angus King…Yeah, I know he caucuses, you know, with the Democrats. And a lot of people are like, “well, he’s just a Democrat”. But that's why I think he works as an Independent. Because he is, you know, people know who he is. He was the governor. But he also, you know, he's also, doesn't want to pick one side or the other. So for me, I think my, my safest bet to not have everybody mad at me, would be an Independent. As well as, I think that there's just, there's just different issues, right? Like, I mean, there's no way that we can't figure out healthcare. Like that just blows my mind, you know. But then again, they say insurance companies would go out of business. So that, that's an issue, I guess, but I don't know.
AS
It is complex.
TM
But the people that suffer the most are the middle class! They go to work all day, and they come home, and then they get taxed on them. I mean, we don't live in a country where schools build people to be entrepreneurs. Like we live in a country, I feel like that's, like you gotta go to school, get a massive amount of debt, and then go find a job. And then you pay what, 15-20 years of student loans?
AS
Well, and I mean, well, longer for me. But yeah, I'm still, I'm still paying. You know, law school student loans, and probably will until I'm in the ground. But I think that it's a point well taken, and there has been a good movement towards encouraging trades. And I do think there's been some great movement to support trades education, both in Maine and federally and there's a movement around that. But entrepreneurialism, entrepreneurism. I feel like I'm saying the word wrong. To be an entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, that's a good version of it. Entrepreneurship is something that I think this next generation is doing a lot more of.
TM
Oh, yeah.
AS
Then the, you know, Generation X…
TM
Yeah, I…
AS
Crew.
TM
23:26
I've worked like, like, I mean, I love people that work for me. And I tell everybody that works with me, you know, I try to do my best to make sure it has a good wage and take home and things like that, you know. I'll be honest with my like, like Lakeside’s property, me and Zack haven’t paid ourselves ever. We always put it back in and make sure we upgrade the property. And it's a long term investment for us. You know, instead of trying to take money and like leave things undone. So I don't know. But if I did run for office, I would go, I would definitely go for federal. and I just worry like, I can see the ad campaigns against me. “He's not even from Maine.” And it's like, well yeah, but I chose to live here.
AS
You got here as fast as you could.
TM
Yeah.
AS
And you fell in love with a Mainer?
TM
Yeah.
AS
And you have Mainer children.
TM
Exactly!
AS
So I mean, come on!
TM
Well, one. The other one, she's a North Carolinian. Yeah, yeah she’s a southerner.
AS
24:13
Well, I’m a native New Yorker. And they still let me in some places.
TM
Yes. Okay. But, but no, I think it's in the cards. I just think it's gonna be. It's gonna be a little while. Okay. You know, maybe.
AS
Well, I'm excited. You heard it here first, people.
TM
Well, my son's five, so, in seven years he's 12. I don't think she'll let me do it then either. So maybe, had to be 12, when he's out of school. I don't know. We'll see.
AS
All right. Well, I'm excited for it. I'm here for it.
TM
Yeah.
AS
100%
TM
And I mean, insider trading. I'm so fired up! Let’s go!
AS
Oh my gosh! You can't… The humor is gonna have to be in the ads. I don't even know what… You're gonna have to hear Gary Crocker down the street.
Oh yeah, yeah. He’ll be my opener every time I go out on stage.
AS
100% There's no question.
TM
24:59
Yeah, Gary is great. But, but no, I you know, politics probably in the cards. The brewery, I would like to get that up and going. I just hired like a kid that's in school for videographer or videography like, like, you know, he's, his whole job is to build shorts for Instagram, Tik Tok…
AS
That's awesome.
TM
And like YouTube, reels. And I'm like, “your whole job is to film me.” I just bought a bunch of equipment for him.
AS
Why isn't he here today?
TM
Because he's in Orono at college.
AS
Okay.
TM
But he's getting out, getting out in like, less than a month.
AS
Okay, okay good.
TM
He's coming.
AS
25:26
I can’t wait to meet him. So if we see a kid following you around. Taking… Don't be alarmed.
TM
No, that's his job.
AS
Okay.
TM
That is his job. And like, I'm gonna have to do fun videos. Like, my walkout music my go and speak is like Atreyu. It's called “Warrior”. It's, it's pretty good, right? But I was like, man, maybe I should change that to just be on the loop of, “I'm half the man I used to be.” You know what I mean? So I walk out. I'm like, literally.
AS
I can't.
TM
Yeah know, I mean, yeah. Don't. Trust me. You don’t want to go be half the man I used to be.
AS
26:00
I mean, but aren't you even more the man you used to be? Because think of how much you've grown and how much you've given. Come on.
TM
You mean out? I know. I'm working on that.
AS
See?
TM
I gotta tell people. I'm, you know, in high school, I had a hairline and no waistline. And now I have a waistline with no hairline. I'm trying to flip that again. I'm getting on some of that Wagovy. You know what I'm saying? Have you heard of this?
AS
Yes, I have heard of Wagovy.
TM
Oh, I'm gonna do it.
AS
You are? You're gonna do Wagovy next?
AS
Most likely, I found there's a, there's a clinic somewhere where I can call and do telehealth and they'll prescribe it.
AS
Oh my gosh!
TM
I got a badge from the state trooper. So if I ever get pulled over, I just whip that out and say, “Hey, guys!” And they're like, “Oh, you're cool.”
AS
It’s important to show your support for your state troopers.
TM
Yeah, yeah. I haven’t gotten pulled over yet.
AS
26:39
Those stickers are hot commodity. So you should just talk to my husband. He's been pulled over plenty.
TM
This is like a legit badge. Like…
AS
Oh, like a badge badge?
TM
Yeah. I’m part of the Maine State Association of Maine State Troopers. It's a legit batch. You ever seen the movie Chips? The new one that they did with Dax Shepard?
AS
No, I haven't seen it.
TM
Well…
AS
Good?
TM
He goes over a guy that has got one of those badges. The guy’s like, “Hey, I paid for this. Like what?” And he's supposed to get let go. So I'm like, I'm driving faster. I mean, I came into the parking lot go about 70.
AS
Well, I, we heard it! The screeching of the wheels. It was a lot. Travis Mills, is there anything we need to talk about that we should talk about? We should touch on?
TM
No. I mean, you're great at what you do, obviously, and you know exactly what you're doing. Because you're in the business of getting the message out to everybody. And you crush it! But I would, I would say… well, not But. I would just say that if people want to find out more, you know, visit Travismills.org. For my actual website in the TravisMillsfoundation.org. And like you said, come visit the White Duck Brew Pub. And if anybody needs like a boat on Cobbossee to rent, or a great, great little cafe that just does like your average cafe food.
AS
Lakeside Lodge!
TM
27:39
Lakeside Lodge and Marina. But…
AS
Or to fill up when they're on Cobbossee.
TM
That's right, we do. We do the gas. We have the guys out there and they crush it for us. And, you know, it's it's good time, but I appreciate you having me on. And this has been fun. And hopefully I didn't ramble too much. I keep looking at, you know, the gents over here.
AS
The twins? I know.
TM
Making sure they're not gonna like, mean mug me or whatever.
AS
Yeah, they're, they're here. We're all here for you.
TM
But remember… insider trading. It's what I'm all about.
AS
Okay, Travis Mills 2040? Maybe?
TM
We'll see.
AS
17 years? 15 years? Travis Mills 2038 insider trading.
TM
Insider trading.
AS
That's the slogan. Got it.
TM
That’s right. All of it. Oh, yeah. I'm going big!
AS
Go big or go home.
TM
Yeah.
AS
Thank you. Thanks for joining us for this episode of Serra Speaks.
AS
28:33
Thank you for joining us for this episode of Serra Speaks. Our podcast, dedicated to issues in and about Maine, where we talk to those who write the headlines, make the headlines, and are behind the headlines. Please be sure to hit follow and subscribe and stay tuned for new episodes.
TM
28:55
Thanks.