Everything Is Math: Becoming A Trailblazing Data Scientist
In this episode of Unstoppable Stories, host Nathan James is joined by Crevita Moody, an author, data scientist with the FAA, former professional basketball player, and UMGC alumna. In this episode, Nathan and Crevita dive into how Crevita got to where she is today, and how she got past her fears in order to find her passion.
Crevita walks us through her journey, and how her past work as being an actress and then a professional basketball player led her to becoming the first African American female data scientist with the FAA. She discusses how she was able to figure things out even from a young age, and how those strategies have been with her throughout her life. During this episode, we hear how Crevita finds ways and strategies of breaking down barriers in life, to successfully become the person she is today.
Episode Information
Crevita Moody:
The way that you label things could be the issue. Some people say, okay, don't be afraid to fail failing. I've always been told failing throughout my childhood is not a good thing. So then when you say the word failing, when you're trying to evolve and push past your limits, you have that definition of failing, being negative instead of failing. I'm like, oh, I tried that. That didn't work out too well. So let me try it a different way. You know, I, I try to avoid. Words that historically can make through. Just give me a mental block. Just make me stop.
Intro:
Welcome to the UMGC podcast Unstoppable Stories with your host, Nathan James.
Nathan James:
All right everybody, it's good to see you and have you here with us. I'm actually here with Crevita Moody, and she is here with us, spending some, some time. We're gonna have a good time. And, uh, she actually works, uh, with the FAA, uh, she is earned, not one, not two, but three degrees here. Uh, at UMGC and, uh, bachelor's in and as well as two master's degrees, including, uh, her MBA, uh, and, uh, a master's degree in data analytics. Um, and, uh, she's taking time to be here with us today. So, uh, Corta, how are you feeling? Thanks for being here with us.
Crevita Moody:
Feeling good? Feeling good. How are you?
Nathan James:
Uh, good. Good. Great. That you're here. Thanks. Thanks. I mean, let's jump in, right? So let's start with your background. Tell us. What you like just about, uh, your background? For example, I know that you got to do musical theater, you know, in high school that could be a good starting point, but wherever you feel comfortable go for it.
Crevita Moody:
Yeah. So, um, it feels like I live different lifetimes 'cause I've had a few, um, different careers. Over the years. Um, sure. I won't tell you how many years, uh, but yeah, so, um, I, I actually played basketball, um, and then I took a season off my freshman year and then got into theater. And then from there I just did theater for the rest of my, my high school career. And then, um, everybody thought I would major in, in theater and college. But, um, I wind up me, uh, doing first paralegal and then paralegal, and then, um, graphic graphic design. That's how, um, I started doing University of Maryland and I did the, uh, undergraduate degree for, um, web technology and digital media. But, um, yeah, but while I was working on, on that, I also was still doing the acting thing. And um, so I did like. Headlined a musical theater in Pensacola, Florida, and then
Nathan James:
No way.
Crevita Moody:
I started filming movies in New Orleans and driving the three hours back and forth in Pensacola and doing movies. So I was able to get my SAG card. That's the Screen Guild. Um, it's a, it's the union. So, um, I'm, I'm not a due paying member 'cause obviously I have a whole nother career now, but whenever I start paying dues, um, I'm a SAG member. I mean, as long as you pay your dues, you're, you're always able to cash in on the, the SAG. So then, um, I got married to, uh, someone who was an officer in the Navy. So then we got stationed overseas in Naples, Italy for three years. Um, spent 17 months in upstate New York, and then we got stationed in Japan for three years.
Nathan James:
How about that? Yeah. Yeah. So globe trotting little bit at this point, right? And it's, it's like you're globe trotting. Geographically, but you're also globe trotting almost career wise, right? I mean, a little bit. Uh, a little bit, right. You're covering a lot of the gamut there. Okay. Okay. So, um, I mean, I'm curious, so you, you're, so, you're into sports. I. Right. Um, or most, you know, you did basketball. Are are you still doing that by the way?
Crevita Moody:
I'm doing my own time for exercise. I do 20 minutes of dribbling drills around the court and then, um, I, I do shooting drills for the rest of the time. Yeah.
Nathan James:
Okay. Look at that. Yeah. Well, I mean, okay. Okay. And so, um, but eventually sort of acting kind of eclipses that, like you said, right? Folks thought you were. Uh, literally going into acting, coming outta high school.
Crevita Moody:
Yeah.
Nathan James:
So, and I think it's kind of cool that you didn't let that go. Totally. By the way, from what you're telling me. But No, go ahead. Go ahead, please. Yeah. Yeah.
Crevita Moody:
I didn't, I, basketball is still one of my, my favorite things to do. It was one of my first loves. But theater, you know, a lot of people don't know, like as soon as your job is done for that movie or that, that playing. You're outta work, like you're constantly having to like find the next project because you're constantly unemployed if you don't. So I was like, oh, I may need, um, something a bit more stable than that. And then of course, getting married and going to Italy and Japan. Yeah, it's, it's not much I can do with acting. So that's, that's what brought me, um, to University of Maryland global campus. Um, mm-hmm. While you're stationed overseas with your spouse, a lot of people don't know that we're not there on a work visa, so we can't work in the economy. We can only work on the US military base, and it's gonna be little, little jobs here and there, such as like at the daycare center or the grocery store, or administrative work in the offices. So I was like, well, I. I don't wanna work, you know, just randomly. So I'll continue to go to school and earn degrees until we make it back to the United States and...
Nathan James:
Okay.
Crevita Moody:
Since we were overseas a lot, I got a lot of degrees.
Nathan James:
What do you know about that? Talk about like making the most of an opportunity, you know, so I mean, okay. All, so I'm sure there were challenges with, okay, you're overseas in unfamiliar environments. Right. Um, and. In the meantime, you're working on school and distance education, virtual learning. Um, so I mean, what was that like?
Crevita Moody:
Well, the time, three degrees while you're on the road.
Nathan James:
Okay. Yeah.
Crevita Moody:
The time difference with my classmates when we had, uh, assignments was a little challenging.
Nathan James:
Group projects. Okay. Okay.
Crevita Moody:
But, uh, they understood, I, there's, there was a satellite base for, uh, UMGC in Naples. So I was actually able to take, uh, about two classes face-to-face. So, um, a lot of the students, some of them were overseas like me, so that, that helped. So at times where if we had somebody on the west coast, but we had two people in Europe, the two people in Europe would, you know, finish a portion of it in our time zone and then. Throw it out to the West Coasters.
Nathan James:
Look at that. Yeah. Okay. Huh. Huh. That works out. I mean, so, okay. So did you find that it got easier with time? Like you were, you completed your bachelor's, did you feel like by the time you got to your master's, oh, I've got a, I've got a system in place, I've got a strategy, I'm rolling, or I don't know, did it get more difficult? Because, I mean, we're talking. Graduate level courses too.
Crevita Moody:
Yeah. So once again, it's a little bit challenging being overseas, but that was the great part about going with UMGC, doing the degrees overseas. It really wasn't too bad once you figured out your, your rhythm, your flow. Um, getting into my first graduate degree, I didn't know there was something called data science. Um. I was doing a statistic course that was mandated for my, my undergrad degree, and it, it was basically like applied statistics and I was like, this is amazing. Like you can make a living just like quantifying everything around you. Like, this is great.
Nathan James:
Interesting. So that really appealed to you. Yeah.
Crevita Moody:
And I was like, they have a master's degree where you can do this. Like, this is great. And it basically, it, it merged, um, applied statistics with computer science, like coding. And my undergrad, I specialized in coding. Particularly Python. So I was like, okay. It takes like two of my favorite things. They make a baby and this is amazing.
Nathan James:
I now you get to watch the baby grow up.
Crevita Moody:
I was like, this is great. Like I, this is awesome. So, okay. Um. I, I was able to do that and it was just the, the two years just flew by. Um, and at that time I think I was heading to, I was still in Italy when I first started, and then I went to upstate New York and then I finished that degree while in Japan. So I was, during that two years, I was like bouncing around from country to country.
Nathan James:
What, okay. Well, okay, so here's an obvious question. Um, how did you fall in love with data science? Right? Um, I mean, you kind of gave a little bit of your reasoning, I guess, for why you like data science, but okay. We're also talking about, you know, someone who maybe didn't have that, you know, inspiration so much in high school. Again, we're talking, you are, you are, you are balling out. Right. You're almost on your way to Hollywood. Right. Coming outta high school and, and that sharp turn. Yeah. And here we are now. Right. Data science. That's right?
Crevita Moody:
Yeah. I told you.
Nathan James:
Um, that's, so how did that happen?
Crevita Moody:
So I, I think underneath it all, um. It comes from a very foundational place. So I realize, and this is where I'm gonna get super nerdy, um...
Nathan James:
Yeah, we're ready for it. Do it.
Crevita Moody:
From a young, a young age, I realized like everything, it's just math. And I, I love math because it's very definitive. It's not subjective. Like English class. I used to turn in English homework and, and all these history reports and. Once again, it's subjective. It's like, oh, well that's your opinion, and this is my opinion, so you get a B minus. Um, but with math it was like, Hey, two plus two is four. There's, there's no argument here.
Nathan James:
That's true.
Crevita Moody:
So I, I really love Can't argue that that, yeah. Right. So I was like, I like this. There's no debating with the teacher. Like, it just, that's the answer. And we all can agree on this. Um. And then there was a formula which made it very systematic. You know, you didn't have to guess. You have a formula and you just, as long as you follow it, just like a car on a road, as long as you follow the, the directions. You get to the answer. So I was like, wow, it has like a roadmap and everything. And then when you get to the answer, there's no debating whether or not that's that's true or false.
Like yeah, this is my jam. Um, and one teacher I even rewrote a different way to get to the same answer 'cause I was like, uh, this feels more intuitive. And I think I was like 14 or something. Um. So that was the first time my teacher was like, well, this is the way I told you to do it. I was like, yeah, but this is more intuitive. I think the other kids would probably like this better. So that was the one argument about math that I, that I had. But other than that, it outside the box. Okay. Other than that, it was great. So even with my basketball, it, I, I was good at basketball, by the way. I was a point guard, so. A point guard, like we call the plays and, but even with basketball, I was like, it's just, it's all math.
Like you just figure out the velocity, the, the strength in which you hit the ball, the, the angle and the ball goes in. So I always saw everything as, as math. I just didn't know it until I came upon like applied statistics. And, you know, they start showing you Moneyball. Everybody knows Moneyball, and then I'm like, oh. So that's kind of what I've been doing my whole life inside my head, quantifying things like you saw in, in Moneyball, and I'm like, yeah, this is, this is perfect. I've, I've already been doing it so. Let's do it. Even, even acting once again, you have dialogue that you have to memorize and then there's a rhythm between you and the other actor.
Once again, you have to be like, okay, I may need to take three seconds to respond because I'm in shock and this scene and, but to me, just everything. Math, everything is,
Nathan James:
Yeah, I mean that's a little bit mind blowing. 'cause I mean, what you just did was connect math to basketball, to a sport, and then you also just connected it to acting.
Crevita Moody:
Right? I mean, that's the kind of connection I don't think people make. I. Every day. And yet I also think you just did that in a pretty relatable way. Right? Oh, thanks. Um, because you were saying, okay, I'm gonna go into nerd space for a moment, but yeah, I can tell already, and I think you've actually talked about this in the past.
Nathan James:
Um, it seems like you have a really good way of. Uh, simplifying what may seem like complicated concepts into sort of digestible pieces that folks can kind of take, you know, you know, bite, bite, bite and digest it. Am I guessing right on that?
Crevita Moody:
You are actually very, very correct on that. Um. So when I was, when I was little trying to get into an elementary school, um, there was one elementary school that said, oh, well, she's not able to say the alphabet backwards. And so we, she's not really up to speed, so I thought. I must have some sort of learning disability, but then I also thought, and I was only like, what? Six. I was like, then if you wanted kids to learn how to recite it backwards, why does Sesame Street always recite it forwards and every other book? Like so, so that it's a, that gave me like this, this complex of, oh, well maybe I'm slow. So with everything that I do, I may need to, you know, kind of break it down in these small, little digestible pieces. So ever since then, that's, that's what I have been doing. Um, so you, you're right on the money on that, and I figured out that even the most calm, complex subject matters we're talking about, like physics and all that fun stuff. Just go back to the foundation and then just simplify it. And then you build upon those simple concepts until all of a sudden you look back and you're like, oh, I'm doing super, super complex stuff and wow, I didn't think I could, could be here. And I like to relate that to other people. Because it's even rocket science.
Nathan James:
I imagine that.
Crevita Moody:
You know, people don't come out the womb just knowing rocket science. You know? They kind...
Nathan James:
No, no. Bit by face in everyday conversation, not to interrupt. In everyday conversation you hear people say. Hey, this isn't rocket science, as if it's like something to, you know, avoid like the plague or something, right?
Crevita Moody:
Yeah. Oh, it's not rocket science. It's this, but you're actually saying something different. Yeah. But then they're, they're coming at you with concepts from all the way up above and you're like, no, that, that seems like rocket science. Yes. Yes. Mm-hmm. But once again, if you kind of did what I did and just go back to, okay, this is where we start and this is how we got to the rocket science. So, and it's, it's because of that I started, um, an LLC last year, a company last year to help toddlers simplify. STEM concepts, uh, specifically artificial intelligence because that's gonna play a huge part in their lives. Um, they're gonna see artificial intelligence everywhere. Maybe by the time their teenagers, their teachers will completely be artificial intelligence.
We already see some schools, um, completely having artificial intelligence for certain class subjects. So I thought with toddlers, um, I may wanna say that I have a toddler be beautiful, yay. And is four and a half years old. So I realized by becoming a mom during the pandemic, just watching him learn is very, very similar, almost identical, even to the way that artificial intelligence is trained.
That would make sense. Right. You know, it's based off of neural networks, which, you know, our brains use neural networks and so they based artificial intelligence on basically, once again, human beings and how we learn, it's gonna learn much faster than us. Um, but it's, it's still exactly the same. So I was like, wow, this is, do people know this like.
You, you talk to people about artificial intelligence, they're like, yeah, I don't know. I don't know how that stuff works. And, and I was like, well, are you a parent? Yeah. And they're like, yeah, okay. Then actually you do know how artificial intelligence learns.
Nathan James:
Yeah. So, yeah. See, not rocket science.
Crevita Moody:
Well, I mean, some people be like, parenting is hard. Artificial intelligence, you don't have like the sleepless nights, but. The training of the artificial intelligence is very reminiscent of the training of small humans.
Nathan James:
Yeah. Wow. Well, okay, so that's okay. Stem for All right, I think is the name. Mm-hmm. Of the company that you mentioned. Yeah. So the business that the client facing...
Crevita Moody:
It's name is Playhouse stem.
Nathan James:
Playhouse stem.
Crevita Moody:
Yeah.
Nathan James:
Okay. That's child friendly.
Crevita Moody:
Yeah, yeah, yeah. So Playhouse is, um, usually the synonymous with theater, right? Playhouse, we went to the playhouse, so, and then I put stem, so I'm kind of merging the Hollywood, me and the stem, me. And once again, just. Using things from my history to, um, move forward in all the things that I like to do. Oh, here's the book.
Nathan James:
Look at that. How to put your Robot to Sleep. C. Moody. Okay. All right. And for our listeners, yeah, she literally just showed us a sneak preview if you haven't bought it before. And, uh, it looks, yeah, one fun. I mean, even the way that you're portraying even the name like Playhouse fun, right? I mean. That's an inviting way, I think, for kids to get into, uh, stem.
Crevita Moody:
Right. Um, I mean, I can tell you from experience, it seems like the biggest thing that stops people from really getting like a, uh, people get intimidated by the idea of stem. You just think it's so high and up in the sky and then you just almost end up, you end up like, I think you can almost make it seem like it's more intimidating than it is even to the younger generations. Right? Um, and they kind of absorb this idea that, whoa, yeah, math, whoa, science, whoa. You know what I mean? Who wants to do calculus and advanced, you know, differential equations and like physics and, oh, scary. But really. If we reframe that, there's a sense of wonder and there's a sense of, hey, this can actually be done and it unlocks something that's actually really special that can blow your mind away. And it's like, that's the world that. You have accessed and gotten lost in.
Nathan James:
I can feel it when you can break it down and make something seem less intimidating, approachable, don't you wanna do it too? You know, that type of thing. I love that. And it sounds like that's a lot of what your vision is for the Playhouse, I would say, right? Playhouse.
Crevita Moody:
Yeah. Playhouse stem. Exactly. Yeah. So first you have to break that barrier of, oh, it's science, technology, engineering, that's just woo. I could possibly learn that nobody in my family was a mathematician or a scientist. And, um, yeah, nobody in my family was a scientist and here I am, or a mathematician or anything like that, um, to bring it, bring it back again. Uh, I, I took a computer class and in high school, but I didn't even own a computer until I was 21.
Now I'm working for the FAA with artificial intelligence, which is obviously a lot of computers and all that fun stuff. So, but a lot of people think, oh, well, I, I, I need a computer. I, I need all of this stuff before I can get into, uh, anything that's stem. Well, once again, that, that really. At least wasn't, wasn't my experience. I find that if you focus on the foundations of what STEM is, no matter what your occupation is, if you focus on the foundations, then no matter what technology they put in front of you, you'll be able to become at least proficient enough to get the job done.
Nathan James:
So once again, you didn't touch a... I mean, didn't touch a computer until you were what, 13?
Yeah. Didn't even touch a computer until I was 13, and that was the computer class, the typing class, the touchy how to type of a little Macintosh, and then 21 finally got a laptop and you know, just went from there. But if you focus on things such as attention to detail, just in your own environment, while you're sitting at your desk or you're taking a walk, just focus on.
Small things in your environment and kind of hone that talent. So look at the insects. Look at the blades of grass blowing in the wind. Look at the birds in the tree. How many birds are in the tree? What color are they? So just training yourself to kind of absorb things like that gives you that, that attention to detail that everyone in stem, STEM professionals have.
And once again, you don't need a computer for that. A lot of people make the mistake of trying to put their 6-year-old in coding or robotics classes. Don't get me wrong,
Speaker 3: that's,
Crevita Moody:
that's free. Um, but here's the thing. Um, when I was a kid, there was no prepare your, your kid to be a data scientist. Why? Because there was no such thing.
There was no such thing as a AI scientist. There were people working on ai, but there was no AI scientist, so you need to be able to just learn the foundation of stem. I. And then once again, as technology changes, which it always does, it doesn't matter what the technology is, what the application is, I'm constantly having to learn new STEM technology because, oh, there's, there's another new AI application that makes and streamlines things so much better.
So I'm like, okay, yeah. Give it to me. Yeah. I guess the field is evolving.
Nathan James:
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Crevita Moody:
But, and then even the coding language that people use, like back when I was a kid, they were using like cold ball and all, all that fun stuff. But now like Python is the unofficial language of data science. So once again, things are going to change, but what doesn't change is the foundation, such as attention to detail.
Hmm. They are very detail oriented STEM people. And then resilience. You have to be very resilient because you'll be. Asked to kind of change directions, change applications, technology along your entire career. So once again, you gotta be resilient. So if you focus on those things, which is what I accidentally did in my childhood.
So when I finally got a laptop at 21, I was just, I hit the ground running.
Nathan James:
Hmm. Yeah. Yeah, you can waste any time. Okay. So now you've also been a, a trailblazer in this regard. I mean, even a little background on this, I mean, um, you at the FAA, right? I, I don't know if I spelled this out, but federal, uh, aviation administration. So, um, you're the first African American woman to hold the title of data scientists at. FAA. That's phenomenal. And, um, honored to just discuss this with you. What has that, what's, what's that been like? 'cause I'm sure there are challenges that were associated with that. Um, as you've trailblazed your way to that point, um, could you speak on that, you know, from wherever your heart leaves you?
Crevita Moody:
Yeah. Um. My, my answer may be disappointing, but I, I kind of don't think about it.
Nathan James:
No, that's fine.
Crevita Moody:
I kind of just, yeah. You know, I, I look at the, the workouts in front of me that someone is asking me to do, and I say, oh, okay, let's, let's do this. And I do it to the best of my ability, everything that I do, and it just simply caught the eye of. The people at the FAA and they said, Hey, yeah, we wanna bring you on board. I first started off, uh, working for them, uh, when I worked for the Fortune 500 company, Leidos, and okay. They contracted me out to the FAA and during that year long contract, the FA was like, man, she's. She's amazing. Like, so, um, after that year they, they brought me on as a federal employee, but yeah, I, I really don't think about it. Um, I, I only think about it when I do a presentation or go into a meeting in which others kinda ah, oh, okay. And, and I get, uh, a somewhat of a reaction like that. And, um. That's the only thing that reminds me, like, oh, okay. I'm, I'm the other one that looks like me here. So you guys aren't used to seeing someone like me doing a presentation like this. I was like, okay. But most of the time, um, uh, we, we don't think about it. Like when my, the coworkers I work with every day, um, when the FAA wrote the article, they were like, oh. Cool. We didn't, we didn't know that. Like we just, knew you did great work, but we didn't know that we, we were working with the first African American woman data scientists here.
Nathan James:
Boom. Yeah, because it's not like that was something you were advertising from the beginning here. But it happened. That's wonderful. And I, it is an inspiration. I know, you know, to me, you know, as an African American male, um, even kinda have that inspiration too from my dad. He, he worked, um, ended up, uh, going into NASA straight out of high school. Nice. And working in STEM in that way. So also in a federal capacity. And, um, he, I mean, and especially you, there's this inspiration that comes from being able to see, oh, you know, they did it. And, and they, and they look like me. And Wow. I can, I can do that too. Right, exactly. Um, okay. Maybe it's not as intimidating as it may seem from the outside. Right. Have you, have you found, have you seen any of that, like inspiration, um, even from, you know, minority folks or Eden family? 'Cause I know you were a trailblazer for your own family to get into stem. Right. Uh, have you seen others be inspired by your journey?
Crevita Moody:
Um, others inspired by my journey. Um,
Nathan James:
Y eah, in STEM in particular.
Crevita Moody:
Well, I, I guess I'm still, uh, at the beginning of it, so maybe later on I'll get more people commenting on that. But I did have some. Some of my coworkers reach out to me once the article was written by the FAA, it was distributed internally, um, an email to everybody twice. Uh, and uh, so I had some. Some coworkers who worked in completely other divisions, and they reached out to me and was like, well, this is a inspiring, and some of them were actually thinking about, uh, transitioning their career to data science, or at least data analytics to be an analyst. And, um, so they were like, it's, it's really cool to see that someone who looks, you know, like me doing it. And I was like, oh, that. Thanks. So, um, I was able to tell them, hey, these are some, some online courses you can possibly take to help, uh, further your aspirations to possibly be an analyst or a data scientist. But So a little bit, yeah, a little bit of, I love that. Yeah.
Nathan James:
Uh, yeah. Lemme tell you, it's just starting, you know, I mean, even talking to you, um. I, I remember my dad wanted me to get into to stem, you know, as I was coming out of high school. And I just remember concluding, I don't know if I'm wired for it. And I went the sociology route, which is great. I love that. Um, sociology and psychology. I know you mentioned, uh, at some point I have seen in your story having some interest in psychology as well, I think. Yeah. Yeah. So I can connect with you on that. Um, you know, but I think part of my decision was honestly because. Man, these computer engineering classes, you know, and the calculus one and calculus two that you have to take to two, that's just intimidating, you know? And, uh, but you know, uh, if a younger, if the young me could have talked to you, I think that would've helped a lot.
Crevita Moody:
Yeah. I'm sure it's gonna help, you know, um, because you're seeing the, the final product. And the final product mm-hmm. Is intimidating. So whenever I get that feeling, like if a project comes to me or, or something, or it's just a big challenge, um, I say, okay, I, I recognize this feeling. It's, it's intimidation. But once again. Let's go to the foundation of what's being asked here, and let's break it down in small, digestible pieces.
Nathan James:
Sure.
Crevita Moody:
So I guess over the years, just something triggers in me and it says, okay, when you feel intimidation, figure out the basics of the situation, and then it becomes less intimidating. Whew. You know, uh, it's like a person, right? It's like a person you may meet. Like, uh, this is one of the reasons why they say don't, don't meet your, your heroes, or, because once you get to know them and what makes them tick and all that fun stuff, you're like, oh, oh, okay.
Nathan James:
That's all that's cracked up to be.
Crevita Moody:
Yeah. So once again, once again, you know, at first you were intimidated, but once you start getting the details about the person and all that fun stuff, you're like, oh, okay, well you're not, you know, you're still impressive, but Mm. Yeah, you're not as intimidating. So it's the same thing with any subject matter. Just think of it as a, A famous person. Yeah. Intimidating. Then break down the pieces that leads up to that intimidating image, and then it's like, oh, you're not that intimidating. You're just a regular person.
Nathan James:
That's a great way to think about it. Start small, right?
Crevita Moody:
Um, always. I, I, I think it's a cliche, but that's how, that's how you work. I mean, think about it like this, like human evolution. If someone just dropped into human evolution right now, they'd be like, whoa. You guys got artificial intelligence. You have like the worldwide web and you can video call people like we're doing right now. But think about how we started, you know, we came a long way. We didn't just drop into what we have right now. We built upon it, but we were just living in caves and you know, figuring out fire all the way to like the iPhone. Yeah, so everything has a beginning. Start at the beginning, then work your way to the end. The end part is the intimidating part. There you go, piece by piece. Okay. So. I think I actually like that. I mean, from the perspective of starting small and, and, and sort of evolving over time, um, even your life's journey, I feel is a, is is, is a lot like that, right? I mean, you're someone that strikes me as someone who's not really afraid to learn something new.
You know, and try something new. Um, and you see where all of those building blocks lead to, to where you are right now. Um, I think that's where I want to go kind of with this next, I mean, again, we're going back to, you know, Cavita and high school, right? Learned an amazing skill in sports. Right. Got skillful in basketball. Um, got into acting. Did really well there. Right. Um, there are parts of your story we haven't emphasized so much yet here, but I know that for everybody listening and watching scuba diving, you got into scuba diving and we're talking scuba diving and shipwrecks, everybody. Yes. I'm not making this up. Yes.
Nathan James:
Right. And so, um, I mean. You haven't been afraid to try something new, and my question for you is. What does it take, what does it take to get over the fear of trying new things? Potentially the fear of failure, right? Um, 'cause this involves getting out of your comfort zone, right? To do those. And I feel like that's what you've consistently done and that's what's helped to get you to this point. And what do you have to say to that? What from your life's journey?
Crevita Moody:
Um, it's gonna be probably another cliche, which is the way that you label things could be the issue. So some people say, okay, don't be afraid to fail. Just the word fail. Trigger something in people to make them say, yeah, no failing. I've always been told, failing throughout my childhood is not a good thing. So then when you say the word failing, when you're trying to evolve and push past your limits. You have that definition of failing, being negative. So instead of failing, I'm like, oh, I tried that, that didn't work out too well. So let me try it a different way. You know, I, I try to avoid words that historically can make me, just give me a mental block. Just make me stop. So when I see something that most people would say, oh, that's challenging, I say, oh, that could be fun. Like in my head, challenging. That's subtle, but that's powerful. Yeah. Like in my head, challenging means fun. Interesting. Out of the norm. Yeah. That, yeah, that sounds like one I, I can get down with that.
Nathan James:
Last thing I just gotta ask because I mentioned it, the scuba diving.
Crevita Moody:
Um, I, I just wanna say this. Look, when, when folks, uh. Push past your comfort zone and you decide I'm gonna learn something. I'm not gonna think of something in terms of possibility of failure, but I'm gonna think of something as, oh man, this is an opportunity. Um, this is gonna be fun. Just like you were saying, it's gonna be fun. It'd be fun.
Nathan James:
So you, how did the scuba diving end up taking place? Right? Like how did, how did you get to do that and, uh, shipwreck really quick?
Crevita Moody:
Well, um, I was. Vacationing in Thailand. Uh, my husband at the time, his ship was gonna be there for about a month doing exercises with, uh, the local military there. So I was like, okay, I'll spend the month there. And I was like, Hey, what can I do with a month in Thailand? So there's a bunch of diving advertisements. And I said, Hmm, that could be fun. So I was like, yeah, let's, let's do it. Um, it takes like two weeks to get the first one and after I got done with the first one and there's a ton of reading, like a certificate. Yeah. So they, they give you a book. You have to do a certain amount of reading each night, and then before you can. We first start off in a pool and then we do some of the exercises in the pool, and then they take you out to the actual ocean. And then, uh, they have you run through some tests in the ocean and say, okay, check, check, check. So, um, I was like, yeah, this was fun. Let me get another, um, diving certification. That was great. So, um, I got a second certification during that month so I could dive down. What, 30 meters? That's a hundred feet.
Nathan James:
Whoa.
Crevita Moody:
And to the C. So that one was a bit more rigorous. Notice I still don't use challenge. Rigorous. I figure that out. So it was a bit more rigorous. Like, uh, there was, there was one exercise and test that we had to do in which you have to go down, kneel on your knees. And be able to remove your breathing apparatus and then change it out with the spare. So at any given moment, you could, you know, your respirator could dislodge or just malfunction so you have a spare. So you need to create that muscle memory to be able to like grab it and switch it out without panicking. Got it. Especially with like this, this like 50 pound tank on your back and you have fishes swimming around you. You need to be able to keep your cool, switch it back out. So it and so's crazy forth. That's, so that was, uh. It was great, but, um, I, no pressure initially. No pressure. Um, so I eventually got the second license and, um, I dived down to a beautiful World War II shipwreck off the coast of Aya, Thailand. It was, it was pretty, pretty phenomenal.
Nathan James:
How deep down was that?
Crevita Moody:
It was a hundred feet. So. Oh yeah, it's, it's about like an hour or so off the coast of, uh, Thailand, Southern Thailand. And it was just, it was amazing. Um, people don't know, but when you, when you go that deep in the water, everything is black and white. There is no color.
Nathan James:
This is what it means to overcome fear, you know, and this is what it means to press your comfort zone and to come, I mean, just what you pull from that, what you learn from that. Um, it leads you to be the kind of person that we have here today. Right? Who, um, I mean, talk about. An adventurous journey. Um, it is, uh, I mean, that's a, that's a page turner. I'm on the edge of my seat saying where, where I'm curious where we're gonna go next. I mean, if we had more time, we would go there. But look, I want, I, I see nothing but the best, you know, for you moving forward. We're so glad that we get to be part, that we've gotten to be a part of your journey, you know, and those building blocks that have led to these incredible outcomes and the impact that you're making in your field. Um, and, uh, look, uh, to, to our audience, I wanna just say, you know, look at Kavita's example. Seriously, press those comfort zones, um, and, uh, see what life has, you know, on the other side. See who you'll become as you evolve, as you take those opportunities. Uh, I know that's what I'm striving to do. Um, look with that, Crevita, thank you. Thank you for your time with us and, um, you know, we're looking forward to seeing what's, what's next for you, seriously. And to our audience. Thank you for listening. Thank you for watching. And, uh, thanks for being here with us and, uh, we're here next time. If you wanna see more on unstoppable stories, remember to like and subscribe, uh, and, uh, you'll be able to see more, just like CTAs. Okay, so that's all we have for today.
Crevita Moody:
Thank you for having me. You have a wonderful podcast.
Nathan James:
Yeah. Happy to have you on. Okay, I appreciate it. See everybody.
Crevita Moody:
Have a good one.