Julia Macaluso
Julia Macaluso is an Arizona native and CEO of GR8FR8 Logistics. She holds a BA in Early Childhood Education from the University of Arizona. Having taught kindergarten for many years, her creativity, positive attitude and passion for people makes her stand out amongst others in a male dominated logistics industry.
Julia enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, hiking and working on her golf game. She believes relationship building, customer service and communication is key to any business partnerships. She currently serves as both Chair of the Women Empowered Committee and as an Ambassador for the Gilbert Chamber of Commerce.
Episode Transcription
Guiding Growth. Conversations with Community Leaders. In this podcast we'll explore the human journey of leaders, their stories of humility, triumph, roadblocks and lessons learned. Come join us as we journey together and uncover the questions you've always wanted to know. This podcast is brought to you by the Gilbert Chamber of Commerce providing resources, connections and belonging for business professionals and rocket space an event and meeting venue in the heart of the East Valley with a full service for person podcast studio. Today's guest is an Arizona native and ceo of great freight logistics.
She's a graduate of the University of Arizona and taught kindergarten for many years. She is a wife and mom first and loves hiking and working on her golf game. She's well known for her positive leadership and passion for people as well as her regular acts of service. Please welcome Julia Macaluso. Hello, hello, Hello, thank you so much for having me on today. Absolutely, so good to see you and get to talk to you today. So let's start off with rapid fire. Okay, you go first. Would you rather travel to the past or to the future?
Goodness. I would say past. Why I think that I'd be able to give myself some pretty dang good advice on moving forward. What's your hidden talent? I play violin for 10 years. Okay, would you rather attend a hip hop or a rock concert? Hip hop. Ever lived abroad? No. What is your go to snack? Used to be cheese. That's extra cheesy ones, but these days it's actually microwave, popcorn with butter and cheddar seasoning. What makes you hopeful? I'd say my kids already know the answer to this one.
But are you more of a thinker or doer? Doer? Alright. Fun one. If someone was to play you in a movie, who would you want it to be? I think maybe Cindy Crawford back in the day. I'd take her today. She's beautiful. What is your favorite pastime or hobby? It's golf now. And I don't know if it's kind of a love hate relationship Mulligan's. Yeah. Okay. Last one. Glass. Half full or half empty, I think. You know that one? It's it's always half full. Yeah, we like half holes around here.
Gilbert City lifestyles is a locally owned publication whose mission is to find and share great stories in our community and help build a stronger, more vibrant local experience, become a digital subscriber at city lifestyles dot com forward slash Gilbert Speaking of half full sarah, how are you today? Oh, the love. Um, well, I'm great, but I'm I'm especially thankful that we have Julia with us today. I loved learning more about you. I've known some of these pieces of your life, but really to just sort of dive in and see.
Um, your full story is pretty incredible. And I know. So you were born in Tucson, the oldest of five and I chuckled when I read your description of your parents a white girl from massachusetts who fell in love with the hispanic pool. Shark in Tucson share a little bit about your early years and growing up and you grew up in the, the home that your great grandfather built. Yes, we did. My great grandfather actually built two homes next to each other in Tucson. If any of you out there, familiar with Tucson park place mall was not there yet, but our home was in that area.
And so yeah, my mom um hitchhiked to Arizona from Rhode island even at one point, she was one of those girls that could do anything, you know? And she was very fearless 5, 10. My dad was 58, but they must have had a lot in common obviously to have five kids they met. So I'm the oldest of five, but I remember growing up, we had two pool tables in our house, one of them had the pockets, one of them didn't. And um, that was my dad's side hustle always. So they literally met at a pool hall.
Um, yeah, right around the corner. And then then I came around. So, so also I have to share my great grandfather owned a pool hall in our small town too. And so there's something about those pool halls. I don't know. I know I didn't have the opportunity to receive any lessons from him. But so what was it like growing up with four siblings? Mm Well, um, again, I think I was always like just a natural born leader, Always trying to help take care of them. We were all very different.
It was me and then my two sisters came next and then the two brothers and um my sisters and I probably had many years where we were kind of at ends because they were the younger ones and now we're the best of friends. It was, I mean I think our dynamics, our family dynamics was good, but it wasn't just the four younger siblings. My mom baby sought several neighborhood kids. So there were always, um, I would say at least 10 younger ones running around the house. And so I was also a reader when I was younger and I preferred spending time alone away from that.
Um so yeah, so I'm curious why did your mom leave the East coast? Do you know that story? Yeah. Well my grandfather was in Arizona already and my grandmother. So her mom had moved to Arizona and so she actually came to Arizona and went to high school her senior year, she finished high school there and just decided to stay because I love the weather very different from the east Coast. So. Okay, alright, so let's dig into the school, teaching, decided I always love these stories. Okay, kindergarten.
No. Did that's where you started? Or did you, how did you get into the education side growing up? I played teacher a lot. And so starting with my amazing kindergarten teacher who has since passed, She was such a role model for me. And so after the school day was over, if there were any extra handouts and worksheets, I'm like hey can I bring these home? And she would let me bring them home and I would play teacher with my younger siblings and the neighborhood kids. I don't know if I just liked being in charge maybe and I just like sharing the knowledge that I had gained.
And so I continued that through my elementary school years. And so I knew right away I kind of dabbled with wanting to be a marine biologist, but I don't like going into the ocean and not seeing what's below me. And so I was like well throw that one out and so yeah I just kind of knew it's something that came naturally to me and so I was able to graduate in 3. 5 years from U. Of A. And I was teaching at 21 1st. I was a second grade teacher um at a little school that I adored, I did my student teaching there.
So it was pretty cool. I got to have some of those students that I had taught that it was, it was in Tucson and did that for three years, which thank heavens because it truly does as a teacher take at least those three years to get acclimated and to get your routines and procedures down and to really because it's tough. The first three years are tough, A lot of crying. Were you mostly half day or did they do full full day 2nd grade? And then I ended up staying home with my kids and tell my oldest became a kindergartner himself and jumped right back into, I kept up my certification.
So jumped back into teaching kindergarten when he started well and I love, so I grabbed the note, you're you're married now make your best friend told me, but you were both married to other individuals prior and brought three kids each into your relationship. So how when did you get married Right out of high school in college? What did that look like for you originally, the first time it was right after college and we had, we worked together at chili's and I had actually gotten out of a long term relationship from college.
I was very much into school. I did not go to one party in college. Um and so I was very into that. So I um met my ex at a chili's, He was a minor league baseball player um for the Cincinnati reds. And so that was where he worked in the off time and I knew I wanted to be a wife and a mom right away. And so four weeks into dating, he proposed and anyway, uh I said yes and was committed and um so yeah, I had my Three kids at 24, and 28.
I wanted to have as many as I could before I was 30 and then realized I don't like being pregnant and I just have them. Um yeah, unfortunately that did not work out. And so I did get divorced in 2011. Um kids are a blessing. And so I'm so thankful that I went through that season because I've got amazing kids and you knew Nick in high school. Yes. So Nick and I were friends in high school, never dated. Um I had a lot of guy friends. I had a hard time.
I women, sometimes girls, not women, girls in high school can sometimes be tough and I was a people pleaser and you know, I want to be friends with everyone and I learned quickly that some people can be manipulative and and that was hard for me. Um So I had a lot of guy friends and he was one of them And I was even invited to his wedding actually because he got married like 19 something. Yeah, they started earlier than me. So I'm curious how life might be different if he had just asked you to prom like um we would probably have more kids than button is what I'm thinking.
That sounds like a challenge. I'm serious. Yeah, he is, I cannot say enough about him like he's my soul mate. He really is and we have grown um every year that goes by closer and our relationship has gotten stronger and he is my rock. And so everything happens for a reason. Yes, it does, absolutely. I senior notes here that your mom passed away at a pretty young age to talk about that a bit. That was quite a shocker. Um, we're going on 29 years this year, so I was 14 again, the oldest of five kids, I believe, my siblings, I was 14, that was 13, 11, 9 and seven.
Um, she was very active in the community, even as like a stay at home mom. She was very active in our church and she and my dad were little league coaches and I remember this day in particular because my siblings and I, if we were not playing, we typically had to run the snack bar every single time. And so I was like, I had a project, I needed to work on for my high school class and so I finally was going to get out of having to run the snack part.
I was so excited, I was at my friend's house, we're working on this project and um the last conversation I had with my mom was, are you sure you don't want to come? Kind of giving me a hard time, but she always ended her phone calls with, I love you and I love you too. I'll see you in a couple hours, A couple hours went by and no one came to pick me up. And so I have a different perspective, Obviously I wasn't at the park, um that they were at the ball park and my seven year old brother, and um nine year old brother were there, and the nine year old wanted to race, and my mom got up to race them and collapsed at the park.
Um someone did CPR and brought her back. This was the day before mother's day in 1993, um when the pastor's wife of our church came to pick me up, I thought something was wrong with my dad, you know, he had kind of been having some health issues, had been laid off from his job two weeks prior to expire to this, and so I thought maybe stress, maybe he had a heart attack, but no, it was my mom, she had had a heart attack. Um they brought her to the hospital and she was in a coma for 10 days.
During those 10 days. The doctors did everything they could to figure out what the heck happened. Um it wasn't an aneurysm, it wasn't a heart attack per se, they wasn't a blood clot. And the doctors, I remember them just shaking their head on a daily basis, we can't figure this out, and unfortunately after 10, 10 days we had to say our goodbyes, so it was May 18, actually 1993 um So for me at that point in my life as a 14 year old, I mean, my mom was my everything, she was, I say it was a hard time freshman year, like to interact with other girls and my mom was just that foundation, like I wanted to aspire to be her.
I remember one of the things we did before she died was um it was that fall quick thing I grew up and I didn't like that, my hair was lighter than my eyebrows and it was always bothering me, but my dad was like, you're not going to dye your hair, you can dye your hair or wear makeup. And I remember he was out of town and my mom was like, we're going to dye your hair, I was like, yes, so she got a box of hair dye and I laid on the counter with my head in the sink because that's what we did back then, and she started dyeing my hair and ran out of hair dye.
So I had to leave to go to the store and came back and put him hair dye and uh in way too long, so I went from, you know, light brown hair and darker eyebrows to jet black hair and um the wrath of freshman in high school when they tell you people can be bullies, but I remember my english teacher, she was a foreign exchange teacher, she was like, you look beautiful with dark hair and I was like, why I'm saying the story is that's one of those things that I will never forget that I did, that my mom allowed.
And so I think about those things these days when I do things with my daughter, like those making those memories that you'll never forget. So it was very unexpected and it really taught me resiliency and the importance of choosing to look at the positive as opposed to the negative and taking that path. Um yeah, because I had to fill in that mom role. My dad, she was a stay at home mom and my dad worked a lot um because so he really didn't have that relationship with five kids and now he's stuck with five kids, no job.
Um it's like, what do you do? So I kinda had to step into that role um in a way the irony of of the course of life is so your mom passed at 36 really young and then at 30 when you were 36 then you lose your dad, Is that not crazy that number? And what's nuts is like growing up, 36 seems so old and it's not at all, like, and I remember making it to my 36th birthday and just being like, wow, I didn't, I'm not that old and there's still so much life to live.
Um it's crazy, I was listening to Elaine Kessler's podcast on here and she talked about dying young and leaving that legacy and I immediately thought of my mom like what she did and that was short 36 years and my dad was unexpected as well. I mean he was at this amazing grandfather and a substance abuse counselor had turned so many lives around and um it was so sudden and he thought he had this ongoing cold, He grew up in a traditional hispanic family, you don't go to the doctor unless you absolutely have to and that's like emergency.
And he got to emergency um where he thought maybe I need to go to urgent care. And unfortunately um he had 81 N. One swine flu. We had no idea. I remember racing down from Gilbert, I got the call from my sister and just racing down praying the entire time, you know, he's gonna be okay, he's gonna be okay because This was January of 2014 Nick and I were ready to get married on 4414 at 414. Um like he's gonna be okay and by the time I got down he had literally just gotten tricked and so I was not able to say goodbye that way.
So he was um they found out it was swine flu. H1N1 after he had already been there for um I want to say 24 hours. And so at that point we all had a mask up and we had to get our flu shots and he was a fighter. A lot of people that had H one N. One at the time they either recovered right away or they passed and he made it, gosh! Almost six weeks. They put him on something called ECMO. I don't know if you're familiar with that, to where to start this treatment, $2 million.
My dad was not insured. Um He was just one of those people that you know, I didn't realize he wasn't insured. And so my siblings and I were kind of like we have to figure this out. Um The community and my extended family all stepped in. I mean talk about miracles. Every penny of his procedure was covered in the end. Um He was on ECMO for several weeks again, people usually don't last that long. And so he was here on this earth for a reason. During this time my siblings and I haven't gone through what we did with our mom.
We were adamant about being at the hospital every day. We had shifts so I'm trying to do that and plan a wedding and teach kindergarten. So uh it was quite the season I have to say. Um Yeah and it change the course of your life and you made hard decisions after that share a little bit about what that journey looked like. It sure did. Um Starting with the one thing I have always been an optimistic. Yeah, glasses a full type person and I remember making invitations in his hospital room just getting ready to send them out and didn't think outside the box as far as from his siblings perspective and like look, um, he might not make it and what does that look like for you?
Because I just, I was in denial over that actually. And so, um, went through again a really tough time and after he passed, I, I just remember like I was pouring all of my love into my kindergarten class and then you're spreading yourself thin. And next we called off the wedding, we're like, there's just, there's too much going on. I was down teaching actually in, sorry to at the time and doing the long distance thing. So it was not just all of my world, kind of crashing down.
It was also the driving back and forth and that takes its toll. And I remember nick suggesting, hey, what have you stepped back and stopped teaching full time and just concentrate on your kids. Um, my brother who actually was racing, my mom when she collapsed, we didn't realize for years that he blamed himself as a nine year old. Um, got into some things in high school in junior high and never really sought counseling and suffers from severe mental illness and he was living at my dad's house when all this happened.
And so we decided to move in. Um, to kind of help him out a little bit, but I remember nick saying like, why don't you step back? And part of me was like, I'm a really good teacher. I felt like I was, I hope those of you listening, you know that I was um I want to make that impact on these kindergartners because that's a make or break it year. You are going to inspire kids to love school or not want to go back. I knew I was really good at that and so I had to decide, Do I want to leave this and try something else.
Um you know what in my late 30's and I decided, okay, my kids are my priority. I am going to step away and so that was my last year teaching full time. I got into subbing which was amazing because it's like being a grandparent you get to do and teachers appreciate you, you're more appreciated sometimes as a sub because you can't get good subs and I loved that transition. Um even at Costco for a couple of months, I called it like box fit at the front because I was that Tetris girl, I was good about to um Yeah, well, like I said, we called off the wedding, here's the thing about weddings, a lot of them.
It's just for everybody else. We had both already gotten married and spent money like that and we knew it's not about that, it's about our love for one another. We actually ended up eloping on 10, 4, 15 because we say 10, 4 in our world and Didn't tell anybody including all six kids. We said we're gonna renew our vows in 10 years and then everyone will be old enough to go to Cancun. So everything worked out as far as that went. Um, and yeah, I, I actually, I had never in 100 years anticipated jumping into the logistics and supply chain world freight forwarding.
I'm a true believer. If you are relational and um, you've got a good work ethic, you can do anything, you can teach concern. You can do anything. I would almost agree with that. Yeah. So you touched a little bit about six kids in a blended family. I'm sure there's so many challenges that come with that. But what are some of the surprising blessings that have come from a blended family family dinners are the best. We love that, especially during Covid. Um, so yeah, we've got six kids, five boys and a girl who are now, let's see, I'll go backwards 23 21 1919 17.
5 and 15.5. So, um, as you can imagine, but you know, this dynamics, Ben, they're all very independent and um, it's interesting because people always said, hey, was there really, there really wasn't any kind of Fighting or crazy dynamics within mine and Nick's together. Like sometimes my three wood have their own disputes and same with Nick's boys. But um, family dinners are the best just being able to sit down and share and and talk and laugh and cry sometimes. Um, I would say that was in trips vacations when you have that many kids, you have to be on budget lockdown sometimes, but it's, it's awesome what you can do even on that, you know, with a tight budget and it's more again about the experience, giving them these experiences together.
So I'd say we have pretty good family dynamics and memories to share those experiences are priceless. For sure. I'm glad you're doing this. Um, talk to me about your daughter's 14th birthday. It seems like it was important time for you to, it really was um, april april 16th 2020 was the first day of the rest of my life. I'd say I was never a drinker in high school and college, I probably maybe tampered. I don't know, just because of peer pressure was always the designated driver. I had to be the goody two shoes.
Remember because I was the mom and the family and my sisters have stories, I have stories, they hated that. I played the mom role locking them out of the house when they snuck out and whatnot. But it was one of those things where I just intentionally is like, okay and I was afraid of my dad, I was like, if I even try alcohol, you know, is a substance abuse counselor. Um, and I'd get in big trouble. But so I was uh fast forward to when I turned 21 midori sours, let me tell you it was my drink of choice.
But after I'd say one of my best friends even to this day, at the end of the day teaching like you just go home and have a glass of wine and it just helps you kind of relax and obviously I had kids back to back for several years where I I didn't drink. Um but that was like my go to uh just wine and you don't realize that one glass turns into 22 glasses turns into three and it's just a daily habit and especially when you go through rough spots in your life, like I was going through, you know, a marriage that wasn't okay and then divorce and then a single mom and then a teacher and then the long distance, it's like I found myself that was my band aid And I didn't see anything really wrong with it because nine times out of 10 it was fine.
And then there was that 10th time where you had one too many you know, you woke up the next day, not only with a headache or a hangover, you just In my heart of hearts, I knew that wasn't me and that feeling of guilt and shame, it just, it was not fun. And so um there were actually several moments over the last 10 years where I had considered going cold, Turkey. but I was like, you only live once, that's what I'd say. YOLO, sometimes it was for the calories because you know, it makes you all puffy and sometimes it was for the stupid stuff you said are dead.
And I love my husband way too much to let something like that effect because the only time we ever had heated discussions is when I, you know, had had too much and that um for me it was kind of, I remember exactly the day before my daughter's birthday where I just knew this was it. I had a childhood crush who is actually, he is a writer now he um, he really inspired me, he's gay too. I'd see all these pictures of him on social media, like traveling and doing all these amazing things and I had no idea he was seven years sober because in my mind nick and I love traveling, we go to inclusive resorts, we go there because you save money with all the drinking and we were professional again, he's italian we were professional drinkers.
And so I remember reaching out to him and saying, how did you do it? And you have this amazing life? I mean, I just, I couldn't imagine we had never gone to napa, we're wine tasting, you know, we wanted to do all these things, we want to go to Italy and I couldn't imagine a life without that and he was such an inspiration and he suggested, I read a book, it was actually free, it's free on audible called sober curious And um decided I was going to stop, I thought it was only gonna be 60 days because I didn't want to tell all of my friends and family, like I think I have a problem because it's not something that you want to talk about and so everyone thought I was on the 60 day challenge, you know, they'll be back next stop two days after me, that was huge, I admire that man so much and he's made a lot of sacrifices for me and I totally appreciate that and I remember and try not to get too emotional, I remember just journaling those first two weeks because I thought I think I'm a pretty dang good person and I'm not walking the walk because we all have our secrets, we all have our skeletons and the last thing I want to do is give this false impression of who I am and have this secret and um have to like hate it.
Um and so I did a lot of journaling like why can't I be like so and so my good friend who can have one drink and it's okay and I went through like and I started realizing the band aid that it really was and I did a lot of healing um I would go on morning walks listening to sober curious and then it turned in two other books and I start getting on fire just reading these leadership books and started hearing about a lot of leaders that have given it up and that had the same kind of stories and I was like, I'm not alone because Covid, I mean we stepped up our game white class that didn't count, right?
Yeah, I think, I think you touched on something there. I think society especially. Well I would say everybody but for women, you know, that is the band aid writer that takes the edge off. That's the message we get. And and I would guess that it's more of an issue than we realize for many people and to be vulnerable to be able to share that and to own it. That's it's brave. It's really honorable. Thank you. It took a little while and now I literally I am empowered by sharing my story.
I appreciate you asking that question because it was really hard in the beginning. Um I can say that we have lived our best life in the last two years. Um well I guess it's been less than that. We've gone to all inclusives and it has been absolutely incredible because we're not hungover on our excursions. You know, we remember everything that's something else that's really scary, alcohol affected me in a way where I call it brownouts because I would remember bits and pieces and that's not okay and what kind of example was I setting for my kids.
Um you know, and so they have seen the change. Um I am all about giving grace and the conversations that I have with my kids these days, I would say are so much better because of the clarity. Um it's not buzzed mommy, like happy mommy, like I am truly, genuinely happy and I can say that I don't need alcohol to make my day better because that's what we would say, you know, everything will be better after I have happy hour or whatever. But it was a hard struggle because like you said, Sarah, it's actually socially acceptable to be a drinker and even daily, I felt kind of uncomfortable and not like almost like being judged when we stopped and then what's kind of goes together with that is I think people including friends felt like we were judging and the thing is if you know me, the last thing I'm gonna do is judge anyone.
You can bring whatever alcohol over to our house, you can celebrate with us at the table and drink whatever you want. We are just choosing for ourselves not to do those things. So I can't imagine the challenge though, even you know, in the business world, you schedule happy hours and it's got to be hard to resist that temptation. An all inclusive resort And to not be to me that's just that's a challenge. I can't imagine it gets easier. Well from a female perspective now I just look at the calories, It was a lot of empty calories I was drinking and so I would say that, but you're right.
It does a lot of diet coke with lime, you know, tonic with lime. Um, and so like I said, you can or am doesn't need a driver today. So you know, it's one of those things I'm incredibly proud of you, thank you for sharing that. I'd like to point out, I bet your Children because you mentioned this are super inspired by you as well by looking at you and watching you go through that journey what inspiration you must be for them for their future and their choices to come.
Thank you. And even if they aren't right now, someday they're going to look back and they're going to be really proud of you too. Thank you so much. So let's talk about what's next? What's the future hold for you? Well, um, we'll continue to work on that golf game. My husband just got certified as a golf pro, so he is constructing. So I'm hoping that he can give me some three pointers. Um, our business is doing really, really well. I have really been preying on, um, something that will happen in the future and I don't know if I've told you this even sarah, My heart is really just tugging on the possibility of starting a nonprofit that targets teenage girls and women who may be struggling with the same things that I have, I've experienced, like you've heard death, um mental illness of siblings, um the struggles of high school alcoholism addiction and so I have a lot to offer and I think it's really valuable that we share our stories and that we are vulnerable because it's a scary thing to do.
And I think a lot of teenage girls really don't know how to navigate through that and with social media these days they are doing and saying things that are digging them deeper and I want them to be able to have their voices heard and to be able to talk to someone and to be able to um give back kind of in that way. So that's somewhere somewhere out there. I know what's going to happen. But in the meantime I will continue to support nonprofits in our community that are doing the same thing and gathering ideas and I love being part of the women empowered committee in the Gilbert chamber and just I'm a connector of people.
So I find joy in that. So that's not going to change. Um, my goal is to do as much as I can before I leave this Earth and impact as many people as I can. And I'm I know relationship building is a big part of that. And so yeah, we'll continue that as well. Well, perhaps you just started their journey today. Who knows, you just talked about it. So someone's going to hear that. Well, it's my goal. Obviously I'm kind of competitive. I heard that Wally had like 800 views and counting.
Okay, we'll see what happens. I often say this, but I'm going to say that I would love to go on that journey with you and be supportive of that. I think it's an incredibly important effort in this world right now. So I'm 100% behind you on that. She's debating if she can put up with you at this moment. I'm not, I still debate if I can put up with you but Julia I'm pretty easy peasy like Yeah, Yeah, well thank you, Thank you for being here today. It was a pleasure to know your story.
Yeah, thanks for sharing. Thank you. I'm extremely humbled and I love what you guys are doing for the community and so I appreciate you both. Thank you. Thank you. This has been a wonderful episode and I'm sure you want to hear more. So subscribe to our tribe, join us and learn more as we bring more episodes like this for all you listen, thanks for being here guiding growth conversations with community leaders. Ben, let me ask you a question. How do you see other community members being involved in this podcast?
This is going to be a great opportunity for so many people in the community to have a chance to be heard if they want to tell their story or if they just want to be part of this journey with us and help sponsor in a way that helps bring more people to the table with us. So I think there's many opportunities at hand whether you want to again be on the show, reach out to us, let us know what your story is and how you think you could be part of it.
We'd love to hear from you, reach out, let us know, and we'll see if we can make that connection.
