Latest news with #successstory
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Sydney Sweeney opens up about living in a Holiday Inn for eight months as a teen after her parents went bankrupt - as her jaw-dropping property portfolio is revealed
Sydney Sweeney opened up about having to live in a Holiday Inn for eight months as a teenager after her parents were declared bankrupt. The Euphoria star, 27, is now a multi-million dollar success story after making it in acting with roles in Anyone But You, The White Lotus and The Handmaid's Tale. But back before hitting the big time her family found themselves in hard times when her mother, Lisa, a criminal defence lawyer, her father who worked in hospitality were declared bankrupt. In 2013 when she was 16, her parents who are now divorced, sold their home in Washington and for eight months she lived in a hotel with them and her brother. She told The Times of her tough childhood: 'We lived in the Holiday Inn in Burbank [northwest LA] for eight and a half months but it felt like my entire life. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. 'We were sharing a one-bedroom hotel room, no kitchen, no balcony. A pull-out sofa bed, where my dad and brother slept, my mom and me in the bed… My brother and I tried to make the best of it - we would joke around and say we were in The Suite Life of Zack and Cody. 'We'd run around the different hallways and find stairwells and make friends with all the staff and they would make us grilled cheese.' In a far cry from her beginnings Sydney now boasts an incredible property portfolio after finding her own financial success thanks to her movie and TV work. She owns a £4.5million Bel Air home, another Tudor-style home in LA that is worth £3.3million. Sydney then has a £10.2million compound in the Florida Keys as well as several back home in the Pacific Northwest. She went on to tell the times that she is also currently looking at places to buy in New York, Texas, Italy and London. In the interview Sydney kept her answers short and sweet when asked about the status of her relationship with Jonathan Davino. The actress, who has been selling soap made with her bathwater, made the revelations while speaking with The Times about her upcoming series Echo Valley. In 2013 when she was 16, her parents who are now divorced, sold their home in Washington and for eight months she lived in a hotel with them and her brother The Euphoria star, who was seen without her engagement ring in February, came clean about the breakup when asked if she was planning a wedding. 'No,' was the answer. She answered 'yes,' when asked if she was single, adding, 'I'm learning a lot about myself, spending more time with my friends. And I'm loving it.' She and Davino, 41, had been together since 2018 and got engaged in 2022. He was a producer on her successful romcom, Anyone But You, co-starring Glen Powell. She and the 36-year-old Texan had such chemistry in the film that many wandered if they were a couple at the time, especially since they decided to lean into the spark while promoting the movie. For now, Sweeney is happy to share snuggles and go on outdoor activities with her dogs Sully Bear and Tank, work on restoring vintage cars, and create a real estate empire. It comes as some Sydney fans have not reacted warmly to her latest brand partnership — a limited-edition Dr. Squatch soap bar containing her used bathwater. The Spokane, Washington-bred actress announced the item, called Bathwater Bliss, on Thursday, sparking backlash from her 25 million Instagram followers who called the product 'weird' and 'gross.' And on Friday, she subtly trolled the critics as she stepped out in a white bathrobe while on set for a campaign with HEYDUDE shoes. According to the Squatch brand, the soap contains actual droplets of Sydney's used bathwater. It's meant to be a nod to her Pacific Northwest roots and a cheeky answer to the internet's obsession with the blonde bombshell, per GQ. In Thursday's social media post, Sydney wrote in the caption, 'You kept asking about my bathwater after the @drsquatch ad… so we kept it. 'Introducing Sydney's Bathwater Bliss! A very real, very limited-edition soap made with my actual bathwater. Available on 6/6/25 at ✨.' One fan wrote under the photo of the product — which features an animation of the beauty — 'Sydney honey I love you but I don't know about this.' In her interview with GQ, the Euphoria sensation said, 'I honestly think it's a really fun, full-circle moment, because fans always joke about wanting my bathwater…' Plugging the soap, she described, 'It's super soft, it's really pretty. I'm looking at it right now. It's marbly and has blues and a little bit of brown in it.' Amid the pushback, one delighted fan joked in a comment, 'Thanks, I'll take 100,' and collected nearly 3,000 likes. Someone else wrote facetiously, 'This is edible, right?' Others were in disbelief, with one social media user commenting, 'no way this is a real thing.' Meanwhile, another wrote, 'Hey, so let's be serious,' while a different person begged, 'Can we not normalize this.'
Bloomberg
09-05-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
How the Lizard King Built a Reptile Empire Selling $50,000 Geckos
Shortly after graduating from high school, Brian Butler started loading trucks at a UPS freight facility in Denver. Working nights for the next 16 years, he sometimes found himself so strapped for cash he had to choose between buying groceries and paying his mortgage. Today he's got a $350,000 pad overlooking the Caribbean, two homes in Denver and a six-figure stock portfolio. The source of his wealth? Crested geckos, docile creatures that resemble diminutive cartoon dragons. 'I bought a condo in Belize,' the 37-year-old says. 'Every time I visit, I think to myself, 'I sell lizards on the internet. How the hell did I end up here?''
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Scott Maxwell: From homeless to hired. Orlando's innovative hiring plan
Years ago, Calvin Thomas would escape the rigors of life by visiting Disney World — but not the way most people do. Thomas, you see, was homeless and spending his nights at a shelter in downtown Orlando. So to pass the time during the day and beat the brutal summer heat, he would sometimes head to the Lynx bus station and catch the longest ride he could find … the route that runs to Disney. Through the bus windows, Thomas would peer at theme parks he couldn't possibly afford to visit. 'Just to get away,' he said. 'Just to escape.' Thomas still takes a ride most days, but now it's atop an ATV where he starts his workday before dawn, picking up trash around the City Beautiful. He does so as an employee of the city's public works department. And when he finishes his shift, he no longer sleeps in a shelter but an apartment he pays for with something he always craved — a steady paycheck. Thomas, 55, is one of the success stories stemming from a city partnership with a national nonprofit that specializes in training homeless and previously incarcerated residents for new jobs and fresh starts. Orlando provides nonprofit with money for job placement, rides to work for homeless First Step Staffing, an Atlanta-based nonprofit with an Orlando office, provides local employers with temporary workers for fill-in jobs. That's the first step, anyway. When the program works as designed, the workers transition from temporary gigs to full-time ones. And since Orlando partnered with First Step four years ago, the city has hired 31 First Step clients to be part of its full-time workforce. They work in parking, water reclamation, solid waste and where Thomas does — in the city's streets division, picking up trash that others cavalierly discard. 'He's so appreciative of the job,' said Mayor Buddy Dyer. 'He wanted to be the best trash picker-upper we had in the city of Orlando. And that's exactly what you want to have in an employee.' The two men worked alongside each other a couple of years ago when the city wanted to showcase the program's success — a moment Thomas still finds remarkable: 'I couldn't believe I was elbow to elbow with the mayor.' The scene was far removed from the days when Thomas didn't have a place to live, much less to work. Thomas grew up in Orlando as one of seven kids and attended Grand Avenue Elementary School and Memorial Middle School. But like so many of First Step's clients, his life story wasn't so storybook. Trouble in school led to trouble in life, to juvenile detention and then a string of run-ins with the law. By the time he finally got out of the state's justice system in his 40s, he wasn't exactly any employer's idea of a dream hire. So he roamed the streets of Orlando, finding work when he could as a day laborer. 'It was just easier,' he said. 'No one asked for a resume or even a job application.' Thomas knew that there were full-time jobs out there. But he also knew they would require him making changes in his life. 'You can lead us to water, but you can't make us drink,' he said. 'Well, finally, I was ready to drink. I had dreams. And I wanted to make them come true.' So when a staffer at the shelter where he slept each night at the Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida told him about First Step, he decided to take a chance on himself. First Step taught Thomas how to compile a resume and put on his best face during an interview. As much as anything, the nonprofit gave him an advocate — an organization willing to vouch for him and tell potential employers he was worth hiring. Kellie Brownlow, the chief mission officer for First Step, said the company promises to deliver employees who are on time and ready to work in places like manufacturing plants, warehouses and phlebotomy labs. 'We tell them: Not only can we get you as many people as you need tomorrow, we are going to take them to and from work.' The nonprofit was founded for altruistic reasons, but Brownlow said employers wouldn't use their services unless they delivered reliable employees, saying: 'Most employers do not hire us for our mission.' And Thomas is definitely reliable, according to his supervisor, Steve Bailiff, who said Thomas was promoted to crew leader after the team saw his work ethic. 'I know everything Calvin's gone through,' Bailiff said. 'But Calvin's a good worker. He does a great job. He's earned the position.' Thomas said he didn't do it alone. It helped immensely to have someone who had his back. But he also said he had to decide to help himself. 'You gotta be truthful with yourself about the root cause of your problems, whether its mental health, drugs or something else,' he said. 'If you don't deal with that first, you're not gonna drink the water.' Brownlow said that's why her agency exists — to help those ready to make a change and who often aren't being helped by anyone else. 'We're called First Step,' she said. 'But for many of our clients, we're often the last stop.' smaxwell@
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Scott Maxwell: From homeless to hired. Orlando's innovative hiring plan
Years ago, Calvin Thomas would escape the rigors of life by visiting Disney World — but not the way most people do. Thomas, you see, was homeless and spending his nights at a shelter in downtown Orlando. So to pass the time during the day and beat the brutal summer heat, he would sometimes head to the Lynx bus station and catch the longest ride he could find … the route that runs to Disney. Through the bus windows, Thomas would peer at theme parks he couldn't possibly afford to visit. 'Just to get away,' he said. 'Just to escape.' Thomas still takes a ride most days, but now it's atop an ATV where he starts his workday before dawn, picking up trash around the City Beautiful. He does so as an employee of the city's public works department. And when he finishes his shift, he no longer sleeps in a shelter but an apartment he pays for with something he always craved — a steady paycheck. Thomas, 55, is one of the success stories stemming from a city partnership with a national nonprofit that specializes in training homeless and previously incarcerated residents for new jobs and fresh starts. Orlando provides nonprofit with money for job placement, rides to work for homeless First Step Staffing, an Atlanta-based nonprofit with an Orlando office, provides local employers with temporary workers for fill-in jobs. That's the first step, anyway. When the program works as designed, the workers transition from temporary gigs to full-time ones. And since Orlando partnered with First Step four years ago, the city has hired 31 First Step clients to be part of its full-time workforce. They work in parking, water reclamation, solid waste and where Thomas does — in the city's streets division, picking up trash that others cavalierly discard. 'He's so appreciative of the job,' said Mayor Buddy Dyer. 'He wanted to be the best trash picker-upper we had in the city of Orlando. And that's exactly what you want to have in an employee.' The two men worked alongside each other a couple of years ago when the city wanted to showcase the program's success — a moment Thomas still finds remarkable: 'I couldn't believe I was elbow to elbow with the mayor.' The scene was far removed from the days when Thomas didn't have a place to live, much less to work. Thomas grew up in Orlando as one of seven kids and attended Grand Avenue Elementary School and Memorial Middle School. But like so many of First Step's clients, his life story wasn't so storybook. Trouble in school led to trouble in life, to juvenile detention and then a string of run-ins with the law. By the time he finally got out of the state's justice system in his 40s, he wasn't exactly any employer's idea of a dream hire. So he roamed the streets of Orlando, finding work when he could as a day laborer. 'It was just easier,' he said. 'No one asked for a resume or even a job application.' Thomas knew that there were full-time jobs out there. But he also knew they would require him making changes in his life. 'You can lead us to water, but you can't make us drink,' he said. 'Well, finally, I was ready to drink. I had dreams. And I wanted to make them come true.' So when a staffer at the shelter where he slept each night at the Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida told him about First Step, he decided to take a chance on himself. First Step taught Thomas how to compile a resume and put on his best face during an interview. As much as anything, the nonprofit gave him an advocate — an organization willing to vouch for him and tell potential employers he was worth hiring. Kellie Brownlow, the chief mission officer for First Step, said the company promises to deliver employees who are on time and ready to work in places like manufacturing plants, warehouses and phlebotomy labs. 'We tell them: Not only can we get you as many people as you need tomorrow, we are going to take them to and from work.' The nonprofit was founded for altruistic reasons, but Brownlow said employers wouldn't use their services unless they delivered reliable employees, saying: 'Most employers do not hire us for our mission.' And Thomas is definitely reliable, according to his supervisor, Steve Bailiff, who said Thomas was promoted to crew leader after the team saw his work ethic. 'I know everything Calvin's gone through,' Bailiff said. 'But Calvin's a good worker. He does a great job. He's earned the position.' Thomas said he didn't do it alone. It helped immensely to have someone who had his back. But he also said he had to decide to help himself. 'You gotta be truthful with yourself about the root cause of your problems, whether its mental health, drugs or something else,' he said. 'If you don't deal with that first, you're not gonna drink the water.' Brownlow said that's why her agency exists — to help those ready to make a change and who often aren't being helped by anyone else. 'We're called First Step,' she said. 'But for many of our clients, we're often the last stop.' smaxwell@
