Cookie Jar Confessionals

Creativity is at the core of T-Rex cookie. Breaking the mold on flavors, recipes, and cookie size is what we’re about. Check out our Tik Tok for some weird but good flavors! In this episode, Tina talks about creativity and taking a career leap with Eric Perkins. Perkins was the Sports Director at KARE 11, the NBC affiliate in Minneapolis. His work spanned 25-years there and has won numerous Emmys, is one of the most recognized TV personalities in the Twin Cities and has broken the mold of about every formula known to the news. 

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COVID crushed the food industry. Restaurants, bakeries breweries were forced to get creative or close their doors to keep customers. T-Rex was no exception to embracing the “pivot” during a pandemic that ground everything to a halt. Guest is Bill “Billy The Bunman” Hanisch who owns Hanisch bakery. His unique way to give back while his shop was in need was what kept things going. 

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Tina Rexing shares a quick recipe using T-Rex Cookies. New episodes of Cookie Jar Confessionals are available bi-weekly and published on Mondays. With the exception of Monday September 6. 

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There is a dark underworld of competitive baking…We’re just kidding, at least we think? Regardless for nearly 20-years Tina baked competitively at State Fairs including the Minnesota State Fair. Cutting your teeth here in the baking world is no joke. These people are serious!

Go behind the curtain of the judgmental, the competitive, the recipe hoarders and the darn fine baked goods at these competitions. Guest is Cyndi Harles, founder of the Blue Ribbon Group a community of top tier bakers.

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Imagine seeing where you got your start in business thrust into world headlines for all the wrong reasons. Tina tells the deeply personal story of how the birth of T-Rex Cookie and the dead of George Floyd are connected.

Hundreds of businesses in Minneapolis-St.Paul were burned, looted, damaged or completely destroyed after days of protests & riots in 2020. Small businesses affected needed help. That’s where the Du Nord foundation came in - raising nearly $1-million dollars to help close to 100-businesses pay for damages. 

CEO of Du Nord Spirits, Chris Montana is this episodes guest talking about the personal toll and building back. 

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On this episode, Jill Pavlak Co-Owner of Urban Growler joins Tina as the guest. Being a woman, or a minority might help your marketing. So, why is that something some women owned business or minority owned businesses hesitate to talk about? Hear some of Tina's personal stories and, together Tina & Jill talk about the struggles of making a good product before marketing it a certain way. 

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Failing is losing your business, destroying a batch of cookies, or leaving your cell phone in your pocket during the wash. In this episode, Tina and Minneapolis Chef David Fhima share stories of failure and how shifting your mindset is essential to growth. Fhima is the guest of this episode who Twin Cities Business Magazine proclaimed “likely closed more high profile restaurants than anyone in the Twin Cities" among all his success in a nearly 40-year career.

Fhima is the executive chef for the Minnesota Timberwolves and Minnesota Lynx. He also runs his French-American restaurant Fhima’s in downtown Minneapolis and is a master of the "pivot."

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In this episode, Tina shares the inside story of her reality TV experience on Shark Tank. Fellow Shark Tank participant and Extreme Sandbox CEO Randy Stenger joins Tina on the podcast. What's behind the application? The Process and the pitch? Tina and Randy share it all about their journey in the door and out the door of the show that draws nearly 4.4-million viewers per episode on ABC. 

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To a lot of us, self-promotion and sales can feel really gross - selling ourselves to others and essentially bragging about what we do. It doesn’t have to be shameful. When you’re selling a great product, and actually doing the work - sales doesn’t have to be sleazy self-promotion. Especially what staying true to what you love. If you don’t sell yourself no one else will as you’re trying to get your footing in business. 

Real estate mogul Kris Lindahl joins Tina on this episode. Kris is one of the top agents in Minnesota and, it’s hard to miss him if you live in the state. His face and real estate business is just about everywhere. 

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We like to think successful people always are 100% sure of themselves. Truth is, that's a lie. Imposter Syndrome is doubting your abilities even when you have proven to be successful. That inner battle can hold us back from truly challenging ourselves to get what we want. 

In this episode, Tina talks about Imposter Syndrome how it’s affected her, and how she’s overcome those mental hurdles to build and continue to grow a sustainable business. Joining her is author, speaker, and coach Heather Whelpley who specializes in empowering people to overcome their inner self-doubt. 

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