Welcome to 5 Bites – a weekly serving of bite-sized insights across Business, Life, Technology, and Transformations—built for leaders, learners, and curious minds who want faster takeaways that stick and ignite something explosive 🧨

I told you in the 😭 DISCLAIMER 😭 in 00001, bites will vary…well, I didn’t think I’d start varying things in 00002, huh…

So, here you have a special edition on the beauty, emotion, and transformation wrapped up in one unforgettable weekend.

Hate reading as much as I do -👂 Listen to the Audio Version on Spotify or Apple👂

💼 B – Business: The Original Family Business

Normally, this is where I’d talk about company building, leadership, or market trends.

But this week? The business I’m proudest of is the one Nadine and I started together: our family.

It hit me hard during our son 🐥 David Loria‘s wedding.

The speeches. The stories. The dancing. The music.

From Rapper’s Delight > to more 90s rap > to Jimmy Buffett, Elton John, and Billy Joel singalongs — our culture showed up exactly how it lives in our house. Unapologetically fun, nostalgic, loud, real, and full of rhythm and love.

This wasn’t curated. It wasn’t planned. It just… showed up. Because it’s real.

I was flooded with this overwhelming love and pride. Not just because of the wedding. But because of what the wedding revealed:

We’ve built a family culture that is so freaking cool!

And it’s not just us—our kids carry it, own it, pass it around, remix it, and make it their own.

Now I’ll admit — we’re usually the kind of people who laugh at the cheesy “Home Goods wisdom” signs. You know, “Life’s a beach” and “Don’t worry, be happy.”

But Nadine once brought one home that said:

“We didn’t know we were making memories. We just knew we were having fun.”

And honestly? That one nailed it.

This weekend made it clear: the Matthew Loria and Nadine Loria Family Culture is strong, a little weird, joyful, unified, and so worth celebrating!

And usually, I’m self-conscious about coming off a little too prideful or boastful…

But not this time. I’m owning this shit!

Excelsior. 💥

Here’s the lyrics and the audio of Jimmy Buffett’s Oysters and Pearls – the mother son dance song for Nadine and David.

❤️ L – Life: So Much for Stoicism

All week leading up to our son David’s wedding, I kept saying the same line: “It’s our oldest son’s wedding this weekend.”

I said it calmly. Almost stoically.

Not because I wasn’t excited—but because I thought staying cool would help me stay composed come the big event. I figured I’d do my job: show up, smile, maybe give a toast, stay steady…let Nadine be the emotional one.

All of that… went out the window.

The second my wife Nadine started tearing up while we walked him down the aisle, it was over. Game on.

I’m not a stoic. I’m a sap.

And so is Nadine.

And so are our oldest two kids.

(Our younger ones still think they’re tough… but don’t worry—we’ll fully convert them eventually.)

There are moments in life that no amount of mental prep can contain. And I’m starting to think: maybe they’re not supposed to.

💻 T – Technology: NOT THIS WEEK

I’ll catch you next week on some tech!

💡 N – Noteworthy Insight: It’s All in There

A wedding brings everything to the surface.

Gratitude. Pride. Joy. Nostalgia. Humility. Even a little fear.

You wonder:

Did I raise him right?

Will they be okay?

Is this really happening?

It’s like someone pressed “play” on a highlight reel of every road trip, every funny conversation, every hard talk, every proud moment… all at once.

There’s something sacred in that swirl of emotion.

It’s proof that you were present all those years. That you cared deeply. That you still do.

And the takeaway I keep coming back to is this:

You don’t need to control the emotions.

You just need to feel them and stay rooted in the love behind them.

🔁 T – Transformation: Lions and Tigers and In-Laws…OH MY!

I’m pretty sure most of the readers are old enough to know where that line came from…Wizard of Oz for all you Millennials and younger…

David’s wedding didn’t just add Becca as a new family member—it shifted titles across the board.

David becomes a husband (holy crap).

Nadine and I? We’re now a mother-in-law and a father-in-law (WTH?!)

Our other kids? They’re officially in-laws too.

It’s more than a name change. It’s a transformation.

A moment of crossing into something bigger, older, more permanent.

And it’s a reminder that life doesn’t always announce the milestones.

Sometimes, they arrive dressed in rented tuxedos and joyful chaos.

Sometimes, they surprise you mid-toast.

So this week, I’m not analyzing the latest business strategy or tech trend.

I’m just grateful.

To witness the love…To feel the shift…To stand in the sacred middle of a story still unfolding.

(and I’m not always so fond of change unless I have the perception of control over it…more on control in coming editions)

👰🏻♀️ Congrats David and Rebecca Mix. May your journey be full of joy, curiosity, grace…and maybe a few happy tears of your own.  I can’t wait to see all of your upcoming transformations!

🎬 That’s a Wrap

Some editions are filled with takeaways.

This one?

Just one:

Let yourself feel it. Life isn’t a performance. It’s a presence.

And presence is the only way we honor moments this big, this beautiful, this real.

Thanks for letting me share this one with you.

Excelsior!

Thank you to our sponsor 🛡️ Auxiom 🙌

This edition was proudly sponsored by Auxiom.

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If you have a business, you may need the A-Team at Auxiom!

Visit Auxiom at https://auxiom.com/ or call them at 1-800-837-GOLD (4653)

Interested in sponsoring an edition of Five Bites?

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Got a story to share?

I’d love to hear it—and if it fits, maybe even feature you as a guest on the BLTnT Podcast or as a contributor to a future Five Bites edition.

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About 5 Bites

5 Bites is a weekly serving of bite-sized insights across Business, Life, Technology, and Transformations—built for leaders, learners, and curious minds who want faster takeaways that stick and ignite something explosive 🧨