Aug. 7, 2026

Anissa Bezanson: How Loud Is Racing? The Truth About Hearing Damage

Show Notes
Transcript

Hearing protection in motorsports can make the difference between enjoying race day for a lifetime and living with preventable hearing loss. In this conversation, Melinda Russell talks with audiologist Anissa Bezanson about what really happens to your ears around race cars, why so many fans and families don’t realize the risk, and how simple changes can protect every age group at the track.

Anissa brings a unique perspective as both a hearing professional and a race mom. She explains how repeated exposure to loud engines affects the delicate hair cells inside the ear, why hearing loss often starts in the high pitches, and why “I’m used to the noise” is not the same as being protected.

The discussion also covers practical solutions for tracks, race families, and spectators: earplugs, kid-friendly earmuffs, electronic hearing protection, rentals, signage, and making hearing safety as normal as sunscreen or seat belts. If you’ve ever thought hearing protection was optional, this episode gives you a strong reason to rethink that.

Key Topics

[00:02:53] - Meet Anissa Bezanson and her background as an audiologist
[00:03:38] - Occupational hearing conservation and what audiologists do
[00:04:23] - How motorsports entered her life through her son’s racing
[00:05:10] - Why loud race environments create real hearing risk
[00:08:37] - What happens inside the ear when noise exposure becomes damaging
[00:09:46] - Visualizing hair cell damage and hearing loss progression
[00:10:17] - Why high-pitch hearing loss is easy to miss at first
[00:13:15] - Choosing the right hearing protection for racers and fans
[00:14:13] - Push-to-fit earplugs, fit issues, and convenience at the track
[00:16:09] - Product options for covering babies through adults
[00:18:12] - Making hearing protection available at ticketing and around the venue
[00:22:39] - Noise dose studies and why total exposure matters
[00:23:27] - Race-day dosimeter results and what they reveal
[00:25:25] - Starting hearing protection habits early with kids
[00:30:28] - Electronic earmuffs and how they help spectators and staff
[00:37:20] - Auditory Defense, educational resources, and wholesale options
[00:39:37] - Custom hearing protection, branding, and track partnerships

Relevant Links

Auditory Defense: https://auditorydefense.com
Email Anissa Bezanson: anisa@auditorydefense.com
Freedom Race Lifts: https://freedomracelifts.com
Pit Crew Creations (Facebook): https://www.facebook.com/pitcrewcreations
Pit Crew Creations (Etsy): https://pitcrewcreationsshop.etsy.com
SendOutCards: https://sendoutcards.com/5324zero

Anissa’s message is simple: protecting hearing doesn’t have to be complicated, expensive, or inconvenient. With the right products and a little education, race fans, drivers, kids, and track staff can enjoy the sound of racing without paying for it later.

The best time to normalize hearing protection is now, especially for the next generation. Start early, make it easy, and make it part of the race-day routine.

WEBVTT

00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:19.000
Start your engines. This is the Women's Motorsports Network. From dirt track nights to the bright race lights from the garage to victory lane. Women are rising chasing the dream with horsepower running through their veins. Women's motorsports hit work.

00:00:19.000 --> 00:00:32.000
Hear those engines roar. Hey. Hey. Stories of courage, speed, and heart like you never heard before. Her future, fuel her dreams.

00:00:32.000 --> 00:00:45.000
Every lap we celebrate Women's Motorsports Network. Let's hit the track. Let's hit the track. Women's Motorsports Network. Connecting and celebrating women in motorsports.

00:00:45.000 --> 00:00:48.000
One story at a time.

00:00:48.000 --> 00:01:06.000
You know what racers need? Equipment that keeps up. Freedom Race Lifts has created the first ever line of battery operated vehicle lifts for race cars. Their patented system auto locks at any height. They are portable, easy to use, and trusted by champions.

00:01:06.000 --> 00:01:33.000
Designed with racers in mind, they deliver professional grade equipment to your own garage. Built tough, built smart, and built for you. Visit freedomracelifts.com to see the growing list of options. And use code Melinda to receive a special discount. Drivers, start your engines and bring the thrill of the track into your life with Pic Crew Creations.

00:01:33.000 --> 00:01:56.000
We design unique custom motorsports inspired decor and accessories for fans who live life in the fast lane. From personalized mugs to stylish shirts, bags, and journals, every piece is crafted to match your love for racing. Whether it's for your home, your style, or the perfect gift, we've got you covered. Don't just cheer for the race. Live it.

00:01:56.000 --> 00:02:25.000
Visit pick crew creations today and shift into gear with designs as unique as your passion. You can find us on Facebook at pit crew creations or on Etsy at pitcrewcreationsshop.etsy.com. Pit crew creations, fueled by passion crafted for you. Hello, everyone. This is Melinda Russell with the Women's Motorsports Network podcast.

00:02:25.000 --> 00:02:47.000
And my guest today is Anisa, and I'm gonna let Anisa say her last name when she gets started. I don't wanna butcher it and I butcher names way too often, Anisa. So, I hopefully got your first name right. I wanna welcome you to the show. I'm excited for you to be here because we're gonna talk about something that everybody needs to hear about and learn about.

00:02:47.000 --> 00:02:53.000
And so welcome to the show. Would you start by telling me a little bit about yourself?

00:02:53.000 --> 00:03:12.000
Yeah. So yeah, I answer to anything close to my what do people say my name? But it's Anissa Bezansen. Just FYI, my son races and I'm usually the one I go up to the the announcers to help them know how to say the name. Mhmm.

00:03:12.000 --> 00:03:38.000
So Yeah. So anyway, so yeah, my name is Anissa. I'm an audiologist And, so basically, I know a lot about hearing. And most audiologists go into, like, diagnostics at the ENT office or hearing aids. And then there's a sliver of, hearing conservation for basically, I I'm an occupational audiologist.

00:03:38.000 --> 00:04:13.000
So I worked for a company that would go into companies where if their employees were at risk for hearing loss due to the loud noise they were in, OSHA requires them to have a hearing conservation program. And a lot of companies would hire us to go in there and do the program, which was annual hearing tests and training about hearing loss and and fittings of hearing protection. So so that's what I that's the main thing I've done for, like, thirty years. So K.

00:04:13.000 --> 00:04:23.000
Awesome. And then And Yeah. Did that transition you into motorsports? I know your son races, but it had to start before that.

00:04:23.000 --> 00:04:36.000
Yeah. Yeah. Well, it didn't start in the motor sports until he started racing. We're a first generation racer race family. He started quarter midgets when he was 11.

00:04:36.000 --> 00:05:10.000
We didn't start before that because we didn't know about it, which in some ways was probably a good thing. And it just ended up being his thing. So by the time, you know, we were done with that, he was doing, you know, three classes because, you know, if you're gonna go on the weekend, why do one? Anyway, so and so then he moved up to sprint cars, which was a whole another level of loud. And and what do I say?

00:05:10.000 --> 00:05:36.000
The awareness of wearing hearing protection, the lack of awareness, like, frightens me. So it was loud. Because of what I did, I have access to like the good hearing protection. I don't mean like more protective, but more convenient. And so I brought my kind of like my suitcase full of like good hearing protection.

00:05:36.000 --> 00:06:12.000
So I went up to the stands and I'm offering it to all our race family friends. And I usually hear, no, I'm used to the noise or, I already have hearing loss. It's too late. And so that so really watching the race and seeing so many people have so much exposure. And honestly, a one time dose like that isn't a big deal, but these are race families that are around it, you know, from you know, some of them from birth on because they're either racers or racers in a race family.

00:06:12.000 --> 00:07:12.000
And then another thing I saw, you know, my son has a custom earpiece, so I know it's blocking out as much as he can, you know, when it's connected to the receiver. But I saw kids just using the earbud, not blocking out anything, and those are so loud. So, so, anyway, so I went through about five years of of going to races and doing from sprints to legends to super late models and just cringing inside knowing what I know. And I know a lot of people would do something different if they knew what I knew. So so I started auditory defense, one of the things I started with is getting some objective data because, like doing a noise dose study because if I just say, oh, it's loud.

00:07:12.000 --> 00:07:28.000
Wear earplugs. You know? I wanted information that I could give that, eraser could relate to, and I can go more into that, but that's where it started. I just yeah.

00:07:28.000 --> 00:07:53.000
Well, and they can't see it happening. Exactly. Okay. So if you can see something happening to your body, like, you know, I don't know, like dirt or burns or whatever it could be, but you can't see hearing loss. And so you don't think it's happening until it's too late.

00:07:53.000 --> 00:08:37.000
Exactly. And one of the things I like to do is training, and I've had the privilege of being able to, at some of the workshops like Dome and RPM and Warpa, I've been able to speak, and and I've been able to present some of the things I thought were useful. And I get for people who listen, they are often surprised, and it seems to make a difference. And, so regarding seeing inside, I actually have a picture. And, basically, can I I'd like to tell you what's happening inside because I think it's impactful?

00:08:37.000 --> 00:08:52.000
Absolutely. Okay. Okay. So we've all experienced when you're around something loud and then your ears are ringing or they feel muffled the next day. So, what's happening is in your inner ear, there's these hair cells.

00:08:52.000 --> 00:09:19.000
And if you think of them of, like, blades of grass. Let's say you have this beautiful lawn and, the kids keep taking a shortcut and you can see, like, the grass is trampled down. You tell them to stop. Well, if they stop long enough, those grass blades are gonna pop back up and recover. That's what is happening when you are overexposed to noise, and those hair cells are fatigued.

00:09:19.000 --> 00:09:46.000
And so you give them rest and they pop back up. But what if those kids kept walking on that grass, the same area? Those blades of grass are just gonna go away, break off. And that's what's happening where repeated exposure is what wears is what wears down those, hair cells, and they break off. And so I have a picture of what they look like inside.

00:09:46.000 --> 00:09:55.000
So first, I'll show you these are the hair cells. Okay. K? And this is what they're supposed to look like.

00:09:55.000 --> 00:09:58.000
And then Oh my goodness.

00:09:58.000 --> 00:10:09.000
Yeah. Nothing there. Yeah. And if you see, it's kinda like a snail. As you coil farther in, you see there's still some hair cells left.

00:10:09.000 --> 00:10:16.000
But what it, you what it affects is the high pitches first.

00:10:16.000 --> 00:10:17.000
Okay.

00:10:17.000 --> 00:10:58.000
And so a lot of people don't realize that they have a hearing loss because a hearing loss in the high pitch area, it's like hearing speech but with missing some of the treble. So you can still hear people talking. So you think your hearing's normal, but you often hear like, oh, I can't quite tell what they're saying, you know, or they start having problems in background noise. So, you know, just like you said, like, you don't know what's going on in there. And when I show you that, it hopefully, like no one told you that.

00:10:58.000 --> 00:10:59.000
Correct?

00:10:59.000 --> 00:11:20.000
No. And about how like, oh, like that picture you showed, and we'll wanna make sure we put a copy of that picture in with our show notes. So people that are listening can also see what you showed me. But about how long of exposure? I mean, that a few years, a lot of years?

00:11:20.000 --> 00:11:35.000
That's a good question. I don't know quite with that one. And also I have other pictures where you see before it even gets to that point where there's still some hair cells. And when I give you the imagery, so I can include that one. Okay.

00:11:35.000 --> 00:11:45.000
Because the first picture you can see some of them broken off, but some of them are still there. So, so good question, but I actually don't know.

00:11:45.000 --> 00:11:57.000
Okay. Yeah. I would think that it would depend on the person and where, you know, like, is it once a week for a few year? You know, I think it would. Yeah.

00:11:57.000 --> 00:11:59.000
Every person would be different probably.

00:11:59.000 --> 00:12:05.000
Yeah. This is probably years and years of repeated exposure. And then. But think

00:12:05.000 --> 00:12:22.000
but think about it. Like you said, if the dad raced or even if the grandpa raced, how many years that would be because I have a lot of people I interview that the grandpa race, the dad raced, and now the girl is racing.

00:12:22.000 --> 00:13:15.000
Yeah. And I cringe inside that like, there's so much more known about hearing loss and how it happens now that there's no reason why this generation has to end up like the other ones or like the grandpas. And so I would like to get the education out there. And also, I have to say that another important piece, like my perfect program that I would want to tell everyone in the race community is basically show them that that's what's happening. So if you have the ringing of the muffled, they're fatigued And that should be a warning sign like, oh, I need to protect myself more because I know what's gonna happen if it continues.

00:13:15.000 --> 00:13:43.000
And then the next piece is making sure they have the right hearing protection. For example, the phone plugs, they are completely effective and they're very affordable. But I literally train people how to put in earplugs and I'd say 70% of the people don't put them in. Right? And so I always recommend a push to fit.

00:13:43.000 --> 00:13:49.000
So I'll show you. I got my goodies. So

00:13:49.000 --> 00:13:51.000
this is a push to fit. Uh-huh.

00:13:51.000 --> 00:14:13.000
And there's lots of different brands. And then I like the ones with the cord. So I find if some everyone found the one that they like, you know, and you gotta pull your ear up and back because your ear canal is curvy. And then at a racetrack, you know, convenience. The more convenient you make it, the more likely you are to Right.

00:14:13.000 --> 00:14:41.000
To use it. So a push to fit with a cord, and there's lots of different brands of those push to fit, and there's no one that everyone likes the best. So one of the things I've done is I do fittings, and we find we make sure they find one that they can put in their ear. Sometimes it's not the right size and they have small ear canals. A lot of times it's just as simple, like, didn't know to pull the ear up and back to get it in.

00:14:41.000 --> 00:15:01.000
So if so to make a difference in the race community understanding, I want to know what's going on in there, the warning signs, and then have the right product. And these, push to fit earplugs, you can't just go find a bunch of them easily. Usually, you have to buy a box of a 100.

00:15:01.000 --> 00:15:02.000
Mhmm.

00:15:02.000 --> 00:15:13.000
And so but if you know if you're a racer and you Yeah. Can just put the box in the race trailer, you'll use them. So so that's one of the things.

00:15:13.000 --> 00:15:27.000
Yeah. And sometimes the racetracks sell those but not always and so, if you have them handy, just like when we had the mask, had to wear the mask, you know? You have them handy, you're gonna do it.

00:15:27.000 --> 00:16:09.000
You know, every track I've been to makes an effort, which really makes me happy. But what I typically see is the, foam plugs and the red kind of standard ear muff, which I see parents making an effort trying to get the earplugs in kids' ears, and they they they're not meant for kids. And then those those typical red earmuffs, they may fit on like a kid's head, but there's not enough resistance in that band to cover it. Now I have seen kid versions of them, so I'm glad there's something. But that's another piece of my businesses.

00:16:09.000 --> 00:16:29.000
I wholesale to racetracks, and I've I've narrowed it down to three products. If you carry three products, it'll cover the whole family from baby to adult. Okay. And yeah. And I have one earmuff that I love that it it'll fit, like, 90% of the people there.

00:16:29.000 --> 00:16:51.000
It's an earmuff that will fit a a three year old to most adults. And Okay. I can show you. So I have these in three colors, but so having an earmuff that has such a big fit range.

00:16:51.000 --> 00:16:54.000
Yeah. You know?

00:16:54.000 --> 00:17:28.000
Every product I pick that I'm recommending for Trax, you know, I've been to Trax. I know they don't wanna deal with a lot of inventory, and, you know, they're not always gonna have the same person working in the souvenir shop. So I really try and make it easy. And I also when, Trax buy my our products, I also give them signage, complimentary, and I'll customize it if they want. So because one of the things I've noticed at Traxx, you often have to go looking where where is it?

00:17:28.000 --> 00:17:42.000
It would be great if it was sold in multiple places. Yeah. And and so the signage, not only would it be better or helpful to all the spectators, but I think it could generate more money for the tracks. Yeah. Yeah.

00:17:42.000 --> 00:17:43.000
So

00:17:43.000 --> 00:17:49.000
Well, and like myself, I rarely go to the to the souvenir stand.

00:17:49.000 --> 00:17:50.000
Yeah.

00:17:50.000 --> 00:18:03.000
When I go to the track because I go to the same tracks all the time and I just don't. And Yeah. Even if I was, going to a new track, I wouldn't necessarily go to the souvenir stand, which is typically where they would sell those.

00:18:03.000 --> 00:18:12.000
Yeah. Yeah. I think if it were up to me, would have when you were buying ticket, just say, hey. Do you want something? Because it's like sunscreen.

00:18:12.000 --> 00:18:30.000
You don't really think about it. Like Yeah. I know when the super late models are coming out because I see droves of people coming down to get hearing protection. Yeah. So I even think if people sell it like popcorn, go around in the sand and you'll have people who want it.

00:18:30.000 --> 00:18:31.000
Yeah. Absolutely.

00:18:31.000 --> 00:18:43.000
I know people who just stop going to races because of how loud it is, but if they have access to the right thing Right. It's way more enjoyable.

00:18:43.000 --> 00:18:51.000
Yeah. Absolutely. Yeah. It's it's like you don't know you need it till you see it. And then it's like, oh, think I might need that.

00:18:51.000 --> 00:19:01.000
Yeah. You know, I've heard some people say are like, oh, I like the noise. You know? The thing is if you put on hearing protection, don't worry. It's loud enough.

00:19:01.000 --> 00:19:06.000
You can still hear the It loud won't block out everything for sure.

00:19:06.000 --> 00:19:19.000
Right. So, yeah. Yeah. That's amazing. And so, do you contact the tracks then and, and like, let's just say Kalamazoo Speedway is where I go.

00:19:19.000 --> 00:19:34.000
Probably have nothing like that. They might have the little orange ones that you stick in, the foam ones. But so how do you get the word out to like the racetracks or the race families at tracks you don't go to?

00:19:34.000 --> 00:19:47.000
Yeah. I've been going to some of those trade shows like Warpa and those type. Okay. So I've gone to a few. I've had

00:19:47.000 --> 00:19:49.000
let's see.

00:19:49.000 --> 00:20:11.000
Unless so when I have my booth, you know, I can talk to people, but I can't get into what I just told you. It's the people that kinda hear my my little spiel about the hear cells. I mean, it's not much that seem to get it. And then I actually, in my classes, I actually have people put in a phone plug. They're like, here.

00:20:11.000 --> 00:20:19.000
Try it. And most people don't get it in right. And they're like, oh, wow. It does make a difference. So,

00:20:19.000 --> 00:20:32.000
I think the pictures like for your booth, I'm just spitballing here. Yeah. You know, because that that's like, oh my gosh. It's so drastic of a change. Yeah.

00:20:32.000 --> 00:20:35.000
That I would think that would maybe draw some interest, you know.

00:20:35.000 --> 00:20:51.000
Yeah. You're right. And I haven't had that picture yet. But then I also people will say like, oh, we already have something. So, I need to have more of a display that that says some of the message that I want without

00:20:51.000 --> 00:21:16.000
Yeah. Yeah. Without you having to say it over and over and over and over and Exactly. Because when I had booze at PRI, it's after a while, you feel like you're not being very authentic about your message because you've said it 150 times already that day. And so it is hard, I think, and people are going from booth to booth to booth.

00:21:16.000 --> 00:21:30.000
And, you know, they just, they need to take the time. The seminars I would think would be amazing. Even at PRI, I think they should be doing this at PRI. Have you speak about it. Yeah.

00:21:30.000 --> 00:21:51.000
Yeah. I would love it. I have to say there's more people who don't wanna hear what I have to say, But I I think they think it's I'm gonna tell everyone, like, oh, make the mufflers quieter and wear earplugs all the time. But it's so That's not it at all. No.

00:21:51.000 --> 00:22:18.000
And I'm real I'm ten minutes away from Evergreen Speedway, who's run by Doug Hobbs. And, that's where I started doing noise dose studies. And when I first asked, they were kinda you know, whenever someone talks about how loud it is, they're like, what are you doing it for? Right. But but they knew my son Ray, so they knew I liked it loud, but I just wanted Yeah.

00:22:18.000 --> 00:22:39.000
After they knew my intentions, Doug has been fabulous for letting me do my noise dose studies. In fact, I'll give you some more information of Okay. The noise dose. So a noise dose study, you know, how loud does it have to be for it to affect your hearing? And it depends.

00:22:39.000 --> 00:23:05.000
The louder it is, the less time you can be around it. But you're around noise that changes level throughout the day. So if you're, let's say you you owned a sawmill, you'd have to figure out who needs to be in hearing conservation program. So you'd have an employee wear what's called a dosimeter. It's about the size of my hand and it measures the noise levels over the workday.

00:23:05.000 --> 00:23:27.000
And and if it hits a 100%, you know, or if it's a 100 is the max dose you should get. Okay. So a 100 is your your cutoff point. Now I did my first noise dose study was Kyle Lang. He was a a legend driver.

00:23:27.000 --> 00:23:49.000
And keep in mind, he had custom earplugs he wore during racing. So I put the dosimeter on him for eleven hours from the time he got to the track to when he left, and I monitored what he did during the day. So I knew he was in the car from, like, twelve to 12:15. So and I knew he had custom earplugs. So I was able to, like, reduce.

00:23:49.000 --> 00:24:13.000
Like, I know he had this much protection during this time, so I could really gauge what is his dose. And so I knew it would be over a hundred, so his was a hundred and eighty five. Wow. Now what I was able to tell him, he went and watched the sprint cars for fifteen minutes after his main. And I calculated, hey.

00:24:13.000 --> 00:24:44.000
What if he would have just wore earplugs during that time? And his noise dose would have come down to a 115. So what I want racers to know, not only what's going on in your in your what's happening in the ear, but that even if you don't wear all the time at the track, you can make a big impact even if you wear it part of the time. You know, if you're there during the day, you're like, ugh, I should have wore it and I'm gonna be leaving in a half an hour. It's too late, it's not.

00:24:44.000 --> 00:24:57.000
So a little bit of effort can make a big difference. So if you think a lifetime of just reducing the dose over a lifetime, 115 compared to like 185.

00:24:57.000 --> 00:24:57.000
Yeah.

00:24:57.000 --> 00:25:09.000
And actually that's OSHA standards. When it's NIOSH which is best practices, it's a lot higher. Okay.

00:25:09.000 --> 00:25:34.000
You know, I'm sitting here thinking, okay, so you know, how long, how many times does it take you to learn a habit, right? Because this needs to become a habit. So, I'm thinking that we need to start with our kids. Because here here's the thing. As an adult, you look in the stands, hardly anybody's wearing hearing protection.

00:25:34.000 --> 00:25:50.000
There might be some little kids whose parents have the headphones on them. So it's not something that people know think They think, oh, I'm only there once a week for a couple hours, right? Yeah. You know? So they don't think about it.

00:25:50.000 --> 00:26:15.000
They've grown up not doing it, even if they've been at the racetrack since they were little. Yeah. So especially at tracks where kids run are places where we need to really, we, you. Yes, I'm not gonna be doing it, but you know what I'm just saying, Because if if you start kids out wearing cute little headphones or whatever.

00:26:15.000 --> 00:26:18.000
Mhmm.

00:26:18.000 --> 00:26:23.000
They're not gonna think anything about it when they're 50. They've done it for all their life.

00:26:23.000 --> 00:26:53.000
Exactly. And I have to say, I do see a lot of parents making an effort to protect their kids. Another thing Doug let me experiment with is I rented hearing protection for a while at their track, and I got a good response from that. And and I it was mainly parents protecting their kids, which really their hearing is is just as effective as them. Yeah.

00:26:53.000 --> 00:27:04.000
But I'm so glad I see the effort. And you know, you know how I told you the typical red ear muffs? I mean, if you were a little girl, would you wanna wear those or would you wanna wear these? Right. You know?

00:27:04.000 --> 00:27:24.000
Exactly. And and, I've been, at places where I had like a earmuff display and I had some real flashy orange ones and there was a little boy just eyeing them. So I gave it to him and he you know, they're excited. And then, and then if parents model it, that would be great. Yeah.

00:27:24.000 --> 00:27:42.000
Because think of the the hunting and target shooting, population. It is just a norm there. And you'll see pictures of men all the time wearing it's just a standard thing. It's just part of their outfit. Yeah.

00:27:42.000 --> 00:28:04.000
And so I would love it. My my what I'd love is all the tracks to have the right products available, and it's not they don't have to have many. The right products, and then people just understand a little bit of what I told you, and I think that alone can make a big difference.

00:28:04.000 --> 00:28:17.000
Now can I ask, like, price range? Because people are you gonna be know, you pay to get into races and you pay pay for your food, and then now you want me to buy headphones? You know, you see where I'm going?

00:28:17.000 --> 00:28:18.000
Oh, absolutely.

00:28:18.000 --> 00:28:25.000
Let's tell them a little bit about why it's a good value. First of all, it protects your hearing.

00:28:25.000 --> 00:28:26.000
Yes.

00:28:26.000 --> 00:28:28.000
That should be number one.

00:28:28.000 --> 00:28:35.000
Yeah. So the these, I think, are $16.99.

00:28:35.000 --> 00:28:38.000
Okay. Triple. And

00:28:38.000 --> 00:29:09.000
yeah. And then I and the baby ones are $15.99. I really and, you know, I wholesale to the tracks, and it's up to them how much they wanna mark it up. I would really I found a good product that I could offer, I think, at a reasonable price because I don't want hearing protection to be, you know, too expensive. And, you know, then there's the remember to take it the next time and then having to buy another one.

00:29:09.000 --> 00:29:24.000
But, again, it's partly habit. Make the kids excited about it. And then but that's one of the reasons why I'm looking into like a rental program. Yeah. You know, these are really easy.

00:29:24.000 --> 00:29:37.000
So yeah. I've again, I experimented that with at Evergreen Speedway. And Okay. It was a lot of people really liked renting them because then they don't have to remember.

00:29:37.000 --> 00:29:55.000
Right. So Or do like I do. I have my race bag. Yes. It has my sweatshirt and just certain things that I always take to the races, you know, wipes like, you know, for my hands and stuff and just always leave them in there.

00:29:55.000 --> 00:30:17.000
Yeah. Yeah. Exactly. There's another ear muff. I call that like the three things the three things I tell a track to I recommend them to carry are the the baby ones and this one that has the huge hit hit fit range.

00:30:17.000 --> 00:30:28.000
And then the last one is the push to fit earplug. Right. So those are called, like, the essentials. But then I have what I call, like, the fan favorites or for track staff.

00:30:28.000 --> 00:30:29.000
Yeah.

00:30:29.000 --> 00:30:33.000
And do you know what electronic earmuffs are that hunters use? Okay.

00:30:33.000 --> 00:30:34.000
No.

00:30:34.000 --> 00:31:04.000
So when you put on hearing protection and it blocks out noise because of the material it's made out of, that's called passive. Okay. So imagine you're a hunter and you wanna protect yourself from the gunshot, but you still wanna hear the critters all around you. So when you put these on the first passive, but then you turn on the volume control, and you can hear around you. So imagine at the race well, I'm getting ahead of myself.

00:31:04.000 --> 00:31:30.000
Anyway, so the racer, the hunter, they put these they turn on the volume. They can hear what they're trying to hunt. And when they shoot the gun, anything above 83 dB, the microphone shut off and they're passive hearing protection. The noise goes away and now you can hear again. So another annoying thing about earplugs at the racetrack is it's not always noisy.

00:31:30.000 --> 00:31:43.000
So think if if you had the foam ones, I had a husband say, my wife wore the earplugs, but then when we wanted to talk, you know, she had those darn earplugs in. You know? So imagine Or

00:31:43.000 --> 00:31:49.000
the or the announcers talking or they're telling you. Yeah. You wanna be able to hear that stuff.

00:31:49.000 --> 00:32:18.000
Yeah. So if you have these on, you can have a conversation with people next to you. And then as soon as the cars come out, they go out or there's so many track staff that Yeah. Could find these beneficial. And I'll tell you, I I was at these sell really well if other spectators see people wearing them.

00:32:18.000 --> 00:32:40.000
And Yeah. Again, I went to a track. They they I've got I gave them some signage, and they had these in their souvenir shop. And there happened to be some kettle corn people there and they usually had these but they forgot them. So I gave them some of these to wear.

00:32:40.000 --> 00:32:57.000
And they said all night, people were asking, hey, you know, where'd you get those? I want some. And they didn't know they were available at the souvenir shop. There could have been so many that were sold, and that's all it takes is seeing other people wear them.

00:32:57.000 --> 00:33:02.000
And the

00:33:02.000 --> 00:33:19.000
wanting the just letting people know what to wear. Now Yeah. Honestly, I don't have a lot of tracks carrying my product. I've learned that a lot of tracks, they they're run by people who are doing so many things.

00:33:19.000 --> 00:33:20.000
The

00:33:20.000 --> 00:33:58.000
last thing they can they wanna think about is something like this. I'm I would love to have a track that would be want to be on board with me about carrying all the products, putting all all the signage. We have social media contact content to put on, because I'd love to show that this can that people like it, and also it's worth that it could bring generate income to the Right. Yeah. But, again, I have to find the right I have to find the right track.

00:33:58.000 --> 00:34:13.000
Well, I should say any any track that would be willing to that to do that, I'm willing. Like I said, it's hard to find that because they're wearing so many hats. They are. Yeah. And they feel like they've got this covered.

00:34:13.000 --> 00:34:22.000
And like I said, every track I see makes I've never been to a track that didn't make some kind of effort. They just don't know. Yeah.

00:34:22.000 --> 00:34:48.000
Yeah. So Well, and the thing of it is, and and so I'm gonna play devil's advocate a little bit. The thing of it is if you run a track, you you gotta have so many things, like you said, like car count and and weather. And, you know, if you're running the concession stand through the track and all those things, right? And tickets and people working and, you know, people aren't showing up for work.

00:34:48.000 --> 00:34:50.000
Deal with all that stuff.

00:34:50.000 --> 00:34:51.000
Yep.

00:34:51.000 --> 00:34:58.000
And so you're looking at the list and what's at the bottom. Yeah. You know? And so you're, it's kind of at the bottom, Anisa. Yeah.

00:34:58.000 --> 00:35:07.000
It's, I hate to say it and we need to move it up. We need to get it moved up closer to the top this is a lifelong deal.

00:35:07.000 --> 00:35:21.000
Yeah. And most people think they have it covered because they have something. Right. But they don't for the babies or a lot of them don't. And, but like, I wanna make it simple for them to say, hey, three products.

00:35:21.000 --> 00:35:25.000
You got everyone covered. You don't have to worry about it, and they're not really expensive.

00:35:25.000 --> 00:35:45.000
No. So Yeah. I just I think it's so important, and we can't talk about it enough really until we get to understand the importance of it. I mean, I'm guilty. I don't wear hearing protection when I go to the track.

00:35:45.000 --> 00:35:45.000
Yeah.

00:35:45.000 --> 00:36:00.000
But just- But you never, never thought, you know, I never really thought about it. Yeah. Sometimes I wore the little push ones. Like when I go watch drag racing, now that is really loud to me.

00:36:00.000 --> 00:36:09.000
That that is where these electronic muffs are perfect because it's just Yeah. You know, a short time that the noise is on and then Right.

00:36:09.000 --> 00:36:10.000
Don't have

00:36:10.000 --> 00:36:42.000
to take them on and off. They really having the right hearing protection really does improve the spectator experience for a lot of people more than I think people realize. Another kind of story I have, I was selling earmuffs at a track and there was a mom and dad and a little girl. She was like six years old. And I just gave them a pair of earmuffs and she was excited because they were pretty.

00:36:42.000 --> 00:36:55.000
And they usually do the phone plugs and afterwards they said, oh, thank you so much because we enjoyed it so much more. We didn't have to keep fiddling with the the earplugs to put them in her ear. Right. You know? Yeah.

00:36:55.000 --> 00:36:57.000
Yeah.

00:36:57.000 --> 00:37:06.000
Yeah. We need to keep pushing your message. Yeah. As much as we can. And you and I will talk about that after we're done with the recording a little bit too.

00:37:06.000 --> 00:37:19.000
Yeah. Yeah. I just, so let's go to this. Where can people reach out and find how to get the how to get the protection or learn more about it? Where should they go to reach out to you?

00:37:19.000 --> 00:37:20.000
Yep.

00:37:20.000 --> 00:37:41.000
Yeah. Well, right now I have products and a wholesale program that's online at auditorydefense.com. K. And then, I'm just transitioning, the company as a nonprofit because I feel like there's so much I want to do, and I need help. Okay.

00:37:41.000 --> 00:38:03.000
And I within the next year, I'm hoping to have a lot more educational content like what I just showed you about the hair cells. You know, I wanna Right. Have that on there. I also like to have social media content created, is easy, but I also wanna find something that will get someone's attention. Mhmm.

00:38:03.000 --> 00:38:28.000
You know? So it's having so my goal is to get the content on the website and on social media, And then to that's one of the things I wanna do on the website. But if anyone, you know, I'd I'm available if anyone wants me to, like, talk to their their Track owner, promoter. Yeah. Yeah.

00:38:28.000 --> 00:38:40.000
Or even, like, the parents of, like, quarter midget. You know, they meet Oh. You know, monthly or if they just want Yeah. Again, like, if anyone's gonna listen to me, it's parents. Yeah.

00:38:40.000 --> 00:38:54.000
So my website or excuse me. My email address is anisa@auditorydefense.com. Okay. So, and anyone

00:38:54.000 --> 00:39:10.000
We're that's gonna gonna get the word out. I just Yeah. I know we are because this is a start. And then you can, you know, when when we're done and I send you the link to share the recording, you can share it everywhere you wanna share it. It's just one step at a time.

00:39:10.000 --> 00:39:30.000
Yeah. You know, but we're gonna get the word out because it's so important. Especially with the kids that are racing, let's get them started young to where it's no big deal to wear headphones and you don't look funny or weird if you have headphones and nobody else does. You'd be the one to start the trend. Yes.

00:39:30.000 --> 00:39:37.000
Yes. I love it. I would love to go stickers on your earphones or whatever. Yes. Yes.

00:39:37.000 --> 00:39:58.000
I I would love to go to a racetrack and see more people wearing hearing protection than not. That that's like that would be exciting for me. Yeah. I'll also say, the the earmuffs, I carry, attraction get custom ones also.

00:39:58.000 --> 00:39:59.000
Uh-huh. It's

00:39:59.000 --> 00:40:11.000
a quantity of five. Yeah. They're they could brand them. Yeah. The quantity the minimum quantity is 500, but it's that's a great way to also get some promotion.

00:40:11.000 --> 00:40:13.000
Evergreen's TK has done that. Yeah.

00:40:13.000 --> 00:40:24.000
Because you can wear them at every track, not just the track that's promoting them. Exactly. Yeah. Yeah. Or find a you know, here's here's an idea for a racetrack.

00:40:24.000 --> 00:40:42.000
Find a good sponsor, somebody that is one of your best sponsors and get them to put their logo on the headphones. Yeah. The ear and and then, you know, that's good for them instead of just a billboard on the backstretch, right? Exactly. Do something different.

00:40:42.000 --> 00:40:50.000
Yeah. And, you know, and the fact that these will fit 90% of the people that come through the door, that's awesome.

00:40:50.000 --> 00:40:53.000
And they're reasonably priced.

00:40:53.000 --> 00:40:54.000
Yes. Yep.

00:40:54.000 --> 00:40:58.000
And they come in pink, probably pink, blue, and black or whatever. Red.

00:40:58.000 --> 00:41:01.000
Actually, if it's custom, there's even more colors.

00:41:01.000 --> 00:41:02.000
Okay.

00:41:02.000 --> 00:41:05.000
Yeah. Yeah. A lot more colors.

00:41:05.000 --> 00:41:14.000
Okay. Well, there you go. We're promoting and we're remarketing today as we talk. So, yeah. Anisa, thank you for taking time to be on.

00:41:14.000 --> 00:41:40.000
I really appreciate this and we're gonna have to do a little bit more, some hearing podcasts throughout the year to kinda keep people in, you know, remember to do this and and that kind of thing because it takes seven times for you to promote what you're doing for people to really get it. And so this is one and so we'll do some more.

00:41:40.000 --> 00:41:44.000
You got my brain thinking already. I'll be ready.

00:41:44.000 --> 00:41:52.000
That's awesome. Well, for being on and just hold on as we end the recording.

00:41:52.000 --> 00:41:58.000
Okay. Thanks.

00:41:58.000 --> 00:42:32.000
Race weekends move fast, but showing appreciation doesn't have to be hard. With SendOutCards, you can send a digital thank you with a photo and a message in seconds right from your phone. Thank your crew, your fans, even your competitors because good sportsmanship looks good on and off the track. Unlimited card sends for just $10 a month. So start sharing the love at sendoutcards.com/5324zero.

00:42:32.000 --> 00:43:02.000
That's sendoutcards.com/5324zero.