40:248;1602-1849">Jodie McCollum learned Mahjong in 2023 at a friend's house in Dallas. She came back to Orange County, taught a neighbor group as a dare, walked away from that first class completely invigorated, and thought: I wonder if there is a demand for this.

42:163;1851-2013">There was. Within a year she had taught 175 classes, reached 2,000 students, built a team of nine, and started expanding to San Diego, LA, and potentially London.

44:453;2015-2467">In this conversation, Jodie talks about what it took to build Mahjong OC from a Friday afternoon game into a real business, how her corporate HR and marketing background all came back to her at once after years on a shelf, and why she thinks Mahjong is having a moment not because it is trendy but because it gives women exactly what they actually need: a room, a game, a reason to stay, and a conversation that happens on its own without any pressure.

46:298;2469-2766">She also talks about growing up across three countries, what it felt like to land in American high school at thirteen with a New Zealand accent and no friends, and how the girl who coped by keeping her world small ended up building one of the fastest growing community businesses in Orange County.

48:223;2768-2990">The detail that ties everything together: she was once the new person in a room full of strangers who all knew each other. She never forgot what that felt like. Now she makes sure nobody leaves her tables feeling that way.

50:41;2992-3032">🎙️ Meet Bridget | Season 6, Episode 164