April 29, 2025 • 38 mins
On this episode of Throttle Therapy, Andy Amendola, Founder of Red Racer Books, and Board-Certified Art Therapist and Illustrator, Ashleigh Mower, join the podcast to talk about their collaboration on Katherine’s debut children’s book, Kat’s Magic Helmet. They discuss the stories that inspired the book, and how Katherine assembled her dream team to make it a reality. In Kat’s Magic Helmet, readers meet 9-year-old Kat: shy, unsure, and the only girl at the karting track. But when she receives a shiny helmet and her very own go-kart, something changes. Behind the wheel, Kat discovers courage—and realizes the magic was never in the helmet. It was in her all along. Kat's Magic Helmet is available now from Red Racer Books and Amazon.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Throttle Therapy with Catherine Legg is an iHeart women's sports
production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. You
can find us on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or
wherever you get your podcasts. Hey you guys, and welcome
(00:21):
to this week's episode of Throttle Therapy with Me Catherine Legg.
And it's been another event for a week I feel
like starting this podcast, this year has been You've been
with me on the journey of the craziest year of
my life so far. I'm going to tell you all
about Talladega, which I went to and raced out for
(00:43):
the first time this past weekend. And everybody here it's
even if you're not into racing, you hear about Talladegan.
It was like Daga Baby and Talladega Nights. Everybody knows
that movie, and so I went with a lot of
preconceived idea. I also went to Charlotte before I went there,
and I did sim and I hung out with the
(01:05):
team and we watched old Talladega races, and so I
did a bunch of prep work. Driving back was and
forwards to Charlotte from Atlanta. Again, I cannot tell you
how much fun I had. It was the most awesome experience.
I think it's the most fun I've had in a
race car, Like literally ever the car was amazing. So
(01:25):
Jordan Andison Racing bomb rato Arder Sport gave me a
fast hot rod like it sucked They call it sucked
up where you can like get behind a car and
have it draft all the way to their bumper. It
sucked up really well. It handled really well in traffic.
Every stop that we did they made it better. It
was literally the coolest experience. Like we went through the
(01:49):
weekend having a plan. The beginning of qualifying was kind
of stressful because the owner points situation. If you're not
in the top thirty two, then you get in on
owner points, not on qualifying speed. We had that problem
in Rockingham. So the first sort of ten to fifteen
people to go, you're looking at it going, okay, do
(02:10):
they have more owner points than we do?
Speaker 2 (02:12):
What speed did they do?
Speaker 1 (02:14):
So we get through qualifying and we know we're set
in the field and we qualified I think twenty seventh,
so we're like two thirds of the way down the
field and I made a couple of small mistakes I
would necessarily call them mistakes. So just I'd never driven
around Talladega before and we didn't have any practice. So
we go out and I'm a little bit high off
(02:36):
the line in one because I wait for the front
end to land in the banking and get gripped before
I turn instead of anticipating it. Never done it before,
only on the simulator. So maybe gave away a tenth there.
Maybe it mounted to a couple of tenths by the
end of the straightway into Tent three. Who knows, but
I feel like I got through the gears fine. We
(02:58):
did a decent, solid qualifying that. Proud of the team.
It was awesome. We go to race and like proper
sweaty palm moments because I did Daytona in an ARCCA
at the beginning of the year, and when I said
did Daytona, I made it four laps before being involved
in somebody else's crash and getting wiped out. So I
(03:20):
really had zero superspeedway racing experience. So in these races,
we have three stages, three specific stages where they throw
a yellow after each stage and you go through a
pit cycle. So we split the race in our heads
into these three different stages. In the first stage. They
told me to just go out and alone, stay in
(03:41):
the draft as much as possible. Normally, you need a
car behind you to also be what they call your
help pushing you. And it's not necessarily that they are
physically pushing you, but if you have a car behind you,
it pushes the air that pushes you. Sometimes they do
actually physically push you. So so we go out and
(04:02):
I don't know whether I annoyed some of the other
cars on track or people thought that I was crazy,
or I got some feedback after the race, like why
were you moving around so much in the first stage. Well,
it's because I was learning, because I've never done anything
like this before. So I was like trying to the
high line, then I would try the low line, and
then I would try and get a run on somebody
and make the pass.
Speaker 2 (04:22):
I was trying to side draft.
Speaker 1 (04:23):
I was trying to learn all these things in the beginning,
which I think I did a pretty good job of.
Although side drafting is definitely an art form and it's
definitely a different side of racing that I am just
kind of getting to grips with because we don't really
do that too much. We do a little bit, but
not too much in other forms of racing. Definitely not
an IndyCar. I don't think I've ever side drafted an
(04:44):
indigar before.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
But I digress.
Speaker 1 (04:48):
So the first stage was just kind of driving around,
learning seeing how I sucked up to the car in front,
seeing how easy it was to stay in the draft,
whether I use brake pressure or whether I lifted a
little bit or come nation of both, Like how easy
was it to stay on the white line? And the
car was pretty pushy, so on entry and on exit
I had a little bit of understand a little bit
(05:09):
of wash on the front. We come in for the
first pit stop, and we do it second time by
and we make a change and the car was immediately better,
and I was feeling pretty good. My call suit wasn't working,
so my blood was boiling, but I wasn't too hot.
It wasn't too hot there, so it wasn't too bad,
and I thought, oh, well, I'll be goin get amount
(05:30):
of weight loss. I don't know, you got to look
at the positives, right. So that was the end of
the first stage. Pretty happy with it. Second stage felt
a little bit more racy, was getting more involved, was
getting closer to the cars in front again, still told
to stay out of trouble in the rear to anticipate
any trouble upfront in case there was any crashes and
yellows and.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
That kind of thing.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
And I was probably, I don't know, I want to say,
hovering in the early twenties, somewhere between twenty and twenty
five or twenty and thirty, and you know, still very
much learning. I got tagged in the rear and I
got loose, and it was a really good save a catch,
but I went down to the apron and I lost
the draft. So I stayed out of trouble, but I
(06:12):
lost the draft. And so for the end of that stage,
we were kind of driving around by ourselves. We did
another pit stop. Come to find out that we went
long on both pit stops, and that's because I'm used
to hitting the signboard with the front of my car,
and they moved the sign out the way and I
was like trying to guess them where I should stop,
and I didn't really know where the box was. So
it was a really good experience in yeah, okay for me,
(06:34):
I need to hit the sign to keep the sign there.
So all these little things we were learning about. We
did some air pressure adjustments made the car even better,
and I was really really happy, feeling really confident, feeling
like I was getting into the groove, really focused on.
My spotter was awesome, Thank you Trey. My crew were great,
like honestly, they gave me such a fast car. I
was having the time of my life, so grateful to
(06:56):
be there. And I was thinking, you know, I'm making
Elf proud after all the rubbish that's gone on in
the media about you know, all the online bullying that
I got, and.
Speaker 2 (07:07):
I was thinking, this is it, this is We're going
to change people's opinions. This is where we go.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
And I was making moves and after that second stage
was over, I'm like, okay, I'm going to the front.
So we were again still learning. First time i'd ever
gone three wide four wide. I went high a few times,
a bit too much, and I was feeling, you know,
like oops by a foot or two. But then I
saw other people do that too, and I'm like, Okay,
(07:31):
this is what you've got to do. This how you
have to hold it down.
Speaker 2 (07:33):
This is just learning.
Speaker 1 (07:35):
And I think we were in the top fifteen with
thirteen laps to go. And I honestly thought we were
going to finish in the top ten or top twelve.
My car was awesome, you guys like it. I was
around my teammates who finished second and seventh at the time,
and I really thought we were going to the front,
and then unfortunately we got sidewiped and wiped out of
(07:57):
the race with thirteen to guy was pretty big hit.
Felt really bad for the team. I was gutted that
my race was over because I was having so much fun,
and honestly, it felt like I had only been out
there for ten minutes. Yeah, his spotter had cleared him
high and there was a gap, and then there wasn't
a gap. So it ended the race for like three
or four of us, I think, which was really unfortunate.
(08:17):
But I so hyped up about this super speedway racing
and Talladegger especially was so fun. Like I can't tell
you how much fun I had in the car. It
was awesome, and I think I left feeling pretty proud
of the job that we did. I was very proud
of the team. I was gutted that they have another
crashed race car. Obviously we cannot catch a break, but
(08:40):
I think that you know, at the beginning. I also
didn't have any friends, Like I would go for a
run and nobody would go with me.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
And I heard from other.
Speaker 1 (08:49):
People the spotters will like stay away from the thirty
two car because they didn't know what I was going
to do. But I guess that's the same with anybody
that's new. I don't know, but it was a lot
of fun and I literally want to go back and
do it again. I was looking at the calendar and
I'm like, I wonder if I could get a sponsor
or find the money to do Talladega again in the fall,
because I loved it so much. And I hope that
(09:10):
that momentum no pun intended, and that positive energy keeps
on keeps on rolling into Texas this week because we're
again going into another big race for me. It's we're
going to be sponsored by des Nuda Tequila, and I
actually don't think that we've announced that. Yep, so it
does Nuda Tequila, And for those of you who know me,
(09:31):
you know that I love tequila and I'm excited to
go to yet another track that I haven't been to
before and tackle another different, different oval and hope that
it makes me better and hope for a good result
for the team, because I honestly thought they'd won the
race with jab at the end there, and I was
thinking that that was redemption for us getting wiped out,
(09:52):
But unfortunately it wasn't the case, and it wasn't to be.
But one of these days we'll get them and will
reprove everybody else that weekend it I've got something very
(10:13):
exciting to share with you all, and that exciting news
is the fact that I did my.
Speaker 2 (10:18):
First ever children's book.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
And I say I very likely because it's very much
a wee and I will introduce you to the team
here shortly, but I just wanted to tell you all.
Speaker 2 (10:30):
What I've been up to. It's called Cat's Magic Helmet.
It's for ages three to eight.
Speaker 1 (10:36):
It's an empowering story for boys and girls, and it's
basically it's about my racing start in life, if you like,
and it's about what made Katherine Katherine, and so Cat's
Magic Helmet. It's designed to be read aloud, so you
could read it to your kids at bedtime. It's forty pages,
but it's literally like eight minutes if you time it
(10:59):
like and yeah, for those like my kating debut and
all the things that I went through. And I was
always very into magic as a kid, like witches, and
I thought that there were magic objects. And so it
kind of ties my childhood to present day and all
the aspects of my life together, and so I'm really
(11:20):
really excited to share it with you. You can get
it on Amazon and it's available now, so you should
absolutely go and check it out.
Speaker 2 (11:27):
And without further ado, I want.
Speaker 1 (11:29):
To introduce you to two very important people in my
life at the moment, and that's Andy and Ashley. Andy
was the brains behind it basically. So what happened was
I went to Nashville for the IndyCar Race last year
that I was racing, and my very good friend Kara,
who is also in the book, by the way, introduced
(11:50):
me to Andy. Andy has a number of books out
that he will tell you about, but the one that
kind of piqued my interest was the one that he
did with Joseph Newgarten. So we got talking about what
a Catherine book could look like and I was very
excited by this. I was heavily influenced by kids books
when I was a kid, just like you are by movies.
(12:11):
I think so it was something that was very important
to me, even though I don't have any of my own.
So we got talking and we came up with this
idea and we formulated it. And then Ashley is one
of my best friends in the whole world.
Speaker 2 (12:23):
Mariamma it's her daughter.
Speaker 1 (12:25):
And so Ashley, since she was a kid and I'm
aging myself right now, has been a big part of
my life and is a fantastic artist and now book illustrator.
So this is even dearer to my heart because I
get to involve my close friends in it as well.
Speaker 2 (12:41):
So having said all.
Speaker 1 (12:42):
That, I'm going to introduce you to Andy, and then
I will come to Ashley and we'll tie everything in together.
So Andy, you own read Racer Books is what the
company is called, right ye. So I'm going to let
you tell our li says a little bit about yourself,
why you decided to go down this road no pun intended,
(13:07):
and what makes you and read race the books.
Speaker 3 (13:09):
You Okay, thank you well, thanks for having me on
and I'm so excited to be here with you, Catherine
and Ashley to talk about our book. So I started
read Racer Books a few years ago. I'm actually forty
three years old. I have two kids, and I discovered
motorsports rather late in my life, about twenty twenty one.
Me and my wife Binge Trive to Survive, and shortly
(13:33):
after that, I started following Formula one racing hardcore, and
I went down the rabbit hole and what I typically do,
and I fall in love with something or I'm passionate
about something, I like to share that with my own children.
So the first thing I did was search F one
books for kids, and I didn't find a lot out there,
especially not a lot about the science and technology involved
(13:54):
in that type of race, which really was interesting to me.
After attending my first race, was inspired and decided to just.
Speaker 4 (14:02):
Write my own.
Speaker 3 (14:03):
So I started read racer books with an ABC's of
Racing book about Formula one racing, and I launched it
on a Kickstarter and it was an incredible experience, very fulfilling,
very challenging. I won't lie, but yeah, I hit a
chord with a lot of folks, and that's what started
me on this path. I wanted to create a whole
series of books. I fell in love with the publishing business.
(14:27):
I fell in love with creating books and it kind
of went from there. My passion for racing took me
to IndyCar, which is what connected me to the IndyCar.
Speaker 2 (14:37):
Books that I created.
Speaker 3 (14:38):
Started with the ABC's of IndyCar, and then I jumped
to a book with Joseph Newgarden. I was lucky to
get connected with him and we worked on a book together,
which was very exciting and I'm very grateful. And when
we were doing some marketing for that book is when
I met Kara and she connected me to you.
Speaker 2 (14:56):
Okay, I wanted how you all met.
Speaker 1 (14:58):
I mean, Car knows everybody anyway. Actually, we have to
get Car on the show at some point, I promise
you guys, we will. She is the head of Bridge
Time Fast and on the engineering side for racing in
Look America. So she's a very interesting person in.
Speaker 2 (15:10):
Her own right. So why did you decide that you
wanted to do this.
Speaker 5 (15:15):
Book with me?
Speaker 3 (15:17):
Honestly, I've been hoping to create a book with a
female driver or about a female character since day one.
When I started writing racer books. One of the things
I wanted to make sure that the books were inclusive
and diverse, not only racial diversity, but also gender diversity.
And I have a daughter of my own and I
want her to have the same opportunities in life as
(15:40):
my son would. So I always had my goal to
create a book with a female driver about a female
character in some way or another, and my own books,
the ABC books that I have, have a female character,
but not a female driver. So I was just waiting
for you basically.
Speaker 1 (16:00):
So as a dad to a daughter, do you see
any disparity within that with the male books to female
books or is it relatively equal.
Speaker 3 (16:10):
When I started creating books, I did a lot of research,
and what I found is that overwhelmingly all the characters,
not all, but the majority of characters are male. Even
when you think of books that are animals that are
talking most of the time, that character ends up being
a male character, even if it's a bear or a
dog or whatever. You know, like in many things including motorsports,
(16:33):
it's still dominated by male characters. There is a lot
more and more, there's a huge amount of diverse books
out there. There's some amazing books out there, but you know, overall,
there's some disparity there, and that's something I want to
rectify with my books.
Speaker 1 (16:49):
It's amazing and actually as part of this process, very
early on when we started, I put you in touch
with my dad, say you could get an idea of
what it looked like, what my childhood look like from hiserspective.
Did you find there was some parallels? Was that interesting?
Did it change? Did it shape the way that you
went about this book with me?
Speaker 5 (17:09):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (17:09):
I would say one hundred percent. I mean, first, I
have to say I'm envious of your dad because I've
never seen like the way you talk about your dad.
Speaker 2 (17:19):
It's so touching.
Speaker 3 (17:21):
I want my daughter to talk about me like that
one day, because you always say.
Speaker 2 (17:26):
The best things about him.
Speaker 3 (17:27):
And when I got to meet him, I can see why.
He's an amazing guy and he was there for you
and he really helped you achieve your dream and he
gave up a lot to do that too, just like
you did. So that was really important. And yeah, there's
some of the stories that he talked about that made
their way into the book. And the relationship is really
(17:48):
important that you guys have.
Speaker 1 (17:50):
Speaking of parent and child, I can't even cool Ashley
a child. She's like a grown ass woman. But speaking
of parent relationship, that's how I met you, ash And
your dad is also an amazing human. He worked in racing,
which is why you were brought into my life. I
can't tell you how incredibly special it is to me
(18:11):
to be able to do this with you.
Speaker 2 (18:12):
And I know at the.
Speaker 1 (18:13):
Beginning, Andy and I were going back and forth and
who are we going to get to illustrate the book
and who are we going to use to do what?
Speaker 2 (18:20):
And I was pretty adamant that I wanted.
Speaker 1 (18:22):
You to do it because A you're an amazing artist,
just like your mum, and you just had your own daughter,
and so I think it's something that's really close to
your heart. But welcome to you as well, Ashley, and
thank you so much for being such a big part
of this.
Speaker 5 (18:40):
Oh my gosh, hello everyone, thank you, thank you. So.
Speaker 4 (18:44):
I mean, I remember when you texted me and you
were like, hey, I need to talk to you, and
I was like, oh my gosh, what's going on? And
then you're like, oh, I'm doing a children's book and
I want you to illustrate it. And I was like,
are you joking? Like this is crazy? Of course I
would love to do this.
Speaker 1 (19:03):
It was kind of serendipitous as well with its timing,
wasn't it.
Speaker 4 (19:06):
Yeah, it goes both ways in that it's been such
a privilege and like such a full circle to be
a part of this amazing project because you were such
a role model for me growing up. Like I was
talking to my mum actually about this this week in
that she was like, do you remember when so you
(19:28):
had a documentary come out. I don't know if you
do yet, Yeah, like story, yes, And I at the
time was doing competitive gymnastics and I had I gotten
for like my birthday, Christmas or something, the iPod video
and I'd put the trailer on my iPod video and
(19:50):
would watch it before every gymnastics competition to get me
up and get me like focused and ready and like
feeling like I could do anything.
Speaker 5 (20:00):
I would literally watch it on.
Speaker 4 (20:02):
Respond with.
Speaker 2 (20:06):
How did you never tell me this before?
Speaker 4 (20:10):
You know? You just kind of go back and think
about like the relationship that we've had over the years,
almost been twenty years now.
Speaker 5 (20:17):
I think I met you in two thousand and six.
Speaker 4 (20:20):
I was thirteen, and I've never seen a female race
car drive. I mean I grew up around the track
because my dad's job, and you know, it was a
very male dominated industry.
Speaker 5 (20:32):
And then seeing you behind the way.
Speaker 4 (20:35):
I don't think I believed it. When Mum told me like, oh,
Catherine's a race car driver.
Speaker 5 (20:39):
I was like, really, are you serious? This is so cool.
So it was just such an.
Speaker 4 (20:44):
Amazing, full circle moment to be able to be a
part of this project because I've looked up to you
for years.
Speaker 2 (20:51):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (20:53):
How did you take to drawing for a bit, because
I mean, you guys can't see it, but honestly, Ashley
is so incredibly like anything really that needs anything creative involved,
where I'm totally rubbish like Ashley and your sister Arden.
You've designed my helmets for me. Literally every design on
(21:13):
my helmet has been because of one of you girls.
So did you struggle to adapt to doing illustrations for
a book or did you just dive right in and
it was smooth sailing and it was easy. I know
Andy's an amazing leader and he's organized.
Speaker 2 (21:28):
I love it. It's as amazing. Yeah, so he probably
made it as seamless as possible for you.
Speaker 4 (21:33):
I think at first, when you first came to me
about it, I was like, of course, I was so excited,
but I was also like, oh my gosh, I've never
done anything like this before.
Speaker 5 (21:45):
But I think once we got the story and.
Speaker 4 (21:51):
I feel like I really embodied Cat's confidence and like
she can drive a race car, I can definitely draw
a children's books, you.
Speaker 5 (22:02):
Know what I mean. And so I think there was
like a lot of things in it that correlated or
like lined up perfectly.
Speaker 1 (22:10):
And you know my dad and you know my dog,
and so when you were drawing all the things, like
it was really easy for you to see it in
your mind's eye because you've seen it.
Speaker 4 (22:19):
That because I've seen it. I think the only thing
that you know was seeing pictures of you as as
a little dog, just like hing your race car with
your glasses on. Like, those were certain things that I
definitely wanted to make sure and that we had talked
about like keeping those things in there because that's just such.
Speaker 5 (22:38):
A big part of your story and who you are
and all that stuff. But I also think like.
Speaker 4 (22:44):
Knowing you, I mean we've been on holiday and like Christmases,
and you're so funny and so silly, and like I
wanted to bring those bits in as well. You know,
I didn't know you as a little kid, but just
like imagining you as like a baby Catherine.
Speaker 5 (23:00):
Yeah, So it was really fun and.
Speaker 1 (23:03):
He had to do all the research through my dad
and like look at old pictures and videos to try
and get the essence of who I was and what
I was, whereas you had like real life experience.
Speaker 2 (23:14):
I suppose.
Speaker 3 (23:15):
Yeah, those pictures were great though, but that was one
of my favorite parts and I think it really helped
a lot.
Speaker 1 (23:22):
Yeah, I should probably put some out there on the
world Wide Web at some stage. I think it were
for me with my big glasses that were twice the size.
Speaker 2 (23:30):
Of my life.
Speaker 3 (23:30):
That was so adorable.
Speaker 1 (23:34):
So having said all that, we did incorporate real I
mean it's real life.
Speaker 2 (23:39):
It literally is.
Speaker 1 (23:41):
My first foray into motivacing age nine. We changed a
few nuances, like we involved Kara in the book, and
she's in there as also my age kind of thing,
so we kind of changed a little a few little
things to make it fit. And my dog, who is
my dog as an adult, wasn't around when.
Speaker 2 (23:58):
I was a kid. She's But then I have brown Bear,
who was my teddy Bear when I was a kid.
He's in it.
Speaker 1 (24:04):
And there's so many like real life things that have
just been changed to tea tiny bit to make it
work for the book.
Speaker 2 (24:11):
I think it's really good. I think it's really special.
Speaker 1 (24:25):
Do you think that like fear and self doubt and
perseverance and kind of the themes of the book, do
you think that that resonates with today's kids because they
have so many more things that they're dealing with today,
Like social media is a thing now, and there's so
many forms of bullying, and there's all sorts of things
that go on today that's way worse than it was
(24:46):
when we were kids.
Speaker 3 (24:48):
Yeah, one hundred percent. There's a lot Their lives are
a lot more complicated, right, that's a good web. But
my kids are rather shy. I was rather shy growing up.
Having the confidence follow your dream with the passion that
you did, it's really inspiring, and I think it's really
helpful for other kids to see other kids succeed. I
(25:10):
think that's why we really wanted to focus this story
on your early you know, it takes place age nine,
and it's great for other kids to see kids around
the same age being successful.
Speaker 1 (25:24):
I'm doing whatever they want to do. Like, I really
think that if you put your mind to something, you
can be whatever it is that you want to be,
regardless of social stereotypes and what's scene as.
Speaker 2 (25:36):
Normal or what have you.
Speaker 3 (25:38):
You know, Yeah, yeah, and belonging is a big piece
of what drives children and even adults. Your sense of
belongings is so important. So it's nice to have a
story where you know someone who's a bit of an outsider,
a mail Dominute Spoor trying to break in and be
a part of.
Speaker 1 (25:58):
It and to see And I actually still feel like that,
to be honest a little bit, because I was thinking
about this the other day. It's still very relevant to
my life today because I'm trying NASCAR now and I'll
sit in a driver's meeting or I'll be at the track,
and while I'll know a couple of people, for the
most part, I still feel very much like an outsider.
(26:19):
And so I still think I'm still little Katherine trying
to do all these things. I still read it and
tear up a little bit because I still very much
feel like Cat in the book. And actually we went
backward to some fullards on the name Cat, Katherine, ka Katie.
Speaker 2 (26:38):
What were we going to call it?
Speaker 1 (26:39):
But I think since I felt accepted in the racing world,
my nickname very quickly became Cat. And so it's just
with a small group of people. But I wanted to
differentiate between Cat and Katherine and have it be something
short that.
Speaker 2 (26:56):
Kids could spell and relate to. So it's me. It's
just like the cool version of me.
Speaker 1 (27:04):
So Ash, You've got a background and an education I supposed,
for want of a better term, in therapy and using
art informs of therapy. Do you think that this was
in some way a form of art therapy?
Speaker 5 (27:20):
Oh, my gosh, yeah.
Speaker 4 (27:21):
I think specifically having worked at the Children's Hospital in
Los Angeles and doing art therapy with the kids there,
I think there's a lot of things that they have
to overcome, things that they are challenged with, and I
definitely felt like I took the knowledge and the experience
that I've gained from working there.
Speaker 5 (27:42):
And was able to transfer it into the book.
Speaker 4 (27:45):
Just the relatability of kids and how being different or
or not different, but just you know what I mean.
Speaker 1 (27:54):
Like, yeah, different, I mean it's okay to say different
because I was different.
Speaker 2 (27:58):
You were different. Yeah, you were super dedicated to gymnastics
at a very early age. For a very long time.
Speaker 1 (28:05):
You had that laser focus on something that you were
and I think that's really important. I think in a way,
we're very fortunate, all three of us. We have things
that we're super passionate about.
Speaker 5 (28:16):
You know a lot of people they are.
Speaker 2 (28:20):
I don't know. I don't know what I want to
do when I grow up. I don't have any hobbies.
Speaker 1 (28:23):
I don't know, you know, like not to have something
that drives you and it could be anything. It could
be your kids, right like now you have Billy about
that with Andy red Racer. Books is like a passion
for him, and I love that passion. The amount of
work and hours and dedication and everything Andy spent to
this is incredibly gused. I'm so proud of him, and
(28:46):
I'm so pleased that I found you to do this
with because I think you made life much easier, obviously
having done it before, but also being on top of everything,
Like I think I need you in every aspect of
my life, honestly, but it's been an absolute pleasure.
Speaker 2 (29:01):
I couldn't have wanted to do this with two better people, honestly.
Speaker 1 (29:06):
That's also what makes it so super special is that
I feel like we all got each other.
Speaker 5 (29:11):
I agree.
Speaker 4 (29:11):
I feel like the collaboration piece was so easy, just
being able to bounce ideas off of each other and
work together on what elements we wanted in there and
things like that.
Speaker 5 (29:23):
It definitely, Yeah, it was very easy to do with
the two of you.
Speaker 3 (29:28):
Yeah, and it was a lot of fun too.
Speaker 5 (29:30):
I really enjoyed it.
Speaker 1 (29:32):
I hope it's the first of many. I hope that
people love it and we can go through the series
of all the things that cap then. Did I think
that would be super fun? Honestly? Well?
Speaker 2 (29:43):
See, I hope. I mean it's like your kids.
Speaker 1 (29:46):
This is how I see the book, right, It's like
my child, because you always think that your child is
the best. You always loved them no matter what, And
so I think this book is the best. And I
have no idea whether other people would take to it
or not. Will it behave well in public? Let's be honest.
Speaker 2 (30:05):
Through this cross we'll know soon, we will know.
Speaker 1 (30:08):
By the way, for those of you listening, you can
buy it on Amazon. You can also get it on
red racerbooks dot Com, along with Andy's other books. I
don't want to give away too much about what's real
and what parts were inspired.
Speaker 2 (30:22):
But I would like to say that it's like ninety
percent real. What do you think, Andy?
Speaker 1 (30:28):
I mean, having known the story and like because we
went back and forwards a good number of times on
how we should put things, and like what should be
included and what shouldn't be included.
Speaker 2 (30:37):
What percentage of reality would you give it.
Speaker 3 (30:40):
I'd say it it's rather high. Yeah, it's say eighty
to ninety percent. It's very much inspired by all that
I heard from you and from your dad, and we
pulled a lot of stories from the fact that when
you were little used to love to get behind the
wheel of anything, including the tractor, to you know, the
fact that you were very shy growing up, and your
(31:02):
dad would tell me about how you're mortified to go
ask for a sprocket.
Speaker 1 (31:07):
I was. I remember my dad would say, okay, go
and get a chain or this sprocket, and I would
be too shy to go and get it. I didn't
want to speak to anybody or anything.
Speaker 3 (31:16):
Yeah, So we incorporated a lot of those stories in there,
and even the racing part. So it's definitely there's magic
do it as well in the Magic Helmet, but it's
really pretty close.
Speaker 2 (31:32):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (31:33):
I think for me, the helmet's like a metaphor for
believing in yourself and being brave, and it ties in
that I always used to think that there were magic
objects in the world, and so what better thing to
have than a magic helmet. I'm getting Ashley to design
(31:54):
the helmet the way you're going to debut in Charlotte
for the last Finity racer. I can't tell you what
it's going to look like. Yeah, but I think it's
going to be really cool.
Speaker 5 (32:04):
What do you think, ash Yeah, I'm very excited. I
think it's good. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (32:10):
Magic, it's going to be magic. It's also going to
be an ode or a what's the word I'm looking for,
like a tip of the hat. What's the word?
Speaker 3 (32:24):
A homage maybe, Yeah, homage.
Speaker 1 (32:26):
To another female racer, because obviously this does have female
racer vibes and it is important to you know, if
you see it, you can believe it. And hopefully it
will get lots of nine year old Catherines to be
interested in racing and thinking that maybe they could be
a race car driver or involved in racing in some way,
(32:49):
shape or form, and if not, if they want to
be an astronaut, you go be the best astronaut you
could be.
Speaker 3 (32:54):
Yeah, I'm really excited about that. I think getting the
helmet right took us the longest, probably one of the
things that I worked on because it needed to be magical,
and it took a while, but I think we got
it and it's going to be amazing to see it
in real life, and I think that'll be really special
for kids to see I did do.
Speaker 1 (33:15):
So we're going to have the book at like Indianapolis
for sale and the for sale in the shop. But
I think it transcends that. I think it like, it's
not just about racing, it's about real life. So I
hope that it kind of leaves the small racing arena
and kind of gets a broader reach.
Speaker 5 (33:35):
I think so.
Speaker 3 (33:35):
I think the story is beyond racing, and you don't
have to know anything about racing to enjoy the story.
It's the story about a girl who wanted to do something.
She was nervous and shy and had doubt, and she
was handed a magic helmet from her father that allowed
her to have the confidence to do whatever she wanted
(33:56):
to do. That can transcend any sport.
Speaker 1 (34:00):
Yeah, well, you guys, I'm gonna say thank you very
much for both coming on and joining me on this
journey along this road. Whatever pun I can come up
with this time, I'm very proud to do it with you,
and I hope it does well because I think that
would you guys deserve it more than more than me.
Both put a lot of work into it, and I
(34:22):
think it's special, and I hope everybody else does too.
I'm gonna before I let you go, I'm just going
to read the plot overview for your listeners at home,
so that you know the general plot that we have
been alluding to the whole episode. So Kat was born
with the heart of eraser, always on the move, but
(34:43):
in big groups or around new people, she felt shy.
That all changed behind the wheel, though, when her dad
surprised her with her own gokar and a shiny new helmet,
Kat discovered something magical. Confidence With her magic helmet, she
wasn't shu anymore. She was bold, she was brave, and
she was fast. The book follows her journey through setbacks,
(35:07):
self doubt, and a crash that breaks the helmet, until
she learns the real magic was actually in herself all along.
And I will I just want to say one last thing.
We went backward, wasn't forwards and toyed with the idea
of the crash. Actually actually got emotional drawing the crash
because she's seen me crash in real life.
Speaker 5 (35:27):
Oh my gosh. Yeah right, and so we were to America.
Speaker 1 (35:32):
Yeah, I'm actually your younger sister drew me a picture
that I still have today when I crashed, and she
was very emotional about it, but like, I didn't know
whether we should put that in there for the kids' book,
and I was so Addie and I were going back
and forth like should we shouldn't we?
Speaker 2 (35:47):
Should we shouldn't we?
Speaker 1 (35:48):
And actually did this one the first drawing that she
did of this gok, say down and all these stars
flying around.
Speaker 3 (35:54):
And they're like, we can't do that to it was
like fire, Yeah, well that's.
Speaker 4 (36:01):
Just like the picture I have in my mind if
that cross that you had in road America was so scary.
Speaker 5 (36:07):
But yeah, you were like, maybe we could just turn
this down.
Speaker 2 (36:10):
About these kids are having nightmare? Did not want that.
It's not in the book. Guys, It's fine, it's just
a zoom. We should do that. We should do an
outtake through.
Speaker 1 (36:26):
Anyway, Do either of you have anything that you would
like our listeners to know that you want to add
I just want.
Speaker 3 (36:32):
To say thank you because this has been an incredible
experience and you're a very inspirational person for lots of
kids out there. So I wish you lock this season
and go check out the book.
Speaker 4 (36:46):
Thanks Andy, I think I would like to say and
just hope that any little girl out there, or any
little boy out there that has looked up to Catherine
the way that I have over these years, just I
really hope that this book can get your story out there,
(37:08):
Cat and just really inspire kids to do what they
want and to not be afraid and to go at
it with full bravery and everything.
Speaker 5 (37:18):
Because having that sense of a role model in my
life was it was life changing. So I can't thank
you enough for just you being you.
Speaker 2 (37:29):
I want to cry.
Speaker 4 (37:30):
Because yeah, I think you have had a major impact
on my life, and I know you did on my
sister's life too with Arden, and we love you so
much and we're so excited for this new chapter for you.
Speaker 1 (37:45):
So you look at you, SEP love me so much.
Thank you as you're a little rock star. And I
love you guys at home as well. And I hope
that you all love the book because it's it's special.
Thanks for listening to Throttle Therapy. We'll be back next
(38:07):
week with more updates and more overtakes.
Speaker 2 (38:09):
We want to hear from you.
Speaker 1 (38:11):
Leave us a review in Apple Podcasts, and tell us
what you want to talk about. It might just be
the topic for our next show. Throttle Therapy is hosted
by Katherine Legg. Our executive producer is Jesse Katz, and
our supervising producer is Grace Fus. Listen to Throttle Therapy
on America's number one podcast network, iHeart. Open your free
(38:32):
iHeart app and search throttle Therapy with Katherinelegg and start listening.
Throttle Therapy with Catherine Legg is an iHeart women's sports
production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. You
can find us on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or
wherever you get your podcasts. Hey you guys, and welcome
(00:21):
to this week's episode of Throttle Therapy with Me Catherine Legg.
And it's been another event for a week I feel
like starting this podcast, this year has been You've been
with me on the journey of the craziest year of
my life so far. I'm going to tell you all
about Talladega, which I went to and raced out for
(00:43):
the first time this past weekend. And everybody here it's
even if you're not into racing, you hear about Talladegan.
It was like Daga Baby and Talladega Nights. Everybody knows
that movie, and so I went with a lot of
preconceived idea. I also went to Charlotte before I went there,
and I did sim and I hung out with the
(01:05):
team and we watched old Talladega races, and so I
did a bunch of prep work. Driving back was and
forwards to Charlotte from Atlanta. Again, I cannot tell you
how much fun I had. It was the most awesome experience.
I think it's the most fun I've had in a
race car, Like literally ever the car was amazing. So
(01:25):
Jordan Andison Racing bomb rato Arder Sport gave me a
fast hot rod like it sucked They call it sucked
up where you can like get behind a car and
have it draft all the way to their bumper. It
sucked up really well. It handled really well in traffic.
Every stop that we did they made it better. It
was literally the coolest experience. Like we went through the
(01:49):
weekend having a plan. The beginning of qualifying was kind
of stressful because the owner points situation. If you're not
in the top thirty two, then you get in on
owner points, not on qualifying speed. We had that problem
in Rockingham. So the first sort of ten to fifteen
people to go, you're looking at it going, okay, do
(02:10):
they have more owner points than we do?
Speaker 2 (02:12):
What speed did they do?
Speaker 1 (02:14):
So we get through qualifying and we know we're set
in the field and we qualified I think twenty seventh,
so we're like two thirds of the way down the
field and I made a couple of small mistakes I
would necessarily call them mistakes. So just I'd never driven
around Talladega before and we didn't have any practice. So
we go out and I'm a little bit high off
(02:36):
the line in one because I wait for the front
end to land in the banking and get gripped before
I turn instead of anticipating it. Never done it before,
only on the simulator. So maybe gave away a tenth there.
Maybe it mounted to a couple of tenths by the
end of the straightway into Tent three. Who knows, but
I feel like I got through the gears fine. We
(02:58):
did a decent, solid qualifying that. Proud of the team.
It was awesome. We go to race and like proper
sweaty palm moments because I did Daytona in an ARCCA
at the beginning of the year, and when I said
did Daytona, I made it four laps before being involved
in somebody else's crash and getting wiped out. So I
(03:20):
really had zero superspeedway racing experience. So in these races,
we have three stages, three specific stages where they throw
a yellow after each stage and you go through a
pit cycle. So we split the race in our heads
into these three different stages. In the first stage. They
told me to just go out and alone, stay in
(03:41):
the draft as much as possible. Normally, you need a
car behind you to also be what they call your
help pushing you. And it's not necessarily that they are
physically pushing you, but if you have a car behind you,
it pushes the air that pushes you. Sometimes they do
actually physically push you. So so we go out and
(04:02):
I don't know whether I annoyed some of the other
cars on track or people thought that I was crazy,
or I got some feedback after the race, like why
were you moving around so much in the first stage. Well,
it's because I was learning, because I've never done anything
like this before. So I was like trying to the
high line, then I would try the low line, and
then I would try and get a run on somebody
and make the pass.
Speaker 2 (04:22):
I was trying to side draft.
Speaker 1 (04:23):
I was trying to learn all these things in the beginning,
which I think I did a pretty good job of.
Although side drafting is definitely an art form and it's
definitely a different side of racing that I am just
kind of getting to grips with because we don't really
do that too much. We do a little bit, but
not too much in other forms of racing. Definitely not
an IndyCar. I don't think I've ever side drafted an
(04:44):
indigar before.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
But I digress.
Speaker 1 (04:48):
So the first stage was just kind of driving around,
learning seeing how I sucked up to the car in front,
seeing how easy it was to stay in the draft,
whether I use brake pressure or whether I lifted a
little bit or come nation of both, Like how easy
was it to stay on the white line? And the
car was pretty pushy, so on entry and on exit
I had a little bit of understand a little bit
(05:09):
of wash on the front. We come in for the
first pit stop, and we do it second time by
and we make a change and the car was immediately better,
and I was feeling pretty good. My call suit wasn't working,
so my blood was boiling, but I wasn't too hot.
It wasn't too hot there, so it wasn't too bad,
and I thought, oh, well, I'll be goin get amount
(05:30):
of weight loss. I don't know, you got to look
at the positives, right. So that was the end of
the first stage. Pretty happy with it. Second stage felt
a little bit more racy, was getting more involved, was
getting closer to the cars in front again, still told
to stay out of trouble in the rear to anticipate
any trouble upfront in case there was any crashes and
yellows and.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
That kind of thing.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
And I was probably, I don't know, I want to say,
hovering in the early twenties, somewhere between twenty and twenty
five or twenty and thirty, and you know, still very
much learning. I got tagged in the rear and I
got loose, and it was a really good save a catch,
but I went down to the apron and I lost
the draft. So I stayed out of trouble, but I
(06:12):
lost the draft. And so for the end of that stage,
we were kind of driving around by ourselves. We did
another pit stop. Come to find out that we went
long on both pit stops, and that's because I'm used
to hitting the signboard with the front of my car,
and they moved the sign out the way and I
was like trying to guess them where I should stop,
and I didn't really know where the box was. So
it was a really good experience in yeah, okay for me,
(06:34):
I need to hit the sign to keep the sign there.
So all these little things we were learning about. We
did some air pressure adjustments made the car even better,
and I was really really happy, feeling really confident, feeling
like I was getting into the groove, really focused on.
My spotter was awesome, Thank you Trey. My crew were great,
like honestly, they gave me such a fast car. I
was having the time of my life, so grateful to
(06:56):
be there. And I was thinking, you know, I'm making
Elf proud after all the rubbish that's gone on in
the media about you know, all the online bullying that
I got, and.
Speaker 2 (07:07):
I was thinking, this is it, this is We're going
to change people's opinions. This is where we go.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
And I was making moves and after that second stage
was over, I'm like, okay, I'm going to the front.
So we were again still learning. First time i'd ever
gone three wide four wide. I went high a few times,
a bit too much, and I was feeling, you know,
like oops by a foot or two. But then I
saw other people do that too, and I'm like, Okay,
(07:31):
this is what you've got to do. This how you
have to hold it down.
Speaker 2 (07:33):
This is just learning.
Speaker 1 (07:35):
And I think we were in the top fifteen with
thirteen laps to go. And I honestly thought we were
going to finish in the top ten or top twelve.
My car was awesome, you guys like it. I was
around my teammates who finished second and seventh at the time,
and I really thought we were going to the front,
and then unfortunately we got sidewiped and wiped out of
(07:57):
the race with thirteen to guy was pretty big hit.
Felt really bad for the team. I was gutted that
my race was over because I was having so much fun,
and honestly, it felt like I had only been out
there for ten minutes. Yeah, his spotter had cleared him
high and there was a gap, and then there wasn't
a gap. So it ended the race for like three
or four of us, I think, which was really unfortunate.
(08:17):
But I so hyped up about this super speedway racing
and Talladegger especially was so fun. Like I can't tell
you how much fun I had in the car. It
was awesome, and I think I left feeling pretty proud
of the job that we did. I was very proud
of the team. I was gutted that they have another
crashed race car. Obviously we cannot catch a break, but
(08:40):
I think that you know, at the beginning. I also
didn't have any friends, Like I would go for a
run and nobody would go with me.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
And I heard from other.
Speaker 1 (08:49):
People the spotters will like stay away from the thirty
two car because they didn't know what I was going
to do. But I guess that's the same with anybody
that's new. I don't know, but it was a lot
of fun and I literally want to go back and
do it again. I was looking at the calendar and
I'm like, I wonder if I could get a sponsor
or find the money to do Talladega again in the fall,
because I loved it so much. And I hope that
(09:10):
that momentum no pun intended, and that positive energy keeps
on keeps on rolling into Texas this week because we're
again going into another big race for me. It's we're
going to be sponsored by des Nuda Tequila, and I
actually don't think that we've announced that. Yep, so it
does Nuda Tequila, And for those of you who know me,
(09:31):
you know that I love tequila and I'm excited to
go to yet another track that I haven't been to
before and tackle another different, different oval and hope that
it makes me better and hope for a good result
for the team, because I honestly thought they'd won the
race with jab at the end there, and I was
thinking that that was redemption for us getting wiped out,
(09:52):
But unfortunately it wasn't the case, and it wasn't to be.
But one of these days we'll get them and will
reprove everybody else that weekend it I've got something very
(10:13):
exciting to share with you all, and that exciting news
is the fact that I did my.
Speaker 2 (10:18):
First ever children's book.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
And I say I very likely because it's very much
a wee and I will introduce you to the team
here shortly, but I just wanted to tell you all.
Speaker 2 (10:30):
What I've been up to. It's called Cat's Magic Helmet.
It's for ages three to eight.
Speaker 1 (10:36):
It's an empowering story for boys and girls, and it's
basically it's about my racing start in life, if you like,
and it's about what made Katherine Katherine, and so Cat's
Magic Helmet. It's designed to be read aloud, so you
could read it to your kids at bedtime. It's forty pages,
but it's literally like eight minutes if you time it
(10:59):
like and yeah, for those like my kating debut and
all the things that I went through. And I was
always very into magic as a kid, like witches, and
I thought that there were magic objects. And so it
kind of ties my childhood to present day and all
the aspects of my life together, and so I'm really
(11:20):
really excited to share it with you. You can get
it on Amazon and it's available now, so you should
absolutely go and check it out.
Speaker 2 (11:27):
And without further ado, I want.
Speaker 1 (11:29):
To introduce you to two very important people in my
life at the moment, and that's Andy and Ashley. Andy
was the brains behind it basically. So what happened was
I went to Nashville for the IndyCar Race last year
that I was racing, and my very good friend Kara,
who is also in the book, by the way, introduced
(11:50):
me to Andy. Andy has a number of books out
that he will tell you about, but the one that
kind of piqued my interest was the one that he
did with Joseph Newgarten. So we got talking about what
a Catherine book could look like and I was very
excited by this. I was heavily influenced by kids books
when I was a kid, just like you are by movies.
(12:11):
I think so it was something that was very important
to me, even though I don't have any of my own.
So we got talking and we came up with this
idea and we formulated it. And then Ashley is one
of my best friends in the whole world.
Speaker 2 (12:23):
Mariamma it's her daughter.
Speaker 1 (12:25):
And so Ashley, since she was a kid and I'm
aging myself right now, has been a big part of
my life and is a fantastic artist and now book illustrator.
So this is even dearer to my heart because I
get to involve my close friends in it as well.
Speaker 2 (12:41):
So having said all.
Speaker 1 (12:42):
That, I'm going to introduce you to Andy, and then
I will come to Ashley and we'll tie everything in together.
So Andy, you own read Racer Books is what the
company is called, right ye. So I'm going to let
you tell our li says a little bit about yourself,
why you decided to go down this road no pun intended,
(13:07):
and what makes you and read race the books.
Speaker 3 (13:09):
You Okay, thank you well, thanks for having me on
and I'm so excited to be here with you, Catherine
and Ashley to talk about our book. So I started
read Racer Books a few years ago. I'm actually forty
three years old. I have two kids, and I discovered
motorsports rather late in my life, about twenty twenty one.
Me and my wife Binge Trive to Survive, and shortly
(13:33):
after that, I started following Formula one racing hardcore, and
I went down the rabbit hole and what I typically do,
and I fall in love with something or I'm passionate
about something, I like to share that with my own children.
So the first thing I did was search F one
books for kids, and I didn't find a lot out there,
especially not a lot about the science and technology involved
(13:54):
in that type of race, which really was interesting to me.
After attending my first race, was inspired and decided to just.
Speaker 4 (14:02):
Write my own.
Speaker 3 (14:03):
So I started read racer books with an ABC's of
Racing book about Formula one racing, and I launched it
on a Kickstarter and it was an incredible experience, very fulfilling,
very challenging. I won't lie, but yeah, I hit a
chord with a lot of folks, and that's what started
me on this path. I wanted to create a whole
series of books. I fell in love with the publishing business.
(14:27):
I fell in love with creating books and it kind
of went from there. My passion for racing took me
to IndyCar, which is what connected me to the IndyCar.
Speaker 2 (14:37):
Books that I created.
Speaker 3 (14:38):
Started with the ABC's of IndyCar, and then I jumped
to a book with Joseph Newgarden. I was lucky to
get connected with him and we worked on a book together,
which was very exciting and I'm very grateful. And when
we were doing some marketing for that book is when
I met Kara and she connected me to you.
Speaker 2 (14:56):
Okay, I wanted how you all met.
Speaker 1 (14:58):
I mean, Car knows everybody anyway. Actually, we have to
get Car on the show at some point, I promise
you guys, we will. She is the head of Bridge
Time Fast and on the engineering side for racing in
Look America. So she's a very interesting person in.
Speaker 2 (15:10):
Her own right. So why did you decide that you
wanted to do this.
Speaker 5 (15:15):
Book with me?
Speaker 3 (15:17):
Honestly, I've been hoping to create a book with a
female driver or about a female character since day one.
When I started writing racer books. One of the things
I wanted to make sure that the books were inclusive
and diverse, not only racial diversity, but also gender diversity.
And I have a daughter of my own and I
want her to have the same opportunities in life as
(15:40):
my son would. So I always had my goal to
create a book with a female driver about a female
character in some way or another, and my own books,
the ABC books that I have, have a female character,
but not a female driver. So I was just waiting
for you basically.
Speaker 1 (16:00):
So as a dad to a daughter, do you see
any disparity within that with the male books to female
books or is it relatively equal.
Speaker 3 (16:10):
When I started creating books, I did a lot of research,
and what I found is that overwhelmingly all the characters,
not all, but the majority of characters are male. Even
when you think of books that are animals that are
talking most of the time, that character ends up being
a male character, even if it's a bear or a
dog or whatever. You know, like in many things including motorsports,
(16:33):
it's still dominated by male characters. There is a lot
more and more, there's a huge amount of diverse books
out there. There's some amazing books out there, but you know, overall,
there's some disparity there, and that's something I want to
rectify with my books.
Speaker 1 (16:49):
It's amazing and actually as part of this process, very
early on when we started, I put you in touch
with my dad, say you could get an idea of
what it looked like, what my childhood look like from hiserspective.
Did you find there was some parallels? Was that interesting?
Did it change? Did it shape the way that you
went about this book with me?
Speaker 5 (17:09):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (17:09):
I would say one hundred percent. I mean, first, I
have to say I'm envious of your dad because I've
never seen like the way you talk about your dad.
Speaker 2 (17:19):
It's so touching.
Speaker 3 (17:21):
I want my daughter to talk about me like that
one day, because you always say.
Speaker 2 (17:26):
The best things about him.
Speaker 3 (17:27):
And when I got to meet him, I can see why.
He's an amazing guy and he was there for you
and he really helped you achieve your dream and he
gave up a lot to do that too, just like
you did. So that was really important. And yeah, there's
some of the stories that he talked about that made
their way into the book. And the relationship is really
(17:48):
important that you guys have.
Speaker 1 (17:50):
Speaking of parent and child, I can't even cool Ashley
a child. She's like a grown ass woman. But speaking
of parent relationship, that's how I met you, ash And
your dad is also an amazing human. He worked in racing,
which is why you were brought into my life. I
can't tell you how incredibly special it is to me
(18:11):
to be able to do this with you.
Speaker 2 (18:12):
And I know at the.
Speaker 1 (18:13):
Beginning, Andy and I were going back and forth and
who are we going to get to illustrate the book
and who are we going to use to do what?
Speaker 2 (18:20):
And I was pretty adamant that I wanted.
Speaker 1 (18:22):
You to do it because A you're an amazing artist,
just like your mum, and you just had your own daughter,
and so I think it's something that's really close to
your heart. But welcome to you as well, Ashley, and
thank you so much for being such a big part
of this.
Speaker 5 (18:40):
Oh my gosh, hello everyone, thank you, thank you. So.
Speaker 4 (18:44):
I mean, I remember when you texted me and you
were like, hey, I need to talk to you, and
I was like, oh my gosh, what's going on? And
then you're like, oh, I'm doing a children's book and
I want you to illustrate it. And I was like,
are you joking? Like this is crazy? Of course I
would love to do this.
Speaker 1 (19:03):
It was kind of serendipitous as well with its timing,
wasn't it.
Speaker 4 (19:06):
Yeah, it goes both ways in that it's been such
a privilege and like such a full circle to be
a part of this amazing project because you were such
a role model for me growing up. Like I was
talking to my mum actually about this this week in
that she was like, do you remember when so you
(19:28):
had a documentary come out. I don't know if you
do yet, Yeah, like story, yes, And I at the
time was doing competitive gymnastics and I had I gotten
for like my birthday, Christmas or something, the iPod video
and I'd put the trailer on my iPod video and
(19:50):
would watch it before every gymnastics competition to get me
up and get me like focused and ready and like
feeling like I could do anything.
Speaker 5 (20:00):
I would literally watch it on.
Speaker 4 (20:02):
Respond with.
Speaker 2 (20:06):
How did you never tell me this before?
Speaker 4 (20:10):
You know? You just kind of go back and think
about like the relationship that we've had over the years,
almost been twenty years now.
Speaker 5 (20:17):
I think I met you in two thousand and six.
Speaker 4 (20:20):
I was thirteen, and I've never seen a female race
car drive. I mean I grew up around the track
because my dad's job, and you know, it was a
very male dominated industry.
Speaker 5 (20:32):
And then seeing you behind the way.
Speaker 4 (20:35):
I don't think I believed it. When Mum told me like, oh,
Catherine's a race car driver.
Speaker 5 (20:39):
I was like, really, are you serious? This is so cool.
So it was just such an.
Speaker 4 (20:44):
Amazing, full circle moment to be able to be a
part of this project because I've looked up to you
for years.
Speaker 2 (20:51):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (20:53):
How did you take to drawing for a bit, because
I mean, you guys can't see it, but honestly, Ashley
is so incredibly like anything really that needs anything creative involved,
where I'm totally rubbish like Ashley and your sister Arden.
You've designed my helmets for me. Literally every design on
(21:13):
my helmet has been because of one of you girls.
So did you struggle to adapt to doing illustrations for
a book or did you just dive right in and
it was smooth sailing and it was easy. I know
Andy's an amazing leader and he's organized.
Speaker 2 (21:28):
I love it. It's as amazing. Yeah, so he probably
made it as seamless as possible for you.
Speaker 4 (21:33):
I think at first, when you first came to me
about it, I was like, of course, I was so excited,
but I was also like, oh my gosh, I've never
done anything like this before.
Speaker 5 (21:45):
But I think once we got the story and.
Speaker 4 (21:51):
I feel like I really embodied Cat's confidence and like
she can drive a race car, I can definitely draw
a children's books, you.
Speaker 5 (22:02):
Know what I mean. And so I think there was
like a lot of things in it that correlated or
like lined up perfectly.
Speaker 1 (22:10):
And you know my dad and you know my dog,
and so when you were drawing all the things, like
it was really easy for you to see it in
your mind's eye because you've seen it.
Speaker 4 (22:19):
That because I've seen it. I think the only thing
that you know was seeing pictures of you as as
a little dog, just like hing your race car with
your glasses on. Like, those were certain things that I
definitely wanted to make sure and that we had talked
about like keeping those things in there because that's just such.
Speaker 5 (22:38):
A big part of your story and who you are
and all that stuff. But I also think like.
Speaker 4 (22:44):
Knowing you, I mean we've been on holiday and like Christmases,
and you're so funny and so silly, and like I
wanted to bring those bits in as well. You know,
I didn't know you as a little kid, but just
like imagining you as like a baby Catherine.
Speaker 5 (23:00):
Yeah, So it was really fun and.
Speaker 1 (23:03):
He had to do all the research through my dad
and like look at old pictures and videos to try
and get the essence of who I was and what
I was, whereas you had like real life experience.
Speaker 2 (23:14):
I suppose.
Speaker 3 (23:15):
Yeah, those pictures were great though, but that was one
of my favorite parts and I think it really helped
a lot.
Speaker 1 (23:22):
Yeah, I should probably put some out there on the
world Wide Web at some stage. I think it were
for me with my big glasses that were twice the size.
Speaker 2 (23:30):
Of my life.
Speaker 3 (23:30):
That was so adorable.
Speaker 1 (23:34):
So having said all that, we did incorporate real I
mean it's real life.
Speaker 2 (23:39):
It literally is.
Speaker 1 (23:41):
My first foray into motivacing age nine. We changed a
few nuances, like we involved Kara in the book, and
she's in there as also my age kind of thing,
so we kind of changed a little a few little
things to make it fit. And my dog, who is
my dog as an adult, wasn't around when.
Speaker 2 (23:58):
I was a kid. She's But then I have brown Bear,
who was my teddy Bear when I was a kid.
He's in it.
Speaker 1 (24:04):
And there's so many like real life things that have
just been changed to tea tiny bit to make it
work for the book.
Speaker 2 (24:11):
I think it's really good. I think it's really special.
Speaker 1 (24:25):
Do you think that like fear and self doubt and
perseverance and kind of the themes of the book, do
you think that that resonates with today's kids because they
have so many more things that they're dealing with today,
Like social media is a thing now, and there's so
many forms of bullying, and there's all sorts of things
that go on today that's way worse than it was
(24:46):
when we were kids.
Speaker 3 (24:48):
Yeah, one hundred percent. There's a lot Their lives are
a lot more complicated, right, that's a good web. But
my kids are rather shy. I was rather shy growing up.
Having the confidence follow your dream with the passion that
you did, it's really inspiring, and I think it's really
helpful for other kids to see other kids succeed. I
(25:10):
think that's why we really wanted to focus this story
on your early you know, it takes place age nine,
and it's great for other kids to see kids around
the same age being successful.
Speaker 1 (25:24):
I'm doing whatever they want to do. Like, I really
think that if you put your mind to something, you
can be whatever it is that you want to be,
regardless of social stereotypes and what's scene as.
Speaker 2 (25:36):
Normal or what have you.
Speaker 3 (25:38):
You know, Yeah, yeah, and belonging is a big piece
of what drives children and even adults. Your sense of
belongings is so important. So it's nice to have a
story where you know someone who's a bit of an outsider,
a mail Dominute Spoor trying to break in and be
a part of.
Speaker 1 (25:58):
It and to see And I actually still feel like that,
to be honest a little bit, because I was thinking
about this the other day. It's still very relevant to
my life today because I'm trying NASCAR now and I'll
sit in a driver's meeting or I'll be at the track,
and while I'll know a couple of people, for the
most part, I still feel very much like an outsider.
(26:19):
And so I still think I'm still little Katherine trying
to do all these things. I still read it and
tear up a little bit because I still very much
feel like Cat in the book. And actually we went
backward to some fullards on the name Cat, Katherine, ka Katie.
Speaker 2 (26:38):
What were we going to call it?
Speaker 1 (26:39):
But I think since I felt accepted in the racing world,
my nickname very quickly became Cat. And so it's just
with a small group of people. But I wanted to
differentiate between Cat and Katherine and have it be something
short that.
Speaker 2 (26:56):
Kids could spell and relate to. So it's me. It's
just like the cool version of me.
Speaker 1 (27:04):
So Ash, You've got a background and an education I supposed,
for want of a better term, in therapy and using
art informs of therapy. Do you think that this was
in some way a form of art therapy?
Speaker 5 (27:20):
Oh, my gosh, yeah.
Speaker 4 (27:21):
I think specifically having worked at the Children's Hospital in
Los Angeles and doing art therapy with the kids there,
I think there's a lot of things that they have
to overcome, things that they are challenged with, and I
definitely felt like I took the knowledge and the experience
that I've gained from working there.
Speaker 5 (27:42):
And was able to transfer it into the book.
Speaker 4 (27:45):
Just the relatability of kids and how being different or
or not different, but just you know what I mean.
Speaker 1 (27:54):
Like, yeah, different, I mean it's okay to say different
because I was different.
Speaker 2 (27:58):
You were different. Yeah, you were super dedicated to gymnastics
at a very early age. For a very long time.
Speaker 1 (28:05):
You had that laser focus on something that you were
and I think that's really important. I think in a way,
we're very fortunate, all three of us. We have things
that we're super passionate about.
Speaker 5 (28:16):
You know a lot of people they are.
Speaker 2 (28:20):
I don't know. I don't know what I want to
do when I grow up. I don't have any hobbies.
Speaker 1 (28:23):
I don't know, you know, like not to have something
that drives you and it could be anything. It could
be your kids, right like now you have Billy about
that with Andy red Racer. Books is like a passion
for him, and I love that passion. The amount of
work and hours and dedication and everything Andy spent to
this is incredibly gused. I'm so proud of him, and
(28:46):
I'm so pleased that I found you to do this
with because I think you made life much easier, obviously
having done it before, but also being on top of everything,
Like I think I need you in every aspect of
my life, honestly, but it's been an absolute pleasure.
Speaker 2 (29:01):
I couldn't have wanted to do this with two better people, honestly.
Speaker 1 (29:06):
That's also what makes it so super special is that
I feel like we all got each other.
Speaker 5 (29:11):
I agree.
Speaker 4 (29:11):
I feel like the collaboration piece was so easy, just
being able to bounce ideas off of each other and
work together on what elements we wanted in there and
things like that.
Speaker 5 (29:23):
It definitely, Yeah, it was very easy to do with
the two of you.
Speaker 3 (29:28):
Yeah, and it was a lot of fun too.
Speaker 5 (29:30):
I really enjoyed it.
Speaker 1 (29:32):
I hope it's the first of many. I hope that
people love it and we can go through the series
of all the things that cap then. Did I think
that would be super fun? Honestly? Well?
Speaker 2 (29:43):
See, I hope. I mean it's like your kids.
Speaker 1 (29:46):
This is how I see the book, right, It's like
my child, because you always think that your child is
the best. You always loved them no matter what, And
so I think this book is the best. And I
have no idea whether other people would take to it
or not. Will it behave well in public? Let's be honest.
Speaker 2 (30:05):
Through this cross we'll know soon, we will know.
Speaker 1 (30:08):
By the way, for those of you listening, you can
buy it on Amazon. You can also get it on
red racerbooks dot Com, along with Andy's other books. I
don't want to give away too much about what's real
and what parts were inspired.
Speaker 2 (30:22):
But I would like to say that it's like ninety
percent real. What do you think, Andy?
Speaker 1 (30:28):
I mean, having known the story and like because we
went back and forwards a good number of times on
how we should put things, and like what should be
included and what shouldn't be included.
Speaker 2 (30:37):
What percentage of reality would you give it.
Speaker 3 (30:40):
I'd say it it's rather high. Yeah, it's say eighty
to ninety percent. It's very much inspired by all that
I heard from you and from your dad, and we
pulled a lot of stories from the fact that when
you were little used to love to get behind the
wheel of anything, including the tractor, to you know, the
fact that you were very shy growing up, and your
(31:02):
dad would tell me about how you're mortified to go
ask for a sprocket.
Speaker 1 (31:07):
I was. I remember my dad would say, okay, go
and get a chain or this sprocket, and I would
be too shy to go and get it. I didn't
want to speak to anybody or anything.
Speaker 3 (31:16):
Yeah, So we incorporated a lot of those stories in there,
and even the racing part. So it's definitely there's magic
do it as well in the Magic Helmet, but it's
really pretty close.
Speaker 2 (31:32):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (31:33):
I think for me, the helmet's like a metaphor for
believing in yourself and being brave, and it ties in
that I always used to think that there were magic
objects in the world, and so what better thing to
have than a magic helmet. I'm getting Ashley to design
(31:54):
the helmet the way you're going to debut in Charlotte
for the last Finity racer. I can't tell you what
it's going to look like. Yeah, but I think it's
going to be really cool.
Speaker 5 (32:04):
What do you think, ash Yeah, I'm very excited. I
think it's good. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (32:10):
Magic, it's going to be magic. It's also going to
be an ode or a what's the word I'm looking for,
like a tip of the hat. What's the word?
Speaker 3 (32:24):
A homage maybe, Yeah, homage.
Speaker 1 (32:26):
To another female racer, because obviously this does have female
racer vibes and it is important to you know, if
you see it, you can believe it. And hopefully it
will get lots of nine year old Catherines to be
interested in racing and thinking that maybe they could be
a race car driver or involved in racing in some way,
(32:49):
shape or form, and if not, if they want to
be an astronaut, you go be the best astronaut you
could be.
Speaker 3 (32:54):
Yeah, I'm really excited about that. I think getting the
helmet right took us the longest, probably one of the
things that I worked on because it needed to be magical,
and it took a while, but I think we got
it and it's going to be amazing to see it
in real life, and I think that'll be really special
for kids to see I did do.
Speaker 1 (33:15):
So we're going to have the book at like Indianapolis
for sale and the for sale in the shop. But
I think it transcends that. I think it like, it's
not just about racing, it's about real life. So I
hope that it kind of leaves the small racing arena
and kind of gets a broader reach.
Speaker 5 (33:35):
I think so.
Speaker 3 (33:35):
I think the story is beyond racing, and you don't
have to know anything about racing to enjoy the story.
It's the story about a girl who wanted to do something.
She was nervous and shy and had doubt, and she
was handed a magic helmet from her father that allowed
her to have the confidence to do whatever she wanted
(33:56):
to do. That can transcend any sport.
Speaker 1 (34:00):
Yeah, well, you guys, I'm gonna say thank you very
much for both coming on and joining me on this
journey along this road. Whatever pun I can come up
with this time, I'm very proud to do it with you,
and I hope it does well because I think that
would you guys deserve it more than more than me.
Both put a lot of work into it, and I
(34:22):
think it's special, and I hope everybody else does too.
I'm gonna before I let you go, I'm just going
to read the plot overview for your listeners at home,
so that you know the general plot that we have
been alluding to the whole episode. So Kat was born
with the heart of eraser, always on the move, but
(34:43):
in big groups or around new people, she felt shy.
That all changed behind the wheel, though, when her dad
surprised her with her own gokar and a shiny new helmet,
Kat discovered something magical. Confidence With her magic helmet, she
wasn't shu anymore. She was bold, she was brave, and
she was fast. The book follows her journey through setbacks,
(35:07):
self doubt, and a crash that breaks the helmet, until
she learns the real magic was actually in herself all along.
And I will I just want to say one last thing.
We went backward, wasn't forwards and toyed with the idea
of the crash. Actually actually got emotional drawing the crash
because she's seen me crash in real life.
Speaker 5 (35:27):
Oh my gosh. Yeah right, and so we were to America.
Speaker 1 (35:32):
Yeah, I'm actually your younger sister drew me a picture
that I still have today when I crashed, and she
was very emotional about it, but like, I didn't know
whether we should put that in there for the kids' book,
and I was so Addie and I were going back
and forth like should we shouldn't we?
Speaker 2 (35:47):
Should we shouldn't we?
Speaker 1 (35:48):
And actually did this one the first drawing that she
did of this gok, say down and all these stars
flying around.
Speaker 3 (35:54):
And they're like, we can't do that to it was
like fire, Yeah, well that's.
Speaker 4 (36:01):
Just like the picture I have in my mind if
that cross that you had in road America was so scary.
Speaker 5 (36:07):
But yeah, you were like, maybe we could just turn
this down.
Speaker 2 (36:10):
About these kids are having nightmare? Did not want that.
It's not in the book. Guys, It's fine, it's just
a zoom. We should do that. We should do an
outtake through.
Speaker 1 (36:26):
Anyway, Do either of you have anything that you would
like our listeners to know that you want to add
I just want.
Speaker 3 (36:32):
To say thank you because this has been an incredible
experience and you're a very inspirational person for lots of
kids out there. So I wish you lock this season
and go check out the book.
Speaker 4 (36:46):
Thanks Andy, I think I would like to say and
just hope that any little girl out there, or any
little boy out there that has looked up to Catherine
the way that I have over these years, just I
really hope that this book can get your story out there,
(37:08):
Cat and just really inspire kids to do what they
want and to not be afraid and to go at
it with full bravery and everything.
Speaker 5 (37:18):
Because having that sense of a role model in my
life was it was life changing. So I can't thank
you enough for just you being you.
Speaker 2 (37:29):
I want to cry.
Speaker 4 (37:30):
Because yeah, I think you have had a major impact
on my life, and I know you did on my
sister's life too with Arden, and we love you so
much and we're so excited for this new chapter for you.
Speaker 1 (37:45):
So you look at you, SEP love me so much.
Thank you as you're a little rock star. And I
love you guys at home as well. And I hope
that you all love the book because it's it's special.
Thanks for listening to Throttle Therapy. We'll be back next
(38:07):
week with more updates and more overtakes.
Speaker 2 (38:09):
We want to hear from you.
Speaker 1 (38:11):
Leave us a review in Apple Podcasts, and tell us
what you want to talk about. It might just be
the topic for our next show. Throttle Therapy is hosted
by Katherine Legg. Our executive producer is Jesse Katz, and
our supervising producer is Grace Fus. Listen to Throttle Therapy
on America's number one podcast network, iHeart. Open your free
(38:32):
iHeart app and search throttle Therapy with Katherinelegg and start listening.
Host
Katherine Legge
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!