June 6, 2025 • 45 mins
Ever questioned if you're truly meant for greatness? In this soul-stirring episode, Adrian Branch welcomes two-time Olympic gold medalist Ruthie Bolton for a profound conversation about resilience, faith, and finding purpose through life's toughest challenges.
Ruthie takes us back to her humble beginnings as the 16th child in a family of 20 in McLain, Mississippi, where her minister father instilled unshakable principles that would shape her extraordinary journey. With remarkable vulnerability, she shares the pivotal moment at age 14 when conquering her fear of jumping a fence became the unexpected foundation for her championship mindset.
The conversation delves into Ruthie's heartbreaking college recruitment story—being told she wasn't talented enough while watching her sister receive star treatment. Instead of surrender, Ruthie embraced a grueling 10-hour bus ride to Auburn University, where coaches bluntly informed her she would never make the travel team. Through tears and determination, she transformed rejection into fuel, ultimately becoming a starter her freshman year.
Perhaps most powerful is Ruthie's raw account of forgiveness after being unexpectedly cut from the Sacramento Monarchs, the team where she had become a franchise icon. "When you don't forgive, you become a prisoner of your own emotions," she reflects. "It clips your wings and you can't not just fly, but soar."
Now an author, coach, and humanitarian, Ruthie shares how her current book "Sent with Purpose" emerged from her realization that every struggle was preparation for a greater mission. She offers listeners a masterclass in mental resilience: "When resistance tries to hit me, the stronger they come, the stronger I get."
Ready to break through your own barriers? Join us for this transformative episode that will leave you saying, "If she can overcome, I can overcome too."
Connect with Ruthie on social media @RuthieBolton to learn more about her inspirational journey.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hi, I'm Adrian Branch , former pro-athlete turned
motivational speaker andcertified life coach, and
welcome to the Climb, a showwhere we celebrate the stories
of resilient people sharing howthey turned adversity into
success, From the businesssector to athletes and beyond.
Be inspired and learn what ittakes to climb.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Hey, hey everybody, how you doing?
Adrian Branch here and welcometo another episode of the Climb.
I'm your host and this show isall about resilience and
celebrating people's story,about how they overcome, what's
their mindset, what's theirprocedures.
We want you to come away fromthis show saying, hey, if they
can do it, I can do it too.
(00:45):
If they can overcome, I canovercome as well, and that's why
we're bringing you the bestguest in the business that you
can identify with their story.
Well, this one young lady that'scoming on is just precious.
You're going to be wowed by herstory.
She has so many wisdom nuggets,she has so much experience.
(01:06):
Celebrated athlete, her name isRuthie Bolton.
She's been a two-time Olympicgold medalist in basketball.
She's a mom, she's an author,she's a humanitarian.
She tries to live out the 66books of the Bible, in her own
words, by loving people andloving others.
And she has a unique story andI can't wait for you guys to
(01:27):
hear her story and how she'sovercome and how she is a
champion for people.
So, ruthie, good morning, goodday, good afternoon, wherever
you are, and welcome to the show.
Speaker 3 (01:39):
I'm excited.
Hey, man, good morning.
I'm on the West Coast.
I'm in the you know, in the LAarea right now, but I'm excited
to be on here.
I know we've been talking aboutthis for a couple months and
it's so exciting to be on thesame team with you.
Man, we're on the same team.
Pass me the ball when I'mmoving, baby.
Speaker 2 (01:58):
Well, I'm so excited.
I want to jump right into itbecause there's so many touch
points for our listeners toidentify with.
Yes, you've been a celebratedathlete.
Yes, you never lost in collegeor so, with 199 wins and only 13
losses at Auburn University.
But I want to jump right intoit and take us back a little bit
(02:19):
.
You've got a unique family.
Everybody doesn't have a RuthieBolton family.
Tell us about the start inMcLean.
Speaker 3 (02:27):
Mississippi.
Yes, I have a very modestfamily size.
I'm a 16 of 20 children.
I'm really thankful that my momand dad didn't stop at 15,
because I would have been leftout.
Both of them said be fruitfuland multiply, be fruitful and
multiply.
So I'm a 16.
My brother is a 17.
(02:48):
I have a twin brother.
Okay, and just, my dad was aminister.
We grew up in a very strict home.
It was a dime, a dime.
It was a dime, a dime, a penny,a penny.
There was no gray area towonder.
It was like.
You know, my dad was veryconsistent as a father and my
mom was just in love.
She can look at you and she canlook at you and say Adrian, I
think you're lacking vitamin C.
Whoa.
(03:08):
She can look at you, just likehaving 20 children she knew when
a baby cried was just for youto pick them up.
Or if they was really hurting,she would say they just want to
be picked up.
Leave them alone and then hearanother cry and say you know
what?
They're hurting somewhere.
So my mom was an expertise inthe children bearing babies, and
(03:29):
what's so unique is that hersister lived about five miles
away.
They had 18 in their family.
So our basketball team, ourstarting five, was our first and
second cousin baby and wedidn't play the radio.
We didn't play the radio.
Our whole team was relatedexcept for two.
So we had a squad from a realsmall B school but the
(03:50):
foundation that my mom and dadgave us, man, you know survival
skills, man, I'll be outsideplaying and if somebody hit me
or if I go in there crying,junebug hit me, guess what?
It's like the black hole.
You ain't going back out.
Apparently you can't handle it.
So you get in here and go andwash dishes and go and sweep the
floor while you're in here.
So, listen, when I got hurt orsomething happened, I learned
(04:11):
how okay, I just lick my woundsand keep it moving because I
ain't going inside, I love beingoutside.
So it's just a lot of differentprinciples that I learned
growing up in a big home,no-transcript, and I would just.
(04:49):
I was quiet, though I didn'treally say a lot.
This is what I was told.
I was quiet.
I always really observed, but Iloved being active.
I loved jumping and climbing.
So we used to jump fences and,listen, I would miss a meal.
Listen, I would stay outsideall night and jump fence and
climb trees.
That's just the kind of personI was.
And so this one particular day,as we started jumping fences
(05:12):
that's how I lived.
Sport for the day I got ready tojump this one particular fence
called the chicken fence.
And as I'm running, I'm justexcited.
I get to the fence and all of asudden I'm like oh my goodness,
I don't know if I can do this.
So I looked at it, I'm likeokay, and I walked back.
I said I got this.
And I ran to the fence and it'slike it got even higher and so
(05:34):
everybody was just jumping easyby me and I'm thinking like what
is wrong with me?
What is going?
I got this, I got this.
I proceeded to jump the fenceagain and it even got higher.
So I'm really freaking out.
I'm really getting like, oh mygoodness, oh my goodness.
And I could see them leaving meand they waved at me like come
on, don't worry about it, don'tworry about it, we'll pretend
(05:56):
you jumped it.
Just come on.
Like no, no, I.
Street light came on.
I don't know if you knowanything about it, but when the
street light came on, we hadfive minutes to be in the house,
five and my dad didn't play.
So I remember having to go.
I didn't want to go inside.
(06:16):
I was willing to risk getting aspanking.
They were like you better comeon, you're going to get in
trouble, you know, and, and theysaid you can do it tomorrow.
I'm like I don't want to waittomorrow, I want to do it today.
So I remember just going insideand just feeling so distraught,
feeling like man, I got to doit.
Like I pondered, I processed it.
I remember the next morningmouth-fucking-fucking got day.
Good, I remember walking outthe house, walking over people,
(06:37):
people laying on the floorsleeping.
I'm walking out.
I'm like, okay, I think I gotthis, I think I got you do it,
you got it.
I'm talking to myself, I'mself-talking, I'm talking to
myself you got this.
Took a deep breath, you got it.
You've done it before.
You've done it before.
Just believe it, you got to seeit.
So I remember I took a deepbreath and I started running.
(07:01):
I put everything in that run,everything in that jump,
everything that I learned,coming off the right foot, using
my core, springing up.
And I remember getting to thatfence, a, b, and I jumped.
I jumped, I leaped and my bodystarted to twist but I landed
over.
I think I landed on my side andI'm looking up like wow, I'm
over the fence, like oh, my God,I did it.
(07:29):
And when I shared this messagewith kids on this story.
I said why was that soimportant?
Jumping a fence?
And, matter of fact, it wasn'tpeer pressure to jump it because
they told me, don't worry aboutit, what I wanted to do.
It was something inside of methat would not let me say no,
would not let me walk away.
And I remember thinking I said,man, I did it, and the way I was
able to do this, I startedseeing myself on the other side
(07:51):
of that fence.
I started seeing myself on theother side of that, of that fear
.
So when I shared that messagewith kids and with adults,
whomever, I said, in order forme to have jumped that I had to
see myself on the other side.
And that's when I startedcelebrating.
I started celebrating theadvance.
I know I got this.
I know I got this, and you knowwhat, ab, I believe that's the
(08:11):
day I started becoming a worldchampion.
That's the day I startedbecoming a WBA All-Star, that's
the day I started becoming anOlympian.
It's that at the inside, I justfelt that it like you know, I
don't want any excuse I got todo it and when I did it, the
victory, it just pushed meforward and my fear just had me
(08:31):
handcuffed, choked around theneck.
I was just like what is wrongwith me, like, and I couldn't
even say you know what.
No big deal, but I do believe,without a doubt.
And when I share with kids, Isaid now don't go out and do
something that's going to getyou injured.
I said, but I had done thisbefore, but for some reason,
that particular day and God isinteresting Like he got a sense
of humor, like he injured me.
I feel like he was pruning me atthat moment for a season it's
(08:54):
like my shirt says sent withpurpose, which is a book I just
finished.
He was pruning me for thatmoment, for my journey.
I I couldn't worry about Jumato the left or Sneola to the
right, he was pruning me forthat moment.
He would prune me then for amoment such as these and such as
my career folded.
So when I think about that, Iwas like, wow, god, you took
that little bit of tangible.
(09:14):
You know, little Mississippigirl with a bad, bad Jericho,
ashy ankles, ashy elbows, just ahot mess.
And listen, I look more like atwin brother than you.
But he took me and thesignificant thing is AB, I'm
still young, I'm saved, but I'mstill young in the ministry.
I don't know what's going on.
(09:35):
I just know this littleMississippi girl wanted to get
on that fence and when thatvictory came listen, I never
looked back and I know, go noand you never look back and
finish that point.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
Finish that point.
You never look back.
Speaker 3 (09:47):
Never look back because I was.
So there's a saying you can'targue with results.
Whoa, you can't argue withresults when you get to a point
where it's like, okay, I see,That'd be like math.
I wasn't that great at math, myson was, but I had to study
(10:08):
harder to get math.
But the formula of success andthree things that I.
Was that a spiritual moment, Ibelieve.
So Was it a physical moment?
Yes, it was, and something myfather would say often.
He said if you take a life withyou, a few principles, you
won't need a suitcase full ofrules.
Speaker 2 (10:20):
Wow, say that again.
Speaker 3 (10:21):
If you take a life with you, just a few principles,
you won't need a suitcase fullof rules.
What are those principles?
Your faith, what are your faith?
Your faith is something, okay,who you are.
You got faith in something.
It could be your car, it couldbe your house, it could be
whatever, but you got faith insomething.
But that's your faith.
Attitude Attitude is yourdisposition, it's your, it's
(10:46):
your intuition.
Okay, and then character is thechances that you make.
And that was a big one, becausewe know from sports world that
we're not born winner or loser,we're born choosers.
So we get to choose AB.
We get to choose, and that'sthe part that's so hard, like
how do I choose?
Do I go left or right or do Ijust stay?
(11:07):
So, in your seasons,understanding what's important
at that time and you might can'tsee why it's important, but
it's like right now trust in theprocess.
I had to trust the process ofme and that space right there,
and that experience changed mylife forever.
Speaker 2 (11:28):
Yes, wow, you know what?
I told the listeners that theywere going to be in for a treat
and you said so much that thatthat fence at 14 was a lightning
rod moment where you dug downdeep and I wrote in my notes the
resilient Ruthie was born andyou said that was before all the
other accolades, but you neverquit and it was a mindset.
(11:51):
Then you talked about your dad.
I wanted to celebrate your dad,gave you another nugget.
Tell us that story when you hadto get on the bus and you did
not want to take that 10-hourride, and that was a defining
moment as well.
Speaker 3 (12:07):
Man, listen.
There's something my fatherwould say Experience is your
greatest teacher.
You can learn.
We learn from everything aroundus.
We learn from people's stories.
But when you go through it itbecomes tattooed in your heart
and your mind.
So it becomes listen, itdoesn't matter, nobody can tell
my story like I tell it.
(12:27):
Some people tell it but it'slike coming from.
So when I think about from that, that fence prepared me, that
fence story prepared me.
They got me ready for that busride, I tell that listen, I've
spoken so much, so, so much.
I can't tell my story hardlywithout telling it Listen, if
they give me.
I can't tell my story hardlywithout telling it Listen, if
they give me.
You know you got three minutesto speak.
Sometimes I have thosethree-minute speeches.
(12:47):
I have those five, ten minutes.
It's like to me, it's almost.
I can't, you don't.
It's hard to tell the storywithout that component because
it shapes, it defines me and itreally it's a place of.
It came out of a place of fear.
I know we're not supposed tohave a spirit of fear, but I
think there's a good fear.
I think there's a good likewe're supposed to feel, god, I
(13:09):
think there's a good thing likea good scare.
Speaker 2 (13:11):
That could spur you on.
Speaker 3 (13:13):
Yeah, straight, straight, scare forward, Like
there's a good scare and I'msitting there like Lord, like
I'm a good girl, like I don'tgot one spanking in my life,
like I was obedient.
Listen, I ate green.
I ate green vegetables,sometimes even when I didn't
like them.
Speaker 2 (13:28):
Yeah, he said, you never got sick.
Even trying to play hooky fromchurch, you never got sick.
Speaker 3 (13:33):
Never got.
Listen, trying to do everythingthe right way.
I'm like Lord, hey, can I getrewarded?
What is going on, like, why amI having to fight for everything
?
Why is this so hard?
Why is this making it so hardfor me?
I'm thinking like, oh mygoodness, I'm like what did I
mess up?
But when I didn't get recruitedand I run into coaches all the
time, that didn't recruit meanyway, but I just like I didn't
(13:54):
get any letters or any phonecalls and I'm sitting by the
phone.
I'm sitting by the phonewaiting and waiting on the mail,
like like.
I'm like what is going on?
I'm just sitting here like, ohmy goodness, you know the
dejection, the frustration, myfaith I ain't gonna lie, I ain't
trying to make a story soundgreat, but my faith wavered.
I started to say, lord, what isthis?
If I've done things the rightway, I felt like I'm having
(14:16):
faith, but I feel like it's notrewarding me right now.
And I remember my father was myanchor, he was my mentor.
He said listen.
He said, I know you feel insome kind of way.
He said but people perspective,and what people don't do,
that's on them and don't evenget mad.
I'm like, seriously.
He said guess what, if a doorclosed, get through a window.
(14:39):
If a door closed, get through awindow.
Now what is that window?
That window, hey, it's anopportunity.
So that door closed, no onerecruited me, literally no one
wanted me.
But that window was that I hadthe ability, I had the decision.
I could get on the phone andcall Auburn and say I got a
phone call the old phone back inthe day, say what about me?
(15:02):
Can I come on a school visit?
Can y'all take a peek at me?
And they said well, we didn'tcall you because we were just as
a staff, we thought about itand we just felt like you are
not the caliber player yoursister is and we just don't
think you will ever make thetravel team.
We just don't think you're thattalented player.
(15:22):
But we could, if you want tocome, we could talk about it.
But you will have to ride a busand this bus ride will take
about 10 hours and I know weflew your sister on a private
jet, but we just don't have thebudget to fly you.
And I'm thinking, man, this isgoing from bad to worse.
I'm like, could you just likehold up for a second?
I'm thinking like you know what, well, I guess basketball
(15:43):
wasn't meant to be, because Iain't riding no bus.
That's why I'm like I'm usingall bad English and everything.
I ain't riding no bus.
Forget all that.
And I remember him saying hey,daughter, and that's why he
called me most of the time,because he couldn't remember my
name, with it being 12 girls.
He said listen, you can sitthere with an attitude, all you
want.
He said what is that quote thatI have on every door in the
(16:05):
house?
Attitude Life is 10% of whathappens to you, 9% how you
respond to it.
Say it again Life is 10% ofwhat happens to you, but 9% how
you respond to it.
I'm thinking like, okay, whatthey got to do with.
Now the only thing I'm feelingis I'm feeling a sense of
rejection.
I'm feeling a sense ofrejection.
I'm feeling like I don't matter.
I'm feeling like how's that guysomething to do with this?
(16:27):
He said your attitude, how youapproach this.
He said I'm telling you you gotthis, you're built for this.
He said your sister got a morenatural talent.
Yeah, it shows it's moretransparent Yours.
You got to dig a little deeper,you got to go through more
hurdles, but it's there.
He, I said okay, and I trustedmy dad.
(16:52):
I said you know, dad, I feellike he was just telling me.
That initially made me feelgood.
I said well, I felt a littlebit of sense of hope because my
dad believed in me.
He said get on that bus and go.
He said you're going to Auburn,you're going to prove them
wrong.
He said but at the end of theday you get a free education
because they had promised ascholarship for both of my
sisters.
So in hindsight it was sort ofa you know.
(17:12):
He said you'll get a freeeducation.
He said I don't care if you'llmake one basket.
He said get there, go to school, do well in school, get your
education.
So that's okay.
So I get on that bus, ab, and Igo.
And a lot of times students askme were you scared?
I said I was so scared Idoubted every moment.
I'm like why am I doing this?
Why?
Like what?
How many more ways can thiscoach tell me that?
(17:34):
I suck?
Like why are you sabotagingyourself?
But then I just like you knowwhat?
I got this.
My dad believes in me.
I'm so self-talking the wholeway.
Matter of fact.
Speaker 2 (17:44):
Yeah, I believe in self-talk.
I'm big on self-talk.
Speaker 3 (17:51):
So you're saying self-talking what you're doing,
you're labeling things.
You're looking at, you'relooking at a pantry.
Okay, let me put this over here, let me put this over here.
It's like okay, self-talkinglike so, but I'm still like
feeling like okay, I don't.
As I start to try to figure outAB, what the outcome is, what
if I?
What if I get there and thecoach don't want me?
And what if I get there?
All this create more anxiety,anxiety like I can't control
(18:13):
that right now.
I focus on the journey, rightnow, where I can control AB.
I was so overwhelmed that whenwe stopped at the five-hour mark
, we supposed to get off and getfood.
I didn't even get food.
I didn't even get off.
I was just like stoic, like Iain't missing this bus.
I'm like uh I'm just awake.
I'm excited in the journey, butI'm excited to get there and
(18:35):
I'm embracing.
I'm trying to think of everyscenario in my head, every
scenario in my head.
And I get there and I'm sohungry, my stomach growling.
The coaches pick me up, theytake me to the house and they
feed me this.
My coach was Italian, so theyfeed me this food.
I'm eating.
Listen, Amy, I'm eating likethis.
(18:59):
They like man, slow down.
There's more where that comefrom.
They said why you got your handlike this.
I said because when I ate athome, people, people be taking
things off your plate.
When you're in the family 20,you put your hand this way.
They take your food and take itthat way, like mom who ate my
drumstick uh, I don't know.
She said keep your, keep youreyes on your food.
When we grew up, you eat yourfood.
Now you taste it later.
It's military style.
Anyway, I eat and I'm justeating.
(19:22):
The eating made me feel better.
I'm thinking like you know whatI feel, like something good
going to happen.
Though Afterwards the coachcalled me in the back.
This is important.
Right here I'm sitting down,just like I'm sitting down, like
I sat in front of the coach andhe come back and I always tell
him like he had this strongsmell, this scent, some kind of
cologne he wears.
He's never told me what it is.
It's like it's so strong.
(19:42):
He said I can't tell anybody.
He said I can't tell anybody,it's my secret.
So anyway, I sit, let me knowwhat I got to do, Like I'm just
ready, I'm ready for thisjourney, and I sit there.
He paused for a second.
He just shakes his hair, Okay,and I'm thinking like, oh, this
(20:03):
don't look right.
And he tells me.
He said man.
He said I hope you enjoyed yourmeal.
He said I don't.
We just, we just don't thinkthis is a place for you guys.
We don't, you know, it's just,we thought about it and it'd be
very discouraging for yoursister to see you go through
this.
You just not the player, yoursister is.
And I'm just like I'm sittingthere, just frustrated.
(20:25):
I'm sitting there, mad to whereI don't even know how to
articulate it.
He said I know what we promisedyour parents and we will honor
the scholarship, but give usabout a week to find another
school that may want you.
And I'm sitting there, I had nowords, I'm speechless.
And I'm speechless.
I'm mad at myself for gettingon that bus to go.
(20:46):
I'm mad at God.
Thank you, Lord, Thank you forthe ambush, Thank you for
setting me up.
I'm mad.
So when I get back, they driveme back home.
And AB, as they drive me homeand I tell this a lot when I
speak to little kids I say youknow, I was a snack.
I love snack.
I was a cookie monster.
I could find a cookie on thefloor and eat it.
If it had been there for 20minutes, Don't matter.
(21:08):
I'm like, I ain't throw anycookies away.
I didn't even want theircookies.
They tried to feed me.
I didn't want their food, Ididn't want nothing.
I just wanted to get home and Iwanted to hear what my dad had
to say to my mentor.
I wanted him to bring somerelief, I wanted him to give me
guidance.
And so I get home and the firstthing he asked me.
He said what did they say?
I said Dad, they said I'm notgood enough and I just broke
down crying.
(21:29):
So what are the options?
I said.
They said that I can, that Ican.
They said they're going to lookfor a school for a week.
So that's okay.
You got to sit here and wait.
He said you'll be fine.
He said it's okay to hurt.
That means you care.
He said God got you.
He said you did not spare thatcar accident for nothing.
He said he that car.
(21:49):
I told you about the caraccident didn't.
Speaker 2 (21:51):
I no, no.
Speaker 3 (21:53):
I was still in high school.
This happened like a monthprior, six weeks prior.
We were heading to church and Iwas a daddy's girl bad hair,
bad chair, curl.
My mom didn't want me to go, itwas just a mess.
My dad said leave her alone.
I don't care about all that andI'm sitting in the car, just
happy.
I go to church and I just lovebeing around my dad, love being
around.
My dad and my sister was in thefront and we about 10 minutes
(22:15):
from the house.
Matter of fact, last, about five, six minutes, as we got ready
to make this left turn, I sawthis 18 wheel coming and I'm
like dad, go, dad go, go go, andit get closer and closer,
closer and closer and this way,apparently, he hit the back of
the car.
The car spun around about twoor three times, that's what I
(22:35):
was told.
My door came off.
I was thrown out of the carabout 10, 12 feet.
When they came to a stop, mydad was facing the road and
facing back this way versus thisway they looked.
And my sister?
She screamed because she had adaughter, like two years old at
the time, she's first lady.
She said my baby and my dadsaid Ruthie, he's like, oh my
goodness, my dad said when hesaw I was gone, they looked for
(22:57):
me and he said that he neverreally questioned God.
But that moment he just saidGod, I'd rather you had taken me
.
They didn't know where I was.
They thought the 18-year-oldkept going and never stopped.
But they found me in a ditchand my head was laying right on
the Bible.
Speaker 2 (23:12):
Whoa yeah.
Speaker 3 (23:13):
Wow, as a matter of fact, a deacon had the church
with my dad.
He stopped and they stopped andthey looked.
They called the heli no, themammogram.
The helicopter came and got me.
It took them four or fiveminutes to get there and they
helicoptered me to the hospital.
But a lot of people thought mydad had put the Bible in the
dish.
But anyway, I go to thehospital.
(23:35):
You think they did all thetests.
I spent one night in thehospital, all the you know,
check me, everything was goodand they let me go the next day.
So my dad brought that up.
He said listen, some peopledon't need to survive something
like that, to not just surviveand not get seriously injured.
I literally you know.
He said God didn't do all thatjust to throw it away.
(23:58):
He said he got a plan for yourlife.
He said basketball, I don'tknow.
He said, but this is anopportunity, you have to embrace
it.
You have to go, don't worryabout what's going to happen
down there.
He said embrace it and I go.
And I said Dad, he said hedidn't do all this for me.
He got a plan for your life.
I don't know what it is.
So my dad, for two years, two orthree years.
He was like, daughter, stand up, and I was quiet, shy, I didn't
(24:25):
like my dad.
He was like even in college, mydad, like they said, my twin
took all my words Like I didn'tlike her, saying I was just like
you, I would sit there and justlook, but I was a leader.
And so he said God gotsomething for her.
He said I don't know what it is, but you don't survive a car
accident like that.
God gives you a lease on lifeif you don't have a plan for
your life.
So I get on that bus and I goto Auburn and the rest is
(24:45):
history.
This coach playing.
Your like the coach that Iwould play my juniors a year.
I started my freshman year andI always ask kids what do you
think I started playing?
I give them the shorter version.
Most of them say junior, someof them say senior.
I say I started my freshmanyear.
They're like what?
Like they could like start atan SEC Division I school and
like with a bad Jericho but agood attitude.
Speaker 2 (25:08):
Let me ask you this one, ruthie, and I'm going to
try to get a few more before weclose down, because it's
profound, the car accident.
Speaker 3 (25:16):
We need part two, man .
We just got to get a part two.
You know you can't, we just gotto.
Speaker 2 (25:20):
Part two.
We're going to double it up.
We're going to double it upwith this one Motivational
speaker, oh my goodness.
So watch this.
You could have been mad at God,reverend Linwood could have
been mad at God with that caraccident and you felt like you
didn't get the same respect ofyour celebrated sister.
I want to move ahead in thestory for a second and say after
(25:42):
a celebrated career with theSacramento Monarchs, you're the
first person to have your jerseyretired.
You're in the WNBA, so in theearly stages, one of the first
all-stars of that prestigiousleague, fourth all-time in
(26:04):
three-pointers made.
But then I want to talk aboutbetrayal and forgiveness,
because the equivalent and forthe listeners out there for
Ruthie's accomplishments.
You would have to drag it outof her, but that's the
equivalent of what Kobe Bryantwas to the Lakers.
She was a standard fixture.
Like Kobe was like Derek Jeterto the Yankees.
But then they cut you.
So imagine Derek Jeter gettingcut.
Imagine the great Kobe Bryantgetting cut.
(26:25):
Well, ruthie got cut from herbeloved Monarchs and you're
frankly talking about the angerand how you had to forgive them.
Tell us about that one.
And forgiveness, becausethere's some listeners that has
to dance that dance.
Speaker 3 (26:41):
You know it sounds good, you know, forgive your
enemies or forgive that soundscute when you hear it, but when
you literally have to live itand I always say, you know I'm
going to forgive her.
You know, whatever when I talk,but it doesn't listen.
After that experience andknowing I did not do anything
wrong, that I feel like theytook me for granted.
(27:01):
I feel like how they handled itwas so wrong.
Speaker 2 (27:04):
And they won the championship that year without
you.
Yes, yes, okay.
Speaker 3 (27:08):
They won it without me.
I was working with the team butbefore how they released me,
there was not any type of I feltlike my loyalty meant nothing
and I felt like because of theperson I'm not a confrontational
person they took my kindness orweakness and just felt like, oh
okay, it doesn't matter whatyou've done, we're going to just
go cut you Instead of justhaving a real grown-up
(27:30):
conversation with me, say youknow what?
We would like to go in adifferent direction.
Can this last year be your lastyear?
But we'll make it great for thefan.
We'll let the league say you'regoing to retire, you're going
to retire this year.
They did every other pro Iwould say franchise player like
that in a different team, likethey're retiring.
I feel like they overlookedthat.
(27:51):
I was mad and I wasdisappointed and I was really
just like man and I hadresentment and I.
But I just had to forgivebecause I, just I, I I said I
know, I know you, bob, youbrought me this far for a reason
.
I know it wasn't man, mantrying to tell me no at every,
every junction, but you got your.
(28:11):
You I had, I knew my purposethere.
I knew in my church I my church.
I sat with purpose.
I knew my purpose.
But it's hard to still walk inyour purpose.
It's hard to forgive and I hadto learn how to forgive.
But you know what, through thatpain, through that pain, it
birthed my curriculum Mighty,aim High.
(28:31):
I had to aim higher than mycircumstance.
I aimed higher than the fear,than the resentment, than the
bitterness, because bitternessit's like adversity make you
bitter or better.
And I had to choose.
It would make me better.
With tears in my eyes, everyday that I was over there, the
(28:53):
same coach that pretend I neverdid nothing in the game.
People were livid, people wereso upset.
I prayed to God.
I said, lord, I hope you see it.
I hope you see it.
I said but I will still trustyou, I will not abandon our
relationship.
I will not abandon ourrelationship.
I believe you still got purposein my life.
(29:13):
But I had to reminisce a littlebit over my life.
And I had to reminisce over mylife and just say, Lord, you
brought me this far for a reason.
I will still trust you, I'mstill yours, I'm sold out to you
.
And it wasn't easy.
Though, with tears in my eyes,I said I got it.
I got it.
I got to be able to forgive.
And that's when I started towork on my journal about dealing
(29:37):
with anger, aiming higher,knowing the accountability of
what God has given me.
Luke 12 and 48 said to whommuch is given, much is required.
I said, lord, this is you.
You've allowed me to be herefor a reason.
So when I reminisce over my life, the car accident, I almost
stopped playing basketball atall, like literally this close.
And then you paved the way,like we created a partnership.
(29:58):
I said so I'm still in this.
It wasn't easy, I'm still inthis, but it was tough learning
how to let go and let God.
It's easy to say it, but toreally do it, to live it.
And I did, and that's what freedme, because when you don't
forgive, you become a prisonerof your own emotions.
You think you're doing it tothem, but it's you.
It clips your wings and youcan't not just fly sore.
(30:22):
So for me to forgive them, Iwas able to really still walk in
my purpose and God he wouldnavigate it for me.
And really, to be honest, allof that going through that
experience of rejection, God wasstill pruning me.
It wasn't like sometimes we gothrough things differently.
Maybe, like you got the littlemountains.
Maybe my mountain was higherthan someone else.
(30:43):
I'm like, look at that, theymountains over there.
Why am I going through this?
And so God proved that maybe myobstacle course, if you will,
was a little bit morechallenging, because he was
building me for a purpose, asnow, so learning how to forgive,
I'm loving that man, ruthie.
Speaker 2 (30:58):
I'm wow, I really want to sit here and start
tearing up a little bit.
But I'm loving that man, ruthie.
Wow, I really want to sit hereand start tearing up a little
bit, but I'm like, let me keepmy cool because it's like man,
you are on fire.
Let me ask you again as leadinginto that what's that shirt?
Because you're an author of sixbooks.
Now, what's that latest book?
You got the advertisement rightthere.
Let's see that one Sent with aPurpose.
(31:20):
What is that one about?
Speaker 3 (31:22):
This came from listen .
It has birthed really the lastfour years and you and I have
talked at times.
I feel like I just I don't.
I feel like my mindset and myfocus in my career like how,
listen?
I told him.
I said I'm so focused I don'tplay.
When this coach told me and Iwant everybody to get to this
audience, whether you're insports or whether you're in
(31:44):
business or whatever you're incross is huge.
When this coach named whyeverybody made this team the
Olympic team, she named LisaLeslie, your size and your
scoring ability.
Lisa Leslie was amazing, one ofthe best teammates.
Katrina McClain, your rebounder.
Teresa Edwards your leadership.
Dawn Staley, your playmakingability.
Katie, your shooting.
(32:04):
Nikki McCray rest in peace yourdefense.
She named everybody.
I'm like what is she going tosay about me?
She finally get to me and shejust say you know what?
I told the committee that I'mnot going to leave the country
without Ruthie.
And she said because I cantrust her in my foxhole.
It's such a strong militarystatement.
It's almost like saying you gotaccountability, you got focus,
(32:28):
you got commitment.
We can't win without you.
I don't even want to try toeven go on this battlefield
without a player like you, I waslike, so that created a sense
of accountability and she cantrust me.
So I feel like that's whatpushed me so hard.
That's why I gave everything Ihad, because she said I can
(32:50):
trust you and she believed in me.
She partnered with me there.
It wasn't easy, but I feel likethe same thing in my life now.
God.
He's given me all of this, I'mallowed me to go through some of
the tough challenges, but I'mstill here and I said, lord, I
want to be just as dedicated inmy walk with you, in my purpose
with you.
I don't want to just go throughthe flow.
(33:10):
I don't want to just be like aperson on the team, be like oh,
I'm just on the team, on theteam wearing the uniform, but am
I being fruitful?
The coach called my name.
Do I go in and make adifference or do I just?
I'm so busy looking at therafters and worried about, oh,
why I'm not playing and I'm notbecoming a student of the game
and I'm not helping the team, soI'm getting pushed further and
further down the bench.
I'm not being fruitful.
(33:31):
I'm looking at the bench andthe coach said you know how the
coach looked down.
Speaker 2 (33:35):
And looked past you.
They're trying to.
I've been there.
Speaker 3 (33:39):
Like I don't trust you.
The coach said I don't trustyou Really I don't trust to
bring you in the game why?
But I want the coach to trustme.
That's why I did.
I worked so hard.
When we would get workouts AB,we would have to do like four,
six, 400s.
You know, maybe sometimes four,200s, five, 100s, run it.
(33:59):
This is on our rest time, awayfrom the team and people were
like jump rope five minutes.
I did everything.
They all went to my girl.
You just weighed 200.
My teammate got up to me, likeyou did.
I did everything because I saidI want her to still trust me.
I feel like if I don't do onesomething, she's going to see
and tell.
She's going to be able to tellI didn't do something and tell
she was ready to tell I didn'tdo something.
(34:20):
So I was bought in.
So now, in this part of my lifeset with purpose, I said Lord,
I'm all in.
I'm saying yes to the journey.
I want to be what you want meto be.
I want to be everything thatyou created me for, from the
little girl, little Nathman,mississippi girl that had a bad
shot and a bad Jericho girl Abad shot and a bad Jericho girl.
A bad shot and a bad Jerichogirl.
(34:40):
I want to be all you want me tobe, so I want you to be able to
trust me with this platformyou've given me.
I do, and so that's where thisbook comes from.
I'm sent with purpose.
Luke 248, to whom much is given, much is required.
Acts 20 and 24 talks about Lord.
I'm not my own self, my gifts.
You know, like I said, I can'tpat myself on the back too hard.
I even brought my little goldmedal right here.
(35:02):
Yes, I can't pat myself on theback too hard.
I want to say I am yours, Standon that podium.
I stood on that podium actually11 different times, 10
different times for differentlike they only really highlight
mainly the Olympics.
But you're up there for theworld championship, You're up
there for the Goodwill Games.
All these different tournaments, all these different games I
(35:22):
won 60-0.
Speaker 2 (35:23):
You guys were 60-0.
Speaker 3 (35:26):
60-0.
Like for me to stand on thatplatform and reminisce over my
life and how I end up on thisspace, like I would be crazy, ab
, to think I just did it on myown.
And so when I tell kids I say,yeah, I had a little bit of
talent, but I had this grit andI had this commitment to just
embrace the opportunity.
(35:46):
So now in my life, sent withpurpose, I said Lord, you sent
me with purpose.
I'm in this with purpose and inmy season, the subtopics, it's
understanding my calling theseason of my life Right now.
You know, season in life issummer.
It's summer, you know, hotobviously.
Speaker 2 (36:02):
Winter, spring and fall.
Speaker 3 (36:04):
Different things.
It's like, what are you doingin that season in your life?
Sometimes your season,spiritually, could be a winter.
Sometimes you're like, well, Idon't know, we get so caught up.
I don't get so caught up inwhat I'm supposed to be doing.
I said, lord, how can I grownow?
What fruits am I bearing now?
And so that's the main thing Ithink we could call up I want to
be, I want to be this.
(36:24):
Or sometimes we call up in thepast or what I didn't do, take a
deep breath, exhale.
I said, okay, I'm inMississippi.
I didn't think I would be inMississippi for four or five
years, you know.
And sometimes I got called up.
I say, okay, it's a season thatI'm here for a reason.
So how can I be the bestversion of Ruthie, how can I be
(36:46):
the?
Be bold, be minded, be the bestversion of myself so that I can
be better for my kids, I can bebetter for just plant seeds and
be a light.
And so that's what I want to be.
I want to be like a good meal.
I'll show your wife her favoritemeal.
What's the favorite meal yourwife cooks?
Before you walk in the house,before you even see her.
You can smell the aroma of themeal.
You can smell the aroma of themeal that she's cooking.
(37:09):
It may be pork chops, it may bebaked chicken, it may be fried
chicken.
You smell it before you startto anticipate the taste.
Oh man, that's so good.
The biscuits, that's so good,but the biscuits, you smell the
aroma that you start, and that'show I want my life to be the
aroma of Jesus in my lifeWonderful, wonderful, wonderful.
I want to be like what do youhave?
Like I like how you deal withadversity, yeah, and.
(37:32):
I heard.
When that happens in my life, Ifeel like I said wow, that's to
me.
I feel like that's athree-point play right there,
that's a three-point play.
Speaker 2 (37:43):
Nice form.
Let me jump in right here,ruthie, and let the listeners
catch this for a second.
My goodness, I'm going to askyou one more question to
encourage them, but I want ourlisteners to know what was said.
At 14 years old, the resilientRuthie was born because it was a
can-do spirit Having to get onthat bus ride where your dad was
(38:07):
like daughter Because of somany of you guys, he called you
daughter and said get on thisthing.
This will help change your life.
You had tremendous successplaying with your sister at
Auburn and then your pro careerand you had to forgive people
and you didn't let it get thebest of you.
And then now, the next seasonof your life, I want to bring it
(38:28):
up here and ask you this one.
It's a real simple questionbefore we let you out of here
and yes, we're going to have todo this again my teammate Ruthie
, how can you encourage ourlisteners to keep climbing?
Speaker 3 (38:43):
Yes, keep climbing and you know what it's the.
You say that I don't know if Iever told you this about
climbing a hill.
I love running hills and Ilisten.
It's something about thatgravity.
I think it's that winningmentality in my life.
It's that competitive spirit.
When I climb a hill, I lean,listen gravity trying to say you
don't belong here.
Gravity don't want me up thereand I look at it as my enemy
(39:04):
trying to keep me down.
I don't run in this bad boy.
It get tough, but when I leanin and put my core in it, I got
this.
So when you climb in a hill oflight, and that struggle and
that disappointment and thatanxiety, lord, is this meant for
me?
I'm telling you, lead in, letyour core lead in, that core of
who you are, because at themoment you think you're the
weakest.
That is your strongest.
(39:25):
Your breakthrough is so close.
Your breakthrough is rightthere.
I know because I've lived it.
I know when it feels like Iwanted to quit so many times and
I would climb up to here, but Ifound a way.
There's a saying I don't know ifit's a verse, I don't know if
it's a song.
Lord, don't give me strength toclimb.
Don't move the mountain, butgive me strength to climb Like I
(39:46):
don't.
I want to.
I want to feel the resistance,because that's what I feel like,
what makes me strong.
Give me it's hard to me to run.
I love the resistance whenrunning, trying to hold me down
where I feel like that's mystrongest.
When resistance trying to hitme, I'm like, okay, what you
(40:07):
talking?
You trying to hold me back, I'mlike, no, you might have bring
stronger, and the stronger theycome, the stronger I get, baby.
The stronger you bring it, thestronger I get.
So I want to encourage you, thelisteners, partner with you.
Take a deep breath and just forone, if you got a breath and
you got a heartbeat, god isgiving you another lease on life
.
This is a day, say Lord, todayit's like you've allowed me to
(40:29):
see another day, another moment.
So with this, I want to be whatyou want me to be.
And how do I do that?
And so you understand, don'tget so caught up in too far down
the road.
How can I be bold, be mighty,be the best version of me?
Take that little something.
I took that little bit of giftthat God gave me a little bit,
little bit and got on that bus,confused, scared, it's all get
(40:52):
out.
And God just enlarged myterritory.
I get that even with my coach.
I talked to him yesterday, dayfour yesterday, and he's just
like, wow, he wrote my book, theRide of a Lifetime.
He wrote the four one.
He said you taught us whatfaith resiliency is.
He said, wow.
So I just want to encourage you, do not let fear keep you
handcuffed, lean into it, sowhat?
You fall flat on your face butdon't live a life of.
(41:13):
I wonder, what if I don't makeit?
But what if you do?
What if I don't make that shot?
But what if you do make thatshot?
It's March Madness, right now.
You know I love March Madnessand I'm starting to see some
amazing games already.
What if I don't make that shot?
But what if you do make thatshot?
It's about right now.
If the X and O's, they canthrow them out the window right
now.
It is about that grit, thattenacity, that resilience.
(41:35):
I don't care, we down by 10,but we are not walking out here
without a win.
That's your mentality.
You better huddle, get yourhuddle with yourself.
You better look in the mirrorand you just say, hey, listen.
Hey, listen, ab.
You know I got to do it.
It's game time, baby.
You better huddle along and sayyou know what I got.
This I'm going to focus whenyou talk, when you talk yourself
(41:57):
.
That's self-talking.
You can flex too.
Come on, AB, flex.
Don't like to show up.
I kept finding the host.
But, ab, I'm telling you hey,listen, if you all got it,
listen, you're listening.
This is your season to be thebest version of you.
(42:19):
Don't give up.
Don't give up, but trust theprocess of who you are.
Speaker 2 (42:24):
Beautiful, beautiful, wow, ruthie man, I really have
tears in my eyes.
You are inspiring me.
I'm so humble.
Where can the listeners followyou on social media if they want
to know more about the MightyRuthie?
Speaker 3 (42:40):
Well, I have a little website, I think it's
themightyruthiecom.
The T-H-E mightyruthiecom is mywebsite where a couple of my
books.
I don't have all my books yeton there because I'm you know,
they're not all there, but mysocial media is just my name,
ruthie Bolton, and then MightyRuthie Bolton on my social media
.
So if you go to my social media, my Instagram, and say that you
(43:04):
were listening to this show andif you want a book, I'll send
you a book and I'll send you alittle extra gift with it.
Speaker 2 (43:12):
My goodness.
Speaker 3 (43:14):
To you, ab.
You can always.
If somebody reach out, you canalways send them my information.
Right, I do Facebook, so I knowsend them my information.
I do Facebook, so I know a lotof people don't do Facebook
anymore, but I do Facebook.
You can leave me a message uh,ruthie Bolton, and uh, it just
uh.
And then they always send themto you if they want to or
whatever, if they, if they wanta book or whatever.
But I'm excited, ab.
I love this show.
You awesome man.
You know I keep getting.
(43:43):
You did work for ESPN, didn't?
Speaker 2 (43:44):
you, yeah, dude, a little bit, a little hanging A
little hanging.
Speaker 3 (43:45):
I love how you.
Thank you, ruthie.
Thank you, I feel like youcreate a storyboard for the
audience.
Speaker 2 (43:51):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (43:52):
You went on a journey , man.
Speaker 2 (43:54):
Yes, I'm telling you.
I've been wiping the side of myeyes, so we appreciate you.
Listen, folks.
I told you you were going to bein for a treat.
Ruthie, thank you for hanging,Thank you for being our teammate
man, and I'm looking forward toseeing you again.
Speaker 3 (44:09):
I've got to leave him with this.
I know we're about to run outof time, but I'll leave him with
this.
My heart says yes.
My heart says yes to your ways.
And you are welcome in.
You are welcome in this place,Jesus.
I love you.
Jesus, I love you, oh my.
(44:31):
And you are welcome in.
You are welcome in this place.
So I had to just give you alittle bit of that.
Say yes to the journey Say yesto the purpose.
Speaker 2 (44:41):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (44:41):
And I'm telling you, your best is yet to come.
Speaker 2 (44:43):
Thank you, your best is yet to come Game time.
Speaker 3 (44:46):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (44:47):
Ruthie.
Thank you so much.
I'll see you soon.
Ruthie Bolton, folks, sincere,genuine, my goodness blown away
and listen.
If you want to know more aboutus, head on over to
adriennbranchspeakscom.
Follow us on social media atAdrienne Branch Speaks and this
show, the Climb.
Follow that wherever podcastsare available.
(45:09):
You guys are amazing.
We got guests like Ruthiecoming up again and again for my
listeners.
Be encouraged and keep climbing.
Thanks everybody, we'll see younext time.
Thank you.
Hi, I'm Adrian Branch , former pro-athlete turned
motivational speaker andcertified life coach, and
welcome to the Climb, a showwhere we celebrate the stories
of resilient people sharing howthey turned adversity into
success, From the businesssector to athletes and beyond.
Be inspired and learn what ittakes to climb.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Hey, hey everybody, how you doing?
Adrian Branch here and welcometo another episode of the Climb.
I'm your host and this show isall about resilience and
celebrating people's story,about how they overcome, what's
their mindset, what's theirprocedures.
We want you to come away fromthis show saying, hey, if they
can do it, I can do it too.
(00:45):
If they can overcome, I canovercome as well, and that's why
we're bringing you the bestguest in the business that you
can identify with their story.
Well, this one young lady that'scoming on is just precious.
You're going to be wowed by herstory.
She has so many wisdom nuggets,she has so much experience.
(01:06):
Celebrated athlete, her name isRuthie Bolton.
She's been a two-time Olympicgold medalist in basketball.
She's a mom, she's an author,she's a humanitarian.
She tries to live out the 66books of the Bible, in her own
words, by loving people andloving others.
And she has a unique story andI can't wait for you guys to
(01:27):
hear her story and how she'sovercome and how she is a
champion for people.
So, ruthie, good morning, goodday, good afternoon, wherever
you are, and welcome to the show.
Speaker 3 (01:39):
I'm excited.
Hey, man, good morning.
I'm on the West Coast.
I'm in the you know, in the LAarea right now, but I'm excited
to be on here.
I know we've been talking aboutthis for a couple months and
it's so exciting to be on thesame team with you.
Man, we're on the same team.
Pass me the ball when I'mmoving, baby.
Speaker 2 (01:58):
Well, I'm so excited.
I want to jump right into itbecause there's so many touch
points for our listeners toidentify with.
Yes, you've been a celebratedathlete.
Yes, you never lost in collegeor so, with 199 wins and only 13
losses at Auburn University.
But I want to jump right intoit and take us back a little bit
(02:19):
.
You've got a unique family.
Everybody doesn't have a RuthieBolton family.
Tell us about the start inMcLean.
Speaker 3 (02:27):
Mississippi.
Yes, I have a very modestfamily size.
I'm a 16 of 20 children.
I'm really thankful that my momand dad didn't stop at 15,
because I would have been leftout.
Both of them said be fruitfuland multiply, be fruitful and
multiply.
So I'm a 16.
My brother is a 17.
(02:48):
I have a twin brother.
Okay, and just, my dad was aminister.
We grew up in a very strict home.
It was a dime, a dime.
It was a dime, a dime, a penny,a penny.
There was no gray area towonder.
It was like.
You know, my dad was veryconsistent as a father and my
mom was just in love.
She can look at you and she canlook at you and say Adrian, I
think you're lacking vitamin C.
Whoa.
(03:08):
She can look at you, just likehaving 20 children she knew when
a baby cried was just for youto pick them up.
Or if they was really hurting,she would say they just want to
be picked up.
Leave them alone and then hearanother cry and say you know
what?
They're hurting somewhere.
So my mom was an expertise inthe children bearing babies, and
(03:29):
what's so unique is that hersister lived about five miles
away.
They had 18 in their family.
So our basketball team, ourstarting five, was our first and
second cousin baby and wedidn't play the radio.
We didn't play the radio.
Our whole team was relatedexcept for two.
So we had a squad from a realsmall B school but the
(03:50):
foundation that my mom and dadgave us, man, you know survival
skills, man, I'll be outsideplaying and if somebody hit me
or if I go in there crying,junebug hit me, guess what?
It's like the black hole.
You ain't going back out.
Apparently you can't handle it.
So you get in here and go andwash dishes and go and sweep the
floor while you're in here.
So, listen, when I got hurt orsomething happened, I learned
(04:11):
how okay, I just lick my woundsand keep it moving because I
ain't going inside, I love beingoutside.
So it's just a lot of differentprinciples that I learned
growing up in a big home,no-transcript, and I would just.
(04:49):
I was quiet, though I didn'treally say a lot.
This is what I was told.
I was quiet.
I always really observed, but Iloved being active.
I loved jumping and climbing.
So we used to jump fences and,listen, I would miss a meal.
Listen, I would stay outsideall night and jump fence and
climb trees.
That's just the kind of personI was.
And so this one particular day,as we started jumping fences
(05:12):
that's how I lived.
Sport for the day I got ready tojump this one particular fence
called the chicken fence.
And as I'm running, I'm justexcited.
I get to the fence and all of asudden I'm like oh my goodness,
I don't know if I can do this.
So I looked at it, I'm likeokay, and I walked back.
I said I got this.
And I ran to the fence and it'slike it got even higher and so
(05:34):
everybody was just jumping easyby me and I'm thinking like what
is wrong with me?
What is going?
I got this, I got this.
I proceeded to jump the fenceagain and it even got higher.
So I'm really freaking out.
I'm really getting like, oh mygoodness, oh my goodness.
And I could see them leaving meand they waved at me like come
on, don't worry about it, don'tworry about it, we'll pretend
(05:56):
you jumped it.
Just come on.
Like no, no, I.
Street light came on.
I don't know if you knowanything about it, but when the
street light came on, we hadfive minutes to be in the house,
five and my dad didn't play.
So I remember having to go.
I didn't want to go inside.
(06:16):
I was willing to risk getting aspanking.
They were like you better comeon, you're going to get in
trouble, you know, and, and theysaid you can do it tomorrow.
I'm like I don't want to waittomorrow, I want to do it today.
So I remember just going insideand just feeling so distraught,
feeling like man, I got to doit.
Like I pondered, I processed it.
I remember the next morningmouth-fucking-fucking got day.
Good, I remember walking outthe house, walking over people,
(06:37):
people laying on the floorsleeping.
I'm walking out.
I'm like, okay, I think I gotthis, I think I got you do it,
you got it.
I'm talking to myself, I'mself-talking, I'm talking to
myself you got this.
Took a deep breath, you got it.
You've done it before.
You've done it before.
Just believe it, you got to seeit.
So I remember I took a deepbreath and I started running.
(07:01):
I put everything in that run,everything in that jump,
everything that I learned,coming off the right foot, using
my core, springing up.
And I remember getting to thatfence, a, b, and I jumped.
I jumped, I leaped and my bodystarted to twist but I landed
over.
I think I landed on my side andI'm looking up like wow, I'm
over the fence, like oh, my God,I did it.
(07:29):
And when I shared this messagewith kids on this story.
I said why was that soimportant?
Jumping a fence?
And, matter of fact, it wasn'tpeer pressure to jump it because
they told me, don't worry aboutit, what I wanted to do.
It was something inside of methat would not let me say no,
would not let me walk away.
And I remember thinking I said,man, I did it, and the way I was
able to do this, I startedseeing myself on the other side
(07:51):
of that fence.
I started seeing myself on theother side of that, of that fear
.
So when I shared that messagewith kids and with adults,
whomever, I said, in order forme to have jumped that I had to
see myself on the other side.
And that's when I startedcelebrating.
I started celebrating theadvance.
I know I got this.
I know I got this, and you knowwhat, ab, I believe that's the
(08:11):
day I started becoming a worldchampion.
That's the day I startedbecoming a WBA All-Star, that's
the day I started becoming anOlympian.
It's that at the inside, I justfelt that it like you know, I
don't want any excuse I got todo it and when I did it, the
victory, it just pushed meforward and my fear just had me
(08:31):
handcuffed, choked around theneck.
I was just like what is wrongwith me, like, and I couldn't
even say you know what.
No big deal, but I do believe,without a doubt.
And when I share with kids, Isaid now don't go out and do
something that's going to getyou injured.
I said, but I had done thisbefore, but for some reason,
that particular day and God isinteresting Like he got a sense
of humor, like he injured me.
I feel like he was pruning me atthat moment for a season it's
(08:54):
like my shirt says sent withpurpose, which is a book I just
finished.
He was pruning me for thatmoment, for my journey.
I I couldn't worry about Jumato the left or Sneola to the
right, he was pruning me forthat moment.
He would prune me then for amoment such as these and such as
my career folded.
So when I think about that, Iwas like, wow, god, you took
that little bit of tangible.
(09:14):
You know, little Mississippigirl with a bad, bad Jericho,
ashy ankles, ashy elbows, just ahot mess.
And listen, I look more like atwin brother than you.
But he took me and thesignificant thing is AB, I'm
still young, I'm saved, but I'mstill young in the ministry.
I don't know what's going on.
(09:35):
I just know this littleMississippi girl wanted to get
on that fence and when thatvictory came listen, I never
looked back and I know, go noand you never look back and
finish that point.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
Finish that point.
You never look back.
Speaker 3 (09:47):
Never look back because I was.
So there's a saying you can'targue with results.
Whoa, you can't argue withresults when you get to a point
where it's like, okay, I see,That'd be like math.
I wasn't that great at math, myson was, but I had to study
(10:08):
harder to get math.
But the formula of success andthree things that I.
Was that a spiritual moment, Ibelieve.
So Was it a physical moment?
Yes, it was, and something myfather would say often.
He said if you take a life withyou, a few principles, you
won't need a suitcase full ofrules.
Speaker 2 (10:20):
Wow, say that again.
Speaker 3 (10:21):
If you take a life with you, just a few principles,
you won't need a suitcase fullof rules.
What are those principles?
Your faith, what are your faith?
Your faith is something, okay,who you are.
You got faith in something.
It could be your car, it couldbe your house, it could be
whatever, but you got faith insomething.
But that's your faith.
Attitude Attitude is yourdisposition, it's your, it's
(10:46):
your intuition.
Okay, and then character is thechances that you make.
And that was a big one, becausewe know from sports world that
we're not born winner or loser,we're born choosers.
So we get to choose AB.
We get to choose, and that'sthe part that's so hard, like
how do I choose?
Do I go left or right or do Ijust stay?
(11:07):
So, in your seasons,understanding what's important
at that time and you might can'tsee why it's important, but
it's like right now trust in theprocess.
I had to trust the process ofme and that space right there,
and that experience changed mylife forever.
Speaker 2 (11:28):
Yes, wow, you know what?
I told the listeners that theywere going to be in for a treat
and you said so much that thatthat fence at 14 was a lightning
rod moment where you dug downdeep and I wrote in my notes the
resilient Ruthie was born andyou said that was before all the
other accolades, but you neverquit and it was a mindset.
(11:51):
Then you talked about your dad.
I wanted to celebrate your dad,gave you another nugget.
Tell us that story when you hadto get on the bus and you did
not want to take that 10-hourride, and that was a defining
moment as well.
Speaker 3 (12:07):
Man, listen.
There's something my fatherwould say Experience is your
greatest teacher.
You can learn.
We learn from everything aroundus.
We learn from people's stories.
But when you go through it itbecomes tattooed in your heart
and your mind.
So it becomes listen, itdoesn't matter, nobody can tell
my story like I tell it.
(12:27):
Some people tell it but it'slike coming from.
So when I think about from that, that fence prepared me, that
fence story prepared me.
They got me ready for that busride, I tell that listen, I've
spoken so much, so, so much.
I can't tell my story hardlywithout telling it Listen, if
they give me.
I can't tell my story hardlywithout telling it Listen, if
they give me.
You know you got three minutesto speak.
Sometimes I have thosethree-minute speeches.
(12:47):
I have those five, ten minutes.
It's like to me, it's almost.
I can't, you don't.
It's hard to tell the storywithout that component because
it shapes, it defines me and itreally it's a place of.
It came out of a place of fear.
I know we're not supposed tohave a spirit of fear, but I
think there's a good fear.
I think there's a good likewe're supposed to feel, god, I
(13:09):
think there's a good thing likea good scare.
Speaker 2 (13:11):
That could spur you on.
Speaker 3 (13:13):
Yeah, straight, straight, scare forward, Like
there's a good scare and I'msitting there like Lord, like
I'm a good girl, like I don'tgot one spanking in my life,
like I was obedient.
Listen, I ate green.
I ate green vegetables,sometimes even when I didn't
like them.
Speaker 2 (13:28):
Yeah, he said, you never got sick.
Even trying to play hooky fromchurch, you never got sick.
Speaker 3 (13:33):
Never got.
Listen, trying to do everythingthe right way.
I'm like Lord, hey, can I getrewarded?
What is going on, like, why amI having to fight for everything
?
Why is this so hard?
Why is this making it so hardfor me?
I'm thinking like, oh mygoodness, I'm like what did I
mess up?
But when I didn't get recruitedand I run into coaches all the
time, that didn't recruit meanyway, but I just like I didn't
(13:54):
get any letters or any phonecalls and I'm sitting by the
phone.
I'm sitting by the phonewaiting and waiting on the mail,
like like.
I'm like what is going on?
I'm just sitting here like, ohmy goodness, you know the
dejection, the frustration, myfaith I ain't gonna lie, I ain't
trying to make a story soundgreat, but my faith wavered.
I started to say, lord, what isthis?
If I've done things the rightway, I felt like I'm having
(14:16):
faith, but I feel like it's notrewarding me right now.
And I remember my father was myanchor, he was my mentor.
He said listen.
He said, I know you feel insome kind of way.
He said but people perspective,and what people don't do,
that's on them and don't evenget mad.
I'm like, seriously.
He said guess what, if a doorclosed, get through a window.
(14:39):
If a door closed, get through awindow.
Now what is that window?
That window, hey, it's anopportunity.
So that door closed, no onerecruited me, literally no one
wanted me.
But that window was that I hadthe ability, I had the decision.
I could get on the phone andcall Auburn and say I got a
phone call the old phone back inthe day, say what about me?
(15:02):
Can I come on a school visit?
Can y'all take a peek at me?
And they said well, we didn'tcall you because we were just as
a staff, we thought about itand we just felt like you are
not the caliber player yoursister is and we just don't
think you will ever make thetravel team.
We just don't think you're thattalented player.
(15:22):
But we could, if you want tocome, we could talk about it.
But you will have to ride a busand this bus ride will take
about 10 hours and I know weflew your sister on a private
jet, but we just don't have thebudget to fly you.
And I'm thinking, man, this isgoing from bad to worse.
I'm like, could you just likehold up for a second?
I'm thinking like you know what, well, I guess basketball
(15:43):
wasn't meant to be, because Iain't riding no bus.
That's why I'm like I'm usingall bad English and everything.
I ain't riding no bus.
Forget all that.
And I remember him saying hey,daughter, and that's why he
called me most of the time,because he couldn't remember my
name, with it being 12 girls.
He said listen, you can sitthere with an attitude, all you
want.
He said what is that quote thatI have on every door in the
(16:05):
house?
Attitude Life is 10% of whathappens to you, 9% how you
respond to it.
Say it again Life is 10% ofwhat happens to you, but 9% how
you respond to it.
I'm thinking like, okay, whatthey got to do with.
Now the only thing I'm feelingis I'm feeling a sense of
rejection.
I'm feeling a sense ofrejection.
I'm feeling like I don't matter.
I'm feeling like how's that guysomething to do with this?
(16:27):
He said your attitude, how youapproach this.
He said I'm telling you you gotthis, you're built for this.
He said your sister got a morenatural talent.
Yeah, it shows it's moretransparent Yours.
You got to dig a little deeper,you got to go through more
hurdles, but it's there.
He, I said okay, and I trustedmy dad.
(16:52):
I said you know, dad, I feellike he was just telling me.
That initially made me feelgood.
I said well, I felt a littlebit of sense of hope because my
dad believed in me.
He said get on that bus and go.
He said you're going to Auburn,you're going to prove them
wrong.
He said but at the end of theday you get a free education
because they had promised ascholarship for both of my
sisters.
So in hindsight it was sort ofa you know.
(17:12):
He said you'll get a freeeducation.
He said I don't care if you'llmake one basket.
He said get there, go to school, do well in school, get your
education.
So that's okay.
So I get on that bus, ab, and Igo.
And a lot of times students askme were you scared?
I said I was so scared Idoubted every moment.
I'm like why am I doing this?
Why?
Like what?
How many more ways can thiscoach tell me that?
(17:34):
I suck?
Like why are you sabotagingyourself?
But then I just like you knowwhat?
I got this.
My dad believes in me.
I'm so self-talking the wholeway.
Matter of fact.
Speaker 2 (17:44):
Yeah, I believe in self-talk.
I'm big on self-talk.
Speaker 3 (17:51):
So you're saying self-talking what you're doing,
you're labeling things.
You're looking at, you'relooking at a pantry.
Okay, let me put this over here, let me put this over here.
It's like okay, self-talkinglike so, but I'm still like
feeling like okay, I don't.
As I start to try to figure outAB, what the outcome is, what
if I?
What if I get there and thecoach don't want me?
And what if I get there?
All this create more anxiety,anxiety like I can't control
(18:13):
that right now.
I focus on the journey, rightnow, where I can control AB.
I was so overwhelmed that whenwe stopped at the five-hour mark
, we supposed to get off and getfood.
I didn't even get food.
I didn't even get off.
I was just like stoic, like Iain't missing this bus.
I'm like uh I'm just awake.
I'm excited in the journey, butI'm excited to get there and
(18:35):
I'm embracing.
I'm trying to think of everyscenario in my head, every
scenario in my head.
And I get there and I'm sohungry, my stomach growling.
The coaches pick me up, theytake me to the house and they
feed me this.
My coach was Italian, so theyfeed me this food.
I'm eating.
Listen, Amy, I'm eating likethis.
(18:59):
They like man, slow down.
There's more where that comefrom.
They said why you got your handlike this.
I said because when I ate athome, people, people be taking
things off your plate.
When you're in the family 20,you put your hand this way.
They take your food and take itthat way, like mom who ate my
drumstick uh, I don't know.
She said keep your, keep youreyes on your food.
When we grew up, you eat yourfood.
Now you taste it later.
It's military style.
Anyway, I eat and I'm justeating.
(19:22):
The eating made me feel better.
I'm thinking like you know whatI feel, like something good
going to happen.
Though Afterwards the coachcalled me in the back.
This is important.
Right here I'm sitting down,just like I'm sitting down, like
I sat in front of the coach andhe come back and I always tell
him like he had this strongsmell, this scent, some kind of
cologne he wears.
He's never told me what it is.
It's like it's so strong.
(19:42):
He said I can't tell anybody.
He said I can't tell anybody,it's my secret.
So anyway, I sit, let me knowwhat I got to do, Like I'm just
ready, I'm ready for thisjourney, and I sit there.
He paused for a second.
He just shakes his hair, Okay,and I'm thinking like, oh, this
(20:03):
don't look right.
And he tells me.
He said man.
He said I hope you enjoyed yourmeal.
He said I don't.
We just, we just don't thinkthis is a place for you guys.
We don't, you know, it's just,we thought about it and it'd be
very discouraging for yoursister to see you go through
this.
You just not the player, yoursister is.
And I'm just like I'm sittingthere, just frustrated.
(20:25):
I'm sitting there, mad to whereI don't even know how to
articulate it.
He said I know what we promisedyour parents and we will honor
the scholarship, but give usabout a week to find another
school that may want you.
And I'm sitting there, I had nowords, I'm speechless.
And I'm speechless.
I'm mad at myself for gettingon that bus to go.
(20:46):
I'm mad at God.
Thank you, Lord, Thank you forthe ambush, Thank you for
setting me up.
I'm mad.
So when I get back, they driveme back home.
And AB, as they drive me homeand I tell this a lot when I
speak to little kids I say youknow, I was a snack.
I love snack.
I was a cookie monster.
I could find a cookie on thefloor and eat it.
If it had been there for 20minutes, Don't matter.
(21:08):
I'm like, I ain't throw anycookies away.
I didn't even want theircookies.
They tried to feed me.
I didn't want their food, Ididn't want nothing.
I just wanted to get home and Iwanted to hear what my dad had
to say to my mentor.
I wanted him to bring somerelief, I wanted him to give me
guidance.
And so I get home and the firstthing he asked me.
He said what did they say?
I said Dad, they said I'm notgood enough and I just broke
down crying.
(21:29):
So what are the options?
I said.
They said that I can, that Ican.
They said they're going to lookfor a school for a week.
So that's okay.
You got to sit here and wait.
He said you'll be fine.
He said it's okay to hurt.
That means you care.
He said God got you.
He said you did not spare thatcar accident for nothing.
He said he that car.
(21:49):
I told you about the caraccident didn't.
Speaker 2 (21:51):
I no, no.
Speaker 3 (21:53):
I was still in high school.
This happened like a monthprior, six weeks prior.
We were heading to church and Iwas a daddy's girl bad hair,
bad chair, curl.
My mom didn't want me to go, itwas just a mess.
My dad said leave her alone.
I don't care about all that andI'm sitting in the car, just
happy.
I go to church and I just lovebeing around my dad, love being
around.
My dad and my sister was in thefront and we about 10 minutes
(22:15):
from the house.
Matter of fact, last, about five, six minutes, as we got ready
to make this left turn, I sawthis 18 wheel coming and I'm
like dad, go, dad go, go go, andit get closer and closer,
closer and closer and this way,apparently, he hit the back of
the car.
The car spun around about twoor three times, that's what I
(22:35):
was told.
My door came off.
I was thrown out of the carabout 10, 12 feet.
When they came to a stop, mydad was facing the road and
facing back this way versus thisway they looked.
And my sister?
She screamed because she had adaughter, like two years old at
the time, she's first lady.
She said my baby and my dadsaid Ruthie, he's like, oh my
goodness, my dad said when hesaw I was gone, they looked for
(22:57):
me and he said that he neverreally questioned God.
But that moment he just saidGod, I'd rather you had taken me
.
They didn't know where I was.
They thought the 18-year-oldkept going and never stopped.
But they found me in a ditchand my head was laying right on
the Bible.
Speaker 2 (23:12):
Whoa yeah.
Speaker 3 (23:13):
Wow, as a matter of fact, a deacon had the church
with my dad.
He stopped and they stopped andthey looked.
They called the heli no, themammogram.
The helicopter came and got me.
It took them four or fiveminutes to get there and they
helicoptered me to the hospital.
But a lot of people thought mydad had put the Bible in the
dish.
But anyway, I go to thehospital.
(23:35):
You think they did all thetests.
I spent one night in thehospital, all the you know,
check me, everything was goodand they let me go the next day.
So my dad brought that up.
He said listen, some peopledon't need to survive something
like that, to not just surviveand not get seriously injured.
I literally you know.
He said God didn't do all thatjust to throw it away.
(23:58):
He said he got a plan for yourlife.
He said basketball, I don'tknow.
He said, but this is anopportunity, you have to embrace
it.
You have to go, don't worryabout what's going to happen
down there.
He said embrace it and I go.
And I said Dad, he said hedidn't do all this for me.
He got a plan for your life.
I don't know what it is.
So my dad, for two years, two orthree years.
He was like, daughter, stand up, and I was quiet, shy, I didn't
(24:25):
like my dad.
He was like even in college, mydad, like they said, my twin
took all my words Like I didn'tlike her, saying I was just like
you, I would sit there and justlook, but I was a leader.
And so he said God gotsomething for her.
He said I don't know what it is, but you don't survive a car
accident like that.
God gives you a lease on lifeif you don't have a plan for
your life.
So I get on that bus and I goto Auburn and the rest is
(24:45):
history.
This coach playing.
Your like the coach that Iwould play my juniors a year.
I started my freshman year andI always ask kids what do you
think I started playing?
I give them the shorter version.
Most of them say junior, someof them say senior.
I say I started my freshmanyear.
They're like what?
Like they could like start atan SEC Division I school and
like with a bad Jericho but agood attitude.
Speaker 2 (25:08):
Let me ask you this one, ruthie, and I'm going to
try to get a few more before weclose down, because it's
profound, the car accident.
Speaker 3 (25:16):
We need part two, man .
We just got to get a part two.
You know you can't, we just gotto.
Speaker 2 (25:20):
Part two.
We're going to double it up.
We're going to double it upwith this one Motivational
speaker, oh my goodness.
So watch this.
You could have been mad at God,reverend Linwood could have
been mad at God with that caraccident and you felt like you
didn't get the same respect ofyour celebrated sister.
I want to move ahead in thestory for a second and say after
(25:42):
a celebrated career with theSacramento Monarchs, you're the
first person to have your jerseyretired.
You're in the WNBA, so in theearly stages, one of the first
all-stars of that prestigiousleague, fourth all-time in
(26:04):
three-pointers made.
But then I want to talk aboutbetrayal and forgiveness,
because the equivalent and forthe listeners out there for
Ruthie's accomplishments.
You would have to drag it outof her, but that's the
equivalent of what Kobe Bryantwas to the Lakers.
She was a standard fixture.
Like Kobe was like Derek Jeterto the Yankees.
But then they cut you.
So imagine Derek Jeter gettingcut.
Imagine the great Kobe Bryantgetting cut.
(26:25):
Well, ruthie got cut from herbeloved Monarchs and you're
frankly talking about the angerand how you had to forgive them.
Tell us about that one.
And forgiveness, becausethere's some listeners that has
to dance that dance.
Speaker 3 (26:41):
You know it sounds good, you know, forgive your
enemies or forgive that soundscute when you hear it, but when
you literally have to live itand I always say, you know I'm
going to forgive her.
You know, whatever when I talk,but it doesn't listen.
After that experience andknowing I did not do anything
wrong, that I feel like theytook me for granted.
(27:01):
I feel like how they handled itwas so wrong.
Speaker 2 (27:04):
And they won the championship that year without
you.
Yes, yes, okay.
Speaker 3 (27:08):
They won it without me.
I was working with the team butbefore how they released me,
there was not any type of I feltlike my loyalty meant nothing
and I felt like because of theperson I'm not a confrontational
person they took my kindness orweakness and just felt like, oh
okay, it doesn't matter whatyou've done, we're going to just
go cut you Instead of justhaving a real grown-up
(27:30):
conversation with me, say youknow what?
We would like to go in adifferent direction.
Can this last year be your lastyear?
But we'll make it great for thefan.
We'll let the league say you'regoing to retire, you're going
to retire this year.
They did every other pro Iwould say franchise player like
that in a different team, likethey're retiring.
I feel like they overlookedthat.
(27:51):
I was mad and I wasdisappointed and I was really
just like man and I hadresentment and I.
But I just had to forgivebecause I, just I, I I said I
know, I know you, bob, youbrought me this far for a reason
.
I know it wasn't man, mantrying to tell me no at every,
every junction, but you got your.
(28:11):
You I had, I knew my purposethere.
I knew in my church I my church.
I sat with purpose.
I knew my purpose.
But it's hard to still walk inyour purpose.
It's hard to forgive and I hadto learn how to forgive.
But you know what, through thatpain, through that pain, it
birthed my curriculum Mighty,aim High.
(28:31):
I had to aim higher than mycircumstance.
I aimed higher than the fear,than the resentment, than the
bitterness, because bitternessit's like adversity make you
bitter or better.
And I had to choose.
It would make me better.
With tears in my eyes, everyday that I was over there, the
(28:53):
same coach that pretend I neverdid nothing in the game.
People were livid, people wereso upset.
I prayed to God.
I said, lord, I hope you see it.
I hope you see it.
I said but I will still trustyou, I will not abandon our
relationship.
I will not abandon ourrelationship.
I believe you still got purposein my life.
(29:13):
But I had to reminisce a littlebit over my life.
And I had to reminisce over mylife and just say, Lord, you
brought me this far for a reason.
I will still trust you, I'mstill yours, I'm sold out to you
.
And it wasn't easy.
Though, with tears in my eyes,I said I got it.
I got it.
I got to be able to forgive.
And that's when I started towork on my journal about dealing
(29:37):
with anger, aiming higher,knowing the accountability of
what God has given me.
Luke 12 and 48 said to whommuch is given, much is required.
I said, lord, this is you.
You've allowed me to be herefor a reason.
So when I reminisce over my life, the car accident, I almost
stopped playing basketball atall, like literally this close.
And then you paved the way,like we created a partnership.
(29:58):
I said so I'm still in this.
It wasn't easy, I'm still inthis, but it was tough learning
how to let go and let God.
It's easy to say it, but toreally do it, to live it.
And I did, and that's what freedme, because when you don't
forgive, you become a prisonerof your own emotions.
You think you're doing it tothem, but it's you.
It clips your wings and youcan't not just fly sore.
(30:22):
So for me to forgive them, Iwas able to really still walk in
my purpose and God he wouldnavigate it for me.
And really, to be honest, allof that going through that
experience of rejection, God wasstill pruning me.
It wasn't like sometimes we gothrough things differently.
Maybe, like you got the littlemountains.
Maybe my mountain was higherthan someone else.
(30:43):
I'm like, look at that, theymountains over there.
Why am I going through this?
And so God proved that maybe myobstacle course, if you will,
was a little bit morechallenging, because he was
building me for a purpose, asnow, so learning how to forgive,
I'm loving that man, ruthie.
Speaker 2 (30:58):
I'm wow, I really want to sit here and start
tearing up a little bit.
But I'm loving that man, ruthie.
Wow, I really want to sit hereand start tearing up a little
bit, but I'm like, let me keepmy cool because it's like man,
you are on fire.
Let me ask you again as leadinginto that what's that shirt?
Because you're an author of sixbooks.
Now, what's that latest book?
You got the advertisement rightthere.
Let's see that one Sent with aPurpose.
(31:20):
What is that one about?
Speaker 3 (31:22):
This came from listen .
It has birthed really the lastfour years and you and I have
talked at times.
I feel like I just I don't.
I feel like my mindset and myfocus in my career like how,
listen?
I told him.
I said I'm so focused I don'tplay.
When this coach told me and Iwant everybody to get to this
audience, whether you're insports or whether you're in
(31:44):
business or whatever you're incross is huge.
When this coach named whyeverybody made this team the
Olympic team, she named LisaLeslie, your size and your
scoring ability.
Lisa Leslie was amazing, one ofthe best teammates.
Katrina McClain, your rebounder.
Teresa Edwards your leadership.
Dawn Staley, your playmakingability.
Katie, your shooting.
(32:04):
Nikki McCray rest in peace yourdefense.
She named everybody.
I'm like what is she going tosay about me?
She finally get to me and shejust say you know what?
I told the committee that I'mnot going to leave the country
without Ruthie.
And she said because I cantrust her in my foxhole.
It's such a strong militarystatement.
It's almost like saying you gotaccountability, you got focus,
(32:28):
you got commitment.
We can't win without you.
I don't even want to try toeven go on this battlefield
without a player like you, I waslike, so that created a sense
of accountability and she cantrust me.
So I feel like that's whatpushed me so hard.
That's why I gave everything Ihad, because she said I can
(32:50):
trust you and she believed in me.
She partnered with me there.
It wasn't easy, but I feel likethe same thing in my life now.
God.
He's given me all of this, I'mallowed me to go through some of
the tough challenges, but I'mstill here and I said, lord, I
want to be just as dedicated inmy walk with you, in my purpose
with you.
I don't want to just go throughthe flow.
(33:10):
I don't want to just be like aperson on the team, be like oh,
I'm just on the team, on theteam wearing the uniform, but am
I being fruitful?
The coach called my name.
Do I go in and make adifference or do I just?
I'm so busy looking at therafters and worried about, oh,
why I'm not playing and I'm notbecoming a student of the game
and I'm not helping the team, soI'm getting pushed further and
further down the bench.
I'm not being fruitful.
(33:31):
I'm looking at the bench andthe coach said you know how the
coach looked down.
Speaker 2 (33:35):
And looked past you.
They're trying to.
I've been there.
Speaker 3 (33:39):
Like I don't trust you.
The coach said I don't trustyou Really I don't trust to
bring you in the game why?
But I want the coach to trustme.
That's why I did.
I worked so hard.
When we would get workouts AB,we would have to do like four,
six, 400s.
You know, maybe sometimes four,200s, five, 100s, run it.
(33:59):
This is on our rest time, awayfrom the team and people were
like jump rope five minutes.
I did everything.
They all went to my girl.
You just weighed 200.
My teammate got up to me, likeyou did.
I did everything because I saidI want her to still trust me.
I feel like if I don't do onesomething, she's going to see
and tell.
She's going to be able to tellI didn't do something and tell
she was ready to tell I didn'tdo something.
(34:20):
So I was bought in.
So now, in this part of my lifeset with purpose, I said Lord,
I'm all in.
I'm saying yes to the journey.
I want to be what you want meto be.
I want to be everything thatyou created me for, from the
little girl, little Nathman,mississippi girl that had a bad
shot and a bad Jericho girl Abad shot and a bad Jericho girl.
A bad shot and a bad Jerichogirl.
(34:40):
I want to be all you want me tobe, so I want you to be able to
trust me with this platformyou've given me.
I do, and so that's where thisbook comes from.
I'm sent with purpose.
Luke 248, to whom much is given, much is required.
Acts 20 and 24 talks about Lord.
I'm not my own self, my gifts.
You know, like I said, I can'tpat myself on the back too hard.
I even brought my little goldmedal right here.
(35:02):
Yes, I can't pat myself on theback too hard.
I want to say I am yours, Standon that podium.
I stood on that podium actually11 different times, 10
different times for differentlike they only really highlight
mainly the Olympics.
But you're up there for theworld championship, You're up
there for the Goodwill Games.
All these different tournaments, all these different games I
(35:22):
won 60-0.
Speaker 2 (35:23):
You guys were 60-0.
Speaker 3 (35:26):
60-0.
Like for me to stand on thatplatform and reminisce over my
life and how I end up on thisspace, like I would be crazy, ab
, to think I just did it on myown.
And so when I tell kids I say,yeah, I had a little bit of
talent, but I had this grit andI had this commitment to just
embrace the opportunity.
(35:46):
So now in my life, sent withpurpose, I said Lord, you sent
me with purpose.
I'm in this with purpose and inmy season, the subtopics, it's
understanding my calling theseason of my life Right now.
You know, season in life issummer.
It's summer, you know, hotobviously.
Speaker 2 (36:02):
Winter, spring and fall.
Speaker 3 (36:04):
Different things.
It's like, what are you doingin that season in your life?
Sometimes your season,spiritually, could be a winter.
Sometimes you're like, well, Idon't know, we get so caught up.
I don't get so caught up inwhat I'm supposed to be doing.
I said, lord, how can I grownow?
What fruits am I bearing now?
And so that's the main thing Ithink we could call up I want to
be, I want to be this.
(36:24):
Or sometimes we call up in thepast or what I didn't do, take a
deep breath, exhale.
I said, okay, I'm inMississippi.
I didn't think I would be inMississippi for four or five
years, you know.
And sometimes I got called up.
I say, okay, it's a season thatI'm here for a reason.
So how can I be the bestversion of Ruthie, how can I be
(36:46):
the?
Be bold, be minded, be the bestversion of myself so that I can
be better for my kids, I can bebetter for just plant seeds and
be a light.
And so that's what I want to be.
I want to be like a good meal.
I'll show your wife her favoritemeal.
What's the favorite meal yourwife cooks?
Before you walk in the house,before you even see her.
You can smell the aroma of themeal.
You can smell the aroma of themeal that she's cooking.
(37:09):
It may be pork chops, it may bebaked chicken, it may be fried
chicken.
You smell it before you startto anticipate the taste.
Oh man, that's so good.
The biscuits, that's so good,but the biscuits, you smell the
aroma that you start, and that'show I want my life to be the
aroma of Jesus in my lifeWonderful, wonderful, wonderful.
I want to be like what do youhave?
Like I like how you deal withadversity, yeah, and.
(37:32):
I heard.
When that happens in my life, Ifeel like I said wow, that's to
me.
I feel like that's athree-point play right there,
that's a three-point play.
Speaker 2 (37:43):
Nice form.
Let me jump in right here,ruthie, and let the listeners
catch this for a second.
My goodness, I'm going to askyou one more question to
encourage them, but I want ourlisteners to know what was said.
At 14 years old, the resilientRuthie was born because it was a
can-do spirit Having to get onthat bus ride where your dad was
(38:07):
like daughter Because of somany of you guys, he called you
daughter and said get on thisthing.
This will help change your life.
You had tremendous successplaying with your sister at
Auburn and then your pro careerand you had to forgive people
and you didn't let it get thebest of you.
And then now, the next seasonof your life, I want to bring it
(38:28):
up here and ask you this one.
It's a real simple questionbefore we let you out of here
and yes, we're going to have todo this again my teammate Ruthie
, how can you encourage ourlisteners to keep climbing?
Speaker 3 (38:43):
Yes, keep climbing and you know what it's the.
You say that I don't know if Iever told you this about
climbing a hill.
I love running hills and Ilisten.
It's something about thatgravity.
I think it's that winningmentality in my life.
It's that competitive spirit.
When I climb a hill, I lean,listen gravity trying to say you
don't belong here.
Gravity don't want me up thereand I look at it as my enemy
(39:04):
trying to keep me down.
I don't run in this bad boy.
It get tough, but when I leanin and put my core in it, I got
this.
So when you climb in a hill oflight, and that struggle and
that disappointment and thatanxiety, lord, is this meant for
me?
I'm telling you, lead in, letyour core lead in, that core of
who you are, because at themoment you think you're the
weakest.
That is your strongest.
(39:25):
Your breakthrough is so close.
Your breakthrough is rightthere.
I know because I've lived it.
I know when it feels like Iwanted to quit so many times and
I would climb up to here, but Ifound a way.
There's a saying I don't know ifit's a verse, I don't know if
it's a song.
Lord, don't give me strength toclimb.
Don't move the mountain, butgive me strength to climb Like I
(39:46):
don't.
I want to.
I want to feel the resistance,because that's what I feel like,
what makes me strong.
Give me it's hard to me to run.
I love the resistance whenrunning, trying to hold me down
where I feel like that's mystrongest.
When resistance trying to hitme, I'm like, okay, what you
(40:07):
talking?
You trying to hold me back, I'mlike, no, you might have bring
stronger, and the stronger theycome, the stronger I get, baby.
The stronger you bring it, thestronger I get.
So I want to encourage you, thelisteners, partner with you.
Take a deep breath and just forone, if you got a breath and
you got a heartbeat, god isgiving you another lease on life
.
This is a day, say Lord, todayit's like you've allowed me to
(40:29):
see another day, another moment.
So with this, I want to be whatyou want me to be.
And how do I do that?
And so you understand, don'tget so caught up in too far down
the road.
How can I be bold, be mighty,be the best version of me?
Take that little something.
I took that little bit of giftthat God gave me a little bit,
little bit and got on that bus,confused, scared, it's all get
(40:52):
out.
And God just enlarged myterritory.
I get that even with my coach.
I talked to him yesterday, dayfour yesterday, and he's just
like, wow, he wrote my book, theRide of a Lifetime.
He wrote the four one.
He said you taught us whatfaith resiliency is.
He said, wow.
So I just want to encourage you, do not let fear keep you
handcuffed, lean into it, sowhat?
You fall flat on your face butdon't live a life of.
(41:13):
I wonder, what if I don't makeit?
But what if you do?
What if I don't make that shot?
But what if you do make thatshot?
It's March Madness, right now.
You know I love March Madnessand I'm starting to see some
amazing games already.
What if I don't make that shot?
But what if you do make thatshot?
It's about right now.
If the X and O's, they canthrow them out the window right
now.
It is about that grit, thattenacity, that resilience.
(41:35):
I don't care, we down by 10,but we are not walking out here
without a win.
That's your mentality.
You better huddle, get yourhuddle with yourself.
You better look in the mirrorand you just say, hey, listen.
Hey, listen, ab.
You know I got to do it.
It's game time, baby.
You better huddle along and sayyou know what I got.
This I'm going to focus whenyou talk, when you talk yourself
(41:57):
.
That's self-talking.
You can flex too.
Come on, AB, flex.
Don't like to show up.
I kept finding the host.
But, ab, I'm telling you hey,listen, if you all got it,
listen, you're listening.
This is your season to be thebest version of you.
(42:19):
Don't give up.
Don't give up, but trust theprocess of who you are.
Speaker 2 (42:24):
Beautiful, beautiful, wow, ruthie man, I really have
tears in my eyes.
You are inspiring me.
I'm so humble.
Where can the listeners followyou on social media if they want
to know more about the MightyRuthie?
Speaker 3 (42:40):
Well, I have a little website, I think it's
themightyruthiecom.
The T-H-E mightyruthiecom is mywebsite where a couple of my
books.
I don't have all my books yeton there because I'm you know,
they're not all there, but mysocial media is just my name,
ruthie Bolton, and then MightyRuthie Bolton on my social media
.
So if you go to my social media, my Instagram, and say that you
(43:04):
were listening to this show andif you want a book, I'll send
you a book and I'll send you alittle extra gift with it.
Speaker 2 (43:12):
My goodness.
Speaker 3 (43:14):
To you, ab.
You can always.
If somebody reach out, you canalways send them my information.
Right, I do Facebook, so I knowsend them my information.
I do Facebook, so I know a lotof people don't do Facebook
anymore, but I do Facebook.
You can leave me a message uh,ruthie Bolton, and uh, it just
uh.
And then they always send themto you if they want to or
whatever, if they, if they wanta book or whatever.
But I'm excited, ab.
I love this show.
You awesome man.
You know I keep getting.
(43:43):
You did work for ESPN, didn't?
Speaker 2 (43:44):
you, yeah, dude, a little bit, a little hanging A
little hanging.
Speaker 3 (43:45):
I love how you.
Thank you, ruthie.
Thank you, I feel like youcreate a storyboard for the
audience.
Speaker 2 (43:51):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (43:52):
You went on a journey , man.
Speaker 2 (43:54):
Yes, I'm telling you.
I've been wiping the side of myeyes, so we appreciate you.
Listen, folks.
I told you you were going to bein for a treat.
Ruthie, thank you for hanging,Thank you for being our teammate
man, and I'm looking forward toseeing you again.
Speaker 3 (44:09):
I've got to leave him with this.
I know we're about to run outof time, but I'll leave him with
this.
My heart says yes.
My heart says yes to your ways.
And you are welcome in.
You are welcome in this place,Jesus.
I love you.
Jesus, I love you, oh my.
(44:31):
And you are welcome in.
You are welcome in this place.
So I had to just give you alittle bit of that.
Say yes to the journey Say yesto the purpose.
Speaker 2 (44:41):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (44:41):
And I'm telling you, your best is yet to come.
Speaker 2 (44:43):
Thank you, your best is yet to come Game time.
Speaker 3 (44:46):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (44:47):
Ruthie.
Thank you so much.
I'll see you soon.
Ruthie Bolton, folks, sincere,genuine, my goodness blown away
and listen.
If you want to know more aboutus, head on over to
adriennbranchspeakscom.
Follow us on social media atAdrienne Branch Speaks and this
show, the Climb.
Follow that wherever podcastsare available.
(45:09):
You guys are amazing.
We got guests like Ruthiecoming up again and again for my
listeners.
Be encouraged and keep climbing.
Thanks everybody, we'll see younext time.
Thank you.
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