October 23, 2024 • 23 mins
Ever wondered what it's like to have your mom as your best friend? In this heartwarming episode, our first-ever mother-daughter duo, Dawn Hubsher and Cher Gopman, join us to unravel the unique magic of their bond.
Start off with a cozy catch-up as Tamara dives into the hustle of harvest season at the winery, while Leisa shares an inspiring moment from a women's conference. Then, dive into the heart of the episode: Dawn and Cher's journey from mother-daughter to best friends. Discover how open communication and a supportive environment helped Cher navigate the tricky terrains of middle and high school.
From co-authoring "A Bond That Lasts Forever" to starring on TLC's "Smothered," their story is a testament to the joy of nurturing mother-daughter friendships. Cher's leap from NYC to a Florida farm adds another layer to their vibrant tale. Tune in and be inspired to cherish the bonds that last a lifetime!
Link to Chattermouth Podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/chattermouthpodcast
Link to Book: A Bond That Lasts Forever: https://www.amazon.com/Bond-That-Lasts-Forever-ebook/dp/B07RN2FD5Y
Visit our site at howimetmybff.com
Help support our show by getting some of our exclusive swag found here!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Leisa (00:01):
Hey, besties. My name is Lisa.
Tamara (00:03):
And my name is Tamara, and we're BFFs.
Leisa (00:06):
Tamara and I met when we were about 12 years old growing
up in good old Fairbanks,Alaska.
Tamara (00:11):
And we've been best friends forever since.
Leisa (00:13):
That's right. And that's why we've decided to have some
fun, friendly conversations withthe bestest of best friends.
Tamara (00:18):
We'll talk about how we became best friends, our
experiences together, and haveother best friends on the show
to share how they met. Whoknows? You never
Leisa (00:27):
know when you'll meet your next BFF.
Tamara (00:30):
Now let's get into it, how I met my BFF.
Leisa (00:35):
Welcome to another episode of How I Met My BFF
podcast. Hi, Tamara.
Tamara (00:41):
Hey, Lisa. How's it going?
Leisa (00:43):
How are you? I haven't talked to you in a 1000000
years. It feels like it's beenforever. It's probably been,
like, a month, but I thinkthat's kind of a long time. So,
they no?
No. Okay. It feels longer to meYeah. In my mind.
Tamara (00:58):
Well, I've just been we have our harvest at the Vineyard
the past, I guess, like, goingon 3 weeks now. We had kind of
it was over a 2 week period andnow we're pressing. So I just
have been working literally fromabout 4 in the morning to 10 or
11 at night every day.
Leisa (01:18):
Oh my gosh. Those grapes these grapes are waiting for no
one. They need
Tamara (01:22):
Yeah. Not it's not all been grape related, but it's
just been a lot. So but, we'recoming we're finishing up. We're
at the finish line.
Leisa (01:32):
Oh, good. Okay. Cool. Yay. I know I think I need to
market my calendar next year.
Harvest time, don't talk toTamara for 3 weeks. Well, I woke
up to a fun thing this morning.I so I'm I'm in bed, and I get
this email from someone who's inNew York City, and she said, I'm
(01:53):
at event I'm at an event, a bigwomen's conference, and she
said, the speaker just quotedyou and gave you a shout out on
stage. And it's my friend I'mgonna give her a shout out. Her
name is Diane Forster, and shehelps people create their own TV
shows.
So I was like, thank you, Diane,for that. But that was kind of a
cool thing to wake up to. I waslike, wow. I'm sweeping the
(02:14):
nation this morning, so that wasreally exciting. I I imagine she
was talking about speaking orget speaking gigs now or
something like that.
I I don't know what the quotewas, but that was pretty cool.
And I'm excited for our guesttoday because we have, our very
first mother daughter duo, bestfriend duo, and so I cannot
wait. They have been they havetheir own podcast and they've
(02:37):
even had a TV show, and so I'mjust so excited to dive in and
hear about your relationship.Welcome, Dawn and Cher.
Cher (02:46):
Thank you so much for having us. We're excited to chat
too. So excited.
Leisa (02:51):
I know. I love it. So, obviously, we kinda know how you
met, I think. I mean, I'mguessing. Wow.
But but give us the you know, asa mom's perspective, like, how
did that how was that meetingyour daughter for the very first
time?
Dawn (03:07):
Well, let me tell you. I have 2 boys that are older. And
then I got pregnant with Cher. Ididn't know I was gonna have a
girl because at that time theydid, they didn't do soda grams
unless it was necessary. So,everyone thought I was having a
boy because I was so big and Icarried the same way as I did
(03:29):
with my boys and they would stoptheir cars and they'd go, it's a
boy.
And I said, oh, I don't want tohear that. So then when she came
out, I, they said it's a girl.And the first reaction was I
said, really? Because I was sureit was gonna be another boy. And
I'm such a girly girl, and I wasso excited.
(03:50):
And when I had her in my arms, Ieven said to her, you're gonna
be my best friend. Oh, I
Leisa (03:57):
did. You got like goosebumps. My friend.
Dawn (04:02):
And from an early on, I spoke with her. I talked about
everything with her. I made, Ithink, grow up before her time
because we just spoke abouteverything. So I think we got
comfortable talking abouteverything.
Leisa (04:18):
Wow. That's so beautiful. Yes. I love how you just you did
that, like, and without evenknowing what was gonna come, you
know, in your life later thatyou had that instant instant
reaction. That is so cool.
Dawn (04:32):
Connection. It was, like, unbelievable. Mhmm.
Cher (04:35):
And I think we've always, you know, we've always been very
close. Of course, we had our upsand downs, but any friendship
has as well. But my mom alwayskept such open communication
with me where we can really talkabout anything, and, like,
nothing was off limits. Therewas no, like, oh, it's weird to
talk to your mom about this. Shealways was made me feel very
comfortable, which actually wasreally good because, you know,
(04:56):
in middle school or high schoolwhen you're going through those
awkward phases and you don'tknow who to necessarily turn to,
I was able to turn to my mom andask her questions that a lot of
people would only ask their bestfriend.
But because my mom truly was mybest friend, I was able to come
to her and she made me feelcomfortable.
Dawn (05:14):
Inside, I was dying. Let me tell you. Because some of
those were unbelievable, but Inever showed it, and I just
answered it matter of factly,and I wanted her to be able to
be comfortable.
Cher (05:27):
And, like, growing up, we would always feel like I always
knew she was, you know, she wasmy mom. Like, she'd wear her mom
hat, and I knew not to, like,overstep or anything. But as
I've gotten older, we've able welike, she'll always be my mom,
of course, but we've been ableto really transition the
relationship into a bestfriendship where she'll come to
me right before this episode. Wewere going through, you know,
the clothes in my closet, and Iwas helping her pick out an
(05:49):
outfit to wear it to an event.And, you know, she'll help we'll
go shopping together and hangout and talk to each other about
everything.
And so, it's really nice beingable to have my mom as my best
friend because, you know, she'sseen me at my worst and been
there for me at my best andcheered me on throughout. So
it's been very special.
Leisa (06:07):
Wow. Wow. I love that. When when did you for you, Cher,
just being in the daughter role,when did you start to kind of
realize that your mom yourrelationship with your mom is
maybe a little different thanother people's relationship with
their mom, like, as a, you know,on that friend zone?
Cher (06:24):
I feel like when I was you know, I've always felt like our
relationship was a littledifferent because I always
wanted to hang out with my mom.Like, I loved hanging out with
her. And my most fun days wereour days just hanging out
together, going shopping.
Dawn (06:38):
It still is.
Cher (06:39):
It still is. You know? It still is. It really is. And
we've always just been so close,and she's always been, like, my
biggest cheerleader.
So, you know, why wouldn't youwanna hang out with someone
who's really, like, encouragingyou and, you know, bringing you
up, like, put you know, and Ialways have confidence. Having
your back. And so, you know, Idid notice that it was a little
(07:00):
weird or unconventional, but Ifeel like, you know, why
shouldn't your mom be your bestfriend? Because she's seen you
throughout all your ups anddowns in life. And so, it's
definitely yeah.
I've definitely noticed it wasdifferent, but I'm happy to have
it.
Dawn (07:15):
Oh, wow. Through those middle school years Mhmm. It was
hard. Don't get me wrong. We didhave our arguments just like
everybody else has theirarguments, even with best
friends.
It's about getting through itand getting stronger from it.
Leisa (07:30):
Mhmm. Yeah. Well and when you have that kind of honesty,
that's gonna happen. I mean,you're if she's, you know, as
the daughter willing to tell youkind of everything, you I'm sure
are gonna, like you mentioned,hear things that you're like, oh
my gosh. Even though I'm gladshe's telling me, I don't wanna
say the wrong thing or react thewrong way or want her to be
(07:54):
hurting.
I I remember when my daughter'sfirst, like, kind of heartbreak
and she's like, mom, when isthis gonna go away? And I was
just like, oh my gosh, I wish Icould take that pain away. You
know? Totally. You don't everwanna see them sad or upset or
anything.
Cher (08:11):
Right. Definitely.
Leisa (08:14):
What would you what do you so you guys go shopping.
Like, what are some things thatyou guys do when you're together
and having fun?
Dawn (08:20):
Well, we have a podcast together. Yeah. Chattermouth.
Leisa (08:23):
Tell us the name of your podcast. What's your podcast
name?
Cher (08:26):
It's called Chattermouth Podcast because we're always
chatting about everything, andwe have really big smiles. So
we're very smiling. You couldsee, like, the logo is just,
like, big smiles, big lip bigteeth, big lips, all of that
because that's, like
Leisa (08:39):
in your family, I could be, like, the honorary
Cher (08:43):
Oh, yeah.
Dawn (08:43):
You would. You would.
Cher (08:45):
But we're always chatting. We just love to sit and talk and
have a cup of coffee Yeah. Andjust have our girl time, which
is why we originally started thepodcast. So that's something we
love doing, but we love doing,you know, everything together.
We love going shopping.
We love going just for coffeeand sitting and talking.
Dawn (09:02):
We we actually wrote a book together. Oh, yes. That was
really wonderful.
Cher (09:06):
Yeah. So we have a book
Dawn (09:07):
about your book.
Cher (09:08):
Yeah. Or is it around it's right around there.
Leisa (09:10):
Is it called chatter mouse as well?
Cher (09:13):
It's not. No. It's called a bond that lasts Forever, and
it's how we got so close and howyou can too. So it goes over all
our, like, ups and downs, ourobstacles and how we got through
it and how we became as close aswe are today. So, we wrote this
how many years ago now?
9. 6 years ago. Something likethat. Yeah. And, yeah, you know,
(09:34):
we wanted to inspire othermothers and daughters that to
create their own special bondand their own special
relationship because I don't wewanna show it doesn't have to be
weird or, silly to be friendswith your mom because, you know,
why not?
You know, your mom is just Iheard this saying once about how
your mom is just like a kid in agrown up's body. Like, they're
(09:56):
still learning. You're stilllearning for the first time how
to be a mom, how to parent,everything. And so they're just
a little bit older than us andmaybe a little bit wiser, but,
you know, I think you shouldgive them the respect too to
have that opportunity to havethat friendship.
Leisa (10:11):
Of course. Wow. And then you also were on it TV show.
Cher (10:17):
Yeah. So we were that. Sorry. Yes, we were. It was
called Smothered on TLC, andit's a TV show.
We were on it for 4 seasons.Basically, it's about our
relationship and about beingbasically best friends with our
moms and how sometimes it cancome off as smothering, maybe a
little bit too much because yourmom is always around and, you
(10:40):
know, always so involved, but,you know, we're happy to have it
that way because I love havingmy mom around. I'm always
whenever she comes over, youknow, I have a daughter, who's
5, and when she comes over, it'sso great. When she leaves, I,
you have no one to help there'snot as much help around, and I'm
like, don't go. Don't go.
I love having you here. It justmakes life more fun.
Leisa (11:01):
Wow. What I I live in the area where the Real Housewives
of Orange County at, like,that's, like, they're in my
neighborhood. It's the first,like, kind of, like, reality
show like that. But yeah.Actually, I was secret tip, I
was on one episode
Cher (11:18):
a long time ago,
Dawn (11:20):
but it will never
Leisa (11:21):
be aired again. That's okay. That's okay. That's okay.
That's so sweet.
Cher (11:23):
On for? That's so fun.
Leisa (11:26):
It's such a weird story. I I used to own this a day spa
in, look, in, Laguna Niguel, anda woman who, was friends with
some of the people on the show,she did injections and, you
know, things like that. And soshe booked it and anyway. So
there's Oh, cool. It's a weirdstory.
(11:47):
But, yeah, I was on it for,like, a hot second. If you
blinked, you would've missed it.But 4 seasons, that's a long
time to Yeah. I I think it wouldbe I don't know. What was your
experience being on a show likethat?
What did you learn about yourrelationship, yourself going
through that experience?
Cher (12:07):
Mhmm. Life's about creating memories, I think. And
so just being able to you know,before being on this show, we
were on another show called, mysuper sweet 16 on MTV. And so we
were first on that show, then wewere another show called Exiled
MTV and then Smothered for 4seasons. And so You've been here
for a while.
So we've been doing it since Iwas since I was 6 15, I guess,
that we were filming since then.And so, you know, being able to
(12:30):
do it with my mom is so funbecause you're always have a
little bit of anxiety going infront of a camera, of course,
especially during interviews.But the best interviews are the
fact when I'm with my mombecause she's right there with
me and we're under, like, thecamera where they can't see.
We're, like, squeezing eachother's hands sometimes and,
like, it's just special becauseif I have lipstick in my teeth,
(12:50):
I don't have to wait until thecam you know, till the show
comes out to be like, share yourlipstick on your teeth. Like, my
mom is right there to be likecan't all wipe that off right
now.
You know? Yeah. Exactly. So it'sspecial and wonderful having my
mom, like, on TV with me.
Dawn (13:03):
And, you know, it's about creating memories. Everything's
about making memories. And,like, on national TV with
Smothered, Cher actually told meshe was pregnant with her
daughter Belle now. And that is,like, when we watch it back, we
cry to this day. I'm stillcrying hearing it because it was
so emotional and so special.
(13:25):
And the same thing when she onnational TV had a gender reveal
and she didn't know whether shewas gonna have a boy and girl.
And it's and it came out thatshe was having a girl that we
were screaming because we didn'tknow it, and it aired on
national TV. So those memoriesyou just have forever. Mhmm.
Leisa (13:43):
Wow. That is so exciting to have your life documented
like that, those specialmoments. I that's incredible.
Yeah. Tamara, do you do youwanna say anything?
I sometimes I can be the chattyone. Did you wanna say anything?
Tamara (13:57):
Yeah. Well, I guess my the first thing I wanted to ask
was how do your significantothers because it's already
hard, you know, having a, youknow, a mom figure and then
bringing in a significant otheror dating or, you know, how do
how does that work out?
Dawn (14:18):
Well, it works out very good now because I might not
share when her husband is inwork. And when he comes home, I
leave right away. So I'm not inthe away. Same thing. You know,
if her home is home, if Jared ishome, he'll she'll tell me he's
home, and I don't call.
Otherwise, we're texting andcalling all day long, little
(14:40):
things. You know? So but whenshe was living in New York when
her husband was going through,his residency and I would come
to visit, that was a little moredifficult because I stayed with
them for, like, a week at atime. So it's much easier now
because I could run as soon ashe gets home.
Cher (14:57):
We found balance. Yes. But I think it was always
intimidating, you know, havingboyfriends growing up, like,
coming home and meeting my mom,but they you know, my mom and I
would always say that we look somuch alike, so they'd always
say, oh, I know what you'regonna look like in 30 years from
now, and they weren't too upsetabout it. So that's good news.
Right?
Leisa (15:15):
Good news.
Cher (15:17):
And then my dad my dad is my dad, so I think that, you
know, he just kind of gets us bynow. He's like, oh, those 2.
Dawn (15:24):
You know? I say, yeah. It's okay.
Cher (15:28):
I keep her busy.
Tamara (15:30):
And how is the really quiet though. Sorry. Go ahead.
Leisa (15:36):
I was gonna say, is your dad pretty quiet? Or because you
guys are talking.
Dawn (15:41):
He's more reserved. He's more reserved
Tamara (15:44):
than us.
Dawn (15:44):
Think we're Yeah.
Cher (15:45):
We're the out loud one.
Leisa (15:50):
What were you gonna say, Tamara?
Tamara (15:52):
Oh, I think we're having a feedback. I was just gonna ask
how do your brothers are do youfeel like they are have they
just grown up with it and it'sjust they're used to it by now?
How how is that?
Dawn (16:05):
I'm very close with my sons too. I speak to each one
every day. I have my ownrelationship with both of them,
and I love all of them totallyequally. It's just different.
Way is different than a girl.
A girl, I'm talking aboutfashion and whatnot. And a boy,
my sons, I talk about otherthings. But I love them all
(16:28):
equally. They know it. I havespecial time with each one, and
I make sure of that.
Leisa (16:35):
That's beautiful. And I was gonna ask, Cher about your
your farm because you just Idon't know how new that is for
you. Is that that's pretty new?
Cher (16:46):
Yeah. Just like over the past year, we've created a farm.
Dawn (16:49):
Yeah. She always wanted to have a lot of animals. Yeah.
Cher (16:53):
So I have I was living in New York City. Living the city
girl life, you know, was so fun.My dream was to one day have a
farm. It's all I wanted. So Irecently created this.
I we moved to Florida 15 minutesfrom my mom, which is great,
and, you know, I started havinga farm. So now we have, like, 13
chickens and turkeys, and wehave pigs
Dawn (17:15):
and Rabbits.
Cher (17:16):
Rabbits, Five rabbits and tortoises, and it's amazing.
Cats. But that's, like, the onedifference between me and my
mom. So I love animals. I am,like, you know, vegan.
I love animals so much, and mymom, you know, loves them from a
distance. She's scared.
Dawn (17:31):
The other day, she goes, hold the turkey and go, wow.
Cher (17:34):
She's like, what? And she was, like, screaming.
Leisa (17:37):
And I was, like, how am
Dawn (17:38):
I supposed to do this?
Cher (17:39):
And I'm like, just hold him. You know? But so that is
the big difference in us. Youknow, I my mom's I it's time to
go out to the farm, and I got myfarm boots on. My mom's like,
shit.
She's in her, like, littleheels, like, wait a minute. Oh
my god. So a little different.
Dawn (17:55):
Sometimes I say, how did I get her?
Cher (17:57):
Yeah. That's our big difference.
Leisa (17:59):
Yes, honey. Yeah. Tamara's in Montana and has a
lot of property, and I live inOrange County, California. So
property's a little differentsituation here. Not that people
don't have farms here.
They do. But, yeah, she's hadchickens and rabbits and goats.
No more goats, though. Shedoesn't like the goats. No.
Cher (18:18):
Really? Oh,
Leisa (18:19):
oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,
Cher (18:20):
I'm not I wanna get them soon. Tell them why why no
goats.
Tamara (18:25):
Oh, I haven't had goats since I was little, but so I
don't know what
Leisa (18:29):
Oh, I thought you had a goat at the in Montana. No.
Tamara (18:32):
I absolutely do not enjoy goats.
Dawn (18:36):
No. No. When Cher was little, we had 2 goats, a pygmy
goat and and the Arabian goat.Yes. They were wonderful.
So that's a big on the list.Yes.
Cher (18:47):
They do eat everything, and they are escape artists. So
that I'm a little nervous about,but I'm also excited.
Tamara (18:53):
I know people love them. I just, I think it's the smell.
I just can't it's not my I mean,I don't like goat cheese, maybe.
But it's the smell
Cher (19:03):
of the way I Ice goat cheese to me smells like, tastes
like the way a goat smells orsomething. Something like that.
I just, like, can't yeah.
Tamara (19:12):
That's weird. That maybe that's it. But, yeah. I I keep
teasing the kids that we'regonna get alpacas. I do wanna
get an alpaca.
Cher (19:20):
My husband really wants an alpaca. They're expensive,
actually.
Tamara (19:24):
Yeah. They're really expensive.
Cher (19:25):
Okay. They're beautiful and so cool.
Tamara (19:27):
No. That's so cool.
Dawn (19:29):
It's interesting. All the animals that Cher has, are
animals that that were gonna begiven for food, and she takes
them because she doesn't wantthem eaten.
Cher (19:39):
Yeah. We're
Dawn (19:40):
rescue. Yeah. She rescues all.
Cher (19:42):
The all animals are rescue animals. We're vegan, and we,
like, we like, the bunnies wereactually gonna be turned into
bunny meat. We, like,
Dawn (19:50):
don't you There's this one old, huge bunny, and she oh, she
didn't want it to be you know,it was all auctioned off. And it
was going up and up, but sheknew they were gonna use it for
food, but Cher made sure to getit. And she said that rabbit is
not gonna be eaten.
Cher (20:06):
It was too fluffy and adorable. Like, you cannot eat
this thing. And he's and it'slike the sweetest little
sweetest rabbit sweetest bigrabbit, I should say, not little
rabbit. Yeah.
Leisa (20:16):
Yeah. I was with Tamara one time when we she bought a
rabbit, and I think you alreadyhad another rabbit, and then
then she had a bunch of rabbitsafter that.
Cher (20:25):
Oh, wow. For a while.
Leisa (20:27):
For a while. But rabbits. It's
Cher (20:30):
yes. That's too funny.
Leisa (20:33):
Is there anything else that you wanna share with our
listeners, our bestie listeners?
Cher (20:39):
I I love that this is like a bestie podcast. I think once
you find a a best friend, it'sso special to, like, hold on to
that person always. You know,and also just I hope that we can
kind of inspire somebody to,like, call pick up the phone and
call their mom and, like, have alittle bestie day with your mom
or your daughter. You know,something that's good is just
(20:59):
something as nice as just, like,going out for dinner, the 2 of
you. Go grab a drink together,go grab a cup of coffee, even
having that special time becauseyou might be surprised on, like,
how awesome a friendship withyour mom or your daughter can
really be.
Dawn (21:12):
And it's never too late to start. Even if you weren't
close, just start with smallbaby steps and build on that
relationship and create your ownbond. Yeah.
Cher (21:23):
Oh, I love that. Definitely, follow along our
podcast, Chattermouth Podcast.We literally talk about
everything. And even thoughwe're mother and daughter, truly
nothing is off limits.
Dawn (21:32):
And, also, you get different perspectives. You get
a a mother sixties in thesixties years old, 64 years old,
and a and a a girl that's 34years old. So different
perspectives, and sometimes weagree and sometimes we don't.
Yeah. Sometimes we agree to
Cher (21:48):
disagree. True.
Leisa (21:49):
I love that. I love that. It's so fun. So it's on
Chatterbox pod or Chattermouth.Sorry.
Not Chatterbox. Chattermouth. Ohmy gosh. Yes. Chattermouth
podcast.
I listened to it, and it'sreally good show. And then you
even have your book. I'll justsay
Cher (22:02):
that again. The A Bond
Leisa (22:04):
That Last Forever. And, you guys are just amazing. I
Thank
Cher (22:11):
you, sir. You guys would love the podcast and love the
best friends, BFFs.
Dawn (22:16):
That is the best. Yeah.
Leisa (22:19):
Aw. Thank you. Well, you never know when you're gonna
meet your new new BFF. It couldbe someone you already know. It
could be your mom, for cryingout loud.
So you never know. Maybe giveyour mom a call. Alright,
besties. We'll see you on thenext episode. Bye.
Hey, bestie. Thanks forlistening. If you like this
(22:40):
episode, be sure to hit thatsubscribe button to get notified
of new episodes and check outcool bestie gift ideas at how I
met my bff.com.
Tamara (22:48):
That's right. And also, leave us a review. Those reviews
help us out a lot and are one ofthe best ways to support us.
Yes.
Leisa (22:55):
And if you have a fun story about how you met your
BFF, send us an email at info athow I met my bff.com. We would
love to hear about it.
Tamara (23:03):
Definitely. And, hey, maybe we'll have you on our next
episode.
Leisa (23:08):
That would be awesome. Until next time.
Tamara (23:10):
Love you, BFFs.
Hey, besties. My name is Lisa.
Tamara (00:03):
And my name is Tamara, and we're BFFs.
Leisa (00:06):
Tamara and I met when we were about 12 years old growing
up in good old Fairbanks,Alaska.
Tamara (00:11):
And we've been best friends forever since.
Leisa (00:13):
That's right. And that's why we've decided to have some
fun, friendly conversations withthe bestest of best friends.
Tamara (00:18):
We'll talk about how we became best friends, our
experiences together, and haveother best friends on the show
to share how they met. Whoknows? You never
Leisa (00:27):
know when you'll meet your next BFF.
Tamara (00:30):
Now let's get into it, how I met my BFF.
Leisa (00:35):
Welcome to another episode of How I Met My BFF
podcast. Hi, Tamara.
Tamara (00:41):
Hey, Lisa. How's it going?
Leisa (00:43):
How are you? I haven't talked to you in a 1000000
years. It feels like it's beenforever. It's probably been,
like, a month, but I thinkthat's kind of a long time. So,
they no?
No. Okay. It feels longer to meYeah. In my mind.
Tamara (00:58):
Well, I've just been we have our harvest at the Vineyard
the past, I guess, like, goingon 3 weeks now. We had kind of
it was over a 2 week period andnow we're pressing. So I just
have been working literally fromabout 4 in the morning to 10 or
11 at night every day.
Leisa (01:18):
Oh my gosh. Those grapes these grapes are waiting for no
one. They need
Tamara (01:22):
Yeah. Not it's not all been grape related, but it's
just been a lot. So but, we'recoming we're finishing up. We're
at the finish line.
Leisa (01:32):
Oh, good. Okay. Cool. Yay. I know I think I need to
market my calendar next year.
Harvest time, don't talk toTamara for 3 weeks. Well, I woke
up to a fun thing this morning.I so I'm I'm in bed, and I get
this email from someone who's inNew York City, and she said, I'm
(01:53):
at event I'm at an event, a bigwomen's conference, and she
said, the speaker just quotedyou and gave you a shout out on
stage. And it's my friend I'mgonna give her a shout out. Her
name is Diane Forster, and shehelps people create their own TV
shows.
So I was like, thank you, Diane,for that. But that was kind of a
cool thing to wake up to. I waslike, wow. I'm sweeping the
(02:14):
nation this morning, so that wasreally exciting. I I imagine she
was talking about speaking orget speaking gigs now or
something like that.
I I don't know what the quotewas, but that was pretty cool.
And I'm excited for our guesttoday because we have, our very
first mother daughter duo, bestfriend duo, and so I cannot
wait. They have been they havetheir own podcast and they've
(02:37):
even had a TV show, and so I'mjust so excited to dive in and
hear about your relationship.Welcome, Dawn and Cher.
Cher (02:46):
Thank you so much for having us. We're excited to chat
too. So excited.
Leisa (02:51):
I know. I love it. So, obviously, we kinda know how you
met, I think. I mean, I'mguessing. Wow.
But but give us the you know, asa mom's perspective, like, how
did that how was that meetingyour daughter for the very first
time?
Dawn (03:07):
Well, let me tell you. I have 2 boys that are older. And
then I got pregnant with Cher. Ididn't know I was gonna have a
girl because at that time theydid, they didn't do soda grams
unless it was necessary. So,everyone thought I was having a
boy because I was so big and Icarried the same way as I did
(03:29):
with my boys and they would stoptheir cars and they'd go, it's a
boy.
And I said, oh, I don't want tohear that. So then when she came
out, I, they said it's a girl.And the first reaction was I
said, really? Because I was sureit was gonna be another boy. And
I'm such a girly girl, and I wasso excited.
(03:50):
And when I had her in my arms, Ieven said to her, you're gonna
be my best friend. Oh, I
Leisa (03:57):
did. You got like goosebumps. My friend.
Dawn (04:02):
And from an early on, I spoke with her. I talked about
everything with her. I made, Ithink, grow up before her time
because we just spoke abouteverything. So I think we got
comfortable talking abouteverything.
Leisa (04:18):
Wow. That's so beautiful. Yes. I love how you just you did
that, like, and without evenknowing what was gonna come, you
know, in your life later thatyou had that instant instant
reaction. That is so cool.
Dawn (04:32):
Connection. It was, like, unbelievable. Mhmm.
Cher (04:35):
And I think we've always, you know, we've always been very
close. Of course, we had our upsand downs, but any friendship
has as well. But my mom alwayskept such open communication
with me where we can really talkabout anything, and, like,
nothing was off limits. Therewas no, like, oh, it's weird to
talk to your mom about this. Shealways was made me feel very
comfortable, which actually wasreally good because, you know,
(04:56):
in middle school or high schoolwhen you're going through those
awkward phases and you don'tknow who to necessarily turn to,
I was able to turn to my mom andask her questions that a lot of
people would only ask their bestfriend.
But because my mom truly was mybest friend, I was able to come
to her and she made me feelcomfortable.
Dawn (05:14):
Inside, I was dying. Let me tell you. Because some of
those were unbelievable, but Inever showed it, and I just
answered it matter of factly,and I wanted her to be able to
be comfortable.
Cher (05:27):
And, like, growing up, we would always feel like I always
knew she was, you know, she wasmy mom. Like, she'd wear her mom
hat, and I knew not to, like,overstep or anything. But as
I've gotten older, we've able welike, she'll always be my mom,
of course, but we've been ableto really transition the
relationship into a bestfriendship where she'll come to
me right before this episode. Wewere going through, you know,
the clothes in my closet, and Iwas helping her pick out an
(05:49):
outfit to wear it to an event.And, you know, she'll help we'll
go shopping together and hangout and talk to each other about
everything.
And so, it's really nice beingable to have my mom as my best
friend because, you know, she'sseen me at my worst and been
there for me at my best andcheered me on throughout. So
it's been very special.
Leisa (06:07):
Wow. Wow. I love that. When when did you for you, Cher,
just being in the daughter role,when did you start to kind of
realize that your mom yourrelationship with your mom is
maybe a little different thanother people's relationship with
their mom, like, as a, you know,on that friend zone?
Cher (06:24):
I feel like when I was you know, I've always felt like our
relationship was a littledifferent because I always
wanted to hang out with my mom.Like, I loved hanging out with
her. And my most fun days wereour days just hanging out
together, going shopping.
Dawn (06:38):
It still is.
Cher (06:39):
It still is. You know? It still is. It really is. And
we've always just been so close,and she's always been, like, my
biggest cheerleader.
So, you know, why wouldn't youwanna hang out with someone
who's really, like, encouragingyou and, you know, bringing you
up, like, put you know, and Ialways have confidence. Having
your back. And so, you know, Idid notice that it was a little
(07:00):
weird or unconventional, but Ifeel like, you know, why
shouldn't your mom be your bestfriend? Because she's seen you
throughout all your ups anddowns in life. And so, it's
definitely yeah.
I've definitely noticed it wasdifferent, but I'm happy to have
it.
Dawn (07:15):
Oh, wow. Through those middle school years Mhmm. It was
hard. Don't get me wrong. We didhave our arguments just like
everybody else has theirarguments, even with best
friends.
It's about getting through itand getting stronger from it.
Leisa (07:30):
Mhmm. Yeah. Well and when you have that kind of honesty,
that's gonna happen. I mean,you're if she's, you know, as
the daughter willing to tell youkind of everything, you I'm sure
are gonna, like you mentioned,hear things that you're like, oh
my gosh. Even though I'm gladshe's telling me, I don't wanna
say the wrong thing or react thewrong way or want her to be
(07:54):
hurting.
I I remember when my daughter'sfirst, like, kind of heartbreak
and she's like, mom, when isthis gonna go away? And I was
just like, oh my gosh, I wish Icould take that pain away. You
know? Totally. You don't everwanna see them sad or upset or
anything.
Cher (08:11):
Right. Definitely.
Leisa (08:14):
What would you what do you so you guys go shopping.
Like, what are some things thatyou guys do when you're together
and having fun?
Dawn (08:20):
Well, we have a podcast together. Yeah. Chattermouth.
Leisa (08:23):
Tell us the name of your podcast. What's your podcast
name?
Cher (08:26):
It's called Chattermouth Podcast because we're always
chatting about everything, andwe have really big smiles. So
we're very smiling. You couldsee, like, the logo is just,
like, big smiles, big lip bigteeth, big lips, all of that
because that's, like
Leisa (08:39):
in your family, I could be, like, the honorary
Cher (08:43):
Oh, yeah.
Dawn (08:43):
You would. You would.
Cher (08:45):
But we're always chatting. We just love to sit and talk and
have a cup of coffee Yeah. Andjust have our girl time, which
is why we originally started thepodcast. So that's something we
love doing, but we love doing,you know, everything together.
We love going shopping.
We love going just for coffeeand sitting and talking.
Dawn (09:02):
We we actually wrote a book together. Oh, yes. That was
really wonderful.
Cher (09:06):
Yeah. So we have a book
Dawn (09:07):
about your book.
Cher (09:08):
Yeah. Or is it around it's right around there.
Leisa (09:10):
Is it called chatter mouse as well?
Cher (09:13):
It's not. No. It's called a bond that lasts Forever, and
it's how we got so close and howyou can too. So it goes over all
our, like, ups and downs, ourobstacles and how we got through
it and how we became as close aswe are today. So, we wrote this
how many years ago now?
9. 6 years ago. Something likethat. Yeah. And, yeah, you know,
(09:34):
we wanted to inspire othermothers and daughters that to
create their own special bondand their own special
relationship because I don't wewanna show it doesn't have to be
weird or, silly to be friendswith your mom because, you know,
why not?
You know, your mom is just Iheard this saying once about how
your mom is just like a kid in agrown up's body. Like, they're
(09:56):
still learning. You're stilllearning for the first time how
to be a mom, how to parent,everything. And so they're just
a little bit older than us andmaybe a little bit wiser, but,
you know, I think you shouldgive them the respect too to
have that opportunity to havethat friendship.
Leisa (10:11):
Of course. Wow. And then you also were on it TV show.
Cher (10:17):
Yeah. So we were that. Sorry. Yes, we were. It was
called Smothered on TLC, andit's a TV show.
We were on it for 4 seasons.Basically, it's about our
relationship and about beingbasically best friends with our
moms and how sometimes it cancome off as smothering, maybe a
little bit too much because yourmom is always around and, you
(10:40):
know, always so involved, but,you know, we're happy to have it
that way because I love havingmy mom around. I'm always
whenever she comes over, youknow, I have a daughter, who's
5, and when she comes over, it'sso great. When she leaves, I,
you have no one to help there'snot as much help around, and I'm
like, don't go. Don't go.
I love having you here. It justmakes life more fun.
Leisa (11:01):
Wow. What I I live in the area where the Real Housewives
of Orange County at, like,that's, like, they're in my
neighborhood. It's the first,like, kind of, like, reality
show like that. But yeah.Actually, I was secret tip, I
was on one episode
Cher (11:18):
a long time ago,
Dawn (11:20):
but it will never
Leisa (11:21):
be aired again. That's okay. That's okay. That's okay.
That's so sweet.
Cher (11:23):
On for? That's so fun.
Leisa (11:26):
It's such a weird story. I I used to own this a day spa
in, look, in, Laguna Niguel, anda woman who, was friends with
some of the people on the show,she did injections and, you
know, things like that. And soshe booked it and anyway. So
there's Oh, cool. It's a weirdstory.
(11:47):
But, yeah, I was on it for,like, a hot second. If you
blinked, you would've missed it.But 4 seasons, that's a long
time to Yeah. I I think it wouldbe I don't know. What was your
experience being on a show likethat?
What did you learn about yourrelationship, yourself going
through that experience?
Cher (12:07):
Mhmm. Life's about creating memories, I think. And
so just being able to you know,before being on this show, we
were on another show called, mysuper sweet 16 on MTV. And so we
were first on that show, then wewere another show called Exiled
MTV and then Smothered for 4seasons. And so You've been here
for a while.
So we've been doing it since Iwas since I was 6 15, I guess,
that we were filming since then.And so, you know, being able to
(12:30):
do it with my mom is so funbecause you're always have a
little bit of anxiety going infront of a camera, of course,
especially during interviews.But the best interviews are the
fact when I'm with my mombecause she's right there with
me and we're under, like, thecamera where they can't see.
We're, like, squeezing eachother's hands sometimes and,
like, it's just special becauseif I have lipstick in my teeth,
(12:50):
I don't have to wait until thecam you know, till the show
comes out to be like, share yourlipstick on your teeth. Like, my
mom is right there to be likecan't all wipe that off right
now.
You know? Yeah. Exactly. So it'sspecial and wonderful having my
mom, like, on TV with me.
Dawn (13:03):
And, you know, it's about creating memories. Everything's
about making memories. And,like, on national TV with
Smothered, Cher actually told meshe was pregnant with her
daughter Belle now. And that is,like, when we watch it back, we
cry to this day. I'm stillcrying hearing it because it was
so emotional and so special.
(13:25):
And the same thing when she onnational TV had a gender reveal
and she didn't know whether shewas gonna have a boy and girl.
And it's and it came out thatshe was having a girl that we
were screaming because we didn'tknow it, and it aired on
national TV. So those memoriesyou just have forever. Mhmm.
Leisa (13:43):
Wow. That is so exciting to have your life documented
like that, those specialmoments. I that's incredible.
Yeah. Tamara, do you do youwanna say anything?
I sometimes I can be the chattyone. Did you wanna say anything?
Tamara (13:57):
Yeah. Well, I guess my the first thing I wanted to ask
was how do your significantothers because it's already
hard, you know, having a, youknow, a mom figure and then
bringing in a significant otheror dating or, you know, how do
how does that work out?
Dawn (14:18):
Well, it works out very good now because I might not
share when her husband is inwork. And when he comes home, I
leave right away. So I'm not inthe away. Same thing. You know,
if her home is home, if Jared ishome, he'll she'll tell me he's
home, and I don't call.
Otherwise, we're texting andcalling all day long, little
(14:40):
things. You know? So but whenshe was living in New York when
her husband was going through,his residency and I would come
to visit, that was a little moredifficult because I stayed with
them for, like, a week at atime. So it's much easier now
because I could run as soon ashe gets home.
Cher (14:57):
We found balance. Yes. But I think it was always
intimidating, you know, havingboyfriends growing up, like,
coming home and meeting my mom,but they you know, my mom and I
would always say that we look somuch alike, so they'd always
say, oh, I know what you'regonna look like in 30 years from
now, and they weren't too upsetabout it. So that's good news.
Right?
Leisa (15:15):
Good news.
Cher (15:17):
And then my dad my dad is my dad, so I think that, you
know, he just kind of gets us bynow. He's like, oh, those 2.
Dawn (15:24):
You know? I say, yeah. It's okay.
Cher (15:28):
I keep her busy.
Tamara (15:30):
And how is the really quiet though. Sorry. Go ahead.
Leisa (15:36):
I was gonna say, is your dad pretty quiet? Or because you
guys are talking.
Dawn (15:41):
He's more reserved. He's more reserved
Tamara (15:44):
than us.
Dawn (15:44):
Think we're Yeah.
Cher (15:45):
We're the out loud one.
Leisa (15:50):
What were you gonna say, Tamara?
Tamara (15:52):
Oh, I think we're having a feedback. I was just gonna ask
how do your brothers are do youfeel like they are have they
just grown up with it and it'sjust they're used to it by now?
How how is that?
Dawn (16:05):
I'm very close with my sons too. I speak to each one
every day. I have my ownrelationship with both of them,
and I love all of them totallyequally. It's just different.
Way is different than a girl.
A girl, I'm talking aboutfashion and whatnot. And a boy,
my sons, I talk about otherthings. But I love them all
(16:28):
equally. They know it. I havespecial time with each one, and
I make sure of that.
Leisa (16:35):
That's beautiful. And I was gonna ask, Cher about your
your farm because you just Idon't know how new that is for
you. Is that that's pretty new?
Cher (16:46):
Yeah. Just like over the past year, we've created a farm.
Dawn (16:49):
Yeah. She always wanted to have a lot of animals. Yeah.
Cher (16:53):
So I have I was living in New York City. Living the city
girl life, you know, was so fun.My dream was to one day have a
farm. It's all I wanted. So Irecently created this.
I we moved to Florida 15 minutesfrom my mom, which is great,
and, you know, I started havinga farm. So now we have, like, 13
chickens and turkeys, and wehave pigs
Dawn (17:15):
and Rabbits.
Cher (17:16):
Rabbits, Five rabbits and tortoises, and it's amazing.
Cats. But that's, like, the onedifference between me and my
mom. So I love animals. I am,like, you know, vegan.
I love animals so much, and mymom, you know, loves them from a
distance. She's scared.
Dawn (17:31):
The other day, she goes, hold the turkey and go, wow.
Cher (17:34):
She's like, what? And she was, like, screaming.
Leisa (17:37):
And I was, like, how am
Dawn (17:38):
I supposed to do this?
Cher (17:39):
And I'm like, just hold him. You know? But so that is
the big difference in us. Youknow, I my mom's I it's time to
go out to the farm, and I got myfarm boots on. My mom's like,
shit.
She's in her, like, littleheels, like, wait a minute. Oh
my god. So a little different.
Dawn (17:55):
Sometimes I say, how did I get her?
Cher (17:57):
Yeah. That's our big difference.
Leisa (17:59):
Yes, honey. Yeah. Tamara's in Montana and has a
lot of property, and I live inOrange County, California. So
property's a little differentsituation here. Not that people
don't have farms here.
They do. But, yeah, she's hadchickens and rabbits and goats.
No more goats, though. Shedoesn't like the goats. No.
Cher (18:18):
Really? Oh,
Leisa (18:19):
oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,
Cher (18:20):
I'm not I wanna get them soon. Tell them why why no
goats.
Tamara (18:25):
Oh, I haven't had goats since I was little, but so I
don't know what
Leisa (18:29):
Oh, I thought you had a goat at the in Montana. No.
Tamara (18:32):
I absolutely do not enjoy goats.
Dawn (18:36):
No. No. When Cher was little, we had 2 goats, a pygmy
goat and and the Arabian goat.Yes. They were wonderful.
So that's a big on the list.Yes.
Cher (18:47):
They do eat everything, and they are escape artists. So
that I'm a little nervous about,but I'm also excited.
Tamara (18:53):
I know people love them. I just, I think it's the smell.
I just can't it's not my I mean,I don't like goat cheese, maybe.
But it's the smell
Cher (19:03):
of the way I Ice goat cheese to me smells like, tastes
like the way a goat smells orsomething. Something like that.
I just, like, can't yeah.
Tamara (19:12):
That's weird. That maybe that's it. But, yeah. I I keep
teasing the kids that we'regonna get alpacas. I do wanna
get an alpaca.
Cher (19:20):
My husband really wants an alpaca. They're expensive,
actually.
Tamara (19:24):
Yeah. They're really expensive.
Cher (19:25):
Okay. They're beautiful and so cool.
Tamara (19:27):
No. That's so cool.
Dawn (19:29):
It's interesting. All the animals that Cher has, are
animals that that were gonna begiven for food, and she takes
them because she doesn't wantthem eaten.
Cher (19:39):
Yeah. We're
Dawn (19:40):
rescue. Yeah. She rescues all.
Cher (19:42):
The all animals are rescue animals. We're vegan, and we,
like, we like, the bunnies wereactually gonna be turned into
bunny meat. We, like,
Dawn (19:50):
don't you There's this one old, huge bunny, and she oh, she
didn't want it to be you know,it was all auctioned off. And it
was going up and up, but sheknew they were gonna use it for
food, but Cher made sure to getit. And she said that rabbit is
not gonna be eaten.
Cher (20:06):
It was too fluffy and adorable. Like, you cannot eat
this thing. And he's and it'slike the sweetest little
sweetest rabbit sweetest bigrabbit, I should say, not little
rabbit. Yeah.
Leisa (20:16):
Yeah. I was with Tamara one time when we she bought a
rabbit, and I think you alreadyhad another rabbit, and then
then she had a bunch of rabbitsafter that.
Cher (20:25):
Oh, wow. For a while.
Leisa (20:27):
For a while. But rabbits. It's
Cher (20:30):
yes. That's too funny.
Leisa (20:33):
Is there anything else that you wanna share with our
listeners, our bestie listeners?
Cher (20:39):
I I love that this is like a bestie podcast. I think once
you find a a best friend, it'sso special to, like, hold on to
that person always. You know,and also just I hope that we can
kind of inspire somebody to,like, call pick up the phone and
call their mom and, like, have alittle bestie day with your mom
or your daughter. You know,something that's good is just
(20:59):
something as nice as just, like,going out for dinner, the 2 of
you. Go grab a drink together,go grab a cup of coffee, even
having that special time becauseyou might be surprised on, like,
how awesome a friendship withyour mom or your daughter can
really be.
Dawn (21:12):
And it's never too late to start. Even if you weren't
close, just start with smallbaby steps and build on that
relationship and create your ownbond. Yeah.
Cher (21:23):
Oh, I love that. Definitely, follow along our
podcast, Chattermouth Podcast.We literally talk about
everything. And even thoughwe're mother and daughter, truly
nothing is off limits.
Dawn (21:32):
And, also, you get different perspectives. You get
a a mother sixties in thesixties years old, 64 years old,
and a and a a girl that's 34years old. So different
perspectives, and sometimes weagree and sometimes we don't.
Yeah. Sometimes we agree to
Cher (21:48):
disagree. True.
Leisa (21:49):
I love that. I love that. It's so fun. So it's on
Chatterbox pod or Chattermouth.Sorry.
Not Chatterbox. Chattermouth. Ohmy gosh. Yes. Chattermouth
podcast.
I listened to it, and it'sreally good show. And then you
even have your book. I'll justsay
Cher (22:02):
that again. The A Bond
Leisa (22:04):
That Last Forever. And, you guys are just amazing. I
Thank
Cher (22:11):
you, sir. You guys would love the podcast and love the
best friends, BFFs.
Dawn (22:16):
That is the best. Yeah.
Leisa (22:19):
Aw. Thank you. Well, you never know when you're gonna
meet your new new BFF. It couldbe someone you already know. It
could be your mom, for cryingout loud.
So you never know. Maybe giveyour mom a call. Alright,
besties. We'll see you on thenext episode. Bye.
Hey, bestie. Thanks forlistening. If you like this
(22:40):
episode, be sure to hit thatsubscribe button to get notified
of new episodes and check outcool bestie gift ideas at how I
met my bff.com.
Tamara (22:48):
That's right. And also, leave us a review. Those reviews
help us out a lot and are one ofthe best ways to support us.
Yes.
Leisa (22:55):
And if you have a fun story about how you met your
BFF, send us an email at info athow I met my bff.com. We would
love to hear about it.
Tamara (23:03):
Definitely. And, hey, maybe we'll have you on our next
episode.
Leisa (23:08):
That would be awesome. Until next time.
Tamara (23:10):
Love you, BFFs.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The Breakfast Club
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.