January 30, 2019 • 23 mins
A raw and beautiful conversation with my friend and American music icon, Wynonna Judd. Wynonna is as real as real gets. When I lost my Zachariah, it was she who would hold space for me in the middle of the night, night AFTER night, as I wrestled with my loss, my grief, and my despair. We talked, texted, and cried together. I'm eternally grateful for this strong, loving, funny, huge-hearted woman. Listen in as we chat ~ Delilah
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:18):
You know, one of the things I love most about
my job. I can just call my friends at any time.
Some are celebrities, most are not. However, when someone is
a true friend, you can call them any time. In fact,
I am going to call a true friend one of
(00:39):
the three or four people who has been the biggest
support to me since I lost my son Zachu in October.
My own and Judd has gone above and beyond to
love me, to bless me, to support me. And I'm
going to call her right now. She has helped me
(01:00):
through the darkest moments of my life for sure, and
right now I'm going to call her just to say
thank you. Let's see if she answers. Well, how much
trouble are we gonna get ourselves in? So professional Hi sweetie, Hi,
(01:21):
Hi ne bun before we get into anything about you
all the time, like all the time, thank you. I
got the sweetest card today. One of my listeners sent
me this card. And I don't know if I got
lost in the mail, but the post date was some
time ago and it was just, you know, one of
those cornies freedom thinking of you cards, and then she
(01:42):
wrote inside she said I've never met you, but I
I listened to you talk about your kids on the air,
and ten years ago I had a son. I named
him Zach because your son sounded like so much fun.
And I just, man, oh, isn't amazing how God we'll
(02:04):
reach through to us through stuff like that and we
just go for God's sake? Yep, just out of the blue.
Why don't you just throw me on the ground and
stomp on me? And yeah, I love this kind of
I'm like, bro, you I love that stuff. But it
just completely annihilates Yeah, it's lazy. I call it devastatingly beautiful. Yes,
(02:26):
it was devastatingly beautiful, and just what an honor that.
You know, you never know, you never know who's listening
or how it touches them. But she said all your
Zack attacks stories over the years, she said, I purposed
in my heart when I got pregnant. If I ever
got pregnant and I ever had a son, I wanted
to Zach attack. You never know. God uses us as
(02:49):
a messengers. You know. I wrote in in my book
that being born with the show off gene can be tremendous,
but when you're not born with the talent gene, or
you don't wreck ignize what your talent is. It can
be quite troublesome, you know, because typically kids get attention
either from sports or from some gift like being in
(03:13):
banned or being inquired, you know, And I couldn't do
any of those things. I had discovered my gift, but
nobody else quite appreciated it. I mean, I had discovered
I could talk, you know, before before I was two
years old. I was I was walking up to complete
(03:34):
strangers and stores and carrying on long conversations with them,
much to my mother's dismay. So I had kind of
discovered my gift, but nobody else really valued it or
appreciated it for a while. Do you know that the
only real job I ever had to Lilah, I got
fired for talking too much insurance and I would call before.
(03:54):
First of all, I would apologize because I knew I
was interrupting their dinner, because that's when they wanted me
to call, because they knew they'd be all. And then
I started to talk to them about Jesus and love,
and I got fired for talking too much. But how
old were you? Why? No? No, when you knew that
you knew that, you knew that God had given you
(04:16):
not just this gift of music, but the desire to
use your gift to change the world. Wow. Well there
are movies, you know, back when we did these things
called home movies, and we had this camera that was
not on our phone and and your dad or your
mom would hold it and it would get shaki or
(04:37):
the Yeah, they're the best. They're the best movies. And
they're that beautiful crazy color. Um, you know what I'm
talking about. Some somewhere my sister has a few. Yeah,
and I am seeing coming behind. We had this curtain.
I'll never forget it, this crane colored curtain. And I
(04:57):
had to come behind the curtain every time my mother said,
you would not just stay in there and perform, You
had to come behind this curtain. And I go, really,
and so of course I'm loving every minute of this story.
And she says I was three, so I must have known.
And she had a picture of me holding a guitar
at age three. And I hear from an aunt who's
(05:19):
no longer with us, saying you used to sing when
you were three, like you were on Broadway. And I
would just cackle and love the three year old thing,
because I'm like, I could could not even dress myself,
but I could sing. But it must have been three.
I knew it nine or eight when I knew Delilah,
that I knew that, I knew that I knew and
(05:41):
I was in the wilderness, and I knew that that
was what I was gonna do. At threes when I
think I started to play and become that person. And
so I think there's a two time thing where physically
I realized eight or nine I was going to do it,
but by three I was. I was in. And you
you were a young teenager when you actually saw that
(06:01):
dream start to come true. I had no idea. Listen,
I graduated from high school and I was thrown out
of the house. I think I was around. I put
this in my book, and people are like, your mother
threw you out of the house, and go yep. And
I was living with a woman cleaning houses. And I
(06:23):
came back to Nashville and my mom said, you know, no,
you're not moving back in. And I went and stayed
with this friend of mine and his wife. And the
next thing I know, I've got a record deal and
I'm eighteen, and I have no idea what's going on.
The reason I say all This is because for throwing
me out, is because we were not connected at that time,
and yet we got this record deal, which is kind
(06:45):
of ironic because we weren't talking. And I think if
it wasn't for music, I would not have a relationship
with my mom today. Like you hear a lot of
people talk about, you know, I'm not close to my parents.
We only see each other once a year. I honestly
don't remember even talking to mom except for, hey, we're
going to do this audition at our c A. I
(07:06):
was eighteen years old, mining my own business, gonna, you know,
get a normal job, and I was working for this
temporary service at the time called Jane Jones. And I've
seen people who worked there. Uh, they come to shows
and they go, we just loved you and we just
remember you being such a bright light and so talkative
and so friendly, and I go, yeah, and I got
(07:27):
fired for it, but now I get paid for it,
and they just loved me and laugh and it's on.
You know, it's just wonderful. Listen. I was eighteen, Delilah,
and I had no clue, no rehearsals, no lead up to,
no time to prepare. No, we didn't even have outfits.
We had to wear our own personal clothes on our
first album cover because we didn't even have outfits. You
(07:50):
had a gift that could not be denied. Like you
said at three years old, you're hiding behind the curtain,
and in my book went hard at the time. I
I say, and I believe that everybody has a gift,
but a lot of times we don't recognize it, or
in my case, nobody else saw the value in it. Right. Well,
(08:10):
you know I have a saying because I have a
lot of these, being on the road for thirty five years.
Fruit ripens early, fruit ripens late. Whenever it is ripe,
you pluck it with me on the phone line. Is
a very surprised why No Magetic called her out of
the blue, just because she's blessed me so much. We're
talking life, We're talking love. We're talking about getting through
(08:32):
the darkness, the storms of life. Just a reminder, I
want to tell you that this podcast is made possible
by my friends at the Home Depot. Why No No
was a friend who helped me through the darkest hours.
The Home Depot is a friend who helps me through
everything else. Uh, they have everything else I need in life.
(08:54):
To keep my farm and my household moving. So thank
you to the home d people UH and all the
support they've given me over the years. So what would
you say to a young person who doesn't know what
their gift is or how they can use it to
change the world. See, I you're gonna you're talking to
(09:15):
a fifty four year old woman who has plenty of
experience and wisdom like you do. Because of our situation
and how much we've traveled and learned, I think we
are born. I believe in nature and nurture. For instance,
I believe that we're born with that gift. I didn't
go to college to learn to sing. You said, you
came out of the womb talking and ready to You know,
(09:36):
you never knew a stranger. I think people have a
gift and they have to go and nurture it. For instance, me,
I spent a lot of time alone, and so I
played the harmonica just because I was doing hard time
and playing harmonica was the way I passed the time.
No TV, no telephone. Like, I don't know if you
were talking into a mic that was your hair brush
(09:58):
when you were ten, I don't know. I will tell
you this, and this is what I tell people everywhere.
And by the way, I'm starting a mentorship program. I
have one here in Nashville at Belmont University. I've actually
started a mentorship program because a lot of people, the millennials,
want to be famous, but they don't. I really want
(10:18):
to work at it. Like for me, I rode in
a car for a year meeting radio station people before
we ever got played on the radio. Do you see
what I'm saying. I mean, we worked it campaign. You know,
you're on the campaign trail getting these radio people to
know who you are to get played and put on
the playlist. This is back in the days when we
(10:39):
still did that, before it was automated, and you know,
there were real people at the radio stations. And so
I think what I'm saying is that when I when
you ask that question, the first thing I think of
is and I told a girl this the other day,
because look, I've done things that the boys. I'm getting
ready to be on a mentor show with um Shania
and we're talking to these new talented people that are
(11:00):
the next generation of greatness, and I tell them, go
and sing at every single thing you can because you
never know where your miracle is going to happen. For instance,
I would not guess in a million years that my
job came from my mother being a nurse and that
(11:21):
her patient's father was a producer. Do you see my
point there that I would think that playing a club
or you know whatever. But I think people, I think
that you're supposed to be a confusion on a show,
or be the top of your you know, class in
the choir department of the art. You know, blah blah, no, no, no,
(11:43):
no no. God is in the big and the little stuff.
Don't underestimate showing up for your miracle in a parking lot.
I'm serious. I've had more conversations. I just had the
most beautiful conversation with this guy in a grocery store
on Aisle twenty. I think I remember saying twenty must
(12:04):
stand for something, because this was a really, really heavenly conversation.
You never know where you're going to meet up with
God and he's gonna go bam here. It is so
when I tell people here's what you do. You save
your money, get a good lawyer, do not work with
your family. You know that might laugh at me, Delilah.
(12:28):
You know, you know my social media director is my sister.
I know that. But what I mean by that is,
for instance, Taylor Swift Um Taylor Swift worked with her parents.
I know too many stories about girls um in my
world in the eighties that like Leanne, she works with
her dad and stuff and it doesn't always pan out. Well,
(12:49):
it does for some people. But I just would suggest
getting someone who's objective because as parents, we have a
blind spot for our kids. You know that, we just do.
And when I say that, I don't mean because I'm
bashing mom or anything we were meant to sing together.
I'm talking about working with managerial stuff. Money. Money changes everything.
You know this. They say, never give money to your family,
(13:12):
never be codependent and help an addicts and blah blah blah.
We know the rules. But what I'm what I'm saying
is I would tell a kid right now, and I do.
When I talk to these kids, I say, hone your craft,
do not fart around and be famous and get hair
extensions and look beautiful and Instagram. Who cares. Let's not
(13:34):
do Facebook, baby, Let's do face to face. In other words,
go and sing at the next open mic night, because
let me tell you something I just did one and
you know who was there, some big guy with a
big name, who has a million dollar everything, who is
now signing us up for fifty shows because he saw
(13:56):
us at this sort of po dunk. I guess we'll
call it that. I see it as God shows up everywhere.
But my point is a person of my caliber, they
would say, listen, I'm singing at an open mic night,
and this guy happened to be there. Do you see
my point? So it doesn't have to be a world
renowned anything. God will meet you in the field, in
(14:18):
the wilderness if you will. So I would say, hone
your craft, because in my generation, my darling, we had
to sing at twenty five times. We did not have
the box to put it through to make it sound beautiful.
We had to sing it from our tone. Now, So
if somebody is listening to this podcast and they're saying,
(14:39):
I don't I don't even know what my talent is.
I can't. I don't have a voice like Delia's to talk.
I don't have a singing voice like why known as
to sing? Right right, Okay, this is what I'm going
through right now. With my daughter. She is like me
times a million. She's got all the resources. U. What
(15:00):
I mean is technology. I didn't have anything Delilah. I
had a guitar, I had a record player. I don't
remember having anything like the web or the tools that these.
You know, you see these things advertised, and I think
it might be an age thing for me now, because
I go, what the heck is this? Oh? This is
how to play the guitar in five easy lessons. Really really,
(15:22):
but you know, I don't know anything about that. But
here's what I tell people. If you will slow down
long enough to see the flutter of the wing, you
will see your angel. And I tell people this and
I cry and I get emotional, and I think, you
know what, we moved too fast and we miss it.
(15:43):
So what I tell kids is slow down, turn off
the electronics. So take a walk in the wilderness. I
had a girl come to the farm and she had
five dozen eggs and she said, I just need to
scream and throw these eggs at the tree and find
out what God has for me. And I said, go
for it. And she found her answer in the wilderness.
(16:07):
And that's what I tell people. Slow down, get right
with yourself, get quiet, listen to your inner voice. What
is your joy? Follow your bliss if you love to paint.
And I'm doing this with my daughter. I said, I
want you to start writing things down, Grace. I want
you to literally, because she's like, Mom, you know Elijah
(16:30):
is this Because Elijah has been doing his career since
he was seventeen. He's got he knows what he's wanting
to do for the next fifty years. Not everybody's in
that place. But she's like, I'm not really sure because
I love so many things. I said, Grace, you might
end up doing four things in your lifetime. You don't know.
But get by yourself, get quiet, and listen to your
inner voice. What is it telling you? And she said,
(16:52):
be creative? And I said, what does that look like?
She said, that's the next step. So I think my
point is it's not going to happen like a big, bright,
a lightning bolt. It might start off really quiet. It
might say, you know what, why don't you show up
tomorrow at Starbucks? Um, you're going to meet somebody there,
and you might end up meeting somebody who needs help
(17:14):
being an intern at a record label. You never know.
So I think getting quiet, I think we moved too fast.
We have too much noise in the world. I just
wrote a song called the world yells God whispers. Oh,
I really I'm walking that right now. And I talked
to Janie. I think Janie knows two when she came
(17:35):
to see me. I just loved that woman. She's amazing.
I say, tell your daughter to get really quiet, because
we move so fast. I was going to do a
video recently and they said, well, we have to change
angles every three seconds. I said, excuse me, Like, that's
how like distracted we are because we have to have
(17:56):
something move every three seconds or we get bored. The
thing for me right now is that these kids move
at such a fast pace that I wonder sometimes if
they if they don't just walk by the person that
they were supposed to meet, that could have changed their life.
I'm speaking with why Nona Jed, who embodies the idea
of changing the world one heart at a time. She
(18:20):
was called to be in the public eye at a
very young age, and yet she is somehow remained in
her heart, a simple country girl who loves and laughs
and extends her love. Why Nona, thank you for being here,
Thank you for being present, for being grounded and being present.
The thing for me right now. Is that these kids
(18:41):
move at such a fast pace that I wonder sometimes
if they if they don't just walk by the person
that they were supposed to meet, that could have changed
their life because they were not paying attention to me.
Like a Christmas time, I won't shop anymore because I
had a really interesting experience where this fifteen year old
kid didn't even see me, ran right into me and
(19:04):
busted all my packages. And I looked at him like
he wasn't looking at life because he was looking down
at his phone, and he didn't even care and kept walking,
didn't even help me pick up my packages, And I went,
you know what, where's the humanity in this? I just
got really sad, and I thought, gosh, that wouldn't have
happened in my generation, just because you know, and I
(19:28):
can't fault him because we've helped him. You know. We
blame society, but we are society. Yeah. So I think
what I telp kids is how to find your gift.
I'll tell you what do some workshops he might want
to try that. I told my daughter. I said, let's
get you into I don't know, spend a week in
(19:49):
a baking class. Um, why don't we try this. Why
don't we try that, try a few things and see
if it sticks. Because I love kids, I said, well
then maybe just follow your bliss. What what do I
tell kids? I say, follow your bliss? What make What
is it that Vince Skil told me? And I think
this is brilliant And I'll end it with this. He said,
(20:09):
it best pick something that you love doing so much
that you would do it for free. Keep doing it
so much that you get so good at it that
people will pay you for it. Awesome, And Vince Gill
told you that. I think that's one of the most
(20:33):
brilliant things I've ever heard. Well, why no not, go
be brilliant, Go mentor go bless, go sing, go do
everything that you do so so well. Girlfriend, You've got
You've got the voice of an angel. You know they
have auto tune and auto this and auto that now,
but when you open your mouth and let God's love
(20:55):
flow through you, heal hearts, you change lives, you inspire.
You got me through more dark nights than you will
ever ever, ever, ever know, just listening to your music,
and so thank you, thank you, thank you. I adore
you like I adore you in a way that's family
(21:17):
beyond just to alpha chicks hanging out at an event.
I have always felt connected to you, and I think
what you're doing matters, and I think people who are lonesome.
Don't we have a you know, pandemic in this country
of loneliness. I think your voice coming through the darkness. Literally,
someone in their car hearing your voice sometimes is the
(21:39):
only Bible they will ever read. No pressure, no pressure you.
I think you're literally what keeps people from losing their minds.
So together you and I are really something, and I'll
help you in any way I can any time, because
I want to help this next generation understand that what's
(22:03):
real is more powerful to me now, more so than ever.
On that note, I have to say, between you and
me and God, if I didn't have your music last year,
I wouldn't be alive today. Music is a healer, my dear,
and what we're doing matters, and I thank God for
(22:23):
you and our friendship is so sacred, more so than
ever before, because I'm getting to the point where I
like my animals a lot more than most people. Anona,
I love you to the ends of the earth. I
love you to eternity and back. Thank you for being
so vulnerable. Thank you for putting yourself out there in
(22:46):
so many ways. You give me strength, You give others strength.
Your journey has inspired so many more than you will
ever know. Bye for now. I don't like by, but
I'll say bye for now. I love you, I sweetie,
I'm here. I'm here anytime you need me, I'm here. Okay.
This podcast has been made possible by the wonderful folks
(23:08):
at the Home Depot. Now, when you need help because
your bathroom fasten is leaking, because your bathroom is ugly,
and you want a new sink, you want a new vanity,
you want new TiAl, go to the Home Depot. Go
to the Home Depot. Tell them Delilah sent to you,
and they will help you with all these things and
(23:29):
so much more. Thank you for spending time with this podcast.
Conversations with Delilah. We're going to change this world. You
and I are one heart at a time. We're gonna
change the dynamics in our family and our workplace, in
our communities, and in our world by reaching out and
(23:49):
loving others, one heart at a time. Thank you for
joining me. Find me on Conversations with the Lila
You know, one of the things I love most about
my job. I can just call my friends at any time.
Some are celebrities, most are not. However, when someone is
a true friend, you can call them any time. In fact,
I am going to call a true friend one of
(00:39):
the three or four people who has been the biggest
support to me since I lost my son Zachu in October.
My own and Judd has gone above and beyond to
love me, to bless me, to support me. And I'm
going to call her right now. She has helped me
(01:00):
through the darkest moments of my life for sure, and
right now I'm going to call her just to say
thank you. Let's see if she answers. Well, how much
trouble are we gonna get ourselves in? So professional Hi sweetie, Hi,
(01:21):
Hi ne bun before we get into anything about you
all the time, like all the time, thank you. I
got the sweetest card today. One of my listeners sent
me this card. And I don't know if I got
lost in the mail, but the post date was some
time ago and it was just, you know, one of
those cornies freedom thinking of you cards, and then she
(01:42):
wrote inside she said I've never met you, but I
I listened to you talk about your kids on the air,
and ten years ago I had a son. I named
him Zach because your son sounded like so much fun.
And I just, man, oh, isn't amazing how God we'll
(02:04):
reach through to us through stuff like that and we
just go for God's sake? Yep, just out of the blue.
Why don't you just throw me on the ground and
stomp on me? And yeah, I love this kind of
I'm like, bro, you I love that stuff. But it
just completely annihilates Yeah, it's lazy. I call it devastatingly beautiful. Yes,
(02:26):
it was devastatingly beautiful, and just what an honor that.
You know, you never know, you never know who's listening
or how it touches them. But she said all your
Zack attacks stories over the years, she said, I purposed
in my heart when I got pregnant. If I ever
got pregnant and I ever had a son, I wanted
to Zach attack. You never know. God uses us as
(02:49):
a messengers. You know. I wrote in in my book
that being born with the show off gene can be tremendous,
but when you're not born with the talent gene, or
you don't wreck ignize what your talent is. It can
be quite troublesome, you know, because typically kids get attention
either from sports or from some gift like being in
(03:13):
banned or being inquired, you know, And I couldn't do
any of those things. I had discovered my gift, but
nobody else quite appreciated it. I mean, I had discovered
I could talk, you know, before before I was two
years old. I was I was walking up to complete
(03:34):
strangers and stores and carrying on long conversations with them,
much to my mother's dismay. So I had kind of
discovered my gift, but nobody else really valued it or
appreciated it for a while. Do you know that the
only real job I ever had to Lilah, I got
fired for talking too much insurance and I would call before.
(03:54):
First of all, I would apologize because I knew I
was interrupting their dinner, because that's when they wanted me
to call, because they knew they'd be all. And then
I started to talk to them about Jesus and love,
and I got fired for talking too much. But how
old were you? Why? No? No, when you knew that
you knew that, you knew that God had given you
(04:16):
not just this gift of music, but the desire to
use your gift to change the world. Wow. Well there
are movies, you know, back when we did these things
called home movies, and we had this camera that was
not on our phone and and your dad or your
mom would hold it and it would get shaki or
(04:37):
the Yeah, they're the best. They're the best movies. And
they're that beautiful crazy color. Um, you know what I'm
talking about. Some somewhere my sister has a few. Yeah,
and I am seeing coming behind. We had this curtain.
I'll never forget it, this crane colored curtain. And I
(04:57):
had to come behind the curtain every time my mother said,
you would not just stay in there and perform, You
had to come behind this curtain. And I go, really,
and so of course I'm loving every minute of this story.
And she says I was three, so I must have known.
And she had a picture of me holding a guitar
at age three. And I hear from an aunt who's
(05:19):
no longer with us, saying you used to sing when
you were three, like you were on Broadway. And I
would just cackle and love the three year old thing,
because I'm like, I could could not even dress myself,
but I could sing. But it must have been three.
I knew it nine or eight when I knew Delilah,
that I knew that, I knew that I knew and
(05:41):
I was in the wilderness, and I knew that that
was what I was gonna do. At threes when I
think I started to play and become that person. And
so I think there's a two time thing where physically
I realized eight or nine I was going to do it,
but by three I was. I was in. And you
you were a young teenager when you actually saw that
(06:01):
dream start to come true. I had no idea. Listen,
I graduated from high school and I was thrown out
of the house. I think I was around. I put
this in my book, and people are like, your mother
threw you out of the house, and go yep. And
I was living with a woman cleaning houses. And I
(06:23):
came back to Nashville and my mom said, you know, no,
you're not moving back in. And I went and stayed
with this friend of mine and his wife. And the
next thing I know, I've got a record deal and
I'm eighteen, and I have no idea what's going on.
The reason I say all This is because for throwing
me out, is because we were not connected at that time,
and yet we got this record deal, which is kind
(06:45):
of ironic because we weren't talking. And I think if
it wasn't for music, I would not have a relationship
with my mom today. Like you hear a lot of
people talk about, you know, I'm not close to my parents.
We only see each other once a year. I honestly
don't remember even talking to mom except for, hey, we're
going to do this audition at our c A. I
(07:06):
was eighteen years old, mining my own business, gonna, you know,
get a normal job, and I was working for this
temporary service at the time called Jane Jones. And I've
seen people who worked there. Uh, they come to shows
and they go, we just loved you and we just
remember you being such a bright light and so talkative
and so friendly, and I go, yeah, and I got
(07:27):
fired for it, but now I get paid for it,
and they just loved me and laugh and it's on.
You know, it's just wonderful. Listen. I was eighteen, Delilah,
and I had no clue, no rehearsals, no lead up to,
no time to prepare. No, we didn't even have outfits.
We had to wear our own personal clothes on our
first album cover because we didn't even have outfits. You
(07:50):
had a gift that could not be denied. Like you
said at three years old, you're hiding behind the curtain,
and in my book went hard at the time. I
I say, and I believe that everybody has a gift,
but a lot of times we don't recognize it, or
in my case, nobody else saw the value in it. Right. Well,
(08:10):
you know I have a saying because I have a
lot of these, being on the road for thirty five years.
Fruit ripens early, fruit ripens late. Whenever it is ripe,
you pluck it with me on the phone line. Is
a very surprised why No Magetic called her out of
the blue, just because she's blessed me so much. We're
talking life, We're talking love. We're talking about getting through
(08:32):
the darkness, the storms of life. Just a reminder, I
want to tell you that this podcast is made possible
by my friends at the Home Depot. Why No No
was a friend who helped me through the darkest hours.
The Home Depot is a friend who helps me through
everything else. Uh, they have everything else I need in life.
(08:54):
To keep my farm and my household moving. So thank
you to the home d people UH and all the
support they've given me over the years. So what would
you say to a young person who doesn't know what
their gift is or how they can use it to
change the world. See, I you're gonna you're talking to
(09:15):
a fifty four year old woman who has plenty of
experience and wisdom like you do. Because of our situation
and how much we've traveled and learned, I think we
are born. I believe in nature and nurture. For instance,
I believe that we're born with that gift. I didn't
go to college to learn to sing. You said, you
came out of the womb talking and ready to You know,
(09:36):
you never knew a stranger. I think people have a
gift and they have to go and nurture it. For instance, me,
I spent a lot of time alone, and so I
played the harmonica just because I was doing hard time
and playing harmonica was the way I passed the time.
No TV, no telephone. Like, I don't know if you
were talking into a mic that was your hair brush
(09:58):
when you were ten, I don't know. I will tell
you this, and this is what I tell people everywhere.
And by the way, I'm starting a mentorship program. I
have one here in Nashville at Belmont University. I've actually
started a mentorship program because a lot of people, the millennials,
want to be famous, but they don't. I really want
(10:18):
to work at it. Like for me, I rode in
a car for a year meeting radio station people before
we ever got played on the radio. Do you see
what I'm saying. I mean, we worked it campaign. You know,
you're on the campaign trail getting these radio people to
know who you are to get played and put on
the playlist. This is back in the days when we
(10:39):
still did that, before it was automated, and you know,
there were real people at the radio stations. And so
I think what I'm saying is that when I when
you ask that question, the first thing I think of
is and I told a girl this the other day,
because look, I've done things that the boys. I'm getting
ready to be on a mentor show with um Shania
and we're talking to these new talented people that are
(11:00):
the next generation of greatness, and I tell them, go
and sing at every single thing you can because you
never know where your miracle is going to happen. For instance,
I would not guess in a million years that my
job came from my mother being a nurse and that
(11:21):
her patient's father was a producer. Do you see my
point there that I would think that playing a club
or you know whatever. But I think people, I think
that you're supposed to be a confusion on a show,
or be the top of your you know, class in
the choir department of the art. You know, blah blah, no, no, no,
(11:43):
no no. God is in the big and the little stuff.
Don't underestimate showing up for your miracle in a parking lot.
I'm serious. I've had more conversations. I just had the
most beautiful conversation with this guy in a grocery store
on Aisle twenty. I think I remember saying twenty must
(12:04):
stand for something, because this was a really, really heavenly conversation.
You never know where you're going to meet up with
God and he's gonna go bam here. It is so
when I tell people here's what you do. You save
your money, get a good lawyer, do not work with
your family. You know that might laugh at me, Delilah.
(12:28):
You know, you know my social media director is my sister.
I know that. But what I mean by that is,
for instance, Taylor Swift Um Taylor Swift worked with her parents.
I know too many stories about girls um in my
world in the eighties that like Leanne, she works with
her dad and stuff and it doesn't always pan out. Well,
(12:49):
it does for some people. But I just would suggest
getting someone who's objective because as parents, we have a
blind spot for our kids. You know that, we just do.
And when I say that, I don't mean because I'm
bashing mom or anything we were meant to sing together.
I'm talking about working with managerial stuff. Money. Money changes everything.
You know this. They say, never give money to your family,
(13:12):
never be codependent and help an addicts and blah blah blah.
We know the rules. But what I'm what I'm saying
is I would tell a kid right now, and I do.
When I talk to these kids, I say, hone your craft,
do not fart around and be famous and get hair
extensions and look beautiful and Instagram. Who cares. Let's not
(13:34):
do Facebook, baby, Let's do face to face. In other words,
go and sing at the next open mic night, because
let me tell you something I just did one and
you know who was there, some big guy with a
big name, who has a million dollar everything, who is
now signing us up for fifty shows because he saw
(13:56):
us at this sort of po dunk. I guess we'll
call it that. I see it as God shows up everywhere.
But my point is a person of my caliber, they
would say, listen, I'm singing at an open mic night,
and this guy happened to be there. Do you see
my point? So it doesn't have to be a world
renowned anything. God will meet you in the field, in
(14:18):
the wilderness if you will. So I would say, hone
your craft, because in my generation, my darling, we had
to sing at twenty five times. We did not have
the box to put it through to make it sound beautiful.
We had to sing it from our tone. Now, So
if somebody is listening to this podcast and they're saying,
(14:39):
I don't I don't even know what my talent is.
I can't. I don't have a voice like Delia's to talk.
I don't have a singing voice like why known as
to sing? Right right, Okay, this is what I'm going
through right now. With my daughter. She is like me
times a million. She's got all the resources. U. What
(15:00):
I mean is technology. I didn't have anything Delilah. I
had a guitar, I had a record player. I don't
remember having anything like the web or the tools that these.
You know, you see these things advertised, and I think
it might be an age thing for me now, because
I go, what the heck is this? Oh? This is
how to play the guitar in five easy lessons. Really really,
(15:22):
but you know, I don't know anything about that. But
here's what I tell people. If you will slow down
long enough to see the flutter of the wing, you
will see your angel. And I tell people this and
I cry and I get emotional, and I think, you
know what, we moved too fast and we miss it.
(15:43):
So what I tell kids is slow down, turn off
the electronics. So take a walk in the wilderness. I
had a girl come to the farm and she had
five dozen eggs and she said, I just need to
scream and throw these eggs at the tree and find
out what God has for me. And I said, go
for it. And she found her answer in the wilderness.
(16:07):
And that's what I tell people. Slow down, get right
with yourself, get quiet, listen to your inner voice. What
is your joy? Follow your bliss if you love to paint.
And I'm doing this with my daughter. I said, I
want you to start writing things down, Grace. I want
you to literally, because she's like, Mom, you know Elijah
(16:30):
is this Because Elijah has been doing his career since
he was seventeen. He's got he knows what he's wanting
to do for the next fifty years. Not everybody's in
that place. But she's like, I'm not really sure because
I love so many things. I said, Grace, you might
end up doing four things in your lifetime. You don't know.
But get by yourself, get quiet, and listen to your
inner voice. What is it telling you? And she said,
(16:52):
be creative? And I said, what does that look like?
She said, that's the next step. So I think my
point is it's not going to happen like a big, bright,
a lightning bolt. It might start off really quiet. It
might say, you know what, why don't you show up
tomorrow at Starbucks? Um, you're going to meet somebody there,
and you might end up meeting somebody who needs help
(17:14):
being an intern at a record label. You never know.
So I think getting quiet, I think we moved too fast.
We have too much noise in the world. I just
wrote a song called the world yells God whispers. Oh,
I really I'm walking that right now. And I talked
to Janie. I think Janie knows two when she came
(17:35):
to see me. I just loved that woman. She's amazing.
I say, tell your daughter to get really quiet, because
we move so fast. I was going to do a
video recently and they said, well, we have to change
angles every three seconds. I said, excuse me, Like, that's
how like distracted we are because we have to have
(17:56):
something move every three seconds or we get bored. The
thing for me right now is that these kids move
at such a fast pace that I wonder sometimes if
they if they don't just walk by the person that
they were supposed to meet, that could have changed their life.
I'm speaking with why Nona Jed, who embodies the idea
of changing the world one heart at a time. She
(18:20):
was called to be in the public eye at a
very young age, and yet she is somehow remained in
her heart, a simple country girl who loves and laughs
and extends her love. Why Nona, thank you for being here,
Thank you for being present, for being grounded and being present.
The thing for me right now. Is that these kids
(18:41):
move at such a fast pace that I wonder sometimes
if they if they don't just walk by the person
that they were supposed to meet, that could have changed
their life because they were not paying attention to me.
Like a Christmas time, I won't shop anymore because I
had a really interesting experience where this fifteen year old
kid didn't even see me, ran right into me and
(19:04):
busted all my packages. And I looked at him like
he wasn't looking at life because he was looking down
at his phone, and he didn't even care and kept walking,
didn't even help me pick up my packages, And I went,
you know what, where's the humanity in this? I just
got really sad, and I thought, gosh, that wouldn't have
happened in my generation, just because you know, and I
(19:28):
can't fault him because we've helped him. You know. We
blame society, but we are society. Yeah. So I think
what I telp kids is how to find your gift.
I'll tell you what do some workshops he might want
to try that. I told my daughter. I said, let's
get you into I don't know, spend a week in
(19:49):
a baking class. Um, why don't we try this. Why
don't we try that, try a few things and see
if it sticks. Because I love kids, I said, well
then maybe just follow your bliss. What what do I
tell kids? I say, follow your bliss? What make What
is it that Vince Skil told me? And I think
this is brilliant And I'll end it with this. He said,
(20:09):
it best pick something that you love doing so much
that you would do it for free. Keep doing it
so much that you get so good at it that
people will pay you for it. Awesome, And Vince Gill
told you that. I think that's one of the most
(20:33):
brilliant things I've ever heard. Well, why no not, go
be brilliant, Go mentor go bless, go sing, go do
everything that you do so so well. Girlfriend, You've got
You've got the voice of an angel. You know they
have auto tune and auto this and auto that now,
but when you open your mouth and let God's love
(20:55):
flow through you, heal hearts, you change lives, you inspire.
You got me through more dark nights than you will
ever ever, ever, ever know, just listening to your music,
and so thank you, thank you, thank you. I adore
you like I adore you in a way that's family
(21:17):
beyond just to alpha chicks hanging out at an event.
I have always felt connected to you, and I think
what you're doing matters, and I think people who are lonesome.
Don't we have a you know, pandemic in this country
of loneliness. I think your voice coming through the darkness. Literally,
someone in their car hearing your voice sometimes is the
(21:39):
only Bible they will ever read. No pressure, no pressure you.
I think you're literally what keeps people from losing their minds.
So together you and I are really something, and I'll
help you in any way I can any time, because
I want to help this next generation understand that what's
(22:03):
real is more powerful to me now, more so than ever.
On that note, I have to say, between you and
me and God, if I didn't have your music last year,
I wouldn't be alive today. Music is a healer, my dear,
and what we're doing matters, and I thank God for
(22:23):
you and our friendship is so sacred, more so than
ever before, because I'm getting to the point where I
like my animals a lot more than most people. Anona,
I love you to the ends of the earth. I
love you to eternity and back. Thank you for being
so vulnerable. Thank you for putting yourself out there in
(22:46):
so many ways. You give me strength, You give others strength.
Your journey has inspired so many more than you will
ever know. Bye for now. I don't like by, but
I'll say bye for now. I love you, I sweetie,
I'm here. I'm here anytime you need me, I'm here. Okay.
This podcast has been made possible by the wonderful folks
(23:08):
at the Home Depot. Now, when you need help because
your bathroom fasten is leaking, because your bathroom is ugly,
and you want a new sink, you want a new vanity,
you want new TiAl, go to the Home Depot. Go
to the Home Depot. Tell them Delilah sent to you,
and they will help you with all these things and
(23:29):
so much more. Thank you for spending time with this podcast.
Conversations with Delilah. We're going to change this world. You
and I are one heart at a time. We're gonna
change the dynamics in our family and our workplace, in
our communities, and in our world by reaching out and
(23:49):
loving others, one heart at a time. Thank you for
joining me. Find me on Conversations with the Lila
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