May 21, 2020 • 55 mins
FIRST THING: Amy is beyond excited to have Robin Roberts {@robinrobertsgma} host of Good Morning America on! Amy has been a huge fan of hers for years and she gets to talk with Robin about choosing joy and making the most of difficult times! SECOND THING: So how did Amy and Chase actually make her dream of having Robin Roberts on the podcast a reality?? Chase shares how his perseverance and determination finally paid off! THIRD THING: Amy reads an email from a listener who has recently lost her mother and is working her way through the grieving process. Having lost their own mother, Amy and her sister offer advice to help her through this. FOURTH THING: Our ‘Healthcare Hero’ Shoutout for this week is for an incredible nurse Jessie who volunteered to go to Italy to help on the frontlines in the ICU. The work she is putting in during these challenging times is absolutely amazing and we can not thank her enough for her sacrifice and for her heart to serve.
Items mentioned in this episode:
To find Robin Roberts Book CLICK HERE!
To check out Wild Iris Crafts CLICK HERE!
(Episode 148)
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Okay, cap than little food for you so life. Oh
it's pretty Bay, It's pretty beautiful than that. A little
(00:23):
moth kicking with four Happy Thursday everybody. Uh, this is
the episode with Robin Roberts probably someone not even probably
no legit, someone I have wanted on the podcast since
(00:43):
the first day I started the podcast, which was what
how Chases on here with me? How long have I
been doing this? A year and a half maybe yeah,
a year and a half ish, so, and she has
been goals and it finally happened. And you know, one
of the things you're gonna hear Chase and I talked
(01:04):
about later in the episode is how Chase kind of
made it happen. And I wanted him to come and
share that with you guys as encouragement to just go
after something. Um, you know, we've talked about that before,
like it never hurts to send someone an email. And
Chase has been you know, had met some of Robbin's
(01:26):
people and and ABC people and Good Morning America people,
but you know kind of I don't know, Chasey, then
you just straight up ended up emailing Robin. So we're
going to dive into that because that it's gutsy to me,
but it worked, and now Robin is here on the
podcast and she's the first thing, and uh, she's she's
(01:50):
just amazing. You'll hear it. She is so wise and
I just absolutely adore her even more than I did
because I probably had a out, what fift twenty minutes
to talk with her for the podcast. Chase, that's what her,
her publicist, her PR team, like the people like there.
I mean, this is Robin Roberts. There's there's rules. So
I said a timer, and I was trying to be
(02:11):
so respectful, and we ended in the proper time frame.
And then after I finished the podcast part, she probably
stayed on the zoom call and talked with me and
my husband for like twenty more minutes, and she was
just as amazing and I couldn't believe it, and she
did not have to do that. There were so many
(02:33):
times where I was trying to let her go, but
she was so thoughtful and could just kind and was
talking and asking questions and we just Chase, you didn't
you The audio of that was on the zoom call,
so you probably got to hear it. Isn't she so amazing?
She's so amazing and I did watch it, and I
(02:53):
you know, yeah, I think that was the coolest part
is just seeing you have that interaction, um after you
were able to kind of take a deep breath in
getting the interview done here in the podcast. I'm very normal, nervous.
I can't even talk right now, but I'm you, I
hear am I. I couldn't even listen back once I
(03:14):
got the audio all ready to go for the podcast
and it was sent back to me and I couldn't
even click play. I did, let me let me tell
the truth here. I clicked play, and I listened to
myself talk for about twenty seconds, and I couldn't listen
to anymore. So I haven't even listened back to it,
(03:36):
and I don't know if I ever will, because you know,
it was just special and I want to remember it
the way I remember it happening, and I feel like
if I hear it back, I'll start to pick things
apart and maybe kick myself, like why did you say that?
Or why did you mess up? There is a part
where I mess up the first part I heard. However
(03:57):
many seconds I really listened to, I don't know if
it's twenty on of his thirty forty. But I'm trying
to say that my mom made her mess her message,
and I think this is when I cut it off
because I couldn't even say that I said she made
her message. I left out the word mess. Did you
catch that? Yeah, but we got it in context. Okay,
(04:20):
Well I couldn't believe myself, so I quit listening. But
I hope you'll enjoy it. Robin is just truly an inspiration.
And again she's the first thing. And then Chase and
I will be the second thing, kind of breaking down
how the Robin Robert's interview came to be, because it
definitely wasn't just an overnight thing. Chase has been working
(04:44):
on it for a while. And then, uh, will I've
got an email from a listener that I want to
share that is Robin related. For the third thing, I mean,
the email er wasn't talking about Robin, but the advice
I would give to this person is it's so perfect.
I feel like Robbin's interview basically answers this, so if
(05:05):
any of I just thought it'd be good to share
in case anybody else is in this situation. Uh. And
then the fourth thing will be the health care hero
shout out what up? So all right, enough rambling, let's
get started here. She is Robin Roberts first. Okay, well,
super excited to have you here with us today, Robin.
(05:27):
And before we really get into things, I just want
to first tell you why I admire you so much.
I mean I have for a really long time, but
really felt connected to you after I read your book.
Everybody's got something because in two thousand and fourteen, I
lost my mom to cancer and she's someone that when
(05:47):
she was at M d Anderson and diagnosed for the
third time, she went to the chapel and said, Lord,
use this cancer for good. It wasn't Lord, heal me,
It wasn't anything selfish. It was the most selfless prayer
that I've heard. And he did use it for good.
And her message was joy when she was battling it,
and her message after has been joy. And we've been
able to use that as a movement called Pimp and
(06:10):
Joy for her. But it made me think when I
was reading your book, oh my gosh, she made her message,
which you know you talked about from your mom, and
so for me it was really cool to read what
you were saying and it helped me keep that positive
perspective and then also keep my mom's message of joy
alive because then it gave her cancer journey meaning and
(06:34):
it just really helped me like a lot. So I
just wanted to start off by saying thank you for
your wisdom and your encouragement and your optimism, because it
meant a lot to me, instilled us. And could I
say this to you though the outcome wasn't what you
hoped for or prayed for. With your mother, her journey,
every bit of value, every bit is powerful, every bit
(06:55):
as as my journey. There's no difference. I sometimes have
survivor's guilt a little bit, and that I'm so internally
grateful that, for whatever reason, I was able to get
through the cancer that once but twice. And when I
hear stories like your mom, and I just want to
tell those people who are here carrying on for them.
(07:18):
I don't like it when people say so and so
lost their battle to cancer, so they didn't. As my
dear friend Stewart Scott said, your mother beat cancer in
the matter in which she lived and how you are
carrying on her her legacy. So I just want to
thank you for doing this and for making your mother's mess,
not only her message, but your message as well. Bless
(07:39):
you do that, oh well, and thank you for that
shift and how I say it because words are so important.
Words matter, and I feel like I'm one of those
people that has often said, just without really thinking about it,
she lost her battle. So again, look at you shift
in my perspective to positivity, of course, which you know
that's one of the things I want to talk to
you about, because you do uch a wonderful job every
(08:02):
morning on Good Morning America bringing positivity into people's homes.
But then also on your Instagram you've got what like
motivation Monday and Wednesday wisdom and thankful Thursday, like something
basically every day of the week. And when the world
is so crazy right now, I mean we have different
ups and downs in life, but it's especially heavy right now.
What is your advice to people and my listeners that
(08:25):
may need your type of positivity, encouragement and the reminder
to choose joy during all of this and to choose joy.
Um and I have a plaquard that I'm gonna show
you that sweet Amber, we'll get it for more. Mother.
My mother had much like your mom. She stays with
me my mother's not basically here with me, but she
had choose happy sorrow. That was after my father passed
(08:49):
and we were all just just could not even function,
and she said, we're going to be sorrowful, but let's
let's think of those happy times that we have and
choose a happy So I think a lot about that.
I'm not sure it's somewhere around here. I know it's
probably downstairs. You probably used it for the morning show.
At some point. You have to sorrow. But what I
(09:09):
do is much like push. I'm just trying to keep
up with you, with Bobby, with your positivity and what
you're doing in the morning. So I just we're just
trying to keep up with you to your mate. But
it's it's to be real with it Amy. I often
I'm tickled sometimes when somebody will reach we on on
social media and said you look sad today, and I
(09:29):
was like, I was talking about death and famine today.
I'm not gonna smile for falsely. But so what I
do smile when I do share, Um, it comes from
the heart and it is. But my mother taught me
that we learned so much more through the trial to
tribulations as opposed to the joy. I walked a mile
with pleasure. She chatted all the way, but I was
(09:51):
none the wiser for all she had to say. I
walked the mile the sorrow, and they're a word, said she.
But all the things I learned from her when sorrow
walked with me. And that's why I try and in
part during this time with people, we don't want to
be I don't want to be sheltered at home, but
I know it's the right thing for me to do,
given lying underlying conditions and such and what's going on
in New York City. But you can find light and
(10:13):
darkness and you look forward a little bit harder. But
because maybe I have been in the habit all the
time since I was young. Optimism is like a muscle
to get strong with us. You know, like you, I
know you're you're you're you're health bad. You know, when
you want to work on something, you you know, you
work on your muscle and we build it. It's the
same thing with optimism. Because I have gotten in the
(10:36):
habit of doing that that when these tough times come along, Um,
it's not easy, it's easier. It just makes it a
little bit easier to get through it right, and I
love your honestly with people too, that it doesn't mean
just because you're choosing joy, And that's something I had
to remind people about being my mom's caregiver. I think
some people of our listeners saw the message of like,
(10:58):
oh wow, y'all are pimp enjoy. Choose enjoy, all about joy.
You got joy tattooed on your wrists like just joy,
And I said, well, okay, I don't want to be misleading.
Our overall theme is joy, but this has been there
have been some very very very hard days and I'm
currently my sister and I are now a car over
for my dad and there's there's highs and lows. But
(11:20):
again with him, we're trying to keep the joy. But
but it's like, you also have to be real that
it doesn't mean that you're not allowed to be sad
or have bad days or just give yourself that permission.
Actually you need to feel it. And yeah, it's good
to share God as well. You have to share that
time because if not, you give the false impression to
people that you're always like that, and that's not the case.
(11:42):
We have our our bad days as well. But I
love when you posted the picture of your dad through
the widow follow you. Okay, but I've promised all of
my people in my life I would be cool and calm, collected.
Sell I kind of keep my composure. But you know,
(12:05):
I mentioned your words of wisdom earlier. You know, make
your mess your message. That's huge. I love it. And
you've been beyond gracious to to let us all into
some of the toughest times also some of the good.
But the good and the bad, the hard and everything
that you've been through and through all that you've learned
in your your journey or your mess, Like, what is
(12:28):
your message that we're all stronger than we do. I'm
sure you never thought losing your mother and the battles
that you've had and being becoming a mother, that you
could find joy. And that's what I tried. My message
to everyone is that you you have this way. I
want to be a mirror. That's what I want to be.
So all the things that you and others say to me,
(12:49):
I want to be your reflection and say right back
at to Tinpole. But I didn't know losing my mother
my father, the two most important people who personal power
balls taught me about being disciplined about the termination, and
more importantly, the Lord the three D this determination and
the Lord that when my parents left me, when my
(13:10):
hometown was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, when I went through cancer,
not once, not twice, that I would be here, right there,
at this moment and to be able to tell my joy.
So my message to people is we're all stronger. I
didn't know I had that strength atility, And you don't
know until you're put to the test what is inside
of you. And so that's why I say to everybody,
(13:33):
we all. Everybody's got something. We divorce, unemployment, sickness, of death,
all these things happen. And that's not the tragedy. It's
why did this happen? What am I supposed to learn?
What am I supposed to more importantly share with this
being path put in my path? What can I learn
from it and share with others? And I think that
(13:54):
is my underlying message to people, is that we have
this all within us. I didn't know I had to
do either. Had I guarantee that people don't know that
they haven't within them what I'm here to tell them
they do. Yeah, you're like, I'm taking in everything, You're
saying right now. I'm like, oh, yeah, she she's pretty
good at this. She should probably do a masterclass or something,
(14:15):
which you have. And my friend Chase took your masterclass.
He has already completed everything and he's emerged a new Chase.
He's basically Robin Roberts. And I'm a little jealous because
I haven't taken it yet. I haven't had the time,
but I will be signing up and taken it as
soon as I can. And so for you, what prompted
(14:37):
you to to join masterclass? Oh my goodness. I was
flattered that they asked me in the first place. And
what I was very excited about is when they first
approached me, I was like, oh, you know, I enjoyed
being a journalist, don't get me wrong, and being the communicative,
but I don't really think of myself as a teacher
in that regard. And they said, no, we want you
to teach a class on authenticity. I'm like, sign me
(15:01):
up how to be an authentic and genuine communicator? And
I was like, that's great, because I don't care if
you're a broadcaster, banker, lawyer, I don't any line of
work you're gonna benefit yourself and others. If you're true
to who you are, there's no better, no one is
better being you than you. And so it was really
(15:22):
exciting to teach this class. Never thought Professor Roberts and
I would teach this class. And it's all about being genuine,
listening your body language, all these little things that we
take for granted, and just trying to show people that
why not, you know, especially during this time. I don't
like the phrase about social distancing. It's physical distancing, but
(15:44):
let's be socially connected. Let's always be socially connected. And
so this is my way applying to this kind of
show people some things that have worked really well for me.
I'm lowering the ladder and letting people climb up because
so many lowered the ladder for me, men and women
especially to help to empower me. And I'm just really grateful.
(16:05):
So just trying to just trying to share some pearls
of wisdom with people to help them to be able
to authentically live their life, whatever that is they choose
to live. So well, again, I'm not joking when I
say I'm signing up to take it, or I'm not
just saying that because you're on here like safe to say,
I'm definitely taking it and I cannot wait. So I
only heard great things, so I'll be maybe some of
(16:28):
my listeners will do it too, and it can be
like a thing we can talk about on the podcast
is all the things we learned from from masterclass. So
now that I got some of the other stuff ay
the way, I have a few hard hitting questions, just
a few. Now, do you hit the snooze button? Yes
or no? Yes? Okay, So I want just once because
(16:49):
in your book you mentioned it. I can't even remember where,
but I remember it coming up, and I felt like
Robin feels me because I felt so judged for being
a snoozer. For so long, I would intention only set
my alarm earlier so that I could snooze, and people
I would just hear from people that successful people don't snooze,
And then when I read that you did, I was like, well,
(17:11):
why does I can? She's super successful snooze. I don't
know that anybody who doesn't who says they don't, I
don't believe them. I mean, come on, that's that's gift.
That's kind of like I almost get upset if I
I love to wake up and look at the clock
and still see that I have, like, you know, like
half an hour or forty five minutes something to still sleep.
(17:32):
I never can sleep all the way until the alarm
goes off. But I get really excited, like, oh my gosh,
she still had thirty more minutes. And then it goes
off and I'm like, snooze. You know. It's just it's
just like it's kind of like a little gift that
you give yourself. But I never thought about actually sending
my alarm earlier so I can justify the snooze. That's
that's something different. Well, I mean I would. I don't
(17:53):
have the discipline as you like I. I've since quit
snoozing about about a year ago. Bobby challenged me to quit,
so I quit, and it's been good for me because
I was I would snooze like four times. Okay, well
all right, Amy, Okay, now you're telling about yourself. No,
I just just just the one seven minutes. I don't
know why those seven minutes are so precious, the snooze,
but that they are, I can feel them. I would
(18:16):
also like to know your favorite country song, Oh, my
favorite country song. Through the years, You've never let me down,
you turn my lot all round. Yes, through the years,
Kenny Rogers, through the years, I love I love miss him.
It was so sad when he passed. But I because
I was a country music DJ. You know this back
(18:38):
in the day. We have about fourteen country hometown fns friends. Yeah,
yea ye, yes, shot out, I shout up. So I
did that in ham and Louisiana when I was in college.
But Kitty Rogers, anything from Kinny and Dolly, Streams of
the Desert, Streams of the Desert, ilands in the dream Islands,
in the streams. Yes, I'm thinking of Streams in the
(18:58):
Desert because that's a daily devotional that I read every morning.
So I get those two mixed up. Next Yeah, next? Uh,
what are you binging on TV? Right now? You know
I watcher. I have a snoozer. The last thing I
truly binged was Succession. Oh my gosh, that was the
last thing I truly Yeah, like I'm into that, um
(19:23):
and then season Oh yeah, I know, my husband and
I are patiently. Would you watch Billions? Oh yes, very similar?
Just yeah, well yeah, at what interview in all of
your career made you the most nervous? This one? Right now,
shut up, that's my answer. Political ones always make me nervous.
(19:44):
I don't care if it's a Democrat, Republican or an
independent i'm talking to. I always get nervous with political
ones because that's the one that people watching they just
then they just they go to their respective corners. And
it's very hard to be at people from different sides
to come together when the fast majority of us are
(20:05):
in the middle. That we have people for our left,
our right, but the vast majority of the country in
the world, we're kind of like we're moderate. But any
kind of political interview whatsoever, I get a little yeah. No,
I could see how that would definitely make me nervous.
And you made me. You made you're my most nervous
in a good way. You and George Straight. Oh George Straight, Oh,
(20:26):
Oh my gosh. When I presented at the Sea of
the Awards Entertained of the Year and it was George Straight, Wow,
I was just like, I'm like done, and and then
and invited me back. I'm like, I just giving me
the entertain of the George Straight, I'm not coming back
to present. That's the best, the best, the back Dabby, right,
I know. I yeah, I would take that. Um So,
(20:47):
we're huge on gratitude here on four things. So I
always like to have guests share four things that they're
currently thankful for. They can be big things, small things,
in between things, but I just want to hear what
you're thankful for. I always grateful for my health, especially
when it's been taken from me. Um So, I'm grateful
for my health. I'm grateful for being the daughter of
(21:09):
Colonel Lawrence and Lucy Marian Lawbers. I'm just I. I
every single day I vote two kisses to the heavens
to them. I am grateful that I'm loved and I
know how to love. That I'm loved, that I'm able
to return at tenfold, and there's nothing, there's nothing to
be taken lightly about that. And I'm very grateful, and
(21:32):
this is something I've had to work on. I'm grateful
for this moment. I'm grateful for what I'm, what I'm
what I'm doing right now with you. I'm grateful that
I can be in the moment that I'm not thinking
about what I did this morning or what I still
have to do today, that I truly have been grateful
that I've been able to work on just staying in
(21:53):
the moment, and this is a beautiful moment. As excited
as you were to talk with me, I was a
few you know. I had spent time in Haiti and
was there right after the earthquake. I helped a family
from Iowa be able to find their daughter who they
were in the process of adopting. They didn't know she
was alive or none, and I was able to link
(22:14):
them together. And I still get pictures for little Maya. Um,
she's so grown now. And I just really appreciate how
you have lived your life, how how you have I
love how you're you know, you said empowered women, empower women.
You are empowering so many each and every day. The
way you and Bobby, and the way Bobby respects you.
(22:37):
You know, we often talked about often talk about how
women helping women, which is so important. It's equally important
that we have men who are by our side. And
that's why I learned from my father. My father. I
saw how how he treated his daughters and his son,
and more importantly, how he how he went with my mom.
And so we have to have allies and you and
(22:58):
Bobby every single this morning that you are. You know,
you're lifting people up, you're having fun, you're playing, breaking
all of these things. So I am just really really
grateful that I've had this time with you. It really
means a luck and I did find I don't know
if it's gonna be so bad with choose happy sorrow, Lucy,
Mary and Roberts my mom, And that's what I want
to say to people. We got to choose happy sorrow.
(23:20):
I love that so much. And you're so sweet, Like
I'm taking in what you're saying, and I was so
much for me want to be like Robin stopped. This
isn't about me or Bobby or anything like. This is
um my Robin time. But I too am being in
the moment and receiving what you're saying. And that just
means so much to me, especially hearing that from someone
that someone that I look up to so much, and
(23:45):
how you handle yourself in media and as a woman
and a trailblazer and in all areas. I mean, before
you even my friend Mary, who I make these shirts with.
My my daughter did the artwork Stashira, so this is
her handwriting, and you know she was a huge fan
of yours from your sports days. So she was like,
(24:09):
She's like, yeah, yeah, but you know don't I was like, well,
you can give me some questions because I'm not a
big sports person. Just full disclosure. And she's like, no, no,
just focus on what you would focus on. I was like, okay, okay, okay.
So anyway, super grateful to have you on, like means everything,
and you are an empowered woman. To me, that empowers
women and I just appreciate that so much. Before you go,
(24:29):
can I get one of those I've never asked for anything,
but I would love to, uh sliss medium if you
don't mind, I'll wear it, I'll post it. I just
I think it's great. Well, thank you. I'll send you
all the things. Don't you worry? Oh and uh before
we go, and every episode during this season of Life
(24:50):
right now, I'm incorporating a healthcare hero shout out where
listeners are submitting healthcare heroes in their life and then
we send them. We made these cute little because the
podcast is for were Things, four Things, Gratitude four things
is the theme, and so we made scrubs on caffeine, eate,
wash hands, repeat, and we send them out to whoever
(25:10):
was nominated and when we read it, we get their
address and then we send it to them. And today's
I'm gonna read a whole thing about her, But I
just thought if she got Robin Roberts to say one up.
Her name is Jesse Lutts and she spent two months
volunteering in Italy for coronavirus Italy. Wow, it was so
hard hit there. And I'm glad in the nurse. I mean,
(25:30):
they're the unsung heroes. But isn't it wonderful how we
are recognizing our health care workers in all capacities, How
people are really now recognizing what they are not and
it's it's it's a it's a shame that has taken
a pandemic for the world to recognize. But that is
wonderful that you're doing that. That is absolutely oh well,
(25:51):
I mean it's the least I can do. And I
think that you and I both know going through well,
I haven't been through what you've been through, but i've,
you know, with my parents. When you say nurses are
unsung heroes at times, I mean there's so many health
care heroes, there's all the people involved the but I mean, really,
when I would see the nurses and what they would
have to handle and do and everything in their like
(26:12):
every the doctor would come in and the doctor will
be like okay, and the nurse is the one that
had to tell him everything. So anyway, I just appreciate
it all health care heroes and appreciate you so. Thank
you so much. You just keep going radio Amy, you
just keep doing your thing. I'm so so proud of you.
(26:34):
I'm incredibly proud of you with how you having yourself
with such with such grace, and just keep keep doing,
keep making your master message, keetting the world out there,
get the word out there. All right, Thank you, and
I guess I'll see you when I take your masterclass
and I master all things. Robin Roberts. So appreciate you
(26:54):
so much and we'll talk to you soon. Thank you,
God blessed. Second thing, Okay, well, Robin Roberts. Done and done.
She has officially come on the podcast to feel like
that's a little bucket list item for me, and I mean, Chase,
you made it happen so huge. Thank you. And then
(27:15):
I gotta say thank you to Marry and you as
well for the video part, because Mary encouraged me to
try to do video as well. Because she just feels
like the conversation is so much better when the people
can see each other, which I totally agree. I was
just nervous to ask Robin if she would do video, um,
And luckily I didn't have to ask her Chase did,
(27:36):
and Chase put in the ask and Robin said yes,
she would do video too. So I'm excited that I
have that part of it as well, um, because it's
just super special. But Chase, how did you get Robin on?
And what encouragement do you have two people that that
wants something and maybe just to remind them to not
(27:59):
give up? Because for me, I feel like I've tried
to manifest Robin a lot throughout the years and put
it out there, even most recently when I put up
that little Instagram image where uh, I put like who
do you all want? On the podcast and I kept
tagging Robin Roberts as like kind of like a joke
but also dead serious. So um. But to me, that
(28:23):
was putting it out there and then boom it happened.
But I know it wasn't just like, well it happened.
I mean, you've been doing some backdoor stuff for a while,
so why don't you talk us through that and what
it looked liked on what it looked like on your end, Well,
you have been you know, a big fan of Robbins
for quite a while. You've respected her personally and professionally. Um,
(28:49):
and so it was kind of the goal for the
past year to get her on the podcast. And so
I'd say we started about a year ago, reaching now
through the proper channels, you know, publicist. Of course, ABC
is a part of Disney, and so there's a lot
of people involved, and you know, we were doing the
right thing and kind of at times getting a little
(29:11):
bit of the runaround, which to be respectful to them,
I totally get. Um, there's a lot of requests coming
in and so we were trying to also time it perfectly.
And long story short, I had reached out several months
ago kind of as a follow up and hadn't heard back.
And I have some friends who worked at ABC and
(29:33):
was kind of thinking to myself, well, I bet, based
on their email, this is probably Robin's email, and so
I just went ahead and reached out to her directly myself.
And I will say, just to re emphasize who Robin
Roberts is and what gave me the confidence to go
ahead and reach out and feel comfortable doing that. I
(29:55):
had met her last August at a taping a Good
Morning America, and I was see it next to a
guest she had in that morning, and he was a
World War Two veteran who had celebrated his ninetieth birthday,
and his daughter had emailed Good Morning America just sharing
the admiration that her dad had for Robin and especially
(30:15):
the role she played in his life. Every morning after
her mom had passed, in every commercial break, Robin would
come over and check on this gentleman and just squeeze
his hand and was so kind. And there was no
fanfare about it, there was no mention of it. It
was something she just quietly did on her own um
(30:36):
and and that stuck with me, obviously, And so I knew,
asking her directly to do this, knowing how special it
would be for you, that her heart would probably be
more than happy to do it if her scheduling allowed,
and it allowed, right, And there was a part of
it that I guess they were intrigued to that it
(30:57):
would be super special to me and possibly even like
a surprise, And so then I I already had known
about it, and there was a minute where I was like, wait,
should we should we act like I'm surprised, because I
started to think, oh my gosh, she's only doing this
because she's getting to surprise me, and it'll take it
away if there's not that surprise element. But then, you know,
(31:22):
Robbins like number one thing is authenticity, and I'm glad
we decided to just roll with the fact that I
did know about it, but she did know that. She
was still surprising me, but even coming on, because I mean,
I was surprised that she agreed to come on, not
because you know, she feels like she's bigger, better than
(31:45):
you know, my little podcast, but she doesn't really. I
haven't seen her on mini podcasts besides, um unless they're
ABC or ESPN related, uh and or Oprah or something,
and I'll brag on you real quickly. Um again, just
speaking to how wonderful Robin is. I had received an
(32:09):
email directly from her after everything was recorded, just saying
how much she enjoyed her time doing the interview, but
also of her time after where she spoke with you
and Ben a little bit off camera, and and just
how special you are and so you made an impression,
and obviously she's just an incredible human and her entire
(32:30):
team beginning to end. You know, we work with a
lot of great people, and that's not to say others
aren't as great, but they're probably some of the best,
if not the best, we've ever worked with. On our end.
Oh yeah, no, I've even just getting excited for the interview.
I went back and revisited her book that I read.
(32:52):
I think it was probably two thousand and fifteen that
I read Everybody's Got Something, and gearing up for the
interview this last weekend, I put it on audio and
started listening to it, and I already was like finding
myself making mental notes of I need to do this,
I need to be better at this at work, like
when it comes to relationships and how we treat people
(33:15):
and how I do my job. But not for anybody.
This is all behind the scenes stuff, not stuff that
anybody would ever even know about. But how I feel
like I've dropped the ball for sure in in relationships.
I wouldn't say that, but I say we could probably
all do better, myself included. I learned a lot in
this process as well, so I'm in the same boat. Yeah,
(33:39):
I mean who knew so much could come from, you know,
booking Robin Roberts little things, Yeah, that we did learn
and then having her on I mean, of course we
knew we would learn. And then Chase, I gave you
your shout out. I told Robin you'd taken her master class.
So I'm definitely going to be taking that. I know
(34:01):
Mary wants to do it to a couple of other
people commented on my Instagram that they have done it
and it's just so so awesome. So I would encourage
all of you listening, if you can do it, to
sign up and take her master class. And if you do,
um take a take a picture of it posted online
tag us um. Maybe we should take it all together somehow.
(34:24):
I don't know how how how do you I haven't
taken any of the master classes, so Chase, do you
pay for it by class or do you have to
have a subscription and you end up getting all of them?
Or can we just do Robbins? I believe you subscribe
and you get access to all of the master classes
and they are broken down into sometimes like ten to
fifteen minute lessons, but it's something you can watch straight
(34:47):
through or it's something you can kind of, you know,
take one each day and reflect upon that lesson and
the things that you learned, or like I said, you
could do it all together, the super user friendly and
and really like quality quality content. Okay, awesome, Well can't
wait to do that. Okay. So the next thing coming
(35:09):
up is going to be that email that I told
you all about um that I got from a listener,
and I'm just gonna keep the Robbin theme going and
you'll hear that my advice was inspired by Robin. That
will be next the third thing. Okay, Now, I've got
(35:35):
the email that I was going to share with you
all from a listener named Kristen who lost her mom
to cancer. And Kristen, I just want to say thank
you for the note and then thank you for letting
me share this with everyone because I think whether you've
experienced loss, I wanted to go through this email with
everyone because you will experience it at some point. And
(35:56):
maybe you haven't lost a parent like Kristen or myself,
but you maybe have grief of some kind and some
of this advice could uh pertain to your situation, whether
or not it's like exactly what you've gone through. So
that's why I thought this was a good email to
read because I'll have some Robin Roberts inspired advice and
(36:17):
then also um some stuff from my experience, and then
also my sister as well because she can relate to
some of what Kristen says in here too. So here's
the email. Hey, Amy, I recently lost my mom to cancer.
She fought the fight for seven years and the cancer
finally one. I miss her every single day, but I'm
happy to know that she's pain free. I'm wondering if
(36:39):
you have advice on the grieving process. She passed away
the day after my birthday, two hours after actually, and
I'm already dreading my birthday every year. The week after
she passed, I cried all the time every time I
thought about her. The last several weeks, though, I feel
like I can't cry anymore. I think about her multiple
times a day, I pick up my phone to call
her to next and miss her so so much. Life
(37:02):
is definitely not normal, but I feel like I'm finding
out my new normal. Or am I just avoiding the
fact that my mom is gone? Am I doing this
grieving thing wrong to throw more of a ringer into it?
I'm sure I suffer from disordered eating. Loved the Outweigh series,
and nutrition and exercise seemed to be the one thing
(37:23):
I can control in this crazy time. I've been looking
at therapists, but also I'm freaked out that all my
visits will be virtual when I haven't ever met him
or her. Any advice on this as well. PS. I
ran my first marathon two weeks ago. It was a
virtual run, and I almost didn't do it when the
actual event was canceled. I thought of Pimp and Joy though,
(37:43):
and just ran the thing, as coronavirus can't ruin everything.
I felt great afterwards and had so many friends out
cheering me on and people congratulating me. It was a
great feeling. Thanks for spreading the joy message and giving
me that extra push to accomplish this goal. Kristen, So,
first of all, uh, yeah, this is hard, like I,
(38:05):
this is fresh for you, Kristen, and I lost my
mom oh this fall. It will be six years ago,
so I have some time under my belt on this.
But one of the first things that you mentioned was
that you lost her on your birthday or the day
after your birthday, two hours after and I hate that
(38:30):
for you, because yeah, anytime your birthday Moll rolls around,
there will be that that memory. But just know that
you're going to have a lot of different times that
you think of your mom that are going to be hard.
Christmas time, Mother's Day, her birthday, when that comes up,
(38:51):
and it's up to you on how you want to
handle those days. But I decided to reach out to
my sister to address this particular part because, uh, my
our mom died the day before her birthday and the
day after. I remember, we still had a party at
my sister's house because we had so many people in town,
(39:13):
and so many people had come by my sisters anyway,
because that's where my mom was in hospice and where
she passed away, and you know, there was her house
was like a revolving door the week my mom her
last week of life anyway, so so many people wanted
to be around and they were in town and family
and friends, and I remember my sister and I really
struggling with it, like gosh, this this feels so weird,
(39:37):
but we're just gonna roll with it. And we ended
up having a good time, but it was still hard. Um.
But I asked my sister to send in her thoughts
from that day, and um, here is what she wrote.
So the first morning I woke up after losing Mom,
it was my birthday. I still tear up about that
(39:59):
even hyping this. She didn't call, she didn't sing. You
and I got up and did. Well. I should clarify here,
this is me talking again, not my sister. She's texting
this to me what we did, So that's how I'm
going to read it, So that's how you should hear it. Okay,
back to the text. You and I got up and
did the Tracy Anderson work out. I knew Mom would
(40:22):
have loved that, and Ben got that lobster rolled truck
to come to the house and people came over to
celebrate my birthday, which felt weird because Mom had just
died and I didn't want to celebrate. But what helped
me was knowing that she would want me to celebrate,
and that literally like she was there in her own way,
celebrating with us from heaven and celebrating our birthdays. We
(40:44):
are celebrating our moms who gave us life. In the
years following, I've gone by myself to get pedicures and
manicures just on my own for my birthday because that
is what Mom would have wanted to do with me.
And I think that's the message. To celebrate your birthday
as they would want you to and things they would
(41:04):
do with you. It honors the fact that they gave
you life, made sacrifices for you, and raised you. Whenever
I feel sad, I sometimes just do something in honor
of her, like by the stranger behind me a coffee
at a coffee shop, and then Mom and I smile
about it together. So that was the text that I
got from my sister, and I totally agree with that.
(41:27):
You you need to use not only just your birthday,
but any of the days that are going to be
hard when you're thinking about your mom. What is something
you can do to remember her by to honor her?
And I think that that will really really help you
out a lot. And I know that you were asking
(41:48):
if you were doing the whole grieving thing wrong, and no,
there is no right or wrong. We all grieve differently. Um,
now is the time where I want to share a
quote from Robin's book Everybody's Got Something, because I want
you to sit with this and try to figure out
what is the meaning here? You're going through a lot
(42:09):
right now. Um, but here's what Robin said. Life provides
losses and heartbreak for all of us, but the greatest
tragedy is to have the experience and miss the meaning.
So I know it's I know it's so hard to
be like, well, what, what the heck? Why should I
have to experience my mom dying of cancer after seven
(42:30):
years of her having to go through that? But there
is something there, there's something there for all of us.
We have to choose which direction we want to go
with it. And Uh, if you're not crying anymore, that's fine.
The crying will come and go. I remember crying all
the time. Uh. And then suddenly it just started to
(42:54):
get easier and easier, And now I can't ever predict
when it's going to happen. Sometimes I still have breakdowns,
but they're further apart, and it's not every day and
I'm not on a on the floor, curled up in
a ball trying to figure it all out, having an
anxiety attack. I'm at peace with it. And that's the
gift of time. Time helps us with that perspective, helps
(43:16):
us with that giving the journey meaning, making the mess
your message helps with all of that because then you
can rest comfortably in it because that's what you're focusing on.
And I know that you're a strong person, Kristen, because
you ran a marathon. Yeah, And Robin said in the
(43:41):
first thing, when I asked her what her message is,
she said, well, then I'm stronger than I thought, and
we all are. And I agree with that, and I
want you to remember how strong you are. And when
it comes to therapy, I couldn't recommend it more. If
that is some thing that you can afford to do
(44:01):
and that is possible for you, whether it's virtual or
in person, you need to do it, especially if you
think you have any sort of disordered eating going on.
You do not want that to get worse because of
the trauma you've just experienced with your mom. And my
eating disorder came back the day after my mom died,
(44:22):
and I wish I had gotten the help that I
needed right away. I kind of did, but I wasn't
really willing to commit to the work because it takes work,
and that that's that's a bummer. That's some of my
mess that now I'm making my message, and it's to
tell you that I don't want you to go through that.
(44:46):
I want you to try to figure that out. So
if you do find a therapist virtually or in person,
make sure they specialize in disordered eating. Asked them those questions, UM,
so that they know exactly what you're going through. Uh.
I've got some good people that we follow on Instagram
(45:07):
and even maybe even have a therapist I could recommend
to you. UM, but therapy is great if if you're
listening right now, and therapy is not an option for
you because money is tight, Like, find somebody that you
can talk to. UM. You may not get the advice
back that you necessarily need, but there is something certainly
therapeutic about just talking about your feelings and saying out
(45:29):
loud what is going on. Journaling two can be great.
I'm trying to put that into practice. Uh, really really trying.
But especially when you're going through something hard, it helps
to write down the thoughts and the feelings and what
you're going through. So just know that there's no right
(45:50):
or wrong way to grieve. Kristen and anybody else that
needs to hear this, we're all on our own journey,
but you perspective is everything in Kristen, I'm not picking
on you all. But I'm using this as an example
because in the email, you know, you said you're already
dreading your birthday and then you know you're kind of
freaked out that your visits might be virtual. Already you're
(46:12):
not necessarily super positive about what's to come. And that's
where the perspective needs to shift. Is think of your
birthday as still being a positive time, and then refer
back to what I was shared with you from my sister,
and then look at virtual therapy as it's okay, it's fine,
there's nothing wrong with that. One day you may be
able to be in person and that will be amazing.
(46:35):
But I've been doing sessions virtually and I feel like
they've been just as good. So that is my encouragement
to you. So you got this and anybody else listening,
whatever you're going through, just remember that, um, it's important
we try not to miss the meaning. Not always easy
to do that, but hopefully you can try. And then
(46:55):
definitely read Robin's book. Everybody's Got something that definitely helps. Okay, Okay,
it is Healthcare Hero shout out time, and I normally
read the email from the friend that submitted the Healthcare
Hero but I'm gonna mention Constance and say thank you
(47:19):
Constance for submitting your friend Jesse, like she sounds amazing.
But what Constance did when she emailed me was she
included an email that Jesse had sent out to everyone,
updating her on her trip to Italy where she went
as a volunteer to be a nurse when coronavirus was
really really bad over there, and she went with a
(47:44):
particular organization that I can't say who she was with
that needs to remain private. Um, so I'll cut that
part out, but I'm going to read uh Jesse's email
so that y'all can hear from the healthcare hero herself. Okay,
here is what Jessica sent to her friend Constance. Well, Jesse,
(48:06):
we're now on nickname basis here. Hey, friends, just wanted
to send a quick update. I've been here in Italy
for almost a month now. We set up a field
hospital in the parking lot of the local hospital here
that was badly overwhelmed and have been accepting patients. I've
been working here in the tin bed I see you,
and can honestly say it's been one of the harder,
(48:26):
more challenging things I've ever done. In the I see you.
We're getting patients who have gotten COVID so seriously that
they need to be put on a ventilator to breathe
for them. We've currently had more deaths than patients able
to get off the ventilator and go home, so that's
been hard. We worked twelve hours shifts and today is
my first day off since being here. During the shifts,
(48:47):
because of the personal protective equipment, we're inside the tents
with our patients and can only leave for short breaks
once or twice during a shift usually, which means that
that whole time inside we can't eat, drink, or go
to the bathroom. So it's been very physically challenging. But
I will say the food and coffee here is amazing,
so when we do get those breaks, I down a
(49:08):
few espresso shots and the Italian hospitality has been exponential.
It's almost every day that a bakery or restaurant donates
a whole bunch of pastries, pizza, or cake for us.
The team work here with my fellow nurses and doctors
has been amazing through it all. The unity that we
have in christ is the foundation for our work and
I feel that every day we take time every day
(49:29):
and I see you to break away from our work
and to pray together, asking for help and wisdom and
praying for physical and spiritual healing of our patients. The
Lord has hurt us and sustained us this far, and
I continue to feel so supported by so many of
you praying for me and sending me encouragement. I continue
to covet your prayers for endurance, for thankfulness and joy
(49:51):
amidst the challenges, and for continued team unity. I'll be
here for another twish or so weeks, and then I'll
have to be corn teamed for two weeks following, thinking
of you all all over and living through the same
weirdness of these times. Below or a couple of articles
and videos that we put out here for you to
(50:12):
see so well, y'all don't have this parks in the podcast,
but much love Jesse uh So. I just wanted to
shout out to Jesse. She is our healthcare hero and
as you can hear from her email, she was on
the front lines in Italy and like many of the
healthcare heroes out there in the world during this crazy time,
(50:32):
has experienced things probably they never thought they would experience.
And it's been super super hard, so we lift y'all up. Um,
We're with you, We're thinking of you, and we appreciate you.
And please, y'all you can send your healthcare heroes submissions
into four Things with Amy Brown at gmail dot com.
(50:53):
We love reading about them, and you know, even if
they don't end up on the podcast, uh there, we
can know about them and keep y'all in our thoughts
and prayers. But I'm really trying to get them all
on the podcast as well, so I appreciate you guys. Okay,
(51:13):
that's a wrap on today's episode. A big thank you
to Robin Roberts for taking the time to come on.
Just still kind of geeking out about that anytime I
say it, I'm like, okay, yeah, well she was really
on the podcast, So I'll stop soon. I promise I
won't geek out about it much more. But now it's
time for the email shout out, which I do at
the end of each episode. And this is a note
(51:35):
from Bethany. Hey. Amy, I've been a listener of the
Bobby Bones Show for about three years, and i've listened
to your podcast since you started. You've recently talked a
lot about breathing. As I was scrolling through Instagram today,
one of my good friends, Molly, posted a picture of
a sticker with the word breathe. I'll let her explain
in this post. This is what her friend Molly put
up six years ago. I lost my older sister to suicide.
(51:59):
Now I'm older than my sister will ever have had
the chance to be As with anyone who has experienced grief,
some days are totally fine and others make me feel
like I've been hit by a truck. As a junior
in college, I had an idea to make a sticker
to raise funds for suicide prevention. I want this sticker
to be a reminder to myself and anyone who purchases literally,
(52:21):
just breathe. It's something I have to remind myself of
a lot to just slow down, take a breath, and
fight the anxiety and stress that might be threatening to
overwhelm you. Being at home outside of our normal schedules
and separated from our family and friends, on top of
the stress created by this pandemic, I think we all
need a reminder to just breathe and take in each
(52:43):
day as we can. All proceeds from the sticker will
benefit the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention as a tribute
to my sister and as a reminder that life won't
always be this tough. And then this is back to
Bethany writing about her friend Molly. I'm so proud of
Molly for using her talents in such an inspiring way.
In case you didn't know, May is Mental Health Awareness Month.
(53:06):
If any of your listeners feel lad to contribute to
this fundraiser, they can go to Wild Iris Crafts on
Etsy or Instagram. That's Wild Iris Crafts on Etsy or Instagram.
Thanks Amy for reminding us to breathe well. No, thank you, Bethany,
and thank you Molly for um taking the breathing uh
(53:29):
to another level and in doing something about it in
honor of your sister. I think this is another perfect
example of someone making their mess their message. So appreciate you, Molly.
Appreciate you, Bethany. And just in case anyone's looking for
a good breathing exercise, at our house, we practice the
(53:49):
four seven eight. You breathe in for four seconds, hold
for seven, breathe out for eight and um that's I
got that from a book that we got for our
kids because they're adopted in some trauma they've gone through,
they recommend the four seven eight if you're going through that.
Mary has another exercise that she she uses for t
(54:12):
MJ which is very similar, and I think it's like,
you know, five six eight or something. So as long
as you're somewhere in those that realm of seconds four
seven eight ish, you should be good because there's something
about that pattern of breathing in holding it and then
breathing it out for longer will help relax you and
calm you and undo some of the stuff. Okay, alright, Well,
(54:36):
I hope you'll have a great Thursday, if that's the
day you're listening to this, or whenever you are, a
great weekend or whatever, and we will see you on
Tuesday for the Q and A episode. Okay, you little
(54:58):
food for yourself. So life ain't always pretty, but hang
it's pretty. Beautiful, family, beautiful, laugh a little mouth. Family's
tightening up because of course said he can't cut your
kicking with four Things with Amy Brown,
Okay, cap than little food for you so life. Oh
it's pretty Bay, It's pretty beautiful than that. A little
(00:23):
moth kicking with four Happy Thursday everybody. Uh, this is
the episode with Robin Roberts probably someone not even probably
no legit, someone I have wanted on the podcast since
(00:43):
the first day I started the podcast, which was what
how Chases on here with me? How long have I
been doing this? A year and a half maybe yeah,
a year and a half ish, so, and she has
been goals and it finally happened. And you know, one
of the things you're gonna hear Chase and I talked
(01:04):
about later in the episode is how Chase kind of
made it happen. And I wanted him to come and
share that with you guys as encouragement to just go
after something. Um, you know, we've talked about that before,
like it never hurts to send someone an email. And
Chase has been you know, had met some of Robbin's
(01:26):
people and and ABC people and Good Morning America people,
but you know kind of I don't know, Chasey, then
you just straight up ended up emailing Robin. So we're
going to dive into that because that it's gutsy to me,
but it worked, and now Robin is here on the
podcast and she's the first thing, and uh, she's she's
(01:50):
just amazing. You'll hear it. She is so wise and
I just absolutely adore her even more than I did
because I probably had a out, what fift twenty minutes
to talk with her for the podcast. Chase, that's what her,
her publicist, her PR team, like the people like there.
I mean, this is Robin Roberts. There's there's rules. So
I said a timer, and I was trying to be
(02:11):
so respectful, and we ended in the proper time frame.
And then after I finished the podcast part, she probably
stayed on the zoom call and talked with me and
my husband for like twenty more minutes, and she was
just as amazing and I couldn't believe it, and she
did not have to do that. There were so many
(02:33):
times where I was trying to let her go, but
she was so thoughtful and could just kind and was
talking and asking questions and we just Chase, you didn't
you The audio of that was on the zoom call,
so you probably got to hear it. Isn't she so amazing?
She's so amazing and I did watch it, and I
(02:53):
you know, yeah, I think that was the coolest part
is just seeing you have that interaction, um after you
were able to kind of take a deep breath in
getting the interview done here in the podcast. I'm very normal, nervous.
I can't even talk right now, but I'm you, I
hear am I. I couldn't even listen back once I
(03:14):
got the audio all ready to go for the podcast
and it was sent back to me and I couldn't
even click play. I did, let me let me tell
the truth here. I clicked play, and I listened to
myself talk for about twenty seconds, and I couldn't listen
to anymore. So I haven't even listened back to it,
(03:36):
and I don't know if I ever will, because you know,
it was just special and I want to remember it
the way I remember it happening, and I feel like
if I hear it back, I'll start to pick things
apart and maybe kick myself, like why did you say that?
Or why did you mess up? There is a part
where I mess up the first part I heard. However
(03:57):
many seconds I really listened to, I don't know if
it's twenty on of his thirty forty. But I'm trying
to say that my mom made her mess her message,
and I think this is when I cut it off
because I couldn't even say that I said she made
her message. I left out the word mess. Did you
catch that? Yeah, but we got it in context. Okay,
(04:20):
Well I couldn't believe myself, so I quit listening. But
I hope you'll enjoy it. Robin is just truly an inspiration.
And again she's the first thing. And then Chase and
I will be the second thing, kind of breaking down
how the Robin Robert's interview came to be, because it
definitely wasn't just an overnight thing. Chase has been working
(04:44):
on it for a while. And then, uh, will I've
got an email from a listener that I want to
share that is Robin related. For the third thing, I mean,
the email er wasn't talking about Robin, but the advice
I would give to this person is it's so perfect.
I feel like Robbin's interview basically answers this, so if
(05:05):
any of I just thought it'd be good to share
in case anybody else is in this situation. Uh. And
then the fourth thing will be the health care hero
shout out what up? So all right, enough rambling, let's
get started here. She is Robin Roberts first. Okay, well,
super excited to have you here with us today, Robin.
(05:27):
And before we really get into things, I just want
to first tell you why I admire you so much.
I mean I have for a really long time, but
really felt connected to you after I read your book.
Everybody's got something because in two thousand and fourteen, I
lost my mom to cancer and she's someone that when
(05:47):
she was at M d Anderson and diagnosed for the
third time, she went to the chapel and said, Lord,
use this cancer for good. It wasn't Lord, heal me,
It wasn't anything selfish. It was the most selfless prayer
that I've heard. And he did use it for good.
And her message was joy when she was battling it,
and her message after has been joy. And we've been
able to use that as a movement called Pimp and
(06:10):
Joy for her. But it made me think when I
was reading your book, oh my gosh, she made her message,
which you know you talked about from your mom, and
so for me it was really cool to read what
you were saying and it helped me keep that positive
perspective and then also keep my mom's message of joy
alive because then it gave her cancer journey meaning and
(06:34):
it just really helped me like a lot. So I
just wanted to start off by saying thank you for
your wisdom and your encouragement and your optimism, because it
meant a lot to me, instilled us. And could I
say this to you though the outcome wasn't what you
hoped for or prayed for. With your mother, her journey,
every bit of value, every bit is powerful, every bit
(06:55):
as as my journey. There's no difference. I sometimes have
survivor's guilt a little bit, and that I'm so internally
grateful that, for whatever reason, I was able to get
through the cancer that once but twice. And when I
hear stories like your mom, and I just want to
tell those people who are here carrying on for them.
(07:18):
I don't like it when people say so and so
lost their battle to cancer, so they didn't. As my
dear friend Stewart Scott said, your mother beat cancer in
the matter in which she lived and how you are
carrying on her her legacy. So I just want to
thank you for doing this and for making your mother's mess,
not only her message, but your message as well. Bless
(07:39):
you do that, oh well, and thank you for that
shift and how I say it because words are so important.
Words matter, and I feel like I'm one of those
people that has often said, just without really thinking about it,
she lost her battle. So again, look at you shift
in my perspective to positivity, of course, which you know
that's one of the things I want to talk to
you about, because you do uch a wonderful job every
(08:02):
morning on Good Morning America bringing positivity into people's homes.
But then also on your Instagram you've got what like
motivation Monday and Wednesday wisdom and thankful Thursday, like something
basically every day of the week. And when the world
is so crazy right now, I mean we have different
ups and downs in life, but it's especially heavy right now.
What is your advice to people and my listeners that
(08:25):
may need your type of positivity, encouragement and the reminder
to choose joy during all of this and to choose joy.
Um and I have a plaquard that I'm gonna show
you that sweet Amber, we'll get it for more. Mother.
My mother had much like your mom. She stays with
me my mother's not basically here with me, but she
had choose happy sorrow. That was after my father passed
(08:49):
and we were all just just could not even function,
and she said, we're going to be sorrowful, but let's
let's think of those happy times that we have and
choose a happy So I think a lot about that.
I'm not sure it's somewhere around here. I know it's
probably downstairs. You probably used it for the morning show.
At some point. You have to sorrow. But what I
(09:09):
do is much like push. I'm just trying to keep
up with you, with Bobby, with your positivity and what
you're doing in the morning. So I just we're just
trying to keep up with you to your mate. But
it's it's to be real with it Amy. I often
I'm tickled sometimes when somebody will reach we on on
social media and said you look sad today, and I
(09:29):
was like, I was talking about death and famine today.
I'm not gonna smile for falsely. But so what I
do smile when I do share, Um, it comes from
the heart and it is. But my mother taught me
that we learned so much more through the trial to
tribulations as opposed to the joy. I walked a mile
with pleasure. She chatted all the way, but I was
(09:51):
none the wiser for all she had to say. I
walked the mile the sorrow, and they're a word, said she.
But all the things I learned from her when sorrow
walked with me. And that's why I try and in
part during this time with people, we don't want to
be I don't want to be sheltered at home, but
I know it's the right thing for me to do,
given lying underlying conditions and such and what's going on
in New York City. But you can find light and
(10:13):
darkness and you look forward a little bit harder. But
because maybe I have been in the habit all the
time since I was young. Optimism is like a muscle
to get strong with us. You know, like you, I
know you're you're you're you're health bad. You know, when
you want to work on something, you you know, you
work on your muscle and we build it. It's the
same thing with optimism. Because I have gotten in the
(10:36):
habit of doing that that when these tough times come along, Um,
it's not easy, it's easier. It just makes it a
little bit easier to get through it right, and I
love your honestly with people too, that it doesn't mean
just because you're choosing joy, And that's something I had
to remind people about being my mom's caregiver. I think
some people of our listeners saw the message of like,
(10:58):
oh wow, y'all are pimp enjoy. Choose enjoy, all about joy.
You got joy tattooed on your wrists like just joy,
And I said, well, okay, I don't want to be misleading.
Our overall theme is joy, but this has been there
have been some very very very hard days and I'm
currently my sister and I are now a car over
for my dad and there's there's highs and lows. But
(11:20):
again with him, we're trying to keep the joy. But
but it's like, you also have to be real that
it doesn't mean that you're not allowed to be sad
or have bad days or just give yourself that permission.
Actually you need to feel it. And yeah, it's good
to share God as well. You have to share that
time because if not, you give the false impression to
people that you're always like that, and that's not the case.
(11:42):
We have our our bad days as well. But I
love when you posted the picture of your dad through
the widow follow you. Okay, but I've promised all of
my people in my life I would be cool and calm, collected.
Sell I kind of keep my composure. But you know,
(12:05):
I mentioned your words of wisdom earlier. You know, make
your mess your message. That's huge. I love it. And
you've been beyond gracious to to let us all into
some of the toughest times also some of the good.
But the good and the bad, the hard and everything
that you've been through and through all that you've learned
in your your journey or your mess, Like, what is
(12:28):
your message that we're all stronger than we do. I'm
sure you never thought losing your mother and the battles
that you've had and being becoming a mother, that you
could find joy. And that's what I tried. My message
to everyone is that you you have this way. I
want to be a mirror. That's what I want to be.
So all the things that you and others say to me,
(12:49):
I want to be your reflection and say right back
at to Tinpole. But I didn't know losing my mother
my father, the two most important people who personal power
balls taught me about being disciplined about the termination, and
more importantly, the Lord the three D this determination and
the Lord that when my parents left me, when my
(13:10):
hometown was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, when I went through cancer,
not once, not twice, that I would be here, right there,
at this moment and to be able to tell my joy.
So my message to people is we're all stronger. I
didn't know I had that strength atility, And you don't
know until you're put to the test what is inside
of you. And so that's why I say to everybody,
(13:33):
we all. Everybody's got something. We divorce, unemployment, sickness, of death,
all these things happen. And that's not the tragedy. It's
why did this happen? What am I supposed to learn?
What am I supposed to more importantly share with this
being path put in my path? What can I learn
from it and share with others? And I think that
(13:54):
is my underlying message to people, is that we have
this all within us. I didn't know I had to
do either. Had I guarantee that people don't know that
they haven't within them what I'm here to tell them
they do. Yeah, you're like, I'm taking in everything, You're
saying right now. I'm like, oh, yeah, she she's pretty
good at this. She should probably do a masterclass or something,
(14:15):
which you have. And my friend Chase took your masterclass.
He has already completed everything and he's emerged a new Chase.
He's basically Robin Roberts. And I'm a little jealous because
I haven't taken it yet. I haven't had the time,
but I will be signing up and taken it as
soon as I can. And so for you, what prompted
(14:37):
you to to join masterclass? Oh my goodness. I was
flattered that they asked me in the first place. And
what I was very excited about is when they first
approached me, I was like, oh, you know, I enjoyed
being a journalist, don't get me wrong, and being the communicative,
but I don't really think of myself as a teacher
in that regard. And they said, no, we want you
to teach a class on authenticity. I'm like, sign me
(15:01):
up how to be an authentic and genuine communicator? And
I was like, that's great, because I don't care if
you're a broadcaster, banker, lawyer, I don't any line of
work you're gonna benefit yourself and others. If you're true
to who you are, there's no better, no one is
better being you than you. And so it was really
(15:22):
exciting to teach this class. Never thought Professor Roberts and
I would teach this class. And it's all about being genuine,
listening your body language, all these little things that we
take for granted, and just trying to show people that
why not, you know, especially during this time. I don't
like the phrase about social distancing. It's physical distancing, but
(15:44):
let's be socially connected. Let's always be socially connected. And
so this is my way applying to this kind of
show people some things that have worked really well for me.
I'm lowering the ladder and letting people climb up because
so many lowered the ladder for me, men and women
especially to help to empower me. And I'm just really grateful.
(16:05):
So just trying to just trying to share some pearls
of wisdom with people to help them to be able
to authentically live their life, whatever that is they choose
to live. So well, again, I'm not joking when I
say I'm signing up to take it, or I'm not
just saying that because you're on here like safe to say,
I'm definitely taking it and I cannot wait. So I
only heard great things, so I'll be maybe some of
(16:28):
my listeners will do it too, and it can be
like a thing we can talk about on the podcast
is all the things we learned from from masterclass. So
now that I got some of the other stuff ay
the way, I have a few hard hitting questions, just
a few. Now, do you hit the snooze button? Yes
or no? Yes? Okay, So I want just once because
(16:49):
in your book you mentioned it. I can't even remember where,
but I remember it coming up, and I felt like
Robin feels me because I felt so judged for being
a snoozer. For so long, I would intention only set
my alarm earlier so that I could snooze, and people
I would just hear from people that successful people don't snooze,
And then when I read that you did, I was like, well,
(17:11):
why does I can? She's super successful snooze. I don't
know that anybody who doesn't who says they don't, I
don't believe them. I mean, come on, that's that's gift.
That's kind of like I almost get upset if I
I love to wake up and look at the clock
and still see that I have, like, you know, like
half an hour or forty five minutes something to still sleep.
(17:32):
I never can sleep all the way until the alarm
goes off. But I get really excited, like, oh my gosh,
she still had thirty more minutes. And then it goes
off and I'm like, snooze. You know. It's just it's
just like it's kind of like a little gift that
you give yourself. But I never thought about actually sending
my alarm earlier so I can justify the snooze. That's
that's something different. Well, I mean I would. I don't
(17:53):
have the discipline as you like I. I've since quit
snoozing about about a year ago. Bobby challenged me to quit,
so I quit, and it's been good for me because
I was I would snooze like four times. Okay, well
all right, Amy, Okay, now you're telling about yourself. No,
I just just just the one seven minutes. I don't
know why those seven minutes are so precious, the snooze,
but that they are, I can feel them. I would
(18:16):
also like to know your favorite country song, Oh, my
favorite country song. Through the years, You've never let me down,
you turn my lot all round. Yes, through the years,
Kenny Rogers, through the years, I love I love miss him.
It was so sad when he passed. But I because
I was a country music DJ. You know this back
(18:38):
in the day. We have about fourteen country hometown fns friends. Yeah,
yea ye, yes, shot out, I shout up. So I
did that in ham and Louisiana when I was in college.
But Kitty Rogers, anything from Kinny and Dolly, Streams of
the Desert, Streams of the Desert, ilands in the dream Islands,
in the streams. Yes, I'm thinking of Streams in the
(18:58):
Desert because that's a daily devotional that I read every morning.
So I get those two mixed up. Next Yeah, next? Uh,
what are you binging on TV? Right now? You know
I watcher. I have a snoozer. The last thing I
truly binged was Succession. Oh my gosh, that was the
last thing I truly Yeah, like I'm into that, um
(19:23):
and then season Oh yeah, I know, my husband and
I are patiently. Would you watch Billions? Oh yes, very similar?
Just yeah, well yeah, at what interview in all of
your career made you the most nervous? This one? Right now,
shut up, that's my answer. Political ones always make me nervous.
(19:44):
I don't care if it's a Democrat, Republican or an
independent i'm talking to. I always get nervous with political
ones because that's the one that people watching they just
then they just they go to their respective corners. And
it's very hard to be at people from different sides
to come together when the fast majority of us are
(20:05):
in the middle. That we have people for our left,
our right, but the vast majority of the country in
the world, we're kind of like we're moderate. But any
kind of political interview whatsoever, I get a little yeah. No,
I could see how that would definitely make me nervous.
And you made me. You made you're my most nervous
in a good way. You and George Straight. Oh George Straight, Oh,
(20:26):
Oh my gosh. When I presented at the Sea of
the Awards Entertained of the Year and it was George Straight, Wow,
I was just like, I'm like done, and and then
and invited me back. I'm like, I just giving me
the entertain of the George Straight, I'm not coming back
to present. That's the best, the best, the back Dabby, right,
I know. I yeah, I would take that. Um So,
(20:47):
we're huge on gratitude here on four things. So I
always like to have guests share four things that they're
currently thankful for. They can be big things, small things,
in between things, but I just want to hear what
you're thankful for. I always grateful for my health, especially
when it's been taken from me. Um So, I'm grateful
for my health. I'm grateful for being the daughter of
(21:09):
Colonel Lawrence and Lucy Marian Lawbers. I'm just I. I
every single day I vote two kisses to the heavens
to them. I am grateful that I'm loved and I
know how to love. That I'm loved, that I'm able
to return at tenfold, and there's nothing, there's nothing to
be taken lightly about that. And I'm very grateful, and
(21:32):
this is something I've had to work on. I'm grateful
for this moment. I'm grateful for what I'm, what I'm
what I'm doing right now with you. I'm grateful that
I can be in the moment that I'm not thinking
about what I did this morning or what I still
have to do today, that I truly have been grateful
that I've been able to work on just staying in
(21:53):
the moment, and this is a beautiful moment. As excited
as you were to talk with me, I was a
few you know. I had spent time in Haiti and
was there right after the earthquake. I helped a family
from Iowa be able to find their daughter who they
were in the process of adopting. They didn't know she
was alive or none, and I was able to link
(22:14):
them together. And I still get pictures for little Maya. Um,
she's so grown now. And I just really appreciate how
you have lived your life, how how you have I
love how you're you know, you said empowered women, empower women.
You are empowering so many each and every day. The
way you and Bobby, and the way Bobby respects you.
(22:37):
You know, we often talked about often talk about how
women helping women, which is so important. It's equally important
that we have men who are by our side. And
that's why I learned from my father. My father. I
saw how how he treated his daughters and his son,
and more importantly, how he how he went with my mom.
And so we have to have allies and you and
(22:58):
Bobby every single this morning that you are. You know,
you're lifting people up, you're having fun, you're playing, breaking
all of these things. So I am just really really
grateful that I've had this time with you. It really
means a luck and I did find I don't know
if it's gonna be so bad with choose happy sorrow, Lucy,
Mary and Roberts my mom, And that's what I want
to say to people. We got to choose happy sorrow.
(23:20):
I love that so much. And you're so sweet, Like
I'm taking in what you're saying, and I was so
much for me want to be like Robin stopped. This
isn't about me or Bobby or anything like. This is
um my Robin time. But I too am being in
the moment and receiving what you're saying. And that just
means so much to me, especially hearing that from someone
that someone that I look up to so much, and
(23:45):
how you handle yourself in media and as a woman
and a trailblazer and in all areas. I mean, before
you even my friend Mary, who I make these shirts with.
My my daughter did the artwork Stashira, so this is
her handwriting, and you know she was a huge fan
of yours from your sports days. So she was like,
(24:09):
She's like, yeah, yeah, but you know don't I was like, well,
you can give me some questions because I'm not a
big sports person. Just full disclosure. And she's like, no, no,
just focus on what you would focus on. I was like, okay, okay, okay.
So anyway, super grateful to have you on, like means everything,
and you are an empowered woman. To me, that empowers
women and I just appreciate that so much. Before you go,
(24:29):
can I get one of those I've never asked for anything,
but I would love to, uh sliss medium if you
don't mind, I'll wear it, I'll post it. I just
I think it's great. Well, thank you. I'll send you
all the things. Don't you worry? Oh and uh before
we go, and every episode during this season of Life
(24:50):
right now, I'm incorporating a healthcare hero shout out where
listeners are submitting healthcare heroes in their life and then
we send them. We made these cute little because the
podcast is for were Things, four Things, Gratitude four things
is the theme, and so we made scrubs on caffeine, eate,
wash hands, repeat, and we send them out to whoever
(25:10):
was nominated and when we read it, we get their
address and then we send it to them. And today's
I'm gonna read a whole thing about her, But I
just thought if she got Robin Roberts to say one up.
Her name is Jesse Lutts and she spent two months
volunteering in Italy for coronavirus Italy. Wow, it was so
hard hit there. And I'm glad in the nurse. I mean,
(25:30):
they're the unsung heroes. But isn't it wonderful how we
are recognizing our health care workers in all capacities, How
people are really now recognizing what they are not and
it's it's it's a it's a shame that has taken
a pandemic for the world to recognize. But that is
wonderful that you're doing that. That is absolutely oh well,
(25:51):
I mean it's the least I can do. And I
think that you and I both know going through well,
I haven't been through what you've been through, but i've,
you know, with my parents. When you say nurses are
unsung heroes at times, I mean there's so many health
care heroes, there's all the people involved the but I mean, really,
when I would see the nurses and what they would
have to handle and do and everything in their like
(26:12):
every the doctor would come in and the doctor will
be like okay, and the nurse is the one that
had to tell him everything. So anyway, I just appreciate
it all health care heroes and appreciate you so. Thank
you so much. You just keep going radio Amy, you
just keep doing your thing. I'm so so proud of you.
(26:34):
I'm incredibly proud of you with how you having yourself
with such with such grace, and just keep keep doing,
keep making your master message, keetting the world out there,
get the word out there. All right, Thank you, and
I guess I'll see you when I take your masterclass
and I master all things. Robin Roberts. So appreciate you
(26:54):
so much and we'll talk to you soon. Thank you,
God blessed. Second thing, Okay, well, Robin Roberts. Done and done.
She has officially come on the podcast to feel like
that's a little bucket list item for me, and I mean, Chase,
you made it happen so huge. Thank you. And then
(27:15):
I gotta say thank you to Marry and you as
well for the video part, because Mary encouraged me to
try to do video as well. Because she just feels
like the conversation is so much better when the people
can see each other, which I totally agree. I was
just nervous to ask Robin if she would do video, um,
And luckily I didn't have to ask her Chase did,
(27:36):
and Chase put in the ask and Robin said yes,
she would do video too. So I'm excited that I
have that part of it as well, um, because it's
just super special. But Chase, how did you get Robin on?
And what encouragement do you have two people that that
wants something and maybe just to remind them to not
(27:59):
give up? Because for me, I feel like I've tried
to manifest Robin a lot throughout the years and put
it out there, even most recently when I put up
that little Instagram image where uh, I put like who
do you all want? On the podcast and I kept
tagging Robin Roberts as like kind of like a joke
but also dead serious. So um. But to me, that
(28:23):
was putting it out there and then boom it happened.
But I know it wasn't just like, well it happened.
I mean, you've been doing some backdoor stuff for a while,
so why don't you talk us through that and what
it looked liked on what it looked like on your end, Well,
you have been you know, a big fan of Robbins
for quite a while. You've respected her personally and professionally. Um,
(28:49):
and so it was kind of the goal for the
past year to get her on the podcast. And so
I'd say we started about a year ago, reaching now
through the proper channels, you know, publicist. Of course, ABC
is a part of Disney, and so there's a lot
of people involved, and you know, we were doing the
right thing and kind of at times getting a little
(29:11):
bit of the runaround, which to be respectful to them,
I totally get. Um, there's a lot of requests coming
in and so we were trying to also time it perfectly.
And long story short, I had reached out several months
ago kind of as a follow up and hadn't heard back.
And I have some friends who worked at ABC and
(29:33):
was kind of thinking to myself, well, I bet, based
on their email, this is probably Robin's email, and so
I just went ahead and reached out to her directly myself.
And I will say, just to re emphasize who Robin
Roberts is and what gave me the confidence to go
ahead and reach out and feel comfortable doing that. I
(29:55):
had met her last August at a taping a Good
Morning America, and I was see it next to a
guest she had in that morning, and he was a
World War Two veteran who had celebrated his ninetieth birthday,
and his daughter had emailed Good Morning America just sharing
the admiration that her dad had for Robin and especially
(30:15):
the role she played in his life. Every morning after
her mom had passed, in every commercial break, Robin would
come over and check on this gentleman and just squeeze
his hand and was so kind. And there was no
fanfare about it, there was no mention of it. It
was something she just quietly did on her own um
(30:36):
and and that stuck with me, obviously, And so I knew,
asking her directly to do this, knowing how special it
would be for you, that her heart would probably be
more than happy to do it if her scheduling allowed,
and it allowed, right, And there was a part of
it that I guess they were intrigued to that it
(30:57):
would be super special to me and possibly even like
a surprise, And so then I I already had known
about it, and there was a minute where I was like, wait,
should we should we act like I'm surprised, because I
started to think, oh my gosh, she's only doing this
because she's getting to surprise me, and it'll take it
away if there's not that surprise element. But then, you know,
(31:22):
Robbins like number one thing is authenticity, and I'm glad
we decided to just roll with the fact that I
did know about it, but she did know that. She
was still surprising me, but even coming on, because I mean,
I was surprised that she agreed to come on, not
because you know, she feels like she's bigger, better than
(31:45):
you know, my little podcast, but she doesn't really. I
haven't seen her on mini podcasts besides, um unless they're
ABC or ESPN related, uh and or Oprah or something,
and I'll brag on you real quickly. Um again, just
speaking to how wonderful Robin is. I had received an
(32:09):
email directly from her after everything was recorded, just saying
how much she enjoyed her time doing the interview, but
also of her time after where she spoke with you
and Ben a little bit off camera, and and just
how special you are and so you made an impression,
and obviously she's just an incredible human and her entire
(32:30):
team beginning to end. You know, we work with a
lot of great people, and that's not to say others
aren't as great, but they're probably some of the best,
if not the best, we've ever worked with. On our end.
Oh yeah, no, I've even just getting excited for the interview.
I went back and revisited her book that I read.
(32:52):
I think it was probably two thousand and fifteen that
I read Everybody's Got Something, and gearing up for the
interview this last weekend, I put it on audio and
started listening to it, and I already was like finding
myself making mental notes of I need to do this,
I need to be better at this at work, like
when it comes to relationships and how we treat people
(33:15):
and how I do my job. But not for anybody.
This is all behind the scenes stuff, not stuff that
anybody would ever even know about. But how I feel
like I've dropped the ball for sure in in relationships.
I wouldn't say that, but I say we could probably
all do better, myself included. I learned a lot in
this process as well, so I'm in the same boat. Yeah,
(33:39):
I mean who knew so much could come from, you know,
booking Robin Roberts little things, Yeah, that we did learn
and then having her on I mean, of course we
knew we would learn. And then Chase, I gave you
your shout out. I told Robin you'd taken her master class.
So I'm definitely going to be taking that. I know
(34:01):
Mary wants to do it to a couple of other
people commented on my Instagram that they have done it
and it's just so so awesome. So I would encourage
all of you listening, if you can do it, to
sign up and take her master class. And if you do,
um take a take a picture of it posted online
tag us um. Maybe we should take it all together somehow.
(34:24):
I don't know how how how do you I haven't
taken any of the master classes, so Chase, do you
pay for it by class or do you have to
have a subscription and you end up getting all of them?
Or can we just do Robbins? I believe you subscribe
and you get access to all of the master classes
and they are broken down into sometimes like ten to
fifteen minute lessons, but it's something you can watch straight
(34:47):
through or it's something you can kind of, you know,
take one each day and reflect upon that lesson and
the things that you learned, or like I said, you
could do it all together, the super user friendly and
and really like quality quality content. Okay, awesome, Well can't
wait to do that. Okay. So the next thing coming
(35:09):
up is going to be that email that I told
you all about um that I got from a listener,
and I'm just gonna keep the Robbin theme going and
you'll hear that my advice was inspired by Robin. That
will be next the third thing. Okay, Now, I've got
(35:35):
the email that I was going to share with you
all from a listener named Kristen who lost her mom
to cancer. And Kristen, I just want to say thank
you for the note and then thank you for letting
me share this with everyone because I think whether you've
experienced loss, I wanted to go through this email with
everyone because you will experience it at some point. And
(35:56):
maybe you haven't lost a parent like Kristen or myself,
but you maybe have grief of some kind and some
of this advice could uh pertain to your situation, whether
or not it's like exactly what you've gone through. So
that's why I thought this was a good email to
read because I'll have some Robin Roberts inspired advice and
(36:17):
then also um some stuff from my experience, and then
also my sister as well because she can relate to
some of what Kristen says in here too. So here's
the email. Hey, Amy, I recently lost my mom to cancer.
She fought the fight for seven years and the cancer
finally one. I miss her every single day, but I'm
happy to know that she's pain free. I'm wondering if
(36:39):
you have advice on the grieving process. She passed away
the day after my birthday, two hours after actually, and
I'm already dreading my birthday every year. The week after
she passed, I cried all the time every time I
thought about her. The last several weeks, though, I feel
like I can't cry anymore. I think about her multiple
times a day, I pick up my phone to call
her to next and miss her so so much. Life
(37:02):
is definitely not normal, but I feel like I'm finding
out my new normal. Or am I just avoiding the
fact that my mom is gone? Am I doing this
grieving thing wrong to throw more of a ringer into it?
I'm sure I suffer from disordered eating. Loved the Outweigh series,
and nutrition and exercise seemed to be the one thing
(37:23):
I can control in this crazy time. I've been looking
at therapists, but also I'm freaked out that all my
visits will be virtual when I haven't ever met him
or her. Any advice on this as well. PS. I
ran my first marathon two weeks ago. It was a
virtual run, and I almost didn't do it when the
actual event was canceled. I thought of Pimp and Joy though,
(37:43):
and just ran the thing, as coronavirus can't ruin everything.
I felt great afterwards and had so many friends out
cheering me on and people congratulating me. It was a
great feeling. Thanks for spreading the joy message and giving
me that extra push to accomplish this goal. Kristen, So,
first of all, uh, yeah, this is hard, like I,
(38:05):
this is fresh for you, Kristen, and I lost my
mom oh this fall. It will be six years ago,
so I have some time under my belt on this.
But one of the first things that you mentioned was
that you lost her on your birthday or the day
after your birthday, two hours after and I hate that
(38:30):
for you, because yeah, anytime your birthday Moll rolls around,
there will be that that memory. But just know that
you're going to have a lot of different times that
you think of your mom that are going to be hard.
Christmas time, Mother's Day, her birthday, when that comes up,
(38:51):
and it's up to you on how you want to
handle those days. But I decided to reach out to
my sister to address this particular part because, uh, my
our mom died the day before her birthday and the
day after. I remember, we still had a party at
my sister's house because we had so many people in town,
(39:13):
and so many people had come by my sisters anyway,
because that's where my mom was in hospice and where
she passed away, and you know, there was her house
was like a revolving door the week my mom her
last week of life anyway, so so many people wanted
to be around and they were in town and family
and friends, and I remember my sister and I really
struggling with it, like gosh, this this feels so weird,
(39:37):
but we're just gonna roll with it. And we ended
up having a good time, but it was still hard. Um.
But I asked my sister to send in her thoughts
from that day, and um, here is what she wrote.
So the first morning I woke up after losing Mom,
it was my birthday. I still tear up about that
(39:59):
even hyping this. She didn't call, she didn't sing. You
and I got up and did. Well. I should clarify here,
this is me talking again, not my sister. She's texting
this to me what we did, So that's how I'm
going to read it, So that's how you should hear it. Okay,
back to the text. You and I got up and
did the Tracy Anderson work out. I knew Mom would
(40:22):
have loved that, and Ben got that lobster rolled truck
to come to the house and people came over to
celebrate my birthday, which felt weird because Mom had just
died and I didn't want to celebrate. But what helped
me was knowing that she would want me to celebrate,
and that literally like she was there in her own way,
celebrating with us from heaven and celebrating our birthdays. We
(40:44):
are celebrating our moms who gave us life. In the
years following, I've gone by myself to get pedicures and
manicures just on my own for my birthday because that
is what Mom would have wanted to do with me.
And I think that's the message. To celebrate your birthday
as they would want you to and things they would
(41:04):
do with you. It honors the fact that they gave
you life, made sacrifices for you, and raised you. Whenever
I feel sad, I sometimes just do something in honor
of her, like by the stranger behind me a coffee
at a coffee shop, and then Mom and I smile
about it together. So that was the text that I
got from my sister, and I totally agree with that.
(41:27):
You you need to use not only just your birthday,
but any of the days that are going to be
hard when you're thinking about your mom. What is something
you can do to remember her by to honor her?
And I think that that will really really help you
out a lot. And I know that you were asking
(41:48):
if you were doing the whole grieving thing wrong, and no,
there is no right or wrong. We all grieve differently. Um,
now is the time where I want to share a
quote from Robin's book Everybody's Got Something, because I want
you to sit with this and try to figure out
what is the meaning here? You're going through a lot
(42:09):
right now. Um, but here's what Robin said. Life provides
losses and heartbreak for all of us, but the greatest
tragedy is to have the experience and miss the meaning.
So I know it's I know it's so hard to
be like, well, what, what the heck? Why should I
have to experience my mom dying of cancer after seven
(42:30):
years of her having to go through that? But there
is something there, there's something there for all of us.
We have to choose which direction we want to go
with it. And Uh, if you're not crying anymore, that's fine.
The crying will come and go. I remember crying all
the time. Uh. And then suddenly it just started to
(42:54):
get easier and easier, And now I can't ever predict
when it's going to happen. Sometimes I still have breakdowns,
but they're further apart, and it's not every day and
I'm not on a on the floor, curled up in
a ball trying to figure it all out, having an
anxiety attack. I'm at peace with it. And that's the
gift of time. Time helps us with that perspective, helps
(43:16):
us with that giving the journey meaning, making the mess
your message helps with all of that because then you
can rest comfortably in it because that's what you're focusing on.
And I know that you're a strong person, Kristen, because
you ran a marathon. Yeah, And Robin said in the
(43:41):
first thing, when I asked her what her message is,
she said, well, then I'm stronger than I thought, and
we all are. And I agree with that, and I
want you to remember how strong you are. And when
it comes to therapy, I couldn't recommend it more. If
that is some thing that you can afford to do
(44:01):
and that is possible for you, whether it's virtual or
in person, you need to do it, especially if you
think you have any sort of disordered eating going on.
You do not want that to get worse because of
the trauma you've just experienced with your mom. And my
eating disorder came back the day after my mom died,
(44:22):
and I wish I had gotten the help that I
needed right away. I kind of did, but I wasn't
really willing to commit to the work because it takes work,
and that that's that's a bummer. That's some of my
mess that now I'm making my message, and it's to
tell you that I don't want you to go through that.
(44:46):
I want you to try to figure that out. So
if you do find a therapist virtually or in person,
make sure they specialize in disordered eating. Asked them those questions, UM,
so that they know exactly what you're going through. Uh.
I've got some good people that we follow on Instagram
(45:07):
and even maybe even have a therapist I could recommend
to you. UM, but therapy is great if if you're
listening right now, and therapy is not an option for
you because money is tight, Like, find somebody that you
can talk to. UM. You may not get the advice
back that you necessarily need, but there is something certainly
therapeutic about just talking about your feelings and saying out
(45:29):
loud what is going on. Journaling two can be great.
I'm trying to put that into practice. Uh, really really trying.
But especially when you're going through something hard, it helps
to write down the thoughts and the feelings and what
you're going through. So just know that there's no right
(45:50):
or wrong way to grieve. Kristen and anybody else that
needs to hear this, we're all on our own journey,
but you perspective is everything in Kristen, I'm not picking
on you all. But I'm using this as an example
because in the email, you know, you said you're already
dreading your birthday and then you know you're kind of
freaked out that your visits might be virtual. Already you're
(46:12):
not necessarily super positive about what's to come. And that's
where the perspective needs to shift. Is think of your
birthday as still being a positive time, and then refer
back to what I was shared with you from my sister,
and then look at virtual therapy as it's okay, it's fine,
there's nothing wrong with that. One day you may be
able to be in person and that will be amazing.
(46:35):
But I've been doing sessions virtually and I feel like
they've been just as good. So that is my encouragement
to you. So you got this and anybody else listening,
whatever you're going through, just remember that, um, it's important
we try not to miss the meaning. Not always easy
to do that, but hopefully you can try. And then
(46:55):
definitely read Robin's book. Everybody's Got something that definitely helps. Okay, Okay,
it is Healthcare Hero shout out time, and I normally
read the email from the friend that submitted the Healthcare
Hero but I'm gonna mention Constance and say thank you
(47:19):
Constance for submitting your friend Jesse, like she sounds amazing.
But what Constance did when she emailed me was she
included an email that Jesse had sent out to everyone,
updating her on her trip to Italy where she went
as a volunteer to be a nurse when coronavirus was
really really bad over there, and she went with a
(47:44):
particular organization that I can't say who she was with
that needs to remain private. Um, so I'll cut that
part out, but I'm going to read uh Jesse's email
so that y'all can hear from the healthcare hero herself. Okay,
here is what Jessica sent to her friend Constance. Well, Jesse,
(48:06):
we're now on nickname basis here. Hey, friends, just wanted
to send a quick update. I've been here in Italy
for almost a month now. We set up a field
hospital in the parking lot of the local hospital here
that was badly overwhelmed and have been accepting patients. I've
been working here in the tin bed I see you,
and can honestly say it's been one of the harder,
(48:26):
more challenging things I've ever done. In the I see you.
We're getting patients who have gotten COVID so seriously that
they need to be put on a ventilator to breathe
for them. We've currently had more deaths than patients able
to get off the ventilator and go home, so that's
been hard. We worked twelve hours shifts and today is
my first day off since being here. During the shifts,
(48:47):
because of the personal protective equipment, we're inside the tents
with our patients and can only leave for short breaks
once or twice during a shift usually, which means that
that whole time inside we can't eat, drink, or go
to the bathroom. So it's been very physically challenging. But
I will say the food and coffee here is amazing,
so when we do get those breaks, I down a
(49:08):
few espresso shots and the Italian hospitality has been exponential.
It's almost every day that a bakery or restaurant donates
a whole bunch of pastries, pizza, or cake for us.
The team work here with my fellow nurses and doctors
has been amazing through it all. The unity that we
have in christ is the foundation for our work and
I feel that every day we take time every day
(49:29):
and I see you to break away from our work
and to pray together, asking for help and wisdom and
praying for physical and spiritual healing of our patients. The
Lord has hurt us and sustained us this far, and
I continue to feel so supported by so many of
you praying for me and sending me encouragement. I continue
to covet your prayers for endurance, for thankfulness and joy
(49:51):
amidst the challenges, and for continued team unity. I'll be
here for another twish or so weeks, and then I'll
have to be corn teamed for two weeks following, thinking
of you all all over and living through the same
weirdness of these times. Below or a couple of articles
and videos that we put out here for you to
(50:12):
see so well, y'all don't have this parks in the podcast,
but much love Jesse uh So. I just wanted to
shout out to Jesse. She is our healthcare hero and
as you can hear from her email, she was on
the front lines in Italy and like many of the
healthcare heroes out there in the world during this crazy time,
(50:32):
has experienced things probably they never thought they would experience.
And it's been super super hard, so we lift y'all up. Um,
We're with you, We're thinking of you, and we appreciate you.
And please, y'all you can send your healthcare heroes submissions
into four Things with Amy Brown at gmail dot com.
(50:53):
We love reading about them, and you know, even if
they don't end up on the podcast, uh there, we
can know about them and keep y'all in our thoughts
and prayers. But I'm really trying to get them all
on the podcast as well, so I appreciate you guys. Okay,
(51:13):
that's a wrap on today's episode. A big thank you
to Robin Roberts for taking the time to come on.
Just still kind of geeking out about that anytime I
say it, I'm like, okay, yeah, well she was really
on the podcast, So I'll stop soon. I promise I
won't geek out about it much more. But now it's
time for the email shout out, which I do at
the end of each episode. And this is a note
(51:35):
from Bethany. Hey. Amy, I've been a listener of the
Bobby Bones Show for about three years, and i've listened
to your podcast since you started. You've recently talked a
lot about breathing. As I was scrolling through Instagram today,
one of my good friends, Molly, posted a picture of
a sticker with the word breathe. I'll let her explain
in this post. This is what her friend Molly put
up six years ago. I lost my older sister to suicide.
(51:59):
Now I'm older than my sister will ever have had
the chance to be As with anyone who has experienced grief,
some days are totally fine and others make me feel
like I've been hit by a truck. As a junior
in college, I had an idea to make a sticker
to raise funds for suicide prevention. I want this sticker
to be a reminder to myself and anyone who purchases literally,
(52:21):
just breathe. It's something I have to remind myself of
a lot to just slow down, take a breath, and
fight the anxiety and stress that might be threatening to
overwhelm you. Being at home outside of our normal schedules
and separated from our family and friends, on top of
the stress created by this pandemic, I think we all
need a reminder to just breathe and take in each
(52:43):
day as we can. All proceeds from the sticker will
benefit the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention as a tribute
to my sister and as a reminder that life won't
always be this tough. And then this is back to
Bethany writing about her friend Molly. I'm so proud of
Molly for using her talents in such an inspiring way.
In case you didn't know, May is Mental Health Awareness Month.
(53:06):
If any of your listeners feel lad to contribute to
this fundraiser, they can go to Wild Iris Crafts on
Etsy or Instagram. That's Wild Iris Crafts on Etsy or Instagram.
Thanks Amy for reminding us to breathe well. No, thank you, Bethany,
and thank you Molly for um taking the breathing uh
(53:29):
to another level and in doing something about it in
honor of your sister. I think this is another perfect
example of someone making their mess their message. So appreciate you, Molly.
Appreciate you, Bethany. And just in case anyone's looking for
a good breathing exercise, at our house, we practice the
(53:49):
four seven eight. You breathe in for four seconds, hold
for seven, breathe out for eight and um that's I
got that from a book that we got for our
kids because they're adopted in some trauma they've gone through,
they recommend the four seven eight if you're going through that.
Mary has another exercise that she she uses for t
(54:12):
MJ which is very similar, and I think it's like,
you know, five six eight or something. So as long
as you're somewhere in those that realm of seconds four
seven eight ish, you should be good because there's something
about that pattern of breathing in holding it and then
breathing it out for longer will help relax you and
calm you and undo some of the stuff. Okay, alright, Well,
(54:36):
I hope you'll have a great Thursday, if that's the
day you're listening to this, or whenever you are, a
great weekend or whatever, and we will see you on
Tuesday for the Q and A episode. Okay, you little
(54:58):
food for yourself. So life ain't always pretty, but hang
it's pretty. Beautiful, family, beautiful, laugh a little mouth. Family's
tightening up because of course said he can't cut your
kicking with four Things with Amy Brown,
Feeling Things with Amy & Kat News
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