CAROLINE JONES: Getting Real About Marrying a Sailor, Being the First Female Member of The Zac Brown Band, Jimmy Buffett’s Mentorship & More

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
At Carol Lyn. She's a queen and talking.

Speaker 2 (00:15):
So she's getting really not afraid to fains episode, so
just let it flow.

Speaker 1 (00:21):
No one can do we quiet. Carl lne is sounding.

Speaker 2 (00:27):
Caroline, Hi, my friend.

Speaker 3 (00:31):
I'm so excited to have Caroline Jones on Get Real today.

Speaker 2 (00:37):
Thanks you for having that Angel.

Speaker 3 (00:39):
We had a previous podcast he did like how many
years ago?

Speaker 2 (00:43):
I want to say like four, because I remember doing
it backstage at a Jimmy Buffett show when I was
opening for him, So I think that was like four.
It was definitely pre pandemic.

Speaker 3 (00:51):
You did the podcast podcast backstage while you're at a
Jimmy Buffett show.

Speaker 2 (00:55):
Well, no, no, no, I was opening for Jimmy and
we taped it during the day while I was backstage
like on tour, yeah, with him. Oh my gosh, I
forgot you went on tour with Tom Oh yeah, he
was like one of my most primary, most important mentors.

Speaker 3 (01:11):
Yeah, what is that like to have? First off, everyone
listening Caroline Jones. You we have so much to dive into.
You are a incredible musician, play one thousand instruments, seeing
all the songs and the harmonies, and you have a
huge career on your own that you've been building since
you were just a young little lad. You've always known

(01:31):
that you were meant to do music, and then Zach
brown scooped you up. Now you're part of that band.
You're married to sailor who lived around the world, you
lived in New Zealand, you have a kid, You've birthed albums,
you've birthed a child, and you just have such an
amazing life.

Speaker 2 (01:46):
So thank you.

Speaker 3 (01:46):
When we get a cattle overview, yeah, because when we
just dive into the Jimmy Buffett section, I just want
to give some context of the fact that Jimmy Buffett
is your mentor, how did that happen and what is that?
What was he like as a as a friend, social
human icon.

Speaker 2 (02:04):
Yes, I feel so lucky and actually when I found
out that he passed away, like that was my first thought,
Like my husband came in and because we'd had a
show the night before, and I still got goosebumps. But
my husband came in and he was like Jimmy past
and I was like, I just obviously started crying, and
I was like, God, I just feel so grateful and
so lucky to have been in his orbit, like he
influenced so many millions of people with his positive you know,

(02:28):
almost childlike joy. But to have been up close and
personals just that like that doesn't come around with a
lot of people in this world, you know. So I
just feel so lucky to have been mentored by him.
But I got connected to him through Mac McAnally. He's
a great song yes, who's an amazing songwriter, musician, and
has been his right hand man, or was his right
hand man for decades. They were best friends.

Speaker 3 (02:50):
So what did he do as a right hand man?

Speaker 2 (02:53):
So well, it's so funny I speak about it like
he's still here. It's still so odd that he's not.
But he produced his albums, they've been They wrote almost
all his songs together, Mac mcnell yes, and Jimmy Buffett. Yeah,
And they were best friends. And actually it's so sweet
because Mac was a kid in Mississippi and he recorded
his first record in Nashville, and this was back in

(03:15):
the seventies, and Jimmy wrote him a letter that I
heard your record, and I know we're going to be
great friends. Stop.

Speaker 3 (03:23):
Jimmy pursued Mac.

Speaker 2 (03:24):
Yeah, and we're going to be great friends. And they
were for their whole you know, the rest of his life.
And they were and and they're such a great compliment
to each other too, because Jimmy was the ideas guy,
the energy guy. I mean, he just had this like
propulsion of energy that is so unique in this world.
Like if he had an idea, you could see why

(03:46):
he was so successful because he was like a dog
on a bone with whatever creative ideas he had. Yes,
and Mac is more pragmatic and would think through and
the editor. And he's also the bandleader of the Quarrel Reefers.
So but they were just you know, joined at the hip.
And so I met Jimmy through Mac and me gosh,

(04:07):
I met Mac when I was twenty so yeah, over
ten years ago. And I got connected to Mac through
friends of friends. And this was before I even lived
in Nashville. And I did my first studio sessions with Mac,
and starting at the top, I'll in love with the
studio scene here and the studio musicians. I remember being

(04:27):
in those sessions and just thinking it would be great
to have a hit on the radio or to you know,
have a successful tour or what have you. I said,
but these are the people I want to respect me
Like these musicians. This studio music is the thing. I mean,
they're a musician talent.

Speaker 3 (04:43):
Is that where that comes from? Because you truly really.

Speaker 2 (04:45):
They were the ones who really inspired me to start
picking up instruments and to be more involved musically as
a producer in the creative process of recording, because I
just fell in love with the way they layer things.
But I digress a little. So the thing I got
connected to him and I'd been opening for Zach Brown
that summer, so then Jimmy asked me to come open

(05:07):
a hurricane benefit that he was doing that year in Tallahassee,
and so I went and I performed with him, and
I was still so new to opening for anyone and
so starry eyed and it was him, Kenny Chesney, Toby Keith,
Jake Owen and I'm forgetting someone and I was, and

(05:32):
me that was the bill.

Speaker 3 (05:34):
I feel like you're always the girl, like you're like
the badass girl with all these guys.

Speaker 2 (05:38):
Oh my gosh, I am not complaining. I love it
so much, but I was so awe struck. And ever
since then he kept asking me back to open, and
then he signed me to my first distribution deal toft
Yeah to release the record that I had made, and
then he the next year when I was on tour
with him, he and Mac wrote a song for me

(05:58):
called Gulf Coast Girl, a song for you, and I
put it on.

Speaker 3 (06:03):
I know, Jimmy Buffett and Mac mcinnaly wrote a song
for you. They were so inspired by you that they
wrote a song about you.

Speaker 2 (06:10):
I still pinched Coast Girl, No, but they had this
whole about the.

Speaker 3 (06:16):
What is the let's break down what the song is.
How did they picture you in their songs?

Speaker 2 (06:20):
So they came to me like halfway through the tour
and they said, we have this idea for a song
called Gulf Coast Girl, and it's about all the towns
along the Gulf Coast where they had grown up and
spent much of their career. In their life, and every
single town that's mentioned in the song, they have a
personal anecdote, Like Jimmy took me through every single lyric.
I was like this, you know.

Speaker 3 (06:39):
You set now with Jimmy buff and he just took
you through the lyrics. Oh don't know what y'll do,
y'all just hang out and talk about the kind.

Speaker 2 (06:44):
Of person that he was, you know, like this is
the amount of intention and care that he put into
people in his lyrics, in his business ventures and his
and again you could see why he was so successful
because it's contaged. That kind of like joy and passion
is contagious. And to have that at age, I mean
at the time he was like seventy two is so

(07:06):
inspiring and kind of puts all of us young people
to shame, you know, because I see so many people
in this town who are in their twenties and thirties
and already jaded and already you know, entitled, or already
the and you see someone like Jimmy who was just
working his butt off and always excited and always passionate,
And to me, like, those are the giants. You know

(07:27):
that that's the bar the mindset.

Speaker 3 (07:30):
So yeah, and I want to get into mindsetn of
you about later on the podcast because that is so crucial.
Mindset is everything?

Speaker 2 (07:36):
Yeah?

Speaker 3 (07:37):
Okay, So but golf golf cot I kind of say
that golf coach girl.

Speaker 2 (07:40):
I can't.

Speaker 3 (07:41):
Why can I not say coast after golf golf coast girl?

Speaker 2 (07:44):
Correct?

Speaker 3 (07:45):
Okay, So what is so he goes around the towns
and what has towns?

Speaker 2 (07:49):
Well, he just has an anecdote from his life from
each like whether it was Pensacola or Appalachicola or Saint
Petersburg or Yeah, and he right, I mean, he and
Mack are such amazing songwriters. But they wrote this song
for me, and I was just so honored to sing
it and to put it out. I was so honored
that they'd written me a song. And I went down
to Golf Shores, Alabama and filmed the video and he

(08:13):
was in the video, and it was just it was
it's an amazing now looking back, it's just such an
incredible experience. And then he got Kenny Chesney to sing
on the song with way on golf. Yeah, you got
to listen to it. It's so good. Kenny Chesney's singing
on it. He and Kenny and Mac and Lucas Nelson
are singing backgrounds. I know, I can't actually when I

(08:37):
say it back, it sounds surreal.

Speaker 3 (08:39):
And at this point, like you were just a budding musician. Yeah,
it's not like you had. I mean not that you're
not the most talented person, but it's not like you
had like I was very green. They just like were
like Carol.

Speaker 2 (08:49):
But he was also excited because he didn't really ever
have openers, And so the fact that I was opening,
he really took me under his wing. And he was
excited about the fact that I sold a lot of
record at his shows after I opened, So he knew
that I was making a connection with his audience, and
he you know, he just wanted to grow that for
me and for them. Yeah, he's he was the sweetest.

(09:11):
He really was such a such an extraordinary human being.
Like all the things that you wanted him to be
and that people thought he was, he really was.

Speaker 3 (09:20):
How did he maintain So let's talk about mindset a
little bit. How did he maintain that mindset? Because that
is so it's so easy to get discouraged, so easy
to get and shaded. I know, it is so easy
to lose the shine, I know.

Speaker 2 (09:34):
And as he said, I mean, he had one and
a half hits, like he would always just it like
through his career. He had one and it's you know,
because he considers Margaritaville or maybe two and a half
Margaritaville come Monday, he didn't even consider a hit, but
that was a hit. And then the Alan Jackson's on
five o'clock somewhere he considers half a hit because it

(09:55):
was with Alan Jackson. But I from watch I can
only speak speculatively by having watched him. I think it's
something intrinsic in people that some people just have this
joy and they are able to preserve it and it's
a priority to them to preserve it. And I think

(10:17):
he just had a really strong I think another mark
of it is a really strong belief and excitement about
your own ideas, Like I think a lot of us
aren't raised with that to like really believe and be
excited about our ideas. And again just the energy behind it,
like the energy of like certainty, like it will happen.
You know, you just knew it was he did. I mean,

(10:38):
he made it happen. And to him, even the fact
that some people thought maybe some of his stuff was
sticky or you know, it was it was he was
in on the joke, you know, like he loved it.
It was authentic to him and it was fun and
funny and lighthearted, but there was like a real depth
and brilliance there and that's why it connected with so

(11:00):
many people that and he was like one of the
fun because we talked so much about brand in this
day and age, like he was one of the fathers
of such a branding.

Speaker 3 (11:08):
I mean, branding himself unbelievable. You know who's branding himself?
Or is it just who he was?

Speaker 2 (11:13):
He just think it was who he was. And I
think that he also had a real passion for business
and he saw an avenue with his brand and his
audience to capitalize in business, and he did it and
it never seemed slick or disingendi.

Speaker 3 (11:31):
He's Honestow what a mentor for you. I know, what
a sweet start.

Speaker 2 (11:37):
Lucky and I had a lot of amazing mentors, and Zach.

Speaker 3 (11:39):
Brown as a mentor and a friend. And now like
you're in his band. It's like Mac mc and I,
Jimmy Buffett.

Speaker 2 (11:47):
And Kenny's been a real nice Kenny Chesney.

Speaker 3 (11:51):
I mean, it's interesting you, but it's it's who you are.
You know. You obviously have that same beacon within you
that's drawn to these types of entertainers.

Speaker 2 (12:04):
I definitely am drawn.

Speaker 3 (12:05):
Yeah, I'm I you have that same but it's like
who you are. You're not chasing like a flash in
the pan. You're not an artist who's just trying to
catch a moment or a hit or like a trend.
You are such a deep artist, Like who your artist
is is through and through you, you know, and like
you've always always been that way. How did you get going?

(12:26):
How did you get started?

Speaker 2 (12:28):
I got started? Well, I always always knew that I
wanted to do this, And how that's such a great question.
I'm not sure. I was just it was who I
was from a young age. I was a writer. I
was where'd I grew up in Connecticut where all great
country music is made. That's where we always joke. I

(12:50):
grew up in Connecticut. I went to Performing Arts High
School in New York City?

Speaker 3 (12:56):
And did you go to boarding school?

Speaker 2 (12:57):
No?

Speaker 3 (12:58):
Did your family move to New York?

Speaker 2 (12:59):
We commuted, and then I lived there for the last
couple of.

Speaker 3 (13:01):
Years without your parents.

Speaker 2 (13:03):
Yes. Were you scared?

Speaker 4 (13:05):
No?

Speaker 2 (13:05):
I wasn't. I've always been super independent.

Speaker 3 (13:07):
You lived by yourself in New York City without your parents?

Speaker 4 (13:10):
I would.

Speaker 2 (13:10):
It's not like I lived there one hundred percent of
the time, Like I would live there during the week
and then I would come home. I guess it was
kind of like boarding school, but they didn't have an
actual boarding program.

Speaker 3 (13:19):
Where did you stay?

Speaker 2 (13:20):
I stayed at my grandmother's apartment.

Speaker 3 (13:23):
She lived in New York. Yeah, that's cool.

Speaker 2 (13:25):
Yeah, it was awesome. Your grandmother really was. What was
it like living with your grandmother? Oh, when you're in
high school? Those were the days she like she was
Oh my gosh, she was such a kook, but she
was awesome. I love a good coup. Yeah. No, she's
very eccentric. The jeans in my the maternal eccentric jeans
run deep.

Speaker 3 (13:43):
By what do you mean, what was her eccentricness? How
did that that rub off?

Speaker 2 (13:47):
One? She was a very dynamic personality, super emotional. I
mean she had a really hard life and childhood, so
I in her I would say she had a lot
of She wasn't as like emotionally skilled as I've been
able to become.

Speaker 3 (14:03):
But don't feel like that's kind of new for our
generation in general. I feel like, I really it's like
kind of people through around the world privilege a lot.
But I feel like to really have the chance to
work on your mental health is a privilege that we're
just getting into in our generation.

Speaker 2 (14:17):
Yeah, well, people.

Speaker 5 (14:18):
Didn't have time or the resource or resources, and it
wasn't like it was kind of like you were crazy
if you worked on your mental health back then, you know,
because like you're just supposed to suck everything up and
like be strong and.

Speaker 3 (14:29):
Move forward, and you know, like you're not supposed to
like have problems, you just deal.

Speaker 2 (14:32):
With them, and people were dealing with much bigger problems.
We have the like you said, we have the privilege
now of being able to think about things like am
I happy?

Speaker 3 (14:43):
Right, Like that gets to be like a main thought exactly.

Speaker 2 (14:45):
Whereas people didn't even have the luxury of thinking. They
were like, am I surviving? Am I surviving? You know exactly,
And even we forget that that even that like one hundred,
one hundred, eight hundred and fifty years ago, like people
were still just trying to put food on the table,
grow food, and there's billions and billions of people all
over the world that that's still there. You know, we
have to be sensitive to that, because I think you're right,

(15:07):
in this culture, we can forget that and it's not
even necessarily something to feel guilty about. It's just something
to be aware of, you know, because that's the world
that we're lucky to live in now.

Speaker 3 (15:17):
And it's wonderful that mental health is becoming such a topic.

Speaker 2 (15:20):
Oh, it's amazing.

Speaker 3 (15:21):
People are really like realizing, Okay, this needs to be
a priority.

Speaker 2 (15:24):
For everyone, and we're going to be able to. I
feel like, hopefully in the next couple generations, we're going
to be able to circumvent so many issues and problems
that we would have that we have been dealing with
as humanity for so long.

Speaker 3 (15:38):
Like we're kind of in the mess of it, all right,
and I'll sorting it out, and I'm like, oh, please,
dear God.

Speaker 2 (15:42):
Well, there's also conflict with with other parts of our
media and social media and all that stuff that does
the exact opposite. So it's crazy, I know.

Speaker 3 (15:52):
Okay, So your grandmother she's she's kind of a cook,
but in a great way. She's still living or she passed.
She passed, Okay, so how cool that you had that
moment to be with her.

Speaker 2 (16:00):
Oh yeah, And I got to be in high school
and college mostly being creative. You know, That's really what
was such a joy for me about that time in
my life.

Speaker 3 (16:10):
You weren't just in the school system, right, You're in
the creative system.

Speaker 2 (16:14):
And I got to be surrounded by artists at a
young age, which was wonderful. But I've always just been
really creative, and I knew I wanted to be a
singer songwriter. I'd written poems when I was really young,
and by the time I was like ten or eleven,
and I realized I started singing lessons, and I realized
I could put those poems to music and turn them

(16:35):
into songs. And that was it for me.

Speaker 3 (16:37):
You know, so, yeah, this is my life.

Speaker 2 (16:40):
But it wasn't until I went to Nashville for the
first time when I was seventeen, that I felt like
I'd found the missing piece of my artistry.

Speaker 3 (16:47):
You're wondering, like where to put it, like what genre?

Speaker 2 (16:50):
Not really Actually, I had a manager around age seventeen,
and he said, you know, you should go down to
Nashville and check out the songwriting scene there. I think
you would really like and I think your songs have
a country flair. And I thought to myself, country, I've
never I'd never listened to country. I'd never grown up
listening to the country. I grew up listening to almost

(17:10):
everything but country. I grew up listening classic rock and soul.
And like the pop divas of the nineties, like Mariah
and Whitney.

Speaker 3 (17:17):
How was such an error, wasn't it. I mean the
pop divas man when they did Divas Live Too, and
they did all the show. It's like, no, the younger
generation is never gonna know how cool that was.

Speaker 2 (17:26):
Like, I live amazing, she too.

Speaker 3 (17:30):
I live for Sleepy me too?

Speaker 2 (17:32):
She her. I mean, I could go on and on
about her voice.

Speaker 3 (17:35):
It's it's unbelievable. I've introduced my daughter who's four and
a half, and she calls her shoeing. She hears shoeing?

Speaker 2 (17:42):
She on my songs? Does she like? They're so all
the great songs? I know?

Speaker 3 (17:47):
Well, I mean, like, is it called us all coming
back to Me?

Speaker 2 (17:50):
Is that?

Speaker 3 (17:50):
That's my that's my favorite? It's all coming back to me?

Speaker 2 (17:52):
I mean, wear all the time coming?

Speaker 3 (17:55):
It's so good everything.

Speaker 2 (17:57):
I mean, where is uk? Nah? She was just amazing.
I mean she is amazing. But I know she's dealing
with some health that I've never heard of.

Speaker 3 (18:06):
Stiff person's disease, have you.

Speaker 2 (18:08):
I haven't heard of that particular disease, but I know
it's neurological, right, I don't know much about it.

Speaker 3 (18:13):
But she still seems like she's moving around.

Speaker 2 (18:15):
But I know she's having a hard time singing like
she used to, which is tragic. But she was a huge.
She is a huge influence on me. And then I
grew up listening to a lot of actually American songbook
like jazz and opera because my singing teacher taught me
in classically. So I literally grew up listening to everything
but country. But when I came here, I went to

(18:38):
a show with the Bluebird. My manager at the time
took me and it was one of the most transformative
nights in my life.

Speaker 3 (18:47):
I mean, I was playing what happened? I actually spirit
come over.

Speaker 2 (18:50):
It really did. I don't remember exactly who was playing,
but I remember one person was Leslie Thatcher. I don't
know if you know her. But it was the format
more than anything. It was a format, yeah, and the
format of telling the stories behind the songs and the
inspiration behind the songs, and then capturing a room with
just a guitar and a voice. I'd never seen anyone

(19:12):
do that before.

Speaker 3 (19:12):
People just being so invested in hearing it, listening, yeah,
feeling it.

Speaker 2 (19:18):
And I just fell in love with it. And I
started at the Carter family and went forward. I just
listened to all the country music.

Speaker 3 (19:25):
You are a researcher, like you're like a hard worker.

Speaker 2 (19:27):
When I do get it.

Speaker 3 (19:30):
Yes, you start at the beginning and you do the
you build the house brick by brick the correct way.

Speaker 2 (19:35):
Like, yeah, I feel I'm one of those people that
feels really anxious if I don't, like, I feel like
a fraud. You know, you need to.

Speaker 3 (19:41):
Know the full spectrum, the full picture. You're gone. If
you're getting involved, you need you need to be like
well versed.

Speaker 2 (19:47):
Yes, and I'm but I've always been kind of intense
like that, Like I mean, there's zero or one hundred.
I have a hard time putting half of myself into anything.
It's a good good I think so too. A trait, yeah,
I think so too. But I just need to be
selective about what I do, right, you know, because these
people are like, you know, I'm notoriously bad with my

(20:07):
emails and phone things because like, when I actually go
and decide to commit to something, then I'll do it.
But I I you can't.

Speaker 3 (20:17):
You stay on the fence probably for a while because
you're like, I don't know if I can give my
full to this because it's going to take it.

Speaker 2 (20:22):
Sometimes it bites me in the butt a little.

Speaker 3 (20:24):
Yeah, well yeah, but I get what you're saying because
you're like, I gotta like push this off because I'm
not ready if I'm not sure if I'm ready to
dive in.

Speaker 2 (20:30):
Yeah, exactly.

Speaker 3 (20:32):
Okay, So you go to school in New York, you
live with your eccentric grandmother who probably only amplifies your creativity.
You're pursuing your dreams from a super young age, and
you're having like outlets to do that at a super
young age.

Speaker 2 (20:47):
Yeah. I was very lucky that I had parents who
supported me. Yeah.

Speaker 3 (20:50):
Do you have siblings, Yes, I have three, And are
they musical.

Speaker 2 (20:53):
No, I'm the only musical person in my family. I mean,
my family loves music, but I'm the only musician. And
like I said, when I went down to Nashville and
realized that there was an entire community of people who
loved the same thing I did and had the same

(21:14):
drive towards it that I did, I was just so inspired.
And that's how I still feel about Nashville. I still
think nashal is the most inspiring place. There's so much talent.
I mean, you know, it's like so many talented people,
so many people who have such a conviction about their
artistic voice, and it's inspiring.

Speaker 3 (21:43):
And I just think you're such a fascinating person because
you have music has been your centerpiece for your whole life,
Like you did, you put everything else on the back
burner besides music, right, like even for a while you're
like with like dating and all that that you put
that all off because you're like, I am going to
focus on this, yeah, and make this, make this yeah.

Speaker 2 (22:05):
I mean that's the part of my personality, the zero
or one hundred. But in days off, it does, I mean,
it does pay off. And I'm I was you know,
I've never been a super social I'm more introspective anyway,
So I never saw it as like a big sacrifice
or a loss. It's so funny. It wasn't until I
met my husband and got married.

Speaker 3 (22:25):
So cool and different, Like what a different lifestyle. I know,
a sailor. He just sails around the world, I mean, and.

Speaker 2 (22:34):
I knew nothing about it the way y'all Mett.

Speaker 3 (22:35):
We have to tell y'all story because that's phenomenal.

Speaker 2 (22:38):
Yeah, it is so gosh, Oh my gosh, there's so much.

Speaker 3 (22:42):
There's so much packed with Caroline Jones.

Speaker 2 (22:44):
Well, I met my husband through a friend of a friend,
but there were all these synchronicities leading up to meeting
my husband.

Speaker 3 (22:53):
When did you meet him? How old I met?

Speaker 2 (22:54):
I met him when I was twenty nine, almost thirty,
and howd are you know? I'm thirty three? Okay?

Speaker 3 (22:59):
Yeah, So you had been focusing on music. Had you
already joined the Zach Brown band when you met him?

Speaker 2 (23:03):
No?

Speaker 3 (23:03):
Okay, you were doing your own things?

Speaker 2 (23:05):
And I Jimmy, Yeah, and I'd opened for Zach for
a few years. Okay, but I'd been touring. I mean,
I was so lucky. I am so lucky to have
toured with Zach and Kenny and Jimmy at that time.
So I was touring a lot. But we met during
the pandemic.

Speaker 3 (23:21):
Which is actually couldn't have been better.

Speaker 2 (23:23):
And we actually wouldn't have met if it weren't for
the pandemic because he would have been sailing in Europe
and I would have been on tour with Lucas Nelson.

Speaker 3 (23:29):
And you, oh god, you're just with all the coolest musicians. Lucas.
Lucas is the coolest, coolest.

Speaker 2 (23:34):
Suggest I toured with them again last year, and he's
just and his band is so They're so unique and
they have their own thing and I admire that so much.

Speaker 3 (23:44):
And he's not chasing anything but his artistry, right. I mean,
he's he's Williing Nelson's son, and you can hear the
Willing enough Nelson influences, but he's his own thing.

Speaker 2 (23:54):
I know, and I really admire that because that's hard.
It would be really hard to be Willing Nelson son.

Speaker 3 (24:00):
Is it hard for him or has it been good
for him?

Speaker 2 (24:02):
I've never asked him that direct question, but I think
that overall, he because of who he is, because he
is really damn good, so good, and because he's authentically himself.
I think it's been nothing but a blessing because he's
grown up playing music with his dad and his other brother, Micah,
and then he's done his own thing, and he's humble

(24:25):
and he's sweet. So when he walks in a room,
you know, people aren't thinking that he's trying to or
that he's gotten there inauthentically, like he's really really.

Speaker 3 (24:37):
Damned and you hear his music and you're like, yeah,
this is him. Yes, he's not writing the coach tails. Yes,
maybe that was a wonderful blessing. Yeah, and it set
him up to like have music in his life, his
whole life.

Speaker 2 (24:47):
But like he is so good, he's so damn good.
And so we wouldn't have met if it weren't for
the pandemic, because you would have never stopped.

Speaker 3 (24:56):
Yeah, you would have never stopped, and your husband would
have never stopped.

Speaker 2 (24:59):
Right exactly, So we met. Actually, actually this is a
funny tie in, but his mom got introduced to my
music by one of her friends and she started following me.
And one day she sent actually the video of Golf
Coast Girl to Nick because he was working in Pensacola

(25:19):
at the time, which is on the Gulf Coast, and
she just texted to Nick and she was like, I
feel like this is the kind of girl you'll end
up with. Isn't that nice that the mom picked you?
She's crazy? But the thing is, if you know his mom,
she's so not a meddler, Like she never does things
like that, you know, divine intervis it was and then
by happenstance, So then so did he start following you?

Speaker 3 (25:41):
He did?

Speaker 2 (25:41):
And then did you.

Speaker 3 (25:42):
Notice that this really cute sailor start following you?

Speaker 2 (25:44):
See? I was, I'm so I was completely oblivious for
a very long time. I and also I don't look
at that stuff anyway.

Speaker 3 (25:53):
You're not like driven by your social media followers, although
you have quite a few. Well, I mean like blossomed
to a million overnight.

Speaker 2 (25:59):
Yes, that is an amazing campaign that we did last year.

Speaker 3 (26:02):
I don't even know how. Okay, let's get into the camp.
We will, but I just could like literally go down
a million rabbit trails with you. I'm gona try to
say focus. So where was I?

Speaker 2 (26:11):
Oh? Yeah, social media? So he did, and then at
some point his sister and mom were like, what if
we could actually like we shouldn't try to make this happen.

Speaker 3 (26:21):
Maybe we shouldn't just get you a girl like Caroline,
Maybe it should actually be Carolin.

Speaker 2 (26:24):
Sister found out that we Nick and I have a
mutual friend who.

Speaker 3 (26:28):
So sister got in on it. Yes, she was like, she's.

Speaker 2 (26:31):
More like Sherlock Holmes, you know, like more than his mom.

Speaker 3 (26:33):
So were they on a mission to find Nick the
perfect and it was you?

Speaker 2 (26:36):
No, I don't think Maybe they were, I need to ask,
but I don't think they were like on a mission.
But they once they knew me, they did feel a
strong Is that funny?

Speaker 3 (26:46):
No, Because your whole life is you're drawn to these
very You're you're you are this because you know, like
attracts like, so you must be this very you are
a very strong energy pool of authenticity, and you are
drawn to and you're very dedicated to your craft. You're
very dedicated to your desires and your dreams, just like

(27:06):
Nick is, just like Jimmy Buffett is, just like Zach Brownish,
just like Cany Chesney is. The people that you, Lucas Nelson,
the people you are linking up with, I feel.

Speaker 2 (27:14):
Very dedicated, very lucky.

Speaker 3 (27:16):
They see them to their callings, to their passions, like
you don't. You don't associate on a big level with
people who weren't fully dedicated to their callings and passions.
And you know, it's like breathing. It's like breathing.

Speaker 2 (27:29):
You weren't really lucky that that is true.

Speaker 3 (27:31):
I'm surrounded that way. I feel like, well, I don't
know him. I mean, I'm only met him briefly when
we were walking Redner and I saw you guys. But
he is so dedicated to his passion to to be
a sailor, to go around the world. That's not for
the faint of heart, certainly not. They're just a.

Speaker 2 (27:47):
Regular venture He's an adventurer. Yeah, that I say, so,
I definitely could see that, and he's a very special person.
But we found out that we had a mutual friend with.

Speaker 3 (27:58):
The mom and the sister found out you had a
mutual friend.

Speaker 2 (28:00):
I like through I on Instagram, you can see you
like mutual follows. I don't know what it's called anyway.
And so then he started reaching out to our friend
Jane and saying, can you set me up with Carolyn?

Speaker 3 (28:12):
So he as soon as he found her, he was
in too.

Speaker 2 (28:14):
Yes, it took me a very long time because I'm
so bad with text and calls, and people had tried
to set me up before and I with other people. Yeah,
And I just wasn't interested, and I just wasn't My
mind wasn't there. I was one hundred percent career. And
also I think I really didn't expect that I would
find someone that I connected with as much as I

(28:37):
connected with Nick, Like I really didn't. I wasn't looking
for that, and I don't think I believed that I
could find that, you know, I just thought, I think
because I thought that if I were going to be
in a serious relationship or get married, that my career
and the priority of my career and how much this

(28:58):
dream takes of you. I just didn't think I would
find someone who would like truly support and understand that.
I thought that I would always have to compromise, and
I just love what I do so much that I
just thought I would be like this kind of like creative,
I don't know, like free spirited, cool aunt my whole life,

(29:21):
you know what I mean? Like I didn't. I just
didn't think that I would be able to find a
partner who would be able to compliment my life's purpose
and the lifestyle. I mean, you know better than anyone.
It's a very unique person. And it's hard to have
a partnership with someone where their job is all about
them and have that accountability. And there's lots of challenges.

Speaker 3 (29:45):
Right because when you are an artist, even if you're not,
which you are not like self obsessed or a narcissist
or anything like that, you still have to be fully
obsessed with yourself because you are your brandy and it
takes so much have to just be putting yourself out
there all the time. You all, it's you a lot,
even if it's you're not that kind of person, it's.

Speaker 2 (30:07):
An artist are self centered, like we have to you
have to be. It's just takes.

Speaker 3 (30:11):
It takes all of you. You're birthing these songs, you're
creating this music, you're in the studio, You're constantly having
to think about it, you know, and.

Speaker 2 (30:19):
By virtue, you're constantly then introspecting and thinking about yourself, yes,
feelings and your emotions and your experience of the world.
And actually, what I know now is it can be
really really helpful to have someone who's super well adjusted
and grounded to help you get out of that, because
that can also be a really lonely, confusing place.

Speaker 3 (30:40):
To to be constantly in your own introspective thoughts.

Speaker 2 (30:43):
And also in this culture where it's never enough, you know,
there's all these people who are farther along than you,
or have a better song than you, or a higher
charting song, or more followers or prettier whatever it is,
And so that can exacerbate an artist personality. And I
think that happens a lot.

Speaker 3 (31:02):
Because if you're just constantly in the cycle of yourself
and career and thoughts and what's going on, then it
can really you forget, forget there's life outside of this career. Really,
being an artist is an all consuming career, and you
do forget that there is life outside of being an artist.

Speaker 2 (31:19):
And I thought a few years ago that any life
outside of being an artist would mean that I weren't
dedicated enough and that I wasn't working hard enough, and
I wasn't devoting all of myself and my energy to it,
and so I didn't want any sort of balance, you know,
I because I had just thought that you just put
your head down and devote all of yourself to that,

(31:40):
and if you have a life, then you don't care
about it enough.

Speaker 3 (31:43):
Isn't that crazy?

Speaker 2 (31:44):
Crazy?

Speaker 3 (31:45):
It's what a wild career path to choose, where it's like, literally,
I have to give my entire existence to this.

Speaker 2 (31:53):
But I think especially I've noticed that being in other
places in the world, America especially prize is that the
like you if if you have no time, no health,
no sleep, you all you do is work, if you're
the most productive, if it like, if there's no balance,
then that's that is like we hold that up as

(32:15):
a paragon of success.

Speaker 3 (32:17):
Why do you think we do that other countries you've
noticed don't.

Speaker 2 (32:19):
Yeah, No, definitely, America does it the most more than anyone.
And I'm not saying that is a good or bad thing.
But it's just really interesting. I think we do that
because we're we're obsessed with productivity. I mean, I think
it's it's the blessing and curse of capitalism, you know. So,
But yeah, Americans are uniquely that ambition is the less

(32:45):
the less balance you have, sometimes the more celebrated you are,
because like.

Speaker 3 (32:48):
I lived in Spain for a summer when I was
in college.

Speaker 2 (32:50):
Actually they're much more family orientated to.

Speaker 3 (32:53):
Break in the middle of the day, to have like
lunch and a CS yeah.

Speaker 2 (32:56):
And they enjoy that, they have long dinners and meals.

Speaker 3 (32:58):
Yes, And it's all about sitting.

Speaker 2 (33:00):
And it's not only about how successful you are, how
much money you have or how you know.

Speaker 3 (33:04):
It's the flow of the right of the community.

Speaker 2 (33:06):
It's not interesting, Yeah, it is so, but it's what
also makes America have the most innovation and most.

Speaker 3 (33:13):
People are working around the clock over here.

Speaker 2 (33:15):
We're going to get it.

Speaker 3 (33:16):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (33:17):
So I think it's a blessing and it curs. But
it's something that I wasn't aware of till till I
got married and had a family, that that can actually
be a beautiful angle of your life that actually adds
to your artistry.

Speaker 3 (33:30):
Instead of just makfully focus, you're actually giving yourself a
little breathing room to realize.

Speaker 2 (33:34):
You have more inspiration and have more perspective, and you
become a more whole human being, so you actually have
more to give creatively, and you can relate to people
more like I couldn't relate to people before because I
never went anywhere. Do you know what I mean. I mean,
I still don't go anywhere. I don't want people to
think I go anywhere because my headband don't do anything.

Speaker 3 (33:54):
I'm still just like living in my own little world.

Speaker 2 (33:56):
But at least you can relate to people more because
you're living more of a life that they're living and dealing.
I mean, I was always dealing with the same emotions,
but it's hard to relate when all you do is
play and sing and tour and make records and you
don't have a life, you know. So I feel like
it's been additive. And my husband always believed that and

(34:17):
always told me that and helped me to trust that,
And that's why you know, I was able to make
a leap, like starting a family. It's something I thought
I would never do.

Speaker 3 (34:25):
You having a baby and so that's like the ultimate.

Speaker 2 (34:29):
Like I remember, and we talked about this and you
helped me so much. I did so much, Yeah, because
you talked to me about having Sunny and how she's
enriched your life so much and how beautiful. You know,
not only the experience of having her is, but then
being in this career and kind of balancing it and

(34:50):
having so much more purpose with your career because you
want to show her her mother, following her passion and
having integrity, and there's just so much more purpose to it.
And I remember you telling me all those things, and
you know, it's conversations like that that made me believe
that it could be a new beginning instead of the
ending of a career.

Speaker 3 (35:11):
You know, it is so hard for a woman. I've
had several other moms on this podcast who are also
have careers, and it is like a terrifying thing. I
was scared even though I didn't have this huge career.
I was so focused on my career for so long
that I was so afraid that if I have a kid,
like everything's going to get messed up. I don't even
know what's going to get messed up. It's not like
I had all these things to mess up. But it's

(35:31):
like you just feel like you have, like you said,
be so focused, give everything you have. If you have
a kid, then like all of a sudden, you can't do.

Speaker 2 (35:39):
Right or people will look at you not available. Yeah, yeah,
give you different opportunities or less opportunities. Yeah, there's I mean,
that's a very real fear, and it's very valid because
you do have a new set of priorities and you
do have something to balance that men don't have to,
you know, so in a way, it is a fact
of life and something to really think about and reconcisele

(36:01):
if you are a woman who has work that she
loves and a career in dreams, like you do have
to really think it through, in my opinion, and I'm
glad that I took the time to think it through,
because some people don't have the luxury of that time,
don't have a supportive partner, husband, or family, and it's
really difficult and and we're standing on the shoulders of

(36:25):
so many women who had to give up their dreams
to have a family. And I think about that all
the time.

Speaker 3 (36:32):
You know, so true, we are so lucky, even though
there's so much conflict in the world. It feels like
there's so much like chaos and it overwhelms. They like
the fact that we are here as women, that we
get to like pursue a career and family, have a family,
and we get to work on our mental health and
we get to speak up about our feelings and our thoughts.

Speaker 2 (36:50):
I know, I think about the stuff.

Speaker 3 (36:51):
It's crazy that these are privileges that like are the
women for us didn't have, you.

Speaker 2 (36:55):
Know, they really didn't. They really, they just didn't.

Speaker 3 (36:59):
I know.

Speaker 2 (37:00):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (37:01):
So Nick's mom loves you instantly on the internet. The
sister loves you instantly on the internet, and you guys,
the sister and the mam are on a campaign to
make Caroline and Nick fall in love. Nick jumps on board.
He's like, yes, I am with you, mom and sister.
Caroline's the one. She doesn't know it yet, but we
are a fall in love. And so now he's following

(37:22):
on Instagram. How does the connection happen? And then we
got to get to New Zealand because Jane.

Speaker 2 (37:27):
Set us up. She was trying for a real long time. No,
Jane is the mutual friend and she was trying for
a really long time, and I was being very difficult
and stubborn and nonresponsive.

Speaker 3 (37:39):
Even though he's so cute.

Speaker 2 (37:40):
But see, she sent me pictures of him and everything,
and I didn't even look at them like that's how
that's how Nick is so kind. And actually it wasn't
until like a week after we met that I even
noticed that.

Speaker 3 (37:51):
Oh, by the way, this, yeah, I had some sailor.

Speaker 2 (37:54):
Then all started looking at him like oh, because initially
when we finally did meet, which was a few months
later and almost didn't happen. That's why I all of
this stuff is God, there's everyone.

Speaker 3 (38:07):
Yeah, listen, just follow your intuition, trust your trust, your passions,
and be stay open, and God will drop a sailor
in your lap whether you want it or not.

Speaker 2 (38:14):
Right Karly, Well, that's that's what happens to me.

Speaker 3 (38:16):
Morgan's over there crossing her fingers.

Speaker 2 (38:18):
My president of.

Speaker 3 (38:19):
The podcast network is listen. Everyone listening. Morgan is a
total That's.

Speaker 6 (38:23):
True, though, I will say it is true that if you,
if you do really focus on building yourself and your
happiness and your identity, that.

Speaker 2 (38:33):
That love will come at the right time. I really
do know certainty.

Speaker 3 (38:38):
But you don't have to stress out about it because
God's going to make it happen. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (38:41):
And also the less that you need it, the more
to feel whole, the more attractive you'll be. It's kind
of annoying. Actually, the more attractive you'll be to who the.

Speaker 3 (38:52):
Person that you really want, because you want a whole
person as well.

Speaker 2 (38:55):
Exactly, I don't want someone who needs to say you
also want a man who's looking for an independent woman
because a lot of men don't want an independent woman.
And as an independent woman, you don't want someone who
doesn't appreciate that it just won't be right ultimately right
if you. So that's why I say, the more you
just build yourself and focus, I mean, I had the

(39:17):
blessing of like literal ignorance is bliss. Like I just didn't.
I wasn't actually trying to do that. I just I
just was so career focused.

Speaker 3 (39:26):
Microphone datis little, but I feel like it's like in
your mouth.

Speaker 2 (39:27):
I was going to do it, but I didn't. Okay,
and so okay, so sorry, we so okay, So so
many side conversationsw do you meet Nick?

Speaker 4 (39:38):
So?

Speaker 2 (39:38):
When I finally met Nick, he said, I'm coming to
Florida to meet because we were both in Florida, even
chit chatting like you had to a little bit, like
he was trying to Jane. Sorry, I was trying to
bypass too long of a story. But Jane was like,
can I please just give this guy your number because
I want to get out of the middle of it.
He bothers me all the time, and I love that.

Speaker 3 (39:57):
He like knew he was like, I got to meet her. Ye,
So I utifully.

Speaker 2 (40:02):
I have their texts and he said, you know, I'm
I'm sorry to be annoying, like I just have a
really strong feeling about this to Jane, like it's amazing actually,
all these little nuggets, but so fine. I said, that's fine.
So then he said that's fine. Sure I'll meet the
handsome thing. So then he started texting if he must
meet me, I shall meet him. I mean, I sound
like it wasn't like that. I know what you mean.

Speaker 3 (40:23):
You just had your blinders on. You were focused on
real and like you said, you thought maybe getting involved
with the relationship could like derail you, Like it's just
not your focus.

Speaker 2 (40:31):
Right, And so he started Then we started texting. I
would kind of just text like one word answers once
in a while.

Speaker 3 (40:41):
You know, you're so cool. I would have lost my ship.
If this like handsome, dreamy sailor was after.

Speaker 2 (40:45):
Me, I'd be like, oh my god, you want to
get married now. When I said so, I sound so
cold and like foolish, but I it was I promise you.
It was just ignorance.

Speaker 3 (40:54):
I didn't think you hadn't said at this one. You
hadn't looked at pictures of him. You're just like, Okay,
this person's texting me.

Speaker 2 (40:59):
I honestly did. I never loved you so much, Caroline.

Speaker 3 (41:01):
I love it.

Speaker 2 (41:02):
This is not all women. It's like it's uninterested. It
wasn't because I was like trying to be above it,
genuinely not interested. So when he said I'm coming to
meet you, I said, oh, perfect. So we'll just have
coffee and then I can say I did it to Jane,
and I don't have to be rude, and then I
can this man can stop bothering me, you know what

(41:22):
I mean? And so and so. Then when we but
we met, and it was like that, it was like
meeting your best friend. It was like we had conversation.
We had like a two or three hour conversation, and
I just hadn't really ever met anyone like him. He's
so I mean, it sounds so cliche, but he's so

(41:45):
different than anyone any man that I'd ever met. And
he's so such a great conversational and such a great listener.
He's so genuine and grounded and down to earth and
interested in people. And it's partially because he's well tried
that he's seen all these cultures and lived around the world,
so he had in an amazing perspective.

Speaker 3 (42:05):
He sleep in the boat a lot. Yeah, they sleep
in in the middle of the ocean.

Speaker 2 (42:08):
They do. And they only get to sleep a few
hours at a time because then they have to be
on watch.

Speaker 3 (42:13):
We can have a whole podcast just about Nick's career, like.

Speaker 2 (42:15):
You actually, I mean no showers for.

Speaker 3 (42:20):
No. They just stink.

Speaker 2 (42:21):
They're disgusting.

Speaker 3 (42:22):
They're just sailors really do just stink.

Speaker 2 (42:26):
Well, at least when they're racing races. Yeah, they can't
like jump in the ocean and enjoy it. They're racing.

Speaker 3 (42:33):
He's racing around I forgot why he sailed it is
because he's literally in a race around the world in
a sailboat.

Speaker 2 (42:39):
Yes, and he's won it, right, I can't. I think
he won one. They did win one Volvo. He's done
what is even called?

Speaker 3 (42:47):
How do you even notice this is a career?

Speaker 2 (42:49):
I know, Well, he grew up his dad was really
involved in he was his dad wasn't a professional sailor,
but he was involved in in sailing in different ways.
And they grew up cruising. His dad and his mom
are in their seventies and they still run their own
boat up and down the coast living.

Speaker 3 (43:10):
I know.

Speaker 2 (43:10):
It's a cool people they are, you know.

Speaker 3 (43:12):
It just show there's so many ways to live alive,
I know, like you can.

Speaker 2 (43:16):
They touched their four kids on the on the boat.
So he grew up just loving cruising. Cruising, yeah, I mean,
he loved it. But it's funny you don't really like
what your parents like, you know. And his dad always
tried to get him into sailing, and he always wanted
to be in other sports. And then at some point
in his early twenties that switch flipped, you know, and

(43:36):
he got an opportunity to go on a Volvo Ocean race,
which is around the world, like you said, but he
was it was as a as a knipper so as well,
and eventually a knipper is like it's like a runner
like it's the lowest. It's so he started out not
even sailing. Yes, he started out not even sailing, just
helping fix the boat in between legs, and then eventually

(44:00):
worked his way up to sailing the ocean race. But
I think they did win one because he did three
or four.

Speaker 3 (44:07):
Race around the world three times in a sailboat. That's scary.

Speaker 2 (44:11):
It is actually quite dangerous.

Speaker 3 (44:13):
I can't only imagine when you're in the middle of
the ocean and weather hits.

Speaker 2 (44:16):
Yes. Well, actually, because they're racing, they try to race
into weather. So they like race into storms because the
wind makes them go faster. But wait, it's very dangerous.

Speaker 3 (44:26):
You guys have a certain level of like intensity too,
Like you and your husband both, y'all match intensity that
not everyone has.

Speaker 2 (44:33):
But it's it is crazy to think. Like he told
me that there were sometimes sailing around the world where
they were closer to the space station than to anywhere
on land. So if you're like two thousand miles, yeah,
so like the space station was closer than any land.
So if you if you fall off the boat or

(44:56):
something out there dead, yeah, there's no one's coming to
get you.

Speaker 3 (44:58):
This is like a you love this sport to death.

Speaker 2 (45:02):
Yet really people do Yeah, people really do do past
This is like planning, So why would you do it?
Because now we can? You can get in a plane.
I mean there's nothing slow. Are they sailing a boat?
It's strictly for the thing.

Speaker 4 (45:14):
Like everything is faster than sailing, you know what I'm saying.
So you have to love it.

Speaker 2 (45:29):
Is he still doing this? Yeah, he doesn't do it
as much as he's He's not doing that around the world.

Speaker 3 (45:34):
And I'm glad?

Speaker 2 (45:35):
Are we glad? I'm personally glad because he's gotten to
spend time with our son. Yeah, that he would never
have gotten to spend when they're always gone. And and
again we're so lucky to be able to take that time.
But like he's been so involved in our son's life
since he was born, and so and a lot of

(45:55):
dads don't get that time, that quality time, especially in
the infant stage, because I feel like the infancy is
so mom centered.

Speaker 3 (46:02):
Oh definitely.

Speaker 2 (46:04):
So that's been a real blessing.

Speaker 3 (46:06):
How has parenthood changed y'all's relationship? How has motherhood changed you?
We're already like forty five minutes into this podcast. You're like,
I could talk to you for a million.

Speaker 2 (46:17):
I know I have to we'll do a part two.

Speaker 3 (46:18):
I know we got to do a part two. But like,
how has motherhood changed you? Because you had a lot
of fear that it would, you know, maybe mess up
your career. Obviously you're in the Zach Brown band. We
haven't even gotten into that, Like he asked you to
be a member, the only female member. But how has
like and we didn't even talk about New Zealand. You
and your husband lived in New Zealand.

Speaker 2 (46:37):
I know it's more much good stuff.

Speaker 3 (46:39):
It's so I mean, your life is just so good, Caroline.

Speaker 2 (46:41):
Now I need to come here more.

Speaker 3 (46:43):
It is actually it's a good story. I mean, let's quick. Okay,
let's do this in the order. Let's talk about New Zealand. Okay,
hyall met in New Zealand, quarantined quickly, and then let's
talk about how parent has changed you? Being in the
Zach Brown Zealand had been Zach Yeah, yeah, you guys
will remember that, right right, because y'all fell in love
in New Zealand.

Speaker 2 (47:02):
We fell over of quarantine in America and then six
weeks after we met, so yes, we.

Speaker 3 (47:10):
Met, had the coffee that you're going to do for ja,
just to get this guy on your back.

Speaker 2 (47:14):
We saw each other, Yeah, we saw each other every.

Speaker 3 (47:16):
Day after that. After y'all met, y'all were in love.

Speaker 2 (47:18):
I would say it wasn't romantic right away.

Speaker 3 (47:22):
You didn't want to just make out.

Speaker 2 (47:24):
No, because I remember the day that I did. I remember,
like I remember like a week later looking at him
for the first time and being like, wow, he's so attracted.

Speaker 3 (47:36):
Finally, after all this, you're like, oh, it's good because I'm.

Speaker 2 (47:40):
Scared to be too Looks focused, because I think that
can be a real distraction. So I'm much more interested
in the person right off the bat, because I get
scared that if I get too excited by the way
they look, that I won't.

Speaker 3 (47:55):
See the full picture and they can't psychopaths, And I
think that's way more importan in You're so wise, Caroline.

Speaker 2 (48:01):
Well, it's just a fact. We're talking about like a
lifetime here. You know what I'm saying, Looks is not
going to do it for us.

Speaker 3 (48:07):
The fact that you have the no no with all
to think of that though at this age, you know,
like at this young age, when people are so overwhelmed
with their feelings and wanting to be in love, the
fact that you want to be focused on your career,
that you're not going to be distracted by looks like
you're so smart, you're very intelligent, You're.

Speaker 2 (48:28):
But yeah, so I've always I've never led with that,
like ever, I've never looked at especially men like actually,
the more good looking they are, I feel like it's intimidated,
an intimidation factor, because then they have they can have
a lot more baggage that comes with that, you know what.

Speaker 3 (48:46):
I mean, Especially if they know they're good looking and
they use that, then you're like trying to like and I.

Speaker 2 (48:52):
Don't want a man who's vain, you know. So I
was just never focused that way. So I really didn't
look at him that way until, like I remember it
was a week later because we'd seen each other every
day and we were just talk and talk and talk,
and then I remember looking at him that and be like, wow,
he's also so attractive and.

Speaker 3 (49:11):
He's got a great family.

Speaker 2 (49:14):
He's like check check check check.

Speaker 3 (49:16):
Yeah, So like, oh God, I think I'm actually gonna
have to fall in love. I've been putting this off forever,
but I guess I have to do it.

Speaker 2 (49:22):
So we did fall in love. And then six weeks
after we met, he had to move to New Zealand
for a year to be in the America's Cup, which
is it's like the super Bowl of sailing. It's like
and they have it in a different country every four years.

Speaker 3 (49:37):
About New Zealand the most beautiful.

Speaker 2 (49:38):
It was in New Zealand and all my tours had
been canceled, And so I went with him.

Speaker 3 (49:45):
I mean not only six weeks of knowing each other, yes,
but but he went.

Speaker 2 (49:48):
It's especially for me. My friends and family were like,
what has happened to Carolina? Like she's gonna go to
New Zealand. She goes from like never going to a
party and then and now she's like met this sky
and she's moving to New Zealand. Like with him, Yes,
when we but we're but.

Speaker 3 (50:04):
So that's also huge.

Speaker 2 (50:06):
It was huge, but we So after six weeks he left,
and then four months later I could finally get over
there because I had to get a visitor visa through
his team. Okay, so we were long distance for a while,
but no, I was so sure, I mean we were
so sure.

Speaker 3 (50:22):
How long we're going.

Speaker 2 (50:22):
Right off of that, we were in New Zealand for
eight months.

Speaker 3 (50:25):
Was it amazing. It was like to fall in love
with a sailor, and.

Speaker 2 (50:29):
It was the most amazing. I don't want to say
the most amazing time in my life, because actually this
time has been pretty amazing too, but I think I
still think that was the most amazing time of mine.
What do you love about it? It was like being
a kid again and the world stopped exactly where you
didn't have a job. I wasn't missing anything in terms

(50:49):
of like touring back in America. No one was doing anything,
and I was the most beautiful place in the world,
the most beautiful place with the best people, and exploring
it and falling in love with the love of my
life and figuring out who we are together. And I
didn't know anyone over there, so there was no distraction
of friends or family or society or jobs or work.

(51:09):
It's like being you know, it was like being in
limbo or be having a gap year, like when you're
young and you have no ties or responsibilities. You know,
it was like that, and it's just it was just
a very very special time and we got to really
bond and know each other just as each other.

Speaker 3 (51:27):
We really would never happened for you guys because him
being so busy and gone.

Speaker 2 (51:33):
To anyone, you know, anyone, because you start dating someone
and then they meet your friends and family and there
was none of that, Like there was no outside influence. Yeah.

Speaker 3 (51:42):
Wow, it was build a very strong foundation.

Speaker 2 (51:44):
Yes, which is exactly what we did.

Speaker 3 (51:47):
Okay, so then you're gonna get married and then you
come back and Zach Brown. Are you in Zach Brown's
band at this point?

Speaker 2 (51:53):
So then when I came back, I was just making
my second record and about to put it out, and
tours were just starting up again. This was twenty one,
and so I was, like I said, getting ready to
put out my second record, antipodies antipodies.

Speaker 3 (52:10):
See, you're just smart, You're just so smart. What does
that even mean?

Speaker 2 (52:14):
Antividi's is actually a word for like Australia, New Zealand,
that part of the world, and it means upside down,
so it's and also the record was about my life
turning upside down.

Speaker 3 (52:24):
Okay, everything you were doing, yeah, my loving focus is
now like exactly love yes, so.

Speaker 2 (52:31):
Actually, but that when we got back in the spring
and then in June again this is so synchronistic, but
Zach called me and I hadn't heard from Zach in
a long time. Like we were friends because I opened
for him and he's a good friend. And but like
I said, I wasn't on his tour that year. I

(52:53):
was doing my own thing and he called me out of.

Speaker 3 (52:57):
The blue, Zach Brown, Yes, called you.

Speaker 1 (52:59):
Well.

Speaker 2 (53:00):
It wasn't weird that he called me? Were yeah, yeah, yeah,
we're friends, But it was weird that he called me
out of the blue and said, will you come? Would
you ever come out on tour with us and play
utilities like play the part you know, we have a
bunch of new acoustic guitar parts on this next record,
and someone else. I hate people in that band and

(53:21):
they're doing just fine. Why did they Why did.

Speaker 3 (53:23):
He want to add he wanted the dynamic of you
in particular.

Speaker 2 (53:27):
Yes, for sure, I mean he clearly thought of me.
But I honestly, I was so shocked. I was like
so on stage like with you in the band, Like
I couldn't understand that he I was like, like the
whole show because I'd been sitting in with them sometimes
like I'd set him for one or two songs, but
he does that all the time with artists. So it
took me so long to realize that he was asking

(53:48):
me to come out and tour in the band. But
he wasn't saying like, will you join the Zach Brown band.
It was just like, will you be part of the
band this summer?

Speaker 3 (53:55):
For this it's kind of like a very foggy thing,
like it's not clear, you know, like it kind of
had to and.

Speaker 2 (54:00):
That is such his you know, he just trusts his gut.
So this was kind of I actually wonder I should
ask the other guys, like what they thought of this
when I came in, because they're like who is I mean,
they knew who I was, but like, what is going on?

Speaker 3 (54:12):
I wonder how he just woke up one day it
was like, Caroline needs to be in the band with us.

Speaker 2 (54:16):
I don't even know if I'd have to ask.

Speaker 3 (54:18):
Him, kind of because he called you out of the blue,
hand come over him.

Speaker 2 (54:21):
And so I couldn't believe it, and I actually had
to really think about it. It sounds crazy now because
it's such an honor to be part of it, but
I had to really think about it because I didn't want,
you know, I want my artistry in my career to
stand on its own. And I was a little bit
nervous that, you know, I don't want to to for

(54:43):
that to not be a priority for me. And I
was like, if I commit to this that I.

Speaker 3 (54:48):
Whooped up in yes to the Zach Brown.

Speaker 2 (54:52):
Yeah, or or that I would have a lot less
time to work on my own music and make that
a priority. And so I actually kind of had to
think about it for a few days and then but
I just thought, I kind of imagine myself and I
do this a lot, but I imagine myself as an
older person, and I just thought, I will regret not
being a not having the experience of being able to

(55:15):
be mentored by and to be on stage with this
caliber of musicianship, because their kind of band doesn't really
exist anymore, you know, And it's like a dying breed
of like true band where like everything's.

Speaker 3 (55:29):
Live and incredible musicians.

Speaker 2 (55:31):
Yes, and singing in harmony and everybody like before every
show we all get together in the bus and play
and sing, and that just doesn't happen, you know.

Speaker 3 (55:42):
The joy of music.

Speaker 2 (55:43):
Yeah. And now there's a lot on production and tracks
and this, and I understand and appreciate and have done
some of that, you know, but this is like a
dying breed of like real authentic band. And I was like,
I just can't pass up the opportunity to be not
even what it would do for my career year or
six my name or anything, but yeah, but to have
the opportunity to be around that and be mentored by

(56:07):
those people. I was just so honored.

Speaker 3 (56:10):
Once again, your thought process. You have just a brilliant
way of thinking about thank you. Most people don't. A
lot of people don't think like with a soul like
you think with your soul.

Speaker 2 (56:19):
Yeah, you've got to, you have to.

Speaker 3 (56:22):
But I think that's why.

Speaker 2 (56:23):
And now that I'm a mom, I think even more
like it becomes even more Yeah, and we'll get to
that in a second. But so I said yes, and
I went out on tour with them that summer and
it was incredible and I was so so nervous. And
I had to learn because they don't really rehearse because
they've been playing all their music for like over a decade,
so the last thing they want to do is get

(56:43):
together and play knee deep. You know what I'm saying,
Like I'm not doing that, you know. So I just
had to learn all their songs and I didn't even
know what I was supposed to play or anything.

Speaker 3 (56:53):
Any songs you just had to question. Yeah, and you
learned that within like a month.

Speaker 2 (56:57):
I think it was like six weeks or something before
the tour starts.

Speaker 3 (57:01):
But Carolin, how do you even remember seventy songs?

Speaker 2 (57:04):
I have a really good memory?

Speaker 3 (57:05):
Of course you do. You are like a different breed
of humans. Like there's not a lot of people like you.
Your husband's like you. That's why you're with these people.
You're with this different breed of people because you're a different.

Speaker 2 (57:15):
No, I do. I do have a good good memory.
But yeah, I I The good news is it's not
like anyone was relying on me of like play this,
Like do you know? I had a lot of room
and and Zach is so incredibly understanding and trusts his
people to do their thing, because like, nobody really told

(57:36):
me what to play. They already had all their parts
part they're doing all but they're doing you know, they're
doing all right without me, you know, so I could
kind of just be on stage and kind of learn
on the job. Like it's just such in front of people,
I know.

Speaker 3 (57:50):
It's like you can't even explain this whole thing because
it's such a magical fluid creating and as you go,
like Zach calling you probably not even really knowing exactly
what it's gonna be, right, and then you're getting on
there and like you just kind of flowing into it
like the well.

Speaker 2 (58:05):
Trust me, I wasn't flowing. I mean I made it
look like that, but I was terrified, Like I was
like what am I actually doing here? So you just
made up your own parts, you felt well, But I
didn't really have a choice because all their parts are
taken on their records, like it's their band, you know.
So there's already an electric guitar part and a ham
in part, and a Zach part and a bass part,
and so I just kind of had to figure out

(58:27):
how to flow in and some on the new record
there were parts that I had to learn. But for me,
that's easier, like if someone tells me do this, I'm like, Okay,
got it, I will learn it. I will do it.
You know. It was much more intimidating for me to
get on stage and jam, I mean, like in front
of twenty five thousand people and I'm like, I'm I'm
playing some of these songs with the band for the
first time in front of like twenty five thousand people,

(58:49):
try by fire, But that's what they are. And I've
become so much less timid and so much less stressed
musically in different musical experiences because of that trial by
fire and then being like, oh, we're adding this song
tonight and I try to learn it and I kind
of half know it and we're just playing it on stage.

(59:10):
And but that's you know, when I talk about a
dying breed of band, that's like that jam band, that
real authentic musician. That's what that culture is about.

Speaker 3 (59:20):
And it's about the joy of letting the music flow
well and.

Speaker 2 (59:25):
Trusting your musicianship. And like, I've become a much better
musician because of that. I mean, I'm I'm still have
so so far to go compared to the rest of
the band. But they really trust their musicianship, so if
they get thrown into a situation, they trust that they
can make it work and make it sound beautiful. And

(59:45):
and there's not a lot of like I don't want
to say there's not a lot of perfectionisn't because they
take their crafts very seriously. But it's not in the
way that I had been a perfection. It doesn't have
to be like I have to practice this a million
times and then I'll try it on age.

Speaker 3 (01:00:00):
You know. They're like they trust themselves, like you said,
and then they let the moment happen. Yes, however the
moment wants to happen, and when they're ready, they're prepared
and ready, and then the moment comes however it is.

Speaker 2 (01:00:10):
And so I've started started learning that since being in
the band.

Speaker 3 (01:00:14):
You know, so this really is different. So you were
so structured, so organized, so focused, so dedicated. Then here
comes Nick throwing you for a loop. You're going to
New Zealand, you're loosening in the grip of never gonna
fall in love because only going to be the cool aunt.
And then here you go fall in love. Didn't mean
to fought it off. And then here comes Zachah and
he's like, I'm going to have you in the band

(01:00:35):
and just let's rock and roll baby, get ready to flow,
be bad ass. And then let's just say how you would.

Speaker 2 (01:00:40):
Always laugh at me about how like organized and perfectionistic
in Timid. I was like they always would, they would
always kind of make fun of me for that.

Speaker 3 (01:00:49):
You nervous being with all these guys, I mean you
and a whole bunch of dudes like that is a
little overwhelming.

Speaker 2 (01:00:55):
It was, there was a it was a big learning
curve for me in terms of even just like convers
stationally because like the you know, I'm walking into like
a you know, decade long plus locker room, you know,
and like I don't even like know what half of
the jokes mean or like what they what they're talking
about or whatever. But I think that actually really worked
in my favor because I've never tried to like be

(01:01:17):
one of them or like be one of the bros.
Like I was just there. I think that's where my
work ethic really helped, hopefully, because I was just there
to you know, I was kind of in the beginning
at least, like now I know them all like brothers,
But in the beginning, I was kind of just like
quiet and hopefully professional, and then I would just try
to add whatever I could add, and I and not
be a bother, do you know what I mean? Like

(01:01:38):
I wasn't trying to assert myself.

Speaker 3 (01:01:40):
Are you nervous in that? Yes?

Speaker 2 (01:01:41):
Like terrified?

Speaker 3 (01:01:43):
Like yes, huge role to step into, I know.

Speaker 2 (01:01:48):
I mean I feel really lucky that it's happened organically
over the last few years. But and they're all just
such good people, and like last year when I was pregnant,
they were so so supportive and so respectful, and they're
all family men, you know, they're all, yeah, they're all dads, and.

Speaker 3 (01:02:08):
So they like totally embraced your pregnancy. Oh yeah, tell
me what I was like to be pregnant on the road.

Speaker 2 (01:02:24):
It was awesome. I had a great pregnancy. I'm very
very busy, lucky time. I was busy the whole time.
And obviously I don't want to say like it was
without that. There are definitely hard moments and pregnancy and
paranit and everything, so I'm not trying to say it
was perfect. But I overall, I was really lucky. I
had a great pregnancy experience, and and I want to

(01:02:46):
celebrate that because not everyone is celebrated when they get
pregnant in their job.

Speaker 3 (01:02:50):
Especially because you had feared this for so long, I know.

Speaker 2 (01:02:53):
Every year so sweet to me and all the family,
like the Zach Brown fans, they were so sweet to me.

Speaker 3 (01:03:00):
And it wasn't like it wasn't like, oh my gosh,
she's pregnant. It was like oh my god. No.

Speaker 2 (01:03:04):
I mean, if it was, they hit it really well,
but no, everyone was really supportive. And I think also
me joining that club that they're all in kind of
brought us all closer.

Speaker 3 (01:03:16):
How does Zach ask you to be in the band?

Speaker 2 (01:03:19):
Let me think we so this was this would have
been twenty twenty two, and he just he just sat
me down one day and asked me. Actually because because
we'd but we'd been talking about it for a while,
because it was becoming such a huge commitment, like they
kept asking me back to things, and obviously I said yes,

(01:03:42):
I was enjoying it so much and loved it. But
then they kept they would ask me to things like
the Cmas or things that, like if I were just
a special guest on tour, I wouldn't have been asked to.
So then I was like, maybe I'm what am I to?
You know what I'm saying. So after a while it

(01:04:03):
just became more organic because I do have my own
career to make a formal announcement of it, so that
in conversations like this, like oh, yes, you're in the band,
and you're because I'm I would never assume so we
would still be in a conversation like this, and you'd
be like, oh, you tour with Zach Brown. I'd be like, yeah,
I do everything with them, you know what I'm saying.

(01:04:23):
But I wouldn't say I'm a member of the band,
like I would never presume to say that unless we
had actually been an official So I'm really glad that
we did because I think and also he doesn't, you know,
none of them started out like will you be in
the Zach Brown Band? Like, they all just started out
and then slowly added people, so it's never been like
a formal process, Like it's not like they're taking auditions,

(01:04:45):
you know.

Speaker 3 (01:04:46):
It just all happens naturally.

Speaker 2 (01:04:47):
Yeah, and they've added people over the years, like Matt
and Danny intermittently. But yeah, it's pretty amazing to be
I feel so honored to be the to be holding
down the Yeah, female thought, and.

Speaker 3 (01:05:02):
That's a huge honor for the Zach Brown Band. It's
really like that good of a musician, singer player.

Speaker 2 (01:05:08):
There's so many amazing female musicians now, like and and
who knows, maybe one day they'll be like I would
welcome someone else, you know, because there are just so
many incredible female musicians out at the.

Speaker 3 (01:05:20):
Moment, what have you learned?

Speaker 2 (01:05:21):
Okay?

Speaker 3 (01:05:22):
And then you have an album out that you released
last year called home Side. Yeah so good. I mean
those songs on there are so good. I feel like
Lawless is just like I love Next Level, like thank
You it is so but all of them are so great.
It's such a great song. It's such a great album.
So that you released that last year, so you're obviously
still doing your solo career and it has like worked together.

Speaker 2 (01:05:41):
Yeah, but it's a testament to Zach because he's really
supportive of.

Speaker 3 (01:05:45):
He came on your single single million Little Band Aid
and sang on it with you exactly.

Speaker 2 (01:05:49):
Yeah, the whole band did. And so he's just really
supportive and I try to be as respectful of as
possible of both, and obviously it's a real balance, and
now having a baby, it's a real balance. But we're
about to go out on tour with Kenny Chesney this year,
so it's Zach and Kenny. I know, you're two mentors.

Speaker 3 (01:06:12):
I so amazing. You've just let your passion lead and
you've worked so hard and you're such a good person
and look at how it keeps just like beautifully coming
together in ways. That you could never have.

Speaker 2 (01:06:24):
Actually, when I have a conversation like this, I do
kind of I feel so grateful because you it's hard
to have perspective on your own life.

Speaker 3 (01:06:32):
But I can't move these big pieces. You can't force
these pieces to move.

Speaker 2 (01:06:37):
Trust me, I can't. I know.

Speaker 3 (01:06:39):
But like all these big things in your life, like
it has to be coming from a higher thing bringing
it together, like you can't. There's no way you could
have made any of this. It's too big, it's too wild, right,
it's too out of the box.

Speaker 2 (01:06:53):
No, I know, it's very surreal actually, and now, like
you said, being a mother, it's it's very surreal because
I haven't for the past few months. I've really just
been in that mode and now to go back out
on the road.

Speaker 3 (01:07:06):
And okay, so let's talk to this really fast before
we start wrapping up. But it's like, how has motherhood
changed you? Because you did have a big fear about it,
You had a big care about it with your career,
just like with being married, and obviously being married has
been such a blessing. So how has motherhood changed you?
Blessed you? And then how are you how are we
feeling about and integrating motherhood into touring.

Speaker 2 (01:07:27):
Oh lord, okay, big questions. Well I'll just continue on
the fact that I was really lucky to be able
to tour throughout my whole pregnancy, and I really wanted
to do that because I'd committed to a year of
touring and I'd actually planned, like we planned as best
we could our pregnancy, and I knew that I was
going to release an album at the end of the year,

(01:07:48):
and there were all these like milestones that I wanted
to hit before I had.

Speaker 3 (01:07:50):
A last performance with like Kenny Chesney, Jimmy Buffett.

Speaker 2 (01:07:53):
Yes, and it was for Jimmy on the CMA, but.

Speaker 3 (01:07:56):
Had he passed Ordy, Yeah, it was tribute.

Speaker 2 (01:07:59):
And I was nine and a half months pregnant, so
like reaching that date because I remember I remember thinking
back like maybe like three or four months before my
husband and I looking at this schedule and just being
like and I was like, can I do this, Like
I've never been pregnant before. I don't know how I'm
gonna feel. I don't know.

Speaker 3 (01:08:16):
You could have given birth.

Speaker 2 (01:08:17):
On stage literally we are. We had my midwife there
just in case because when I was a laborer, because
I was I was dedicated I was at thirty eight
week but it was so awesome, Like I was like,
imagine like showing your showing my son that, and like
when he's in my belly at nine and a half
months pregnant and I'm on stage, like it's so amazing.

Speaker 3 (01:08:37):
And I was Zach Brown and Kenny Chesney tributing with
Mat Mack and I too write exactly.

Speaker 2 (01:08:42):
It was like everyone that he ever meant anything to me.

Speaker 3 (01:08:46):
Was Zach Brown.

Speaker 2 (01:08:46):
Yeah, it was Zach. It was Kenny and Mack for Jimmy,
and then Alan Jackson who I don't really know.

Speaker 3 (01:08:51):
Sorry, yeah, but I mean, how amazing, amazing that was
your final performance.

Speaker 2 (01:08:56):
It was like that is God.

Speaker 3 (01:08:57):
I madly God. Yeah, your life is God. You have
let God guide you, and I'm sure it's been very
hard and scary at times, but you have let God
totally guide you, Yes, led you to spectacular moment.

Speaker 2 (01:09:09):
It's true. That is really true. And so I was
touring right up until Yeah, I was thirty eight weeks.

Speaker 3 (01:09:18):
And Doula backstage to the CMA Caroline. That's freaking next
It was so that is next level. I am so
crazy about that.

Speaker 2 (01:09:27):
Well, it's because I would have if I went into labor.
I think it's thirty seven weeks, where if you go
into labor at thirty seven weeks you can legally have
a baby. So I was like, I need.

Speaker 3 (01:09:35):
Like I could play this even if I go to
labron stage, I could finish the song and I could
just run off stage really fast and give birth to
the dressing room.

Speaker 2 (01:09:42):
And actually, and now knowing what it takes, I was like, well, yeah,
we we we would have done that if we had to.
But and Zach's security guy, who's so wonderful, also had
like a he had like a medical kit in case
I went into labor on stage like the last few shows,
He's so sweet, shout out, we can do this. We can, yeah, Caroline,
if you're going to liver or we're ready. But I didn't,

(01:10:03):
and I knew I wouldn't. I knew I had a
few weeks. So I ended up having the baby as
planned at home a few weeks later.

Speaker 3 (01:10:10):
You did a water birth, Yeah, I did a home birth.
And there's so many things I want to dive deep into.

Speaker 2 (01:10:14):
Birth is I would love to like a wave the
flag for home birth.

Speaker 3 (01:10:18):
It loved it.

Speaker 2 (01:10:18):
I mean it's not for everyone for sure, because.

Speaker 3 (01:10:21):
There are a lot of things that could go wrong
if there was a medical emergency, could be really risky.

Speaker 2 (01:10:25):
Yes, well you need to you need to do so
much more research if you're interested in having something like
a home birth, which we did, and you need to
be extremely low risk. You can't have any health issues whatsoever.
And then you need to be you need to be
approved by a hospital a few weeks earlier to have

(01:10:47):
a home birth, like you need to be screened and
then they say, okay, you're you're safe to have a
home birth, and then things even then, things can still
go awry and a home birth, in which case you
have a contingency plan to go to a hospital. But
I was I had a really healthy pregnancy, I was
really low risk. I was like the perfect candidate for
a home birth because I'm also obsessed with health and wellness.

(01:11:08):
So I was like, I got this. I'm gonna be
the healthiest pregnant person. I was drinking like, oh my gosh,
hundreds of ounces of water a day. Like everything I
was set up. I wanted to have a home birth
because I love I love the idea. I loved the
notion and I still do of it. Being able to

(01:11:29):
be a really peaceful experience on my own terms, in
my own space, with only the people that you know,
just my husband and me and my midwife, and you know,
it's a natural physiological process and if you have a
healthy body and a healthy pregnancy, which I was lucky
to have, then it is an option for people.

Speaker 3 (01:11:48):
And it was you did no epidural, no drugs, no nothing.
That how was them? I've heard like when the ring
of fire and I had a c section, so I
don't actually know the delivery.

Speaker 2 (01:11:56):
Well, the ring of fire is bad, but honestly, the
whole thing and I don't want to scare people. It's
very painful, like euphoria. I didn't have euphoria.

Speaker 3 (01:12:05):
You didn't know.

Speaker 2 (01:12:06):
I didn't. I never. I had exhaustion and depletion, Like
it was the hardest thing I've ever done. And I
remember at the time thinking I will never ever, ever
ever do this again. But you're in it now, but
I am.

Speaker 3 (01:12:22):
It's weird how you forget Yeah, you was.

Speaker 2 (01:12:26):
I mean it was incredible just having done it and
having had that experience, it's like so ancient, like so
many because there's billions and billions more women who had
that experience than have had our modern hospital experience, and
so just having that experience and then just giving birth

(01:12:47):
to my son in the most natural way possible and
then being in our own space and like nobody, no
doctors taking him away, like no, you know, it was
it was an incredible experience and it's not for everyone,
but for me, it was amazing.

Speaker 3 (01:13:03):
Yeah, what was it like the first time you held
your son?

Speaker 2 (01:13:05):
It was shell shocking, Like I didn't have that like
immediate love where I had. I was. I was like
on another planet. I was like, because even up to
the very end of my pregnancy, I kept telling you
how that I was like, I don't believe there's a
human being in here. I I when I see it,

(01:13:25):
I will believe it. I was like, it just doesn't
make sense. It's so weird. And then there's a human
being there. And then the first few weeks are just
so hard, don't you think, Oh God, and depleting and
just like most wild and you feel so crazy.

Speaker 3 (01:13:43):
You're not sleeping, and yet you have this human that
you're just like learning and studying and staring at me.

Speaker 2 (01:13:49):
And they're so it's just it's just a miracle. But
it's not so difficult, and then I would say, like
you kind of at least for me, because I'm still
so early in this, I wanted like, disclaimer, he's four months, and.

Speaker 3 (01:14:01):
Tell me his name because he's got a very declin unique.

Speaker 2 (01:14:03):
Name, Declan declan Dana, And okay, yeah, so I'm still
like new, barely out of the woods, like you're just
out of like totally you were born. Yes, exactly, we're
we're we're getting there. But for me, like there were
some times like I think six weeks was a big

(01:14:24):
leap for me where like I feel like I actually
maybe like saw him for the first time, Like I
looked at him and I was like, oh my gosh,
I I have this like beautiful, cute, sweet baby and
he's healthy and he's had Like it was like the
first time I saw him not as an appendage of me,
like if they just feel like they're like part of
your body in the beginning and you're just so at

(01:14:47):
least for me, I was just so underwater with it
all that I feel like the love like really started
to grow as I started to get some of my
energy back. But the home birth wasn't unbelievable and very
very difficult, intense, raw experience. But I mean it's it's

(01:15:08):
a wild thing that we all go through, like no
matter how you go through it, you know, it's all
like there's no easy way to give birth, like all
of it.

Speaker 3 (01:15:16):
I know, it's like it's still so crazy. It's not
just like oh, get pregnant, to have a baby, No,
go on with your day. It's like having a baby is.

Speaker 2 (01:15:24):
Like whoa, yes, whoa whoa whoa whoa.

Speaker 3 (01:15:28):
It's like wow, it really changes in a way that
you can't change. And even not even just like birthing,
it like adopting. However, you become a mom, it like
literally brings this level of like you're just in a
life is just never going to be the same again,
you know, because you have a human.

Speaker 2 (01:15:45):
It's the most primal, like it's the most elemental role.
You know.

Speaker 3 (01:15:50):
How are you planning about going on tour? How do
we feel about bringing the baby on tour? Will he
come on tour?

Speaker 2 (01:15:54):
He will? Yes, he will. We're still figuring out exactly
how did you look on tour?

Speaker 3 (01:16:00):
Thing?

Speaker 2 (01:16:00):
Nick will sometimes then sometimes I'll have different help, okay,
but but and we're actually kind of figuring out what
all of that looks like right now, So I just
kind of you don't really need to have it off,
but you know, but we also need to figure out
like what what works for us because and it's wonderful.
I'm so lucky to even have the opportunity to bring

(01:16:22):
him out on tour because so many people don't get
that opportunity.

Speaker 3 (01:16:24):
You know, Zach is so cold, he is.

Speaker 2 (01:16:27):
But I'm also lucky because I get to, you know,
the band kind of has has their logistics and bust
situations down, like from all these years of doing it,
you know, and they've brought kids out on the road,
so they kind of know how to do it. And
I feel so lucky to be in that kind of camp,
you know. But sometimes he'll come out sometimes, like this year,

(01:16:51):
we're doing a lot of one offs, so I can
be in and out, stay home or yes, and we're
going to figure out what works. I don't know, it's hard.
There's figure it out affect way.

Speaker 3 (01:17:01):
You don't have to have figured it out, literally, you
really not had. Your whole life has flowed, you know,
even when you thought you had it all.

Speaker 2 (01:17:08):
Figured out, when you were like and my biggest I
mean not only the only thing I care about is
what's good for him, you know, because whether I'm with
him or not, because at home he can still be
in his space on his schedule. It's very disruptive on
the road, but he's with me. So it's this real
hard like balance to try to figure out what's going
to be best for him. But we'll figure it out

(01:17:30):
and out and it'll be cool. He'll be around music
his whole life.

Speaker 3 (01:17:33):
Gosh, we've got to wrap up. It's already an hour
and seventeen minutes, Caroline, Okay, so just to quickly wrap up.
Music that came out last year home site, your album.
Have you loved having that out? Has it been amazing?
Those songs are so incredible.

Speaker 2 (01:17:46):
Thank you. I really love that record. Co produced it
with the Rick Weaken Brandon Hood, and I'm so proud
of it. I really love it and we had a
blast making it. And I'm just starting to write again
now and that'll be a whole nother experience of inspiration,
you know.

Speaker 3 (01:18:04):
Oh and then really fast, you said you grew your
Instagram followers. How did you do that? You did a campaign?

Speaker 2 (01:18:08):
So we actually last year. Yes, my manager Rick, he's
involved in this whole digital He has this amazing digital
branding company called RB three sixty and so we did
a campaign with them last year and it was it
was so effective, it was incredible. So we got my
music to a lot of new fans.

Speaker 3 (01:18:26):
That's incredible.

Speaker 2 (01:18:27):
Yeah it is. But he's one hundred percent to credit
for that.

Speaker 3 (01:18:30):
Okay, go Rick, Yeah, love that. Okay, we stick around
for a little mini episode that would have this for
like two minutes, burning questions. Can't answer something that. Okay,
it's gonna air on Thursday. You said, what, Oh yeah, yeah,
we're going to wrap up with Morgan. What would I
do that?

Speaker 2 (01:18:44):
Morgan?

Speaker 3 (01:18:44):
Our president were here, we call our captain Morgan, she
runs the show, Captain Morgan. Yes, we would be just
lost to that, her loss at sea. Really, I was
wrap up with Leave Your Light and it's super open ended.
What do you want people to know?

Speaker 2 (01:19:00):
Oh my gosh, wait, give me like fifteen seconds to
think about think about that. That's such a huge one.

Speaker 3 (01:19:04):
Done done, I know, ran done. Just the first thing
that comes to mind. I want people to know, don't
ever think it. Just first thing it comes to mind.

Speaker 2 (01:19:12):
The first thing that comes to mind, based on what
we were just speaking about, is that it is possible
to not only be successful but be happy. You don't
have to give up your happiness to be successful and
chase your dreams. And I feel like for a long
time that I thought that to be successful I would

(01:19:34):
have to sacrifice being a whole person and being happy.
And I think the more of a whole person you are,
the less that you actually need success to validate you
in this life, and being happy can be enough, you know.
And I think that we don't put a lot of
value on that. So I would say the skills the
skills of happiness because it is a skill. Because our

(01:19:54):
brains aren't really designed to be happy. They're designed to
protect us and keep us safe. So you have to
kind of like brain hack your way into happiness.

Speaker 3 (01:20:03):
But it's so true, Yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:20:05):
Yeah, because no, it's our brains are wired for fear
and threat. They're not wired for happiness and fulfillment.

Speaker 3 (01:20:11):
They're wired to survive.

Speaker 2 (01:20:12):
Yeah, so you kind of have. That's why things like
meditation and all of you and exercise and all the
things that take you out of your mind are what's
good for your mental health, you know.

Speaker 3 (01:20:21):
Yeah, Eline Jones, I love you. I love you to
say human I'm so grateful that you came on.

Speaker 2 (01:20:27):
I'm so happy to call you a friend.

Speaker 3 (01:20:28):
I'm so happy to call your d and I love
I mean, meeting at Caroline is always a thrill. I like,
my very best friend for my whole life is named Caroline,
and like, I don't have another adult friend named Caroline
besides you, But every time I'm with you, I'm like, oh,
I love care.

Speaker 2 (01:20:41):
Oh, thank you so much. I feel the same way.

Speaker 3 (01:20:43):
Thank you so much for joining. Okay, and you'all tune
in on Thursday because we're gonna have some burning questions
with Caroline, just burning questions, Okay, love you, thank you,

All Episodes

Episode Transcript

Popular Podcasts

Dateline NBC

Death, Sex & Money

Stuff You Should Know

.css-15opob5{left:0;position:absolute;top:0.8rem;} All Episodes

.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}CAROLINE JONES: Getting Real About Marrying a Sailor, Being the First Female Member of The Zac Brown Band, Jimmy Buffett’s Mentorship & More

Episode Transcript

Popular Podcasts

.css-r6mb8g{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:1;overflow:hidden;}Dateline NBC

Death, Sex & Money

Stuff You Should Know

All Episodes

CAROLINE JONES: Getting Real About Marrying a Sailor, Being the First Female Member of The Zac Brown Band, Jimmy Buffett’s Mentorship & More

Dateline NBC