September 6, 2025 • 37 mins
Welcome back to the studio. This is My Day of Play, where you’re taken into the real events and actions of how it happens long before the process of editing or cleaning up. The original purpose of these episodes was to give my broadcasting students something to edit, to practice with and to call their own. Then I realized that you are just as important. Share the reality of how it really went. We begin things with author Chip Leighton whose latest book is titled What Time is Noon. An entertaining collection of stories about his journey with his teenage daughter. Then we’ll leap into an unedited conversation with Titus O’Neil from the WWE who knows in his heart that his greatest title in life is the opportunity to be a dad. And we’ll wrap things up with reality tv host Jessica Gee, yeah the same Jessica from The Bucket List Family! This is My Day of Play. Completely unedited in the way of meeting the wizard behind the curtain.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey, welcome back to my studio. This is my day
of Play, where you're taken into the really vincent actions
of how it happens before the process of editing or
cleaning up. The original purpose of these episodes was to
give my broadcasting students something to edit, to practice with,
or to call their own. And then I realized you're
just as important as they are share the reality of
how it really happens. We begin things with author Chip Layton,
(00:23):
whose latest book is titled What Time Is Noon? An
entertaining collection of stories about his journey with his teenage daughter.
Then we're going to leap into an unedited conversation with
Titus O'Neil from The WWE, who knows in his heart
that his greatest title in life is the opportunity to
be a dad. And we'll wrap things up with TV
host Jessica Gee Yeah, the same Jessica from the bucket
(00:44):
List Family. This is my day of play, completely unedited
in the way of meeting the wizard behind the curtain. Hellong,
good morning, everybody, Good morning. Era was Peter with Chip Layton.
How are you very good? How about you? Great? Great?
I have them for you. You you have a little
extra time if you need it. Okay, don't feel like
you're rush to get out right at thirty. Okay, excellent,
(01:05):
Thank you so much. All right, sure sure, Thanks damd
By and Chip. You're joined by Arrow.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
Hey, Arrow, good morning.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
Hey. How are you doing today?
Speaker 2 (01:16):
I'm doing great. Thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
What a brilliant book, because this right here is teaching
people teens speak and the language that they're putting out
there as their generation, because they're saying things in doing
things that I don't know. I don't get it, but
please teach me.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
Yeah, it's yeah. I think it's been a fun adventure
kind of writing this book. It's got like hundreds of
crazy text messages that teenagers. Sand's got a little glossary
of teen language, and yeah, it's good fun.
Speaker 1 (01:44):
I mean you make it so adult as well, because
I mean even with the you know, dashboard warning lights.
I mean you sit there and you look at that
and you think, wow, what if we had those dashboard
warning lights when it comes to our kids.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
Right, yeah, yeah, they refer to them as emojis, and
I do have a little translation guy for some of
the big ones, like the yeah, the oil light. They
usually call either the tea kettle or the gravy boat
or the genie lamps. Oh, it's I'm trying that. Yeah,
it bridge the communication gap between kids and parents.
Speaker 1 (02:11):
Was it a shock to you when when your daughter
did ask you what time is noon?
Speaker 2 (02:16):
Well? Yeah, so, actually that one came from I've probably
heard that from like ten or twelve other parents. What
did that from the variation of that? My kids never
asked me that, but I thought it was the perfect
example of a title for the book because it's like,
it's so basic, you'd never think you'd have to explain that.
But then again, if no one had explained it to you,
you wouldn't know it. Oh it's that's that's I mean,
my whole thing with this is it's a it's a
(02:36):
celebration of teen humor. It's not like trying to make
fun of kids, and it's not trying to indict parents
for you know, make them feel bad. It's just, uh, yeah,
it's just this stuff happens. You know.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
Well, I'm on this big mission at my essential job
to where I'm trying to teach the teens how to
read a clock. What they're doing is they've been you know,
raised in this digital age where you know, seven fifteen
is seven to fifteen, but to look at it on
a clock, they don't know, and it's like it's so
it's it's like they're in their own zone. But I
cannot judge them and I will not judge them for it.
And that's why this book is so important.
Speaker 2 (03:08):
Yeah, the clock's an interesting one. The other thing, Yeah,
somebody used the phrase the other day. The kid was like,
I can't site read that, you know, like it's like
it's music or something. But yeah, the thing is if
you say like quarter after or quarter two, like they're like,
just speak English, what do you what are you even
trying to say?
Speaker 3 (03:23):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (03:24):
Yeah, or they start using those letters. You know, it
took me forever to you know b RB. You know,
I'll be right back. But it's but it's like, but
they're still doing those things today and I'm going I
have no clue. Guys, you got to educate me.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
Yeah. Yeah, they got a glossary in the book which
goes through some of those things, you know, cap, you know, dead,
you know, riz, all that kind of stuff. I mean,
it's it's probably already out of date because these things
change pretty bad.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
What did you learn with this project because I mean,
I mean you, as the writer, you're still a student
and you're you're passing your test basically to us.
Speaker 2 (04:01):
Yeah, I mean, probably the thing I've learned most from
the book and my stuff on social media is just
how universal some of this stuff is. Like a lot
I get a lot of comments like, oh man, I
guess my kid's normal, or like I'm not the worst
parent in the world because we're not the only ones
that act like this. I'm not the only one that
gets crazy questions or feedback like this. So it's it's uh,
that is a neat thing about social media is you
(04:23):
kind of find other people who are just like you
and have the same experiences, which which is all I'll
try to do, is like bring people together for a
like kind of fun moment, you know, not not be
too serious.
Speaker 1 (04:32):
But you know what's really interesting and it's so true
is when you're writing about the organ donor you know,
I don't like needles or I hate needles? Am I
going to get paid for this? And you just sit
there going, oh, I've been in those conversations. Oh my god.
Speaker 2 (04:44):
Yeah, yeah. Yeah. When kids get their driver's license and
they ask if they want to be an organ donor.
It's it's crazy, like there are a lot of kids
who legitimately think like if they say yes, like they
can call you at any time for an organ which
is that would be wild?
Speaker 1 (04:56):
You know, I'm going to school. You know you're teaching
the parents. Don't act weird, don't do it?
Speaker 2 (05:05):
Yeah, yeah, the whole day as a whole section on
the school pickup line. You know rules there. You can't
like roll down your window or turn on your music
or make eye contact or waves. Yeah, you got to
basically be invisible. And if and if you if they're
playing their music in the car, you know, and you
can't show that you like one of their songs otherwise
that comes right off the playlist immediately.
Speaker 1 (05:23):
You know, do you ever sit back and go if
I were a teen today, what would I be doing?
How would I be reacting? What if I didn't know
what I know as an adult? What would I be
like as a teen?
Speaker 2 (05:36):
Yeah? Right, well, I can remember being your tea. That
was pretty similar I think to the teens today. We
didn't have texting to document all the questions and stuff
like that. But yeah, and uh, and I have a
couple one of my kids is no longer a ted's
twenty one now. But but I get to, you know,
feedback from them. The biggest feedback they give me these
days is because I mostly what I do is feature
other people's texts that people send me. Is They're like,
(05:57):
you've got to make it much clearer. These are not
all aren't My friends think I'm an idiot because I
think I send every single one of these. It is
a mix.
Speaker 1 (06:05):
Well you even warn in here do not group text
your kids in these things, because I mean, yeah, I
still get freaked out when I realized, oh, I've been
in a group this entire time.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
Yeah. Yeah, the family chat is that's a little dicey.
There was one time my daughter pointed out to be like,
for the past month, like the only messages of the
family chat were my own, to which no one had responded.
You know. It's she with one exception, she put like
a thumbs down on one of my messages because I
said what time we were leaving in the morning, So
it's yeah, that doesn't usually work.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
Did you laugh while putting this book together? I mean,
come on, I mean, after three years of Spanish, win
is Cinco demio that right there? That's that's a gutbuster.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
Yeah, no, they're great ones. It here. It's like a
lot of my favorites. I mean, you were coming up
on the holidays. One of my favorites is, Hey, I
tried this new cologne at the store I want for Christmas.
The brand it's called Tester, So it's you know, it's
stuff like that kind of makes you scratch your head.
Did Grandma have kids?
Speaker 4 (06:59):
You know?
Speaker 2 (07:00):
These ones?
Speaker 1 (07:00):
I love the Did you go sit in a Starbucks
and just just listen, just do you just to see
how everybody was, you know, sharing conversations. I've never done that.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
I've never listened. I'm fortunate in that people just share
stuff with me, and obviously I have a bunch of
stuff going on in my own home. And yeah, it's
been wild to have this whole community is developed and
people are like send me stuff. They're like, oh, I
hope it makes a cut, you know, to be featured
in your social media or a book or whatever. So
it's I'm very lucky that I've sort of become the
hub for this kind of stuff.
Speaker 1 (07:28):
Would you like to sit down and watch a team
read this book?
Speaker 2 (07:33):
Yeah? Yeah, Well it's funny because I am hearing from
a lot of parents who are like, oh, I read this.
I read this out loud together with my team and
they were laughing, which is which is interesting and and
because I think with my social stuff that doesn't happen
as much. They might forward something to their team, but
when you forward a video to your team, they deleted
immediately usually so, but it is interesting that the format
(07:53):
of this lends itself to kind of sharing. I mean,
it's a it's a light, fun book. You could literally
pick up any page of it and just you know,
read it and hopefully get a laugh. So it make
sure at gift I think, Oh.
Speaker 1 (08:03):
I hope it's at the airport, because this is one
of those books that during the holidays and stuff, people
will grab this book and when they're on their next flight,
they're going to read through it and just have a
good flight.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
That's a great that's a great idea. I hadn't thought
of that.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
I like your graphs. You're like sharing a hotel room.
You know, you know the reasons why they you know,
they don't like sleeping in a hotel room. Could it
goes everything from privacy to dad's snoring? So true?
Speaker 2 (08:27):
Yeah, yeah, yeah. The yeah, sharing a hotel room as
a family is it's it's tough. Yeah, that's in my chapter.
I have old chapter of vacation and so the pitfall there.
But yeah, I have a bunch of charts and graphs
that kind of illustrates some of these concepts, you know,
like mistakes you can make when texting or you know,
quizit sort of grade yourself on how cringey your use
of technology is. So it's so yeah, it's about about
(08:48):
half the book is those types of features which are
which are fun.
Speaker 1 (08:50):
I think even when kids are judging us, and they
do judge us, I love that my kids reviews of
my outfits. Oh my god. It's almost like if you
don't like what I'm wearing, don't wear it then.
Speaker 2 (09:00):
Right, Yeah, yeah, they are not shy with their feedback
that My dag walked into the kitchen the other day
my daughters like mumbled something about my monochromatic outfit. They
have the same color on top of bottoms.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
Where can people go to find out more about what
you're doing, because this truly is a connection.
Speaker 2 (09:20):
Yeah, thanks, So they can find me on social so
either TikTok, Instagram or Facebook. It's the Layton Show L
E I G H T O N. Or they can
check out the book. What time is noon? You know
anywhere books are sold and you have to check it out.
If you haven't seen me, well.
Speaker 1 (09:34):
Dude, you've got to come back to this show anytime
in the future. The door is always going to be
open for you.
Speaker 2 (09:39):
Awesome, Thanks, I really enjoyed it.
Speaker 1 (09:40):
Will you'd be brilliant today? Okay, all right, you too,
Please do not move the WWE's Titus O'Neill is coming
up next. Hey, welcome back to my day of play.
Let's get into that conversation with Titus O'Neill. Hey, Hey, hey,
good morning everybody. Hey, good morning, fantastic tys. Let me
tell before we can get started. I want this book
(10:02):
to be an inspiration to fathers and new fathers that
are on our way, because I wish more dads would
do what you have done here, and that is bringing
the presence of right now to a leadership role.
Speaker 4 (10:13):
Right.
Speaker 3 (10:16):
Yeah, Yeah, I appreciate that. Yeah, I'm hoping the same thing.
Speaker 1 (10:19):
Well, because we I mean, you can go to a mall,
you can go to church, you can go wherever, and
you're starting to see fathers take that role and they're
appearing with their kids, whereas my father, Ah, I don't
want them near me, go to your.
Speaker 3 (10:31):
Mom, right right. Yeah. I think a lot of dads
don't understand the power of their presence because they're so
used to and accustomed to just being looked at us
protectors and providers, and the presence is even more important
(10:52):
and a lot of times, unfortunately for those that have fathers,
they don't even recognize the importance of their of their
father until their dad is, you know, not in the picture.
Speaker 1 (11:04):
I love the full title of the book where you
talk about that your greatest title is being dad. That
that really that means a lot to so many people,
because you know, fathers are finally getting that little pat
on the back saying good job, dude.
Speaker 3 (11:18):
Right yeah, No, I mean it's it is the So
for some people it's the greatest challenge, but it's also
the greatest and the greatest responsibility. But I think getting
the opportunity to kind of help rear kids through across
the finish line in several stages of their lives, you know,
it's to me. I mean, like I said, I didn't
(11:41):
grow up with a father, and you know, my mom
had me at a very under very difficult circumstances rate
at eleven years old, having me at twelve years old,
being you know, put in a position where she had
raised a child as a child, and I just Mama,
I never got a chance to see the things that
(12:04):
my kids have been able to experience, or even myself.
I'm the first person to walk across the high school
graduation stage for my family. I'm the first person to
walk across a college stage for graduation for my family.
First homeowner, Like, there's so many things that I generation
generationally broke the curse of and as a father having
(12:27):
the opportunity to I mean my kids first day in kindergarten,
first day of school every year, first day, you know,
first win on a basketball court, first win on a
football you know, first touchdown like you know, uh, graduating
from high school, you know, state championship, championship, you know,
reigns and all these things that I've had the chance
(12:50):
as a dad to be a part of and then
even cult moments of. And it teaches you. I think
fatherhood teaches you how to communicate Oh yes, and and
and uh and so for me, like my kids, I
(13:11):
just said, it's recently in a in a recent podcast,
I just did, uh that my kids saved my life.
You know, I literally saved my life. And at my
darkest time, you know, I had gone through a divorce
and trying to transfigure out what my next transition was
going to be in life. And you know, if it
(13:33):
wasn't my if my kids weren't in a picture, I
don't know where I would be at today. Just because
I went through a deep battle of depression, I felt
like I was kind of worthless, you know. But I'll
also say, you know, looking back on it and and
where I'm at now, like I'll tell anybody that's going
through a divorce or going through a tough time in
(13:55):
their marriage or a relationship, like divorce isn't death, you know.
And I think so many people you know that I
know that are even around my true inner circle. Some
people have been married, you know, their marriage the second
time around is much better than it was the first
time around. And some people they had to try the
third time. I don't think I'll offer be in that position.
(14:17):
But you know, at the end of the day, my
children and I think a lot of people, uh, in
difficult times, their children are really the things that that
that drives them to be better people and it forces them,
you know, because it's a huge responsibility.
Speaker 1 (14:34):
You touch on something here that that I never even
thought about with my own father, and you said that
that that fathers do have those moments of depression. I
never even thought about going into that because we you know,
we just don't think of that.
Speaker 3 (14:47):
Yes, no, I mean because we're supposed to be macho, right,
We're supposed to be We're supposed to be tough guys
and and not show any chinks in our arms and
stuff like that. And you know, those days are long
gone for a lot of us, and they should be.
(15:08):
Going to mental health counseling is probably the greatest decision
I ever made for myself. You're not weak because you
do it. You're actually stronger because you do. It's okay
not to be okay, And I think a lot of
times people look at looked at it as taboo. But
I think once you're in a greater mental state, it
(15:29):
empowers you to be a better man. Which if you're
a father or a husband or whatever. It also has
to do with your surroundings of people that are pouring
into you as well. But I think at the at
the in the grand scheme of things, like learning how
to be vulnerable in moments in which you know you're
(15:53):
supposed to be quote unquote tough. Like I cried like
a baby seeing my kids win the state championship, you know.
Speaker 4 (15:59):
What I mean.
Speaker 3 (16:03):
I cried like a baby seeing my son, you know,
when his first Pop Warner super Bowl. You know, like
I cried watching them do their first play. You know,
it's just like it's okay, Like you're not that tough dude.
Speaker 1 (16:18):
You know what I mean.
Speaker 3 (16:21):
And I didn't have a chance, Like I adopted my
daughter a little bit later in life, but I've been
in her life since she was seven years old, and
and you know, I didn't I didn't get a chance
to kind of rear her from the beginning. But I've
always I'd always wanted to be a daddy's girl. I
mean that, you know that I always wanted my daughter.
I wanted a daughter. Yeah, I want to be a
(16:42):
girl dad, you know. And fortunately it came the opportunity
for me to adopt my daughter. And she's she's my
baby girl. Even though she just turned nineteen, she's still
my baby girl, you know. And but it's just uh,
I want men to just understand that like we we are,
(17:05):
we are very much so important, even in the world
in which sometimes you know, the significance of fatherhood gets diminished.
You know, you have these women that's like, oh, I
don't need a man to raise my kids and this
and that, and that's uh, that's that's bs. You know,
you need a man and you need a woman and
both of them can nurture and nature children into to
(17:29):
be great human beings. And yeah, it might be two
different perspectives and things like that, but it's the opportunity
to put a good human being out and is a
very special blessing that a lot of people wish they
could have. I know, some of my friends in my
circle that can't have children right never have had the
(17:50):
ability to have children. Have tried numerous different ways to
have children, and it just did not work out for them,
and that's an empty void for them. And they I
mean they have they've been married for years and have
tons of success, but that one thing that they they
want the most, it just has not been the opportunity
(18:13):
for the for them to garner and that's parenthood. And
for the dad, it's you know, fatherhood. And even in
my own family, you know, uh, my brothers you know,
had their challenges with having children, but they had them
and it's the greatest thing that could have ever happened
to them too. Again, none of us grew up with
positive dads in the house, but we we all are
(18:38):
pretty damn good ross when it comes.
Speaker 1 (18:40):
That's every bit the reason why I said in the
very beginning that this is one of those books that's
going to serve as a positive tool to get men
to understand, Yeah, you can have feelings, Yeah, you can
love your kids. Yeah you can go to that football
game and get away from your TV screen mm hmmm,
and get off your phone.
Speaker 3 (18:57):
Yeah, get off your phone. Drop work. You know, sometimes
we you know, like obviously I've had resources for quite
some time to be able to do any and everything
with my kids, and we've done some amazing things. But
I remember one day my oldest son TJ. There was
(19:21):
there was a Bucks game going on, and you know,
we go to games a lot, We go to Lightning games,
Bucks games, Raisa, all that stuff, and on this particular
day might have been like fifteen, fourteen years old, and
I was like, hey, you want to go to the
game today and he's like, no, da, I just want
(19:41):
to go to church, and then like we could just
watch a movie at home, like I don't want to
go out. And I'm like, like, my son values this
moment much more than other people would value this moment
because if I tell ask anybody else, knowing that they're
(20:02):
probably going to be sitting on a suite in a suite,
they're probably going to be on the field before the game,
knowing you know what I mean, knowing that they don't
have to worry about food, parking, like all that stuff,
they would jump at that opportunity. But my kids have
been like, no, we're good, Like we've spend time with you,
and it spends some time we go in the backyard
and just play ping pong and hang out and those
(20:25):
are the greatest times for us, you know, away from
people asking for autographs and pictures and this and that.
And I think that was probably the main reason why
in some cases they were like, Nah, let's just hang
out the house, let's just cook a meal together here,
let's just go order in, you know, because they don't
want to deal with all that.
Speaker 1 (20:46):
Yeah. Yeah, One of the things that you touch on
is Father's Day and it's not you know, it's treated
not as popular as Mom's Day. But I mean, I
love my mother to pieces, but at the same time,
I wish I could have spent more time with him
during his day.
Speaker 3 (21:00):
Yes, it's I think I said it in the book.
This day is celebrated, Father's Day is tolerated.
Speaker 1 (21:10):
Yep, yep, yep.
Speaker 3 (21:12):
And you know, we got to get to a place
where Father's Day is treated equally as important as Mother's Day.
Because it takes two to tango, and it takes two
to it takes all of us to It takes a
village to raise a child. And if men are looked
at as the leaders of the household, then they need
(21:35):
to be leaders of that village and treated as such.
And a lot of times that's not the case. We're
treated as commodities, you know what I mean. Or And
and I celebration this year just to do that, celebrate
dads in a major way and bring importance of not
only fathers biological fathers, but adoptive parents as well as
(21:57):
male mentors because in my opinion, and it's just my opinion,
it's not based on any other facts other than what
I see, because of the philanthropic work that I do.
A lot of the folks that are in underserved communities
(22:17):
are having to be raised without father figures in the
home and or positive father of the figures in the home.
And that's not just black underserved communities, as rural country areas,
white areas, Hispanic areas, et cetera. Where there's no positive
male role model present, there's a high likelihood that the
(22:42):
dropout rate is higher, the arrest rate is higher, the
poverty rate is higher. You know, It's just it's very
evident when you go to certain spaces like what you know,
where there is no male role model mar or leadership.
Speaker 1 (23:01):
That Yeah, one of the things that I'm seeing a
lot lately. And maybe it's just human nature, but I'm
seeing a lot of grandparents raising their grandchildren. And I
want the children to love their grandfather just as much
as they would love a father, because he's sacrificing a
part of his major life as well.
Speaker 3 (23:16):
Yes, we we I always think too, you know, kids
that are eight and under and people that are eighty
and over, like, we got to start paying more attention
to them because they actually can teach us a.
Speaker 1 (23:31):
Lot more than we know. Oh, yeah.
Speaker 3 (23:33):
And there are two demographics of age that like literally
will tell you the truth. Like a five year old
kid if you pick him up or her up and
your breath stinks, they're gonna be like, oh, your breath stinks,
you know. And an elderly person will do the same thing.
They will tell you exactly, you know what I mean.
(23:53):
But somewhere in between that eight and eighty we get
formed into thinking that we can't be truthful, and we
can't be honest, and we can't tell stories and we
can't have dreams. And an eighty old person will tell
you the same story that you've probably heard fifty times.
But you and people you know what I mean, because
(24:14):
they're going back to infant stages and reliving in their days.
But sit there and listen to them, and the kids
are the same way. Like they tell you about their day,
they tell you about kids at school, they tell you
about all that. Like, sit there and listen to them,
because that's their form of communicating. But that's also their
release of their dreams and their goals and things that
they want to do in life or that they accomplished
(24:35):
in life and that they want to pass down to
their families. Et cetera. So we have to get to
a space where we don't look at the elderly as
like a disability to the family. It's actually, you know,
an asset to the family. That if I had my
grandmother around, I would more than love have my lovet
(24:56):
my grandmother at forty nine years old, you know, to
breast cancer eighteen ninety five. You know, grandfather didn't last
too much longer. You know, he passed away and probably
six years after that from prostate cancer. So for me,
like I've had to basically adopt grandparents, you know, grandparent figures,
(25:21):
whether it's my fraternity brother's mom dad, or grandfather and granddad,
or people at the church, or whatever it may be.
But I enjoy having that perspective of life because they
will teach you history that you can't learn in the.
Speaker 1 (25:37):
Book yea incanest syndrome. My daughter's room has been untouched.
I've left it exactly the way that she left it,
and I love it. When my grandchildren come over and
see what their mother did inside her room, I just
want them to feel that, how did you deal with it?
Speaker 3 (25:54):
Well? I did the complete oc redid all my floors
on the bottom floor of my house and actually my son,
my youngest son, Titus, came home to a huge surprise
because there was no bed.
Speaker 4 (26:10):
In his room.
Speaker 1 (26:11):
Wow, And there was no bed.
Speaker 3 (26:13):
In TJ's room. Well, there's a bed in TJ's room,
but no bed in his room. And I didn't tell him.
I should have told him, Hey, I'm taking your bed
out because I'm redoing the floors and stuff like that
and I'm going to rearrange the rooms. But so now
he hasn't like And I also wanted to do Murphy
beds just so it can help. Yeah, I have like
(26:33):
you guys aren't here, so and I got these five
French bulldogs, so some you know, their room's gonna get
taken over by somebody. So I think, yeah, it's weird
sometimes coming home, Uh, and they're not here. But I
talk to him every day. I'm extremely proud of him.
(26:56):
I face timed with him, you know, we stayed connected.
But I also look at the perspective of like I
can't get sad because my kids are actually living out
their dream, you know, like they had goals of playing
Division one athletics and they are doing it at a
(27:16):
high level. Like my oldest son is at UCF on
the football team, and he's a he just got Student
Athlete of the Week for his academic performance. And then
my youngest son is at my alma out of the
University of Florida, which you know. I posted a picture
a few weeks ago when UCF played against UF and
(27:38):
it was a full circle moment because I was literally
holding my kids hands and out. They grew up in
going to games in that stadium and then to be
playing against each other is pretty damn special. And then
my daughter, you know, is playing Division one basketball at
Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan. So they're all, you know,
(28:02):
it's not costing me anything except car insurance and and
and and uh and a few dollars here and there
because their own scholarship. So I'm like, my kids are
pretty freaking amazing, you know what I mean. Like, not many,
not many, not many, Not many dads can be like, yeah,
all my kids are Division on athletes. You know what
(28:24):
I'm saying. I do.
Speaker 1 (28:26):
Wow, Tyders, you got to come back to this show
anytime in the future. I love where your heart is.
I really do.
Speaker 3 (28:32):
I appreciate it, man, and I'd be more than happy
to do that excellent.
Speaker 1 (28:36):
Will you be brilliant today? Okay sir, yes, sir, you too.
Coming up next our conversation with Jessica Gee. You know
we're from the bucket List family. We are back with
Jessica Gee. Hello and good morning everybody.
Speaker 4 (28:52):
Hil my name.
Speaker 1 (28:53):
How are you doing?
Speaker 4 (28:55):
I'm wrong?
Speaker 1 (28:55):
How about yourself? Sir fantastic liked to hear it.
Speaker 4 (28:59):
I'm with Kai offer the bucketst Standley Travel for your
inter of you.
Speaker 1 (29:03):
Twenty second is one is going to go up? Oh fantastic.
Speaker 4 (29:06):
Do you know when you're gonna air it?
Speaker 2 (29:08):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (29:08):
The twenty second.
Speaker 4 (29:10):
Oh so it's gonna be live today.
Speaker 1 (29:12):
No, no, the twenty second, today's the twentieth.
Speaker 4 (29:15):
Oh sorry I was hearing twenty seconds.
Speaker 1 (29:18):
Okay, oh okay, I see what's your I see where
you're coming from. I'm from what to call? So you're
connected with.
Speaker 2 (29:28):
You will now be placed into the conference.
Speaker 1 (29:39):
Hello and good morning, Jessica, Good morning. How are you fantastic?
How about you?
Speaker 4 (29:45):
We're great. It's an early morning here in Hawaii, but
it's great.
Speaker 1 (29:48):
Oh my god, I can't imagine because it's what is it?
It's only nine to fifty one here, so you're what
five hours behind us.
Speaker 4 (29:56):
Uh yeah, I am four fifty two.
Speaker 1 (29:59):
Yep. My god. Well, I guess if you're going to
go see the world. Is there such a thing as time?
Speaker 4 (30:05):
Honestly, you're kind of used to it. You gotta be
used to it. Early morning flights and jet lag, it's
not a big deal. Wow.
Speaker 1 (30:12):
Well, once you've put together here with national geographics is
fantastic because you know what it does. It gets people
away from their smartphone. It gets people away from their computers.
And I can hold onto this book, I can read stories,
I can look at pictures. I mean, you've done the
right thing here.
Speaker 4 (30:27):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (30:29):
Are you getting any of this filmed? Because this would
make one heck of a documentary.
Speaker 4 (30:34):
Oh yeah. My husband, he's the journal keeper. He's got
loads and loads of footage that I mean, mostly for
family memories, but definitely some good archives to fall back
on and look at when the kids are older.
Speaker 1 (30:46):
Speaking of those photos, that's one of my questions I
wanted to talk to you about. I realized that this
book is thick and it's filled with lots of pictures,
but really, how many pictures have you taken?
Speaker 4 (30:58):
I couldn't even begin to tell you and I will
say I'm super proud that I ninety percent of the
photos in this book, or my husband, so he feels
quite honored to be now a that GEO published author.
Speaker 1 (31:09):
Wow Toddlers in Tonga. That sounds like something we'd find
on Nickelodeon.
Speaker 4 (31:16):
Yep.
Speaker 1 (31:18):
Is every country different in the way that it has
its own personality, because it just seems like that we've
become this society that you know, everything has to look
the same, smell the same, and be the same. But
your book is proving.
Speaker 4 (31:29):
Uh ah, Yeah, every place you go it just looks different.
There's different colors, there's different smells, there's different sites. It's
always so fun to see what you're going to experience
every time you land in a new country.
Speaker 1 (31:44):
Well, I can't imagine. I mean, you've been in Hawaii
this morning. I mean I already know what Hawaii smells like.
But for you to travel to other areas, I mean,
is there one country that just when you stepped off
that plane and was like, yes, this is a happy zone.
Speaker 4 (31:58):
I would say for me that was New Zealand. As
I got off the plane, I was like, this is
my this is this place calls to me. It's so fresh,
so clean. Everywhere you turn just looks like a postcard.
Speaker 1 (32:08):
The you're You're really honest in chapter seven when you
go with the expectations while expecting, I mean that that,
I mean you're sharing your world with us. I mean this,
to me is what a true influencer is all about.
Do you see yourself as being an influencer?
Speaker 4 (32:23):
I mean, I think so. I think over the last
few years, we've we've gained a pretty big audience and
hopefully encouraged a lot of families to get out and
see the world. So hopefully we are setting a good example,
maybe not even necessarily to go out and travel far,
but more importantly just to spend time with your family
and the.
Speaker 1 (32:40):
Photographs of your children learning to work with things on
the ground. I mean, there's so many kids that don't
do that kind of stuff, like learning how to start
a fire, or learning about different cultures in other countries.
You know that we think is out there, but you're
actually taking your little ones to that place.
Speaker 4 (32:56):
Totally, and honestly, a lot of the criticism or people
will they all are not going to remember this. But
I am so surprised at how much our kids are
taking in the little facts that they remember, and they'll
they'll bring up one tiny little detail from one country
that honestly me and my husband have forgotten about. They
do such They've taken so many little things that we
just don't even realize.
Speaker 1 (33:17):
And you know, you've got to be excited about the future,
because I mean, how do you know that you don't
have the next Jacques Cousta on your hands, or somebody
that that's going to go deep into the jungles to say,
you know, to save the gorillas. I mean, you're giving
them the classroom.
Speaker 4 (33:30):
Maybe maybe, and I could I could totally see it
with some of my kids, the passions that they follow
and the things they want. My little son, he wants
to be a pilot, So I mean, maybe from this
is just the beginning.
Speaker 1 (33:41):
Can you imagine in the future your son piloting your
family around the world.
Speaker 4 (33:47):
Oh my goodness, that would be a dread. I don't
know if I'm trusting me. He's only six years old.
But maybe someday that will come.
Speaker 1 (33:56):
One of the things that I would be worried about
going from country to country to country. And you cover
this staying healthy and safe. How are you staying healthy.
Speaker 4 (34:05):
Well? For us. Trouble has been a part of our lifestyle,
so it's been really important for us to not necessarily
just give up the diet like you kind of do
on vacations where you're like, oh, you know, it doesn't matter,
I'm only on vacation for a week. But we travel
so much that we've had to, you know, kind of
sit to that eighty twenty rule and continue to be
healthy and active and get into workout every day and
(34:26):
just waking up early and having a little bit of routine.
Speaker 1 (34:28):
Are you used to the cameras always taking pictures? And
the reason why I bring that up is because I
talk with so many reality TV people and they go,
you know, eventually you just forget the cameras even there,
you just live life.
Speaker 4 (34:39):
My husband has this incredible skill to film things, I
would say most of the time with his iPhone and
live in the moment. He does a phenomenal job at it.
So he's so good at doing that, and luckily he
takes care of it and I'm not the one who
has to do it.
Speaker 1 (34:55):
The texture of your photographs in the way that like
the beach scenes, every beach has its own own little
walk and way, and I love the fact that you know,
I can look at this beach and I see you
and your daughter and the water blurred out in the background.
The thing is is that to me, that's the texture
of it all. That's the thing that makes me go, wow,
I would love to do this.
Speaker 4 (35:14):
Oh that's great. I'm gonna pass that along to my husband,
telling you happy to hear that.
Speaker 1 (35:17):
Well, you know, you do teach us how to start
our own bucket list. I mean most people say, yeah,
that's on my boocket list and then they never get
around to it. But I mean you physically will teach
us how to do it.
Speaker 4 (35:27):
Yeah, and you quickly learned that as soon as you
start your bucket list, the bigger your bucket list growth,
the more and more places you want to see.
Speaker 1 (35:35):
Is there a certain area that you haven't seen yet?
Speaker 4 (35:40):
You know, we haven't done too much Scandinavia, We've done
that's next on my bucket list. We've done Norway, but
we haven't done Denmark or Finland or you know, some
of the Baltic states. So some of that area would
really like to get up to see soon.
Speaker 1 (35:53):
Well what are you doing with all this knowledge? I mean,
because I mean, I mean this book is a great
teaching book. I mean, but I mean, are you going
to hit a university one day and to talk about
this because you're taking in so much information?
Speaker 4 (36:06):
I mean, I really do love writing. I think this
book experience showed me that I enjoy writing it and
that I am good at it. So I hope to
do a little bit more writing in the future.
Speaker 1 (36:16):
Is there a secret to packing.
Speaker 4 (36:19):
Less is more? Definitely? Definitely, definitely. If you could have
seen the stuff that I brought in the beginning, I'm
embarrassed by it and now realizing how minimalistic we pack,
and not even just on the road, but at home.
Our life is very minimalistic. We don't have big clauses
by any means. It's really empowering to be minimalist.
Speaker 1 (36:38):
Oh. I can totally relate with that because I'm an
r V. You can't take the entire house, can there?
Speaker 2 (36:43):
Oh?
Speaker 1 (36:44):
Yes, I do. And you know, when we first started out, though,
we were taking everything with us, and it's like, no,
I have to put it away when I get home. No,
it's not going with us.
Speaker 4 (36:53):
Oh, totally. And then every time we come home after
our trip, I've heard again because I'm God, we don't
need this. We don't need this. I haven't used this
in three months.
Speaker 1 (37:00):
Go that's it, that's it, that's it. Where can people
go to find out more information about you, your family
and everything that you're doing, especially with your writing. I mean,
you've got to be putting it out there more than
just a book.
Speaker 4 (37:10):
Oh yeah, thank you so much. You can find us
on social media at the Bucket the Family on Instagram, YouTube,
and then you can find this book anywhere books are
sold on Amazon and Target in your local bookstore.
Speaker 1 (37:21):
All right, well, you've got to come back to this
show anytime in the future. I like talking family with you.
Speaker 4 (37:26):
Oh I appreciate it so rich to chat with you.
Speaker 1 (37:28):
Will you'd be brilliant today?
Speaker 4 (37:29):
Okay, thank you, you too,
Hey, welcome back to my studio. This is my day
of Play, where you're taken into the really vincent actions
of how it happens before the process of editing or
cleaning up. The original purpose of these episodes was to
give my broadcasting students something to edit, to practice with,
or to call their own. And then I realized you're
just as important as they are share the reality of
how it really happens. We begin things with author Chip Layton,
(00:23):
whose latest book is titled What Time Is Noon? An
entertaining collection of stories about his journey with his teenage daughter.
Then we're going to leap into an unedited conversation with
Titus O'Neil from The WWE, who knows in his heart
that his greatest title in life is the opportunity to
be a dad. And we'll wrap things up with TV
host Jessica Gee Yeah, the same Jessica from the bucket
(00:44):
List Family. This is my day of play, completely unedited
in the way of meeting the wizard behind the curtain. Hellong,
good morning, everybody, Good morning. Era was Peter with Chip Layton.
How are you very good? How about you? Great? Great?
I have them for you. You you have a little
extra time if you need it. Okay, don't feel like
you're rush to get out right at thirty. Okay, excellent,
(01:05):
Thank you so much. All right, sure sure, Thanks damd
By and Chip. You're joined by Arrow.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
Hey, Arrow, good morning.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
Hey. How are you doing today?
Speaker 2 (01:16):
I'm doing great. Thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
What a brilliant book, because this right here is teaching
people teens speak and the language that they're putting out
there as their generation, because they're saying things in doing
things that I don't know. I don't get it, but
please teach me.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
Yeah, it's yeah. I think it's been a fun adventure
kind of writing this book. It's got like hundreds of
crazy text messages that teenagers. Sand's got a little glossary
of teen language, and yeah, it's good fun.
Speaker 1 (01:44):
I mean you make it so adult as well, because
I mean even with the you know, dashboard warning lights.
I mean you sit there and you look at that
and you think, wow, what if we had those dashboard
warning lights when it comes to our kids.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
Right, yeah, yeah, they refer to them as emojis, and
I do have a little translation guy for some of
the big ones, like the yeah, the oil light. They
usually call either the tea kettle or the gravy boat
or the genie lamps. Oh, it's I'm trying that. Yeah,
it bridge the communication gap between kids and parents.
Speaker 1 (02:11):
Was it a shock to you when when your daughter
did ask you what time is noon?
Speaker 2 (02:16):
Well? Yeah, so, actually that one came from I've probably
heard that from like ten or twelve other parents. What
did that from the variation of that? My kids never
asked me that, but I thought it was the perfect
example of a title for the book because it's like,
it's so basic, you'd never think you'd have to explain that.
But then again, if no one had explained it to you,
you wouldn't know it. Oh it's that's that's I mean,
my whole thing with this is it's a it's a
(02:36):
celebration of teen humor. It's not like trying to make
fun of kids, and it's not trying to indict parents
for you know, make them feel bad. It's just, uh, yeah,
it's just this stuff happens. You know.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
Well, I'm on this big mission at my essential job
to where I'm trying to teach the teens how to
read a clock. What they're doing is they've been you know,
raised in this digital age where you know, seven fifteen
is seven to fifteen, but to look at it on
a clock, they don't know, and it's like it's so
it's it's like they're in their own zone. But I
cannot judge them and I will not judge them for it.
And that's why this book is so important.
Speaker 2 (03:08):
Yeah, the clock's an interesting one. The other thing, Yeah,
somebody used the phrase the other day. The kid was like,
I can't site read that, you know, like it's like
it's music or something. But yeah, the thing is if
you say like quarter after or quarter two, like they're like,
just speak English, what do you what are you even
trying to say?
Speaker 3 (03:23):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (03:24):
Yeah, or they start using those letters. You know, it
took me forever to you know b RB. You know,
I'll be right back. But it's but it's like, but
they're still doing those things today and I'm going I
have no clue. Guys, you got to educate me.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
Yeah. Yeah, they got a glossary in the book which
goes through some of those things, you know, cap, you know, dead,
you know, riz, all that kind of stuff. I mean,
it's it's probably already out of date because these things
change pretty bad.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
What did you learn with this project because I mean,
I mean you, as the writer, you're still a student
and you're you're passing your test basically to us.
Speaker 2 (04:01):
Yeah, I mean, probably the thing I've learned most from
the book and my stuff on social media is just
how universal some of this stuff is. Like a lot
I get a lot of comments like, oh man, I
guess my kid's normal, or like I'm not the worst
parent in the world because we're not the only ones
that act like this. I'm not the only one that
gets crazy questions or feedback like this. So it's it's uh,
that is a neat thing about social media is you
(04:23):
kind of find other people who are just like you
and have the same experiences, which which is all I'll
try to do, is like bring people together for a
like kind of fun moment, you know, not not be
too serious.
Speaker 1 (04:32):
But you know what's really interesting and it's so true
is when you're writing about the organ donor you know,
I don't like needles or I hate needles? Am I
going to get paid for this? And you just sit
there going, oh, I've been in those conversations. Oh my god.
Speaker 2 (04:44):
Yeah, yeah. Yeah. When kids get their driver's license and
they ask if they want to be an organ donor.
It's it's crazy, like there are a lot of kids
who legitimately think like if they say yes, like they
can call you at any time for an organ which
is that would be wild?
Speaker 1 (04:56):
You know, I'm going to school. You know you're teaching
the parents. Don't act weird, don't do it?
Speaker 2 (05:05):
Yeah, yeah, the whole day as a whole section on
the school pickup line. You know rules there. You can't
like roll down your window or turn on your music
or make eye contact or waves. Yeah, you got to
basically be invisible. And if and if you if they're
playing their music in the car, you know, and you
can't show that you like one of their songs otherwise
that comes right off the playlist immediately.
Speaker 1 (05:23):
You know, do you ever sit back and go if
I were a teen today, what would I be doing?
How would I be reacting? What if I didn't know
what I know as an adult? What would I be
like as a teen?
Speaker 2 (05:36):
Yeah? Right, well, I can remember being your tea. That
was pretty similar I think to the teens today. We
didn't have texting to document all the questions and stuff
like that. But yeah, and uh, and I have a
couple one of my kids is no longer a ted's
twenty one now. But but I get to, you know,
feedback from them. The biggest feedback they give me these
days is because I mostly what I do is feature
other people's texts that people send me. Is They're like,
(05:57):
you've got to make it much clearer. These are not
all aren't My friends think I'm an idiot because I
think I send every single one of these. It is
a mix.
Speaker 1 (06:05):
Well you even warn in here do not group text
your kids in these things, because I mean, yeah, I
still get freaked out when I realized, oh, I've been
in a group this entire time.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
Yeah. Yeah, the family chat is that's a little dicey.
There was one time my daughter pointed out to be like,
for the past month, like the only messages of the
family chat were my own, to which no one had responded.
You know. It's she with one exception, she put like
a thumbs down on one of my messages because I
said what time we were leaving in the morning, So
it's yeah, that doesn't usually work.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
Did you laugh while putting this book together? I mean,
come on, I mean, after three years of Spanish, win
is Cinco demio that right there? That's that's a gutbuster.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
Yeah, no, they're great ones. It here. It's like a
lot of my favorites. I mean, you were coming up
on the holidays. One of my favorites is, Hey, I
tried this new cologne at the store I want for Christmas.
The brand it's called Tester, So it's you know, it's
stuff like that kind of makes you scratch your head.
Did Grandma have kids?
Speaker 4 (06:59):
You know?
Speaker 2 (07:00):
These ones?
Speaker 1 (07:00):
I love the Did you go sit in a Starbucks
and just just listen, just do you just to see
how everybody was, you know, sharing conversations. I've never done that.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
I've never listened. I'm fortunate in that people just share
stuff with me, and obviously I have a bunch of
stuff going on in my own home. And yeah, it's
been wild to have this whole community is developed and
people are like send me stuff. They're like, oh, I
hope it makes a cut, you know, to be featured
in your social media or a book or whatever. So
it's I'm very lucky that I've sort of become the
hub for this kind of stuff.
Speaker 1 (07:28):
Would you like to sit down and watch a team
read this book?
Speaker 2 (07:33):
Yeah? Yeah, Well it's funny because I am hearing from
a lot of parents who are like, oh, I read this.
I read this out loud together with my team and
they were laughing, which is which is interesting and and
because I think with my social stuff that doesn't happen
as much. They might forward something to their team, but
when you forward a video to your team, they deleted
immediately usually so, but it is interesting that the format
(07:53):
of this lends itself to kind of sharing. I mean,
it's a it's a light, fun book. You could literally
pick up any page of it and just you know,
read it and hopefully get a laugh. So it make
sure at gift I think, Oh.
Speaker 1 (08:03):
I hope it's at the airport, because this is one
of those books that during the holidays and stuff, people
will grab this book and when they're on their next flight,
they're going to read through it and just have a
good flight.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
That's a great that's a great idea. I hadn't thought
of that.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
I like your graphs. You're like sharing a hotel room.
You know, you know the reasons why they you know,
they don't like sleeping in a hotel room. Could it
goes everything from privacy to dad's snoring? So true?
Speaker 2 (08:27):
Yeah, yeah, yeah. The yeah, sharing a hotel room as
a family is it's it's tough. Yeah, that's in my chapter.
I have old chapter of vacation and so the pitfall there.
But yeah, I have a bunch of charts and graphs
that kind of illustrates some of these concepts, you know,
like mistakes you can make when texting or you know,
quizit sort of grade yourself on how cringey your use
of technology is. So it's so yeah, it's about about
(08:48):
half the book is those types of features which are
which are fun.
Speaker 1 (08:50):
I think even when kids are judging us, and they
do judge us, I love that my kids reviews of
my outfits. Oh my god. It's almost like if you
don't like what I'm wearing, don't wear it then.
Speaker 2 (09:00):
Right, Yeah, yeah, they are not shy with their feedback
that My dag walked into the kitchen the other day
my daughters like mumbled something about my monochromatic outfit. They
have the same color on top of bottoms.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
Where can people go to find out more about what
you're doing, because this truly is a connection.
Speaker 2 (09:20):
Yeah, thanks, So they can find me on social so
either TikTok, Instagram or Facebook. It's the Layton Show L
E I G H T O N. Or they can
check out the book. What time is noon? You know
anywhere books are sold and you have to check it out.
If you haven't seen me, well.
Speaker 1 (09:34):
Dude, you've got to come back to this show anytime
in the future. The door is always going to be
open for you.
Speaker 2 (09:39):
Awesome, Thanks, I really enjoyed it.
Speaker 1 (09:40):
Will you'd be brilliant today? Okay, all right, you too,
Please do not move the WWE's Titus O'Neill is coming
up next. Hey, welcome back to my day of play.
Let's get into that conversation with Titus O'Neill. Hey, Hey, hey,
good morning everybody. Hey, good morning, fantastic tys. Let me
tell before we can get started. I want this book
(10:02):
to be an inspiration to fathers and new fathers that
are on our way, because I wish more dads would
do what you have done here, and that is bringing
the presence of right now to a leadership role.
Speaker 4 (10:13):
Right.
Speaker 3 (10:16):
Yeah, Yeah, I appreciate that. Yeah, I'm hoping the same thing.
Speaker 1 (10:19):
Well, because we I mean, you can go to a mall,
you can go to church, you can go wherever, and
you're starting to see fathers take that role and they're
appearing with their kids, whereas my father, Ah, I don't
want them near me, go to your.
Speaker 3 (10:31):
Mom, right right. Yeah. I think a lot of dads
don't understand the power of their presence because they're so
used to and accustomed to just being looked at us
protectors and providers, and the presence is even more important
(10:52):
and a lot of times, unfortunately for those that have fathers,
they don't even recognize the importance of their of their
father until their dad is, you know, not in the picture.
Speaker 1 (11:04):
I love the full title of the book where you
talk about that your greatest title is being dad. That
that really that means a lot to so many people,
because you know, fathers are finally getting that little pat
on the back saying good job, dude.
Speaker 3 (11:18):
Right yeah, No, I mean it's it is the So
for some people it's the greatest challenge, but it's also
the greatest and the greatest responsibility. But I think getting
the opportunity to kind of help rear kids through across
the finish line in several stages of their lives, you know,
it's to me. I mean, like I said, I didn't
(11:41):
grow up with a father, and you know, my mom
had me at a very under very difficult circumstances rate
at eleven years old, having me at twelve years old,
being you know, put in a position where she had
raised a child as a child, and I just Mama,
I never got a chance to see the things that
(12:04):
my kids have been able to experience, or even myself.
I'm the first person to walk across the high school
graduation stage for my family. I'm the first person to
walk across a college stage for graduation for my family.
First homeowner, Like, there's so many things that I generation
generationally broke the curse of and as a father having
(12:27):
the opportunity to I mean my kids first day in kindergarten,
first day of school every year, first day, you know,
first win on a basketball court, first win on a
football you know, first touchdown like you know, uh, graduating
from high school, you know, state championship, championship, you know,
reigns and all these things that I've had the chance
(12:50):
as a dad to be a part of and then
even cult moments of. And it teaches you. I think
fatherhood teaches you how to communicate Oh yes, and and
and uh and so for me, like my kids, I
(13:11):
just said, it's recently in a in a recent podcast,
I just did, uh that my kids saved my life.
You know, I literally saved my life. And at my
darkest time, you know, I had gone through a divorce
and trying to transfigure out what my next transition was
going to be in life. And you know, if it
(13:33):
wasn't my if my kids weren't in a picture, I
don't know where I would be at today. Just because
I went through a deep battle of depression, I felt
like I was kind of worthless, you know. But I'll
also say, you know, looking back on it and and
where I'm at now, like I'll tell anybody that's going
through a divorce or going through a tough time in
(13:55):
their marriage or a relationship, like divorce isn't death, you know.
And I think so many people you know that I
know that are even around my true inner circle. Some
people have been married, you know, their marriage the second
time around is much better than it was the first
time around. And some people they had to try the
third time. I don't think I'll offer be in that position.
(14:17):
But you know, at the end of the day, my
children and I think a lot of people, uh, in
difficult times, their children are really the things that that
that drives them to be better people and it forces them,
you know, because it's a huge responsibility.
Speaker 1 (14:34):
You touch on something here that that I never even
thought about with my own father, and you said that
that that fathers do have those moments of depression. I
never even thought about going into that because we you know,
we just don't think of that.
Speaker 3 (14:47):
Yes, no, I mean because we're supposed to be macho, right,
We're supposed to be We're supposed to be tough guys
and and not show any chinks in our arms and
stuff like that. And you know, those days are long
gone for a lot of us, and they should be.
(15:08):
Going to mental health counseling is probably the greatest decision
I ever made for myself. You're not weak because you
do it. You're actually stronger because you do. It's okay
not to be okay, And I think a lot of
times people look at looked at it as taboo. But
I think once you're in a greater mental state, it
(15:29):
empowers you to be a better man. Which if you're
a father or a husband or whatever. It also has
to do with your surroundings of people that are pouring
into you as well. But I think at the at
the in the grand scheme of things, like learning how
to be vulnerable in moments in which you know you're
(15:53):
supposed to be quote unquote tough. Like I cried like
a baby seeing my kids win the state championship, you know.
Speaker 4 (15:59):
What I mean.
Speaker 3 (16:03):
I cried like a baby seeing my son, you know,
when his first Pop Warner super Bowl. You know, like
I cried watching them do their first play. You know,
it's just like it's okay, Like you're not that tough dude.
Speaker 1 (16:18):
You know what I mean.
Speaker 3 (16:21):
And I didn't have a chance, Like I adopted my
daughter a little bit later in life, but I've been
in her life since she was seven years old, and
and you know, I didn't I didn't get a chance
to kind of rear her from the beginning. But I've
always I'd always wanted to be a daddy's girl. I
mean that, you know that I always wanted my daughter.
I wanted a daughter. Yeah, I want to be a
(16:42):
girl dad, you know. And fortunately it came the opportunity
for me to adopt my daughter. And she's she's my
baby girl. Even though she just turned nineteen, she's still
my baby girl, you know. And but it's just uh,
I want men to just understand that like we we are,
(17:05):
we are very much so important, even in the world
in which sometimes you know, the significance of fatherhood gets diminished.
You know, you have these women that's like, oh, I
don't need a man to raise my kids and this
and that, and that's uh, that's that's bs. You know,
you need a man and you need a woman and
both of them can nurture and nature children into to
(17:29):
be great human beings. And yeah, it might be two
different perspectives and things like that, but it's the opportunity
to put a good human being out and is a
very special blessing that a lot of people wish they
could have. I know, some of my friends in my
circle that can't have children right never have had the
(17:50):
ability to have children. Have tried numerous different ways to
have children, and it just did not work out for them,
and that's an empty void for them. And they I
mean they have they've been married for years and have
tons of success, but that one thing that they they
want the most, it just has not been the opportunity
(18:13):
for the for them to garner and that's parenthood. And
for the dad, it's you know, fatherhood. And even in
my own family, you know, uh, my brothers you know,
had their challenges with having children, but they had them
and it's the greatest thing that could have ever happened
to them too. Again, none of us grew up with
positive dads in the house, but we we all are
(18:38):
pretty damn good ross when it comes.
Speaker 1 (18:40):
That's every bit the reason why I said in the
very beginning that this is one of those books that's
going to serve as a positive tool to get men
to understand, Yeah, you can have feelings, Yeah, you can
love your kids. Yeah you can go to that football
game and get away from your TV screen mm hmmm,
and get off your phone.
Speaker 3 (18:57):
Yeah, get off your phone. Drop work. You know, sometimes
we you know, like obviously I've had resources for quite
some time to be able to do any and everything
with my kids, and we've done some amazing things. But
I remember one day my oldest son TJ. There was
(19:21):
there was a Bucks game going on, and you know,
we go to games a lot, We go to Lightning games,
Bucks games, Raisa, all that stuff, and on this particular
day might have been like fifteen, fourteen years old, and
I was like, hey, you want to go to the
game today and he's like, no, da, I just want
(19:41):
to go to church, and then like we could just
watch a movie at home, like I don't want to
go out. And I'm like, like, my son values this
moment much more than other people would value this moment
because if I tell ask anybody else, knowing that they're
(20:02):
probably going to be sitting on a suite in a suite,
they're probably going to be on the field before the game,
knowing you know what I mean, knowing that they don't
have to worry about food, parking, like all that stuff,
they would jump at that opportunity. But my kids have
been like, no, we're good, Like we've spend time with you,
and it spends some time we go in the backyard
and just play ping pong and hang out and those
(20:25):
are the greatest times for us, you know, away from
people asking for autographs and pictures and this and that.
And I think that was probably the main reason why
in some cases they were like, Nah, let's just hang
out the house, let's just cook a meal together here,
let's just go order in, you know, because they don't
want to deal with all that.
Speaker 1 (20:46):
Yeah. Yeah, One of the things that you touch on
is Father's Day and it's not you know, it's treated
not as popular as Mom's Day. But I mean, I
love my mother to pieces, but at the same time,
I wish I could have spent more time with him
during his day.
Speaker 3 (21:00):
Yes, it's I think I said it in the book.
This day is celebrated, Father's Day is tolerated.
Speaker 1 (21:10):
Yep, yep, yep.
Speaker 3 (21:12):
And you know, we got to get to a place
where Father's Day is treated equally as important as Mother's Day.
Because it takes two to tango, and it takes two
to it takes all of us to It takes a
village to raise a child. And if men are looked
at as the leaders of the household, then they need
(21:35):
to be leaders of that village and treated as such.
And a lot of times that's not the case. We're
treated as commodities, you know what I mean. Or And
and I celebration this year just to do that, celebrate
dads in a major way and bring importance of not
only fathers biological fathers, but adoptive parents as well as
(21:57):
male mentors because in my opinion, and it's just my opinion,
it's not based on any other facts other than what
I see, because of the philanthropic work that I do.
A lot of the folks that are in underserved communities
(22:17):
are having to be raised without father figures in the
home and or positive father of the figures in the home.
And that's not just black underserved communities, as rural country areas,
white areas, Hispanic areas, et cetera. Where there's no positive
male role model present, there's a high likelihood that the
(22:42):
dropout rate is higher, the arrest rate is higher, the
poverty rate is higher. You know, It's just it's very
evident when you go to certain spaces like what you know,
where there is no male role model mar or leadership.
Speaker 1 (23:01):
That Yeah, one of the things that I'm seeing a
lot lately. And maybe it's just human nature, but I'm
seeing a lot of grandparents raising their grandchildren. And I
want the children to love their grandfather just as much
as they would love a father, because he's sacrificing a
part of his major life as well.
Speaker 3 (23:16):
Yes, we we I always think too, you know, kids
that are eight and under and people that are eighty
and over, like, we got to start paying more attention
to them because they actually can teach us a.
Speaker 1 (23:31):
Lot more than we know. Oh, yeah.
Speaker 3 (23:33):
And there are two demographics of age that like literally
will tell you the truth. Like a five year old
kid if you pick him up or her up and
your breath stinks, they're gonna be like, oh, your breath stinks,
you know. And an elderly person will do the same thing.
They will tell you exactly, you know what I mean.
(23:53):
But somewhere in between that eight and eighty we get
formed into thinking that we can't be truthful, and we
can't be honest, and we can't tell stories and we
can't have dreams. And an eighty old person will tell
you the same story that you've probably heard fifty times.
But you and people you know what I mean, because
(24:14):
they're going back to infant stages and reliving in their days.
But sit there and listen to them, and the kids
are the same way. Like they tell you about their day,
they tell you about kids at school, they tell you
about all that. Like, sit there and listen to them,
because that's their form of communicating. But that's also their
release of their dreams and their goals and things that
they want to do in life or that they accomplished
(24:35):
in life and that they want to pass down to
their families. Et cetera. So we have to get to
a space where we don't look at the elderly as
like a disability to the family. It's actually, you know,
an asset to the family. That if I had my
grandmother around, I would more than love have my lovet
(24:56):
my grandmother at forty nine years old, you know, to
breast cancer eighteen ninety five. You know, grandfather didn't last
too much longer. You know, he passed away and probably
six years after that from prostate cancer. So for me,
like I've had to basically adopt grandparents, you know, grandparent figures,
(25:21):
whether it's my fraternity brother's mom dad, or grandfather and granddad,
or people at the church, or whatever it may be.
But I enjoy having that perspective of life because they
will teach you history that you can't learn in the.
Speaker 1 (25:37):
Book yea incanest syndrome. My daughter's room has been untouched.
I've left it exactly the way that she left it,
and I love it. When my grandchildren come over and
see what their mother did inside her room, I just
want them to feel that, how did you deal with it?
Speaker 3 (25:54):
Well? I did the complete oc redid all my floors
on the bottom floor of my house and actually my son,
my youngest son, Titus, came home to a huge surprise
because there was no bed.
Speaker 4 (26:10):
In his room.
Speaker 1 (26:11):
Wow, And there was no bed.
Speaker 3 (26:13):
In TJ's room. Well, there's a bed in TJ's room,
but no bed in his room. And I didn't tell him.
I should have told him, Hey, I'm taking your bed
out because I'm redoing the floors and stuff like that
and I'm going to rearrange the rooms. But so now
he hasn't like And I also wanted to do Murphy
beds just so it can help. Yeah, I have like
(26:33):
you guys aren't here, so and I got these five
French bulldogs, so some you know, their room's gonna get
taken over by somebody. So I think, yeah, it's weird
sometimes coming home, Uh, and they're not here. But I
talk to him every day. I'm extremely proud of him.
(26:56):
I face timed with him, you know, we stayed connected.
But I also look at the perspective of like I
can't get sad because my kids are actually living out
their dream, you know, like they had goals of playing
Division one athletics and they are doing it at a
(27:16):
high level. Like my oldest son is at UCF on
the football team, and he's a he just got Student
Athlete of the Week for his academic performance. And then
my youngest son is at my alma out of the
University of Florida, which you know. I posted a picture
a few weeks ago when UCF played against UF and
(27:38):
it was a full circle moment because I was literally
holding my kids hands and out. They grew up in
going to games in that stadium and then to be
playing against each other is pretty damn special. And then
my daughter, you know, is playing Division one basketball at
Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan. So they're all, you know,
(28:02):
it's not costing me anything except car insurance and and
and and uh and a few dollars here and there
because their own scholarship. So I'm like, my kids are
pretty freaking amazing, you know what I mean. Like, not many,
not many, not many, Not many dads can be like, yeah,
all my kids are Division on athletes. You know what
(28:24):
I'm saying. I do.
Speaker 1 (28:26):
Wow, Tyders, you got to come back to this show
anytime in the future. I love where your heart is.
I really do.
Speaker 3 (28:32):
I appreciate it, man, and I'd be more than happy
to do that excellent.
Speaker 1 (28:36):
Will you be brilliant today? Okay sir, yes, sir, you too.
Coming up next our conversation with Jessica Gee. You know
we're from the bucket List family. We are back with
Jessica Gee. Hello and good morning everybody.
Speaker 4 (28:52):
Hil my name.
Speaker 1 (28:53):
How are you doing?
Speaker 4 (28:55):
I'm wrong?
Speaker 1 (28:55):
How about yourself? Sir fantastic liked to hear it.
Speaker 4 (28:59):
I'm with Kai offer the bucketst Standley Travel for your
inter of you.
Speaker 1 (29:03):
Twenty second is one is going to go up? Oh fantastic.
Speaker 4 (29:06):
Do you know when you're gonna air it?
Speaker 2 (29:08):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (29:08):
The twenty second.
Speaker 4 (29:10):
Oh so it's gonna be live today.
Speaker 1 (29:12):
No, no, the twenty second, today's the twentieth.
Speaker 4 (29:15):
Oh sorry I was hearing twenty seconds.
Speaker 1 (29:18):
Okay, oh okay, I see what's your I see where
you're coming from. I'm from what to call? So you're
connected with.
Speaker 2 (29:28):
You will now be placed into the conference.
Speaker 1 (29:39):
Hello and good morning, Jessica, Good morning. How are you fantastic?
How about you?
Speaker 4 (29:45):
We're great. It's an early morning here in Hawaii, but
it's great.
Speaker 1 (29:48):
Oh my god, I can't imagine because it's what is it?
It's only nine to fifty one here, so you're what
five hours behind us.
Speaker 4 (29:56):
Uh yeah, I am four fifty two.
Speaker 1 (29:59):
Yep. My god. Well, I guess if you're going to
go see the world. Is there such a thing as time?
Speaker 4 (30:05):
Honestly, you're kind of used to it. You gotta be
used to it. Early morning flights and jet lag, it's
not a big deal. Wow.
Speaker 1 (30:12):
Well, once you've put together here with national geographics is
fantastic because you know what it does. It gets people
away from their smartphone. It gets people away from their computers.
And I can hold onto this book, I can read stories,
I can look at pictures. I mean, you've done the
right thing here.
Speaker 4 (30:27):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (30:29):
Are you getting any of this filmed? Because this would
make one heck of a documentary.
Speaker 4 (30:34):
Oh yeah. My husband, he's the journal keeper. He's got
loads and loads of footage that I mean, mostly for
family memories, but definitely some good archives to fall back
on and look at when the kids are older.
Speaker 1 (30:46):
Speaking of those photos, that's one of my questions I
wanted to talk to you about. I realized that this
book is thick and it's filled with lots of pictures,
but really, how many pictures have you taken?
Speaker 4 (30:58):
I couldn't even begin to tell you and I will
say I'm super proud that I ninety percent of the
photos in this book, or my husband, so he feels
quite honored to be now a that GEO published author.
Speaker 1 (31:09):
Wow Toddlers in Tonga. That sounds like something we'd find
on Nickelodeon.
Speaker 4 (31:16):
Yep.
Speaker 1 (31:18):
Is every country different in the way that it has
its own personality, because it just seems like that we've
become this society that you know, everything has to look
the same, smell the same, and be the same. But
your book is proving.
Speaker 4 (31:29):
Uh ah, Yeah, every place you go it just looks different.
There's different colors, there's different smells, there's different sites. It's
always so fun to see what you're going to experience
every time you land in a new country.
Speaker 1 (31:44):
Well, I can't imagine. I mean, you've been in Hawaii
this morning. I mean I already know what Hawaii smells like.
But for you to travel to other areas, I mean,
is there one country that just when you stepped off
that plane and was like, yes, this is a happy zone.
Speaker 4 (31:58):
I would say for me that was New Zealand. As
I got off the plane, I was like, this is
my this is this place calls to me. It's so fresh,
so clean. Everywhere you turn just looks like a postcard.
Speaker 1 (32:08):
The you're You're really honest in chapter seven when you
go with the expectations while expecting, I mean that that,
I mean you're sharing your world with us. I mean this,
to me is what a true influencer is all about.
Do you see yourself as being an influencer?
Speaker 4 (32:23):
I mean, I think so. I think over the last
few years, we've we've gained a pretty big audience and
hopefully encouraged a lot of families to get out and
see the world. So hopefully we are setting a good example,
maybe not even necessarily to go out and travel far,
but more importantly just to spend time with your family
and the.
Speaker 1 (32:40):
Photographs of your children learning to work with things on
the ground. I mean, there's so many kids that don't
do that kind of stuff, like learning how to start
a fire, or learning about different cultures in other countries.
You know that we think is out there, but you're
actually taking your little ones to that place.
Speaker 4 (32:56):
Totally, and honestly, a lot of the criticism or people
will they all are not going to remember this. But
I am so surprised at how much our kids are
taking in the little facts that they remember, and they'll
they'll bring up one tiny little detail from one country
that honestly me and my husband have forgotten about. They
do such They've taken so many little things that we
just don't even realize.
Speaker 1 (33:17):
And you know, you've got to be excited about the future,
because I mean, how do you know that you don't
have the next Jacques Cousta on your hands, or somebody
that that's going to go deep into the jungles to say,
you know, to save the gorillas. I mean, you're giving
them the classroom.
Speaker 4 (33:30):
Maybe maybe, and I could I could totally see it
with some of my kids, the passions that they follow
and the things they want. My little son, he wants
to be a pilot, So I mean, maybe from this
is just the beginning.
Speaker 1 (33:41):
Can you imagine in the future your son piloting your
family around the world.
Speaker 4 (33:47):
Oh my goodness, that would be a dread. I don't
know if I'm trusting me. He's only six years old.
But maybe someday that will come.
Speaker 1 (33:56):
One of the things that I would be worried about
going from country to country to country. And you cover
this staying healthy and safe. How are you staying healthy.
Speaker 4 (34:05):
Well? For us. Trouble has been a part of our lifestyle,
so it's been really important for us to not necessarily
just give up the diet like you kind of do
on vacations where you're like, oh, you know, it doesn't matter,
I'm only on vacation for a week. But we travel
so much that we've had to, you know, kind of
sit to that eighty twenty rule and continue to be
healthy and active and get into workout every day and
(34:26):
just waking up early and having a little bit of routine.
Speaker 1 (34:28):
Are you used to the cameras always taking pictures? And
the reason why I bring that up is because I
talk with so many reality TV people and they go,
you know, eventually you just forget the cameras even there,
you just live life.
Speaker 4 (34:39):
My husband has this incredible skill to film things, I
would say most of the time with his iPhone and
live in the moment. He does a phenomenal job at it.
So he's so good at doing that, and luckily he
takes care of it and I'm not the one who
has to do it.
Speaker 1 (34:55):
The texture of your photographs in the way that like
the beach scenes, every beach has its own own little
walk and way, and I love the fact that you know,
I can look at this beach and I see you
and your daughter and the water blurred out in the background.
The thing is is that to me, that's the texture
of it all. That's the thing that makes me go, wow,
I would love to do this.
Speaker 4 (35:14):
Oh that's great. I'm gonna pass that along to my husband,
telling you happy to hear that.
Speaker 1 (35:17):
Well, you know, you do teach us how to start
our own bucket list. I mean most people say, yeah,
that's on my boocket list and then they never get
around to it. But I mean you physically will teach
us how to do it.
Speaker 4 (35:27):
Yeah, and you quickly learned that as soon as you
start your bucket list, the bigger your bucket list growth,
the more and more places you want to see.
Speaker 1 (35:35):
Is there a certain area that you haven't seen yet?
Speaker 4 (35:40):
You know, we haven't done too much Scandinavia, We've done
that's next on my bucket list. We've done Norway, but
we haven't done Denmark or Finland or you know, some
of the Baltic states. So some of that area would
really like to get up to see soon.
Speaker 1 (35:53):
Well what are you doing with all this knowledge? I mean,
because I mean, I mean this book is a great
teaching book. I mean, but I mean, are you going
to hit a university one day and to talk about
this because you're taking in so much information?
Speaker 4 (36:06):
I mean, I really do love writing. I think this
book experience showed me that I enjoy writing it and
that I am good at it. So I hope to
do a little bit more writing in the future.
Speaker 1 (36:16):
Is there a secret to packing.
Speaker 4 (36:19):
Less is more? Definitely? Definitely, definitely. If you could have
seen the stuff that I brought in the beginning, I'm
embarrassed by it and now realizing how minimalistic we pack,
and not even just on the road, but at home.
Our life is very minimalistic. We don't have big clauses
by any means. It's really empowering to be minimalist.
Speaker 1 (36:38):
Oh. I can totally relate with that because I'm an
r V. You can't take the entire house, can there?
Speaker 2 (36:43):
Oh?
Speaker 1 (36:44):
Yes, I do. And you know, when we first started out, though,
we were taking everything with us, and it's like, no,
I have to put it away when I get home. No,
it's not going with us.
Speaker 4 (36:53):
Oh, totally. And then every time we come home after
our trip, I've heard again because I'm God, we don't
need this. We don't need this. I haven't used this
in three months.
Speaker 1 (37:00):
Go that's it, that's it, that's it. Where can people
go to find out more information about you, your family
and everything that you're doing, especially with your writing. I mean,
you've got to be putting it out there more than
just a book.
Speaker 4 (37:10):
Oh yeah, thank you so much. You can find us
on social media at the Bucket the Family on Instagram, YouTube,
and then you can find this book anywhere books are
sold on Amazon and Target in your local bookstore.
Speaker 1 (37:21):
All right, well, you've got to come back to this
show anytime in the future. I like talking family with you.
Speaker 4 (37:26):
Oh I appreciate it so rich to chat with you.
Speaker 1 (37:28):
Will you'd be brilliant today?
Speaker 4 (37:29):
Okay, thank you, you too,
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