Ep 1252 | Sage Steele on Her New Faith Journey & Finding Her Husband
Episode Stats
Length
1 hour and 15 minutes
Words per Minute
180.82628
Summary
Sage Steele was suspended by ESPN in 2021 for speaking out against forced vaccines. Her journey since then of love, of faith, and bravery is so incredible and multilayered. We are going to be talking about all of that today, including her recent wedding to her new husband, her relationship with her parents and her kids, her journey of faith and then, those really dark, difficult moments just a few years ago when she thought she wasn t going to survive.
Transcript
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Sage Steele was suspended by ESPN in 2021 for speaking out against forced vaccines.
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Her journey since then of love, of faith, of bravery is so incredible and multilayered.
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We are going to be talking about all of that today, including her recent wedding to her new husband,
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her relationship with her parents and her kids, her journey of faith, and then also those really
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dark, difficult moments just a few years ago when she thought she wasn't going to be able to go on,
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when she put everything on the line for the truth. You are going to be so encouraged by this
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incredible conversation. It's brought to you by our friends at Good Ranchers. Go to goodranchers.com,
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use code Allie at checkout. That's goodranchers.com, code Allie.
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Before we get into that conversation, tomorrow is Share the Arrows and you can still get your
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ticket. We still have a few tickets left. Y'all, last minute is totally okay. Come by yourself,
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come with a friend. This is going to be an amazing day of biblical teaching and worship. You will be
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reminded that you're not alone and you will walk out of there with zero fear of man. Maybe this is
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a launchpad for you into a new era of courage for the gospel, whether you are a stay-at-home mom,
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is brought to you by our friends at Carly Jean Los Angeles. I will see you there tomorrow.
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All right. Without further ado, here is Sage Steele.
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Sage, thanks so much for taking the time to join us. I'm so glad to finally have you here.
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We've been trying to do this for a long time. So thank you for welcoming me.
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If it finally worked out for you to be in studio. Okay. You're a newlywed.
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Okay. Tell me about newlywed life, please. Everything.
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You know what? It's just such a blessing because I didn't know if I'd get
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a second chance at love, to be honest with you. And gosh, forgiving myself and the situation for,
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you know, choosing to get a divorce in the first place. Never the plan,
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never the dream, never the desire. So, um, it's just such a blessing. And I think our
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stories are a little similar. It just happened to you a lot longer, a lot earlier in life than
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me, but I was 51. I'm 52, almost 53 now when we met. And it was literally, you know, like I knew
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that night. I knew it. Okay. Tell me, no, you got to go into detail. How did you meet him?
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You saw him and was it kind of like love at first sight or you're just like, oh,
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that guy's handsome. When did you know? I knew about, I knew about at the end of the evening
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that we met and it was November 12th, 2024 in Nashville, Tennessee. I was at a charity event
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for veterans. I had gone with a friend who, whose husband couldn't come. So I was everybody's
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favorite plus one at that point. I'm like, yes, I'll be your plus one. I don't have a life or a
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date. I'll go. I just sent my youngest off to college. So I was, you know, lonely and just happy
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to go keep myself really busy and went to this charity, especially because my, my dad's a vet
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and I grew up in army life and we're at the cocktail hour. I'm just waiting for the dinner
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to start. It's called Tomahawk Charities and it's wonderful if anybody's wondering. And he
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walks up to me, he's like, hi, my name is Dave and we have something in common. And I'm thinking,
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I roll what cheesy line is this one going to give me, you know? And he said, our mothers,
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have known each other for more than 30 years. And our dads were stationed together at Fort Leavenworth,
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Kansas, army officers back in the early nineties. And our mothers volunteered at a convent for
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retired nuns in Leavenworth, Kansas in like 1993. And have stayed in touch despite moving across the
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country since 93. And you didn't know him at all? Never knew. I'm three years older, full disclosure.
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And so I was in college when he was in high school in Kansas and I didn't live, live in Kansas because
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of that. So we'd never met. But when I asked, when he said the story, I mean, I, I, I knew about the
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convent and the nuns. I mean, they were a major part of our family's life. One nun in particular,
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Sister Charles Marie. And so I was like, what's your last name? And he told me and I'm like, oh,
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I know of your mother and the family. And so then the dinner started and I'm looking around because
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he's tall and handsome. Yes. And I'm like, who, where is he? He was cute. Let me, let me make sure
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that put the lights up and make sure I still think he's cute. Um, and later that night there was like
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a, you know, a little post party downtown Nashville with this, this charity. And he said he was going to
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show up. I'm the one that asked him. I was like, so are you going to the post party? And he said,
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yep. He says, well, I am now after I asked. So we, we started chatting and Allie, it was
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two to three hours straight. It was like, no one else was in the room. It literally is so cheesy,
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but like no one else is in the room. And, um, it hit me about halfway through and something at like
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the butterflies hit and we had a lot in common and, you know, some tough conversations about
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both of our divorces. I have three kids. He has two kids. Uh, the effects of that,
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um, the disappointment in ourselves and just the, the, the difficulty that that is.
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And we bonded over that. And obviously the military, like he's a, he's a former,
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former army officer as well. He served a tour in Iraq and it just hit me and I had to excuse myself.
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I was like, I'll be right back. And I took this deep breath and I came back over and he was in the
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restroom and my girlfriend who brought me there, she looked at me and she's like, you're going to
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marry him. Don't screw it up. And I, yeah. And I looked, I was like, I know. Wow. The first night.
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Yeah. And, um, I don't know that it was as immediate for him, but close. And, um, I went home
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to the hotel and the next morning I woke up to my mom calling me and she said, did you meet
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Dave Barbudo? And I said, yeah, what the heck? How do you know? She said, his mom called me. So he
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texted his mom. His mom texted my mom. My mom texted me. And that was November 12th. And we got
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engaged on April 12th and we got married on September 5th. Oh my goodness. And is it fast?
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Yes. Was I afraid of judgment at times from friends, family, strangers? Yes, I was. And
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then it's like, who cares? Like, I know this is my person for many reasons beyond his charm and good
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looks. It was so much deeper than that immediately. So it's been very emotional. It hasn't even been a
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year. Very emotional because, um, I didn't know it would ever happen again. And when you know, you
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code Allie. And so tell me what it was like going into a dating relationship. I think it was five years
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after you got a divorce. You'll both have grown kids. It's different than dating the first time
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around when you're in your twenties or whatever. Obviously you're not messing around. You're not
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just trying to see what's out there. It's a lot more serious, both because of how you are feeling,
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but also because of your life situation. So what was it like when y'all first started dating those
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conversations to determine, okay, is this person really the one that I want to spend the rest of my
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life with? Some very deep conversations that were immediate. And I loved that. He lived in Tennessee.
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I lived in Florida. So it was all on the phone. And I actually am so grateful for that because
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there's nothing else that gets in the way. Nervousness to go out to dinner. What do I wear?
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You know, any physical tension or whatever where you're like, okay, it was just conversation. And the
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first conversation we had was 48 hours after we met. And I was driving from South Florida up to North
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Florida to visit my parents. And it was five hours in the car. And we were texting. I was voice texting,
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okay, mom, not texting while driving. I was voice texting while driving. And then it was like,
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isn't it easier if we just talk? And so for the final four hours of that five hour drive,
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we went everywhere and talked about everything. And it was so easy. And I actually didn't want that
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long drive to end because of it. And so conversation is everything. And I hadn't dated much at all,
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yeah, in those five years. And I actually had married my first boyfriend. So when I was 20 is when I met
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my ex-husband and married at 26, 27 and married until 47. So I literally did not know how to date.
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The one guy I dated in between divorce and meeting Dave, I remember when I was texting him back
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something. I was sitting next to my daughter at the time. She was probably 20. She's 23 now.
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And she looked at me. She's like, is that what you're texting him? And I was like, well, yeah. She's
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like, oh, give me that. So she took the phone and she rewrote it. And then she goes, now wait an hour.
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And she put it down. And I'm like, I don't, I don't know this world. I don't know how to date.
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I've never dated. And I don't like this world. The games. The games. And I'm too old for this.
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Like, what are we doing? So the conversations were really beautiful from the beginning. And because I
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was, you know, so much older, I just thought, what the heck? Like, let's not hold back and just be
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super honest. And if he likes me, great. And if he doesn't, then he wasn't meant to be. And we went
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deep really, really, really fast. And I do want to share this, though, because I've just started to
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share this a couple times publicly. But there was a real turning point in that journey where you say,
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OK, I'm single. Fine. I'll go on a date here or there if someone sets me up or whatever. And so I
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was saying yes. And then I went on a really awful date on New Year's Eve, 23 going into 24.
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Like, I knew it going in. It's so stupid. And I was, I live at the beach in Florida. And I did my
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normal beach walk. And when I came back, I was in full workout clothes. And I just walked into the
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Atlantic Ocean. People watching probably like, keep an eye on this one. She looks like she's what's going
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on. What is she doing? She can't walk on water. What is this? And yeah, full workout clothes. And
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I just walked out there and I just started praying. And I literally like opened my arms, which
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Catholics, we don't do, right? You just do this. And I just was like, Lord, I just felt so dumb and
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defeated for having wasted my time, even though it wasn't, it's never a waste of time. And I said,
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Lord, please don't bring me anybody until you bring me somebody and make it really obvious because
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I'm kind of an idiot. And that was January 1st, 2024. When I say it was like silence until
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And yeah, at that moment, when I look back, everything changed. It took nine, 10 months to
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meet Dave, but everything in my life changed because I believe now. It was really the first
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time I gave up control and let go and just let God. And it's such a, you know, cliche and saying,
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let go, let God. Well, I finally did at 51 and look what happened. So it was also, I think that's
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why the conversations just flowed and I didn't hold anything back. And when he asked me one night on one
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of our marathon phone call sessions, what was really important to me, um, what are the qualities
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I need in a man and a relationship? And the first thing I said was someone to walk this faith journey
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with me because I didn't want to do it alone and I needed help. I wanted a partner to discuss these
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things with and, and ask questions and come up with answers on our own and fail and get back up.
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And, and I knew when I said it, it was going to be a game changer because if he wasn't into that,
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then I finally knew I wasn't going to settle. Not that I had settled before in my first marriage.
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I just wasn't there yet. It wasn't as much of a priority that it needed to be. I thought it was,
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but in hindsight it wasn't. Um, and maybe things would have been different had it been,
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but it wasn't meant to be for whatever reason. And when I said faith number one,
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he kind of chuckled because it was for him too. And I think, oh my gosh, what if I hadn't said that?
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Like there's just been so many blessings that have come from this.
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Yeah. From being totally honest. Totally. And you were still in that moment surrendering.
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You still weren't in control and you were acting out of a place of surrender that, okay,
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this is what I believe. This is what I hold dear. And this is going to be make or break.
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Yeah. And if it's break, it's okay. It's going to be hard, but it's okay. And that's like a very
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freeing place to be, but a hard place to get to for those of us who really like to try to control
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the outcomes. And I don't believe I was ever a control freak. Maybe early on as a mom,
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a very young mom and trying to be the perfect everything and you fail at trying to, you know,
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have perfection as your goal. Um, but I, I, I can't believe what has happened since I completely
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let go. But I think when you do try to control that part, the relationship part, I was trying
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I was protecting myself from getting hurt again. Um, and that was me putting myself in situations
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to get hurt. Right. Right. As well as any, um, man or woman who's been divorced is you're
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going to protect yourself because you're afraid, Oh my gosh, I don't want to make this mistake
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again. And especially when you have children. So I think I was very closed off in many ways
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in order to protect. And I remember my body language at times where I, I can look back and
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I physically felt myself doing this and tightening up. And it's like, wow, when you can take a step
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outside of yourself and that bird's eye view and you, you watch yourself do that, like fetal
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position almost, it's so sad. It's so scary. Um, so I know now that that's why I wasn't ever fully,
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So the faith journey, most important for both of you, what is that faith journey that you're on right
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now? Reminding myself, first of all, that it is a journey and that I will never have it all figured
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out. I was raised Catholic and always like really proud Catholic, you know, and I am proud of my
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upbringing because it was beautiful in every way. And we went to mass every Sunday and CCD and Sunday
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school and all the sacraments. But I, listen, I mean, I still consider myself Catholic, but I am
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figuring out so much more and asking questions about things that I think are missing from Catholicism
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for so many of us. I guess I can just speak for myself and for my husband, where we both are like,
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gosh, we were never really encouraged to dig deep in the Bible. So I didn't realize that as much until
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the last few years when I, you know, have stepped away from my previous life and career as a sports
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caster and just focusing on, yes, God and going to church, but okay, I have this. But, you know,
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the decision, frankly, to get divorced was a huge journey in my faith, which might sound weird to
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some, but it was. I felt like I asked for signs and I got permission, very clear from God. And then
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the decision to stand up for myself at work when I worked at ESPN and Disney involved a lot of prayer.
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Um, and every time I relied on God, he gave me really clear answers. And so the journey is that,
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wow, Sage, you dummy. If you just give it up and ask for guidance, you really get it. I have gotten it.
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Um, and so it's just continued to build and build and build. And today, um, you know, Dave and I did not
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get married in the Catholic church because we're not allowed to, if you're divorced and choose not
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to annul your marriage, you're not allowed to go back and get married in the Catholic church.
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And, um, I don't know all the meaning behind that, but I disagree with it. Um, because even though it
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did not last, um, there were beautiful times and moments. And I have three awesome kids that we
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created and to annul it by saying that that means it didn't exist. It didn't happen.
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It happened. I would never deny that. Why would I? I had 20 lovely years with this man that produced
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my babies. And so to cast it off, like it didn't exist. I, I, I don't care to know more about it
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because I moved on from it, but that's why I didn't get married in the Catholic church.
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And, um, so we did a, you know, non-denominational ceremony, um, and incorporated, um, scripture
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and prayer into it with, um, the officiant who's a dear friend of mine, Chris Harrison,
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who said how much it honored him that he finally has a bride and groom who want to include that
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in their non-denominational ceremony. Like how crazy is that? Right. Um, so every day we start,
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um, whether we're in the same state or not, we really are working very hard to be while he has
00:21:02.080
kids in Tennessee and I have kids in three different States and college. Um, and, and the
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workforce now with, um, our daily reading and it starts with a scripture and then is, you know,
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um, a story and a description and ends with a prayer at the end. And it's like, okay, we do it. And we,
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one of us reads it to the other and we break it down. And what does it mean? And how can we apply it?
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How could we have applied it better yesterday or whatever day and going forward? And there's
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some accountability with that. And I know that I need that. I need the accountability. I need the
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partner. Um, and someone to say, Hey, I know that we're really busy today and you have a zoom in 15
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minutes that you committed to, but we need to do this. Um, and I do the same for him. So there's just,
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I don't know. It was such a private journey for me before. And I hate that. So now maybe I'm trying
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to make up for lost time. Um, and knowing that God's been here the whole time and he's ready
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with open arms and that, that, that is exciting. Yeah. And I'm excited for you because I love the
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Bible. And I know that like when you start reading scripture and maybe you don't feel like this,
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but I felt like this, and I've heard a lot of people say this, that it can feel intimidating
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because you feel like, okay, well, I've been a Christian or I've been a Catholic my whole life.
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I shouldn't, I should know this. But I mean, even theologians who have been studying the Bible
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their whole life still come across passages that they're like, gosh, that's hard to understand.
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And that's why I love so many resources. Like I use a study Bible that has notes for, okay,
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this is where he's located. This is what he's looking at. This is what he's talking about. This is
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what the word originally means in the Greek. And I'm not saying you have to have all that or know
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all of that for anyone out there, but it helps. And the Bible is so rich with meaning and gives so
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much clarity and so much understanding and so much grounding that when everything seems to change,
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you can go back to the word of God for clarity. And so like, I'm excited for you to like be on this
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journey and reading scripture because there's so much to know and so much to understand. And it
00:23:11.780
increases your love for God. The more you read the Bible, the more you love God.
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But I think that's why I ran away from it because it's overwhelming because it's so big and there's
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so much to know and so much to understand. And sometimes it's just, it's not easy reading.
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I think it depends on, right. And I'm like, okay, I have enough trouble with, you know,
00:23:34.420
Yes. And quite often I do audio for that reason, because I can also multitask or it's on my beach
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walk or whatever. I know that I need what you gave me. I know that I need to see it and
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see it four times, like really absorb it and probably have six highlight colors and have
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a system with that. And I'm realizing it's like that that's okay, whatever it needs. But
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I think it's just been so overwhelming since the realization that I need it in the last few
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years. And then you have, I have great excuses because life has taken over and moving and
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changing my life completely and becoming an empty nester. And this, you know, the end of
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one career and the beginning of another that I had no idea.
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Like you've had so much change in the past couple of years.
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But it's not an excuse, you know, it is a reason and it's my reason, but it's not an
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excuse. And so here we go. And the fact that I don't have to do it alone is really exciting.
00:24:34.380
Yes. And one thing, and you're already doing this, which is great, but I remember someone
00:24:38.660
telling me this, like, okay, so when I was in college and then after college, you don't
00:24:43.240
realize that you are so not busy. Like you think that you're busy, but I'm thinking about
00:24:47.960
how much I slept in and I would wake up at like nine and then I would have my personal
00:24:52.420
quiet time until like 10, 30, 11, go to class. And I just had so much time and I kind of thought
00:24:59.000
that that's what a quiet time with God always has to look like. That I always have to sit
00:25:03.240
there with my journal, with my Bible for two hours and dissect everything. But then I became
00:25:09.540
a mom and I'm like, oh my gosh, I'm so tired. I have so much going on. And so there've been
00:25:15.160
seasons of life where I just haven't been reading the Bible until I thought of it like eating.
00:25:20.220
And when you're busy, you don't skip a meal or just not eat that day. You find a way
00:25:25.500
to do it. Even if it's just a protein bar, even if it's on the go, if you are feasting
00:25:31.180
on the Bible, that means you take what you can get, how you can get it. So even though
00:25:36.240
I too prefer to be sitting down highlighting and journaling and all of that, like if like
00:25:41.740
this morning on the way in, we listen to Hebrews one in our Bible app and it like read it for
00:25:48.720
us. And maybe I'll have more time to read the Bible today, but maybe I won't. But today
00:25:53.660
there really is no excuse. And I'm preaching to myself just as much as anyone else. There's
00:25:57.420
no excuse not to do anything. You've got to eat something. So listen to it, skim it, do
00:26:03.740
what you have to. Don't, if you tell yourself it has to be an hour every time, you won't do
00:26:08.680
it. Right. You know, and then you, and then you feel like a failure and then one day turns
00:26:13.660
into two, turns into a week and then you're done. And, and, and, but deep down, then you're
00:26:18.820
beating yourself up more and there's shame in that. Like, it's terrible what, what we
00:26:21.900
can do to ourselves. My aunt, a couple of years ago going through stuff, it was actually
00:26:26.380
when I was still at ESPN and just the ending there, the last couple of years were tough and
00:26:30.960
a couple of things. But one thing she shared with me that I have continued to use and then
00:26:38.420
shared with my kids is it doesn't have to be an hour or even 15 minutes, ideally. Right. But for,
00:26:45.980
you know, younger kids in college age and they're on the run. And again, we all think we're busy at
00:26:49.600
that time. Like, you know, when you're walking to class, you can just pray. No one has to know.
00:26:54.600
You have to drop to your knees in the middle of the park or whatever. Sometimes it's a quick,
00:26:59.780
Jesus, I trust in you. Three seconds, maybe two. I talk fast and it's really fast. And it's just a
00:27:07.220
really good reminder that you can pray anywhere at any time. And then if that becomes a habit,
00:27:15.860
there's a real domino effect in a good way versus, versus the other way.
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Can you tell me about your relationship with your kids? Cause I love that you're, you're always
00:28:39.560
posting about them and it just seems like y'all have a really sweet parent-child relationship,
00:28:44.680
but also at this point, maybe even a friendship. And you know, my kids are in the itty bitty stage,
00:28:51.180
six, four, and two, but that's, I mean, that's one of the goals of every parent. You want to
00:28:55.920
maintain that relationship forever while not being their friend too early because they need the rule
00:29:02.140
giver and they need the authority. Yes. Um, so maybe that's like a big question, but just tell
00:29:07.780
me about how you've kind of maintained what seems like a super healthy and sweet relationship with
00:29:12.220
your three kids. That's so isn't that the biggest compliment when with your children, because it's
00:29:17.800
something that we're forever questioning ourselves as mothers, you know, um, mine are now, yeah, 23,
00:29:24.600
21 and 19. So we were on the exact same path as you with every other year. Oh, another baby. You
00:29:32.560
know, um, it is definitely a friendship now with my oldest Quinn, who's 23, graduated college in May
00:29:40.380
and has a job and she works in Nashville and, um, she calls me her best friend. And I'm like,
00:29:47.380
it brings tears to my eyes because I always heard that as a younger mother that someday,
00:29:52.940
you know, you're in the throngs of it when older parents share that with you. Someday they're
00:29:57.360
going to be your best friend, but probably not until they're about 25 and you better buckle up
00:30:01.320
and hang on and pray. True. All of those things. And it's here. No, it's not perfect. I annoy her
00:30:08.900
so much. Um, but you know, she calls me more than I call her now. You know, I used to poke,
00:30:16.520
poke and stalk her as she said, you know, and now she calls and she FaceTimes all the time. And the other
00:30:21.540
night, um, we're trying to go to bed and she wanted to FaceTime and it was an hour and a half
00:30:26.360
and you know, I think they fell asleep and he's like, what time did you end up? And I'm like,
00:30:31.800
I didn't tell him the truth because I didn't want him to be like, you can't cause I need my sleep.
00:30:35.020
And I, I'm bad about sleep, but I don't want to hang up with her because it took a long time to get
00:30:41.400
to the point where she wants to talk to me once coming. She might like him more than she likes me.
00:30:46.380
Honestly, it's, I love that. What a great problem to have each. What I would say is like each
00:30:52.600
relationship with, with your, with each kid is very different and awesome in its own way. I think
00:30:58.620
that's one thing that I had to learn throughout all those years is, you know, just because you have
00:31:03.640
the same rules for each child, like as it should be, um, you might have to communicate those rules
00:31:12.560
slightly differently and they might receive them differently. And the punishment is going to be
00:31:16.380
the same too, but the way that you communicate it, sometimes that every, every kid, they're
00:31:22.620
different human beings. So I think with age, of course, she's 23. My son, Nicholas is 21 and my
00:31:29.640
daughter, Evan is 19 and she's a sophomore in college. Nicholas is about to graduate. So his,
00:31:34.840
our conversations now are so much different and he is looking to me a little bit more, but also trying
00:31:39.480
to prove himself. Like I don't need you. And I know mom, you have all these, you know, connections,
00:31:43.680
but I don't need them or want them. And I don't offer them because I think that's a dangerous road
00:31:47.740
to go down as well. They actually don't need me. They've proven they don't need me in those ways.
00:31:51.660
They have their own talent and skillset. And I, that's no, I don't want them to ever feel like
00:31:57.500
that probably to a detriment. I've always stayed way, way, way in the background. Do it without me.
00:32:02.300
Trust me. It's probably better these days, depending on who you talk to, who might hate your
00:32:05.300
mother. You don't want to mention that you're my child, you know, but it's been beautiful
00:32:09.160
to see, you know, having them together at the wedding, all three of my kids. Surreal. Again,
00:32:18.500
not what I would have dreamt of, right? Like I got married and had kids the way we're quote
00:32:23.980
unquote supposed to do it. And to have them standing by my side though, for parents who
00:32:32.640
have gone through this divorce with children and then remarrying, oh my gosh, it's so hard.
00:32:39.160
And to blend families, it's so hard. And we're just in the beginning stages of it. But my kids
00:32:44.940
have gotten to witness their mother finding love again, not having given up on it. And they get to
00:32:55.080
witness me being treated like a princess by this man. And our relationship has changed. Our friendship
00:33:05.460
has changed and evolved with my kids because they've seen me with Dave and how that relationship
00:33:10.640
has evolved too. So, um, I feel like I have a better relationship with my kids now more than ever
00:33:16.000
because they're, they're, I think they appreciate me more. I hope, I think so. Um, some of them
00:33:24.800
communicate that differently than others, you know, but they, they also see a softening in me
00:33:29.960
where I think I was like this for so many years. And because I was, you know, the mom and the soul
00:33:36.640
red winner their entire lives, um, which had, which has brought on a lot of pressure. Um, and I'm still
00:33:42.900
that person. Um, but they've seen me soften and to see me taken care of has made them soften towards
00:33:49.920
me. So I'm still learning every day about how our relationship is evolving, you know, as mother and
00:33:57.140
children, even though they're adults. But, um, I think for so long, I was afraid, you know, that they,
00:34:04.060
that the friendship would, wouldn't get to this point. Um, and we got to earn it both, both the
00:34:10.980
parents and the children have to really earn it and work hard and be kind and forgive. But I know
00:34:15.860
now that, um, they see me in a different light and it was worth all the hard work with still a long
00:34:25.060
way to go. Yeah. It's really special. Are they all friends? They are. I love that. And that's what I
00:34:31.640
want to know. How did you help foster that? Um, because you know, that's what I want so much.
00:34:37.940
And I always tell them, I'm like, I make them answer me. How long will you be sisters? And they
00:34:43.300
say forever whenever they're in an argument. So what does that mean that you're always going to
00:34:47.120
be friends and you always need to be kind. And you know, I, I, I say that like raising girls is
00:34:53.160
relationship management from a very early age, whereas raising boys is a lot of injury management
00:34:57.900
from a very early age. And we don't really like, we don't have any ER visits or anything. We've got
00:35:03.120
a ton of emotions and princess dresses. And you know, like I wasn't raised with sisters. I'm an
00:35:09.940
only girl, but, um, I am like, I'm learning a lot about what that looks like. And I am not,
00:35:17.380
I'm realizing I'm not just raising a six, four and two year old. Like I'm raising a future 25,
00:35:22.740
23, 19 year old. And I want them to have each other's back forever. So like what advice,
00:35:27.840
can you give those of us who are in the thick of like, you know, the young and toddler years
00:35:31.500
to help already start cultivating that love and that like between them?
00:35:37.580
Yes. And while expecting this, because they're going to, right. And some of that is like,
00:35:42.600
you're learning to work through conflict, which is good. Yeah. I think it's super important to that's
00:35:48.580
part of it. Um, I would start a little earlier even, and my goal as a mother was to have my kids
00:35:55.940
very close together. Now, what a blessing I was able to, so many women are unable to, and that
00:36:01.820
breaks my heart. Um, if you can, it's people like, Oh my gosh, it's a lot in my career. And then
00:36:07.320
two in diapers. It's like, yeah, it's hard. And it's fleeting. Get over yourself, go do it. Because
00:36:14.240
my dream was that at this age, they would then be friends. And it has absolutely been the case. So I
00:36:21.580
don't remember much from those years because when my third was born, my first was still three.
00:36:28.240
Yeah. And I was on, you know, regional and national TV and you know, that my husband was a
00:36:36.060
stay at home dad. And it was like, I'm sad in some ways because I was so busy and so stressed that I
00:36:43.060
don't remember as much as I'd like to. I hope that they come up with some sort of pill that can help
00:36:47.520
my memory just regenerate and come back because there were so many great times and it was a
00:36:51.900
different era without cell phones. Really? They were just coming on, you know? And so I don't,
00:36:56.580
I don't have that video evidence like most parents today do with everything possible with their
00:37:01.080
children. Um, it is hard, but I would say if you are able, Lord willing, um, go for it and have them
00:37:09.620
really close together. Um, you know, since then I joke around with them and I use a lot of humor and,
00:37:15.520
um, I'm like, guys, I'm going to be dead someday. Hopefully not for a really, really long time
00:37:21.080
because I want to make your life really difficult for a very long time. But someday when I'm gone,
00:37:25.140
it is only you, you only have each other. So be kind like you're doing already. And then in the
00:37:31.500
in-between phase with friends and especially with girls, because girls can be so difficult and catty
00:37:37.640
and mean, and they allow friendships to take precedence over the relationships with their
00:37:43.920
siblings. And that's not okay. Is it normal? Sure. Let's continue to teach them the lessons
00:37:50.100
from it when they're in it, you know, and your loyalty must lie with each other. I love that my
00:37:56.820
son is in the middle of these two girls. I've always been like, yep, my boys in between these two
00:38:00.800
psycho girls of mine and they're crazy and love and all the best possible ways. Um,
00:38:08.020
he is the glue, you know, he's a peacemaker. He also will call me on stuff. He'll be like,
00:38:13.440
mom, I think you were too hard on her on that. And here's why. And I'm like,
00:38:16.460
ew, stay in your lane. I'm your mom. And then I'm like, he was right. You know? So the friendship
00:38:21.980
is everything. And, and it also comes from like that desire to have them close together
00:38:26.240
was because I have, I'm the oldest of three. I have a brother who's 21 months younger and then
00:38:32.080
nine years younger than me. And I, I felt like it took me until I was an adult to get to know him
00:38:39.420
because he was a different generation. Yeah. So he's 43. I'm 52. Like it is completely different.
00:38:46.660
I went to college. He was nine years old. Yeah. So, um, for us, that's what worked. And I, I,
00:38:54.080
I wish I would have had more. I do. I really regret that. And it wasn't, you know, I wasn't the
00:38:59.320
one that was staying home. I was very present and turned on a lot of assignments through the years
00:39:03.360
to be home. Didn't sleep much for a good 10, 12 years, honestly. So I don't want it to be like,
00:39:08.800
I wasn't home because I sacrificed to make sure I was, I still feel it physically and mentally.
00:39:13.880
It was the best thing possible. But, um, I, I just, I always, people say, well, it's expensive to
00:39:20.200
have kids and it's tough. I'm like, yeah, uh-huh. There are so many people who regret not having
00:39:25.160
more. I always say, you'll never regret having more, but you might, if you don't. Yeah. And
00:39:29.520
somehow we always figure it out. Even financially, you figure it out, especially when it's based in
00:39:37.060
really the right reason. So I don't know, sometimes they hate each other, but I did a show with, um,
00:39:43.200
just Dave and I actually, right before the wedding, Dave took my seat, kicked me out of my chair and
00:39:48.660
interviewed me on my own show two days before the wedding. And the, the BTS before the recording
00:39:54.620
began was all three of my kids. They were in the condo at the same time because it was wedding week
00:39:59.780
and I had all three sitting next to me on the couch for a minute and it was utter chaos. And it was like
00:40:04.960
they turned into six, four and two again. And they were like, poke, poke, poke, elbow, scream, yell,
00:40:09.340
throw something. I'm like, how old are we? And I loved it because they really are friends. So for as many
00:40:18.660
As a mom, I must've done a few things right along the way because they love each other.
00:40:27.620
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00:41:47.400
And not only your relationship with your kids, but I also noticed from what you post,
00:41:51.500
your relationship with your parents is still really special and it seems really close,
00:41:56.500
which not everyone can say that. I also, super close to my parents, really close to my dad,
00:42:01.440
closer than we were growing up. We just kind of needed a little bit of separation for me to go to
00:42:07.200
college and for me to grow into the adult that I always wanted to be. And then, yeah, you know,
00:42:12.800
I rely on him so much. Call him all the time like your kids do. But you have maintained that relationship
00:42:17.940
with your parents who have been married for how many years now? A lot of years.
00:42:28.020
You talk about a role model for a relationship. My parents are everything to me. And I'm forever
00:42:39.980
in debt. I never went through a bad phase as a teenager or even in college. I really didn't.
00:42:45.480
I was such a goody two-shoes. It was so annoying to everybody else in my life. And I was such a
00:42:50.760
Except for the one time that you almost committed a felony.
00:42:56.480
That we were talking about off air. You were a goody two-shoes, except for that one time that
00:43:04.620
Yeah, I did. Well, I did commit identity theft, actually. It's the fake ID. That's the worst thing
00:43:12.140
I did. I always said to my mom and dad, I did have a government-issued fake ID from college because
00:43:18.400
I had to go to the bar that my boyfriend, soon-to-be husband, was going to. I was only 20 and I had to
00:43:25.940
hang out. So I didn't tell them until years later. And I actually still have it. Is that a crime too?
00:43:35.620
I don't know. Maybe statute of limitations is good on that one.
00:43:43.600
And I was like, see, I wasn't perfect to my brother, see?
00:43:47.680
But they, I don't know, like their strength and what they went through to get to today,
00:43:59.840
but certainly at the beginning of their relationship when, you know, back in 1971,
00:44:05.580
it was shortly after interracial marriages were legalized, which is crazy to think about.
00:44:13.700
A black dad and a white mom and it wasn't okay by everybody in their families and they went
00:44:19.960
And my mom was told to choose between her family or my dad.
00:44:27.480
And the fact that at 22 years old, she had to make that decision, I'm in awe of her.
00:44:34.680
And that strength and the awe of my dad to make sure he protected her and had her back.
00:44:40.220
And if anybody is really bored, I keep on my ex account pinned a story that NFL Films
00:44:46.680
did of my family like seven or eight years ago.
00:44:49.540
And in that piece, it's like seven or eight minutes long actually too, I learned something
00:44:55.600
about them and what they went through during that time and what my dad did to make sure
00:45:00.760
that my mom's parents knew that even though you disowned her, that he was taking care
00:45:06.580
He was being a man and a leader and protector of my mother as she was devastated to have to
00:45:11.740
So I found out that story, details of that story through that NFL Films piece.
00:45:17.280
I didn't know what a blessing to have that long after we're all gone for our great, great
00:45:20.940
grandkids who know that they're only here because of the strength of my parents in that
00:45:24.720
But I look back at that and what they went through and I am, I'm in awe of them because
00:45:36.440
And so I've drawn so much strength from them as a mother, as a wife, and trying to emulate
00:45:47.420
And talking through a lot of difficult things with them, with divorce, and being so scared
00:45:53.900
to disappoint them, to disappoint God, like so, so deep.
00:46:00.080
And they, of course, are parents and they have literally pulled me off the ground at times
00:46:09.900
Um, so I, yeah, I owe them everything and, um, I lately have been, um, you know, I found
00:46:20.820
this happiness with, um, my husband and I've noticed that I haven't talked to them as much
00:46:27.800
every other day instead of, or third day instead of every day.
00:46:33.560
And I'm like, oh gosh, I can't let that happen because, um, listen, as a parent, you just want
00:46:39.040
your kid to be happy, even if she's old, like you still want your kid to be happy and that's
00:46:42.900
So they're fine, but I've noticed it and I miss that.
00:46:50.320
Um, if anyone has Kleenex, I look like an idiot right now.
00:46:58.700
Um, and, and because I had to do that for me plenty of times, by the way, so don't worry
00:47:03.420
I, I have this, this fear, this real fear because they're 79 and 76.
00:47:09.900
My dad's been, um, he's actually at, um, the Mayo Clinic as we speak right now, as we're
00:47:18.220
taping this in Jacksonville, outside of where they live for his cancer, which he's been dealing
00:47:27.900
I know he's almost 80 and you'd never know what he looks.
00:47:31.980
So he doesn't take all the, all the credit for it.
00:47:36.300
Um, he looks so young and healthy, despite what he's dealing with.
00:47:40.620
His faith has grown so much throughout this cancer process and it's incredible.
00:47:45.920
But, um, I just, I want to honor them in every way.
00:47:49.880
Um, and through a lot of it, I didn't think that I was, but I know now that I was, um,
00:47:55.980
um, and just being true to myself, you know, even if it was stressful for them, because
00:48:02.080
being true to ourselves can come with a lot of backlash when you're in the spotlight as
00:48:07.400
no one knows better than you, but, um, they are my people.
00:48:15.940
I was fearful that when I found my person that they wouldn't be here to see it for obvious
00:48:22.500
reasons as we age, so to have my kids there to witness it and my mom and dad to witness
00:48:28.660
this, um, they are, yeah, they're my best friends.
00:48:32.920
And I, I just want to continue to please them until, until forever, you know?
00:48:41.200
Gosh, I think about how important that is to God that one of the big 10 commandments was
00:48:48.520
Or like, that's how much that relationship matters to him.
00:48:52.520
And it just seems to me, just as an outsider looking in, like you've just done that so
00:48:57.620
And I just can imagine how proud they are of you.
00:49:00.540
And when you're talking about their story, going back to them taking a risk for the sake
00:49:05.920
of not only love, but also just what was right, that these are two human beings, image bearers
00:49:14.120
And God called them together and what God has called together, let no man separate.
00:49:19.060
And that must've been at least in part, like where you got the strength and the courage
00:49:25.960
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00:50:29.780
You've had this long career, this illustrious career, and it came to a point when like truth
00:50:45.180
I know you've talked about your story a lot and like standing up for truth and ESPN and
00:50:49.640
But can you take us back to that moment of having to like muster the strength and courage
00:50:56.060
I had been suspended, punished at ESPN in 2021.
00:51:03.020
As we taped this exactly four years ago, I was suspended and in bed, sobbing and scared
00:51:12.960
And yeah, I was suspended for speaking up about being forced to take the COVID vaccine in order
00:51:22.260
Not everybody realizes that ESPN and ABC are owned by Disney.
00:51:27.400
And I had to be fully vaccinated by September 30th, 2021 or else.
00:51:31.660
And I waited to the very last second and I had prayed about it because I was ready to
00:51:37.880
But as the sole wage earner with three kids and, you know, an ex and alimony and all those
00:51:46.960
things, like I, I, I had, I felt like I had to make the choice to, um, to do it, to keep
00:51:57.380
Um, I did what I had to do at that moment with the knowledge that we had at that time
00:52:02.720
Um, and so I, I did it and I complied and then I talked on a podcast about it and while
00:52:10.200
complying, I had literally come from getting the shot.
00:52:12.560
So I was running a little bit hot, um, mad that I had to do it.
00:52:15.740
And I said, um, I think it's sick and wrong for any employer to force an employee to do
00:52:21.820
something to their bodies that they don't want to.
00:52:34.780
Um, and I didn't know that it was because I, I did it.
00:52:40.400
And, um, but at that time, yeah, it was a different world.
00:52:44.200
Um, and when I was pulled off the air and suspended, I mean, I had gone from like, you
00:52:50.640
know, kind of the model employee for all those years.
00:52:59.900
Um, I was one of the longest tenured women at that network and they really, you know, had
00:53:04.960
a very, um, solid lucrative contract and, um, yeah, they just crushed me.
00:53:13.200
And then public apology that was forced to come from it.
00:53:19.800
I'm like, okay, I'll say and do whatever you want, whatever.
00:53:22.420
Um, so they suspended you in 2021, but you didn't stop working there until 2023.
00:53:26.080
And the turning point in standing up for myself was after they punished me and continued to
00:53:33.840
punish me even after the apology and after the suspension and continue to take events
00:53:39.400
Um, that wasn't fun, but I realized that, wait, you did that to me.
00:53:44.900
But then my colleagues who happened to align with the narrative that Disney wants with
00:53:50.280
everything, um, were able to go on an NBA show, basketball, and talk about how devastated
00:53:56.980
they were that Roe versus Wade was overturned and abortion on a basketball show or the alleged
00:54:02.360
LGBTQ, um, don't say gay laws in Florida that actually were never that, right?
00:54:07.960
On a football show on ESPN airwaves when I did it on a podcast on the side, separating
00:54:15.680
And I'm, I was so, I was honestly confused and asked questions and they wouldn't answer
00:54:26.960
I think this is sick and wrong, but I did it onward.
00:54:32.380
So the hypocrisy was thick and it had always, it had been building for years since Trump was
00:54:37.460
But I stayed quiet on everything else in order to keep my job.
00:54:43.320
And when I had to decide what no meant, and in this case it was, do I, do I stand up for
00:54:50.040
myself to the point of filing a lawsuit against Disney?
00:54:57.100
Um, and I knew that I could no longer be silent because then I'm a hypocrite if I am preaching
00:55:02.540
about standing up and standing tall to my children and then being quiet.
00:55:10.620
So, um, the night I called an attorney, Brian Friedman, who has saved a lot of us, Megan
00:55:16.600
He was Megan Kelly's attorney when she, um, was treated the way she was by NBC.
00:55:21.200
Um, Chris Harrison, the former host of The Bachelor, who was treated terribly by ABC as well.
00:55:30.420
Like when you look back at that, not to like rehash both of their stories, but some people
00:55:34.380
Megan Kelly, she made like a blackface comment, not even like approving of it, just asking
00:55:43.020
And then Chris Harrison for extending the benefit of the doubt or grace to someone who
00:55:47.740
had gone to like an antebellum, formal, an authority in the South.
00:55:55.300
He was just like, well, you know, and he was kicked off.
00:56:00.700
I'm not sure if all of that would still happen today.
00:56:02.480
Maybe it would, but it was such a hyper, like, which trial time.
00:56:07.400
And when you think about it, Chris has happened six months before mine.
00:56:11.300
We had been dear friends and he actually reached out to me to talk to my father.
00:56:17.060
Chris and I hosted Miss America together years prior.
00:56:20.320
Spelling Bee, like crazy ties back with Chris and I.
00:56:23.020
And he wanted to talk to my father as a black man to see, here, look at the tape.
00:56:32.220
And my black father, who lived through the civil rights era and broke the color barrier
00:56:38.420
at West Point as the first black football player ever there and has felt true racism,
00:56:47.320
But it was too, you know, it was too late in the eyes of society and social media back
00:56:53.300
Isn't it funny, by the way, that Megyn Kelly, for asking a question about blackface and how,
00:56:58.080
remember in the 80s, this was her context, I think.
00:57:00.240
In the 80s, when people dressed up in blackface for Halloween, and it was fine.
00:57:08.940
I believe this week, Whoopi Goldberg talked about people, I don't even remember the full
00:57:15.060
context with that, but hey, just make your skin a little bit darker to blend in, and
00:57:18.640
then you can help defend from the ICE agents, like whatever that was.
00:57:26.900
And yes, it's changed, but their lives were altered forever, as was mine.
00:57:31.500
I had to ask myself at that moment, how far are you willing to go?
00:57:35.960
And I talked to you earlier about the harder right, which is part of the cadet prayer at
00:57:43.000
West Point that my dad made us as kids memorize and make me to choose the harder right instead
00:57:48.500
of the easier wrong and never to be content with a half truth when the whole can be one.
00:57:54.720
And this was very clear at that moment, that the harder right was to speak up and to probably
00:57:59.160
throw my entire career and livelihood away, but to speak truth with it.
00:58:03.680
It literally, my situation was all-encompassing compared to that prayer.
00:58:08.920
And so that night before the lawsuit dropped, I spoke to each one of my kids.
00:58:15.540
And they each were scared because they knew what was going to come at them, including
00:58:20.180
snide remarks from teachers that had already happened about lesser things, coaches, their
00:58:30.840
People threatened to rape my daughters through the years because of opinions their mother has
00:58:37.600
So I wanted them to know what was coming, to never feel pressure to defend me ever, ever.
00:58:42.540
But if someone brings it up, remember diversity of thought.
00:58:47.620
You don't have to agree with your mother, actually, but just remind people that we all
00:58:51.060
have a right to our opinion and to be respectful and kind.
00:58:53.860
And when I, I was apologizing to my kids as I said what was coming, I'm sorry.
00:58:58.520
And my son, who was 17 at the time, looked at me and he said, Mom, it's about time you
00:59:07.740
What a lesson that my child taught me, that number one, not only was I doing the right
00:59:12.300
thing, but that he had been witnessing me doing the wrong thing for so many years, even
00:59:17.760
though my heart was in the right place and well-intended to keep my job so I could support
00:59:21.680
everybody, but to protect them from that ugliness that I knew would come.
00:59:26.300
But I was teaching them the opposite of what I was preaching to them.
00:59:30.560
I was teaching them to be quiet and just accept it and to take it.
00:59:36.160
So I knew, Allie, at that moment, that even if I lost this lawsuit, pretty good chance.
00:59:42.480
Talk about David versus Goliath, like me versus Disney.
00:59:47.800
But, and it sounds cheesy and I've said it in public before, but I knew that even if I
00:59:52.560
lost, that I already won because my kids had seen me like being silent.
01:00:01.000
And now at least they know that I stood up and I'm going to go down swinging.
01:00:04.140
So it was such a beautiful time within the scariest time.
01:00:10.100
And I'm so grateful that ESPN crushed me and were hypocritical in their treatment of me
01:00:19.320
because I would never would have been backed into a corner to have to make that kind of
01:00:25.360
And for those who don't know, how did the lawsuit end up?
01:00:34.460
And from the moment of suspension to the settlement was 22 months.
01:00:43.860
And then 16 months from the moment of when the lawsuit was filed to departure.
01:00:49.060
So every single day I went on air with a pending lawsuit, knowing Bob Iger and company, to say
01:01:00.260
the least, did not want me on their airwaves and they had to pay me as well.
01:01:04.460
But I was so scared to go in every single day because I knew my bosses had told me when I
01:01:10.680
was coming off suspension, how many people hated me and were disappointed in me for my opinions
01:01:17.420
And so when I went back to work the first day after my suspension, my mom and dad had
01:01:25.540
I lived in Connecticut from Pennsylvania and were with me when I was on the floor and not
01:01:32.080
eating and actually confined to bed because I got the worst case of COVID after taking the
01:01:41.800
shot that was going to guarantee that I didn't get it.
01:01:44.020
There was just so much hypocrisy in all of it and I was not healthy at that point.
01:01:49.060
And my dad, while undergoing chemotherapy, they came anyway because that's what parents
01:01:55.180
And when I say pull me off the ground, when they arrived, I was on the ground in between
01:02:02.440
And yeah, they literally lifted me up and then they were there.
01:02:06.820
And then when I went back to work, my dad turned into a football player and coach Gary
01:02:11.660
Steele and said, okay, ladies, I was with my best friend at the time, my makeup artist
01:02:17.060
And he's like, huddle up and we're going to say a prayer and you're going to go in there
01:02:25.360
I'd probably lost 10 pounds with my fears during the suspension.
01:02:28.560
And we said, our father who art in heaven, we went through all of that, all of the things
01:02:40.440
And then he said, St. Michael, the archangel, protect us from the wickedness and snares of
01:02:45.680
And I went into that building every single day from that day on upon return from suspension
01:02:54.160
on the phone, talking to my parents, reciting that prayer before I walked in that building
01:03:05.640
I knew God had my back because he had up until this point, was he going to quit now?
01:03:10.520
And so I envisioned this bubble around me as I walked in the doors every day and said
01:03:17.640
hi to everybody, even those who quit talking to me and put the mic on and plug my IFB in
01:03:23.180
and compartmentalized and live on the air every single day, national TV, two hours.
01:03:30.100
And every day we said that prayer and every day I felt stronger and every day I did better.
01:03:37.480
Like my performance, I can look back now and say it was the best work I've ever done with
01:03:43.740
the least amount of fear and insecurity, which I'd always carried.
01:03:47.740
I didn't show it on TV every day, but I felt it.
01:03:52.420
And it started to go away despite the hatred that I felt literally.
01:03:59.460
So I am so grateful for that time and for being backed into the corner to have to make the
01:04:07.720
Aside from my personal life, it was the toughest decision ever.
01:04:10.920
And my kids got to see, you got to practice what you preach.
01:04:19.420
I know you weren't trying to be an example for all of us.
01:04:27.500
You weren't a political activist at that point.
01:04:29.620
You just knew something was unjust and you said it.
01:04:35.500
Like that is your heritage because your parents did the same thing in their own way.
01:04:42.280
And we need to see that in different spheres of the world, not just conservative media.
01:04:47.640
Because, you know, we get like, of course, I genuinely believe everything that I say, but
01:04:55.700
But you said the right thing when you were getting the opposite of getting paid for it.
01:05:00.860
Like you were getting, like going, paying a lot of money because you said it.
01:05:07.220
And I had one person who reached out to me, very prominent, probably the most prominent
01:05:29.380
His exact words, I believe, were, yeah, how does this help you?
01:05:42.380
So when I look at the decision to file the lawsuit, it was building much sooner than I
01:05:49.340
ever realized, where when you're pushed down repeatedly, repeatedly, repeatedly.
01:05:57.380
Yeah, it was maybe dumb from a financial perspective.
01:06:01.840
And if I wanted to keep that incredible job that I'd worked my whole life for, you know,
01:06:09.480
at some point, I'm going to ask him about that and what he thinks now, because he speaks
01:06:21.740
And it's okay, because it made me think about it.
01:06:25.260
But that's why when I pulled that trigger and I knew with the lawsuit, first of all,
01:06:36.840
But now to look back on those last 16 months with a pending lawsuit to still, I forced them
01:06:45.700
Um, and I also, the biggest gift was to have people come up to me in the bathroom because
01:06:55.000
Or private DMs from private personal accounts, not work accounts.
01:06:59.900
Um, Disney accounts, you know, they were afraid, but they'd find a way to reach out to me and
01:07:05.940
You're standing up for more than like, it would make me cry, Allie, because I was like, okay,
01:07:17.200
And I realized that just by standing up and talking about being forced to take a shot,
01:07:23.900
that I actually was representing thousands of people at my own company because Disney
01:07:30.120
Um, so that's what kept me going besides feeling it was the right thing.
01:07:34.020
And for my kids, people I'll never have the opportunity to meet who I realized, okay,
01:07:43.880
I'm the prime example of why you stay silent at that time.
01:07:47.240
Now there's many more examples, you know, um, and I wasn't alone at the time either,
01:07:50.920
but it was, it was cool to realize this is nothing to do with me.
01:07:56.340
And what a blessing that, that I got to be the one at that moment, at that network to
01:08:02.880
have a big mouth and, you know, get in trouble.
01:08:12.780
This is the elephant in the room here, actually.
01:08:15.960
And it is that you were just so incredibly beautiful.
01:08:21.720
And we all have to know how at 52 years old, you look the way that you do.
01:08:27.440
And so we all, all of the related gals, maybe even the related bros out there need to know
01:08:33.680
Is it really just, as you said, black don't crack, or do you have a secret for us less
01:08:44.540
So that when I am 52, I can look like a fraction of what safe still looks like.
01:08:57.420
I, I have tried to really just own all of it the last few years.
01:09:04.600
When you sit in front of a camera for your whole career, um, and are judged based on
01:09:13.120
When I worked so hard to memorize every statistic and to tell a great story within every highlight.
01:09:19.160
And I only would have three and a half minutes for an interview live on SportsCenter, but
01:09:22.860
I'm going to get like, they didn't listen to that.
01:09:25.820
Some did more than I'd probably, I'm probably giving credit, but like it was judged based
01:09:30.320
And then you sit in front of a mirror and you have a makeup artist, thank goodness.
01:09:33.540
But then they're like, oh, your eyebrows too low.
01:09:38.540
For, for like three years, I, once a year or so I would for like three years, for once
01:09:47.180
And then I realized this is not who I want to be.
01:09:50.440
And this is not who I want my daughters to be, to feel this pressure is so real.
01:09:57.320
So several years, I just stopped, like, forget it.
01:10:03.600
And, um, yes, my genetics are super helpful, I guess.
01:10:10.620
But, um, I mean like product wise, I use beef tello.
01:10:18.500
Um, I'm not great with, with water and I need to hydrate myself better.
01:10:25.300
Um, I am super passionate about exercising and being active and working out, especially
01:10:36.720
The hormone stuff, like I've had to dive deep on that and I'm failing at that too, because
01:10:40.460
I'm not taking the vitamins that they're giving me because of low this high that.
01:10:44.200
Um, honestly, I feel like I've, I probably look healthier now because I'm healthier internally.
01:10:57.520
I, I had this wedding dress I had to fit into a month ago.
01:11:01.660
I'm like, these pictures are going to last forever.
01:11:06.580
I'm so, I'm, I'm so grateful for it, but I, I truly feel along with, okay, exercise,
01:11:11.420
exercise, eat well, I have the biggest sugar addiction.
01:11:16.660
I asked Dave, I have to have sweets every night.
01:11:22.060
I always say, okay, some people are drug addicts.
01:11:26.820
All right, guys, if I need my chocolate, leave me alone.
01:11:30.980
Um, yes, try to do all the healthy things, but I'm, I'm finally being a little kinder to
01:11:36.620
And I feel like it is reflecting in my, in my skin.
01:11:40.860
Like it sounds cheesy and I'll, I will admit I've been gray since I was 25.
01:11:50.940
Whenever you decide to let that girl, it's going to, it's going to look so good.
01:12:00.040
I don't think he, I don't think he actually agrees with it and it's okay at some point.
01:12:04.540
Whenever you decide, it could be 20 years from now, but it will look really good.
01:12:09.320
I think it'll look cool because I think the silver on, on darker complected people is
01:12:14.300
really like my dad is that silver fox with black skin and I love it.
01:12:18.760
Um, no, listen, it means a lot and, and I need to accept the compliment and not be like,
01:12:25.360
Cause I was like, you can tell that you have 20 something year old daughters because that's
01:12:31.420
But, but I, I, I do, I believe it is so much more internal now and I didn't think that before
01:12:38.260
cause we can do all the superficial things and that's great, but that's then what's happening
01:12:42.560
And I finally worked so hard on the inside through diving deep on some tough things.
01:12:49.640
Um, and through my faith, like that's the full circle part of this conversation is that
01:12:55.740
I finally know that no matter what and how I look, my husband's going to love me.
01:13:06.440
For years I was told you have to straighten your hair.
01:13:09.840
On TV because that's not what TV anchors look like.
01:13:13.700
And so accepting who you are, um, and then taking care of these bodies that you said
01:13:18.760
to me earlier, we were given this, we have to take care of it.
01:13:32.220
Um, well you were a woman to admire and if people don't already subscribe to your show,
01:13:42.900
Sage deal show on YouTube and everywhere that you enjoy your podcast.
01:13:48.380
So YouTube, Spotify, Apple podcast, all that good stuff.
01:13:53.320
And I am kind of crazy on Instagram because I blow up my kids.
01:13:57.220
You do post regularly on Instagram, which I appreciate.
01:14:00.240
Sometimes because these kids get a little, sometimes like I've used it to humiliate them
01:14:04.820
Like I told you to clean your room and it's been a week.
01:14:07.480
And so now I'm walking in and it's going on Instagram stories.
01:14:10.380
And because their friends follow me, guess what?
01:14:15.800
That's the thing that you can do for your adult children that you don't do to your little
01:14:19.800
They get to a certain age and public shaming is like socially acceptable.
01:14:23.680
So I'll log that away for future parenting advice.
01:14:53.720
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