I am so lucky to be best friends with Amara. She is wise, calm, beautiful, thoughtful, talented, grounded in faith and purpose, open and giving, just like her mother. She teaches me so much on a daily basis. But especially during this time where the world is crying out “Black Lives Matter,” it has meant the world to me that she would come on my podcast, now for the 3rd time, and this time join me with her mother Norma, participating in these uncomfortable, heavy conversations about racism. I am NO EXPERT and am very naive in my ways on what the black culture has lived through and what they are currently going through. But I am learning and I can’t just sit on the sidelines. We talked about the movies “Just Mercy,” and “Thirteenth” and their powerful and painful messages. I encourage all my followers to watch those movies. I hope this episode moves you to do better, be better and learn.

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Mickey and I grew up in the same hometown of Waco Texas. We actually played basketball against each other in grade school. It’s very nerve racking for me to have real conversations about race as a white woman with two of my black friends. To be honest, I have avoided topics of race my whole life bc I’m scared I will say something wrong. But the point is to start talking and to be a part of the change. Amara and Mickey talk about being black females in the country music industry, how much love they have for this community, and their dreams for genre. Mickey explains the story behind her powerful new single “Black Like Me.”

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I want my platform and podcast to be a place to get inspired, to learn, to better ourselves so we do better in the world. It has always been important to me that every story I share on my podcast is one of hope, overcoming, inspiration and leaves a messages that encourages us all to love more, hope more, believe that better days are ahead, and that we all have the ability to live a life of accomplishing our dreams. Right now in America, the conversation can no longer be ignored that black men and women are not given the same treatment as white men and women. I have always been non-racist, but that is not enough anymore. We have to lock hands and walk arm and arm in this conversation with our black brothers and sisters. We have to not stand for anything less than absolute equality. Black artists and voices need to be heard and seen more than ever right now. I hope this Thursday series I’m doing w one of my best friends Amara Hall (spoken word artist and poet) who is a black woman, will shed some light on how we all can be better and do better. It is our job to educate ourselves, so I pray this podcast can be a helpful tool in this very heartbreaking time. I have to admit, I have been uncomfortable talking about race bc I don’t want to say something wrong. But as Amara mentions in this episode “it’s time to get over it and start talking.”

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Caitlyn is a musical, mystical being. Talking to her feels like a river; she flows; she moves with the current and waves of her life with ease and grace. She’s written for artists from Dolly Parton & Kenny Rogers (“You Can’t Make Old Friends”) and Garth Brooks to Meghan Trainor & John Legend (“Like I’m Gonna Lose You”) and James Bay. She just released her sophomore album “Supernova.” The title track was inspired by life moving by so quickly and watching her two young sons grow up before her eyes, and it’s a reminder to all of us to fully live in each moment. She talks to me a lot about how she uses visualization to create a creative life she loves. Caitlyn is a such special soul. 

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Kathy grew up the baby of 6 kids to an abusive father who controlled her mother’s very move. It shaped her into knowing she would never let herself rely on a man and would always be able to stand on “her own two feet.” That led her to climbing the ladder in the corporate world where she became very successful. But when her father passed she realized she wanted more for her life than just career and financial success. She wanted love and a family and a career that fueled her passion. So she quit corporate and started her photography business. She met Rob soon after and they had precious Stella. When they moved to Nashville for Rob’s job, Kathy quickly realized there was no co-workspace for women. She leveraged everything they had and opened Collective 615. Kathy shares with me how she walks through fear, choosing to stay and love your marriage, the important lessons she’s learned from parenthood, and why she has been blessed by quarantine.

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Sara is the total package. Stunning, Unbelievably talented, Incredible mother and devoted wife, God fearing woman. Sara knows who she is and what matters to her. She doesn’t try to hide what’s important, where she stands, and she knows her priorities and is unapologetic about them. When we started talking, she was so down to earth and relatable that it felt like I was just talking to an old friend, not a top selling female country artist. We talked about how her game-changing debut album “Born to Fly” is celebrating 20 years. Her latest album “Copy That” is out now and it features her favorite classic songs, remade Sara Evans style. I think my favorite part of the interview was her talking about life on the road w babies and kids. She never asked permission to include her family in everything she has done. She just brought them along and made it work. I love that. So many times, especially as women, we feel like we can’t do it all at the same time, but Sara is a perfect example that you can have a happy marriage, beautiful children, and a thriving career all at once. This episode is packed with wisdom and truth bombs.

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Jackie is one of my besties. We met at a Hot Yoga class and hit it off immediately a few years ago. We are both Texas girls, so there’s also that 🙌🏻👏🏼. I love Jackie for so many reasons. A big one being she trusts her intuition and isn’t scared to take huge leaps with her life. Like moving to NYC right after college to live w a family and be their personal assistant after only meeting them once. That takes major guts! We talk about her journey and how life so often takes you places you never can dream of if you just let it happen and don’t resist. Jackie now works at iHeart Artist Relations and told me how important it was to be passionate about the music and the artists, not just see it as a job. Then we reminisced about how the first time she went to the BlueBird cafe Garth Brooks made a surprise appearance.

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Dennis Quaid does it all. First off he’s a Hollywood superstar. He’s a badass singer and musician. Also on his resume: he’s a jet pilot, has golfed with Presidents, and is a doting father. Dennis has so much wisdom from all of the incredible life that he has lived. He just launched a new podcast “The Dennissance” where he interviews all of his famous friends and has honest, real conversations talking about everything outside of what they are known for professionally. Dennis and I chatted about what he’s learned from being in “Hollywood jail,” who’s on his bucket list to interview, and why he thinks the world is in the middle of a spiritual awakening.

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I have one of my best childhood/lifelong friends joining me on this episode. Wynne was the reason I started my podcast 4 years ago! I was having a breakdown about what to do in life, and Wynne was the most famous blogger that I knew (wynneelder.com), so I called her and asked her for advice. She told me to start a podcast before podcasts were all the rage! So thank you Wynne! We talk about her journey to motherhood, infertility, miscarriage, how God put a burning fire in her heart to adopt.  We talk about how she and her hubs adopted 2 kids, Asher and Camp, at the same time from Africa when they were 8 months old. We then talk about in vitro and her finally getting pregnant and having her daughter Rivers. She is now pregnant w their last embryo and due in October. Rivers and this new baby girl were conceived together at the same time, frozen together for years, and now will be living together 3 years apart in age this fall. What an incredible journey she has been on! She is completely led by God and it is amazing to hear how her life has unfolded.

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Sarah is a wild spirit. She feels like an Indian Paintbrush blowing in the wind. Beautiful. Colorful. Wild. Passionate. She moves from the soul. She can’t be tamed yet she’s super grounded. She’s one of the best vocalists and artists the town of Nashville has ever seen. She’s also written hits like “Stupid Boy” for Keith Urban and “Dayum Baby” for Florida Georgia Line. Sarah and I get so intimate on this episode. We talk about the bidding war that multiple labels had over her to sign her a decade ago, and how frustrating it was to never have one of her artist singles take off at radio when she knew that music was her destiny. But we also talk about the peace she feels in her life right now. She understands the magic and mystery of life and completely embraces it. She’s on the ride of life at full speed and she is in it to win it while enjoying the view. Tune in now to have your soul rocked.

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