Latest / Hurdle with Emily Abbate / 324. A Champion's Mindset: New York Liberty's Betnijah Laney-Hamilton On Embracing The Unpredictable, Rising From Setbacks & Bringing Home The Win

Transcript

324. A Champion's Mindset: New York Liberty's Betnijah Laney-Hamilton On Embracing The Unpredictable, Rising From Setbacks & Bringing Home The Win · Hurdle with Emily Abbate

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  Speaker 1: Nothing really happens overnight, so it's just kind of working
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: at it little by little, not allowing people to really
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  Speaker 1: define you in who you are and what you're capable of.
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: If it's something that you want, you can absolutely go
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: and get it.
• 0:30
  Speaker 2: What's going on, Emily Abadi? Here?
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  Speaker 3: You are listening to episode three hundred and twenty four
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  Speaker 3: of Hurdle, a wellness focused podcast where I talk to
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  Speaker 3: inspirational people about everything from their highest hies and toughest
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  Speaker 3: moments to essential tips on how to live a healthier, happier,
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  Speaker 3: more motivated life. We all go through our fair share
• 0:50
  Speaker 3: of hurdles. My goal through these discussions is to empower
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  Speaker 3: you to better navigate yours and move with intention so
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  Speaker 3: that you can stride towards your own big potential and
• 1:00
  Speaker 3: of course have some fun along the way. For episode
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  Speaker 3: three twenty four, I could not be more amped to
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  Speaker 3: tell you this. I am sitting down with Banija Laney.
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  Speaker 3: She's a forward for the WNBA team, the New York Liberty.
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  Speaker 2: The national champs.
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  Speaker 3: I am so so ammed on this conversation. I was
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  Speaker 3: there for Game five, I was there for that epic win.
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  Speaker 3: It has been an electric week here in New York City,
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  Speaker 3: celebrating all that is the awesomeness of women's sports and
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  Speaker 3: specifically the New York liberty. In today's episode, Benija gives
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  Speaker 3: us the lowdown on how it feels, how it feels
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  Speaker 3: to be a champ, what it was like to be
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  Speaker 3: at the parade, what it was like to be at
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  Speaker 3: Barclay's that night when the team took home the big win,
• 1:49
  Speaker 3: and she of course fills us in on all of
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  Speaker 3: the backstory, all of the hurdles that led her to
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  Speaker 3: this point, including multiple injuries, getting waived not once but twice,
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  Speaker 3: and how she managed to pick herself back up when
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  Speaker 3: life was really working hard to get her down. Benija
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  Speaker 3: talked about the beauty and importance of self belief and
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  Speaker 3: how the support of her friends and family has really
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  Speaker 3: been monumental in her.
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  Speaker 2: Pursuing her dreams.
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  Speaker 3: She also shares what it's like to be an Adidas
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  Speaker 3: athlete and how the support of the brand has been
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  Speaker 3: transformational for her, as well as what she wants her
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  Speaker 3: legacy to be, standing tall as a role model for
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  Speaker 3: young women, knowing that not only is doing so an
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  Speaker 3: opportunity but also a privilege. Again, I couldn't have been
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  Speaker 3: more amped to get this interview, to have this conversation
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  Speaker 3: with Benija, and I too feel like it is such
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  Speaker 3: an opportunity to be a fan of women's sports right now.
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  Speaker 3: Seeing the support in downtown Manhattan for the team during
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  Speaker 3: the parade on Thursday was it was honestly emotion and
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  Speaker 3: all and so yeah, I'm amped, I'm geeked. I hope
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  Speaker 3: you love this conversation. If you're not yet following along
• 3:05
  Speaker 3: with Hurdle over on social it's at Hurdle podcast. I
• 3:08
  Speaker 3: am over at Emily a body and one last little
• 3:11
  Speaker 3: bit of housekeeping. If you've never rated and reviewed the show,
• 3:15
  Speaker 3: do me a favor.
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  Speaker 2: Try it now. Yeah, go on in, rate and review
• 3:19
  Speaker 2: the show.
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  Speaker 3: Tell people why you love being a hurdler, what it
• 3:22
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  Speaker 3: at it, share it with a friend.
• 3:27
  Speaker 2: With that, let's get to it. Let's get to hurdling today.
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  Speaker 2: I am sitting down with Benijah Laney.
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  Speaker 3: She is a WNBA champion, a basketball player for the
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  Speaker 3: New York Liberty.
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  Speaker 2: How are we feeling today?
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  Speaker 4: Grateful?
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  Speaker 1: You know, today I finally kind of have a breath
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  Speaker 1: to just take everything in. This has been a big
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  Speaker 1: week for us for celebrations and everything, just having everybody around.
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  Speaker 1: But you know, I woke up this morning and I
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  Speaker 1: was just able to kind of reflect on just this
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  Speaker 1: past week, in this journey, this experience, and it's really
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  Speaker 1: just been nothing short of amazing. And I just woke
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  Speaker 1: up and I'm like, you know, Lord, thank you, you know,
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  Speaker 1: thank you for allowing me to be here and enjoy
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  Speaker 1: this moment right now.
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  Speaker 3: It's an amazing journey that you've been on. I was
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  Speaker 3: watching one of the many moments where you were speaking
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  Speaker 3: yesterday after the parade and you were thinking back to
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  Speaker 3: when it was really the beginning and you and Sabrina right,
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  Speaker 3: and so much has happened since then. I want to
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  Speaker 3: bring us and start us in game five because I
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  Speaker 3: was there and it was something in Barclays. Where was
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  Speaker 3: your head at right when you guys went into overtime?
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  Speaker 4: I'm like, okay, okay, come on, y'all, like we we
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  Speaker 4: got this.
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  Speaker 1: You know. It was I was talking to Slewt on
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  Speaker 1: the on the bench and I'm just like, like, my
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  Speaker 1: stomach is hurting right now, Like.
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  Speaker 4: Everything was just happening.
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  Speaker 1: It was just so much back and forth and we're
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  Speaker 1: just like, this is this is crazy, but you know,
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  Speaker 1: there was there was never a doubt that we were
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  Speaker 1: going to do it. It was just how it was
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  Speaker 1: going to happen, you know. And with everything just happening,
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  Speaker 1: all the turn of events, I just once, once we
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  Speaker 1: got to like the the thirty second mark, I'm like, okay,
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  Speaker 1: like we can, we can breathe, like we're we're good.
• 5:30
  Speaker 2: We're good, We're good.
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  Speaker 3: And I mean not the first time that you've had
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  Speaker 3: to manage nerves and anxiety in a situation like that.
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  Speaker 2: Do you have any tricks or tools that.
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  Speaker 3: You use when you're breathing a high pressure situation to
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  Speaker 3: come back down to earth a little bit.
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  Speaker 1: I think when I'm in it, like I'm in the
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  Speaker 1: flow of things, I don't feel too anxious or too
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  Speaker 1: you know, it's it's not I'm not too nervous or anything,
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  Speaker 1: cause I just try and it as like it's a game,
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  Speaker 1: you know, and like, yes, the stakes are higher, but
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  Speaker 1: you've prepared for this, you know, like you're you're ready
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  Speaker 1: for this, for this moment, and those are like, you know,
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  Speaker 1: the things that I tell myself going into it, So
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  Speaker 1: I'm not I wouldn't say that I'm like nervous or
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  Speaker 1: anxious too much. When I'm out there is when you
• 6:17
  Speaker 1: have to kind of like watch and see what's going
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  Speaker 1: on that you that I feel more of that because
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  Speaker 1: it's just like none of this is in my control,
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  Speaker 1: Like I have to, like, you know, just kind of
• 6:27
  Speaker 1: spectate as to what's going on in front of me.
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  Speaker 1: And so that's when I feel, you know, the most
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  Speaker 1: anxious or the most nervous. I'm just like okay, like
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  Speaker 1: what's going to happen. But I think in the moment,
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  Speaker 1: I try to just tell myself, you know, like this
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  Speaker 1: is You've prepared for these moments, like you're you're built
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  Speaker 1: for this kind of thing.
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  Speaker 3: You're built for this, and that, to your point, is
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  Speaker 3: a big part of playing on a team, right is
• 6:53
  Speaker 3: putting your trust and your faith in your teammates when
• 6:56
  Speaker 3: you might be on the sidelines and taking that step back.
• 7:00
  Speaker 3: What do you think has been the biggest let's call
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  Speaker 3: it strength of the Liberty this year in terms of
• 7:10
  Speaker 3: being on this team.
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  Speaker 2: What is it that makes this team great?
• 7:14
  Speaker 1: I think just the depth that we have. You know,
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  Speaker 1: everybody brings something different to the table, but we all
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  Speaker 1: bring great things, you know, from from one to twelve
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  Speaker 1: and so just you know, knowing that seeing that every day,
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  Speaker 1: all the work that everyone has put in, you know,
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  Speaker 1: not having to question what someone is capable of or not.
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  Speaker 1: For me, it just it makes it that much easier,
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  Speaker 1: you know. I go to work with these ladies every day,
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  Speaker 1: so you know, I know what they're doing. I see
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  Speaker 1: what they're doing, I see what they're capable of. And
• 7:43
  Speaker 1: you know, we've all been preparing coming together for this moment,
• 7:47
  Speaker 1: and it took you know, each and every one of
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  Speaker 1: us to be able to contribute so that we could
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  Speaker 1: accomplish this goal of winning a championship.
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  Speaker 3: I love hearing your unwavering support and faith in your teammates.
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  Speaker 3: I know that the faith from both your husband and
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  Speaker 3: past coaches at times has been the thing that's helped
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  Speaker 3: you push forward, that's helped you unlock another gear.
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  Speaker 2: Why do you think that is? Why do you think
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  Speaker 2: it is?
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  Speaker 3: When someone else comes to you and they say, Wow,
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  Speaker 3: you are so good, You've got this, it feels a
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  Speaker 3: little bit different than the conversation that we have on
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  Speaker 3: our own.
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  Speaker 1: Because for me, like I tried to, I try to
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  Speaker 1: approach things with a lot of humility, you know, not
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  Speaker 1: trying not to think more of myself than I ought to.
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  Speaker 1: And so when you have you know, those those extra
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  Speaker 1: people kind of telling you, you know, just validating what
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  Speaker 1: you already know, it just it helps you know, like okay, yeah,
• 8:46
  Speaker 1: like you know, you're right, you know I know this,
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  Speaker 1: but you know you telling me like it just it
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  Speaker 1: helps push me a little bit forward and in terms
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  Speaker 1: of what I'm thinking or you know, what I know
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  Speaker 1: that I that I can go out there and do.
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  Speaker 3: You've been fortunate to have some really great support from
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  Speaker 3: a young age, starting early on within your family. Tell
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  Speaker 3: us a little bit about what it feels like to
• 9:08
  Speaker 3: you to be supported. What does support look like in
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  Speaker 3: your world?
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  Speaker 4: People showing up.
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  Speaker 1: You know, my family from the day that I started
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  Speaker 1: playing basketball, they've just they've always been there. You know,
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  Speaker 1: my mom, she's traveled a lot just to just to
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  Speaker 1: be there, just to be there to experience these moments
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  Speaker 1: with me, you know, dedicating her resources and everything that
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  Speaker 1: she has to make sure that I had an opportunity.
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  Speaker 2: And that support is so valuable.
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  Speaker 3: Right like you said before, it's the thing that really
• 9:42
  Speaker 3: helps you push further, push harder, and keep going. Talk
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  Speaker 3: to us a little bit about that beginning that you
• 9:49
  Speaker 3: mentioned about how for you basketball may have not always
• 9:53
  Speaker 3: been the plan, but early on you knew that it
• 9:56
  Speaker 3: was going to be the thing that you really were
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  Speaker 3: passionate about pursuing.
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  Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean early on.
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  Speaker 1: Like my mother, she played basketball and was, you know,
• 10:04
  Speaker 1: a big star in her own right. She played overseas,
• 10:07
  Speaker 1: was a you know, all American in college. They didn't
• 10:10
  Speaker 1: have the WNBA when she came out. But I've heard,
• 10:14
  Speaker 1: you know, just nothing but great things about about her career.
• 10:18
  Speaker 1: And you know, as I was coming up, I never
• 10:20
  Speaker 1: got the opportunity to see her play, but I did
• 10:22
  Speaker 1: see her giving back to the community. You know. We
• 10:25
  Speaker 1: spent every weekend in the gym with her, teaching skills
• 10:28
  Speaker 1: to young boys and girls. She coached AAU as well.
• 10:32
  Speaker 1: But she never pushed me into it. Coming up, I
• 10:36
  Speaker 1: used to dance and I was going to be a
• 10:38
  Speaker 1: cheerleader when I grew up, like those were. I used
• 10:40
  Speaker 1: to do tap, jazz in ballet, and so that's what
• 10:42
  Speaker 1: I was into. But I was just around it so
• 10:44
  Speaker 1: much that I just ended up kind of falling in
• 10:47
  Speaker 1: love with it. And I was terrible at first. I
• 10:50
  Speaker 1: used to when I first started going out there, I
• 10:52
  Speaker 1: used to be in like my jeans and my ballet
• 10:54
  Speaker 1: shoes or you know, anything other than basketball attire. And
• 10:59
  Speaker 1: then and once I kind of started to get there,
• 11:01
  Speaker 1: she's like, okay, like we need to get you some
• 11:03
  Speaker 1: basketball things, like if you're gonna be out.
• 11:04
  Speaker 4: Here, this is what we have to do.
• 11:06
  Speaker 1: And I've always just been naturally competitive and whatever it
• 11:10
  Speaker 1: is that I do, so I think that's kind of
• 11:12
  Speaker 1: what what drove me and pushed me to just become
• 11:15
  Speaker 1: the player that I that I am to today and
• 11:19
  Speaker 1: just you know, stick with stick with this journey. But
• 11:21
  Speaker 1: that's how it like that's how it started. And then
• 11:23
  Speaker 1: it's just been you know, support and everything from her
• 11:27
  Speaker 1: throughout my journey. Like I said, just making sure that
• 11:29
  Speaker 1: she gets me to any and everything that will give
• 11:32
  Speaker 1: me an opportunity to be the player that I that
• 11:35
  Speaker 1: I wanted to be. So whether that was you know,
• 11:38
  Speaker 1: her driving from state to state for for AAU games,
• 11:42
  Speaker 1: even you know, once I got into college, there wasn't
• 11:45
  Speaker 1: a home game that she missed, you know, even making
• 11:48
  Speaker 1: it to some of the away games. And then as
• 11:50
  Speaker 1: I became a professional, you know, you you always see
• 11:54
  Speaker 1: her around just because she just wants to be there
• 11:55
  Speaker 1: to support me and see me.
• 11:57
  Speaker 4: Live out my dreams.
• 11:58
  Speaker 1: That meant a lot for me, you know, throughout my
• 12:00
  Speaker 1: career alongside with her, just the my other family who
• 12:04
  Speaker 1: has been a part of the journey.
• 12:06
  Speaker 3: What was it like for you to see your mom
• 12:09
  Speaker 3: after the wind?
• 12:10
  Speaker 1: It was like I was looking forward because her seats
• 12:13
  Speaker 1: are like normally across from me, a posing bench, and
• 12:15
  Speaker 1: I'm like, where is she? And then I found somebody
• 12:18
  Speaker 1: finally point her to my girl, come on, like, you know,
• 12:21
  Speaker 1: because this is this is her dream is as much
• 12:23
  Speaker 1: as it is mine, And so it was it was
• 12:26
  Speaker 1: really special for me to just be able to to
• 12:27
  Speaker 1: share that with her. I know, they weren't letting like
• 12:29
  Speaker 1: family and friends past a certain point. I was like, look,
• 12:32
  Speaker 1: this is my mom. She's coming, you know, regardless, and
• 12:36
  Speaker 1: so just to you know, have her be able to
• 12:39
  Speaker 1: experience this with me. She's been at, you know, at
• 12:41
  Speaker 1: everything that I've been at since winning It just it's
• 12:45
  Speaker 1: been really special.
• 12:47
  Speaker 3: And tell me correct me if I'm wrong, But your
• 12:50
  Speaker 3: niece was certainly out there on the court after the
• 12:53
  Speaker 3: big w what's it like for you to be in
• 12:58
  Speaker 3: this position to give her this access and this front
• 13:02
  Speaker 3: row seat to seeing women excel in this way.
• 13:06
  Speaker 1: I want to be a role model for her. I
• 13:08
  Speaker 1: want to be an inspiration for her, just somebody that
• 13:10
  Speaker 1: she can look up to and know that, you know,
• 13:13
  Speaker 1: regardless of anything that she goes through, regardless of you know,
• 13:16
  Speaker 1: where she is, and like, she has a grand opportunity,
• 13:19
  Speaker 1: and it's my mission to just provide her with any
• 13:23
  Speaker 1: and everything that I that I can to just help
• 13:26
  Speaker 1: her along the way. You know, this is I don't
• 13:28
  Speaker 1: have children of my own, but I know that if
• 13:32
  Speaker 1: I you know, if I did, this is this.
• 13:34
  Speaker 4: Is what they would receive.
• 13:35
  Speaker 1: And she's you know, she's an extension of that being
• 13:38
  Speaker 1: that she's my my brother's daughter, and I just want
• 13:41
  Speaker 1: her to you know, I want her to have the world.
• 13:43
  Speaker 1: You know, the same with my nephew. It's just she's
• 13:46
  Speaker 1: the first one, and you know, she's but she's the girl,
• 13:49
  Speaker 1: and you know, all the things, I love them the same,
• 13:52
  Speaker 1: but you know, she's the one that kind of just
• 13:55
  Speaker 1: like latches to me, and so I just embrace it
• 13:57
  Speaker 1: and just bring her along.
• 13:59
  Speaker 3: She is a little personality. I mean, between her and
• 14:03
  Speaker 3: Stewie's daughter, it's like they are the ones that are
• 14:06
  Speaker 3: really taking the prime time here.
• 14:10
  Speaker 4: Look they're the stars of the show and that look,
• 14:12
  Speaker 4: I'm okay with that.
• 14:13
  Speaker 2: Have ed it, have at it.
• 14:16
  Speaker 1: Well.
• 14:17
  Speaker 3: You did talk about your experience with dance, tap, jazz, ballet.
• 14:21
  Speaker 3: Would you draw any parallels between the dancing in your
• 14:25
  Speaker 3: life from when you were younger and the ball that
• 14:27
  Speaker 3: you're playing on the court.
• 14:29
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I said it's helped with my footwork, you know,
• 14:32
  Speaker 1: just my movement and everything. It's been a long time
• 14:35
  Speaker 1: since I've done it now, but I think just being
• 14:38
  Speaker 1: that that's something that like I grew up doing, I
• 14:42
  Speaker 1: do think that it has helped attribute to my footwork
• 14:45
  Speaker 1: and everything on the court for sure.
• 14:47
  Speaker 3: Now, you mentioned your mom being along for the ride,
• 14:50
  Speaker 3: going with you to all of the games whatever was
• 14:53
  Speaker 3: within her bandwidth, and as you went pro in twenty fifteen,
• 15:00
  Speaker 3: you know, the journey maybe wasn't exactly what you envisioned.
• 15:04
  Speaker 2: To talk to us a little.
• 15:05
  Speaker 3: Bit about the early years of Benijah on the court.
• 15:09
  Speaker 1: Yeah, the early years, I was just trying to make
• 15:12
  Speaker 1: my way. I remember when I first entered the league,
• 15:16
  Speaker 1: I had in college for four years, I had only
• 15:18
  Speaker 1: played the fore position, which is, you know, borderline like
• 15:22
  Speaker 1: a post player, and then having to transition with the
• 15:25
  Speaker 1: best of the best to be a guard, you know,
• 15:28
  Speaker 1: where I wasn't really comfortable handling the ball, I wasn't
• 15:30
  Speaker 1: comfortable coming off of a screen or you know, doing
• 15:33
  Speaker 1: certain things. But for me, it was kind of finding
• 15:36
  Speaker 1: something that I knew that I was really good at
• 15:39
  Speaker 1: and kind of Okay, I'm gonna do this and I'm
• 15:41
  Speaker 1: gonna do it to the best of my ability and
• 15:42
  Speaker 1: better than anyone else around me. So that way, it's
• 15:45
  Speaker 1: like if anything that makes me stand out there as
• 15:49
  Speaker 1: I you know, continue to work to figure you know,
• 15:52
  Speaker 1: other things out, because I know to be able to stick,
• 15:56
  Speaker 1: I would have I had to transition and I had
• 15:58
  Speaker 1: to you know, just become better and better. And that
• 16:01
  Speaker 1: was something that I focused on. But you know, I
• 16:03
  Speaker 1: just took it a step at a time. You know,
• 16:05
  Speaker 1: I would go into the off season, Okay, these are
• 16:07
  Speaker 1: the things that I want to focus on for this
• 16:10
  Speaker 1: next w NBA season and making sure that I did
• 16:13
  Speaker 1: that in the in the off season. And so, yeah,
• 16:15
  Speaker 1: my journey was definitely a little bit different. I started off,
• 16:19
  Speaker 1: you know, not playing as much or really being a
• 16:21
  Speaker 1: part of you know, the offense or anything like that.
• 16:24
  Speaker 1: And then I've dealt with injuries and injuries. I've dealt
• 16:28
  Speaker 1: with being waived twice, you know, in my career, but
• 16:32
  Speaker 1: you know, all of those moments they helped me lead
• 16:36
  Speaker 1: up to this one right here, you know. So regardless
• 16:40
  Speaker 1: of what it looked like in the beginning and what
• 16:42
  Speaker 1: it looks like now, you know, it's still a part
• 16:44
  Speaker 1: of my journey, and I wouldn't you know, I wouldn't
• 16:46
  Speaker 1: trade any of it.
• 16:48
  Speaker 3: Yeah, talking about that experience, there's no arguing that you
• 16:54
  Speaker 3: are someone who works hard, period, and you also have
• 17:00
  Speaker 3: this really beautiful level of confidence that, hey, like, I
• 17:05
  Speaker 3: might not have this skill or this thing right now,
• 17:08
  Speaker 3: but you better believe that I'm going to figure it
• 17:10
  Speaker 3: out and I'm going to work on that. Where does
• 17:12
  Speaker 3: that come from? That level of persistence dedication. Have you
• 17:17
  Speaker 3: always been like this or is this something that's been
• 17:20
  Speaker 3: a learned behavior over time.
• 17:22
  Speaker 1: I've always been like this to a certain extent, but
• 17:25
  Speaker 1: it's it's definitely grown and.
• 17:26
  Speaker 4: Elevated as I've as I've grown up.
• 17:29
  Speaker 1: I've always been kind of like a stubborn or like
• 17:31
  Speaker 1: person who like, well, you can't tell me I can't
• 17:33
  Speaker 1: do that kind of thing. Even if I can't do it,
• 17:35
  Speaker 1: you know, right right then and there, but always just
• 17:38
  Speaker 1: wanting to better myself and you know, not be the
• 17:42
  Speaker 1: same person that I was before. And that's you know,
• 17:45
  Speaker 1: that's whether it's on the court, off the court, whether
• 17:47
  Speaker 1: it's like you know, emotionally, physically, like you know, all
• 17:50
  Speaker 1: the all the things, I always want to be better
• 17:52
  Speaker 1: and I always want to.
• 17:54
  Speaker 4: To find a way to grow.
• 17:56
  Speaker 1: And that helped me on the court, you know, Yeah,
• 17:59
  Speaker 1: there were things that I you know, wasn't great at
• 18:01
  Speaker 1: and didn't really know what I didn't know. But you know,
• 18:05
  Speaker 1: with just the support of you know, my family, the
• 18:07
  Speaker 1: support of you know, the teams that I've been on,
• 18:09
  Speaker 1: the people that have been around me who who know me,
• 18:13
  Speaker 1: they've helped me, you know, kind of just realize some
• 18:16
  Speaker 1: of those things. Or like if there was somebody who
• 18:18
  Speaker 1: told me there was something that I couldn't do or
• 18:20
  Speaker 1: I wasn't good at, I was like, okay, well you'll
• 18:23
  Speaker 1: see this later, you know, and I'm going to work
• 18:25
  Speaker 1: on that and I'm going to be better. So I
• 18:27
  Speaker 1: think it's just come from a place of never wanting
• 18:29
  Speaker 1: to be complacent or content with where I am always
• 18:33
  Speaker 1: wanting to just grow and elevate. But also like just
• 18:36
  Speaker 1: taking it a step at a time.
• 18:39
  Speaker 3: I love that, and I think that resiliency is so
• 18:42
  Speaker 3: impressive for someone who hears that and they're like, Wow,
• 18:46
  Speaker 3: I want to have that tenacity. I want to have
• 18:49
  Speaker 3: that level of commitment For anyone aspiring toward their own
• 18:54
  Speaker 3: level up.
• 18:54
  Speaker 2: Do you have any advice that you can offer for them?
• 18:57
  Speaker 1: I think to just continue to stick with it. I
• 19:00
  Speaker 1: think it's really important to have goals and aspirations and
• 19:04
  Speaker 1: then just you know, nothing really happens overnight, so it's
• 19:08
  Speaker 1: just kind of working at it little by little, not
• 19:12
  Speaker 1: allowing people to really define you and who you are
• 19:16
  Speaker 1: and what you're capable of, just knowing like if it's
• 19:18
  Speaker 1: if it's something that you want, you can absolutely go
• 19:21
  Speaker 1: and get it. But you know, it takes a lot
• 19:23
  Speaker 1: of hard work, It takes resiliency, It takes failure and
• 19:27
  Speaker 1: success and maybe taking ten steps back to go five
• 19:30
  Speaker 1: steps forward and all the things. But at the end
• 19:33
  Speaker 1: of the day, these are things that build you. You know,
• 19:37
  Speaker 1: if I hadn't gone through a lot of the things
• 19:40
  Speaker 1: that I've gone through, I don't I wouldn't know what
• 19:42
  Speaker 1: it really looks like to overcome something, or you know,
• 19:45
  Speaker 1: know just what it is that I'm capable of if
• 19:48
  Speaker 1: I hadn't had that, and so you know, like I said,
• 19:51
  Speaker 1: I'm grateful for it all. Like at this point, like
• 19:53
  Speaker 1: I know that there is nothing that I can't overcome.
• 19:56
  Speaker 1: There's nothing that I can't deal with, and at the
• 19:59
  Speaker 1: end of the day, make it and be okay and
• 20:02
  Speaker 1: be successful and all the things.
• 20:04
  Speaker 4: Regardless of what that looks like.
• 20:07
  Speaker 3: You have me hyped right now, like hard stop, I
• 20:09
  Speaker 3: am amped. You mentioned a couple of the challenges that
• 20:12
  Speaker 3: you went through injury being waived in either of those
• 20:17
  Speaker 3: instances or any of those instances. Was there a point
• 20:21
  Speaker 3: ever that you debated should I keep going with this?
• 20:26
  Speaker 4: Yeah?
• 20:26
  Speaker 1: Absolutely, And I think, you know, I think that's the
• 20:29
  Speaker 1: natural like human response. Sometimes it's just like oh, like okay,
• 20:33
  Speaker 1: like you know, I've been knocked down so many times
• 20:35
  Speaker 1: or I've dealt with this so many times. But then
• 20:38
  Speaker 1: there's also like that part where it's just like you've
• 20:41
  Speaker 1: done this before, like you've overcome this before, you can
• 20:45
  Speaker 1: do it again, Like there's there's nothing or no one
• 20:47
  Speaker 1: that can standing in your way if this is really
• 20:50
  Speaker 1: what you want right now. So yeah, when I when
• 20:53
  Speaker 1: I first tore my aco and you know, wasn't an
• 20:57
  Speaker 1: or didn't feel like I wasn't part of the team
• 21:01
  Speaker 1: per se, Like I feel like, you know, I very
• 21:03
  Speaker 1: easily could be replaced, you know, I haven't done anything
• 21:05
  Speaker 1: in this league, and so like you have that, But
• 21:08
  Speaker 1: then I'm just like, but you work so hard to
• 21:10
  Speaker 1: get here, Like, don't give that up, you know, And
• 21:15
  Speaker 1: like I'm I'm a firm believer in the Lord, and
• 21:18
  Speaker 1: I know that he said, you know, there is nothing
• 21:20
  Speaker 1: that I can't handle. You know, he won't give me
• 21:23
  Speaker 1: more than I can bear. And so with that, like
• 21:25
  Speaker 1: I just got to continue to push, you know, keep
• 21:27
  Speaker 1: my faith in him and not in you know, what
• 21:29
  Speaker 1: I'm feeling or what's going on in front of me
• 21:32
  Speaker 1: right now, because he already told me he'll never leave
• 21:34
  Speaker 1: me nor forsake me, you know, and so like with that,
• 21:38
  Speaker 1: it just it it gives me hope in those moments
• 21:41
  Speaker 1: of maybe doubt or uncertainty and and all the things,
• 21:45
  Speaker 1: because yeah, in those moments, you know, it's hard.
• 21:47
  Speaker 4: You know, I'm a human.
• 21:48
  Speaker 1: I'm dealing with my natural human emotions of you know,
• 21:52
  Speaker 1: disappointment and all the things. But you know, regardless of that,
• 21:58
  Speaker 1: like I know that I can overcome this. I know
• 22:01
  Speaker 1: that you know, this isn't the end, and you know
• 22:04
  Speaker 1: everybody isn't for everybody. So just because this person doesn't
• 22:09
  Speaker 1: like this or you know, one, that doesn't mean that
• 22:11
  Speaker 1: the next person won't. And so it's just it's also
• 22:14
  Speaker 1: just about you know, kind of just staying true to yourself,
• 22:17
  Speaker 1: continuing to believe in yourself, you know, just finding a
• 22:20
  Speaker 1: way to kind of find that urge to.
• 22:23
  Speaker 4: Just to just keep going.
• 22:24
  Speaker 1: Just know that it's that it's going to be okay,
• 22:26
  Speaker 1: that you're going to make it, that you're going to
• 22:28
  Speaker 1: overcome it. Like at this point, like when I found
• 22:30
  Speaker 1: out I had to have, you know, my sixth surgery
• 22:32
  Speaker 1: this season, I was just like, okay, you know what, well,
• 22:35
  Speaker 1: what's the rehead plan?
• 22:36
  Speaker 4: Like what we're doing?
• 22:37
  Speaker 1: Because I know I've been there, I've done it. I
• 22:39
  Speaker 1: know that I can overcome it, and so it's just
• 22:42
  Speaker 1: a matter of you know, mindset and will.
• 22:44
  Speaker 3: You know that thing I keep coming back to is
• 22:48
  Speaker 3: this notion that you've gotten through all the hard moments
• 22:51
  Speaker 3: that have happened up until this point. And in the
• 22:54
  Speaker 3: midst of some of those difficult moments, there were certainly
• 22:58
  Speaker 3: thoughts like how am I ever going to get through
• 23:01
  Speaker 3: this or this is my lowest lower. I am beside myself, right,
• 23:04
  Speaker 3: And so when then to your point you're faced with
• 23:07
  Speaker 3: adversity again, it's like, what's the worst that can happen? Oh,
• 23:12
  Speaker 3: I'm exactly where I started in ninety nine point nine
• 23:15
  Speaker 3: percent of the time where you started. Really wasn't that
• 23:18
  Speaker 3: bad at all. You mentioned that rough ACL tear. Would
• 23:21
  Speaker 3: you say that's been the biggest hurdle that you faced
• 23:24
  Speaker 3: in your professional career or where would you go with that?
• 23:28
  Speaker 1: I think it was the second biggest. I'll I'll say,
• 23:34
  Speaker 1: I'll go to the first big I'll talk about this first,
• 23:35
  Speaker 1: and then I'll go to the first This for me
• 23:38
  Speaker 1: because it was it was my first major injury, Like
• 23:41
  Speaker 1: I had never been injured to the point where I
• 23:43
  Speaker 1: had to, you know, miss a.
• 23:44
  Speaker 4: Season, and like I said, I wasn't I just at
• 23:47
  Speaker 4: that point. It was early on.
• 23:49
  Speaker 1: It was early enough to where like if the team
• 23:51
  Speaker 1: wanted to replace me, like they could have because we
• 23:53
  Speaker 1: were what five six games into that season, you know,
• 23:58
  Speaker 1: and it's WNBA. There limited spots, you know, they want
• 24:01
  Speaker 1: to be able to contend for a championship. And like
• 24:05
  Speaker 1: I said, I didn't feel like I had did enough
• 24:08
  Speaker 1: in the league where I had like solidified myself, you know,
• 24:12
  Speaker 1: Poky and the team, they were gracious enough to keep
• 24:15
  Speaker 1: me on, allow for me to rehab and keep my
• 24:18
  Speaker 1: keep my spot, and so I think like once I
• 24:21
  Speaker 1: found that out that I would be fine for you know,
• 24:24
  Speaker 1: for the rest of the season. I was like, Okay,
• 24:26
  Speaker 1: now I can just focus on getting better. But moving forward,
• 24:30
  Speaker 1: the I think the biggest hurdle that I had to
• 24:34
  Speaker 1: overcome in my professional career would be like the second
• 24:38
  Speaker 1: time that I was ways because it's like, Okay, you
• 24:40
  Speaker 1: got through it the first time, and then it happens again.
• 24:43
  Speaker 1: It's you know, later in your career, you think about
• 24:45
  Speaker 1: the lifespan of a w NBA player, it's not that
• 24:48
  Speaker 1: it's not that long. And so I'm just like, man, like,
• 24:52
  Speaker 1: what's going to happen. We're going into a bubble year
• 24:55
  Speaker 1: where it's not like, you know, people can see me
• 24:58
  Speaker 1: and pick me up from from training camp or from
• 25:02
  Speaker 1: seeing me play against other teams or anything like that.
• 25:05
  Speaker 1: Like there's there's nothing showing what I you know, what
• 25:09
  Speaker 1: I've done, the work that I put in, you know,
• 25:12
  Speaker 1: as I'm like quarantine and everything, and you know, you're
• 25:15
  Speaker 1: kind of just waiting on people to make decisions as
• 25:18
  Speaker 1: to whether they're going to play or opt out of
• 25:21
  Speaker 1: the bubble and everything like that. So that I would
• 25:24
  Speaker 1: say was like probably like my my lowest point in
• 25:27
  Speaker 1: the league where I'm just like, okay, like what's next?
• 25:29
  Speaker 1: Like I work so hard for this, I don't know
• 25:31
  Speaker 1: what's going to happen where you know, where my career
• 25:34
  Speaker 1: is going. And then you'll just like, you know, that's
• 25:37
  Speaker 1: when that little bit of like doubt starts to creep
• 25:40
  Speaker 1: in and you're thinking, like, am I, you know, is
• 25:42
  Speaker 1: this what I'm supposed to be doing? Am I being
• 25:44
  Speaker 1: pushed in a different direction to do something else? And
• 25:47
  Speaker 1: then I just had to you know, I just had
• 25:49
  Speaker 1: to be still. I just had to pray. I had
• 25:50
  Speaker 1: to like lean on the people who were supporting me.
• 25:54
  Speaker 1: And that's where my now husband came in. That's where
• 25:57
  Speaker 1: my mom came in, and just you know, the family
• 25:59
  Speaker 1: and who really rallied around me and just told me,
• 26:03
  Speaker 1: you know what, like it's going to be okay, you know.
• 26:05
  Speaker 1: And then that's when I had that conversation with Nikki
• 26:08
  Speaker 1: Collins and I was like, this is a new opportunity.
• 26:10
  Speaker 1: This is a moment for me to go out and
• 26:13
  Speaker 1: you know, prove that I don't deserve to be way,
• 26:16
  Speaker 1: prove that you know I've put in, I've put in
• 26:18
  Speaker 1: the word, proved that I'm the player that I that
• 26:21
  Speaker 1: I want to be. And then, you know, it was
• 26:23
  Speaker 1: like my lowest point, but then it was also my
• 26:25
  Speaker 1: highest to a certain extent, because just the turnaround, the
• 26:29
  Speaker 1: transition of that moment was so big.
• 26:32
  Speaker 3: So bag, there's a choice that has to be made
• 26:35
  Speaker 3: when you are in a moment like that, and you
• 26:39
  Speaker 3: were very vulnerable in making it, which was to allow
• 26:44
  Speaker 3: your people to lift you up. I think that sometimes
• 26:47
  Speaker 3: in our darkest moments, we have this attitude that we
• 26:54
  Speaker 3: are supposed to figure.
• 26:55
  Speaker 2: It out alone.
• 26:56
  Speaker 3: Right that this is on me. I've got to move forward,
• 26:58
  Speaker 3: I've got to whatever the case may be.
• 27:00
  Speaker 2: And so to hear that you allowed.
• 27:02
  Speaker 3: Your community to show up for to show up for
• 27:06
  Speaker 3: you and then uplift you and help you get back
• 27:09
  Speaker 3: to being the badass that you are on the court,
• 27:11
  Speaker 3: I think that's really beautiful.
• 27:13
  Speaker 4: I mean, it took me a few days to get there.
• 27:16
  Speaker 1: I'm also that person that you know wants to figure
• 27:18
  Speaker 1: it out on their own kind of deal with the
• 27:20
  Speaker 1: emotions and all the things. So it did take me
• 27:23
  Speaker 1: a few days, but like once I just kind of
• 27:26
  Speaker 1: like I was able to take a breath and just reflect.
• 27:29
  Speaker 1: You know, I did allow you know, my people to.
• 27:32
  Speaker 4: Pour into me.
• 27:34
  Speaker 3: Yeah, and it's so special to get there, and like
• 27:37
  Speaker 3: you said, then some really amazing things happen. The first
• 27:40
  Speaker 3: thing that I want to talk about is your relationship
• 27:45
  Speaker 3: with your now husband. I know, a relationship that really
• 27:49
  Speaker 3: developed during the pandemic, arguably during a time that you
• 27:53
  Speaker 3: probably really didn't expect it.
• 27:54
  Speaker 2: Talk to us a little bit about that.
• 27:56
  Speaker 4: Yeah, I didn't.
• 27:58
  Speaker 1: When we first started dating, like we were just casually dating.
• 28:01
  Speaker 1: There was no you know, boyfriend or girlfriend. We were
• 28:05
  Speaker 1: just kind of figuring things out, not really looking for anything.
• 28:08
  Speaker 1: But then I think we just started to realize like
• 28:10
  Speaker 1: the similarities that we have, the aspirations that we have,
• 28:14
  Speaker 1: just how much we have in common, and you know,
• 28:18
  Speaker 1: we just.
• 28:20
  Speaker 4: Fell in fell in love.
• 28:23
  Speaker 1: It was it was definitely an experience just being that
• 28:26
  Speaker 1: we were in quarantine and everything together and we were
• 28:29
  Speaker 1: able to push each other and be there to support
• 28:32
  Speaker 1: each other.
• 28:32
  Speaker 4: And then we just we both know what it takes.
• 28:37
  Speaker 1: We both played at the at the highest level, and
• 28:40
  Speaker 1: so it was just a comfortability. You know, we know
• 28:43
  Speaker 1: what each other needs and in certain moments and that
• 28:47
  Speaker 1: kind that really just pulled me in.
• 28:50
  Speaker 2: Yeah. Yeah.
• 28:50
  Speaker 3: And for those that don't know, your husband, Jordan also
• 28:53
  Speaker 3: plays basketball, something that couldn't be a bad thing when
• 28:57
  Speaker 3: you can't really socialize with that many other people to
• 28:59
  Speaker 3: be able to go out there and do that together.
• 29:02
  Speaker 1: Yes, yes, heayed. He plays basketball in Taiwan right now.
• 29:06
  Speaker 1: He played professionally in the league for five years. And
• 29:09
  Speaker 1: we met in Israel overseas. We met in twenty twenty
• 29:14
  Speaker 1: early January twenty twenty, and then we quarantined together once
• 29:19
  Speaker 1: we both left left Israel, and then we just we
• 29:23
  Speaker 1: just continue to build our bond and our relationship throughout
• 29:26
  Speaker 1: the years.
• 29:28
  Speaker 3: How is it doing what you do, winning a championship
• 29:34
  Speaker 3: and having that distance between you.
• 29:36
  Speaker 1: I mean it's hard in the sense of, like I
• 29:39
  Speaker 1: would love to have him to be able to be
• 29:41
  Speaker 1: here with me and celebrate with me this moment, because,
• 29:45
  Speaker 1: like I said, I feel like he's helped me.
• 29:47
  Speaker 4: Get here to this point.
• 29:49
  Speaker 1: But I also understand, you know, we both have goals
• 29:52
  Speaker 1: and aspirations and that's also what makes us work. So
• 29:56
  Speaker 1: just knowing that he's there recording me from Afar. He'll
• 30:01
  Speaker 1: wake up no matter what time it is to make
• 30:03
  Speaker 1: sure that he could catch the games, even if it's
• 30:05
  Speaker 1: a twelve hour difference. So if we played at three,
• 30:08
  Speaker 1: he would be up at three in the morning to
• 30:10
  Speaker 1: make sure that he's you know, locked and watching and
• 30:12
  Speaker 1: then trying to get like an hour net before he
• 30:14
  Speaker 1: has to go to practice or lift or something. And
• 30:17
  Speaker 1: so just also just knowing that he's supporting me as
• 30:21
  Speaker 1: much as he can from Afar.
• 30:22
  Speaker 4: I really it really goes a long way.
• 30:27
  Speaker 3: Taking a break from today's episode to give some love
• 30:30
  Speaker 3: to my sponsor at ag one.
• 30:33
  Speaker 2: As you know, morning routines are critical to me.
• 30:35
  Speaker 3: Truly, my morning is my favorite part of the day,
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• 31:20
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• 31:20
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• 31:24
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  Speaker 2: Check it out.
• 32:04
  Speaker 3: And So you talked about coming back and after this
• 32:08
  Speaker 3: huge hurdle of being waved, really rising to the occasion.
• 32:15
  Speaker 2: Give us some insight into that arc.
• 32:16
  Speaker 3: What was it like when you realize this is not
• 32:20
  Speaker 3: only going well, but it's really starting to click For me?
• 32:23
  Speaker 4: When I realized that.
• 32:24
  Speaker 1: It was right before we entered the bubble and I
• 32:28
  Speaker 1: was doing like my workouts and everything, and Nikki Collins
• 32:31
  Speaker 1: walked up to me and she was just like, you know,
• 32:34
  Speaker 1: I don't know who told you that you can't shoot,
• 32:36
  Speaker 1: but here I want you to shoot until you miss.
• 32:39
  Speaker 1: And so it just like sparked this confidence in me,
• 32:42
  Speaker 1: like okay, like you know, whatever you want, whatever you need.
• 32:46
  Speaker 1: And she's absolutely somebody that I would run through a
• 32:49
  Speaker 1: wall for, you know, just because she's somebody that believed
• 32:53
  Speaker 1: in me, and not only believed in me, but she
• 32:56
  Speaker 1: helped push me towards being the player that I know
• 33:00
  Speaker 1: that I am. And so I'm forever grateful for her
• 33:03
  Speaker 1: for for that, for that season and everything, and wish
• 33:06
  Speaker 1: her nothing but the best of luck.
• 33:10
  Speaker 3: Yeah, I think it irrefutable that when you walk into
• 33:13
  Speaker 3: Barclays like you're a crowd favorite, like hands down Liberty
• 33:17
  Speaker 3: fans love you.
• 33:19
  Speaker 2: What does that feel like for you?
• 33:22
  Speaker 4: It feels it feels really good.
• 33:24
  Speaker 1: It feels really good to know that you know, again,
• 33:27
  Speaker 1: there are people that are that are supporting me, that
• 33:29
  Speaker 1: are you know, looking up to me, that you know
• 33:32
  Speaker 1: want to see me.
• 33:33
  Speaker 4: At my best.
• 33:34
  Speaker 1: And I mean I'm more of a reserved kind of person.
• 33:38
  Speaker 1: I do tend to like get overwhelmed with things at times,
• 33:42
  Speaker 1: but ultimately just knowing that, you know, when I when
• 33:46
  Speaker 1: I'm there and they're screaming my name, or I'm looking
• 33:48
  Speaker 1: around and seeing the people with my jerseys or people
• 33:51
  Speaker 1: walking up to me on the street and saying things
• 33:54
  Speaker 1: of encouragement, it really it really means a lot. The
• 33:57
  Speaker 1: support and love that I get from our fans something
• 34:00
  Speaker 1: that I couldn't have dreamed of, you know. So I'm
• 34:02
  Speaker 1: just I'm really grateful for for everything from New York.
• 34:08
  Speaker 2: Is it ever overwhelming?
• 34:10
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean it can be, because like I said,
• 34:12
  Speaker 1: I'm more of a like reserve person in a sense,
• 34:15
  Speaker 1: I like to kind of lay low and just you know,
• 34:18
  Speaker 1: do my thing. But I would I would much rather
• 34:24
  Speaker 1: have this than nothing, you know. So it comes, it
• 34:28
  Speaker 1: comes with it, but I try and embrace it as
• 34:31
  Speaker 1: much as I possibly can. But yeah, it's it can
• 34:34
  Speaker 1: it can get a little overwhelming at times, but just
• 34:37
  Speaker 1: due to my personality. But for the most part, I'm
• 34:40
  Speaker 1: you know, I'm grateful and I'm thankful for it.
• 34:43
  Speaker 3: And on the heels of that question, there were probably
• 34:46
  Speaker 3: moments when you were younger that you thought about both
• 34:50
  Speaker 3: where you're at now in terms of playing for the
• 34:53
  Speaker 3: New York Liberty or a team like it, and then
• 34:55
  Speaker 3: of course dreaming to win the championship. Now that you've
• 35:00
  Speaker 3: done it, is it what you thought it would be?
• 35:03
  Speaker 2: Is it better? Is it just different? What's it like?
• 35:07
  Speaker 1: I think it's how I envisioned it. I think it's
• 35:10
  Speaker 1: I think it's really how I how I envisioned it to.
• 35:14
  Speaker 1: You know, going into Barclays like being in New York
• 35:18
  Speaker 1: because I grew up coming to New York. My late aunt,
• 35:21
  Speaker 1: she lived in Brooklyn, about ten minutes from from Barclays,
• 35:25
  Speaker 1: and so I grew up here, you know, so I
• 35:27
  Speaker 1: know like the kind of the feels of New York,
• 35:31
  Speaker 1: and so to be in Barclays and have that that
• 35:34
  Speaker 1: transition onto the onto the court and kind of just
• 35:39
  Speaker 1: almost like where it started in a sense, like I said,
• 35:43
  Speaker 1: being somewhere that I that I grew up coming to.
• 35:45
  Speaker 1: I spent a lot of summers and holidays all the
• 35:48
  Speaker 1: things here here in Brooklyn, and so to to be
• 35:52
  Speaker 1: here and then experience this experience a championship, like you
• 35:56
  Speaker 1: kind of got a glimpse of what it would be
• 35:58
  Speaker 1: like last year, even though we felt a little short
• 36:01
  Speaker 1: and so it was just like it's just gonna be
• 36:03
  Speaker 1: that much better. And so walking into those games in
• 36:05
  Speaker 1: the playoffs, just how electric the atmosphere was, and then
• 36:10
  Speaker 1: to the to the parade and all the celebrations, I
• 36:14
  Speaker 1: feel like it might be a little bit more than
• 36:16
  Speaker 1: I expected. But for the most part, like this is
• 36:18
  Speaker 1: New York, Like you know, this is what it's about.
• 36:20
  Speaker 1: Like we're we're loud, we're like out there, we're you know, supportive,
• 36:25
  Speaker 1: and so it's it's been it's been a really amazing
• 36:28
  Speaker 1: like journey, a really amazing feeling to be here and
• 36:32
  Speaker 1: to win this championship so special.
• 36:35
  Speaker 3: It sounds like you're exactly where you're supposed to be,
• 36:38
  Speaker 3: right and in the same vein of that is this
• 36:42
  Speaker 3: what you expected it to be? I mean, you're also
• 36:44
  Speaker 3: an Adidas sponsored athlete. Sometimes I talk to people and
• 36:49
  Speaker 3: it's so special to have a company of that size
• 36:55
  Speaker 3: standing behind you.
• 36:56
  Speaker 2: What's that like for you?
• 36:58
  Speaker 1: I mean, it's amazing because when I first started, I
• 37:02
  Speaker 1: didn't you know, I didn't know anything about being endorsed,
• 37:06
  Speaker 1: or having partnerships or or any of the things. I
• 37:10
  Speaker 1: was just playing basketball. You know, I was just happy
• 37:13
  Speaker 1: to be there, and so you know, you fast forward
• 37:17
  Speaker 1: two years later and then you know, I have this opportunity,
• 37:20
  Speaker 1: I have this partnership, I have this brand that's rallying
• 37:23
  Speaker 1: around me and you know, just making me feel special
• 37:26
  Speaker 1: in all the right ways. You know, it really means
• 37:29
  Speaker 1: a lot to just be able to go out there
• 37:31
  Speaker 1: and do what I do and have the support of Adidas,
• 37:34
  Speaker 1: and then to be able to support them in the
• 37:37
  Speaker 1: same way by just trying to, you know, bring my
• 37:39
  Speaker 1: best self, you know, be a great representative of the
• 37:43
  Speaker 1: brand who who has given.
• 37:45
  Speaker 4: Me a lot.
• 37:46
  Speaker 1: You know it really it really means a lot, and
• 37:48
  Speaker 1: I'm just I'm happy for the support.
• 37:51
  Speaker 4: I love it.
• 37:51
  Speaker 1: You know, this Adida's brand like where it's a family.
• 37:55
  Speaker 1: You know, it's not just them endorsing me. And then okay,
• 37:59
  Speaker 1: you know they know they really support me, Like they
• 38:01
  Speaker 1: show up you know my my ideas. You know, they
• 38:04
  Speaker 1: they come to the games, they show up, they check
• 38:06
  Speaker 1: in on me. And so to to know that, to
• 38:09
  Speaker 1: know that I had that support from them, because that
• 38:11
  Speaker 1: you know that that goes a long way from me.
• 38:13
  Speaker 1: You know, I come from a supportive background and so
• 38:16
  Speaker 1: to to have to have this brand that you know
• 38:20
  Speaker 1: shows up the same way that you know my my other,
• 38:23
  Speaker 1: my family, my supporters.
• 38:25
  Speaker 4: Do you know it? Really it really means a lot.
• 38:27
  Speaker 3: I love that they rally around you and they also
• 38:30
  Speaker 3: amplify you, right, and that let's talk about the conversation
• 38:34
  Speaker 3: of women's basketball, women in sports right now. That's what
• 38:38
  Speaker 3: it's all about, right, is these brands and media companies
• 38:42
  Speaker 3: really amplifying the message of women in sports and showcasing
• 38:47
  Speaker 3: what it is that you all are capable of. You
• 38:51
  Speaker 3: talked earlier about knowing that, all right, I'm easily replaceable, right,
• 38:56
  Speaker 3: the W is only so big. Well, moving forward, it's
• 39:00
  Speaker 3: about to dramatically expand. So at this point being a
• 39:06
  Speaker 3: woman in basketball, how does that make you feel to
• 39:09
  Speaker 3: see that there's so much runway ahead for not only
• 39:13
  Speaker 3: where basketball and women in basketball are going to go,
• 39:17
  Speaker 3: but broader than that, the growth and eyes on women's sports.
• 39:22
  Speaker 1: Yeah, it's grown so much from the time that I
• 39:26
  Speaker 1: entered the league in twenty fifteen to where we are
• 39:29
  Speaker 1: here now in twenty twenty four. Just the amount of
• 39:33
  Speaker 1: viewership and support that we're receiving. As you know, I
• 39:37
  Speaker 1: won't even say it's just women's basketball, but just women's
• 39:39
  Speaker 1: sports in general, Like we've just grown so much, and
• 39:43
  Speaker 1: you know, rightfully, rightfully, so I think people I don't
• 39:46
  Speaker 1: think it's a matter of us changing so much, but
• 39:49
  Speaker 1: people really realizing in seeing, knowing what it is that
• 39:54
  Speaker 1: we're capable of as women and in this in this
• 39:58
  Speaker 1: sports world. You know, we've been working hard for so long,
• 40:02
  Speaker 1: and you know, now is our moment and we're just
• 40:04
  Speaker 1: continuing to capitalize off of it, continuing to you know,
• 40:08
  Speaker 1: just get better and.
• 40:09
  Speaker 2: Grow, get better and grow.
• 40:12
  Speaker 3: And to your point, you've been doing amazing things, right,
• 40:17
  Speaker 3: it's just now the platforms are in place, the eyes
• 40:21
  Speaker 3: are on you, and it's you're finally getting the attention.
• 40:25
  Speaker 2: That you deserve.
• 40:27
  Speaker 4: Mm hmm.
• 40:28
  Speaker 2: Yeah, for sure.
• 40:30
  Speaker 3: Now someone comes to your Instagram page and they see
• 40:33
  Speaker 3: the highlights that you're a player for the New York Liberty.
• 40:37
  Speaker 2: You just won the Liberty's first ever title.
• 40:40
  Speaker 3: When you look in the mirror, Benija, what is it
• 40:44
  Speaker 3: that you see looking back at you.
• 40:48
  Speaker 1: When I look in the mirror and I see me,
• 40:51
  Speaker 1: I think the biggest I think I see somebody that's resilient,
• 40:54
  Speaker 1: you know, I see somebody that kind of do anything,
• 41:00
  Speaker 1: you know, I don't like. I know, we talk about
• 41:03
  Speaker 1: social media, but I don't. Social media doesn't define me
• 41:06
  Speaker 1: in any type of way. I think that I'm just,
• 41:09
  Speaker 1: you know, regardless of what it looks like on social
• 41:11
  Speaker 1: media or anything like that. I'm a you know, I'm
• 41:15
  Speaker 1: a beautiful, genuine person, you know, who just wants to
• 41:21
  Speaker 1: just enjoy, enjoy life and enjoy the things that are
• 41:25
  Speaker 1: that are happening around me, you know, love on my
• 41:28
  Speaker 1: loved ones and vice versa.
• 41:31
  Speaker 4: So that's I guess what I what I see.
• 41:34
  Speaker 2: What does enjoying life look like for you in the
• 41:38
  Speaker 2: near future.
• 41:39
  Speaker 1: In the near future, I would say being able to
• 41:42
  Speaker 1: go celebrate with my husband, that's what That's what enjoying
• 41:47
  Speaker 1: it because I've you know, I've been able to enjoy
• 41:49
  Speaker 1: the championship. I've been able to to be home and
• 41:54
  Speaker 1: you know, experience my my family and friends. But that's
• 41:56
  Speaker 1: that's one piece right now for me that's that feels
• 41:59
  Speaker 1: like is missing a little bit. You know, the phone
• 42:01
  Speaker 1: can only do but so much, and so just to
• 42:04
  Speaker 1: kind of be in each other's presence and brace celebrate
• 42:08
  Speaker 1: all the things, that's what I'm really looking forward to.
• 42:11
  Speaker 2: I love that now.
• 42:12
  Speaker 3: I also know that whenever this happens, whenever you do
• 42:16
  Speaker 3: move on from basketball, that in your future you really
• 42:19
  Speaker 3: want to open daycare centers.
• 42:21
  Speaker 2: And I love that about you. So can you tell
• 42:23
  Speaker 2: us a little bit about that.
• 42:25
  Speaker 1: Yeah, one of my aunts she has daycare centers, So
• 42:27
  Speaker 1: I kind of grew up around daycare centers and specifically
• 42:32
  Speaker 1: in urban areas, and just kind of stand the impact
• 42:36
  Speaker 1: that she's had on the community, given back to the
• 42:39
  Speaker 1: to the children that come through her centers. You know,
• 42:41
  Speaker 1: community is something that my mother has always instilled in
• 42:44
  Speaker 1: her children, and so this is my way of doing that,
• 42:48
  Speaker 1: of giving back, and I do want it to specifically
• 42:51
  Speaker 1: to be in urban areas where children don't have as
• 42:54
  Speaker 1: many resources and all the things, just you know, show
• 42:58
  Speaker 1: them that they can they're more than where they come from.
• 43:01
  Speaker 1: To instilling them like there are a lot of possibilities
• 43:04
  Speaker 1: out there, regardless of what it looks like, and to
• 43:07
  Speaker 1: just give them, you know, a home away from home,
• 43:09
  Speaker 1: a safe a safe haven if you will, and just
• 43:13
  Speaker 1: just help foster them. You know that at that age,
• 43:16
  Speaker 1: children are very impressionable, and so if they can we
• 43:20
  Speaker 1: can start to build that foundation early, especially in those
• 43:23
  Speaker 1: in those areas that'll just That'll be my way of giving.
• 43:26
  Speaker 3: That your passion is so apparent, and it's also so
• 43:31
  Speaker 3: apparent that you have had some stellar female role models
• 43:36
  Speaker 3: to get you to this point. When I look at you,
• 43:39
  Speaker 3: I also see a stellar female role model, someone that
• 43:43
  Speaker 3: so many young women, impressionable young women look to and think,
• 43:48
  Speaker 3: all right, one day, I want to be just like her.
• 43:52
  Speaker 2: How does that feel When I say that to you?
• 43:55
  Speaker 1: I mean it, it feels good because that's I guess
• 43:59
  Speaker 1: what I've out to do or to be.
• 44:02
  Speaker 4: I am like, I am more.
• 44:03
  Speaker 1: Quiet and all the things, but I want my impact
• 44:06
  Speaker 1: to be more about others than it is about me.
• 44:09
  Speaker 1: And so that's why, you know, I do the community
• 44:12
  Speaker 1: things that I do, and once I retire, I'll you know,
• 44:16
  Speaker 1: start to have my daycare center so that way I
• 44:18
  Speaker 1: can just give back and be able to have an
• 44:23
  Speaker 1: impact in the community. And So, to answer your question more,
• 44:27
  Speaker 1: it's just it's almost what we spoke about earlier, just
• 44:29
  Speaker 1: that kind of validation of what I already know and
• 44:33
  Speaker 1: like what I'm setting out to do, and so to
• 44:35
  Speaker 1: know that it's it's recognizable, it just makes me want
• 44:37
  Speaker 1: to just you know, continue to keep going and keep
• 44:40
  Speaker 1: pushing and just continue to be everything that I've set
• 44:44
  Speaker 1: out to be.
• 44:46
  Speaker 2: I love it.
• 44:46
  Speaker 1: Well.
• 44:47
  Speaker 3: You talked to us earlier about some of the biggest
• 44:49
  Speaker 3: hurdles that you faced within sport, both that acl tear
• 44:53
  Speaker 3: and then also getting waived. Right now, if you were
• 44:57
  Speaker 3: to offer yourself a piece of advice, right at that
• 45:01
  Speaker 3: massive hurl moment getting way for the second time, dealing
• 45:05
  Speaker 3: with so many of the emotions that come hand in
• 45:08
  Speaker 3: hand with that, knowing what you know, now.
• 45:11
  Speaker 2: What advice would you give your younger self.
• 45:14
  Speaker 1: I would literally just tell myself just keep going, you know,
• 45:17
  Speaker 1: keep working, keep doing all of the things that that
• 45:21
  Speaker 1: you've been doing. And then some you know, in those moments,
• 45:24
  Speaker 1: it's so easy to kind of like fall away from
• 45:26
  Speaker 1: the things that you've been doing because you might feel
• 45:29
  Speaker 1: like it's not working or it's not worth it. But
• 45:32
  Speaker 1: just keep at it, you know, because you're gonna be
• 45:34
  Speaker 1: a champion, which is you know what we set out,
• 45:38
  Speaker 1: what we set out to do. You know. So I've
• 45:40
  Speaker 1: I've reached I've reached one of my biggest goals.
• 45:44
  Speaker 2: And how does it feel.
• 45:46
  Speaker 4: It feels amazing, It feels great.
• 45:49
  Speaker 2: I'm so happy for you.
• 45:50
  Speaker 3: I'm like truly giddy over here a Brooklyn, a Brooklyn
• 45:54
  Speaker 3: neighbor there for Game five, at games all season, so
• 45:58
  Speaker 3: I couldn't be more honor that you gave us. Send
• 46:00
  Speaker 3: of your time here today for Hurdle. For those that
• 46:03
  Speaker 3: may not follow along with you just yet that want
• 46:06
  Speaker 3: to keep up with you, give us your details.
• 46:08
  Speaker 2: How do they keep up with you?
• 46:09
  Speaker 1: On social My Instagram is noje Laney. That's kind of
• 46:14
  Speaker 1: the only one that I really know how to work.
• 46:15
  Speaker 1: I don't use Twitter because I don't really understand it.
• 46:19
  Speaker 1: But if Twitter, then Benaje Lani. But those are those
• 46:23
  Speaker 1: are my two socials.
• 46:25
  Speaker 3: Hey, if you use Twitter more, you too could have
• 46:28
  Speaker 3: been inundated with red Wine yesterday at the parade.
• 46:33
  Speaker 4: We had Quincy.
• 46:36
  Speaker 3: They're like Stewie tweated for all of us. It's all good,
• 46:39
  Speaker 3: it's all good. Well again, thank you so much for
• 46:41
  Speaker 3: your time. I'm over at Emily a Body and at
• 46:45
  Speaker 3: Hurdle Podcast. Another Hurdle conquered. Catch you guys next time.