Latest / Pretty In Pink Again / Episode 60: Behind UConn Men’s Basketball: Marriage, Motherhood & the Woman Holding It All Together with Andrea Hurley
Transcript
- 0:00I'm Christina.
- 0:00And I'm t.
- 0:01And this is the Pretty and Pink Again podcast where motherhood meets rediscovery.
- 0:17Today we're sitting down with Andrea Hurley, wife of Dan Hurley, and someone who has been living inside one of the most high pressure environments in college sports as the head coach of the University of Connecticut Men's Basketball Program, Dan Hurley took over in 2018 and within just a few years, completely rebuilt the team leading them to back to back national championships and another championship appearance this year.
- 0:39From the outside it looks like success at the highest level, but behind that level of success is a life.
- 0:45Most people don't see the pressure, the expectations, the constant highs and lows, the moving, the unknowns, the rebuilding not just of a program, but of a life.
- 0:56Being a partner to someone, carrying that level of responsibility and quietly carrying pieces of it too.
- 1:01And at the same time being a mother, raising two boys through it all.
- 1:06Creating stability in a life that is anything but predictable and having family be her top priority.
- 1:12So today just isn't a conversation about what's happening on the court.
- 1:15It's about what it takes to hold everything together behind the scenes and what it looks like to stay connected to yourself in the middle of it all.
- 1:23that's the thing, like you don't, I mean, but like, you just don't know.
- 1:28You don't, there's no book on it.
- 1:29There is no book on it.
- 1:31No, I cannot imagine.
- 1:31And you know, now I'm just so comfortable with it.
- 1:35But that, but like, there's not a lot of like, you that speak about it.
- 1:38Like they're not, I feel like they're very, behind the scenes.
- 1:41I think that's why everybody's been like coming at you.
- 1:44Yeah, because they're like, like everyone just sits there.
- 1:47Like, I'm bored as shit.
- 1:48So I'm like, Hey, hey.
- 1:49You're like, hey, like let's, like, let's talk, like, let's do something else.
- 1:53Let's, yeah.
- 1:54Because my husband's like, the thing is, you know how it started because my husband's nuts and I wanted everybody to know that I'm okay.
- 2:03Right?
- 2:08You repeat that.
- 2:09I'm not in a closet somewhere.
- 2:12You know, you sit at the games to make sure that like, because if you were like, I'm over, over framed, hello.
- 2:20Everything's terrific.
- 2:21Now that we've listened to enough interviews, it's maybe questionable.
- 2:25Maybe Dan's locked in the closet we gets home.
- 2:27Oh, no, no.
- 2:28Oh yeah.
- 2:28No.
- 2:29And he was the ma.
- 2:30He's a, if he was missing, we might question.
- 2:34Yeah, I'm tough.
- 2:36I will say.
- 2:38I love the perspective because I just always feel like when I'm watching and it's always about them.
- 2:44Yeah.
- 2:44And then there's no, you're like, first of all, that's great, but like there's no behind the scenes.
- 2:48And you're like, you know, there is a Behind the scenes.
- 2:50Yeah.
- 2:50And then you're like, why does she not speak?
- 2:53It's like, you know, you speak well.
- 2:55She does.
- 2:55Right, of course.
- 2:56But I'm saying like that's why I think that everybody's oh, this is, this is so different.
- 3:00Like the perspective is so different.
- 3:01Like we're hearing from her like, well, you know what it is.
- 3:03It's like, of course.
- 3:04And you keep him in check.
- 3:05Of course.
- 3:05Well, that's it.
- 3:06But the thing is like everybody surface sees, they see everybody.
- 3:10You know, your financials are out and you know, out in the open.
- 3:13Your financials are quite literally for public.
- 3:15Oh.
- 3:16Anybody can look, could look at a state employee's listed right there.
- 3:19So what do they think?
- 3:20They think I'm sitting home eating bon bonds all day.
- 3:23Yeah.
- 3:23I do.
- 3:23Like what a, what does she do?
- 3:25Yeah.
- 3:25Like, let me tell you something.
- 3:26Nobody is doing this unless they get paid.
- 3:28I am gonna say that.
- 3:30Mm-hmm.
- 3:30Um, I mean, it's our entire life, life.
- 3:33It's my kids' entire life.
- 3:35Like your extended family, my extended family's life.
- 3:38And every year it could change, right?
- 3:40Oh yeah.
- 3:40Even within a contract, you don't know what you're gonna get.
- 3:42Any year.
- 3:42It can, any year it can change.
- 3:44And how they perform is your entire life.
- 3:47Because if they don't perform, you have a public job.
- 3:51Like, I, I'm tough.
- 3:52Like I will credit my jersey, I'll credit all that, it does get to you'cause people are ignorant.
- 3:59That people are ignorant as shit.
- 4:01They'll come up and they'll say anything to you, and then that's when I snooky out and I will make a scene.
- 4:07And it's like, I don't want that.
- 4:08So you get nervous to go out if things aren't going well and you're putting where you're living, your family, your livelihood on basically college students Yeah.
- 4:19And their performance.
- 4:20Absolutely.
- 4:21Which is so crazy when you like, think about the chain of events.
- 4:24Yes.
- 4:24Yeah.
- 4:24And then you have to what, edit yourself out in public.
- 4:27So on this podcast, we wanna hear the unedited, Andrea, where you've come from.
- 4:32We wanna hear about the Jersey girl, how you and Dan met all the things and we'll like really get into it.
- 4:36So we were talking too about like for anybody who's not from Connecticut, you don't understand that we don't have a real professional sports team.
- 4:45Like we don't have an NBA basketball team.
- 4:48We don't have anything in that state.
- 4:49We don't.
- 4:49We really don't have anything.
- 4:50We have the whalers once upon a time.
- 4:52Mm-hmm.
- 4:52Yes.
- 4:52The, so Yukon sports is everything, everything to anybody in Connecticut.
- 4:58And Connecticut's pretty small, so it's like the entire state.
- 5:01There's no division.
- 5:02There's no other school that competes with it like that.
- 5:05So Connecticut sports are intense.
- 5:08Connecticut fans are intense.
- 5:10Mm-hmm.
- 5:10And we are coming off another huge season, so championship game second in the country, which for most people is like such a high Right.
- 5:22But we wanna talk about living inside of it.
- 5:24And you've been so public, you've been out there this season just chatting with all different sorts of media and giving your perspective, and I think that people are really drawn to hearing that side of it.
- 5:35What is it like from the wife's perspective, we hear about it from the coaches' perspective obviously, and from the players, but what is it like for the family living inside of that?
- 5:45This is intense.
- 5:46Yeah.
- 5:47I'll just say about Connecticut.
- 5:48Yeah.
- 5:49When you do Well, it's right now, like we've been here eight years, like not just the program is our entire family.
- 5:56Everybody in it, but now it's the state.
- 5:59Yeah.
- 5:59And you know, when you do well, we're all like, we're all one big family, you know, like mm-hmm.
- 6:04And you need the fans.
- 6:05And we are a big family.
- 6:07We're all connected by something that just brings us so much joy most of the time, thank God.
- 6:12But there are times, like this year, our fans pissed me off.
- 6:16And I'm like, they, it wasn't good enough.
- 6:18We weren't blowing teams out.
- 6:19And that annoyed me.
- 6:20And then I said to myself like, we're family, families fight.
- 6:23You get mad at us, we get mad at you.
- 6:25You know what I mean?
- 6:25You'll make back up next year, it's fine.
- 6:27And I'm just like, stop.
- 6:28But you know, it's just feels it to be a part of something like this.
- 6:34Nobody expected this.
- 6:35We were just in high school a very short time ago, so to build this, like how he did it and took baby steps to get here and.
- 6:46Just his attention to detail and just his, like how he works.
- 6:52He's the hardest working person that I know as far as he made this entire business his entire life and then pulled us in.
- 7:01So it's all our life too.
- 7:03And it's just, when it goes good, it's great.
- 7:05When it doesn't, it is heavy.
- 7:08It's torture.
- 7:09It's torture.
- 7:10How?
- 7:11Because there was a loss right at the end, which it was even crazy.
- 7:15As a fan, right.
- 7:16That, that they were even there again this year, Uhhuh, it was like it came out of nowhere.
- 7:21There was that insane game, with the play that is, will go down in history.
- 7:25Winning that game.
- 7:26I just watched it this morning 12 times it with shivers.
- 7:29It's like, what movies are made out?
- 7:30And then I've watched everybody's reactions.
- 7:32Yes.
- 7:32It's like your mother-in-law's reaction in the stands.
- 7:35Like, holy fucking shit, uhhuh, all of these different clips.
- 7:40It gives me, even there's this one, um, CBS I have it on my, I saved it on my Instagram.
- 7:44I will watch it every single day and I don't think I'll ever get tired.
- 7:48It The one in such slow-mo yes, it's Slowmo and it's like the t and then the, and then it goes in and then everybody's jumping around and it just shows little pieces.
- 7:56You don't like shivers shi.
- 7:58'cause you don't, I think it made more of an impact after.
- 8:02After.
- 8:02Mm-hmm.
- 8:02Well, people couldn't even believe what they saw.
- 8:04No.
- 8:04And then everybody had to like, almost relive it over and over again.
- 8:08And it was just one of those moments in sports that people are like, this is what a movie is.
- 8:12Based off it.
- 8:13It was like a movie could be made off of that.
- 8:15Mm-hmm.
- 8:16Last five minutes of that game.
- 8:17We beat St.
- 8:18John's by like 30 something.
- 8:19I'm like, do we wanna win the whole thing this year?
- 8:22Yeah.
- 8:22And then we went like at the end of the season and then we get.
- 8:28Smacked by however many, and then we lose to teams that we should not have lost to.
- 8:33And I'm like, we just ran outta gas.
- 8:35Yeah.
- 8:35My husband's like, people don't realize how hard this is.
- 8:39We lost four games by the end of the, I'm like, this is tough.
- 8:43Like you, this doesn't happen.
- 8:44The beginning of the year, we are blown, you know, like these amazing teams, we, you don't know what's gonna happen.
- 8:49You make the schedule and you hope for the best, but it's just like, wow, they did it.
- 8:54And then, you know, at the end you're like, whoa, did they run outta gas at the end?
- 8:58And then, and then I'm saying, okay, we lost to Marquette.
- 9:02That was a tough one.
- 9:03Um, because it handed St.
- 9:05John's, like they got both the end accolades there, which is so annoying.
- 9:11Then I'm just like, dude, it's okay.
- 9:13It's all right.
- 9:13Like, we're good.
- 9:14It was a great season, but I'm like, that sucks that we're gonna end this season.
- 9:19It was such a great season.
- 9:20But this is all that people give a shit about is how you finish at the end.
- 9:24The finale.
- 9:24Yes.
- 9:25Right.
- 9:25So what is happening at home during those moments?
- 9:29Like during all of the games?
- 9:31Are you the one holding it together emotionally?
- 9:33Is it chaos?
- 9:34Is it, are, is there so much stress?
- 9:36I know.
- 9:36And what do even and what do you say after a win or a loss?
- 9:39Okay, the season's heavy, I'm not gonna lie.
- 9:41Mm-hmm.
- 9:42The second the season starts.
- 9:43It's like, oh, it's almost like having a baby.
- 9:44Like, you forget how like the birth of a baby, you forget how brutal it is, but you can't wait to do it again.
- 9:51You know?
- 9:52And then you're like, whoa, this sucks.
- 9:54Even when you're winning it's one game after the next.
- 9:56It's you winning.
- 9:57I feel like it's long season.
- 9:59I feel like it's a long season.
- 10:00It's season, and you know what, it's, it's the winter, so it gets dark so early.
- 10:03Yeah.
- 10:03Yeah.
- 10:04It's, the days feel like they're brutal.
- 10:07Like we, I think we figured it out.
- 10:09We've been doing this for 30 years.
- 10:11Mm-hmm.
- 10:11So, we have it down pat now.
- 10:14Especially our, my kids are outta the house.
- 10:16Mm-hmm.
- 10:16My focus is him.
- 10:17I make sure.
- 10:19During the season, he has every single thing.
- 10:21That's what I do.
- 10:23And back, you know, a few years back, you had to be ashamed to say that.
- 10:26I cook, I clean, I bake.
- 10:29I'm obsessed with that.
- 10:30That's what I do.
- 10:31I'm a nurturer, I make, everything is nice.
- 10:34That's my job.
- 10:35And not to brag, but I think that really helps.
- 10:39Mm-hmm.
- 10:39Our season and I have everything prepared and it's my job and I do it with pride and when we win, it's like amazing.
- 10:49We celebrate that.
- 10:50When we lose, it's a heavy, I can't even begin to explain.
- 10:54I'll wake up in the morning, like I wake up a, like a lot of times the first thing my brain does is like.
- 11:00Where am I?
- 11:01I don't travel that much, but like Dora like with sometimes I did a little bit more than I wanted to this year, but like, I'll wake up, I'm like, where, where am I?
- 11:07Like, I'll look around.
- 11:08Did we win?
- 11:09Did we lose?
- 11:10It's the first thing I always ask myself.
- 11:11It's just, I'm just programmed for that.
- 11:13And I'm like, oh, we didn't play last night.
- 11:14Or we did, or, and if we did, it's quiet.
- 11:17Like he's a quiet you know what, they could have done what they should have done.
- 11:22Like reflecting.
- 11:23Yeah.
- 11:23Yeah.
- 11:23So that's heavy.
- 11:24And I will always say a win, that excitement from a win does not last that long because you're worried about the next game.
- 11:32Yeah.
- 11:32Then we prepare.
- 11:33And he'll come home that night.
- 11:34He'll have ice cream.
- 11:35Like, it's like he has a shtick.
- 11:37He will go to bed at a normal time.
- 11:38Like he, he comes home late, but then he will always have pizza and ice cream.
- 11:42Like, it's like a, after to celebrate.
- 11:45Yep.
- 11:45Yeah.
- 11:45A frozen pizza.
- 11:46Yep.
- 11:47And an ice cream, you know.
- 11:49Everyone.
- 11:50But then it's gotta be like onto the next, right?
- 11:52Yes.
- 11:52Like you can't even get yourself so psyched to celebrate.
- 11:55You're onto the next No.
- 11:56And if we lose, he doesn't go to bed till four or five in the morning.
- 11:59Oh, was it, will he just rewatch and perseverate over the moves or the watch?
- 12:03I don't like, sometimes it, you know what it is?
- 12:04It's like the round robin of phone calls through all the coaches, what they could have done, talking about players is that, I'm like, it's over tomorrow.
- 12:13You could do that.
- 12:14But no, tomorrow they're gonna prepare for the next game.
- 12:16So what about a loss of a season?
- 12:18So the championship game lose at the last minute.
- 12:22How long does it take for life to feel normal again?
- 12:26We always said, in fact, my son said it.
- 12:28We talked about it and we said, oh my God, imagine getting to the end and losing in the chip.
- 12:31'cause I'm like, we, like, we would do anything to get to the championship and then imagine losing.
- 12:36And my husband's like, God forbid that happens, you know?
- 12:38But then it happened and it's just like, I was kind of bracing myself for the worst, but.
- 12:45I didn't know how other people were gonna take it and they have been so ama like people are so proud here, even though we didn't win it, which is a huge difference.
- 12:54Mm-hmm.
- 12:54Like I said, we pulled in, coming in second.
- 12:57Mm-hmm.
- 12:58Is crap.
- 12:58It's like mm-hmm.
- 12:59When we, when we win the thing, there's people at the airport, there's people lying the streets.
- 13:04There was no one I cried on the way home.
- 13:06Yeah.
- 13:06Because I'm just like, no one's here.
- 13:08Like, I'm gonna cry.
- 13:08Like no one's here for them.
- 13:10They did so well.
- 13:11Like the, the plane.
- 13:13I'm looking around some of the staff you know, it's like they had those pussies on, not even, not like our staff, but like support staff and and donors and I'm looking at them and I'm like, just be like, dude, yeah, you guys played, what a season, but everybody like, don't show these kids that.
- 13:28That annoyed me.
- 13:30But I will say our fans have been a amazing like.
- 13:34Did you think we were gonna get past Duke?
- 13:35I mean, we were down 19.
- 13:36I I didn't, I didn't, my son said, mom.
- 13:40You think those Duke twins are gonna win, don't you?
- 13:42Because I think they're so cute.
- 13:44They're so cute.
- 13:45I I, I think they're so cute.
- 13:46They were like, on all the commercials, they were, they were like, mommy, you think the Duke twins are winning it?
- 13:50And I was like, I don't know.
- 13:51I'm not saying anything.
- 13:52I'm keeping my mouth shut.
- 13:53Yay.
- 13:53I'm just gonna sit here and watch this game with you three crazies.
- 13:56You know, it was a rough one, but I'm, so, I went to Yukon, and I love Yukon sports.
- 14:01So I danced at Yukon.
- 14:02So I played at, you know, I would perform at the halftime scene.
- 14:04You were performing at those games.
- 14:05So I have just a very big connection to it.
- 14:08I have like a weird thing and I think a lot of, Yukon fans have this very weird thing where you're like, we're gonna win.
- 14:16I don't know how, but we're gonna like, you're like, I just, I.
- 14:19They always do it.
- 14:20They always do it.
- 14:21They pulled it outta their ass.
- 14:22Before, like years prior to us, I was nervous and like when it started to really go downhill, I had to leave the room because I was like, panicking.
- 14:31But it's, but you have this like weird gut feeling that you're gonna win.
- 14:34And I had it even through the last game.
- 14:36But, and then you're like, wow, it didn't happen.
- 14:38It's like a reality check.
- 14:40But you're right though.
- 14:40These are kids.
- 14:41Yeah.
- 14:41Like, you forget sometimes, like these are 19, 10, 20, 20 1-year-old.
- 14:45Like they're kids.
- 14:46Yeah.
- 14:47They just work their ass off.
- 14:49Nobody would, and they're in school.
- 14:51They're in school.
- 14:52Nobody would believe.
- 14:54They were giving us the late games too.
- 14:56We would play nine, sometimes 10 o'clock at night.
- 14:58That, so we were not getting so rough, we were not pulling into, because then we, you know, then they do media after the game.
- 15:03So we weren't getting in the, on the plane till, three, four in the morning.
- 15:06We're pulling into our house on Monday morning at four or five o'clock in the morning.
- 15:09And it was like, you know, you're a student all day Monday, you're like trying to, you can't get outta your own way.
- 15:13You're trying to do laundry Tuesday.
- 15:15You gotta, get yourself together and pack.
- 15:17'cause then you're out the door again on Wednesday.
- 15:18So that's how it was from the Big East tournament through the whole thing.
- 15:22Yeah.
- 15:22And these kids were also going to class, they were writing papers, they were doing, projects and they make sure, you know, my husband and the staff are very strict about school.
- 15:32They're academics.
- 15:32Academics is number one.
- 15:34So you slip a little bit and.
- 15:38They'll be on you.
- 15:38Wow.
- 15:39I don't know how they did it.
- 15:40Wow.
- 15:40Do you kind of feel like a mama bear for the kids too?
- 15:44For the team?
- 15:45I mean, I don't wanna be annoying.
- 15:46There's a fine line there when you're seen too much and you know, they're college kids.
- 15:51But I also want them to know that, like, I see it, I love them for who they are.
- 15:57Whether you start or you never see the court, it's like, I see you and I pray for them, and I just,, I know how hard this is.
- 16:05So I try to make myself out there.
- 16:07I try not to go to, I, I'll stop into a practice, but once he starts yelling it, I'm out.
- 16:12I don't like that.
- 16:13I don't like you, I don't like that.
- 16:14So I leave.
- 16:16But, um, I'm around, I think enough that they feel my love, I write them, I do the game day candy every game.
- 16:23I started it back at St.
- 16:25Benedict's.
- 16:26I like, I pick one candy a game, and then I write them a Geechee poem and sometimes they're just like, oh my God.
- 16:33Like sometimes I look back'cause I saved them on.
- 16:35I'm like, whoa.
- 16:36You know?
- 16:36I'm like, I can't.
- 16:38So I try to do that.
- 16:39Just let them know here I am.
- 16:40And if we lose, like I'll give them like Sour Patch kids the next game.
- 16:43Like don't be a sour, you know?
- 16:45Oh my gosh.
- 16:45Ish.
- 16:46And then for their birthdays I do bake them.
- 16:47I'm the worst baker on the planet, but it's just a thought that counts.
- 16:51It's like I do cupcakes and then, but now I do managers.
- 16:54So it's like, and you sing while you bake.
- 16:56Right?
- 16:56I heard.
- 16:57I ing to every single one of them while I'm icing.
- 17:02While I'm icing.
- 17:02Gotta have to make it with love.
- 17:04I, that's the way I do it.
- 17:06It's all made it with love.
- 17:07And they all feel your love and they feel your husband's loved.
- 17:09Do.
- 17:09Every single one of those players, when you've read or listened to one of their interviews, they all talk about him in the highest esteem.
- 17:17Yeah.
- 17:17Which I think that's so special.
- 17:19You know?
- 17:19So whatever this yelling is that you might see or whatever, like this love taps, oh my god.
- 17:24Or whatever you hear about like, yeah, no, that's practice.
- 17:26Clearly practice.
- 17:27The players love that him, that's only, you know, and that's only the few hours a day.
- 17:31Right.
- 17:31He's, my husband is the most sensitive human being.
- 17:36On the planet.
- 17:37All he wants to do is be loved, like mm-hmm.
- 17:39I'm telling you, he's the sweetest soul.
- 17:42And it's kind of funny to me that people do take him as this crazy animal because he's just like the sweetest LI mean, he's a little love bug.
- 17:53How did you guys meet?
- 17:55This is, I was a freshman.
- 17:57He was a fifth year senior.
- 17:58Now, mind you, I did not wanna go to Seton Hall.
- 18:00Mm-hmm.
- 18:01That was the last place I wanted to go.
- 18:02I wanted to be a fashion designer.
- 18:04I wanted to go to FIT, I got into FIT and I actually had a roommate, um, from high school.
- 18:10And, and then my dad, who's a little overprotective, was like, you are not.
- 18:15And I'm, I am, do, do, do.
- 18:17Trust me, I'll be the first to tell you I'm not.
- 18:20Yes, I'm a little out there.
- 18:22I'm a little spacey.
- 18:23So he's like, you're not ready for New York yet.
- 18:25I think you need one year of core under your belt.
- 18:29And then I'll let you figure out what college is.
- 18:32Okay.
- 18:32So my mom actually was treating,, she's a radiation therapist and she was, the president had cancer.
- 18:38So my mom's like me, we talked to walls.
- 18:42So she's like, my daughter can't find a spine and we're gonna find a spot for how we now we're gonna go to see.
- 18:46So he's like, well have her, you know, gimme her, her application and you know, next thing you know, I got into Seton Hall.
- 18:52I'm like, I can't go to New York, but you're sending me to Newark, like South Orange Drive, And at the time you were living in northern Jersey central or Central Jersey.
- 19:01Yeah.
- 19:01Okay.
- 19:02So it was an hour away.
- 19:03My mom's like, I want you near me.
- 19:05I want, you know, I just wanna make sure I can get to you.
- 19:06She wants you near, near you in Newark, New Jersey.
- 19:09In Newark, New Jersey.
- 19:11So please.
- 19:12So I was like, all right.
- 19:13So I got there.
- 19:14I'm like, what the hell am I doing?
- 19:15I gave her a hard time, and what am I doing here?
- 19:18And so I hated it up until, I guess it was Christmas time, and I'm like, all right I'm starting to, I could do this for one year and then get me out.
- 19:28And then it was midnight madness, like that's what they called it.
- 19:31Yeah.
- 19:31Like, you know.
- 19:32Yeah.
- 19:32And, um.
- 19:33I always knew of him.
- 19:35'cause my dad, my parents are from Jersey City in bay own.
- 19:37So it's like, that's where Danny's from.
- 19:39Mm-hmm.
- 19:39His dad was a high school coach of, Yeah.
- 19:41He's a legend too.
- 19:42Yeah.
- 19:42And you know, best, you know, high school program.
- 19:45So my dad followed this.
- 19:47I didn't follow this shit.
- 19:48Like I, my dad would schlep me to St.
- 19:51Anthony games.
- 19:52So I think it's bizarre that I actually saw my husband when I was probably in like seventh grade.
- 19:56I didn't know, you know, he would make us go to the CBA St.
- 19:59Anthony's game was a rivalry game.
- 20:01Hated it.
- 20:02But we went every year as a family.
- 20:04So then when, rewind, when I was going, my, my dad's like, Danny Hurley goes to Seton Hall.
- 20:11Who gives a shit?
- 20:12You're like, that's, that's how you're gonna alert me there.
- 20:15I'm like, oh, the kid that plays, like, who cares?
- 20:18And then like I looked him up, I'm like I don't think so.
- 20:20Not my type, you know, like, and he's old and he's out the door anyway, and I'm a freshman and whatever.
- 20:25But then something happened when I, I was looking for him, like when he came out and I was like, oh my God he's so cute.
- 20:33Like there's something like some spiritual thing.
- 20:37And I know this sounds, you saw his soul so weird.
- 20:39ID it's, is that weird?
- 20:41I mean, it is weird.
- 20:42And, I didn't meet him until the end of March when the season was over and then my So how did you get his attention?
- 20:50My, one of my really good friends is a swimmer and she was dating.
- 20:54This kid, John Lansky, who was on the team and he was good friends with, and she'd be like, Andrea, can you please hang out with me and John because I hate being the only freshman girl at all these things.
- 21:05And I'm like, no.
- 21:07And then I was like, all right.
- 21:09So she was behind me, went to a bar and she was like, going like this to me.
- 21:13So I'm like, you're so freaking embarrassing.
- 21:15So I went to talk to him and I'm just like, he tried to be so tough.
- 21:19And I'm like, I liked it.
- 21:20I'm like, look at you.
- 21:22But you saw through it a little bit.
- 21:23I saw, right?
- 21:24You were Jersey boy?
- 21:24Yeah, Jersey girl.
- 21:26Bush Little Jersey boy.
- 21:27Yeah.
- 21:28I'm like, stop hard on the outside.
- 21:29Sweet.
- 21:29On the inside.
- 21:30Yes.
- 21:30And he was so cute.
- 21:31And then like, you know, he was trying to play all talk cute.
- 21:33And I'm just like, okay.
- 21:34I'm like, all I wanted was a ride home.
- 21:35'cause we were on South Orange Jav and I just wanted a ride home.
- 21:38So he offered me a ride home.
- 21:39He took all my friends home first.
- 21:41We went around the block, we talked for a minute, and then that was on a Thursday.
- 21:45And then we went out on a Saturday.
- 21:47He picked me up.
- 21:49Been hanging out ever since you've been hanging out?
- 21:52Ever since.
- 21:52We've been hanging out ever since.
- 21:53Yeah.
- 21:53And it's, and not only that, we got, I met him in March.
- 21:57We got engaged in August.
- 21:58August 30th.
- 21:59Wow.
- 22:00Of that year.
- 22:01I was 20.
- 22:01So this was 19.
- 22:02So you were still in college?
- 22:04You were into sophomore year?
- 22:06Sophomore year I was engaged.
- 22:06So when did you get married?
- 22:07The August, the following year.
- 22:09Wow.
- 22:09So I only knew him a year and a half.
- 22:10So when did you stay at Seton Hall and graduate from there?
- 22:13No, I, no, because he was, the reason why we got engaged is because he was gonna go play European ball Oh.
- 22:19In Spain.
- 22:20And he wanted me to come with him because he's like a little like sensitive little booger.
- 22:25And he wanted me to come with him.
- 22:26Mm-hmm.
- 22:26And my mother's real Jersey City, my dad, you know, my mother's like, what the hell?
- 22:30You think we're running here?
- 22:31Yeah, yeah.
- 22:32You're, you're not married, you're not even engaged.
- 22:34Where do you think you going when you got school?
- 22:36And I'm like.
- 22:37Oh.
- 22:37So I went back and told him, and I'm just like, sorry, off to Spain.
- 22:41You go, I'll, you know, I have to finish school.
- 22:43He was just like, let's get engaged then.
- 22:45And I'm like, all right.
- 22:46So then I got engaged.
- 22:47I'm was like, you're still not going.
- 22:49Like, it means nothing.
- 22:50Like, no, no, no.
- 22:51Like, no.
- 22:53So, and then when I couldn't go he's like, I don't wanna play.
- 22:56He's like, I don't think I wanna play anymore.
- 22:59And I'm just like, okay.
- 23:00So I ended up going back to Seton Hall my sophomore year.
- 23:03He was kind of lost in outer space.
- 23:06Like, where, where is my place?
- 23:08I just got done playing.
- 23:09I don't wanna play anymore.
- 23:11So he started, coaching with his dad, and then he, he was like a sex ed teacher.
- 23:16And then I'm like, what the hell am I getting myself into?
- 23:18I, I mean, I obviously, oh my God.
- 23:20And I didn't even think at that.
- 23:21When you think about it now, I'm like, what the hell was I chasing?
- 23:25And I was 20.
- 23:26I ended up getting married.
- 23:27And what we planned the wedding before all this.
- 23:29Wow.
- 23:29So we had the date.
- 23:30So we ended up getting married you know, August 29th of 97.
- 23:35And that was it.
- 23:36We then he ended up, he actually got a job at Rutgers the month before as, um, a, it's, this is so sad.
- 23:43A restricted earnings coach.
- 23:44He was like, what's your husband do?
- 23:45He's a restricted earnings coach.
- 23:47And he was restricted, trust me, he was a restricted earnings.
- 23:50And that's what he, he started, then he was at Rutgers and we're like, we made it, you know, you're restricted.
- 23:55Yeah.
- 23:55Or you coach at Rutgers University.
- 23:58And that's where I learned how to be a coach's wife.
- 24:00Yeah.
- 24:00From Rutgers University.
- 24:01From Rutgers University.
- 24:03Never home.
- 24:04One of my girl, I was telling you offline, one of my best friends, her husband is a D one hockey coach.
- 24:09And we kind of joke every year, like around this time at the end of the season, where are they gonna move to next?
- 24:14Like, we're all in it.
- 24:15Yeah.
- 24:15It's military.
- 24:16It's like military.
- 24:17We're all in this like.
- 24:19And I say we, meaning like me and her friends.
- 24:21Yeah.
- 24:21Like, I can't imagine what she feels like with her husband.
- 24:24Like the move, like, are they gonna go, are they gonna stay?
- 24:26Who's transferring where?
- 24:27So I imagine you started in New Jersey, you had your boys.
- 24:30When did this, like, are we gonna move craze start for you?
- 24:34We, I was pregnant with, then I got pregnant with Danny.
- 24:36I don't even know how, because he was never home, but that was like fricking at Rutgers.
- 24:40And then he ended up, actually, right before before Danny was due, he got promoted to a, a recruiting coach, which is huge.
- 24:49Wow.
- 24:49He was only four captains on a ship, you know what I mean?
- 24:51And he was to be that young and but he worked his ass off.
- 24:55Like the man was never home.
- 24:57And I as a, you know, I'm new with this, you know, I'm, and also I'm a baby and I'm like, why does he not wanna be home?
- 25:04And I was 20 I'm giving up my entire college life to sit in an apartment, a one bedroom apartment myself.
- 25:12All the time.
- 25:12And you know, back then there was like the VHS tapes, you know?
- 25:16Yeah.
- 25:16And he would with the VCR, and he would, and it would be like, and I'd go there like nine, 10 o'clock at night and I'd be like, what the, what are we doing?
- 25:24Like, can you come home?
- 25:25And I'm like, this, he's, he regrets every minute of getting married.
- 25:29And he didn't seem like it, but it just, he doesn't wanna be home.
- 25:33But he just worked and worked and worked it.
- 25:35He had his, under his eyes were dark.
- 25:38Those dark purple circles.
- 25:39'cause he never saw the light of day.
- 25:41And um, then he had to go to Croatia.
- 25:44Now I am 22 when I had Danny.
- 25:47So I got pregnant at 21.
- 25:49I was 22 when I had Danny and I was already a little self-conscious.
- 25:53I'm so young, like, what's that look like?
- 25:55It was like, this is gonna be so weird.
- 25:57Like, I don't like this look.
- 25:58And then he's like, well, I have to go to Croatia from July 5th to August 1st.
- 26:03Back then they traveled the whole month without coming home.
- 26:06I'm like, this is perfect.
- 26:07This is some way to, you know.
- 26:09So he ended up, um, I drank two bottles of castor oil.
- 26:14'cause Danny was supposed to be due July 9th.
- 26:17Um, and I'm like, no, no, I need this guy home.
- 26:20So actually the coach's, the coach at Rutger's wife, she said to me, I said to her, I'm like, how am I doing this?
- 26:27She's like, you drink two bottles of castor oil.
- 26:30I'm like, oh, is that what you do?
- 26:31She's like, yes.
- 26:32That's what all the wines do to induce labor.
- 26:34To induce labor.
- 26:35And then you'll have your kid.
- 26:36And everybody was like, that is, you'll also like, shit your pants.
- 26:40But you don't ever do it.
- 26:43Don't ever.
- 26:45Do it, but it worked.
- 26:48Did it work?
- 26:48Like I can't show face at like St.
- 26:51Peter's Medical Center.
- 26:53My was it worth it?
- 26:54It was worth it.
- 26:55My son.
- 26:55Yes.
- 26:56It So, so your son's birthday's July 9th.
- 26:58July 1st.
- 26:58July 1st.
- 26:59Yeah.
- 27:00Home.
- 27:00It would've been been, it would've been like the end of June, but I, they had to order a castor Royal.
- 27:04I don't know why, but like, I had to go pick it up.
- 27:05God.
- 27:06So I got him out July 1st.
- 27:08And, you know, and I still, to this day, he blames me.
- 27:11He had jaundice and stuff.
- 27:12He wasn't ready.
- 27:13Like I would never do that again, nor tell anybody to do that.
- 27:17But I mean, then he walked on his toes.
- 27:18I'm like, it's all me.
- 27:20Oh my God.
- 27:21Yeah.
- 27:21But he's fine.
- 27:23Everybody's fine.
- 27:23But yeah.
- 27:24But I, then I was by myself with this kid.
- 27:27My brother is four years younger.
- 27:29He's in, in high school.
- 27:31My mom's like, I can't live with you.
- 27:33I got your brother.
- 27:34So I had to move in with my mom and we just moved into a condo right before Danny was born.
- 27:38So there was shit everywhere.
- 27:40And then I moved back into my condo.
- 27:43He was coming back, um, uh, July 5th to August 2nd.
- 27:45So I moved back in on the first.
- 27:47Wow.
- 27:48And he got home and our, um, frigging neighbor's propane tank caught on fire and my whole house burned down.
- 27:56So it was like a townhouse.
- 27:58So all my shit that I didn't even, I don't even know what I had all lost.
- 28:01So where'd the three of you go back to your parents?
- 28:03Like in your parents?
- 28:04I went back to my mom's and then we went to this disgusting, we had to go to a rental.
- 28:08So now we went back up north.
- 28:10'cause we were kind of like, we were in, um, Morganville, which is like you know, maybe half hour from Rutgers.
- 28:16And now I'm like, you know what?
- 28:18Let's just get a rental.
- 28:19Closer to Rutgers.
- 28:20And it was gross.
- 28:21I just dreamed of do you know, doing the nursery.
- 28:23Beautiful.
- 28:24And I had my kid in these filthy rugs and it was awful.
- 28:28It was awful.
- 28:28It's really showing like the unglamorous.
- 28:31I feel like you just see this lifestyle.
- 28:33Yeah, I You put it out there.
- 28:35This, this is, there is no glamor to this.
- 28:38Like, you see the money, everybody sees dollar signs.
- 28:42What are you talking about?
- 28:43Like, well maybe they see the 2026, like if they go state of Connecticut, maybe they see those dollar signs, but they don't see this whole Oh, no, no, no.
- 28:51Backstory to what it took to get to this point.
- 28:53I mean, and not only that, from that fire we were, we were up shit's creek.
- 28:56And then he ended up getting fired from Rutgers.
- 28:59'cause once the head coach loses his job, everybody does.
- 29:02Yeah.
- 29:02So then now he's gonna prep school.
- 29:04So now we're back.
- 29:06I'm asking him like, you're going backwards.
- 29:07Like we were in college, now you're gonna, so now he went to high school.
- 29:10Now we're in high school.
- 29:10Wow.
- 29:11He was there for nine years and we had this major debt from the fire.
- 29:15'cause now we have to rebuy everything.
- 29:17Our insurance, the loss of use is not, we didn't know and we blew through that in five seconds.
- 29:23We were just talking about it the other day.
- 29:25You know when the kids are little, you can get away with going to the dollar store and wrapping puzzles and just making it look so full.
- 29:30And I remember one Christmas, I, it's when it's, when you can first look up your bank account online, it's like, I'm really dating myself here.
- 29:37But like, I looked it up and it said negative 16.
- 29:40So I said to him, I'm like, not only do we or have no money, but we have like negative money.
- 29:45This is Christmas morning.
- 29:46And I'm just like, oh, okay.
- 29:48So what?
- 29:49Like, so what you get paid in two weeks, like we'll be okay.
- 29:52And it's just like our credit cards were tapped out.
- 29:54So it's like there's things that did make us strong.
- 29:57I mean at the time it didn't even feel like anything.
- 29:59Like we're just, alright.
- 30:01We're fine.
- 30:01We're, we'll get through this.
- 30:03It was the four of you?
- 30:04It was, well then it was the three of us.
- 30:06Oh, that was the three of you then?
- 30:07That was the three of us.
- 30:08And then Andrew came, yeah, two and a half years after Danny.
- 30:11So were you in New Jersey at this prep school with the two boys?
- 30:15Yes.
- 30:16Well, he was in Newark.
- 30:17He coached in Newark.
- 30:18Um, that was the St.
- 30:19St.
- 30:19Benedict's Prep and we were in Freehold where I kind of grew.
- 30:23I grew up up until high school.
- 30:25Yeah.
- 30:25Which was like my favorite town.
- 30:26And so we moved back there.
- 30:29And it was like the best, it was like a patio home.
- 30:33It was probably my favorite house to date.
- 30:35You know, we were talking about like, everybody wants the big house until you get it.
- 30:39And now I would give anything to live on Kentucky Way again, where, all the houses look the same.
- 30:46My kids like, you open the door, your kids run off with every neighborhood kid and you don't see them till night.
- 30:52Yeah.
- 30:52I mean, you don't realize what matters until you look back.
- 30:56Mm-hmm.
- 30:56And realize that you had that.
- 30:58So those were the good days living in Freehold, New Jersey.
- 31:00Good days for New Nick is from the next town over.
- 31:02He's from Colts Neck.
- 31:03Oh my gosh.
- 31:04Colts Neck reminds me of this town actually.
- 31:06It absolutely does.
- 31:07Like Course Farm, like long driveway.
- 31:09Yep.
- 31:10Yeah.
- 31:10Delicious orchards.
- 31:11It's, yeah, they live actually like walking distance from there.
- 31:14Oh my God.
- 31:15Right up 34.
- 31:16Really close.
- 31:16That's in fact, I was just in delicious orchards.
- 31:18I can't go to Jersey without stopping there.
- 31:20At Love Place.
- 31:21Yeah.
- 31:21Have you gone to Rook Coffee?
- 31:23Yes.
- 31:23In fact, I, I like it there.
- 31:25I, that's what I met.
- 31:26I got a pet here and then I meant to stop there on the way home.
- 31:28Mm-hmm.
- 31:28Um, to get, I don't know if they have K-cups.
- 31:30I'm dying to get K-cups, but.
- 31:32I don't think they do.
- 31:33'cause they have that like cold brew.
- 31:35They do coffee.
- 31:36I don't think they have like regular brew KC cups are better for you anyway.
- 31:39I know.
- 31:39If my son hears this, he like, you don't put plastic and then Okay.
- 31:43Whatever.
- 31:44Anyways, we digress.
- 31:45Okay.
- 31:45We digress.
- 31:46So, alright.
- 31:46Then where does the career go from there with you guys?
- 31:49Nine years at St.
- 31:50Benedict's was my life.
- 31:52That's where my heart truly was.
- 31:55Mm.
- 31:55We had not a penny to our ne like, we lived from paycheck to paycheck and that was, I was okay.
- 32:01Like we lived like that and mm-hmm.
- 32:03We made it work.
- 32:04It was fine.
- 32:05I could not get a job that was going to pay me enough to pay for daycare for my kids.
- 32:11Mm-hmm.
- 32:11So I had no choice.
- 32:13I, like, there was, what was I gonna do?
- 32:14No job was gonna pay me for what I could do.
- 32:16Mm-hmm.
- 32:17You know, and still to this day, like you make it work, when eBay was big, anything I would sell.
- 32:22I'm like, you need that, you need that kid, you need that toy.
- 32:24Like, I would sell everything.
- 32:26You're very resourceful.
- 32:28Oh my goodness.
- 32:29I loved it.
- 32:30So I did that and I mean, we, we made it work.
- 32:34And you know, he did admissions, so he got a little extra Father Edwin, who was the headmaster.
- 32:40The school means, like, I, I'm gonna cry, like my husband says it's his best friend.
- 32:45Like he has a priest is his best friend.
- 32:47But what he did for us, you know, I looked up and he's on the altar for my kid's communion in Freehold.
- 32:52He came from Newark.
- 32:53He, you know, was on the altar when my dad passed away.
- 32:56Like, he's there for all of us.
- 32:58He was just somebody that we could talk to about anything, you know, family issues.
- 33:04He was just right there like, and.
- 33:07I never saw myself leaving that ever.
- 33:10So one day I was in the backyard, raking leaves and hustling out there.
- 33:16Oh yeah.
- 33:16Oh no.
- 33:17I was, let me tell you something.
- 33:17I had the corner lot in Freehold, and let me tell you something, it wasn't easy, but my place was pristine.
- 33:23There was not one leaf I was very good with all that, the outside and inside.
- 33:27And I, you know, was out there raking leaves and he comes out and he's like, just so you know I put my name out there for Marist College and I'm like, Marist College to do what?
- 33:36He's like to coach.
- 33:38He's like, don't worry.
- 33:39He was named like four other people to put their name in.
- 33:41I was like, oh God.
- 33:42I'm like, please what?
- 33:44Stop.
- 33:44He's like, I might wanna try college.
- 33:48Now mind you, we had players you know, we had Tristan Thompson, he was my, the love of my life with this kid, Mike Banga.
- 33:54They're from Canada.
- 33:56They would stay with us on the weekends'cause the dorms closed.
- 33:58It's a boarding school.
- 34:00Dorms closed on the weekends.
- 34:01We had kids, they would split up between Wow.
- 34:04Some of the coaches.
- 34:04So every weekend I had players with us.
- 34:08They would go to my kids' basketball games, football games, baseball games.
- 34:12My kids grew up with them.
- 34:14And it's like, when your kids do student of the week posters, you know, it's my kids and then all kids that don't look like them.
- 34:21It's like my brothers, you know, and it's just like my kids.
- 34:25We're so lucky to mm-hmm.
- 34:28Grow up like that with these kids that, and that truly cared for them mm-hmm.
- 34:32And cared for us.
- 34:33There were times that my husband drove a suburban, it was the school suburban, and when they had bad practices and stuff, he'd pull up.
- 34:39And my kids loved my, my, um, big ziti or lasagna.
- 34:43And I would do like every, every weekend.
- 34:45And it was like brownies with ice cream.
- 34:47You know, they, they looked for it.
- 34:48So they would pull up and my husband would get out and he'd be like, oh, bad practice.
- 34:53And I'm like, where are the boys?
- 34:54And you see their heads, like, you just see their, their heads in the car.
- 34:57'cause they didn't wanna get out.
- 34:58And I'm just like, oh, come on.
- 35:00So you're like, come, come, come on, come, come mother.
- 35:02I would go in the car.
- 35:03I'm like, come on.
- 35:03You're with me now.
- 35:04You're, you're home now.
- 35:05But we had them every weekend and um, it's funny to see the whole like, Chloe thing, you know, it was just like, it's so cute.
- 35:11You had him when he was a baby.
- 35:13I had him as a baby.
- 35:14Oh.
- 35:14He was like, wait.
- 35:15Yeah.
- 35:17And for years.
- 35:18And, I have so many kids that take up so much space in my heart and it's it's like you wish you could just get them all back and, but that's gotta be so hard too, because you're of course like wanting the next thing.
- 35:30Like you want your husband to have I didn success.
- 35:32Right.
- 35:32But I didn't.
- 35:33You didn't at all.
- 35:33No, I did not.
- 35:35And it was like, well you were just very content where you were family means so much to me that like, I mean, look at the opportunities that we just had.
- 35:42Like I can't I'm okay where I am..
- 35:46If we're okay, we're, we're doing great.
- 35:48You know, hearing this story makes me think I understand why you guys said no to the NBA years ago.
- 35:54Yeah.
- 35:54It's not.
- 35:55Trust me, you're happy.
- 35:56How amazing.
- 35:57We like, what are we stupid Like to this day I'm like, who says it should have been a hell?
- 36:07Yeah.
- 36:07Like, I'll, I'll send for my shit, but I'll have somebody else send for it.
- 36:13Oh yeah, no, I'll never see thanks Huskies.
- 36:15But I like, no.
- 36:17So is there friction then?
- 36:19Like is he kind of always the one that's looking for the next thing and you're the one kind of keeping perspective?
- 36:24The question yes, but I know him so well that I'm like, do you like, are you sure?
- 36:32Are you sure you wanna do this?
- 36:34And it wasn't even more of him wanting to do the next step.
- 36:37It was me leaving what we had.
- 36:39Mm-hmm.
- 36:40How do you say goodbye to fa?
- 36:41I'm gonna cry.
- 36:41Like how this is how many years ago?
- 36:438, 9, 10.
- 36:44That was 15 years.
- 36:45Yeah.
- 36:45How do you say goodbye to Father Edwin?
- 36:46Like he gave you your job.
- 36:48Like, how is the school gonna function?
- 36:50Where are these kids gonna go on the weekends?
- 36:52Like, it's all this stuff in your head.
- 36:55I can't lose the life that I love right now.
- 36:57Mm-hmm.
- 36:57And it's okay that we don't, we can't make ends meet.
- 37:00We're fine.
- 37:01And it's just like, okay.
- 37:04And then I'm like, I can't keep him from what he wants to do.
- 37:06But he did get the marriage job.
- 37:07Mm-hmm.
- 37:08And I did freak the freak out because, my, my dad passed away.
- 37:12All I have is my mom and my brother.
- 37:15We are, it's the three of us.
- 37:16It's all we've ever had.
- 37:17I have a niece and then a nephew too, but like, for a while it was just my niece.
- 37:21Um.
- 37:22He was getting divorced and we're too close, I don't think there's such a thing.
- 37:26But they needed me, I needed them.
- 37:29And to even remove myself from our little triangle of where we were, that I, my heart can't do that.
- 37:36So I freaked out and we didn't go to Mar.
- 37:40I'm like, it was too painful for me to like, tell my mom, you can't come over for Taco Tuesday.
- 37:44You know, you can't.
- 37:45Wow.
- 37:45So he passed on that.
- 37:46He passed on that.
- 37:47But then, somebody came in from Wagner to, you know, to watch him and he's like, it's Staten Island.
- 37:55We don't have to move.
- 37:56He's like, I think I want this.
- 37:58So back to what you said about moving, it's like I literally, every single day of my life, not one day goes by.
- 38:06That is the biggest blessing.
- 38:08Not the money, not any of this shit that comes with the winning and everything else.
- 38:13It's the, the good Lord let me be driving distance from my family, my kid who lives in Jersey.
- 38:22It's like, I need to get in a car and get to you if I need to.
- 38:27I need to see you when my heart is is sad and needs a hug.
- 38:30Like I need to get to you.
- 38:32So the fact that the good Lord sent us to Wagner College and then to Rhode Island, which was like, who?
- 38:39Yeah, because then that's, I was gonna say that, that's the next big move.
- 38:43At this point, I've tried everything when it comes to sleep.
- 38:46If it exists, I've probably tested it.
- 38:48I've used a sleep mask for years and years, but switching to a weighted one has honestly been a game changer for me.
- 38:54I've been using the NOD pod and it is just easy.
- 38:57No straps, nothing annoying.
- 38:58It just lays on your face and gives that calm, grounded feeling.
- 39:02It works if you're on your side, on your back, all of it.
- 39:04I fall asleep faster with it.
- 39:06I stay asleep longer.
- 39:07And if I'm up in the middle of the night, because you know I am, if it's the kids, if it's the cats, if it's just my own brain, this will help me get back to sleep.
- 39:15And then the NOD Pod body is newer for me, and I didn't think I needed it, but I really love it.
- 39:21It is that same calming, weighted feeling, but for your whole upper body.
- 39:25I'll throw it over me when I'm winding down or laying in bed and it just helps me settle so much faster.
- 39:30It's also cooling, which I didn't expect, but now I'm obsessed with it and it just feels really comfortable.
- 39:36It's not restrictive, it's not too heavy, it's not too hot.
- 39:39It's just really calming.
- 39:40And I also love that they donate 1% of every sale to support mental health.
- 39:45We all love that here, and that means so much to us.
- 39:48You can use code pretty and pink again for 20% off.
- 39:50That's pretty and pink again for 20% off.
- 39:53Anything on the Nod Pod site and you can check our show notes for the links.
- 39:58All the way up.
- 39:5895.
- 39:59All the way up 95.
- 40:00So what made that one desirable?
- 40:03I mean, Rhode Island, okay, let's go visit it.
- 40:05We went to go visit it.
- 40:08I was not into it that, that much.
- 40:11But the athletic director, I don't know what it is.
- 40:14It's like I have this thing with my soul, like the second I see someone, I just know good souls when I see them.
- 40:21He was walking across the parking lot.
- 40:24Something inside me felt like connected to him.
- 40:27Yeah.
- 40:28Like you, he didn't say one word.
- 40:30They didn't even walk through the door yet.
- 40:32And I said to my kids, you better, better not act up.
- 40:34You better sit, sit up straight.
- 40:35I'm fix, I'm doing their hair.
- 40:37And I'm just like, we're, you know, this is a job interview.
- 40:39And this was at like five o'clock in the morning.
- 40:41You're like, it's a family interview.
- 40:43Yes.
- 40:43And it was very early.
- 40:44'cause we didn't want anybody to know we were actually going God forbid, Wagner kids, you know, here.
- 40:49Yeah.
- 40:50That's a whole, that's a whole other thing.
- 40:52So.
- 40:53The second he came in, he was just smiling, walking through.
- 40:56I'm like, oh my God.
- 40:58Like I said, like this is, feels, this is home.
- 41:02Like you got a good vibe.
- 41:03You were like, so this is no idea.
- 41:04Yeah.
- 41:04What school is this?
- 41:05URIU, university of Rhode Island.
- 41:07Okay.
- 41:07So he walked in, we did a campus tour.
- 41:11I was like, we're home.
- 41:12This is it.
- 41:12I can get to my mom.
- 41:13I know this is going to be, that was the hardest thing.
- 41:17I'm so proud of her that she got in her she'll.
- 41:19She's like, I will find you.
- 41:20And she does, like, she gets in that car.
- 41:23We taught her how to pump gas.
- 41:25'cause once you leave Jersey, you gotta gas.
- 41:27How to do that?
- 41:27She's like, yep.
- 41:28What the freak is land Newland?
- 41:29Yep.
- 41:30Mm-hmm.
- 41:30She found us and she says, and then, okay, so then we were at Rhode Island, don't forget, I never had a head coach's wife to show me the ropes.
- 41:37I mean, Rutgers for five minutes, who told me to drink two bottles of caster oil.
- 41:40Right.
- 41:40But other than that, I don't know what a head coach is supposed to do.
- 41:44I don't know.
- 41:44Like there's no social media back then, you know, what do you do?
- 41:48So I get, I got his bob as I could.
- 41:51I didn't wanna get too much involved.
- 41:53I don't love sports, I don't love the games.
- 41:55I love the program.
- 41:57And then, you know, that was pretty much it.
- 41:59Like, I was all in, we were doing so good.
- 42:03I mean, they threw a parade.
- 42:04We, we got to the NCAA a tournament.
- 42:06Mm-hmm.
- 42:06We, we, we beat the first team and then they, we came home to a parade here.
- 42:11They're just like, Ugh, you're dead.
- 42:12You know, like us, we were like, we were on a float.
- 42:16It was like, we're going for making.
- 42:17And they were, we love you.
- 42:18Making it to the tournament.
- 42:20To the tournament.
- 42:20And like they, the sweetest people.
- 42:24And they, Rhode Island is the most beautiful place like I think Jersey is different.
- 42:30I can't compare Jersey's different.
- 42:32Rhode Island will always be a special place for me.
- 42:36We lived in Rhode Island for a short period of time.
- 42:38Nick went to Brown.
- 42:39Oh.
- 42:39Get out for training and Nick and I said that Rhode Island was like the perfect combination of Connecticut and New Jersey.
- 42:46Yes.
- 42:47Me like growing up in Connecticut and Nick growing up in Jersey, we were like, this is what Rhode Island is.
- 42:52Yes.
- 42:52There's like 10 different accents depending on like which direction you go.
- 42:55And like if you go to Cranston or if you go like up north, it's more like a Boston accent.
- 42:59Yeah.
- 42:59Like a lot of Italians small.
- 43:02Mm-hmm.
- 43:02Everybody kind of knows each other.
- 43:03It is like a very sweet state.
- 43:05Yeah.
- 43:05I like to mess with Providence fans like, I like them because.
- 43:10I mean, I never tell'em I like them, but they're brutal.
- 43:13And I like brutal.
- 43:14I'm Jersey like you, like when I first got to Rhode Island, they're stopping fucking traffic to let people go.
- 43:21I'm like, no, no, no.
- 43:23They, they're too nice.
- 43:24I'm like, like, I was like, these people are too, they're all so sweet that there's no sense of urgency in this freaking state.
- 43:31And then I came across Providence fans and I'm like, oh, now you're here.
- 43:36They're, and they, they're rough.
- 43:38And they're rough.
- 43:39And I like it.
- 43:40They are who, where, where my heart is.
- 43:42Like, they're rough, they're brutal.
- 43:44It's how I grew up.
- 43:46It's where I'm from.
- 43:47It's like you need that in sports, so.
- 43:49Right.
- 43:50It's just, I, I go, in fact, I'll be in Providence tomorrow.
- 43:52I get my stuck, get my hair colored every, uh, every four weeks.
- 43:54Really?
- 43:55Yeah.
- 43:56I go to Providence every'cause that, don't forget, like when my moved there, my kids were little.
- 44:02So I have friends, different friend groups.
- 44:05So when your kids were little, you make friends when your kids are little?
- 44:07Yes.
- 44:07Yes.
- 44:08That's like your home base.
- 44:09Really good friends.
- 44:09Mm-hmm.
- 44:10Yeah.
- 44:10So how old were the boys when we moved to Rhode Island?
- 44:13They were in, um, eighth and fifth grade.
- 44:16Wow.
- 44:16Wow.
- 44:17So I had my, my URI friends, you know, like the university friends.
- 44:20Mm-hmm.
- 44:20The sports friends, the school friends.
- 44:22And that's, you're around these people all the time.
- 44:24Then we moved to Connecticut when they were Danny was gone.
- 44:27He was already in college and my Andrew was a junior in high school.
- 44:30Who the hell am, I mean.
- 44:31So it's like, I don't have any connections here.
- 44:34At all.
- 44:35So I make myself, and I love my hair place, but I, I'll go there just so I could be like, Hey, who, who's, who's gonna meet me for lunch?
- 44:42You know?
- 44:42So you go back to see everybody.
- 44:44Yeah.
- 44:44Yeah.
- 44:45So you feel like now that you're in Connecticut, you, you never created that sense of community is here.
- 44:51It's different because I, I feel like I'm old.
- 44:54I'm gonna be 50 this year.
- 44:55I'm old.
- 44:56It's like when you get to a certain point, that part is gone, and I don't have, Hey, like, you wanna meet for lunch today.
- 45:02I do the, the, all the coaches', wives were all around.
- 45:05Who has a hundred kids, who has none, who has four, who has, it's like everybody's different.
- 45:11But we see each other so much during the season which I absolutely love'cause they're.
- 45:15It's built family time though, right?
- 45:17But it's not, yeah, outside, but it's, it's still not like outside of the program.
- 45:21Yeah, it's like not, yeah, it's not like that.
- 45:22But like I said, I'll go back tomorrow and I'll meet with them.
- 45:25Like I go to Jersey to see my, my, he with my high school friends.
- 45:28So it's like, I am just so blessed to be able to get in a car and just fill my heart wherever it needs to be filled at that time, after URI you get the call for UConn, right.
- 45:39How did that whole transition come about?
- 45:41Well, it's funny because I, again, I'm gonna say it a million times over.
- 45:44I follow our team.
- 45:46I do better now because but like I follow, yeah, know other teams and I kind of know of what's going on a little bit better than I did before.
- 45:53At that point it was we, I was coming down the escalator.
- 45:56It was a 10 conference games.
- 45:59And I was coming down the escalator and one of the staff said to me, Kevin Ali just got fired.
- 46:05And I said, who the hell is Kevin Ali?
- 46:08And they're like, the coach at Yukon.
- 46:11So I was like, oh no, this is the morning before a game.
- 46:13I know better.
- 46:14Like I know better, like what the freak was.
- 46:16I thinking, I go back up to the room as I'm in the room, my husband is frantically pulling tissues out of a tissue box.
- 46:24'cause this is what, this is how he gets sometimes he's like.
- 46:27Where the fuck are the blue tissues?
- 46:28They were blue yesterday.
- 46:29Why are they white?
- 46:31And then all of a sudden, blue tissues started flying out.
- 46:33He's like, oh, now the whole room's full of white tissues.
- 46:36And I'm like, Kevin Ali just got fired.
- 46:41He said, he's like, what?
- 46:42I'm like, they just told me they, Kevin Ali just got fired.
- 46:49He said, what the fuck does have to do with me?
- 46:51And I was like, I don't know.
- 46:53Somebody just said, oh, Yukon's open.
- 46:56He's like, do you know many fucking games I have to win to get Yukon?
- 46:59And I'm like, Nope.
- 47:01I have no clue.
- 47:02How does this work?
- 47:03You know, like, and that was the A 10?
- 47:06Yep.
- 47:07And I was just like never asked again.
- 47:10And then it was, then it was actually Pittsburgh called and Yukon.
- 47:16So then we had meetings with both at the same, at the same day.
- 47:19So it was kind of like, wow, you must be good at this.
- 47:24Is this it?
- 47:24Like, you're, like, so you don't do much around here, does nothing.
- 47:30I'm gonna say it a thousand times, but at least you're winning some games.
- 47:33Now you've been in the game long enough, do you like follow the game?
- 47:36Do you know the game?
- 47:37Do you I know, I mean, I've seen thousands of games.
- 47:40I mean, I'm not a stu No.
- 47:41Like I, I know of the game.
- 47:44I don't know, there's rules that I don't know.
- 47:48Like, like, okay, like we did this thing and they said screen.
- 47:51Yes, I know what a screen is.
- 47:52Like I said, I don't know what that is.
- 47:53What I was thinking about was sometimes they blow the whistle on a screen.
- 47:59Why what happened?
- 48:01I didn't know.
- 48:01Like you can only stay inside for like, into like that colored area for a certain amount of seconds.
- 48:06Like that's, who's looking at that?
- 48:08Like, I wouldn't even know to look, look at that.
- 48:10It's a lot of technical rules.
- 48:11I don't, I don't, I know very high level technically, I, I know nothing.
- 48:14Yeah.
- 48:15I know what I need to know.
- 48:16I know what I wanna know.
- 48:17Yeah.
- 48:17Mm-hmm.
- 48:17I know as much as my husband wants me to know, because if I go home and start talking about it, we wouldn't make that.
- 48:24It's probably the last thing that he needs.
- 48:26Instead.
- 48:26We don't talk about any of that.
- 48:27Right.
- 48:27We don't talk about, right.
- 48:28Like, I'll say even last night we were watching, um, our two boys, you know, Steph and Donovan were playing.
- 48:33I'm like, I said something.
- 48:34He's like, stop talk.
- 48:35Please.
- 48:36Don't ever say don't say, don't even make any comments about the game.
- 48:38I'm like, okay, this is why I know nothing.
- 48:43cause nobody explains it to me, which is good.
- 48:45So you come to Connecticut mm-hmm.
- 48:47And you need to put some roots down here.
- 48:50Mm-hmm.
- 48:51And we know that your time is limited and you just thought you choose Connecticut Children's.
- 48:56How did you get involved with the Children's Hospital?
- 48:59It was actually another thing like it, I'm telling you.
- 49:02It's very spiritually what goes on.
- 49:04Like I, in my soul, I'm just gonna say it because that wasn't where I was setting out to go.
- 49:09I love the sweetest human, mayor Sherry Cantor from West Hartford.
- 49:16This little peanut adorable, powerful woman that I've always thought was the coolest person in, in the state.
- 49:24Like, I just think she's the coolest little thing.
- 49:26And, she hosted one of our, uh, one of the first events, um, that I actually went to and met even our assistants.
- 49:33Mm-hmm.
- 49:34That was at her house.
- 49:35And then I see her all over the place and you know, there is times I'm gonna admit that you look back and I say I wish I was able to be proud of something that I've, I put my entire life into my family, which I do not regret.
- 49:49But there is what am I going to, what am I known for?
- 49:52What, what am what, what am I going to be proud of when, the end of day, independent of that?
- 49:57Yeah.
- 49:57And, now, I've done Make-A-Wish in Rhode Island.
- 49:59I put the wig on, I'm taking kids to the airport and you know, like Snow White, it gross, like, stop.
- 50:05I looked ridiculous.
- 50:06So, you know, you do all that.
- 50:07Nothing was sticking, nothing.
- 50:09It was more of a job.
- 50:10Nothing was filling the cup.
- 50:12So I said to her at one of our events that we had at our home, I said, I'm like, mayor Cantor, I'm like, please find me something that I, that sticks.
- 50:19I don't care what it is.
- 50:21Just give me something that I could not surface I wanna get into.
- 50:25So she goes, oh my goodness, I have an idea.
- 50:29She didn't tell me what it was at the time.
- 50:31She called me and she said, would you wanna be on the foundation board for CCMC?
- 50:36And I was like, oh God, no.
- 50:37I am not.
- 50:39That's I'm not qualified like a board.
- 50:43And I'm just like, all right, I could fake it.
- 50:45I'm like, I could stand up straight and do, do, do.
- 50:48And we could, I could just not say too much and take it in.
- 50:52And next thing you know, I'm on the board with doctors white, a lot of white coats, a lot of fancy dressed people.
- 50:58And I was like, yo it was a pinch me moment.
- 51:01And yes, I cried.
- 51:02I go to meetings and I, I'm a crier.
- 51:04I'm not a crier.
- 51:05If you tell me off, I'm a crier, emotional crier.
- 51:09So like, we're sitting there and I just, well, those meetings are emotional.
- 51:12They have mission moments.
- 51:13They have patient like testimonials, like Oh yeah.
- 51:15Emotional.
- 51:16No, they weren't even at that point, we weren't even get, we were talking about money.
- 51:19They were in debt.
- 51:20Like they needed money for the tower.
- 51:21And I'm like, whoa, thank you for cloning me.
- 51:24So we are sitting there and it was like, oh my God.
- 51:27So now what comes with that is an internship.
- 51:30It's one day you spend a few hours, you get to pick one part of the hospital that you wanna go to, and then they assign you to the other one.
- 51:38I wanted to do nicu, picu, whatever you wanna put me in and then gimme something else.
- 51:43I get there in the morning and because I'm on the board one of the foundation members came up to me and says, unfortunately.
- 51:49We assigned one of the other interns here to the oncology department, and they have a family member that just got diagnosed.
- 51:58So unfortunately it hits too close to home for them.
- 52:01And we're gonna put you in oncology.
- 52:03My mom is a radiation therapist, an oncology.
- 52:06Like she treats cancer patients for a living.
- 52:07Like, I don't, I know what this is all about.
- 52:10I'm like, I can't say no.
- 52:13And then I had emer long-term emergency room.
- 52:14So now I am in the emergency room seeing all these kids by themselves.
- 52:19And now I'm getting I'm like, you can't make a scene.
- 52:23Like, it's not about you.
- 52:24Oh, I, I must have said it's not about you.
- 52:26It's not about you.
- 52:26At least a thousand times that day.
- 52:29So I could not wait for that part to be over so I could just get to it and it was dragging on.
- 52:36And this is like, you're in there for like two or three hours each thing.
- 52:38And it just like, who could do that, who can walk in there and hold themselves together.
- 52:43And my brain does this thing all the time where I could talk myself in or out of anything.
- 52:50And in that situation I was talking myself into,'cause it goes both ways deep and like, oh my God, why?
- 52:56Why, why, why?
- 52:57You know, it was just like, and I walked in, didn't hear a damn word they were saying to me as I walked in and I just was looking behind me to make sure, like I could just excuse myself.
- 53:08I walked in there.
- 53:09I can't tell you what took over me, but it was frigging mayhem, their camp.
- 53:17Thank you God for Camp Hole, the wall.
- 53:19It was a circus.
- 53:22I didn't see poles, I didn't see bald heads.
- 53:24I saw craziness.
- 53:27I'm talking like patient siblings that were paint.
- 53:30I left with paint.
- 53:31I had a lollipop thing in from my hair.
- 53:34Like it was the most, I did not wanna leave.
- 53:38Like I was playing with these kids.
- 53:40We were laughing.
- 53:41So Dr.
- 53:41Isikoff was treating doctor at the time.
- 53:44I said to him like, time was up.
- 53:45And I'm like, I don't wanna leave here.
- 53:47Is that the, I'm saying to myself, and I didn't wanna say, isn't that crazy that I don't wanna leave this apartment?
- 53:52Like, it, it seemed so weird.
- 53:54Well, you thought you were gonna be walking into quiet.
- 53:56Oh, yeah.
- 53:57You know, like kids, sick kids and not mingling.
- 53:59Oh, yeah.
- 54:00And it, it wasn't like that that day.
- 54:03So it was like, oh my goodness.
- 54:06So Dr.
- 54:07Isikoff goes, would you, would you wanna volunteer here?
- 54:10And then I was like, like, that might be a little much, but I was like, i,'cause I, I'll never say no to anyone.
- 54:16Mm-hmm.
- 54:16Now let me tell you something.
- 54:18They tricked me.
- 54:19'cause not all days were like that, but I can't imagine my life without that place.
- 54:26What?
- 54:26That it has done more for me than I any game I could ever play with these kids.
- 54:32And I was never a part of a job, like to the nurses, the doctors, to be a part of these amazing people that were handpicked by God to treat.
- 54:41Like, no schmo could go in there and do that.
- 54:43Like, you have to be chosen to do that profession.
- 54:47Well, and they don't just let anybody volunteer there either.
- 54:50Yeah.
- 54:50Well, they chose you to, well, I think like, you know, the whole like Yukon thing but then I'm just like, holy crap.
- 54:58Like I could connect.
- 55:02My two worlds, and I broke some rules, you know, I broke a lot of rules, which I probably shouldn't have done, but you're not even allowed to give the kids, you know, like a t-shirt, you know, it's like, fire me.
- 55:14But we've made so many Yukon fans out of these kids that some of these kids didn't give a shit about basketball and now they're at the games with their little heads and their tubes and their, and they love it.
- 55:27And it's just like that little piece, I can't even imagine not being a part of them, you know?
- 55:35And that was another thing when the whole Laker thing came about, you already had this connection point.
- 55:39Yeah, I'm on the phone with the agent outside, hysterical, crying about not seeing my kids like I'm there once a week, a few hours once a week.
- 55:49And that.
- 55:51One day is like, when I tell you, fills my soul and makes words don't even describe like I am, I'm good.
- 56:00Like I'm, this is where I'm supposed to be.
- 56:02It's amazing.
- 56:03It's a special place.
- 56:04So what floor do you find yourself on there the most?
- 56:07The oncology, like the blood disorder oncology floor.
- 56:09Mm-hmm.
- 56:09That's where I am all the time.
- 56:10That's where you are all the time.
- 56:10I do sneak up to you know, when they're admitted.
- 56:13I'm not supposed to be up there'cause you have to have special training, but I feel like I've sp I, I've trained.
- 56:18So I go up there and I do, you know, if they're up there, I do, you know, maybe sneak in, just, you know, they're up there long term and, you know, just to see, you know, a different face pop in.
- 56:27I, I do that.
- 56:28And you've gotten your players involved?
- 56:29Your husbands involved?
- 56:30Sculpt, I mean the players and our players, I don't know how we find them, but we have the.
- 56:38Biggest hearted kids and they're very sensitive.
- 56:41And I will tell you, when we first started doing it, they had a hard time.
- 56:45And like the freshmen they have, you could tell they kind of stayed to the side.
- 56:49They, and it was the same reaction and I forget how I felt.
- 56:53And when I bring them in, I'm like, I wanna show you all my friends.
- 56:55And they must be like, like it's a, and I forget.
- 56:59It's how much, it's a lot for them, you know?
- 57:01And it's just like, listen, they're all gonna be that.
- 57:04That's how I go in there.
- 57:05They're all gonna be fine.
- 57:05They're a little bump in the road.
- 57:07They're gonna be fine.
- 57:07They're, they're good.
- 57:08They're good.
- 57:09You just have to say that to yourself and just hope that's the case.
- 57:12And that's what they do.
- 57:13Alex caravan, that's his favorite day of the year.
- 57:17Loves it.
- 57:18Oh my gosh.
- 57:18So you're like on the ground playing with these kids?
- 57:20These Oh yeah.
- 57:21And these are sick kids.
- 57:22Yeah.
- 57:23They're getting treatment.
- 57:23Yeah, we just play, they come in, they get treatment, whether it's, they just get a check or they have chemo or whatever it is.
- 57:30They're there for a few hours.
- 57:32So I go in there and we do arts and crafts.
- 57:34Like I, I collect shells from the Jersey shore.
- 57:36We paint shells.
- 57:38Um, oh yeah.
- 57:39I bring in crafts or we just play, I'm a big uno loser, so we play Uno, like, you know, we'll do stuff like that.
- 57:46I clean, I love to clean clinic, I love, I'm always cleaning.
- 57:49They're always like, get up off the floor.
- 57:51I, they give everybody stickers.
- 57:52Makes me crazy.
- 57:53I'm always around scraping stickers off, but I love it.
- 57:58Oh, that's so special.
- 58:00When I think I got involved with the children's hospital.
- 58:03I don't know when my youngest was.
- 58:05Two, because I had worked in the hospital for years and then I didn't go back to work after he was born.
- 58:10I wanted to like get involved in something.
- 58:12And so one of my girlfriends at the time was on the foundation board and she said, why don't you join the gala planning committee?
- 58:19It'll like reintroduce you back into doing something that you liked to do.
- 58:23So I went and I did a a tour of the hospital.
- 58:27Mm-hmm.
- 58:27And I remember seeing all these mothers working like on their computers and working while their children were receiving treatment.
- 58:34And I had no idea that Children's Hospital beyond the emergency room even existed.
- 58:39Mm-hmm.
- 58:40So, so much was there.
- 58:41And I said, these mothers don't have time to tell people the magic going on behind these doors?
- 58:46Mm-hmm.
- 58:46Like, I have to be involved.
- 58:47Yeah.
- 58:47Because.
- 58:48I have to be Right.
- 58:49I felt like it was just something so special there.
- 58:52Yeah.
- 58:52And then when you get in and like what you do is like to, to raise money for, I'll go in there and now it's to the point where I know a little too, I see too much and I wanna fix it, you know, like I am.
- 59:09Into aesthetics.
- 59:10And I, I know, trust me, I know we need mice.
- 59:13I know we need, poles.
- 59:14I know we need that, but we also need to let people walk into a place and say, okay, they have my kid.
- 59:21I feel so good here.
- 59:23Because it has to match what they're, the magic that they're doing and the doctors and the nurses that are just like, I can't say enough about.
- 59:31So you know, when you walk into these and it's dated and you know, even when they go upstairs and they sleep, the parents are on these cruddy cots and no, we need to fix this.
- 59:42Like, and I know we had the tower, like you guys raise a kajillion dollars for towers and everything else, but it's just like, I think God put me here to help.
- 59:51Like, they don't even have refrigerators in the rooms upstairs.
- 59:55No.
- 59:55Come on guys.
- 59:56You know, all the ins and outs.
- 59:57I know too much.
- 59:58And, and not only that, but I'm a talker as you.
- 1:00:01No.
- 1:00:02And.
- 1:00:03That's what I do.
- 1:00:04I play with their kid, I talk to the parents, and you know, now I'm like, they're like my friends, and like I go in there mm-hmm.
- 1:00:09And they complain.
- 1:00:11And you know, I take it in.
- 1:00:13And then, I'm the only one that could go back to the foundation.
- 1:00:15So now I'm just like, oh my God, I have a purpose.
- 1:00:17And I'm, I'm forward.
- 1:00:20I'll fight with any man.
- 1:00:21But for me to tell somebody that, like, I think that they need refrigerators on the eighth floor.
- 1:00:29I feel funny, but.
- 1:00:31But they do.
- 1:00:32But they do.
- 1:00:33So let's raise some money for them.
- 1:00:35Let's raise some money.
- 1:00:36That's why I said, and we're in the midst right now of like, we have, like Yukon is, is killing us right now because we wanna get a fundraiser up and going.
- 1:00:44In fact, I wanna do a video in clinic'cause I'm, I started doing like LTK, which was so silly this year.
- 1:00:50Wait, we have to talk about this because we are loving everything.
- 1:00:53It's, you do so stupid.
- 1:00:54You what Christina and I will tell you the sillier our videos, the better views they get, the better the better they are.
- 1:01:00People love it.
- 1:01:01I love your game day fit.
- 1:01:03Yep.
- 1:01:03And I love that you set up LTK.
- 1:01:05And it's silly.
- 1:01:06The money goes to the kid.
- 1:01:07Yes.
- 1:01:07I love that.
- 1:01:08It's so, and the thing is, like, when I first started doing it, it was like, I talked to, a few coaches, wives, but let's just do it.
- 1:01:13Who cares?
- 1:01:15And here's the thing, I also have this weird thing about me that I, just because our financials are out there I, I don't like, people thinking that like a.
- 1:01:28You know that people think when you have money, you're up there.
- 1:01:31You know?
- 1:01:32And that's not, that's not the case.
- 1:01:34It's like, I am a regular schmegular.
- 1:01:38Yeah.
- 1:01:38I'm going to Walmart.
- 1:01:39Do I like nice things?
- 1:01:40Oh yeah.
- 1:01:41I love pocketbooks.
- 1:01:42I love shoes.
- 1:01:43I will never just go to a store on a random Tuesday and buy a Louis Vuitton bag.
- 1:01:47Just, it's not in my soul.
- 1:01:49We're all normal.
- 1:01:50My husband, God forbid, could lose his job tomorrow and we could be done for And then what?
- 1:01:56And then what?
- 1:01:57So like No, no, no.
- 1:01:58Like I've been on both ends of the spectrum here and it's no different for me.
- 1:02:03So if I like something in Walmart and I'm gonna go put it on my ass.
- 1:02:07And it's so funny because it's like, there are people even some people that I know, they're like, you need to step it up.
- 1:02:14No.
- 1:02:14With the fits Yes.
- 1:02:15Like that.
- 1:02:15Like you need to step it up.
- 1:02:17No, you need to go like, you, like tell your mom, because I'm not doing that.
- 1:02:22This is my whole point is to tell people that like, stop trying to do shit for other people.
- 1:02:28Like do you?
- 1:02:29Mm-hmm.
- 1:02:29You know, it's like.
- 1:02:31Who are you trying to impress?
- 1:02:32Like please stop.
- 1:02:34Make it stop.
- 1:02:34Like, I love the fits.
- 1:02:36I know, and I think it's the most like relatable content.
- 1:02:38I love it.
- 1:02:39And I live for the fits.
- 1:02:40Like, I'm like, good.
- 1:02:41Show me such good, there's mean how much we have shit here.
- 1:02:45Yeah.
- 1:02:45And that's another reason why I go to Providence every four weeks.
- 1:02:48It's because I have to go to Zara.
- 1:02:49I mean, I'm not an online shopper.
- 1:02:51I don't, the thing is I'm, my ass doesn't return anything.
- 1:02:55So I'm stuck with a graveyard full of shit that I doesn't fit me and I get so pissed.
- 1:03:00I have a DHD, it's that, that it task of printing out a label, bringing it to wherever.
- 1:03:06That's scary.
- 1:03:07It's, for me, even even a QR code could be a little difficult from time to time.
- 1:03:11And then I never checked to see if they got it.
- 1:03:12Did you receive my freaking return?
- 1:03:14I don't know.
- 1:03:15Like, it's too many steps for just take on me for my money.
- 1:03:17Yeah.
- 1:03:17I've said I'm just gonna donate it.
- 1:03:19It's, it's going to Goodwill.
- 1:03:20So, but it's, no, I'm not doing that.
- 1:03:22So like I have to physically see it and I have a weird shape, and I'm also old, like I can't be put in.
- 1:03:27Half shirts on and you know, God forbid I can't wear shit like that.
- 1:03:30Like I have to see it.
- 1:03:32I have to put it on.
- 1:03:33So we only have so many places.
- 1:03:35Mm-hmm.
- 1:03:35Where am I shopping?
- 1:03:36Mm-hmm.
- 1:03:36Yeah.
- 1:03:37Sorry.
- 1:03:37It's gonna be Target, it's gonna be what?
- 1:03:38It's gonna whoever, whatever we have in this shit mall over here.
- 1:03:41You you do like a high low.
- 1:03:42I feel like I'm always clicking and I'm like, oh, I love, and I, that I, that's like a pleasant surprise for me.
- 1:03:47Like, I like that when I click on something and somebody who quote unquote, should be wearing all the designer goods, head to toe, is actually rocking something from Target.
- 1:03:56And you would be like, yes.
- 1:03:58Like, I love that I could, I mean, everybody knows could, I could go, but I Why for what?
- 1:04:04I bought that sweater, like a sweater,$14 sweater.
- 1:04:07Like I'm done.
- 1:04:08I wore it once.
- 1:04:09I said when?
- 1:04:09When?
- 1:04:10What's the timeframe to pull it back out again?
- 1:04:12People like she was wearing the sweater again.
- 1:04:15Okay.
- 1:04:15Shoes.
- 1:04:16Yeah.
- 1:04:16Like I'll spend money on shoes and bags.
- 1:04:18'cause you can wear those all the time.
- 1:04:20Yeah.
- 1:04:20But like clothes, I don't see, I never see a reason for that.
- 1:04:24Like maybe jeans, like jeans or whatever else.
- 1:04:27Some staples.
- 1:04:27Yeah.
- 1:04:27Staples.
- 1:04:28Yes.
- 1:04:29But other than that, no.
- 1:04:30So do you not like a repeat?
- 1:04:32I'm afraid of a repeat.
- 1:04:33You're afraid of me.
- 1:04:34I deadly afraid of, I feel like you have a lot of pressure.
- 1:04:37Like it's like people are now, well, because now they're looking for the fit.
- 1:04:40Lucky.
- 1:04:40Yes.
- 1:04:41And you for the outfits.
- 1:04:42And I'm talking grandmas down to like teenagers.
- 1:04:47I didn't, and they'll call you out on that repeat.
- 1:04:49Oh my God.
- 1:04:50And that's what I said.
- 1:04:50I'm like, when people come up, detective Bunch games and they're showing me what they bought.
- 1:04:54I they'll show me like, I bought this, and this.
- 1:04:58You did.
- 1:04:58Yeah, they did.
- 1:04:59Yes, you did.
- 1:05:00Real.
- 1:05:01We always click on your stuff.
- 1:05:02Yes, I probably did too.
- 1:05:05I'm like, this is so funny.
- 1:05:06You target white tees.
- 1:05:08I'm obsessed with that.
- 1:05:09All my undershirts.
- 1:05:09Oh, I don't need under that.
- 1:05:10Yes.
- 1:05:10The undershirts that you got us hooked on.
- 1:05:12Oh my God.
- 1:05:13Are you kidding?
- 1:05:13Like I, every time I go in there, it's like you can't have a dingy undershirt.
- 1:05:17I feel like you're starting this movement'cause I love, I feel like a game day fit is amazing, and it's so funny'cause this, this older woman came up to me and he, she's like, you know, I was going to a game and my husband says, where's your Yukon shirt?
- 1:05:29And I had, I wore a sweatsuit one day, but I did put it underneath.
- 1:05:33She's like, it's under the coach's wife can do it.
- 1:05:35I could do it.
- 1:05:35I don't need to wear it all over the place.
- 1:05:36I'm like, I don't know where that started in, at Rhode Island, I used to wear like blue sweaters.
- 1:05:42Like I never wore You like Gear Rhode Island stuff.
- 1:05:45Yes, right.
- 1:05:46It, there wasn't enough.
- 1:05:47And Gear is, I don't know if that's everywhere, but like the gear is very big here.
- 1:05:51Like, you wear gear is big.
- 1:05:52Well, they sell merch everywhere.
- 1:05:54Yeah.
- 1:05:54But it's also lame it, right.
- 1:05:56So you have to find a way to style it.
- 1:05:58Yes.
- 1:05:58Because you can't just, you don't wanna just go in a hoodie, you know?
- 1:06:01Exactly.
- 1:06:01And that's kind of what we have.
- 1:06:02Like, that's, those are the options.
- 1:06:03Absolutely.
- 1:06:04And it's just like, how much can you do with this?
- 1:06:05And I'm like, holy god.
- 1:06:06But it, it's just, I am getting such a kick.
- 1:06:09It makes me feel so fuzzy in such a geechee way that like I and I, another thing I don't read.
- 1:06:17Messages.
- 1:06:17Very rarely do I go on messages.
- 1:06:22Long story.
- 1:06:22It was long story, But I, you know, we've gotten not so nice messages and scary messages, so I'm kind of like nervous to even look at them.
- 1:06:29I started going through when you're bored, like I'm on these tournaments and I'm like, they're like, what cleaning product did you just clean the shower of the hotel with?
- 1:06:37Please link it.
- 1:06:38Then another one, excuse me.
- 1:06:40What was that that you like?
- 1:06:41I'm like, what?
- 1:06:43The people are interested in your life.
- 1:06:45You had literally turned into an influencer accidentally.
- 1:06:48I'm like, influencer, I'm the furthest thing.
- 1:06:51But now I said to Danny, like, okay, I cook.
- 1:06:54I cook.
- 1:06:54That's how I show my love.
- 1:06:55I cook, I clean, I bake.
- 1:06:56Oh, we need to start seeing those videos.
- 1:06:58Yes, I, well, okay.
- 1:06:59Now it's so funny because like the other day there's this beer batter cod sandwich on brioche bun with cheese.
- 1:07:05It's Oh, so you're like a cooker?
- 1:07:07Oh, no, no.
- 1:07:07I cook.
- 1:07:08Oh, I, I cook.
- 1:07:09I mean, my, my night starts at like, from like six 30.
- 1:07:12I'm still not in the kitchen at 10 cleaning up.
- 1:07:15It's an all night thing.
- 1:07:16I can never do anything easy.
- 1:07:17I have 27 pots, like I cook and something different all the time, so I make my cod sandwiches, but like, you know, so you have to fry that.
- 1:07:26I just wash my hair, so I always keep a drawer full of like disposable shower caps.
- 1:07:31I cook in them all the time.
- 1:07:33We need to see this.
- 1:07:34Yes, we need to see it.
- 1:07:36My mom's like, and to my mom, I FaceTime my mom.
- 1:07:38I, you know, she was like, and she's like, you need to start.
- 1:07:41And I'm like, I really wanted to show this.
- 1:07:44And I don't know how to set this fucking thing up.
- 1:07:45And I'm like, I don't know how to edit.
- 1:07:48I don't know how to do any of that.
- 1:07:49And I'm like, so until I teach myself.
- 1:07:51And then she's just like, are you gonna do that thing with the thing on your head?
- 1:07:54I'm like, yes, because it's real.
- 1:07:56This is Christine and I will be over tomorrow.
- 1:07:59Setting you up, set you up.
- 1:08:00I like people.
- 1:08:01And how do you, people need to see this.
- 1:08:04I really do.
- 1:08:05And I think I don't wanna even call it relatable.
- 1:08:06It's real content, right?
- 1:08:09Yeah.
- 1:08:09Is so, oh, I, it's like there's nothing I want it, I don't hide it.
- 1:08:13Yeah.
- 1:08:13What you see, and everybody will tell you is what you get from me is what you got.
- 1:08:17Mm-hmm.
- 1:08:17I'm talking like, I do not call a service person to my home unless I cannot fix it or I can't do it.
- 1:08:25Like it pains, you're a doer.
- 1:08:26Me.
- 1:08:27You're, I'm a doer.
- 1:08:28This morning, I, I pushed it, this she, this morning, she got a frog outta the pool.
- 1:08:30I got the frog outta the pool.
- 1:08:32I did it.
- 1:08:33He said, call somebody.
- 1:08:34Who the fuck am I calling?
- 1:08:36Like.
- 1:08:37Pool guy.
- 1:08:37I can't, you're like, I'm calling you when you ran away and you ran outta fucking house.
- 1:08:41Like I do yard work.
- 1:08:42I do.
- 1:08:42I'm, I'm going home to power wash.
- 1:08:44No, stop it.
- 1:08:46Who are you?
- 1:08:47Like what are what?
- 1:08:49When people call people, okay, I get it.
- 1:08:50If you work, if you have a job, you work this.
- 1:08:53Now you have young kids.
- 1:08:55I wasn't doing any of this when I had young kids.
- 1:08:57I'm running my kids out.
- 1:08:58I'm an old lady who lives in a shoe.
- 1:09:01I am going to power wash.
- 1:09:03I'm gonna be like balls deep in my dryer vent, cleaning that shit out like I was last night.
- 1:09:08I am doing everything that you could possibly like, like things that you're like, wow.
- 1:09:14Like, wow.
- 1:09:15Sometimes in a this, she needs a life.
- 1:09:17Wow.
- 1:09:18But this is who I am.
- 1:09:19I keep myself occupied all day long, you are a doer.
- 1:09:23I know a doer.
- 1:09:23So what happens if you sit for just five minutes?
- 1:09:26I do not.
- 1:09:27What's going through your head?
- 1:09:28I don't watch, and this is an issue now.
- 1:09:30I have a DH, ADHD diagnosed myself.
- 1:09:32It's a very formal diagnosis, but when I look, when I listened to all these videos, I actually was crying like, that's me yesterday.
- 1:09:37Because like I I, I, it was a powerful video about like, you're so creative and this and that, but you can't do the next thing.
- 1:09:43Like, like, you know, my brother says you go from A to Z, but you have to dot, like you have to go all the way around.
- 1:09:50And I get it done and I do things like I don't half ass, anything I do, like if I'm gonna do it, I'm gonna do it a thousand percent.
- 1:09:58Like it bothers me.
- 1:10:00So I do do that.
- 1:10:01But also as far as like, I do need medicine and I do need to take the test, but I don't know who the freak put out a five hour test for people with a DH adhd.
- 1:10:09Like, you have to sit for a five hour test.
- 1:10:11Like Oh, for like a neuropsych evaluation.
- 1:10:12Yeah.
- 1:10:13I gimme the medicine and we'll figure it out.
- 1:10:15Like.
- 1:10:16No, but I wanna know exactly what I have.
- 1:10:18'cause I have something, I don't watch tv.
- 1:10:21If I sit, I'm like this, like I have, I do have issues and I, it comes from our job.
- 1:10:26I'm always on edge.
- 1:10:27I'm always nervous and I know how heavy the season is.
- 1:10:30'cause the day after we got home I opened my, bathroom window and it was like spring, like you could see green and it's like, it felt so light even though we lost.
- 1:10:43And it was sad and it was like we were right there.
- 1:10:46It was this lightness about it that like, we got through another season and we are so proud of that.
- 1:10:51You know, it's just like, and now we can recruit, we can have, there you go again.
- 1:10:56Recruiting party.
- 1:10:56It's a whole other phase.
- 1:10:57Like now we're having things at our housed recruits coming in, and that's a whole other thing, but it doesn't stop.
- 1:11:05I mean, you're gonna blink season the summer we will be over and the season starts again.
- 1:11:08Yeah, and you know what, also what I wanted to mention too it's, this job is not for everyone.
- 1:11:12I have boys now.
- 1:11:14They're seeing your husband put all this time and effort into other boys to make them good at something they wanna play, you know?
- 1:11:22Mm-hmm.
- 1:11:23But they can, because then their dad's not gonna be their coach.
- 1:11:25You're not gonna be at the games, you know?
- 1:11:26And people look at you and they say that must be nice.
- 1:11:29You know?
- 1:11:29Must be nice that like my life, it must be nice to have your husband home for dinner.
- 1:11:34It must be nice to have your husband on the sidelines of your kids' games.
- 1:11:37Like, that shit bothers me.
- 1:11:39But as far as a coach's kid, I think it's just like.
- 1:11:42It is so hard for them, and that's why I am a little bit overprotective of my boys going through all this, because I've, there's, I don't know any coach's kid that is just zooming through this with no issues, you know?
- 1:11:55It's like, it's a lot.
- 1:11:56It's a lot.
- 1:11:57So I know, and you really, I think, showed a full picture, like you really lifted the veil, to show how intense it all can be for the entire family.
- 1:12:08It's not just him.
- 1:12:10No, it's everybody.
- 1:12:11And it is a lot easier when you're winning.
- 1:12:13I have to say, when you're losing, I can't even explain to you.
- 1:12:18I'm a happy person.
- 1:12:19I can make fun out of any by myself.
- 1:12:22I have a great time with myself cleaning closets.
- 1:12:25I'm just a happy go lucky person.
- 1:12:27I've had a beautiful life, beautiful family, like my parents, from growing up, I've been blessed.
- 1:12:32And if I, something gets me there, like I quickly can get myself out of it.
- 1:12:38And it's not everybody could do that.
- 1:12:40And not everybody has that.
- 1:12:41And you look and you're just like, oh my God, when you're losing, it's a whole other animal.
- 1:12:46And it's just like the whole world, the whole world knows, it's like you, you shit up in your job, people go home and they get, say the whole world and they don't let up.
- 1:12:55So it's like, and thank God I don't do Twitter, but it's have you gotten to a dark place in this even being like a happy go lucky, like glass half full person?
- 1:13:04Have you, did you get to a dark place?
- 1:13:06It's taken me down, it is, it's like when we lose, like when if we lose a game.
- 1:13:12It takes me down.
- 1:13:13It gets me down.
- 1:13:14Like to a place where like I said, I will fight with anyone that you could say the, I've had the worst things say to me.
- 1:13:21Does not bother me.
- 1:13:22But when we lose and people are going after the kids, or they don't even have to be going In my head, they are.
- 1:13:29I don't like to, when I leave the house it's hard.
- 1:13:31It's hard for me to even go to the store.
- 1:13:33'cause in your head you think everybody is going to say something and I hate that, but No, it's, it brings you down.
- 1:13:40It does.
- 1:13:40But then when he comes home, I can't be down too.
- 1:13:43Mm-hmm.
- 1:13:43So it's like you have to be, you know, you have to put on your.
- 1:13:47There's pressure with that though.
- 1:13:48Yeah.
- 1:13:48When there's like two people in a relationship and one is known as the happy one and the other one is known as like the more serious heavy one.
- 1:13:55Oh yeah.
- 1:13:56You have to show up as that happy person all the time.
- 1:13:59You're like, don't I get to have a bad day?
- 1:14:01That line I've said how many times in your house?
- 1:14:06Yeah.
- 1:14:06I say that line to my husband is like more, the more I feel like in every relationship there is there always one has to be always, I'm the more serious one person.
- 1:14:14That's, well, you have to have one person that's a little bit more serious and one person that's a little bit lighter.
- 1:14:18Lighter.
- 1:14:18Lighter.
- 1:14:18Yep.
- 1:14:19And I would say to him some days like.
- 1:14:20What happens if I'm having a bad day?
- 1:14:23Right.
- 1:14:23Right.
- 1:14:23Who's gonna be the light one?
- 1:14:24'cause it sure as hell isn't gonna be you.
- 1:14:26Yep.
- 1:14:27I'll do a two hour interview with, some big thing and they'll take the dumbest shit at the end where the wheels come off.
- 1:14:35Like, I'm sitting there crying over my relationship and how we're so, we figured this out 30 years later and we're so good together and da.
- 1:14:41And then they'll take, he doesn't take the garbage out, he doesn't do this.
- 1:14:45I don't.
- 1:14:45And it's just like, I wanna, like, I wanna punch them in the face I did an interview with Graham and it's like I said, he comes home.
- 1:14:52This is a stupid job.
- 1:14:54It's a game.
- 1:14:55Like if you really think about it, if basketball went away tomorrow, the world, you'd have no job.
- 1:15:01Everybody would be fine.
- 1:15:02Yeah.
- 1:15:02The world would still go on.
- 1:15:03We'd be fine.
- 1:15:04Yep.
- 1:15:05It's better than fine.
- 1:15:05It's not life or death.
- 1:15:06It's Right.
- 1:15:07I know.
- 1:15:07It's, its an intense, it's not that serious.
- 1:15:09And then of course he'll go on this big rant people and Okay, yeah, I get it.
- 1:15:15But it's not that serious.
- 1:15:18Like we have our health, we are more than good, stop with the bullshit.
- 1:15:22It sounds like you stay very grounded with your faith and your health and your family and shit that actually matters.
- 1:15:29It do.
- 1:15:29I do.
- 1:15:30You're just so thankful because you can't lose sight of that ever.
- 1:15:34Like ever.
- 1:15:35And I get mad at my husband'cause he has mental issues, I wouldn't have met him if he didn't have a mental breakdown in college because.
- 1:15:43I was a freshman.
- 1:15:44He was on his, he came back for his fifth year, so he took the year off.
- 1:15:48So if he didn't take, if he didn't have that mental breakdown, oh, that's where the fifth year came from.
- 1:15:51I wouldn't be sitting here.
- 1:15:52Wow.
- 1:15:52Yeah.
- 1:15:52So that was, that's when that happened.
- 1:15:55But he did have an issue it was a few years back and he knows his body.
- 1:15:59He's an athlete, he knows his body.
- 1:16:01Something was wrong, something was wrong.
- 1:16:02He was having numbing down his arm and he, everything.
- 1:16:05And he kept saying, so he went, got it all checked out.
- 1:16:08He was fine.
- 1:16:09He knew something was wrong.
- 1:16:11I was getting my hair color in Rhode Island.
- 1:16:13He calls me, I'm going to the emergency room, I'm having a Melt Albert mental breakdown.
- 1:16:17And I'm just like, cut the shit.
- 1:16:18Don't embarrass yourself.
- 1:16:20Not go into emergency room.
- 1:16:21Like, holy shit.
- 1:16:23So I'm like, come home no, he went right in.
- 1:16:26Like he knew he, it was that bad.
- 1:16:29And he kept saying, something's wrong with me, something's wrong.
- 1:16:31Like, you got checked from head to toe, you're fine.
- 1:16:33Cut the shit.
- 1:16:34So ends up that he left the emergency room.
- 1:16:37They found nothing, went to work.
- 1:16:40And, and now, now I'm driving him because he shut down mentally.
- 1:16:45He couldn't figure out what was wrong.
- 1:16:47He had to go to a psychiatrist because he, that's when it all started.
- 1:16:51And I'm like, what is going on?
- 1:16:54I don't know.
- 1:16:55I can't, I could get him outta anything and I couldn't.
- 1:16:58And it ends up that one day he said to Dr.
- 1:17:01Dina, the doctor, the team doctor was like, I need an MRI in my neck.
- 1:17:03I need an MRI.
- 1:17:04And it ended up, he had a compressed spinal cord in his neck.
- 1:17:08He knew this freak knew who some, there was something wrong with him.
- 1:17:11The doctors in in not gonna say where you don't see that.
- 1:17:15Like he was checked at the toe and they missed the whole thing.
- 1:17:19And, um, yeah.
- 1:17:20So he had that big surgery.
- 1:17:22Wow.
- 1:17:22And thank you, God, he was able to get himself back.
- 1:17:26But he's a weirdo.
- 1:17:27Like he knows when there's, he's off, that was the scariest time because he couldn't even go into CVS.
- 1:17:32I was driving him everywhere.
- 1:17:33He couldn't drive a car.
- 1:17:34He was so anxious.
- 1:17:35He was so anxious.
- 1:17:36He had such fear.
- 1:17:37Mm-hmm.
- 1:17:37Oh my gosh.
- 1:17:38Yeah.
- 1:17:38And you said you have a strong mind.
- 1:17:40You can talk yourself in, you can talk yourself out.
- 1:17:42Anything.
- 1:17:42He can do the same thing for his players, but sometimes it's hard to do that for yourself.
- 1:17:46Never.
- 1:17:47Because he's also, he lives he, his whole life is like geared on fear.
- 1:17:54Fear of losing, fear of getting criticized, fear of not being what he promised.
- 1:18:01You know, the coach, he promised his players, like the fear of the parents, thinking he's not what he, that is, it's a lot of pressure and you know, then you're up in the ranks, then you're winning, and then now you're getting paid all this money.
- 1:18:12He would never, like, now that he makes what he makes, like the pressure for him to deliver and not feel like he's chipping the state or his players, I would say it's unhealthy, but I know it's not gonna go on forever.
- 1:18:27He can't sustain this too much longer.
- 1:18:30So I know there's going to be Right.
- 1:18:31People are putting worth on him.
- 1:18:33Yeah.
- 1:18:33Like a numerical sign of what he's worth.
- 1:18:35Like, that's so wrong.
- 1:18:37If somebody said to you like, oh, you make this much money a year, so you should be worth this in content and views, like, could you imagine?
- 1:18:45No.
- 1:18:46Yeah, no, that's stress.
- 1:18:47And then now with the betting, you know, all this like, betting is so big.
- 1:18:49Yeah.
- 1:18:49It's like, yeah.
- 1:18:50So now people, I mean we've gotten death threats before.
- 1:18:53I've gotten death threats.
- 1:18:54Plenty of them.
- 1:18:55You know, they've had to be looked into.
- 1:18:56It's like.
- 1:18:57A lot of them aren't even from our state, which is crazy.
- 1:19:00They don't even look here.
- 1:19:01So it's just'cause it's taking it from being a fan to being fanatic.
- 1:19:05But it's not.
- 1:19:05But you know what, they're not even fans.
- 1:19:07They're not, they're just betting on your game and they lose.
- 1:19:09Right.
- 1:19:10So it's going from being, and they, a lot of money.
- 1:19:13They're pissed because of you.
- 1:19:14It's not your fault.
- 1:19:15It's going from being an intense fan who just cares about winning to losing money.
- 1:19:20Yeah.
- 1:19:21And so it's not, you're not a fan at that point.
- 1:19:23It's all about money.
- 1:19:24Because it's not about that all about money.
- 1:19:24It's all this, it's like, I think sports are vicious, right?
- 1:19:27It's a vicious thing.
- 1:19:28Like, and I'm supposed to sit there like Jackie Kennedy, like, no dude.
- 1:19:31Like I'm a coach's and first of all I have a brother.
- 1:19:34I don't have any sisters.
- 1:19:35I have two boys.
- 1:19:36I don't have any daughters.
- 1:19:38I'm a coach's wife who can't say a sentence without saying the word fuck.
- 1:19:42I am a different person.
- 1:19:43I might not be for everyone, but this is who I am.
- 1:19:47And if you don't like, I'm sorry, then move on.
- 1:19:49I'm the sweetest person I love to love people.
- 1:19:53If I don't like you, that's so rare, and you must be a piece of crap because I give everybody the benefit of the doubt, and it's like.
- 1:20:00I just am who I am and I'm not going to hide.
- 1:20:03Take me or leave me, I'm rough.
- 1:20:05So is this sport.
- 1:20:07I'm only, we'll take you.
- 1:20:09Thank you.
- 1:20:09You, our state will take you.
- 1:20:10I know.
- 1:20:10And ire so happy to have you.
- 1:20:11I think I don't like the word like power couple but there, I feel like when there's like a balance to a forward facing couple and you see like why it works, it's so inspiring., When you see the success, but you really show the power behind it, and like why it works and why you are both where you are, but why he's where he is, why our team is where they are.
- 1:20:36It's because of you guys and your, your team together is the reason that there's success and you've shown that I think that without that you couldn't have it.
- 1:20:47No.
- 1:20:47You know, but I, you know, I learned very early and it did take me a minute and like I said, I'm the old lady in this business.
- 1:20:54I've been through it all.
- 1:20:55I know right away who's gonna survive.
- 1:20:57As soon as we get a coach in, or a support staff, I know by his wife this is not for everyone.
- 1:21:04It's not gonna be even.
- 1:21:05And yes, you are gonna feel at times like, what am I a jerk?
- 1:21:09I am doing so much.
- 1:21:12And especially I will say, when I had kids, I'm like, screw this shit.
- 1:21:16Like, here I am, running here, running there, and I'm at all their banquets and this and that.
- 1:21:20And it's like, I'm one person.
- 1:21:21Thank God I only had two kids because there is no way I could, I didn't have help.
- 1:21:25I was young when I had kids.
- 1:21:27I remember complaining to my mother.
- 1:21:29I was so overwhelmed and I got overwhelmed a lot'cause I was so young and, you know, we had money.
- 1:21:34I, I, I was over always like losing it and my mom said, you should have waited until I retired to have kids.
- 1:21:40She just retired.
- 1:21:42She just retired.
- 1:21:44You're like my ovaries and you retired at the same time.
- 1:21:47Oh, it's, so, it's a good thing I didn't wait for you.
- 1:21:49Are you kidding?
- 1:21:50Yeah, it's just like, trust me, like I physically do a lot more and I do the extra, that's the magic.
- 1:21:59And you do get it back by the way that you're loved we had a lot of bad years, like not years, like everybody else, it's like, you know, I couldn't stand the sight of him.
- 1:22:11The garage door went up.
- 1:22:11I'd be like, you know, and sometimes to this day, you know, when the garage goes up, I'm like, here we go.
- 1:22:17Here we go.
- 1:22:18You said something at the beginning of the episode that I liked that you took pride in all of your work.
- 1:22:22Mm-hmm.
- 1:22:22I think sometimes when women play a supporting, and I'm using Supporting in quotations.
- 1:22:27Yeah.
- 1:22:27A supporting role to their husbands, they resent it.
- 1:22:30And then when you resent it, you don't take pride in the work that you're doing.
- 1:22:33Absolutely.
- 1:22:34And I think that when you really break it all down, like I'm taking pride in raising these boys, I'm taking pride in helping these boys on this team who I love.
- 1:22:42I take pride in baking them cupcakes.
- 1:22:44Like when you take pride in little things, I feel like it builds up.
- 1:22:47It does.
- 1:22:47And it's so special to see you here.
- 1:22:50Now get to talk about all of those things that you've done.
- 1:22:52That's what sets you apart.
- 1:22:54It's not hard, like the formula of life.
- 1:22:56If you really sit and think about it, it's not hard.
- 1:22:59It's like everybody's looking to see what they're getting back.
- 1:23:02Mm-hmm.
- 1:23:02Like everybody wants.
- 1:23:03Even Steven, like sometimes that's not how, what makes you the happiest.
- 1:23:08It's like, and not everything you do is for them.
- 1:23:12It's for you too.
- 1:23:14Mm-hmm.
- 1:23:14It's like, I get it.
- 1:23:15There are other people that want careers is good for you.
- 1:23:19I don't, I don't, I'm not going to work every, that's not for me.
- 1:23:23I would die if I had to go to an office and sit at a desk.
- 1:23:27'cause that's not who I am.
- 1:23:29Like, yes, I will take frogs outta the pool with pleasure.
- 1:23:34I will scrub my, um, right now my shower doors are soaking.
- 1:23:37When I get home, I will be scrubbing the, like, I, that's what brings me joy, it's just how I do things.
- 1:23:44Like I cook with pride, like I love it.
- 1:23:48I make sure, my bed is perfectly made.
- 1:23:51I spritz, spritz, spritz my, everything smells nice.
- 1:23:54That's what I do.
- 1:23:56Like I said in the beginning, like that was shameful when I started like years ago.
- 1:24:01What do you mean you're not working?
- 1:24:02I'm gonna say it a million times when your kids are little.
- 1:24:06I wasn't spritzing the sheets with sleepy, sleepy spray.
- 1:24:09Right.
- 1:24:09There's a loophole here.
- 1:24:09I know.
- 1:24:09Okay.
- 1:24:10Yes.
- 1:24:10Because couple sections I know I'm starting to feel bad about.
- 1:24:12No, no, no.
- 1:24:13I, no, I wasn't doing any of that, dude.
- 1:24:15I was like, I know.
- 1:24:16No but it was like, you know, there comes a time where things settle down in your life and you are able to be like, there's no shame I'm taking care of my family.
- 1:24:27I have boys like, yes.
- 1:24:29I still go the extra distance because you will get it back.
- 1:24:33Like my kids, it's almost, it's not a cringey relationship we have, but it is like, it's like we are like, we're the closest four people let them know, you know, like the little notes everywhere, not text, you write them notes.
- 1:24:47They might not even acknowledge it.
- 1:24:49St.
- 1:24:49Patrick's Day.
- 1:24:50My kid's 26 years old, I put green dye in their toilet with a, a raisin, like, you know, the leprechaun pooped in their toilet.
- 1:24:57They just flush it.
- 1:24:58They don't say a word, but they know I did it.
- 1:25:00Like, they're like, oh, my mom's so stupid.
- 1:25:02They had a, they had a private moment, but they did, like, they might not, and they're not gonna acknow.
- 1:25:05They're boys, they're not men.
- 1:25:07They're not acknowledging everything.
- 1:25:09Like, I make my husband lunch every day.
- 1:25:11I am like, did you see the, I put a sticky note in his lunch.
- 1:25:13He'll never acknowledge it, but I know he saw it.
- 1:25:15It's like the little things like, don't expect you're gonna get that back at some point in your life.
- 1:25:21It's really, you know, but you're the mom.
- 1:25:24You're, that's your job.
- 1:25:25Everybody, anybody could be a mom takes somebody special to be a mommy and love's from like, love when you're little, all the way to when they're in their twenties.
- 1:25:34Just keep being mommy and like you'll get that back.
- 1:25:37That was.
- 1:25:38The perfect way, I think, to end is that quote that sweet, like literally just made me tear up.
- 1:25:42Sweet.
- 1:25:43Oh, oh, I love that.
- 1:25:43That is such a good point.
- 1:25:44And that's life.
- 1:25:46This such a good conversation.
- 1:25:48I love, this is such a beautiful conversation.
- 1:25:49I'm, I love it.
- 1:25:51Anything else?
- 1:25:51No, I'll be here until the fucking moon comes out.
- 1:25:54I know.
- 1:25:54Um, we close all of our episodes with our pink spotlight, which is our person, place thing, tip, mantra of the week and t and I usually share something that's making our life a little bit better this week.
- 1:26:05I'll go since you don't have one yet.
- 1:26:07Yeah.
- 1:26:07So I feel like the past couple weeks I've been doing like quotes or like something that we've done.
- 1:26:11Yeah.
- 1:26:11Or whatever.
- 1:26:12So I was gonna do a product, but I'm gonna save it for another time.
- 1:26:15So I have four kids and my kids all basically fight all day long and they all wanted to do different things for spring break.
- 1:26:24So my husband and I were like, fine, we're going to split up.
- 1:26:27We're doing two different things for spring break.
- 1:26:28So he took the boys to DC and they went on a boys trip and I took the girls to Florida.
- 1:26:35One of my daughters decided she didn't wanna come.
- 1:26:37She wanted to spend her week in New Jersey with grandma.
- 1:26:40So we let her spend a week in New Jersey with grandma.
- 1:26:43So I took one daughter and her best friend to Florida for a couple of days and we went on like a little girls trip.
- 1:26:50And let me just tell you when you are not like scooping and cleaning and whatever, like your kids are actually really fun and cool.
- 1:26:57Mm-hmm.
- 1:26:57Like we went to the gym together, we all worked out, we went for beach walks, we had lunch, like we went for a steak dinner, we went shopping.
- 1:27:04We all bought like matching clothes from this store.
- 1:27:07Brandy Melville or Menville, I don't even know what it's called, like matching clothes.
- 1:27:11Like we had the best time.
- 1:27:13And I said to my daughter on the way home, I was like, you're so cool when you're not like screaming at your brothers.
- 1:27:19And she was like, oh, thanks mom.
- 1:27:21That is so sweet.
- 1:27:22So is my pink spotlight is I had like a little solo trip with.
- 1:27:26My kids and it was so fun.
- 1:27:27I love that.
- 1:27:28I love it.
- 1:27:29Yes.
- 1:27:30It was a good memory.
- 1:27:31So mine is a product this week and the weather this, the last couple of weeks, it's like 90 degrees.
- 1:27:37I know.
- 1:27:37And now it's back to winter.
- 1:27:38Yeah.
- 1:27:38You're showing some skin, but like, yeah, like last week we were showing some skin and I was like, I am so white.
- 1:27:43I have not self tan myself.
- 1:27:45I also hate self tanning because I feel like I don't wanna get into the bed with like mm-hmm.
- 1:27:49Gross self tan on and I don't have time to like marinate it.
- 1:27:52You gotta it, you gotta time it just, right.
- 1:27:53Just like washing your hair.
- 1:27:54It's awful.
- 1:27:54Yes.
- 1:27:55Which it's like, that's not another thing to do that I can't stand.
- 1:27:58You have to time it.
- 1:27:58Right.
- 1:27:59I don't have time for that right now.
- 1:28:00So I found this, it's called, it's like a skin tint.
- 1:28:04It's by Luxe Unfiltered, which I love for all self tanning, but it is a quick dry.
- 1:28:10Skin tint.
- 1:28:10And so you can actually put it on while you're dressed already and like anywhere where you're like, I need a little color.
- 1:28:16Mm.
- 1:28:16You can actually apply it and it dries instantaneously.
- 1:28:20And so I wore it to a bridal shower the other day.
- 1:28:23I like put on this dress.
- 1:28:24I didn't know what I was gonna wear, so I didn't know like what I, what skin is gonna be showing.
- 1:28:28Mm-hmm.
- 1:28:28You know?
- 1:28:29And so I ended up going with kind of like a halter style.
- 1:28:32And I was like, oh, my shoulders are showing my arms, arms are showing.
- 1:28:35So then you just filled in.
- 1:28:35And I just filled it in and it gave me like a nice glow.
- 1:28:39Not, I wouldn't say a tan, but just like enough where I didn't look pasty white.
- 1:28:43Mm-hmm.
- 1:28:43But I was literally in a dress, I filmed myself and I was like, Ooh, I'm putting this on while I'm already dressed.
- 1:28:49It doesn't come on the dress.
- 1:28:49It doesn't come on the dress.
- 1:28:50And it lasts like one or two showers, but it doesn't have like the DHA, the skin.
- 1:28:54That the self tanner does so you don't get a smell.
- 1:28:57Oh, that like penny smell.
- 1:28:58Yes.
- 1:28:58It doesn't have any of that.
- 1:29:00So I'm like, this product is life changing.
- 1:29:02We're in event season, we're in almost summer, and sometimes you just need a quick glow and this is it.
- 1:29:08That's so, and according to the esthetician that we had on a couple of weeks ago, we really should not see the sun.
- 1:29:13So maybe, oh God, that's, I know.
- 1:29:17I know.
- 1:29:17I'm like, I need the sun jersey.
- 1:29:19I come back and I come, you're so tan.
- 1:29:21I have to put, I have to put sunscreen on my knees.
- 1:29:23'cause my knees gets so dark.
- 1:29:25It looks ridiculous.
- 1:29:26So, and I have like oil sunscreen oil, like no, I have like, I'm like a hundred.
- 1:29:31I have veiny legs, like I have, and my skin's so dry if I do self tan without, I know.
- 1:29:37'cause it's such a step.
- 1:29:39This I, this was like kind of high too.
- 1:29:41I like too, so I like it.
- 1:29:41It wasn't, yeah.
- 1:29:42'cause if you don't do share with us the proper steps, like if you don't exfoliate.
- 1:29:45Yeah.
- 1:29:45Right.
- 1:29:46That's a whole thing.
- 1:29:47You have to exfoliate.
- 1:29:48You have to moisturize the spot so it doesn't get spotty in your knees and your.
- 1:29:52Ankles, all that I'm using abr that brush.
- 1:29:54I'm like, feathering.
- 1:29:54Yes.
- 1:29:55I'm like, this is too ridiculous.
- 1:29:56It's too much.
- 1:29:56It's way too much.
- 1:29:57And I'll not climb into a bed with, I can't, no, I don't sleep as it is.
- 1:30:02No, there's no way I could be sticky in the bed.
- 1:30:04Right.
- 1:30:04So then you're like, how do I do, when do I, I do it the, sometimes I do it in the morning, like, I'll, I'll shower, then foliate, and I'll get up and then I'm like, I do it, and then it dries and then I get dressed and then it, it looks like crap.
- 1:30:16So what do you got for us?
- 1:30:16Oh, me.
- 1:30:17See, I don't know.
- 1:30:18I mean, I, I'm, I feel, feel like you shared so many I shared us today.
- 1:30:21I mean, I'm all out, but I will say that, um, I, like I said before, I'm turning 50 this year and I went to Jersey and my closest friends.
- 1:30:31To my heart are my high school friends.
- 1:30:33Wow.
- 1:30:33Which is crazy.
- 1:30:34My jersey.
- 1:30:35Crazy.
- 1:30:35It's not crazy.
- 1:30:36And we're all different's.
- 1:30:37Tina and I are both.
- 1:30:37Yeah.
- 1:30:38That we have similar there.
- 1:30:39Something about that.
- 1:30:40Some friends from home, we call them.
- 1:30:41And it's so, yes, there is something about that.
- 1:30:42And every single one of us are different.
- 1:30:45We've always been different.
- 1:30:46We dress different.
- 1:30:47I come out with some crazy things and just like, ha my friends, like my friend's a lawyer.
- 1:30:51When I see them, they fill my heart.
- 1:30:54Like, so like, to make time for people I know and trust me.
- 1:30:58Like, I went down there, I'm like, I can't, I have to do this, I have to do that.
- 1:31:00And I'm just like, no, no, no, no.
- 1:31:01Like, I, I have to, so we're planning a trip.
- 1:31:04We don't know where, if you don't make time for people in your life, like life just keeps going, you know?
- 1:31:11You have to make time for people and do the stupid shit.
- 1:31:13Like we said, we're gonna get shirts, you know, 1777.
- 1:31:16We always get, like, when we're together, we get the pajamas and all our faces on it.
- 1:31:20Like do the, like Google the dumbest shit girls do together or like what you do for your kids and just keep doing it.
- 1:31:27Even though you think it's so dumb, it's like, no dude, it's fun's The stuff you're keeping that guy in the mall, in the center of the mall that makes sure you're keeping him in business for life.
- 1:31:35Yeah.
- 1:31:36Oh, he's dead to me because, um, that, that he put the thing on my shirt, I wash it and it's all like, whoosh.
- 1:31:41Like it, it was a one use thing.
- 1:31:43But you know what?
- 1:31:44Need to get the, you need get a, I ha that's the sad part.
- 1:31:46I have it.
- 1:31:47I have a cr Oh, love it.
- 1:31:49I can't figure it out.
- 1:31:51I'm using like the cup, the cup things for the shirts.
- 1:31:54I'm like, why isn't it peeling off the right way?
- 1:31:56But I did the, I used the cup.
- 1:31:58Shits for the whatever.
- 1:31:59I don't listen.
- 1:32:00You can't do it all.
- 1:32:01I can't do it all.
- 1:32:02You can't do it all.
- 1:32:02I, my, my attention span is of a net.
- 1:32:05If I can't figure it out in seven minutes, like we move on.
- 1:32:08Don't worry.
- 1:32:08I like that.
- 1:32:09Good.
- 1:32:09I love this.
- 1:32:10This was such a great conversation.
- 1:32:12We're so happy that you came needed Thank having us.
- 1:32:15It was so, thank you so much.
- 1:32:16I loved it.
- 1:32:17And we're so happy that we got to tell your side of the story.
- 1:32:20I know.
- 1:32:20Yeah.
- 1:32:21And I'm glad because, I usually I get, I get an unfair edit.
- 1:32:24So you do.
- 1:32:24This will not be an, this will a very fair edit.
- 1:32:27Yeah.
- 1:32:27I mean, I don't think I said anything.
- 1:32:28So like, you know, I don't think, but then again, I never think I do and then they find it.
- 1:32:33But No, we got you girl.
- 1:32:35Thank you.
- 1:32:36Aw, thank you for having me.
- 1:32:37Thank you so much for coming.
- 1:32:39And we're gonna leave all of Andrea's contact info.
- 1:32:42In our show notes.
- 1:32:43You could follow her on Instagram.
- 1:32:44Her game day fits her behind the scenes, all of it.
- 1:32:47We'll share her Instagram and, and where you they can donate.
- 1:32:50Yes.
- 1:32:50Because we need refrigerators for the eighth floor.
- 1:32:52Yes.
- 1:32:53We we're gonna set that up too.
- 1:32:54'cause like now that I know people are actually watching Yeah.
- 1:32:57Like, I'm like, you're looking at me.
- 1:32:58Mm-hmm.
- 1:32:58If you and I, it, she even put up there my first el my, like my LTK, my first one where I wanted to die and my niece is the one that posted that and she, I told her not to and it was me like doing it.
- 1:33:10And I'm like, I'm not doing this.
- 1:33:11It's so cringey.
- 1:33:11And it was like, that was so good to like, now I'm like, I'm so cute.
- 1:33:14You're in it piece and Z in my red.
- 1:33:17Love, love.
- 1:33:18Mm-hmm.
- 1:33:19No, but it's cute.
- 1:33:19And like I said, I'm gonna be cooking.
- 1:33:21I'm gonna be cleaning, I'm gonna be linking my stuff as soon as I figure out how to do that.
- 1:33:27And, uh, yeah.
- 1:33:28Yeah.
- 1:33:29It's gonna be fun.
- 1:33:30Love it.
- 1:33:30I love it.
- 1:33:30We're here for it.
- 1:33:31I know.
- 1:33:32I'm sure everyone is gonna love a little behind the scenes nuts of Andrea Harley, you think just listening to me?
- 1:33:37You wait, wait for the footage.
- 1:33:38It's coming.
- 1:33:39Yeah.
- 1:33:39Look at the two of us behind these mics.
- 1:33:40You think we think that you're nuts?
- 1:33:42I know.
- 1:33:42Hello.
- 1:33:42Lemme tell you, like, I, I think more people would, could relate than not, you know?
- 1:33:46So.
- 1:33:47Well actually you make a good point.
- 1:33:49That's what we're hoping to, right?
- 1:33:51Come along on the ride.
- 1:33:53I love it.
- 1:33:54All right everybody.
- 1:33:55Thank you.
- 1:33:55We'll see you next week.
- 1:33:56Bye.
- 1:33:57Bye.