Latest / The Gill Athletics Track and Field Connections Podcast / #62: Gill1918 Presents Tiara "Tee" Williams "Breaking Into T&F Media” Powered by Coach O

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#62: Gill1918 Presents Tiara "Tee" Williams "Breaking Into T&F Media” Powered by Coach O · The Gill Athletics Track and Field Connections Podcast

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Welcome to the Gill 1918 Project, a podcast series by
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coaches for coaches, powered by Gill Athletics.
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Think of it as the Ted Talks of track and field coaching.
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Short, insightful, and packed with valuable strategies to help
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you grow as a coach. This episode is part of the
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Youth and Beginner Series, brought to you by Coach O.
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In this series, we focus on topics relating to coaching
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youth athletes, coaching beginner athletes of any age,
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and supporting brand new coaches as they find their way.
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With that in mind, let's grow. What's up guys?
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It's your girl, Tiara Williams, also known as T, and I'm here to
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share my story and a few of my experiences to help you break
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into the track and field media world.
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Now let's get started. I used to do track.
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I was a heptathlete. I went to three different
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schools, but I finished at the Texas Tech University Record.
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Now, during my time at Tech, I was so into communications.
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Like I always knew as a kid I wanted to be a sideline
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reporter, but I didn't really know how to get there.
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So the first thing I learned was like, let's just get as good as
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we can in track and maybe that will let us get to that
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opportunity. I wouldn't say it worked like
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that. So I got an opportunity to work
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on high school meet. One of my teammates actually got
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in trouble because she was supposed to host it and she
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didn't want to. And I was like, you know what,
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coach, whatever, raise my hand, I'll do it.
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And lo and behold, I fell in love with the instantly on
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change. I made it to communications.
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I begin shadowing one of the main sideline reporters at the
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university. And then the story just begins
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to grow from there. Like I created my platform
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called Real Talk with T where I started to it really started as
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me uploading like my interviews to get feedback from people that
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maybe like become better at my craft.
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And then they just kind of just evolved to this safe space where
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I started doing like, live interviews with athletes, and it
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just started to grow into its own platform and it started to
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live by itself. That's not the quick version of
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my story. So my first media experience was
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at the Prefontaine Classic 2021, right after the Tokyo Olympics.
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Now, this is kind of what helped me break into the media space.
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I had a, it was like a press conference setting.
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It was security being questioned.
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You know, this is after all of her trials during the 20, the
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year of 2021. And I like raise my hand for a
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question. And I was like being a black
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woman from Texas, like myself. And she was just like, oh, and
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like her guards like automatically came down.
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You know, this is my first time ever having a media credential.
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I was in the media area. I was one of the only people
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that look like me that was so excited.
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I was so ready 'cause I'm like, This is why I always want to be,
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I always want to interview athletes like myself.
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And I did it in college on the lower scale, like when I had
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like meats and you know, they have athletes, we go like 2 days
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before conference and then we just kind of like chilling
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unless you're doing unless you're like Anna Hall.
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But so I would like when I came up from the library and like go
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around and interview my like fellow athletes.
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Like my first, one of my like first interviews would be with
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like TT Terry while we're while she's in college, I'm in college
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and we just kind of like, you know, I'm asking the basic
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questions. How do you feel?
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So yeah, the People 10 classic was my first ever like real life
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credential media experience. And that's what kind of like got
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me started. It's what kind of like allowed
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me to make noise. I feel like I've learned through
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that experience that it's all about how you approach athletes.
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Like, not so much the questions you ask are important as well,
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but I think given that level, that level of human, humanizing
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them and letting them allow them to feel comfortable and know
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that like no matter what is going on, I'm gonna still treat
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you like a human has gotten me so far on this journey.
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So as I'm entering my new, I guess, quote, UN quote, passion
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or profession of interviewing athletes, there are a few things
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that I've learned that I would love to share with y'all.
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And then we can talk about experiences that I've learned
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them through. So as I said already, it's all
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about your approach and how you first introduce yourself to the
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athlete. For example, I was, this is my
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first time ever meeting Shakari. So I'm like being a black woman,
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finding places where we can relate being a black woman.
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We're both black women from Texas or both from Texas.
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I feel like that kind of just let her know, like you're not
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the only one. We relate, you know, like even
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though I'm over here and you're over there, we still relate on a
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certain level. So ever since then, that first
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experience, it's been a snowball effect.
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I have to give God the glory. Like I did not imagine me being
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four years with this platform, being in his position so far
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from where I started, you know? And it was just so inspiring
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because it's like I see so much bigger.
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I see so many more things that I can incorporate.
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And we'll get into that a little later.
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But yeah, I'm just so grateful to be here.
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So since my first meet, I have been to every P Fontaine
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classic. Since my first one, I have been
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to the Olympic trials. I had been to the Olympics
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itself. I had a chance to work all the
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World Championships since the my first media credential, I got to
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work the first World Championships.
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That was in the US, Oregon 22. That's my first ever World
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Championships and I got to do it at home and I'm really grateful
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for that experience. But yeah, it's been so many
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things that has led me to be where I am right now.
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It all wasn't sunshine and rainbows, obviously.
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But as we continue to grow, that's I feel like that's what
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it takes to grow. Like you have to go through and
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learn and and understand what you're trying to accomplish
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before you even get to where you are.
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So I want to start off by talking about I feel like
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another athlete that's kind of helped me on my journey.
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I would have to say Sidney McLaughlin, Lebroni, she's been
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such a huge supporter on this, on this journey.
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I want to say like stepped out of her comfort zone when I asked
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her for things. And I think just like vice
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versa, she's obviously the best hurdler we've ever seen.
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We ever, I don't want to be, I want to be politically,
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politically correct. You know, I guess seen is not a
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real word. I think some people say.
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So she's the best hurdler ever to walk on God's green earth.
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And the fact that like she's 20, I think we're around the same
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age and we can kind of relate on that level.
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I think has helped me on my journey.
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For example, like going going, I want to rely back to like 2022
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where I just randomly DM D her and asked her like, do you want
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to do a live interview? You know, like, let me let me
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rely on a little bit to those live interviews and then we can
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get to the Sydney story. I started doing live interviews
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during the pandemic on Real talk with T only because everybody
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was on live. There was nothing to do, nowhere
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to go. I was like, let me try to make a
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way. And I just started doing live
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interviews. I wouldn't live thought in a
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million years that it would grow to what it is now.
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Like I met Grant Holloway through those live interviews.
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I met Jasmine Camacho Quinn through those live interviews.
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I've met Messiah Russell College Messiah Russell through those
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through those live interviews. I met College of being MO
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through those college interviews.
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I met so many of those of the of our greats through those college
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interviews. I mean, do those live interviews
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while I was in college. So I want to say like, it
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doesn't matter how you do it. Have a plan, have an idea.
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The only reason why I chose live was one because everybody was on
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there too. It's the perfect way to get your
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getting followers from their page and your followers to
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engage in the content. Like it's really a double
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whammy. Before collabs, it was collabs
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before collabs became a thing. So that was my plan.
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I was like, hey, if I can do this, it'll help me grow faster
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if I can continue to get people to come be a guest on this
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platform. So that's one thing I want to
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mention. I forgot to tell y'all how I got
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from pre it was live. It was definitely a era of
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stayed up live interviews and it was hard.
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I had like 5 viewers at one point.
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My first one ever was like Shelby McEwen and I had like 6
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viewers and all sitting there with my friends.
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I texted before like hey y'all hop on this live real quick and
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like I need some support. Drop some comments and drop some
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hearts or something you know? So it doesn't matter how you
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start you know it's just how you continue to stay consistent and
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work to get to where you want to be.
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Now I had to get that in. I back to the Sydney portion of
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the story now. Yeah.
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So I asked her to do a live interviews through her DMS.
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Like I asked a lot of people to do live interviews through their
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DMS and she she was gracious enough to let me do it.
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Like she wasn't really active on social like that.
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And it was her first live, I think from a long time.
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So for her trusting me that much to allow that space was great.
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And obviously I went on my way to make sure she was
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comfortable. Like, hey, do you want the
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comments off? Do you want me to do this?
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Do you want that like just to make because it's all about
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making the athlete feel comfortable enough to share,
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share their story. Like it's not about us as an
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interview. And I feel like some people get
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caught up in that, like trying to make your like, it's not
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about you being comfortable. It's not about you with all you
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want. It's not about your quote UN
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quote clicks or click bait type of situations.
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It's about the athlete, their story and what they want to come
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across. And that's what I continue to
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focus on throughout this whole journey.
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And I feel like that's how I've gotten this far.
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So yeah, since then, me and Cindy have done so many
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interviews. I feel like it's so down to
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earth the way that we could communicate with each other.
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And I think it makes a lot of people understand who she is
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more, you know what I'm saying? So I would say I've had a
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opportunity to grow in that aspect of just being
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comfortable. Being comfortable with just
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asking people like that was hard.
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Like just asking for stuff. Oh, my gosh.
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Oh, just, I just can't. I just couldn't do it.
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I was so bad at it, but I got good.
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I put my pride to the side and it didn't matter if they left me
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on red or if they responded. I had to get over that bridge.
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And that definitely helped me get over that bridge.
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Another epic moment in my career was another part of another
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security story. Shakari Richardson at the 2023
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trials in Budapest, going to Budapest.
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She took off her wig before she raised and she was talking.
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This is the relationship with the media was not the best.
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She didn't talk to anybody. She even told, I even asked her.
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She told me no. And then she kind of thought
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about it. She was like, you know what, for
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you, like, let's do it. And for me to get that special
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moment, let nobody else got. First of all, I was so stressed
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during the interview because everybody came to watch and I
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was just like, ah, I don't even know what to say.
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Like, what do we have to talk about?
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But then if you went great, she ended up giving me my flowers in
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that conversation. I think just understanding that,
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like, just because everybody else gets to know doesn't mean
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that it can't be a yes for you. And I feel like that situation
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kind of showed that aspect of things like, wow, even even in
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even in the trials of her not trusting the media, she still
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went on her way to be like, hey, let me hear what she has to ask
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me. I feel like those moments right
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there help me be more confident in, in my in my journalism work,
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because I do get a lot of criticism of not being a actual
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journalist, of being more of a content creator, which I like
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all the titles, journalist, content creator, wherever you
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want to go with it, I'm fine with that.
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So I just feel like just making the best of each moment has
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helped me get to where I am in this journey now.
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Yes, I did say I went to the Olympics, the 2024 Paris
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Olympics and it was such a dream trip.
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It was my 26th birthday. All the things happened, but one
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thing that didn't happen was I did not get approved for
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accreditation. And I was heartbroken.
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I was like, Dang, my first Olympic, I really want to be
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there. I really want to be in that mix
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zone. And This is why I say like the
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Lord, we determine our steps. We determine our plans, but the
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Lord determines our steps. And I want to say that because I
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was so upset and out work that I didn't get a credential and I
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still had a golden opportunity to host the Puma house out to
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the Puma fam. I love you all down.
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Thank you all for all that y'all had done and continue to do for
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my career. But the Puma house I got the
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chance to host that space and it was so amazing.
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I got a chance to host a Sprint panel with like, Sharika
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Jackson, Julian Alfred, Marcel Jacobs and under the grass the
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day before they raced in Paris. Like, I still got these golden
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opportunities. I was able to do interviews with
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all the Puma athletes in the space.
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And I wanted to tell this part of being disappointed and not
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knowing what's ahead. I was so disappointed about not
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being able to see my American athlete friends.
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Like, yeah, Puma has a few Americans, but not all of them,
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you know, And I, I've followed them all this journey, all of
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these years to get to this space, literally from 1 Olympics
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to the next. I was so disappointed that I
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couldn't be able to convene with my fellow American athletes, my
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friends. And such a special moment came
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from the Olympics that I could not even prepare for.
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In 2023, Messiah Russell fell, hit a hurdle in the final in
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Budapest. I think it was a semifinal.
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She hit a hurdle, she fell. And we end up having this like
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passionate conversation, emotional conversation.
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She was upset. I could clearly see she was
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upset. I even offered to like, hey,
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let's, let's turn off the, let's cut the interview shorts.
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Like, no, like, let's keep going.
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And she basically cried and just basically said that scripture
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that I just said, we make our plans, but the Lord determines
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our steps. And I was able to take that
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moment from 2023 to put it to her 2024 Olympic glory.
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And it just went viral everywhere.
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Like it was such a powerful video to show like from one year
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to the next, you don't even know what God has in store for you.
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And I just feel like that was such what I needed to hear
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myself. That's why I just said the
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scripture opening up this story because I'd be so caught up in
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the moment. Like, even with this
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championships, we'll get into that, but I don't have a
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credential for this one either. And I was so upset.
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But it's just like, relax, like you can make your plans, but the
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Lord is what is who's going to determine these steps?
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So just stay the course. I just want to say that to
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anybody who needs a little bit of encouragement or who just
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feels like things aren't going your way or like, you know, you
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just not giving the you're not being dealt the right hands.
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Like don't feel like it's not for a reason, You know, like God
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is putting us through this for a reason.
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That's bringing to my next point.
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I didn't get a credentials for Tokyo, but I'm still going to be
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in the building. Of course.
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I have created the space called the Content House where athletes
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can come through for all the vibes when they're done
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competing. I have so many ideas for this
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space. This is just the beginning of
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it. I don't I just I took it upon
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myself that I don't think in Paris, for example, I didn't
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have a credential and I still got made the best of that moment
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and I took that energy to bring it to Tokyo.
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I don't have a credential, but that doesn't mean I can't make
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the best of this moment. So the content house is going to
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be literally filled with games, interviews, photos.
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We have all the things you're looking for in Tokyo.
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So I've been doing a whole bunch of promotion.
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I had brought on other creators so out to Denise Spam from Speak
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Your Piece and I wanted this to eventually be a space to where
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creators I can bring creators in to come be to create and then
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also have the athletes come in. It's kind of like a just a big
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house where everybody can just chill, good vibes, good energy
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and get work done. So that's what's going on in
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Tokyo. I have so many things planned,
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so make sure you're following all my social media platforms.
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You can find me on YouTube at real talk with T.
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You can find me on Instagram, TikTok at real talk with T, and
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I'm also on X at real talk with TI.
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Just want to say like it's not about God has a final say, you
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know, like it don't matter what people, how people move around
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you to make things harder for you to make things more
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difficult for you. God has a final say and I want
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to leave y'all with my favorite scripture.
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Let us not go weary in doing good for in the proper time, for
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at the proper time, we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
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And I feel like that's what I live and breathe by.
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Like, no matter what comes my way, no matter what
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circumstances I have to go through, I'm going to do good in
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all situations because God says we will reap the harvest.
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So thank you all so much for tuning into this episode of the
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podcast. Shout out to David and Gil.
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I appreciate y'all for giving me this space and I hope to hear
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from you guys soon. Bye.
16:26
Hey gang, Mike Cunningham here. Thanks for joining us for this
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