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The Woman Who Built Women's Sports From NOTHING · Not All Business

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Sometimes the hardest thing to do is to stand up for what is
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right, especially when you're the only one willing to do it.
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Our guest today stood up for women and women in sports
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decades before the money, the media, or the stadium's caught
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up. Today we're talking to Amy
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Snyder, a Cornell soccer player turned community builder who
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looked at the gap between men's and women's athletics and
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decided to do something about it.
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We're also dragging childhood gym class trauma back into the
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light because getting picked last has left a scar and we're
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not over it. Plus the transfer portal nil.
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And what comes next for women's sports?
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Welcome to Not All Business, a podcast by two former CEO's who
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went from competitors to friends.
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I'm Blakely Graham and my Co host is Heather Cooper.
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And we're joined by our producer, Clay Cornell now.
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Let's. Get down to business, not all
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business. We're talking about sports
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today, did you know that? I don't.
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Know why I just paused? Not to.
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I was trying to think. Of like a quip like best topic
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ever best. Time well.
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It is athletic person. No, I'm preparing OK, and I
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will. I'm preparing myself right now
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for this to be a you and our amazing special guest to be
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going back and forth on all of these topics because you're so
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good and knowledgeable on the forefront of the importance of
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women's athletics. And I'm the worst.
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I'm right there being like, yeah, I, I don't, I, I, I don't,
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I'm not an active supporter of it.
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And so I'm going to learn and I'm not going to, I'm going to
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defer. I'm not going to get.
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Too opinionated about it, Clay, You were going to ask us a
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question. Yeah, well, I was thinking about
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this episode and I was like, I know that we're kind of at all,
1:44
all three of us, we don't really connect over sports much.
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But I thought maybe something that would help us connect more
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about sports is I'm sure we've all played either individual or
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team sports at some point in our life.
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And a lot of that, a lot of the time, some of us peek, you know,
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maybe a little early, Some of us peek a little bit later, late
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bloomers, you know, depending on, you know, where we are, what
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the talent level is, what we're passionate about, what our
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parents sign us up for that we can't get out of.
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So my question was going to be to the two of you in your life,
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what has been the highest sports achievement that you've
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accomplished? It can be a personal record.
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It can be like a trophy you got. It can be even just like a
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compliment from somebody about a performance in a game or
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something like that, that you had.
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What's been your most, maybe the one you're most proud of?
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Blakely, do you want to take this one?
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I feel like before I say this I have to give a little bit of
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background and I have kind of like 3 things coming to mind for
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me. One is I was always picked last
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in gym class every time. Like never ever.
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So it was just the worst class, the worst part of my day.
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But you were tall. I if a ball is involved, like I
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there's a got nothing, right? Yeah, Two, I was raised couch.
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And what I mean by that is my father said it was safest to
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just be on a couch. And like that was our sport was
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couch. And my mom wouldn't even like
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let me step off the curb. Like she's like, oh, oh, sick.
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Don't do that. So that's true.
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And then the third thing I would say is I decided to overcome all
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this and join my company softball team when I was working
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at Starbucks. And we I was the catcher and
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there was a very nice pitcher that was super sweet, but he got
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like injured. And so he had to leave the game,
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and they pulled in a new pitcher.
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And he, like, stood there and he's like, I will not pitch
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while she's on this field. Yeah.
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And I didn't realize, like, the catcher is actually the hardest
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position. You have to, like, catch every
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ball that's pitched, which I'm terrified of balls.
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And then you have to throw it somewhere, which I couldn't
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throw more than three feet. Like I've never had someone help
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me out with that. So I left and I like left the
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field crying. It was so awful.
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And not my 20s, right? Great.
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Question, Clay. Yeah, go.
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Ahead all to say if you know that background, my biggest
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achievement in sports is I joined the cross country team in
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high school because it didn't involve them ball.
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There was no team. It was just me like I just had
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to go out and run. I came in last every single race
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except for one and then at the end of the year they most
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improved player. Hey, there you go.
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Because I didn't finish last on one race.
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I was also captain though, so I feel like that was OK.
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You were captain, but you couldn't run.
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No, but I was. You were the spirit, captain.
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I was. Spirit held the team there.
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I did. I did all that's like, you know,
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that's kind of where I compensate.
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Did you run like operations for the team?
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Manager got the towels, guys. Fresh towels needs towel.
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I get it. Hey, it's better than I did.
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I hate this question so much. You know, I was never.
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I mean, if if anyone wasn't sure, remember what my mom wrote
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in the comments. Heather, I'm worried this isn't
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your wheelhouse. Yeah, this question really isn't
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in your. Wheel trying to do a push up.
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She's just like, maybe don't try to do push ups.
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It's it's not, you know, athleticism isn't really for
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you. But I did after getting rejected
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from the cheerleading team because of my weird arms tryout
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for tennis. So I could still wear a cute
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skirt and it there weren't really tryouts.
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It was like whoever showed up kind of made the team.
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So I felt cool about that. You made the team.
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I did. I mean, I showed up, I got to
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wear the uniform. I was like second double S or
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some like really low on the totem pole thing.
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Had a good time. It was great.
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No awards or anything like that, but my mom did show up at every
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game and she'd be like good try after every shot almost.
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You almost made it in that time. OK, next time you'll get it.
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You got one more shot on the serve.
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It was very supportive. It was, yeah, very embarrassing.
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But I will say I did keep playing over the years and I did
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make it, me and my double S partner when I was in my 40s and
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that like the White Lady Country Club tournament, state tennis
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tournament, we made it. We made it to Nationals.
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OK, come on. Seriously, a way to bury the
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lead? That is amazing.
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So it's never too late to experience your dream.
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You just need to keep showing up.
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Keep showing up and showing up and start to compete against
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people twice your age. And eventually, eventually,
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there's this one woman. She made it all the way to the
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end. We did end up beating her, but
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we'd call her the lobster because her whole strategy is
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she would just stand back and lob the tennis ball.
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So that's when you come up from under the ball and then it goes
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way up in the air and then it lands.
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And then you've got to try to get it back down so that you're
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like doing a normal course like play.
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And she'd just lob it back up. And so it was the slowest play.
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It would mess with everyone's timing.
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You couldn't get any rhythm. And she'd just smile.
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And she's like, I think it's 75 years old, the lobster, she was
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the worst. And if you're out there lobster,
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you're still in our ICPI don't care, you're the worst.
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Just join us. Just play the game.
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Don't cheat, don't play, you know?
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What I mean, Clay, do you have like a success story that's
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better than? You played football.
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I did what? Yeah.
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I played football in elementary school and in middle school.
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He did, and he's my whole image of you.
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No, don't let it. He came home crying almost every
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day. OK, we'll hang on a second.
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OK, just because you can back channel with my mom doesn't mean
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you can just bring that stuff on the show.
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You're right. We can cut that.
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We're not cutting it. We're not cutting it.
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OK, So what I was going to say and this Heather, thank you for
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teeing me up by the way, also played T-ball in in 4th grade.
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I played on a on a team you had to like try out for and it was
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like really intense and sorry. Yeah, like a club team.
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Yeah, club team. And we played our entire season.
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I made first string on offense, defence and special teams.
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I actually got to play in the final game, the Super Bowl game,
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and we won. Wow, out of trust what?
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4th grade. Yeah, 4th grade, but it's full
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contact football. It's it's Heather's story about
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me coming home crying every day. I didn't like it.
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And during the first, I think like first like 2 weeks, I would
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come home crying every day basically like I don't want to
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do this. And my mom and dad were like,
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hey, you committed. You said you wanted to do it and
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in the background they what they probably, they didn't tell me
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this, but they're like, we paid for this and totally.
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Fair, by the way. Totally fair.
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It's expecting. My kids like they have to repay
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the club fees if they wanted to quit so.
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I heard somebody say this amazing thing.
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They wanted to quit and they went to their mom and the mom
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said great, you can tell your coach tomorrow and they never
9:28
quit because they would have had to.
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Tell the. Coach.
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Didn't want. To tell the coach they don't,
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that's. A good strategy, but Clay, So
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you're glad then that worked because you pushed through and
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I'm kidding about every day. I know saw you cry once.
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I'm just joking, but you but you suck it out.
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But we had to run these things in football practice where you
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had to run 10, you had to run, you had to run the length of the
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field 10 times, then you had to run.
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Was that called? Suicides.
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I think it was called, I think so I think it was called
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suicide. So you run the length of the
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field 10 times there and back. Then you run to the 90 yard line
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9 times back. Then you run to the 80 yard and
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you know, and I would come home and I'd be like, what am I doing
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this for? And I remember thinking later
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like you're building character. And then I just kind of like
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discovered like through the next like 2 years, like, oh, when
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things got really hard, like it was easier for me in like 5th
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and 6th grade to be like, this is hard, but it's basically
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temporary. And I learned that by showing up
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to 2A days for in 4th grade. So I'm like really proud that I
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did that and it was a good experience.
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So you're going to have emirs do it.
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Absolutely not. He's not playing football.
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I have, I guarantee you I have like brain damage there's.
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The thing, Clay, here's the thing.
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There's a famous quote and I don't know actually who the
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famous person was. That's that it.
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But Abraham Lincoln? And maybe it's not even a quote.
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Maybe it's like a study that character is built through
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either sports or chores and so. Sports or chores?
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Sports or chores. And so the way I read that is
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like either the parents do a good job at home are they sack
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and so they send you off to a coach who does a good job,
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right? So it's one or the other.
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And so let me just tell you, at our house, we're not really good
11:12
parents, so we kind of send them out to do sports just for the
11:15
character building piece, right? And so I just want to say that
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for Emerson's future, if you're not going to throw him into
11:22
sports, then I hope you have that kid taking out trash and
11:26
ironing clothes and scrubbing floors, you know?
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Well I paid him a quarter to hold open the door for me while
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I loaded the car the other day, so.
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You can't pay the money. That's very spoiled Turkey.
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But then with that, we need to do a whole parenting session on
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this. Trust us, we got we've got some
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tips for you, I promise. OK.
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No, it's good though I think it comes down to how do you teach a
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kid to push through doing something you don't?
11:53
Want to do that's that's absolutely right.
11:55
How do you? Get through and honestly, I
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swear to God, that's what these employers are looking for for
11:59
these kids with college degrees anymore.
12:01
It's like, did you get up? Did you get to class?
12:03
Did you get, did you push through?
12:05
Because it's hard and not everybody wants to do it or not
12:08
because otherwise what's the degree for?
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I mean, everybody's learning on the job now.
12:13
Anyway, again another episode. But yeah, no, you're absolutely
12:16
right. And I just want to give a shout
12:18
out to our new intern, Jillian, who is like.
12:21
Jillian. A dreamboat she is like working
12:24
her little tail off in the like little 5 hour allotment that we
12:29
have for her. And she like texted me, she's
12:31
like, I'm just not feeling that well.
12:33
But I'm gonna, I'm gonna feel better by tonight and I'm gonna
12:36
get it done. And she did.
12:37
She like got it done. And I don't want her to like
12:39
work when she's sick. I do.
12:40
But she just. Like, I mean, how sick?
12:45
I. Don't know I.
12:46
Mean she's freshing, right to like see someone like take
12:50
initiative enthusiastic, she takes initiative.
12:52
She asks questions like she's so in it and I just.
12:56
It gives me hope. Just I love it, hope I love it.
12:58
And I feel the same thing about Dana who's helping us out with
13:01
sponsorships. You hope every company out in
13:04
the world. You're about to get an e-mail
13:06
from Dana to see if you're interested in sponsoring.
13:08
Not all business for an ad on our show, but she did the same
13:11
thing with like the merch and she's like, hey, can I just go
13:13
get us some like I really want to start wearing the merch like
13:17
I love this initiative. Thank you so much.
13:19
It's good. We'll, we'll have stuff like
13:22
that on sub stack, right? For our subscribers on sub
13:25
stack. We'll.
13:26
Have like, yeah, like we'll have a way for them to buy it through
13:29
there, too. We are, yeah.
13:31
We're getting. We're getting.
13:32
We're getting. Closer every time Paid
13:34
subscribers, people, it's very exciting, so it's about to get
13:38
super unfiltered. Hope you come join us. 5 bucks a
13:41
month. What did you call it?
13:42
A freaky little 5. Clay just put down a freaky
13:46
little 5. Everybody's got a freaky little.
13:48
Funky. It's a funky little 5A freaky
13:52
little 5. Freaky little 5.
13:54
It could be a freaky little. Let's call it Freaky Little 5.
13:57
Just put down your freaky little 5A Freaky.
13:59
Little 5. Find a freaky little 5 in your
14:02
dryer. I don't know.
14:03
You're going to hear me hum the Jingle of the company.
14:06
That pitch slapped me. It's worth.
14:09
Oh yeah, that's right. You promised.
14:10
You promised a hum. It's.
14:12
So good. By the time this episode comes
14:14
out, it will be in there, OK? Awesome, I'm going to join.
14:18
I'm going to find a freaky little 5 just for that.
14:20
I feel like I we're holding back stories.
14:22
I feel like we need to maybe bring Amy on.
14:24
I just, I'm ready. I'm ready to talk.
14:27
You've been ready for months. You're like, when are we going
14:30
to get Amy on? And we have been trying.
14:32
She's a very, she's a very busy, busy woman.
14:36
Let's bring her on. Welcome to the show, Amy Snyder.
14:43
You've hustled, climbed, pivoted.
14:45
By most measures, you've made it.
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And yet something still feels off.
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14:55
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15:35
Hi, Amy. Hello.
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Happy to be here finally. Yes, we have been wanting you
15:40
on. You are you are a visionary.
15:43
You are a community builder. You we've done so much and we're
15:47
going to get into all of it. Before we do, there's one place
15:50
that we need to start, and that is Amy was very contrarian to
15:57
this whole presidential fitness experience.
16:04
So you know how Blakely we were like we were we were traumatized
16:07
by this. We need to reclaim, you know,
16:10
our self esteem and our fitness. And then Amy and I got together
16:14
and she's like, so I got to tell you, not my experience it.
16:18
Was like my best day. Yeah, so I want to hear about
16:21
your. Well, it's interesting because
16:23
you guys just talked about how you did.
16:26
You haven't had a strong athletic past.
16:29
OK. But my past was, you know, I was
16:32
out climbing trees. I was playing sports.
16:35
I played through like I, I was. That was my definer.
16:39
That really took me. I, I could lean on my
16:43
athleticism and I was super shy and a really quiet kid.
16:48
And, and when I would start playing, I would, you know, like
16:51
my true self would come out and I would have super like my
16:54
confidence. And so at a young age, you
16:57
really only saw that during the presidential fitness.
17:00
Test. That was like, I was so you.
17:02
Were looking forward to I was like.
17:03
I'm better than you, Heather. I'm better than you.
17:05
Play Clay. No, it has more to do with, it's
17:08
really interesting how traumatizing that was to you
17:11
guys and how well you've done as human beings and women in
17:16
business. And the fact that, like, that
17:21
was a really big day for me. Like that was where I was able
17:24
to shine. Take, take us back.
17:27
Tell me about that day. I was a tomboy, so I look like a
17:31
little boy until I was in 8th grade.
17:34
And so I was shy and just awkward socially and all that.
17:40
But I was really good at pull ups and even, you know how so
17:44
the the girls would do the flex arm hang.
17:46
Well, I would do that and then I would do more pull ups than any
17:49
of the boys. I could do more pull ups than
17:53
anyone. I was really little and really
17:54
strong. And so it was like it was my big
17:58
day. So it's kind of, it's really
18:01
interesting because that to hear you guys talk about it, like
18:05
just, yeah, really hurt my, hurt my heart.
18:08
And I was like, wow. Yeah, it hurt my heart too, like
18:12
the other day. I know no.
18:13
And I was just like. Gosh, element of athleticism in
18:16
school, right? Whether it's on the playground,
18:19
at recess or in the gym class and.
18:21
Yeah, it was my. Worst like being found?
18:24
I needed that though. Like I really I needed that to
18:28
keep me going too in school. I know.
18:31
I know well you. Maybe you must have had
18:33
something. You're a good student or I don't
18:35
know, you had other things. There's there's something that
18:39
that brought you to where you are now.
18:41
So maybe, maybe it was just all. Hard of being kicked down OK
18:44
over and over. Well, then you.
18:46
Swear. You rose above that.
18:48
Yeah, you did it. Chip on my shoulder but never
18:51
getting picked. Right, Yeah, you did it.
18:53
You did fine. And now you're now you're fit
18:56
and you're healthy so. Fit.
18:58
Yeah, she's so excited. You made it.
19:00
You made it. You made it happen, and you're
19:02
the sports reporter. I'm a sports supporter.
19:06
Well, Amy, you definitely have sports running all throughout
19:09
your family and I know just from like, let's just back up and
19:13
look at kind of your career and what you've done and so.
19:17
You. Played soccer for Cornell, which
19:20
is amazing for the women's soccer team there and after
19:25
leaving Cornell, moved to Colorado and then realized that
19:30
there's a gap in, you know, women's versus men's national
19:34
sports and professional semi pro teams.
19:36
Well, you just want to keep playing.
19:38
I just wanted to keep playing like you're at the height of
19:40
your, your athletic career kind of or, you know, you just want
19:45
more when you're 2122 years old and there was nothing.
19:51
So you're like, I'm just going to make this happen.
19:53
So you started. The 1st and met some other.
19:54
The first semi pro leagues in Colorado so I want to hear more
19:58
about at Cornell and what. You seeing that difference
20:03
between up close between men's and women's athletics and the
20:06
opportunities there, What brought you from, you know,
20:10
feeling like, hey, this isn't right, this isn't fair.
20:12
What's going on here to actually, I'm going to do
20:14
something about this. Tell us about your experience.
20:16
Yeah, well. I think, you know, we're lucky
20:18
we get, we had Title 9 the year we were born or I was born.
20:23
And so there were opportunities to play through high school and
20:28
clubs were just starting. But I mean, I had a lot of
20:30
opportunity to play growing up, soccer and basketball, and then
20:35
was able to play in college. So there are quite a few
20:37
programs in college there, nothing like there is now.
20:40
But there were options and opportunities.
20:43
So I didn't really feel it until I got out of college.
20:47
And when I got out of college, I was, you know, just ready to
20:51
keep playing. And there was a huge part of.
20:54
Your identity, right? Yeah, there were a lot of
20:57
opportunities for boys, men and and there weren't any for women.
21:02
There's this new league starting this new semi pro league, the
21:05
West League, which was part of a larger men's league, but they
21:07
were like, oh, let's do some women and and there, yeah, they
21:12
were franchises that you could you had to raise $5000 for a
21:16
franchise fee. So we the Gary LED one, the
21:19
local gynecologist in Fort Collins, He and his he and his
21:24
wife, he he birthed my children later.
21:28
But we always say, like his first child that he birthed was
21:31
the force. The force, the teeth.
21:33
OK, so the force was the name of the.
21:35
The Force was the team, Yeah, we played in the West League of the
21:39
United Soccer Leagues and the United Soccer Leagues is still
21:42
around today with. USL.
21:44
USL with men's leagues, different levels of professional
21:47
men's leagues. Yeah, like for many years there
21:50
wasn't a pro, there wasn't a pro league.
21:52
So this was the highest level of soccer and we had to fund
21:55
everything. But yeah, like I was this really
21:59
driven, passionate, excited woman to like and, and very much
22:05
like this is not right and we need to support this.
22:09
But I did it in a way that was at least to get all the support
22:12
and raise funds that like really just, I guess it just I got
22:19
everybody fired up and excited with my passion.
22:22
I was super passionate as a young as a young.
22:26
So what was the soccer player so?
22:27
Pitch. What was the pitch to people
22:29
when you were trying to put this together?
22:31
Every once in a while, I still see a few of the people that
22:34
sponsored the team. And one of them, he's like, I
22:38
have a dream. You know, like it would start
22:40
with this. Like, I had this, I have a
22:42
dream. And I had this, like, pictures
22:44
of like, what the team was going to become and what we needed to
22:48
do and how we need to get behind it.
22:50
And, you know, for $500, you can be a part of this dream and make
22:54
this happen. And so, yeah, I mean, it was
22:57
really, I was so passionate, I would say.
23:02
What do you think resonated with people?
23:04
Because obviously it worked and it was a huge success.
23:08
I was young, I was in my 20s. It was something I was doing
23:11
kind of. I wasn't waiting for someone
23:13
else to do it. I was, I was in, I was AI was a
23:16
player pushing to do it. So it wasn't someone older, it
23:20
wasn't someone. It was just like.
23:22
It was the immediate need. This is a problem, right?
23:24
Yeah. And I think it was like, I want
23:26
to, I want to solve it. And here's here's how you can
23:29
help me solve it. And so, yeah, I mean, for years
23:32
we, we the team was we had the franchise for 20 years, which is
23:35
probably one of the oldest, like a women's soccer franchise.
23:40
I think about this all the time on senior nights, like when we
23:45
go watch the basketball team at CU and it's they're celebrating
23:49
their seniors. And I think about how hard these
23:54
women have worked to get to this level, right?
23:56
They're playing D1 basketball. They've probably been playing
23:59
since elementary school. They've been doing club their
24:01
whole lives and they're seniors and it is not common for them to
24:07
get drafted. I mean, know there's some
24:08
expansion happening right now in the WNBA, but I think about it
24:12
and I think their identity, I feel as if it almost gets
24:16
stripped overnight. Like where do they go if they'd
24:20
stop playing the sport that they've loved and played for so
24:23
long. And now there's overseas teams,
24:26
there's leagues like you're talking about.
24:29
So there's I think there is more opportunity to continue, but I
24:34
also think about the student athletes in general, like our
24:39
like, what is that line? Like what did you feel in
24:41
Cornell about? Like, are we getting them ready
24:44
also to go out into the world without their sport or should we
24:48
not even be worried about that? We should always be making sure
24:51
there's a way you can keep playing what you love and build
24:55
your career. Yeah, well, the Cornell was a
24:57
little different because it was an Ivy League school and it was
25:00
very, I mean, nowadays it's it's like another job.
25:05
Like it's a huge commitment depending on where you play
25:07
collegiately. And there's a lot of support
25:10
around it. Like, I mean, you know, there's
25:12
probably a handful of sport. The whole Nii mean men's, men's
25:15
sports are different I would say, but in the women's game and
25:19
women's sports, there's this whole support scheme around it
25:23
through the universities that that they're making that you
25:26
have tutor sessions, you have, I mean, there's so much to support
25:30
you moving forward as an individual and not just an
25:34
athlete, so. OK, you, you brought nil up.
25:37
I wasn't going to go down that path, but don't think that's a
25:40
good thing for women. I'm a little different in terms
25:44
of I've had a very long career being involved with sports and
25:49
gating from sports. But my big take away from sports
25:52
was was, you know, yeah, that character.
25:56
And then also that believing, that teamwork, that believing
25:59
each other that we can do it. Like we've got this, that
26:02
collaboration. And that is like my whole
26:06
essence. And so yes, I'm competitive on
26:10
the field, but but not to this level of like competitiveness
26:13
that that is present and then the business of the sport and
26:19
all that. I mean, I feel like it's
26:20
inevitable to. That's why I hate it, but that's
26:23
why I hate the NIL stuff because it's like you're taking a team
26:28
that for what you're saying, Amy, to say, OK, we're going to
26:31
work together as a team. And all of a sudden you start
26:33
putting people against each other and who's getting
26:35
sponsored and who's getting more money and who's getting this and
26:38
the team and they start to resent each other for that kind
26:40
of attention they're getting. There's plenty of time for that
26:42
to happen at the pro level. I don't know why they're forcing
26:45
that into younger ages where, I mean, I totally understand the,
26:50
the, the college makes a lot of money off of these kids.
26:54
They're, you know, on, off of their back and things like that.
26:56
I do as a business person understand that.
26:59
But I'm looking deeper at the emotional needs of brains that
27:02
are not fully frontal cortex developed until they're 25 years
27:05
old and they've already got all the social media pressure.
27:08
And who's moving forward? And now you're going to put
27:10
another financial thing into this person's life even as early
27:14
as high school now. Well, I think the real shame of
27:18
it is the character building piece because you know, we just
27:21
we just went through the March, March Madness and it was fun.
27:24
It was great. But now the portal is open for
27:27
basketball and I called the portal dance and you all you
27:31
pray for is that your entire team, like the entire Tennessee
27:35
team went into the portal, the entire team.
27:39
And so the issue I have with it, like let's forget about the
27:43
why's. I think they're going to
27:44
eventually put guardrails back in like the.
27:46
It is so correct they have to. And for for people who don't
27:49
know what happens in the portal, can you explain what happens in
27:54
the portal? And also nil.
27:56
So nil is name image, likeness right?
28:00
Yeah. So it's basically kids getting
28:02
paid to be able to have a jersey in their name or they they're
28:07
start getting financially compensated the more popular
28:10
they get and the better player they are at very early ages
28:14
where that used to be reserved for pros.
28:15
Now it's happening in college and even in high school now,
28:18
right? Yeah, correct, I'm wrong.
28:20
In high school, I. Think it is happening in high
28:22
school. Clay, can you look that up while
28:24
we're talking? Because I don't want to misquote
28:25
that, but I'm it's getting too broad.
28:27
Go ahead, Blakely. But they they enter in the the
28:29
portal to be open to recruiting and to become a transfer
28:33
student. And so the issue I have with it
28:37
is on the character side that we were just talking about in that
28:41
what you get from being involved in these sports other than like
28:47
wanting to get to the pro level is the team.
28:50
Yeah, the team piece is such a big dynamic.
28:53
Like I fall in love with these. Yeah, every single year I get to
28:57
know them and I fall in love with them.
29:00
And then they are pressured to go and follow the money and
29:05
you're like, are you kidding me? Part of is the dynamic of the
29:08
team and how they gel and how they work together and following
29:12
their careers. So then we then go off and
29:14
follow them if they go to the WNBA or what not, you know?
29:17
And I just find it crushing. But I do think it is a detriment
29:21
to the character build. I really, really do.
29:24
And it's that team part you're talking about, Amy.
29:27
Hopefully this one will self correct a bit.
29:30
I think it will. It has to, right?
29:31
Because the fans aren't going to put money into their alma
29:33
mater's if the the team changes every day or every every year.
29:38
Following up on your question about high school, it's actually
29:41
state by state what the NIL policy is and almost every state
29:47
high school students are permitted to have name, image,
29:50
and likeness. But we'll put the link in the
29:52
show notes. You can look at the map and you
29:54
can see your state and then they have all of the all the
29:57
information up there as they update it and they update it
29:59
everyday. Yeah, yeah.
30:00
One thing that struck me about watching the the Final Four this
30:04
year was we had a, it was a repeat like a set of teams up
30:09
there. They're very well funded teams
30:12
and very winning teams. And two of the most prominent
30:15
coaches that we have in collegiate basketball are Gino.
30:23
Yeah, Ariam, thank you. The UConn coach, and Don
30:26
Stanley, the South Carolina coach.
30:28
And they went head to head and Gino flipped out.
30:33
He flipped out on live TV. He flipped out at a time out and
30:37
started railing into Don Staley saying what a horrible human she
30:42
was for how she talked to refs or whatever and then accused
30:47
that their team of like ripping the jersey off of someone on his
30:51
team and it turns out they they did the replay.
30:54
The girl ripped her own. Did it herself.
30:56
Yeah, and, and he might not have known that.
30:59
And I'd like to give Gino the benefit of the doubt because
31:02
he's done a lot for this sport. He really has.
31:05
And I think what I really struggled with at the end, like
31:09
the like he, he comes at her again at the at the end of the
31:13
game and he got a lot of pushback from the female
31:17
correspondents, the sports desk, everyone.
31:20
We were all shocked watching this live.
31:24
And I immediately go to very successful white male lost
31:31
control and to a very successful black woman.
31:36
And what what message and it it might not have had anything to
31:39
do with that. I really don't know.
31:42
But his apology was weak at best.
31:45
He's he said I'm sorry to the South Carolina team.
31:48
They didn't deserve that. And I'm sorry to their staff.
31:52
His attacks were all personal to Don Staley.
31:55
None of them had to do with anything else.
31:57
And so I guess in that moment, like to me, that still sense of
32:03
gender inequality message or some message of, of the the the
32:10
cameras watching us now. And even if that wasn't his
32:12
intent and something she did, something horrible to him, I do
32:16
think in a sport of such inequity, like you, he had a
32:22
responsibility to publicly address it.
32:26
And you know who had to publicly address it was Dawn.
32:29
She came back and said, you know what, let's turn the page.
32:32
Well, she was. Willing, yeah, it's it's a
32:34
character. I think anytime you have sports
32:38
or I mean, especially at that level and even I don't know, I
32:41
just having the youth doing the youth club for a long time,
32:44
there's a level of intensity in the adults, whether it's the
32:49
coaches, the parents that is just unkempt and and it's a big
32:54
character. It's like when you get to that
32:56
point, what do you do? What comes out of your mouth and
32:59
how do you respond to that? And it to me, all it shows is
33:03
character. And so it shows a lot of
33:06
character from Don and not a lot of character from Gino.
33:09
And again. We don't.
33:12
Know we don't know gender, we don't know racial, but it to me
33:15
it's just you're a person with character and you lost it.
33:19
And then once you lose it. How do you respond?
33:22
I think. That's the biggest thing is how
33:24
do you respond later? Because I lost it last night on
33:28
something. We lose our shit sometimes,
33:30
especially when all that stuff's on the line.
33:32
I can see people completely losing it, but it's like once
33:35
you have a moment to take your breath, just come out and do the
33:37
right thing. Set it straight so that people
33:39
aren't wondering. Is it because she was a black
33:41
woman? Maybe it wasn't.
33:42
Maybe it's like, no, if that was a white guy, I would have yelled
33:44
and reacted the same exact way. We'll never know, but never
33:47
know. Of course, that's what's going
33:48
to be playing out there. So could just come out and say
33:51
it and just be like, yeah, that was wrong.
33:53
I respect her as a coach. I because they would go back to
33:55
previous footage and talk about, you know, see other things where
33:58
he was saying how he respected her and things.
34:00
But it's like, we'll just come out in a moment and say it, man,
34:02
what's the problem? Get the egos.
34:04
I'm so sick of the egos all around.
34:07
Well, that is why, yeah. Like to wrap up though, I think
34:10
the women's game, I, what I love about women sports is the is
34:15
there's a, there's definitely a collaboration and yeah, there's,
34:18
there's still intensity. It's not like women can't be
34:20
intense and you don't get that like edginess, but I do feel
34:25
like I do feel like there's there's this underlying like
34:30
let's take care of each other. I think we're catching up.
34:33
Yeah, I agree with you, Amy. I agree.
34:35
We need, let's take care of each other.
34:37
We need a little, let's take care of each other.
34:38
These optimism take care of each other.
34:40
We need to get us through, take care of each other.
34:43
Let's take care of each other. Amy, I wanted to talk about a
34:46
recent event that happened in Colorado that you were a part
34:49
of, and we're just very, very excited.
34:52
Yes, the Denver Summit Football Club.
34:57
So that is. Go ahead, Amy.
34:59
Tell us about the Denver Summit. Yeah, this was super exciting.
35:02
Yeah. Just to get back to just a
35:04
really magical moment. Yeah, it was 2 two weeks ago
35:10
now, I guess the, the there were 63,000 and four people to see
35:17
the home opener for the Denver Summit.
35:19
So that's the women, the first women's pro sports team in
35:23
Colorado. 60,000. And don't forget those forward.
35:28
Yeah, no 63,004. Yeah, that's.
35:31
An incredible turn out. Record.
35:34
And this team was building for a couple years before they got the
35:38
franchise and they got awarded the franchise and it just kept
35:41
building and it's just incredible.
35:43
Like it, it just it, it felt so good to be someone that had
35:48
spent a lot of time like pushing for that moment.
35:51
I get like a little choked up because.
35:53
You should, you put it was your life's work to start that and
35:57
bring it into Colorado. It took me back a lot to when we
36:00
were doing a lot of things and we actually our first or second
36:04
season, I think it was our second season, we had a game in
36:07
Mile High Stadium because I was just like, well this is where we
36:10
should be playing, you know, and there and there were probably 20
36:14
people there. You know it just like we were in
36:16
the stadium. We got on the field to play a
36:18
game in the stadium. Great.
36:21
And so, yeah, like to, to be there 30 years later when there
36:26
are 63,000 people was, it was surreal.
36:31
It was like it was, it was an unbelievable moment for, for,
36:37
for women's sports and is. That coming from fans and I
36:43
mean, where's the money coming from?
36:46
Where's the funding? Why is there 60,000 people now
36:49
versus 20 then? Yeah, it it a lot of things take
36:53
time to build. And so I think, you know, with
36:57
like being in the sport of soccer, soccer was one of those
36:59
slower growing sports, right? And then sports are male
37:03
dominated. So there was men's soccer.
37:06
And it's like, all right, well, once we get the men's going, we
37:08
can get the women's going. And that was like you, you kind
37:11
of talk about those things that would frustrate you.
37:13
And it was like, well, OK, the women are just as good.
37:16
And then like our national team was like making all kinds of
37:19
waves. We were, yeah, we were very,
37:23
very good internationally, the women's soccer.
37:27
Unbelievably. Good, unbelievably good.
37:29
And so that was a big driver. And it, it just, it wasn't
37:35
until, in my opinion, it wasn't until my generation got to have
37:40
kids and make money and then have little girls and then
37:43
you've got money. And so all of a sudden it's
37:47
people that are wanting to let's start investing in the women's
37:51
game. It, it, there's a, there was a
37:54
quote I read in this together. It's a platform led by women.
38:02
It's it's a media company that led by Alex Morgan and some
38:05
other women. But there was a quote that
38:08
really hit home. So it said women's sports have
38:12
never been behind culture was infrastructure, was capital
38:17
coverage, distribution, belief. What we are witnessing now is a
38:20
correction, an ecosystem recalibrating to reality.
38:25
And so it wasn't like the athletes weren't there, just
38:29
like you said. Why did it take so long?
38:31
I think it just it everything takes longer than you think it's
38:33
going to take. And it took so long for people
38:36
to finally like, all right, well, let's put a little more
38:38
money to this. All right, let's put a lot more
38:40
money to this. All right, let's finally bring
38:43
media, bring television, like produce these games so that you
38:48
can. It's not like a camera at the
38:50
top of a stadium watching like a field of ice.
38:55
So now, like you watch the games over the last few years, the
38:58
games are produced. I've never been thought about
39:01
that. Oh my gosh.
39:01
But it is how that you totally. It was just like watching a
39:04
Littlefield. Like, oh, we're putting on and
39:05
no one watched it. Well, it's like, yeah, no one is
39:08
going to be able to see and watch it.
39:10
Yeah. Like, so now the franchise is a
39:14
cost between I wrote it down, it was incredible.
39:18
Yeah, 53 million to 5 to $65 million to get a franchise in
39:24
the in the the Women's Professional Soccer League and.
39:27
That's a bigger fundraiser than you did 20 years ago.
39:29
That's a. Big.
39:30
Yes, I did. Back to the college.
39:32
I know, Gary. Yeah, like we, I, we do joke.
39:35
It's like, well, we were in the game, like it was a lot cheaper
39:38
when we were in the game. But it just it's so refreshing
39:41
because I think, yeah, one of my big frustrations was just that
39:45
cash. I I have so many little stories
39:47
where. Tell us one.
39:50
I remember one of the ones where when I was younger, it was our
39:54
first league meeting for the soccer leagues and, and they, it
40:00
was, there was men again, it was a men's league.
40:02
They're like 4 men's leagues within this league and one
40:05
women's league. And they're like, yeah, we were
40:07
always like on the side and there was brought everybody
40:11
together the, the assembly and they're talking about it.
40:14
And again, you know, if you guys follow men's soccer, our men's
40:17
national team isn't, isn't something to talk about.
40:21
Never has been, but this was back in 96 or 97.
40:27
And they just, I just remember the guy, he's from Portugal that
40:30
used to run the league. And it's like their big thing
40:33
was at the end he was like, and someday, you know, for the US,
40:37
we will win a World Cup. And I was so pissed because we
40:43
had won a World Cup. Oh yeah, in 91.
40:46
The women. Won a World Cup.
40:49
And it it still like makes my blood boil.
40:51
But as a kid, I was just like, are you kidding me?
40:56
Yeah. I stood up in front of, you
40:58
know, like this assembly and everybody had clapped and I
41:01
stood up, you know, everyone's sitting and I and I was like,
41:05
excuse me. No, you did not.
41:07
I did. I did.
41:10
I said excuse me. We have won a World Cup and if
41:14
we don't start pushing this sport together, men and women,
41:17
you know, it was just like. Did you really say that?
41:20
I did and so. How old were you when you said?
41:23
That I was 20, 320. Yeah.
41:27
Like, so this is who I was, you know, as this, like, really
41:32
passionate. But the inequities were, you
41:35
know, it, it just he didn't even realize.
41:37
What was the response? Yeah, he didn't realize.
41:40
A few like it didn't get clapping, you know, and then
41:42
after, you know, everyone involved with the dubby league
41:45
said that was awesome, you know, so we we had this like little
41:47
tight knit group of like, let's push this forward and.
41:52
Can I get your opinion on that correction?
41:55
Because I like what you just said, like the men and women
41:57
have to like work together, right?
42:00
And so I, right before we filmed this podcast today, my daughter
42:06
was home for lunch and her boyfriend was with her and they
42:09
both play for the, their, the, the high school basketball
42:13
teams. And so I just said, hey, you
42:15
guys, are there any differences like between the men's and the
42:21
women's basketball teams of high school?
42:23
And one of them said, well, the girls team doesn't get buses.
42:29
I'm like, interesting, I know they get buses for a couple of
42:33
games but but the boys get offered buses for every game.
42:36
Interesting. OK, well, that's that's weird
42:38
and I don't know the the what or the why behind it, but I am
42:42
going to come to you for a question here in a minute about
42:44
how we change it. Amy, like the second thing was
42:48
Lula goes well. We also don't get warm up sweats
42:53
every year and Luke looks at her and he's like.
42:56
What? He's like, well, what do you do?
42:58
What do you wear? And she's like, well, we have a
43:00
closet and we wear the ones from like 1980 and we, we've been
43:04
wearing them for years. Still, that's still happening.
43:07
And he goes, are you kidding me? He is like we get, I think he
43:10
calls them techs or something. I don't know, you call those
43:12
tech tech sweats or whatever. We get a new pair every single
43:17
year of like Nike matching like top and bottom.
43:21
And Lou is like, we don't have any money.
43:23
And I'm like, they don't have any money because every year we
43:26
get asked to do a fundraiser and they require these kids, these
43:29
girls to like, e-mail 10 people and their family.
43:32
I'm like, you can't e-mail to my parents.
43:34
They don't have any money, like to be giving.
43:36
And so then they try to sell these things called butter
43:39
braids, like these like terrible pieces of bread that carved,
43:42
like, we don't even want our athletes eating a butter braid.
43:45
And I'm like, I'd rather just write $1000.
43:48
Check to the team, the for some reason, the women's sports orgs
43:55
don't fundraise well. And I don't know if it's because
43:59
they don't know how to fundraise or it's because they don't have
44:01
the supporters. They they're still not showing
44:04
up for the games and the way they show up for the men's
44:07
games, you just don't get the same sponsorship.
44:09
It's just a reality. So when I heard you just say
44:12
like, A, there's a correction happening and B, hey, maybe like
44:17
together, men and women together, we need to like help
44:21
some of this correction. And I'm thinking, what do we do
44:24
to speed it up, Amy? Like why can't my daughter?
44:27
Get that's crazy that that's still going on because I, that
44:30
was my other thought. I remember when I was in high
44:32
school because they just started and my sister's a couple years
44:36
older and the soccer, the boys soccer team had, you know,
44:40
uniforms and the girls soccer team had to wear the boys
44:45
football 8th grade like jersey, you know, like the jersey.
44:50
So they had to wear a shirt and then the jersey.
44:52
Over. Yeah, and my mom, yeah, she was
44:55
pissed and she went right into the school and it's like, this
44:58
is ridiculous, you know? So I, you know, it complain, I
45:01
don't know, go complain about it.
45:04
But also, I, yeah, I think it's important to to call that out,
45:08
but also determine whether it really is like, what do we need
45:13
to do to make this better? Is there an inequity because
45:16
it's boys and girls or is there an inequity because the boys
45:19
program has been going on longer or has more people involved?
45:23
That's the other piece. It's like, well, how do you
45:25
think make things shift? And it's like, well, you've got
45:28
to just like anything you guys know in the tech, you've got to
45:30
keep keep pushing, keep calling things out here and there.
45:34
Yeah. But keep being a part of solving
45:37
it. Like don't just call it out and
45:39
complain about it. Like call it out, but do things
45:42
to do, things to make a difference for you and those
45:47
that come after you. Yeah.
45:50
When when you think back on that initial vision, that feisty 20
45:56
something year old that had the courage to stand up in a crowd
46:00
full of people and speak the truth.
46:03
If there was another woman, let's say at that age right now
46:07
and where she's kind of coming into it, what advice would you
46:10
give her? Jeez, I feel like, I feel like
46:15
you when you meet people, when you meet young people that know
46:18
what they want to be doing and they're willing to, to push, to
46:23
do things. I, I think that's the biggest
46:25
piece is like what's, yeah, if you have that purpose and that
46:30
drive, you are going to find people to help you just ask.
46:36
I mean, really, it's like, you know what you want to do, where
46:39
you want to go, and you're a young person.
46:44
You tell other people, go meet with people and they will jump
46:48
on your, I mean that. I mean, for years, I mean, I I
46:51
didn't do any of this without so many people.
46:55
But you made the need known I. Pulled along and pulled along
46:58
and we need this. We help us, help us.
47:01
We need this. And so, yeah, I do feel like
47:05
know where you're headed and then ask for help.
47:08
Just find people and ask for help because they will help you.
47:12
Blakely, when you talked with Luke and Lula about that, I
47:15
think it's the sweetest response that they both, it kind of just
47:18
dawned on them and I mean, that is wild to me and it shows us
47:24
just the conditioning that we've all been under where it's like
47:27
that's just kind of the way it is.
47:29
Yeah, we don't get buses or yeah, because we do this and I
47:32
think calling out that that's not OK anymore and like how do
47:37
we it's not just like complaining.
47:38
Hey, they should have this. There's going to be financial
47:40
reasons behind it. The principal is going to come
47:42
back and say, well then go get a bigger booster club, reach out
47:45
to your family, get more people, bring more money in.
47:47
Why should you take money from the things that the boys raised?
47:49
Because they've always, you know, they had a head start or
47:51
there's always going to be this counter argument.
47:53
But the first thing that I noticed is that you have two
47:57
people in your house today that just kind of had an aha moment,
48:00
like, what the heck? So then maybe they go talk to
48:03
their friends about it. And then maybe they, you know,
48:05
these these solutions start happening.
48:06
But it's got to start with just first acknowledging just because
48:09
it's been that way doesn't mean it has to stay that way.
48:12
But I, I do feel like, yeah, we, we finally are, in my opinion,
48:17
we, we have arrived to that moment where we're seeing
48:20
athletes on TV, women where, where women are taking control
48:24
of their media. You know, like women have money
48:28
that we're athletes that are put investing back into the pieces
48:32
that needed to have that investment.
48:34
Not just not just women, men too, but you're more in a
48:38
position it's like, well, you want to do this, put your, you
48:40
know, put your money where your mouth is.
48:41
You know, it's like it's. Calling it out and it's having
48:43
the courage to call it out. And I love, love, love that
48:47
after that whole hockey gold medal debacle.
48:52
And I I just still can't believe how disgusting that whole thing
48:56
was of the distreatment between the men's team and the women's
49:01
team. I mean, it was absolutely
49:02
disgusting. But what I did love about it,
49:05
silver lining is men, women alike came out against.
49:10
What's happening? Horrible thing.
49:12
And so it's like as this culture, now we're like, wait a
49:15
minute. Finally, finally, because it I
49:17
tell you what, like these, these conversations, this, this like
49:21
this conflict and just calling it out, calling it out has been
49:25
going on. For. 40 year in I mean it's been
49:29
going on and I mean hats off to those that 99 group because they
49:35
keep they just keep they just keep pushing what's the 99 it's
49:42
the team that won the 99 World Cup where that game.
49:45
I looked it up because I was at that game too so but it was 90
49:50
the. Mia Ham team.
49:52
That was, yeah, Mia Ham, Brandy Chastain with like, taking the
49:56
jersey off. That was 90,000 people.
50:00
That was 90,000 people at that game.
50:03
Wow, what you were saying about the, that the Olympic game, We
50:10
had the same thing in basketball with Katie Clark, right?
50:13
Like she was transformative for bringing attention, but she her
50:18
starting salary, her rookie salary was 77,000 and the NBA's
50:22
top pick was 12.2 million. Yeah.
50:24
So when I say that pay is not there, No, it was two years ago.
50:27
So that's like 2 years old if. We have like the same 40,000,
50:31
it's not the same. It's not the same, but I, it's
50:36
like, I do feel like there's got to be a little realism.
50:39
And yeah, it's, it's frustrating, but like you get to
50:43
a certain place and then let's just keep, let's keep just like
50:47
anything, like let's keep it healthy.
50:49
Let's keep it. Let's keep it to where these
50:51
teams can and will survive and will thrive and they can take
50:56
care of these athletes. Well, one thing that I
50:58
appreciate, Amy, about you is, and it's come through so clearly
51:03
just today on this show, you have, you have an innate
51:09
optimism in you that not only is contagious, but it, it pushes
51:15
you forward And you're, you refuse to quit because you can
51:20
see the light at the end of the tunnel.
51:22
And you, I'm so glad that you got to sit in that stadium.
51:27
And I'm so glad you got to feel that because a lot of people may
51:30
start things that they won't get to.
51:32
But having that eternal optimism keeps you going And just I am
51:38
inspired by you every day as I see that shine through and all
51:41
the other things you're doing. No.
51:43
Thank you. No, it's, it's true.
51:45
It's hard in the world we live in today to show up and be
51:47
optimistic and say, Yep, it's not right yet.
51:49
Yep, the pay equity still sucks. Yep, but look how far we've
51:53
come. But look, this happened and
51:55
look, hey, these conversations are happening now that weren't
51:57
happening. Yeah, the freaking conversations
52:00
are still happening behind closed doors.
52:03
Or maybe we're not present and stuff still happening, but we
52:06
have come a long way. So what do you have?
52:10
I know you're not involved in the soccer stuff day-to-day
52:12
anymore, but I know that that's I know your visionary and
52:15
optimism and desire for being a leader in our community hasn't
52:18
stopped. So tell us a little bit about
52:19
what you're up to now. Well, now I have a coffee shop,
52:24
so everyone's dream. Everyone's dream, which I it was
52:27
funny because it was never my dream and I wasn't a coffee
52:30
drinker until we had the shop. That was seven years ago.
52:33
We that's ironic. Where I I mean is the slogan not
52:36
like from the World Cup to the coffee?
52:38
I know I did think of like wait how do I transition?
52:43
The genius. That's for free.
52:45
You're welcome. Yeah.
52:47
So yeah, it's nice for me to still be in the community in a
52:52
different way. And I love, I love people and I
52:56
love interacting. And it was a neat time to take
53:00
this over with my kids because they were at an age where they
53:03
got a lot from working at the shop.
53:06
And anyone who had friends my age, their kids worked at the
53:09
shop too. Like we took everyone through
53:10
the shop and do like work based learning.
53:13
So my, yeah, I guess my give back now is just how do I get
53:17
more and more young people involved with work, work related
53:21
experiences, boys and girls? Because I do feel like that's
53:25
something that just gives them a lot of confidence in getting out
53:30
into the world. Because there's a, there's that
53:32
academic setting, there's that sports setting, but the work
53:34
setting. It's the chores, it's the
53:36
sports. Yeah, the later you, the later
53:39
you get into that work setting, the more daunting it becomes
53:42
because it's so different than your school setting and your
53:45
sports setting. And so I'm a big fan on like
53:49
work based learning for high school and young kids so that
53:53
they, they can just start to feel a part of it and and get
53:57
skills to really give back in their community and grow to be
54:02
someone that's serving and giving and I helping.
54:06
Love this because I have a son who didn't go into he did some
54:15
sports younger and then and we're just horrible chores
54:19
parents. I'm sorry, I admit it.
54:21
We're terrible at it and well. It's hard when you have the chef
54:23
who's in the way and the maid who keeps coming around.
54:26
It's like, what can I can I do my work?
54:28
Please get out of my way. That's not it.
54:33
But. I did worry.
54:35
I I got worried when I heard that that that quote of like
54:38
it's it's sports or chores that I'm like, well, shit, he didn't
54:42
do sports and fuck, we're horrible at chores.
54:44
Like what's going to happen? And you want to know what
54:46
happened was work. And it takes a certain employer
54:51
to employ young people. That have never.
54:55
Worked older people that never worked their first job and have
54:59
the patience and the grace to like let them flail without
55:03
firing them, you know, and now he has, he just, it was like 2
55:09
days ago. He's like, I'm so tired.
55:11
It's after school. I'm so tired.
55:12
But you know what, I always am happier when I go to my job.
55:16
I love my And then he comes home from his job and he goes, mom,
55:19
guess what I got to do today? I got to work with the buyer and
55:21
the buyers that I did such a good job that I could put
55:23
merchandising on my resume. And I'm like, yeah, you can.
55:26
Like it is so cool. But it, it takes a certain
55:29
employee to to, to be willing to teach the like, hey, you know
55:34
what being on time looks like getting here 10 minutes early.
55:37
Look, how do you teach those simple things?
55:39
You have a lot of patience, Amy. Well, let me even tell you,
55:42
Tooting her horn even more. Not only does she just do
55:45
regular internships, but she has worked with the special needs
55:48
areas of the local high schools and created internships for them
55:51
as well, for student jobs and the things.
55:54
Yeah. And those are also, by the way,
55:56
the only jobs I'm allowed to do when I come help out at the
55:58
shop. We've almost got our special
56:00
internship cleaning. There's a list that I it's like
56:04
those. You obviously need to go back to
56:05
work at the beginning at the beginning.
56:07
I can start back off the floors. Yeah, I can make some
56:10
sandwiches. No, it's it's it's amazing.
56:13
And another thing that I'm excited about that you're doing
56:15
is a community drive to help build out.
56:18
So tell us about that. Oh gosh, show.
56:21
And tell you this history. Here we go.
56:22
OK, I love this this. Is yes, he's got this.
56:27
Is it does it does a brick, it's a brick.
56:31
OK, can you read it for our listeners?
56:33
Yeah, so it says read the Brick, yeah, West Side best side,
56:37
Heather and Nick, they are yeah, Brick sponsors, yeah.
56:41
Kind of going back to my fundraising roots with, with the
56:45
women's team and all the nonprofit stuff that I did
56:48
through sport, always asking people for money in a small
56:52
business like our coffee shop, we have a very low small margin.
56:56
So it makes it really hard to do projects that you want to do.
57:00
So we have recently bought our building and so now we can do
57:05
what we want to with the building to better serve the
57:08
community. And so we're expanding our
57:10
patio. And in order to do that, we're,
57:13
we're having people sponsor bricks and you can engrave them.
57:17
And then we're going to put the, all the engraved bricks down and
57:19
the patio and it, it just helps us fund, yeah, like our building
57:23
materials and, and all of that. It's a great idea and it makes
57:27
it makes us feel part of the community, like I'm going to be
57:29
very happy every time I go get my coffee and I say.
57:31
Leave your mark on the neighborhood.
57:33
Leave my mark. Yeah.
57:35
And I love too, how you have. She's got local artists that
57:39
will, you know, have their things there for sale, like a
57:42
little shop area. Yeah, it's all Little Maker's
57:44
Boutique and I think. As a not a small business owner,
57:50
but as a small business consumer.
57:53
I guess like. I we are in business together.
57:56
It's called not all business. Oh yeah, you're.
57:59
Right. I mean, just just just a quick
58:01
refresh. How big do you think our
58:02
business is? And maybe Media LLC, I mean,
58:05
we're not huge yet. No, I was just thinking of the
58:08
other, like I, I, I just love what you're doing, Amy.
58:13
It totally inspires me and I just encourage everyone to
58:18
support local and support their small business.
58:21
It's graduation time around here.
58:23
We have probably 100 kids that are going to like send 100,
58:28
maybe let's call it 50. We have like 50 kids are going
58:31
to ask for, you know, send us their announcements.
58:33
And so we have 50 cards and I was like, oh, we have 50 cards.
58:38
Like we need to just get on Amazon and just buy like a stack
58:42
of graduation. Like mass printed, you know,
58:45
like you buy the mass printed thinking cards, mass printed
58:47
graduation cards. And my husband looks at me, he's
58:50
like, we have a small business shop in our neighborhood that
58:54
sells card. It's female owned.
58:57
She's doing such a service to our community by having this
59:02
shop like we're going to go buy graduation cards from her.
59:05
And in my mind, I'm like, well, they're $5 a piece times 50.
59:08
Like it's a huge investment. It's not that much.
59:10
A freaky little 5 isn't that big of a deal.
59:12
It isn't that big of a deal. Like if I can, we can afford it
59:15
and we are keeping this woman in business.
59:18
She is serving this community and she does a lot.
59:21
I I think what I love about local small businesses, they do
59:24
a lot of other things that we're not always doing to kind of keep
59:29
us together. And so, yeah, we went and bought
59:31
our 50 graduation cards at retail price.
59:34
Nice job. OK, I can do that math.
59:37
I can do that math. So maybe she hits you back with
59:39
a little one episode sponsorship, if not all
59:41
business. Turn it around.
59:44
Small business to small business.
59:46
Yeah, I can't stop by mine. It just goes there.
59:49
Sorry. I mean, maybe we need to to have
59:51
some patio bricks. I don't know.
59:53
We got to figure out what our thing is and how we.
59:55
Get them all you can. They're flying off the shelves.
59:57
They're flying off the shelves. We got to get them.
1:00:00
Get it done. Podcast bricks.
1:00:01
You could sell podcasts. Maybe they're behind you guys, I
1:00:05
don't know. Yeah.
1:00:07
Get rid of all my glare panels like that.
1:00:10
Thank you so much, Amy. I'm mostly what I'm thinking
1:00:12
about as we close is how you never gave up, how you caught
1:00:18
early on the issues systemic and things that you went through and
1:00:22
things that were even greater than you.
1:00:23
And instead of shying away from it or just giving up, you
1:00:26
stepped into it. You did something about it.
1:00:28
You invited others in to help do something about it.
1:00:32
And you planted those seeds 20 years ago or more and thought
1:00:37
come to fruition just a couple weeks ago of how far we've come.
1:00:40
So thank you so much for sharing your story.
1:00:43
Thank you for everything you're doing in our community.
1:00:45
I'm grateful that I get to be a recipient of all of your good
1:00:48
deeds. And yeah, so before we let you
1:00:52
go, we ask a question of all of our guests.
1:00:54
And we do answer it ourselves, which is what brought a smile to
1:00:57
your face this week. OK, so I, I knew this question
1:01:02
was coming, so I thought about it and I, you know, Heather
1:01:05
knows my his, knows my kids and my family, my husband.
1:01:07
I love, I have such a great little shout out.
1:01:11
I think they're going to listen Jackson and Summer Matt.
1:01:15
But I did have this interesting moment that's a little insight
1:01:18
into me. Matt and I were down in Denver
1:01:21
and went to the Highlands for dinner.
1:01:24
And we got out of the car and we were walking and there was this
1:01:26
woman in front with a dog. And we were walking across the
1:01:30
the street and the dog like went down to like get what looked
1:01:34
like a little piece of food, but it was a Little Rock.
1:01:37
And it went to get it and then it realized it was a rock.
1:01:40
And so it moved along. And I laughed because I was
1:01:43
like, that's funny. And the dog looked back at me
1:01:47
like, like had this look that I just, it was like someone had
1:01:53
looked, you know, like I'd laughed at someone tripping and
1:01:55
they look back like that was funny.
1:01:57
The dog did that, yes. It's so, I don't know.
1:02:01
I'm a big animal lover, but I'm like, that just happened.
1:02:05
So that is what brought smile on my face besides my family.
1:02:14
OK. And Amy has 2 cats, two dogs,
1:02:16
just used to have two Guinea pigs and two birds.
1:02:19
She is very much the Snow White of the neighborhood.
1:02:22
And maybe I think you can communicate with them.
1:02:24
I think we just learned. That yeah, we definitely had a
1:02:27
moment. I have to tell my story next
1:02:30
because Amy, you're going to die.
1:02:33
It was also a dog story, but I can also communicate with my
1:02:38
dog, but my dog. So this is like, I actually
1:02:41
wasn't going to tell the story, but I'm telling the story
1:02:43
because of Amy's telling the story.
1:02:44
But my dog, I will go into the bathroom to use the bathroom and
1:02:52
my dog is attached to me and so it follows me all she follows me
1:02:57
everywhere. But when I go into the bathroom,
1:03:00
if I sit on the toilet, she looks at me and she goes oh, and
1:03:04
then she turns around. And gives you pregnancy she.
1:03:07
Sits at the doorway. She gives me complete privacy
1:03:11
until I do. No way does the.
1:03:14
Dog trainer teach her that is that like.
1:03:16
This knows. They know.
1:03:17
They're intuitive. They know.
1:03:19
No. And so now when I take that,
1:03:21
when I take her out and she is going and she kind of looks at
1:03:25
me. If I'm looking, I'm like, oh,
1:03:26
I'm so. Sorry.
1:03:27
And then you turn around, you give her.
1:03:29
Good. I love it.
1:03:30
Yes, it. Makes me laugh every time.
1:03:33
I'm like how does she she is amazing.
1:03:36
Like how does she know to do that?
1:03:38
She's going to be. Guarding you right, because
1:03:40
you're at a vulnerable moment. No, she's giving her.
1:03:43
No, I think it's. I think it's.
1:03:47
Our puppy does not, however. She'll just come right up.
1:03:49
It's just like so. Right in there.
1:03:52
What are you doing, Mom? What are you doing?
1:03:54
That's so funny, Clay. I so I growing up I listened to
1:04:04
Hannah Montana and oh. Boy.
1:04:06
This year was the 20th anniversary of Hannah Montana,
1:04:10
and so Miley Cyrus made a 20th anniversary anniversary special
1:04:17
on Disney Plus. And so I got together with my
1:04:20
three siblings on FaceTime and we watched it together.
1:04:23
You have a live stream. I have to say I I don't want to
1:04:26
ruin it for other people. This is very disappointing.
1:04:28
It was not great. I like Miley, that's a bummer.
1:04:32
It was it. It felt very much not staged,
1:04:36
but just kind of like not very dynamic.
1:04:38
And it was kind of disappointing, especially when
1:04:41
you know, like, man, this was such a cultural.
1:04:44
It's like it's a huge deal. It was a huge, it was just a,
1:04:49
just a huge show and a launching point for her career.
1:04:53
But anyway, so the, the four of us watched it together and, and
1:04:56
you can do this all. Maybe I'll put this in one of
1:04:59
our newsletters. But there's a way if you have
1:05:03
Apple devices where you can basically FaceTime while you
1:05:07
watch it and it syncs it to everybody's devices.
1:05:10
So you're watching it at the same time and you don't have to
1:05:15
like, download a separate app or anything.
1:05:17
And it worked. It worked out great.
1:05:19
So that was my smiles. We all got to watch it together.
1:05:21
And then we kind of all had our comments afterwards, and it felt
1:05:24
like a little movie club, you know, we all had our snacks and
1:05:27
stuff. And so yeah, it was fun.
1:05:28
See, this is what I want to do Blakely with the lives with the
1:05:31
sub stack and to have like to watch the movies live it's.
1:05:34
Fun. It's fun.
1:05:35
It's funny, the little comments and everything.
1:05:36
OK, we can watch Mountain Dearest.
1:05:39
Yeah. Wouldn't that be fun?
1:05:42
Amy, did you ever see Mommy Dearest?
1:05:44
I don't think I did see that. It's a terrible, terrible movie.
1:05:47
I. Remember the name but not.
1:05:49
Speaking of mommies, I my smile is that Kate did the Pit for Pup
1:05:54
challenge with me over the weekend and they were so good,
1:05:58
so much fun. And I love her so much.
1:06:01
And she was so kind to me. I expected her to make fun of
1:06:06
me, but she was like, mom, you're actually really doing
1:06:08
well. And she was not, She was being
1:06:10
serious. And then she would get up and do
1:06:12
it and she's like, wow, this is actually really hard.
1:06:14
I'm like, see, it's not as easy as it looks, is it?
1:06:17
So anyway, also that by far has the most real views of anything
1:06:22
I've posted. So I guess the tip is to include
1:06:25
your 20 year old daughter. With you.
1:06:28
You know, where I heard about those reels is I went to the gym
1:06:31
and Nicole's like Blakely, have you like seen this?
1:06:33
Like she's getting so good. Like her form is like she's
1:06:37
nailing it. And so yes, yes, because you
1:06:42
were then showing Kate and I think she just thought like, OK,
1:06:45
you're reaching your next level. And so I will say right here
1:06:49
that Nicole did. Our former guest Nicole and the
1:06:53
one who spearheading your PIP for PUP plan.
1:06:56
It's time to get back to the gym and she wants to give you your
1:06:59
next set so. Boy, that.
1:07:02
Happened so maybe we can live stream that for our our our
1:07:06
Freaky Friday 5. Dollar one hours, throw in a
1:07:09
freaky little 5. Freaky little 5.
1:07:12
Throw in your freaky little 5 and see me fumbling.
1:07:16
The gym one more time. Yeah, it's the.
1:07:19
Best, baby. OK, Amy, before we let you go,
1:07:23
we always ask our guests where can people follow you, where can
1:07:27
they stay up to date with you and what you're up to, and where
1:07:30
can they get a great cup of coffee?
1:07:32
Yes, yeah. Well, our coffee shop is Cups
1:07:35
Community Coffee over on Taft Hill in Fort Collins.
1:07:38
So if you're in town, come by, we're doing a little brick
1:07:42
patio. But I also for like a little
1:07:45
plug for the, for the women's sports thing.
1:07:47
There's together, it's called TODETHXR.
1:07:53
So look that up together because that's like the, the media.
1:07:58
They they're just like on tap with everything that's going on.
1:08:01
And it's a great place to go to hear from women about women
1:08:05
sports. Yeah.
1:08:07
Pretty inspiring group that is running all of that.
1:08:11
So often we'll include that in our show notes too in the
1:08:13
newsletter. And then as far as cups goes,
1:08:15
where can they reach out if anybody was interested in buying
1:08:17
a brick for the patio? How?
1:08:18
Can they on our Instagram at cups Taft Hill and in the little
1:08:27
description, there's a link where you can go in less than 60
1:08:31
seconds and get your brick. But just think of what you want
1:08:33
to have it on it first and if you need help coming up less
1:08:37
than 60 seconds, if you need help coming out with it, come
1:08:40
into the shop and we can chat about it.
1:08:44
I love it. Thank you so much Amy for being
1:08:47
here. Thank you guys for having me.
1:08:48
On I mean, this has been I heard about this before you guys were
1:08:52
even when it was a little. And one of our therapy hikes.
1:08:55
We got therapy hikes. It was an early, early seed and
1:08:58
so I just really impressed and proud of you guys.
1:09:02
You 3 for like seeing it through and continuing to do it like
1:09:08
it's it's a lot of work with all the other things that you do.
1:09:10
So thank you because we listeners look forward to it and
1:09:15
it's just yeah, it's just it's really cool to always hear
1:09:18
what's going on. So thank you guys.
1:09:21
Oh, thanks, Amy. Thanks, Amy.
1:09:24
All right, everybody. We'll see you next time.