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Speaker 1: Until next time, everyone later, Welcome. You are now listening

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Speaker 1: podcast Now. Please keep in mind that all of my

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Speaker 1: guests are nonness, so listen again this week's episode. So, y'all,

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Speaker 1: this is like a dream come true. I expressed in

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Speaker 1: my guests so many times before, but I am super

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Speaker 1: excited to be speaking to the daughter of one of

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Speaker 1: the greatest legendary iconic athletes in the world, Florence Griffin's

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Speaker 1: Joan a k A. Flow Joe. So I really want

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Speaker 1: to say thank you so much for being a part

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Speaker 1: of the show, thank you for having me. It's it's

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Speaker 1: a great, great feeling to just be, you know, a

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Speaker 1: part of what you're doing, and I am so happy

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Speaker 1: to support and be a part of it. Thank you.

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Speaker 1: So how are you doing? I am doing well, you know,

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Speaker 1: every day when my feet hit the floor, I'm just

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Speaker 1: learning to be thankful because it has been a year

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Speaker 1: and just I've been going through so much ups and downs,

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Speaker 1: and I'm learning to just count my blessings these days.

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Speaker 1: I know that your husband recently passed away, so I

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Speaker 1: want to send my condolencens to you. Thank you. So

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Speaker 1: how's it? How has it been navigating through life, especially motherhood? Um,

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Speaker 1: the seven years I got with my mom because she

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Speaker 1: passed away when I was seven. Luckily, she was very

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Speaker 1: hands on mother, so I learned a lot of manners

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Speaker 1: and pretty much a lot of things from her that

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Speaker 1: I try to teach my son. Um. Faith is definitely

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Speaker 1: number one. So we have a thing where I teach him,

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Speaker 1: you know, hey did we get a new day? And

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Speaker 1: he says, thank you God. And so faith is a

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Speaker 1: big thing that I am still in my son. And

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Speaker 1: um being a mother without my mother physically here, like

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Speaker 1: I always feel her spirit. But UM, it's been challenging

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Speaker 1: because there's certain things that I want to ask her, like, Hey,

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Speaker 1: what was it like you know with this and how

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Speaker 1: did you, you know, feel you know, mothering me while

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Speaker 1: you had so many responsibilities, you know, to the world.

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Speaker 1: So UM me being uh aspired entertainer and just UM

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Speaker 1: handling my company. I tried to just balance it all out.

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Speaker 1: But I think this year I learned a lot with

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Speaker 1: UM learning how to take breaks and learning how to

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Speaker 1: not really deal with putting so much pressure on herself

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Speaker 1: and not really caring what other people think or want

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Speaker 1: for you. You gotta do you at the end of

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Speaker 1: the day, and so I've been really trying to navigating UM.

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Speaker 1: I've been really trying to navigate that through balancing that

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Speaker 1: all out with UM. My personal life, public life, and

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Speaker 1: work life and motherhood has been UM I think full

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Speaker 1: circle because me losing my mom and then him losing

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Speaker 1: his dad. He's only UM my son just turned five.

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Speaker 1: It's it's going to be challenging, but I think I'm

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Speaker 1: the best parent for that because I know what it's

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Speaker 1: like and i know it's going to be challenging. But

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Speaker 1: I'm just going to make sure that I'd be the

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Speaker 1: best mother that I could be, because that's why I'm

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Speaker 1: just learning how to take take care of myself first,

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Speaker 1: because you if you don't take care of you. Other

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Speaker 1: things may fall apart and through ups and downs. At

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Speaker 1: the end of the day, you have a little little

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Speaker 1: person that's counting on you. So I don't care about

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Speaker 1: what anybody else says. As long as my baby is happy,

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Speaker 1: that's all that matters. When UM, when a child was

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Speaker 1: as a parent at a young age, do you think

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Speaker 1: they should do you recommend therapy? I definitely do, because

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Speaker 1: I didn't go into therapy until I was older. UM.

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Speaker 1: But it's also personal preference as well, like if you

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Speaker 1: feel like your child is starting to act out or

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Speaker 1: you feel like they're not learning how to express themselves

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Speaker 1: in a healthy way. I think therapy definitely helped, but

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Speaker 1: it's more if it's by choice. When it's forced, it

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Speaker 1: may not do good because they may not wanna tell

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Speaker 1: how they really feel. They may just say what is

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Speaker 1: expected to be said just to get it over with.

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Speaker 1: So it's really challenging with with being young and therapy.

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Speaker 1: And you also have to just have a sense of

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Speaker 1: open mindness too, because certain certain like let's say you

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Speaker 1: have a different um ethnicity of a therapist, certain families

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Speaker 1: like me growing up in a black family, it's always like, okay,

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Speaker 1: you can pray your mental health problems away, and it's

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Speaker 1: okay too happy and it's healthy. It's okay to go

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Speaker 1: to cans. Yeah, And so that's what I want to

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Speaker 1: be there for my son. Like I want to make sure, like, okay,

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Speaker 1: you understand this right, and um, do you feel ifortable

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Speaker 1: talking to this person? So one, you have to make

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Speaker 1: sure they're the person that they feel comfortable talking to,

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Speaker 1: because there's a lot of times where I didn't like

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Speaker 1: my therapist and so and you don't always like the person,

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Speaker 1: so you have to feel comfortable for opening up those

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Speaker 1: vulnerable wounds that you have to revisit. I'm going to

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Speaker 1: do the best that I can for my son to

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Speaker 1: make sure that his healing process is always what he

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Speaker 1: feels best, and um, that he it's okay to express himself.

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Speaker 1: It's okay to cry. Um. I grew up with tough love,

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Speaker 1: and sometimes tough love you learn to shelter your emotions

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Speaker 1: and then when you get older, you just they come

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Speaker 1: out and not in the best way. So I don't

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Speaker 1: want to do that to my son. I want to

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Speaker 1: make sure that he lives his life for him and

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Speaker 1: that he knows how to express himself. The way that

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Speaker 1: he wants to, whether it's with sorry, whether it's with

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Speaker 1: creativity or um words like writing or music, or if

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Speaker 1: he's putting that energy into sports. Mhm. So. And unfortunately,

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Speaker 1: because I know this is not a common bond to

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Speaker 1: he said, at least he can't be able to come

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Speaker 1: to you and express how he feels because you did

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Speaker 1: go through something very similar at a young age. Mm hmm.

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Speaker 1: How often we do people express to you how much

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Speaker 1: your mom means to them all the time. And that's

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Speaker 1: something that's more comforting to hear because, like I said,

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Speaker 1: I only got seven years with her, but to me

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Speaker 1: she was my mother. So to hear what she meant

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Speaker 1: to other people, that helps me, you know, just connect

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Speaker 1: with her like in my adulthood, like what she was

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Speaker 1: like as a woman, and um, even stuff that I

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Speaker 1: saw that she would do with just random people on

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Speaker 1: the street that recognized her. She always took time out

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Speaker 1: to acknowledge her fans or um, you know, just write

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Speaker 1: out every autograph. Um. And really she was more of

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Speaker 1: a she's more of a writer. So she was the

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Speaker 1: type to write letters, she was the type to write

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Speaker 1: thank you cards, and she was the type too fully

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Speaker 1: express gratitude, and I've just been trying to instill that

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Speaker 1: in my adult life. And when people say, oh my gosh,

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Speaker 1: I met your mother for one second and it changed

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Speaker 1: my life, and that that makes me so happy because

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Speaker 1: I will always honor her legacy and want to keep

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Speaker 1: her memory alive. And um just knowing that out side

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Speaker 1: of track and field, outside of her career, she was

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Speaker 1: a genuine nice person. Hm, that's like get overwhelming that

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Speaker 1: songs and maintaining her legacy. I think when I was

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Speaker 1: in sports, like when I did track and field, it

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Speaker 1: was more overwhelming because there's so much pressure. Um, my

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Speaker 1: dad coach. Yeah, my dad was my coach. Um, I

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Speaker 1: I didn't have no choice, so I had to run.

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Speaker 1: And honestly, like it was a lot of pressure because

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Speaker 1: if you did exceed and do well, it was expected.

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Speaker 1: It was like your joiner, So that's expected. And then

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Speaker 1: let's say if I didn't get the right times or

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Speaker 1: I didn't get first place, it was like, um, your joiner.

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Speaker 1: So it was a lot of pressure. But um, like

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Speaker 1: your whole family is like ledges before your mom you're dead,

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Speaker 1: your aunt, I mean person that you felt was trying

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Speaker 1: to like follow in a foot then it I did

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Speaker 1: feel like I did want to do track and field,

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Speaker 1: like I was a sprinter and a jumper because I'm

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Speaker 1: a gymnastics background. But gymnastics was actually my first love.

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Speaker 1: But um, my uncle Bob Kersey, my dad, I'll join her.

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Speaker 1: They were both coaches, so um, they both contributed to

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Speaker 1: my mom's legacy and my aunt Jackie's legacy. So I

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Speaker 1: didn't only run, I could jump. And my aunt Jackie,

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Speaker 1: she was a hepped athlete, so she did everything all

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Speaker 1: seven events. And then my dad, he was a triple jumper.

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Speaker 1: So I had all the qualities to be a great athlete,

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Speaker 1: but I didn't want it. I didn't feel like that

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Speaker 1: was my main lane because it didn't bring the joy

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Speaker 1: that brought them joy. I was able to my own

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Speaker 1: path in creativity and music and business, um, where I

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Speaker 1: could still feel like I am contributing to the legacy

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Speaker 1: by you know, starting the company Floger Forever, where I

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Speaker 1: get to finish what my mom wanted to finish, Like

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Speaker 1: she wanted to you know, continue her own clothing, wine,

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Speaker 1: and she had boutiques overseas, and she had so much

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Speaker 1: things that she was working on outside of her track

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Speaker 1: and field when after she retired and little did people

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Speaker 1: know she wasn't even done. She was coming back for

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Speaker 1: the four D and UM, also what what I love doing? UM?

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Speaker 1: I used to coach gymnastics, and so I had the

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Speaker 1: coaching in me. So even though I didn't specifically do

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Speaker 1: track and field and continue that, I still had experience

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Speaker 1: where I felt like I was doing my part the

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Speaker 1: most that I can. And now I'm doing things for me.

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Speaker 1: I'm doing like I created my own lane and that's

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Speaker 1: what I'm going to keep thriving in. Mm hmm. Do

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Speaker 1: you feel like your family get the respect that they deserve?

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Speaker 1: Who That's okay, I do, but you have to be

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Speaker 1: either UM from when they were competing or UM people

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Speaker 1: who have recently educated themselves, or people who are doing

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Speaker 1: what they've done but now there's social media, now they're

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Speaker 1: there's more awareness. Okay, there's athletes that are phenomenal athletes.

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Speaker 1: But I feel like with my mom specifically, I'm seeing

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Speaker 1: a lot of people do the things that she started,

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Speaker 1: and I don't feel like she gets enough credit. But

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Speaker 1: also she wasn't that type of person like she loved

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Speaker 1: inspiring people. She always said, don't be like me, be

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Speaker 1: better than me and um. At times, there's certain ways

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Speaker 1: that people they don't know how to accept a person

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Speaker 1: sometimes that have accomplished so much. And I think that's

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Speaker 1: especially that And I don't think people knew how hard

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Speaker 1: she worked and that everything wasn't how she left. She

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Speaker 1: lost races before she won racist She worked her butt off,

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Speaker 1: She educated herself. You know, she had downtime where she

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Speaker 1: was working at a regular job and where she had

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Speaker 1: to you know, do nails and hair to help her

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Speaker 1: family out. And people don't look at that. You know,

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Speaker 1: It's funny because a lot of people look at your

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Speaker 1: success and they don't look at like like they you

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Speaker 1: got to see success as an account balance. So let's

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Speaker 1: say you you got a big account balance, that's your success,

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Speaker 1: but people don't see what you've done to work to

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Speaker 1: put in the deposit. And my mother, she was so humble,

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Speaker 1: and I think that's what's missing in today's athletes, in

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Speaker 1: today's entertainers, and there's just no body like her. So

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Speaker 1: I think that credit she doesn't get because people they

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Speaker 1: sometimes lie on her and said she did this, and

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Speaker 1: she did that. It was just like no, she actually

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Speaker 1: worked hard and she build up her career and when

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Speaker 1: she wanted to retire, she had other things to do. Acting,

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Speaker 1: She did designing for the NBA Pacers, she was starting

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Speaker 1: her own clothing line. She had me. You know, she

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Speaker 1: was a mother, and so now it's nice to see that,

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Speaker 1: especially black women and just athletes and entertainers that are women,

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Speaker 1: they can be mothers and get appreciated that they are

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Speaker 1: enjoying being mothers while on top of being successful. And

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Speaker 1: I don't think my mom was in the time where

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Speaker 1: that was appreciated enough. So it's kind of like sometimes

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Speaker 1: what she's done gets overlooked and it's like, no, she

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Speaker 1: was more than just a track athlete. You know, she

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Speaker 1: was an amazing woman. The man she's a businesswoman. I mean,

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Speaker 1: she she did her thing. It's nice to see like

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Speaker 1: like nails and beauty and big now because she would

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Speaker 1: have loved that. So more than saying it gets overlooked.

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Speaker 1: I just wish she was here to see it and

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Speaker 1: see how how much easier it was because she was

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Speaker 1: handmaking things and now people can just buy them. And

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Speaker 1: just she put so much work behind closed doors that

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Speaker 1: I got to see in the seven years that I

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Speaker 1: I had with her, And and now I'm using everything

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Speaker 1: that she taught me to keep going and I'm gonna

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Speaker 1: pass that onto my son. M hm. And from her

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Speaker 1: coming from nothing that I mean, the the projects, yep.

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Speaker 1: And people have to understand that, you know, there's there's

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Speaker 1: no excuses that can can be made unless you make

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Speaker 1: them for yourself. You gotta put in the work no

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Speaker 1: matter what. That's a fact mm hmm. Because I remember

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Speaker 1: when I was a little girl, I found this picture

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Speaker 1: of your mom and I was just so proud, Like

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Speaker 1: I became so obsessed with her because I thought she

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Speaker 1: was the most beautiful woman ever. And to see her

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Speaker 1: in a place that I didn't really see black women there,

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Speaker 1: like it made me want to run track even though

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Speaker 1: I was I slept at it, but I so I

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Speaker 1: just been so annoyed because I'm just like, how do

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Speaker 1: you not know who this woman is and who she

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Speaker 1: was to our culture? Like and even like when I

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Speaker 1: see certain athletes on the track and field and they

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Speaker 1: don't acknowledge that her influence inspired them, Like it really

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Speaker 1: obsessed me. I have to agree with you, but I

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Speaker 1: just I brush it off because you know, it's their

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Speaker 1: time to shine and they want to make it about them.

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Speaker 1: But you know, I do music, but I wouldn't be

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Speaker 1: doing music if I didn't listen to the artists that

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Speaker 1: I listened to influenced me to do music, and so

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Speaker 1: I always ability because that's important to me to pay

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Speaker 1: homage to those who came before us, because they made

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Speaker 1: the way, Like you know that saying like this person

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Speaker 1: walks so you can run. Thanks, So that that's just

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Speaker 1: how I see it, and I get what you're saying,

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Speaker 1: like it would be nice if my mom was mentioned more. Well,

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Speaker 1: that's that's why I do what I do, and that's

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Speaker 1: our job. We're gonna support you, thank you. Okay. So yeah,

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Speaker 1: I don't play about my mama, but I've learned to

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Speaker 1: not not you know, bring any negativity, just show the

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Speaker 1: positive aspect that she brought to this world globally, not

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Speaker 1: just you know, in the United States. There's people that

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Speaker 1: loved her globally and that's a blessing. What were your

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Speaker 1: thoughts on the Olympics this year, especially with the conversations

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Speaker 1: surround and mental health. To be honest, um, this year,

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Speaker 1: I didn't watch as much because I was dealing with

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Speaker 1: everything in my personal life, so I wasn't really watching

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Speaker 1: the Olympics like that UM I did get, you know,

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Speaker 1: just the changes that people were acknowledging about mental health

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Speaker 1: and how certain athletes should be able to I guess

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Speaker 1: cope with their issues or personal um personal healing with

302
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Speaker 1: certain things. But I kind of just stayed out the

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Speaker 1: conversation because it's not my place. But UM, the Olympics

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Speaker 1: it wasn't the same this year, and it's not just

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Speaker 1: the conversations it was it's everything that we've all been

306
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Speaker 1: going through as well, because it's not the same. You know,

307
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Speaker 1: there weren't that many people in the stands for competitions

308
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Speaker 1: building up. It was delayed. Um. Athletes are tired, you know,

309
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Speaker 1: they're overworked, underpaid, especially in track and field. So UM,

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Speaker 1: I really hope and pray for the sport that they

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Speaker 1: can all come together on balancing out their personal life

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Speaker 1: because I think this generation doesn't realize it's not as

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Speaker 1: easy because you're not just showing what you're doing physical,

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Speaker 1: you're showing your your private life as well. Social media

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00:22:41,359 --> 00:22:47,760
Speaker 1: privacy is is not not UM not anymore. It's it's

316
00:22:47,800 --> 00:22:51,240
Speaker 1: not an option anymore, because one day you're loved and

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Speaker 1: next day you're hated, and then one day you're rooted

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Speaker 1: for the next day, you're judged. And it's just not

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Speaker 1: fair um for athletes or entertainers because we have to

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Speaker 1: realize that we're all human. And you know, when people

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Speaker 1: get on these social media sites and they just see

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Speaker 1: pictures or they see a headline, and they don't know

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Speaker 1: the full back story of what goes on behind closed doors.

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Speaker 1: They just are reading words that somebody put together to

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Speaker 1: get a click, to get a like, to get popularity,

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Speaker 1: and not know the facts. If you don't know the facts,

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Speaker 1: if you don't know that person personally, if you don't

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Speaker 1: know what that person has been dealing with, then you

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Speaker 1: you're wrong to judge them. And we're open to all

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Speaker 1: of our opinions, but have an open heart and have

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Speaker 1: a decency that we're all just trying to make a

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Speaker 1: way to do things that make us happy and we

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Speaker 1: we aren't going to be perfect all the time. People

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Speaker 1: put athletes and entertainers at a very high pedestal of

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Speaker 1: they expect to you to be perfect, expect you to

336
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Speaker 1: not mess up. But I think my opinion, it's it's

337
00:24:08,000 --> 00:24:11,200
Speaker 1: okay when they mess up because it reminds people that

338
00:24:11,240 --> 00:24:17,200
Speaker 1: they're human, they're not really perfect, and whether what their

339
00:24:17,240 --> 00:24:20,800
Speaker 1: faith is you know, only God can judge them or anything,

340
00:24:20,880 --> 00:24:25,439
Speaker 1: like if these people paying your bills or if they

341
00:24:25,480 --> 00:24:29,199
Speaker 1: don't personally, you know, add to your success, then you

342
00:24:29,280 --> 00:24:33,280
Speaker 1: can't pay these people minding what they do on a

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Speaker 1: daily basics with just hiding behind the screen and judging you.

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Speaker 1: You know, it's it's it's tough. And I think this year,

345
00:24:43,119 --> 00:24:46,800
Speaker 1: last year has been really hard and people have to

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00:24:46,880 --> 00:24:51,119
Speaker 1: understand everything has been changing. It's just been completely different,

347
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Speaker 1: so the performances are not going to be the way

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Speaker 1: that people expected to and I think that's just been

349
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Speaker 1: the hardest. Hm. I agree. Okay, So how did you

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Speaker 1: feel when you saw that Beyonce pay homage to your

351
00:25:04,560 --> 00:25:11,720
Speaker 1: mom during Halloween? In Girl? So me being a Beyonce

352
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Speaker 1: fan Girl too, So I was sleep right, I was

353
00:25:18,640 --> 00:25:21,840
Speaker 1: sleep Um where I was? It was like two A

354
00:25:22,000 --> 00:25:25,560
Speaker 1: and my phone just goes off like NonStop, and I'm

355
00:25:25,600 --> 00:25:29,359
Speaker 1: like the heck, Like did I did? I you know,

356
00:25:30,720 --> 00:25:34,520
Speaker 1: did like like what happened? If if somebody dead or something?

357
00:25:35,000 --> 00:25:39,040
Speaker 1: So I checked my phone and one of my guy

358
00:25:39,080 --> 00:25:41,399
Speaker 1: friends was like, Beyonce is your mom? I'm like, okay,

359
00:25:41,400 --> 00:25:43,280
Speaker 1: somebody's messing with me. So I turned the phone off

360
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Speaker 1: and I went back to sleep. Next day, I'm getting

361
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Speaker 1: tagged in all these posts and I see this photo

362
00:25:50,200 --> 00:25:54,080
Speaker 1: and I'm like, is that Mom? No, that's Beyonce. I

363
00:25:54,160 --> 00:26:00,879
Speaker 1: was my mom, man, And so it was. It was funny,

364
00:26:01,160 --> 00:26:06,800
Speaker 1: but I was the first thing I did. I shared it.

365
00:26:07,080 --> 00:26:11,879
Speaker 1: I I personally thanked her on my Instagram page. I

366
00:26:11,880 --> 00:26:14,959
Speaker 1: don't know if she ever saw it, but it was

367
00:26:15,119 --> 00:26:18,640
Speaker 1: just a very good moment because me as a singer,

368
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Speaker 1: you know, um, she's one of my inspirations. It was

369
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Speaker 1: nice to see that my mom was one of her

370
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Speaker 1: inspirations for Halloween. So it was full circle and it

371
00:26:32,400 --> 00:26:35,159
Speaker 1: was a blessing. I know, it was so beautiful. I

372
00:26:35,200 --> 00:26:37,160
Speaker 1: was like so excited. I was like, damn, why don't

373
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Speaker 1: you dress up a slow joke Halloween. Funny thing is

374
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Speaker 1: I've never dressed up as her, and I've always wanted to,

375
00:26:45,800 --> 00:26:50,440
Speaker 1: but the people like not just not just her, um,

376
00:26:50,480 --> 00:26:52,440
Speaker 1: a lot of people have dressed up as my mom.

377
00:26:52,520 --> 00:26:56,640
Speaker 1: So what I did with flow Forever I held folloween contests,

378
00:26:56,640 --> 00:26:59,520
Speaker 1: and you know, there's people out there that are educating

379
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Speaker 1: their kids about my mom and I love seeing that.

380
00:27:01,760 --> 00:27:04,760
Speaker 1: So when people dress up as her, it just warms

381
00:27:04,840 --> 00:27:08,560
Speaker 1: my heart. Mm hmmm. So what was what was your upbringing?

382
00:27:08,720 --> 00:27:13,760
Speaker 1: Light like? What was your relationship like with your parents? Um?

383
00:27:13,800 --> 00:27:19,840
Speaker 1: They were they were really down to earth. They were pranksters.

384
00:27:21,520 --> 00:27:28,280
Speaker 1: Um My mom, she was so funny. She anything I

385
00:27:28,320 --> 00:27:32,040
Speaker 1: wanted to do like, she made sure she would she

386
00:27:32,080 --> 00:27:36,560
Speaker 1: would get me to do it. And I wanted to

387
00:27:36,600 --> 00:27:39,359
Speaker 1: be a veterinarian one time, so she got me all

388
00:27:39,359 --> 00:27:45,560
Speaker 1: these stuffed animals and a steposcope and she gave me like, um,

389
00:27:45,600 --> 00:27:48,200
Speaker 1: she ripped off the label of tic tacks and those

390
00:27:48,240 --> 00:27:54,439
Speaker 1: are supposed to be like the medicine and anything I

391
00:27:54,640 --> 00:27:58,879
Speaker 1: just wanted. They did their best to try to get it,

392
00:27:58,920 --> 00:28:02,639
Speaker 1: but I would have to earn it. They instilled in

393
00:28:02,760 --> 00:28:07,840
Speaker 1: me a very loving home, and I'm so blessed now

394
00:28:07,880 --> 00:28:13,479
Speaker 1: that I see what I had, and it's just been

395
00:28:14,560 --> 00:28:18,080
Speaker 1: it's just been great to be a part of that

396
00:28:18,560 --> 00:28:25,080
Speaker 1: because I I learned what love was. I got to

397
00:28:25,119 --> 00:28:30,040
Speaker 1: see them love each other and I got to see

398
00:28:30,560 --> 00:28:36,920
Speaker 1: then really motivate each other. My mom was training a lot.

399
00:28:37,560 --> 00:28:45,360
Speaker 1: Um she loved working out, and I just saw support

400
00:28:45,400 --> 00:28:51,520
Speaker 1: and love. So that was my first, I guess, knowledge

401
00:28:51,640 --> 00:28:57,280
Speaker 1: of of seeing love, of seeing a partnership, of seeing

402
00:28:57,320 --> 00:29:03,600
Speaker 1: two people who came for nothing, make something out of nothing,

403
00:29:04,040 --> 00:29:07,840
Speaker 1: and the way that they were with people are family.

404
00:29:09,160 --> 00:29:11,960
Speaker 1: Um My mom was the type of person that would

405
00:29:12,240 --> 00:29:15,880
Speaker 1: plan the big parties. She was this type too. There's

406
00:29:15,880 --> 00:29:19,920
Speaker 1: a baby shower, she'd be in her sewing machine room

407
00:29:20,120 --> 00:29:25,560
Speaker 1: and making baby clothes, sewing my barbie clothes. Um, I

408
00:29:25,600 --> 00:29:29,959
Speaker 1: did gymnastics and she sewed my um leotards like she

409
00:29:30,120 --> 00:29:33,200
Speaker 1: was a homemaker. And the fact that I got to

410
00:29:33,240 --> 00:29:36,200
Speaker 1: see that, and what an amazing woman she was, and

411
00:29:36,200 --> 00:29:42,920
Speaker 1: and my dad, you know, the times where I had

412
00:29:42,960 --> 00:29:49,040
Speaker 1: to be either disciplined or just shown you know that

413
00:29:49,200 --> 00:29:52,480
Speaker 1: tough love. I had a good balance for seven years.

414
00:29:52,800 --> 00:29:58,000
Speaker 1: So I'm I'm beyond thankful for that. Um I I

415
00:29:58,040 --> 00:30:04,600
Speaker 1: didn't know. Um, I didn't know how good I had it,

416
00:30:04,640 --> 00:30:08,240
Speaker 1: but I didn't if that makes any sense. Like, I'm

417
00:30:08,280 --> 00:30:12,360
Speaker 1: so thankful. I got to see different places, different states,

418
00:30:12,720 --> 00:30:15,280
Speaker 1: different countries. When I got to travel with them. We're

419
00:30:15,320 --> 00:30:19,200
Speaker 1: in Japan a lot, and I got to learn different languages.

420
00:30:19,360 --> 00:30:22,280
Speaker 1: My mom taught me how to read at two. I

421
00:30:22,400 --> 00:30:25,160
Speaker 1: knew different languages by the age of four, Like you

422
00:30:25,240 --> 00:30:29,560
Speaker 1: knew like four languages, right, Yeah, And she was really

423
00:30:29,600 --> 00:30:32,560
Speaker 1: big on education. I didn't like reading all the time,

424
00:30:32,840 --> 00:30:38,320
Speaker 1: but she did not play about education. So, um, I

425
00:30:38,400 --> 00:30:42,680
Speaker 1: just wanted to go play. But I was an only child,

426
00:30:42,880 --> 00:30:46,360
Speaker 1: so I got so much love and attention and I'm

427
00:30:46,400 --> 00:30:49,760
Speaker 1: thankful for that. So I'm thankful of my upbringing. And

428
00:30:50,760 --> 00:30:54,880
Speaker 1: I my life changed after you know, she passed, but

429
00:30:55,440 --> 00:30:59,360
Speaker 1: it I'm glad of what I did get mm hm.

430
00:30:59,760 --> 00:31:01,360
Speaker 1: And I feel like when I, um, when I was

431
00:31:01,400 --> 00:31:04,920
Speaker 1: a parent for this conversation, when I watched old videos

432
00:31:05,000 --> 00:31:07,520
Speaker 1: of your parents on YouTube, It's just it looked like

433
00:31:07,520 --> 00:31:09,760
Speaker 1: they were just the epitome of like black love and

434
00:31:09,800 --> 00:31:13,640
Speaker 1: black excellence. They really were a couple of goals and

435
00:31:13,720 --> 00:31:18,880
Speaker 1: relationship goals back and I know that's allowed to deal with.

436
00:31:19,480 --> 00:31:23,280
Speaker 1: I mean, you you your training partner and gotta go

437
00:31:23,480 --> 00:31:27,480
Speaker 1: home to your husband and you know, and like they

438
00:31:27,640 --> 00:31:32,160
Speaker 1: really just they really looked out for each other. And

439
00:31:33,200 --> 00:31:38,760
Speaker 1: I think that it's just great to still see you know.

440
00:31:40,560 --> 00:31:44,000
Speaker 1: Mm hmm. Yeah. So when did you realize who your

441
00:31:44,000 --> 00:31:46,600
Speaker 1: parents were? Like if you always knew or did something

442
00:31:46,640 --> 00:31:52,400
Speaker 1: happened when you're like, oh, wow, like my parents are famous, Um,

443
00:31:52,480 --> 00:31:56,680
Speaker 1: I never just because we're so normal. Um my mom

444
00:31:57,040 --> 00:32:01,880
Speaker 1: was just so down to earth. Um, she never, I

445
00:32:01,920 --> 00:32:06,640
Speaker 1: guess divafide me. Um, that's a good flex though, like

446
00:32:06,680 --> 00:32:13,880
Speaker 1: my mom flowed Joe. Honestly, my friends and family flex

447
00:32:13,960 --> 00:32:20,520
Speaker 1: more than me for me. Don't know who I postes tonight.

448
00:32:23,960 --> 00:32:27,160
Speaker 1: They did it more so for me, Like sometimes they'd

449
00:32:27,160 --> 00:32:28,880
Speaker 1: be like, girl, do you know who you are? And

450
00:32:28,920 --> 00:32:34,800
Speaker 1: I'm right me. But I think that's just because I've

451
00:32:35,560 --> 00:32:45,160
Speaker 1: experienced so much um loss that I don't really like

452
00:32:45,280 --> 00:32:52,360
Speaker 1: when people brag. I don't really like attention like that anymore. Um.

453
00:32:52,480 --> 00:32:58,840
Speaker 1: I always was taught to work hard for anything that

454
00:32:59,000 --> 00:33:03,440
Speaker 1: you earned, always thank God for it. So UM, I

455
00:33:03,480 --> 00:33:08,320
Speaker 1: wasn't raised up like a full celebrity kid. I was

456
00:33:08,440 --> 00:33:12,760
Speaker 1: around people that are known celebrities, but I just saw

457
00:33:12,800 --> 00:33:15,480
Speaker 1: them as normal people, just like I saw my mom

458
00:33:15,520 --> 00:33:19,480
Speaker 1: as my mom and not flow Joe. And I'm thankful

459
00:33:19,560 --> 00:33:25,560
Speaker 1: for that. People wish that, you know, I I you know,

460
00:33:25,840 --> 00:33:31,680
Speaker 1: to do the flex more, but honestly, I I'm just

461
00:33:31,760 --> 00:33:38,440
Speaker 1: honored to have such great role models and and I

462
00:33:38,520 --> 00:33:40,880
Speaker 1: have a mom that left a huge place on this

463
00:33:42,120 --> 00:33:44,280
Speaker 1: on this earth that I just want to do the

464
00:33:44,320 --> 00:33:49,440
Speaker 1: best that I can to honor her. Mm hmm. Could

465
00:33:49,480 --> 00:33:52,080
Speaker 1: you tell us about the days leading up to her transition,

466
00:33:52,160 --> 00:33:54,400
Speaker 1: like what do you do? Um, what do you remember?

467
00:33:55,840 --> 00:34:02,959
Speaker 1: I actually had a gymnastics competition and I was struggling

468
00:34:03,400 --> 00:34:09,000
Speaker 1: on beam and I finally got first place and she

469
00:34:09,120 --> 00:34:17,160
Speaker 1: got to see it, and UM, she was just she

470
00:34:17,360 --> 00:34:23,680
Speaker 1: was just UM going about days like as they were

471
00:34:23,719 --> 00:34:28,799
Speaker 1: just normal days. I know that she was tired a

472
00:34:28,840 --> 00:34:32,279
Speaker 1: lot from traveling and she wanted to be home with

473
00:34:32,320 --> 00:34:36,879
Speaker 1: me more. Any time that she was home and UM

474
00:34:37,120 --> 00:34:41,080
Speaker 1: not have to do like any speaking engagements or um

475
00:34:41,120 --> 00:34:45,759
Speaker 1: commercials or anything. She would always take me everywhere and

476
00:34:45,840 --> 00:34:50,120
Speaker 1: spend time with me. Um. The last few days we

477
00:34:50,239 --> 00:34:55,000
Speaker 1: just made sure like I, Um, I started my new school.

478
00:34:55,000 --> 00:34:58,720
Speaker 1: It was a private school. UM. I was in third grade,

479
00:34:58,920 --> 00:35:01,600
Speaker 1: so it was a new school. So she was just

480
00:35:01,840 --> 00:35:04,520
Speaker 1: making sure that I was up to part with my

481
00:35:04,760 --> 00:35:09,120
Speaker 1: education and UM, you know, just making sure I am

482
00:35:09,320 --> 00:35:12,239
Speaker 1: going to be balancing gymnastics because I would be in

483
00:35:12,239 --> 00:35:17,640
Speaker 1: the gym for four to five hours after school for gymnastics,

484
00:35:17,800 --> 00:35:23,239
Speaker 1: and UM, we would have these nights where we would

485
00:35:23,280 --> 00:35:28,680
Speaker 1: stay up late night, UM watching movies. And it's crazy

486
00:35:28,680 --> 00:35:35,280
Speaker 1: as she showed me um bamby before she passed, and

487
00:35:36,000 --> 00:35:38,600
Speaker 1: she was bawling and I was just like Mommy, you're

488
00:35:38,600 --> 00:35:41,279
Speaker 1: a crying baby. And I was just like, why are

489
00:35:41,280 --> 00:35:44,480
Speaker 1: you crying? And you know, kids, we have no features.

490
00:35:44,960 --> 00:35:50,200
Speaker 1: So um, she was just like, no, Bamby has to

491
00:35:50,239 --> 00:35:59,080
Speaker 1: live without mom Um. She was she had strong faith,

492
00:35:59,200 --> 00:36:07,280
Speaker 1: but she was very spiritual. Um. She always said to um,

493
00:36:07,480 --> 00:36:09,960
Speaker 1: you see what time it is and I'm like, yeah,

494
00:36:10,000 --> 00:36:13,640
Speaker 1: it's ten forty nine. She's like, that's Mommy's world record.

495
00:36:13,880 --> 00:36:16,799
Speaker 1: I did that And I was like, I was like,

496
00:36:17,120 --> 00:36:19,000
Speaker 1: you did do that, mommy. She's like, You're going to

497
00:36:19,080 --> 00:36:21,520
Speaker 1: be the only one to break my world record. And

498
00:36:21,560 --> 00:36:24,359
Speaker 1: I was like, okay, mommy. So I used to tell

499
00:36:24,400 --> 00:36:26,640
Speaker 1: her that, you know, I used to be so sure

500
00:36:26,760 --> 00:36:31,040
Speaker 1: like that that was gonna be me next, you know. Um.

501
00:36:31,200 --> 00:36:34,960
Speaker 1: So the night we said our prayers. Um, now I

502
00:36:35,040 --> 00:36:37,200
Speaker 1: laid me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my

503
00:36:37,200 --> 00:36:38,960
Speaker 1: soul to keep if I should die before I wake

504
00:36:40,320 --> 00:36:46,640
Speaker 1: that prayer and we went to sleep. Um. I was

505
00:36:46,680 --> 00:36:48,640
Speaker 1: in the bed next to her, which a lot of

506
00:36:48,640 --> 00:36:52,520
Speaker 1: people don't know. Um, I was in the bed next

507
00:36:52,560 --> 00:37:02,960
Speaker 1: to her. My dad woke up screaming, and I I

508
00:37:03,000 --> 00:37:06,120
Speaker 1: felt like I knew what was going on, but I

509
00:37:06,160 --> 00:37:10,280
Speaker 1: think I was in shock because it was a startling

510
00:37:10,520 --> 00:37:15,000
Speaker 1: wake up like it was a Monday morning, and my

511
00:37:15,080 --> 00:37:18,400
Speaker 1: Dad's just like, go downstairs, go downstairs, called Grandma, called,

512
00:37:18,880 --> 00:37:21,680
Speaker 1: you know, call. I had a list of people to call,

513
00:37:22,040 --> 00:37:26,040
Speaker 1: and I did just that, and I was very like robotic.

514
00:37:26,239 --> 00:37:31,520
Speaker 1: You know, I didn't understand at that time it was.

515
00:37:33,960 --> 00:37:37,719
Speaker 1: But what's crazy is two years before that, she had

516
00:37:37,760 --> 00:37:41,719
Speaker 1: a seizure and I was next to her and I

517
00:37:42,160 --> 00:37:48,920
Speaker 1: I told my dad. I was just like, um, crazy,

518
00:37:49,040 --> 00:37:51,560
Speaker 1: wasn't I learned we didn't have cell phones, but I

519
00:37:51,640 --> 00:37:54,080
Speaker 1: knew how to work a phone, like so my mom

520
00:37:54,200 --> 00:37:56,759
Speaker 1: she she taught me a lot of stuff early, like

521
00:37:56,840 --> 00:37:59,960
Speaker 1: I knew my grandma's phone number and my dad's phone number.

522
00:38:00,480 --> 00:38:03,040
Speaker 1: I knew how to work a phone. So when I

523
00:38:03,080 --> 00:38:05,560
Speaker 1: called my dad and I was just like, there's something

524
00:38:05,600 --> 00:38:07,600
Speaker 1: wrong with mommy, He's like, okay, I'll be I'll be up,

525
00:38:07,680 --> 00:38:12,799
Speaker 1: and um, I wrote an ambulance. I went to the

526
00:38:12,840 --> 00:38:16,480
Speaker 1: hospital window. She woke up, and at the time I

527
00:38:16,560 --> 00:38:19,399
Speaker 1: wasn't thinking anything of that. So that next time that

528
00:38:19,400 --> 00:38:22,520
Speaker 1: that happened, she didn't wake up. Little did I know

529
00:38:23,239 --> 00:38:27,680
Speaker 1: she was dealing with the seizures from the time I

530
00:38:27,719 --> 00:38:34,240
Speaker 1: was in her tunny. She had a brain abnormality which

531
00:38:34,560 --> 00:38:37,520
Speaker 1: was blood vessels that bleed in the brain. So on

532
00:38:37,640 --> 00:38:40,680
Speaker 1: top of all of this, on top of being the

533
00:38:40,719 --> 00:38:44,440
Speaker 1: fastest woman in the world, top of being um, you know,

534
00:38:44,880 --> 00:38:51,880
Speaker 1: different as a businesswoman, life, a life, homemaker, a mom,

535
00:38:51,920 --> 00:38:57,040
Speaker 1: a sister, someone that you know helps take care of

536
00:38:57,080 --> 00:39:03,120
Speaker 1: the family. And you you this medical that you you

537
00:39:03,120 --> 00:39:05,480
Speaker 1: you have bad headaches and you you go on like

538
00:39:05,520 --> 00:39:08,880
Speaker 1: you just superwoman. So my mom, and it's tired of

539
00:39:08,960 --> 00:39:13,080
Speaker 1: second hear yet like no, she doesn't get enough credit

540
00:39:13,800 --> 00:39:17,640
Speaker 1: because she dealt with so much that so many people

541
00:39:17,880 --> 00:39:20,440
Speaker 1: decided to attack her then to realize what she was

542
00:39:20,480 --> 00:39:23,600
Speaker 1: going on behind closed doors. And even me as a

543
00:39:23,719 --> 00:39:28,719
Speaker 1: child with my needy self, she was there for me

544
00:39:28,800 --> 00:39:31,920
Speaker 1: as a mom. She made sure I had the world

545
00:39:33,000 --> 00:39:36,400
Speaker 1: and little did I know that until her last breath,

546
00:39:36,920 --> 00:39:43,120
Speaker 1: she was my world. So I just want to do

547
00:39:43,160 --> 00:39:45,600
Speaker 1: the best that I can't as a mother because this

548
00:39:45,719 --> 00:39:49,320
Speaker 1: job is hard. It's the hardest job in the world.

549
00:39:49,360 --> 00:39:52,040
Speaker 1: And it was her favorite job, not the gold medals,

550
00:39:52,080 --> 00:39:56,440
Speaker 1: not the world records. She loved being a mom and

551
00:39:56,600 --> 00:39:59,160
Speaker 1: she was one hell of a woman. She's one hell

552
00:39:59,200 --> 00:40:01,560
Speaker 1: of a black woman in she was one hell of

553
00:40:01,560 --> 00:40:08,320
Speaker 1: a wife, and she's iconic to this world because people

554
00:40:08,400 --> 00:40:10,839
Speaker 1: can try to do what she does, but they gonna

555
00:40:10,880 --> 00:40:13,920
Speaker 1: come close. I'm sorry, they're not gonna come close to

556
00:40:15,040 --> 00:40:18,560
Speaker 1: does because even if somebody wants to break her world record,

557
00:40:18,600 --> 00:40:21,200
Speaker 1: they can't take what of everything else else that she

558
00:40:21,320 --> 00:40:23,160
Speaker 1: done or the person is who she was. She was

559
00:40:23,320 --> 00:40:27,920
Speaker 1: genuinely a kind person. She was humble, she was strong,

560
00:40:28,960 --> 00:40:32,040
Speaker 1: and she didn't make any excuses. We did not know

561
00:40:32,719 --> 00:40:36,520
Speaker 1: of all the medical conditions that that you know, took

562
00:40:36,520 --> 00:40:39,759
Speaker 1: her life, you know, and she just kept going. She

563
00:40:39,880 --> 00:40:43,000
Speaker 1: lived life to the fullest and she made sure that

564
00:40:44,040 --> 00:40:49,440
Speaker 1: she gave love positivity. She didn't get on anything to

565
00:40:49,560 --> 00:40:53,520
Speaker 1: embarrass herself, you know, and she passed every drug test.

566
00:40:53,560 --> 00:40:59,719
Speaker 1: She never did she I mean they they did a

567
00:41:00,000 --> 00:41:03,880
Speaker 1: compleat autopsy of my mom and just the fact that

568
00:41:03,960 --> 00:41:06,160
Speaker 1: she had to go through that after she died because

569
00:41:06,200 --> 00:41:08,759
Speaker 1: my dad knew that they would still trying to say

570
00:41:08,800 --> 00:41:12,879
Speaker 1: that she died from different things, but no, she had

571
00:41:13,080 --> 00:41:17,080
Speaker 1: blood vessels that were giving her migraines and just dealing

572
00:41:17,120 --> 00:41:19,800
Speaker 1: with so much and people don't know about it. So

573
00:41:20,520 --> 00:41:24,879
Speaker 1: anything that I do, anything that I say, I don't

574
00:41:24,880 --> 00:41:27,279
Speaker 1: play about my mama. But you know what, I'm gonna

575
00:41:27,280 --> 00:41:29,239
Speaker 1: stick up for her no matter what, and I'm going

576
00:41:29,280 --> 00:41:32,960
Speaker 1: to make sure that her legacy lives on. And I

577
00:41:33,080 --> 00:41:37,040
Speaker 1: wish that I could be half the woman, half the mother,

578
00:41:37,760 --> 00:41:42,880
Speaker 1: half the entertainment writer, anything that she was, because I'm

579
00:41:42,920 --> 00:41:47,120
Speaker 1: thankful and this world needs more love and positivity and

580
00:41:47,280 --> 00:41:51,680
Speaker 1: positive people to know that we are human. We mess up,

581
00:41:52,120 --> 00:41:55,839
Speaker 1: we mistake, but we gotta give more love instead of

582
00:41:55,880 --> 00:41:59,680
Speaker 1: just bringing each other down, like especially as black people,

583
00:42:00,080 --> 00:42:04,000
Speaker 1: especially as women, especially if humans going through mental health,

584
00:42:04,200 --> 00:42:08,000
Speaker 1: we have to do better. We just have to do better.

585
00:42:08,280 --> 00:42:11,759
Speaker 1: And if anything that I little things that I do

586
00:42:11,960 --> 00:42:15,600
Speaker 1: or say can help somebody, songs that I sing, I'd

587
00:42:15,719 --> 00:42:20,600
Speaker 1: rather do that or oh man, you got me crying

588
00:42:20,640 --> 00:42:24,440
Speaker 1: over here. Sorry, no, God bless you. Man. I'm telling you,

589
00:42:24,440 --> 00:42:27,839
Speaker 1: I've been praying for you. I've been lot of your

590
00:42:27,920 --> 00:42:31,200
Speaker 1: husband and then this experience and like, like I know

591
00:42:31,280 --> 00:42:33,040
Speaker 1: it's still affects you. I don't even have to ask

592
00:42:33,080 --> 00:42:35,640
Speaker 1: you that question on what way, because like I feel

593
00:42:35,640 --> 00:42:39,080
Speaker 1: like it's just it's just really unfortunate. So I just

594
00:42:39,120 --> 00:42:40,839
Speaker 1: always want to sing you love and light your way

595
00:42:40,840 --> 00:42:44,080
Speaker 1: because I can't even imagine, especially in the current climate

596
00:42:44,080 --> 00:42:48,600
Speaker 1: that you're in now, what you're going through. Thank you. UM.

597
00:42:48,640 --> 00:42:51,920
Speaker 1: I know you mentioned that your mom was spiritual. Do

598
00:42:51,960 --> 00:42:57,960
Speaker 1: you think she knew? I think she was just going

599
00:42:58,040 --> 00:43:02,440
Speaker 1: to be prepared no matter what, UM, because how strong

600
00:43:02,520 --> 00:43:10,160
Speaker 1: her faith was and just um just signs that I

601
00:43:10,360 --> 00:43:17,280
Speaker 1: get UM. Still to this day, I'm just beyond um

602
00:43:17,320 --> 00:43:24,480
Speaker 1: connected with her that I feel like UM when she

603
00:43:24,560 --> 00:43:28,880
Speaker 1: did write me letters and write me UM, write to

604
00:43:28,920 --> 00:43:31,480
Speaker 1: me when I was even next to her, Like, I

605
00:43:31,520 --> 00:43:34,880
Speaker 1: think it's just the preparation of a mother. Like even

606
00:43:35,280 --> 00:43:40,560
Speaker 1: you just get that when when life gives you certain challenges,

607
00:43:40,800 --> 00:43:43,120
Speaker 1: like just in case I'm not here one day, just

608
00:43:43,239 --> 00:43:45,440
Speaker 1: know that I love you. It's little things like that.

609
00:43:45,880 --> 00:43:48,400
Speaker 1: So like the fact that she wrote me full on letters,

610
00:43:49,080 --> 00:43:52,240
Speaker 1: I think she didn't want to ever leave me because

611
00:43:52,280 --> 00:43:56,560
Speaker 1: I saw her breakdown, you know, watching Bambi. I think

612
00:43:57,040 --> 00:44:00,279
Speaker 1: it's something that she didn't want, but just in case,

613
00:44:01,040 --> 00:44:05,759
Speaker 1: she knew how to connect and accept it. M hm.

614
00:44:07,800 --> 00:44:16,319
Speaker 1: How do you think it affected your dad? Uh? Drastically? Um.

615
00:44:16,520 --> 00:44:21,680
Speaker 1: You you have the baddest woman you know ever so

616
00:44:22,120 --> 00:44:26,360
Speaker 1: and she was the baddest woman. Like I'm telling you,

617
00:44:26,640 --> 00:44:28,560
Speaker 1: I was a kid and I was like, who is

618
00:44:28,600 --> 00:44:31,759
Speaker 1: this black? Was so beautiful? And then she had like

619
00:44:31,800 --> 00:44:35,080
Speaker 1: the long nails. It's just like humble, like she was

620
00:44:35,239 --> 00:44:39,359
Speaker 1: popping before, like we even knew what popping was. Yes,

621
00:44:39,640 --> 00:44:43,279
Speaker 1: like she can fly. Like That's why I get so

622
00:44:43,440 --> 00:44:45,800
Speaker 1: angry when people don't know who this woman was, because

623
00:44:45,840 --> 00:44:50,160
Speaker 1: nobody did what she did before she did it. Yeah,

624
00:44:51,640 --> 00:44:56,160
Speaker 1: I think he will always love her. And the fact

625
00:44:56,200 --> 00:45:00,719
Speaker 1: that I now get a taste of what he went through.

626
00:45:01,040 --> 00:45:04,200
Speaker 1: It's it's not fun losing the love of your life.

627
00:45:04,440 --> 00:45:07,600
Speaker 1: It's it's it's not something that you ever want to

628
00:45:07,640 --> 00:45:09,719
Speaker 1: deal with, especially when you've got to look at a

629
00:45:09,800 --> 00:45:17,160
Speaker 1: child that looks just like them. Um, I think you know,

630
00:45:17,440 --> 00:45:24,760
Speaker 1: but he's found happiness, and um, I just I feel

631
00:45:24,800 --> 00:45:29,000
Speaker 1: for him more now because I it's hard. It's hard,

632
00:45:29,440 --> 00:45:33,879
Speaker 1: you know, not having you know that person that you love,

633
00:45:34,040 --> 00:45:37,240
Speaker 1: the person your best friend, you know, your training partner,

634
00:45:37,840 --> 00:45:42,160
Speaker 1: you're a therapist, you know, the parent of your child.

635
00:45:43,080 --> 00:45:47,920
Speaker 1: You lose a part of yourself. So um um, I

636
00:45:48,280 --> 00:45:51,560
Speaker 1: commend him for staying strong and you know, trying to

637
00:45:51,640 --> 00:45:56,399
Speaker 1: give me the the best life that he could. But

638
00:45:56,480 --> 00:46:00,319
Speaker 1: my mama did everything, so I couldn't imagine how it

639
00:46:00,480 --> 00:46:04,760
Speaker 1: was like she did anything. So she took me to gymnastics,

640
00:46:05,000 --> 00:46:09,080
Speaker 1: you know, she did not know, she was not like

641
00:46:09,400 --> 00:46:15,799
Speaker 1: she was not. And I I just I commend him,

642
00:46:15,840 --> 00:46:18,719
Speaker 1: but also like you know, I think the families that

643
00:46:18,800 --> 00:46:22,120
Speaker 1: were there for me afterwards. You know, I lived with

644
00:46:22,160 --> 00:46:25,680
Speaker 1: a lot of families, you know, my I lost a

645
00:46:25,800 --> 00:46:30,040
Speaker 1: family um for like eleven years, you know, and and

646
00:46:30,440 --> 00:46:35,320
Speaker 1: after somebody passes away, it's not easy. So um, but

647
00:46:35,560 --> 00:46:40,080
Speaker 1: nobody knows what a spouse goes through. Nobody knows. It's

648
00:46:40,120 --> 00:46:42,600
Speaker 1: just it's just a feeling you don't you don't want

649
00:46:42,600 --> 00:46:46,600
Speaker 1: to have, like you just you've really lose part of

650
00:46:46,640 --> 00:46:52,440
Speaker 1: yourself and I'm still dealing with that and it's hard.

651
00:46:52,880 --> 00:46:56,719
Speaker 1: So I feel for him. I and the fact that

652
00:46:56,800 --> 00:46:59,879
Speaker 1: he had to do it in the public I see.

653
00:47:00,000 --> 00:47:03,920
Speaker 1: And worse, you know, there was helicopters around our house

654
00:47:04,080 --> 00:47:09,680
Speaker 1: like he you get, you get interrupted of your grieving time.

655
00:47:09,800 --> 00:47:14,080
Speaker 1: You never healed properly, You don't m hmm, yeah, and

656
00:47:14,239 --> 00:47:16,560
Speaker 1: you have How did I do it with your baby?

657
00:47:16,719 --> 00:47:19,640
Speaker 1: Is just as a black man, I couldn't even imagine

658
00:47:19,640 --> 00:47:23,440
Speaker 1: how what your dad was going through. I can't imagine. Also,

659
00:47:23,960 --> 00:47:27,120
Speaker 1: like I said, I got a case. I understand him more,

660
00:47:28,560 --> 00:47:33,880
Speaker 1: but it's I can't imagine mm hmm. How did you

661
00:47:33,920 --> 00:47:44,560
Speaker 1: feel when he decided to get remarried. Um, I I

662
00:47:44,680 --> 00:47:50,200
Speaker 1: was a typical pain in the butt, right, I can't

663
00:47:50,360 --> 00:47:54,279
Speaker 1: understand your mom was flowed. I was like, come on, dad,

664
00:47:54,320 --> 00:48:00,439
Speaker 1: I get seriously. Um, I I had like good days

665
00:48:00,440 --> 00:48:03,640
Speaker 1: and bad days. I had my good moments and bad moments.

666
00:48:03,680 --> 00:48:08,360
Speaker 1: But you know what, I got two beautiful siblings out

667
00:48:08,400 --> 00:48:14,360
Speaker 1: of that marriage, and I love them more than life itself. Actually,

668
00:48:14,400 --> 00:48:18,200
Speaker 1: they actually prepared me, um to be the mom that

669
00:48:18,280 --> 00:48:21,760
Speaker 1: I am because we're we're we're far apart in age,

670
00:48:21,800 --> 00:48:26,560
Speaker 1: we're fourteen and sixteen years apart. M Um. But I

671
00:48:26,640 --> 00:48:29,880
Speaker 1: am glad that he had a little time to heal

672
00:48:31,120 --> 00:48:37,719
Speaker 1: before he got married. So, um, I I'm glad he

673
00:48:37,880 --> 00:48:42,440
Speaker 1: had time, you know. So um, But it was hard

674
00:48:42,719 --> 00:48:50,040
Speaker 1: because yeah, um, I think it was just hard to

675
00:48:50,120 --> 00:48:55,319
Speaker 1: adapting to a whole another family, with a whole another ethnicity.

676
00:48:55,680 --> 00:49:01,320
Speaker 1: My siblings are mixed there there there, um, their their

677
00:49:01,360 --> 00:49:04,759
Speaker 1: mom's side is white, so that was also part to

678
00:49:04,920 --> 00:49:07,919
Speaker 1: adjust to from two black parents to one white parent

679
00:49:07,920 --> 00:49:11,480
Speaker 1: and one black parents. So I think that's why I'm

680
00:49:11,480 --> 00:49:15,120
Speaker 1: so like open minded and um, I love all cultures

681
00:49:15,200 --> 00:49:20,120
Speaker 1: because where I grew up and where I was raised Um,

682
00:49:20,160 --> 00:49:24,319
Speaker 1: I had many friends of different ethnicities and stuff, but

683
00:49:24,840 --> 00:49:28,919
Speaker 1: I did miss out on living a full life with

684
00:49:29,000 --> 00:49:34,640
Speaker 1: my black family that um I'm now starting to reconnect to.

685
00:49:35,640 --> 00:49:42,000
Speaker 1: But um, love is love and I had to be

686
00:49:42,080 --> 00:49:45,640
Speaker 1: happy for him. M So let's start with your sing.

687
00:49:46,160 --> 00:49:51,160
Speaker 1: How did you first discover that you were a singer? Honestly,

688
00:49:51,280 --> 00:49:56,719
Speaker 1: I was just messing around, mimicking um Mariah and Christina

689
00:49:56,800 --> 00:50:02,640
Speaker 1: aguilaram like Whitney, So I didn't really take it serious

690
00:50:03,800 --> 00:50:13,000
Speaker 1: until UM I joined choir and I I always love musicals,

691
00:50:13,320 --> 00:50:19,640
Speaker 1: I still do. Um My dad got me a vocal

692
00:50:19,719 --> 00:50:24,160
Speaker 1: coach and I finally started learning like the proper way

693
00:50:24,160 --> 00:50:27,279
Speaker 1: to sing because I was always like yelling and like

694
00:50:27,480 --> 00:50:35,360
Speaker 1: trying to like belt out my voice. But um, it

695
00:50:35,480 --> 00:50:40,680
Speaker 1: was my love for just what came to me. I

696
00:50:40,719 --> 00:50:46,320
Speaker 1: can't really explain how I sing because I don't have

697
00:50:46,400 --> 00:50:51,280
Speaker 1: like a specific tone that's like, oh, you're that type

698
00:50:51,320 --> 00:50:56,120
Speaker 1: of genre singers. So I've studied all genres and I

699
00:50:56,200 --> 00:51:00,520
Speaker 1: love different types of music, but I read as innate

700
00:51:00,719 --> 00:51:08,640
Speaker 1: more as I started studying UM jazz and classical, because

701
00:51:09,440 --> 00:51:14,040
Speaker 1: I always challenged myself to become better, Like I wasn't

702
00:51:14,080 --> 00:51:17,640
Speaker 1: really good at singing UM. When I was younger, I

703
00:51:17,640 --> 00:51:21,040
Speaker 1: would just like I said, I was singing proper, I

704
00:51:21,080 --> 00:51:23,319
Speaker 1: would hurt my vocal cords. I didn't know what I

705
00:51:23,320 --> 00:51:28,120
Speaker 1: was doing. I was just trying to mimic and UM,

706
00:51:28,239 --> 00:51:31,040
Speaker 1: I really wanted to become a singer when I wanted

707
00:51:31,080 --> 00:51:34,800
Speaker 1: to audition for American Idol when it first came out,

708
00:51:36,040 --> 00:51:41,600
Speaker 1: and a few years later I actually auditioned for Talent.

709
00:51:42,080 --> 00:51:46,920
Speaker 1: And before that, I was studying jazz and classical and

710
00:51:47,000 --> 00:51:52,440
Speaker 1: I had a pop vocal coach and UM. In high school,

711
00:51:52,800 --> 00:51:56,120
Speaker 1: I was in choir, so I learned how to do

712
00:51:56,280 --> 00:52:02,320
Speaker 1: different harmonies and singing different languages. So it was really

713
00:52:02,360 --> 00:52:05,560
Speaker 1: fun for me, and it was different from sports. It

714
00:52:05,680 --> 00:52:09,040
Speaker 1: was like I was already writing as a young girl,

715
00:52:09,239 --> 00:52:14,800
Speaker 1: like at seven, so I would write poetry and write songs,

716
00:52:14,840 --> 00:52:18,240
Speaker 1: but I never learned how to put them together until

717
00:52:18,360 --> 00:52:21,000
Speaker 1: like high school. And then I wrote my first song

718
00:52:21,239 --> 00:52:25,680
Speaker 1: in high school and I started playing the piano, and

719
00:52:25,719 --> 00:52:28,400
Speaker 1: then I was just like my dad always played UM

720
00:52:28,440 --> 00:52:34,280
Speaker 1: Alicia Keiths Diary and UM, I was trying to challenge

721
00:52:34,320 --> 00:52:38,440
Speaker 1: myself to sing and play, but I had stags right,

722
00:52:38,719 --> 00:52:42,080
Speaker 1: so UM, I really stepped out of my box once

723
00:52:42,239 --> 00:52:45,720
Speaker 1: I got to choir and really worked with my vocal

724
00:52:45,800 --> 00:52:53,120
Speaker 1: coaches and UM started doing shows in college, like a

725
00:52:53,520 --> 00:52:57,920
Speaker 1: little little hole in the wall clubs. UM. And I

726
00:52:57,960 --> 00:53:01,280
Speaker 1: started recording myself and teaching myself how to make beats,

727
00:53:01,440 --> 00:53:06,520
Speaker 1: and I really fell in love with music production and

728
00:53:06,560 --> 00:53:09,480
Speaker 1: singing was just something that just brought me pure joy.

729
00:53:09,640 --> 00:53:14,680
Speaker 1: It was how I could get my emotions out. Mm. Hm.

730
00:53:14,719 --> 00:53:17,160
Speaker 1: And your mom either she always wanted to sing or

731
00:53:17,160 --> 00:53:19,200
Speaker 1: she always wanted you to sing, or is it both.

732
00:53:20,040 --> 00:53:24,200
Speaker 1: She couldn't hold a note, um, but she always said

733
00:53:24,800 --> 00:53:28,960
Speaker 1: that my daughter could sing, and I ended up singing.

734
00:53:29,000 --> 00:53:33,680
Speaker 1: She taught me the national anthem when I was like three,

735
00:53:34,640 --> 00:53:38,760
Speaker 1: so I knew the national anthem like three years old,

736
00:53:39,680 --> 00:53:43,680
Speaker 1: and I ended up becoming like a national anthem singer

737
00:53:43,880 --> 00:53:48,759
Speaker 1: for different events. So again everything just kind of came

738
00:53:48,840 --> 00:53:53,080
Speaker 1: full circle. M hm. How did they felt the same

739
00:53:53,120 --> 00:53:55,800
Speaker 1: the national anthem? I think it was the Olympic trial,

740
00:53:59,520 --> 00:54:05,239
Speaker 1: so that was right after I did. I didn't make

741
00:54:05,280 --> 00:54:08,560
Speaker 1: it through the boot camp around at America's got time out,

742
00:54:09,320 --> 00:54:13,879
Speaker 1: so UM, Howard Stern kind of said like, oh, she

743
00:54:13,960 --> 00:54:16,319
Speaker 1: can't really you know, take it there, so I had

744
00:54:16,360 --> 00:54:21,640
Speaker 1: something to proof either way. UM. And the fact that.

745
00:54:21,840 --> 00:54:25,200
Speaker 1: I was like, Hey, I might not be running or

746
00:54:25,360 --> 00:54:28,640
Speaker 1: competing in the Olympic, Charles, but I get to be

747
00:54:28,680 --> 00:54:32,160
Speaker 1: a part of the track and Field Olympic Charles. And

748
00:54:32,600 --> 00:54:37,560
Speaker 1: so I practiced a practice. I was so nervous and

749
00:54:37,640 --> 00:54:43,799
Speaker 1: I did an acapella and I just got such an

750
00:54:43,800 --> 00:54:50,080
Speaker 1: amazing response from the crowd. Um. I it wasn't It

751
00:54:50,160 --> 00:54:54,920
Speaker 1: was an honor to have that moment. And little did

752
00:54:55,000 --> 00:55:01,600
Speaker 1: I know that my husband was somewhere um competing. So

753
00:55:02,080 --> 00:55:05,239
Speaker 1: it was great. So a few years later, you know,

754
00:55:05,719 --> 00:55:12,319
Speaker 1: but it's it's it's great because I know the the

755
00:55:12,400 --> 00:55:18,880
Speaker 1: negativity that's been brought upon the national anthem, but it

756
00:55:18,880 --> 00:55:22,799
Speaker 1: would always mean something different to me because that was

757
00:55:22,840 --> 00:55:27,920
Speaker 1: played in my mom's greatest moment, you know, And and

758
00:55:28,200 --> 00:55:31,279
Speaker 1: it wasn't about anything else. It was just that was

759
00:55:31,320 --> 00:55:35,160
Speaker 1: the country, you know. She she did that for USA.

760
00:55:35,600 --> 00:55:39,239
Speaker 1: She did that. Mm hmm. A listener wants to know,

761
00:55:39,400 --> 00:55:42,440
Speaker 1: what would you say are some characteristics that you share

762
00:55:42,880 --> 00:55:50,919
Speaker 1: with your mom? Cry baby, Like, we're very emotional, and

763
00:55:51,000 --> 00:55:53,920
Speaker 1: I think it's because my mom was an EmPATH. And

764
00:55:54,080 --> 00:55:58,680
Speaker 1: I think like we're very emotional women because we care,

765
00:55:59,000 --> 00:56:05,160
Speaker 1: We genuinely give our heart. Um and that's one of

766
00:56:05,200 --> 00:56:09,760
Speaker 1: the characteristics that I got from her. And also creativity.

767
00:56:09,960 --> 00:56:14,600
Speaker 1: I am a craft definitely in my downtime, I love

768
00:56:14,680 --> 00:56:21,120
Speaker 1: creating things and um yeah, creativity for sure. Another listener

769
00:56:21,200 --> 00:56:23,200
Speaker 1: wanted to know where do you see yourself in the

770
00:56:23,280 --> 00:56:32,000
Speaker 1: next five to ten years. In the next five to

771
00:56:32,200 --> 00:56:40,959
Speaker 1: ten years, I see myself just being a great mother

772
00:56:41,080 --> 00:56:44,840
Speaker 1: to my son and being there for him every moment

773
00:56:45,239 --> 00:56:47,920
Speaker 1: that I can, whether if it's in school stuff or

774
00:56:48,000 --> 00:56:54,040
Speaker 1: sports stuff or any activities. Just being present. Um. I

775
00:56:54,120 --> 00:56:58,719
Speaker 1: think over the next few years, just because of what

776
00:56:59,080 --> 00:57:02,680
Speaker 1: we've endured recently and what I am crowded as a

777
00:57:02,719 --> 00:57:07,200
Speaker 1: young child. The best, the best, even with friends or family.

778
00:57:07,280 --> 00:57:12,240
Speaker 1: The best present you can give. It ain't no money,

779
00:57:12,280 --> 00:57:15,640
Speaker 1: it ain't no gives. It's your presence. That's the best

780
00:57:15,760 --> 00:57:19,680
Speaker 1: present that you can give. So just working on that

781
00:57:19,800 --> 00:57:23,360
Speaker 1: and providing a very happy and healthy life for me

782
00:57:23,440 --> 00:57:28,600
Speaker 1: and my son, and loving on myself more and growing

783
00:57:28,640 --> 00:57:34,560
Speaker 1: my company. Yeah, growing my company. Um Now, I know,

784
00:57:34,800 --> 00:57:39,600
Speaker 1: I gotta ask a million dollar question, are you working

785
00:57:39,600 --> 00:57:42,840
Speaker 1: on a movie about your mom's life? Because everybody keeps

786
00:57:42,840 --> 00:57:46,720
Speaker 1: saying it Tiffany had is just gonna play her um.

787
00:57:46,800 --> 00:57:50,320
Speaker 1: So to clear things up. That is not my project.

788
00:57:51,720 --> 00:57:55,840
Speaker 1: I am not. I am doing Flow Joe, A Daughter's Love,

789
00:57:56,000 --> 00:58:02,240
Speaker 1: which is my personal documentary from my um personal point

790
00:58:02,240 --> 00:58:05,800
Speaker 1: of view and my family's point of view. So that

791
00:58:05,840 --> 00:58:10,480
Speaker 1: project no comment, I guess because I just I'm not

792
00:58:10,560 --> 00:58:16,960
Speaker 1: a part of it. Did I not ask you? Um? No, Um,

793
00:58:17,000 --> 00:58:23,280
Speaker 1: it's it's uh, it's pretty much. I think my um

794
00:58:23,400 --> 00:58:27,920
Speaker 1: my dad's involved with it. So but that's not my project.

795
00:58:28,440 --> 00:58:34,400
Speaker 1: I do have a documentary series coming out about my mom,

796
00:58:34,640 --> 00:58:41,720
Speaker 1: so that's me, but that that's not me. I'm just curious,

797
00:58:41,720 --> 00:58:50,080
Speaker 1: what do you want your legacy to be. I want

798
00:58:50,920 --> 00:58:58,520
Speaker 1: my legacy two leave a place on this earth that

799
00:58:58,720 --> 00:59:06,720
Speaker 1: shows who I was as a person and what this

800
00:59:06,840 --> 00:59:12,840
Speaker 1: world can do better of. And that's letting people express

801
00:59:12,920 --> 00:59:20,800
Speaker 1: themselves in their way, shape or form with more support

802
00:59:22,200 --> 00:59:32,800
Speaker 1: and um, i'd say humbleness um and telling my story

803
00:59:33,200 --> 00:59:38,080
Speaker 1: because I have different stories that all add up to mine,

804
00:59:39,440 --> 00:59:43,400
Speaker 1: and I think eventually telling my story of how I

805
00:59:43,560 --> 00:59:51,120
Speaker 1: overcame losing myself m hm, and how I came back

806
00:59:52,600 --> 00:59:55,800
Speaker 1: and how I lost myself again and how I came back.

807
00:59:56,280 --> 01:00:03,720
Speaker 1: And I want my legacy to be letting people know

808
01:00:04,640 --> 01:00:10,400
Speaker 1: that in your hardest times that is what your strength

809
01:00:11,600 --> 01:00:15,840
Speaker 1: is going to make or break you. And to always

810
01:00:16,120 --> 01:00:18,880
Speaker 1: just know that no matter what, if you feel alone,

811
01:00:19,040 --> 01:00:23,560
Speaker 1: you always have yourself and you can do it. It

812
01:00:23,600 --> 01:00:28,440
Speaker 1: doesn't matter who you are, what you have, where you

813
01:00:28,520 --> 01:00:33,080
Speaker 1: came from, or you know what you've done. As long

814
01:00:33,120 --> 01:00:36,120
Speaker 1: as you keep going and keep getting better at whatever

815
01:00:36,160 --> 01:00:39,200
Speaker 1: you want to do. That's just what I want to

816
01:00:39,200 --> 01:00:43,800
Speaker 1: inspire others to do. And also just being a person,

817
01:00:44,040 --> 01:00:50,760
Speaker 1: a person of whether it's mistakes, a person of um,

818
01:00:50,800 --> 01:00:54,120
Speaker 1: just things that make you you. It doesn't have to

819
01:00:54,160 --> 01:00:56,400
Speaker 1: be perfect, it doesn't have to be great, and just

820
01:00:56,880 --> 01:00:59,200
Speaker 1: not judging people for what they've been through. You don't

821
01:00:59,200 --> 01:01:03,840
Speaker 1: know they had to do what they do or so

822
01:01:04,840 --> 01:01:08,560
Speaker 1: I think just being more more more realizing that we're

823
01:01:08,600 --> 01:01:12,320
Speaker 1: all human and we all make a way for ourselves

824
01:01:12,880 --> 01:01:17,160
Speaker 1: the way that we know how to. Because everybody is

825
01:01:17,200 --> 01:01:20,040
Speaker 1: not brought up the same way. Everybody doesn't have what

826
01:01:20,280 --> 01:01:24,160
Speaker 1: everybody else have. Everybody's not taught what people are taught.

827
01:01:24,880 --> 01:01:29,280
Speaker 1: Me and my husband had very different upbringings in different lifestyles,

828
01:01:29,320 --> 01:01:36,160
Speaker 1: and and we made an amazing kid and he's going

829
01:01:36,200 --> 01:01:42,520
Speaker 1: to be our legacy. So it's just being yourself and

830
01:01:42,680 --> 01:01:47,000
Speaker 1: getting back up not just one time. It's okay. If

831
01:01:47,040 --> 01:01:49,280
Speaker 1: you fall a bunch of times, just get back up

832
01:01:49,320 --> 01:01:55,000
Speaker 1: and keep going. Mm hm, never give up. Well before

833
01:01:55,040 --> 01:01:57,680
Speaker 1: we leave, I know you have a birthday coming up,

834
01:01:57,720 --> 01:02:02,600
Speaker 1: so happy early birthday. Who told you? I did my research?

835
01:02:02,640 --> 01:02:06,920
Speaker 1: I did my research and then you've been talking to

836
01:02:06,960 --> 01:02:11,280
Speaker 1: each other for a while now only wait, don't stay

837
01:02:11,280 --> 01:02:18,080
Speaker 1: a birthday coming up? Yeah you have any plans? Um? No,

838
01:02:18,280 --> 01:02:23,720
Speaker 1: I'm good. My last is done though. Okay, it's beharing

839
01:02:23,800 --> 01:02:28,960
Speaker 1: it face together, Okay, honestly, Like, my son just celebrated

840
01:02:29,000 --> 01:02:32,480
Speaker 1: his fifth birthday and that was a good birthday present

841
01:02:32,560 --> 01:02:37,160
Speaker 1: for me to see him happy. And um, you know,

842
01:02:37,240 --> 01:02:40,160
Speaker 1: this is his first birthday without his dad. This is

843
01:02:40,240 --> 01:02:45,400
Speaker 1: my first birthday without him. So um, I I just

844
01:02:46,080 --> 01:02:49,920
Speaker 1: I have no expectations, no plans, but um, just to

845
01:02:50,240 --> 01:02:53,600
Speaker 1: see another birthday, you know. It's that's all that I'm

846
01:02:53,600 --> 01:02:57,160
Speaker 1: thankful for. Mm hmm. But I just want to say

847
01:02:57,160 --> 01:02:59,520
Speaker 1: I'm so happy that we connected. I keep telling this

848
01:02:59,600 --> 01:03:02,360
Speaker 1: like every day since we've been talking, and I really

849
01:03:02,400 --> 01:03:07,440
Speaker 1: appreciate you doing this interview with me. Um that you're grieving,

850
01:03:07,880 --> 01:03:10,080
Speaker 1: and I just wanted to know that your mom was

851
01:03:10,120 --> 01:03:13,440
Speaker 1: and still is my hero. So I really do appreciate you.

852
01:03:13,480 --> 01:03:15,480
Speaker 1: And however I can help you with Flow Joe forever,

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01:03:15,680 --> 01:03:19,080
Speaker 1: with your business. I'm always a phone call away. Thank

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Speaker 1: you so much, Thank you so much for having me.

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01:03:22,240 --> 01:03:25,360
Speaker 1: And um, yeah, this is my first interview over the year,

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01:03:25,560 --> 01:03:29,400
Speaker 1: so um, thank you for just getting me to break

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Speaker 1: out of my show for a little bit. Of course, no,

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Speaker 1: thank you, thank you, and I have any questions kind

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01:03:35,200 --> 01:03:37,960
Speaker 1: of concerns, please make sure to email me a hello

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01:03:38,040 --> 01:03:41,480
Speaker 1: at the PhD podcast dot com. And until next time, everyone,

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Speaker 1: Later did your mom have like a say it? She

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Speaker 1: used to say, believe, achieve, succeed. Okay, that's how we

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01:03:49,080 --> 01:03:54,160
Speaker 1: doing in the show. Later Ba