WEBVTT - California Dreamin’ with Sarah Gorden 0:00:00.640 --> 0:00:03.280 Welcome to Good Game with Sarah Spain, where we're celebrating 0:00:03.320 --> 0:00:08.959 our one hundredth show and reminiscing fondly about the good 0:00:08.960 --> 0:00:13.080 old days when we were making episode number one. Uh 0:00:13.760 --> 0:00:15.520 you know it was only a couple months ago, right, 0:00:15.880 --> 0:00:19.400 Oh shit, Yeah, it was like mid July. No whatever. 0:00:19.760 --> 0:00:23.160 We're so grateful for one hundred either way, and especially 0:00:23.160 --> 0:00:26.000 for all of youse slices. It's Wednesday, December fourth, and 0:00:26.040 --> 0:00:28.520 on today's show you'll hear from Angel City FC center 0:00:28.520 --> 0:00:30.600 back Sarah Gordon, who sat down with us to talk 0:00:30.640 --> 0:00:34.159 about being a true soccer mom, growing up fast when 0:00:34.200 --> 0:00:36.360 she got pregnant with her son in college, and finding 0:00:36.400 --> 0:00:39.360 herself during a big move to Los Angeles. Plus, we 0:00:39.440 --> 0:00:41.959 got to kill a review from a certified slice and 0:00:42.080 --> 0:00:45.080 a Good Game Good Game Fact you featuring some US 0:00:45.120 --> 0:00:49.320 Women's national team powerhouses to celebrate our one hundredth episode. 0:00:49.400 --> 0:01:02.760 It's all coming up right after this Welcome Back Slices. 0:01:02.800 --> 0:01:07.360 Here's what you need to know today. In NWSL news, 0:01:07.440 --> 0:01:10.080 Jill Ellis has stepped down as the president of San 0:01:10.080 --> 0:01:13.520 Diego WAVEFC. She's making a move over to FIFA as 0:01:13.560 --> 0:01:17.200 its Chief Football Officer, a newly created position the job 0:01:17.280 --> 0:01:19.440 is full time, and FIFA said in a statement that 0:01:19.560 --> 0:01:23.160 quote the creation of the Chief Football Officer position underscores 0:01:23.200 --> 0:01:27.280 FIFA's commitment to fostering a diverse, inclusive and accessible global 0:01:27.280 --> 0:01:31.120 football community, ensuring that football remains a sport for all 0:01:31.400 --> 0:01:34.800 end quote. Ellis leaves the Wave under fire after former 0:01:34.840 --> 0:01:38.000 Wave employee Brittany Alvarado accused the ex US women's national 0:01:38.000 --> 0:01:41.200 team coach of fostering an abusive environment at the club. 0:01:41.600 --> 0:01:44.880 Back in July, Ellis filed a defamation lawsuit against Alvarado 0:01:44.959 --> 0:01:48.280 for her claims, and three months later, five former Wave employees, 0:01:48.320 --> 0:01:52.320 including Alvarado, sued the team and the NWSL alleging multiple 0:01:52.320 --> 0:01:56.920 forms of discrimination, sexual harassment, retaliation, and wrongful termination. Ellis 0:01:56.960 --> 0:01:59.360 is not named as a defendant in that suit. New 0:01:59.360 --> 0:02:01.840 wavefc C co owner Lauren Leichman said the club is 0:02:01.880 --> 0:02:04.240 now in the final phase of hiring a head coach. 0:02:04.680 --> 0:02:08.760 No word on replacing Elis as president. Rugby News Rugby 0:02:08.760 --> 0:02:11.600 Superstar alone Omar, fresh off a runner up finish on 0:02:11.680 --> 0:02:14.480 Dancing with the Stars and an Olympic bronze medal over 0:02:14.520 --> 0:02:17.399 at the summer with Team USA, is headed to England. 0:02:17.680 --> 0:02:21.000 The USA Eagles star will join the Bristol Bears rugby 0:02:21.040 --> 0:02:23.760 team on a three month deal. The Bears have competed 0:02:23.800 --> 0:02:26.200 in the Premiership Women's Rugby League since it started in 0:02:26.240 --> 0:02:29.760 twenty seventeen and finished as runner ups to Gloucester last year, 0:02:29.919 --> 0:02:33.160 losing thirty six twenty four in the Championship final. Mar 0:02:33.200 --> 0:02:35.600 talked to The Guardian about joining Bristol, saying quote, I 0:02:35.639 --> 0:02:37.720 want to put myself in the best position to hopefully 0:02:37.760 --> 0:02:40.760 be selected for the World Cup end quote. The US 0:02:40.800 --> 0:02:42.880 already qualified for the World Cup tournament, which will be 0:02:42.919 --> 0:02:45.799 held in England in twenty twenty five. By the way, 0:02:45.960 --> 0:02:48.120 if you didn't watch any of alonamar on Dancing with 0:02:48.160 --> 0:02:52.240 the Stars, I highly recommend googling her femininomenon dance at 0:02:52.240 --> 0:02:57.080 the finale. So freakin' good. College hoops news new AP 0:02:57.240 --> 0:02:59.880 rankings came out on Monday, with UCLA and Yukon holding 0:03:00.000 --> 0:03:02.720 study at number one and number two respectively. There was 0:03:02.840 --> 0:03:06.040 movement a little further down though, TCU is securing its 0:03:06.120 --> 0:03:09.239 first ever top ten spot, now being the number nine 0:03:09.320 --> 0:03:12.160 ranking after their big win over Notre Dame, who dropped 0:03:12.200 --> 0:03:15.200 to number seven with their back to back losses. Duke 0:03:15.240 --> 0:03:17.520 slid in at number eight. That's their best ranking in 0:03:17.560 --> 0:03:19.920 a decade. You can catch a couple of those squads 0:03:19.960 --> 0:03:22.520 and a handful of other games in the ACC SEC 0:03:22.639 --> 0:03:26.519 Challenge on ESPN and ESPN two. Tomorrow. At five pm Eastern, 0:03:26.520 --> 0:03:29.240 the number fourteen Kentucky Wildcats take on the number sixteen 0:03:29.320 --> 0:03:33.200 UNC on ESPN two. At seven pm Eastern on ESPN, 0:03:33.360 --> 0:03:35.480 you've got number ten Notre Dame looking to bounce back 0:03:35.480 --> 0:03:38.600 when they face number four Texas. Also at seven pm 0:03:38.600 --> 0:03:42.280 Eastern tomorrow, Number eighteen Ole Miss meets unranked NC State. 0:03:42.680 --> 0:03:45.400 Then at nine pm Eastern tomorrow on ESPN two, number 0:03:45.400 --> 0:03:48.880 five LSU meet the unranked Stanford Cardinal. Same time. Over 0:03:48.920 --> 0:03:51.880 on ESPN, you've got number three South Carolina taken on 0:03:51.960 --> 0:03:55.400 number eight Duke now Don Staley squad bounced back after 0:03:55.440 --> 0:03:58.200 their streak ending loss to UCLA with a huge blowout 0:03:58.200 --> 0:04:01.320 win against unranked Purdue on SaaS. They'll try to do 0:04:01.360 --> 0:04:04.480 the same against a tough Duke team tomorrow, and they 0:04:04.480 --> 0:04:07.120 maybe feel an extra swaggy after the arrival of some 0:04:07.240 --> 0:04:10.560 new bling. On Monday, the team celebrated last year's title 0:04:10.600 --> 0:04:14.160 win by receiving their National Championship and SEC title rings 0:04:14.400 --> 0:04:16.680 during a ceremony at their arena in front of fans. 0:04:17.480 --> 0:04:20.560 More college hoops news. Nike has named Paige Beckers as 0:04:20.600 --> 0:04:23.400 the first name, image and likeness athlete to design and 0:04:23.480 --> 0:04:27.400 launch a player edition sneaker, The Nike GT Hustle three, 0:04:27.440 --> 0:04:30.520 will debut on Saturday. The sneaker features the area codes 0:04:30.520 --> 0:04:33.919 for stores Connecticut and Becker's hometown in Minnesota, intersecting on 0:04:34.040 --> 0:04:36.720 the left tongue. BU be Great is printed on the 0:04:36.800 --> 0:04:38.480 left heel as a nod to the message she gets 0:04:38.480 --> 0:04:41.160 from her dad before every game, and Beckers is printed 0:04:41.200 --> 0:04:45.400 on the right heel. We got to take a quick break. 0:04:45.400 --> 0:04:47.960 When we come back, we chat with my fellow Chicago gal, 0:04:48.040 --> 0:04:51.320 Sarah Gordon about life and work in sunny California. Stick 0:04:51.360 --> 0:05:01.520 around and now. She's a center back for Angel City 0:05:01.560 --> 0:05:04.119 of the NWSL. Previously played for the Chicago Red Stars. 0:05:04.120 --> 0:05:06.520 She's been named to the NWSL Best eleven twice. Was 0:05:06.560 --> 0:05:09.279 a twenty twenty one and twenty twenty three Iron Woman. 0:05:09.600 --> 0:05:12.680 That means she played every minute of those seasons. Ahead 0:05:12.720 --> 0:05:14.440 of this year, she was named vice captain of Angel 0:05:14.480 --> 0:05:16.680 City and often served as a captain with Ali Riley's 0:05:16.680 --> 0:05:19.000 sideline Dude injury. In April of this year, she made 0:05:19.000 --> 0:05:22.400 her one hundredth NWSL regular season appearance, and here's where 0:05:22.400 --> 0:05:25.680 her bio gets hijacked by friend and teammate Merrett Matthias. Quote. 0:05:25.960 --> 0:05:28.560 Sarah is a walking goddess in every essence of the word. 0:05:28.680 --> 0:05:30.839 She is a matcha making queen and a lover of 0:05:30.839 --> 0:05:33.200 a farmer's market. She will guide you through a meditation 0:05:33.279 --> 0:05:36.200 practice whenever Aston is committed to her grounding practices. She 0:05:36.360 --> 0:05:38.479 is my favorite locker buddy who will forever ask for 0:05:38.520 --> 0:05:40.800 face lotion. She has a fearsome, loving bomb to her 0:05:40.839 --> 0:05:42.680 two boys, Kayden and Micah. I don't know how she 0:05:42.720 --> 0:05:44.960 does it, but she is truly something special on and 0:05:44.960 --> 0:05:48.520 off the field. It's Sarah Gordon. Oh my gosh, hi wow, 0:05:48.560 --> 0:05:51.960 that was a lovely intro. Nice right, matcha making queen. 0:05:52.760 --> 0:05:56.159 Let's get you. Let's get you some milk and get 0:05:56.160 --> 0:05:59.520 your cooking for us. That sounds delightful. It's macho hard 0:05:59.560 --> 0:06:00.400 to make. What do you do? 0:06:00.440 --> 0:06:04.719 You just next it with you nolk, so you it's 0:06:04.720 --> 0:06:06.599 like grounded up and you mix it with water and 0:06:06.640 --> 0:06:08.960 then you like there's like a method to it, and 0:06:08.960 --> 0:06:09.919 then you add it to milk. 0:06:10.200 --> 0:06:13.279 Okay, it's delicious. I can't wait to try. As I mentioned, 0:06:13.320 --> 0:06:16.240 you were voted captain, you were voted the player's player 0:06:16.560 --> 0:06:19.640 on the team, you're a community fave. Like it feels 0:06:19.640 --> 0:06:22.200 like you really got embraced pretty quickly in LA. How 0:06:22.279 --> 0:06:23.200 was that transition for you. 0:06:23.720 --> 0:06:26.120 Yeah, well, the first season I was there, I tore 0:06:26.200 --> 0:06:28.160 my ACL so I was out for the whole season. 0:06:28.640 --> 0:06:31.520 So it was kind of easy to be in a way, 0:06:31.560 --> 0:06:33.520 to be sitting on the sidelines and just thinking about 0:06:33.560 --> 0:06:35.120 who I want to be when I come back and 0:06:35.120 --> 0:06:36.560 what I want to be to the team. And so 0:06:37.200 --> 0:06:41.440 my first season back twenty twenty three, I was voted 0:06:41.480 --> 0:06:44.000 the player's Player and all of those wonderful things, and 0:06:44.360 --> 0:06:48.080 it was obviously such an honor. And then this year 0:06:48.160 --> 0:06:50.880 that we just ended was much more difficult. We had 0:06:50.880 --> 0:06:54.440 a much more difficult season, and you know, being captain 0:06:54.560 --> 0:06:57.719 was hard, and I learned a lot. 0:06:57.560 --> 0:06:59.920 About myself in this leadership position. 0:07:00.120 --> 0:07:02.880 But I mean, it's just been amazing to be embraced 0:07:02.880 --> 0:07:05.040 by the girls in the community and everybody. 0:07:05.400 --> 0:07:07.200 I want to talk about Cayden because he is the 0:07:07.440 --> 0:07:11.400 cutest kid, and also based on some video footage, he 0:07:11.480 --> 0:07:12.880 kind of looks like he's going to be a little 0:07:12.960 --> 0:07:16.120 future soccer star. Is he into it? He loves soccer. 0:07:16.400 --> 0:07:18.840 It's all he's known because I obviously had him in 0:07:18.880 --> 0:07:21.360 college and so he just got thrown into the soccer 0:07:21.400 --> 0:07:24.000 mix right away. It took him a few years. At 0:07:24.000 --> 0:07:25.640 first he didn't want to play, but now he loves 0:07:25.680 --> 0:07:28.240 it and he's getting really good, which makes me very 0:07:28.280 --> 0:07:30.600 proud to be on the sidelines cheering for him and 0:07:30.680 --> 0:07:32.640 kind of giving him all the sport he's given me 0:07:32.680 --> 0:07:33.280 over the years. 0:07:33.520 --> 0:07:37.240 He's eleven, twelve, ten, ten, Okay, yes, he's already got 0:07:37.280 --> 0:07:40.040 your legs, so like that's a start. Oh, my soccer greatness. 0:07:40.120 --> 0:07:42.760 His legs are so he's so long and skinny. He's 0:07:42.760 --> 0:07:44.680 a stick, so everyone thinks he's like thirteen, but no, 0:07:44.720 --> 0:07:45.360 he's only ten. 0:07:46.160 --> 0:07:48.880 You mentioned de Paul. You're a Chicago gow you grew 0:07:48.960 --> 0:07:50.920 up there, you went to college at DePaul, you played 0:07:50.960 --> 0:07:53.560 for the Red Stars, but you headed west with Caiden 0:07:53.600 --> 0:07:56.120 in twenty twenty one. And I want to know how 0:07:56.160 --> 0:07:59.280 he's enjoying life in la Like did he get used 0:07:59.280 --> 0:08:02.200 to the Chicago vibes and now is having to adjust. 0:08:02.520 --> 0:08:06.680 So he currently loves his life. I can confirm. It's 0:08:06.720 --> 0:08:09.600 really funny. I actually just read an essay that he wrote. 0:08:09.800 --> 0:08:12.440 We had like parent teacher conferences, and the teacher gave 0:08:12.440 --> 0:08:13.280 me the essay and. 0:08:13.200 --> 0:08:15.000 It was like his journey. 0:08:15.040 --> 0:08:17.280 The whole essay ended up being about my soccer career, 0:08:17.320 --> 0:08:20.040 but like his journey on the sideline of it, and 0:08:20.120 --> 0:08:21.960 in it he was like, Yeah, one day, my mom 0:08:22.000 --> 0:08:24.440 just told me we're leaving Chicago and moving to LA 0:08:24.520 --> 0:08:26.640 And I asked her why and she ignored me, and 0:08:26.680 --> 0:08:28.960 it said this in the essay, and I'm like, Okay, 0:08:29.040 --> 0:08:31.200 am I a good mom? Am I not? But no, 0:08:31.240 --> 0:08:33.520 he loves he loves living in LA he loves the team. 0:08:34.160 --> 0:08:35.920 He has his own team now and he's just doing 0:08:35.960 --> 0:08:36.400 really well. 0:08:37.280 --> 0:08:39.120 Did you have to grow up pretty fast having him 0:08:39.120 --> 0:08:39.560 in college? 0:08:40.040 --> 0:08:42.320 Yeah, I would say I was probably as immature as 0:08:42.320 --> 0:08:45.679 immature gets up until I got pregnant at twenty, and 0:08:45.720 --> 0:08:48.439 then it was like the total opposite. 0:08:48.480 --> 0:08:49.959 I really had to grow up. 0:08:50.880 --> 0:08:54.800 I feel like I was kind of sheltered, and then 0:08:55.640 --> 0:08:58.360 after that it was I was just exposed to life 0:08:58.400 --> 0:09:00.480 and you know, had to make adult decision and be 0:09:00.520 --> 0:09:03.480 an adult and take care of my baby. And I mean, 0:09:04.080 --> 0:09:06.200 at the time it was scary. But now I'm like, 0:09:06.920 --> 0:09:09.360 just I don't know where I would be if you know, 0:09:09.400 --> 0:09:10.400 that wasn't my journey. 0:09:10.480 --> 0:09:12.920 So you figured it out, and you had to figure 0:09:12.920 --> 0:09:16.200 out motherhood in soccer at a couple different levels, right, 0:09:16.280 --> 0:09:18.600 first in college, how do you do that? Then with 0:09:18.679 --> 0:09:20.640 the Red Stars trying to make a name for yourself 0:09:20.640 --> 0:09:23.520 as a professional athlete, and now with Angel City. How 0:09:23.559 --> 0:09:26.679 do you think the NWSL does in supporting players who 0:09:26.720 --> 0:09:29.480 are moms. It's come up a lot this topic lately, 0:09:29.520 --> 0:09:32.440 particularly on ACFC, and I think it sounds like the 0:09:32.440 --> 0:09:36.040 conversations might actually be making things better. I know, at 0:09:36.040 --> 0:09:38.720 the time for Angel City not great, taking the points 0:09:38.760 --> 0:09:40.920 lost in the fines, but it sounds like we're going 0:09:41.000 --> 0:09:44.520 to start having smart conversations about how hiring practices will 0:09:44.520 --> 0:09:47.320 be affected if teams have to spend out of their 0:09:47.360 --> 0:09:49.080 own money for others. Yeah. 0:09:49.160 --> 0:09:52.120 I mean, I feel like I'm probably a broken record 0:09:52.320 --> 0:09:55.240 talking about this, But in twenty sixteen when I was drafted, 0:09:55.360 --> 0:09:58.400 like there was no help for moms and I was 0:09:58.400 --> 0:10:01.040 making under ten thousand dollars for the whole season, and 0:10:01.120 --> 0:10:03.400 so I was on government aid to get my son 0:10:03.440 --> 0:10:06.760 in daycare and to and honestly, like food stamps to 0:10:06.760 --> 0:10:10.320 help pay for things, like it is so crazy how 0:10:10.360 --> 0:10:11.120 far we've come. 0:10:11.600 --> 0:10:12.559 Obviously, with free. 0:10:12.360 --> 0:10:15.679 Agency, you can negotiate things into your contract that you need. 0:10:18.240 --> 0:10:19.280 We got into. 0:10:19.679 --> 0:10:23.679 That's actually I mean, obviously, losing three points was disastrous 0:10:23.679 --> 0:10:25.440 and terrible, and there's a lot of things that go 0:10:25.480 --> 0:10:27.920 into that that made that so wrong. You know, following 0:10:27.960 --> 0:10:31.880 the rules is important, but the conversations around helping moms 0:10:31.920 --> 0:10:36.480 continues to grow, and like I said before, like being 0:10:36.520 --> 0:10:38.680 able to have my son travel with me and be 0:10:38.760 --> 0:10:41.120 at the games and you know, be at the Championship 0:10:41.120 --> 0:10:43.480 in twenty twenty one and you know, fly to Louisville 0:10:43.520 --> 0:10:46.120 with me this year. It's just amazing. And it's affected 0:10:46.200 --> 0:10:49.600 him so much, like he loves to be there, like 0:10:49.640 --> 0:10:52.760 he is so bought in, and so you know, if 0:10:52.760 --> 0:10:54.599 that wasn't the case, I would just be kind of 0:10:54.600 --> 0:10:56.360 an absent mom at time. So to be able to 0:10:56.360 --> 0:10:58.320 bring him with on this journey is so important. 0:10:58.640 --> 0:11:01.000 And also to be able to play your best, Like 0:11:01.040 --> 0:11:02.960 you're not gonna be your best self with your team 0:11:03.000 --> 0:11:06.360 in at games if you know that you're sacrificing in 0:11:06.400 --> 0:11:09.640 a way that's not There's always sacrifice, right, You can't. 0:11:09.720 --> 0:11:11.319 You can't have it all. I hate to break it 0:11:11.360 --> 0:11:13.040 to everyone who're still trying to figure that out. You 0:11:13.040 --> 0:11:15.720 have to choose some things, but you can be supported 0:11:15.760 --> 0:11:18.040 in a way that allows you to choose yourself in 0:11:18.080 --> 0:11:20.520 your career and also be a great mom. And that 0:11:20.559 --> 0:11:23.240 didn't seem like it was really an option before or 0:11:23.240 --> 0:11:25.160 even in ways that just make you feel guilty. I know, 0:11:25.480 --> 0:11:27.280 you know, hearing from Sid LaRue talking about having a 0:11:27.360 --> 0:11:30.600 roommate with her kid in the room. Yeah, that's untenable. 0:11:30.800 --> 0:11:32.960 Yes, yes, I mean like at one point we weren't 0:11:32.960 --> 0:11:34.720 even allowed to bring our kids on trips at all, 0:11:35.000 --> 0:11:36.760 and then also did the roommate thing. 0:11:36.800 --> 0:11:40.120 That was fun. Shout out Stantin. Oh my gosh. I 0:11:40.160 --> 0:11:42.240 hope she rubbed off on him though, because she's the 0:11:42.280 --> 0:11:44.920 best and that would be the best auntie for a 0:11:44.960 --> 0:11:47.280 little kid. Yes, she definitely robbed off on him. He 0:11:47.320 --> 0:11:48.000 loves her forever. 0:11:48.559 --> 0:11:51.959 But I mean, yeah, I feel like with being a mom, 0:11:52.080 --> 0:11:53.959 like you said, you can't have it all, Like I'm 0:11:53.960 --> 0:11:56.120 always gonna feel guilty, like I'm always giving a little 0:11:56.160 --> 0:11:58.040 bit more to my career unless my son or vice 0:11:58.120 --> 0:12:01.880 versa in the moment. But there's a balance, and a 0:12:01.880 --> 0:12:04.040 lot of times that balance means my kid being with 0:12:04.080 --> 0:12:04.840 me when he can be. 0:12:05.559 --> 0:12:09.280 You are engaged. Now you're getting married next year. Congratulations. 0:12:10.200 --> 0:12:12.080 That was part of the move to LA was making 0:12:12.120 --> 0:12:14.360 sure you and your fiance had you know, a place 0:12:14.480 --> 0:12:16.880 to be together, pursue your different work. He has a 0:12:16.920 --> 0:12:20.280 son as well. How's the blended family? Micah is his name. 0:12:20.360 --> 0:12:23.560 So Mica and Cayden are they BFFs? Okay? 0:12:23.559 --> 0:12:26.920 So Micah is fifteen, So he just started way too 0:12:27.000 --> 0:12:27.680 cool for Cayden. 0:12:27.920 --> 0:12:30.959 Oh my god, he's too Sometimes I find myself being like. 0:12:30.960 --> 0:12:33.280 Am I cool enough for Mecca? Like I just need 0:12:33.320 --> 0:12:35.599 to make sure that I hope he doesn't ever hear this. 0:12:35.920 --> 0:12:39.240 That embarrassing, But I mean it's going amazing. There's a 0:12:39.240 --> 0:12:40.920 lot of bumps and like things that we're learning. 0:12:41.480 --> 0:12:42.120 It's obviously. 0:12:42.200 --> 0:12:44.320 I mean, I can't imagine how difficult it's been for him. 0:12:44.320 --> 0:12:46.720 He lived in Tallahassee his whole life. He's moved to 0:12:46.800 --> 0:12:49.360 LA in the past year. He started high school. He 0:12:49.360 --> 0:12:51.320 has a million things going on. He's away from his 0:12:51.360 --> 0:12:54.800 mom and I'm away a lot, so it's like we're 0:12:54.840 --> 0:12:57.760 always figuring things out. But he's an incredible kid, and 0:12:58.320 --> 0:12:59.160 you know, we make it work. 0:12:59.240 --> 0:13:01.679 That's all we can do. I feel like, also, he's 0:13:01.679 --> 0:13:03.080 about to be at that age where all of his 0:13:03.120 --> 0:13:06.679 friends are like, dude, your step mom is hot, like 0:13:07.440 --> 0:13:09.920 you are about to your step mom is hot and 0:13:10.120 --> 0:13:13.000 cool and a professional athlete, and can she introduce us 0:13:13.040 --> 0:13:15.520 to this person? And can she take us to this party? 0:13:15.600 --> 0:13:18.880 And like you're about to go through it? Girl, Oh god, 0:13:19.000 --> 0:13:22.280 that sounds horrible. I'm just saying honest facts, like you. 0:13:22.320 --> 0:13:23.800 Want them to think I'm cool, Like I just want 0:13:23.840 --> 0:13:24.760 to be the cool step mom. 0:13:24.840 --> 0:13:29.360 Trust me, You're gonna be fine, Okay, Like you're to 0:13:29.440 --> 0:13:33.800 steal merit. You're objectively a goddess. And I'm going to 0:13:34.080 --> 0:13:37.560 enjoy the stories of what goes on with those sons 0:13:37.600 --> 0:13:39.920 and all their friends wanting let's stop buy your mom's house. 0:13:40.320 --> 0:13:45.479 What's she up to? Weird? Not touching that? Yeah yeah, yeah, 0:13:45.600 --> 0:13:47.920 that's just me being weird. You're not involved, you're not 0:13:47.960 --> 0:13:50.960 affected by that combo. How has the reinvention been for 0:13:51.000 --> 0:13:53.120 you in LA, Because based on some of our mutual 0:13:53.120 --> 0:13:55.080 friends and just what I see on instant does feel 0:13:55.080 --> 0:13:56.880 like it's not just a new team in a new place. 0:13:56.880 --> 0:13:59.200 But like a place for you to really find yourself 0:13:59.200 --> 0:14:00.880 and discover yourself at this point in your life. 0:14:01.280 --> 0:14:06.360 Yeah. I mean I feel like I'm someone who's crazy 0:14:06.480 --> 0:14:10.760 about self discovery and like self reinvention and figuring out 0:14:10.800 --> 0:14:13.400 who am I really And a lot of that is 0:14:13.440 --> 0:14:15.640 about stripping away all the things that I thought I 0:14:15.720 --> 0:14:18.560 know about myself and figuring out who I am. And 0:14:18.600 --> 0:14:21.160 that's an ongoing process and LA is a perfect place 0:14:21.160 --> 0:14:23.040 for that because it's a very woo woo town. 0:14:23.200 --> 0:14:26.000 Uh huh. So there's lots of like yoga spots and 0:14:26.080 --> 0:14:30.760 meditation and crystal journeys with merrit Ooh yes, yes, yes, 0:14:31.280 --> 0:14:32.720 so it really is. 0:14:33.680 --> 0:14:35.920 I mean it's a perfect place to find yourself, but 0:14:35.960 --> 0:14:37.920 it's also a place that you can get lost in 0:14:38.000 --> 0:14:40.720 all of the bullshit if you don't have a clear head, 0:14:41.720 --> 0:14:43.360 which I feel like. I don't want to say I 0:14:43.400 --> 0:14:46.200 started that way, but I started in a way where 0:14:46.400 --> 0:14:48.560 I thought I was one person, you know, tore my 0:14:48.600 --> 0:14:51.560 acl and then really went on this self discovery journey 0:14:51.560 --> 0:14:54.880 because I had the time to do it. But I 0:14:54.920 --> 0:14:57.520 mean it's home now. I'm here in Kansas City, freezing 0:14:57.560 --> 0:15:00.160 my butt off because it's thirty two degrees out and 0:15:00.240 --> 0:15:01.560 I can't anywhere else. 0:15:01.640 --> 0:15:03.760 We lost her Chicago. She's not one of us. 0:15:03.760 --> 0:15:06.480 And even though I'm still Chicago girl, I swear I. 0:15:06.400 --> 0:15:09.360 Lived in LA for six years, so I get it. Yeah. Yeah, 0:15:09.400 --> 0:15:11.400 And I love the I When I was younger, I 0:15:11.400 --> 0:15:13.120 didn't as much. But I think women, especially as we 0:15:13.120 --> 0:15:15.360 get older, a lot of us end up really liking 0:15:15.400 --> 0:15:19.560 the jew the kind of judu hippie, dippy vibes, eat it, 0:15:19.640 --> 0:15:23.040 and yeah, I think LA is a good place for that. 0:15:23.120 --> 0:15:26.240 What do you miss most about Chicago though? The community? 0:15:26.680 --> 0:15:30.200 You know, like having my my friends who had become 0:15:30.240 --> 0:15:33.920 my family there and it's just like it's an energy 0:15:34.200 --> 0:15:36.800 of Chicago that you they don't have that in La. 0:15:36.960 --> 0:15:39.040 You know, it's the community and the energy of the city, 0:15:39.040 --> 0:15:41.160 and it's not the same in La. Everything is spread out. 0:15:41.520 --> 0:15:43.520 It's a little bit harder to find like your click 0:15:43.560 --> 0:15:46.560 and your people there. But with that being said, there's 0:15:46.600 --> 0:15:49.200 more space to devote to finding yourself and you know 0:15:49.280 --> 0:15:49.760 what you love. 0:15:50.120 --> 0:15:52.160 Yeah, And there's something about nature that's very healing for me, 0:15:52.360 --> 0:15:55.560 just like being able to go hiking in Pacific Palisades 0:15:55.600 --> 0:15:58.320 and then walk the strand in Hermosa Manhattan, or go 0:15:58.520 --> 0:16:00.960 find a mountain somewhere, go to tow in a day. 0:16:01.120 --> 0:16:03.280 You know, like that is hard in the city. You 0:16:03.320 --> 0:16:05.760 do feel like the speed and how compact it is 0:16:05.800 --> 0:16:07.960 does create that community, but it also means that you 0:16:08.000 --> 0:16:10.960 always can have a distraction from yourself and when you 0:16:10.960 --> 0:16:13.520 have the space, it's almost like an offering to stop 0:16:13.560 --> 0:16:16.480 and like figure shit out. Wow, that was really beautiful. 0:16:16.520 --> 0:16:16.800 Thank you. 0:16:16.960 --> 0:16:19.840 And also the hikes are so true because I would 0:16:19.880 --> 0:16:23.000 never consider myself a hiking girl. I had some things 0:16:23.000 --> 0:16:24.480 to say about hiking that I'm not gonna. 0:16:24.240 --> 0:16:25.880 Say right now. I'm like, that is not for me. 0:16:26.440 --> 0:16:28.080 And now I'm like, I love a morning hike with 0:16:28.120 --> 0:16:29.200 my dog, Like, who am I? 0:16:29.640 --> 0:16:31.760 That's the thing I missed the most about LA was 0:16:31.800 --> 0:16:33.480 three to four times a week, Like that was how 0:16:33.520 --> 0:16:35.400 I would start. And it's like clears your head. You 0:16:35.440 --> 0:16:37.240 can listen to music or a podcast or take a 0:16:37.240 --> 0:16:39.120 friend and talk whatever it is. But like you're moving 0:16:39.520 --> 0:16:42.840 and you're around like nature. So I love that for you. 0:16:43.000 --> 0:16:45.240 I love that you're becoming a hiking girl. NICKI would 0:16:45.280 --> 0:16:47.600 be so proud. Nicky Stanton is the queen of hikes. 0:16:47.800 --> 0:16:49.840 She's the queen of hikes and she's really proud of 0:16:49.840 --> 0:16:51.120 me for that and that I have a dog. 0:16:51.160 --> 0:16:53.280 She's like, who is this woman? Tell us about the dog. 0:16:54.280 --> 0:16:56.720 His name is seven and he's the love of my life. 0:16:56.800 --> 0:16:58.480 Okay, tell us more what kind of dog is. He's 0:16:58.520 --> 0:16:59.040 a Doberman. 0:16:59.120 --> 0:17:01.760 We just adopted him and he's an angel. 0:17:03.240 --> 0:17:05.200 Well, I look forward to the Instagram being taken over 0:17:05.240 --> 0:17:07.520 by it. Please and thank you it hasn Okay, good. 0:17:08.640 --> 0:17:10.400 Before we let you go, I want to talk ACFC 0:17:10.480 --> 0:17:13.760 really quick. Great ownership, great stadium, incredible fans, incredible vibes, 0:17:13.760 --> 0:17:17.199 incredible publicity, incredible energy. Like everything is great except for 0:17:17.280 --> 0:17:20.679 maybe not the results on the field. How do you 0:17:20.680 --> 0:17:23.840 fix that? What makes that allows that to change? 0:17:24.840 --> 0:17:28.760 The vision for this club is great, and really like 0:17:28.920 --> 0:17:31.880 implementing that in all avenues is going to be important. 0:17:32.400 --> 0:17:37.560 I feel like this last season the league improved, Like 0:17:37.800 --> 0:17:41.359 the rosters are incredible, the staffs are the staff members 0:17:41.400 --> 0:17:45.919 are incredible, and so you know, everything needs to be 0:17:45.960 --> 0:17:49.879 stepped up. It's obviously like an honor to play for 0:17:49.920 --> 0:17:52.800 a club that you know stands for more than just 0:17:53.320 --> 0:17:56.040 soccer and has incredible fans and you know you go 0:17:56.080 --> 0:17:57.919 to a game and they're almost always sold out, Like 0:17:58.000 --> 0:18:02.480 that is incredible, But putting performances together is what's most important, Like, 0:18:02.520 --> 0:18:05.479 it's what we're here to do. And if I'm not winning, 0:18:05.600 --> 0:18:07.159 you know, if I'm not succeeding, then I feel like 0:18:07.160 --> 0:18:10.680 I'm failing. And so I don't necessarily have all the answers. 0:18:11.280 --> 0:18:14.560 But I think that, you know, everyone who's who's going 0:18:14.640 --> 0:18:16.359 to be their next year is really focused and really 0:18:16.359 --> 0:18:18.720 committed to the growth of our team, and I'm excited 0:18:18.760 --> 0:18:20.120 to see like where that takes us. 0:18:21.000 --> 0:18:22.800 I'm no expert, but I feel like, can you can 0:18:22.840 --> 0:18:25.560 you go out and get a Barbara Banda or a Temwa. 0:18:25.240 --> 0:18:27.200 That feels like that worked out well for those teams 0:18:27.200 --> 0:18:28.840 this year that is going well. 0:18:29.040 --> 0:18:32.280 I mean, they're incredible players going well. Rachel Kundananji, Like, 0:18:32.359 --> 0:18:34.080 I feel like that's truly going to be the secret 0:18:34.160 --> 0:18:36.040 moving forward. You look at those players that are so 0:18:36.160 --> 0:18:39.040 incredibly talented, and they're playing in systems that aren't yet 0:18:39.280 --> 0:18:42.880 supported and invested in enough, and to watch them come 0:18:42.920 --> 0:18:45.760