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Speaker 1: Levels to This is an iHeart women's sports production in

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Speaker 1: partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. You can find

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Speaker 1: us on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you

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Speaker 1: get your podcasts.

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Speaker 2: Hey, what's going on? Everybody? It's Tarka Fosta Brasby.

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Speaker 3: And your girl Cheryl Swoops.

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Speaker 1: What's up y'all?

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Speaker 2: Hey? And this is Levels to This, the podcast, the

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Speaker 2: show where we share that it's Levels, so the ship

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Speaker 2: that women go through. We have certainly have a fun

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Speaker 2: show lined up for you today. But first, Cheryl, I

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Speaker 2: wanted to follow up on something. So remember we were

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Speaker 2: talking about New Year's resolutions getting right or whatever.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, so I'll laughing and I don't even know where

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Speaker 1: you're going with this, but I'm laughing. I'll tell you

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Speaker 1: why I'm laughing because you bucked your eyes really.

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Speaker 2: Big, and I was like, I don't share where I'm

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Speaker 2: going with this either. I don't just take off going

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Speaker 2: with this either, because I decided that I was going

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Speaker 2: to do a lifestyle change. Now, first I trying to

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Speaker 2: change my mentality by changing the words and saying lifestyle change.

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Speaker 2: But really, a bitch is on a diet and am hungry.

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Speaker 2: That's that's really where we are. Okay, I'm on this

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Speaker 2: new shit they out here talking about. Here's your meal player,

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Speaker 2: and I'm making all this nice little food and stuff.

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Speaker 4: Girl.

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Speaker 2: They got me intermittent fast and so I'm not supposed

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Speaker 2: to eat between twelve midnight and twelve noon. Now that

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Speaker 2: might not sound like a big deal for most people,

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Speaker 2: because you would think that most people are sleep between

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Speaker 2: midnight and last night.

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Speaker 3: Good luck with that, girl.

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Speaker 2: I'll be up until one o'clock in the morning, and

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Speaker 2: sometimes I want a sandwich.

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Speaker 3: She want a snack, and I'm hungry. So then listen.

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Speaker 3: Then maybe you need to go to bed earlier.

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Speaker 2: And maybe and then I wake up at ten o'clock,

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Speaker 2: nine o'clock in the morning, and I can't.

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Speaker 1: Eat until you only got a couple hours. Girl, I'm

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Speaker 1: not gonna lie to you. I couldn't do that because

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Speaker 1: I'm like you. I like even if I get in

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Speaker 1: bed at like ten or eleven, I'm still wide awake

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Speaker 1: and I usually don't fall asleep until around two am,

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Speaker 1: and then I'm up at like eight, So that shit

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Speaker 1: wouldn't work for me.

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Speaker 2: It's barely it's barely working for me and my husband.

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Speaker 2: God bless his soul. He trying to be supportive, right,

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Speaker 2: but he come in and he say a little slick shit.

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Speaker 2: You know. He'll look on the stove and see the

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Speaker 2: food and be like, oh is this your mual portion? Like,

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Speaker 2: oh is this fully seasoned? Or is there light seasoning?

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Speaker 1: And I just want to be right, But I can

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Speaker 1: only imagine how difficult that is, Well it would be

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Speaker 1: for me, but for you because like your husband's a chef.

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Speaker 2: Hello, what does he be?

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Speaker 3: But he be cooking girl, and I would want to eat.

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Speaker 2: So the good thing is that I'm supposed to be

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Speaker 2: able to like eat whatever I want in those time

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Speaker 2: frames that they that that I'm not fasting. That's what

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Speaker 2: I'm supposed to do, right. But this is where they

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Speaker 2: trick you. Where they trick you is they give you

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Speaker 2: a calorie goal. To me, now, it's a calorie goal, right,

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Speaker 2: so you should strive to be within this in this range.

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Speaker 2: But I'm a I'm a I'm a fucking perfectionist, right, Like,

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Speaker 2: I don't want to be that person that is like

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Speaker 2: two hundred three hundred one Today though, fuck this, I'm

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Speaker 2: about to get a burger and some chili cheese, fris

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Speaker 2: damn and a damn beer and.

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Speaker 3: A milk and a milkshake and a milkshop.

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Speaker 2: I'm going all in because a sick of it.

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Speaker 3: Okay, how how long have you been on this diet?

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Speaker 2: I started this diet the week after the beginning of

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Speaker 2: the year, so it's going on two weeks and and

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Speaker 2: and to be fair, it's not fair to yourself, to

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Speaker 2: be fair to my to be fair to the to

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Speaker 2: the dieting plan. It's not bad like it's not it's

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Speaker 2: the it's not the diet. It is not the app

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Speaker 2: it is not what they're required. I ain't mean to do.

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Speaker 4: It's me.

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Speaker 2: I'm fat and I love it here and I need

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Speaker 2: to just accept that.

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Speaker 3: Well, here's my question for you.

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Speaker 1: Are you are you doing this diet or lifestyle change?

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Speaker 2: Lifestyle change?

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Speaker 3: Yeah?

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Speaker 1: Are you doing this lifestyle change for you and yourself

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Speaker 1: or for someone else?

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Speaker 2: It is that? Who the hell else would it be?

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Speaker 2: Form Just saying, listen, if my husband ever come out

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Speaker 2: of his mouth and say to me, see, you're getting

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Speaker 2: a little fam You met me fat, you proposed fat,

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Speaker 2: You're married with fat, and you love all of this.

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Speaker 2: You love this fan fat no more? Dammit, but no,

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Speaker 2: it is it is absolutely for me. I want to

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Speaker 2: walk into this season and I and by season, I

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Speaker 2: mean women's basketball season. When I look at myself on television,

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Speaker 2: I want to feel comfortable. I want to feel like

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Speaker 2: I look good and my outfit, you know what I mean.

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Speaker 2: Like I see these there little outfits and I'm like, damn,

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Speaker 2: I want to wear thatple girl. My gut is hanging out.

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Speaker 2: I can't do that. So it is so there with

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Speaker 2: you for me, it's for me, It's for me. My

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Speaker 2: goal is twenty five pounds I'm currently and I have

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Speaker 2: no problem sharing this with the worlds. It's not a secret.

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Speaker 2: I'm currently two hundred and sixteen pounds. My goal is

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Speaker 2: one hundred and ninety and according to this app, if

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Speaker 2: I stay on this track, I should meet my target

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Speaker 2: weight by May. And I think that's doable. So, yeah,

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Speaker 2: that's doable.

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Speaker 3: I am.

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Speaker 1: I'm there with you because and we've had these conversations there.

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Speaker 1: You know, there are some days I look at myself

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Speaker 1: in the mirror and I'm like, of course you've gained

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Speaker 1: weight because you don't play anymore and I don't work

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Speaker 1: out like I used to natural and I'm like, but okay,

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Speaker 1: I can live with this me. Then there are other

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Speaker 1: days I look at myself in the mirror and I'm like, damn,

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Speaker 1: like who is that?

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Speaker 3: And I don't like that person I see. So I

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Speaker 3: feel you, but I ain't there what you want to

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Speaker 3: die right now?

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Speaker 2: Yeah? I mean I feel like I feel that. I

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Speaker 2: love It's cool.

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Speaker 4: I love it.

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Speaker 1: Love too.

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Speaker 5: To eat.

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Speaker 3: I like to eat whenever I want to eat me.

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Speaker 1: So if I want to get up at one in

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Speaker 1: the morning and go grab me some bean dipping Fredos,

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Speaker 1: I'm gonna grab me some bean dipping friedos. I'm not

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Speaker 1: mad at that Oreo cookies and just let me do it.

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Speaker 2: I know, I know. I'm with you there too. I

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Speaker 2: love to do that too. I'm trying to be disciplined,

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Speaker 2: so got you there it is. But you know what

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Speaker 2: I need to help me? What I need people to

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Speaker 2: continue to encourage me, support me, and to lift me up.

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Speaker 2: And that is exactly what we're going to talk about

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Speaker 2: on today's show because we have an incredible guest who

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Speaker 2: has for years done just that with other young women

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Speaker 2: who are looking to get into the space of journalism

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Speaker 2: and sports reporting and broadcasting. She has lifted people up.

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Speaker 2: She has continued to speak like to them and support them,

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Speaker 2: and today we are going to have a great time

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Speaker 2: chatting with none other than La China Robinson. So please

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Speaker 2: keep a lot because we're about to into the next

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Speaker 2: level chure. I know I probably say this almost every

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Speaker 2: time we have a guest on the show, that I'm

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Speaker 2: super excited to have the guests, so at some point

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Speaker 2: it probably starts to sound fake, but I'm really for

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Speaker 2: real every single time I say it, I know you

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Speaker 2: are today. I am incredibly excited for today's guest because

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Speaker 2: not only is this person a friend of mine to

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Speaker 2: tie into today's themes, she was a mentor for me.

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Speaker 2: I looked at the things she did and the way

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Speaker 2: she moved and how she interacted with people, and I

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Speaker 2: will never forget back. In twenty nineteen, we were in

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Speaker 2: Tampa for the final four. She and I used to

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Speaker 2: host the show together Around the Rim, which was an

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Speaker 2: ESPN podcast, and we were doing a live show in

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Speaker 2: Tampa for twenty nineteen and we wanted Down Stavey to

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Speaker 2: come on the show. Dawn was like, we're going through

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Speaker 2: workouts and some other stuff, so it's most likely that

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Speaker 2: I'm not going to be able to make it to

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Speaker 2: the live tape, and so I was like, oh, okay, cool,

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Speaker 2: no big deal. As producer, we would make it work.

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Speaker 2: About fifteen minutes into the show, I get a text

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Speaker 2: from Dawn that's like, where are y'all at again? Because

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Speaker 2: I'm on my way and I'm bringing some people with me.

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Speaker 2: I'm freaking out, like, oh my god, we gotta make

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Speaker 2: room for Dawn because Dawn coming. And she responses says

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Speaker 2: anything for La China.

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Speaker 3: Of course.

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Speaker 2: I'm trying to get on the level where all I

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Speaker 2: have to do is people mention my name and they

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Speaker 2: say anything for you the way they say anything for

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Speaker 2: La China. She is just killing the game and has

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Speaker 2: been for many years. But I'm excited to bring La

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Speaker 2: China Robinson on the show today.

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Speaker 5: Hey girl, Hey, let me tell you what that level

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Speaker 5: is called. It is called in the trenches. That's what

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Speaker 5: that level is called. If you really want to know, There's.

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Speaker 3: Been a lot of places, seen a lot of things,

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Speaker 3: a lot of things.

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Speaker 4: I love you guys, Hi book here, t.

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Speaker 1: Let me just add a little bit to that before

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Speaker 1: we get into this conversation.

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Speaker 2: It's coming, no, but it's true. It's trying not to crack.

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Speaker 4: It's already embarrassed.

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Speaker 1: When La China Robinson texts you, calls you, emails you,

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Speaker 1: yodels at you.

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Speaker 3: Whatever she does.

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Speaker 1: You listen, you come, you do because she has been

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Speaker 1: in this woman's basketball space for a minute.

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Speaker 3: Do you know me, I will shed a tear at

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Speaker 3: the drop of a dime.

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Speaker 1: Lachina Robinson, whether she knows this or not, she picked

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Speaker 1: me up from a very low, dark place I was

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Speaker 1: in a couple of years ago and like really helped

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Speaker 1: me get back on my feet when everybody was like no, no, no.

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Speaker 1: Lachina reached out to me and was like, hey girl,

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Speaker 1: I need you come do this studio with me, wnba

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Speaker 1: all of that. And I was like, eh, okay, I

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Speaker 1: would love to, but she was like, uh, I got this,

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Speaker 1: and I kid you not. It was probably a week later,

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Speaker 1: maybe two weeks later. I was in studio with Lachina

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Speaker 1: Robinson and that's all I'll say because I am.

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Speaker 3: Shedding a tear. You just can't see. See. I need

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Speaker 3: to say to you, La China, and I've told you.

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Speaker 1: This, but I'm gonna tell you again, Like I just

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Speaker 1: thank you for always being true to who you are,

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Speaker 1: always keeping it real and no matter what's going on.

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Speaker 3: You continue to just be who you are.

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Speaker 1: I am forever indebted to you for believing in me

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Speaker 1: and my ability.

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Speaker 5: So thank girl, my goodness, Please stop that. I am

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Speaker 5: just paying back what you have done for me and

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Speaker 5: so many people.

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Speaker 4: You gave me a dream.

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Speaker 5: Watching you play basketball was like, how can I be

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Speaker 5: a part of that? Well, I can't play with Cheryl.

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Speaker 5: Maybe I can cover her career and the things that

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Speaker 5: she has done. You have inspired me in so many

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Speaker 5: ways to your journey that you don't even know the

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Speaker 5: way your story has touched me. I have only done

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Speaker 5: a very small piece of what you have done by

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Speaker 5: lifting me and inspiring me, and we all owe you.

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Speaker 4: Let me tell you this, Cheryl. I've been out here.

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Speaker 5: I've had to restrain myself out in Ease Street, Cheryl,

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Speaker 5: because you know China knows this about me. I've never

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Speaker 5: been in a fight in my life. My friend, don't

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Speaker 5: get hurt. But I'm probably not gonna jump in the fight. Okay,

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Speaker 5: that's just I ain't never been in a fight. But

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Speaker 5: there have been times where I feel like the respect

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Speaker 5: level for you, Cheryl, just hasn't been where it needs

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Speaker 5: to be, and it has hurt me.

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Speaker 4: I'm an impath this.

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Speaker 5: I act real hard on the outside, but when it

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Speaker 5: comes to the people I love and care about and

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Speaker 5: even honestly strangers, when people.

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Speaker 4: Are hurting or they're being done wrong.

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Speaker 5: I feel it as if it's me and so Cheryl,

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Speaker 5: you don't owe me any kind of recognition.

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Speaker 4: You have done that for me than you will ever know,

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Speaker 4: and more for all of us. It's okay, do it.

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Speaker 2: And that's really what the basis of this entire show

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Speaker 2: is about today, because ally shit, mentorship kind of being

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Speaker 2: able to bring people along with you is something that

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Speaker 2: we don't see enough of in this industry. We have

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Speaker 2: all at some point felt like if just one person

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Speaker 2: gives me a recommendation, or if just one person speaks

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Speaker 2: my name, or if just one person shows me where

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Speaker 2: I'm supposed to go this arena because I've never done

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Speaker 2: this before and I don't know where the media room

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Speaker 2: is and I don't know where I'm supposed to sit,

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Speaker 2: and I don't know what I'm supposed to do. Like

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Speaker 2: if just one person sees us, we kind of feel

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Speaker 2: a little bit better. And you know, the China you

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Speaker 2: said just a little piece, but Nasis, really you've been

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Speaker 2: doing a big piece. For a few years now, I

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Speaker 2: have been motivated every time I look on TV and

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Speaker 2: I see Isis, Andrea Carter, Dominique, Patrick, Zora Stevenson. I

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Speaker 2: look at all these women who are killing it in

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Speaker 2: the game. The common denominator between all of them is

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Speaker 2: that they were mentored by you. They were part of

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Speaker 2: your Rising Media Stars program. I just would love for

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Speaker 2: you to give us a little background. Where did this

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Speaker 2: want or need to give back was going to be

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Speaker 2: something that was going to be part of your legacy

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Speaker 2: in so many ways? How did it become Rising Media Stars?

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Speaker 4: Yeah?

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Speaker 5: Well, we've all been in a place in life where

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Speaker 5: we have needed someone to just give us a hand

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Speaker 5: lift us up. I've been in some low places in

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Speaker 5: life starting out with that personal experience, I've never wanted

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Speaker 5: to miss that opportunity where God was showing me a

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Speaker 5: window to be a difference maker for someone else. One

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Speaker 5: of my biggest fears is not being there when someone

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Speaker 5: needs me. That's been the driving force for me a

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Speaker 5: lot in my life, even going back to my childhood.

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Speaker 5: I'm an impath, so I'm just very sensitive to people's

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Speaker 5: pain points and for me personally, coming along this journey

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Speaker 5: in sports, media and just in the world as a

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Speaker 5: black woman. I know what it's like to fill alone,

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Speaker 5: to be overlooked, to be unseen, for people to make

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Speaker 5: you feel like you're not needed, for your voice to

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Speaker 5: be muted, for you not to get the visibility, the

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Speaker 5: recognition you deserve. It really starts with wanting others that

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Speaker 5: are coming after me to not have to suffer those

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Speaker 5: same experiences if I can have anything.

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Speaker 4: To do with it.

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Speaker 5: Now, let's be honest, Andrea Zora, all the women in

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Speaker 5: our program, they were going to get to where they

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Speaker 5: are anyway. But what we try to do with rising

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Speaker 5: media stars is to create a sense of safety in

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Speaker 5: a group of women that look like them. Like when

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Speaker 5: you're making this climb and whether you're doing great and

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Speaker 5: you don't know how much money you're supposed to make,

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Speaker 5: but you feel like you might be getting cheated in

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Speaker 5: your contract, or you made a mistake on air. We

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Speaker 5: know that we're not allowed to make mistakes. You don't

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Speaker 5: know how to deal with it or get your foot

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Speaker 5: in the door because the young woman you graduated with,

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Speaker 5: who may be a white woman, she's already excelling right

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Speaker 5: and you're trying to figure out what it is you

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Speaker 5: have to do to get on even ground. There's so

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Speaker 5: many challenges, especially in this business where it's competitive, where

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Speaker 5: there already aren't enough of us. Rising Media Stars is

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Speaker 5: a nonprofit organization or a hundred percent volunteered no one

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Speaker 5: gets paid. We take five women every year, women of color,

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Speaker 5: that want to get into broadcasting, and we prepare them

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Speaker 5: for a job in sports broadcasting in all of the

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Speaker 5: ways I just mentioned, by creating community, by.

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Speaker 4: Giving them reps in the field.

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Speaker 5: We have great partners like NBC, NC double A, a

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Speaker 5: lot of sports teams here in Atlanta, the w NBA

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Speaker 5: now who give us access.

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Speaker 4: And allow us to bring our women to games.

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Speaker 5: They do stand ups, you know, get a chance to

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Speaker 5: feel what it's like, and then add that footage to

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Speaker 5: their reels so they can go to someone and say, Okay,

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Speaker 5: this is the work I've done because in this industry,

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Speaker 5: you know this, Cheryl, you know this well, Cheryl Ain

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Speaker 5: never had to show a reel in her life.

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Speaker 4: She's Cheryl Food.

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Speaker 5: But you go get a job, they say, let me

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Speaker 5: see you work. Like I don't have any work because

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Speaker 5: no one's ever hired me. We're just trying to fill

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Speaker 5: that gap in what can be a tough transition into

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Speaker 5: this industry and provide them the support, the resources, the network.

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Speaker 5: We've got incredible mentors in the program, and just try

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Speaker 5: to make a difference wherever we can.

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Speaker 1: You said a lot in that and it's so powerful,

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Speaker 1: But China, what would you say to someone like again,

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Speaker 1: I'm just gonna point to myself when I played forever

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Speaker 1: right and then I retired and didn't get right in

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Speaker 1: the TV and now being older, like, what would you

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Speaker 1: say to someone like me that's saying no, I don't

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Speaker 1: have a real right. But maybe there's someone out there

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Speaker 1: that really wants to get into broadcasting at an older

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Speaker 1: age like myself.

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Speaker 3: What advice would you give them?

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Speaker 1: Could they also be a part of your Rising media Stars?

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Speaker 5: First of all, yes, our rising media stars. The only

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Speaker 5: criteria is you have to be twenty one. So when

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Speaker 5: you come down to Atlanta, your parents ain't calling me.

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Speaker 5: Try to figure out what went down?

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Speaker 4: Right.

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Speaker 5: You don't have to have studied broadcasting, you don't have

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Speaker 5: to have gone to call it any of that. But Cheryl,

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Speaker 5: in your case, there is absolutely nothing you need to do.

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Speaker 5: These television executives need to open their eyes because one

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Speaker 5: thing I believe, and I have always said this, even

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Speaker 5: when it's been at my detriment. The women that played

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Speaker 5: in the WNBA should get priority when it comes to

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Speaker 5: covering this league, just like they should get priority when

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Speaker 5: it comes to coaching this league, just like they should

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Speaker 5: get priorty when it comes to being general managers in

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Speaker 5: this league. No one knows what it's like to be

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Speaker 5: in that space, in that situation, in that seat, in

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Speaker 5: that fourth quarter, like someone who has played the game.

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Speaker 5: People should be calling you, but it's never too late

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Speaker 5: to pivot. I didn't get into this career till my

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Speaker 5: late twenties. Tarika knew what she wanted to do way

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Speaker 5: and I'm gonna speak on you in a minute too,

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Speaker 5: because you call me your mentor like I'm old.

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Speaker 4: But it's never to be late.

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Speaker 5: It is never too late to do whatever you want

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Speaker 5: to do, whatever your dream is. I was an athletic

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Speaker 5: administration and I was like twenty seven twenty eight was

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Speaker 5: like lah, I'm not close enough to the game. I

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Speaker 5: want to do more, and was able to pivot into it.

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Speaker 5: I don't care how old you are, you can do

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Speaker 5: whatever you want to do. I'm always a believer in that.

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Speaker 5: Once I've made up my mind that I'm gonna do something,

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Speaker 5: or something's gonna happen.

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Speaker 4: It's gonna happen.

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Speaker 5: It may not happen today, I can't tell you when,

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Speaker 5: but it's gonna happen. But Trek, I wanted to go

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Speaker 5: back to you because you have a gift.

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Speaker 4: Don't even point at yourself like that.

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Speaker 2: This ain't supposed to be on me. It's supposed to be.

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Speaker 4: And what is.

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Speaker 5: Amazing about your gift is that you have grown so

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Speaker 5: much in this industry and it has had everything to

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Speaker 5: do with your own hard work, your ability to connect

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Speaker 5: to people, your likability.

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Speaker 4: People are immediately disarmed when they meet you.

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Speaker 5: And so the beauty of that story that you told

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Speaker 5: is not that Don Staley said I'll show up for

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Speaker 5: La China, is that now she would also show up

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Speaker 5: for Tarika and that was only five minutes ago. But

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Speaker 5: those are the relationships you've built and the work you've

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Speaker 5: done in this industry. So please don't say I've mentwords you.

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Speaker 4: You did this.

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Speaker 2: Listen on your own is being very serious, Sureyl, And

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Speaker 2: I appreciate that. I really do, honestly, and I do

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Speaker 2: love Don now she showed me love and peer or two,

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Speaker 2: and I was like, I was bringing up I got done,

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Speaker 2: Don Staley, my girl. What I think is interesting is

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Speaker 2: that even with you sure, I don't even know if

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Speaker 2: you remember this, but when China and I started around

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Speaker 2: the Rim, we had challenges with the co host. So

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Speaker 2: there were times where if something was going on and

404
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Speaker 2: the China had another obligation, I would have to fill in.

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Speaker 2: Before I was the official co host of the show,

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Speaker 2: and there was one particular episode in which you were

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Speaker 2: actually the guest of the show and China had another obligation,

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Speaker 2: and so I feel as the co host of that

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Speaker 2: particular episode and on my Instagram right now, like from

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Speaker 2: years ago. This is like twenty seventeen, twenty eighteen years ago,

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Speaker 2: it's you on the phone and I'm recording you as

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Speaker 2: the producer. But what you don't know a.

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Speaker 4: KG show together.

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Speaker 2: I remember that.

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Speaker 4: I was like, yo, I'll here.

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Speaker 3: The last doing that show. I so remember doing that

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Speaker 3: with you.

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Speaker 4: KG.

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Speaker 5: You know, was just cursing up a storm. I think

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Speaker 5: he was cursing too much. That's why his show had

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Speaker 5: to go away. But he's partly from digital and that's

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Speaker 5: one thing to that point about the way that we're

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Speaker 5: covering the w Now. I really like him and Paul

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00:20:20,440 --> 00:20:25,520
Speaker 5: Pierce just sitting down shooting a breeze, but they are

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Speaker 5: telling some amazing stories, and that's what our game needs.

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Speaker 5: Our job as media and women's basketball is not easy. Okay,

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Speaker 5: It's different from any other sport you may cover, number one,

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Speaker 5: because people already make up their mind that they're not

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Speaker 5: gonna watch put resources into a league that's predominantly black women.

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Speaker 5: So we're constantly fighting for attention, for visibility, for resources,

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Speaker 5: all those things. But the other part is the history

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Speaker 5: of our game is so not well told. We really

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Speaker 5: need those stories from a share all from a Lisa,

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Speaker 5: from Annie Myers, all of those to be on display.

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Speaker 1: The thing that I really love about what we're doing now,

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Speaker 1: Like myself in Tariico, this space is new for me.

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Speaker 1: So to have someone like Tarika who's been in this

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Speaker 1: space and is really good at what she does, and

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00:21:17,600 --> 00:21:20,359
Speaker 1: whether she knows it or not, mentoring me and helping

440
00:21:20,400 --> 00:21:23,280
Speaker 1: me get better at this every single day, every episode,

441
00:21:23,400 --> 00:21:24,600
Speaker 1: I'm very grateful for that.

442
00:21:25,080 --> 00:21:25,399
Speaker 3: China.

443
00:21:25,600 --> 00:21:29,600
Speaker 1: When I think about you and your journey, I don't

444
00:21:29,640 --> 00:21:32,520
Speaker 1: know if you truly know how many people you have impacted.

445
00:21:32,760 --> 00:21:35,680
Speaker 1: My question for you goes back to something that Tea said.

446
00:21:35,840 --> 00:21:37,960
Speaker 1: I just saw this the other day during a game.

447
00:21:38,000 --> 00:21:39,360
Speaker 3: When you see.

448
00:21:39,080 --> 00:21:42,000
Speaker 1: Andrea Carter, everybody talks about Drea and what she's doing.

449
00:21:42,040 --> 00:21:43,719
Speaker 1: I think she's one of the best in the business

450
00:21:43,800 --> 00:21:47,200
Speaker 1: right now. When you see her doing this big athlet commercial,

451
00:21:47,440 --> 00:21:50,960
Speaker 1: right like, I know you were like, Drea was gonna

452
00:21:50,960 --> 00:21:53,639
Speaker 1: be good anyway, whether she came through rising media stars

453
00:21:53,720 --> 00:21:53,919
Speaker 1: or not.

454
00:21:54,080 --> 00:21:56,240
Speaker 3: But you had a lot to do with how.

455
00:21:56,080 --> 00:21:58,280
Speaker 1: Great she is and how confident she is. Like what

456
00:21:58,400 --> 00:22:00,560
Speaker 1: goes through your mind when you see stuff like that?

457
00:22:00,720 --> 00:22:02,040
Speaker 5: First of all, I did not have a lot to

458
00:22:02,040 --> 00:22:04,480
Speaker 5: do with that. She's what I will say about Drea

459
00:22:05,000 --> 00:22:08,800
Speaker 5: is she is probably one of the most unique people

460
00:22:08,960 --> 00:22:13,440
Speaker 5: I have ever met in my life. Drea is very determined.

461
00:22:13,960 --> 00:22:17,440
Speaker 5: She's very resilient. I hope one day she shares her

462
00:22:17,480 --> 00:22:19,920
Speaker 5: story in its entirety, because.

463
00:22:19,640 --> 00:22:21,840
Speaker 4: With this woman in her thirty one years of.

464
00:22:21,880 --> 00:22:27,040
Speaker 5: Life, she has experience will blow your mind through every

465
00:22:27,280 --> 00:22:30,120
Speaker 5: step of her life where she's had challenges, where she's

466
00:22:30,160 --> 00:22:34,160
Speaker 5: had pushback, where she's had setbacks, that she has always

467
00:22:34,200 --> 00:22:38,800
Speaker 5: been able to respond with strength, with courage, with great

468
00:22:38,920 --> 00:22:43,520
Speaker 5: pride in what she does. She's very meticulous, she's very organized,

469
00:22:43,880 --> 00:22:46,639
Speaker 5: she sees the game. But the thing about Andrea is

470
00:22:46,680 --> 00:22:51,760
Speaker 5: that she is so kind to everyone. She means why

471
00:22:51,800 --> 00:22:54,919
Speaker 5: her star has risen the way that it has. She

472
00:22:55,080 --> 00:22:59,119
Speaker 5: has an incredibly big heart, like we could be I

473
00:22:59,119 --> 00:23:01,320
Speaker 5: don't know. Anytime she has any free time, I'm like,

474
00:23:01,359 --> 00:23:03,119
Speaker 5: what are you doing today, She's like, I'm going to

475
00:23:03,240 --> 00:23:05,000
Speaker 5: check on my granny, then I'm going to see my mom,

476
00:23:05,040 --> 00:23:06,080
Speaker 5: and then I'm spending time.

477
00:23:05,880 --> 00:23:06,520
Speaker 4: With the kids.

478
00:23:06,680 --> 00:23:11,359
Speaker 5: She is making everybody has all the things that they need,

479
00:23:11,640 --> 00:23:13,600
Speaker 5: and then she's somewhere at the end last.

480
00:23:14,119 --> 00:23:15,800
Speaker 4: But she just makes everyone and.

481
00:23:15,880 --> 00:23:18,720
Speaker 5: Her snake and she's a little different, but she makes

482
00:23:18,760 --> 00:23:22,520
Speaker 5: everybody feel important. And you know, if we're working with

483
00:23:22,600 --> 00:23:24,120
Speaker 5: an audio tech, doesn't matter.

484
00:23:24,160 --> 00:23:25,440
Speaker 4: She's going to know everybody's name.

485
00:23:25,640 --> 00:23:27,480
Speaker 5: She's going to ask them about how their family member

486
00:23:27,600 --> 00:23:29,640
Speaker 5: was doing, that was sick last week. It's just really

487
00:23:29,640 --> 00:23:32,840
Speaker 5: in her character and her being, and like she's really special.

488
00:23:33,000 --> 00:23:37,800
Speaker 5: She's young and she's already a superstar and just getting started.

489
00:23:37,880 --> 00:23:42,080
Speaker 5: Those generational talents come around. I say that about Andrea,

490
00:23:42,160 --> 00:23:44,840
Speaker 5: I say that about Monica, I say that about Maria Taylor.

491
00:23:45,040 --> 00:23:48,520
Speaker 5: Just those people that have something different in them.

492
00:23:48,800 --> 00:23:50,200
Speaker 4: You see that with Andrea.

493
00:23:50,280 --> 00:23:53,440
Speaker 2: I think it's so important to note that everybody has

494
00:23:53,520 --> 00:23:56,960
Speaker 2: been inspired by someone. You never know exactly who you're

495
00:23:57,000 --> 00:23:58,920
Speaker 2: touching it in what way you're touching them, which is

496
00:23:58,960 --> 00:24:00,760
Speaker 2: why it's always just so import and to be kind

497
00:24:00,840 --> 00:24:02,880
Speaker 2: and to see yourself. I would love to know who

498
00:24:02,880 --> 00:24:06,919
Speaker 2: were some of the people who inspired you, whether it

499
00:24:07,200 --> 00:24:09,760
Speaker 2: was on the basketball court when you were playing at

500
00:24:09,760 --> 00:24:12,879
Speaker 2: Wake Forest or in broadcasting, Who were some of the

501
00:24:12,920 --> 00:24:16,560
Speaker 2: people that were inspirational to you as you were navigating

502
00:24:16,640 --> 00:24:19,159
Speaker 2: your way through this space. Yeah, I mean it started

503
00:24:19,200 --> 00:24:22,840
Speaker 2: with those women that I first saw broadcasting on television.

504
00:24:22,840 --> 00:24:24,639
Speaker 2: You have to be able to see her to know

505
00:24:24,720 --> 00:24:28,240
Speaker 2: you can be her. So it was the Christie Winter Scott's,

506
00:24:28,760 --> 00:24:32,280
Speaker 2: the Carolyn Pex, the Robin Roberts that.

507
00:24:32,400 --> 00:24:35,600
Speaker 5: Were especially around women's basketball that I was like, oh

508
00:24:35,640 --> 00:24:38,240
Speaker 5: my gosh, Cheryl when she was doing it at TNT,

509
00:24:39,000 --> 00:24:41,080
Speaker 5: I was like she and Cheryl was rocking her braids

510
00:24:41,200 --> 00:24:42,440
Speaker 5: and being herself.

511
00:24:42,600 --> 00:24:45,200
Speaker 4: Like That's one thing we don't give Cheryl Miller.

512
00:24:45,320 --> 00:24:48,240
Speaker 5: Enough credit for is that, Yeah, we out here and

513
00:24:48,320 --> 00:24:50,640
Speaker 5: we're doing our thing in the broadcast landscape and were

514
00:24:50,640 --> 00:24:52,479
Speaker 5: walking our braids and we got our natural and all

515
00:24:52,480 --> 00:24:52,800
Speaker 5: this stuff.

516
00:24:52,800 --> 00:24:57,919
Speaker 4: But Cheryl Miller she was back when she wasn't she.

517
00:24:58,320 --> 00:25:00,400
Speaker 5: But in terms of I mean, I've just been touched

518
00:25:00,440 --> 00:25:03,200
Speaker 5: by so many people along the way. Obviously my mother,

519
00:25:03,480 --> 00:25:08,879
Speaker 5: who is a piece of that's my girl, Kay. She

520
00:25:09,040 --> 00:25:13,320
Speaker 5: is very resilient and just very smart, very encouraging. And

521
00:25:13,359 --> 00:25:14,880
Speaker 5: my mother has been through so much in her life

522
00:25:14,920 --> 00:25:16,639
Speaker 5: too that I felt like, gosh, my mother could make

523
00:25:16,640 --> 00:25:18,520
Speaker 5: it all the way through all that, I'm gonna be fine,

524
00:25:18,600 --> 00:25:21,199
Speaker 5: whatever little stuff I'm going through, I'd be good. But

525
00:25:21,480 --> 00:25:24,160
Speaker 5: the women who played the game like Chryl and Lisa.

526
00:25:24,280 --> 00:25:26,640
Speaker 5: I remember watching the ninety six team and being like,

527
00:25:27,560 --> 00:25:29,199
Speaker 5: whatever they do, and that's what I want to do.

528
00:25:29,680 --> 00:25:32,240
Speaker 5: As a young teenage girl, I was on the cusp

529
00:25:32,280 --> 00:25:34,560
Speaker 5: of whether or not I was gonna be serious about basketball,

530
00:25:34,600 --> 00:25:36,520
Speaker 5: and when I saw them, I was like, so, if

531
00:25:36,560 --> 00:25:39,399
Speaker 5: I go to college and play basketball, I have a

532
00:25:39,520 --> 00:25:45,160
Speaker 5: chance to possibly be that athletic, that funny, that's smart,

533
00:25:45,400 --> 00:25:47,440
Speaker 5: all those things that they were. I never had a

534
00:25:47,520 --> 00:25:49,040
Speaker 5: chance to be that athletic, but I put that.

535
00:25:52,000 --> 00:25:52,080
Speaker 2: So.

536
00:25:52,160 --> 00:25:54,400
Speaker 5: There's just been a lot of people along the way,

537
00:25:54,480 --> 00:25:56,719
Speaker 5: you know, and people inspire me in different ways. Kay

538
00:25:56,800 --> 00:25:59,080
Speaker 5: y'all was someone that inspired me with her faith. I

539
00:25:59,119 --> 00:26:00,920
Speaker 5: remember being got to play my life where I was

540
00:26:00,920 --> 00:26:04,040
Speaker 5: at a crossroads as she was getting near the time

541
00:26:04,040 --> 00:26:07,239
Speaker 5: where she was getting ready to pass, and I was like, here,

542
00:26:07,320 --> 00:26:11,119
Speaker 5: this woman is knowing that she's going to die very soon,

543
00:26:11,760 --> 00:26:14,879
Speaker 5: and yet she is still coaching basketball. She is giving

544
00:26:14,920 --> 00:26:17,280
Speaker 5: all the honor to God. She is grateful for the

545
00:26:17,359 --> 00:26:19,159
Speaker 5: life and the years that He has given her. I

546
00:26:19,200 --> 00:26:21,800
Speaker 5: was blown away by her testimony and her faith. And

547
00:26:21,800 --> 00:26:24,840
Speaker 5: obviously y'all know my faith is a huge part of

548
00:26:24,880 --> 00:26:27,159
Speaker 5: who I am in my every day. People have inspired

549
00:26:27,160 --> 00:26:28,640
Speaker 5: me in different ways and there's just been a lot

550
00:26:28,640 --> 00:26:30,240
Speaker 5: of people along the way that have been willing to

551
00:26:30,280 --> 00:26:33,159
Speaker 5: put my names in different rooms and to speak for me.

552
00:26:33,200 --> 00:26:34,439
Speaker 4: But nobody I'm gonn tell you all this.

553
00:26:34,480 --> 00:26:38,080
Speaker 5: When it comes to the women in the WNBA, especially

554
00:26:38,119 --> 00:26:41,600
Speaker 5: the legends, they have lifted me, they have shown up

555
00:26:41,640 --> 00:26:44,040
Speaker 5: for me. I remember Lisa coming up at the Olympics

556
00:26:44,040 --> 00:26:45,439
Speaker 5: when I was in Paris. She was like, I've been

557
00:26:45,440 --> 00:26:48,000
Speaker 5: watching you. You've been doing a great job, and here

558
00:26:48,080 --> 00:26:48,400
Speaker 5: I am.

559
00:26:48,520 --> 00:26:50,040
Speaker 4: I don't know if I'm doing a good job or not.

560
00:26:50,160 --> 00:26:53,000
Speaker 4: I'm just showing up like I'm supposed to be doing.

561
00:26:53,320 --> 00:26:55,760
Speaker 5: And in that moment, I was like, wow, Lisa Leslie

562
00:26:55,920 --> 00:26:58,560
Speaker 5: just but that's what the women of the league have done.

563
00:26:58,640 --> 00:27:01,919
Speaker 5: They have poured into me years, whether Sheryl or Tina

564
00:27:02,000 --> 00:27:07,040
Speaker 5: Thompson or Sue Bird and Diana Tarassi, they all embraced

565
00:27:07,080 --> 00:27:09,600
Speaker 5: me and lifted me as I was on that client

566
00:27:09,600 --> 00:27:10,159
Speaker 5: because let's.

567
00:27:10,040 --> 00:27:13,480
Speaker 4: Be honest, I didn't win a championship. I didn't even

568
00:27:13,480 --> 00:27:16,480
Speaker 4: play in the NCAA tournament. I ain't never committed for

569
00:27:16,480 --> 00:27:17,240
Speaker 4: no gold medal.

570
00:27:17,280 --> 00:27:20,120
Speaker 5: Like the thiefs that I have sat in covering this league,

571
00:27:20,640 --> 00:27:23,120
Speaker 5: I'm really not supposed to be in and I do

572
00:27:23,160 --> 00:27:25,200
Speaker 5: give credit to God for that, but I also give

573
00:27:25,280 --> 00:27:27,440
Speaker 5: credit to the women of the league in the way

574
00:27:27,480 --> 00:27:30,040
Speaker 5: that they have given me information when I've needed it

575
00:27:30,119 --> 00:27:32,879
Speaker 5: and pulled me into circles and really validated me in a.

576
00:27:32,880 --> 00:27:33,719
Speaker 4: Lot of ways.

577
00:27:34,160 --> 00:27:38,200
Speaker 3: Well, Lachina, for me, it's about you being there.

578
00:27:39,080 --> 00:27:42,040
Speaker 1: You were part of the growth right when the league

579
00:27:42,080 --> 00:27:45,560
Speaker 1: first started, and for me, it means a lot to

580
00:27:45,680 --> 00:27:49,479
Speaker 1: be able to build that relationship and in some cases

581
00:27:49,520 --> 00:27:53,840
Speaker 1: friendships with someone like you who've been there from day one,

582
00:27:54,119 --> 00:27:58,040
Speaker 1: right when shit wasn't what it is today, la China

583
00:27:58,160 --> 00:28:00,840
Speaker 1: was still there. Lachina was doing her work la China

584
00:28:01,000 --> 00:28:04,000
Speaker 1: was covering, Lachina was talking about us, Lachina was talking

585
00:28:04,000 --> 00:28:07,560
Speaker 1: about the gay and even today, like, you're one of

586
00:28:07,600 --> 00:28:12,840
Speaker 1: the few that won't let people forget about the past,

587
00:28:13,119 --> 00:28:14,680
Speaker 1: or you remind people.

588
00:28:14,400 --> 00:28:16,520
Speaker 3: About the history of the league, and I think that

589
00:28:16,560 --> 00:28:18,760
Speaker 3: says a lot about who you are. So I thank

590
00:28:18,800 --> 00:28:19,320
Speaker 3: you for that.

591
00:28:19,359 --> 00:28:22,000
Speaker 1: But we're talking about mentorship, and I want to ask you,

592
00:28:22,280 --> 00:28:25,600
Speaker 1: not just in the media, but how important do you

593
00:28:25,760 --> 00:28:29,840
Speaker 1: think it is for people to have mentors in their lives.

594
00:28:29,880 --> 00:28:33,200
Speaker 5: It's one of the biggest difference makers, especially in women's lives,

595
00:28:33,280 --> 00:28:36,280
Speaker 5: between those that have success and reach their dreams and

596
00:28:36,320 --> 00:28:38,880
Speaker 5: those that don't. You know, my mother comes from a

597
00:28:38,920 --> 00:28:41,400
Speaker 5: generation where when I talk to her about mentors, she

598
00:28:41,480 --> 00:28:43,200
Speaker 5: was like, I don't want people in my business.

599
00:28:43,800 --> 00:28:45,480
Speaker 4: And I'm like, that's not what it is.

600
00:28:45,600 --> 00:28:46,360
Speaker 2: That's not what it is.

601
00:28:46,440 --> 00:28:48,920
Speaker 5: And while I understand that and how we want to

602
00:28:48,960 --> 00:28:51,600
Speaker 5: protect ourselves and we don't necessarily want to be vulnerable,

603
00:28:51,680 --> 00:28:54,200
Speaker 5: right because when when black women have been vulnerable, it's

604
00:28:54,280 --> 00:28:59,280
Speaker 5: been weaponized against us. I understand not wanting to share,

605
00:29:00,080 --> 00:29:02,640
Speaker 5: but it is too hard to do it alone. And

606
00:29:02,680 --> 00:29:05,800
Speaker 5: I really believe people are placed along your path along

607
00:29:05,840 --> 00:29:07,640
Speaker 5: the way and it may not be a whole, blown

608
00:29:07,680 --> 00:29:09,240
Speaker 5: out mentorship relationship.

609
00:29:09,280 --> 00:29:11,000
Speaker 4: It might be one quote that you read.

610
00:29:11,120 --> 00:29:12,600
Speaker 5: Because it's a lot of people out here that I

611
00:29:12,600 --> 00:29:14,320
Speaker 5: claim is my mentor and they never met me a

612
00:29:14,360 --> 00:29:15,360
Speaker 5: day in my life.

613
00:29:18,520 --> 00:29:20,440
Speaker 4: I listened to you on the podcast. I think you

614
00:29:20,520 --> 00:29:24,320
Speaker 4: might be my mentor. Now it really is.

615
00:29:24,080 --> 00:29:27,200
Speaker 5: Because I talked about being in the trenches earlier today.

616
00:29:27,240 --> 00:29:31,040
Speaker 5: But in those valleys of life, it's sometimes somebody else's

617
00:29:31,120 --> 00:29:31,960
Speaker 5: story that you like.

618
00:29:32,000 --> 00:29:34,120
Speaker 4: Okay, if somebody else can make it through this, I.

619
00:29:34,080 --> 00:29:36,960
Speaker 5: Can make it through this. Or if someone who just

620
00:29:37,000 --> 00:29:39,160
Speaker 5: says you know what, you're doing a great job when

621
00:29:39,160 --> 00:29:42,520
Speaker 5: you think you just sucked, or someone saying, hey, I

622
00:29:42,560 --> 00:29:45,160
Speaker 5: saw you on so and so broadcast, keep it up.

623
00:29:45,560 --> 00:29:48,320
Speaker 5: When you get none of that, This journey is very lonely,

624
00:29:48,440 --> 00:29:49,760
Speaker 5: and that's the part of it I think a lot

625
00:29:49,760 --> 00:29:51,920
Speaker 5: of people don't really get and what I try to

626
00:29:51,920 --> 00:29:55,680
Speaker 5: provide for our rising media stars. When I started covering

627
00:29:55,880 --> 00:29:57,720
Speaker 5: women's basketball, I say I was a little bit in

628
00:29:57,760 --> 00:30:01,400
Speaker 5: the dark ages because I was after the group that

629
00:30:01,640 --> 00:30:03,640
Speaker 5: was the legends that were set in the tone that

630
00:30:03,680 --> 00:30:06,840
Speaker 5: I named earlier. But I was right before a whole

631
00:30:06,960 --> 00:30:10,479
Speaker 5: rush of young women covering the game now, which is

632
00:30:10,560 --> 00:30:14,719
Speaker 5: beautiful in that time of traveling. And again because I

633
00:30:14,880 --> 00:30:18,400
Speaker 5: wasn't a national champion, Olympic gold medal, I didn't play

634
00:30:18,400 --> 00:30:20,680
Speaker 5: for Hall of Fame coach the games I was getting

635
00:30:20,720 --> 00:30:22,560
Speaker 5: early in my career where I was like three or

636
00:30:22,600 --> 00:30:26,240
Speaker 5: four games a week. I was always doing HBCU games,

637
00:30:26,320 --> 00:30:28,960
Speaker 5: always doing lower level, you know, mid majors, which I

638
00:30:28,960 --> 00:30:29,360
Speaker 5: didn't care.

639
00:30:29,400 --> 00:30:30,080
Speaker 4: You couldn't tell me.

640
00:30:30,200 --> 00:30:32,600
Speaker 5: I thought I was doing the Final Four because I

641
00:30:32,800 --> 00:30:34,560
Speaker 5: covered basketball.

642
00:30:34,160 --> 00:30:35,520
Speaker 4: But that was the track I was on.

643
00:30:35,640 --> 00:30:39,040
Speaker 5: It was lonely because no one was saying, hey, you're

644
00:30:39,040 --> 00:30:39,640
Speaker 5: doing great.

645
00:30:39,760 --> 00:30:42,120
Speaker 4: No one was even watching my games. No one knew

646
00:30:42,120 --> 00:30:44,320
Speaker 4: where I was week to week. No one knew anything

647
00:30:44,360 --> 00:30:45,040
Speaker 4: about La China.

648
00:30:45,440 --> 00:30:48,280
Speaker 5: And so I want these women to have other women

649
00:30:48,560 --> 00:30:52,320
Speaker 5: along the way with them on those lonely journeys to

650
00:30:52,480 --> 00:30:54,840
Speaker 5: call and say, this is tough, let's talk.

651
00:30:54,880 --> 00:30:56,360
Speaker 4: Have you ever experienced this.

652
00:30:56,600 --> 00:30:58,440
Speaker 5: I think I'm tired and I really need a break

653
00:30:58,480 --> 00:31:00,600
Speaker 5: and I'm burnt out, but I can't taken break or

654
00:31:00,720 --> 00:31:02,960
Speaker 5: I would like to start thinking about having children now,

655
00:31:03,040 --> 00:31:07,120
Speaker 5: but I can't because you know, financially, whatever those challenges are.

656
00:31:07,240 --> 00:31:09,880
Speaker 4: So my days along this journey.

657
00:31:10,400 --> 00:31:12,560
Speaker 2: Have been lonely, but my hope is that the next

658
00:31:12,600 --> 00:31:16,920
Speaker 2: generation will not be I did have wnbas I was

659
00:31:17,000 --> 00:31:19,040
Speaker 2: very different, but in college basketball it was a very

660
00:31:19,080 --> 00:31:22,000
Speaker 2: lowly track. I think we all at some point have

661
00:31:22,160 --> 00:31:25,840
Speaker 2: experienced that one thing that made us be like, now, listen,

662
00:31:26,080 --> 00:31:28,200
Speaker 2: I've had my fair share of challenges, but this one

663
00:31:28,280 --> 00:31:31,320
Speaker 2: right here was the one. Right and you know, the China.

664
00:31:31,360 --> 00:31:33,160
Speaker 2: You know a lot of mind as it relates to

665
00:31:33,200 --> 00:31:36,800
Speaker 2: the business because you've probably seen them firsthand. Right, But

666
00:31:36,880 --> 00:31:39,440
Speaker 2: is there one thing that maybe sticks out in your

667
00:31:39,560 --> 00:31:42,800
Speaker 2: mind where you're like, girl, listen, you ain't got to

668
00:31:42,800 --> 00:31:44,880
Speaker 2: put nobody out, call no names or anything like that.

669
00:31:44,920 --> 00:31:47,320
Speaker 2: You know I would know because I'd be like, yeah

670
00:31:48,520 --> 00:31:51,000
Speaker 2: and such. But is there just a moment that you

671
00:31:51,040 --> 00:31:53,680
Speaker 2: can remember? Because I think we all, you know, I

672
00:31:53,720 --> 00:31:56,440
Speaker 2: asked sure of this before. Is there like that one

673
00:31:57,000 --> 00:31:59,760
Speaker 2: moment that maybe sticks out in your head or something

674
00:31:59,800 --> 00:32:03,640
Speaker 2: that you overcame where you're like, no matter what happened,

675
00:32:03,680 --> 00:32:05,880
Speaker 2: I remember that thing that's going to always keep me moving.

676
00:32:06,200 --> 00:32:07,720
Speaker 4: Yeah. So there are two things.

677
00:32:07,880 --> 00:32:11,360
Speaker 5: One, there was a studio show that was happening around

678
00:32:11,360 --> 00:32:13,760
Speaker 5: women's basketball, and I was like, oh my gosh. You

679
00:32:13,800 --> 00:32:15,840
Speaker 5: know this was earlier in my career. I was like,

680
00:32:15,840 --> 00:32:17,200
Speaker 5: I would love to be a part of this. So

681
00:32:17,240 --> 00:32:19,520
Speaker 5: I made a couple of phone calls and tried to

682
00:32:19,520 --> 00:32:21,520
Speaker 5: get in touch with people, and finally I got a

683
00:32:21,560 --> 00:32:24,640
Speaker 5: call back, and you know, the guy said to me, Oh,

684
00:32:24,760 --> 00:32:26,520
Speaker 5: you know, I think your work is great, and you

685
00:32:26,520 --> 00:32:29,640
Speaker 5: know you do an amazing job. But we already have

686
00:32:31,120 --> 00:32:33,880
Speaker 5: He didn't say another black woman, he said this woman's name.

687
00:32:34,240 --> 00:32:36,400
Speaker 4: He said, but we already have so and so.

688
00:32:36,400 --> 00:32:37,040
Speaker 2: So what that mean?

689
00:32:37,560 --> 00:32:41,520
Speaker 5: And in that moment, I realized this was the mindset

690
00:32:41,680 --> 00:32:43,880
Speaker 5: of a lot of people on the TV production side.

691
00:32:43,880 --> 00:32:45,640
Speaker 5: And as long as we got the box check and

692
00:32:45,680 --> 00:32:48,520
Speaker 5: we got one black woman, we're good. We got that

693
00:32:48,560 --> 00:32:52,480
Speaker 5: box checked. And so I carried that with me my

694
00:32:52,880 --> 00:32:57,280
Speaker 5: entire career, and my goal was to one day have

695
00:32:58,240 --> 00:33:03,080
Speaker 5: all women of color on a studio show. And guess what,

696
00:33:03,240 --> 00:33:05,760
Speaker 5: the first time that ever happened in prime time?

697
00:33:06,000 --> 00:33:09,960
Speaker 4: How about the television and studio was our show?

698
00:33:10,160 --> 00:33:13,240
Speaker 2: YEP. I was just gonna say, we just saw that.

699
00:33:13,280 --> 00:33:14,960
Speaker 4: This is a beautiful thing.

700
00:33:15,120 --> 00:33:19,080
Speaker 5: But the reason why that impacted me so heavily is

701
00:33:19,160 --> 00:33:24,680
Speaker 5: because I knew how much was missing from the storytelling.

702
00:33:25,240 --> 00:33:28,760
Speaker 5: No one was telling the stories of women of color

703
00:33:28,760 --> 00:33:30,680
Speaker 5: who were playing basketball the way they.

704
00:33:30,560 --> 00:33:32,000
Speaker 4: Need to be told, no offense.

705
00:33:32,160 --> 00:33:34,440
Speaker 5: Everybody does the best they can, and we all just

706
00:33:34,520 --> 00:33:37,680
Speaker 5: trying to get along. Fast forward to the year that

707
00:33:37,720 --> 00:33:41,200
Speaker 5: the Minnesota Lynks won. Those change start with us. Remember

708
00:33:41,240 --> 00:33:45,240
Speaker 5: where all the police killing were happening, and the narratives

709
00:33:45,240 --> 00:33:47,960
Speaker 5: that came out of that weren't what they should have

710
00:33:48,040 --> 00:33:51,120
Speaker 5: been like. It wasn't Wow, Maya Moore and the women

711
00:33:51,120 --> 00:33:53,960
Speaker 5: of the Minnesota Lynks are taking a stand police violence

712
00:33:54,000 --> 00:33:57,640
Speaker 5: is wrong. It was you know, how dare them? Remember

713
00:33:57,640 --> 00:34:00,000
Speaker 5: the police were walking out? I was saying to myself,

714
00:34:00,360 --> 00:34:04,160
Speaker 5: what if those narratives were written differently? What if there

715
00:34:04,160 --> 00:34:06,720
Speaker 5: were more people of color in that room to tell

716
00:34:06,760 --> 00:34:08,280
Speaker 5: those stories in different ways?

717
00:34:08,360 --> 00:34:09,400
Speaker 4: What would it look like?

718
00:34:09,800 --> 00:34:13,880
Speaker 5: Shortly after that, I started rising media stars. But that

719
00:34:14,040 --> 00:34:16,239
Speaker 5: other one was not a great situation either. Those were

720
00:34:16,239 --> 00:34:19,960
Speaker 5: two things that I remember. The positive one was there

721
00:34:20,000 --> 00:34:22,200
Speaker 5: was a Hall of Famer that played in the WNBA

722
00:34:22,920 --> 00:34:25,480
Speaker 5: and we kind of came into the league around the

723
00:34:25,480 --> 00:34:29,279
Speaker 5: same time. After she retired, we got to spend some

724
00:34:29,360 --> 00:34:32,239
Speaker 5: time together and we were just shooting the breeze. She said,

725
00:34:32,239 --> 00:34:34,120
Speaker 5: I want to tell you this, She said, I never

726
00:34:34,320 --> 00:34:38,360
Speaker 5: felt like the media saw me or appreciated me until

727
00:34:38,400 --> 00:34:41,640
Speaker 5: you came along. She said, I would sit in rooms

728
00:34:41,640 --> 00:34:43,880
Speaker 5: sometimes and people in the media wouldn't even want to

729
00:34:43,880 --> 00:34:47,000
Speaker 5: speak to me. The statistics are out there about how

730
00:34:47,040 --> 00:34:51,480
Speaker 5: the WA has been covered black athletes versus the white charity.

731
00:34:51,480 --> 00:34:53,520
Speaker 4: It's getting better, but it is what it is.

732
00:34:54,360 --> 00:34:57,520
Speaker 5: And I'm saying to myself, this is a Hall of

733
00:34:57,560 --> 00:35:02,640
Speaker 5: Famer someone who is so talented and has an amazing story,

734
00:35:02,680 --> 00:35:07,280
Speaker 5: amazing journey, and for much of that time she felt

735
00:35:07,320 --> 00:35:12,359
Speaker 5: like she was invisible. And I'm saying to myself, if

736
00:35:12,360 --> 00:35:17,480
Speaker 5: we can create more diversity in our coverage, if we

737
00:35:17,560 --> 00:35:20,759
Speaker 5: can have more people in those media seeds that look

738
00:35:20,880 --> 00:35:25,520
Speaker 5: like the athletes that are playing, the stories will be diverse.

739
00:35:26,080 --> 00:35:31,480
Speaker 5: There will be more opportunity, more microphone for every athlete

740
00:35:31,480 --> 00:35:34,280
Speaker 5: that deserves it. People didn't feel like black women's stories

741
00:35:34,400 --> 00:35:38,240
Speaker 5: would deserve to be told, and they have been ignored.

742
00:35:38,640 --> 00:35:41,400
Speaker 5: And so for me, that was a reassuring moment that

743
00:35:41,520 --> 00:35:44,560
Speaker 5: even if one person feels like I made a difference

744
00:35:45,200 --> 00:35:49,480
Speaker 5: in their athletic journey's worth it because everyone deserves to

745
00:35:49,480 --> 00:35:49,879
Speaker 5: be seen.

746
00:35:50,280 --> 00:35:52,879
Speaker 2: Ladies. We are going to keep this conversation going when

747
00:35:52,920 --> 00:35:54,719
Speaker 2: we come back on the other side of the break,

748
00:35:54,840 --> 00:36:05,279
Speaker 2: So stay with us. We've been having such a great

749
00:36:05,280 --> 00:36:07,880
Speaker 2: time having this great conversation with the China Robinson. And

750
00:36:07,920 --> 00:36:09,400
Speaker 2: let me tell you, guys a little something about the

751
00:36:09,480 --> 00:36:11,920
Speaker 2: China that you might not know. Right. She's very humble,

752
00:36:12,320 --> 00:36:14,959
Speaker 2: but she's also very shy, which is interesting for someone

753
00:36:15,000 --> 00:36:17,600
Speaker 2: who spends so much time on TV. She's very shy,

754
00:36:17,760 --> 00:36:20,840
Speaker 2: so she doesn't like to talk about herself. So I

755
00:36:20,920 --> 00:36:24,240
Speaker 2: know that Sheryl and I are making her very uncomfortable

756
00:36:24,280 --> 00:36:27,520
Speaker 2: on this show. But it's okay because we are in

757
00:36:27,560 --> 00:36:33,959
Speaker 2: the business of giving people their flowers. Yeah, deal round, Yeah,

758
00:36:34,120 --> 00:36:36,640
Speaker 2: helve them. We're not gonna be sitting up here crown

759
00:36:36,719 --> 00:36:38,440
Speaker 2: over the China grave talk about Lord.

760
00:36:38,520 --> 00:36:40,200
Speaker 4: We wish we would have told her.

761
00:36:42,120 --> 00:36:48,319
Speaker 2: All right now now, so amazing you are. And this

762
00:36:48,400 --> 00:36:52,640
Speaker 2: show being about mentorship is incredibly important because I know,

763
00:36:53,080 --> 00:36:56,839
Speaker 2: as someone who has taken a non traditional route to

764
00:36:56,920 --> 00:37:01,480
Speaker 2: get into this business, that it isn't always people who

765
00:37:01,520 --> 00:37:04,120
Speaker 2: look like us and act like us who have our back.

766
00:37:04,640 --> 00:37:09,760
Speaker 2: There have often been times who we find that maybe

767
00:37:09,760 --> 00:37:11,759
Speaker 2: the person who we think should be our mentor or

768
00:37:12,120 --> 00:37:14,920
Speaker 2: maybe the person we think should be an ally isn't

769
00:37:14,960 --> 00:37:17,600
Speaker 2: necessarily that ally for us. You kind of talked about

770
00:37:17,600 --> 00:37:20,839
Speaker 2: it a little bit when you said that, you know,

771
00:37:21,480 --> 00:37:24,520
Speaker 2: there have been plenty executives or networks or people who

772
00:37:24,560 --> 00:37:27,560
Speaker 2: have been in decision making roles who feel like there's

773
00:37:27,680 --> 00:37:32,040
Speaker 2: only room for one. I've certainly been there. You've been there,

774
00:37:32,080 --> 00:37:34,480
Speaker 2: of Cheryl, I know you've been there where it's just

775
00:37:34,600 --> 00:37:38,000
Speaker 2: like there's enough space where all of us should be

776
00:37:38,000 --> 00:37:39,759
Speaker 2: able to shine, where all of us should be able

777
00:37:39,800 --> 00:37:41,200
Speaker 2: to have a role, where all of us should be

778
00:37:41,239 --> 00:37:44,040
Speaker 2: able to have a position. And so I wonder what

779
00:37:44,200 --> 00:37:48,000
Speaker 2: are conversations like for you now that you're in a

780
00:37:48,040 --> 00:37:51,719
Speaker 2: different position, now that you have more of an influence.

781
00:37:51,880 --> 00:37:56,480
Speaker 2: What are those conversations that allows you to say, Hey,

782
00:37:56,880 --> 00:37:58,759
Speaker 2: I know this is the way things may have been

783
00:37:58,760 --> 00:38:01,799
Speaker 2: done in the past, but we got an opportunity here

784
00:38:01,840 --> 00:38:04,439
Speaker 2: to truly make a difference. How does those conversations usually

785
00:38:04,480 --> 00:38:04,880
Speaker 2: go for you?

786
00:38:05,040 --> 00:38:07,319
Speaker 5: Well, now that I'm in position that I know the

787
00:38:07,360 --> 00:38:10,239
Speaker 5: people in the room that are making the decisions. It's

788
00:38:10,280 --> 00:38:14,200
Speaker 5: really trying to get people to re envision sports media

789
00:38:14,239 --> 00:38:16,800
Speaker 5: coverage like it shouldn't look.

790
00:38:16,640 --> 00:38:18,839
Speaker 4: The same way it looked ten years ago.

791
00:38:18,920 --> 00:38:20,879
Speaker 5: It shouldn't look the same way it looked five years ago,

792
00:38:20,960 --> 00:38:23,560
Speaker 5: because as we all know, it wasn't inclusive enough, it

793
00:38:23,640 --> 00:38:27,520
Speaker 5: wasn't diverse enough. I mean, there wasn't enough women's basketball.

794
00:38:27,560 --> 00:38:30,160
Speaker 5: The list could go on and on, and so you know,

795
00:38:30,520 --> 00:38:36,000
Speaker 5: I can't cover the gamut for every sport in terms

796
00:38:36,040 --> 00:38:38,520
Speaker 5: of women's sports, but my sport is women's basketball, and

797
00:38:38,600 --> 00:38:41,799
Speaker 5: so when I look at our sport, it's like, can

798
00:38:41,840 --> 00:38:45,520
Speaker 5: I talk to you about who is calling these games?

799
00:38:45,560 --> 00:38:47,439
Speaker 4: And why I'm not gonna lie?

800
00:38:47,560 --> 00:38:52,440
Speaker 5: I still get very frustrated when I turn on my television,

801
00:38:52,640 --> 00:38:55,920
Speaker 5: and as someone who has been in and around this

802
00:38:55,960 --> 00:39:01,360
Speaker 5: sport for a very long time, I am like, these

803
00:39:01,920 --> 00:39:04,520
Speaker 5: people don't even know these players'.

804
00:39:04,080 --> 00:39:05,800
Speaker 4: Name, right.

805
00:39:06,520 --> 00:39:10,960
Speaker 5: It is so frustrating for me because that's how misinformation happens,

806
00:39:11,000 --> 00:39:15,319
Speaker 5: and that's how people end up not tuning into women's basketball,

807
00:39:15,360 --> 00:39:19,360
Speaker 5: because they're not being actually educated on the product the

808
00:39:19,400 --> 00:39:22,400
Speaker 5: way they should. But because women's basketball was all the

809
00:39:22,560 --> 00:39:28,120
Speaker 5: always the lower tier assignment, an easy grab for people,

810
00:39:28,640 --> 00:39:31,040
Speaker 5: then often it was like, Okay, well let so and

811
00:39:31,080 --> 00:39:33,040
Speaker 5: so do the game. And that shouldn't be the case

812
00:39:33,160 --> 00:39:35,640
Speaker 5: because they wouldn't do that with men's basketball. They wouldn't

813
00:39:35,680 --> 00:39:38,200
Speaker 5: do that with football, and so it shouldn't be done

814
00:39:38,200 --> 00:39:42,880
Speaker 5: with women's basketball. And that's been another kind of focus

815
00:39:42,960 --> 00:39:45,280
Speaker 5: for me along the way is I always wanted women's

816
00:39:45,320 --> 00:39:48,960
Speaker 5: basketball to be the thing, like alonely years has been like, Okay,

817
00:39:49,000 --> 00:39:50,920
Speaker 5: if you want to start your career in broadcasting, you

818
00:39:50,920 --> 00:39:53,360
Speaker 5: can probably get some opportunities in women's basketball.

819
00:39:53,600 --> 00:39:56,759
Speaker 4: Uh huh, don't send them over here. Okay, this is

820
00:39:56,920 --> 00:40:00,040
Speaker 4: what we don't need. This is the thing. This, this

821
00:40:00,160 --> 00:40:01,439
Speaker 4: needs to be the main thing.

822
00:40:01,600 --> 00:40:04,840
Speaker 5: So I've always wanted people to look at women's basketball

823
00:40:05,000 --> 00:40:08,279
Speaker 5: as the place to be, not the stepping stone. So

824
00:40:08,320 --> 00:40:10,480
Speaker 5: those are the kind of conversations I like to have

825
00:40:10,640 --> 00:40:13,759
Speaker 5: with executives. And it's also don't just put the games on.

826
00:40:13,960 --> 00:40:18,520
Speaker 5: What kind of resources are you allocating who's producing? Because

827
00:40:18,719 --> 00:40:20,880
Speaker 5: for as few faces as we have in front of

828
00:40:20,880 --> 00:40:24,000
Speaker 5: the camera, we have even fewer faces when it comes

829
00:40:24,000 --> 00:40:27,319
Speaker 5: to women of color behind the camera. So like, how

830
00:40:27,320 --> 00:40:29,960
Speaker 5: can we address this? What needs to happen? And guess what.

831
00:40:30,239 --> 00:40:32,080
Speaker 5: Before we get off this call, I got about four

832
00:40:32,160 --> 00:40:34,879
Speaker 5: or five names and some reels that I'm gonna give

833
00:40:34,880 --> 00:40:38,800
Speaker 5: you of people that you can use to diversify your coverage.

834
00:40:38,840 --> 00:40:41,560
Speaker 5: So those are really the conversations that I'm trying.

835
00:40:41,320 --> 00:40:44,959
Speaker 2: To have at this point, that makes a lot of sense, Churel.

836
00:40:45,280 --> 00:40:49,200
Speaker 2: When you were playing, was there like moments where you

837
00:40:49,360 --> 00:40:53,319
Speaker 2: looked at Probably not while you were playing, but you know,

838
00:40:53,840 --> 00:40:57,120
Speaker 2: I've heard athletes that have said, you know, I don't

839
00:40:57,120 --> 00:40:59,799
Speaker 2: want to talk to that reporter, or I don't really

840
00:40:59,840 --> 00:41:01,880
Speaker 2: want to give my story to such and such, or

841
00:41:02,200 --> 00:41:04,920
Speaker 2: I'm not really looking like you know, how have you,

842
00:41:05,160 --> 00:41:08,000
Speaker 2: just as a former player, looked at the way that

843
00:41:08,160 --> 00:41:11,680
Speaker 2: the coverage has evolved in are there some things that

844
00:41:11,760 --> 00:41:14,640
Speaker 2: maybe you know with women's basketball or just how women's

845
00:41:14,640 --> 00:41:16,600
Speaker 2: sports were covered in general when you were playing that

846
00:41:16,640 --> 00:41:20,080
Speaker 2: you were like, I wasn't really giving my information to them.

847
00:41:20,080 --> 00:41:21,680
Speaker 2: I didn't like the way they told my story. I

848
00:41:21,680 --> 00:41:24,279
Speaker 2: didn't like the way, you know, like whatever something like that.

849
00:41:24,960 --> 00:41:29,680
Speaker 1: I mean, I think I think every athlete probably has

850
00:41:29,760 --> 00:41:35,200
Speaker 1: like like their favorite analyst or reporter that they're comfortable

851
00:41:35,239 --> 00:41:38,120
Speaker 1: talking to, right, And there were.

852
00:41:39,760 --> 00:41:42,520
Speaker 3: A few when I played that I was like.

853
00:41:44,800 --> 00:41:47,520
Speaker 2: Bitch, don't come this way negative.

854
00:41:47,760 --> 00:41:53,279
Speaker 1: Sorry, but I did only because I tried it, right.

855
00:41:53,560 --> 00:41:55,560
Speaker 1: I sat down and had a conversation with you, and

856
00:41:55,600 --> 00:41:59,360
Speaker 1: then when it came out, I'm like, that's not what

857
00:41:59,440 --> 00:42:02,279
Speaker 1: I said, Like, that's not how that conversation went. But

858
00:42:02,400 --> 00:42:07,680
Speaker 1: to Lachina's point, though, I think it's very important that

859
00:42:07,760 --> 00:42:13,560
Speaker 1: we have reporters and we have coverage from people that,

860
00:42:13,800 --> 00:42:15,920
Speaker 1: you know, a few more people that look like us.

861
00:42:16,360 --> 00:42:18,759
Speaker 1: That's just natural for me to be a lot more

862
00:42:18,840 --> 00:42:21,719
Speaker 1: comfortable sitting down with La China, having a conversation with

863
00:42:21,800 --> 00:42:24,080
Speaker 1: La China, from one black woman to another one, I

864
00:42:24,160 --> 00:42:27,040
Speaker 1: just I just think it's natural, Like it's no disrespect

865
00:42:27,080 --> 00:42:32,160
Speaker 1: to any other reporter, but like, I don't know, there's

866
00:42:32,200 --> 00:42:34,640
Speaker 1: just a certain kind of way I can talk to Latina, right,

867
00:42:34,680 --> 00:42:36,920
Speaker 1: and she's gonna get it, Like she's gonna understand what

868
00:42:36,960 --> 00:42:41,480
Speaker 1: I'm saying without me having to like just really write

869
00:42:41,560 --> 00:42:44,800
Speaker 1: everything down for you to explain to the world.

870
00:42:44,920 --> 00:42:45,080
Speaker 2: Right.

871
00:42:46,480 --> 00:42:49,880
Speaker 1: And when I look at the coverage today, has it

872
00:42:49,960 --> 00:42:50,560
Speaker 1: gotten better?

873
00:42:50,840 --> 00:42:54,160
Speaker 3: Absolutely? It has, But I still think.

874
00:42:54,000 --> 00:42:55,160
Speaker 1: There is.

875
00:42:56,600 --> 00:42:59,320
Speaker 3: A lot more room for growth.

876
00:43:00,640 --> 00:43:03,520
Speaker 1: And back to La China's point that she said earlier,

877
00:43:04,360 --> 00:43:07,560
Speaker 1: and this isn't even about me, but there's a whole

878
00:43:08,600 --> 00:43:15,319
Speaker 1: lot of former players.

879
00:43:11,840 --> 00:43:14,000
Speaker 3: That I think.

880
00:43:14,800 --> 00:43:17,960
Speaker 1: Deserve an opportunity somewhere in this league. And maybe that's

881
00:43:17,960 --> 00:43:21,280
Speaker 1: not a reporter, right, an assistant coach, a head coach

882
00:43:21,360 --> 00:43:23,680
Speaker 1: in the front office, doing community relations.

883
00:43:24,160 --> 00:43:25,319
Speaker 3: I just think.

884
00:43:26,719 --> 00:43:30,120
Speaker 1: It's a lot easier for me for a former player

885
00:43:30,120 --> 00:43:32,080
Speaker 1: to be able to relate to a current player on

886
00:43:32,200 --> 00:43:37,959
Speaker 1: a lot of different topics, aspects from basketball, from off

887
00:43:38,000 --> 00:43:41,920
Speaker 1: the court, from transitioning being a player to now you're

888
00:43:42,000 --> 00:43:43,799
Speaker 1: no longer a player, What does that look like?

889
00:43:43,920 --> 00:43:44,840
Speaker 3: How do I prepare?

890
00:43:45,440 --> 00:43:48,240
Speaker 1: And so to me, when I look at the coverage

891
00:43:48,280 --> 00:43:51,040
Speaker 1: of the game and where the game's going, absolutely it

892
00:43:51,120 --> 00:43:53,480
Speaker 1: is in a much better place than it was when

893
00:43:53,520 --> 00:43:55,360
Speaker 1: we started back in nineteen ninety seven.

894
00:43:56,080 --> 00:43:59,719
Speaker 3: But there, yeah, there is definitely room for growth. With

895
00:44:00,080 --> 00:44:01,800
Speaker 3: out question, there's room for growth.

896
00:44:02,320 --> 00:44:05,760
Speaker 1: And you know, I'm not gonna call any names.

897
00:44:06,880 --> 00:44:08,480
Speaker 3: As much as I want to, I ain't gonna do that.

898
00:44:09,920 --> 00:44:11,719
Speaker 3: It bothers me.

899
00:44:12,480 --> 00:44:19,040
Speaker 1: When it's the same people that are getting the opportunities

900
00:44:19,480 --> 00:44:24,200
Speaker 1: and those same people continue to f up those opportunities.

901
00:44:24,200 --> 00:44:25,080
Speaker 3: I didn't want to say the word.

902
00:44:25,120 --> 00:44:28,400
Speaker 1: I know I could right, like you know when Latina

903
00:44:28,520 --> 00:44:31,239
Speaker 1: was just saying, you don't even know the person's name, Like,

904
00:44:31,320 --> 00:44:34,960
Speaker 1: how can you say I am an advocate of women's basketball,

905
00:44:35,160 --> 00:44:41,160
Speaker 1: I'm covering women's basketball. When on the biggest stage you

906
00:44:41,320 --> 00:44:42,680
Speaker 1: messing up players' names.

907
00:44:43,120 --> 00:44:44,719
Speaker 3: That's don't don't be disrespectful.

908
00:44:45,239 --> 00:44:49,160
Speaker 2: M I understand that one hundred percent, And honestly, you know,

909
00:44:49,320 --> 00:44:52,840
Speaker 2: this conversation, while we've been talking about mentorship in the industry,

910
00:44:52,920 --> 00:44:56,200
Speaker 2: it's just really allyship and mentorship in general, because to

911
00:44:56,239 --> 00:44:58,640
Speaker 2: your point, if you got the right people in the

912
00:44:58,760 --> 00:45:00,960
Speaker 2: room doing the right thing, saying the right things, and

913
00:45:01,000 --> 00:45:03,520
Speaker 2: we're talking about bringing people up as we go, then

914
00:45:03,520 --> 00:45:06,759
Speaker 2: there's no reason that former players shouldn't be mentioned in

915
00:45:06,800 --> 00:45:11,080
Speaker 2: conversations as it relates to head coaching positions, assistant coaching positions,

916
00:45:11,400 --> 00:45:14,480
Speaker 2: GM positions, in any other position win the sport of basketball.

917
00:45:14,520 --> 00:45:17,279
Speaker 2: Like as you said earlier, the China priority should really

918
00:45:17,320 --> 00:45:19,319
Speaker 2: go to y'all because you built this league. You know

919
00:45:19,440 --> 00:45:22,680
Speaker 2: this league. You helped to generate what we currently have

920
00:45:22,920 --> 00:45:25,840
Speaker 2: in this league, and maybe it would help to bridge

921
00:45:25,840 --> 00:45:29,760
Speaker 2: the gap between some of the disrespect that we see

922
00:45:29,800 --> 00:45:32,480
Speaker 2: between not just you know, fans of the game, but

923
00:45:32,840 --> 00:45:37,120
Speaker 2: it's some newer players that need to remember when they

924
00:45:39,680 --> 00:45:43,120
Speaker 2: it's you know, it's it's some newer players where you know,

925
00:45:43,200 --> 00:45:46,040
Speaker 2: I remember having conversations with players and I would ask

926
00:45:46,080 --> 00:45:49,200
Speaker 2: them on a women's basketball show, you know, who's a

927
00:45:49,239 --> 00:45:51,239
Speaker 2: player you looked up to, who did you admire and

928
00:45:51,280 --> 00:45:54,600
Speaker 2: I would get oh, Kevin Durant, Yeah, Kevin Durant. Wait, wait,

929
00:45:54,600 --> 00:45:58,680
Speaker 2: we're not talking about the NBA, like like, that's not

930
00:45:58,719 --> 00:45:59,120
Speaker 2: what we meant.

931
00:45:59,160 --> 00:46:02,880
Speaker 1: And there's this happens that happens more times than not.

932
00:46:03,520 --> 00:46:06,239
Speaker 2: I know, I know, but I think it's a combination

933
00:46:06,320 --> 00:46:09,560
Speaker 2: of many things. It's not simply that we're saying you

934
00:46:09,600 --> 00:46:12,120
Speaker 2: shouldn't watch men's basketball. Of course you can't. Like I mean,

935
00:46:12,200 --> 00:46:14,560
Speaker 2: I was huge Isaiah Thomas fan growing up. I could

936
00:46:14,600 --> 00:46:17,279
Speaker 2: never be a point guard. But still at the same time,

937
00:46:17,360 --> 00:46:20,680
Speaker 2: that's what it was. But I also think it also

938
00:46:21,280 --> 00:46:25,080
Speaker 2: means that the focus of some of our younger players

939
00:46:25,120 --> 00:46:28,200
Speaker 2: not to totally shift the conversation, but the focus isn't

940
00:46:28,280 --> 00:46:30,920
Speaker 2: on the history of the league and of the sport

941
00:46:31,000 --> 00:46:33,920
Speaker 2: in which you aspire to become a member of, in

942
00:46:33,960 --> 00:46:37,040
Speaker 2: which you aspire to become a player in. So I mean,

943
00:46:37,080 --> 00:46:40,279
Speaker 2: it's all these little things that really help us. I

944
00:46:40,280 --> 00:46:42,799
Speaker 2: think it'd be great for an older player, whether you

945
00:46:42,840 --> 00:46:45,040
Speaker 2: played in the league or not, but someone who this.

946
00:46:45,280 --> 00:46:47,520
Speaker 2: You know, some of these younger players admire or or

947
00:46:47,800 --> 00:46:50,480
Speaker 2: listen to or have influence to say, hey, you know,

948
00:46:50,600 --> 00:46:52,839
Speaker 2: you want to be in the WNBA. It may be

949
00:46:52,880 --> 00:46:57,240
Speaker 2: Hoo View to maybe check out some players or some games,

950
00:46:57,600 --> 00:46:59,839
Speaker 2: or watch some film from some and to see how

951
00:46:59,880 --> 00:47:02,880
Speaker 2: this league evolved and developed. Because you ask NBA players,

952
00:47:03,280 --> 00:47:05,400
Speaker 2: they know what happened back in nineteen seventy five. They

953
00:47:05,440 --> 00:47:06,880
Speaker 2: wasn't even around well.

954
00:47:06,960 --> 00:47:11,000
Speaker 5: And a lot of it has to do with accessibility too, right,

955
00:47:11,200 --> 00:47:15,160
Speaker 5: Like our games have been buried. You don't know where

956
00:47:15,200 --> 00:47:17,160
Speaker 5: to find them, you don't know when they're coming on,

957
00:47:17,400 --> 00:47:19,520
Speaker 5: you don't know. You know, it's not as easy as

958
00:47:19,520 --> 00:47:21,880
Speaker 5: it is with some other sports. It's getting much better.

959
00:47:22,000 --> 00:47:24,600
Speaker 5: But where you got a billboard reminder and then they

960
00:47:24,680 --> 00:47:27,640
Speaker 5: got a banner flying on the drune, I'm saying it's

961
00:47:27,680 --> 00:47:31,200
Speaker 5: an NBA game tonight, Like we haven't had that kind

962
00:47:31,239 --> 00:47:33,879
Speaker 5: of marketing where it's currently where it's always on the

963
00:47:33,920 --> 00:47:35,880
Speaker 5: minds of these young players. I need to tune in

964
00:47:35,960 --> 00:47:38,000
Speaker 5: and watch kandas Parker, I need to tune in and

965
00:47:38,040 --> 00:47:39,440
Speaker 5: watch Asia Wilson.

966
00:47:39,040 --> 00:47:39,839
Speaker 4: Et cetera, et cetera.

967
00:47:40,280 --> 00:47:41,959
Speaker 5: But I want to go back to your point too,

968
00:47:42,080 --> 00:47:47,960
Speaker 5: chryl in that I think while the challenge has absolutely

969
00:47:48,080 --> 00:47:55,320
Speaker 5: been we need diversity of talent, we also need more opportunities.

970
00:47:55,960 --> 00:47:59,840
Speaker 5: Like for a long time it was like ESPN, NBC

971
00:48:00,440 --> 00:48:03,520
Speaker 5: and that was it. Right Now, look at all the

972
00:48:03,560 --> 00:48:05,480
Speaker 5: different people come in to the table and I say,

973
00:48:05,600 --> 00:48:07,640
Speaker 5: NBC like when you were playing, because they kind of,

974
00:48:07,680 --> 00:48:08,800
Speaker 5: you know, one of the guys.

975
00:48:08,719 --> 00:48:09,440
Speaker 4: Got it started.

976
00:48:09,480 --> 00:48:12,719
Speaker 5: But now it's like you got Amazon coming in, you

977
00:48:12,840 --> 00:48:16,120
Speaker 5: got you know, D and T's putting eye on.

978
00:48:16,280 --> 00:48:17,400
Speaker 4: Like all of a sudden.

979
00:48:17,520 --> 00:48:20,000
Speaker 5: So I think we will get to the point where

980
00:48:20,080 --> 00:48:23,160
Speaker 5: we'll have so many games on air that you could say, Okay,

981
00:48:23,200 --> 00:48:26,400
Speaker 5: my favorite broadcaster is doing this game, my favor is

982
00:48:26,440 --> 00:48:28,920
Speaker 5: doing this game. I mean even in the next few years,

983
00:48:29,640 --> 00:48:32,920
Speaker 5: other networks are going to carry the finals, other networks

984
00:48:32,920 --> 00:48:36,040
Speaker 5: are going to carry the playoffs, and so there will

985
00:48:36,080 --> 00:48:40,240
Speaker 5: absolutely be you know, more diversity in terms of talent,

986
00:48:40,440 --> 00:48:44,560
Speaker 5: but also more opportunities. And that's something that I think

987
00:48:44,640 --> 00:48:46,960
Speaker 5: has been even frustrating for me in this time in

988
00:48:47,000 --> 00:48:49,160
Speaker 5: this industry is people, you know, they get tired of

989
00:48:49,200 --> 00:48:51,360
Speaker 5: say me like, hey on the China again, can we

990
00:48:51,400 --> 00:48:55,239
Speaker 5: get somebody else? And I'm like, ain't nobody, Oh no, ma'am, no,

991
00:48:55,320 --> 00:48:57,279
Speaker 5: there are no way people are saying we're tired.

992
00:48:59,280 --> 00:49:02,480
Speaker 1: We actually about it's not all the time that we are.

993
00:49:04,920 --> 00:49:06,040
Speaker 3: It ain't China.

994
00:49:07,040 --> 00:49:09,359
Speaker 2: Because we've got to start a petition. I sayla, China,

995
00:49:09,440 --> 00:49:11,400
Speaker 2: we're sick of you not doing play by playing.

996
00:49:13,520 --> 00:49:16,920
Speaker 5: But literally it's like, now we're gonna have so many

997
00:49:16,960 --> 00:49:20,400
Speaker 5: more seats for for for all of us.

998
00:49:20,120 --> 00:49:21,799
Speaker 4: To sit in, and I just hope film.

999
00:49:21,920 --> 00:49:25,560
Speaker 1: But even in saying that, it's still the same people

1000
00:49:25,640 --> 00:49:27,280
Speaker 1: that get those opportunities.

1001
00:49:27,680 --> 00:49:30,279
Speaker 5: Well, I I mean, we haven't heard who's going to

1002
00:49:30,360 --> 00:49:32,839
Speaker 5: be the talent for the Amazon package coming up.

1003
00:49:32,920 --> 00:49:34,480
Speaker 4: We don't know who's going to be the talent for

1004
00:49:34,640 --> 00:49:36,600
Speaker 4: NBC coming up for w n B A.

1005
00:49:37,320 --> 00:49:41,520
Speaker 5: So I mean, everybody can't do everything because even contractually,

1006
00:49:42,120 --> 00:49:44,400
Speaker 5: most people can only work for one network.

1007
00:49:45,120 --> 00:49:47,920
Speaker 4: So I don't know. Tarka does not look like she

1008
00:49:48,040 --> 00:49:49,719
Speaker 4: would tee what you got.

1009
00:49:50,040 --> 00:49:52,439
Speaker 2: I'm laughing in my head because you said everybody can't

1010
00:49:52,440 --> 00:49:54,520
Speaker 2: do everything, and in my head, I'm like, can you.

1011
00:49:54,560 --> 00:49:55,319
Speaker 3: Tell them that?

1012
00:49:55,400 --> 00:50:01,800
Speaker 2: Okay, moving on, But usually because it's like one big platform, right,

1013
00:50:01,920 --> 00:50:05,160
Speaker 2: and so all these people that may work under that umbrella,

1014
00:50:05,760 --> 00:50:07,880
Speaker 2: you know, like it just that's where it's been. But

1015
00:50:08,040 --> 00:50:11,439
Speaker 2: kudos to like in ESPN because they've been doing more

1016
00:50:11,520 --> 00:50:15,760
Speaker 2: than everyone else, more women's sports and can do more.

1017
00:50:16,120 --> 00:50:19,360
Speaker 2: But now you got other people coming to the table.

1018
00:50:19,360 --> 00:50:22,080
Speaker 2: That will be more seats there for for Brad.

1019
00:50:22,200 --> 00:50:26,480
Speaker 5: So I I hope that that in these hiring decisions

1020
00:50:26,520 --> 00:50:29,600
Speaker 5: that we definitely see the variety.

1021
00:50:30,360 --> 00:50:32,600
Speaker 2: Yes, variety is needed.

1022
00:50:32,760 --> 00:50:39,480
Speaker 3: Shot out like.

1023
00:50:41,400 --> 00:50:43,600
Speaker 5: They just made an announcement, you know what I'm saying,

1024
00:50:43,680 --> 00:50:44,560
Speaker 5: Like they had.

1025
00:50:45,560 --> 00:50:47,839
Speaker 2: First off, let me shout out my homeboy, Brandon, that's

1026
00:50:47,880 --> 00:50:48,239
Speaker 2: my brother.

1027
00:50:49,719 --> 00:50:53,000
Speaker 5: Hasn't been on a national Sarah doesn't have a w

1028
00:50:53,200 --> 00:50:54,560
Speaker 5: NBA package consistently.

1029
00:50:54,719 --> 00:50:55,440
Speaker 4: Lisa all that.

1030
00:50:55,719 --> 00:50:59,720
Speaker 3: Okay, China, listen, let's just keep it real. Okay, great,

1031
00:51:00,080 --> 00:51:03,399
Speaker 3: And then Lisa Rock like, here's my thing.

1032
00:51:03,719 --> 00:51:06,600
Speaker 1: Why is it that that we or they have to

1033
00:51:06,640 --> 00:51:10,480
Speaker 1: go hire people who don't typically cover women's basketball. Yeah,

1034
00:51:11,000 --> 00:51:13,719
Speaker 1: it's it's just a question like and I'm not here

1035
00:51:13,760 --> 00:51:15,959
Speaker 1: to like take money out of nobody's pocket or things

1036
00:51:15,960 --> 00:51:19,520
Speaker 1: like that. But I'm like, damn, are there not any

1037
00:51:19,640 --> 00:51:23,960
Speaker 1: other reporters, sideline reporters, analysts, studios.

1038
00:51:24,239 --> 00:51:26,160
Speaker 5: What I'm gonna tell you what I see happening, and

1039
00:51:26,200 --> 00:51:28,120
Speaker 5: I and I and I am with you, Cheryl.

1040
00:51:28,239 --> 00:51:30,640
Speaker 1: Yeah, everybody wants to be a part of women's basketball

1041
00:51:30,680 --> 00:51:32,040
Speaker 1: now because it's there.

1042
00:51:32,280 --> 00:51:34,120
Speaker 4: Bingo, bingo. Let me tell you this.

1043
00:51:34,280 --> 00:51:36,520
Speaker 5: I'm not safe either. I got people coming from my job,

1044
00:51:36,560 --> 00:51:38,560
Speaker 5: coming from my head. I've never let me tell you,

1045
00:51:38,560 --> 00:51:40,480
Speaker 5: for the longest time, people will be like, oh, you

1046
00:51:40,520 --> 00:51:44,360
Speaker 5: do women's basketball. Oh that's cute, have fun, you know,

1047
00:51:44,560 --> 00:51:48,080
Speaker 5: Like that's my attitude towards you, Like, yeah, oh that's cute.

1048
00:51:48,440 --> 00:51:52,400
Speaker 5: Now all of a sudden, people want want your seat.

1049
00:51:52,600 --> 00:51:54,600
Speaker 5: All of a sudden, they want women's back, they want

1050
00:51:54,719 --> 00:51:57,400
Speaker 5: w NBA, they want that spot because there's more attention

1051
00:51:57,480 --> 00:51:59,160
Speaker 5: to it. And that's something that I have had to

1052
00:51:59,160 --> 00:52:01,839
Speaker 5: come to grips with and to be okay with.

1053
00:52:01,960 --> 00:52:04,240
Speaker 4: And I'll tell you why. I will tell you why.

1054
00:52:05,400 --> 00:52:07,799
Speaker 5: So I had a conversation and this was at the

1055
00:52:07,840 --> 00:52:11,200
Speaker 5: front office level with with someone who just started working

1056
00:52:11,200 --> 00:52:14,960
Speaker 5: in the w NBA and is a brilliant mind and

1057
00:52:15,160 --> 00:52:17,560
Speaker 5: was hired, you know, to to help one of the

1058
00:52:17,800 --> 00:52:19,799
Speaker 5: one of the teams that's kind of you know, on

1059
00:52:19,840 --> 00:52:23,120
Speaker 5: the on the on the horizon. And I said, well,

1060
00:52:23,120 --> 00:52:26,280
Speaker 5: you worked in this field for so long, what made

1061
00:52:26,320 --> 00:52:28,800
Speaker 5: you want to come and work in the w n

1062
00:52:28,840 --> 00:52:31,839
Speaker 5: B A And she was very honest. She said, they

1063
00:52:31,840 --> 00:52:34,920
Speaker 5: weren't gonna pay me enough money. And I have to

1064
00:52:35,000 --> 00:52:38,960
Speaker 5: respect those boundaries. I have to respect. I have to

1065
00:52:39,000 --> 00:52:43,080
Speaker 5: respect percent have said you know what women's sports wasn't

1066
00:52:43,120 --> 00:52:46,239
Speaker 5: paying enough, but I have always wanted to be a

1067
00:52:46,280 --> 00:52:46,719
Speaker 5: part of it.

1068
00:52:46,840 --> 00:52:47,640
Speaker 4: Now there are.

1069
00:52:47,600 --> 00:52:50,680
Speaker 5: Those of us that have paid our dudes not gotten

1070
00:52:51,239 --> 00:52:54,279
Speaker 5: paid as much or not gotten the limelight, and we're

1071
00:52:54,440 --> 00:52:57,040
Speaker 5: we're gonna grind it out with women's basketball as this

1072
00:52:57,120 --> 00:53:00,400
Speaker 5: sport started to grow. But there's also people that said,

1073
00:53:00,760 --> 00:53:02,680
Speaker 5: you know what, I would like to do that, but

1074
00:53:02,800 --> 00:53:05,600
Speaker 5: until the money looks right, I'm not stepping in there.

1075
00:53:06,200 --> 00:53:10,640
Speaker 5: And can we can we blame them right because it's

1076
00:53:10,640 --> 00:53:12,240
Speaker 5: been Sometimes I'd be like, boy, if.

1077
00:53:12,080 --> 00:53:14,920
Speaker 4: I had done NBA, I'd be who lord.

1078
00:53:16,160 --> 00:53:19,200
Speaker 2: You know what's funny. I remember seeing the China on

1079
00:53:19,239 --> 00:53:21,839
Speaker 2: an episode of First Take One Time a long time ago.

1080
00:53:21,880 --> 00:53:23,480
Speaker 2: I say, this is even before I knew you. You

1081
00:53:23,520 --> 00:53:25,880
Speaker 2: did an episode of First Take one time, and I

1082
00:53:26,040 --> 00:53:28,400
Speaker 2: was like, I'm looking. I didn't know the China. So

1083
00:53:28,760 --> 00:53:30,719
Speaker 2: it wasn't like she was my friend, so it was

1084
00:53:30,800 --> 00:53:32,600
Speaker 2: it was what it was. I was like, look, I said,

1085
00:53:32,600 --> 00:53:34,840
Speaker 2: who is that woman up there talking about the NFL?

1086
00:53:35,080 --> 00:53:35,560
Speaker 1: She don't know.

1087
00:53:37,080 --> 00:53:40,600
Speaker 2: Girl on me. I'm over and I'm at home, sitting

1088
00:53:40,600 --> 00:53:41,520
Speaker 2: at home, hating.

1089
00:53:41,400 --> 00:53:43,320
Speaker 5: Like I want to be on First Take talking about

1090
00:53:43,400 --> 00:53:45,719
Speaker 5: and I was on there one time because I was

1091
00:53:45,800 --> 00:53:48,279
Speaker 5: I was a fraud and you know what, and that

1092
00:53:48,400 --> 00:53:51,080
Speaker 5: space was better occupied by someone who knew what they

1093
00:53:51,120 --> 00:53:51,759
Speaker 5: were talking about.

1094
00:53:51,800 --> 00:53:53,120
Speaker 4: But I that's who I am.

1095
00:53:53,400 --> 00:53:56,000
Speaker 5: I'm always going to give crops to somebody who is

1096
00:53:56,040 --> 00:53:59,200
Speaker 5: the expert in the space, but rocking out and even

1097
00:53:59,360 --> 00:54:02,880
Speaker 5: people who are in those seats who hire, have to

1098
00:54:02,920 --> 00:54:04,000
Speaker 5: feel that same way.

1099
00:54:04,080 --> 00:54:06,840
Speaker 4: And honestly, the way that the business.

1100
00:54:06,440 --> 00:54:10,040
Speaker 5: Works is people look out for their people, people that

1101
00:54:10,080 --> 00:54:12,640
Speaker 5: they trust. It doesn't matter what they know, because the

1102
00:54:12,719 --> 00:54:14,920
Speaker 5: thought is you can always get caught up, you can

1103
00:54:14,960 --> 00:54:18,359
Speaker 5: always learn it, but can I trust you? And we

1104
00:54:18,480 --> 00:54:21,120
Speaker 5: have a relationship and that's how hires happen and that's

1105
00:54:21,120 --> 00:54:21,879
Speaker 5: how the world works.

1106
00:54:21,920 --> 00:54:22,640
Speaker 4: But I'm with you.

1107
00:54:22,760 --> 00:54:25,719
Speaker 5: I get listen, people been coming out of the woodworks

1108
00:54:25,760 --> 00:54:28,920
Speaker 5: with the WNBA and I'm like, this is amazing but

1109
00:54:28,960 --> 00:54:33,239
Speaker 5: also just very interesting, right and like it's it's like

1110
00:54:33,280 --> 00:54:37,000
Speaker 5: where are you being which it's you know, I've invited it.

1111
00:54:37,080 --> 00:54:40,600
Speaker 5: I'm not a gaatekeeper whatsoever, because I understand for the

1112
00:54:40,640 --> 00:54:43,120
Speaker 5: sport to grow, we have to let more people in.

1113
00:54:43,719 --> 00:54:46,040
Speaker 5: But I just want my people to be taken care of.

1114
00:54:46,160 --> 00:54:48,000
Speaker 5: And what I mean by that is I want the

1115
00:54:48,040 --> 00:54:51,400
Speaker 5: people who I know have been in the trenches covering

1116
00:54:51,440 --> 00:54:54,400
Speaker 5: this spot when they weren't making no money, when they

1117
00:54:54,400 --> 00:54:57,160
Speaker 5: were doing it part time and had the full time

1118
00:54:57,239 --> 00:55:00,200
Speaker 5: job and juggling it where they was flying out to

1119
00:55:00,239 --> 00:55:03,520
Speaker 5: the smallest college town you could think of and driving

1120
00:55:03,640 --> 00:55:07,280
Speaker 5: twenty miles to catch a flight, like, I want those

1121
00:55:07,440 --> 00:55:09,800
Speaker 5: people to get their opportunities.

1122
00:55:10,080 --> 00:55:11,560
Speaker 4: I'm fine with y'all.

1123
00:55:11,320 --> 00:55:13,279
Speaker 5: Doing whatever you want to do in terms of the

1124
00:55:13,320 --> 00:55:15,920
Speaker 5: people you trusted you, but make sure that the people

1125
00:55:16,320 --> 00:55:19,319
Speaker 5: have a seat at the table that have earned a

1126
00:55:19,400 --> 00:55:21,279
Speaker 5: seat at the table, no doubt.

1127
00:55:21,239 --> 00:55:26,080
Speaker 2: That's absolutely applidly that was That was a mic drop.

1128
00:55:26,520 --> 00:55:28,359
Speaker 2: That was a mic drop. I'm with you right there

1129
00:55:28,360 --> 00:55:31,040
Speaker 2: one hundred percent. So if you are out here listening

1130
00:55:31,360 --> 00:55:35,920
Speaker 2: and you are a decision maker, my email is Tarika

1131
00:55:36,200 --> 00:55:38,040
Speaker 2: fa Brasski at Gmail.

1132
00:55:38,680 --> 00:55:40,600
Speaker 4: You'd be crazy not to hire her.

1133
00:55:41,000 --> 00:55:41,600
Speaker 2: I think I'm.

1134
00:55:44,239 --> 00:55:47,000
Speaker 4: But again, it's the lack of it's the lack of knowledge.

1135
00:55:47,239 --> 00:55:49,600
Speaker 5: And I'll tell you this, I have wanted to do

1136
00:55:49,680 --> 00:55:52,040
Speaker 5: something a little bit different with rising media stars. I

1137
00:55:52,040 --> 00:55:53,799
Speaker 5: don't know what the future of it's going to look

1138
00:55:53,840 --> 00:55:58,600
Speaker 5: like you're hearing it here first, but I think there's

1139
00:55:58,920 --> 00:56:05,040
Speaker 5: there's space for more or advocacy from our organization and

1140
00:56:05,160 --> 00:56:08,759
Speaker 5: whether that's we got the database what y'all looking for right,

1141
00:56:09,320 --> 00:56:12,160
Speaker 5: or creating opportunities for all of us to get up

1142
00:56:12,200 --> 00:56:15,719
Speaker 5: to get together, whether it's quarterly or whatever. In some way,

1143
00:56:15,920 --> 00:56:19,839
Speaker 5: all the women of color who are covering sports, there

1144
00:56:19,920 --> 00:56:22,799
Speaker 5: is there's something more that needs to be done to

1145
00:56:22,920 --> 00:56:25,600
Speaker 5: make sure that our names are in those rooms when

1146
00:56:25,600 --> 00:56:27,919
Speaker 5: they need to be. And I haven't quite figured it out,

1147
00:56:28,040 --> 00:56:30,480
Speaker 5: but I'm working on it. But before twenty twenty five

1148
00:56:30,600 --> 00:56:33,880
Speaker 5: is over, there could be an update to what we're.

1149
00:56:33,680 --> 00:56:34,280
Speaker 4: Doing with whatever.

1150
00:56:34,440 --> 00:56:37,560
Speaker 2: That's going to be very important too before we close

1151
00:56:37,640 --> 00:56:39,960
Speaker 2: this interview, because there are a lot of companies now

1152
00:56:40,000 --> 00:56:45,279
Speaker 2: that are shifting away from their DEI emissions. They are

1153
00:56:45,320 --> 00:56:47,640
Speaker 2: really like changing their entire structure.

1154
00:56:47,760 --> 00:56:49,319
Speaker 5: And let me just let me just say this one

1155
00:56:49,320 --> 00:56:53,600
Speaker 5: more thing, Like when I say this business has been

1156
00:56:53,640 --> 00:56:55,880
Speaker 5: complicated for women of color, I mean it. But like

1157
00:56:55,960 --> 00:56:58,319
Speaker 5: even when you look at some of the larger agencies,

1158
00:56:58,440 --> 00:57:01,719
Speaker 5: right the broadcast agencies for a long time, people that

1159
00:57:01,760 --> 00:57:04,839
Speaker 5: covered women's sports, there wasn't much they could do for us.

1160
00:57:05,160 --> 00:57:07,439
Speaker 5: Like I didn't have an agent for the first ten,

1161
00:57:07,560 --> 00:57:09,719
Speaker 5: maybe twelve years of my career. Matter of fact I

1162
00:57:09,800 --> 00:57:12,800
Speaker 5: was freelance for the first twelve years of my career,

1163
00:57:13,000 --> 00:57:16,479
Speaker 5: never had a full time contract, And part of that

1164
00:57:17,280 --> 00:57:20,920
Speaker 5: was because these agents would say, well, you know, y'all

1165
00:57:21,000 --> 00:57:23,240
Speaker 5: really don't make enough money in women's sports. Let's see

1166
00:57:23,240 --> 00:57:26,080
Speaker 5: my cut of that hat's going to be ten percent.

1167
00:57:26,280 --> 00:57:29,680
Speaker 5: And for women's basketball they pay you. It just doesn't

1168
00:57:29,680 --> 00:57:31,480
Speaker 5: make any sense for me to pick you up, you

1169
00:57:31,520 --> 00:57:34,040
Speaker 5: know what I'm saying. And not only that, but also

1170
00:57:34,240 --> 00:57:36,760
Speaker 5: they didn't know any of the people who were over

1171
00:57:36,800 --> 00:57:41,080
Speaker 5: women's sports because they just never had interest in it.

1172
00:57:41,200 --> 00:57:43,960
Speaker 5: Never felt like it was, you know, where they wanted

1173
00:57:44,000 --> 00:57:46,480
Speaker 5: to put their money or their resources, which I get it.

1174
00:57:46,520 --> 00:57:47,840
Speaker 4: The dollars have to make sense.

1175
00:57:48,440 --> 00:57:53,800
Speaker 5: So that's another aspect of representation for us that has

1176
00:57:53,880 --> 00:57:56,920
Speaker 5: been missing, right for those of us that do want

1177
00:57:56,960 --> 00:57:59,280
Speaker 5: to cover women's sports and those of us that just

1178
00:57:59,360 --> 00:58:01,720
Speaker 5: happened to be also women of color. And I just

1179
00:58:01,720 --> 00:58:04,240
Speaker 5: want to say this disclaimer too, and because I think

1180
00:58:04,280 --> 00:58:07,080
Speaker 5: people get this confused before we wrap this up. When

1181
00:58:07,120 --> 00:58:10,520
Speaker 5: it comes to diversity, inclusion and hiring in this field,

1182
00:58:11,400 --> 00:58:14,480
Speaker 5: the women that I speak of, the women that I

1183
00:58:14,520 --> 00:58:17,000
Speaker 5: am on this call, with those that come from our

1184
00:58:17,120 --> 00:58:21,200
Speaker 5: Rising Media Stars program, they are qualified, they know what

1185
00:58:21,280 --> 00:58:24,320
Speaker 5: they are talking about, they know how to do the job.

1186
00:58:24,680 --> 00:58:26,680
Speaker 5: No one is ever asking you to put somebody in

1187
00:58:26,680 --> 00:58:29,520
Speaker 5: a position just because of the color of their skin. Yeah,

1188
00:58:29,600 --> 00:58:33,160
Speaker 5: asking for the candidatency pool to be diverse. When you

1189
00:58:33,240 --> 00:58:38,439
Speaker 5: start making those decisions, make sure that everybody in that

1190
00:58:38,600 --> 00:58:40,240
Speaker 5: pool doesn't.

1191
00:58:39,880 --> 00:58:40,600
Speaker 2: Look the same.

1192
00:58:41,320 --> 00:58:41,760
Speaker 4: That's it.

1193
00:58:41,880 --> 00:58:42,200
Speaker 2: Yeah.

1194
00:58:42,320 --> 00:58:44,960
Speaker 5: I remember Billy Jean King, and I'll leave y'all with this,

1195
00:58:45,120 --> 00:58:47,680
Speaker 5: just something that Billy Jean King said that really it

1196
00:58:47,760 --> 00:58:51,000
Speaker 5: has always stuck with me. She said, you know, when

1197
00:58:51,000 --> 00:58:53,680
Speaker 5: I was twelve years old, I remember going to play

1198
00:58:53,760 --> 00:58:57,040
Speaker 5: tennis and I looked around and I asked.

1199
00:58:56,800 --> 00:58:58,960
Speaker 4: Myself a question, she said.

1200
00:58:59,080 --> 00:59:02,080
Speaker 5: I was starting to look around and I said, why

1201
00:59:02,200 --> 00:59:07,560
Speaker 5: is everyone white? And why are we wearing white? And

1202
00:59:07,680 --> 00:59:11,240
Speaker 5: why don't I see other women? And it might seem

1203
00:59:11,320 --> 00:59:14,000
Speaker 5: like a very small thing, but if we all ask

1204
00:59:14,080 --> 00:59:17,200
Speaker 5: those questions in the in the circles we find ourselves in,

1205
00:59:17,320 --> 00:59:21,320
Speaker 5: whether that's our communities, our friend groups, whatever, But especially

1206
00:59:21,320 --> 00:59:24,520
Speaker 5: when it comes to hiring and and when it comes

1207
00:59:24,560 --> 00:59:26,400
Speaker 5: to business, if you can sit in a room and

1208
00:59:26,480 --> 00:59:29,080
Speaker 5: ask yourself and say, you know what, why are there

1209
00:59:29,080 --> 00:59:29,800
Speaker 5: any women here?

1210
00:59:30,480 --> 00:59:32,880
Speaker 4: Why don't we have any women of color on our roster.

1211
00:59:33,800 --> 00:59:36,480
Speaker 5: That would be the beginning of some very important conversations

1212
00:59:36,520 --> 00:59:39,000
Speaker 5: that need to happen. Just look in the environment and

1213
00:59:39,080 --> 00:59:44,360
Speaker 5: ask yourself, why why is there no diversity? And once

1214
00:59:44,360 --> 00:59:46,840
Speaker 5: you start asking that question, you'll get to the bottom

1215
00:59:46,880 --> 00:59:49,080
Speaker 5: of a lot of unconscious bias. You'll get to the

1216
00:59:49,440 --> 00:59:52,080
Speaker 5: bottom of a lot of different things that could help

1217
00:59:52,120 --> 00:59:53,200
Speaker 5: to diversify our world.

1218
00:59:53,240 --> 00:59:57,120
Speaker 4: So I leave it at that, But I love y'all.

1219
00:59:57,520 --> 00:59:59,840
Speaker 3: Well, no, what we're gonna what We're gonna leave it

1220
00:59:59,840 --> 01:00:00,720
Speaker 3: at real quick.

1221
01:00:00,760 --> 01:00:04,800
Speaker 1: Tea is a big ass ring she got on her face.

1222
01:00:04,800 --> 01:00:14,840
Speaker 1: Oh boy, period.

1223
01:00:13,400 --> 01:00:21,720
Speaker 6: Okay, period, yea, yeah, like y'all, Okay, I'm trying to

1224
01:00:21,760 --> 01:00:28,120
Speaker 6: be taking care of at the house, Greg b cooking.

1225
01:00:28,920 --> 01:00:29,240
Speaker 2: Cheryl.

1226
01:00:29,320 --> 01:00:32,040
Speaker 5: I still remember you talking to me about your husband

1227
01:00:32,040 --> 01:00:34,400
Speaker 5: and how it was the perfect dynamic because I can

1228
01:00:34,440 --> 01:00:36,360
Speaker 5: go off and do my thing he does.

1229
01:00:36,840 --> 01:00:40,160
Speaker 1: You said that, you say that, she sh She ain't

1230
01:00:40,880 --> 01:00:43,840
Speaker 1: like he's listen, we're talking about that ring.

1231
01:00:44,320 --> 01:00:47,080
Speaker 3: He's talking out nothing else, So don't be trying to

1232
01:00:47,120 --> 01:00:47,600
Speaker 3: get off.

1233
01:00:49,440 --> 01:00:52,160
Speaker 2: The China might be the only person who cried quicker

1234
01:00:52,160 --> 01:00:55,160
Speaker 2: than you did and still didn't and still didn't put

1235
01:00:55,160 --> 01:00:58,760
Speaker 2: two and two together. We like the China's so slow.

1236
01:00:58,800 --> 01:01:01,360
Speaker 5: That is part of the gift being who I am

1237
01:01:01,440 --> 01:01:04,200
Speaker 5: is that I am so naive sometimes, Like I literally

1238
01:01:04,280 --> 01:01:05,120
Speaker 5: was like, oh, this.

1239
01:01:05,240 --> 01:01:07,840
Speaker 4: Is so great, Like what's going on?

1240
01:01:08,680 --> 01:01:11,520
Speaker 3: Are all of y'all here? Drea?

1241
01:01:11,800 --> 01:01:13,640
Speaker 1: I saw Drea a couple of weeks ago at an

1242
01:01:13,640 --> 01:01:14,640
Speaker 1: event we did together.

1243
01:01:14,800 --> 01:01:15,960
Speaker 2: She told me the story.

1244
01:01:16,080 --> 01:01:22,440
Speaker 1: I was like, only Latina, But yeah, congratulations, though, thank you.

1245
01:01:22,560 --> 01:01:24,480
Speaker 4: I'm trying to join the club with you, guys.

1246
01:01:25,920 --> 01:01:26,520
Speaker 3: Let's go.

1247
01:01:26,840 --> 01:01:28,840
Speaker 4: I'm excited. But yeah, god, it's good.

1248
01:01:29,240 --> 01:01:31,240
Speaker 2: I love it. I love it. I'm trying to tant

1249
01:01:31,240 --> 01:01:33,320
Speaker 2: a bachelor rad party. She won't let me, but I'm

1250
01:01:33,360 --> 01:01:34,400
Speaker 2: trying to do what.

1251
01:01:35,440 --> 01:01:37,600
Speaker 4: Planet Lord, I don't even know.

1252
01:01:39,400 --> 01:01:42,040
Speaker 1: As supposed to do is show up. You just make

1253
01:01:42,080 --> 01:01:43,600
Speaker 1: sure I get my invite because I'm.

1254
01:01:45,920 --> 01:01:47,920
Speaker 2: It's got to be months before the wedding because if

1255
01:01:47,960 --> 01:01:51,120
Speaker 2: you did it days, China, I know how.

1256
01:01:52,080 --> 01:01:54,520
Speaker 3: Okay, just make sure I got my invite because I

1257
01:01:54,520 --> 01:01:58,080
Speaker 3: am If you throw at.

1258
01:01:59,720 --> 01:02:04,080
Speaker 2: Y'all had to drag me to the altar, it's gonna

1259
01:02:04,120 --> 01:02:06,240
Speaker 2: be Listen, I'm throwing something. I don't know what. It

1260
01:02:06,240 --> 01:02:08,200
Speaker 2: ain't got to be the bechelarette, but we she gonna

1261
01:02:08,200 --> 01:02:10,960
Speaker 2: be surprised again. She to go to this little dinner

1262
01:02:11,120 --> 01:02:13,760
Speaker 2: with Tarika and then when she show up, it's her body.

1263
01:02:14,280 --> 01:02:16,680
Speaker 5: I love you guys, thank you for having me. I'm sorry,

1264
01:02:18,600 --> 01:02:21,680
Speaker 5: you know, so lifeless.

1265
01:02:22,360 --> 01:02:23,919
Speaker 4: Yeah, yes, but I love you guys.

1266
01:02:24,320 --> 01:02:26,240
Speaker 5: Happy for y'all to have this platform too, because your

1267
01:02:26,320 --> 01:02:27,840
Speaker 5: voices are so important.

1268
01:02:28,960 --> 01:02:30,520
Speaker 4: Like I get very.

1269
01:02:30,320 --> 01:02:34,880
Speaker 5: Agitated listening to people talk about things that they can't

1270
01:02:34,920 --> 01:02:37,840
Speaker 5: really speak on. When we have qualified people like the

1271
01:02:37,880 --> 01:02:41,000
Speaker 5: two of you who need to be heard. And even

1272
01:02:41,040 --> 01:02:43,880
Speaker 5: if it's I know, not basketball, no matter what it is,

1273
01:02:43,960 --> 01:02:48,160
Speaker 5: life like whatever, you guys are great communicators, you're authentic women,

1274
01:02:48,520 --> 01:02:52,280
Speaker 5: you are well respected. So I'm happy for you and

1275
01:02:52,320 --> 01:02:53,760
Speaker 5: I'm here whenever y'all need me.

1276
01:02:53,920 --> 01:03:04,680
Speaker 4: Thank you, Cheryl.

1277
01:03:04,760 --> 01:03:08,080
Speaker 2: I love the China like there's literally you know, there's

1278
01:03:08,160 --> 01:03:09,640
Speaker 2: just no one, there's no one.

1279
01:03:09,520 --> 01:03:14,720
Speaker 3: Like her, and she's she's so humble though, Like China, China.

1280
01:03:14,640 --> 01:03:15,400
Speaker 2: Is that girl.

1281
01:03:15,840 --> 01:03:19,800
Speaker 1: She she always has been and I just appreciate how

1282
01:03:19,880 --> 01:03:24,280
Speaker 1: humble she is and you know, just her willingness to

1283
01:03:24,640 --> 01:03:30,200
Speaker 1: always listen, support be there, like la China's done a

1284
01:03:30,280 --> 01:03:33,600
Speaker 1: whole lot of stuff for me in the TV space

1285
01:03:33,640 --> 01:03:38,600
Speaker 1: and just giving me confidence to do it. And I

1286
01:03:38,760 --> 01:03:41,400
Speaker 1: just I'm so grateful for her, for her love, her friendship,

1287
01:03:41,480 --> 01:03:42,280
Speaker 1: her sisterhood.

1288
01:03:42,760 --> 01:03:43,000
Speaker 3: Yeah.

1289
01:03:43,360 --> 01:03:47,880
Speaker 2: Same, one hundred percent same. I give all credit to

1290
01:03:47,920 --> 01:03:50,760
Speaker 2: God first, but when I talk about people who have

1291
01:03:50,920 --> 01:03:54,440
Speaker 2: truly helped me get here and be respected here, and

1292
01:03:54,480 --> 01:03:57,120
Speaker 2: I mean, yeah, I think we all like do our

1293
01:03:57,120 --> 01:04:00,480
Speaker 2: own thing and start making our own relationships. But people

1294
01:04:00,480 --> 01:04:02,440
Speaker 2: would know me in this space the way they know

1295
01:04:02,560 --> 01:04:05,200
Speaker 2: me if not for my connection to the China. And

1296
01:04:05,240 --> 01:04:07,880
Speaker 2: I will always be thankful to her and for her

1297
01:04:08,080 --> 01:04:13,240
Speaker 2: for that. So with that, Cheryl, level us on up

1298
01:04:13,280 --> 01:04:14,640
Speaker 2: and we can get on out of here.

1299
01:04:14,960 --> 01:04:16,600
Speaker 3: I got you today, sis.

1300
01:04:17,240 --> 01:04:20,919
Speaker 1: And because we're talking about mentorship and uplifting each other

1301
01:04:21,000 --> 01:04:25,840
Speaker 1: and really just just being there for one another, my

1302
01:04:25,880 --> 01:04:29,720
Speaker 1: good says. Swing Cash posted this on ig a couple

1303
01:04:29,680 --> 01:04:32,800
Speaker 1: of weeks ago and I loved it. So I am

1304
01:04:32,880 --> 01:04:36,720
Speaker 1: sharing this for all the women out there. And it

1305
01:04:36,880 --> 01:04:45,680
Speaker 1: says to the women who are labeled aggressive, keep being assertive, bossy,

1306
01:04:46,440 --> 01:04:52,040
Speaker 1: keep on leading difficult, keep telling the truth too much,

1307
01:04:52,560 --> 01:04:58,600
Speaker 1: keep taking up space, awkward, keep asking hard questions. Please

1308
01:04:58,680 --> 01:05:02,760
Speaker 1: don't shrink yourself to me, people happy, be yourself. You're

1309
01:05:02,800 --> 01:05:09,720
Speaker 1: beautiful that way. That's a word. Yeah, yeah, that's a word.

1310
01:05:09,720 --> 01:05:10,360
Speaker 2: I'm triggered.

1311
01:05:10,480 --> 01:05:14,600
Speaker 1: I'm triggered listen because we are labeled and call those things.

1312
01:05:14,480 --> 01:05:18,600
Speaker 2: All the time. Oh you're too aggressive, you're aggressive, you're.

1313
01:05:19,480 --> 01:05:20,080
Speaker 3: Difficult.

1314
01:05:20,680 --> 01:05:24,000
Speaker 2: Oh my god. Yeah, I am triggered, but I love it.

1315
01:05:24,360 --> 01:05:25,440
Speaker 2: Yeah yeah.

1316
01:05:25,480 --> 01:05:29,840
Speaker 1: So hopefully that uplifts some of you and or all

1317
01:05:29,880 --> 01:05:34,360
Speaker 1: of you, and just know how much we appreciate every

1318
01:05:34,400 --> 01:05:35,439
Speaker 1: single one of you out there.

1319
01:05:35,640 --> 01:05:40,320
Speaker 2: Absolutely love that. Well, friends, thank you guys so much

1320
01:05:40,480 --> 01:05:44,560
Speaker 2: for continuing to listen to Levels to this. We will

1321
01:05:44,560 --> 01:05:48,080
Speaker 2: be back next week with more Next Level conversations and

1322
01:05:48,120 --> 01:05:51,600
Speaker 2: we have a great guest next week, so I'm really

1323
01:05:51,640 --> 01:05:54,840
Speaker 2: excited about these next few episodes. Man, you guys are

1324
01:05:54,880 --> 01:05:57,760
Speaker 2: really gonna love them. And we are always continuing to

1325
01:05:57,760 --> 01:06:00,680
Speaker 2: bring you conversations just simply about the real that we

1326
01:06:00,760 --> 01:06:04,120
Speaker 2: go through as women. But remember this isn't just our show.

1327
01:06:04,200 --> 01:06:07,120
Speaker 2: It's our show, so we want to hear from you.

1328
01:06:07,320 --> 01:06:10,440
Speaker 2: Leave us a review in Apple Podcasts, or you can

1329
01:06:10,520 --> 01:06:14,160
Speaker 2: email us at Levels Too This Podcast at gmail dot

1330
01:06:14,160 --> 01:06:16,320
Speaker 2: com and tell us what you thought about this week's

1331
01:06:16,360 --> 01:06:18,320
Speaker 2: show or what you may want to talk about in

1332
01:06:18,360 --> 01:06:21,040
Speaker 2: a future show. You can also follow us on Instagram

1333
01:06:21,080 --> 01:06:25,280
Speaker 2: at lttpod, but until then, keep your mentals ground levels

1334
01:06:25,320 --> 01:06:27,840
Speaker 2: and we'll be back next week. Peace out, guys.

1335
01:06:28,520 --> 01:06:34,800
Speaker 1: Peace Listen to Levels to This on America's number one

1336
01:06:34,880 --> 01:06:38,640
Speaker 1: podcast network, iHeart, open your free iHeart app and search

1337
01:06:38,800 --> 01:06:41,680
Speaker 1: levels to this with Cheryl Swoops and Treka Foster Brasby

1338
01:06:41,840 --> 01:06:42,680
Speaker 1: and start listening.