4 Things Trisha Yearwood is Grateful for: her blessed life, her family bond, her love for rescue dogs and we can't forget her coffee! Bonus: Why girlfriends matter! (#35)

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Okay, cast up little food for yourself life. Ain't Oh
it's pretty, but it's pretty beautiful things beautiful. That's a

(00:23):
little mouth said he you're kicking four brown as promised.
We got Tricia Yearwood here, So how's it going. It's good,
that's good. She has on the cutest I know this
podcast you can't really see, but she has on the
cutest little leopard jacket that I wanted it. But check

(00:46):
this out the okayside. The interior is like this little
floral situation. Johnny was, Okay, you can have it. You
can find We can't have this one, but I can
go find it. I will give it to you. But
I just need to go home and find something else
to wear. And yeah, yes, yes, Now. I don't know
how you get ready in the mornings, but I dry
my hair and put my makeup on. Hoerefully looking around
the room and my head going all right, what am

(01:06):
I gonna What am I gonna do when? And I
just it's weird. I have no idea, And then I'll
just come across something and nine times out of tin
what I've like, I know there's a T shirt I
can get. I got like a black tank I can
stick under that. And I just saw this hanging from
the dry cleaners and I was like, that's what I'm
working at around today. That's the wardrobe, but a lot.
I mean, I don't have a plan ever, And because
I do so many things where someone else dresses me,

(01:27):
it's kind of scary to dress myself because it's like
they're so good at it and they're carrying the right everything,
and I'm not. My friend. She helps me if I
have like a work event. She stylist but also a friend,
and so she's helped me. But day to day I
feel like I really struggle. But she's like, I should
just come over and we should put you some outfits
and we take some polaroids and then you just kind
of keep them. See because I forget, like what goes

(01:48):
to fly? Why is dressing so hard? I know? But
here's my thing is that I have the same friends
who are asking me that that they want to help
me organize my closet. It's a big walking closet. But
I'm a virgosom and perfectionist, so I love things in
a word, So I do love that. But then the
downside of that is because I like alphabetized all my
CDs back in the day. So I'm that girl. But
then when something gets out of place, then I'm like

(02:08):
I just like I ruined it, Like I my rainbow
of colors in my closet, I move that are in
shirt and now it's all ruined. You know, I'm that girl.
So it's kind of a night like what are your
freak out moments? I feel like You've got so much
going on, yet you're always like so together, So it's like, yeah,
I think for me, it's that you know, my husband
and I both are so busy, and we also we
are together as much as possible, so we're together a lot,

(02:29):
and we take turns like it just whatever needs to
be done gets done. So the like loading the dishwasher,
for instance, is one of those things that like he
will be like, just leave it. I'll get it in
the morning because he gets up before I do. He
makes coffee. He's like the morning guy. I'm not the
morning girl. And I go to bed and sleep better
if the kitchen's clean, Like if I know that, like
it's in my head it's cluttered if I so I'll

(02:50):
have a meltdown over that. That that like it's like, no,
I'm going to do it because I need it to
be clean tonight before I go to sleep. But I
also am willing to live in the mess until it
just and I'll snap. That'll be It'll be like, but
you know, the office has been a mess for six months,
but today is the day that it's got to get
done because I can't stand in another second. And then
I'm great at it. I will get it done and
it will be purged and cleaned and starting at zero again. Yeah,

(03:13):
I can. I can do that. Sometimes if I had
that breaking point, I'll be like, I'll just look at
my husband. I'll be like, when you set a timer
and just do a ten minute PU, which I don't
know if I learned. I think I learned that from
my sister. She would do with her kids. But PEU
stands for pick up time, like a ten minute let's
just see what we can knock out in ten minutes.
How we feel. I just always feel so much better.
I'm like ten minute. People like we don't have a
lot of time, or just something feels off about the day.

(03:35):
I'm like, let's just pause ten minute p you and
it always fee you sounds really weird when I say
it out loud, but it always feels better, which I
don't know why it's weird. I mean, I'm sure people
listening to because they know you and Garth and your lifestyle,
and I love how also normal y'all are, and you
talk about it and you're like, yeah, I do the
tissues like your closets, because I'm sure some people like

(03:55):
have this vision in their head of like superstars like y'all,
just the you have someone in your house that's like
always doing everything for you. I'll unpack your bag, I'll
do the dishes, I'll do the dishwasher like that. I'll
dress you, I'll do your makeup, I'll do you like
a Mariah Carey situation, like I'll carry you and here's
your own drolla, Like I don't know. I mean, we
we already are spoiled rotten by everybody who does so

(04:17):
many things for us. But I think in our own
and there are things that we just feel like we
should do ourselves and want to do ourselves, Like I
don't want somebody else doing my grocery shopping for me.
I like to go to the grocery store and get
it done. I don't always and you know, I don't
always love it, but I it's a necessity. So I
I've always done those things for myself. And I remember
being asked one time years ago somebody recognized me in
the grocery store and I was like, I don't can't

(04:38):
leave you do your own shopping. And I'm like, well,
howse we're gonna eat? Like it's like like this is
what we're gonna have to do. And we do have
somebody who comes in and cleans the house occasionally, but
I am so like, I feel like it's not her
job to do my laundry, it's not her job to
clean my dishes, so I do I feel like it's
my job to clean my house. And when she comes in,
it's like the deep clean stuff, like the stuff that

(04:59):
like the floor is than the things that I don't
have time to do. But I don't think it's her
job to have to pick up after me. So I
think that's just how I was raised. Yeah, so the
things that you know, obviously having someone come to your house,
everyone swine clean and then you you going to the
grocery store yourself, like being able to be as well
known as y'all are, but you still get to do
normal things like I'm sure that's something that you're still

(05:20):
grateful for. So I'll just use this as a transition
into you sharing four things that you are grateful for.
That's something that a lot of guests do on here.
It's just maybe it helps us learn a little bit
more about you, UM, and gives us just insight into
what you're thinking for in your life, because that's what
brings true joy, It's gratitude. So a man, I agree.

(05:40):
I mean, the first thing that comes to mind when
you say that is that I'm grateful for my life,
you know, because Garth and I we do actively practice
gratitude and we discuss how lucky we are and how
grateful we are for the life we have. Um. We
sit outside a lot. We have our houses on a
hill and we overlook Nashville, and UM we sit outside
almost every noight. It we did it last night. He

(06:01):
was he was um out of town. He got home
and it was late and we still sat outside for
a little bit, just to kind of have that time
where there's no cell phone and there's not you're not
on your computer, check in your email, You're just sitting outside. Um.
Overlooking the city, and it never fails that we we
acknowledge out loud are how grateful we are for our

(06:21):
lives and that we don't lead, we don't take it
for granted, and that we know that we don't lead
lives that first of all, are anywhere near close to
the way we grew up. So we know that we're
you know that the advantages that we have because of
the industry that we're in that has been so good
to us, have allowed us to have that view, you know.
So we talk about it a lot, and I think
it's it is why you it's important to remember because

(06:43):
on a daily basis, someone is in this industry trying
to help you make your life easier. You know, I'll
do it for you. You don't have to go do that.
I'll pick that up. I'll you know, and you have
to continue to be the person that does those things
yourself too, to stay grounded. Um. And and you know,
we also have the voices of our parents in our head,

(07:04):
you know, which are which we're very grounding. You know.
They very much about taking responsibility for yourself and doing
things yourself. And Garth is very much that guy. So
I might be more likely to let somebody else do
for me. But he's always like, now you can carry
that bag. I'm like, you're right, You're right a lot.
That's definitely that would definitely be on the list of grateful. Um,

(07:25):
I'm grateful for the you know, the other serious thing
I would say, I'm grateful for his family. You know, I, um,
my sister is my person, and um, she and I
are now. You know, when you're when you we've lost
both of our parents, and when you're when your first
parent dies, it's a it's a shock to the system.
It was my biggest fear in life. And then when
when I lost my mom, my sister and I had

(07:46):
this it's this weird feeling you can't explain until it
happens to you, where there's no one in charge, like
you're now the high you're near now at the top
of the chain, like we're it. And she's always been
my person. So Beth is my sister, and she is
my cheerleader, she's my counsel, she's my person that I
want to share things with. I mean, I'm married to

(08:07):
the love of my life and he is my guy,
but there is a bond with my sister, with family that, Um,
that is just really rare and special. And now and
then marry and Garth and marrying into a family of
three girls. I was you know, I didn't have any children. Um,
I'm so grateful for family. I inherited a family that
I didn't even know I needed. You know, I didn't

(08:28):
understand because I wasn't really I never had that biological clock.
I never was that girl who was like, I need
to have a baby. And so when I married Garth,
I had these three little girls that were in my
life every other day, and I'm like, I don't know
how to do this, Like I didn't even babysit. And Um,
I learned quickly that I didn't know how much I

(08:49):
needed them in my life. So I'm so grateful for
um family because at the end of the day, that's
really what it's all about. How old were you when
you lost your mom? Um. I was forty eight, so
I had her for a long time. Um Uh, my
dad passed suddenly and when I was forty and my
mom had cancer, so it was a a long process.

(09:10):
But the last couple of months of her life, I
lived with her. My sister and lived with her and
moved moved to Georgia and lived with her in the
midst of my crazy life. And I did have a
moment if I can't do this, and then I had
the second moment of there's no other way I'm going
to be there. And it was even though she was
passing and we knew that she was not going to
get better, we had really good time and we had

(09:32):
a lot of laughs. And it sounds crazy, but until
you've been through it with someone, you don't realize how
valuable that time is. And even though it you know,
we all knew how it was going to end. Um
My sister and I still talk about it when my
you know, my mom was at home and when she
passed the moment she passed, my sister and I high
fived over the over the bed because we were like,

(09:53):
we did this and we did it the way she
wanted it done, and it was as good as as
as going can be. Ye, my sister and I experienced
something very similar with our mom and we were at
her bedside when she passed away, and I I can
understand the high five. And I think anybody else listening again,
if they've been through it, that's the only way you

(10:14):
would understand, especially because when cancer comes in and you
know that it's happening, or there's a hospice type situation
and you're there and you're prepared, and that's why you're
That's why you're that's why you're there, that's why you
moved back, That's why it was so important for you
to be there. Um you know, you're you're able to
process it in such a different way to where you

(10:35):
realize now they're no longer in pain, and you did
the best that you could to be the daughters that
you needed to be. That high five is almost like, Okay,
she's at rest now and like we can, we can,
we can carry on for for my mom. My sister
and I we l we crawled in her little hospice

(10:56):
bed and she was at my sister's house and we
probably laid with her for like an hour and a
half after she died. And I don't know if that
was weird. I still had decide like cal if that
was so weird of us, but like we didn't want
to We didn't want to leave her, even though we
were like okay, like we had peace about it. But
I don't know, Yeah, there's nothing weird about it is. However,

(11:18):
we all hand a litttle bit differently. How long ago
is it that you lost your um in October? It'll
be five years. It never. I mean we both have emotion.
We're both trying not to cry here, you know, like
you never you know, it's a place where the grass
doesn't grow back, but you learn. I think through time
how to kind of live with what's missing. And I
mean having lost a parent suddenly and lost a parent

(11:41):
over time, I would say it sucks both ways, but
I would definitely take the time that we had. I mean,
my my family and I had a really great relationship.
So my dad had a heart attack and um I
had taught him the day before, so I didn't have
any regret there. It wasn't like, oh I wish I
would have done this, or I wish I would have that,
But it was just so and so shocking. With my mom.

(12:02):
I hated that she had to suffer, but I also
felt like, I, you know, I don't know if you
feel this way. And we got done a dark hole,
I guess talking about death, but I thought I was
prepared because you know it's coming, and you also know
they're gonna be relief and you feel that peace immediately,
but then you still it. It's like when somebody says, well,

(12:25):
she had a long life, It's like, what does that mean.
I don't care if my mother, my mother was seventy four,
I don't care. If she would have been a hundred,
I would have been devastated. You know. It's you're losing
someone that you that is your person that you love,
so it's it's always hard. Um. But maybe having that
time for me I would she she was and she
was graceful about it. My mom was. My mom was
a rock star like she was. She was. She did

(12:48):
it so well, like if she if you could write
a book on how to die, my mother would have
written the book. She was just amazing, you know. And
I think, well, maybe God has a plan because my
dad would not have been the poster chipper how to die.
I mean, I think he was that guy. He was
he said I want to wake up one day and
I just want to I want to be gone, and
he was. And I think for I think that that
was a blessing in that because I don't think he
could have endored what she did. I think it's interesting

(13:10):
that you say that because when we were going through
that the last few weeks with my mom, which were
really painful for her and very just painful for us.
And to have to watch her in that. I kept thinking, like,
what would be worse if she just were to have
died one day along, you know, and we didn't have
to go through this two year cancer journey that's ending
in this like such a horrific way. Um, just because

(13:33):
I saw that, I mean her the cancer took over
on the outside of her body. Tumors were on her
like so like to me, I was like, okay, you
see you know, you see on a scan like sometimes
how a tumor is growing and taking over, but when
you see it on the outside, you're like, oh my gosh,
it's vicious. And so I was just seeing things I
couldn't unsee, and like we were trying to be her primary,

(13:56):
my sister and I. She was single. So we have
a dad. But and he my dad's going through cancer
right now. And I will say my mom was the
epitome of grace handled it well. My dad, Sorry, boys,
you guys don't do so well with those things. You
just don't. I'm like, Dad, he just like nowhere near
Like how my mom was, it's crazy, but it's fine.

(14:18):
We're still It's like when your husband gets a headcold.
I'm sorry, it's just the way it is. Still loving it,
loving my dad through this. And he doesn't even listen
this podcast, So I guess you can say whatever I want,
shout out he's listening this day, and like this will
be the day. I'm we'll see what Amy's up to.
Tricient on. I think I'll finally listen. Um. So yeah,

(14:42):
but I I it's interesting that you say that, and
it's comforting to me knowing that you've um you would
choose having more time, and so now that makes me
appreciate the time I had with her more because that
was something when you're going through it for whatever reason,
in a morbid way, that's that's a thought that comes
to your mind, like put this just to just happened
in a car wreck, um, because it wouldn't be as

(15:03):
painful as having to wake up every day this last
week of hospice and her just like when is her
last breath? And and you know, our I mean, I know,
we just this is such a deep subject, but you know,
like we're so people can't relate. I mean, our our will,
our bodies will to live is so strong even when
we're dying, you know. So it's like my mother was.

(15:25):
She was so great, you know, and she she would
go to sleep and the last couple of days and
she'd wake up and she would just like let out
this deep side. I'm like, Mom, are you hurting? Do
you want morphine? And she's like no, I'm just like
when she decided she was ready to go, she would
just she just didn't. She doesn't want to wake up,
you know, And she'd wake up and she'd be mad,
just like I'm just still here. I'm just ready to go.

(15:46):
And I'm like, well I can't, Like I can't. There's
nothing I can do about that. Um, It's amazing how
much are which is all, which is which is encouraging
to me for us as I think about my health
all the time and how I'm not always doing a
lot of times not doing the right thing. For Garthen
and I'll talked about this a lot about what kind
of old people do we want to be and if
we really want to be healthy old people, we have

(16:08):
to make some changes and we have to do different things.
The cool thing about our bodies is that no matter
how much you abuse your body, when you take care
of it, it responds. And your body wants to heal,
It wants to be healthy, it wants to be good
to you. So that's it's just a cool thing to
witness and and I witnessed that and how much it
holds on even knowing that it has to let go. Well,

(16:30):
you know, I mentioned my mom was in We were
my sister's house, and we kind of turned my sister's
master bedroom into the little hospice area, and like people
were in and out, friends and family coming and going.
When you mentioned that, it made me think of like her.
She lost consciousness like a couple of days before she died. Um,
and so there really wasn't any communication, but she was

(16:50):
alive and breathing. She was there, but probably a one day,
about forty friends and family gathered and the worship leader
at my sister's church came over and brought a guitar
and we all just like gathered around here because we
knew that's what she would love, and we sang some
of her favorite hymns and um, one of her favorites
is all fly Away, and we all just started singing that,

(17:15):
and she responded, you could see her, you know, in
the hospice nurse kept saying, talk to her. She can
hear you, And I'm like, are you serious, Like she
has not moved in like forty eight hours. She cannot
hear me talk to her, um, you know, but her
green kids are coming in and talk. We were encouraging them,
like just so that they could have their moment with
their grandma. And then some people were even judging us

(17:36):
for that, like my sister's kids. My kids were still
in Haitia at the time. My mom only got to
meet my kids on FaceTime because they didn't make it
here in time. But um, like some people, it's weird
how people always have an opinion about what you're doing.
And my sisters like, this is my mom's grandkids, and
yes she is on her deathbed, but my kids are
going to have to experience death. That is part of life.

(17:59):
So please during this time, do not judge me for
having my kids come in here. But they kids were
in there when we were singing. It was all part
of it was just like a special moment and her
body was responding to it, like you could see her
um like move like certain movements were happening, and it
was crazy that we were witnessing that because her body

(18:20):
was responding to the music. It's pretty amazing. I think
also when you go through something like that, you kind
of grow up fast and that you learn you stop
really that filter goes away of really worrying about what
other other people think. It's also a really beautiful thing
about getting older. I don't I'm fifty four years old
and I'm like proud of it, and I don't. I mean,
I would not go back. I mean, I would love

(18:42):
to be younger physically, I'd love to not have to
think about wrinkles and old age and my knee hurts
when I play basketball or whatever. But I do love
the being comfortable in your own skin that comes with
getting older and um, and those life experiences are things
that you you know, don't ever choose to go through,
but they shape you into who you are, and they
make you realize what is important and what's not and

(19:05):
what you need to worry about and what you don't
need to worry about. YEA, that's wisdom right there. You're young,
but you you get it because you've been through it,
even through it. But I mean, I feel like, yeah,
younger people might be listening to where it's like I
feel like, yeah, when we are as we get older,
we realize like, Okay, what's important to me? How do
I want to be? I don't need to worry about right,
It's also important, I think as an older person, because

(19:27):
we have you know, our daughters now are in their twenties,
and I look at them and think sometimes like why
aren't they just like why are they doing this? Or
why are they not making this decision? And I have
to remember also that when I was their age, I
didn't I didn't know what I know now, and I
and I thought I knew everything, you know, and that
I made a lot of mistakes, and I also made

(19:48):
a lot of good decisions that other people didn't think
I should make. So you kind of got to let
them be here. They're going to be. You know, we've
kind of done the work of teaching them as young
girls what we think is right and wrong and the
kind of citizen to be and the kind of person
to be. And they're good girls, and now it's up
to them now they have to fly and make their
own decisions. And um, I as a parent, have to

(20:09):
let that go and let them do that because we've
prepared them. Well, they're gonna they're gonna make their own mistakes,
are going to make their own really good choices to Yeah,
so we started this whole part of the talk. We
were getting into gratitude and I was gonna have you
do four things. And I think that we covered to
just now what We're going to break it up and
we'll get to the other two and the next thing.
But so we got just your life in general was

(20:32):
the first thing you're thinking more? And then second was family?
Or was that was that together? That was one and two. Okay,
so we will be back to cover more things that
you're you're grateful for. I kind of like where this
is like going. I feel like learning more about you
and other people are getting good life wisdom. Second from

(20:53):
the first thing that this thing. We were kind of
having an off air conversation everyone in the room, and
it made me think about when Gwyneth Paltrow lost her mom.
Chris Martin Coldplay wrote that's when he wrote fixed You.
Do you know cold Play songs Fix You? The song
is so powerful. That makes so much sense when it

(21:14):
was either she lost her mom or her dad. Her
dad because I think her mom is still alife anyway,
it doesn't matter. She lost him of her life and
she she was so broken and he didn't know what
to do. And it's like when you're the spouse, I
feel like my husband literally he has known my sister
and I since we were young, like he was. I

(21:34):
married him because he was like best friends with my sister,
so he knew my mom well, he knew us, So
it's almost like he was having a managed both of
us and then her husband, and they're like, what do
we do? Like what is happening? And I just you know,
you were with Garth at the time that you lost
your mom. I don't know what about when you lost
your dad. Yeah, we were. We were planning a wedding.
We were getting married um in December, and that September

(21:57):
dad passed, so he we were planning a wedding and
we actually I was gonna I want to call the
wedding off. I wanted to move. I want to wait
because my dad had passed UM in late September and
we were getting married December ten, and Garth was like,
your dad was so happy and excited, and I think
we should keep it and do it and I'm so
glad we did, because, you know, I was just worried

(22:18):
about like my mom and my I just thought, I
don't know, I didn't I didn't want to be working
on a wedding dress. I didn't. I just didn't want
to do anything when my dad passed. But I'm so
glad we did because it was it was a real
kind of coming together of all the people that loved us,
and it's definitely something that he was so four and
so excited about. So that was two thousand five, Um,

(22:40):
and so so Garth. And also you have to remember
that Garth and I have known each other since nineteen seven,
so Garth hadn't know my parents forever, you know, so
he knew both my mom and my dad. And then
when he lost his mom, who was really his cheerleader.
I mean, he was definitely would say he's a mom's boy.
I mean, that was his person. I think my mom
became aim like a mom for him. So he really

(23:02):
did love her and he was my saving grace with her.
He was my saving grace with my dad because I
was in New York getting ready to walk a red
carpet when I got the call that my dad had
a heart attack, and I was like, and he was
not you know, I wasn't. He was not expected. So
it was a really traumatic event. I had to get
out of New York and I had to get to Georgia.
And I just knew if I could get to him
that he would take care of me, and and he

(23:24):
did when my mom when I said I'm gonna have
to I'm gonna move to Georgia, I thought my mom
was gonna be about a week and it was two months.
So it was amazing. I mean, she actually after she
got off chemo, she got better, you know, she got
that poison out of her system. And we had some
really good time. But he basically moved in with us,
and he went back and forth Oklahoma. Girls were still
in SCHOOLI at things, things he had to do, but

(23:44):
he was with us a lot. And she had this
um little house that and we set her bed up
in the living room and it had a loft upstairs
that we slept in every morning when I would sleep
on the floor next to her bed at night, but
he would sleep upstairs in the bed and he would
get up in the morning and look over the railing
and when she would see him she would light up
and he would just put his arms in the air

(24:05):
every single morning. And so he he made that experience
for her great and for me great. I can't imagine again,
going back to family, how important it is to have
those people that, um are there and my sister was there.
We took turns, you know, so in the small town
we were in, it's like going out to just get
out of the house for a while. Was going to Walmart,
you know, and it was like, I'm gonna go to Walmart.

(24:27):
We did each other's hair. We bought boxed hair color
and did each other's hair, and I mean it was
like my sister's turned out really good. Mind, I did
a really good job on her hair. But we had
but we and we laughed a lot. I mean, my
mom had such a great sense. I can remember about
it all and um and it was just it was
it was again. It was it was time that I

(24:48):
think I blocked the things out. They come back to
me occasionally that we're not good, that we're hard, but
mostly just think about the things that we share that
we're so good. Yeah. Yeah, And thank you for sharing
that about about Garth and just him being your rock.
And I just wonder if he had any fix you moments,
because I feel like that's the mess emails or the

(25:09):
notes that I get from people a lot is like,
you know, my friend or my significant other or whatever,
they're going through this and I don't know how to
be there for them, and so I think, um, like
for me, and I don't. I don't know if you
would say the same thing, but really it's like you
you can't fix it. You can't there's you can't fix it,
but you can be there. And I think for Garth

(25:32):
and then for my husband, like for us, like they
were just there, they were present when they could be.
And like for my bin, if I was having a
moment where I needed to completely just freak out on
life and just like scream and have my moment of
like confusion because it was so hard and taxing and

(25:52):
you're tired and confused and frustrated and angry but also
trying to like soak up all the good times and
like so much emotion happening. But he just stayed steady
with me, and he was firm, and he listened and
he didn't try to fix He just listened and so um,
and then for you, like having Garth comes, you know,

(26:13):
live there with you all, and then every morning, like
cheering in the morning when he would wake up, like
putting his arms in the air, Like that's just like
being your rock, being your support. Yeah, And I think
we all need that in our lives, whether we're married
or not. You know, to have somebody that or have
a tribe or a group of people that are your people. Um,
and it's hard to know what to do. I mean,
I know a lot of times, a lot of people
will say, let me know if I can do anything

(26:35):
for you, which kind of gets them off the hook.
Like I used to do that all the time. I'd
be like, like, if there's something I can do, let
me know what it is. But basically, I don't know
how to help you. So unless you ask me for something,
I'm probably not gonna do anything. And I don't know
what you need. So my Mandy's here. You can't see Mandie.
She's my friend and a friend of hers had lost
lost a parent or a spouse and we were talking

(26:57):
about this, and I was telling her when my dad
passed away, and Georgia, you know, everybody, it's covered dish.
Everybody brings food. And I said We had a couple
that were my parents best friends who they just they
didn't ask what what do you need done? They just
showed up every day. They took a trash out like
things that somebody like you're just not thinking about like
that stuff like, So just my advice is to just

(27:20):
think of something you can do, and if it is,
just to be there to listen, because I can't tell
you anything that's gonna make it better. I can't fix it.
I can tell you that I've been there, so maybe
I can I know what where you're where you're at
because I've been there, but I but you've got to
go through it, and it's it sucks, you know, but
to have somebody there that can just listen or just
look at the thing that needs to be done, like

(27:40):
if like they're like, taking food is such a Southern thing,
but it's such a nice thing to do for people
because you're not thinking about making a meal for your
family when you're going through that. And I think the
just your friends and family just taking those reins and
just doing rather than being having to be told what
to do, is also such a nice gift. Yeah, I know,

(28:01):
I like that you brought that up. Because that's another thing.
And you're right, I'm I'm guilty of doing it too.
To get off maybe just maybe get off the hook.
It is way to get off the hook. You do
probably do have good intentions when you say something like okay,
well let me know if you need anything, It's like, well, yeah,
when you're going through that, you're probably you're not thinking
of all the things done. They just need to get done.
When my mom was at my sister's in hospic and

(28:21):
again we were invading her house and she had four kids,
but like her, she had a good network of friends
that would just show up. They would start doing laundry,
they would start cleaning up after people. They would ask
if anybody was hungry if they could feed them. They
would take the kids, take the kids somewhere away, um
for a little bit. So yeah, I think just being intentional,
I think it's a good reminder for me and for

(28:41):
anybody listening. Is like, if you know anybody going through anything,
if you want to be there, sometimes you just maybe
just do it. Okay, So so far, gratitude wise, we've
knocked out just the life that you're thaying before and family,
and that trinkled into this just now, but I wanted
to kind of I just wanted to see, you know,
what your thoughts were on that, on how to be
there for people, because I feel like that's a question
I get a lot. So let's get into the third

(29:03):
thing that you're thankful for. I want to lighten up
a little bit all that my main car anyways, dogs
came to mind, you know, um, because I'm big into
animal rescue, and um, you know, kind of happened by accident.
Growing up in the country, dogs wander up, so you
end up being a rescuer because you're just picking up
something off the side of the road that's gonna get

(29:24):
run over if you don't pick it up, you know.
And in Oklahoma, Um, we probably had my most prolific
rescue because I was just we were in an area
that a lot of dogs got dumped, and so I
ended up with a lot of dogs and if I
didn't find them homes, I ended up keeping them, and um,
it's just kind of become part of my heart. I've
always been that person. When I was growing up, our
our dad would not let the dogs live in the

(29:47):
house like they were outside dogs. And we lived in
the country, and so I was like, when I get
my own place, my dog's gonna sleep on the other pillow,
Like I am gonna this is you know, I was
going to be the complete defiant person. And I was
us for a long time and then I married Garth
guards a dogs should be outside personally. So our compromise
is that the dogs have beds in the house, but

(30:09):
they have to be on their beds, so if they
get off their beds have to go outside. And at
first I was like, you know what I'm gonna like,
I'm gonna like, I'm gonna work him over, But I
also realized he was he he was so raised where
dogs were in the house at all that to have
them in and on their beds is like a big
compromise for him. And what I learned is it's awesome
because they if you come to my house and you

(30:30):
want to sit at my table for dinner, you're not
gonna have a dog trying to get your food. You're
not gonna have, you know, a dog flying around the
furniture and dog hair everywhere. They and they and they
love being outside too, so we have a big fenced
in yard. So when they're inside there on their beds
and they're the most well behaved dogs and they get
to be in and you can go over and play
with them and pet them and do whatever you want.

(30:50):
But um, they're in now, I will say, when Garth's
out of town, they're on the other pillow. But you know, uh,
now you know. I used to think he didn't know,
and um, I know that now he does know. So UM,
if you know when he hears this, he won't be surprised.
I think. I don't think Garth listened to their Garth
and my dad, they're not listening. They're hanging out right now,

(31:11):
going what He was in the studio one night, just
in town, and I had the dogs in the bed
and it was late and I knew he was gonna
be coming home, but I knew he would usually text
me and say I'm headed that way or whatever. And
he didn't text me that night, and um, he opened
the bedroom door and like, dogs from the bed. I'm
in the bed. He's like, I knew it, and I'm like,

(31:34):
and I just did that. Yeah, of course they are.
They're my dogs that can be in the bed with
me if I wanted the bed with me, you know.
And then I got out of the bed, of course,
but it's like it's just a it's a thing and
it will always be a thing. Um. But he loves
these dogs. Like this morning I got up to come
see you. He had gotten up early, as he does.
He made coffee, and the dogs are inside. They're on
their beds, they were asleep, and he's like, they've been

(31:56):
so good. He goes, I'm gonna go back to bed,
take a nap, but I'm just gonna leave them in
here sleeping because they're just sleeping so good. Do you
have any dog rescue groups that you work with in
particular or I started doing these tailgates um and ahead
of Garth shows in on the Stadium tour, and we
were talking about charity elements and I do a lot
of stuff with Habitat of Humanity, which we do stuff
with them, but also I thought, what wouldould be cool

(32:18):
if in every city we could shine a light on adopt,
don't shop and really try to to to get people
to be more aware and more focused on if you
want to pet go there's plenty of peasant need homes.
And so we started partnering in every city that Garth
does a show in with the local shelters through the
Humane Society United States, and it's been really cool so far.

(32:40):
Um I just found out last week the two little
puppies UM in Pittsburgh got adopted. So so far, we'll
bring a dog in and do coffee talk with him
and a little show I do and um I, at
first I said, no, don't bring a dog in because
I'll take the dog home and I can't have another
dog right now. But we have adopted out. Someone has
adopted out every dog so far that we've put on
coffee talk, and then it gets people to go to

(33:01):
the shelters. And so that's the goal in life is
to just try to get more people to UM. If
you want a pet to UM, to go and go
to a shelter, check out your local yeah, checkouter like
wherever you're listening right now. And that's a great thing
to like if you happen to know any vets or
other ways or friends that might be involved in rescuing
or and it's a commitment, you know, and there's never

(33:21):
you know, it's one of those overwhelming things. You're never
going to be able to save every animal and all
of that, you know, but UM, you do what you
can do, and you know, I never try to push,
you know, every time I've picked up a dog on
the side the road, I've always been like, oh great,
because it's a commitment, you know. And it's like I
call everybody I know and try to give away a dog,
you know. But I don't ever push because because it's
a commitment to ask somebody to take a dog or

(33:44):
a cat and uh and so. But it's it's a
great thing. And I will say, having had rescues for many,
many years all my life, they're the best dogs. They're
the best. And I love cats too, but I'm really
a dog person. I've had cats, but I'm a dog.
I'm a dog rescuer. I guess, um, they're they're the best.
I think they know. I think they know they've been

(34:06):
rescued and saved, and I think they get it and
they're just good dogs. Yeah. I hope people will definitely
if they're considering getting a dog. I'm a cat rescuer
that I had to return the cat, so whenever that
comes up, I feel like a horful person. But I
we had rescued a Rottwiler and she was great and
I thought she would get along with this cute cat.
And I was living in North Carolina mentoring this kid, Trevion,

(34:29):
and we went and looked at kittens one day that
we're up for adoption, and he was like, I really
think you should get this cat, miss Amy, and I
was like, oh, Trevion, you're so cute, Like I should
probably get this cat. So I don't think my husband
was in Afghanistan or something, so I was like, why
won't know for like two months, like I could get
this cat. Why go home? So we rescue the cat,
me and my seventh grade Mintea, and we go home

(34:53):
and my dog, Josie, my rot weiler, is not having
it like at all. It was bad, like I had
to lock the cat in the room like away from
the dog. They couldn't coexist. So last about a week
and then I had to call back the people that
I got the cat from, and I was like, can
I return the cat because it's safety, like it's life

(35:13):
as at risk. I really saving saving the cat. But
I was like, I felt so horrible because you went
in and so I will say that as sort of
a p s A to like know your environment, don't
act off emotion like because then you're you know I
mean it was a week and it was a kitten whatever,
so but it definitely it was. It was disruptive and

(35:34):
I wish I had never done it because it hurt
and I still think about it to this day. And
that was years ago, and I felt like such a
horrible cat rescuer. But Josie was glad when I took
the cat back, and I had bought a bunch of
toys and food and I donated that back and I said,
whoever gets this cat gets all these toys and all
this food. I also think too a lot of times,
like with dogs and cats, you you know pretty quickly

(35:55):
if they're gonna be able to get along or not. Okay,
so now we got through. I think we made it
through a third thing. You're so I can't star talking.
Is it's still today or we use it tomorrow? Yep? No,
But I mean I like where that win. Um, so
we'll get we'll go into the next thing, and that's
where we'll tackle all the cool stuff that you have
going on. But that I and I want to hear
the fourth thing they're grateful for. So we'll head into

(36:17):
the next thing real quick. Okay, So so far on
Tricia's gratitude list. Today, we've got just you're thankful for
the life that you've been given. Um, you're thankful for
family and dogs. So what's the fourth thing? Um coffee?

(36:42):
Oh yeah, yeah, I mean I know that maybe sounds
like it's a light topic, but um, it's really a
deep story for me, Okay. I mean I love I
love coffee. I mean I really do. I've given up
coffee before. I did one of those things where, um,
you know, in church they have you do the like
give up something for thirty days that means something to you,

(37:04):
like the Daniel Fest. Have you ever done the Daniel Fest,
but you're supposed to basically give up something. In our church,
we did it where you gave up one thing that
was just really would be hard for you to give up.
And we're sitting in church and Garth is like getting fidgety,
and I'm thinking, I wonder what he's thinking about giving up.
And when we got in the car, he's like, I
know what you're thinking. Don't give up coffee. Please, don't
give up coffee. Like, I just don't think you can
do it. I think it's just really I mean, he

(37:25):
was really just worried about me, like giving up coffee,
and I'm like, but there's nothing else I can think
of that to give up that would be as hard
to give up as coffee. And that's the whole point
of this entire thing we're doing. So I I quit
cold turkey, and um, I drink coffee all day and uh,
I had about two days of I didn't really have

(37:45):
the headaches. I had more of like a fog, like
I slept a lot, and I wasn't able to really
complete a sentence, and I was really really foggy. But
then when those two days were over, I was good.
And we had gone to the grocery store a couple
of days later and Garth had run in for something.
I waited in the car and he came back. He goes, man,
you're a rock star, because I ran into a guy
from church and he said that he tried to give
up coffee and after the first day he was really tough.

(38:07):
So he called a preacher and the preachers and just
like wean off. You know. He's like, you quit cold turkey.
You're just You're amazing. You're a rock star. And I
gave up coffee for the thirty days and it was like,
I felt great because also it's I put you know,
my coffee is doctored. It's a lot of cream, lot
of sugar. So I also had given basically given him sugar,
which is probably is equally important. And I felt great,

(38:29):
and I actually didn't drink coffee. I was like, I'm
done with coffee. And then my mom got sick, which
we've talked about, and I moved to Georgia, and I'm like,
I'm drinking coffee, right, I'm drinking coffee. And I got
back on it. But for me, it's such a ritual.
It's it is the caffeine that wakes me up, but
it's also this ritual of when I was a kid,
my mom drank coffee and that was her thing. So

(38:51):
she was a school teacher and we get home from
school in the afternoons at you know, three thirties, she
would pour herself a cup of coffee and she just
sit for a few minutes because she was gonna have
a home clip me on the table bus six, you know,
every night, So she just take that little time for
herself before she got into whatever she was cooking for dinner,
which is amazing to me. I can't imagine meal on
the table every night, Like I don't even know how
she did it, but she did. Um. Never one time

(39:13):
did she go, I don't know what we're having for dinner?
Like never, Like we and we didn't live in a
sound where you went to a fast food place. We
didn't have a fast food place. She made dinner amazing superwoman. Um.
So when I was a little kid, I want to
drink coffee with my mom, and she's like, you're not
gonna drink coffee, so she would she would pour UM
a cup that had maybe like just the bottom of

(39:34):
the cup covered with coffee and the rest was sugar
and milk, so it wasn't even warm, you know, and
it would be it was almost white. But it was
me getting drink coffee with my mom. So I think
it's for me. It's it goes beyond the caffeine rush,
which I can definitely tell if I don't drink coffee
that I need a cup. But I also it's just
that ritual my my me time in the mornings is

(39:56):
a cup of coffee and whatever book I'm reading in
a quiet corner for just just so I get through
that one cup. Maybe so it's maybe I get a
chapter in our two chapters in of whatever I'm reading.
It's kind of that time that's mine before everything starts.
So it's a it's something that I cherish and I
love all. I'm not a coffee snob. I love fancy coffee,
but I also love playing regular whatever. I don't care.

(40:19):
I don't. I don't. If it's coffee, I'm good, Like,
I don't need it doesn't need to be French press.
I don't need to grind the beans. I don't have to.
I don't need to know what region of the world
it came from. I mean, I just need it to
be coffee. Yeah. So what's your Starbucks order? Um, it's
a latte with just a just a regular latte, full
full milk latte. Sometimes, if I'm crazy, I'll get a

(40:39):
couple of pumps of vanilla. If I'm crazy, like if
I'm shooting the cooking show and I know I'm going
to have that lull in the afternoon, and I'll get
the couple of pumps of vanilla. Yeah. So how often
are you do you shoot? Do you shoot all your
cooking shows? Like? And it's like, I say, there's a
season do you knock out all those episodes at a
certain time, or how often are you filming? Season is

(41:00):
um for the network is twenty six episodes, which is
a lot to film for me because I have other jobs,
you know, I don't just do the cookie. So we
break it up into two seasons of thirteen at a time,
so I shoot twenty six a year, but I shoot
him in thirteen episode of block. So I call thirteen
episodes a season, and it takes about three weeks to
shoot a thirteen episodes, so I have to block that time,

(41:23):
which is really hard for me with everything else I
have going. So I think Food Network would love it
if we shot a lot more shows year around, but
we just don't. I just this is what I can do,
and I and and as a result, I enjoy it
because I'm not doing it every single day. It's intense.
I mean it's you know, eight a eight am to
six pm pretty much every day. I'm an executive producer.

(41:44):
I'm also a virgo, so I'm very much like I'm
in edit mode right now of season fourteen, which is
airing right now, and we're in pre production for season fifteen,
which we're gonna start shooting in a couple of weeks.
So I'm I'm in the middle of and I'm in
story production, I'm in recipe development. I do all of
that because I'm so controlling and if my name is

(42:04):
gonna be on it, you know it's got to be me.
So I'm doing all of that, um while um getting
ready to release my first album in a long time.
So so that's requiring lots of coffee. There's a lot
a lot of coffee happening, right. I feel like that's
an appropriate poor thing to the thing before. It's definitely
the coffee. And you know, you mentioned, you know, coffee
time with your mom or quote coffee time where she
would kind of give you something to have that time

(42:26):
with her. But she also would cook every night, and
I we were both kind of in awe of that,
like you're even telling me, and I'm like, I'm in
awe of that. Even I mean, my mom, she's a
single mom but working, and we just didn't have that.
But my husband's mom was like that. They had family
dinner at the table similar six o'clock. Everybody's home. We
eat together, and so our dynamic is a little bit

(42:47):
different now that we're married and we have kids and
I'm working, and I felt like he had this expectation
of me to like and I'm like, well, can you cook?
Like writing, We're both trying to like do our best
make that happen. We don't. But I feel like meal time,
like as a family is so important whenever we do
get the kids to get like we're all together and

(43:08):
we're home at the same time and nobody's traveling and
it's six o'clock and there's a home cooked meal and
we gather around the dining room table. That's just when
we have the most like a connection with our kids. Yeah,
And it is one of those things. I mean, I
I'm not that kind of mom or wife. I mean,
I have a job, and I have my job's different
every day, and I love to cook, but I can't

(43:29):
do it every day, so I don't do it every day.
Um My dad was a great cook too, so he
cooked on the weekends, which was nice game my mom
a break. But um but I think for us with
our girls growing up and especially when they were older
and we're starting to drive and doing you know, they
all played soccer, so they have soccer practices. Getting everybody
around the table gets more challenging the older your kids

(43:50):
get too, because they have all these activities and they
start doing it. And so I started doing this thing.
I was trying to get more vegetables in our diet,
and I started this thing called Veggie Night at our
house and it became this. I didn't realize it was
gonna become this really cool thing, but it became this
thing of like roasting carrots. So if the girls were
home from school, it was helping peel the carrots and
get them chopped up, and like helping with the prep

(44:11):
of all the vegetables. And then mashed potatoes is a vegetable,
so it went with them. They would that that was
my signature, Like that's how I went over these girls,
was mashed potatoes. Like they would eat anything if I
had mashed potatoes with it. So they would get excited.
And as they got older and as they started doing
things on their own, I would just send it, send
out a text and say it's veggie Night tonight and

(44:32):
they would be at that table for time. And so
it became and we did, and you know we we
They loved the food that we made. Sometimes veggie Night
had meat loaf, garth, like to meet loaf. Sometimes it
was meet loaf anytime I can started to serve my
husband at vegetarian because I went vegan for a little
bit when I was trying to get pregnant and never worked.
But like he would literally come home after like a
long day flying and like it's in the air force

(44:53):
and like come home and like open up a beer
and I want to sit down. And I was like,
here's some kale and some sweet potatoes and he's like,
where's dinner. And I'm like you're looking at it. So yeah,
So sometimes your veggie night would have me love. Yes,
I got it was that that was around that table
was so important. It was where these great conversations happened.

(45:15):
It's where you couldn't have your phone at the table
and you had to really focus on being together as
a family. And um, I know as a kid, you know,
it was easier for me probably as a kid because
I grew up in a small town. There was anything
to really go do. Although I was involved in every
after school activity, there was um but getting us around
the table. And those are some of my fondest memories
of childhood is sitting around the table with my parents,

(45:36):
UM and that's when maybe there's you don't think there's
anything going on, but all of a sudden, somebody will
say something that needs to be discussed at the table.
And I think it's really important for families, especially with kids,
to to find ways to make that time. And if
you find some meal that everybody loves, especially when your
kids get older and they're in high school and they're
really busy, find that thing that they all love, and

(45:57):
then just go, this is what we're doing tonight, and
they'll they'll be there. I love that. I kind of
I even got goose fumps when you said, you know,
you just find the day and then you would send
out the text like hey, it's Veggie night, because I'm
even picturing the girls like getting that on their phone
or whatever and being like Vegie and they get like
they want to go home and they want to be
a part of it and they feel included. And I
think it's that's another important little tip. If we've got

(46:20):
parents are soon to be parents listening, or one day
you're going to be a parent, that's something you can
stick in your back pocket of Like I've learned with
my daughter, and I never thought she was going to
be like this, but when she gets in the kitchen,
once she gets into it and she starts helping, she
has a sense of pride when she gets done with something,
and it's it's really been good for our relationship. And

(46:40):
you know, we can't do it all the time, but
I could imagine me maybe implementing something similar to what
you're saying, Like I love the idea of like it's
veggie night, like this is the night we're all going
to gather together. And you know, hopefully one day I'm
stealing your idea, don't and they're I'll be like, don't worry, honey,
we can still have meat loaf or it's okay. Tricia

(47:02):
says it's fine, fine, Yeah, so um. And then just
to wrap on on this segment since we're talking food, like,
I guess I'm curious too with having you know, Southern
kitchen like a cooking show, and like if there's ever
pressure expectations, like if you're having people over for dinner,
like you and Garth just want to like have some
friends over, do you ever feel like, oh, you know,

(47:24):
I have a cooking show on the Food Network, like
I gotta deliver, Like what's your go to meal? Like
if you're having friends over that you that you first
of all, do you feel pressure because of that? Or
do you just have something you're so proud of you
know it's going to kill it? So that's what you
make every time. Well, I'm quick to say if you
come to my house and be like, look, I still
screw up food like or or I might not cook,

(47:45):
like we might have pizza, you know, it might be
like that we order out. So that's what the only
time I feel guilty is like I think people come
out there expect is probably cooking, Like well maybe Trisia
was like doing interviews all day and she's not cooking tonight.
You know, Gartha also has some pretty cool items up
his sleep if he makes a really amazing pasta salad. Um.
So sometimes I'll be like I got nothing and he's
on it. Um My go to comfort me, Like if

(48:07):
I want to impress you and serve you the ultimate
comfort meal, I will make you roast beef mash potas
and gravy and homade, biscuits and bacon rapp asparagus. That's
my go to. Well, I'll be right over, okay's happening, Like, man,
he's here, Man, he's not on the air, but Mandy.
One of my favorite stories about Mandy, and I think
I even wrote about her in the cookbook, is that

(48:27):
you know, when you're cooking and roast beef, it's hours
and it just makes the house smell amazing. And she
would come over the house and walk in and she'd
smell the roast beef cooking and she'd be like, oh,
and then she's like, I'm gonna go back outside and
come back in. And she would do it like times,
so she's like, I just want to go outside and
then come back and smell that smell again. You know.
It was always it always like made me feel good.

(48:49):
It was like applause, Yeah, no, I that does like
I feel pretty good. No, that's um. I imagine some
people that watch your show. Do you ever have some
friends that are like, hey, can episode episode four? That
meal can come over? Or what do you do with
the food that you make and we eat it? Yeah,

(49:10):
we have a We have about a thirty person crew,
and usually we're shooting before lunch and they're holding the
cameras and they're salivating, you know, and so whatever we
make and we taste will put out on the craft table.
So we have a catered lunch brought every day, but
we always put out what we make, you know, and
everybody gobbles it down, you know, so there's not there's
not enough for thirty people. So if you get there first,
you get to taste whatever we've made that day. And

(49:31):
we usually have more than one because if you're making
like a casserole, you've gotta have one that is a
swap out of the oven because you're not gonna sit
there for an hour while it bakes, you know. So
so there's a second one that's already made that will
come out of the oven. And then they have these
things called beauty shots, so they've got it sitting on
a table beautifully lit, and they take a shot of it.
So there might be like, you can't eat that yet
because we haven't shot the beauty. But once the beauty

(49:51):
has been shot, then you can eat it, you know.
So um, I learned when I did my first cookbook.
You know, I've done a lot of things now where
they take pictures where for magazines where you're holding like
a turkey and then they're spraying it with like you know,
windex or something shiny, you know whatever, and I'm like,
so when I did my first cookbook, I interviewed some
photographers and the guy I hired his name has been Fink,
and he shot all my cookbooks. I said, what do

(50:13):
you do, Like, how do you shoot the food and
what do you do with that when you're done? He's like,
we shoot everything in natural light. We don't we don't
do anything weird. And we eat the food. You like,
we eat it. It's it should be edible. And I'm like,
you're hired. So he shot, he shot all my books
and we um, we make the food and then we
um the first cook with my mom and my sister
and I made like all the food for the for
the for the photo shoot and had to be in

(50:35):
the shot. So we're in full hair and makeup, like
getting the the fried chicken done so I can get shot,
you know. And um it was a scramble, but it
was really and that a great memory. Um and yeah,
so so I I like, I'm a fan of that,
Like just make it pretty, but eat it, eat it? Okay? Good. Well,
I'm just curious if I've ever had left over. There's
a thirty person crew. They're good, there's not really no

(50:56):
I'm not really, no, no, no, well, my my mom
and my dad were both amazing books. My dad was
a restaurant tour like growing up, had ended up anything
you like franchise stuff. When I was little little had
like his own restaurants and like the menus like we
were in the Like my mom had a cheesecake and
on the menu was like Judy's Cheesecake, and then my
sister was Christie's Garlic Fish and I don't know, it's

(51:18):
like Amy's beef tips or something like my name was
like not that appealing and for so long, like I
was like the vegetarian and the mainly now I eat meat,
but I was like, yeah this is I was like
mine sounds disgusting. But anyway, I do no pressure, but
I do have recipes at my sleeve. If you ever,
you know, need a co host, a guest on your alright,

(51:42):
good to show, I'll come show you what's up. I mean,
you probably would make it way better, but it would
be their recipes, but it would definitely be comfort foods.
I don't want to say we're talking about food that
what you just said is like your family recipes. I
encourage everybody, even if you don't have a publisher and
you're not releasing a glossy cookbook. To make sure you
write those recipes down and have them and pass them down.

(52:04):
My mom, um, when we did the first cookbook, was
right if my dad had passed. And um, there were
so many recipes like the like the cornbread dressing we
make every Thanksgiving. That is life, Like, that's my favorite
food on the planet. I don't know why we only
make it once a year. Um, it was in her head.
And thank goodness we did a cookbook because I said,
you need to make it a measure so that we know,

(52:25):
because you know, and you can't just tell people to
cook fried chick until it sounds right. You have to
give them like a time limit. Like it's all these things.
And I'm so grateful now because my sister and I
we carry on that tradition. And in a way, the
books and the show are really just kind of therapy
for us. It's she and I do a lot of
episodes together. And my mom and dad both had really
great recipes and for us it's kind of a way

(52:47):
to keep them with us, you know, by making that food.
When you make that food they made and it tastes
like their's. Um, it's pretty amazing. Yeah, we're in that
same I'm so glad you said that. I need to
call my sister because her and her has and they
just opened a coffee shop in Pagosa Springs, Colorado. So cute.
It's called Ruth House Coffee. And um, my mom's cheesecake

(53:08):
would go right there, Judy cheesecake. And if she do
you just like that, just like that Judy's cheesecake on
the Judy only wrote it down like one and it's
in like her weird curseve and like half of it's ripped.
And my sister had never my mom she was the
only one that ever really made it. And so my
sister was like, I haven't ever fully made it, and

(53:30):
all I have is this one copy that we found
stuffed in some other cookbook of her handwritten and the
page is ripped. So she's got to figure out the
last few things that are missing the proportion of what
is supposed to be done. And then once she figures
it out and perfects it, she is she's gonna put
Judy cheesecake. If you need to help with that, like,

(53:50):
let me know and I'll help you. And I won't
I don't want anything for it. I'm not gonna put
in a cookbook or anything unless you want cheesecake in
a cookbook, which we can totally do. But mean, it's so,
it's so good. Anybody that ever had it was always
like in fact, when my dad closed down, my parents
ended up getting divorced, but he had named the restaurant Christopher's,
which was my mom's maiden name, and it was in Austin, Texas.

(54:11):
Anybody's shout out if you've ever if you went to
it back in the day, but um, yeah, it was
always and then like I had a teacher in high
school and the restaurant was open. Was way young, but
my chemistry teacher and I didn't do that great in chemistry,
you know. But I guess she she ate there when
she found out that my parents had owned it. She's like, wait, Christopher's,
that was your I said, yeah, well that was my
mom's maiden name. My dad real sweet named it after her,

(54:33):
like her last name. Was like that, they're my parents,
aren't more restaurants clothes? She was like, m that cheesecake,
that Judy cheese, And I'm like, yeah, but she could
have gotten some extra craps I think I did get
I think it didn't did help, but then I got, um,
you know, any baby shower, wedding shower, anything, she was
everyone that was a big request is like is Judy

(54:54):
bringing her cheesecake? And so yeah, now, I mean you're
just have to do You're affirming that we've gotten to do.
Make that happen because it's a way food is another
way to keep a legacy going. It totally is it
totally is my dad made. My dad was in our
small town like he would do they would do barbecue
chicken fundraisers for the Kaanas club or the school or whatever,
and my dad was would be part of this team

(55:15):
of men who would cook these chickens and when people
were going to buy the tickets to the barbecue, they
would be like, as Jack, you would cook in the chickens.
You know. He was kind of famous for that in
the town. And he made this amazing Brunswick stew, which
is a vegetable beef. It's several different kinds of meat
stew that is very Southern and different in different regions,
but his was special and very unique to him. And

(55:36):
when he passed, he you know, we the recipe was
for feeding two hundred people. So to put it in
the cookbook, the first book we had to we had
hone it in and really, you know, narrow it down
to feed a family. So my mom did that, and
then we taught my sister's boys how to make it,
because it's like, this is the tradition that you're gonna
want to keep going. And um, that was one of
the things that my mom wanted when she was sick.

(55:57):
Was like she'd go through phases and she went through
a Brunswicks do phase and I had never made it.
And now I can make it with my eyes closed
because I made it for her a lot. And I'm
so grateful too that I that I made it, because
you know, it's that was a really famous thing of
my dad's and to be able to make that and
continue to make that is such a such a wonderful thing.
So do it, do it. Do it. Duty's cheesecake is

(56:18):
gonna happen. Happening. Okay, So for this thing, I want
to talk about your current single which is called Every Girl,
and kind of just girlfriends in general, and just encouragement

(56:41):
on how important having girls in our life, Like you
have your girlfriends on your cooking show and your sister
is you know everything on your coffee talk You've got
them in and out. And so what role would you say, like,
how do you as busy as you are? It's not
what role, but how do you maintain the friendships as

(57:01):
busy as you are? Yeah? I think I I think
sometimes I'm good at it. I think sometimes I'm not.
You know, I think it's we all have, um, such
busy lives that sometimes we're more connected than other times.
And the great thing about girlfriends is it feels like,
no matter how much time has passed, you pick up
where you left off. I mean, I have friends from
college that I don't see every day, but um, but

(57:23):
when I we talk, it's like no time has past,
you know. So I think it's almost like it's almost
like when you have girlfriends, it's like you have this
club you know, that supports each other. And um, it's
so it's so important. I've been asked a lot about
you know, the big topic of conversation right now is
is women on the radio and country music. What's kind

(57:45):
of been cool to me to see is when because
because we're struggling, because it's a conversation, we're having to have.
It feels like all the women in the in the
in the country music industry have become closer than maybe
we would have been if we weren't struggling. So almost
like you're seeing all I'm seeing all these you know,

(58:06):
mutual love fests on social media. Every time a woman
releases a single or an album. It's like we're all
just cheering for each other. And I don't know that
we would have been doing that if we weren't, if
we didn't feel like we were kind of in something together.
But I do think it's kind of a testament to
the power of girlfriends. It's that it's that I know
what you're going through, thing that really you don't get

(58:27):
anywhere else. And you know, all your relationships are important.
Your relationship with your spouse is important, your relationship with
your your family, your kids. But that girl friend relationship,
to have somebody that really is uh, non judgmental and
really has your back and just can listen is something
that you need to always have. Yeah, I think when

(58:48):
you bring up to you know, girlfriends aside, but just
supporting girls and what they're doing, like especially in this industry.
I hosted Women of by Heart Country, which you know
is a new show on I Heart stations, I Heart
Radio wherever. If you've never listened to it, you can um.
But there, you know, we only play female artists, and

(59:09):
sometimes it's like, you know, there's some people that are like,
well why are you Why don't you have a show
where you just play guys. I'm like, well, that's radio
to turn it on. Ye we have that already, but
it's me being you know, a female and having the
honor to host that and then go through the list
of songs that we're playing and we play throwbacks, we
play currents, and we play you know, people you haven't

(59:33):
really heard of yet that are on the rise but
not even really current for say um and it's it
is awesome because I do see the all the girls
that I'm playing and the women that I'm playing, and
you know you mentioned social media. I do see them
all having more of a stronger support on on social
and I guess that's where we see things these days.
But it'll be like if one of them does something

(59:55):
like you see comments like this is so amazing, like
fire emoji like you're so a hot, hot heart. And
I think there was maybe a time where even some
of these same girls before this empowerment really kicked in,
there was some jealousy and like, just being in an industry,
I saw some of that. And because you know, and
it's some maybe they're younger, but you I've seen with

(01:00:16):
kind of like you were saying this recent like let's
let's stand together, let's support each other, Like that jealousy
has stepped aside, and it's like that's not going to
get me anywhere. Like we don't need to be jealous
of each other. We need to do what we can
to support each other. And when you can celebrate another
person's victories, that's when you know, like you're comfortable with

(01:00:36):
the art you're putting out with what with your projects,
with your songs, with your brand, like with what you
have whatever it is. Maybe you're not an artist listening,
but you may maybe have some competitive stuff. Is like, sure,
we're all going to maybe be competitive in what we're
doing because it's the drive, it's the nature. But like
at the same time, you can still have that drive
but still be super supportive and want to empower and

(01:00:57):
lift up other women that are just trying to do
exactly what you're doing. Yeah, and I think in business,
like in in where I think where people can really
relate is that whatever your job is, you're probably if
you're a woman, you're probably you're the minority at your work.
There's usually probably a lot more men in your job.
And so I think sometimes we get pitted against each
other and you feel like, well, if there's only two
women in this office, I need to get mine because

(01:01:19):
I need to make sure that I'm getting the promotion
or I'm getting this. And the other thing that we
do as women that that we need to that is
bread into us that we need to stop doing, is
we compare ourselves to other women on every level. You know, well,
you look at the next girl and go, well, she's
pretty to me, or she's skinnier than me, or she's
got this and I don't have that. We have to
stop doing that because that's when we get into jealousy

(01:01:40):
because we want something that we don't have, and so
we it makes us feel better if if she makes
a mistake or if there's a flaw in her, it
makes us feel better about ourselves, and that's not a
good thing. You know that we have to take a
look at ourselves and go we can't we can't do that.
So if you're in a business where they're what we
what we need to learn is that if if you
do well, and I mean you're in the same office

(01:02:01):
you are, then we all do well. You know. We
we do need to support each other. And I do
like to see that. I think you're right about the
women in UH country to see that I've seen there
doesn't seem to be and maybe it is because we
do feel like we're in a fight. There doesn't the
jealousy is is it doesn't. We don't have time for that,
you know. It's like I've seen it. Kind of I

(01:02:21):
agree with you, it's kind of it's it's kind of
cool and it it doesn't mean that we're not competitive.
I think for me, you know, releasing a single after
twenty nine years in this business with really no expectation
of what what would happen, because um, I'm a woman,
I'm fifty four, there's a lot of reasons why I
shouldn't get played on the radio, you know. For that
for those reasons, the to see the response that was

(01:02:44):
so positive for every girl in this town. I got
so much love from other female artists that it was
it was like a really cool moment of like, wow,
this is we really are all rooting for each other.
And it's made me really pay attention and and vocally
root for the other girls out there. They're doing things
because I want us to be this community of women.

(01:03:05):
It's pretty cool to see. Well, and it's ironic to
or fitting or so that your song is an anthem
for girls. So yeah, So if just for anybody listening
that hasn't heard the song, like share with what it
means to you and what the message means every girl.
When I heard it for the first time, I didn't think.
I don't remember thinking. Well, first of all, I didn't
know what there would be a single. I had no

(01:03:26):
expectation making this whole record. Um, I just liked the song.
I liked what it said. It spoke to me. It
spoke to that little girl and me who um was
five years old. I wanted to be a singer. And
when you're a girl that young, you don't know yet
about self doubt. You think you can do anything, the
world is before you, and you have these huge dreams.
It's when we get older that we start to doubt

(01:03:48):
ourselves and start to say, here's why we can't do
these things. And so I that first lyric about being
at top the ferris wheel and looking out and wondering
what you know, having that big dream I just so
related to that. So I I love that that song
speaks to us as going for our dreams. But then
I love there's several lyrics you said you had. Some

(01:04:08):
lyrics probably have the same ones. I love the lyric
of when they try to hold you down under that water,
come up, baptized baby, let it make you stronger. I
love that there because it's really talking about taking the problem,
whatever it is and transforming it into a positive. And
then my favorite line the whole song is you got
this baby, so what if you don't? Because that lyric
to me is I just got goose. We get you know,

(01:04:30):
we all have the coffee MiG that says you got this.
But but and most of the time we feel like
we're maybe on our A game or we're doing well
or whatever, but we also have those days when we
don't have it together and somebody needs to tell us
that's also okay. It's okay to be who you are,
whatever that looks like, and that means sometimes you're on
your A game. And sometimes you're a hot mess. That's all. Okay,

(01:04:52):
that's who we all are. We're in such a you know,
where there are women who are really championing being yourself golf,
but there are there always been since I was a
little girl, these images and these expectations of what we're
supposed to be and what we're supposed to look like
and how we're supposed to act, and um, we see
the best side of people on you know, on magazine covers,

(01:05:15):
you see the best side of me. You're going to
see an airbush picture of me, and on the album cover.
It's like you're doing You're showing your best side. But
we also it's important for me to know that people
that I admire also have bad days. Now, I love it.
When you were talking, I was trying to think of
this Robin Roberts quote that we just were talking about, Chase.
What was it? We were just okay, that's it, so

(01:05:37):
Robin Roberts from Good Morning America. I mean, but all
all kinds of things, um, but currently good Morning America.
She her mom um used to say, make your mess
your message. That should be on a bag or a
T shirt. I know, I was we were thinking you
know the four things tones that we have, Like that's

(01:05:58):
why I was looking up. So I'm obsessed with Rob
Roberts slightly. Um, and I haven't I haven't gotten a
meeting at and Bobby's of course like matter twice or
maybe like three times now. It's where like when she
sees him casually, she's like hey, Bobby, and I'm like hey,
like I'm here and he knows that, like I've like
wanted to meet here for like years, And just the
other day he finally said next time I'm on Good

(01:06:19):
Morning America. He's like, you should go with me. And
I'm like, okay, like what took so long? Like why,
I mean, you know, I'll be cool, like I'm not
gonna I'll be cool, like I'll just stand there and
like she's amazing. She's amazing, I know. So anyway, Chase,
who's in here right now with us too, I can't
see him, but he went to visit Good Morning America

(01:06:40):
a couple of scalmes, like hanging out with people there.
And then I check his Instagram and he's like with
people that work there and he's like, you know, selfie
with me and Michael Strahan selfie and I start swiping
those Instagram and it's like selfie chasing Robin Roberts, and
I'm like, seriously, it's like everybody meeting her before I do,
like what is happening? Like he's just been like, I

(01:07:02):
don't know, raising cattle in Kansas. Next thing you know,
he's like in New York City with Robin taking a selfie.
So we're we were talking about how anyway he has
those friends there, and I was like, oh, well, I
just because I love her and I would love to
give her. I want to make her accustomed toe with
her favorite four things. And that's what I was I
was researching. I really try to research the person and

(01:07:24):
think like what would they really like on a toad?
But make your mess. Your message was more than four things,
like it's too long, doesn't fit, but I love make
your Mess. It's like such a good like we all have.
We all have a mess. Everybody does. Everybody does, like yeah,
even Tricia, even Garth. That's alright, well Garth doesn't, He's perfect,

(01:07:47):
just kidding. One of the four things bags you, Mami
just said Garth Garth Garth on it, which also you
know my mantra, So it works out so we did
that because we gave you the one with like, you know,
legit favorite things of yours like coffee and rescue dogs
and Georgia. But then, uh, I think you had it
on Coffee Talk and Garth was on with you that
morning that you did it, and he you said something

(01:08:10):
like guess my favorite four things and he was like, well,
Garth or whatever, and you're like, oh, that's it's not okay.
Five things. I think you said something like that to
make him feel run it on with the sharp yeah,
something like that. And so after we saw that clip,
I we just joking, we were like, oh my gosh,
like we should make her a toe that says Garth,
Garth Garth because then boom, it's taken care of. He's

(01:08:32):
your favorite four things. You know, you inspired us for
our cruise sweatshirt this past season. I would do something
for them and this is their favorite one so far,
and we did. We we took UM. You helped me
with this, but we did UM Food Friends UM Nashville,
Nashville TSK fourteen. So they got their four things UM
sweatshirts and they freaked out the closet little UM. The

(01:08:57):
neck tag was my favorite part because it said X
I So Tricia, Yeah, that that was your idea. That
was fabulous. It was fabulous the idea. But it was
a great idea. And they, I mean really like this season.
Going into next season, I don't know because like I
don't know what to do after that, So what to see?
Am I just give him like a stapler something I
don't know? Well, hey, no, we can figure out something

(01:09:18):
different and fun like That's little projects like that are
so fun for us. And like I'm I'm glad that
they liked those four things and hopefully Garth carries his
Garth toad everywhere he goes. His fourth favorite things are
Garth Garth just kidding, He would say the Queen would
be on their would be on Garth, Dr pepper Um,

(01:09:39):
Eminem's the Queen, my daughter's That's what he would probably
have on their, not in that order. I would come
before Eminem's. I think it's I don't I don't know,
we're gonna well, they just doesn't matter. He doesn't care. Yeah,
but he's probably peanut or or peanut butter or almond

(01:10:02):
or his favorites or any other Eminem actually pretty much
chocolate with a nut and pretty much like all pretty
much we need a therapist. Discussed this well, Tricia, thank
you so much for covering the four things. Like I
think I feel like I had a therapy session today.
I feel better. I feel good right now, and I

(01:10:23):
just want to thank you. We started off a little
bit like, you know, more serious, more emotional, and then
we ended laughing. You know, now I'm craving chocolate and nuts,
so I might go do that. Have you ever had, Zevia? No?
What is it? Okay? They need it now. Dear Zevia,
you need to sponsor my podcast because I talked about
you all the time. But if I had had the

(01:10:44):
studio ready at my house, I would have been able
to serve you one from my refreshment fridge. But this
is it's like an orange. It's like stevia, so there's
no sugar, so it's not but it's supposed to be
more natural, like not bad for you, like a like
a diet drink um. But it's the orange is my jam,
and it's so good and no aftertaste like orange, like orange.

(01:11:08):
It's good. It's not like crazy orange. Do you love
I wouldn't even say that I love orange, but I
love orange. Zevia. I've tried all their flavors. They should
totally sponsor you. They should. I mean, well, they hit
me up on Instagram after I talked about but I mean,
I'm not even I'm I'm a paying customer. I'm a fan.
I will continue to buy their product. I don't care.
I'm just like I like to let people know about
things that try it, and this is good stuff, like

(01:11:29):
they have it at Whole Foods or or maybe even Kroger.
I don't know, but I'll let you know. Don't forget
who you heard about it from, and I'm sure they'll
call and offer you some deal. I'm like, I'm gonna
need a casse for my friend Amy. I turned on
like Tricia's Southern Kitchen or whatever, and they're like, this
episode is brought to you by Zevia, And I'm gonna like,
uh huh. And they're gonna be like, isn't that the

(01:11:50):
girl that returned the cat? Yeah, we can't do that
kind for life, cast up roath things, little food for yourself.
So life ain't always pretty, but hey, it's pretty beautiful

(01:12:11):
things beautiful laugh a little mouth. Families tightened up because,
of course, said he can't cut your kicking with four
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Amy Brown

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