CORTNEY LACORTE: Getting Real About Cheese, The Mile High Club & More

Cortney LaCorte, aka the “Cheese Gal” joins Caroline on this episode of Get Real. Cortney is a home and entertainment content creator located in Nashville, TN. In early 2019, Cheese Gal was born out of a small Nashville kitchen, inspired by her mom, Darci, who taught her everything she knows about hosting and entertaining, and her Godmother, Kar, who influenced her cheese and charcuterie board business. Now, Cortney has expanded her content creation to YouTube, hosting the Cheese Gal cooking show teaching anyone that you don’t have to be a professional chef to curate a great meal.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
At carl She's a queen and talking, so.

Speaker 2 (00:16):
She's getting me not afraid to fels, so just let
it flow. No one can do it quiet. Car line
is sound for Carolyn. I am so excited to be
here with the legend Courtney Lacourte girl.

Speaker 1 (00:33):
What an intro.

Speaker 2 (00:34):
Thank you you made cheese. I mean, cheese has always
been cool, but you made cheese. You've made cheese in
Nashville like an epic experience.

Speaker 1 (00:43):
Oh thanks, that's honestly the best cop that you could
give me. I make cheese epic.

Speaker 2 (00:48):
You've made cheese epic, and you are otherwise known as
cheese Gal. I mean, cheese is like very important to you.

Speaker 1 (00:55):
It is my life, how Brandon, it's my personality.

Speaker 2 (00:59):
It is mean, But like you have done so much
with cheese, like create a whole brand, a whole business,
a whole world of cheese. How did this happen? How
did this start? I want to kind of start on
the journey and where Cheesegal began because I remember hearing
about you the first time I met you. I was
a little nervous to meet you because I met you
in your store. You had a hole a storefront, like
in a hotel, like a really swanky hotel downtown. You

(01:22):
had a cheesecal storefront. I was there for like Jesse
James Decker and Sydney and how we're throwing a baby
shower for Jess Southern.

Speaker 1 (01:30):
That's what it was.

Speaker 2 (01:30):
And we were at the Cheesegus store and I was like,
oh my god, cheese goes so famous, Like I can't
wait for going there. And then I think it was
the first time I really officially met you because I
just heard about you because everyone in town was hiring
you to do their cheese boards. Like every legendary party
you're doing, like Spacey Casey, Casey Musgraves, like backstage events.
You're catering all these boards and they're epic. I mean
they're huge. You go into a room and it's like

(01:53):
feet long. You do massive spreads, like a whole room
size of chia cheese. This is no small well, this
is no this is most no small thing, Like this
is a huge ordeal. How did you become cheese goal?
Where did this come from?

Speaker 1 (02:07):
Oh my gosh, Well, so I do love cheese. It's honestly,
it's an almost every recipe that you see me post
at this point but it really comes Caroly from like
a love of hosting, entertaining, and like wanting to be
Martha Stewart While other kids are watching cartoons, I was
watching Jillie Childs and Martha Stewart on her daytime. That yeah,
oh one hundred percent. Like I have vivid memories of

(02:29):
being like a young kid, my mom's folding laundry and
I'm watching you know, PBS.

Speaker 2 (02:34):
And You're thinking, I want to do I want to
do that. Like food, Yeah, marthin the whole thing, the
whole You're like Martha's. You're the brand. That's kind of
what we're going with cheese. That's what I'm going for,
and it's happening.

Speaker 1 (02:44):
Not that I would ever compare myself to her, but
she is like her, between Martha and Aina and Julie Child's.
Like I just always wanted to have a cooking show,
specifically it was a show about cooking. So I would
set up two fake camermen both named Dan.

Speaker 2 (02:58):
By the way, yes, wait wait wait wait wait wait
you had how old are you?

Speaker 1 (03:02):
In five? Five five six? And there are videos of
this book. You have two fake cameramen named Dan, both
named Dan, And this was my intro every single time.
And I kid you not Hella. Actually I was sorry
to go. Thank you Dan, Thank you Dan. Hi everybody,
my name is Courtney Tucker, and I'm here to be
to teach you big spaghetti. And that's what I would do.
And I would literally put on a full cooking show
right there for my fake cameraman. This name for Dane.

(03:24):
Oh honey, this is like nineties.

Speaker 2 (03:27):
You were like being an influencer cooking leger.

Speaker 1 (03:29):
I even knew it was a job, this is a calling.
It was yeah. And you know what's funny is I
have no culinary training, so like I was like, oh, yeah,
I want to be a chef. I just actually wanted
I said, get me Andy and a camera, you know
what I mean? Like that was the vibe I was
going for. I wanted to be on TV. I've always
been a bit of a ham and then to now
be a content creator to do this full time, I'm like,

(03:51):
what out of this happen? But yeah, I know it
comes from that love of uh wanting to also host
and entertain like my.

Speaker 2 (03:56):
Mom did your mom have lots of parties?

Speaker 1 (03:58):
Fabulous parties? Oh the party's Darcy is by the way sixty,
But looks like she is younger than me.

Speaker 2 (04:07):
So she's vibrant. She's living her best life. She's thriving,
she's thriving, she's living. She's yeah, she's living her training.

Speaker 1 (04:13):
Honestly. She she just loves people, loves her Graham babies,
loves life, like, loves to travel like she's just she's everything.
But she would throw these amazing dinner parties. And I
would always look up to her and be like, I
want to do that whatever she's doing, and of course
sit at the grown up table, you know. But she
would show me her tips and her tricks on how
she would do these parties.

Speaker 2 (04:33):
Okay, like what are some of them?

Speaker 1 (04:35):
Oh my gosh. Okay, Well, first of all, when it
comes to your tablescape, for let's say your kitchen island
right where you're gonna put all the food, she sets
all her dishes out like a day or two before
she has the party, so she's got that on lock.

Speaker 2 (04:47):
So she like makes she wants us to do you
want you to feel it?

Speaker 1 (04:51):
Yes, everything's intentional. And then that way too, she's not
stressing as much the day of. She could just focus
on the cooking because she knows where everything is going
so she like gets her house ready two days before. Actually,
another hostess in my life, and you know who I
wanted to be when I grew up is my godmother
care Her name is Kerr care Beer. She really is

(05:14):
the reason why I started cheese Gal because she taught
me how to make my first cheeseboard At fifteen. I
was having a sleepover at her house and she brought
out this cute little like cheeseboard and she gave me
sparkling grape juice while she had champagne. And she's just
like the most fabulous person without it being pretentious at all.
Like she's not. It's just who she No, it's just
who she just like drinks her mouth wash when she

(05:36):
gargles is like out of a crystal like goblet. Oh,
Like that's.

Speaker 2 (05:39):
Who she is. How are people like that? I'm to
see I'm not on that level like that, Yes you are,
I saw looks.

Speaker 1 (05:45):
It could be Instagram's receiving.

Speaker 2 (05:47):
No, make a simple girl, cheese. I mean you have
like all sorts of things.

Speaker 1 (05:51):
You know, it's Instagram. Yeah yeah, but I do. I
love to make every moment special, and I think that's
what I learned from them. Both of them collectively. It's like,
how could I make this very basic thing like meat
and cheese and crackers, How can I make this feel
special and elevated and like we're having a moment, you know,
becaus what life is about.

Speaker 2 (06:08):
And that's kind of why I feel like when I'm
around you, I feel like I'm around just joy bottled up,
because like you walk into a room, you have the
brightest eyes, the biggest smile, and you're always just excited
about life. I feel like you're just whatever you're doing,
you intentionally are doing it. You're with people that you
love to do it with. You're usually having some great
food and a great experience. And I just feel like,

(06:29):
when I am right, I'm so nice. But when I'm
around you, I'm like Courtney is living her best life
and you're just like enjoying life. And now that I
hear you talk about your mom, Darcy, that makes so
much sense that you just learned from a young age
that life is the little moments.

Speaker 1 (06:42):
It's the little moments. It's so that's even tied into cheeseboards.
Because I was like, okay, wait, so I thought little
sleepover with my godmother. I said teach me how to
do this, and she said, here's a few tricks, and
carry this into your adulthood. She said, always have a
bottle of chilled champagne and your fridge always just in case,
in case you need to celebrate, in case your mother
in law comes over. It gives you two minutes to spare,

(07:03):
and you know, just.

Speaker 2 (07:04):
In case, just have it because then the celebrations happening.

Speaker 1 (07:07):
A drop of a hat, you could do it. And
then she said, always have like a few cheeses in
your fridge with grapes and nuts and crackers, so you
can put together a cheeseboard and it looks beautiful and
it took you no time. So she was kind of
the first person that taught me that how to make
cheese the presentation. And then over the years I learned
tips and tricks on how to elevate the cheeseboards make
them look kind of like, what do you what you

(07:28):
were talking about?

Speaker 2 (07:29):
Like the masterpiece sixteen.

Speaker 1 (07:30):
Foot by two feet? Yeah, like so much cheese.

Speaker 2 (07:34):
But sighting for you, is that daunting? For you? Is
that scary hindsight?

Speaker 1 (07:37):
I'm like, you go, girl, At the time, what I
was really doing? Those all the time because I've since
hung up my You know.

Speaker 2 (07:44):
You were doing them all the time, like people would
hire you to come do their events.

Speaker 1 (07:48):
Yeah it was. I had fourteen employees at one point.
It was a big operation. And two years ago was
when I decided to close that down so I could
focus on what I'm doing now full time. And it's
the best decision I ever made, which.

Speaker 2 (08:01):
Is also scary because I remember I saw you, We
had met you at your shop, we'd hung out, and
I'd seen your cheeses all over town pretty much every
cool event I went to, it was a cheese gows
wild event. Yeah boored was happening. But then you're like, oh, yeah,
I'm closing up cheese gout. She's guys still gonna live.
But now I'm just going to be an influencer, be
cheese an influence, but I'm gonna be her. But I'm like,

(08:23):
who has the confidence to do that? Like, influencing is
so overwhelming.

Speaker 1 (08:26):
To me, it's a lot.

Speaker 2 (08:27):
I don't even know how to do it. I shut
down about it. I don't. I just don't know how
to You give yourself in such a way that people
know you, and then you're sharing all these incredible, this food,
your life, your travels, and I want to be there
with you. But how do you do that? And how
did you know that you could switch from physical to

(08:48):
social media? Well?

Speaker 1 (08:50):
Really, what I opened or I started the business right
cheese gout? Yea, how did it start? I started it
on Instagram, So I grew both at the same time.
So while I wasn't quite doing Instagram at the capacity
that I'm doing it now where it's literally my full
time job, people like the following. When that started, I
would show up on stories and kind of give the
behind the scenes or tell a funny story about my daughter.

(09:12):
So I started to grow this community and let's they
were all over the US, not even just here in
Nashville buying the cheese boards. So I had, like we
always called it, the personality side of Cheesegow and the
business side of cheesecow. And so I grew both at
the same time and both were very successful. And then
I just came to a place where honestly, Carolina was drowning.

Speaker 2 (09:31):
People would say, how are you doing it?

Speaker 1 (09:32):
And I'm like, yep. When I had my second I
was like, I don't know how much longer I can
do this, it's.

Speaker 2 (09:36):
Just a lot. Did you posted there was a post
that you said where you just had your second daughter
and somebody called in sick and you strapped your onn
baby three weeks were on, three weeks postum and went
in and made cheeseboards all freaking day. I meant, that's
a lot.

Speaker 1 (09:55):
I wouldn't recommend, would not recomend if you can help
it anyway. Know, you just kind of do what you've
got to do, you know. And I think if that
would have been the true dream in my heart, to
keep making cheeseboards day in and day out, every day,
I still would have done it. But the dream started
when I was five in front of those two teddy
bears named Dan. Okay, that was really the dream. And

(10:17):
when I saw that cheese gal, the business had given
me the platform on Instagram, and I started turning down
all of these deals that I wanted to be saying yes.

Speaker 2 (10:26):
Too, Why were you turning them down?

Speaker 1 (10:27):
Because I didn't have the capacity. You were running running
the store and running the business and having the employees
and then also taking these deals and then also the
two kids. It was like two full time jobs. And
I was randials because I started doing brand deals kind
of slowly, and I was like, oh, wow, this is
kind of great. It's great money, but also like I'm
really loving this. I like the idea of being cheese

(10:49):
goal versus being the one in the kitchen all day,
every day. And so it all kind of happened quickly.
I became cheese gal. And a model that I really
looked up to is Inagarden. Inagarden who is like the
Food Network star. Oh my god, I'm going to send
you everything on Ida Garden. She is the love of
my life. She has no idea, I exist.

Speaker 2 (11:10):
You all day collaboration today.

Speaker 1 (11:13):
She's like Martha, only just Oh she's so fabulous. She
So she had a show, but her beginnings, and this
is actually a really interesting thing about her. She started
in her forties, I believe, like used to work at
the White House and then went to the Hamptons one
weekend and said, I want to open up the store.
It was called the Barefoot Contessa. It was a good
store and they also like a catering business. So she

(11:35):
did that for years and then she was approached to
do a show, and so she closed the business to
become The Barefoot Contessa, which was the name of her
show and food network, and so that model for me
was like, wait a minute. My basically long story short,
what had happened was my assistant gave me her two
week notice, and I was like, oh God, how am
I going to do this without her? And finally I

(11:56):
let myself stay out loud on the phone and my husband,
I don't want to do this more and he said,
I'm so glad to hear you say that, and and
so I in that moment, I decided I'm closing. Your
business was thriving and that was the hard part. And
I found everybody jobs and I was also thinking about them,
but everybody's job.

Speaker 2 (12:12):
Because you're so sweet, Mama bear.

Speaker 1 (12:13):
I had to. I had to.

Speaker 2 (12:14):
It's not like you're shutting down because you're not getting business,
like you're shutting down when you're.

Speaker 1 (12:18):
It was too much. It was too much business and
also turning down business from a from a brand partnership perspective,
and also do opportunities. I think I think it happens, no,
but it was hard for me at first wrap my
mind around Wait, can I change my mind? And then
I was like can't so well, yes, yes, And then
I allowed myself to say that, and as soon as

(12:40):
I hung up the phone, ran straight into my managers
and I said, I'm closing cheese. God. They said thank God.

Speaker 2 (12:47):
Everybody said thanks.

Speaker 1 (12:48):
Everybody said thank God.

Speaker 2 (12:49):
Why did everybody say that?

Speaker 1 (12:50):
I think because they saw what it could be. And
so flash forward two years later, I'm now not only
a full time contient creator. I just got my first
book deal, which is so for a cookbook, which is
I'm freaking I want to cry a little bit. No,
I have cried, Okay, no, really I could do it,
really hat I really could. Right here, No, I really, like,

(13:13):
I'm so freaking grateful, Like I can't believe it pinched
myself and I'm like, but I'm so grateful to myself
two years ago. Had I not done that, I wouldn't
be where I am right now. Where I'm you know,
spending more time with my kids than I ever was
able to. So I'm not missing Saturday mornings with them
like I was before Sundays Holidays. I was working, Oh
my god, I was working so much.

Speaker 2 (13:33):
Oh man.

Speaker 1 (13:34):
So not only that, but also now the dream that
I have when I was a little kid, it might
actually happen. I don't know what Dan, and Dan, thank
you Dan, Thank you Dan? Like what in the world?
But so I just yeah, I'm really excited now it
is look about for two years. It's called oversharing. It's
who I am. I overshare everything. And I love the
double meanings like we're going to overshare recipes and also

(13:56):
funny stories and maybe a little lifestyle and my kids
and dirty martini journeys and cheeseboards and all the things.
And so I'm just I can't believe it's real. I'm like,
what is she an author? Oh my god, she is
an author.

Speaker 2 (14:09):
You're like a mega manifesto because you found this dream
when you were five, which I think is so cool. Like,
I freaking I love it when people find their dreams early.
I mean I love when people find their dreams period.
Right when you find your dream early and you lock
into it, it like sets the tone for your whole life,
Like your whole life has been led by this. And
then the players in your life, the important people, guided
you on this dream. But you've been dreaming this since

(14:31):
you were five, since I was five years old, and
you probably even really realize that you're dreaming it.

Speaker 1 (14:36):
Really no, and the journey along the way. I mean,
I've lived a hundreds lives. I was a flight attendant
at one point.

Speaker 2 (14:43):
You were a flight attendant.

Speaker 1 (14:44):
Signs of headlights on the floor that leads to those exits.
I could do that. Hit my sleep, stop it.

Speaker 2 (14:47):
Who was your craziest flight, A fight person, how any
like crazy celebrities or any wild experiences.

Speaker 1 (14:55):
Yeah, I'm trying to think, Well, there was this one,
this one, this one flight, this is a good one.
We were on the way to La I believe uh
from Dallas, so quite a long flight. And he was
sitting in the middle seat. I actually have a photo
of this, so afterwards I will have to show you.
He's sitting in the middle seat and all of a

(15:16):
sudden and he's like on second row. Okay, so I'm
in the front of the plane. He's to my left.
All of a sudden, I hear the call button. I
look over and this man has his feet directly above
his head, his foot pressed the call button. By the way, hey, Carol,
I have pictures of this. He is actually hitting the
person in front of him. There are two people on

(15:39):
either side of him, by the way, two people.

Speaker 2 (15:41):
What is he doing? He is We're gonna get a
visual I have to show.

Speaker 1 (15:46):
He is literally up with his just lean back in
his seat with his feet up in the air, just
completely straight. And then the man in the front row
almost got in a fight with him. It was this
whole thing.

Speaker 2 (15:57):
What did he mean to plus press the button when.

Speaker 1 (16:00):
He came over and I was like, he was like, yeah,
I can do you have a pillow and blanket? And
I was like, this is Southwest, we do not.

Speaker 2 (16:05):
He's trying to kick on back and relax. Yeah, he
did not care about.

Speaker 1 (16:10):
Oh, like a full on brawl almost happened on that flight.

Speaker 2 (16:14):
Has that ever Happenhere? Is anything ever like freaky like
that happened where you're on a plane and you're like,
oh my gosh, we're trapped in the middle of the air,
flying and something freaky is going down. No doubt I'm
going to die or something's going to dirupt.

Speaker 1 (16:24):
And then we had like scary things or that. There
was another time where a man shaved his head in
the bathroom. We didn't know what was happened. That was
like a little alarming that happened.

Speaker 2 (16:37):
Let's are those bathrooms? I feel like the porter of
the bathrooms are I have. I just want to say
I have joined the mile High Club on Yes, I
have with my husband just to stay there. Yes, on
a Southwest but oh my.

Speaker 1 (16:49):
Wait, can you believe that? Okay after the podcast, I
actually need the details of this because when we're oh,
she's like, excusey, we need that for.

Speaker 2 (16:59):
The for I were dating, I was like I had
some I was I just needed to accomplish and things.
I was a little wild. I was like, you know what,
I got to get this off my bucket list. Yeah,
this is yeah. And so we were flying somewhere. It
was a night flight, so everybody was a little the
lights were a little down. People were a little like asleep,

(17:19):
and you know, well what happened was all the flight
attendants were kind of like not doing anything. They're kind
of like off and it was dark and is it
emptier flight? No? No, nobody was just dark, okay dark.
And so I was going to the bathroom and I
realized this could be my moment. This is it, this
is it, like this is a good time, like nobody

(17:40):
is awake. I think we can do this. So I
went back in our ground BAC and I was like,
you got to make this happen fast, stop it. Okay, wait,
so you have three minutes. Three minutes.

Speaker 1 (17:49):
Okay. What I need to know is what happened next.
So when you go to walk in bathroom, was anyone there.

Speaker 2 (17:56):
Had a band? I was going to say if someone asked,
going to be like, I was throwing up in the
bathroom and he needed to come help me.

Speaker 1 (18:02):
Genius.

Speaker 2 (18:02):
So I hop on the toilet. You know, you got
to do a reverse cowgirl in this situation because there's
no other way. And I was like, he's so tall.
I was like, you have three minutes to make this happen.

Speaker 1 (18:11):
Don't let me talk to god, buddy, Oh my god,
this is You're a legend.

Speaker 2 (18:16):
So this is like a nightmare for a flight inspirational really,
But if you were my flight attendant, would that have
been a nightmare for you?

Speaker 3 (18:21):
No?

Speaker 1 (18:23):
I probably just would have served the little peanuts to
the people in the aisle, you know what I mean.

Speaker 2 (18:27):
Just I would have found a way to busy.

Speaker 1 (18:30):
Did you ever join the mile High School?

Speaker 3 (18:31):
No?

Speaker 1 (18:31):
I haven't you have. I'm okay, but this is the
thing about me. I'm too much of a rule follower.
But I this is inspirational because you know, I'm like, wow, legend,
I wish I had that envy now that I'm a mom.

Speaker 2 (18:44):
And I've like really settled down my wild hair. You know,
I don't know if and I've checked it off the
bucket list, I don't really need to do that again. Right,
It's kind of like a one time thing. It's not
like it's awesome, Yeah, awesome. It's more the thrill, you know,
but it's more like you're gonna get your body in
the tiny little spot tears yes, since everything, Yeah, Morgan
needs to know. Oh yeah, it's not sexy like hot

(19:07):
is in like steamy, like ooh this is great. No,
I mean it was not like a sexy experience. It
was more like you got three minutes, make it, make
it happen.

Speaker 1 (19:17):
Do this.

Speaker 2 (19:17):
And I'm like, it wasn't for the enjoyment, you know,
like sometimes I enjoyed it because it was so thrilling.
The thrill was I mean, I honestly sorry, Mom and Dad.
I used to make Michael have escapades with me at
like random places, like at restaurants. Oh so it's like
it's part of it was a moment in time.

Speaker 1 (19:38):
It was a moment in time.

Speaker 2 (19:39):
It was a chapter it was it was a chapter. Michael,
I wish that chapter would come back.

Speaker 1 (19:43):
He's kind of like, so are we going to do
a little flashback or return like where we are.

Speaker 2 (19:48):
Like doing this in like public places. There was a
moment hysteric. Yeah, I was in a season where I
was like feeling, yeah, feeling saucy, feeling saucy, feeling, feeling it.
But it wasn't like it wasn't for the pleasure of
the right. It was more just to the thrill it
was we did that. Yeah, yeah, But I mean he
made it happen, so I guess he had the full pleasure.

Speaker 3 (20:10):
Morgan.

Speaker 2 (20:18):
This is coming from boring Morgan. We want to know
where's the craziest places that we've gotten down to? Dirty Courtney,
Oh my god, here's the thing you done it? Which way?

Speaker 1 (20:30):
Why did Swiss cheese just come to my mind? Like
that is really disturb No, I truly, and I'm not.
I'm boring.

Speaker 2 (20:37):
You are not. You're the least boring person that ever lived.

Speaker 1 (20:41):
I'm boring when it comes to this. It's I don't
think I've ever outside of a house or a home.
That's okay, that's great, that's great.

Speaker 2 (20:48):
Have you done it. Have you brought some like cheese
in the bed? No, No, I can't say that.

Speaker 3 (20:53):
Far.

Speaker 1 (20:53):
That's great.

Speaker 2 (20:54):
You never say it ever, never say we still got time.

Speaker 1 (20:57):
We have time.

Speaker 2 (20:57):
I'm only thirty five, so I know you're so young.
I know you're so young, and you've done so much
in your life.

Speaker 1 (21:02):
Thanks, Oh my gosh.

Speaker 2 (21:03):
Okay, so flight attendant.

Speaker 1 (21:04):
Yeah, yeah, it was a flight attendant.

Speaker 2 (21:06):
You never saw someone, you never had a row up
any of that.

Speaker 1 (21:08):
But one thing I will say, just to the general public, Okay,
please wear shoes when you're going into the bathroom because
that is not water on the floor.

Speaker 2 (21:17):
It's pee.

Speaker 1 (21:17):
It's a thousand percent pee, or it could be other
Bottley fluids in this way. Never know, Please wear shoes. Yeah.
It's really foul.

Speaker 2 (21:27):
Our planes in general kind of gross.

Speaker 1 (21:29):
Disgusting, did you eyes disgusting?

Speaker 2 (21:31):
Really don't munch on the ice.

Speaker 1 (21:34):
I mean, if you, I mean, listen, we've all made
it this far.

Speaker 2 (21:37):
Like it's the ice.

Speaker 1 (21:39):
Those buckets don't get cleaned, and there's not like a liner. No,
not on the planes I worked on anyway, Okay, I
would just yeah, but if you're in the coffee pots,
that's another thing that never gets.

Speaker 2 (21:53):
Cleaned, So don't drink the coffee.

Speaker 1 (21:55):
I don't just because I know that, Like they never
cleaned the lines for the cough like for the listen.
I'm not a scientist, so I don't know how mechanics
work for the coffee pot. They don't clean the lines,
is all that I know. I don't know. Plants are
really nasty. The tray tables never cleaned at rest, never cleaned.

Speaker 2 (22:12):
Right right right, and the air is just recycled.

Speaker 1 (22:14):
And then do you have the people out here wearing
no shoes touching the call button with his feet. I mean,
I mean you never know.

Speaker 2 (22:19):
Yeah, did you ever have any people who were like
mean and rude? And oh yeah, how do you do?
That's a little terrifying tho. When you're in the sky
and it gets an attitude, it is like where's this going?

Speaker 1 (22:29):
And it's gotten worse. So my sister's now a flight
attendant herself, and she she's Christine is first offs and
she's she's like girl sometimes it's crazy. I mean, she
has some stories, but you're trapped.

Speaker 2 (22:43):
In the air crazy. Yeah, did you ever feel like
like claustrophobic or did you know? Okay, not really, so
you liked it was the best part of being a
fight attendant.

Speaker 1 (22:51):
Oh, I loved the well, the flexibility of like for Southwest,
anyway you're Southwest.

Speaker 2 (22:57):
Yeah, and they really are the best, aren't they?

Speaker 1 (22:58):
They were great. They were so so great. My sisters
still at them. Yes, and there's like a sense of humor.
And I don't know because honestly, for such a long
time I can't speak to now, But for such a
long time it was run by really, really wonderful human
beings that wanted to take care of the employees. And
so I think that makes your employees happier. Yeah, but

(23:19):
was I gonna tell you what? Did you just ask me?

Speaker 2 (23:21):
Just the best part of being a fighter the best part.

Speaker 1 (23:23):
The flexibility of the schedule, but also just seeing the world.
That's so cliche. But would you go worldwide?

Speaker 3 (23:29):
No?

Speaker 1 (23:29):
I mean, okay, in North America. North America was really great.

Speaker 3 (23:33):
No.

Speaker 1 (23:34):
And it was fun because at the time I started
before Chris and I started no before we got married,
and then I stopped right when I started having babies.
But he was on tour at the time, so I
would just schedule my overnights wherever he was having a show,
and I would get to see him.

Speaker 2 (23:49):
It was so fun.

Speaker 1 (23:50):
I would bring my crew to the show. He was
out with destin lunch for a long time.

Speaker 2 (23:53):
And so it was because if she's a musician, yeah, Chris,
what kind of musician?

Speaker 1 (23:57):
So well, he used to be a guitar player and
now he's a songwriter, pro sir. Wait, I think he knows.
He was just with Corey Crowdedder writing last week we
love Tucker wet Moore. So they're yeah, that's he told
me to tell.

Speaker 2 (24:08):
He was like, wait, So I was like, godparents, I
love the Crowder.

Speaker 1 (24:13):
Oh no, they're so great. They're so wonderful. Oh my god,
time too.

Speaker 2 (24:17):
And I just was interviewing Runaway June and it's so
and I was actually in Runaway June for a little bit.

Speaker 1 (24:21):
But it's like crazy, I know that.

Speaker 2 (24:23):
It's crazy. How when you're in Nashville you can have
a million lives, a million lives like your husband and
you you know, it's like you start off coming here
for this is a talented dream, you know, because you're
from Dallas. Yeah, I'm want a waygo.

Speaker 1 (24:33):
Are we both Texans?

Speaker 2 (24:34):
I didn't know this. How did you get here?

Speaker 1 (24:36):
Oh my god? Chris so when did jo he's from
Dallas too.

Speaker 2 (24:40):
Did y'all meet in high school?

Speaker 1 (24:42):
No, we met right the summer that I graduated from
high school. I met him two thousand and seven, but
we didn't start dating till like, what was twenty fourteen years?
Started dating ten years ago, twenty five.

Speaker 2 (24:54):
Okay, so he's been like your big love, yeah, my
big love yeah, and y'all met y'all, y'all made it,
backed it in and made it.

Speaker 1 (25:02):
That ten years this year, married nine, but together ten.

Speaker 2 (25:05):
Being of the musician, it's I mean, I'm a musician.
It's it's a wild world out there, and especially two entrepreneurs. Yep.
How has that journey been being married to someone who
is an entrepreneur who's in a creative industry? Because I know,
for me, like the highs can be high and the
lows can be sure, it's worth it all, but it's
not for the faint a.

Speaker 1 (25:21):
Part, definitely. I think what's been really neat about our
journey was that we really grew together. And I know
that doesn't always have the key.

Speaker 2 (25:30):
You can't make it, you don't, you can't.

Speaker 1 (25:32):
It's so true. But I started cheese goal at the
same time he started having his success with writing and
it's songs. Yeah, yeah, he's written. His number ones were
with Sam Hunt twenty three, Chris wrote breaking it was
easy in the nineties, Chris wrote, He's had some cuts
with Keith and let's see him. My gosh, it's like,

(25:54):
why blank.

Speaker 2 (25:55):
Do you like hang out with Sam Hunt?

Speaker 1 (25:56):
Sometimes? Christ and studio in Sam of a studio together, Chris,
But I don't hang out with Sam.

Speaker 2 (26:01):
Chris and Sam were that closed. They have a studio
to Yeah, they.

Speaker 1 (26:02):
Have a studio together, Tom, I know, yeah, no way.
Sam really was instrumental for Chris's writing career, like he
was the first big artists. That was like I believe
in you. I mean Chris produced and mixed twenty three
completely like that was all him and also wrote it.
So it was his first big artists. That's really so cool.
He's a so sweet artist and he's such a sweet

(26:24):
sweet person. Oh my god, it's been really really good
to Chris.

Speaker 2 (26:26):
Stop it. So they have a studio together, studio together.

Speaker 1 (26:29):
I think Chris is moving out of that studio soon. Okay,
long story, but but yeah, fine, oh no, all so great.
It's the studio itself.

Speaker 2 (26:38):
And Sam finally got his love.

Speaker 1 (26:40):
Yes, his life.

Speaker 2 (26:40):
I know that was a bumpyro two, but like so
say that they.

Speaker 1 (26:43):
Oh he's doing so great from what I understand, it's great. Yeah,
Christmas place cool?

Speaker 2 (26:48):
So how did he meet Sam and get in that
world through other?

Speaker 1 (26:51):
Okay, so when actually Nashville, Corey and Chriss go back
back to Corey Crowder, Yes, because.

Speaker 2 (26:57):
Everyone listening to Corey Crowder produced Florida Georgia line. He's
had a to and the number one tons of hits.
Such a great singer, songwriter or a human producer.

Speaker 1 (27:04):
And human great person.

Speaker 2 (27:06):
And his wife Lanny is actually an angel on this earth.

Speaker 1 (27:08):
I love her. She's so sweet.

Speaker 2 (27:09):
I love Lanny. She's like, hands on one of my
bestest friends.

Speaker 1 (27:13):
See I didn't really she guys heard this close.

Speaker 2 (27:15):
Oh, Landy is like she is one of the people
like you know, you have like a lot of great friends,
but then you have like your soul. She's like a
soul sister.

Speaker 1 (27:22):
Get it. Yeah. When Chris was on the road with Dustin,
you know he has writers out. So Chris made all
these connections with writers and track guys and whatever through
just being Dustin's guitar player. So when it came time
for Chris to start writing. He had these caddects and
like he just he's really talented, and right from the
get go people were like, damn, you're really good and he.

Speaker 2 (27:47):
Was like really okay.

Speaker 1 (27:48):
So yeah, so that's how we know Corey. Originally, I'm
trying to think of where I was going with this.
Oh yeah, So when I got pregnant with Charlotte, he
was your many, who is my baby? She is copy
of paste.

Speaker 2 (28:00):
She's going to be on that show for you with
Dan and Dan.

Speaker 1 (28:02):
Oh she already. Chris's iCloud is set up with her
iPad and this morning he was like, looking through all
these videos that she's been recording.

Speaker 2 (28:12):
She's ready for her.

Speaker 1 (28:14):
She's she's been ready.

Speaker 2 (28:15):
She's like, mom, we have our book.

Speaker 1 (28:16):
Deal this child, she's been ready. Oh my god, she
can have her own little corner in the book. Oh
for sure, no doubt. She's already asked me to. She's
like I'm like yes, but yeah, I know. Chris got
to start with that and you had a kid, and
he was like, I need to do something more than this.
He was like for long term. He was like, and

(28:37):
I want to do something more. He was like, I've
been so blessed in honor to play so the top
venues in the nation and really in the world, but
I want to have something on my own, and so
that's when it started. He wrote his first song on
the bedroom floor of what was going to be the nursery,
and the rest is really history. It's happened really quickly
for him, and we're just so grateful. But he's he's

(28:57):
crushing right now. Oh my god, he's doing so so good.
Go Crow. It's been cool to grow with him though,
you know. And it's interesting how our careers have overlapped,
even though they're so different, because at the time when
I was doing cheeseboards and he's writing with the artists,
they're the ones ordering the cheese boards for me and
they're also writing music together.

Speaker 2 (29:17):
So it was amazing.

Speaker 1 (29:19):
It was really cool.

Speaker 2 (29:20):
That's amazing, so so neat. That's amazing thing. I'll both
have been able to conjure up these dreams and create
them and keep them going, and then they kind of
overlap too, Like that's not like that's a little mini
miracle right there.

Speaker 1 (29:32):
No, we're so so thankful. It's definitely how did this happen?

Speaker 2 (29:36):
Is it mindset. What's your mindset? I feel like you
have a great mindset.

Speaker 1 (29:40):
Well, I think gratitude is the most important mindset.

Speaker 2 (29:42):
You can about your attitude of gratitude.

Speaker 1 (29:45):
Well, it's kind of it's sometimes it has to be
a choice, right, most of the time, it's a choice.

Speaker 2 (29:50):
It on my hands. I don't forget.

Speaker 1 (29:51):
I love it.

Speaker 2 (29:52):
Grateful, be grateful, grateful.

Speaker 1 (29:54):
I remember it really early on in our marriage. And
actually another fun and parked what I do. Chris is
very involved in like recipe development. He's incredible, but he's
on your show too.

Speaker 2 (30:06):
Don't think he's a.

Speaker 1 (30:07):
Chef sometimes and then when I'm like, no, he's a producer, songwriter,
They're like what I thought he was a show?

Speaker 2 (30:12):
Like helps you create.

Speaker 1 (30:13):
An incredible home chef, home cook's incredible, fine dining all
the time. You know, it's it's hard for us to
go out to eat because your food's bed food's so good,
and sometimes I'm like disappointed when it's not good. But
we started this journey together ten years ago because we're
too broke to go out to eat every ding and
we're like we Chris is like I got to learn
how to make a steak, and now he makes the

(30:34):
best steak. I don't even want to go to a
steakhouse because I'm like, why would I So yeah, So
the attitude of gratitude, it really stems from just like
even when we were broke. I remember when we had
just had Charlotte.

Speaker 2 (30:47):
And I'll still brokeh you had Charlotte, yeah, Rice, Yeah,
it's still pretty.

Speaker 1 (30:53):
At the time, I was a stay at home mom,
so I just kind of stopped flying. But this is
before cheese Go.

Speaker 2 (30:58):
Hey, you just like years before, two or three years before.

Speaker 1 (31:01):
Cheese Gal, so you know, we're making it work on
one income. I remember even being stressed about getting formula,
like that's the stage of life we're in. But I
remember there's one specific time that Chris had come home
from uh from the road. I had made a cheeseboard.
Of course, we were just like sitting and talking and
he's all stressed, but I was like, but we have
a beautiful, healthy baby, like it's gonna be fine. I'm

(31:24):
just conversations like that of it's gonna be fine, Like
we have everything we need. And when you keep that
same mindset even when you have success, I think it's
really important to stay grounded. It's so easy to just
let it kind of go to your head. I mean,
you see it happen all the time with anybody in
any industry. Yeah, but I think just staying centered and
just remembering where you come from, came from, remember that

(31:46):
I should really learn sometimes like I'm writing a book,
I need to speak correctly. Remember where you came from.
And yeah, just always be grateful. You know, it's really
easy to get caught up in stress. Also, oh my gosh.

Speaker 2 (31:59):
Shudn't you have a baby and you can't buy formula
or barely by formula, and you're like, how are we
going to do this? We're two dreamers and nobody has
a nine to five anymore but a stable job. And
Chris's job is he has this talent and there's probably
always a spot for him. But it's not like it's stable.
The music industry is crazy crazy. It takes a lot
of faith.

Speaker 1 (32:18):
Then it takes a lot of faith to be a dreamer,
and you have to bet on yourself.

Speaker 2 (32:22):
Especially when you're both it. That's how Michael and I
are too, And I'm like, it is so amazing, but
it is like it is such an act of faith
all the time that these dreams were put in our
heart for a reason, and we're not giving.

Speaker 1 (32:34):
Up on them. And one thing too, that I've learned
that I feel like was has been one of the
biggest life lessons for me in my whole Cheesegal journey
was giving myself that permission to change my mind.

Speaker 2 (32:45):
Okay, and you said that huge when you were thriving
at the top of your career. Literally you're the hottest
I don't know if it's called cater. Yeah, basically, I
mean we did everything. You're the hottest cater in town.
Celebs across the town are calling you for every everything, everything,
and you walk away at the peak of your career pinnacle.

Speaker 1 (33:04):
I so get texts sometimes like will you just come
in and do this? I'm like, I'm so sorry. Do
it anywhere?

Speaker 2 (33:10):
Retired retired life? Yeah, So what was that?

Speaker 3 (33:14):
Like?

Speaker 2 (33:14):
What is that like? That's like a huge act of
faith in a lap of faith. I think, how did
you know? What did your gut tell you? How did
you know it was time?

Speaker 1 (33:22):
I think I knew it was time because it was
draining me more than it was filling my cup.

Speaker 2 (33:27):
Right, and or it used to fill your cup?

Speaker 1 (33:28):
Yes, And that's an important shift to notice so important.
And I think in America specifically now having not that
I'm a world traveler, but.

Speaker 2 (33:38):
I'm not time I got to talk. We're talking about
your Italy.

Speaker 1 (33:41):
Trip in a minute, so fabulous, But even going to
Italy and then going to France and going to you
see how they more so like culturally they don't live
to work, They work to live, whereas here it's quite
the opposite. And so I think sometimes for with our jobs,
we become so married to our jobs that we especially

(34:03):
when we find success, and that we're like, how could
I possibly ever leave this? This? This is what's working.
And I think when you give yourself that permission to
change your mind, you're like, wait a minute, I have
one life. I have one precious life that I've been given.
How am I going to live it? Am I going
to do it? Because I think that I'm afraid what
everyone else.

Speaker 2 (34:19):
Is again, yeah or yeah, what everyone's going to think?

Speaker 1 (34:22):
Yeah, I'm like, because you know one thought that was
in my mind, I'm like, oh, everyone's going to think
my business was failing. I'm like, wait, why would I not?
Number one? That's not what happened? Number two? And everyone
is why would I live according to just worrying about
what other people think. And so I think, just give
yourself that permission to change your mind. Like maybe this
was your dream five years ago, but it's okay if

(34:43):
that changes.

Speaker 2 (34:44):
Absolutely.

Speaker 1 (34:44):
I think that's just so important. It's just to let
you all yourself evolved. Yeah, it's evolution more than anything.
And so just letting that evolve was the best decision.
It was the best decision I've ever made. I think
about it all the time. I'm like, thank you two
years ago, Courtney for changing your mind. So grateful had.

Speaker 2 (35:03):
The confidence to do that, and the fact that you
had the support that your husband said, thank goodness, your
management said thing, thank goodness, Like, yep, that's huge because
sometimes when things are going really well and the people
who are involved with it don't want it to change
because like, why would you leave this because we need
you to do this for our well being?

Speaker 1 (35:18):
Uh huh. And I think it took definitely some of
the people that followed me, it took them a minute
to like, Okay, what is she doing? But then I
mean now people are like, you had a cheese word business.
It's so great. It's just it's been really, really, really
neat and I'm so great. I'm grateful for the business
that gave me the platform, and now I'm like, what's
going to happen?

Speaker 2 (35:37):
I don't know, But isn't it kind of fun once
you do make one of those big changes in your life.
Like I've had some big changes in my life. I
didn't necessarily always choose them, but like had these moments
where like, yeah, something completely fell apart and you're like,
oh my gosh, it's over. Is anything else gonna come
from it? But you know it will. And then you
enter into this whole new world and you're like, oh
my god, Yeah, what was I afraid of?

Speaker 1 (35:57):
What was I afraid of?

Speaker 2 (35:58):
What was I afraid of? Because it's so when you're
in that, that, that and in between, and you don't
know what where you're going, how to look. It's all
to be formulated.

Speaker 1 (36:08):
But if it fails, if it fails, but you know what.

Speaker 2 (36:11):
It's not going to fail. It's not going to fail
because if you have the mindset and the skill set
and the passion and the drive, you're going to find
the next thing that was made for you thousand. But
you have to have so much to walk it out.
You do you have to walk it out. So tell
me about that walk, that period of that walk, because
I feel like this is the part where people don't
want to do this hard because it's the hard part,

(36:32):
the hard part, it's all hard part. But this is
a really scary part. This is like, oh my god,
You're walking into the freaking darkness and you don't know
what it's going to be waiting for you. How do
you do that?

Speaker 1 (36:42):
Oh my god. I honestly I wish I had something
better to say other than you just do it. You
just you do it afraid?

Speaker 2 (36:49):
How do you know how to find the next step?

Speaker 1 (36:52):
I think following your gut is huge. I I did
have a bit of what I call it an identity
crisis for a little bit, because I was what do
I do? How do I do this? How do I
almost hold him to make this my full time job?
And I've been showing cheeseboards for years and so now
we're going into recipes. But I had had a little
stint on Instagram that I called the dirty Martini Journey

(37:15):
where I tried different I did the work people, Okay,
it was research and development. I tried a different dirty
martini recipe every single day for a month until I
could get it right.

Speaker 2 (37:25):
Because you know, they're all different. That's probably pretty fun.

Speaker 1 (37:28):
It was, It was really, it was fun and also
at times disgusting because I was just messing up. Oh yeah,
my favorite moment. Actually, you know Nicole Gallon, yes, and
Kelsey Valerini.

Speaker 2 (37:41):
Yes. Is Kelsey your bestie?

Speaker 1 (37:43):
She's She's definitely a friend. But no, I haven't seen
her in a long time time. I mean, she's so blessed,
she's sore. I'm obsessed.

Speaker 2 (37:48):
We saw at the opera the other day and I
just interviewed her producer, rolling rolling up.

Speaker 1 (37:52):
Oh yeah, And.

Speaker 2 (37:53):
But Kelsey was out there like a dream to interview Lily,
to introduce Lily Rose, and Sonny was with me, and
Sonny was just staring at Kelsey the whole time, and
I think Kelsey was so sweety. We went backstage and
Kelsey's like, come here, sit down next to me, let's
let's make pictures. And then she was asking all these questions.

Speaker 1 (38:09):
I'm like, she's so kind. She was really kind. She's
always been. She was always very supportive of me with
Cheese Goal and then when I'm doing she was writing
with Chris One particular day she and Nicole were this
was it was a power Chris. This is like two
or three years two years ago, three years ago, and

(38:29):
this was right in the middle of my dirty Martini journey.
And Nicole text me and was like, can we be
like test subjects for today's recipe? And I was, and
I had almost gotten it there. So I'm like, I'm all,
you know, this is it. I'm like, this is it.
I got this. I come and I'm like, hi, guys,
let me go while you guys, you guys keep writing.
I'm gonna go shake up this martini in the kitchen.

(38:50):
I made the fatal mistake. No fatal fatal mistake. When
you go to make a martini, it's important that you
make one at a time, and the reason being you
have to have the proper dilution with your ice in
the shaker. When I say swamp water, I mean it was.

(39:10):
It was worse than swamp water. I made three martinis
and one cocktail shaker. There was hardly any I remember
shaking it going.

Speaker 2 (39:17):
Since sounds right, it's a lot of liquid. It's a
lot of liquid, not much ice.

Speaker 1 (39:21):
I'm like, oh no, there's video.

Speaker 2 (39:24):
I'll show that to you later it's this is your
big debut. Because you have a debut.

Speaker 1 (39:30):
People were like hooked in on the series that I
was doing. Oh, I'm filming this, and of course I
have my guests and you.

Speaker 2 (39:37):
Didn't testing before you purt it.

Speaker 1 (39:39):
Another fatal mistake.

Speaker 2 (39:41):
Okay, so you have them now ready and you're going
to present.

Speaker 1 (39:45):
And Kelsey was so sweet, she was like this is great.
Nicole straight up was like I can't drink it. Court
I'm like, it's understandable, you don't have to. It's fine, But.

Speaker 2 (40:02):
Did you go back and do one by one and
get it right or it was.

Speaker 1 (40:06):
One and done because I didn't want to keep like
interrupting them. But I remember just being like, I had
more chance. This is my one opportunity. I have these
fabulous people guessed you know, this is your moment. This
was the moment.

Speaker 2 (40:18):
You only get one shot, missed a chance to blow
This opportunity comes with it a lot of time. You
better lose yourself. Yep, that's what I mean.

Speaker 1 (40:26):
It was seeing my brain, my millennial brain was like, wait,
does I catch catch on? Yeah?

Speaker 2 (40:31):
So, but you know what, you're putting yourself out there
and that's all there.

Speaker 1 (40:34):
But The Dirty Martini Journey was like my test to
see if on Instagram.

Speaker 2 (40:40):
People get in is that what? Like my gable in
was insane? So that's what that was the moment that
that was the moment Okay, we can do this online.

Speaker 1 (40:48):
And when we started noticing that people cared and felt
like they were in on it, whatever it was, We're like,
wait a minute, I have a really incredible community of
people who care what I have to say? Who care?
You know what's going on my day. If I don't
show up on the Reverend, I literally get dms like
where are you?

Speaker 2 (41:04):
Okay? It's really sweet? Yeah, So what is your schedule
now that you are an official?

Speaker 1 (41:09):
Like like what is.

Speaker 2 (41:11):
What is your schedule? How much you have to post?

Speaker 3 (41:13):
How?

Speaker 2 (41:13):
How do you have to share?

Speaker 1 (41:14):
What?

Speaker 2 (41:14):
What do the people want? How do you have to
keep them fed?

Speaker 1 (41:16):
Oh my gosh?

Speaker 2 (41:17):
What do you have to do weekly?

Speaker 1 (41:18):
Or recipes or just showing up on stories? I try
to show up every day.

Speaker 2 (41:22):
At some point, I'm sorry, like what do you show
on stories?

Speaker 1 (41:25):
Random shit? Like sometimes it's like, you know, this is
what I'm making my family for dinner. Sometimes it's like
this is what I'm wearing today feeling a little bit like,
you know, what's what's his name? I'm thinking of nineties
Billy Crystal. Some days I'm like, am I nineties dad?
Am I showing you your recipe? Am I showing you
what my daughter just says.

Speaker 2 (41:46):
People have really fallen in love with you, invested into
you as really special the cheese galbran right right? How
cool is that?

Speaker 1 (41:52):
That's really cool? I feel so grateful because that's I mean, really,
it's like it comes when it comes to being a
content creator. Engagement is everything. Follower count is irrelevant, absolute,
totally irrelevant. It's like, do the people care what you
have to say? Do they show up?

Speaker 2 (42:05):
You know?

Speaker 1 (42:05):
Do they trust you? I take all that super seriously,
so you be posted to any thing. I don't.

Speaker 2 (42:10):
I love you, love communicating with your love.

Speaker 1 (42:12):
It It's what when you think about it, it's in
a different way. It's kind of what I wanted to
always do. I'm just doing it without like yes, and
I love my own boss.

Speaker 2 (42:23):
Your own bo Yeah you said, it's really so. I've
always struggled when it comes to content creation. I'm just
like having people in my life, like people that I
don't know. Yeah, Like I have a hard time with that,
just because sharing sharing and then like sharing, Sonny, Yeah,
how do you feel about sharing your kids? You know,
it's like a tricky, It's really tricky.

Speaker 1 (42:41):
And I will say your daughter, Like I see your
daughter and I'm like, I need more of her. Yeah,
I used to share her all the time. And then
kind of as you get well, you start hearing terrible
things you're like from other people, and just like horror stories.

Speaker 2 (42:55):
When you have a little star like Charlotte, she's a star, like.

Speaker 1 (42:59):
Really like, I don't know what kid's gonna do, but
whatever she does, she's just gonna be like it. I
don't know. So now I kind of like pepper them
in here and there. But I definitely don't share them
as much as I used to. For sure. I totally
get that, and that's valid not wanting to share, Sonny.

Speaker 2 (43:12):
You fear you have gifts to give. It's just like
such a I feel like you though, like you've like
figured it out, You've mastered this balance that.

Speaker 1 (43:21):
Like showing just enough but not everything.

Speaker 2 (43:23):
But then you also have something you're sharing, like your
gift of making food, of sharing these awesome recipes, of
sharing these martinis of couch caviar.

Speaker 1 (43:31):
That's a thing.

Speaker 2 (43:31):
I mean, here's trademarked. What what in the world? How
did that even start?

Speaker 1 (43:35):
Couch Basically, it all goes back to I want to
feel like, you know, one moment every day, not all
day every day, but one moment every day where have
something that feels special.

Speaker 2 (43:47):
Right. Okay, Wait, let's kind of where it starts. Talk
about that, because actually that is and this starts with
like Darcy and your godmother and all that was it godmother?

Speaker 1 (43:56):
Yep?

Speaker 2 (43:56):
Making the little moment special. So you are intentional every
single day at.

Speaker 1 (44:01):
Some point every day I'm doing something whether it's big
or small, that I'm like, it's like it's almost like
you're I mean, we all deserve it, right. Life is hard,
maybe a human being is hard. We work our butts off.
We're raising babies, you know, building career, building careers, people
and then homes, and I think that it's really important.

(44:22):
It's almost like a self love. You're giving yourself that
moment every day of like I deserve this. I deserve this.
It doesn't have to be anything like caviar every single day,
but came out of that.

Speaker 2 (44:35):
Is it food related for the moment or can it
be like experience related.

Speaker 1 (44:38):
I guess if I think about it, for me personally, personally,
it is food related, but it doesn't have to be no,
it could be anything.

Speaker 2 (44:46):
It could be like it's like a presentation you want
to have, like an experience, an experience, dining, food experience
or drink.

Speaker 1 (44:51):
You want to know what mine was last night? Oh yeah,
saltines with butter and Florida self sprinkle on the top.
You hear, are special, But it's food. I carry myself
with me. I don't know. I did just change persons,
but I don't have per salt and tabasco at all
times in the event that you need that, That's who
I am at the core. If you need to know,

(45:12):
thank you everybody.

Speaker 2 (45:15):
So you have per salt and tabasco with you at
all times?

Speaker 1 (45:17):
M hm?

Speaker 2 (45:18):
Can that go on everything? Like can tabasca go and everything?

Speaker 1 (45:21):
Oh yeah? Is if you need just like a little
vinegary little heat. Totally.

Speaker 2 (45:26):
I love that. I love it that that. I just
love that that that's your core because that is not
my core. Courtney, you are so you would be so
sad to come to my kitchen life, like my home
life life is beautiful and I love it so much.
But like as far as meals, it is a struggle
that starting a cook. He can't get it done. But
like for me, if I am left to my own devices, girl,

(45:48):
it is coming out of the freezer.

Speaker 1 (45:51):
There is no shame in that. There is though, there
is no shame.

Speaker 3 (45:56):
No, no, no.

Speaker 2 (45:57):
I do like to cook. See, but why that's a
cool thing.

Speaker 1 (46:01):
Okay, maybe you feel overwhelmed by it.

Speaker 2 (46:03):
It just feels like work.

Speaker 1 (46:05):
Does Do you feel intimidated? Yeah, it feels like work.
Feel like I don't think to do this.

Speaker 2 (46:08):
Yeah, it's like something I get that to do that
I don't want to That's okay, but it's not I
need to change that.

Speaker 1 (46:13):
Well no, because maybe that's not your thing, it's something else.
But you can apply the same idea of elevating the
every day and another category what is your thing? Like,
what do you like to which what's your favorite thing
to do every day? Well?

Speaker 2 (46:24):
My favorite thing to do is I mean, and I
know you're obsessed with your kids. I am obsessed with
my daughter. I like, I want I do do this
with her? Is I want to have just the best
day with her? Ever, so like I look at whatever
the day is and I'm like Okay, where's the work
pieces that we have going on, where's the the you know,

(46:44):
non negotiables, And then how can I build the rest
of the day around her to make sure that we
have just like the most fun day. And sometimes it's
like resting, you know, and sometimes it's just chilling watching
movies and having popcorn, having it be a fun experience.
But it's like I want to just always have the
best day that I can. She's the center, She's the
center of my whole world.

Speaker 1 (47:05):
She's the sun.

Speaker 2 (47:06):
She's the sun. Yeah, that's sweet.

Speaker 1 (47:08):
That's so sweet.

Speaker 2 (47:09):
So I think that's probably where I put my focus,
and that's incredible. I probably do experiences. I probably what
kind of experience can we do?

Speaker 1 (47:15):
So that's it. Though it's the same idea.

Speaker 2 (47:17):
It's totally fat to see a frozen chicken nuggets. There
is nothing of an elevator.

Speaker 1 (47:22):
Girl. Let me tell you something. My kids had mac
and cheese three times last week, not just once.

Speaker 2 (47:28):
But I've seen your mac and cheese. Cony.

Speaker 1 (47:30):
No, no, no, no, I'm talking Annie's mac and chee.

Speaker 2 (47:31):
Oh okay, you're just like, oh no, no.

Speaker 1 (47:34):
No no, I'm just like you. I am not cooking every
day you're not. No, Oh my god, absolutely not. We're
doing to go. We're doing takeout. We did s Sky
a few nights to Go. By the way, if you
haven't had that, you've got to get it. It's this
Tai food tie place over in East Ashville. The best
fried chicken of your life. Okay, so good, but no
takeout mac and cheese or like I have. This is

(47:54):
a chapter in the book, and I feel like you'll
relate to the title. It's called week night w e
A a weeknight dinner for when you just have nothing
to give. You're like, I don't want to do anything. Okay,
that's great animal prep. You can throw it on a
sheet or in a pan and it's done in less
than thirty minutes.

Speaker 2 (48:12):
To visualize someone when you're writing that chapter, think of
me struggle by saying over here.

Speaker 1 (48:16):
Because I'm there too. Yeah, I'm totally there too. I
think people think I'm in the kitchen all day, but no,
absolutely not, Like, couldn't be me. No, I'm doing frozen
mac sorry, frozen nuggets and mag and cheese with you.

Speaker 2 (48:26):
Because this is I will say, like in my life,
I feel like I've like I work really a lot
of my mental health, physical health, spiritual health. But like
I do struggle with cooking, like it is actually like
a struggle point in my life. Like it feels like
a chore and it feels like I'm kind of failing
at it.

Speaker 1 (48:38):
No, no, no, you know, I'm gonna We're gonna work on this. Wait,
and it doesn't mean that you have to like love cooking,
but we could maybe shift the mindset a little bit.

Speaker 2 (48:47):
So it's not torture.

Speaker 1 (48:48):
It's not torture.

Speaker 2 (48:49):
Like when dinner comes around, I'm like, oh gosh, I'm
so nervous. I get nervous because I'm like, what are
we gonna do? Right?

Speaker 1 (48:54):
It feels daunting. It feels daunting is exciting.

Speaker 2 (48:57):
It's not exciting for I feel like that actually too.

Speaker 1 (48:59):
So it's okay, I'll cookbook.

Speaker 2 (49:01):
Oh my god, Well that makes me feel better. Okay,
So tell me about this trip that you took to
Italy because this was something you've been gearing up forever
and I feel like you belong in Italy, that's where
you're from in your heart.

Speaker 1 (49:11):
Do you know? Chris had a call today with an
attorney because he's eligible for dual citizenship see Italian. He's
so Italian. I'm actually Italian too, but not as Italian
as he is. He's like fifty percent.

Speaker 2 (49:22):
So is this trip just like we came to the homeland,
we have found where we we are not living where
we're supposed to live. We need to be there.

Speaker 1 (49:29):
Girl. My hair, skin, and nails were thriving. Okay, that's
when you know, like biologically you're supposed to be somewhere.
My hair has never looked better, my skin was going,
my nails were growing. I was like, am I home?
This is it? No? Really, it was a dream, dream trip.
The best we were there. The hardest part was being
away from my kids.

Speaker 2 (49:47):
I know. And I saw the book she made you.
I don't know how you lived through that, because I
almost didn't.

Speaker 1 (49:51):
I almost was like we got to.

Speaker 2 (49:52):
Go leaving kids because you went eleven days, eleven days.
I've left sunny only one one night in my whole life,
and so leaving for eleven days. She made you a book.
I'm telling you to me a book. I'm going to
like die without you.

Speaker 1 (50:02):
She it was really more like a pamphlet, yeah, where
each page was like I am correct and her spelling
was so sweet. I'm crying without you I never want
to be without you. I'll never forget you. It was
another things she said that was like.

Speaker 2 (50:17):
And then the prayer the night before we left.

Speaker 1 (50:22):
We always do good night prayers, you know, bedtime prayers,
and she said on my way out, she was like, Mom,
and I'm thinking she's gonna say something just like, you know,
so sweet, and she's like, I'm really praying that your
plane doesn't crash tomorrow. I love you.

Speaker 3 (50:36):
And I was like, thank you, thank you, Henny.

Speaker 2 (50:49):
Tell me the importance though, of why it was so
good for you and Chris to get out and take
that trip.

Speaker 1 (50:54):
Oh my god, it's the best. Anytime we do a trip,
it is so good for our marriage because it's the
only time where there's no other distractions, you know, it's
just he and I and we're you kind of get
back to like we're really good, we're amazing friends, like
he's my best friend. On top of like loving him,
I think liking your partner is one of the most important,

(51:15):
almost more important than loving To be honest.

Speaker 2 (51:17):
With you, Yeah, if you don't like to be with
your partner, then you're trapped in misery, Yes, totally trapped
in misery.

Speaker 1 (51:23):
And it's like, then, what are you doing these vacations?
Like we never this is I will say the first time,
the first trip. We've never fought. That doesn't mean we've
made it. I don't know what the song spent out there.
We did not on that trip. Normally, Normally there's.

Speaker 2 (51:37):
You're both in your motherland.

Speaker 1 (51:38):
Yeah, because you know everyone, if you're together for eleven days,
there's bound to be something. I think there was almost
a fight and we just started like laughing. We're like,
we're not going to do this.

Speaker 2 (51:46):
Let's not even go here, let's not kill ours.

Speaker 1 (51:47):
We've also been together like ten years. I feel like
there's something that happens there too, sometimes where you're like, okay,
is it worth we really want to ruin the rest
of our day in Italy over totally? You know whatever
it was, but dream trip, like we've.

Speaker 2 (52:00):
Talked about, this trip was the best part.

Speaker 1 (52:03):
Oh my god. Okay. So we did Rome, Florence and
then like countryside Tuscany. Favorite part might have been the
countryside because you're like, I'm in a movie, this is
not real. And like the resort we stayed at was
it was almost like white lotusy a little bit kind
of like got a little creepy a few times, just

(52:24):
from the people that were there. We were like, someone,
we're hearing conversations. We were like, okay, I think that.
I also really loved Rome. I loved Florence too, but
I will say Florence has gotten quite touristy.

Speaker 2 (52:39):
So you went a little bit off the grid.

Speaker 1 (52:41):
Yeah, I liked the smaller towns, the smaller tusk in towns.
But I can't wait to go back, and I maybe
I'll be a dual citizen the next time I go back.
I don't know.

Speaker 2 (52:51):
I mean, so tell me what's gonna happen. What's your
what's your five year dream goal, what's your plan? You
have this book coming out that's coming out in two years,
which I love that you're already starting to because you
said I'm gonna overshare it. Overshare the name is oversharing
the books coming on.

Speaker 1 (53:04):
Twenty six, twenty six. I couldn't. I'm not the type
of person who can. Even if I got you a
birthday present, I'd be like, do you want to know
what I got you? You're like, no, it's in two weeks.
I'm like, yeah, but let me tell you. So the
thought of keeping a whole book a secret for two years.
It was like absolutely not. So of course I got
permission from my editor and publishing Houston.

Speaker 2 (53:25):
They were like, yes, five year plan, if you could have,
if your life could just spell out just how you
wanted to.

Speaker 1 (53:32):
Okay, I'd have a few books. Okay, I'd have a show,
a line at Target, yes, and a house in Italy Okay,
where I take off like the whole summer and I'm
like there with my kids for the whole summer.

Speaker 2 (53:45):
That's the this is gonna that's more like.

Speaker 1 (53:47):
Five to ten years.

Speaker 2 (53:49):
That was pretty bod That's perfect. But why can't this happen?

Speaker 1 (53:53):
I can't it? You know?

Speaker 2 (53:53):
You know, I think we get so stuck that we
had life. Like you said, life has to be a
certain way, but why why?

Speaker 1 (53:58):
And we work so hard It's like what do we
I think, Oh yeah, it's hard to find that balance
of like being really driven but also enjoying life along
the way. But I think that's kind of what my
brand is about. It is about enjoying life along the way,
take the trip, make the maybe, yes, make microwave popcorn.
Just add a little peccorina ramana to the top of
a little freshly cracked black pepper.

Speaker 2 (54:19):
You know, a little posastic special.

Speaker 1 (54:21):
It's a little dill. Make your life special, make it special.

Speaker 2 (54:24):
Because you can, and it doesn't have to be hard. No,
that's what I feel like. I'm loving that I'm getting
from you is like, it doesn't have to be hard.
Everybody's crazy, busy life is overwhelming. But be intentional to
make your own life special. Yes, and those around you
that you love.

Speaker 1 (54:38):
Otherwise, what are we doing all this for?

Speaker 2 (54:40):
What are we doing all this for?

Speaker 3 (54:41):
Yeap?

Speaker 2 (54:42):
That is so true, and it's it's just a little
bit of a mindset shift.

Speaker 1 (54:45):
It's a mindset, yes, So when you ask me about
the mindset, that's the mindset.

Speaker 2 (54:48):
Just like, remember, where is my special moment today? Yes,
because we all deserve that.

Speaker 1 (54:53):
And it could be popcorn on the cop it could
be a salty cracker with butter and floor to sell,
like whatever it is, make your moments special each and
every day where you're you know, showing gratitude to yourself
for what you do. You know, how about your family
or just for yourself, whatever it is, it's so important.

Speaker 2 (55:10):
I freaking love that, Courtney. Thanks girl, You're so incredible.

Speaker 1 (55:13):
You're incredible.

Speaker 2 (55:15):
You really are. Like You're one of those people that
every time I see you, I'm like, man, you're just joy.
You're joy in a human body. You really are, and
you make life fun and you like I remember seeing
this one random post you did where y'all were like
at a cabin and a bear showed up and y'all
were like trapped inside your cabin and there's the like
bears circling around, and you're like, good, y'are just like
laughing of it. But I'm like, people, there's so many

(55:37):
ways you could have taken that situation.

Speaker 1 (55:39):
Sure, you could be really freaked out, but like, my god,
I forgot about the bear.

Speaker 2 (55:42):
Yeah, I mean, was it just like circling your cabin?

Speaker 1 (55:44):
Totally circling the cabin? Yeah, it was really traumatic. And
I did you ever see The Parent Trap?

Speaker 2 (55:50):
Oh?

Speaker 1 (55:50):
Yeah, Okay, you know how at the end when they
all went camping and the twins tell the soon to
be stepmom that they she needs to take two sticks
and telling you know what I'm talking about.

Speaker 2 (56:01):
Oka. Wait, I just watched The Parent Trap, but I
didn't end.

Speaker 1 (56:05):
Okay, Okay, well you guys will know. I'm sure it's
you take the two sticks. It was a joke and
I did that too, just because I was like I
had to make a little piece of content. And people
were like, thank you, care.

Speaker 2 (56:15):
Trap, and like what happens when you were the stick together?

Speaker 1 (56:17):
Absolutely nothing.

Speaker 2 (56:18):
It just was what's supposed to happen.

Speaker 1 (56:21):
I think they were playing a joke on her to
make her look dumb.

Speaker 2 (56:25):
Okay, it's like not a thing. Okay, but I said,
you you're bringing comedy into your life too all the time.

Speaker 1 (56:30):
Oh, don't take I don't take myself seriously at all.

Speaker 3 (56:32):
No.

Speaker 1 (56:33):
And the book will be funny too, Like it's not
going to be a refined, button up, polished cookbook because
I don't know what that even looks like.

Speaker 2 (56:40):
Who wants that?

Speaker 3 (56:42):
Not me?

Speaker 1 (56:42):
Who wants it's not relatable at all.

Speaker 2 (56:45):
No. I freaking love you, Courtney. Thank you so much
for coming on here and sharing your life and your journey.
I always wrop up with one question and just leave
your light and it's super open ended, okay, And just
to drop some inspiration, what do you want people to know?

Speaker 1 (56:59):
Oh, let's see what do I want people to know?
You know, I think we kind of talked about it already.
I don't cook every day don't don't be ashamed of that.
Don't be ashamed of making chicken nuggets. Don't be it.
You're feeding your family, You're you're doing your best, You're

(57:20):
showing up. They have food on the table. It's about
what's that quality time? I don't know, is that answering
the question?

Speaker 2 (57:26):
I love?

Speaker 1 (57:26):
Is that what I want them to know? Or do
you mean like about me personally?

Speaker 2 (57:30):
Just kind of whatever inspiration? No, I love that, just
like it's about making the moment. It doesn't really matter.

Speaker 1 (57:35):
Making the moment. It doesn't matter. No, it doesn't have
to be fancy, it doesn't have to be something that's
like unattainable. I think just finding time to make something special,
whether it's mac and cheese, but you're like playing a
game at the table with your kids. You know, that's
what's important. That's what's that's what life is all about.

Speaker 2 (57:51):
I love that. Okay, what has motherhood taught you?

Speaker 1 (57:53):
Oh my god, Well it's the hardest thing I've ever done,
for sure, and the most rewarding. And everyone's that, but
it really is so true. Motherhood has taught me. What
is this hard? We think about this? Motherhood has taught me?
I would say to be nice to myself because it's

(58:15):
really hard. It's really easy to be hard on yourself.
It is, you know, but if I've learned anything, if
you're sitting at the end of the day asking yourself,
was I good enough mom today?

Speaker 2 (58:25):
That means you were because you really care.

Speaker 1 (58:27):
Yeah, And so I think learning to be nice to
yourself and also forgiving yourself is really important because it's
it's a hard it's a hard thing to raise a human.
We'll just do the best you can.

Speaker 2 (58:37):
When do you have to forgive yourself? And I know
we are supposed to wrap this up, Oh my god,
if I lose my temper. I know I've lost my
temper a few times too. And I'm like, but you know,
I think repairing relationship do you come back and say
you're sorry thousand percent? That's the key I feel too.
It's like, yeah, letting your kids know that you're a
human and you make a mistake and then apolig how.

Speaker 1 (58:56):
Do you repair it? Yeah, I uh, make it a
point to say, well, you forgive me. And then we
talked about that. There's been a time where Charlotte was like, no,
I don't of course, this was like she was three
years old. She's like, I don't forgive you, and then
we had to like talk through. I'm like, okay, take
your time, you need to process, and then of course
she did. But yeah, yeah, when I blow it, if
I or if I'm too busy, that's another thing that's

(59:18):
it's really hard. Juggling work mom life is impossible. Sometimes
I feel like I'm failing as a mom but thriving
at my work, or it's vice versa doing great with
the motherhood thing and failing at my job. And I
think just always trying to chase the balance, but being
nice to yourself along the way, because it's so easy

(59:40):
to just be like I didn't do this, I didn't
do this, I should handle this differently, and it's like, okay,
I'm doing the best I can and you're the best.

Speaker 2 (59:47):
Good I think too. Showing your girls that you are
still pursuing yourself, yeah, and your dreams and your talent
and your gifts to this world and providing for your
family and providing for them but then also prioritizing them.
It is a fine balance. But what a great example
to show your girls. And when we do, when we
do mess up, I have learned to get to that
place of myself like the few times. I haven't done

(01:00:07):
it a lot, but like I have lost my cool
and like I hated the way it made me feel
so much, and I just told myself, Okay, just check yourself,
try to try to regulate myself. But if you can't,
if you mess up, I think two, just repairing it
like a human to show them that it's okay. Yeah,
Like I did something there today. I told Sonny I
wasn't going to scare her anymore. I have this problem
with scaring people. My dad did this my whole life,

(01:00:28):
like hiding any chance durs a time to scare us
so bad that we would peek our pants like he
would do it. So I have this innately ingrained and it.

Speaker 1 (01:00:36):
Can't help it.

Speaker 2 (01:00:37):
So the other day we were we have this mountainhouse
in Maggie Valley and Sonny was going to open the
mailbox and it was like covered in spiderwebs and ants
because like no one had opened it in months. And
as soon as she opened it, I just like freaking
went like and she had like almost a heart attack, panic, antagonizing,
Oh my god, you're like four. I shouldn't have done
this to you. But I like, the moment was there

(01:00:58):
and I couldn't miss it, and she was like cried.
It took her like an hour to come down. And
I felt so bad, I cause I'm like, I have
a mom, it's the kid in you. But then I
was like, so I was like, Sonney, I'm so sorry.
Do you forgive me? I shouldn't have done that. That
was a terrible mistake. Like I just have this problem
with scaring people and I need to like stop and
she's like, mom, I forgive you, but you can never
do it again.

Speaker 3 (01:01:17):
Oh.

Speaker 1 (01:01:17):
And then at the boundary.

Speaker 2 (01:01:19):
We were in the pool the other day and there
was this little stick that looked like a huge spider yah,
And before I even could catch myself, I grabbed and
I was like, do you think this is a spider?
And I threw it on her and she had a milk.
Then I get I'm like, what is wrong with me?
And I broke my promise and like she was like, Mom,
you promised you wouldn't do that again. I was like,
oh my god, And it's so silly because it's a
scaring thing. But it's like when you catch yourself and

(01:01:39):
you realize these are kids, and like why did I
make this mistake? And I felt so guilty, but I'm like, Okay,
I just have to do better. I can't be mad
at myself for you know, because it.

Speaker 1 (01:01:49):
Won't change anything. Right, you can't go back and redo it.

Speaker 2 (01:01:51):
And I'm a human.

Speaker 1 (01:01:52):
You're a human being, and you got it.

Speaker 2 (01:01:53):
I think teaching them that we're humans is one of
the most important things we can do, because they're gonna
make mistakes and they need to They can be forgiven
and it can be repaired. Yep, powerful, You're amazing.

Speaker 1 (01:02:04):
I love that she set the boundary.

Speaker 3 (01:02:05):
She was.

Speaker 2 (01:02:06):
She's like, you promise you want to do this again,
and you broke your promise. I know, but I'm like
then I told her. I was like, Sonny, I don't
know if I'm actually gonna be able to keep this promise
because I think I'm probably gonna scare you get on accident.
It's like so deeply ingrained in me. It's a terrible habit.

Speaker 1 (01:02:18):
It's a good but she'll forgive you and you'll just
keep trying.

Speaker 2 (01:02:22):
It's okay, we're our best. Cordy, you were amazing. You're
such an inspiration to women, to mothers. An entrepreneur a manifestor.
I'm so excited for you. I'm proud of you forgetting
your book over sharing. I cannot wait to fall along
on this journey. And for everyone who's not following yet,
like go follow Cheese Gout for all the goods. You're

(01:02:43):
truly amazing. Thank you for coming on on. This is easy.

Speaker 1 (01:02:48):
I love talking with you. I always love seeing you.

Speaker 2 (01:02:50):
I love saying you so much. You stick around for
a few burning questions. Just sack a quick little one
in this episode.

Speaker 1 (01:02:54):
Let's do it.

Speaker 2 (01:02:54):
Okay, Bye GUARDI