E1001 – Going Deeper with Jessie James and Eric Decker

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You're crazy.

What's that book? Don't text your ex. Happy birthday.
Written by yours truly. Oh, wow.

Yeah, yeah. You're texting your exes a lot.

We don't have anything.

Do you even have any? I feel like he hasn't been together a lot. He really doesn't.

Well, Jesse, Eric, welcome to the show. Yeah, that's great to have you guys.
Yeah, I'm excited to have you both ever since I had this show.

Certainly, I've known about you both as a couple, as individuals. I'm a huge football fan, so certainly I've followed your career, Eric.
And Jesse, obviously, as a member of pop culture. Certainly

many of our audience members are huge fans of you guys. And so we're just excited to have you, you know, just kind of get to know you guys a little bit better.

You guys were on special forces as a couple. Yes.
And obviously, like with this show, Natalie and I, you know, I work with my wife. I brought her onto the show, you know, once we got together.

I'm always just like excited and interested to talk to like couples like you who, you know, publicly facing, you know, present such a united front.

You know, you guys present as a team and seemingly work as a team.

And I think, especially nowadays, I think it's just really important to highlight, you know, all the people, you know, who make that effort in their relationship.

Knowing just how much, I don't know much about your guys' relationship, what you guys do, you know, behind closed doors, but I do know that if you guys are making it work, you guys bust your ass to make your relationship work because i feel like that's how that's what it takes um and so yeah just excited to have you guys and just get to get have my audience get to know you guys a little bit better but uh so welcome thank you i liked that intro

it was so deep to begin with

it's called going deeper i love it um when you said behind closed doors i was thinking just making babies going

you did you would go there you would go there well you know that's part of it that is part of it

i mean you know i was thinking about about that last night, like thinking about you guys. You know, I'm a new father.
I'm 44. Rivers only 19 months.

I've always wanted to be a dad my whole life, but obviously it wasn't until I got married, met Natalie that it felt like the right time.

I got to say, you know, as someone who's always wanted to be a dad, what being a dad meant to me is just like, or being a husband is.

is having something in your life that quite honestly, like you love more than yourself.

Like, you know, there's that selfless energy where you wake up and, you know, you wake up with a purpose outside of like, what do I need to do for me today?

You know, like, what's going to make me happy today?

And I, I don't think I've ever been happier in my life than having something to wake up that has nothing to do with my immediate and individual needs.

For me, being a father and being a husband has truly like been one of the most rewarding things for that reason where it's just like, yeah, you have a purpose in life.

And I don't know if that's how you, if that resonates with you guys, but it's definitely been something for me that I've really enjoyed. 100%.

I think

until you become a parent, you don't realize how it's the greatest

role in your life. And you have to become completely unselfish because

as a little baby, they need so much of you, but it is so fulfilling. It's the hardest thing.
Let's not get that twisted.

It's extremely hard, especially as you have more kids and just the responsibility, but

it kind of validates purpose in life. You know, it kind of minimizes everything else.
So for me, I was playing when we had our first couple of kids.

And, you know, I think I just struggled with how do I give effort to football when I feel like my duty as a husband and as a father is more important.

And so, you know, I started to realize I was teetering on what energy I was giving to my career. And now I get to.

be home with the kids a lot more. And I did balance that.
It was tough because

you really did struggle with that.

I remembered. I'd never seen him as a father.
I knew he was a great husband and he was a great partner. You could tell he battled it a lot playing football.

He would truly come home after playing a football game and want to bathe the kids and put them to bed. And instead of sitting in a chair, which he would have been totally allowed to do 100%.

He would have absolutely been allowed to do that. Come home, put your feet up in a lazy boy, ice your body.
I'll bring you some dinner. And like, you worked hard today.
But that wasn't him.

He'd be limping upstairs on his knees bathing the kids because it just meant that much to him. And I could tell he battled that internally because he is such an amazing dad.

He didn't love some of the long hours or training camp, but being away from the kids for weeks. And like, you know, it was just a lot of moments like that.

You could tell it was an internal struggle for him. And y'all were young.
I feel like you just posted your ages when you had all your babies. How old were y'all when you had your first daughter?

25, about to be 26.

Yeah, because we got married when i was 25 you were 26 and we had vivi in march and i was 26 in april how'd you guys meet we were mutual friends yeah it was like nothing crazy he was in his he was finishing up his rookie year in the nfl and i was on tour i and in that phase of life we were like we're gonna be single yeah forever like this is we're gonna enjoy this part of our life yeah i had been i'd gotten out of some like a relationship and he had gotten out of like childhood relationship like a high school sweetheart and we both just were like okay now we're both going to be single and just like live it up.

And I had like made that vow. I feel like he had made that vow.
And within days of making that vow internally, we like were introduced to each other. He was training in Arizona.

I was living in Nashville. And this person, her name is Liana, set us up.
She was hanging out with one of his buddies. She knew me, knew I was newly single.

And we ended up talking on the phone and eye-chatting for like a month.

And

it was like, almost like Love is Blind, where you just get to know each other. The late night talks hours and hours.
Like we just couldn't get enough of each other.

Yeah, we were something like Natalie lived in Savannah when we met. I've always enjoyed that aspect when I was dating of actually meeting someone almost who doesn't live

by you, you know, because it's so easy, especially nowadays, to just come over, you start making out whatever. Yeah, we for sure would have been.

Physical chemistry is just like, but now you, yeah, you're forced to talk and you get to know each other.

Builds that excitement and tension. We had a very similar vibe.
Yeah, I'm grateful for that time frame because we would have been the same.

I honestly feel like I would not have been able to control myself. Do y'all remember the first time you met in person? I'm glad that was the question.

I thought you were going to assume the first time you did.

Yes, I remember the first time.

Of course, I do. Of course I do.
I could never forget. Sex therapy.
You can never forget that.

What was the question?

She's already.

We went back.

We met.

She didn't pick me up from the airport. First of all, I scheduled a flight and I'm like Midwest.
So I'm super frugal. She made me change my flight.
She's blame your frugal nigga from the Midwest.

She's already making me change my flight back. And I got

busy. You're in the hole already.

I fly in. She has her friend pick me up because she's at the studio.
And we drive to Green Hills and Kalamada's was the first place we met. And she came off the door.

I'm like, oh my gosh, she's so tiny.

I thought was he so big. Well, she was tiny.
And

obviously,

you were sweating.

You were sweating. You were nervous.
I was sweating about the first week. You were.
He was so nervous. I don't know why.
I feel like I could make you feel warm and fuzzy, but he was definitely like.

Was it like awkward? Or was it like you'd bet? It was awkward.

It was for sure awkward. Because we'd been talking for, you know, for so long, but

I just, I don't know. We just had this thing immediately.
We had this thing immediately. And I think that we both felt it.
I was a little bit more guarded than he was.

I mean, after that weekend, he left. And I remember him sending me texts being like, I'm deleting every girl out of my phone now.
I want to see where this can go. Like, what do you think?

And I remember writing him back saying, like, I don't know. I just met you.
I need to think on that.

Love.

She played hard against it. I love both those responses because, I mean, what made you send that? I'm curious.
Because what's the cliche, like, athlete? You're a good-looking guy.

You're building a lot of people. You're like, just looking at you making money.
You're in the NFL. I'm assuming you had a lot of women in your DMs.

I'm sure it was not hard to meet women. And I think a lot of men who aren't even professional athletes will certainly do whatever they can to keep the roster as long as possible

and prolong it and play the whole like, well, hey, I like you, but like, let's see where it goes. And I just want to date, but you went full court press.

Is that something that was just always a part of you? Or did that speak to like your interest in Jesse or both?

I think, you know, I'm a relationship guy overall, but I try to play like, you know, I still want to go on a weekend trips with my buddies and try to play it cool. But like she had me kind of chasing.

And I think I just connected so deeply with her, which I haven't had ever to that point in my life. You know, no relationship was even near what we had.
And so I would think I was just.

infatuated with that and feeling hurt and feeling like I trusted her already. Like I went to her over over my parents to tell her things.

And so I was like, this is crazy that I know her for five weeks and like I'm just, you know, obsessed in a sense. So I think she just

brought it and she just has it. But also I feel like when you know, you know.

And I just had that feeling that I knew because I was trying to resist it and fight it because I wanted to, you know, be single and young and, you know, have a little money finally.

could do my thing but it was like you know i was just

obsessed and did you know jesse like in your head oh i'm gonna make him chase or were you just kind of like i don't know i'm i'm in music i'm touring right now like this isn't this is fun but it wasn't like a little game at all in my mind i think that to nick's point i knew he was this really gorgeous brand new bronco gq guy i knew women were chasing him and i just i don't know i i felt like if you want it come get it i'm not gonna work for this i also he chased really hard and i had just gotten out of a relationship where someone all, they had chased me really hard too.

And it just overwhelmed me. I'm very independent and I don't like to feel smothered.
And so I was nervous that he was coming on too strong initially. And so there was a lot of things.

It was like, he's coming on too strong. I'm sure women are just like dropping their pants for him.
Like, I just, I just need to take a beat on this. And I was just really focused on my stuff.

But I also think I knew there was something with him.

And so I just didn't want to let my heart dive in too soon because i was just kind of feeling it out but i didn't want to get hurt because i knew i felt something too like in 2025 terms like you would have been like is he love bombing me you know like i don't know too fast and things like that but like i'm glad to hear the story because yes there's a lot of sloppy men out there or people who get caught up in their feelings and maybe get a little careless yeah but i i do think we need to hear stuff like this where you just like you know it's it's okay to go for what you like you know it's okay to put yourself out out there and be vulnerable and you know maybe there was a world where you guys didn't end up together or your feelings changed you know like that that can be okay you know at the risk of like playing it cool for so long uh that you don't just like put yourself out there and say like i i really like you and i want to see where this goes and i don't want to mess with all these people who honestly like i don't know i'm not that interested in it's just a good time but there's there's something meaningful here i i feel like we need to hear more of that stuff He definitely courted me.

And knowing Eric now, and we've been together for 15 years now, Eric is very cautious about anything he does, anything he says, anything that he commits to.

He's cautious because he, he doesn't like to be the guy that says he's going to do something, then doesn't do it. Or he's just a hesitant person because he likes to think everything through.

So knowing Eric now,

I can see why

it was so out of character for him to jump in as deep as he did with me. That's so not like you now sitting here thinking about, but.
And then how long were y'all dating before you proposed?

After the first trip to Nashville, she came to Minnesota to visit, well, Iowa to visit her sister. And I drove her down.
She met my family. I went down to meet her family.

So three months after we met, I'm like, you're coming to Denver.

Well, he didn't want me moving to LA. She was moving to LA.
I was moving to LA. My one of my best friends was getting a divorce.

and I knew she needed me and I was just, I needed a break from Nashville. I had just lost my record deal and I just needed like a change of scenery.

And I wanted to go out there to write with some of the pop writers that I loved so much. And so I literally was at the end of my lease and I was moving.
And he was like, I will lose you out there.

And he just, he wouldn't let me. He's like, you're moving with me to Denver.

And that was a big risk for me because I had nothing in Denver except for obviously the future love of my life, but no work. I'm like, what am am I doing? But my heart just told me to do it.

So after three months, I moved in with this guy. There you go.
And then he proposed to me that following March. How did he propose? In Vegas at the ACM Awards.

So we were out there for the ACMs, but it was our year anniversary. A meeting, yeah.
And so breakfast and bed, coffee and bed was kind of our thing. Yeah.
And so I went to

like the manager. I was like, listen, bring it up with our coffee and breakfast.
So they bring the ring? The ring, yeah, with it.

So she, when she opened it for her coffee or or for breakfast, it was the ring. Well, next morning, fast forward, she pulls off the top, no ring.
I'm freaking out. I'm like, where is it?

What, you know, so I'm calling. She's like, what's wrong with you?

Because I panicked. I'm like, why is it wrong with the pancake?

She's talking pretty much. That's why I'm like, what? What? That's blueberries.

This is fine. This is good.
We're talking to the lady. She's like, oh, you ready for it? Like, I'm

blown assignment. You're on your own speaker.
Blown assignments.

It was supposed to be brought up with the breakfast.

So the battle manager.

Yeah. So they bring waters up.
Here we go. I'm like, too late.
She's like, what is it? I'm like, oh,

come get it. It's

water. It was just totally blown.

And, you know, it didn't go as smooth, but it was thoughtful. It was very us.

It's just us. This is how we roll.

And then y'all just went to the, was the ACMs before or after that? Like, did y'all go to the ACMs? The day it was engaged. The day of Adea.

And then we got married the following june june 22nd yeah and then got pregnant with vivi and found out i was pregnant july 22nd and was that something where you got like for us we were we got engaged and then it was like all right you know whatever it was kind of like uh i'm committed i'm a little older than natalie and i just nick had never had a pregnancy scare before you know he was like this didn't even work i was

we were just kind of getting a little like i don't know feeling good about us, I suppose, in a way where it was like, yeah, fuck it.

You know, you hear so many stories about people having a hard time conceiving and things like that. I'm like, I don't know.
What if I, what if I can't, you know, first time? Boom. Wow.
Same Z's. Yeah.

Well, the thing is, she was kind of challenging my swimmers too. She's like, we've been together long enough.
Like, you think we are not that careful? You might need to go get checked out.

I'm like, literally, I had said that to him. That's the man that I had married.
And I was like, honestly, when we want to start trying, you should go get checked.

We have not been careful for, you know, a while. So you were like, why haven't I? Yeah, yeah.
Boom. We got that.
you're like bet you know

yeah pretty much i wanted to wait about a year has it been easy to get pregnant for y'all have you struggled at all with any issues getting pregnant or has it been pretty smooth sailing

um we've been very blessed and fortunate it's been it's been easy it's been every every time we wanted we we didn't plan three out of the four um so it's just kind of happened and then with forest we did plan and i remember coming out that day i'm very in tune with my body and i was like listen i'm ovulating today.

If you want a third baby, today is your day. And then we got pregnant with

that day. Wow.
But we've been very fortunate, very blessed. Cause listen, I've had, I have best friends.
My sister had some trouble as well. And I mean, she, she couldn't get pregnant for three years.

She ended up adopting, you know, and, and so I, I, I know what a blessing it is that we've been able to conceive. And I, I know it's.

It's been harder than ever this generation, you know, and I feel for it because when you want to be a mother, it's just like you just, you want to be a mother, you know? Yeah. yeah.

Or do you think y'all are done? The shop is closed.

You guys.

Yeah. So we are good with three

because the ages of our kids are 11, 10, 7. And then we got 19 months as well.
So I had my surgery planned. I got a little nervous.
I didn't go. And then boom.
Number four.

Yeah, he doesn't do well with blood or fluids or anything. So

he was afraid of going to this appointment. But I ended up going to Italy with my mom.
I took her to Sicily and we went and visited family.

It was just this amazing trip, but I was gone 10 days too many. And the day I came back,

and you were Oculinia, and we got pregnant. I know, and I knew it too.
I knew it. I came after that.
I came out of the bathroom and I was like,

I'm pretty sure. He pounced.

I'm pretty sure you just impregnated me. You knew.
And I knew it. What a blessing, though.
It was a blessing. Oh, my God.
I can't even imagine life without daddy.

Do you have with three girls and a boy? Three boys boys and a girl. Three boys and a girl.
Oh, yeah. Wow.

Yeah. Lots of boys.
Our girls yell this, which works out because I feel like they set the tone. Yeah, she does.
That's the tone. She's in charge.
Really? She's the boss lady for sure.

How do y'all were kind of obviously in this, like, you know, we showed River all over social media and then it kind of got to a point where we would go to the park and they would be like, oh my God, I saw River going down the slide and I like knew y'all had to be here.

Or we'd be in the airport and people would be like, oh my gosh I recognized River before I even saw you I've had that and so it kind of got a little like oh this is weird so we've only started showing like the back of her head it's obviously such a hard place to navigate because you want to share you know you're proud of your kids you want to share moments you like want to brag on them you want to show like what they're doing and how cute they are how did y'all kind of manage that You know, I feel like early on we did show them.

And then I went through a phase of not showing them much at all. And it was after I think we got accused of photoshopping abs on our children.

I was like, what? No, for sure.

Seriously, it ended up like on the view and GMA. I mean, it was all over the place.
It was just a photo of my kids on vacation. And they accused us of painting on abs.
I'm just like,

what is it about?

They're fit. I don't know.
Look at her. Look at the daddy.
Like, he's so athletic. I don't know what you know what I'm saying.

I feed him good.

I feed them good. They work and run and drill.
You know, they're work.

They're athletic. Like, I don't, anyway.
So after that, we took a beat. And then I kind of got back into the phase of like, I'm not going to let

these people dictate how I want to live my life. And people are always going to have something to say.
It's just part of it. I feel like this is just the world we're living in.

This is the, this is the generation of the social media. You've got to put out what's comfortable to you, not put out what's comfortable to you.
I have the same thing happening.

People come up and they notice Vivi now. Vivi gets recognized all the time.
And I just feel like as a parent, it's going to happen eventually, you know, and you've got to do it on your own time.

I'm very protective of them. I'm very

careful. But I guess I almost look at it.
If I wasn't in the position I am, would I share them? Yes. I have friends that are not in the public eye and they're proud of their kids and they show them.

So I kind of go in into it where it's like, you know what? I'm going to want to feel as normal as I can.

And if I want to share my kids, I'm going to share my kids, but in a safe way, like I blur out their school, I blur out their jersey.

There's things where I try to be protective of them, but this is just the life that they live in. And I think we've done a really good job of keeping them as normal as possible.

You build a community and you're kind of, you know, fortunately, I guess, in a bubble where you feel safe with.

people that aren't in the public eye as a career but do something you know tremendous but just it gives you that sense of like

community connection and community for sure that doesn't make you feel like you're sticking out like a sore thumb.

Yeah. And I do feel like there's moments where I actually appreciate the mom community.
I've learned so much from them on social media.

I remember the first time one of the moms teaching me how to cut grapes when I first had Vivi because I wasn't cutting the grapes properly. Or my kids have struggled with eczema.

Denver has severe eczema and all the information I was giving. It just, it feels like a community of women like wanting to help me.
And it's just, it's a nice feeling to have me. So there's positives.

There's also a lot of crazies. So you've got to filter that out.
Yeah, there's definitely positives.

I find it hard to like, usually I only find it positive when they're like, hey, I mean this in the nicest way possible. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

And they're like, you did that. I remember I posted a photo of River early on.
I was. We had just gotten to the house.
I was taken out of her car seat and she was like smiling at me.

It was like one of her first smiles or something. So I took a picture.
I posted it and her top buckle on her

belt was undone. And it was like, are you serious? You're driving with her.
Like, that's not the way to do it.

And so it kind of really got into my head of like checking everything before because I was like so scared of being mom.

Yeah. Yeah.
I never show them the car seats. I never show them any of those things.
It's like, you know, where it can go. It's like swimming and floating, you know, it's like 100%.

And like, it's, it's like, you know, what's safe. You're a mom.
Your intuition is great.

You know, and it's like, but the second you put it for everyone else, it's like, oh my God, I've done this all wrong like this is awful you know yeah so it's been a challenge for us i think it's a back and forth conversation every day of like what do we want to do how do we want to like move forward with this but it's a really good piece of advice of just like keeping them as normal as possible and like and it keeps me normal as possible like for me i'm like i'm not gonna you know It is what it is.

And I'm going to post it the way my mom down the street does. She's proud of her kid and it's their birthday, you know? But you got to do what feels good to do to you.

You know, there's no wrong or right way.

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Eric, I want to go back to what Jesse said about you as a father in terms of like managing your time as a football player.

Like the way you communicate that as a father, like I really resonate with just talking about like I'm just very mindful of like what I'm spending my energy on.

You know, I'm very aware that our energy, like time is not infinite. If we're thinking about one thing, we're disconnected in other areas of our life and things like that.

That being said, like even nowadays, I think there's, I talk to a lot of moms out there, a lot of women that are married to men or fathers who just like

don't have that type of mindset to like make sure that they are just as active in participating and raising their kids where it's just like you know a lot of dads out there are like i work i provide and you know the the the child care is you know my wife's job like what was it about being a father that like even as a professional athlete because of You could have easily just been, you could have been like, hey, I'm, I'm the man.

I'm a professional athlete. I'm making millions of dollars.
Like this, less than 1% of the the people in the world can do this. I have to focus all my energy.

You know, you could have really used that as an excuse, but why was it so important for you? And why did you struggle

making sure that you were showing up and that you were just as active in helping Jesse raise your children?

Well, I just feel like, you know, even you can go back to childhood, I guess, but I just felt like as a father, it was such an important role to be present.

Especially the books that I read, because I was, you know, super intrigued of like how to be a really good dad. Like for me, it just was super important.

So I understood that at a young age, kids are really shaped by their dad's love and the, and, you know, the time spent with the father, more so than the mother, even. And I think that just resonated.

And really, you know, like you said, as a man, the masculinity of like, okay, well, my job is to provide financially for my family.

And after I retired, I struggled with that because I'm like, Like, what do I do? Like, I don't have a job. I don't have like a next passion.
Like sports has been my life and what I've wanted to do.

And so I had, you know, a year where I just had to kind of like do some self-diagnosis and figure out, okay, well, my purpose is really to serve my family.

And what that is, is, you know, my wife has a career, but serve my wife, serve my children. Again, find my purpose in my community, which for me is like our friend group, our school.

That just, again, just helped me figure out that like what my job is first and foremost is to be a great leader. And to be a great leader starts in your home.

And so the way I raise my kids to make a difference, you know, whether it's at school now themselves or it's in their sports teams or any activities they do, like that's a reflection of what we as fathers do in the household.

And I think it's just a compounding effect. I mean, there's so many issues, I think, in our society.

because A, I'll say, you know, fathers maybe aren't as present or, you know, aren't showing love or aren't showing up to teach their kids

through emotions and just even being aware of your own vulnerability. Being vulnerable and being able to talk about, hey, I'm struggling today.

I apologize. I'm sorry.
Being able to do those things where it's easy for a man, masculinity, to remove himself and be like, well, this is who I am. This is my job is just to

pay the bills and put a roof over your head. So it's been really encouraging to build other men in my circle that have the same value system that way.

And I think that's the only way we really make true change is, you know, as men to show up.

And you can still be a man, but you can also have a deep conversation, you know, with another man or with your children so they understand, you know, what it really looks like to be a man.

That's awesome. Yeah.
I mean, like I've always said, like, it takes a lot of guts, especially as men, to be vulnerable. It's and to apologize, show grace.

You know, a lot of times I think we're raised to think the opposite, where toughness comes from not opening up or just or admitting, you know, defeat or that you were wrong

or to say, like, I'm worried or I'm scared or whatever it is. Like that, that takes a lot of strength and guts.
And, you know, I love everything you said about that. That's great.
Yeah.

Jesse, you've been an incredible working mother. I feel like your whole motherhood, you've been working.
How do you kind of balance the two without having any sort of guilt or do you have mom guilt

you know in the beginning when eric was playing i didn't really work as much i kind of took a break from my music and my touring and everything and i focused on on completely his career and what he needed because it was you know demanding and we had small children and i loved every minute of it um but when he retired i was able to kind of start working again.

He was home more. I got a record deal when I was 19.
I've always wanted to be a singer. It's always been my dream to play the Opry, to be an artist.

And I've been able to live that dream in many different ways. But I think that being a mother is more important to me than any of this.

So

I've definitely had those moments of mom guilt where I was touring back then or I was, you know, traveling.

And I think that there were lessons learned of I don't want to be out here doing this and be wishing I'm back home.

What's the point to do anything? Don't do anything begrudgedly is what my mom says. I don't want to be there crying trying to figure out how to get home.

And just don't forecast what, how you're going to feel and just don't do it. So I kind of made a change back in 2022 because I was on tour multiple times that year.
I went out with Kane Brown.

I did Dancing with the Stars. I mean, it was just a jam-packed year and I really just got burnt out.
And it was a moment of this is just not serving me. And yes, my career is going well.

You know, these, my dreams are coming true. I had another book come out, but I I was still feeling that pain of wanting to be home more.

And so my,

my family is number one. And I always say, like, look at a pyramid, put on top of the pyramid what is most important to you and then start building it.

And at the top of the pyramid is always my husband and my children. And anything else can build underneath it.
What's next after that? Okay, my, my music and my brand, Kitnish.

Okay, after that, what's next?

And this is how you kind of decide what percentage of time you're going to give to those things but as long as what is most important to you is on the top of this pyramid everything will fall into place and so my priorities in life are to be an amazing wife to him and amazing mother to our children and so yes i have dreams yes i love working but

those things don't come first everything else falls into place and they're things that i love and i enjoy but if you don't have a solid foundation with your family, like, what do you have? Right.

None of this matters. She's been very intentional.
Yeah.

I think 2022 was a turning point in a sense, but you've been super intentional of where her time spent and what makes sense in terms of maybe an opportunity to say yes or no to.

And so, you know, with maturity, that balance has come so much greater. And, you know, the kids are thriving because, you know, they get that balance at home too.

We've always been, you know, 2022 is an abnormal year. For sure.
And that's why it shook me probably so much because I had worked so much. It was just not normal.

It was not anything I was used to being gone that long. And it was just such great opportunities that kept coming.
But in the end, you know, you just kind of crash and burn. You're like, oh my gosh.

And then I got pregnant after those two births.

So do you, I mean, how do you two, with so much going on in life, with four children, how do you prioritize each other and to keep your relationship as connected and as strong as it is?

Netflix and chill. I think that we're fortunate.
We have an abnormal situation where Eric retired early. So he has more free time to be at home.

And, you know, and I have the blessing of being in charge of my career too and picking and choosing. So we, I think spending time together is the biggest priority.
That is the most important piece.

We just spend a lot of time together. We like each other, which is really important

to like them, not just love them. Like, I like it.
Yeah. Find time.
I guess we are busy.

Find time, you know, to like just go play pickleball or, you know, uh, go on a dinner date every once in a while or just sit

in the hot tub.

Or naked hot tub nights. And just, you know, find times to like connect because it is important.

And, you know, when you just are exhausted in sense from chasing kids around and doing some work type things, you know, but you have to make a point to spend time, which we do.

And we naturally, yeah, get to spend a lot of time at home together.

But it is easy after a long day for couples to get in bed and you just get on your phone and you just like zonk out because you're trying to like that is such a

normal thing. But I would advise everyone to prioritize putting it away.

One of my best friends, Jessica, her husband has a rule of like, after this time, put your phone in the hall and it's not allowed back into this, this room.

And they put it away and you just have to lay there and look. And listen, we're all guilty of it.

It's not like that's an everynight occurrence, but little things like that can make such a difference where it's just like, be present with each other.

Is that really more important than the person laying next to you? Like lay there and just stare at each other and just see what comes to your mind, you know? Yeah.

Piggybacking on that, like, and I've, I'm sensing this from you guys but you know i have 10 brothers and sisters um

come from a large family i have a vivid memory of when we were young kids a question we'd ask my parents and they i learned teamwork from my parents you know like the thing that would get me us most in trouble like the the cardinal sin of being a kid in my family is if i went to like dad and said hey can i do this and if dad said no and I ignored that and went to mom without, you know, and like mom said yes, thinking it was fine, finding out that like, you know, I pitted them against each other, like that, that was

a cardinal thing.

And being new parents, I think nowadays you see a lot of couples quickly will prioritize their children over their partner.

Um, in a sense, we're like, and listen, like having River, I see the bond that River and Natalie have. I feel like River is a part of me, right?

So, like, loving our child is just like so intense and so easy. But I do think it's like to have a successful marriage and a relationship that lasts over time.

I always respected my parents when we would ask them, like, who do you love more? Like, do you love mom or dad or us? And they're just like, it's different. That was what they would always say.

But they, they made it very clear that their love for each other was special and it wasn't to be compared to our love for them.

And I, and I do feel like a lot, and a lot of times nowadays, that's not always the case in relationships where parents will almost make it seem like they're afraid to let their children know how much they have love they have for you know each other out of fear that like they're supposed to love their kids the most but i'm sensing you guys do a great job of like being a team and showing that type of love to your children my mom always just said you know when your kids grow up and they leave the house you're going to stand there and you're going to look at each other and

you better hope and pray no matter who it is whatever couples there are that you have put in the time and the effort you've got to put each other first because when they're gone it's just you and your kids kids live in your house for such a small percentage of your life.

So, you've got to put in that time together because when they're gone,

where is it? Where's the foundation? Where's the love?

We talk about we love having kids, but we look forward to one day being in our 50s and 60s being like, Let's go to Italy, let's go, you know, now 60s.

Well, now 60s, we reset the clock for sure in Little Denver. And that's also listen, I probably grew up with a very traditional mother, but I think that it has

been very healthy for me in my

adulthood as a wife. Eric is, he's my partner, but he is the head of our household.

He is the provider.

He's the head of the household. And I want to do my job as his wife to make him feel loved and make sure that he feels taken care of, his needs are met.

And I think having that traditional sort of aspect to it has been really beautiful for our marriage.

You know, growing up, seeing my mom, she would wait for my dad at the door when he came home and wrap her arms around him and kiss him and she would have dinner ready.

And I feel like for me, it was something that I wanted to do. I wanted to.
And so I do that. I may have worked that day.
I do work, obviously.

But I also, when he comes home from football, I would do the same, wrap my arms around him and make sure I had dinner ready. And what can I do to love on you? Because he's giving that to me

in so many other wonderful ways. And so I feel like our kids see that and they see the love that we share.
They see the dedication. They see the affection.
And I'm proud of that.

I see their smiles when they see us loving on each other. And I hope

they remember those things when they get older and they start, you know, having relationships of their own.

Yeah, I was going to ask, what's something that you hope your children take from your marriage into their future marriages? Like, would it be the love or is there? Yeah, it's the love.

It's the dedication. It's the partnership.
We are truly a team. We're a team.

I always say that he's the mighty oak that holds the the household together and i'm the leaves that fill up the tree with the colors and so i think that it's a partnership you know one needs the other totally now and i have been joking about like even before we had children together you're like who's going to be the disciplinary you know who's going to be good cop and bad cop that's a good question um i was always pretty confident that i'd i would that i have some bad cop in me um and like you know in terms of there's a right way to do things you know type of thing and now it was like, when we found out we were having a daughter,

she was telling me that I would melt. And I do melt with my daughter, but Nellie has such this,

like this insane bond with our daughter. It's so evident.
And I find at times I have to be like,

you know, like, hey, you know, how do you strike that balance with you guys? Or what role do you guys play? Where I just feel like. She has this intense love that I have to be like, she's okay.

You know, she's like, I also don't think River is old enough yet. When she's like, daddy, please.
please, you know, it'll be

a little different where he's like, I just, I really, I don't want, we're very lucky, right? We, we could give, and I'm sure you guys seem like you're in the same position.

We could spoil our kid, we can give them anything she wants. Our daughter is not going to have the same childhood that we had.
You know, we grew up every day.

I saw my parents worry about money, you know. So, and a lot of things was no, because like I had to work for things I wanted and I had a great childhood.

They gave me everything I needed, but like, we are going to have to figure out how to teach our kids scarcity and work ethic. Like, how do you balance that,

making sure that your kids are learning some of the core values that you guys learned as children, knowing that you had different upbringings? Yeah, it's so important. I think,

you know, I was going to earlier just tat on Jess for being so good with the discipline. part of it.
Like we are definitely a team. I think I'm probably more of a people pleaser.

So I'm, you know, a little more lenient, but it's good to kind of be in check with the kids because they'll try to, like you said uh go both ways and get what they want but we're on the same page that way and you know i think basically there's there's boundaries you know we've created and you know i think we have the opportunity to give our kids a lot more than we had you know from travel to obviously things but just opportunity and but there is a fine balance because That's the last thing we want is privileged children.

And so like earning something is super important in our household. And our kids understand, you know, they have chores and, you know, they can get weekly allowance if they do their chores.

Or taking them to soup kitchens where they've helped, like, you've done a great job of that. And we could do even more of that.
Yeah. And having perspective, I mean, just understanding like

where they live and what they are provided is, you know, very fortunate.

And to, to, to see and have reflection and perspective of what others may not have and, and, and be, you know, give more than you receive.

And, and, and, you know, I think it starts too with just the, the rooted foundation at home with the belief systems. Have a spiritual belief.
You know, have

just love in general for everyone. And so it does show, I think, a lot through our kids and in their friends and who they associate with, which we're super proud of.
But it's a constant communication.

Be fortunate.

And I have to tell myself too sometimes because I can get mad about little things, but it's perspective, like be fortunate for what you have and what, you know, where we're at in life because we are very, very blessed.

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Switching gears a little bit before we get into special forces. Y'all are obviously no, you know, newbie to reality TV.
I remember watching y'all's reality show. It was so good.

Well, first, I guess, how did that opportunity come about? I mean, I know y'all were so big in public eye, so it was probably like a no-brainer, but how did that opportunity come to y'all?

A producer reached out to me on Facebook

from a production company and just said, we've been following you and Eric for quite some time. You guys are engaged now.

Like, would you be open to us doing a docuseries, pitching it to E of you two, like, walk getting to the idol, Ile, like getting married and it's funny because I had always thought for some reason doing a reality show

would be a positive for me this was even before Eric this was the days of like Jessica Simpson show Ashley Simpson Cheyenne even on MTV when she had her show because I was being marketed not very well through my first record deal.

It was like they were marketing me as like the sex symbol. They were putting me in Maxim and like just like all these things that were just not probably the move.

And I did not have a very big female fan base at that point. I was like, I always make this joke, but the only fan mail I was getting was like guys in jail.

And so it was just, and I was on tour with Jonas Brothers and like the, it was just like, they were doing it incorrectly. Yeah.

You know, and so I remember telling the president of my label, like, I think if I did a reality show, people would see like, I am a girl's girl. Like I am just like your best friend.

And it would really help my career. And he had just done the reality show with an artist named Cheyenne Kimball.
He's like, I'm never doing that again. Anyway, fast forward, we get this opportunity.

And I'm like, man, I feel like this would be fun to do. First off, we get to document our entire experience together.
We'll never be able to get this back.

And number two, I think this would be a good career move. And so

we went and pitched it to E and they took it right on the spot, both of us. And

we ended up having three seasons with a couple year breaks in between because every time we would do one, I'd be like, I'm never doing that again.

She's a bulldog during this process too. Unbelievable.
Like, you know, you guys obviously been, you know, see reality TV, but they try to make you do certain things or your opinion.

And she's like, no, we're done. And just like, I actually fired the first producer.
Yeah, producer. I was like, you're done.
You have to, you have to know your boundaries in that world. Yeah.

Cause it's their job to see what those boundaries are. I don't authentic at all.
I was too smart for all of that. And I knew exactly what they were doing.
Like, I, like, you, you just.

Obviously, you can't snow the snowman. Like, I know what you're doing.
Like, get out of here. So, yes, we, I ended up firing the entire team and getting a new one in, which was much better for us.

But yeah, I just, you know, I was like in reality TV, but I didn't really enjoy the process, you know.

I don't like the icky, slimy part of it. I like the finished product where people can be entertained and they feel a part of it.

And it's that part's fun, but the process can feel slimy no matter what. You feel just kind of icky sometimes when you're doing it.

And there were parts of it that were fun, but I think as soon as we started having kids, I immediately was like, we're done here.

Like, I don't want my kids around these, you know, camera guys around production. Like, I just don't want them growing up in this world.
It just doesn't feel right. Right.

And so we stopped doing it after season three. They were not happy with us.
I think they wanted to continue making it, you know, truly a part of the E-family.

I mean, I'm assuming they, now that you were having kids, they were like, yeah,

you know, like,

you know, the family dynamic. I definitely feel like it probably burned a couple of bridges.
I actually know that it did, burned a couple.

bridges with some execs there because they were they had put a lot into it and and i understand i totally get it but i just i knew in my heart it wasn't something we wanted to continue the process was it wasn't that bad at all like i mean we had great uh camera guys oh my god i'm still friends with these guys today ninja hello ninja we love you

and josh and pirate yeah and pirate uh but like yeah just i think you know you still have to know ninja do you really feel like i do because not a lot of people name ninja yeah yeah

he's amazing

we i mean and you're around these guys all the time so you become buddies with them but yeah i just i didn't want our kids growing up up around that. It just doesn't feel very normal.

I want our kids to be as normal as they can possibly be. And they are, but I'm grateful for the show.

It, it changed our lives, you know, and it gave me a platform and Eric the ability to retire early.

But yeah, I mean, it's a, we get sugar presenters.

Like you said, like there are pros and attractive elements to it. You know, and I'm sure part of you thought like we can be like a

good role models. You know, like you always go in with like thinking, you know, this can have a greater good sometimes, but like just knowing reality TV and we're fans of reality TV.

We love the drama. Like, I want to see, I don't like, I don't want to see you get along all that much.
I want to see you see it. Right, right.
We want to see y'all fight.

And then I'm sure y'all are like, we don't want to fight.

Yeah. So, like, sometimes you have to manufacture that tension, which, like you said, can feel a little icky.
It doesn't feel real. And I think, I don't know, like I said, I'm grateful for it.

It was a good experience, but I also feel like it,

it opens

things up for judgment or for whatever it may be. You know, that's why even I'm hesitant to do even podcasts, anything.
It's like I'm opening up.

There's probably 10 sound bites in here that will just turn into something. You're opening yourself up to be scrutinized, no matter what it is and what you do.
And you have to be prepared for that.

And I don't know that I'm at this phase or age of life where I really want that. I just don't.
I'm so happy in my little bubble of peace that I am so particular.

That's why doing something like Special Forces was great because that show's not really built for that. It's, you know what I mean? It's no, it is.
It's not like that. Yeah.

It's the coolest opportunity to be your, show your best self. Yeah.

And that's all they're really looking for. There's no, there's no other answers.
There's not. And that's why, again,

we were asked that so many times, why did you do it? Like, you guys have been kind of done with reality TV. I'm like, because this is different than that.

But yeah, I feel like we're at a phase of life where I just don't want to, I don't want to put our, our our family and all that on the spot It's just not worth it to me at what cost

because also like the essence of reality TV is is that competition to pit you against each other and especially as a as a couple like to me I feel like like our golden rule is to like I've never seen my parents fight and it's not because they didn't fight You know, it's just that they they did not do it around us.

They did it behind closed doors. They they presented as a team.
And it's just like you see couples out there. We were out with some friends and the way they talked to each other in front of us.

How is this like? Like couples who like argue and you're like, I feel like this could maybe

finish this at home. I feel like maybe

we would never, you know, not that like I've, we've sounded like them to each other in our car about like shit that we're annoyed by. Yeah.
It's, um, it's, it's, I never want to be that couple.

Like, you know, if you, you gotta, you gotta respect each other first and you have to present that to the world.

Um, because otherwise it's just so easy to like, you know, you're around each other all the time. You guys know each other's weaknesses, your pain points.

You know, the thing, you know, the people who love us the most, the ones that hurt us the most too, even though, you know, even unintentionally, because we're so vulnerable around them.

And so like, you, to me, it's always so important to protect that. and to show that.

And that's why like, obviously, you know, special forces and seeing you guys as a couple is that opportunity, like you said, because, like, even, it's not even a competition show, like, everyone there is a unit, right?

Like, everyone can win, you know, there's like it's kind of, but yeah,

but like, you're not, you're, you're, you're only helping each other out, you know, and like, there's, there's competition within

each like course or whatever, but like real fans of the show, did y'all watch before? We've seen every

Eric to do season one,

and um, he couldn't because I was on tour. There was a possibility of him doing

last year, actually. He was on call for like the time frame.
And then they ended up, I think, going out to camp. That's what it was.

And so we had become fans of the show because it was that show that Eric didn't do. So we're like curious about what it was.
And we absolutely fell in love with it as a family.

Like we watched it with our kids. We fell in love with it.

I'm a military brad. My dad.
biological father was in the army. My stepdad was in the Air Force.

I've been lived in 14 different places. Like military life is my life.
And so I was so enamored with the whole thing and watching everybody and their journey and go through their process.

And so his agent called me actually, because I answer the phone and he doesn't usually answer the phone. So she calls me and says, listen, special forces wants Eric again, but there's a catch.

You have to go with them. And I was like, what? I was like,

no, I don't think so. And they're like, yeah, there's another married couple and they need that dynamic.
If you're not going to do it with him, like this is not going to happen this season.

Like, well, maybe next season, but like they need that dynamic. And so I felt so much pressure.
And I ultimately just said, no, like not doing it.

This is like maybe two weeks, probably 10 days before they left. Yeah.
Yeah. I was like, yeah, no, not going to do that.
A couple of days go by.

They call back and they're like, they went out to another couple, but they said, no, like, can we, like, can you really? Are you sure? Can you consider this again? Can you consider this again?

I was like. So we talked about it.
I'm like, babe, I don't, like, I don't want to do this. This is not something I've ever wanted to do.

Like, you're going to be great at this, but like, me, I don't want to be be away from the kids that long. Like, what are we doing? And ultimately, we went back and forth for days.

And then I finally was like, if I say no, I feel like I've already failed the show. Like, I've already failed.
I've already failed this experience. And I don't like feeling like a failure.

So my mom was like, I got you. You guys go.
We've got the kids. My dad, who's in the Air Force over 30 years, retired general, was like, I've been through all of this.
You got it. Like, go do this.

And so we went. You sure did

what an experience having gone through it personal i imagine you guys are very proud not only as what you did as individuals but as a couple so you're gonna you're you remember all these moments and you're gonna not see so much of it you you will be frustrated because like nick would be like that looked so short like that was five seconds long and we've been running for 12 miles

for five hours and i was like dying and i'm like

that looked kind of and everyone watches it thinks it's insanely hard, but compared to what you experienced

and just how torturous it was. And I can only imagine having done it, like, yeah, you're going to be kind of frustrated watching it back because it won't feel

like what you went through. Because so much about that show is it's like attrition, you know, like the, I keep, you know, the.

So like the activities, you know, maybe you have a fear of heights and some of that shit, but a lot of it was exhilarating and fun, I imagine.

And it's the in-between, like like before you start or finish, where they just beat the shit out of you or emotionally, like, I just was like, can I have a hug?

You know, like, tell me I'm doing a good job, man. Like, you know, you want some validation.
Yeah, were y'all shocked?

I mean, obviously, you've been a fan of the show and you'd watch the show, but were you shocked at just how mean the DSs really are? No, because we'd seen it. So I knew what to expect.

And again, I grew up with two military dads. Like, I just, that part didn't phase me as much as I think maybe it would have other people.

I'm used to that sort of level of like intensity, you know, but I was impressed by how well they were able to keep that on. Because you know, they're real people behind the clothes.
We all do.

Like now we've hung out with them and they're just like wonderful, warm and fuzzy people. But I was impressed with the amount of energy it must take to be on like that, you know?

People ask, it was like, it's a simulation. It's not a show.
It's a simulation. You know, you're truly in their world.

And it's, they get frustrated with like production and the camera crews.

And, you know, we had a hiccup one time, I think, because they needed a break and we're like in the middle of shooting an exercise and they're just going off like livid. Like you get it.
We're on.

They take it seriously. They really don't even pay attention to the TV part of it.
They take this very seriously, which is good. You want them to do it.
And they're given what?

I mean, 20 hours, 18, 20 hours a day. And

they're frustrated because you need a break to

grab a change out camera. Change out camera.

They don't care. They don't want to deal with any of it.
Yeah,

I've talked to Billy a a lot too.

They go in

not knowing our backstories.

They want to meet us at our level. They want to

have it be as real as possible. What was the most rewarding without any spoilers or things like that, but

what was the most rewarding moment for you guys, both as individuals and as a couple doing the experience?

I think for me, just seeing Jess in that environment was really cool because being an athlete, I guess you're just used to the grind sometimes and training camp and football like sucks, but you just figure out a way to get through it.

And I've done it so many years in my life.

And I just wasn't sure the physical and emotional toll that it does play on you, like where she'd be at, but like just the grit and like the way she dug deep and the tenacity that I know she has has had her life and has, but it came out.

I was like, damn, this is really cool. Like another attraction point to see her almost in this environment because it's hard, you know?

And I think that's what I love about team sports is like the bonding.

Like it's almost like trauma bonding, but it's bonding when you go through hard stuff together, like you really respect and appreciate one another.

And like we've gotten so much deeper of a relationship with some of the cast members, fellow cast members, because of that experience.

And it just reminded me so much of playing football and that experience. But just to see her, you know, do as well as she did.
It was awesome. Yeah, you're a beast, Jesse.

I definitely, when they released the cast, I was like, right, she is going to crash. You had a couple of your football peers.
You had Randall Cobb and Johnny Monzella.

How was that? Was there a little bit of internal competition for you to outperform them? Randall's awesome. What's crazy is that there's, what, seven or eight of us?

So all of us have kids in the same age range. And so I've known Randall, Andrew East,

Johnny. I spent some time just after the show with us.
I was literally at the house two days ago. Like all day at the house.
Oh, really? Hanging out with the kids and stuff.

But I made him chili and cookies. He was just like, I'm not leaving.

He was loving it. But I didn't feel any like competition of like, I'm going to, you know, finish first or I'm going to beat you.

It was almost like I get more of like the satisfaction and validation from like uplifting people. It's kind of my personality, I think.
And I've always played that position in sports.

And so I'd rather see someone else succeed with teamwork because it makes me feel like, okay. you know, we do it together.
You're only as strong as your weakest link. Yeah.
Right.

And was that like, you know, for me, when I did it, I had just found out Natia Natalie was pregnant.

And I remember when season one came out, she like saw the commercial and she's like, you got to do that show. Like, it looks so badass.
You got like, you'd crush. You got to do that.

And so I basically was like, okay, I think my, I want to turn my wife on.

And then we found out Natalie was pregnant. And, you know, I played sports my whole life.
I ran track in college, certainly not at the level you competed at. And so I was like 42.

And so for me, I really, this was really like, do I still got what it takes?

And I really internalized that like, you know, there are going to be moments where I'm going to have to step up as a father and I'm going to have to grind when I don't feel like it.

When I, you know, and so like that was like the mentality I used to get through that experience.

Yeah, I guess like, what were your kind of for both question for both you? Because like, that's what's so fascinating about the show is like.

Whatever they paid you, you literally can leave the first day. There is nothing keeping you there.
Nothing other than your own like will or like self-determination.

So what was the thing for you guys that made you grind it out and stick it out as long as you end up sticking it out? For me, I just, I think I just competitive person.

So like obviously competing with myself and to give it everything I have. And,

you know, to your point too, being retired and now middle-aged, it's like, do I still have it? So it's a testament or a test of what do I have, you know, and like

almost realizing I miss that like out of comfort zone, you know, experience of like pushing myself physically, but now it's more so emotionally. And

that was kind of my driving force of just like almost going back to the thought process I had in training camp for football.

I was like, all right, let's just get to lunch, you know, let's just get to dinner. Randall made that comment one time too.
Just get to the next meal.

And it's just like you're checking this box and such a like, you know, task-oriented person that's all you know you compartmentalize like everything you can't look at the big picture you just got to get to the next thing and then we i had you know jess there with me so it's comforting at night she'd just be like you know just the touch or you know just knowing that she's there was helpful how about you jess my driving force was eric i did the show because of eric doing the show just to begin with was like so out of my comfort zone.

I knew it was going to be tough. I knew it was going to be hard.
I knew it was going to pull things out of me that maybe I just didn't want to like deal with, you know, but I did it.

And just getting there was enough for me to just feel like I had done something. But I think what kept going me every single day was

being with him and almost not wanting to let him down. And I had the mentality of like, I'll stay as long as he's here.
If he's here, I'm going to stay.

And I'm going to keep going as long as I can go if he's here. And that was kind of my thought process is never wanting to let him down.

We came into this together, even though we're playing this this scenario as individuals we also are a team in my mind and it was just like wanting to be a good team teammate to my husband did you guys have any convers conversations going in that if if if one of you bowed out or quit like how the other person would respond yeah we did have that conversation it was always like if i end up leaving early on which i like assumed i would like you keep going like go as far as you possibly can and that was our conversation that was it

are your kids stoked to watch? Yes. They're excited.
They're so excited. It's definitely the only thing I've ever done on TV that I will be excited for my kids to watch.

And that's probably the reason why I did it because everything else, trash.

It's not trash. Just a couple engages.
Good TV.

Yeah, I mean, good TV, but not a gusty. Not anything where I'm going to sit down and I'm like, dad's really proud of this.
Yeah, but look at you. I mean, you have like such success.

Like, you know, listen, I'm grateful for it.

I always tell people, I'm not ashamed of it, but I'm also not proud of being on reality TV. There's not a skill set.

There's elements that I navigated in that world that looking back, I realized that I had an emotional resiliency that allowed me to... do what I did.
Absolutely.

And I think, I don't think it's a coincidence that like, you know, Hannah, Hannah, Hannah Brown, Tyler Cameron, and myself, three winners in the first two seasons are all from Batch Found Nation because like the emotional kind of fuckery they do with you guys is um it's no bullshit.

That being said, like I'm I'm aware that everything I have today is from that. So I'm always grateful for that.
And I'm always like, so yeah, it's a balance of like,

I don't, I don't, I'm not proud of it, but I'm not ashamed of it.

It, it happened and I pull from it the things that I'm, you know, proud of, but it's not like special force is a very different experience for me.

But I'll be happy for my kids to see.

Like I remember seeing Rocky IV in the theaters when I was like four or five years old, and I came home and I was doing sit-ups, you know, like, you know, and I hope my kids like watch it and want to like, you know, dad's a badass.

You know, and start like grinding, you know, and things like that. Throwing rocks in their backpack.
Yeah.

Let's go. That's one thing they don't, they don't fucking talk about on special forces because

the Bergens. Bergens? Yeah, Bergens, yeah.
So heavy. Well, they make it to little behind the behind the scenes.

We had to put sand. Maybe it was rocks for you guys, but it has to weigh at least 35 kilograms, which is like, what, 25 pounds? I don't know.
No, it's not. It's closer to 50 pounds.

50 pounds or something like that.

They don't show that. And that on my frame,

yeah. And that on my frame and Sean's frame, I remember looking at Sean, because she's tiny like me, and I'm being like, Yeah, and they don't care.
Man, woman, they don't care.

It's like up here. Oh, I'm like,

every time I would go everywhere. Tar reader.
Little tarot reader falling over.

Oh, my God. I think I did fall over at one point.

It was like we were turning on something and my backpack just like kind of blew me over.

I just feel bad. It's so funny.
Well, we're so excited to watch it. It comes out when? September 25th.
September 25th. Not yet.
September 25th.

Next. Next week, I think.
Next week. Next Thursday.
Wow. Shoot.
Wild, y'all. It's here.
It'll be exciting. I cannot believe how fast they pulled this together.
Well, thanks for coming, guys.

This has been a ton of fun.

Anything you guys, like, final thoughts you want to share or plug before we send you guys on your way? Oh, yeah. I have a movie coming out.
You have a movie coming out?

It'll be in theaters November 7th. What movie? It is a Karen Kingsbury movie, The Novelist, and she wrote a movie called The Christmas Ring.

And I am playing the best friend to the lead star, Jana Kramer. So I'm very excited.

Well, thanks again, guys. It's been great getting to know you guys.

I love having these conversations. Obviously, I'm in my dad and husband era, but

I think you guys are a great role model of how to be a team and

put family first. And I think nowadays, again, whoever your family is and whatever it looks like, I think

we need more of that energy in our world and

to focus on your community, whoever that community is and

get off the phones and all that bullshit. I'm going to make you a t-shirt.
Dad and husband era.

I'm going to send it to you.

You make t-shirts? OG. I'll figure it out.

I'll take the announcements

Well, thanks for coming, guys. I appreciate you.
And thank you guys for listening. We will see you back tomorrow.

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