Sage Steele and Sage Erickson detail their departures from ESPN following a First Amendment lawsuit over mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations, which forced Steele to leave after silencing her regarding racial identity and vaccine mandates. While Steele balances raising three children aged 23, 21, and 19 with her new podcast, both women celebrate recent engagements to Dave Miller, planning a September wedding in Nashville despite initial preferences for courthouse ceremonies. Their stories highlight the personal costs of corporate pressure, the desire for normal family life amidst public scrutiny, and the resilience required to maintain careers and relationships under intense media attention. [Automatically generated summary]
I had just spoken up and all I spoke up about was just I was disappointed in being forced to take the vaccine to keep my job at Disney.
Yep.
But I did it.
I still struggle with that.
I did it because I had to keep my job.
At the time when I left and when I, you know, I guess spoke up, I was the longest tenured woman on Sports Center, almost 17 years when I left.
I was making the most money.
Like I was that person that they used for commercials and for whatever else.
Marketing, certainly all those behind the scenes things.
And so if I, who had great relationships with all the leadership, if they could do that to me, well then why wouldn't they do it to someone else?
And so I caution them, but I also say you have to make a decision in your life and be, can you look in the mirror at the end of the day and be okay with being silenced?
you have big moments where then there's things that happen you know afterward you realize a lot of who your friends are and who they are not hi I'm Katie Miller Welcome to the Katie Miller Show.
I'm joined here today by Sage Steele.
I'm so excited to have a conversation about her career, motherhood, and how she does what she does.
Thank you for having me.
This is awesome.
So you have three kids?
Yes.
Well, are they, at what point are they not like kids?
I can tell you, my babies will always be my babies.
Yeah, exactly.
They're 23, 21, and 19.
And where are they now?
So they are, oh gosh, my baby girl is starting her sophomore year at Ulmas, hottie-toti.
My son is 21.
He's starting his senior year at High Point University in North Carolina.
And then my oldest, Quinn, is in Nashville, graduated from High Point in May and actually has a job.
So is it weird to be in the stands versus on the sidelines?
Oh gosh.
It's really nice.
You know what?
I had forgotten what it was like to be a fan.
Like 30 years as a sportscaster and you're just all business and statistics and taking notes and you're not allowed to clap or cheer in the press box and you're so focused on, you know, your job that you forget about being a fan.
And so last year I went to the Olmes Georgia game in Oxford and I mean what an experience.
The tailgate experience is amazing and I got to just go cheer and yell and scream and have a beer.
It was so nice.
I think it's something I probably took for granted for a long time.
Like, oh my gosh, this game.
I wasn't looking at everything else.
So now it's nice.
Plus as a mom, you know.
You're there to just enjoy your kids.
Yeah, exactly.
It's really fun.
So walk me through this.
So you had your kids when you were how old and at what point in your career?
Gosh.
Okay.
See, now you're aging me.
This is not nice because I gave their ages and now I'm going to go backwards.
I was 29 with my first, 29, 31, 33.
So a lot like you, right?
Two years of parties.
Exactly.
I always say this, and you're familiar with this.
When my third was born, my first was still three.
So like it was.
Three under three.
Yeah.
And I don't remember, I literally don't remember much during that period.
I'd say for like five years, I don't remember much.
And I actually worked here in Washington, D.C.
I worked at Comcast SportsNet, which had just gone from home team sports to Comcast, and it was a regional sports network.
I don't even know what it's called now.
I think they merged with NMC Local.
No, it's different from Massen, but it's the same vibe.
It just has, there's Comcast regionals around the country, and this one was for DC Baltimore.
So I covered the Baltimore Ravens.
Our studios were in Bethesda, lived in Silver Spring, and then out in Howard County, like Clarksville, Columbia, because the more kids you have, the more you can't afford to be here in town.
You go further and further.
Yeah, the more kids you have.
Exactly.
And so I, you know, my dream was always ESPN since I was like 11 years old.
Like that was the dream.
And so I'd been in local TV in different markets, and then this was the regional.
And it was here for six years before getting, you know, to the pinnacle at the time to ESPN.
But I was, you know, it's interesting.
I was like, okay, how am I going to do this?
How am I going to figure out how to have a family?
Because that's number one, but not give up on this crazy career.
Did you take maternity leave?
I took maternity leave.
However, man, times are so different.
You're going to love this.
I had to go back to work on Quinn's eight-week birthday.
She was eight weeks to the day.
And the reason is because at that time, and again, times have changed, my boss said, if you want to be the beat reporter for the Baltimore Ravens or any team, you have to be at training camp from day one.
And like back then, training camp was different.
It was two a days, full pads, and you have to be there at like 9 a.m.
If practice starts at 10, you got to be there early to set up.
And then you're there all day.
So I wanted that job.
I needed that job.
I'd worked my whole career to be the beat reporter, but then still host like the sports center type show at night.
And I was like, okay, you do what you have to do.
And I'll never forget driving away from my little house in Silver Spring.
My husband at the time was holding her.
Like she was this big.
She was born.
She was six pounds, 15 ounces.
So she was teeny.
And he was holding her here and he took her little hand and went like that and waved goodbye.
And I was like, I drove around the corner and just sobbed.
I'm like, what am I doing?
Plus, people don't realize you have a baby.
It takes 10 months to cook.
It takes a full year for your body to get back hormonally if it's ever the same.
And so I was eight weeks in and had had trouble nursing.
So I went to training camp and in between practices, I'm like pumping, you know.
That is not like a nursing room like on the sidelines.
Of course not.
That's like liquid gold.
You never let go of that breast milk, right?
And then I had ice packs.
It was just technology for that is much different now than it was too.
So I think I look back and I'm so sad that that's how the corporate world was, at least especially in sports media, you know.
And I'm sad that I kind of accepted it and didn't push back.
But I guess it's very similar for a lot of women who go back to work very quickly.
Like Caroline Levitt went back to work after like, I think less than a week.
I think she said nine days, yeah.
But that was her choice.
I mean, she's made that clear too.
And I totally respect that, right?
Back then, I had no choice.
Sometimes people look at some of the systems in parts of Scandinavia, et cetera, where it's like, you get a year off and we deserve that and more.
the end of the day from a business perspective it is taxing on those businesses and so i i try to that's what like american culture is right American culture is how you work hard to be able to get to the next point in your career.
It's to what you're saying is you worked really hard to be able to achieve getting to be on the Ravens sidelines.
And it's like you're not going to give it up for anything.
And it's unfortunate that like that's the hand you were dealt at the time.
But like your career got to the pinnacle of where you wanted to be because you worked really hard every day.
Every single day.
I will say this too.
My ex-husband, he was a stay-at-home dad.
And that was his choice.
It was in 2002 very unique.
It did not happen, especially around here.
Trailblazer.
I guess you could say it.
I guess you could put it that way.
And there's certainly a lot more men now when you, you know, when the woman is successful.
And for us, it just made financial sense because the probability of my career earning more than his, it was guaranteed.
And then it was like, okay, the cost of a nanny pretty much outweighs what he was earning.
And so this is stupid.
Why would we have someone come into the home or put her in daycare when it's going to cost the same, if not more, you know?
So it worked out well at that time.
It was very hard.
That's probably a show for another day where Men and women are just different, obviously, at home.
And our roles, which we need to celebrate, absolutely for men.
But there's a lot that comes with that when the man gives up his job.
What was he the best at in terms of raising your children?
He, well, he was very organized.
So meals, laundry, cleaned up, kitchen house.
He was very, very good in that way.
And then I, because, you know, what do women do?
We try to do everything and make it.
So when I was home, which was quite often, I actually was home more than any other full-time working parent that I knew.
But then I'm home and I'm like, hey, it's okay.
Go golfing.
You're the guy.
You need to get out.
And of course, that's our own doing.
Society may be telling us to make it perfect for everybody else in our lives.
When they can handle it themselves, it was like, hey, or go do that, go do this.
And then I'd come home and I'd, you know, try to iron her onesies.
I don't know.
And I was making banana bread and I was trying to do all the things for myself and also, you know, eventually my kids got older, but for my friends, for my neighbors.
So they wouldn't judge me and say, oh, look, she's out there and she doesn't care about her kids.
Because I would hear that too.
Like, there's a whole bunch of dynamics within, you know, that space where you have a full-time working mother and then the stay-at-home dad.
It's not perfect.
It sounds perfect and it's not.
What went the most awry?
Like if you would say that like, like I know in my own house, right, when I come in and Steven's had the day like with the kids, right?
And I know exactly what went perfect and exactly where we like fell short.
Like when we walk in, I'm like, oh boy, there is, which this happened last weekend.
Every single room had every single toy dumped out everywhere across the house.
And so you like any of your stuffing on it?
I'm stepping on every single toy and none of them are together.
Like my thing is that every toy should have its match.
Like every toy should have its little part in the toy.
Otherwise, why do you have the toy throw the toy out or donate it?
Like they all have to work.
That's how I like it.
That's going with three kids now.
It goes.
Like at night, I go room to room to room and like make sure every toy is back home with their parts.
This is like my thing.
I'm doing at 10 p.m.
Wow.
But like that's not my husband's skill set.
My husband's skill set is like my kids have had their best day, right?
Like they've had the best meal.
Like he is like a chef for those little children.
Really?
Yes, they're eating like duck prosciutto and like he's making like a salmon salad on different types of cheeses and crackers and they eat well when they're with him.
Yeah, it's excellent.
That's awesome.
It's excellent.
He very much cares about what they're eating and when they're eating and their nap times and hitting all of those things.
But are the toys put away?
Absolutely not.
I would say that's fine considering what they are getting, right?
Yeah.
Are you able to go.
Yeah.
Monday morning I woke up and I was like, what has happened to this house?
We shall start cleaning it.
Yeah.
I mean one thing that it taught me again since our kids are like, you know, as far as how quickly we had them, I did let go of being a perfectionist and that was hard for me in that way.
And I would recommend it highly to any young moms out there who are trying to make it perfect for everybody because there's just, there's just no such thing.
And then I found that I was beating myself up if it wasn't perfect in that way.
I have my areas that I pick and choose.
Like I actually need to do the kitchen at night after dinner.
I need to load the dishwasher because what you just did there is a waste of space.
Like that's my thing.
I need to do the dishwasher in the kitchen.
That's what my role was when I was a kid as a teenager growing up.
I had two brothers and we had roles.
Not that we couldn't do other things, but I loved crushing, cleaning the kitchen.
And I knew that my parents appreciated it, right?
I didn't have to mow the lawn because I had brothers.
I don't know how to mow the lawn.
I don't plan to learn anytime soon, ever.
But like, crush what you are given, you know, and then pick your battles elsewhere.
Like my counters are clean at the end of the night.
There was something I saw the other day that was so funny.
It was like, when my counters are clean, my brain is clear.
And my counters are dirty.
It is a mess up here.
I know.
You got to have it clean.
Well, when I walked downstairs in the morning, if I saw a crumb on the kitchen island or something, or dishes that weren't put, especially once they got older, teenagers, and they'd come up at one in the morning and eat crap and then leave it on the counter.
If it's 6 a.m., I would be like, Quinn, get your butt down, like clean it up and go back to bed.
But like, it does set the tone for the day.
And I think it also teaches them a lot too.
You know, you can eat, you can have fun, you can have fun with your friends, do your thing.
Clean up or else.
That's the military in me coming up, Katie.
I'm an Army brat.
And so everything has to be done a certain way.
Now, if you looked at my closet now, you would wonder.
You're like, she's a liar because look at the disaster of a closet.
No, we're trying to teach my kids that they should, at the end of a meal, bring their plates over to the sink to like to be cleaned, not just leave it at the table, right?
At four, three, and two, they're like just getting to the stage where you can like not spill the cup while you're walking into the sink.
Teaching Kids Responsibility Early00:14:30
Yes.
And my daughter's like, I don't know if I can do it.
I'm like, you can just carry me through it.
The three steps.
You got this.
And turn on the water and rinse it because if it gets hard on the plate.
Yeah, then it's disgusting.
It smells.
So you famously had a very switch in your career a couple years ago.
I did.
What's been the most surprising part about doing a podcast versus being on broadcast?
Oh my goodness.
Gosh, look at you, like this new interviewer, and you have all these great questions.
The most surprising part, I'd say it's more the behind the scenes.
I started as a producer, so I understood what it took in editing.
I did my own editing.
I did all of that, like one-man band stuff for 100 years.
But I think it's the behind the scenes in this new streaming world.
I didn't want to know anything about it.
I don't want to know about YouTube algorithms.
I don't want to know about the importance of subscribers and what you have to say at the beginning and end of a podcast.
I don't know about any of it.
I just want to do it and have a conversation.
And I've had to learn that part.
And so I think the surprising part is just how much has to happen behind the scenes just to get it up on the World Wide Web.
What's it like not reporting to an executive at the network or amazing?
Or having like the overlords.
Yeah, well, when I first left, which August 14th, 2023, so we are right at two years.
Of course, I was doing a lot of interviews and people just had me on to talk about Disney and ESPN and just the woke-ism in corporate America, et cetera.
I was scared for a long time.
And I had said this a couple times, but I thought whenever I was, okay, I'm looking at the camera and I'm like, Bob Iger is going to come up from behind and choke me out because I'm telling the truth about my experience, you know?
So it took a while to let go of that fear and I was constantly editing myself for 30 years, you know?
And so there's a real freedom in that and to say whatever I want to say.
And I'll never be crazy about that.
I'll always try to be respectful, but no longer have a fear of giving my opinion.
And frankly, I never wanted to give my opinion when I was a sportscaster.
It's not about me.
It's about the athletes and the coaches and the highlights and the stories.
You ever find yourself like cheering in the box accidentally?
Oh yeah, I'd have a set of my hands.
Or, you know, when we're in studio, I covered just NBA for four years and was out in their LA studios.
And so, you know, during the NBA finals, like we are at Golden State or at Cleveland with Stephan Curry and LeBron James, and you're like, you feel 20,000 people screaming.
And I know what I want to happen, but I'm like, I know there's people always watching.
So I sit there and I'd be like, oh, oh.
Like I had to control myself in that way.
If you're a sportscaster and you're not a fan, actually it's impossible.
Like the only reason you're in that job is because you have a passion for sports and want to tell the story.
I think other people have different reasons maybe now here and there, but for the most part, you can't go in there and be good at it if you don't understand the why behind these athletes, which certainly is what you're trying to tell, get across to your viewers.
Did you go to school for journalism?
I did.
And that's why you started in Indiana?
Yeah, I mean, again, I had that dream from day one when I was 11.
I wanted to be a sportscaster.
Indiana was only because my dad was military.
We had to move before my senior year of high school from Colorado to Indiana and in state tuition.
We couldn't afford to go anywhere else, you know?
So it was IU, Purdue, never.
Ball State, like all, you know, what was, what were my choices in the state of Indiana?
IU had a very good journalism school.
Yeah, they do.
Yeah.
And it continues to be great.
The sports communications major had just started like the year before, and I saw sports communications.
You had a choice between broadcast or print.
And I was like, this is my dream.
It's right there.
I hadn't even visited IU and I.
It's like you knew.
I just knew.
And the journalistic part of things is where I get frustrated now, of course, with news media, mainstream media, but even with sports.
And I do think that it's important when you're doing that job, Sports Center Railroad isn't telling your story, it is not about you.
It's about, like, you can't, you know, chime in on those highlights because you went to Indiana or Georgia or whatever it is.
Like, what is the story?
Tell it what it tells.
Let the fans determine their opinions from it.
What are the facts?
And that's what we're missing.
Would you encourage other women and students to go into a broadcast communications major now in college?
Would I encourage them?
Do you think like you still need that major to be successful like you were?
Or do you think that they're still getting something out of that?
Yeah, and I think it depends on the school.
It does depend on the school.
What I think is super important is for people to understand what happens behind the scenes.
Like this isn't just a Katie Miller show.
I mean, it is, but like you have a team.
We all need a team to make this work.
And finding the right people.
Yes, the people behind the scenes are as important as we are.
And they need to feel that, right?
And the only way they really feel it is if, you know, we're not standing there going, we'll do this, to this, to this.
No, like, let's sit in and watch in the editing process at times, you know, to really appreciate that.
That's amazing.
Then what they have to do if there's an audio hit and how they have to fix that.
Like that whole process is huge.
Whoever's posting on social media for you, like it's a relationship.
It's not just here, take this clip.
But that, again, comes from my old school mentality of having to do it myself and realizing that I need a team and to have that respect because I know this, that if you show them that, like they will run through a wall for you and your show will be that much better.
So I want kids to go to school to see the whole production side, not just the glamorous side with the lights on and then the recognition that might come with it.
I think that's really important.
And last thing, like ask a question.
Know how to ask a question.
The shows that I've been on over the last two years, I love them all.
They're very nice people.
I am blown away at the top people, the top, top level in this industry who make statements and don't ask questions.
Ask me a question.
Like it's not, it actually is harder than I think people realize to ask a question that's not a yes or no.
Yep.
But I'm shocked that the top people in this industry, the people making $5, $10, $15, $20, $30 million a year, don't ask a freaking question.
So go to journalism school.
My degree is in agriculture.
And you've already asked so many great questions.
Okay, so basically you're saying that they don't have to go to J school to be good.
I thought about going to J school.
I did not.
University of Florida has a great journalism program.
Yeah, really?
One of the top.
And you can go and watch great sports teams.
Yeah.
Like you can have a blast at an SEC school.
Heck yeah.
Yeah.
So you mentioned what happened with Disney and ESPN.
One of your close friends, Samantha Ponder, also had a similar experience to you.
Yeah.
Do you still think there's a place for conservative women to be in broadcast journalism?
Another great question.
In sports journalism or broadcast journalism?
I would say sports journalism.
Yeah, but I mean, it feels like you better just bite your tongue and stay quiet.
Do you think the bar is different for men versus the women?
I do, but I know a lot of conservative men who are biting their tongue as well and staying silent.
A lot of people that I worked with.
Why do you think it's so different in sports than it is in other broadcast fields?
I don't know why it's different in sports.
That's also a very good question.
I think with news, if you work at CNN, you're probably not a conservative, right?
I don't know how many liberals there are working at Fox News.
I know there are some very much in the middle of both, right?
Kind of like America, a lot of people in the middle.
Tribal concept, yes.
In sports, I do think there's just a lot of pleasing.
And you love your job.
You get to talk about football or basketball and things that you did in college or maybe in the NFL and you still get to do that.
Like if you get to do that for a living and make a lot of money or even a little bit of money, you don't want to screw that up because you don't want to go out and get a job where you have to totally change your area of expertise.
This is relatively easy for those men who have now transitioned to the broadcast side of the sport that they've been associated with their entire lives.
So you don't want to screw that up, especially if there's...
Do you think it's because the sports networks are more beholden to the leagues and they know who their players are?
I think a lot.
Did you see what just happened with ESPN?
And now the NFL owns 10% of ESPN.
My goodness.
So there's a lot of that even before that deal.
Yeah, there's a lot of that.
I mean, there were many conversations that I had when I was at ESPN and ABC where those relationships are there.
When you're paying, when I was there, they had agreed to a deal with the NBA to pay $1.3, $1.4 billion a year.
We paid that, you know.
And so you don't want to tick off anybody in that relationship, whether it's the commissioner or the head of marketing.
Yeah, that doesn't help, but that's kind of how all business is now.
At the end of the day, when your leadership is woke, when your leadership not just believes that, but kind of mandates that through their actions.
Me, Samantha Ponder, other people, Gina Carano, right, outside of sports, but just in the entertainment world with Disney, her lawsuit is ongoing, right?
And thanks to Elon Musk, she's had, she's fighting them and she's fighting them hard, right?
So I look back on my decisions to speak up, which initially was not intentional.
It was me just speaking openly on a podcast on the side.
It was not like some of the people now who go on camera and give their opinions during a news show, knowing that they're not going to be touched because they fall in line with the left and that's what the bosses are.
So I tell people that if you want to stay relevant in that industry, you probably should keep your mouth shut.
Unless you want to go work for Outkik, which is a different platform for sports, but otherwise, look what's happened.
I mean, at the time when I left and when I guess spoke up, I was the longest tenured woman on Sports Center.
Linda Cohn, longer than me, but she at that time was doing more hockey.
I think she's back doing Sports Center now.
She's a legend and a trailblazer.
But I was the longest tenured at 17, almost 17 years when I left.
I was making the most money.
Like, I was that person that they used for commercials and for whatever else.
Marketing, certainly all those behind the scenes things.
And so if I, who had great relationships with all the leadership, if they could do that to me, well then why wouldn't they do it to someone else?
And so I caution them, but I also say you have to make a decision in your life.
Can you look in the mirror at the end of the day and be okay with being silenced?
And the answer quite often is yes.
It was yes for me for a long time too.
I didn't know that you were going to like cause what you did when you just had a conversation.
And so I think when you have big moments where then there's things that happen, you know, afterward, you realize a lot of who your friends are and who they are not.
What did you find to me the most, I guess, disappointing and or I'd say heartwarming of that time of who stood by you versus left.
That is literally still the hardest, saddest thing for me.
I think I'm in a good place now.
I know I'm in a good place now because...
I'm sure it wasn't easy to get there, though.
No, and during, during and after.
So when it first happened, and this was September, early October of 21, it's hard to believe it's almost four years.
There's a lot of who you realized that were like, you thought you guys were best friends or you thought you were so close they were going to be there for you ever.
And it was just like with my children, with my family, with my parents.
And for them to not just disappear, that would have been fine.
Like as far as publicly standing up for me, I would never have asked anybody to do that.
That's one thing.
It's another thing to attack publicly.
And that's where I just was so confused and shocked.
And.
How'd you handle that?
I mean, I'm an emotional person.
So I cried a lot because I was like, mom, why are you?
You know, I'm like old.
And I'm calling my mom saying, what happened?
Why would she say this?
Why would he do this or not do this?
Like, what is this?
And what my mom taught me 20 years ago when I first got to East Pian in 2007 was, and there was a woman who I really, really looked up to who did some things while we were on the air together.
And I was just floored.
And I remember calling my mom when I got in the car driving home.
And she's like, okay, that sucks.
It's not nice.
And it's not about you.
And I've had to carry that with me.
It really isn't about me per se.
It's their fear of how they will be perceived if they speak up.
So that's actually on them.
And that woman that kind of belittled me on the air 20 years ago, she didn't have a problem with me.
There was an insecurity in her.
So that has helped soften it for me a little bit in every aspect because usually that's what it is.
I don't know that I would allow them back.
And I don't mean that in a negative way.
It's just I had to get to a point where like almost forgiveness and I have made my circle a lot smaller.
And then the people that are in it are phenomenal.
And I feel that now I have more purpose and purpose with who I choose to spend time with, who I choose to give my energy to.
And I'm stretched really thin.
I still am trying to be a better friend, you know, to many people.
That is, I'm a work in progress in that area too, because when you're stretched thin and three kids and then trying to create this show and this platform and this network and I'm planning a wedding and like all these things, I don't have time to breathe, you know?
But I wouldn't change a thing, Katie, about that time.
And even those friends who are no longer, because it is a season, and it's so cliche, and I used to get so mad when people would say this.
I'm like, no, it's not a season.
They're friends for life.
Like, I'm not going to accept this.
Choosing Who Deserves My Energy00:15:42
But it is true.
And it does go both ways, you know?
And I am choosing to remember the amazing times with these people because there was so much good.
Instead of focusing on the negative, I'm trying to remember the good.
And I think that the hardest part though, full circle on your question, was that they are people in particular, a couple of women and a couple of men who I really went to bat for because they deserved it and they didn't have anybody else speaking up for them and I knew I had the ear of some of the right people to say, this young woman is a superstar and she's being treated like crap.
Can we please fix this?
Otherwise we're going to lose her and you need more people like her or him.
And wanting them to be on my team for a couple of shows.
And my bosses listened and I wouldn't change that.
They deserved it.
And now I watch them and I look and I'm like, you know, they seem to be thriving.
And I think there's, I'm proud in a very humble way that I had a little bit to do with that because there were people along the way who helped me and I want to pay that forward.
And even though the relationship has ended for reasons that I didn't like, yes.
And I'm so glad that I was able to help way back when.
And honestly, because I didn't have any women helping me when I was starting off in this industry.
There were none.
And so I get mad at women who preach that but don't practice it because we say it all the time and then we yell at the men and that glass feeling, well, men, this men.
Well, what are you doing for each other, actually?
And usually the answer is not much.
So I was able to do that then and I'm proud of that.
And I have two daughters, you know, who I'm trying to say, let's be better.
Maybe they didn't treat you well along the way or but we can we must.
And if you don't, shut up.
Don't complain about anything or anyone else, especially the guys if they're not helping the girls.
So the inflection point in your career, say podcast interview forward, you were probably what living in New York?
Never.
Where did you live primarily?
Connecticut.
ESPN's based in like outside of Hartford.
And I'm sure at the time you were invited to all of the great parties celebrating women in sports, women in business.
Has that changed since, you know, you mean when I was still at ESPN?
Oh, I was a huge part of ESPN W, W for Women.
We started a summit, kind of like a working retreat, in 2010.
And I was the host for the first 10 years and helped kind of produce a little behind the scenes.
And it's a three or four day thing, and we'd pick amazing resorts like out in Torrey Pines or Vena Point or some awesome places.
And I was the host for the three days of it.
And the number of awesome women and men that we would bring in to talk about how do we elevate women, how do we elevate them in sports business and also sports as a whole?
And how do we make sure that we include more WNBA highlights and all those things?
Like it was a fight.
And we bring the athletes in and the executives from Nike or Lululemon or Gatorade.
And it was such a force.
It was awesome until.
Have you noticed society kind of turned their back though as you've shifted your public persona, I would say, to supporting more of the Republican conservative movement in this country?
My life is so different.
Yeah, my life is so different.
I actually, with the ESPNW thing, this is something you'll enjoy.
I had just spoken up and all I spoke up about was just disappointing and disappointing.
I was disappointed in being forced to take the vaccine to keep my job at Disney.
But I did it.
I still struggle with that.
I did it because I had to keep my job.
And I had three kids and was financially responsible 100% for my kids and my ex-husband, like all of it.
So there's like all this pressure.
And so that's why I empathize with people who had to make that decision.
And it's brutal.
And that's where I don't ever want people to forget.
Don't ever forgive and forget.
But at that time, because of what I said, and some comments on race, about being a biracial woman and being proud of that, God forbid, I was supposed to host ESPNW again, and our big featured guest interview was Hallie Berry.
And I got a call from the producer who said, listen, we still want you to come, but Hallie Berry's people have said that she won't attend.
She will not come if you are doing that interview with her.
And I was devastated because I was like, we have so much to talk about.
And, you know, I was just fascinated with her story and her strength as a mother, a single mother for a long time.
Like, there's so much to talk about that has nothing to do with our opinions on a vaccine.
Like, what are we doing?
I don't know if it was Halley Berry.
I don't know if it was her people.
It doesn't matter.
It's often the people.
Exactly.
She might not have ever even known, right?
But that's what our executives were told.
And so at that moment, I mean, I was devastated and I stepped away.
And I realized that my presence would be causing an uproar, apparently.
This is what I'm being told.
And I didn't want all my friends and the great women who have made ESPNW what it is to be affected by me.
And they loved me.
I think I thought not so much anymore.
And so I stepped away from that.
And that certainly was kind of the beginning of the end as far as being invited to do a lot of women's things, certainly DSPN, for sure, but elsewhere as well.
And I just couldn't accept and still don't the hypocrisy in that because we.
You're celebrated if we have one school of thought.
Correct.
And it takes courage to be true to yourself, right?
And isn't that what I was doing?
But I wasn't saying the right things.
And so let's have this conversation as well as what I would say to people.
And they didn't want to.
They wanted to run away from it.
So it's been, that was tough.
But then look at the transition.
And look at being able to be in the room with so many strong women and the Tulsi Gabbards and Megan McCains and Riley Gaines, right?
I mean, she was a kid.
I was talking about her on Sports Center and fighting my producers.
Let's do this story.
We're ignoring this.
Why are we ignoring this repeatedly, repeatedly?
So what has come from that is so much beauty because I know so many strong women now that I would never have had the ability to meet.
I think about it all the time, Katie.
If I had just done what they wanted and, you know, I did have to apologize to keep my job at the time, but then stayed quiet.
Basically, if I hadn't filed that lawsuit, the First Amendment free speech lawsuit against Disney and just stayed there and continued to make a lot of money.
And I mean, probably wouldn't have renewed my contract, I guess.
They probably would have been like, okay, we're good.
You can leave now.
But instead, I filed this crazy lawsuit at the time.
Crazy because it was so- How many years did you have left on your contract?
What's that?
How many years did you have left on your contract?
I had one year left when I filed.
Or was it two?
When I settled, I had one year left because it was about a year and a half plus process during the lawsuit while I was still going to work every day on TV with an active lawsuit against Disney.
It was the craziest dynamic, yeah.
But what was that like going into the newsroom every day?
Oh, it was terrible.
It was terrible because I was told when I came back after I was suspended, everyone hates you, you need to apologize to the world.
And so I'm like, great.
And then you go on TV.
Supportive workplaces for women.
I know.
Exactly.
But I also had so many people come up to me privately in the women's restroom whispering, thank you.
Thank you for what you're saying.
Women, younger women, almost all of them with tears in their eyes, older women as well who'd reach out and men who said, I wish I could speak up.
And I'm like, you can.
You can.
You're making a choice and I understand and respect your choice.
But that was awesome.
I'm making a different choice.
That's when I knew, though, that it was bigger than me.
Like, I had been hurt by it, whatever, but it was bigger than me.
So if I ran away before I decided to file the lawsuit and didn't do it, like, what was all this for?
What was all that pain for?
So when I filed, and that was a whole dramatic, scary thing, I knew this, because my career there was probably going to end at that point.
I was like, okay, once they suspend you and punish you and punish you repeatedly, even when you're one of the top dogs, they're probably not going to keep me there and give me more.
So it was like, wait.
I need to do this for all these people who are coming up to me and whispering or sending emails to me from their personal account, not their work account, to make sure no one could track it.
They were living in fear.
The first thing, though, was to start something new.
So incredibly scary.
But that wasn't the goal.
It was just, this is wrong.
You need to be called on it.
I didn't know I was or try to start something new.
It was just enough of the BS and the hypocrisy.
Do we allow our employees, our on-air employees, to speak about their opinions on any topic, even though you told us we weren't allowed to, on airwaves?
But why are athletes allowed to do that and not network employees?
Well, it depends.
Like, they are, I don't find that most of the athletes do it on Sports Center, on news programs.
If it's first take and, you know, speak for yourself, whatever it does, is on Fox, their job is to give their opinion.
My issue is when we're bringing in political matters onto the sports shows because I believe that anyone tuning in.
Just wants an escape.
Just wants an escape.
They can go to all the other news networks.
They don't want that when they watch an NBA game, when they watch a sports show, for the most part.
And I mean, you hear that and you see that everywhere.
But again, if I hadn't done that and gone through that scary, scary time, first of all, I believe in God and that this was his plan.
And it has been such, I have such a peace about me now and have for a couple of years because I just thought, all right, I'm here for a reason.
I don't know what this is yet, but I'm here for a reason.
And it's, again, it's bigger than me.
But I always say, what if?
What if I'd stay silent?
You know what this is like.
But when I was on Trump Force One on the Monday, the day before the election, and I had been with Tulsi and Danica, and we were, you know, that's where I first met you and like Lancaster PA and you have one of the kids with you.
And I'm like getting ready to go on the stage to talk after your husband spoke.
And I got like choked up because I'm like, how is this happening to me?
Why have I been asked to speak?
How am I moderating a town hall with JD Vance and Donald Trump during an election?
How am I on Trump Force One at the last rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and we get back on the plane?
Did you get McDonald's on the plane?
I think it was Jimmy Johns, which is quite often Jimmy Johns, right?
It was.
I tried to avoid it though, okay?
I was trying really hard to stay to fit in my clothes.
I'm like, I see all this junk food and I want all of it.
Thank you.
But it was such a moment.
And I was sitting, you know, the four top table where the president sits.
I was sitting in the seat right across from him for a couple of hours.
And we're going to, you know, back to Palm Beach.
We land at 5.45 in the morning, the day of the election.
And Katie, I got choked up because I thought, how am I here right now?
This is insane.
And I said, what if?
What if I had stayed quiet?
Not because of the coolness of it, because it is amazing and cold, but that's fleeting.
It was the amazing opportunity I had to go through Buncombe County, North Carolina on that Monday before the election to talk to the hurricane victims who had been left behind and to give people hugs.
There were people crying at the diner that we went to with Tulsi.
And it is such a God thing.
I realized that if this is why, this is why that I was led to that moment where I made a decision to say I don't believe in being forced to do a, you know, put a shot in your body, but here I am.
Like, that's why that happened.
So I could see it so much bigger and feel like I'm making a little bit of a difference.
And that those, all those things that kept me quiet for all those years, like, looked led to, and pushing through the fear, so many blessings.
What would you say to other women who are going through something similar and don't know if they have the courage to be as strong as you were throughout this process?
Pray, I didn't do enough for that.
And I think I could have probably gotten to a place of peace a lot sooner.
And I know not everybody, you know, has strong faith or any faith at all, and that's fine.
That's just what worked for me.
And this is a big deal.
If you're a mother, your kids are watching everything.
And the day before I dropped my lawsuit, which was April 28th, 2022, I spoke to each one of my kids and said, this is what's coming.
I'm really sorry.
You don't have to defend me.
We all have a right to our opinion.
Tell people who talk crap to you that, but don't defend me.
It's okay.
But I wanted to let you know what's happening, and I'm so sorry because my kids would get attacked online.
Yeah, I'm sure.
My kids got threats.
I've said this many times.
People threatened to rape my daughters because of my opinions.
Terrible.
It's sick.
So I was apologizing for what was to come because I knew it was going to be big when a current employee and, you know, front-facing person at ESPN then sues for company.
And my son looked at me and said, Mom, it's about time you stood up for yourself.
And at that moment, not only did I know that I was going to win even if I lost, because, you know.
You win even if you lose in that situation.
Yes.
But I was so upset with myself for not realizing sooner that they were watching me make myself smaller.
And that's what I did in every aspect of my life.
I was making myself smaller.
And my kids saw it.
They didn't tell me, but they saw my strength.
They saw me pushing through and pushing through divorce and, you know, public shame and all these things.
And I kept going and kept smiling and was still there at their events and making sure that I was there for those late night talks and still making banana bread and doing all the moments.
What do your kids say now?
Don't make me cry.
There's wine right there.
Why is there not a flash?
Why is there not a bottle right here?
No.
My oldest daughter, and actually all three of them recently have said it.
They said they're proud of me.
And I guess I wanted them to be proud, of course, but I never thought they'd say it.
I never thought I wanted them to say it.
I didn't, it's not the goal to have your kids say, good job, mom.
It's not it.
But I just didn't realize how much they were watching.
And then seeing me beat myself up.
And even the last two years, you know, putting myself out there with my opinions and the business side of this and trying to create a show when it's, oh, people don't want long form this or that.
People don't want.
And I'm like, I know, but I think we have to have a conversation.
So I'm going to try it.
I'm going to keep pushing.
And so for them to say that they're proud, like, it's crazy.
Because we're the ones that are supposed to be proud of them, right?
That's our job is to uplift them and give them strength and accountability and discipline and be proud of them and tell them that.
I didn't know, you know, I guess this is what comes when they get older too, right?
So hang on, you'll get there.
Right now I have like my daughter like running out the door being like, have a good day at work, mom.
Big hug.
And it's like, that's the best.
Planning a Wedding in Three Months00:03:17
It's everything.
It's the best.
And for that too, and then they reach teenage years.
And then I'm going to really pray for you.
Call me, okay?
And they get there.
But then when it comes full circle for them to say that, even when it's been hard for them to get attacked, to have to, sometimes, you know, they just want a normal mom.
And when I'm at the olemis game with Evan and, you know, get to meet Luke Bryan and cool people on the sidelines, you know, sometimes they're like, okay, that's awesome, but we just want to be able to hang out with our mom and not have to worry about the public side of it.
And so that got me recently when all three of them in different ways have said that they're not just proud of me, but happy for me and my happiness.
And it took a minute, but grateful.
And so you're newly engaged?
Yes.
Well, how long has it been?
Three months.
Almost four months.
And when's the wedding?
September 5th.
And who's going to be a little bit more?
Girl, we're moving fast.
Who's the bridezilla?
I'm not a bridezilla.
Is it him or you?
Neither one of us.
Honestly, he is such a pillar of strength and peace.
I didn't realize how much I was missing that and needed it.
And so last week I did have a mini meltdown, I'll admit to that, because it was all too much.
Because we're on the road.
I had a speech in California.
I was like, oh, okay, well, when I do these, then I might as well take the show there and talk to a couple different people.
My new episode that's out this week is, I don't know when this airs, but it's Dr. Drew and we're in Dr. Drew's house.
I'm like, okay, we're LA.
Let's do all these things.
But, you know, I'm my own producer.
I'm my own booker.
I'm doing all of these things and trying to make sure the logistics are right for that and for my guests and for my team.
And be a mom.
And be a mom of three.
And plan a big wedding that we're doing super fast.
Engaged in April, married in the beginning of September.
Like 200 people.
Like insanity.
I planned a wedding in three months.
You did.
I did.
200 people?
You didn't have to.
I didn't want a big wedding.
I wanted the courthouse.
My husband wanted the big wedding.
Okay.
I love that.
So that was the bridezilla.
He's the bridezilla.
He is the bridezilla.
Stephen Miller the bridezilla.
He won.
And so I said, fine, I'll plan your dream wedding, but I'm doing it in three months.
And thank God we did because we got married like two weeks before COVID happened.
Oh, wow.
Wow.
That's awesome.
I mean, I.
It's the best thing to plan a quick wedding.
I think if I weren't starting...
Because it's more about the marriage than it is the wedding.
100%.
I think if I weren't starting, hadn't been starting the show and then traveling all over for it, like the logistics of it, between now, like let's just say this.
In the four weeks leading up to the wedding, I have nine different round trip flights, some to different countries for work.
And so I don't have time to give you the playlist for the string quartet that's doing the processional and all.
I'm like, right, but I'm like, oh my God, but it's important.
You know, and especially for second marriage.
I mean, we talked about this, like, do we need to do it big?
No, we don't need to.
And we want to.
Making Him Come to Me00:06:42
And the reason is not because of us.
It's because there are so many people along the way in our own separate lives because we've not even known each other for a year, which is a whole story.
Like, who have uplifted us and helped us in our good times and when I was on the floor broken?
People who lifted me up off the ground, starting with our parents and our kids.
And so we wanted our kids to experience this too, like to see the celebration of love that, you know, was missing in some ways for our kids.
So you said you knew the first date that he was the one.
It wasn't even a date.
How do you know?
What was the date?
It was, it was, we met at a charity event in Nashville where he lives.
And I happened to be there with a girlfriend whose husband couldn't come.
So I was like, everybody's like, call Sage.
She'll do it.
She says yes to everything.
I'm a good plus one.
I'm like, low maintenance.
I can get myself there.
And so, yeah, it was for Tomahawk Charities, which benefits veterans.
He's a veteran.
And he came up to me and he's like, hi, my name is Dave.
And we have something in common.
And I'm like, eye roll.
Like, okay, that should be good.
What do you got?
What do you got?
Try me.
And he says, our mothers knew each other 30 plus years ago.
That's a good one.
That's a good one.
It was, I know, it's actually like, okay, you can't really make this up.
And I'm like, what's your last name?
All right.
Here's the story.
Our mothers volunteered at a convent for retired nuns in Leavenworth, Kansas in the early 90s.
And they have been friends ever since.
Our moms have talked a couple times a year for 32 years.
And I had never met him because I'm three years older.
I was in college.
He was in high school at the time.
And I never, so I never lived there.
So you call your mom and what's your mom say?
My mom called me the next morning and she's like, did you meet?
And I was like, how the hell is my mom calling me at 8 a.m. the next day?
He went home and, well, he texted his mom.
His mom texted my mom.
My mom called me and it was on.
But that was the next day.
That night we were talking and he also played basketball against my brother in high school and he named the gym.
And so I was like, God works in mysterious ways.
Totally.
And then that was cocktail hour and then we sat down and my girlfriend's like, who is that?
And I told her and she's like, he's cute.
I'm like, I know.
So I'm like looking around trying to find him like former people.
Saw him afterwards, said, we'll meet at the after party on Broadway in Nashville, that area.
And, you know, I tried to play it cool.
I'm like, I saw him when I walked in.
I'm like, I'm going to make him come to me.
And because, you know, I'm real savvy in that area, gameplay, not at all.
And anyway, we started talking.
And halfway through, Katie, I like it hit me.
And I know you have a similar story, but it hit me.
And I walked away.
I was like, I need a drink now because something just hit me and this is making me.
And he's over there.
I'm not looking at him right now.
Don't look at me.
Turn away.
And I went over and got a drink.
And I'm sitting there going, what the hell is happening?
How do I have these crazy feelings?
Like, this is not normal.
And when I walked back over, he'd gone to the restroom.
And my friend Katie is the one that I was her date for the night.
And she looked at me.
And am I allowed to use bad language?
Yes.
Okay.
Well, my mom sees it.
I won't say it.
But she looked at me and she had kind of talked to him for a few minutes before he went to the restroom.
And she goes, you're going to marry him.
Don't F it up.
And I looked at her and I said, I know.
Best swing woman.
Absolutely.
And she is this little ball of fire.
He's a lot bigger, taller, stronger than her.
She would kill him.
She would hurt him if he hurt me.
And so I knew she had probably threatened him already at that point.
And so we, you know, he came back and we talked all night.
And, you know, the whole thing with, you don't have to leave, but you got to get the heck out of here.
It was two in the morning and the whole group was kicked out.
And he got my number.
And we got in the Uber.
And Katie's like, he's going to text you.
I'm like, it's two in the morning.
He's not going to text me.
And then ding.
So like, it was scary because, you know, you go into protection mode too.
I'm like, no, I can't do this.
I can't open my heart again.
I'm not doing this.
This is scary.
And no.
And God forbid.
Like, what do you mean?
It can't happen this fast with anybody.
You're stupid.
You're being a girl.
Like, stop.
And when I say God is involved in every aspect of it, it's kind of overwhelming.
A weekend, so he's in Nashville.
And where were you?
I'm in Fort Lauderdale.
Okay.
So I'm in Florida.
Is he moving to you?
No, we are, I'm not leaving Florida.
And he, like, I can't, it took me a long time to get down there and he loves my place there.
His youngest is a junior in high school.
So he has a few more years left there and he has a great job there too.
So we'll figure it out.
My daughter's in Nashville.
We will be in both places.
And fortunately, they're both nice, friendly states, Tennessee and Florida, right?
Free state of Florida, Free State of Tennessee.
But a weekend, and we were just doing four or five-hour conversations immediately that next day, he asked me what I needed in a relationship.
Like what were my requirements?
And I'm like, no one's ever asked me that before.
He goes, well, take your time.
You know, just get back to me.
And I'm like, oh, no, no, no.
I have the list.
There's a checklist.
Yeah, I know it's out.
Wrote it down.
You have to put it out in the universe.
And so I didn't even have to open it up.
The first thing on the list was I needed someone to walk in this faith journey with me.
And I had never made that a priority before.
I never said it out loud because you don't want to be some Bible reader and you don't want some guy to judge you.
And oh, she's what I didn't care because I knew that it had to be that.
And I figured if I said it and he ran, well, then it wasn't meant to be.
He didn't run.
It was actually something he was looking for as well.
There were other qualifications that he met immediately.
But like for us to be leading with that, like we start every morning, even if we're on the road, and sometimes it's hard and we'll do it in the afternoon instead.
But my dad gave me this book, you know, 365 Days, and it's like scripture readings daily.
And we start the day with that and then react to it.
And like I used to be, and I was raised Catholic, and you're used to kind of being quiet about your faith and not praying out loud unless you're praying over a meal.
And so, how awesome that I no longer feel the need to keep it to myself.
I now know that I need it to be louder and to be doing this together, not just for us, but for our kids to see.
We took the five kids to Costa Rica last month and we did a couple readings with them and they're just like, but then a couple of them like got into it and then it created a conversation.
Obsessing Over Travel Socks00:15:32
So I don't want my kids, his kids, to wait until they're my age to be comfortable with this.
So back to the wedding thing and why is it so big?
Because there's so much to celebrate.
I was afraid that, you know, our parents are older, late 70s, and some health issues.
And my biggest fear was that I wouldn't find this person until they were gone.
So.
So we're going to do something for all the girls out there.
Yep.
Since conservative women never get asked these questions, the skincare makeup routine.
And go a little bit lighter.
So you're getting married in a short time.
What are you doing to work out?
What's your guilty pleasure food-wise?
Oh my God.
Are you eating healthy?
Do we do a diet?
And this is all.
When you're on relief, when you're on TV, are you doing your own makeup?
Are you getting your own hair, like doing your own hair?
How do you make it all work?
Okay, well, which one?
Let's go first.
Okay, so at night, you're washing your face.
What are you washing your face with?
You have to wash your face.
Okay, what do you wash your face with?
I use that like Cera Vey, Sara Vey.
None of the expensive stuff.
No, it's a waste.
It's stupid.
Yeah.
And make sure you use like get the eye makeup remover.
Like don't go to bed with crusty mascara.
It's awful.
Take it all off.
And then you wake up and then you feel trashy.
Like it's graceful.
I use beef tallow.
Really?
On your face?
Smear it.
And coconut tallow.
Just to melt everything off?
No.
To rejuvenate your skin.
Yeah, I've seen a big difference.
I'm 52.
So I have beef tallow in my fridge from the butcher, but am I like just smear it on my face?
Uh-huh.
Echo perfect.
And coconut oil, which top to bottom, like my whole body, you know, like all the time.
And it's like, oh my gosh.
For me, it doesn't make me break out.
It's the most organic, clean stuff there is.
Like all the other stuff, I mean, it says organic.
There's always a little something in it.
If there's fragrances, it says bad.
It's natural.
And I think with the travel, I need that.
You lose.
So how often are you getting your makeup done versus doing it yourself?
And when are you getting your makeup done?
Obviously, today I did it myself.
It's not cute.
Like I used to add ESPN, that was the thing.
And my best friend in the world, for all those years when I was at ESPN, did my makeup.
Like I got spoiled because she's a professional.
And I know what I need, but I can't always execute it.
So now I'd say, if I do like Fox News stuff, they'll send somebody because they have the truck and everything, and that's awesome.
But it's also if it's a different person, you're kind of retraining every time.
So sometimes I'm like, forget it, I'll do that.
Are you going to Sephora, Blue Mercury, Ulta?
Where are we getting our makeup from?
CVS.
Some of it's CVS.
Listen, I'm trying not to do the Ultas and Sephoras anymore based on how they choose to market.
Like I'm really struggling with that.
And I think it's a slow process to wean yourselves from those products that are being sold at these stores that are catering to men dressing as women and mustaches and high heels.
Like they've kind of, they have a monopoly on the industry too.
So it's really hard, but I think we need to find some ways.
And hey, for all those people out there who are looking to start businesses and curate, please do something where it's just, you know, Jan Marini is considered a little bit more conservative with their approach.
They're not marketing in those yucky ways.
And so I'm trying to focus more on those places that do makeup and skincare.
Listen, for me, I have melasma.
It's not terrible.
Like everyone says, oh my God, I don't even see it.
You see it.
We're all our own worst critic, right?
So if I can find those products, it's just like right here, I can find them to like cover up those little spots, then I feel better.
And I'm also, I have to tell you, like, we do have to be kinder to ourselves.
Again, I'm 52, and I'm just now learning to not beat myself up for the imperfections.
But we all do.
Yeah, we all do.
But like, okay, let's, someone with some wisdom because of my age, let me tell you guys, like, you ladies, please be kinder.
I was, I did a panel recently.
It was a conference in Cabo, and it was a woman who talked about the cellular effects on your body when you don't speak kindly to yourself, our inner thoughts.
What are we saying?
I know what I've said, whether it's about skin, hair, thighs, whatever it is, I beat myself up.
And okay, fine, we have some work to do.
But you don't have to look in the mirror and say, oh my gosh, I look so disgusting today.
It actually has a cellular effect on you.
So let's think about that a little more.
How often are you working out?
Ideally, five days a week.
The travel part is hard.
I do, I've been a real loyal Peloton user since pre-COVID.
During COVID, it saved me.
I will say I look back at some pictures from that time.
I just gone through the divorce as well and the suspension from work and all this stuff.
And we were certainly quarantined up in Connecticut for a long time.
Ridiculous.
And that's what saved me.
I got too thin.
I got a little bit too obsessed with it.
And I think what it was was, and again, I'm trying to share this only so people don't do what I did.
It was the only area of my life I felt like I had some control.
So what do you think?
And so I got too thin.
And so don't go overboard, ladies.
Please, please, please don't.
But it is everything is about strength and lifting weights.
We go too hard on cardio.
We need to establish the strength.
Like the weightlifting is actually huge.
If I don't have weights in my hotel room or wherever I am, there's body weight workouts.
Are you in the weighted vest trend yet?
The what?
The weighted vest trend.
What?
Oh, you haven't seen this?
The new trend is that all women should be wearing a body.
Oh, weighted vests when you walk because that helps them.
Because I can put that in my carry-on suitcase.
Like, no, because, or my checked luggage, because I'm right up to 49.9 pounds.
That would be, and especially for my beach walks, huh?
Because I walk in the hot sand.
Okay, so Inadette, you're traveling a ton.
What are you eating when you can't cook yourself?
And what's the guiltiest pleasure in terms of food?
Go backwards because I live on dessert.
Okay.
Which again is not conducive to getting in wedding shape.
But I need chocolate in my life every day.
Like it's, it's, it's an I figure, okay, chocolate, cocaine, heroin.
This is the lesser of the evils.
Can I, can you give me permission to keep going with chocolate?
Yeah.
Yeah.
See, I can have worse addictions.
Chocolate's fine, everybody.
In moderation, dark chocolate, better.
Overall, like I really try to have eggs in the morning.
Full eggs, not egg whites.
Like I think we're having people push back now on, oh my god, too much cholesterol.
No.
Not really.
Red meat every day.
Love it.
Need it.
Crave it.
Yep.
Greens, I mean, I love all greens, whether it's broccoli or arugula.
Like all greens love it.
Again, it's hard.
And so then when you're out at rest.
Are you trying to order seed oil-free when you're traveling?
Are you not there?
I'm aware of it, and I look on the menu and I do my best.
I think that you can get psycho about it, you know?
It's hard.
What is that line?
Water, obviously, is everything you hear about, but you don't do it when I travel.
I forget and I'm busy.
Dana White told me about the, I think it's called Ultrum Ultim Electrolytes.
Whole Foods, Warming Your Water.
Makes me want to drink the water more.
And I am addicted to that now too.
And I carry, you know, one of the big cups around looking obnoxious with it on the planes everywhere.
And it has a straw.
I can't drink water unless I have like a straw.
What does that say about me?
I don't know.
But I'm just trying to do everything and moderation and to like be kinder, you know.
I do know this.
If I don't start my day with a workout, I do get cranky.
I didn't do that today.
You're lucky I'm not cranky yet.
But in general.
You did mine too today.
For me, like for each other.
We did it for each other, really.
I have a great excuse.
But all those things matter so much.
And again, first of all, you look amazing.
You have these three babies.
Like, I am doing it also so my kids see that I can squeeze it in too and establish these habits.
I'd say two of my three kids really enjoy it, but they've seen me doing it with the full-time job, with having to be the support system for all of them, with trying to follow through with some of the things that I like to do now.
My fiancé is super into it too and has gotten on me about not using enough weights.
We just bought some more for his house.
I don't want to go to a gym.
I don't have time to go to a gym.
And there's no excuse.
We have all of this ability to do right here on this rug.
There's really no excuses.
And I will look good in that dress.
Hell yeah.
Damn it.
We'll play one quick game of would you rather?
Yes.
I'm playing this with everyone.
Okay.
Would you rather run the Boston Marathon in heels or do the NFL combine drills in a pencil skirt?
NFL combine drills in a pencil skirt easily.
Would you rather wear a giant foam finger for a week straight or sing the national anthem at a Super Bowl?
Foam finger.
Foam finger all the way.
Would you rather have to explain the offside rules in soccer to a group of toddlers or teach Bob Costas how to do TikTok dancing?
Or teach what?
Bob Costas how to do TikTok dances.
Bring it, Bob.
I have some points of contention with Bob anyway.
We've had a couple political discussions.
Bob Costas all the way.
Would you rather do a hot yoga class in full makeup or a cold plunge interview with zero prep?
Hot yoga, full makeup.
I can't be cold.
Like that's hell to me.
Don't make me cold.
My hotel room, thermostat, stays at like 74.
I'm a 68 kind of girl.
That's healthier.
It's a lot better.
You win.
Would you rather be a contestant on Dancing with the Stars or be a trainer on the biggest loser?
That's a good one.
I would, can I say both?
No, I can't.
Gotta answer.
I don't know that I would be a great trainer, but I would say Dancing with the Stars, the reason why back in the day I would have been interested in that is because it gets you in the best shape.
Like, I know people who've done that show, as you do too, I'm sure.
It gets you in such good shape, so it'd be like killing two words with one stone, and then who knows what comes out of it.
And again, I'm 52.
I don't care.
You can laugh at me.
I'll look like an idiot.
What's your go-to hype song when you need a mood shift?
It is Anything 90s Hip Hop.
It's going on.
I'm a pony.
Like, what are we doing?
Well, actually, like, lately, it's been like post-Malone.
Like, I just go, because I went to a couple of his concerts and fell in love in a very healthy way, of course.
Are you an early bird or night owl?
Both.
Okay, both days.
Dave is rolling his eyes because I get four hours of sleep.
Okay, night owl for sure.
I think I'm at my best at night because I can get stuff done without my phone dinging, you know?
But I do enjoy the mornings now too, and I enjoy the sunrise.
So that's a problem, right?
I need more sleep.
I need to become more of a morning person.
What's your favorite TV show to binge?
I don't watch TV.
Nothing right now.
No, I'm a weirdo.
I don't watch TV.
Wait, what did we just, what series did we just start watching?
Ozarks.
Ozark.
I watched.
I've watched you.
I don't watch TV because you know what?
I had to for 30 years.
I don't even watch that many sports anymore except for like, you know, NBA Finals or Super Bowl.
What are some items that you always keep in your bag?
Items I always keep.
Well, lip gloss.
I go to lip gloss.
It's like some CVS brand.
I don't know.
I'm cheap in that way because you don't have to go crazy with that.
And my bars.
Why can't I remember?
Dave, what are my bars?
Aloha.
Aloha bars.
Yeah, I feel like they're the ones that I, the ones that I've found at least that have the least amount of crap in it and high protein.
Aloha hard bars.
Sometimes I'll have two or three in a day when I'm on a plane and don't want to go to Popeye's chicken in the airport.
Because I would, but I'm trying to get a wedding dress.
If you could pick only one sport to watch for the rest of your life, what would it be?
It'd be football, NFL.
Who's your team?
See, these should be simple questions, but they're not because I stopped having a team because I tried to be unbiased for so long.
I grew up as a Broncos fan.
I would say my team now is the Baltimore Ravens because I covered them for five seasons.
The ownership is incredible.
That owner encouraged me.
Steve Pachati encouraged me through some of those tough times publicly, always.
And my brother is the senior vice president of public relations for the Baltimore Ravens.
And if they do well, then he gets bonuses.
And I like my niece and nephew.
So go, Ravens.
Support the family.
Yes.
All right, last two.
What fake name do you use at Starbucks?
I actually don't.
I actually don't.
It's like a test.
Did they spell my name right?
Here's a funny thing: they don't.
Because now all the cool kids, well, I don't know if they're all cool kids who work at Starbucks, but the kids spell sage with an I. S-A-I-G-E.
And like an American doll has a Sage doll with I.
And so I'm always like, okay, this is.
American Girl Dolls are a racket right now.
It's so expensive.
Well, it's always been expensive.
That's why I made the mistake of letting them.
It's all made in China.
Exactly.
American Girl Doll all made in China.
Isn't that brilliant?
I know.
I took my girls to the one in New York City when I lived in Connecticut.
And it's like this whole thing, and then you take them to like the boutique and they get their hair done.
And you're like, how did I just leave spending $1,300 because we're idiots.
Yes.
So yes, Sage, American Girl Doll.
So should I be using a fake name at Starbucks?
I think everyone does at some point.
Why?
I don't know.
Even if you're not recognizable or whatever.
Just to see how they write it on the cup.
Like, this is what the people are doing.
Okay, so what should my fake name be?
Anyone?
What should my fake name be?
I don't know.
Whatever you're feeling that day.
It's like the last person your text message is.
I need to make something like crazy to see if they judge me for it.
All right, Wash.
I'll say Donald Trump.
Let's see what happens next time.
See how that goes.
See how it goes for you.
Starbucks.
Take a picture of your cup.
I'll say, yeah.
Trump.
That's my first name.
Really?
What is the last time you've been Instagram influenced to buy something?
That happens a lot.
It happens a lot.
A lot.
Oh, it was, it was with, I wear a mouth guard at night.
Yeah.
And it's the little sonic cleaner.
I have one of those.
The Zima Abusa.
Yes.
Yes, I own one of these.
I bought one for my fiancé's house too.
And we just used it.
And I'm like, oh my God, what was I putting in my mouth?
Look how clean it looks.
I don't know if it works, but it like looks cleaner.
So, and I did the jewelry one too.
But I'm like, okay, so between my engagement ring always looking pretty now and my mouth guard.
Yeah.
So that tells you a lot about me, doesn't it?
Instagram influenced.
I bought a pair of socks recently.
Yeah, they're really cool.
Thank you so much for doing this with me.
I really appreciate it.
Thank you for having me.
I love that you're doing this.
We need more women like you in this space.
And plus as a young mom, you know, again, remember, those kiddos are watching.
Yes, my kiddos watch everything I do.
Good battery, right?
And my toddler now taking the phone out and turning the flashlight on to like look for things under the bed.
So anyway.
The things that we teach our kids.
Thank you all for joining.
I really hope you appreciated this episode of the Katie Miller Podcast.