Drugs, Guns, and Butts

Have you ever wondered what it takes to turn a potential 10-year prison sentence into an inspiring story of transformation? Join us as we share a personal account of incredible journey through the demanding drug court program, a life-changing experience that tested resilience and strength. Witness a triumphant graduation, which brings home the profound impact of accountability, support, and second chances in shaping a new path toward a healthier and happier life.

Tragedy struck at a courthouse in Griffin, Georgia, where an unexpected shooting shocked a community and sparked a conversation about safety that extends beyond the courtroom. We'll navigate the emotional aftermath and discuss the urgent need for effective, practical solutions to ensure the safety of our schools and communities.

Then, indulge in a spirited chat where we embrace the lighter side of life, from the art of customizing Starbucks orders to the empowering journey of female bonding and body positivity. Discover the joy in spontaneous conversations filled with laughter, fashion mishaps, and the celebration of beauty at every size. We wrap up with an invitation to connect with our community, share your stories, and keep these heartfelt discussions alive. Whether you're seeking inspiration or a moment of genuine connection, this episode promises to offer both in abundance.

Go to my website http://www.virago247.net for all things Virago 24/7
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Everyday growth, everyday healing with everyday warriors!

Music by Deli Rowe: "Space to Move"
Logo by Kaylin Talley

Chapters

• 0:00 Drug Court Success and Tragedy
• 7:12 Courthouse Shooting Triggers School Safety Concerns
• 18:39 School Safety and Gun Control Discussion
• 24:14 Starbucks Drinks and Manifesting Goals
• 37:18 Female Bonding and Body Positivity
• 42:06 Podcast Connection and Engagement

Transcript

Drug Court Success and Tragedy

Speaker 1 0:00

Last week on Brago 24-7.

Speaker 2 0:02

Read some of your pieces at open mic night.

Speaker 1 0:10

But no, this is since we're talking about being open and we're making changes. So her mom just graduated from what did we call it Drug court.

Speaker 2 0:21

Okay, explain what it is Cause.

Speaker 1 0:23

I was. I was invited and we went. What was it? Friday? Friday morning. There's a lot of drama that went with it, but we'll start with the positive. Hi, I am your host, leonette Talley, and you are listening to Virago 24-7. Virago is Latin for female warrior and 24-7 is for all day, every day. Virago 24-7 is a weekly podcast that brings diverse women together to talk about life and our experiences in this world. We share our views on self-love, mental health, marriage, children, friendships and really anything that needs to be talked about. Here you will find everyday growth, everyday healing with everyday warriors.

Speaker 3 1:15

So my mom it was. So there's been several times my I don't know how many times, but my mom has been arrested, but I think she has 39 felonies, so a lot. And there's been several times over the course of I don't know 25, 30 years that they've talked about this drug court program. But my mom never thought that she would be able to complete it. Nobody ever thought that she would be able to complete it, or even the court thought that she was too sick to enter the program. The court thought that she was too sick to enter the program.

Speaker 3 1:46

So essentially what it is is it's a two-year program and you are heavily, heavily monitored. So they have the. They track your location anywhere you go. They have to track it. The courts do. You have to wake up at every morning at 5 am to take a drug test. You have to go to so many AA or NA meetings a week. You have to do so many therapy sessions a week, so many there's another kind of meeting that you have to do. It is just such a heavily monitored program.

Speaker 1 2:12

And we saw so, like Shiny they had. So we walk in the courtroom because there's a bunch of there's a bunch of people in the program, so there was two that graduated, your mom and another lady, and then the rest were there. They go every two weeks. Your mom said it's every Friday. Every Friday, they go Every two weeks.

Speaker 1 2:28

I think she said it could be every week or every two weeks, it's either every Friday or every other Friday and they have to go in front of the same judge every month. Yes, and the therapists report to him. So he had like handcuff one of the girls because she's not following what. She missed a few meetings or something like that.

Speaker 3 2:49

You miss a drug test, or you fail a drug test, or one guy got in trouble for taking DayQuil.

Speaker 1 2:55

Yes, yep For taking DayQuil, because they have to ask If you put anything in your body?

Speaker 3 2:58

Ask.

Speaker 1 2:59

Yep.

Speaker 3 2:59

Yes, if you put anything in your body, even over-the-counter prescriptions or anything like that, you have to get permission prior to doing so, and so he was either putting them on house arrest. You can't drink energy drinks. Oh wow, you can't vape. I mean it is such a strict program and she did it for two years.

Speaker 1 3:17

Yeah, about two years ago she was facing.

Speaker 3 3:19

I think she was facing like 10 years prison time and it was either she go to prison for 10 years or she do this drug court program. And I'll never forget my mom called me and she's like I'm going into drug court and I'm like peace, I'll see you in 10, because I did not for a second think that she was going to be able to complete it.

Speaker 3 3:36

I never in a million years I'm so thankful and glad and I had actually. No, I was completely hopeless, like I did not have any faith in her. Just because it was. It was such a pattern over the past 30 years Like um, but she did, she thrived and she looks healthier.

Speaker 1 3:53

She looks so healthy Blowing. I have chills. I know, me too. I just got chills. I thought I was cold in here, but it was so cool because so they went through each person and they had to get in front of the judge and he he's so even the ones that he was disappointed in. You know, they have to ask about what they. He asked them about their struggles and you know what was a obstacle this this week.

Speaker 1 4:16

And so you know yeah he kept asking about the toolbox Are you using the tools from your toolbox? So it was very nice. I was like, wow, I didn't know it existed. Bree said that it's been around forever.

Speaker 3 4:28

Oh, it's been around forever for as long as I can remember. It just was very like wow. And it's not something like you have to qualify to get into the program as well. It's not something that you do drugs so you can get in this program. They have to look at the statistics of whether or not you'll be able to complete it. So it's pretty much rehabilitation so that they don't go to prison.

Speaker 1 4:52

It is Because it's either you do this program or you're in prison or you go to prison.

Speaker 3 4:54

There's like no other choice. They revoke your parole, they revoke your probation, they revoke your house or whatever the case may be, and you finish your time in prison. Yeah.

Speaker 1 5:00

Yeah.

Speaker 3 5:00

And my mom was facing like 10 years.

Speaker 1 5:02

So she was standing up there with her diploma and pretty much every person that's still in the program stood up and said great things about her.

Speaker 3 5:11

It was, it was, it was, it was beautiful.

Speaker 1 5:16

We're crying, crying, boohoo tears. It was beautiful.

Speaker 3 5:22

As her daughter. Like I, obviously I love the shit out of my mom and she you know but there's been so many times just to be fully transparent that she has disappointed the shit out of me and she's hurt me and she's let me down and I lost that like um maternal view of my mom. I lost all respect for my mom. I lost all of these things that makes a mother a mother for my mom, and so to and I've, you know, slowly gained them back over the first or, you know, over the last two years, and so to see all of these other people stand up and say all of these things about my mom and how how wonderful she is and how much they respect her and how much she helped, them.

Speaker 3 6:01

It was insane, it was.

Speaker 1 6:02

Everybody was crying yeah. Then it was insane. It was. Everybody was crying, yeah, it was, it was beautiful, and you stood up and you said some beautiful things. It was, and then something tragic happened. So so we're all up there, you know, saying all these praises to your mom and and you just had, you just gave a beautiful speech and literally you'll take it from here, bree, but we're in Griffin Georgia. For anybody that knows Griffin Georgia, it's a very small town. Like we're driving through. I'm like we need to leave as soon as this is done. Yeah, because it's just a podunk little town.

Speaker 3 6:39

It's sketchy for sure, and it's not that it's like, it's just old, it just looks like it's been there.

Speaker 1 6:47

Yeah, and country like just what you've envisioned a small southern town. So we, so we're in. So we're literally in the middle of this small town in their little courthouse praising brie's mom and all her accomplishments, and then we hear, yeah, and at first exactly what it sounds.

Courthouse Shooting Triggers School Safety Concerns

Speaker 3 7:09

Yeah, and so so we hear that. And so who went it was? It was my mom, obviously. It was Leonette, it was Mushka, which is my grandmother, and Tidon, which is my aunt, and my son Maddox, my oldest son, um, and your mom's girlfriend and my mom's girlfriend and we were kind of like sketched out when we first got there, like we were talking about the town on the way to the courthouse. Yeah, anyway, so my mom's giving her, like my mom's talking now, or my mom's therapist is giving her speech.

Speaker 1 7:35

Yes, the therapist yeah.

Speaker 3 7:36

You hear the boom, boom, boom In my mind. Shit you not. I'm thinking he's gonna go tell them to shut up yeah, what is in session? Yeah, and he looks out the window and all of a sudden he just he's like oh shoot, and he takes off running. He takes off running and then from there everyone panics. And then, as soon as he starts running or gets to the door of the courtroom, you hear it again boom, boom yeah, it was like a pause and then boom, boom, boom yeah and so everybody like ducks down well, some of the guys that were in are in the program.

Speaker 1 8:18

they ran to the window and they're like yep, someone's dead, there was a shooting, they were so nonchalant about it. Someone's dead, there was a shooting, they were so nonchalant about it. Someone's dead in the street.

Speaker 3 8:25

Yeah, we all get down like in the courtroom pews, like I shove my son under one of the pews and I'm like laying next to him. Mushka, which is my grandmother, is like freaking out.

Speaker 1 8:36

We were like climbing over people, and your mom was so calm.

Speaker 3 8:45

She's like those are bulletproof windows. Okay, so if you see in the video, I have a video. My aunt was taking a video of my mom up there and you can see in the video because you know in when something like that happens. You happen so fast kind of like almost blackout, so you have no idea what's going on around you. Um small parts, yes, but like you can see, my mom started to freak out.

Speaker 1 9:02

She puts her hand over her mouth and she's like a shooting. And then everybody like runs the judge, runs into his chambers yeah he's it was insane some guy comes in.

Speaker 1 9:13

He looked like he had a suit on. I don't know what he is in the courthouse but, he, he was somebody and he's like radio and he's like gunshots, gunshots and he's shutting because there's three windows in that courthouse and and so he told everyone to go sit back down and they closed the little blind door for the shutters and he's just like reporting it, like I mean I'm sure you have to stay calm in that situation. For us non-criminals, yeah we're like what the hell?

Speaker 3 9:40

First of all and second of all, we had no idea that the windows were bulletproof yeah, we didn't learn until after things calmed down, that the bullet, that the windows were bulletproof. And also I, for we were on the third floor. Yes, and I completely forgot any of that.

Speaker 1 9:54

Like I, I thought we're like, oh shit yes, that's what it felt like yes, because it's literally outside the window. It's literally like where the swing set is yes, that's how far away. And so they literally go back to their regular schedule program. They're like, okay, should we finish the ceremony? And we're all like I was, my heart was racing. I on the outside, I seemed calm, but my insides were like shaking.

Speaker 3 10:19

I guess I know you well so I you were panicking.

Speaker 1 10:22

I was like, you were like your, because I'm reacting. I don't like guns, I'm not a.

Speaker 1 10:26

I'm not a big and I know this is the biggest con like controversial, controversial topic in our country right now. I don't like them. I've never had I don't like them in Puerto Rico, when I grew up there. You can hear them. I've never been around it like that, but you just no, no, that's not my thing. And so come to find out it's a woman that was killed by her husband. They had just left the courthouse. You guys can Google it. Google it Griffin, georgia, spalding County Courthouse.

Speaker 3 10:59

Yes, google that and you'll be able to read it. It's um. They had just had court together. I don't know if it was divorce proceeding, I don't know exactly what it was, but this woman had been posting on her facebook, yes, saying that he was stalking her, stalking her family. She was scared for her life, she was scared for the life of her children. She got in her car, on in her car outside the courthouse and he shot her through the window yeah, oh my, and they pulled her out.

Speaker 1 11:24

And they pulled her out because everyone reacted very quickly. I watched them try to revive her and they she died on the scene oh my, I didn't want to look out the window, so I never looked out the window. Once I looked out the window, okay, so my biggest thing is too.

Speaker 3 11:39

Is I needed to know?

Speaker 3 11:41

that whoever was shooting was no longer shooting like Like. For me, my son was there and and hearing. I've never experienced anything like that and we all know about the school shootings that are happening every fucking day right now. And for me as a mother, sending my child to school is stressful every single day and I've never experienced anything so close. So having my child feet away from where somebody was just shot and killed was, yeah, mind-blowing, and I needed to know where the shooter was. So I walked out of the courtroom. I had to go to the bathroom. I walked out and I asked the cop. I was like is the where's the shooter? Did you guys get the shooter? And they, they told me that the shooter was deceased, he was actually lifelighted and and he's still alive right, he's still.

Speaker 3 12:28

He's a critical condition he shot himself and he shot her and then shot himself and we didn't.

Speaker 1 12:34

But we didn't know any of this. We found this out after the fact. But when we were when it first happened, the guys ran to the window and they're like, oh, it's a drive-by, it's a drive-by. So we're thinking gang drive-by. We didn't know. My mom looks at me.

Speaker 3 12:48

I'm like mom, like what the fuck? My mom looks at me and goes. She goes, it's okay, honey, it's probably a gang. And I was like girl, this is not cool.

Speaker 1 12:55

We were so quick to get out of there because we were going to have lunch afterwards and Bree's like we're going to go eat lunch.

Speaker 1 13:00

I was like take me back to Petri Quarters, far, far, far away from here. Yeah, it was traumatic because, like you said, for either and no way these kids that are in a school. This was outside of a courthouse. We had guards, they have the metal detectors, so, in like my emotions, my heart was beating but my brain was saying we're fine. Yeah, like I wasn't, I didn't feel like we were in trouble or anything like that. Even though it was, I cannot imagine these kids in this, in these schools, like literally being next door and witnessing this, or like in the same classroom of their students dying being murdered.

Speaker 3 13:45

It's I got home that night and I texted Lynette because I opened my freaking phone and there was a news article that that day somebody brought a gun. A child, a middle schooler, brought a gun to Duluth middle school and was arrested.

Speaker 1 13:59

And this school for those don't live here is right down the street from us. That's where Kaylin went to school. It's the school that my son would be going to and that's where Kaylin went for three years.

Speaker 3 14:08

It was Duluth middle and that night, like I, my nerves were shot and I mean even still are. And what I can't wrap my brain around is why the fuck did I have to go through a metal detector? Three police officers put my back through a metal detector thing, put you know take my phone, my keys, all of that stuff and my kids just going into school, willy nilly, I I can't wrap my brain around it Like I genuinely cannot wrap my brain around it, like I genuinely cannot wrap my brain around it I don't know.

Speaker 1 14:35

I don't know what the answer is, because I'm not.

Speaker 3 14:37

We need metal detectors in every school. Why are we guarding banks the way we guard banks but not our freaking children? It makes no sense to me. Airports and and and I'm not saying that those, those don't everywhere does, and and people are like, oh well, that'll look bad.

Speaker 1 14:52

Or that'll stress the kids out.

Speaker 3 14:54

Do you know what else will stress the kids out Hearing their friend get shot? You know what else will stress the kids out Seeing their teacher get shot? Like like. Let's stop the bullshit. Let's stop Like what, what looks, what it looks like. Let's protect our freaking kids. Sorry, I'm I know my son just went into middle school and and in elementary school you still worry about it everywhere, like it's always in the back of my mind.

Speaker 1 15:16

But middle school for some reason high school are just so like and I just I can't wrap my head around it.

Speaker 3 15:23

if I have to go see a fucking concert and go through a metal detector and be searched and have to take a clear bag, why is why isn't that happening at the middle schools? Because this is happening every single day. Yeah, yeah, sorry.

Speaker 1 15:36

No, I feel you.

Speaker 2 15:38

No, I agree, it's happening so much that it's becoming normal it is Well, you and I didn't have to grow up that way, Shiny.

Speaker 3 15:50

No.

Speaker 1 15:50

I didn't. I had to go back because I was like when was Columbine? And it was 99 and I graduated in 98. And so we never had to go through any of that. So literally my kids Kaylin that's all she knows and all these drills that they do, and all because we want our rights yeah. You know we want our rights to have guns.

Speaker 3 16:10

Fuck our rights, let rights. Yeah, you know, we want our rights to have guns and our rights.

Speaker 1 16:12

Let's take care of our kids. So I know we would turn off a lot of people by going down that road, but I don't give a shit who I tick off and I'm not.

Speaker 3 16:20

I don't know if I'm allowed to say this. I probably shouldn't what? I'm not a fan of abortions. I, I do not believe in abortions as a form of birth control. I'm not a fan of abortions. Okay, I feel like you know. Oh, we're going down all the but, but this is my thing, but this is my thing we're so gung-ho to, to the like anti-abortion and like, but. But these children, who, who go to school?

Speaker 1 16:44

are at risk and we're doing nothing to protect them. It's mind-blowing to me it's like our priorities are in the wrong, like we're thinking about the wrong, not we. The idiot, the idiots, the idiots that are running this country, and this isn't political Like this is not political.

Speaker 3 16:58

This is just the facts.

Speaker 1 16:59

This is just like the hard truth.

Speaker 3 17:02

Yeah, this is the hard truth. I'm not saying that, oh, abortion should, should, should be allowed or should not be allowed. What I'm saying is we focus so much of our energy on certain things, we pick and choose what we pretend. Let's protect our freaking kids.

Speaker 1 17:16

Like I, I know and after witnessing that on a I mean, do we call it a small scale? I don't know. I mean it was not fun to be a part of. I just I can't imagine being a teenager.

Speaker 3 17:34

And it's sad, like the relief I felt to know that it was a domestic altercation Like I should have. I mean, it's sad to say like I'm heartbroken that somebody lost their life, I'm heartbroken that somebody suffered and endured all of that before they lost their life. Like and actually said hey, I'm afraid of money, but I'm but I was relieved that it was a domestic altercation because you know, the day before that it was just some random.

Speaker 3 17:55

Joe Blow who got pissed off on the highway. You know what I'm saying. Like it's just, this world is so freaking scary, yeah, and I feel so bad for my kids and I, if I was not a single mother who had to work full time to, you know, support my kids, I would a thousand percent, a thousand percent, homeschool my children and I'm not a homeschool girl. Like I genuinely believe in going to school and getting that like high school experience and Friday night football games and all of this stuff. I don't want my son to go to a Friday night football game. I don't know what's going to happen. Seriously, like I want, I want to. I texted Leonette. I was like I don't, me and my kids are moving to Switzerland.

Speaker 1 18:31

And I said and I've lived in switzerland, that's a good place, yeah, that's a good place to raise kids.

School Safety and Gun Control Discussion

Speaker 3 18:38

That's all I said. I'm like that's a great place. Yes, it's shitty to have to think about these things and I feel like it's like almost taboo to like talk about or to think about, or everybody wants to make everything political or or well you're, you're a democrat because you don't like guns or you're a Republican because, you're in favor of guns. No, I'm in favor of protecting the people.

Speaker 1 18:56

That's just, I don't know. I feel like that's a small minded way of viewing things and that's just a defense mechanism for most people that don't know how to explain why they feel how they feel.

Speaker 2 19:06

And it's just dividing us, and we need to be staying together.

Speaker 3 19:11

We all care about our we're not called the divided states of America.

Speaker 1 19:16

No, she's saying it. Okay. Okay, dad, that was such a dad joke. That was good. She said we're not the divided states of America. Yeah, people, you're right, I need you to go to Congress with that. I need you to take that straight to Washington DC.

Speaker 3 19:37

That's why I have such a bad taste in my mouth whenever it comes to politics, because you say like, let's protect our kids, and they're like oh well, this is your political party. I'm not talking about politics, I'm talking about protection, I just I can't.

Speaker 1 19:51

I think, when it comes to the kids, though, the fact that um that some of the parents are being arrested, I think that will hopefully be.

Speaker 3 20:00

Oh, a thousand percent.

Speaker 1 20:02

You know, hold the parents accountable.

Speaker 3 20:03

Yeah, yeah, a thousand percent People want to make these long, drawn out articles about and again make everything political or everything like. Well, we can't do this because of that no, it's excuses. Put metal detectors in our kids schools. Have more security for our children.

Speaker 1 20:17

That's just simple and minimize and yes, gun control gun laws.

Speaker 2 20:21

Let's talk about that you really want to talk about that. Let's talk about that, and and encourage our parents to talk to our kids more. Yeah, increase. Well, I don't communication. I love that shiny, but there's a lot of shitty parents that should not to talk to our kids more.

Speaker 1 20:32

Yeah, Increase communication. I love that Shiny, but there's a lot of shitty parents that should have not been parents and they're not going to do that. I was looking at, but that's really pretty and beautiful I was Googling bulletproof backpacks the other night.

Speaker 3 20:47

The only thing I could be worried about about what's in my child's book bag is freaking binders and candies and snacks. Like, why am I Googling bulletproof backpacks for my kids? It's disgusting, yeah, I know.

Speaker 2 21:02

Or maybe see-through backpacks.

Speaker 3 21:05

Some schools have that which. I think is great I took my kids to the fair on Sunday.

Speaker 1 21:10

That boy that shot up at Appalachia. There's no way he carried that thing in his backpack. The thing was huge.

Speaker 3 21:17

I have. No, there are secret passages to get into these schools back doors, janitor door, all of that I have no idea. I'm like no one one I don't know, but if we had metal, detectors at every entrance and every exit of the schools. It would resolve so many issues, so many issues. And people say like, uh, veterans, like we want to give veterans jobs, let's give them jobs. Security at my kid's school, you know what I'm saying I'm dead, serious, I'm dead serious like there. There are so many solutions we're just, we're just worried.

Speaker 2 21:48

We need to get a brie up there to washington dc I mean, now that she's sober, she's clear-minded.

Speaker 1 21:55

I mean she got. She's got some great ideas. She has ideas, solutions to every problem.

Speaker 2 22:00

I was sitting here like my. My facial expressions are reacting to everything you're saying and I I agree, protecting our kids, it's I feel.

Speaker 2 22:10

Sometimes I get numb, yeah yeah when I hear you have to, because you hear these horrible, horrible stories and I don't know what to do because, say, say, that parent was me, yeah, I, I can't. I guess I can't even, cause I am an empathetic person, but so much so that sometimes I have to just turn off as if this is not real. This is not happening, because I get just bubble. Yes, cause you. That's a coping mechanism too, right.

Speaker 3 22:45

Like right, but I'm denied just like oh my God, luxury right now, Because if you think about all these things you'll drive yourself manic.

Speaker 2 22:52

It's scary, it is very scary and I and I am a homeschool mom, right, so I don't have, I don't have regrets about that.

Speaker 3 23:03

Well, after everybody can do it Not everyone can do that.

Speaker 3 23:07

I had plans to take my boys to the fair this past weekend and after that happened, when I tell you, I played out all of these scenarios. Like we're on the Ferris wheel and then somebody gets pissed off and there's a shooting, and I'm stuck in a Ferris wheel with my kids, like all of these things turn this like fun, beautiful thing. And then when we get to the fair there's a huge sign clear bags only, including diaper bags. I couldn't even take my diaper bag into the fair.

Speaker 2 23:34

Oh, wow, okay.

Speaker 3 23:35

I took my stroller. They searched my stroller. They searched me, they searched my kids. We had to go through police officers and security.

Speaker 1 23:42

Oh wow, they were doing that at the fair. At the fair. Oh wow, but not at my son's school. Wow.

Speaker 3 23:48

Like it. Just, I went to go check my Maddox out of school last week and they have a camera on the outside. So I ring the little doorbell and they're like can we see your ID? I literally flash my ID and I go in and say I'm getting Maddox Weaver, tell me what my birthday is. I know for a fact you did not look at my ID that. Well, come on now.

Starbucks Drinks and Manifesting Goals

Speaker 1 24:10

But I'm just allowed to go in there and get my kid Dang. Okay, we know who's going to.

Speaker 2 24:14

I was going to say I am so curious of your milky drink that you're having.

Speaker 3 24:19

Starbucks. It's an apple crisp macchiato with vanilla, sweet cream, cold foam and extra caramel drizzles.

Speaker 1 24:26

Why is this such a complicated drink?

Speaker 2 24:29

Did you know? Okay, no.

Speaker 1 24:31

When you go to Starbucks. How did you order that?

Speaker 3 24:34

A vanilla, an ice.

Speaker 1 24:36

No, hey, welcome to Starbucks. What would you?

Speaker 3 24:39

like Hi, can I please get a grande apple crisp macchiato vanilla, sweet cream, cold foam and extra caramel drizzles? Okay, yeah.

Speaker 1 24:44

Monday apple crisp macchiato vanilla sweet cream, cold foam and extra caramel drizzle.

Speaker 3 24:47

Okay, yeah, oh, my goodness. All of the apple stuff builds up at the bottom, so you shake it and with every sip you get the apple stuff. It's really good.

Speaker 2 24:53

So that was actually one of my interviews last week, and it was on the bottom of the barrel of places that I wanted to apply to, Not because it's not an incredible company to work for but this was intimidating to me, what you just said. You just said like you just read a paragraph and then some magical barista whips it up.

Speaker 3 25:16

So the good news is about that sort of thing. Now is the um, the computers. So I've I've worked in restaurants and I've worked in the food industry many times. So let's say that somebody comes I've worked in the food industry many times so let's say that somebody comes in and they order an ice. You know they have a button for it and then they have all of these add-on buttons right under that, so it's not as intimidating.

Speaker 1 25:35

And then it pulls up on the other person that's making it yeah, and they just print a sticker like this but how do they know?

Speaker 2 25:41

So that's what.

Speaker 1 25:42

I'm on Because I so that's what I'm intimidated.

Speaker 2 25:44

And I'm somebody who loves to cook, you know, and concoct things. But yes, it sounds very overwhelming. But the woman that interviewed me, she said that you learn a base and then you build on it. But the reason I changed and this is going to be completely a different subject right now that's okay, I hope you don't mind.

Speaker 3 26:06

That's what we're doing. We're moving all over the place.

Speaker 2 26:09

Well, so, as you know, I'm looking for work for so long and I am willing to work one, two, three, whatever it takes, because my goal right now is financial independence and freedom. And I changed my perspective on applying to Starbucks because I realized, okay, you've got to. Instead of being overwhelmed and feeling anxious and nervous about learning something that sounds or seems complicated, think of it, as I'm going to use a different part of my brain and learn something new to decrease cognitive decline it's intriguing when you go in starbucks.

Speaker 3 26:54

It's intriguing to watch them put all this different shit.

Speaker 1 26:57

I'm always impressed by them. I love it, so I like a. So my drink is a triple tall vanilla latte with oat milk, because I'm finding out that dairy is sensitive to my belly.

Speaker 2 27:07

A triple, triple espresso, yes, I love them all.

Speaker 1 27:12

And they always want to upgrade the size and I'm like, no, the point is everybody. This is the point. I want lots of espresso, little bit of milk. Yeah, I like a lot of espresso, so I want to condense it and there was one time where I was like I said it real slow. No, I just need you to spit it out because I thought it was complicated.

Speaker 3 27:30

Yeah, damn, yours is way more see I don't mind, just three shots of oat milk, vanilla so I got the drink that's on their menu and then I just added vanilla, sweet cream, cold foam and extra caramel drizzle. That's not complicated, but that sounds foreign to me.

Speaker 2 27:44

It does Sweet All of it. It's the sweet cream, cold foam.

Speaker 1 27:49

It's the foam at the top and I could drink a whole cup of it.

Speaker 3 27:51

It's so freaking good.

Speaker 1 27:52

I've learned about cold foam through.

Speaker 3 27:54

Don't tell me anything bad.

Speaker 1 27:56

The 14-year-old Corinne no, because she likes to get the strawberry refresher with fold comb, the cold foam, and I and I and I think she got it from tiktok back, probably like last year yeah because the strawberry drink does have caffeine as well.

Speaker 2 28:11

It does, yes, doesn't the?

Speaker 3 28:12

refresher.

Speaker 2 28:13

I don't know, the refreshers do caffeine, because I like the um oh they do dragon fruit, oh, I love all of those, but I don't like mine with lemonade.

Speaker 1 28:22

I like it. With water same. Yeah, I did the same thing with lemonade because I don't like it too sweet. I like it with water?

Speaker 2 28:26

Same, yeah, I did the same thing. She likes it with lemonade? Yes, because I don't like it too sweet. Yeah, but just like you, I wanted to eat. You know, the new flavors came out with apple and pumpkins and I feel like sometimes I can overdo it with this. Pumpkin spice, pumpkin spice cake, pumpkin spice muffins. Pumpkin spice in your drink.

Speaker 3 28:48

So I did the apple crisp and I I really did so this. I'm not a coffee drinker, I'm more of an energy drink early, I love energy drinks.

Speaker 2 28:51

You'll hardly ever see me drink a cup of coffee interesting but every fall starbucks the apple crisp, I'll drink that this is my first time doing the apple crisp, because I always do the pumpkin, because so I, because I even do a full chai and I add fresh pumpkin spice into my. I'm not a big fan of pumpkin.

Speaker 1 29:09

I love I'm not a big pumpkin, I like the apple, I love a pumpkin candle smell. I'm not a pumpkin girl, but like the actual, like pumpkin pie and pumpkin, this and pumpkin, that's not me.

Speaker 2 29:19

No, pumpkin pie is disgusting in my personal opinion, the texture like eating poop.

Speaker 3 29:22

Yeah, yeah Out of Like eating poop, yeah yeah, out of a baby's diaper. Yeah yeah, it's, I'm not, I do not like pumpkin pie.

Speaker 1 29:32

Let's put pumpkin pie in a diaper and watch you lick it. But for the TikTok, we'll do it for the TikTok.

Speaker 2 29:39

She's trying to get her feet.

Speaker 3 29:40

I'm going to get canceled. Yeah, follow me on TikTok. She wants to get a lot of followers, so let's.

Speaker 2 29:44

I do I want to monetize?

Speaker 1 29:47

That's going to get you a lot of followers. I feel like that would get me.

Speaker 2 29:49

That would get me the wrong audience.

Speaker 3 29:51

No, because, then I have a lot of weird men watching me eat pumpkin out of a diaper.

Speaker 2 29:57

That's genuinely my view, but it's your reaction. That would be freaking TikTok. Handle. It's Brie Brooks 6.

Speaker 3 30:04

Brie.

Speaker 2 30:04

Brooks 6.

Speaker 3 30:05

Yes, so follow me on TikTok.

Speaker 1 30:07

You have pretty much everything on there.

Speaker 3 30:08

I do, but you're funny, I have funny stuff I have, cooking stuff I have like just day to day, like cooking my kids dinner and stuff like that.

Speaker 1 30:17

So, shaina and I, we're still learning. I want to monetize off of TikTok.

Speaker 3 30:21

I really do.

Speaker 1 30:22

Well, let's do it.

Speaker 3 30:23

That's my goal.

Speaker 2 30:24

That's in my three-year plan I think that's, that's a great goal, and and I'm going back again to this whole brain thing- but, it is. People call it manifesting, which is a new word for me, Cause I didn't really understand what that was but I've had. I've had a few friends now teach me that it's how you word it. It's. I already have that job. I'm already doing, really well, it's as if you're kind of in past tense or present tense.

Speaker 1 30:57

It's going to happen. It's going to happen. There's no doubt in your mind. It's going to happen, speaking it into existence.

Speaker 3 31:02

Yes, it's so powerful.

Speaker 2 31:04

I love it because it is very true what we say to ourselves which is what I've been, which is why I've said it so many times in my interviews, because it is the truth I have had a lifetime, a lifetime of being not not other people being mean to me alone, but me being mean to myself.

Speaker 2 31:25

Yeah, the things that I say all day long are so mean and hurtful to myself and I can't actually stop it because it's so stuck, but I'm changing it. So when I say something that's not very nice to myself, like I had a thought earlier, this right here she's grabbing her stomach yes, and I was thinking it in my head and I was thinking wow, brie doesn't have that.

Speaker 1 31:54

And because lc and brie had tummy tucks, yeah, so that's why Then I have this and I thought, yeah.

Speaker 2 32:08

And then I thought to myself no shiny, it's okay. Yeah, your body is different and it's lovely just the way it is. But I really had to say that yeah. Do I buy 100% of that? No, but I'm trying.

Speaker 3 32:26

You know what you can buy, though, and this is this is such a cliche thing to say, but it's so true and it's hard to get yourself to I have to catch myself a lot you have the power to change it. Whether it be a tummy tuck, whether it be whatever it takes like it's, it's changeable you're talking about that. I told shiny it is the most painful surgery oh a million, but I would do it a thousand percent over and over.

Speaker 1 32:46

People ask me that all the time they're like did it hurt?

Speaker 3 32:48

I would hurt my, okay. So very badly. I, both of my kids, were c-section. So after I have my c-section with maddox I'm like, oh, I can handle that, like after my tummy tuck. That was the worst pain I've ever physically been in.

Speaker 1 33:00

In my life would I do it a thousand times over, absolutely and now that my scar is starting to fade a little bit too.

Speaker 3 33:09

I feel so confident. I feel so sexy like I could not look at myself naked.

Speaker 1 33:15

I didn't wear a bikini, like you remember, like my stomach was not, she's always been teeny, tiny, but she would be like I remember, I remember I'm like brie, stop it. And then you literally pulled down your pants and her stomach, you know, flopped out. No, literally. Yeah, because even though she was tiny, she, she did have like that extra skin.

Speaker 2 33:37

It was extra skin and it was a it was a pouch.

Speaker 3 33:39

I was so even. I was like you know what never mind, I take it back and I apologize even like these, like tight dresses or anything tight or a shirt that you know, this outfit I could not wear because it was a, it was a pooch and you could.

Speaker 1 33:53

You just didn't want.

Speaker 3 33:54

People would say to me all the time like oh no, you don't need that, you're so skinny. And then I would show them and they'd be like oh, you can't do that, it's. It's just like instant.

Speaker 1 34:02

I'm like, okay, you're right're right, you're right it was.

Speaker 3 34:04

I couldn't wear a bikini and I had Maddox when I was 17. So from 17 to 26, I think, I got my tummy tucked. I couldn't wear. I never wore a bikini. If I was in a relationship, I couldn't let a man see me like in the daylight with without clothes on, because I was so embarrassed with my stomach.

Speaker 1 34:24

You got this you want to tell me, it's everything. She's like, yeah, it's going to be very painful, but you're going to love it. You're going to love it.

Speaker 3 34:33

And you know I, I'm uh, uh, what's it called? A member of the little butt committee. I had no butt, so I had all of my tummy tuck skin that they took from my loose skin and they injected it into my butt.

Speaker 2 34:48

Oh, can I look at it? Yeah, want to see my butt.

Speaker 1 34:51

Let's see it, she has a cute little butt now.

Speaker 3 34:54

It used to be flat. It was flat. Does it look good in these pants? It looks so cute in those pants.

Speaker 1 35:00

She has cute little pants. For those of you, we will build a picture in your head.

Speaker 2 35:04

She has cute little pants. For those of you we will, we'll build a picture in your head.

Speaker 1 35:06

She has cute little, are they like little biker shorts? Yeah, but but they're not like um tight like uh, not that, that material yeah, they're red they're cute. And then she has yeah, it's so cute, we'll take a picture and post it so you can see her yeah, so, but that's the good thing about what you were saying.

Speaker 3 35:25

That kind of stuff is, so that's true. It's so changeable, which is also like such a good thing to think about. Everything in our lives that we don't like is like changeable.

Speaker 1 35:34

We can control certain aspects Except our baby daddies.

Speaker 3 35:36

We can't change them.

Speaker 1 35:40

We stop we stop with that.

Speaker 3 35:43

Those are not interchangeable, I've learned.

Speaker 1 35:48

Oh my gosh, you are so funny. Yeah, you are great, you're great, I love it. You know what I love it?

Speaker 2 35:54

That should be a quote. Yeah, everything is interchangeable Shiny, I want you to make me a shirt with a cricket that says everything's interchangeable, except our baby.

Speaker 3 36:03

Daddy, you got it Because I got two.

Speaker 1 36:05

Now you got it, she got two and Brie thinks a person's not going to come in and like love her.

Speaker 3 36:11

With two baby daddies, I said listen, I can name a few people that I know personally that have the same issues. The other day, my 11-year-old and I went somewhere and there was this really attractive man and I looked at him and Maddox was like, mom, are you checking him out? And I was like, yeah, he's very handsome and Maddox goes.

Speaker 2 36:32

well, mom, I don't think anybody would want to date a single mom with two baby daddies.

Speaker 1 36:34

I said oh damn, it'd be your own kids. That sounds like something Corinne would say if I was in that he probably heard your you say something.

Speaker 3 36:47

Yeah, that's a good point.

Speaker 2 36:48

Because you know our children, if you, whatever you teach them, they're going to say so, maddox and Corinne, I feel like they be coming up with shit.

Speaker 1 36:58

They do, they do, they come up with stuff and you're like what the hell They'll be like Mom, did you really like?

Speaker 3 37:04

that outfit? Well, I did, and you're like what the hell I'll?

Speaker 2 37:06

be like mom, do you?

Speaker 3 37:07

really like that outfit.

Speaker 1 37:08

Well, I did before you saw it, so your voice is it Dylan or Gavin, that's like that for you. Oh, for sure Dylan. For sure Dylan yeah.

Female Bonding and Body Positivity

Speaker 2 37:13

Remember I told you I bought this outfit that I thought was really cute An influencer was wearing it.

Speaker 1 37:18

Oh, that's right, that's right you did.

Speaker 2 37:26

And it looked so good on on her and she's not skinny mini, so I thought you know what I can wear this and it came all the way from hong kong, which is fine, but the return. I couldn't return, no, and it probably took you five months just to get to you and I wore it and I walked around the house in it and both of my kids said please return that oh no, you're like your gown, like no that you.

Speaker 1 37:44

If you like it, you wear it like your, your, your like little nightgown that you just wear around the house.

Speaker 2 37:57

No, it was like it was kind of spandexy. It was something that I would wear to like a really hot swim meet oh, so I've been.

Speaker 3 38:05

Are we talking like hot, like weather, hot or hot like hot? Oh, I mean, I could be hot because we're wait, wait.

Speaker 1 38:16

So it's spandex like is it like kind?

Speaker 2 38:19

of spandex. Oh, it's not a dress, it's, it was a dress.

Speaker 1 38:21

Oh, it was short. Oh so it, for it's like form fitting. Form fitting, I mean, it was really cute.

Speaker 3 38:27

I want to see it Okay.

Speaker 1 38:28

I'll show it to you. I want to see it. I'll show it to you.

Speaker 2 38:31

But I looked ridiculous. I felt ridiculous, I didn't feel sexy.

Speaker 1 38:35

And you have to feel sexy. Yes, you do, a thousand percent dudes exactly out of your pores.

Speaker 1 38:47

Yeah, yeah, yeah, and that's what I'm trying, I'm trying to feel sexy. I, because I never did before. Well, you know what makes us feel sexy pole dancing class, uh, our yoga that we do on wednesdays, yes, oh, she is very like. It is like so sensual, like the stuff. It's like not. I was trying to explain it to I think it was adrian. It's not like your typical yoga, it's just she just feels the room, she she reads the room and we do all these swing with our hips yes, and I feel like a cow cow cow, if you guys know what that is a cow cow?

Speaker 1 39:18

no, I just do the bend and snap okay, okay, bend and snap no, but we're like on the ground and we're like getting. We feel limber, yeah, you get loose and she's just like moving the hips.

Speaker 3 39:32

It's I probably need to wait till I'm in a relationship.

Speaker 1 39:36

It's very sensual, it's really it's. It makes you feel sexy. When you leave, you're just like, yeah, yes, I really know how to move this body.

Speaker 2 39:45

Yeah yeah, it's nice. Yes, I think, and I think it's important for us women to feel that way.

Speaker 1 39:51

Yeah, well, I don't know, for some reason in my 40s. Well, in my 30s, from 30 around 35, I started to feel sexy. And then, as I've gotten older, um, in my 40s, even even though I'm the biggest that I've been, like weight wise, like that stupid ass scale is saying that I'm the heaviest I've ever been. So we don't really like her today. Yeah, we don't like her. I don't weigh myself ever, but you know, I had my doctor's appointment where they said I'm, you know, pre-diabetic. Well, they didn't say that, but that's what. Where they said I'm, you know, pre-diabetic. Well, they didn't say that, but that's what I, my research, said, the Google, the Google, the Dr Google, um, said that I'm um pre-diabetic. But yeah, I saw how much I weighed in. I'm like, oh my gosh, but even with that, I feel really good.

Speaker 3 40:38

I do, I really do. I would never think oh my gosh, leette looks bigger than she's ever been, ever.

Speaker 1 40:46

I don't feel it either no, no, no.

Speaker 3 40:49

I think that you have a lot of muscle. Thank you.

Speaker 1 40:51

Thank you, that's what I like to tell myself.

Speaker 3 40:54

It's my muscle, I posted a picture of Leonette and I the other day and my grandmother called me. She was like Mommy, what is Leonette doing? Did she get plastic surgery? I'm like what do you mean? And she's like, she looks so skinny and she does not age.

Speaker 1 41:06

And I'm like no, do you know what it is? I know how to work the camera, I know what works like, what angles work.

Speaker 3 41:11

I just post whatever you know. I know, but I know I leaned forward, you got to lean forward.

Speaker 2 41:18

I need to learn from you.

Speaker 1 41:20

I watch people.

Speaker 3 41:26

Like I just know.

Speaker 2 41:26

I look at people, there's people on the internet yes, shiny, that show you how to pose your body, so I look at those people and I'm like that's what I need to do.

Speaker 1 41:32

So I do a lot of twisting with my body and poking and all that good stuff. But I love you, ladies, I love you and this was like I said. I just want to come on and just talk yeah, we don't, let's just let it flow. Do you think we let it flow today?

Speaker 3 41:48

I think it flowed. It was a shorter story, we went from talking about shootings to our Starbucks orders within four seconds. Yeah, so I think it flowed From tummy tucks to To sensual yoga To baby daddies To baby daddies and shitty marriages.

Podcast Connection and Engagement

Speaker 1 42:03

I think we covered it all. Yeah, thank you, ladies. As always, this was fun.

Speaker 3 42:07

Can we please do this again Like?

Speaker 1 42:09

just free flow.

Speaker 3 42:10

Yes, I would love to. I like to free flow, I would love to.

Speaker 1 42:13

Because me, I just like to turn on the mics and start talking. Yes.

Speaker 2 42:16

And so I love that, you guys are for that too.

Speaker 3 42:18

Yes, that we can just talk.

Speaker 1 42:30

Yes, you ladies, love you. We'll chat. We'll chat soon. Bye. Thank you so much for listening to virago 24 7. If you haven't done so already, go ahead and hit that subscribe button and please give us five star ratings. Also, don't forget to follow us on instagram at virago 24 underscore7, and on Facebook at virago247, and just connect with us and share your story. We'd love to hear from you.