1-on-1 with DP – 93.7 The Ticket KNTK - Meghan Walker (Nebraska Track & Field) - March 27th, 2024

Episode Date: March 28, 2024

Meghan Walker (Nebraska Track & Field) - March 27th, 2024Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

It's time to go one-on-one with D.P. Coming at you live from the Cople Chevrolet GMC Studios. Here is your host, Derek Pearson. Brought you by Mary Ellen's Food for the Soul. On 937 The Ticket and the Ticketfm.com. It's Hump Day and 6 o'clock. I'm going to hang out with you for about an hour. And we'll set the table for some discussion.

And there's certain opportunities for you to talk to people and get them to kind of share their experience and their knowledge and kind of their mission and their goals. And that's a big part of it. And there are some pioneers in this station that do some things who are willing to put themselves out there for others. You know, get to buy into certain people and say, yeah, this is going to work for them.

Not everybody can do this thing that we do. And when you find people who can do it, you buy in and you say, okay, let's go. Let's do this. So 402, 464, 56685, if you want to be part of what we're doing, start our hand in the text line, you can follow on all the streams, Facebook, YouTube, Twitch X, you know, Alachan, 961. If you want to see what's happening, she got her hair did, so you probably want to tune in, you know, get a better view. You know, we were talking about it from a Nebraska track and Phil Megan Walker and for speed and power.

for what you do. First of all, thank you. Welcome. Thanks for hanging out with me for an hour. Thanks for letting me come on. I feel honored to be asked to be on your show. Well, I mean, this is kind of why we do what we do. And I keep telling people about the amazing young people who are on campus at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. I keep telling them about the students and what really is happening. I keep telling them about the athletes and letting them share the experiences but the big part is for them to get to know you and it's much easier to roof for somebody when you're vested emotionally vested in them you know what they go through to get to that moment of competition and it's not always easy so it's an opportunity to share

you with them in a way that we can mutually agree on and so I told Megan this before you know we start the show with do I have your permission to tell you tell the truth and you do not ever have to cross the line. I'm not trying to, I'm here to let you tell your story, but I'll ask questions because some things I know the answer to. Actually, here's a real truth. Harrison knows this about me. I don't ask a question. I don't already know the answer to. So, but I will ask questions so that people will know. Now, I've never heard you talk about your, your mom. Really? Not in full. You've kind of mentioned in passing. But who is your mom?

Like who is she in person? And then who is she to you? Okay. My mom, her name is Christine, Chris Walker. To me, I would say she's almost like my sister.

We, growing up, the relationship was very parent to daughter. And we, you know, we battled back and forth. We definitely had trials throughout our relationship.

But now I just view her as, I can tell her everything. And she's always going to be there for me no matter, no matter what. I literally call her like 18 times a day. I can't go a day without talking to my mom.

So there's several, and again, I know enough to know that we're going to, we're going to pull some string from the sweater. But a couple of things were said. One, it's rare. Most parents out there listening will say that if their child says from college that they want to talk to them 18 times a day, they won. They won. They're throwing confetti.

They're, like, they're raising the glass. What is it about your mom that allows a relationship? that you can communicate that often that open. I feel like it's the fact that we had such a hard high school and middle school years that we've really just grown together. And anything I can talk to my mom about, like if I'm feeling a certain way, she just talks me through it. Like she's so connected to me that we are just able to communicate and talk about anything.

And she understands how I feel. What was the friction? You talk about it. I mean, the difficulty. What was it? I was a little bit rebellious in high school, middle school. Of course, we all had that phase in our life. What?

But yeah, that just caused so much friction. and so much arguments. And, like, I feel like that's how you grow closer to someone is through arguments. You learn more about that person. Megan. Is that, like, something that you don't know. It's something I definitely had to learn. No.

Look, I sell the time that friction is required to grow up. But it can be positive friction. It can be... With the right person. Yeah, that we... Look, we're going to figure this out. We're going to go through some stuff. and to figure out who you are,

you have to be who you aren't. Those are rules in that. And as a mom, she's probably concerned. Oh, look, my daughter, she knows, how similar are you in your mom? Very similar. Okay.

So that would say this. So mom, apologies in advance for this next hour of radio. That mom, because you're so much like her, then yes, friction will happen because as parents you make mistakes so that your child doesn't repeat them. Not that they don't make them, that they don't repeat them. Exactly. And so she will tell you, hey, Megan, the stove is hot.

And Megan will go, what? Right on there. Right on there like, okay. And then she's like, okay, sure, I roll, and then she'll keep it moving. So, but through that and the rebellious part. How did she get you to land on the fact that it was in fact rebellious and not normal standard behavior? Elaborate a little bit. That you said it was that you were rebellious.

What does that mean to you? That you're going to put a rule out in front of me. I'm going to go past that rule. If you're going to tell me not to push over the wall, I'm going to push over that wall and a few other walls. Like that's how I was. Why? I feel like it was just part of my personality. Like I always wanted to see how far I could get to the line.

I wanted to play with the fire and see how far I could get until I got burned. That is so much in a statement. And every parent out there literally just went, yep. Yep. Yep. Well, and so then here's the part. Who helped you get to the place where you will say, I accept that I probably shouldn't do this.

Definitely my mom and my dad. Okay. So then let's talk about dad. And who is dad in the world and to you? Mm-hmm. In the world. Oh, how would you say like in the world? Like, well, your dad, what you do for a living and how you do it.

And then the person is like how you maneuver in that. So me as a dad, I'm kind of the fun parent. You're the fun parent? I'm the fun parent. That's hard to believe. Oh, oh, I am the fun parent. But in life, I have boundaries that keep that fun fun. causing trouble. So I work from that. How would you define your dad as a person?

So my dad works in the Secret Service. So he's very like work-minded. He's very protecting people. And so I feel like that kind of overlaps into him as a dad. He's very protective. He wants to make sure I'm okay. He wants to make sure everyone in his circle is okay. So he's a big protector and yeah, just as a father, he always wants to make sure that I'm pursuing what I want to be doing and that I'm making a difference in the world. Both of those, I'm not surprised about the security thing and it's a thing that kind of shows up later but we'll get to that I'm so excited yeah we'll get to that it's the thing that shows well I mean when that

should be the natural order that you you not only seek that in him that you find that at him that you have an identification for what secure and safety looks like not everybody has that so that that's a win and that's probably why you're able to have success But it's also probably why you've given your mom great hair that she didn't deserve. That's so true. That's so true. Because she's relying on him. You're relying on him.

And all the while, he's like, I have two of these women in my life who are just, yeah, they're both. Yeah. Yeah. Like, you know, so he's a hero. We can say that out loud through that. You then, you also said a thing in that in figuring out what you wanted to be, like you want the type of person you want to be. Who do you want to be?

Like when you make the decision to come to Nebraska and one question will lead to the next. But who do you want to be? I want to be someone that makes a difference and that people can look up to. When I came to Nebraska, I wanted to come to a place where I could put my stamp on it, where I could not just be a fish in a bowl where I could be like the bull kind of, like that people can look up to and people that can watch and be like, wow, like she did that. Like, I want to do that when I'm older. I want to do that now.

Like how is she accomplishing all of this? That's kind of what my goal was. When you say that, that you also recognize that when you're having people look up to you, you have to live the life you're asking them to follow. So here's the real challenge. Are you currently living the life that you want people to follow, or are you still trying to figure out what that life is? In some aspects, I would say yes.

In my athletics, I would say that I'm on the path that I want to be on, that I want people to watch me. I feel like sometimes in other areas of my life, I don't play into that. that role. When did you know that, okay, this track thing? When did you know that this was a thing? Like this was going to be how you ended up in Lincoln, Nebraska, or wherever you were going to be? I was in high school. I was very young. I had just had a really successful meet and I was like, this is what I'm supposed to do with my life. Like this is a gift that God has blessed me with, and I'm going to take it somewhere and glorify him with these talents. When you say that,

track is so multi-layered and multi, it's spread out. Being able to run to have. speed to have endurance that look you can you can be fast and it just not work but I think the biggest part miss misidentifying talent of track and field is the conversation you have with yourself in your head all the time all the time you have to talk yourself through the next step the next stride the next foot placement the next what are my hands in the right place from our musing my arms the right way head location am i doing this thing right so when did you recognize that you control this thing and that you didn't need to be like the team aspect of track and field is put aside it's you getting better all the time just because of you when did you figure out how that was supposed to

work for you i feel like so i transferred schools when i was in high school i'd gone to a private school my life and i went to a public school and i feel like at that point in time it was kind of like this is just me i have to get for i have to get through this for myself and your mind is very powerful It's very big and it's going to give you negative thoughts all the time. But I feel like that was a moment when I realized like I just have to get out of my head. I just have to go out there and use this gift and go run. It doesn't like, we'll see how far it takes me. You said a thing that a lot of athletes that do, they come on and do radio here, they say that the negative thoughts are going to show up.

They always do. Really? Oh, my goodness. The sarcasm. Yeah. See, this is what, give me an idea about what? some of the negative thoughts that come to mind. I'm not as fast as her.

That's such a simple thing that can kill your day. Or like she had a faster time than I did. So say it again. Just say the sentence again. I'm not as fast as her. Okay. So every coach that you've ever had, I guarantee you has told you the next statement that I'm about to make.

Give it to me. You're not racing her. Elaborate. Because sometimes I am. You're never racing her. Your only competitions yourself. That's what everyone's says. You're not racing her.

Why? You can't focus on you if your eyes are across the street or in the next lane or in front of you or behind you. That thought, you putting it on her, one takes it out of your power, the thing we talked about, right? Power is your statement to you when nobody else is talking. That's a control thing, right? So it doesn't matter what she did. because your results will tell you whether you've done the work you were supposed to do. It makes an excuse or it makes a way.

Negative thought removed because it's not a thought. There's no other opponent. It's just you doing your work. Dang. I need you just like processing all my brain thoughts. Well, but this is why I ask, I love to ask athletes and business people. When you talk about that negative thing, I need to know what that negative thing. I need to know what that negative thing is

because the moment you know what the thing is you know how to approach it and how to deal with it. Give me another negative thought. Another negative thought. You just kind of cleared all the negative thoughts there for a second. But this is what happens, right? That in order, you have, okay,

so some things that we can accept. You're an elite athlete. Statement of truth, right? Truth. Okay. You have everything you need to be as great as you need to be or want to be. True.

You have food, you have place, you have coaches, you have support. Yep. So what you don't have is an excuse. Dang. Giving me a whole bunch of wisdom right now. But Megan, it's a true thing, right? What your dad provided was resources and access. What your mom provided was all the glow and force and beauty and all of the strength of surviving these negative things.

right? Because if you can stand between mom and dad, one, and have them be proud of you, and I guarantee you they're proud of you, right? And then you look, when you look back at your hometown, they're not where you are. They're not doing what you're doing. They're proud of two. Okay. So what exactly is a negative in doing in the world of Megan Walker?

You're an elite athlete at a Power 5 school with every resource and access. I have everything you need to have everything you want. If you don't have it, it just means you don't have it yet. Yet, that's a key word. You just don't have it yet. You came to the station in an early phase in your life, and no matter how you're introduced to it, what you do with it is what matters. So I asked you a question then that you said, okay, I want to be in sports professional.

Okay. What does that picture look like to you? Like long term? Like what I want to do? You can, I don't even think you're old enough to know bewitched. I don't. I've heard of it, though. Okay.

So be witch was, you know, about witches. But they're good witches. Okay. And they had the ability to change their environment, situation, circumstances with a snap of the finger or crinkle the nose. And in that, they're able to change their situation and circumstance. They could pause time. They could go back in time. They could go forward in time.

They could change location. When you can pause things right now and say, okay, five years from now, this is what I want. This is what I will be doing. This is what it looks like. It could be ESPN. It could be Fox. It could be calling football. It could be calling basketball.

It could be announcing track meets. It could be any variety of things. In your head, when you think at the end of this, I'd like to be able to do this ultimately at some point. What is that? Okay. Five years down the line, I'm going to be, I'm thinking ESPN sideline pro sports interviewer. I want to be able to share people's stories. I want to be able to make a difference.

I want to be a female that is able to use her voice. Because I feel like this is a male predominant workforce, you know, in this area. And so I want to be a woman that can make a difference out there. Why do you want to be in it? If it's so male dominant, why do you want to be in it? Because I'm always that person that wants to change how things are. Like, I like to be different, like to stand out. So why can't there be more women?

I think there should be. As a matter of fact, I mean, that's part of why we have so many women on air is that I want you to get used to changing the way people think. think about and talk about sports. Exactly. And talk about it in that way. You said in telling stories because some of the best storytelling doesn't happen on the sideline. Ooh, that's true.

I don't know. I just feel like I've always pictured like sideline interviews because that's like the most exciting. That's going to be what people are watching. I've never like thought beyond that. I just want to like get people to talk. I want to get people to share their thoughts and their experiences. So I never thought about it like storytelling-wise.

Where would that even go? Well, personality profiles is an untapped resource. But it really is this thing that we do here, the ticket, is sometimes it's result-driven. But within the result, there's always personality stories. There's stories that happen. The who, why, where, what, when, how happens. And then it's our job to be able to break down and say, here's where we are, here's where we're going. And here's what it means.

That's storytelling. Sports is storytelling. Sidelying is intervention and sometimes it's informing. Sometimes it's entertaining. When done well, it's both. Then you have to say, okay, in order for me, in a sideline situation to tell somebody's story, you have to do the work before you ever get to the sideline. You have to be able to tell stories.

So when I asked you earlier, right? Tell me who you are and where you come from. That's setting the GPS for the story. Who are you? Where are you? How did you get here? Well, we know mom and dad. We know we'll talk about the hometown.

We'll talk about choosing the University of Nebraska. And again, in full clarity that there's zero chance of Megan Walker. I could sit for an hour and have the full conversations that we've had and will have. But in story. storytelling, which I think is the thing that you're going to excel at, I want to just be fully transparent in. You telling the story requires that you are so naturally curious about yourself because you can't tell somebody else's story without knowing yours.

True. And for you, your hometown. Tell me about your hometown. I never talk about myself. I never share my story. I know, which is why you're here. What do you want to know? I want to know.

Tell me about this hometown. Give me the tourism guide to, like, I'm going to, we're going to get in a car and go to your hometown. Oh, boy. I don't think you are going to see much in my hometown. I would love your hometown. It's a hometown. Because there's stories in every, every hometown. That's so true.

It birthed you. Why would I not be curious? That it is a pretty extraving place, I guess. Okay. Okay. I mean, like, don't take the doctor. seller for five cents and say, You told me that the other day and it's stuck in my head.

Well, my hometown, your hometown made you. I'm a legend in South Dakota now. It delivered you to Lincoln, Nebraska. One, when you gift some place, your most prized possession, your hometown delivered, prepared, delivered, formed Megan Walker. Amen.

And gave her to the University of Nebraska, Lincoln to deliver back a better version and then send out into the world an even greater version. So when I ask you what your hometown, tell me about your hometown, because your hometown made you, and it's part of who you are. I can't know you unless I know your hometown. My hometown is spectacular. Okay. I'm from Brandon, South Dakota.

Which is where? It's in between kind of Sioux Falls in South Dakota. I don't know if you know where that is. I do. I spent 30 days there two nights. that's crazy it seemed like forever oh my gosh

but I don't even know what the population would be it's a very small town Harrison look up the the population for her hometown 10,000 10,000 10,000 people live there yeah that's a lot more

that's a lot more than I expected but like everybody knows everybody kind of thing and everybody knows Megan Walker like all the police officers know me because they put me over all the time yeah I bet I'd bet that's a statement of truth.

No, but it's just like, everyone knew everyone. And that's just how it always felt. Like the church community was like, you know, like everyone went to the same church on Sunday kind of thing. 10,000 people in the same church. Okay, well, apparently not all 10,000 people. So what's the, what's the town? Brandon, South Dakota.

Brandon South Dakota. So Harrison, when you Wikipedia, Brandon, South Dakota, what does it say? We got, I mean, it's just given it a stack. It's located five miles east of Sioux Falls. the population, oh, it's actually 11K if you round up. Okay. Doesn't got a whole lot of description. It is definitely a safe place to live.

I was blessed with being in a safe environment. How, so how many high schools in your town? There was one high school. One high school. How many, is this a stoplight town where you know how many stoplights there are? Yeah, because you had to know where the police officers were. So you had to like know exactly where you're all going. Your focus was on the police officers.

I am truly. Man, I am a speedy person. I got tickets all the time. Bugged my parents. Why, Megan? Where are you going? The place is only 5 miles wide. There's nowhere to you.

There's no word to you. There's 11,000 people. You got to go see a lot of people, you know? That's not a lot of people. There's more people in your dorm. What do you? I don't live in a dorm actually. My goodness gracious.

That's insane. How many people are in Lincoln, Nebraska? That's a good question. I don't know. What is population, DP? You might know better than that. I do not. I am not from here.

I'm learning this town. This is why I ask so many questions because every day I learn. Exactly. About 300,000, Lincoln. I never would have guessed. 300,000. Well, college town, medical facilities, of course, the employees of the town are of the university are employees of the state.

So, yeah, it kind of draws more people. It's not Omaha. But the fact that there's only 3 million people in Nebraska is mind-boggling. I bet you know all of them. Somehow, you're connected. No, no, my connections are. outside of Nebraska. My connections are outside of Nebraska with Megan Walker, Nebraska track. Listen, so here's what we'll do. It's a word to break.

Come back. We'll talk more about Brandon. And then we'll talk about how you get to where you are today because again, we can't get forward to figure out where you are now. So Megan Walker, DP, Harrison Arns. 93-7 the ticket one-on-one. You're listening to One-on-One One with DP. Brought you by Mary Ellen's Food for the Soul. on 93-7 the ticket and the ticket FM.com. Welcome back one-on-one on a Wednesday and again. It's too cold.

Turn a heat on, people. I don't know whose responsibility that is in Lincoln, but plus 50 tomorrow, please, handle your business. Megan Walker from Nebraska Track, and we're breaking down, we're finding out about her hometown because her hometown delivered her. So the things she had to go through her hometown.

And this is the part that people miss about college students. that they need to take time to know the hometowns because that's everything that happened in Brandon came with you to Lincoln and whatever they put in you, you were going to deliver to Lincoln. And I have a sneaky suspicion that they weren't ready for you.

Nobody is. They weren't ready for you. Well, no. you know better than that. There are people, here's my thing, that if you're going to aspire to be a voice in this country, then you have to begin to say,

I have to elevate myself to the level of people that I want to work with and for. And I said, if this is the thing that you want to do, I hope that you learn pretty quickly, that there are things you have to go, I got to put stuff down. Like, I got to put stuff down because it's just not going to help me do what we do. So in your hometown, what would you do?

What would Megan's weekend be? Like, if you go home now, what would you do? Oh, I'm a big home body. So, like, I love family time. I, like, that's what I, like, go home for is to be around my people. I'm a big, like, walking person, like, love walking the dog, like, basic stuff, love to eat. So I'm going to go to my favorite food spots. and yeah I get like a good hill workout in I'm pretty simple like I'm not high maintenance I don't

need to go out party I just want to go there and be with my people okay so who are your people my mom and my dad so literally you go home and it's just family like church family as well okay all right only child I have an older brother you have an older brother tell me about your older brother oh Mitchell Walker he is a west point cadet so he's very straight lined he's very rule following. He's engaged. She's getting married soon. He's, everything is on track for him. So, Harrison, you're getting the full

picture now, right? You're getting the full picture that she had to be a rebel. She had to. Because she couldn't, she wasn't, she wasn't trying to go to West Point. She wasn't trying to be at West Point. Was he an athlete? Is he an athlete? Yeah, he was a track and football.

Okay. Who's faster? Who do you think? I don't, look, I'm not going to, I'm not going just level down. I'm not going to do that to your brother. I'm asking about him. I like to think that I was faster. Best athlete in the family?

I like to think that was me. Better than your dad. Oh, okay, both of my parents were college athletes. But like now, at this time, at this time, currently, I could beat all of my family in race. No, but them at their best. Oh, my parents were great athletes. I aspire to be like that.

What was your dad's specialty? My dad was football. My mom was track and basketball. Yeah. See, so, you know. I come from a good line. Yeah. Got some good jeans.

Yeah. Like, you know, you got to give them credit. You got to shout that out. Like, come on now. Okay. So West Point is high shooting. It is. Is he the smartest sibling?

He is the top of his class. So, yeah, I'm not. That's not me. Okay. Things to know. Things to know. It explains a lot. Okay.

So we now figure out the origins. And then we've mentioned, we've kind of set a flag in that you want to be a storyteller on a national level. I think on a local level, because I think you going home and doing sports would be a really cool thing. I think it's the statement, how do you get Megan back and Brandon after she's been out in the world, which is a whole other discussion for another time. But I think you deciding in your work ethic that you're going to do this thing professionally, I think you're starting to hold yourself accountable for it and that you want to do it. But on the meanwhile, in this thing, your engine and your motor now is Nebraska track.

Is there a ceiling that you've created for yourself on how good you can be? This is a really good track program. Nebraska's program is one of the top 20 in the country, often top 10. I think some of it, and I come from track family, so I understand it. and my wish is that they had a more prepared, fully formed outdoor facility. And at some point it's going to be done. You trust the process. You know, that would be the hope.

And they're a man in dreams, right, for you. But before you graduate, what are the accolades? What do you think? Do you think you ever get to your best you? I do think so. I think that I have this mindset that I'm going to do everything it takes to be my best self as an athlete. I want to go to places and do things that I've never even thought I could do. Even this season, I had an exceptional season so far, and I'm just hoping for more.

Define exceptional season. So I had a lifetime PR indoor season, so it was two second PR. Okay. And so I'm running 55 low, splits are like 54s. And so I like never thought I was going to be able to do that. I thought it was going to take maybe my senior year, but here I am getting it my sophomore year, realizing that I need to put in all the work and not just half give it. I almost swore there.

So sorry. But half ass isn't swear. It is a swear word. It's not ladylike. No, half ass is not a swear word. Where's the dump button at? It's not. You didn't see him reach for it.

Right? You didn't see them reach for it because you're defining a thing and not calling a thing. Oh, crazy. So there's difference in that. Academically, where do you stand? I do what I need to do to make it through. What? Don't growl.

at me. So the difference between people who are elite is that they set a same standard for themselves all the time. From a smart family. So we know you're capable. That's true. You're choosing to do less out of what? I just feel like I prioritize other things over school. I always have. and so that's a habit I need to change. So as an employer, what I would ask you and what I would state to you, what I know to be true about most people

is that how they do anything is how they do everything. Track is the thing that you have your eyes on. Academics will define you. You will go as far as the same way you work about your academics. I know that for that. I'm not going very far then.

No, you're going to change that. You're going to change it now. Like, you'll find out, Harris will tell you, you're around me. I'm not accepting what is from me. That's not how I'm built. I'm not wired that way. So I'm going to ask you in front of God and country to commit that that is going to change. Because in order for you to be the person you want to be, you can't half-ass academics.

And here's the thing. You already know that. I do. You know that, right? So then I will say, I'll support you in every way professional as long as you get the academics right. And at the same level. So if you're reaching personal best athletically, I'm going to ask for personal best academically. Is that a fair request?

100%. Okay. 100%. Harrison, you are, you're my verifier and confirmer. this was done without, without any, I didn't have to like, you know. Yeah. I didn't have to sign something? No, bring in your report cards every semester.

Report cards. Is that still a thing? Yeah, it is a thing. Okay. Small town lady. Small town lady. Yeah, yeah, it's a thing. No, here's the thing.

So the coach in me. I literally had a study program for all my athletes. So anybody that made a team that I coached, in high school, then we had a study program. And the whole mission was that you were not going to be student athlete. You're going to be a scholar athlete. 3.5 was the standard. And if you tell me that you can't do that,

then you're telling me that you're choosing not to. You're not telling me you can't. You're telling me you won't, which is unacceptable. Because if I'm going to give you a responsibility, so I'm going to say, hey, Megan, I'm going to send you to the college, World Series for softball. And I need for you, here are the 10 things I need done in order

for this task to be completed. I have to know that you're not going leaving the door with the intention to only do 70% of them. And you don't want that. You don't want that. So if I'm going to spend money and push you out the door, I'm going to ask

for you to get all 10 things done, not only because it's the task commission, but because you can't. Right? So, I want five years from now for you to call and say, hey, look, I'll be on this channel doing this thing because you decided today that you were going to follow this thing through. And you can't let distractions and other get in the way of that, right?

It just can't, like, you've been on air. How long have you been on air at the tick? I think like a year, maybe a year and a half almost. Right? And everything close to two. Two years? Right. So understand that the people who are wanting to do what you're doing,

what's the likelihood? What percentage of them have had as much airtime as you in that period of time? Zero. Like it's very little. Like it's very little. It's very little. And I don't want to say, hey, don't do radio so that you can spend the next hour and a half doing covering academics but I would because I want the first thing first and the first thing is

for your greatness to actually reach whatever it's supposed to reach I'm going to trust that you're going to do the other stuff so that you can do as much of this as you want to do so that you can elevate in all of them and then again the 168 hours a week if it's too much tell me so that I don't push but the coach in me says I can identify that you have academic talent, you have athletic talent, and you have professional aspirations that match your talent. So you can do it.

I wouldn't ask you to do it if I didn't think you could do it. I'm going to hold you to it. I appreciate that. I'm going to hold you to it because I want that for you. We are with Megan Walker, Nebraska Track and Field, and there's a couple of things in this thing, right? We push the buttons. Through all of this stuff,

what you've done in the almost two years that you've been hanging around the ticket is that you took on a thing that you weren't comfortable in it first and then you've grown in it and your ability to ask questions of people and to be willing to draw people into your world and have these conversations.

I would ask you that on one of your next shows that you interview Harrison, don't just sit and chop it up with him. Tell his life story. Get to know him. Who, when, way, or why and how? Yeah, all of those things, right? And whoever else you bring it.

Because what I would like, what also could happen, and Harrison understands this because I have assigned this to them. But in doing these 45-minute conversations, when we're done with this, there is a 60-second story that we can share that lets people know who Megan Walker. And if you get used to doing that, for anybody else you bring on to speed and power,

you'll start to figure out that that minute becomes two minutes, become three minutes, becomes 30 minutes, becomes 45 minutes of you storytelling, rather than just sharing time. And then that will allow you to do professionally anything in this country, anywhere, or any time. I've worked all over the country, and what I can tell you is storytelling travels.

The games are just vehicles. Being a silent reporter, very easy. It's the chic thing. It's cool. It kind of bothers me because it's the only way that you know women reporters rather than the real way, which is there are women who tell stories in full form. I'm not saying that's what you should do. I'm just saying it's another way to do it.

And whatever thing you decide to land on, you know, five years from now, 10 years from now, 15 years from now. And then 20 years from now, when you're raising some little girl and you're telling, her what she's going to be when she grows up, that you'll have that in your head. That's why Christine talks to you the way she does. Exactly. She's the voice in your head.

She is. Don't leave me alone. She's the voice in your head. All right. We'll throw the break. Come back. We'll close that with Megan Walker from Nebraska track. You're listening to One-on-One with DP.

Sponsored by Mary Ellen's Food for the Soul on 93-7 the ticket and the ticketfm.com. Welcome back. Final segment before he handed it over to DPEE from the text on, Hey, D.P. and Megan, thanks for a great hour of radio. It's been a treat to see and hear the evolution of Megan on the air. She takes her natural ability of conversations, made it become some great listening of these stories of the athletes she's had on. So people are paying attention. and a big part of the conversations we have

is that I have to let Megan know that people see her. There's a responsibility that comes with that. There's power that comes with that. And then responsibility then jumps back up and goes, okay, what are you going to do with it? They wouldn't be listening and wouldn't be tracking if the talent wasn't there and the work wasn't being done,

which was part of why I wanted you. I'm like, okay, Megan, what are you doing tonight? We're going to sit here and chop this up. All right, so we can get to it. And I want people to know, one, how appreciative I am, that you decided to do this thing here. You're going to be a North Star for how student athletes come and tell their stories at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln,

in the future. Now, it's my wish that there are more Megan's, the door is open for more men. Megan's to come through the door. Now, they're not all going to be you. But the stories of student athletes is important because we talk about scores and we talk about money. We don't often talk about the people.

And that's sad to me because as a coach, it's my responsibility to never choose the game over the people. And I worry about the young people at the University of Nebraska. because in our conversations, in the conversations with student athletes around, that as amazing as you all are, you all have your friction. And a part of me wants to remove the friction,

but a part of me just wants you to identify the friction and figure out a way. So if you could tell the next Megan Walker, why she should come to the University of Nebraska, what would you say? Oh, if I could tell the next, I'm going to walk. This is where so many opportunities and so many doors are available and open. I feel like this is a place where people want to see you have success.

And there's endless possibilities on where to lead you in life. Like you, for example, like I had no intention of meeting you or having you in my life and now look what you've done for me. And I'm so grateful for it. I could never imagine that I'd be on the radio every week. and so like Lincoln Nebraska just has so many opportunities you just have to take them and run with it what are the lessons learned so far oh my gosh there's a whole list yep let's get them oh you got to give me like a certain area because I could like literally give you a thousand lessons you need to have

success in all areas of your life to have success in just one mm-hmm fair so I can't be a good athlete unless I have good academics 100% this is again in this business great talk have to be great listeners. And it shows me that you're paying attention. Always. What do you say to the parents of student athletes at the University of Nebraska and Lincoln? What do they need to know about what their athletes go through and what they're thinking?

Always be there for your kid. It doesn't matter how they're acting towards you. Just always let them know that you love them and you support them. And you're proud of what they've done because it takes a lot to get here. It takes a lot to be an athlete. And just that reminder that you are loved and that people are supporting you. because sometimes we forget that. Harder to get here or stay here.

Both. Yeah. Yeah. It is a thing that the work that you put in for 18 years to get to where you get to, and then the fight to get here. You fully accept it now, right, that I'm going to be a pain in the butt and just we're going to have these conversations. You're going to be my new academic advisor.

Megan, make it. I love it. Like, it's the thing that you're going to get it together and we're rooting for it because it's important in this thing. to close this thing, and I want to say this as fully as I can say it, I appreciate the fact that you trust your name and your existence or your experience here with a ticket. I have mad respect for you making yourself vulnerable and sharing it with folks who are listening and giving them insight to what it's like to be a Husker.

Some of them reminisce about what it was like to be a Husker, and you share that with them. And the fact that you're bringing other athletes in to give them a chance to tell their story and be hurt. And I want to be sure to put that crown on your head and say, just remember that when you ask them to come sit with you for that hour, that you're giving them a gift of being heard, that they may not happen.

And they may need for somebody to know. And then you'll be the future of what NIL looks like because listen if through this thing people don't recognize that they want to support you they're missing so you're going to be the ambassador for all of this thing and you'll

be the flag bearer and we'll lean on you and hope you and then we'll get you in I need to get some supernovas so you can do some sideline stuff with them. I love it. Thank you D.P. So we will make it work. That is Megan Walker. Harrison Arons he will take us to the 7 o'clock hour with the Mornay Pearsonel.

Don't punt. Man, don't pun hour. It's great stuff. And again, telling the stories of that Husker student athlete experience and his life as a pro and the things afterwards. And then, you know, it's a full night. So don't go anywhere. 927 the ticket.

We appreciate you. Be nice to yourself. And then please. Be nice to yourself more.