Club Shay Shay - Tabitha Brown

Episode Date: May 22, 2023

Shannon welcomes in Tabitha Brown to Club Shay Shay this week, where the social media personality and actress tries to convert Shannon to veganism! Hear from Tabitha as she details her rise to fame, and the kinds of messages she delivers to her millions of followers every day. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Make sure to listen to the Good Morning Football podcast Monday through Friday on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts. If I think I'm going to eat something that has dairy in it, I'm going to take Laquique Lactate. Why do we do this? Because I like ice cream sometimes. And I want to eat some cheese if I going to eat something that has dairy in it, I'm going to keep lactating. Why do we do that? Because I like ice cream sometimes. And I want to eat some cheese if I want to eat some cheese.

But why do you have to keep the lactate? Because what happens? My stomach, it don't agree with my stomach. I wonder why. But it agree with me, Tabitha. I tell my stomach, shut up! Been grinding all my life. Sacrifice. Hustle paid the price. Won a slice. Got the roll of dice. That's why all my life I've been grinding all my life. All my life. Been grinding all my life. Sacrifice. Hustle paid the price. Won a slice. Got the roll of dice. That's why all my life I've been grinding all my life. Hello, welcome to another edition of Club Che Che. I am your host, Shannon Sharp.

I'm also the proprietor of Club Che Che. And the lady that's stopping by for conversation on the drink today is an Emmy-nominated NAACP Image Award winner, New York Times bestselling author, globally known and beloved social media personality, one of TikTok's top creators, a vegan icon, plant-based activist, PETA 2020 Person of the Year, a mogul, entrepreneur, CEO, an actress, producer, writer, plant-based activist, PETA 2020 Person of the Year, a mogul, entrepreneur, CEO,

an actress, producer, writer, host, fashion designer, wife, America's mom and auntie, Tabitha Brown. Tabitha. Is that enough? Honey, listen, I was like, who did all that? Did I need anything else? No, honey. How are you doing this day?

I'm doing amazing. How are you? Man, I am doing, this is an unbelievable honor for me. When doing my research on you, I'm like, wow, I'm just not hearing about you. But you've been at this thing for a minute. Oh, yeah, I've been doing it for a long time. Yeah. I think in the second phase of my life, which has been the last six years

since most people found me. Right. It's how most people know me, but I've been pursuing my dreams in entertainment for over 20 plus years. So when people refer to you as America's mom or everybody's favorite auntie, how does that make you feel? Are you like, don't be calling me no auntie. Oh, no, honey, I love it. Yes, it's a term of endearment. It is a term of endearment.

And also, like, for the term America's mom, I had that on my vision board for years and nobody knew that. Really? But I wanted it because I wanted to be like Claire Huxtable. Okay, okay. When I was growing up, I looked at her like, oh, she's America's mom. So I wanted to be that and I thought I'd have a show as an actress and get that title. But people call me that just for being me. So when you were growing up, you're from a small town in North Carolina.

Yes, Eden. Eden. Yeah. My stylist is from Reidsville. Shut up Yeah. My stylist is from Reidsville. Shut up. Hollywood. Hollywood is from Reidsville. Say it ain't so.

Come over to 336. Yes. We got to know each other then. I know those people. So when you're growing up, so what did little Tabitha want to be when she was growing up? Oh, I wanted to be an actress. You wanted to be an actress. It started very early, about five or six, watching the Cosby show. Okay. And I remember telling mama, I said,

mama, I want to be Rudy's friend that ringed the doorbell, Nick. Okay. Peter would come in, and he never had nothing to say. Right. I didn't like that. Right. I had something I wanted to say. Right. And so she said, oh, you want to be friends with Rudy? I said, but only in the TV. Right. I didn't know what that meant. Right. And she said, oh, that means you want to be an actress. And so I spent all my childhood trying to figure out how do I become this thing called an actress. And so my whole life, that's always been what I wanted. Even from a small town in North Carolina, you dreamt big of somewhere being far, far away from North Carolina. Never forgetting your roots, but you wanted to be Hollywood.

I just wanted to be on TV. I was always the one performing at the cookouts, Sunday dinners, all that. You know, my daddy would buy me joke books. Okay. So I would study them all week. And so I'd be like, ooh, this weekend at the cookout or at the Sunday dinner, I'm about to perform these jokes, you know. It's just always been a thing I love. Did you, being from North Carolina, obviously, I'm from rural South Georgia.

I talk with a heavy colloquial dialect. You're from rural North Carolina, and so you talk with that dialect also. Did you take classes to try to remove that, or you just settled on who you are? I covered it for years. For years. From corporate America being told that you got to cover it, and then in entertainment being told I sound country or I sound ignorant, I believed that. And so I took acting classes and learned how entertainment being told, you know, I sound country or I sound ignorant. I believed that.

And so I took acting classes and, you know, learned how to cover it. But I also learned how to code switch very early as a little girl, watching my mama talk to bill collectors and change her voice. I'm like, oh, that's how we got to talk to people, you know. Talk to family and friends one way, talk to... Exactly, and I did that. Right. But I did it for so long, you know, I kind of lost myself a little bit.

Right. But now, honey, these last six years has been my freedom walk, and I never cover it anymore. What did people say? Because a lot of times they say, oh, you're trying to act, you know what they would say. Oh, yes. So how

did they receive when you code switched? Well, it was a normal thing. Okay. Right? A lot of people met me and didn't know no different. Right. Because that's how they met me. Right. Right?

So now when, you know, some people I met years ago, they see me now. Like, you didn't used to talk that way. I was like, yeah, because I want free. Right. But now if you had ever came to my house and you was with me and my husband and my daddy and all my, you know, family, you would have always heard this. Right. If I was comfortable enough with you. Right.

But, yeah. You would have always heard this if I was comfortable enough with you. Right. But, yeah. So why was it so important to get back to Tabitha's original self and not let corporate America change? Because if you change your voice, you're changing who you are because a part of who Tabitha Brown is is that North Carolina. Right.

You know, it was just about freedom. Like, I had lost freedom. You know, when you start to conform to make other people feel comfortable and you code switch and you're trying to fit in, it's not freedom. Right. Right. And so when I got sick, my prayer was to God was if you heal me, you can have me. Right. And what I meant in that was I'm not going to try to be this Tabitha I created no more. I'm going to be who you created me to be. And that heal me, you can have me. I like that. I love that.

I've been letting him have me for the last six years, every day. You have a lot of sayings. People hear me on and I talk about what my grandmother and my grandfather would say like, hello there, like so, like that because it's my business. Have a good day. And even if you can't,

don't go messing up somebody else's day. That's my daddy. My daddy's happy. But that's how I live my life. Have you always, because I've never, I shouldn't say never, but for the most part, when I watch you interview and see you, you're always smiling. You're always so happy.

Have you always been this person? I have always been a joyful person. That's what my husband always says. He's like, that's just, it's always been the person? I have always been a joyful person. That's what my husband always says. He's like, that's just... It's always been the root of who I am. Right. I choose joy.

It's a intentional choice every day. Right. It doesn't mean I haven't had bad days or bad times. Right. But I've also had a long bout of a dark season. Uh-huh. And I know what that looks like, and it ain't no fun. Right.

And so I'm intentional with my joy and with my looks like and it ain't no fun. Right. And so I'm intentional with my joy and with my happiness and I want to spread that. Right. So it's very important for you to be positive even though you're

going through things. Even though, see, people see you and they see you smiling like, oh, hey, how's it going? They think you don't go through nothing. Right, right. Yeah.

But it seems to me that you're very appreciative because you know where you came from, you see where you are and where you're heading, that you're very, very, very appreciative. My grandmother used say and when we didn't have anything she said boy don't be ungrateful to god oh yes she said you got you woke up this morning didn't you that's right so everything else is a blessing after that that's

right that's the gift wow that's the gift so now that your struggles you you you tell talk about how you struggle because everybody see the last six years of Tabitha. But there was a period in which we didn't see this Tabitha. Right. What were those times like? Those times were, you know, I was living, right? So I was pursuing acting, but I was a wife and a mother. I have been for, you know, almost 22 years now, a mom and been with my husband for 25 years.

So we were working and trying to build and struggling. And from North Carolina to California, back to North Carolina to California again, but always pursuing the dream. My only dream back then was acting, right? I couldn't see past that. Right. I had put myself in a little box. And so that's what it was.

But I always had a job. Right. I used to work at Macy's. And so that's what it was. But I always had a job. Right. I used to work at Macy's. I used to work at UPS at a call center in North Carolina. What type of employee was Tabitha? Oh, now listen. Tabitha was always a good employee. Okay. I can go and get a job right now. Okay. Right. Right now I can go get a job. I ain't never been like a I can see why you worked in the call center. Yeah, how you doing? That's why I learned to cover right, you know Yeah I Ask you about we see the last six years of Tabitha and we talked about obviously you talked about the time that you're going through

And you said something you said you were living but is that there's a difference between Living surviving and thriving. Mm-hmm. Yep, so you wanted to Live to survive in order for you to thrive. That is correct. I like it. Very good. Yes. I guess I guess I guess we're the king and queen of slogans. Yes, absolutely. So. Yeah. So when when times got hard and you you met, I remember growing up when people left and, you know, used to go to New York and they go to Chicago they go to Detroit and came back home they're like oh you don't bomb that you got high on the hog you had to come home right right right it was like you were a failure so how did it make

you feel you left North Carolina you go to California yeah and you have to go back you know in the beginning I was against it right I had moved to California thought I was moving to hollywood but i was down in orange county somewhere my husband was my boyfriend at the time and he came out i had been out there for like three months i didn't tell nobody how bad it really was right you know i'm renting this room this woman is pretty much taking all my money i'm working two jobs i'm 19 years old and so when my husband came out there he was like man you ain't doing no acting you ain't we're not even in LA.

Right. Like you struggling to even pay bills. He was like, this don't make sense. And it's expensive. Right. He was like, we need to go back to North Carolina where it's cheaper. Save up money for one year. Then we can move back to LA where you can really pursue your dreams.

Right. And so I was like, man, I ain't really want to do that. Right. But it sounded like a good idea. So I was like, man, I didn't really want to do that, but it sounded like a good idea. So I was like, all right. So we moved back, but we saved up a little bit of money so that we could move and have our own apartment there. And we moved to Greensboro. Okay.

Moved into the city. Okay, okay, okay. And so we were there. The one-year plan, though, turned into five years and a forgotten dream because, you know, we ended up having a baby. And we were both working, and we got a house, and we had cars, new responsibilities. And I just thought I missed out on that opportunity. I convinced myself I couldn't have it no more. Right. So, yeah, you so you weren't embarrassed to go back. And then when you had a child and you see you say, OK, and your husband talked you into going back and you say we got one year, it turns into five years. did you like damn at your lowest how bad was it you know

what even then i don't think it was my lowest okay right i think that i had just convinced myself that this is what it is okay and so it wasn't until i mean i was working at a call center i had promoted to supervisor at a very okay okay i was like 21 and I had people under me that was in their 50s. So I was like, I am working, right? Okay, yes. And I was probably making, I think, $30,000 a year. I was balling. Yeah. We was doing very well.

That's good money in Greenboro back then. It was good money back then, right? And so I was like, this is our routine. Like, this is going to be it. And one morning I woke up. It felt like an earthquake had hit Greensboro. My bed shook and I heard a voice that sounded like thunder. And the voice said, this is not the life I planned for you. And I got

on my knees because I got very scared. And I just started praying. I was like, God, if this is you speaking to me, I need you to show me a sign today. Because if not, I think I'm going crazy. I'm going to check myself in. And I told my husband what happened. And I think he thought I was crazy. But then later that day, we was on our way to the mall. And on the radio, Buster Brown, who was the local DJ at the time, he came on the radio. And he was like, this is Buster Brown. I got a new TV show on the WB network, and I'm holding auditions looking for a female co-host. And I could have busted the windows out the car.

I went crazy in the car. I was like, that's my sign. That's my audition. I got to go. And I went, and I booked that job. And that's what got me back's my audition. I got to go. And I went and I booked that job. And that's what got me back into dreaming again. Got you in the TV. You're like, okay.

Yep. But did you lose aspirations of being an actress? Or you said, okay, TV is my end point to maybe to something bigger. No, I just, that was my sign to get back into it. Okay, okay. I started doing that. I was producing my own segments it. Okay, okay. I started doing that. I was producing my own segments and interviewing people, right? Kind of like you.

Okay. Well, I wasn't in Hollywood. Okay, Hollywood. I guess that's a sign. Right? And so then I started back doing theater in the community. And then I would drive three hours to Wilmington to do extra work on One Tree Hill. Okay.

Because I was like, I need to know what it's like to be on the set. Right. So that I can see like how everything works. Works. And then I did all that for like a year. And then I told my husband, now it's time to move back to LA. Yep. I read where your mom had passed and it was a very dark time for you.

Seemingly you went through some depression. So what was that time? So how did you deal with what you was going through? Because I'm assuming you're very close to your mom. And then to the shift, you're like, okay, I know my mom would want me to do what? Yeah, so when my mama was sick, it was a tough time. You know, because me and my husband, we were still very much so newly married. We'd been together for years.

But we were new in Los Angeles. So I was going back and forth to North Carolina to help take care of her. So just that time and to know that it was a terminal disease. My mama died young. She was 51. And so those three years were hard in itself. But I feel like it was the time that changed me the most, but in the best way.

When you see somebody who is amazing. Right. My mama was a light and she was a master at giving grace and she loved people and she never complained. So, I saw my mama go from being this amazing woman, she was a social worker, she was a pastor, who wore heels every day and was, you know, out all the time to the point where she was trapped inside her body and could not move because she had ALS. And never one time did she complain.

And I remember talking to her, and I remember asking her, you know, Mama, if you could go back and change and not be sick, would you change it? And she said no. And I said, you wouldn't go back and change not getting sick. She said, no, that means God has trusted me with this journey. He knows I can handle it. And that stuck with me, right? It stuck with me. And then just to see her go through it so gracefully and always have a smile on her face. I always took that and was like, I got to do something with my life.

Right. You know, so when she passed away, I was like, OK, I'm going to take any job I can, you know, in acting. And I did a lot for like two years. Stuff that nobody need to really see. I was like, I booked it. OK, I'm going to do this movie. That's when, you know, the straight to DVD. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Blockbuster and all that. I had like five movies in like one year all went to like DVDs. But it was... But I mean, it was great. I mean, of course, I joke about it, but I'm glad for every role

I took back then. Right. Because it just validated that I was living in a dream that I had. Right. And also that my mama told me that this day would come.

But back then, I thought that was the day she was talking about. When you I hear you talk about your mom, when you ask her if she could go back and change anything, even with the debilitating disease of ALS, you say she wouldn't change a thing. Is that what allowed you to stay so positive because you saw the journey that your mom was on? And no matter what you was going through, ain't no way it's even comparable to what she's going through. This plays a large role in my everyday life in my everyday life even like right now things I'm going through I'd be like man I hate that I'm going through this but it's nothing compared to that I'm reading

you a UPS worker Macy's warehouse uber you work at Macy's in Citrus City yeah I worked in office at office yeah so you. Yeah, at Macy's. So you were an Uber driver. I was an Uber driver, yep. What type of Uber driver? Did you get one star, two star, three star? Listen, you know I was the best Uber driver. I did it from October of 2017 to December, or yeah, December 30th of 2017. And I was the best Uber driver.

I know how to read a room, though. Right. I know when people don't want to talk to me. Okay, 2017. And I was the best super driver. I know how to read a room, though. Right. I know when people don't want to talk to me. Okay, okay. Right? But I also was like, in my mind, I'm about to get discovered in my car. Okay. So everybody that I picked up.

You thought a cast of director was going to be. Listen, I thought that I was going to pick up the producer, the director, the cast. Somebody that could put you on. I said, I'm going to get discovered in the car because they're going to love me. I'm going to hit them with a couple of things. and then I'm going to just call you from the set. That's how my mind works. But I did not ever pick up. I think I picked up maybe one person who said they was a producer, and I was like, you ain't no producer.

But you keep speaking it into existence, right? But every time somebody would get in the car, I'm like, hey, how you doing? So you pick me up. You're going to introduce yourself. You say, hi, I'm like, hey, how you doing? So you pick me up. Uh-huh. You're going to introduce yourself. You say, hi, I'm Tabitha. What's your name?

Uh-huh. What type of music do you like to listen to? I have some water. I have some wipes. I have some mints in the back. I ain't have all that. God, come on. One star.

One star. One star. I had a good Chrysler 300. OK. OK. It was a nice Chrysler 300. OK. Now, when we had the fires, I did go to the Rite Aid and get the mask for the people. This was before COVID.

Okay, wow. Because I was telling people this, and the ashes was falling. Right, yeah. I was like, I got a little mask for you right here. But the water and stuff, I couldn't afford all that. Now, I had been on disability for over a year. I was just getting back on my feet now. Oh, so what?

Y'all going to get this mask. Dr. Benson, you mentioned you had a little disability. What transpired? You had fallen? No, I got sick. Sick. I got sick in 2016. Okay.

And I had a headache in the back of my head. And the headache was there every day for a year and seven months. And I started having chronic fatigue in my body and chronic pain throughout my body. And I just could not get well. And going to the doctor every week and every month and doing blood work and all kind of like MRIs, everything would come back normal. They couldn't figure out what's wrong with me. Right.

And so they just told me one day, they were like, we know that it's something autoimmune making your body attack itself. We just can't figure it out. And so, of course, when somebody tell you, we know something wrong with you, but we don't know. And hold on. Y'all went to all this schooling. Y'all have went to school for 10, 15, 20 years.

Y'all have went to all these. Yeah. And don't nobody know nothing? No. No. So that caused me to fall into the dark, depressed. So now you depressed because you've got people that's very, very, very well educated. Yeah.

And they can't diagnose or tell you what's wrong. No. Or how long this is going to go on. This is very true. Yeah. Wow. Yeah. Wow. Yeah. You tried stand-up.

I did. I was doing it for a little while, honey, and was right good at it. How many jobs? I'm trying to figure out how many jobs you had. Are you Jamaican? Listen, it's probably my roots. Okay? Okay.

Maybe. I mean, UPS, Macy's, Uber, stand-up. Uh-huh. What made you decide to do stand-up? Were you for any other child? Oh, always. Comedy is natural for me. Right.

Okay, but I told you my daddy used to buy me joke books. Right. We used to watch stand-up all the time. My daddy was a big Richard Pryor fan. Yes. Jerry Clow were like all the... Okay. Like, we used to listen to the records and just listen to comedy.

And then Deaf Comedy Jam, when that came, I would record them all. I would play them over and over and over. So it was just a thing that I loved and I respect. And so when I was trying to get a TV show, because I was acting and acting, and I was like, man, these comedians keep getting TV shows. Let me go try some stuff. And so that's why I did it. That's why I did it, trying to get a show.

So did you get booed? No, never. Ah! And so that's why I did it. Right. That's why I did it. Trying to get a show. So you were good. So did you get booed? No, never. Really? Never. So why'd you give it up? I got sick. So when I got sick.

You thought about going back? Not really. Every blue moon people be like, you don't want to do stand up again? Right. I think that now what I do, it has stand-up in its own way. Right. Right. But I realize why I love stand-up so much.

It is really to make people feel well. Right. And I do that anyway. You do. Your personality. You walk into the room, you walk into the room, and you have this big smile. You're like full of energy and vibrance. It's like even if I'm down, I'm like, damn, she happy,

so something must be about to happen to me because she just came from outside. So when I go back outside, it's going to be sunny again. Absolutely. So you didn't meet anybody in L.A.? How did this start to take off? I read that you did a, you critique Whole Foods, a vegan sandwich. Yes. And from 50,000 views to a million views. And that was really the launching or the jumping off point for you. Yes. So I was driving Uber, right? So this is December 30th of 2017. I had

been a new vegan for a couple of months. So I had just started doing videos in these couple of months to tell people, excuse me, when I find a new vegan option or I would cook in my kitchen, I'm going to share it with y'all. And so I had dropped somebody off by Whole Foods, and I was like, oh, I need a little breakfast. Whole Foods always got a vegan option. Went in there, and I had never heard of vegan bacon at the time. I was like, oh, I got a BLT, but it's vegan?

Let me get that. Where they got a plant-based hog at? I don't know if they do plant-based hogs. They don't have real hogs. Yes, oh, I got a BLT but it's vegan? Let me get that. Where they got a plant-based hog at? I don't have a new plant-based hog. I'm going to get an older real hog. Yes, and so I got it. Ate the first half of the sandwich so quick. I was like, oh Lord, I need to do a video to tell people I found a new vegan option. So sitting in my car, I did the video, posted it. I went

on back to driving Uber. I didn't think anything really of the video because I was already doing videos and they weren't getting like no thousands of views. They would get like a couple of hundred views, a couple of thousand over a couple of weeks, you know? And so when I got back home and turned my notifications on, that video had like over 50,000 views. And then I was like, well, who watching the video? Like, I don't know. And then the next morning when I checked it again, it had over a hundred and some thousand. I was like, I told my husband, I think I'm going viral. And he was like, what that mean? I was like, I don't know. He was like, well, you can make and some thousand I was like I told my husband I think I'm going viral and he was like what that mean I

was like I don't know he was like well you can make some money I was like I don't know I don't know that either but four days later Whole Foods reached out on Facebook and my DM and was like we saw your video we'd love to work with you and honey the rest been history ever since then so Whole Foods reaches out in your DM you're mispronouncing the sandwich wrong oh yeah they ended up saying okay we gonna call it what you call it. Yes. It was originally T-L-T-A for Tempe lettuce, tomato, avocado.

I called it T-T-L-A. Okay. Because I was just excited and I thought I said it right, but I said it wrong. So they changed it to T-T-L-A. Did you go vegan because of what was transpiring with your body, the autoimmune deficient, the thing that you had going on. And you say, you know what? I'm eating meat. I'm putting all this processed food in my body.

Let me try this. Yes. So I went vegan. My daughter came home from school one day during this time of my sickness. And she was like, we saw this documentary at school today, Mom. I think you should watch it. And it was What the Health on Netflix. Right.

And so we watched it together. And I told my husband, I was like, hmm. on Netflix. Right. And so we watched it together and I told my husband, I was like, hmm. And they started talking about not all diseases being hereditary, that we can eat the same thing that can cause the same disease in our family. And I thought, well, my mama died at 51 of a rare disease. There's no cause or cure.

Right. And my daddy was the first man to ever turn 70 in our family. Wow. And people die young in my family and they get sick at young ages. And so I thought, well, the only thing we had in common was how we ate. And I wasn't a bad eater, right? Because, you know, I was in Hollywood, but I wasn't eating to feel well. I was eating to look a certain way. And that's not the way to live. Right. And so I told my husband, I was like, let's do a 30-day vegan challenge. Because I had tried every drug. You told him and to and to? Yeah. For 30 days. For 30 days. 30 days. Okay.

30 days. We did it as a family for 30 days. Okay. as a family okay 30 days okay because i mean i had taken all the drugs the doctors gave me because i was a guinea pig you know you don't know what test yeah they test whatever you want to offer me i'm desperate to feel better shots in my head shots in my spine i was doing everything so we did it for 30 days in the first 10 days the headache i'd had every day for a year and seven months disappeared and so so I was like, wait a minute, that's how I look. See that little thing you did with your head? That's what I did. Okay, okay, okay. So I figured, I was like, you know what, I'm on to something.

And then after the 30 days, I was getting energy again. My pain was leaving my body, and I was starting to feel like myself. And I was like, you know what? This is going to be my life. I'm going to go vegan. All right. Here I am almost six years later. Is your husband vegan also?

On 30 days, he said, babe, I told him, I said, I'm going to be vegan, babe. I'm not going back. He said, that's so good for you, but tomorrow I'm going to eat a piece of chicken. Yeah, I know what I'm thinking. I'm like, I feel good. I ain't got no headaches. My stomach don't hurt. I got plenty of energy.

Yeah, I said, you know what? That's your business, right? But he did it two years after I was vegan. I was vegan for two years, and then he decided on his own. He watched a different documentary, Game Changers. Right, right. And that's from an athlete's and a man's point of view. And then he did it himself and was vegan for two years,

and then he recently went back to eating fish and chicken. Yeah. Yep. Right on. Did you know social media had the power that it had before you went viral? No. I didn't think anything really of social media. You know, when you, for me as an actress,

I was always told, you don't get on there, honey. Right, right, nothing good. Yeah, they ain't going to take you serious out there. And I kind of believed that, kind of like over the years of me believing other things that the industry told me. Right. But I was doing what God told me to do, right? I only got on social media because I had a dream,

and I saw myself on a show. And I have always had the gift of dreaming and seeing. So when I woke up and I asked God to reveal that to me because I was like, I'm sick. I'm not out auditioning. I'm not doing stand-up. How was I on the show? And the words that I heard was start doing videos.

And I was like, oh no, Lord, I'm not about to do these videos. I don't do that. I am an actress. But he was very adamant. God was was like, oh, no, Lord, I'm not going to do these videos. I don't do that. I am an actress. But he was very adamant. God was just like, this is what you need to do. He said, when you were trying to get a show, you were doing stand-up. You was reaching 15, 30 people a night. He said, but if you start doing these videos, you'll reach thousands in minutes.

And I was like, Lord, I ain't even got thousands of people to reach in minutes. This don't make sense. And then he reminded me of the moment in the bathroom when I had said, God, if you heal me, you can have me. Right. So which meant I had to be obedient. Right. So when I first started doing my videos,

I was doing the same like jokes and stuff I would do on stage as a comedian. But I'd be sitting on my bed or sitting on my couch. It had nothing to do with food. Right. Then over that time when my daughter came home and I decided to go vegan, the moment I told my husband, I'm going vegan, the whisper in my ear was, now tell people what you're eating in your videos.

And I was like, oh Lord, I got to tell these people I'm vegan. I'm from North Carolina. Yeah, yeah, yeah. This time I had also shaved off all my hair, so I had did the big chop. I was like, Lord, if I get on here and tell people, it ain't no challenge. Like, it's my life.

I'm going vegan. Right, right, right. This is a lifestyle now. This is not 30 day, if I get on here and tell people, it ain't no challenge. It's my life. I'm going to be good. This is a lifestyle now. This is not 30 day, 60 day, 90 day challenge. I was like, they're going to be like, that girl finally lost her mind out there in Hollywood. But I was like, I can't care about it. I got to be obedient and do what God has called me to do. I had Steve Harvey on a couple of weeks ago.

Yes, it was amazing. Thank you. And he said, the number one killer of dreams is family and friends. When you told your husband about this dream, about this vision you have, it seems, and I've watched a lot of your videos, that he's been so supportive in your dream. Well, you know, I'm going to let him tell you eventually. He used to think I was crazy.

Oh, okay, okay, okay, okay. I was like, God showed me this. Because I have, like, I talk about it in my first book, right? I've always had the gift of seeing whether I'm awake or asleep. I can see things that nobody else sees. I can hear things nobody else hears. Because he's talking to you. He ain't talking to you.

Right. And he's showing me things in my dreams. And my mama would always tell me that. She was like, you know, God gave you the vision, not anybody else. Correct. It's up to me to make it manifest so that others will become believers. Right. But you speak it so that they know it is real.

And so, you know, there were many times I would tell him, and he'd be like, okay, all right. You know, he would go along because he loves me. Correct. Not necessarily because he believes me. He believes me. But now he he be like, dang, everything that you was, we living in the dream now. Do we ever come over and say,

baby, you thought of something else? Yes! I think that every day we judge it, it turns and goes. Wait, you thought about something else? Yes, yes. Listen, I'll let him tell you. So, what social media platform, I mean,

obviously, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok. What's your preference? I don't really have a preference, but I started on Facebook. Facebook. Right. That's my original audience. Right. Which is my older audience. Yeah, because I thought Facebook was like for family reunions, class reunions.

Hey, how you doing? Hey, you know, we went to school together. But people are all really on Facebook. They really on there. They really on there and they are loyal and dedicated to their people. Right. And, and my, I don't even, I call them family. Right. Nobody more loyal to my family. They show up for me. Right. And they, and I, and I have Instagram as well. I mean, I have them all. Right. Instagram is huge for me as well. Right.

But I've never cooked live anywhere else other than Facebook. Oh. So are you the social media Oprah? I don't know, but people call me that. A lot of people be like, you're the new Oprah for us. And I be like, well, God bless it. All right. But you're different. Very much so.

But you're cooking cooking but you're giving inspirational talk yes as you cook and sometimes I'm not cooking at all and I'm right and you still right yeah was your did your mom is that did you where do you get that from or where did you why where did you and why did you decide to add that aspect to it that was always a thing that I have inside of me like my friends my family they know, I'm that person that would always pour into other people. It just, it's a natural thing for me. But, you know, after I went through my season of the darkness, I was doing whatever God called me to do, right? And I still am.

So when God puts something in my heart, I'd be like, oh, okay, I need to share this with somebody it can't just be for me right yeah you wake up with football every morning and listen to my new podcast NFL Daily with Greg Rosenthal five days a week you'll get all the latest news previews recaps and analysis delivered straight to your podcast feed by the time you get your coffee no dumb hot takes here, just smart hot takes. We'll talk every single game, every single week, but I can't do it alone, so I'm bringing in the big guns from NFL media. That's Patrick Claibon, Steve Weiss, Nick Shook,

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Subscribe today and you'll immediately be smarter and funnier than your friends. And who doesn't want that? Listen now on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. So, celebrities, obviously everybody, CJ, my producer, his wife, and this is the first time she come on the set. Or the second time you brought a family right there in the green. Oh, hey, girl. She's like, I got to meet Tabitha.

I got to see Tabitha. So many people, when they say, well, who you got on the podcast? I'm saying, I got Tabitha Brown. Man, tell her Tabitha Brown. Tell her I love her. Tell her I love her. Everybody seems to love you. There's nothing bad to be... What does that make you feel like with so many celebrities? Oh, we understand the fan base, but a lot

of famous people know Tabitha Brown, loves Tabitha Brown. I mean, I feel grateful, right, to be loved. But I think the most important part for me is that people just love me just for being me.

So I feel like family. And I think that's what it is for people. People just feel like I'm part of their family too. And that's intentional for me. I want people to feel like we family. You seem so approachable. You seem so down to earth. You don't give the like, don't come talk to me. I'm busy. I'm in a hurry.

You give the vibe like, hey, how you doing? Come talk. Say hello. Just introduce yourself. I'm going in. I'm going in for the hugs. I love that. But I also like, how dare I not have time for the people who help me climb? You know, I am in this position, A, because God said I could have time for the people who help me climb right you know I am in this

position a because God said I could have it right but because people support me right and so when I have events you know if my team was here they would tell you I have events and if there's a meet and greet you better not put a time on it for me because I'm gonna see every person right like literally it will go from an hour to 10 hours right because you you're having a conversation you're taking a picture and you're having a conversation. Hey, how's your day going? You know, my mom loves you. And you're like, obviously before you had a team and before people got your number,

obviously you have a team, you have a business manager. A lot of the things that were transactions that were happening was in your DM. You said Whole Foods reached out in your DM. Absolutely. On Facebook. So do people still reach out and want to do business with you? Oh, yes. Absolutely.

Even though you got a team that you're like, cut. And you know, I always pray before I go into my DMs because I always say, God, let me see what I'm supposed to see because there's so many. I never see them all. But there's still people who can't get to my team because some things, depending on when your agency is big, they won't entertain certain things. Right. But those are the ones I'll send to my other team and be like, I want to do this for them.

We got it. It ain't about the money. It's about the people. Wow. But you also have to be careful because for every good deal that could potentially come along, there's a scam. And the one thing that you don't want is the ding on Tabitha Brown's name. You worked so hard for this reputation and this pristine, and you like to keep

it intact. So, what's the process of going through and says, okay, is it your husband? Is it your team? That you get down to it and says, okay, I think this might be, this is something we might need to entertain or something like, nah, I'm going to stay away from that.

What do you mean? Like if it come in a DM? Yeah. If it come in a DM, like I'll send it to my team. You let them vet it. Yeah, vet this and see if it's real. Right. Yeah. But then also, I don't say yes to nothing without prayer, right?

So I'll pray about it and I'll say, okay, we can move forward. I sure appreciate you praying about this. Because I ain't going to lie to you, dog. When I told my husband, he was like, okay, we can move forward. I sure appreciate you praying about this. Because I ain't going to lie every time. When I told my husband, he was like, oh, you're doing this. But you've done so much. I mean, you have. Let's talk about the spices. Because I have a friend of mine. And she says, tell Tabitha

that I bought 15 of those spices. My mom bought 10. I said, why the hell y'all bought 10 of the same? Talking about they sell out. Yeah. In the beginning, the first time I dropped Sunshine was my first season. It sold out, I think, in

26 minutes online. I had no idea it was going to do that. Then we released it again. Maybe like six months later, it broke the site for McCormick. And so it sold out in like 46 minutes. Probably would have sold out quicker, but the site broke. And so when it got back up, it took about 46 minutes.

And so then we were like, we got to put it in stores. Online, it's just not enough. So now it's available everywhere. Now I have new spices that are now literally rolling out this spring and summer. And now you got a hair care product? Uh-huh, Donna's Recipe. This is Donna, rolling out this spring and summer. I mean, you named, and now you got a hair care product. Uh-huh, Donna's Recipe. Yeah. This is Donna, in case you didn't know.

This is Donna, okay. This is Donna. She on Braycation right now. She on Braycation. Braycation. Yeah, yeah, Braycation. Yeah. So what made you decide to come up with spices?

Because you said you wanted to be an actress. Mm-hmm. You didn't, I didn't hear you say you wanted to be Martha Stewart or some cooking expert. Right. But now you got spices, you cook. How did you transition? How did you weave your way and navigate your way to like, okay, I'm done with this. Let me come over here.

So as I started doing the videos and cooking, right, I was like literally letting God order my steps. So as I'm cooking, I'm reading comments. People are like, Tab, you need your own spices. And I'm like, I guess maybe I do need my own spices, right? But I don't know. And, you know, the first year I'm just cooking and I'm talking, I'm cooking. And then I thought about it. I was like, you know what?

I do use a lot of different spices. And I'm really big on being salt free. Okay. Right? Because I know like my family dynamic. Hypertension. Exactly. Especially with people of color salt free. Okay. Right? Because I know like my family dynamic. Hypertension. Exactly. Especially with people of color as well. Yes. And so I was like,

if I could do a spice, it would have to be salt free. And so when I first started working organically with McCormick, it wasn't even really a thought. I was like, oh, this is great. I can use their stuff because my granny used them, my mama used them, and I'll just continue to use it. And they were like, you ever thought about doing your own spice? I was like, actually, I have.

And it was an organic thing. Right. But also because my people wanted it. Right. So I wanted to give them what they asked for. Right. So how did the hair product come about? So Donna's recipe, well, you know, with Donna, I did the big chop.

And so as she was growing out, I had a nice little fro in the beginning, a little small one. And so I also have stenosis in my neck from a car accident. And so for a period of time, I had to lay flat on my back. And so my hair started to thin in the back. And I was like, oh, Lord, I need to find something to make my hair strong again and make it grow back. And so I started trying to find different products,

but a lot of products had chemicals in them. And I was like, well, I'm on this new journey of being vegan. And I had had that headache for I'm on this new journey of being vegan. And I had had that headache for, you know, the year prior. I didn't want to just put anything back on my head, especially, you know, that's going to seep into my, you know, my pores. So I started trying to create my own with like essential oils and natural oils. And I just couldn't get it done on my own.

And so I was doing that for almost a year trying to like, I was like a chemist tapping the lamp. You were a mad scientist. Right, right, right in the house in the bathroom. And so my business partner, who's my business partner now, Gina Woods, she came to me was like I have this idea. Donna should have her own hair Carolina. I was like girl I've been trying to do that for a year you know and so she presented her idea to me and my husband and I was like okay this is kind of you know already what I was doing anyway. So that's how it came to be. But it was really because I needed a product for myself.

And once I figured out the formula, I was like, well, I can't keep this to myself. I want to share it with the world. What have you learned about entrepreneurship and business? Because a lot of people now, we see a lot of saying, okay, I won't, instead of taking a fee up front, okay, let me take a percentage of the company. Let me get this and let me get that. So what have you learned? Because I read where you was like, yeah, some people got me in the beginning. They did a number on me.

They got you, girl. Yeah, so in the very beginning, doing brand deals and partnerships, I didn't know that business. I knew SAG. I knew the union. I knew acting world. And so I had to learn it. I'm glad they got me because they won't know that business. I knew SAG. I knew the union. I knew acting world. And so I had to learn it. I'm glad they got me because they won't give me again. And if you come back, I'm going to get you.

And have. Okay? Okay. So I learned a lot that way. Right. But the one thing I learned is that people will show up and try to act like they have your best interest at hand. But you have to use your discernment right everybody don't have your best interest and a lot of people want to pull from you and gain from you

right and even try to take your your business yes you know they'll think that they own you right so I'm always making it very clear that tap is not for sale you can do business with me yeah but. But you don't own me. Right. And you don't own my brand. Right. Right. So that's the thing.

And you just got to be very careful with business and with who you do business with. You cannot trust everybody. Yeah. You cannot trust everybody. Okay. Mm-hmm. You heard tap. No matter what they say.

No matter what they say. No matter what color either, huh? Okay. No matter. They can look like you or not. But you cannot trust everybody. I get, okay, you're doing spices. I get everything.

You make your spices. Most spices are created. But how do you get in touch with a lab to try to do a hair care line product that all of a sudden people ain't looking like Kojak, women ain't looking like Kojak, because that's the last thing that you want. I mean, you won't believe this, because it's another job.

It's not on there. I used to work in contract manufacturing, right? So... I know you were born in Jamaica. You were born in Jamaica. There ain't no way you got these 10, 12 jobs. I did that for like five years. And it was for

wellness and beauty products. Wow. And so I already knew that. So you had a background. You had a background. And so you understood. I understood it. I understood the lab. I understood testing. I understood formulation. I understood shipping and all that stuff. Wow. You know,

Master P is always preaching about product. So what do you love? Because he's like, you got to make money while you sleep. You cannot make, you got to get your rest and you can't cook 24 hours a day and you can't make beauty supplies 24 hours a day. So what is Tabitha most proud of what she's been able to accomplish thus far? Oh, I think the thing I'm most proud of is I've done it all just being me. Oh, I think the thing I'm most proud of is I've done it all just being me. That's my biggest accomplishment, never conforming in this season of my life. Right.

You know, I really think that's it. And also, family is the most important thing to me. Yes. You know, being a wife and being a mother and never sacrificing anything over that. Like, that's, I'm most proud of that. Being an ex-professional athlete, I felt that I had to sacrifice, that I missed a lot of things with my kids that I probably shouldn't have. But I felt that if I didn't, I would always look back and say, if I'd have studied, if I'd have worked hard, if I'd have trained hard, I'd have missed something.

and said if I'd have studied, if I'd have worked harder, if I'd have trained harder, I'd have missed something. It seems to me that you've done a great job of not only being there for your husband and for your kids, but also being able to go full steam ahead and accomplish. Was that a big part of what you wanted? Like, I'm not sacrificing any part of my family to make one extra dollar. For me, I'm blessed because I have a husband who's my partner, right?

Okay. Who literally says, babe, go, I got it. You know, and I have that. So when I leave, I know that my children are taken care of. Now we only have my son in the house. You know, my daughter is grown now. But I know I have a safe space for my son, and he knows that mommy is working. Right.

But when it comes to major things, I'm not missing it. Right. I don't care how much money it is. If my son is about to graduate fifth grade and I looked at the calendar and was like, what y'all put on my calendar on this day? I can't go. Wow. Like, no.

They were like, well, it's this amount of money. I don't care. Right. He going to graduate one time from fifth grade. Right. I can make money any day. Right. Right.

So it's those major things that are important to me. And my husband will tell you, like, I also still am human. So I'll even have parent guilt where I'm like, dang, I miss being able to take him to school every day. We literally was just having this conversation. I miss the normalcy that I used to be able to do. I used to take my son and my daughter to school every morning, pick them up, make their lunches, cook dinner every day. That was my life for a very long time. But you understood that that's part of the sacrifice. Those are some of the things that

you're going to have to give up in order to accomplish what God, the vision that God gave you and set you out on this journey. You understood that there was some of the things you're going to have to give up. I'm understanding it every day. It doesn't mean I enjoy that feeling every day because sometimes I miss it. But I also look at my life and how blessed I am and I'm like, oh, okay, I'm still doing a different type of work that my family is reaping the benefit from. You've secured over 56 major brand deals, Dunkin' Donuts, Sabra, Pizza Plant. I mean, you just have so much going on. So how does Tabitha walk into a room? You know your worth.

You know they want to come in and give you 25% of what your worth is. So how do you walk into a room? You know your worth. You know they want to come in and give you 25% of what your worth is. So how do you go in the room, says, nah, it's worth more than that, but I still be, yeah, I'm not going to be able to do that. Have you been in a bar? Because that's exactly what I say.

I'll be letting them get everything out. I'm like, this is so, this is nice. I thank y'all for letting me come in. But you know what? It's going to be enough for me. I'm like, this is so, this is nice. I thank y'all for letting me come here. But you know what? It's going to be a no for me. I'm so grateful to be here. Yes, I appreciate the opportunity. Yes.

Thank you for thinking of Taya. Yeah. Yeah. But no. Yeah, it's a no for Taya. Yeah. So then they come back and says, okay, so Ms. Brown, how do we make this partnership work? Well, we start by this.

What you said at the beginning, that about? Mm-mm. That ain't how it's going to go. You know, for me, depending on what it is, sometimes it ain't even about the money, right? Sometimes it's just about whatever it is. I'm like, hmm, it just don't serve me. Right. Right?

There's no amount of money that's going to make it serve me, right? And then when it comes to the money, this is the thing that you always have to realize. There's no amount of money enough for what I deserve. It's only like I'm priceless. Right. Okay. Okay. It's what I will accept.

Oh. Right. There's no amount of money you can offer me that is what I'm worth. Right. I'm worth. I am priceless. Right. But there's an amount that I'll accept to partner with you and work with you.

Okay. That's the difference. And so I just have to make a decision, do I want that or not? I'm going to keep that in mind. I'm priceless. You are priceless. But for a nominal fee, I'll be ready to partner with you. That's it.

I like that. Yeah. So that's your mindset going into it. Do you have a, normally when you go into a deal, do you have a dollar amount? Do you have a, have you surprised yourself with some of the things that you've been able to negotiate?

Oh, absolutely. Yeah, you know, I definitely, I remember like one of the first times of asking for a crazy amount of money just to see what they was going to say. And then when they say yes,

I said, hmm. Damn, I should have asked for more. Yeah. That's what your husband would do? He would be like, I thought you asked for more than that. No, he would be like, I was good with that baby. Sure, but we gonna go on the tape next time you know so but yeah. You hosted a vegan competition so you only eat vegan. You have to, so how much of your time is sitting around trying to come up with different vegan recipes? Because like you say, you cook so much. But you have to understand, because most people have eaten meat all their life.

And to get them to try this and to make them like it, because that's the thing. People eat what they like. That's right. And so how do you like, okay, you just go in the kitchen, you're like, babe the kitchen like babe i'm gonna go in the kitchen i'm gonna see what i can come up with tonight i'm gonna see what i can come up with today is that how you do it it just come up it literally throughout the day if i got a taste for something that's what i'm gonna make okay right and sometimes i'll dream a recipe one of my most successful recipes is when i dreamt and i woke up that morning did a video and said y'all let me tell you about this dream I had. It was a vegan deviled eggs.

And in the dream, I was like... But eggs, but they're real eggs though, right? No, they're mushrooms. I took the white mushrooms because I did this in a dream and I was like, I don't know, but I'm going to see if it's going to take. So you can't eat any animal product?

I do not, no. Yeah, right. I'm with you, I'm with you, husband. You got to go on this journey alone. I don't. I don't. You know, when I first did, I did it to save my life. Right.

Right. Right. And now after six years of being vegan, it becomes a thought where I now connect the animals to the food. Oh, okay. Yeah. Yeah. Now, I ain't going to lie to you, though. I still miss a crab leg.

Do you? Oh, honey. You know how people count sheep? Yeah. I count Now, I ain't going to lie to you, though. I still miss a crab leg. Do you? Oh, honey, you know how people count sheep? Yeah. I count crab legs in my sleep. I be telling people, you know, during the day when I'm awake, I'm vegan. But when I'm asleep, I'm pescetarian because I be eating crab legs in my dreams. What about ice cream? You don't, I mean, you don't miss sweets or like cake and cookies.

Do you? All that stuff you still can eat. You just don't use real eggs and you don't use. Butter and stuff like that. There's vegan butter. There's vegan milk. There's all this stuff and I can you have come to the house and eat okay? I'm but I don't bake I'm not a baker and I was already allergic to milk like most of us Yeah, most of you. Yeah, I keep if I'm if I think I'm gonna eat something to have dairy I'm gonna take like keep lactate say that again if I think I'm gonna eat some dairy I keep lactate with me. Say that again. If I think I'm going to eat something dairy, I keep lactate with me.

Why do we do that? Because I like ice cream sometimes. And I want to eat some cheese if I want to eat some cheese. But why do you have to keep the lactate? Because what happens? My stomach, it don't agree with my stomach. I wonder why. But it agree with me, Tabitha.

I tell my stomach, shut up. I'm going to eat this. But there are other options for you so that you can still get all the taste that you're looking for without the bubblegum. Well, Hollywood and I, we did have some vegan. We had some vegan barbecue, didn't we, Hollywood? Hollywood tore it up. See?

He tore it up. There are options. I'm going to have to get you on some oat ice cream or some cashew ice cream. It's amazing. Hollywood, you down? I'm telling you, it's very good. I believe Hollywood is going to be the guinea pig on that one.

You had a restaurant, but you never opened it. No, I opened it. You opened it. And we closed it. Yeah. It was too many problems with the building, the landlord, another thing where I said, you can't trust everybody. Yeah. And so we had to close it down because it was just too much damage that he would not fix.

Right. So, opening another restaurant, is that something that you would like to do? I think if I do, because that was a partnership that I partnered with Kill My Name. Right. Kill My Name, I love the restaurant. It's still open in Chicago. Right. And so, I just partnered with him to open that one here in LA. If I do it again, it has to be my restaurant.

Right. Mm-hmm. Obviously, it'd be a vegan. Oh, 100%. But is it going to be like breakfast? Is it going to be lunch? Is it going to be brunch? I don't know. You know, I have to make a decision

to do it first. I think my the big vision that I have would be like a retreat. Right. And on the location of the retreat, like you know an oasis where you can come. Right. There would be kind of like a bed and breakfast there. Right. But like a home house where you can come for breakfast and you can come for dinner type of thing But that's like a a vision that I have for later have a company ever tried to change the way you do content. Oh, yeah

Even after even after the success that they've seen you enjoy They're still willing to try to change What you do how you do yes what but people are crazy in the world but they don't but they know what they did they love you and then they say we love exactly what you do now we want to show you this video and then they play the video and people don't look like me and they say if you could do it a little bit like this no there you go

yeah it's a no for me do people when they look at you I think the thing is sometimes people take kindness for weakness you have a smile all the time you seem to be a very outgoing a very personable person. Mm-hmm.

Do you think people take that as a weakness and try to get over on you? All the time. But I'm very smart. But they will try it. And I let them. I like to watch them. Do you get upset? I'm going to ask him.

I'm going to ask him. Do you get upset? Yes. But your upset is like, guys, y'all know I'm not going to I'm gonna ask him do you get upset yes but how do you but but y'all upset it's like guys y'all know I'm not gonna be able to do that right well you know it takes a lot to get me up right okay um most times when it comes to like that type of stuff right it's not gonna upset me it's just a matter of oh man I'm so sorry that you didn't see me for me but you know what I hope you found what you're looking for.

Right. Right? But that's not something that... That doesn't get you upset. Things upset me is when you mess with my family, you mess with my money, and my time. Right.

Because I use all those things for my family. Right. And for myself. Mm-hmm. So how is it that, I mean, this is, you know, in content creators, what you do, what you do what you do there's a very large there's a space for it but it's a limited people that's in that space how is it are you guys friendly are you receptive to one another is it cutthroat oh and i love everybody

there's enough room for everybody right I never compare myself to anybody. I don't really care what nobody else do. I applaud everybody. We all different. Since they print money, we shouldn't try to cut, backstab, and undermine somebody else to keep it. What God has for me is for me. What he has for you is for you. There's nothing we can do to stop that.

What God has set in for me, even people, Hollywood, you heard that? Hollywood, you heard that? Hollywood? So, but, you know, I'm not going to break, this is not interrupting Norman's schedule of programming. We know vegan. When we hear vegan,

we think of someone that doesn't look like you. Oh, yeah. Listen, back in the day, and I've said this many times, when I used to hear the word vegan, I thought that it was for white women who did yoga. Right. I did. And nobody was really vegan. I heard of vegetarian. Right, right, right, right, right. And then I thought, well, if that's not the case, it's the people who walk around picketing, you know, and they wearing the, you know, the blood all over them and doing that type of activism. And I didn't want to do that. And so I knew that when I made the decision to become vegan, I wanted to be a source of a different type of life.

And so I always wanted to be approachable and I wanted people to be curious and to want to try it. And so I did it with love and laughter and a little bit of comedy, but informative. So I have probably converted, I can, of course, can't give you the number, but more people than any, you know, traditional activists, more people than you can imagine come to me and say, I'm vegan because of you. I eat plant-based, me and my family eat plant-based now because of you. And I'm like, I've never told anybody in the last six years, I've never told not one person, you need to go vegan.

Never. So when you're at home, do you cook vegan for you and cook him bacon, hamburgers? I used to. When I first went vegan that first year, I was cooking like them two meals and I was like, I can't keep doing this. So then I just figured I have to make all our favorite things vegan and make it good. And everybody loved it. So all my favorite non-vegan things, I turned them into vegan meals.

So he had to go out and get if he want a steak or if he want a burger, some chicken. Well, he don't eat that. He eats chicken and fish, but he can order it or he don't. Yeah. So, I'm looking at athletes that have turned vegan. Chris Paul, Kyrie Irving, Venus William, Lizzo. So,

I'm trying to figure out, man, how would I be able to keep my musculature and stay, you know, strong? You ever seen a gorilla? Yeah. What you think they eat? They eat grass, but they eat 400 pounds of it.

No, but they did, but I think in the beginning had, but that's all they eat. I think the thing is, if you had never gotten a taste, it's hard to miss what you've never tasted. Well, yes and no, right?

I think that you have to have a very specific why. Okay. Right? Eventually, you're not going to do dairy anymore because you're not going to like how it continues to make you feel. OK. OK. If meat was killing me, I'd be crazy to keep eating. That is correct. Right. So a lot of times we are reactive people. Right. We do things out of something happening. So we react to it instead of being proactive. We wait many times. We wait until we get sick before we try to get better.

Right. Instead of just saying, let me be proactively trying to make sure I'm as healthy as I can be. And so when it comes to me, my why was life or death. I chose life. And then I also got in my mind was like, I just don't want to eat dead animals anymore. I just don't like the thought of it anymore. Right. I don't even like the smell of it.

When it's raw, it turns my stomach. Now, I ain't going to lie to you, honey. I can smell a cookout a mile away and be like, Lord, have mercy. Ooh, I sure did that. Somebody is cooking. But, you know, that's the difference in not thinking about what you see. But there's definitely a way to incorporate it and form new habits.

And I always tell people this too. Don't look at it as though you're taking something away from yourself. Look at it as though, oh, I'm giving myself something new to try. Right, I'm gaining six months, six years to my life. Maybe. That's the way you look at it.

Because you said you had, let me ask you this. Had you not had the autoimmune, had you not had the autoimmune had you not had the headaches for a year and seven months had you not had the the the lethargy would you do you believe you'd have gone vegan no i didn't have a reason right not necessarily but i may have eventually only because uh oh i heard vegans be, but then I got vegan and got thick. Ah! That lies. Because now I be eating to eating. Right.

And also, I don't eat to look a certain way anymore. I used to starve myself. But let me ask you a question. Do you believe you can be a vegan in rural North Carolina? Because it gets hard, because you're in California, you have a lot of options in Canada. You don't have those same options, especially in rural South Carolina, Georgia, or the rural parts of the South. I could be a better vegan in rural North Carolina.

Really? Because I can grow my own food. You grow your own food. Right? Most of our parents and grandparents were mostly vegan. Yeah, they ate what they grew. They ate what they grew, and meat was a delicacy. Yeah.

They only had it on the weekends. Yeah. My daddy was one of 12. My daddy always said, he said, you know, until you became vegan, I never thought about it, but we only ate chicken on Sundays. He said, we only ate pinto beans and from the garden. Pinto beans and collard greens and mustard greens. And greens during the week.

Right. Well, you know, we had fatback and greens, though. during the week. We had fatback in the green though. You know we had the fatback. We had to have the fatback from Turkey Decks. That's all it is. Y'all had that. That was a special occasion though. You didn't get It wasn't all the time yet. Absolutely.

You know what? I think this is the part of the show we probably should invite your husband on. Bring him on in the room. Where y'all going to be at? Where we going to sit? Where you going to sit? No, you're going to sit right next to me.

You sit right next to me, yeah. Ain't no backrest right there in that back. Yeah, you're not going to be able to lean back. I'm sorry, bro. All right, we're good. They say behind every great man is a great woman. But I think behind every great woman that's like your wife, there has to be a great man.

Because you have to be secure enough in yourself because you kind of become the afterthought. And you seem to be very, very okay with that. You guys have been together over 25 years, been together for 20 years. When you started dating her, did you see y'all here absolutely not you know what it had I didn't really have much vision mm-hmm people always ask me about it's you know very similar, and I always say I wasn't with her for that.

Right. I was with Tab because of how she made me feel. Right. Right. And, yes, I thought she was a little crazy. I was attracted to crazy. You know what I mean? That's the difference.

Right. So I'm with her because of my attraction to that crazy. When she would tell me, one day I'm going to be on TV, one day, you know, whatever, I would get tickled. I would get tickled because I can look in her eyes and you really believe this. Yeah. Right? And it made her happy. It made her really, really happy, a happiness that I kind of, I wish that I could tap into from my own childhood. And I remember feeling like what I've seen in her eyes.

Right. Saying, man, at some point in my life, I lost that. Right. You're a true believer of what you're saying. Right. You're a true believer of what you're saying. Right. So whatever it was, I was like, I didn't really try to believe it. I just wanted to keep her happy and say, all right, man, let's go. Go for it.

Let's go. As long as it's not hurting us. Even though you might have not believed in it, you never told her that. You're like, baby, that sounds like a good idea. I think you can do it yeah i would i would and then it would be times where i'd be like all right tab wait a minute hold up like the story she told you about moving right i'm always of the thinking uh my thinking was what are we currently doing right right can it hurt us right can your vision or this dream or

this thing that you believe in can it hurt us? Right. Can your vision or this dream or this thing that you believe in, can it hurt us? If we ain't currently doing anything better and what you're saying can't hurt us, let's try it. Wow. Let's go for it. Right. It's not going to hurt us, so let's put a plan together. As long as we got a plan and we got each other and ain't nothing else going on, let's go do it. Let's try it.

You guys started dating if you could say the eighth grade is dating in the eighth grade when you saw him for the very first time what did you think oh I saw him way before 8th grade we've known each other since about what fifth grade mm-hmm and so I thought it was cute with his little curly hair and stuff. But he was mean. That's what I thought. I was like, oh, he got a little attitude. Okay. You're like, I'm gonna tame it. Yeah, but then in

eighth grade, you know, he was playing football and I was the football manager. You know, I had a job in eighth grade. Ah! Man! Come on! Damn! you know I had a job in 8th grade ah man come on damn and so when we would do the bus rides

I just would be looking at him like you know the eye contact I was like kinda like him you know did you know she liked you yeah I was kinda popular back then man I was the man on the phone you okay you poppin man yeah I was the man he was the

biggest everybody liked chance okay he had a girlfriend though what and I took it and I had a little boyfriend okay okay okay okay now this get good we we went to what we went to a birthday party uhhuh. Y'all came separate, left together. We came separate and we ended up kissing at the birthday party. What? Hold on, what a minute! Damn! Damn! Yeah, that's how I feel. Chans, come on, Chans! Hey, she kissed me. No, you kissed me! Whoa! No, no, no, no, no, we'll get to that in a minute. We'll get to that in a minute. I'm talking about you two came with somebody and y'all... Because he ain't want her no way. It didn't seem like you want him either.

The thrill was gone in those eighth grade relationships. This was the thing. The eighth grade dance. Eighth grade. Listen, but this is the funny thing. His girlfriend was happy he broke up because she liked somebody else too. My boyfriend was a little hurt. Little junior high crush. Yeah. It wasn't real. But Chance, you know, he was a little hurt, but... Little junior high crush.

Yeah. It wasn't nothing real. But Chance, you know, he was a man back then. Right. Yeah. But you know, I broke up with him in eighth grade. Hold up, you kissed him? Hold up, you done made the man break up with his girlfriend? Did me dirty. He still kind of bit about it. Did me dirty. After all these years, he still hold on

to that. Yeah! Just what my whole life is about. Almost all of eighth grade, but my sister, to that. Yeah. Just rubbed my whole life together. He's together like almost all the eighth grade. But my sister, she older than me. She's six years older. She said, listen, you better go to ninth grade to the high school. There's a lot of boys over there. You don't want a little boyfriend.

So I told him, I said, listen, we got to break up because my sister says a lot of boys over at the high school. I got to see what's out there. And so he hated me for breaking up. That's why, you know, in high school, he wouldn't even speak to me, but that's how I ended up. I have a stepdaughter because he had a baby in high school. So I always tell him, see, I'd let you go. And now see if I had, we had a say together. That's a great way to transition. I remember I read an interview where you told your mom, you would never marry. You would never date a man, let alone marry a man, with a child. Very true.

What changed? I was 15. Okay. We were at a basketball game at high school. And remember, he couldn't stand me. Right. And so at the game, me and my mom would sit on the bleachers. And he walked up, and he was standing on the corner of the wall with his little girlfriend.

And they all heard it. Hey, you did it on purpose, didn't you? You wanted her to see it. You've got your little kids here. Yeah, good man. To be honest with you, I wouldn't even think about her. When she told me the story years later, I remember it. I wouldn't think about it.

And I looked and I just kind of like rolled my eyes like, you know. Whatever. And my mama was like, I don't know why you're doing that. I was like, what? And she was like, I'm going to tell you what's going to happen. She said, that little girl is going to get pregnant. And they're going to have a baby. But that's your husband.

I said, well, you don't know me because I would never marry men with kids. That's what I'm supposed to think at 15. Right. And so mama was right. She was right. On graduation day, years later on graduation day, my mama came to me and she said um go get chance i want y'all to have a picture with y'all's cap and gown i'm gonna use this at y'all wedding i said would you stop why would you say something weird like that my mother-in-law was my biggest fan she loved

she loved me yeah she was my biggest fan and she used that picture that way yeah and she was gifted too wow yeah wake up with football every morning and listen to my new podcast NFL daily with Greg Rosenthal five days a week you'll get all the latest news previews recaps and analysis delivered straight to your podcast feed by the time you get your coffee no dumb hot takes here just smart hot takes we'll talk every single game every single week but I can't do it alone so I'm bringing in the big guns from NFL media that's Patrick Claibiborne, Steve Weiss, Nick Shook, Jordan Rodrigue from The Athletic, and of course, Colleen Wolfe.

This is their window right now. This is their Super Bowl window. Why would they trade him away? Because he would be a pivotal part of them winning that Super Bowl. I don't know why, Colleen. Catch the podcast, the NFL Daily with Greg Rosenthal every day. Subscribe today and you'll immediately be smarter and funnier than your friends.

And who doesn't want that? Listen now on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Your mom saw something that you didn't see at the time. You had like, you done broke up with me. You ain't want me, so you did your thing. And all these years, fifth grade, so your fifth grade, you're probably, what, 11 years old, 12 years old? All that time, you guys.

We were from the same hometown, same small city. But I would see him in high school. I would always have this little pain in my stomach when I would see him it was like a feeling I always tell that it's guilt he said it was guilt you did me dirty that's guilt that's what that is but I went to college in Miami

he went to college in North Carolina and so I was there and one night I woke up in the middle of the night he was the only person I could think about and I was like just thinking about all the years that I would see him and I had this pain in my stomach. We had kind of became friends again in our senior year. And I just had this thought of like, I think I'm in love with him. And so I found his number in the middle of the night.

By the time I called him it was about 3.30, 4 in the morning. And I kept calling the room. His roommate answered. I was like, I need to speak to Chance Brown. It's an emergency. And so when he got on the phone I was like, I need to speak to Chance Brown. It's an emergency. And so when he got on the phone, I was like, I know this might sound crazy. I was like, but I think I'm in love with you. So I just told him, I was like, all these years I would see you,

and I would have this pain in my stomach. I was like, but I'm thinking about all these different things. And if you don't think I'm crazy, call me back tomorrow at this number. He ain't say nothing on the phone. And then I hung up. Chaz, I thought you were crazy. I had to stall out a little bit. I waited all day. I had to stall out a little bit, man.

But obviously, you had felt the exact same way. Obviously, you had felt the exact same way. Yeah. You know, the crazy thing is I held on to it my entire high school years, right? And I would see her in passing, and it was always something about this one particular girl. She's always been full of joy like and it was a feeling that that I always say that only my mom could give me like it make me feel like I can do anything right that's what I remember the right tab the entire time now I didn't start living a whole different life I'm in

college and went through high school playing sports popular by my own means right and nobody could ever make me feel like that besides my mom and this one particular girl and this was now after a few incidents but i like to say you know things that where a lot of people had kind of started looking at me as being problematic right so you got you got somebody who still got no marks on their record, got their whole life ahead of them, right? And she's still admiring your boy. And I'm like, man, this girl still got that little bit of crazy in her

that I just can't kick. It's crazy for you to call me after four years in the middle of the night and say what you said on the phone to me. That was crazy, but I was attracted to it. I was like, man, this girl's still, this girl weird. But I can't kick it. I'm gonna call her.

So I called her. Hey, and- So when you called her the phone, Tab, Chan, what'd you say? First she had a roommate that didn't speak English. She was in Miami. Okay. And I called her, and I just remember the roommate answering the phone,

and I'm trying to say her name, and I'm like, this can't be. I got the number wrong. And I could tell when she grabbed the phone, she got on the excited No, I had been waiting by the way wait all day all day, but you know he will call it So when she got on the phone, I just say I kept it I tried to keep it you try to keep it G Do I try to guys I you call me? Did you really call me in the morning I was like yeah, and I didn't want to be jumping out there, so I just let her do the most talking. But in my head, I'm like, I had told my homeboys that in college, I was like, I had one friend who I can always, you know that one friend? Yeah, yeah.

So I'm telling him all the reasons why the whole day. I'm like, man, this girl called me. I'm about trying to live my life, and now she want to come and get your boy back. I'm acting like I'm somebody You run and he waited and he waited my boy tie love him to this day, he said you scared fool Man, you gonna call her, you know, yeah, I'm like nah, I ain't gonna call her I waited till the end of the day and I called her, you know And I knew I was.

You know what I mean? Like, it was just one of those where I was like, I don't want to be this dude. You know, that ego thing. Right, right, right, right. I called her. I called her. And here we are, 25 years later. Wow.

Yeah. Is marriage everything you thought it would be, you two thought it would be? It is nothing that we thought it would be You two thought it would be It is nothing that we thought it would be Is that good or bad It's good Because you guys make it sound so perfect But there has to be Some disagreements at some point

Oh it's a whole bunch of disagreements Hold on What about the fairy tale? But feel great. All I heard was fairy tale. No, no, no. Don't be confused by it. Okay, okay. Marriage.

See, you know what? I didn't come from a house. I didn't come from a family of marriage. Okay. I didn't have no understanding of what marriage was. Right. Her parents were married and, you church going you know that you know so I didn't have an understanding of what marriage was so when you ask that question I'm like I had this ridiculous

idea this really just male perspective of what marriage is I'm gonna do this I'm gonna have this this gonna I ain't got to be out here chasing this because it's at the house. That was really in simple what it was. But as we grew together, it became

something completely different. It became that that's my best friend. That's that unconditional thing. That's that thing to where even when I'm I mean I'm not ready to hear what she's saying I got to revisit it and now it's a possibility that she could be right this is the one this is this is the person the one person on this earth right even outside of my mom right now my mom I'm always right I'm her baby right but this is the one

person that's going that has no interest in trying to backdoor me or get one over on me i got to consider it and that's invaluable you know what i mean that's you know so i started to learn what marriage truly is and also in the aspect of it's like a Fortune 500 company. You know what I mean? It's that thing to where you say, look, if you don't take pride in anything else, you should be able to take pride in this companion that is building your legacy, you know,

where your kids will be able to, a lot of people don't have, like I'm listening to you interviewing my wife, right? And you asked her the question, what's the one thing that you're most proud of, Right. I knew she was going to say that. Right. But what I value out of all of this that I didn't have growing up. Is that my great grandkids will be able to go and find something with the Brown family name on it. They'll be able to say. My greatgrandmama, she wrote two books. My great-grandmama got nominated

for this. My great-grandmama is the reason I'm able to go to this nice school. I ain't have none of that. Those things right there is what marriage turned out to be and more important than what I thought marriage was about was, you know, those male, ego-driven

dumb things and materialistic things from the South like I am yeah the Mary when you got home to me it was on the table the wife cook mmm-hmm clean did all those things and what the man said I don't know how it was in your house but what the man said when it wasn't no okay let's think about it let's's talk this through. He said we go in the church. We went to church. He said we go in here. We go in there. But I'm looking at you. It really

is a 50-50. Yes. And that's what I, I try to do that the most. I don't have to carry all that weight. So when you know how you started with me being able to play the back. Yeah. I have no issue with that. Wow. I have no issue with that. Wow.

I have no issue with that because... But you know a lot of men would. A lot of men would feel emasculated if their wife or their significant other... Because she's like, hey, you're the police officer. Yeah. She's like, set that down. Yeah. I got it, baby.

That was the plan. And that's because of that little bit of crazy, right? Yeah! So look, from the very beginning, I'm not lying to you. I could literally come in the house and tell my wife I wanted to be an astronaut. And the next day, she's going to have the paperwork, everything laid out. That's the kind of support that I got from my wife. I'm going to order the soup from Amazon.

I could say, look, she was that kind of crazy. Right. So I got all of that prior to what the world sees now. Right. See, they don't know that portion of the story, how she was there supporting me and making me feel like an alpha male and king. She couldn't treat me like a king for the majority of our relationship. Wow. Believing in me when I say, hey, no.

Even before they knew who Tabitha Brown was. So she was treating you like this before she was, hey, I'm Tabitha Brown. Absolutely. God is good. All that. I just read the other day. Believing in me.

And I need people to understand that. Believing when I say, I got us. Yeah. Right? And even when I didn't believe in myself, finding a way to get me back up into my belief system so that I could take care of my family. So

she's been playing second so well that I learned from her how to do it. And now I need to be a soldier for her. Right. I'm going to be a soldier for her. So it's easy for me. And especially when it's coming like this. Right. In abundance. I'm not fitting the best this up.

Yeah, man. Come on now. I'm good. I read Gabrielle Union. She said her and her husband split everything 50-50. And I'm listening to you guys. And, you know, marriage is a person-to-person thing. What works in their marriage might not work in this marriage,

and it might not work for you guys. So what are your thoughts, Tab? Let me get you first. What are your thoughts on you guys splitting things 50-50? I don't really know about 50-50 because it's 100-100. Right. Right. What's mine is his, and what's his is mine.

Right. When we started our relationship, we had one bank account. One. We both had a debit card. That was it. With anything in it? Honey, it's an overdraft fee. An overdraft fee is a killer, son.

But we, you know, that's when we both was working at the call center together, right? So all our money went together. We balanced it together. We kept a notebook, and we would do bills in the notebook, and we would talk about how much we were going to have left. And our real savings, we only had that account because it was starting to be a part of life where you had it. But our real savings was in a Nike shoebox.

Yeah. So it's always been our money together. And now we have multiple accounts, but we're both still on them all. So there's no money that he don't know about. There's no money I don't know about. We're just in it together. Wow. So to see Tab, because this is not traditional.

This is a different way of doing things. Normally the husband goes off to work. The wife stays at home, takes care of the kids. Okay, boom. Now, you'd have a very non-traditional. And like you said, you're like, I'm cool with it, bro. I'm cool with it. I'm good.

Because a lot of times, it's the homeboys. Because they always got something to say. Man, I can't believe you let your woman take care of you. It's talking all crazy. But because you had known her for so long and you guys had been together for so long before, it didn't even bother

you, did it? Nope. And that's why. And you just summed it up. It didn't... I only know one other couple like me and my wife that knew each other so long and grew up together. So and I really kind of keep my circle tight.

Got to be smart with that. Yeah, I don't really. So I haven't encountered too many people in my immediate circle. I've had quite a few people, especially when I moved here to LA, to kind of tell me that we weren't going to make it and you and all this because it's just impossible. I'm a country boy. You ain't seen the city yet. You don't know what kind of women out here,

that type of thing. But when I came out here, I came out here with a goal, right? And that goal was for us to make something out of nothing right so I found my I just associated with people who were married other young people who were married or other people who were married and like-minded and when they started turning you know going left with negative thinking and negative I just kind of put a wedge in there to protect what I got in my household Wow I heard Steve Harvey, like I said, I had him on. He said, a blended family is hard. How was it, you know, your daughter accepting Tab and Tab understanding?

Because I think the thing is that you hear a lot of kids, you're not my mom, you're not my dad. I'm going to tear your tail up like I'm your mom or your dad. You better hug. Hard. It's hard. It is definitely hard, but I don't think it's because of the children. Right? The adults make things hard. Right? Really? Absolutely. So for me, I've been

Leah's stepmom since she was two. So she don't know nothing else. Right. Her parents were never together. Right. So she never saw that. So all she knows is this. And it's always been Taya. I ain't never, like, I was a stepmom before I was a mother. Wow.

Right? I had that role before I was a mama. Right. So, and I always loved it. Right. You know, it was always a fun thing for me, and I still do. I mean, she's good and grown now. She's about to be 28. So, she's grown, grown. But, yeah. And she's grown, grown.

But yeah. And it's hard because of just even, too, with us moving and separating ourselves, there's a culture in North Carolina of how you raise kids. Right. Absolutely. In the South. Yeah, then there's a difference. And we didn't necessarily bring everything with us on how we wanted to raise our kids to L.A. That's what a lot of it.

But we brought a lot of it. But there are some indifferences, right? So when those two worlds, you know, they collide, the adults have a problem with it. You get what I mean? We also learned as we were parenting our children that we had together, we were learning that, oh, wait, just because this is how it was for us,

this don't work for our kids. Right. And there was a lot of things I wanted to understand. You can't discipline your kids like you got disciplined. No. You're going to jail. You're going to jail. If it's simple as that, you're going to jail.

Right. Exactly. Like, that ain't working. No. You can't go out there and get no switch off the palm tree, okay? But it was just different and I think also not being uh in North Carolina you know with my stepdaughter where she was still living with her mom and we were here even that was hard right right but we made it of course work the best that we

could because we won a lot of years with no money. Right. So, Chance, you're a basketball coach now. Mm-hmm. So, obviously, you like basketball. So who's your team? I roll with LeBron, man. That's what I'm talking about. You roll with the goal. So, hey, listen, wherever he go, I'm going. Right.

Right. So I don't like to claim teams. Right. You know, I didn't expect it a whole lot of it. You with LeBron. Man, my whole team thing went out literally when Mike retired. Right. And then LeBron came in and he convinced me that he was the man for the job. Right. And then the new wave of how players move and everything.

Move around, yeah. Yeah, I wrote with LeBron, man. Wherever he at, that's where I'm at. A guy that's been in the lose an awful lot lately is John Moran. We saw the incidents that he had with the guns waving around on IG Live. If he was your son, what type of advice would you give him? Because, you know, and I tell people this. People don't understand this.

When the child becomes the provider, it changes the dynamic in a relationship. Because you, as a father, you provide. But once he becomes a professional athlete or he becomes famous, and then he takes over that role, the role does not change. It shouldn't. Because the dynamic is, you're the father, he's the son. But when he starts paying for the

house, then the card knows. And he starts paying for everything that you have or the family has you kind of treat him differently even though you should see i think the mistake is in a in wherever you start treating him differently is where you've already messed up yeah you've already messed up i don't think that it's okay point, the dynamic change with me and my wife. Right. No hesitation when I feel some kind of way, I'm gonna speak my mind, as well as your husband.

Right, because you're a man. I'm a man, right? And I value this relationship and our future more so than I do anything that this money can do for us. Right. So if he was my son, to answer your question, I would really have to sit down and have a heart-to-heart with my son

and try to find out, man, what is your infatuation with guns? And bring him, I just, I really don't understand it, right? And I need to get

some kind of understanding of why you feel the need to and i need to get some kind of understanding of why you feel the need to one have one to two show it off to the world right three what is it that you don't understand about this blessing right that it's been given to been given to you you you worth i mean i don't know but i imagine you're worth about $200 million, right? And I would try to probably shed some light on him of what that really means. I don't sometimes think that we, I think we make an assumption about the youth and that they should understand it. I deal with kids, and I'm the over-explainer.

I'm the dude that's like, nah, bump that. I'm not doing what y'all accustomed to doing and trying to get it done in 45 seconds because Instagram and social media has now turned the world into 90 seconds. Let's get it all done. Kids are now starting to think that's their expectation of, of, of attentiveness, right? I'm not, no, I'm the dude.

It's like, no, we're going to talk until I feel like you got it. Right. So he, I don't think that he is of understanding and taking a type of pride as a young black man, strong emphasis on black man that you are,

you are now responsible for generations. That's right. Okay. Let's make it personal. If it's not that big of a deal for you and the kids out in the world that you don't know personally, let's sit down and I want you to really think about the life that you want your grandchild to have. Now, his child. And then think about how they're going to view you when they go to like with my wife I'm telling that's the most important thing to me. I love the fact that

We can that at 90 I can envision one of my great grandkids coming to me and saying yeah I'm gonna grab mama right there right there right there. They can't lie about it. They can't change it. It's right here We got it, and I think that's where I would start is trying to Something there because there's a disconnect in the world of those type of things where it's like we sending the message home and That's where I would start as a dad like look man I'm proud of you, but you need to be proud of yourself You need to you need to own some of this. You need to see what this really is.

And if he ain't had a history lesson, he need to get one. That's where I would start. I'm going to get you out of here on this one. What's your keys to success in business and in marriage? Oh, honesty. In both, right? If I can trust you, we can build a mountain, right? If there's trust there, if we're honest,

we can actually have a conversation. We can do all the things that we need in truth. If honesty is involved. Absolutely. I would just like to add, just promoting and encouraging your partner to be okay with change. I think sometimes we kind of, how you started out is how I always want you to be. Oh, no, that ain't going to happen. So I think you should, you know, encourage change and welcome it and be okay with it.

With your partner growing and growing in any direction and not feel threatened by them outgrowing you. And that's in business too. Yeah. Cause you guys, cause you grow every day. Tabitha is different today than she was yesterday and she'll be different tomorrow than she was today and likewise for chance. And so you have to be ready to adapt to that change.

Absolutely. Be okay with it. Expect it. today and likewise for chance and so you have to be ready to adapt to that change absolutely okay we expect it on day one when you get married when you say I do start thinking about the honeymoon might be a little different than what you think guys you guys seem like you guys have you guys have so much fun you seem like you have so much fun together you guys have so much fun together. You guys have been together. You can, I bet you can finish her sentence. And she can finish your sentence. Cause you guys have been together that long

that you know what each other's thinking. Yeah, most times. Yeah. And then sometimes she'll surprise me. I'm like, man, what are you doing? Like that go to change. So I did bring you some things. Okay, well, thank you.

Okay, very good. So there's a couple things, and some of this might have to go to some people. Okay. You know, they're going to say, Shannon, give me that. But this is my cookbook. Okay. In case you don't want that stomach issue going on. Is this a vegan cookbook? It's a vegan cookbook.

This is my first book, Feeding the Soul. So that's all about my life and my journey. And then this is a working journal that accompanies that one. All right, and so then, so you can get in the kitchen. Now we talking. You can get in the kitchen with all the seasons and things. So these are my new ones along with the original sunshine.

Very good garlic, like sweet, like smoky, and these are all salt free. So I look out for these saute blends. And then, you got a name for your hair? No, you know I just got, you know I'm old school. I mean I had that same haircut since 72. I know but you gotta name them, you gotta name them. Oh so I gotta name them, okay.

You just gotta name them. So this is Donna's recipe. Okay. To get you together a little thanks. Or you can gift it cause somebody over there, I feel like her energy is already on it. You see, you see that you? I think she came here to get it. She knew you was going to bring a goodie bag and she came to take this from me.

But this is sweet potato pie. So Donna's recipe, so I did sweet potato pie because I don't bake, but Donna does. So she said she made the desserts for your hair. But these are all for you. And then, you know, if you want the bag as well, this is my collection from Target. Okay. Well, thank you. I need the bag to take this stuff home. I don't know if I'm going to take the hair products home, Emma. CJ, that's $50. I'm charging. I just got it for free, but it's $50 for you.

Oh, that's right. The chance is, since we gave you something, then we probably... Oh, yeah, we got the contract. We got a box. We need to get it. We definitely got a box. And you see my hoodie. We're going to get you we got a little and uh You see my hoodie. I'm gonna get you one. What's that? What's that? What size you large?

Okay, medium. Okay. I've got you. We'll get that. We'll get that to you. Yes. Absolutely. This has been great This has been unbelievable. This is but Unbelievable. Thank you for taking. Oh, absolutely. Thank ahead. Thank you for taking us time out of your day. I understand you're very busy. We've been trying to get this and we finally got it. We finally did. So thank you so much. Thank you again, Chan. Thank you for having me.

I appreciate it. Absolutely. I don't get the handshake. Shall we close it out how I close out all my videos? Yes. Yes. Again, thank you so much for having me. And until the next time, honey, y'all go about your business and have the most amazing day.

But even if you can't have a good one, don't you dare go messing up nobody else's hand. See y'all next time. Love y'all. Thank you so much. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you. I'll see you next time. We'll be right back. so I'm bringing in all the big guns from NFL media like Colleen Wolf. Subscribe today and you'll immediately be smarter and funnier than your friends. Listen now on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.