Couple Things with Shawn and Andrew - 144 | Tales from the World Cup with the Zimmerman’s

Episode Date: December 14, 2022

For today's episode, we got to sit down with professional soccer player Walker Zimmerman and his hilariously funny wife Sally Zimmerman. We talked all about the World Cup, their relationship and nerve-wracking birth journey with their son Tucker and what it looks like to be a professional athlete while raising a family. It was an honor to be able to sit and have a conversation with them for an hour as guests and as new friends. We hope you enjoy it and be sure to check back every Wednesday for new episodes! Today’s podcast sponsor is AG1 ▶ Athletic Greens Is going to give you a FREE 1-year supply of immune-supporting Vitamin D AND 5 FREE travel packs with your first purchase. All you have to do is visit http://athleticgreens.com/eastfam. Today’s podcast is also sponsored by Levels Health ▶ If you want to better understand how food affects your health and try a continuous glucose monitor yourself, go to http://levels.link/eastfam to learn more. Today’s podcast is also sponsored by Apollo Neuro ▶ we have good news for you! Our listeners get a special discount. You can save up to $50 by going to http://apolloneuro.com and using code couplethings50. You can follow Walker here ▶https://www.instagram.com/thewalkerzim/ Make sure you’re following along with us as well!! Follow My Instagram ▶ http://www.instagram.com/ShawnJohnson Follow My Tik Tok ▶ https://www.tiktok.com/@shawnjohnson Like the Facebook page! ▶ http://www.facebook.com/ShawnJohnson Follow Andrew’s Instagram ▶ http://www.instagram.com/AndrewDEast Andrew’s Tik Tok! ▶ https://www.tiktok.com/@andrewdeast?lang=en Like the Facebook page! ▶ http://www.facebook.com/AndrewDEast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode is brought to you by Defender. With a towing capacity of 3,500 kilograms and a waiting depth of 900 millimeters, the Defender 110 pushes what's possible. Learn more at landrover.ca. Well, Walker, Sally, welcome back. My gosh. It's been a wild couple weeks for you, I guess, huh? It's pretty crazy.

It's been a while. Tell us about what the last month has looked like from a sky. schedule standpoint the last month i'll start uh we had a pre world cup training camp in frisco i left on october 25th i was there for two weeks came back for like two days and i think i left november 6th i think for guitar and so then i just got back like december 5th or 6th so pretty long trip uh south got to come out for a little bit which was fun but uh yeah a lot of time away how long how long do you spend in guitar i went for eight or nine days I think it was nine, but really eight with the time change.

Are you guys planning on going back anytime soon? No. I don't think it'll ever be in guitar. I think that was it. I think that was it for me. But it was a great experience. They did a really good job, honestly. Did you see the sites?

I did a little bit. They planned, so we were part of a family program. And so it was almost like we were on a school trip. They scheduled like our buses to and from all the games and every activity. We got a schedule about the next day, the next day. before every day and so you could do what of that you wanted and so one of the things we got to do was a desert excursion whoa and that was super fun so that felt very authentic i'm not sure it's probably extremely touristy and not authentic but it felt cool um we got to ride camels stargaze yeah you saw

saturn i saw saturn and jupiter what i have videos i'll have to show you guys it was insane it looked fake i thought they were i thought they put a fake picture of saturn on the telescope. Because you could see the ring so clearly. And it was real. You didn't get it to do it. I didn't get to go. I was kind of locked away in a bubble.

Yeah, Walker couldn't leave his hotel. And then the other thing we got to do is my brother works for the U.S. embassy. And we got connected with a guy in Doha and he took us on his boat. He did a little boat tour. Holy smokes. And so we got to see Doha from the water. And that was amazing. Wow.

But those were probably the two only major. Yeah. We did like a family Thanksgiving thing, but that was just at the hotel. Yeah, they did sweet family things, but not really like sightseeing. There's not a lot of sites to see. So it's like the local market. Oh, I did go to the soup. I brought back a Tucker little trinket, a little elephant.

He's probably not going to care about it, but it's a memory. That was cool. The market was about the only thing. But that's because everything was built for the World Cup. There was nothing there when they got the bid. Wow. So I think that's why I'm curious that they're going to bid for the Olympics based off of everything they built for the World Cup. Honestly, they should.

Yeah. And actually, even though it's not really in a part of the world, I'd care to go back to, they did an amazing job. Like, they really did, I thought. Logistically, everything was so clean. They were very helpful. I felt safe. Was it Team USA or USA Soccer who like set up the family?

U.S. soccer. Yeah. That's awesome. Yeah. And apparently not every country did that for their families. Not every federal. does that. Yeah.

They never did that for our families. Okay. Never. Not everybody's a part of a federation, though, Shons. You know, we're not all Olympic gymnasts. I don't mean it that way. World Cup soccer players. No, but.

Like, you had to get your family there. Yeah. It was like, to each their own. You had to find your way. But. It made it so easy, honestly. They really. That's awesome.

I would not have been able to go without it. Yeah. No doubt. And then you came back from Qatar and did New York, like, media days for. Yeah. That was actually a lot of fun. It was. pretty much a sprint for like 36 hours but we got to do some really cool things got to be on a lot

of different shows so i got back at like probably midnight to the hotel and had a 640 good morning america and then a couple interviews that morning and afternoon today show don't forget good morning america that's day show ABC news all that um and then the highlight was probably we got to go to a broadway show got to go see the music man and then uh hugh jackman came out and i'd given him a jersey that you know, I just said to Hugh, like pretty, pretty bland. To Hugh. Yeah, to Hugh. I don't have much to say. And, but he came out and, like, mentioned, you know,

I was back from the World Cup and got a standing O on Broadway, which was, like, the coolest thing that's happened. So that was really special. But, yeah, good. You got a standing ovation on Broadway. Something I never thought would happen. Holy stuff. On Broadway, like that.

What song did you sing? They had karaoke night or what? Yeah, a little special performance. Yeah, that was great. And then Tucker got to meet Santa for the first time in New York. Oh my gosh. Yeah, which was amazing. At Macy's.

Very classic experience. Oh, yeah. That's about as traditional as it gets. He wouldn't let us pass him off to Santa, but he was like kind of, you know, waving and a little hesitant. And then two days later, when we got back to Nashville, he allowed us to present him to the new Santa in Green Hills. So I think he was a fan of the Green Hills Santa a little bit more. Or he just warmed up to the A-O family. Yeah.

Now he's like looking at standing all the Christmas books and like pointing him out. So he's growing. Don't forget Christmas party tomorrow for Tucker at school. Yes. Thank you. You're right. I completely forgot. Ours was today.

What are we supposed to do for it? He's just supposed to dress up in festive gear. Okay. We could talk about school logistics later. But that is the reason we got connected to these two. It's been a fun. I guess we've only known you for like two or three months. Since parents night.

Parents night at school. And there's been a lot of trash talking that's happened. since it's pretty even slut of backing up on the trash talk but it's been fun but how long did you have to go without seeing Tucker a little over a month I think you went a month without yeah it was a month full month oh my gosh sadly I've missed a lot of his early early days but I'm hoping that that means I'll be around a lot more for his future so yeah I was gone for 30 days from him I think and then that's happened a couple of times So far, and he's only 18 months.

So I think we, at his first birthday, we calculated and it was like, had missed more than half of his life, like right around half being on the road. So I was going to say, how does the dynamic work with, like, you being at home, watching Tuck, you on the road and, like, balancing the dynamics of your career, but also being dad and husband? Yeah, I mean, it's not easy. I'll say, like, I learn pretty early, like, I definitely do miss him when I'm on the road. and so I had to get Sally to install like a camera that I could then see from my phone because I had friends, teammates who had kids and they're pulling up their phones and have their kids in the crib, like saying good night.

I'm like, I need that. So it was nice. Like I can always check on him before I go to bed and like, you know, say good night in my own way. Stay connected a little bit. And then we FaceTime him a lot. So I think he kind of only knew me from the phone for a little bit.

And then when I came back in person, he's like, but I thought you lived on the phone kind of thing. So it was actually like really sad. Yeah. But now that, you know, we've got a lot more time together. He's getting older. It's just been so fun.

I think Sally does a great job, like, be able to manage, you know, me being gone and, like, doing all that alone. So a lot of props to her. Do you have, like, a routine or system in place where it's like, all right, dad's gone for a month. Here's what we're going to do to connect him with dad. Besides saving all the Kardashians. Yeah, I was going to say. I feel like we have almost like two modes of life, like one where Walker's home. one where he's not.

And I've gotten actually pretty comfortable with my routine when Walker's gone. It takes a few days to adjust in and out of both lifestyles. Yeah. But I don't know. We kind of have a good gig down. And honestly, Tucker's a really good, easy, chill baby, which I'm very thankful for. And so he makes my solo parenting life a lot easier. And also Walker and I were apart, honestly, just as much before we had Tucker.

And so I actually think life is easier and more. fun and more fulfilling for me now that I have him because I have more of a structure and a schedule and a purpose while Walker's gone. Whereas before, I was just straight up alone for like weeks at a time. And we've moved a lot. And so it's hard to find those like good older friends that you can just like third wheel with or like go hang out with alone without your husband. So I feel like now that I have a baby, I'm like, oh, I have plans or we can do play dates or it's a little easier of a bridge than before so i was going to ask about the transitions because like when ander was on the road with football it was always the transitions that like we would get in the biggest arguments

or have like the hardest time like with our relationship it was either a couple days before you would leave or the first the couple days that you got back but it was always like budding heads of lifestyles yeah i feel like it's honestly harder when you come back because i feel so set in my gig like like Tucker's morning routine before school and like how we do things and Walker would come back and he's just way more relaxed and like hey we can like throw the ball right now and play and I'm like no no no he's in his high chair and we are eating breakfasts like little things like that where I find myself getting very like rigid about what works because it does work when he's gone and then I kind of have to relax and then I guess in a way you need to like relearn what the new gig is because

when he's gone for like a month like a lot has changed like Tucker has opinions now or like we have to be more strict in certain ways or whatever it is so I think it's harder for us when he comes back than it is when you leave obviously when you leave it's just like more sad and I'm like oh man it takes me a day or two to like buck up for what's coming but in terms of like relationally I think it's harder when you come back oh this is it the day you finally ask for that big promotion you're in front of your mirror with your Starbucks coffee be confident assertive remember eye contact but also remember to blink smile but not too much that's weird what if you aren't any good at your job what if they dem out you instead okay don't be silly you're

smart you're driven you're gonna be late if you keep talking to the mirror this promotion is yours go get them Starbucks it's never just coffee who's more rigid with schedule really for sure same I love structure. I mean, I was a teacher, so I feel like I just know how to run the ship. But maybe it doesn't have to be like that. I don't know. I feel like now that you're an actual off season, we're actually on the same page and it's very chill. When he's still in season, I'm like, we still need the routine. This is such an interesting phase that we're sitting down and having this conversation because like how, I mean, how long have you been dreaming about playing

in the World Cup? Probably since I was like four when I was. started playing. No, I actually didn't know about the World Cup until I was like probably eight. So I'd say, yeah, 20 years. And now you're a week removed from having played in your first World Cup. It's like, do you feel like all your life dreams and goals are satisfied? I don't know. It's like, it's a really weird feeling because obviously I want to do it again now that it's over because I'm like, that was so fun. But you kind of have the disappointment of losing and not like making it further or winning the World Cup. And so you're like still bummed that you lost. But then at the same

time on an individual level you're like I accomplished this dream that I always had and like you're so proud of all the work that you put in but it's like a weird a weird balance and then for me I'm like I feel like I have a lot of years left so I'm like all right got to start focusing on 2026 and it's just kind of like this ongoing thing and that's been like a theme kind of the whole career like you're never satisfied with with what comes and so for me it's like cool checklist like check off the list but you're kind of like, I want more, I want to do it again. So it's weird. I can't truly enjoy it.

I don't think. I mean, I hope I can one day, but not until it's over. Have you guys stopped and, like, reflected with just you two? Because how long have you guys been together? 11 years. 11 years. So you've been a part of that dreaming for a lot of the process. Have you, since the World Cup, like, gone out and been like, hey, wow, this is, like,

kind of stepped away from the madness for a second to, to appreciate what just happened? I feel like we need to. Yeah, it's like not fully, like, not to that, like, extent, but we have certainly been like, wow, that was really cool. I think the best part was with the U.S. team, like, after each game, we got to, they let the family stay for, like, 30 minutes after the game. And so I think after the first game, like, you know,

walking back from the locker room, back on the field, it's just the families in the stadium. And you just kind of, like, have that moment to connect. Like, wow, like, you did it. Like, you played in the World Cup. That was a really special, I think, moment for us of just like, oh my gosh, it just happened. Like, you accomplished your dream. I know it's emotional for Sally.

Like, she loves the walkout when you're doing the national anthem. It's like probably her favorite part of the whole game. So, yeah, I think we had that moment, but you were on TV for that part too, dude. That was hype, Sally. I debuted as well at the World Cup. It's really all I ever needed. Yeah. For the sake of, you know, reflection right now, I'm curious.

not to ask an obvious question, but what do you find most enjoyable about that experience? Probably, I would say probably goes back to like the team and how, you know, obviously we've been a part of many teams over our career, but like this one in particular, there was so much selflessness from the guys who weren't playing. And like, you know, when you're at the World Cup, there's no time for, oh, I'm bummed because I'm not playing

or I'm bummed because I'm not starting. it's like everyone else who's on the bench is cheering so hard for guys even in their positions because you want to win. So I think that whole sense of team was like really cool to watch and see how everyone like truly believed in that common goal because that's such a cliche thrown around in sports. In the back of your head you're like, yeah, but some people would like don't really want the best for your teammates.

But like in this case, it felt like the team dynamic was amazing. It's such a good time off the field. And that was probably the saddest thing was like when it ended. He's just like, man, this team will never be together again. Yeah. It was a really special group. I don't know how to like phrase the question,

but something that Andrew and I went through a lot was, and this is more probably a question for you, Sally. How do you watch Walker play? And, oh my gosh, I don't know how to phrase this. But like the thing that I struggled with the most with Andrew was he would set a goal and he'd go to a game or he would make a team and I'd be so proud but I never wanted to show him that like I was his wife because of you know his accomplishments and how do you balance the dynamic of not

making your entire identity within your relationship about your successes of soccer and how do you support always going for the next thing because like you said your dream was world cup and you made it and you did it but now you're already looking at the next one so how do you support as a wife and be like you've done enough like when how do I support you and saying is it enough like should you throw on the towel should you retire should you continue how does that conversation look like between you two yeah I think the biggest blessing of our relationship is that we met when we were freshman in college and so like when I fell in love with Walker his car would stall out every time it reversed out of the spot and he would have to train kids to take me out on dates and we were just best friends you know

And so I think the biggest blessing is just that we grew up together and like the success has come pretty steadily but also very slowly. And I was with him when he signed his first contract and we did long distance. You know, like I was just there for all the phases. And I think that helps a lot because he knows that I love him because of just who he is and like we're best friends, not because of what he does. Because when I met him like he, I guess also I didn't understand soccer. So he was already kind of a big deal. And I was like, what? I guess the funniest story I'll just share really quickly.

It's freshman year he made the All-American soccer team. I don't know what it's even called. And I remember he told me, and I was so concerned and, like, honestly, upset because I was like, where are you going? Like, what do you mean you made the All-American team? Where do you guys play? I was like, that's not good. Like, you're leaving. We just started dating.

And so clearly, like, that's just my level of knowledge. So I don't know, I think that part of it, like, makes a difference in terms of just how we manage all of your successes. Like, they, I'm so proud of you and they mean a lot to me. And I feel like I've sacrificed my whole life for them. But at the same time, like, I'm proud no matter what. Like, I don't know soccer, like, that well to where I'm like, ooh, that was a grave mistake. Like, you know. And then in terms of his desires to, like, always do more and more, more, I.

I'm the opposite. I'm like, you know what? The goal was the World Cup and you walked out on the field for the World Cup. And that, to me, was already more than we'd ever asked for or imagined because our goal, like, or at least my goal for Walker, I know this was never his goal. But the way it was looking a few years ago was like, just be a bench warmer at the World Cup. Like, to me, I was like, if your name is just on the roster, that's all we could ever ask for. And then, obviously, like, as his career progressed and you became.

more of a starter and things like that that wouldn't have been enough for him but I don't know I I like to just check things off and be like that was amazing can we just celebrate that and then move on but at the same time I kind of have like also grown and adapted into Walker's mindset of like I understand how once you actually get there I'm sure you can relate to this like once you make it to what you thought was your ultimate goal it's like then that's not enough like more doors open to more and it's like you'll never be satisfied which is kind of a sad reality like once you reach the mountain top it's like a whole new world opens up yeah and so I think I'm kind of experiencing that with Walker and just seeing like okay now he did make it to the World Cup which we thought would

have been it and then now it's like there's just more it is so interesting to try to support the dream and not have it be like performance based right where like i think that's kind of what you're where it's like hey this is his dream that you fully support but it's not about the results you know it's not like yeah i personally am not a huge result person i just want walker to be happy my my whole mindset is like i want walker to be happy and feel satisfied with what he's doing and so obviously that means he needs to be successful because i know walker won't be satisfied unless he's successful but like I personally am not competitive really

and I personally like don't that's not true side you're very competitive you talk more trash to me when we're playing carol oh my gosh dude she crushes me that's so funny

but no I get that it's a weird dynamic of like I want to I want to cheer for you and be so proud of you but I don't want you to ever feel like I'm going to be disappointed if things don't go well we could go down a whole rabbit hole because I feel like it's like deja vu.

But how long have you played soccer your whole life? Yeah, since four. Are you ever scared of the day when you're done? Oh, yeah. It's like I have a couple things that I think about. It gets me really sad every time. One is like that last game or the last moment. Two is like of anything happening to our family.

Like I think about my dog dying like all the time. I'm like, yeah. Dude, it gets me. I'm like, I just look at her eyes. I'm like, I need you to live forever, you know? So, like, things like that, like, have those moments of reflection. But, yeah, one of the top things is I can't imagine, like, what my life looks like without, like, being the person on the field, like, trying to win. And, like, at a professional level, like, I just, it's, like, the greatest job I could have ever, like, dreamt up.

And I definitely don't want it to end and don't know how I'll be when that time comes. Do you not want to end because you love soccer that much? Are you afraid of what you are without soccer? It's a great question. I think probably more the first. Probably I just love games. Andrew probably knows. That's like what makes me tick in a lot of ways.

We've seen you on game night. Yeah, having fun, being competitive. And so like, again, being able to do that, like, as a job, like, I love it so much. I don't know if it's necessarily like soccer as much. Like, I don't think I grew up being, like, the biggest soccer only type person. Like, I loved all sports just competing at anything. And so I'm sure I'll have to find another outlet, like when it's done. But, yeah, it's going to be pretty sad.

I always say we're going straight from the last soccer game to therapy. Yes. Because also, I mean, we've gotten, like, since, I mean, for 10 years, in January, we get our schedule for the entire year. And we just kind of make it work. And I'm traveling or, you know, it just, like, dictates our life. And so I just don't know what do you do when there's just no schedule? And you can kind of make your own a little bit.

I guess the blessing is having a kid in school. That helps a little. That helps a lot. Yeah. But yeah, we're going straight to therapy. All right. I want to hear three stories. One, the first time you guys met, then I want to hear the first date story.

And then I want to hear how Walker proposed. Oh, my gosh. I love it. Great stories. Which ones do you want to take? You can start with how we met. I feel like that's kind of like a longer heart. Summer's here.

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forward slash Eastpham. Again, that's athletic greens.com forward slash Eastpham to take ownership. over your health and pick up the ultimate daily nutritional insurance. Let's get back to it. All right. So at Furman, they have kind of like an orientation week, like all colleges probably do. And one of the first things is a president's picnic where you go to the president's house. There's like burgers, dogs, whatever. And all the freshmen are there, you know, looking around, trying to see who everyone is.

And as soccer players, we had gotten to school a few weeks before that. We had buzzed our heads as like freshman initiation. and so there's a bunch of us just like straight bald-headed like cue balls sitting at the table you know and so from sally's point of view she saw that table and was like oh like there's a bunch of cute guys but probably couldn't tell the difference between any of us we were all wearing the same outfit yeah same polo like i don't know why we had to wear the same thing soccer warm-up outfit oh wow oh i know the life dude so lame looking back come on and uh but from our point of view like obviously they could wear whatever they want so i was like who's that girl in the polka dot dress

like I need to know and um so I literally saw her like walk by and she stood out to me and I didn't meet her that day because a little bit of a coward in that way but a couple weeks go by um she had come to the first soccer game had seen us play a little bit and I was walking to class and one of my teammates was walking with her and introduced us and was like hey this is sally like oh sally like it's so nice to meet you and she was like I come to all the soccer games I was like, I'm saying to everything. And I was like, I appreciate the support. Like something really lame. And so then that was kind of like the initial meeting. But then I would say that the second half to that is I was studying for an e-contest, probably a little bit after that. So it'd been November of our freshman year.

And so we had kind of interacted very briefly a couple of times. But I asked the guy I was studying with, I was like, hey, do you know Sally Tucker? like she seems amazing. He's like, oh my gosh, she's one of my best friends. I'm like, perfect. And so he texts her like a winky face and all of a sudden we pack up our book bags, walk straight to her dorm room, knock on the door. And we opened the door and she like looked up like a deer in headlights and sat down. We started talking for like two or three hours. And from that day on, we pretty much saw each other like hung out every day that, you know, when we were on campus at Furman. So kind of just hit it off at best friends for a couple months and then that leads us to the first date story which i'll let

you take okay our first date was on valentine's day oh classic so cute um we did a double date actually and walker wrote a handwritten card with markers that said like roses are red violets are blue i don't even remember what i said this is something like tonight i have a date with you or like something Like that and then it was like your secret admirer. Oh and I was like oh seemed a lot cooler when I was 18 Walker was pretty cheesy not gonna lie Yeah, but anyway and a Roman poetry. Yeah. Yeah you got to know your audience you know I ever said That's really cute actually that was about as big of a poem as I ever got But anyways so we went on a double date we went to a fun restaurant in downtown greenville and the chef actually ended up quitting halfway through our meal.

What? That was pretty awkward. Yep. Walked out. Walked out. It's a big thing in the kitchen. Super dramatic. Okay.

And they had to come back and redo like retake orders for like a simplified menu. Yeah. Oh my gosh. Yeah. Whatever. It was funny. And then we went to the top of Paris Mountain, which is a mountain. Clearly.

In Greenville. And they had packed hot chocolate for us. We like looked at the stars. I guess, I don't know. You see Jupiter and Saturn? Not as clearly as I did in Qatar, but that was really cute. And then I think like a few nights later, we went on our own first date to the dinner, to dinner. You remember what movie we saw?

No. I didn't really like it. Yeah, it wasn't very good. The descendants. Yeah. George Clooney. Like back in the day. This is still your freshman year, though.

This is freshman year, yeah. This is spring semester. February a freshman year yeah wow okay and then how long after did you propose five years later because we were long distance for four and then when she was getting her master's and like teaching in Greenville yeah it was Valentine's Day weekend so literally like five years later oh he came back on a random Saturday he got off well yeah so I was in preseason with Dallas and our schedule was still kind of up in the air and our coach ended up giving us a couple of days off for that weekend and so I was FaceTiming her in the room

and my roommate intentionally was like oh I can't believe we're off like you know Wednesday and Thursday this week like you know so then she thought we had off like at a different time rather than that weekend and so I end up flying home to Atlanta driving out with my brother And his wife, and we drove up to Greenville, and I end up, I FaceTime you from, like, kind of outside the restaurant that she was eating at with her sister. You know, her sister was eating lunch with her set up, obviously. And then in the background, you could see, like, this Furman flag, like, when I FaceTime her. So she was, like, answered the phone. She's like, wait, are you at Furman?

And, like, everything was starting to click, and I, like, walked in the door. And we went on a walk, we went on a walk around the lake, a Furman Lake, and we sat down at the bench. where we became officially boyfriend and girlfriend. Wow. Super cute. I'm realizing how cheesy all this sounds. It's really all very cheesy. When I play it back.

What did you say officially were you like, will you be my girlfriend? Yeah, we were like dating, you know, but it was like exclusive. She wanted to go like that summer and like, you know, we weren't going to see each other for a few months. I want to keep my options open. Just for like a hot second.

Oh, this is cool. Yeah, so then we went to the bench and I proposed there and it did a great time. Yeah, it was really cute. but it was during the day at lunch, you know? It's not what I was expecting. Yeah. But it was great.

It's also kind of like how our life goes. Like he got off on, he got told on a Wednesday. He was off for that weekend. So he literally called my roommate and two days later he's proposing, you know? Did you plan it that quickly or? I think like she, we probably both knew the next time we saw each other was probably going to be a proposal.

But I don't, yeah, I think as soon as I would have gotten off days, I would have tried to go back to Greenville and surprise her. So yeah, you planned it in. But also we knew when our wedding was going to be like... Prior to getting engaged, basically. Oh, yeah, oh yeah, that's... I literally picked out.

I was like, if we get married, I think this was freshman year of college. I told my sister, we looked at the... I knew I was going to stay and do my fifth year master's. And so I looked at the calendar for like December of 2016, I guess. Because I knew Walker's only free in December to get, married and New Year's Eve was on a Saturday and I was like well that's it New Year's Eve New Year's Eve on Saturday of 2016 and that's exactly what happened but also my dad is the doctor for the Baltimore Ravens and then Walker plays soccer so we have like no yeah freedom with our schedules

and so you guys are we didn't have a completely surrounded by sports sports states yeah so that was sort of took out a lot of the surprise elements because we knew we were getting married then. Yeah. And so then it was just kind of like you have to just propose. Yeah, her mom can start booking stuff. Her mom actually like, I think ended up booking the wedding venue prior to me proposing. But wanted me to propose like first, which would have been like.

So she could book more. Thanksgiving of the year before. And I was like, no, like just trust me. I'm not changing my mind. I will be proposing. But I'm not like, just book it. Like I promise you. Yeah.

But it was a weird dynamic. I'm Nash. Nash is vibing right. I mean, it smells bare, I guess. You weren't kidding when you said you were pretty, you know, scheduled. Yes, I love a plan. Five years before you got married, you actually had it on the calendar. It's kind of weird, actually.

It's actually really creepy. You know what so funny? Andrew decided the night before. Oh, okay. So this is, I had just gotten signed by the Chiefs. This is my rookie season. I got the ring in July and was going to wait until after my first season. to propose a really long time to wait yeah so then i got the ring literally and i proposed the

next day instead so i was like but not planned it was she was throwing a pitch at the cubs game yeah and i was like i woke up that we got an argument because he walked out on the field as i was as i was throwing the first pitch and i was like what are you doing out here yeah like you can't be out here yeah this is my moment my first pitch yeah yeah anyway which were you more nervous for dropping down on one knee or walking out on the the the world Cup. Proposing for sure. There's nothing like that feeling.

I would say more than that was the talk with the dad is more nerve-wracking than the proposal, I think. How to go. It was great, but, that's you good. No, that was funny because, like, obviously our situation was so open because of the scheduling stuff that, like, I had called him before visiting Baltimore, which I did every Christmas, and was like, hey, we'd love to talk to you at some point. and if you have a free afternoon, whatever.

So he's at work, he comes home, and we're all waiting around, like, me and Sally, her siblings, her mom. Everyone knows, like, I'm going out to lunch with him to ask, like, for her hand. And it's just like... And he was late. Yeah, he was a little late. And so we're all just, like, trying to make it not weird, but, like, kind of, like... Where you were late or your...

No, my dad was late. Yeah, her dad was late. But we all knew, like, what was going on. So it was just like... So he's, like, comes in, he's like, all right, I guess it's time to go talk about the weather, you know? we're like bye yeah did he make it easy it was it was good yeah we went to panera and just sat down had some lunch and uh it was i miss pretty easy but still nerve wracking so nervous dude i took her dad a preds game we sat in silence see that's a long time i know

i didn't know what i was bad that is i mean hockey games you're there for two hours you didn't talk for the first two and a half periods in the last five minutes i was like hey so um i'm I'm thinking about marrying your daughter. Exactly what you said. And he was like, he was like, yeah, sounds good. And that was it. And it was like, dude, I had the biggest pit in my stomach. That's pretty lucky.

My dad was like, so you're technically a college dropout. Yeah. How are you going to be providing? Yeah. How are you going to provide for my daughter? What'd you say? So Walker had to lay out his plan. Yeah, laid out the plan.

What's your plan? It's a foolproof plan. No. I'm still here. No, it was, you know, I understand that education is extremely important to your family. It is to me as well. Like, I will be. I think at the time I was actually still taking classes

So I'm like I'm on track to finish Get my degree I look into like broadcasting or coaching Using my degree for that And that was like The taking care of your daughter part And the rest was like how I feel and all that So tell this media trained

Yeah Yeah very political I understand the educationism Yes He knew what he was supposed to say As soon as I said that it was all over Yeah Oh man

I was going to say My mom ruined our surprise because like his was we were not as like scheduled so my mom and dad were in town that's when he took him out to the breads and the next morning my mom was like so ander asked for your hand last night and i was like mom you can't tell me that supposed to say that oh my god then you need to expect it like yeah but then didn't come for like another year so okay wow it worked out then how long did you date before two and a half years okay yeah yeah also i don't even know how you guys met just give me a two second i his oldest brother's

olympic cyclist that i met at the olympics and he set us up on a blind date what wow you guys have a lot of olympians in this family that's amazing you guys are surrounded by every professional that's amazing no that's cool that your brother set you up yeah yeah fortunately he was dating someone that is so weird when you say that because it's my brother now anytime i reflect on our like dating story or like the romance of it it's not a good look it's like oh man the poem i wrote was not great and that thing i did was like a little creepier too much but it's like i guess it's how it goes that's like before like to get her phone number i was like i'd got it from a friend obviously and like was a texting her as if like i could see her from outside like what is that you know

that's like straight panic mode yeah he was like sitting in the room texting me as if he was some random person outside. This is so weird. He's like, JK, it's me. Oh, my God. Yeah, it's terrible. Oh, cool.

When you're like 18, I guess that's cute. Yeah. We were talking about busting with the boys and Will was asking us how we met and like literally just annihilated me. He was like, because one of the things I did was flew out. Our first time meeting was like,

she drunk texted me and said, you want to come to L.A. And I was like, you want to come to L.A.? And I fell asleep and I woke up and he was there. No, I skip, class I was like he might murder me anyway he might murder me so yeah that's amazing it's embarrassing to look bad but here we're eager beaver over there yeah it was our bye week for football I had literally one chance yeah he had to take you shot it just so happened to be his birthday yeah

and I had no idea and so he thought it was like a really because I texted him like 12 30 yeah and he's like oh it was on my birthday and like you knew and I was like nope didn't know were you happy when you saw him? Like, and he came out, you're like, you didn't look at it. I was panicked. I was really panicked. I was also getting out of like a five-year relationship. So you're like, this is a lot.

This is a lot. Yeah. And you literally hopped on a red eye. That's really good. Here we are. Thank you, Sally. I think that's really good. It's very fitting, like, having known you, I'm like, yeah, of course you hopped on the

yeah, for sure. Yeah, for sure. Hey, he looked at flights to guitar for you. Yeah, I did. He's like, dude, he's our bro. We got to go. And I was like, okay. yeah it was really fun just like short 15 and then you're like well it's also in the

us in 2026 so that might be a little easier is it really yeah yeah I don't know anything about soccer yeah hey well we'll get you educated so I didn't know the all-American thing I didn't know where you're going with that either yeah I've heard of an all-American team no oh my gosh I mean I feel like yeah do they not have that for like other sports gymnastics they do I never made the team for the all-america but thanks for I didn't just just It's like an honorary team, apparently. And I didn't compete in college. That's right.

Who came first? Bear or Tucker? Bear. Bears are first. Wow. Nash is our first. Yeah. But they're very close in age.

Bear was only like six months old when we had Tucker. Wow. So ask me how I feel about that. A puppy and a baby. And no husband around. Dang. I tell you, late nights when you're potty turning a dog, are dang near worse than a baby.

You have to take them outside and the freaking snow. He just talked about it. Wait. Walker actually loved it. This is actually so funny. I said so many choice words. Because we lived in an apartment.

Walker, Walker, I've never seen him so joyfully do a rough activity in our entire lives. He loved it. He would hear bear like barely whimpering and he would jump up

and it was during like a big snow here was her first week. And he would jump up, put on all the snow. no gear take her out loved every second of it wow i would meet him at the door with the with the towel to wipe off her paws yeah it was something about like she needed you you know and you just got to step up and he's a dog person like to the max and i'm not and i like babies thankfully and i feel like that you didn't really ever have to wake up did you guys ever argue about the dog i never want

oh oh yeah yeah i bear is very fortunate to still be at her house She has nine lives. Her presence was threatened many times. But now she's a new beast. We got her trained more professionally and it has changed our lives. Wait, so you were pregnant, though, when you got bare. So you knew what was happening. What was the thought?

Did you get bare? No. Well, I said we're not getting a dog. Well, first of all, the thing was he had to graduate call. I said, for your graduation present, you can get a dog because I, like, needed him to graduate college because that was his deal with my dad and I was like come on you need motivation you know and then thankfully when he graduated we still lived in L.A so we had no yard no fence and I was like I'm alone way too much we were apart more than half the year I was like I don't want a dog so

until we have a yard and a fence you know no dog well then of course he spontaneously gets traded to Nashville buys a house that I haven't seen with a yard and a fence like a beautiful house Thank you. Yeah, he did a great job. But I was like, oh, no. And then COVID happens. And everyone's on dog lists. So we get on a dog list.

And then we jump that list somehow very fast. Yeah, we did. And then honestly, like, I love Bear. I mean, she's super cute. The timing now is great. That six-month period of like when Bear was six months old and Tucker was a newborn was. And Bear was literally psychotic. Yeah, she was great.

And it was not a good. It was not good. She's so chill now. It's surprising. I was like in labor outside trying to get bare to go potty because she was having like stomach issues. Probably because you're in the middle of the night. She knew. She did know. But like I mean, I was making her chicken and rice for like three months. Anyway, she's fixed now. Thankfully her issues. But it was not great. I told Walker he was gone one time and I was Like, I'm opening this front door, and I don't care what happens. Unless you find a breeder within, or like a trainer within 24 hours. She's out. And I was dead serious.

We're laughing now, but I'm sure that was a pretty. And Walker knew I was so serious. I knew she was serious. I had to save Barry. Our only disagreements, like, since we had Tucker, we're about bear. Yeah, our biggest fights for sure. We've never, like, I was never really emotional about anything else, but he would call me. And I would just be sobbing about the dog.

And I'm like, Tucker and I are fine. The dog is not fine. Andrew Nye's biggest arguments are over Nash. I'm a psycho dog person. Andrew is not. I love, no, I love dogs, but it's like I treat him like a dog.

Right. I treat him like better than a human. Yeah, that's how Walker is. Yeah. And he would side with the dog. Well, he'd be like,

I'm sure she just wanted more attention. I'm like, that gets me. That gets me. Oh, hi, buddy. Who's the best you are? I wish I could spend all day with you instead.

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So the other complicating factor in the timeline is Tuck came early. Yeah, he came at 33 weeks. Wow. Can you tell us that story? Yeah. So I guess we add like a super normal pregnancy until, is it the 26 week or 28 when you get that glucose test like your, like 28 weeks? Or I don't know. Roe Gam. Well, yeah. Okay. So at the 28 week appointment, they do the blood draw. Yeah. I get the Rogam shot because we knew we had different blood types, I guess. You had the, the bad one, whatever it's called. I am O negative. And he's positive. Because Walker's positive. Yeah. And, and. So anyway, we do that test. All is great.

Pregnancy was super normal. And then the doctor calls me that week and she's like, did you get your blood drawn before the shot after, like something came back super strange? Turns out since Tucker and I have different blood types, somehow are blood mixed. And usually that doesn't happen unless there's like a super traumatic accident or like injury or something that would cause your blood, your blood to mix. and so my body was developing antibodies against Tucker's body basically and so for the rest of my pregnancy um we just had to I guess I was high risk we had to go to the doctor like once a week and they would measure they're called titers it's like the number at which I guess I'm creating antibodies

doubling yeah um and so honestly though those never got too bad like he didn't I don't even know if he came early because our blood mixed it's just kind of now like something that we have to deal with. Um, but randomly I woke up on a Friday, Walker was in New York for a game and I was just in, I was just having contractions. But I didn't know really that they were contractions. So I was like, no way. Like I'm 32 weeks at the time. I was like, there's just no way I'm in labor. But at the same time, it was like waves of pain, which I'd heard was what contractions were. I was like, but just in case these are, Braxton Hicks, I'm just going to keep going on walks with bear and drink a ton of water.

So I'm walking outside, like, in labor. Multiple times a day in, like, the 98 degree heat in labor. But I'm like, I'm fine. I'm cool. Like, this is okay. It wasn't great, but it was fine. And also, I'm like, Walker's in New York, so I'm good. Yeah.

Like, I am really good. And I also had had a friend in town, but she ended up leaving that day. But anyway, Walker plays the game. I took a shower and then I tried going to bed. And I think those are like, that's like a bad combo, like taking a warm shower and then going to bed. That's like, you do not want to relax your body. Encouraging your body.

When you're in labor. Yeah. So then I laid down and I was like, yeah, this is actually, I can't go to sleep. And I remember them saying like, if you can't go to sleep, you're for sure in labor. So I just downloaded the contractions app. And so I started timing them. And it was like, go to the hospital. Go to the hospital.

I mean, I think they were like every like two to five minutes. Oh, my gosh. So I texted Walker and I was like, yo, when you get back, thankfully he was just in New York and they fly back straight after the games. I was like, we need to go to the hospital. And Walker's like, no. You still waited? Oh, yeah. I think I didn't see it though until I landed, right?

I don't think I knew prior to take off. You were like, no, Sally. Like, I heard you're supposed to get a good night's sleep and need a big breakfast before you go to the hospital. And I was like, no. So anyway, he lands when he's on his way home. I call the doctor and they're like, you. yes you should definitely come in so at this point it's like 2 30 or 3 a m walker had just played a full soccer game flew back from new york and we're going straight to the hospital wow i was surprised

you lasted that long yeah well i also was like i like you don't know what's happening yeah i mean i knew it was happening but i was in such denial because i was like 32 weeks at the time and i was like no so go to the hospital they're like yeah i think i dilated like from a zero to one in 30 minutes while we were there and they were like yeah you're gonna have to stay so then they gave me magnesium try to like calm my body down all the way to stop everything and like they never stopped but I was very much like you're like what's the pain level from a zero to 10 I'm like oh it's a five and you're dying I was like I mean I think I was in decent pain it hurts really bad so it's just a five right now but like how do you know if you've never done it before I'm like what's a 10 I hate the pain scale thing yeah I'm like

I mean, I guess maybe I have a high pain tolerance because they were like very shocked whenever I was actually. So anyway, I have magnesium. That really hurts, by the way. I don't know if you ever experienced that. But it's like, I honestly was like, this is terrible. But in the middle of the night, I was like, if I died right or if I like had to fight for my life right now, I see how people in comas wouldn't. Because I was literally like so. Which is so terrible.

People say, like, wow, he was really a fighter, Sally. I would not have been. I'm not a fighter. Because it hurt, like, every muscle and your whole body hurts and you're, like, so limp. I mentally was just not into it. Oh, my God. So anyways, thankfully. I had to fight for my life.

I'm just done. I think I'm done. Why people in comas wouldn't? I don't even know. I really remember being like if I was in a coma right now. I would just have less will. I'm really thinking that. That's how much it, like, was, it just really hurt, honestly.

I don't know why. I didn't like the magnesium experience. And anyway, so then I like downplayed it so much that they moved me to antipartom, which is basically just like the waiting room, which is horrible. Yeah. I do not recommend antipartum. Because you're just sitting there. It's terrible.

It's like a holding room basically where like you're not in labor going to deliver, but you're not. You're not discharged. Yeah. So, and they only check on you twice a day. Oh. And so they would only hook me up to the monitors to see my control. Yes, twice a day. So in the middle of the night, I would call them and be like, I am, I am in, like, I'm in labor. But at the same time, I didn't want them to know because I didn't want to give birth. I was like, I'm not giving birth, but I'm having contractions, like, every. We should have had one there now. Yeah. Yeah. I was like, I'm definitely having full on contractions, though. Anyway, somehow I get them to send me home after like three days. So I think like Friday, you're at the hospital for three days. To Sunday or Monday. Until Monday.

we go back yeah but like till monday i was in the hospital friday to monday send me home monday evening i'm so excited walker's parents meet us at home they're gonna like they bring us food they're gonna take care of the dog like we've been in the hospital of like three days can you guys like come up and help out like we just gotta kind of recover i'm supposed to be on bed rest like yeah indefinitely i ask the doctor like okay so how do i live like this like because i'm in labor and they're like yeah it'll be slightly uncomfortable but like you get a few week you got a few More weeks to go. They're like modified bed rest, you know.

So, you know, you can do normal activities, but like, take a chill. And I'm like, I mean, I'm in labor, but okay. I was like, okay, cool, cool. That doesn't really make sense to me, but I'll figure it out. Okay, cool. And so then, anyway, like three or four hours later, we go to bed. And I wake up, like, two hours later. And I was like, this is impossible.

And I knew Tucker was, so with the blood thing, he was going to come at, like, 36 weeks anyway, I think. That's the longest we could wait. he would come or yeah um so it was going to have to be like three more weeks of just living in in labor and i was just like no this is a little too legit so we ended up going back like early tuesday morning and he came at like yeah but when you got when you got there you were four to five centimeters yeah four or five centimeters and they were like wow usually girls like at this point are screaming from the parking lot and i was just like i'm not giving birth today

I was just sitting there like we will and I we all had to wear masks still because of COVID and I was just behind my mask like like chill I honestly was like really chill I have to say props to myself and then he came at I can't remember three five or something yeah middle of the afternoon and this is during your season oh yeah yeah oh and I and Walker got I can't complain but I got really sick in the hospital from that three day period that we were there beforehand so I ended up having pink eye oh yeah yeah Really bad cold. Oh, yeah, I turn over. You know, they put the peanut between your legs or whatever. I turn over and I look at Walker and I'm like, you have pink eye. And I'm like, but they can't know you have pink eye. I'm like, they can't know you have pink eye because you can't have pink eye anywhere. Like pink eye is like, yes.

So every time a nurse left, Walker had to go to the bathroom and like rinse out his eye. He's like hacking up a lung. I'm like, they can't know you're sick. You can't get kicked out of this hospital. You cannot. You cannot leave. So that was, it was random. It was a really, like, bizarre experience.

And then Tucker was born, and he was in the Niki for nine days. So we ended up spending, like, over a week or about a week in the hospital, total. And then we'd have to go back and visit him, which was pretty sad. And then we brought him home. And then two days later, Walker left for a month. So it was kind of a wild time. So that's Tucker's birth story. Now he's the happiest kid I've ever seen.

He's so happy. He's the happiest kid I've ever seen. Yeah, he's always been an angel, so we'll take it. But it was a little stressful there for a minute. But they don't think that the blood thing had anything to do with him coming early, so I don't really know what to say. The laugh that you gave when you said, well, I'm in labor. It was simultaneously hilarious and a little frightening too.

It's like an evil laugh. Okay. Are there plans for more kids, do you think? Yeah, hopefully. I will say it does add a little bit of stress based on the last experience just to be like I think our biggest prayer is just that the baby has my blood type which is actually possible I think it's rare but possible so that's our hope would be that the baby would have my blood type and then my body wouldn't be creating antibodies against the baby so the situation is you have O positive

negative and you have a positive and the baby usually gets positive wow really yeah So you're both O? I don't know if I just know I'm positive. I don't know if it's O or A-B. I'm not sure. Does it? No, because I think we are the same. But we never.

It's still, it's funny that we still don't quite know what Walker's blood is. But normally it's like, it's just never an issue because. The Ro-game shot works. And like they still couldn't really fully figure out why the blood mixed. And so even our doctor and then like our family friends, like they had only seen like it's super rare.

Oh, yeah. This is like a negative one percent. chance ever and like you know that's over 40 years of like practice you have like four cases and you're like wow and then so they couldn't figure out why it happened so that's like the the crazy part he's here though he's here he's doing great and it's possible like even if our next baby has walker's blood type like a positive blood type you can get like blood transfusions and stuff I think I mean it's possible but the the antibodies don't double so quickly, so then they can make it to a certain point before, you know, there's too many antibodies would be the hope.

Yeah, it's very strange. With Amex Platinum, access to exclusive Amex pre-sale tickets can score you a spot trackside. So being a fan for life turns into the trip of a lifetime. That's the powerful backing of Amex. Pre-sale tickets for future events subject to availability and varied by race. Turns and conditions apply. Learn more at MX.com.ca. A couple of things is sponsored by Apollo Neuro.

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Again, go to apollonero.com and use code couple things 50. Let's get back to it. We've been done this a long time. But you have to choose who goes first without knowing the question. Walker goes first. What's your favorite thing about Sally? Oh. Great question.

I would say, I think it ties back to what we were talking about earlier and how she kind of, like, made my dream hers. It's like such a humbling thing for like a spouse to do is like put all of your kind of goals and like, you know, she was a teacher, had a job, had like this whole life. Like kind of put that on the back burner to like fully support me and like, if you ask her her dream, it's like for Walker to play in the World Cup. You know, it's like that's really cool when she can do that and it means a lot. Yeah, one of the many things. And Talley, what's your favorite thing about Walker? I think it's the way that he loves people. He's so generous.

And he's really, like, allowed me to grow a lot in that area of just, like, hosting. And he loves bringing people together with, like, game nights and social activities. And he's just always looking for ways to be generous. And I feel like that's something that kind of helps him stand apart and just, draws people to him and it helps me grow and be a better person what is you've accomplished so many of these you continue to what is the ideal scenario look like for you career wise what are the what are the goals that you have left so for me probably I would love the chance to play in europe playing the EPL would be probably high up there um I definitely want to play in another World Cup

and then in terms of MLS still chasing an MLS cup so I have kind of an open cup and support shield and some individual words but that MLS cup is probably the most elusive one so I think if I can get that it kind of like covers all the things you can do in the league so that's probably the short list you made MLS Best 11 for four years in a row yeah that's freaking height yeah that's crazy it is such a fine um it's like ambition is a good thing right but having that i guess approach of

gratitude and being content and like a healthy way content and in a healthy way ambitious is like so hard to do and i can't imagine being in your position with all that you've accomplished all that you have from ability standpoint like you're the best at what you do it's it's it's It's crazy. So I admire the way you're navigating that. And I'm, I think, you know,

you and Sally represent so many of the wonderful things about marriage. Like, from a team standpoint, supporting, supporting each other. And then I love the story of you guys having grown into this together. And like, you know,

things weren't then what they are now, which is pretty cool to think about. But Hugh Jackman said, and I agree with him on this, that you represented, your country well and guitar well thank you

thank you for that yeah hey we were freaking out it was really fun to watch a roll cuff and having it also how's your head feel that's good it's conditioned yeah it's his head is really hot bro I got a crazy skull I was like

walk you got freaking legs dog you don't have to use your head all the time this is it's what works you know I was you're going to ham out there bro oh my gosh Walker Zimmerman headed it out Zimmerman with the header I was like oh my guys

it was a lot in that one's fan it was like three in a row it's hilarious oh man yeah I always like I'm like Sal you don't want to play that rhino game if you try to rhino him you know it hurts so well I don't know if most couples just like rhino for fun but

is that just like head buddy child you just like put your head yeah like when you're like my brother and I used to do it growing up where you would like put your foreheads together and try to like push oh yeah who can win but his head is so hard It's not even worth trying, but you should try it. Was there one moment that stuck out from that whole experience? I mean, besides giving up a PK, that stuck out pretty good. But to go along with that, like the highs and lows,

it's such a cool story of like the redemption arc between one game to the next where you have a game where you have a moment, you feel like you let the team down and you just have to respond and you can't dwell on it. And I think like mentality-wise, it was an awesome lesson. of like, okay, that's in the past. How do I move on? So to then come back the next game,

get a shutout against England, you know, a top 10 team in the world with a lot of attacking talent. And then to have that moment against Iran of, you know, coming in and keeping the win, saving the ball off the line a little bit, like going from, you know, zero to hero within a span of a week on that stage

was like pretty crazy roller coaster. And just like a great, I think it's a great lesson for kids and youth of just, like staying present in the moment not letting things that happen in the past affect your future um so there's a lot of really cool stories that came out of you know the ups and downs of that whole experience why is the like do you feel compelled to bring up the pk thing or what is the what's your relationship with that moment well i think it's kind of funny because i think if you're not like a an avid soccer fan you probably see it as worse than it was and i think that's kind of what helped me

deal with it a lot anyways is like the nature of the play i don't feel like in that moment what i did was wrong even though it was a foul like the way that the play happened it was like actually pretty unfortunate um it was really clever from you know the opponent to to do what he did and that's like why he's you know a great player so um i think knowing deep down like you know i chose to make that decision made it i can live with it um probably helped me move on faster but i think going from like you know we we felt like we really needed to win that game and we only got a tie but the fact that we were still able to like get out of the group and um like it kind of didn't matter in the scheme of things i guess but yeah it was just like probably the first time i think for us that we had to experience like severe social media like craziness like for me like truthfully it didn't really bother me too much you see things like written about you and i was like i just want to see what like and shan are up to this week on Instagram but like you can't even sift past like all of the the hate and

negativity um it was funny because sally was like yeah i hopped on the bus after the game was trying to delete comments i'm like i don't care like everyone because i had no we've never had that volume on that magnitude of messages like or comments of hate and so i was like oh cool there's like 20 that felt like a lot to me i was trying to delete him for walker before he saw them but then I was not prepared for you can't manage it after that and then I was getting a ridiculous amount of DMs and I have a private Instagram so I felt like that was very personal to like seek me out and let me know how horrible my husband is yeah but then you see like it's so weird because then you see everyone just like commenting about like oh how he must be feeling you're like you

have no idea how I'm feeling like I've been like trained for this condition for this like my entire life it's not the first time I made a mistake it won't be the last like my identity is not in that play and so I think like it was just so interesting to see like how everyone projects like this is how he must be feeling in this moment you're like dude I'm I'm yeah it sucks it's terrible I hate it I'm upset about the play I'm gonna move on and I'm gonna come back and like help the team and to be able to do that and have that story I think it's pretty powerful I feel like with that scenario as even in marriage it's like it's kind of all about the stories that we tell ourselves or how you define yourself and it's like whether you're talking

about that play or even you playing soccer and what your career afterwards looks like it's your identity and and as you said it's it's not in that play dude it's like Walker freaking stared that moment in the face first of all the courage to go out there and and just confront all of the pressure and it's like I know you've been training for it but like that is a thing it's like one that's the Right that's that's Walker Zimmerman is to have the courage to go out there to to bounce back and be like okay First of all you're the most trained defensemen that we have and in on the team So it's like no one else is going to do better than than that right like that is the best and then it's and it's gonna get on a soapbox I'm just saying it's an important thing because when I look at when I left football

It's like yeah man I'm you just you can so easily tell yourself this story of like well I don't I can't do anything else or like like man remember that one play that whatever my professional career was wildly underperforming but like um it's there's so many wonderful stories that you have that you could tell yourself it's like yeah double down on those and you have sally here to like help reinforce that it's like i don't know man i'm a big fan of years we're playing golf tomorrow apologies ahead of time for john i freaking projections yeah i don't understand golf either either okay so you will do well I like that's a

honestly I love that you this is what I'm saying dude Sean talks trash about me and then Sally talks trash about me I'm a lone island yeah you're an underdog always

I don't know what to say makes you better you know yeah I agree I hope I hope that you know your career in Nashville I hope you go play in Europe but I also hope you stay in Nashville for another team

we've enjoyed getting known you guys so this is sally's first podcast too yeah thank you guys for having me this is fun you're great at it professional i know you're teacher walker said he wanted to be in broadcast but you might be you might be better you know i'm not as good with my words on my feet just like call his games oh that would be interesting and there goes the ball and he hit it with his head anyway we're big fans yeah thank you guys yeah thank you thank you so it's fun. Love that. All right. Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas.