Keep it Positive, Sweetie - The Woman Behind the Armor

Episode Date: May 31, 2026

In this episode of Keep It Positive, Sweetie, Keisha Lance Bottoms opens up about the deeply personal journey behind her memoir The Rough Side of the Mountain. From childhood trauma and family secrets to faith, leadership, motherhood, body image, and reclaiming the parts of herself she once felt she had to hide, this conversation explores the humanity behind public strength. This episode is about healing, identity, authenticity, and what it means to finally show up as your whole self.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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On Humor Me with Robert Smygel and Friends, we help make you funnier on this episode. My guest's Bob, Odin Kirk, and Kids in the Hall's Bruce McCullough, try and help the Kazoo Kinney. and Tayzan Day be famous again. What if there's an alternate universe show where you guys are incredibly popular? Well, and they could travel up the land, doing meet and greets. They're constantly needed at malls.

Listen to humor me with Robert Smygling Friends on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human beings. potential. Either way, the podcast Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with

the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Calling all my sweeties to the forefront, I'm your host Chris Renee Hazett, and this is the Keep It Posit Sweetie show. Welcome to Keep It Posit Sweetie, the place where we heal, grow, and learn together. Today's guest is someone people may know through leadership, politics, and public service, but in this conversation, we meet the woman beneath it all. Through her memoir, the rough side of the mountain, she opens up about family, shame, childhood trauma, faith, motherhood, and parts of herself she once felt she had to smooth over

in order to succeed. This isn't just a conversation about leadership. It's a conversation about humanity, healing, and what it means to finally show up as your whole self. I'm honored to be sitting with Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. Before she became mayor of Atlanta, a national political voice or a leader through some of the country's most difficult moments, Keisha Lance Bottoms was a little girl from Atlanta navigating family secrets, faith, grief, and the pressure of becoming strong too early. And in her book, The Rough Side of the Mountain, she tells that, with honesty, vulnerability, and grace. From childhood trauma to marriage, motherhood, leadership,

and reclaiming the parts of herself, she once thought she had to leave behind. This memoir is deeply personal and profoundly human. Sweeties, please give a very warm welcome to Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. No, thank you. I'm so happy you're here today. I was so excited when they said,

would you be interested in interviewing Mayor Keesha Lance Bottoms? I'm like, what? First of all, you're calling me? Yes. Now I am so honored because you know I'm such a fan. Same. Me too. Not just of your work, but you are just an incredible person. Thank you. And for as beautiful as you are on the outside, it's your inner beauty that shines most of all. So I'm glad to be here. Thank you so much. I know you are busy, busy, busy. So the fact that you made time for us, we really appreciate it.

So excited. We're going to get into your new book, The Rough Side of the Mountain. But I want to first open up with a quick game called Front, Front, We're taking it back to a little Keisha. So I want you to think about the first memory, lesson, or story that comes to mind when I give a phrase. Okay, the first one is, what's the same from your childhood that still lives in your head? That still lives in my head. You only have to tell the truth once. That's good. That's really good. What's a smell that instantly takes you back home? smells of baking cakes. We talked about cake today.

And fried chicken, chicken frying. Your mom owned her own salon. What was your favorite style for her to do on your hair? Oh, I used to rock and asymmetric. Really? And it was stacked on one side. And I see those pictures now online. I'm like, wait, are we back?

Honey, everything, I feel like everything repeats itself. Right. That's right. Yeah, so for sure. The next one is what is something your family did growing up that you thought was normal until you got older? Definitely traveling with my dad around the world. My dad was an entertainer. Really? And wherever he went, we went. That's amazing. Yeah. Who taught you the most about faith without preaching to you? My grandmother, for sure. Yeah, I love that. Strength used to mean this, but now it means. Oh, I'm so grateful to have learned the difference between being powerful and being strong. So strength used to mean being strong. I now know it means being powerful.

That's good. I love that. Thanks for playing along. Thank you. I love that. So you've written this book and it really feels like a collection of lessons, memories, and pieces that really shaped who you are today. With writing this book, I want to ask you, is this more about telling a story or about meeting Keisha again? It was both.

When I started this book, I left being mayor of Atlanta. I wasn't thinking about running for office again. So it really is the purest form of the story that I could have told because I didn't do it in the lens of some political opinions about how it was written. It is very different than I initially envisioned it. I was going to write these series of essays called Lessons of My Minds, told me. Oh. Things my mama said or something like that. And as I began to get put pen to paper, my team essentially say you have an incredible story and you should tell it. Yeah. And it was a love

letter to my family, to my community. Wow. And I'm just, I'm so proud of it. And when I finished it, I said if nobody else reads this, but my family and it makes them proud, that will be enough. Yeah. No, I'm you made a lot of people proud. So. Thank you. Yes, we're all proud of you. You opened up with the gospel song, Rough Side of the Mountain. I remember hearing that song when I was a kid, and you connected to the idea that the rough side gives you something to hold on to.

That's right. I want to know, when you look back, what did the rough side teach you that the smooth side could have never taught you? Oh, wow. So when you asked a question about smells and things, that's all from my grandmother's kitchen. Yeah. And she used to have this radio in her kitchen or either on TV, we'd see the commercial, the rough side of the mountain and that tuna's always in our heads but I didn't have an appreciation for it but I opened the book by talking about coming home from school and seeing my dad being

led away in handcuffs and this extraordinary life where we traveled the world in an instant was taken away and my grandmother used to always say all things work for the good of those who love the Lord. And I didn't see it then that these challenges is replacing ballet lessons with visiting my dad in prison, watching my mom struggle as a single mother, having this life of luxury removed literally in an instant. I didn't realize how resilient and how strong it was making me. Yeah, as a kid. Yeah. And so much of who I am today is because of that. Not that I would wish that on our family at all, but I know it's given me compassion. I know it's given me courage and it's given me an ability to see things from a different lens than a lot of other people do because I've lived it.

Literally, yeah. And I do believe that the levels that you have climbed, I believe that that empathy, has allowed you to see from a lens that a lot of people in your position would never see from because they haven't experienced that. Yeah. So that is, yeah, that's incredible. I know what a prison smells like. Ooh. I know what it looks like.

I know what it's like to have to take that bucket of water home from the hair salon to flush to toilet because the water is off. Wow. You know, and these are things that so many people experience on a daily basis, but for so many of us, they see us as we are and not who we have been. Yes. And they don't. And these of that still stay with you. Yeah.

That's right. That's right. I love that. Was there a time where you tried to detour the mountain and not take the hard route? Every chance I got. And for me, I was always a hard worker. I always wanted to do my best because I didn't want to have to struggle the way that I saw my parents have to struggle.

Yeah. But it also made. wearing that mask that Paul Lawrence Dunbar talks about. We wear the mask that Grans and Lies. So I wanted people to think, oh, no, I woke up just like this. This is how I've always been. And no, you know, I don't understand all of that. I've never been there. But you realize at some point, one, wearing that mask is exhausting. Yeah. Because it takes a lot of energy to put on airs. Yeah. And then I'm very grateful to have come to the full circle realization that, everything I am is because of everybody who I came from and everything that they went through.

Yes. So it makes me proud. Right. And even though my grandparents aren't here, my dad is not here, you know, I just hope that they are smiling down and they are proud to. My mom, I was with my mom yesterday and she's like, oh, I'm on the part of your book where such and such happens. I'm like, how many times have you read the book? And this is probably her ninth time reading it. And she says each time she sees something different and she still cries when she reads it. Wow. Your mom, first of all, I just love her.

She's the best. I met her at an event. I think it was last year and she's so sweet. Thank you. She's a rock star. You talked about your father being arrested. You were eight years old. Yeah. This was a moment everything shifted.

Yes. want to know at that age, how are you dealing with that emotionally? Well, first of all, my dad was an extraordinary human being. He was a wonderful man who loved his family deeply. My dad struggled with addiction. I later learned. I didn't know it at that time. And my mom even told me he said to her once, when they were at the height of their

entertainment status, they would give them something. to stay up at night and they would give them something to sleep at night and give them something to wake up in the morning. So, you know, and for too many entertainers, that's a story, especially of that generation. Yeah, we've seen it. I mean, we didn't live it, but we saw it in movies.

That's right. I'm like, wow, that was very common. That's right. And so, you know, so I write about his incarceration, his selling drugs, when his career began to wane and not knowing how else to make ends meet. And his struggles with addiction.

And, you know, for so many people, and I say in the book, a sentence for him was a sentence for us too. Right. Because everything changed for us in that moment. And it's, you know, it's life-altering in so many ways. My parents divorced while my dad was in prison, But also this lesson that sometimes really good people make bad mistakes. And it's not because they don't love you.

Right. It's just because in that moment, they just can't find the power to do any better. Yes. And so there were so many lessons for me in that. Learning to forgive my dad, learning to give him grace. When did you learn that? Because as a child, were you harboring certain feelings towards him? Oh my gosh, I internalize so much.

I write in the book about experiencing my eating disorders. What I now know is called depression and anxiety and feeling like you had to walk out the house every day with that mask on. Because I grew up in the household where it was what goes on in this house stays in this house. I think that's every black household. That's right. You better not go out telling our business. You better walk out that door looking like everything is okay. It's stifling.

And it's debilitating. Yeah, it is. It's a lot to put on a person, yeah. And at eight years old, especially. Yeah. That you have to walk out the house and look like everything's okay when really everything is falling apart. Right.

We talk about when children experienced trauma very early on. Do you think that that was the beginning of becoming the strong one in your family that you still are today? In a healthy and unhealthy way. Because I never wanted to be the problem, which meant I didn't always share my problems, didn't share my feelings, but also feeling like I had to be responsible for everybody. And that's a heavy burden for a child.

And it's not that anybody put it on me. I put it on myself. And it began to manifest itself in my life. I write about my fibroids and having these fibroids that were, described as my uterus being the size of a four to six month pregnancy. These debilitating fibroids that had a lot to do with my inability to carry a child. Right. And, you know, fibroids are often associated with black women.

Yes. They are described as bundles of stress. Isn't that crazy? That we're the ones that you mainly see it in. That's right. because it's believed that we're carrying all that stress in this one place. So I unpacked a whole lot in this book. I write about my fertility journey.

Yes. The probably more than a dozen surgeries. I say probably because I lost count. At some point, ultimately having a partial hysterectomy, making the decision to adopt children, and just the unhealthy, ways in which I internalize stress. Right.

Yeah. No, it's really tough. One thing this book does, we talk about what happens in the house stays in this house. You hold on to the secrets and the misplaced shame. I want to know at what point did you realize that you were carrying shame that was never meant for you to carry. You know, I don't know that there was a single moment that I realized that. It just became too heavy to carry. Yeah, yeah.

And for me, it was speaking it aloud, which was not until I ran for mayor of Atlanta. Yeah. And realizing that so many people had a misconception of me. And a lot of that was about hiding, hiding who I was. Yes. And meaning, you know, people saying, oh, you're aloof. Well, that's often just a guard. That's a guard for insecurity.

Right. Mm-hmm. Feeling like you got to walk in the room and, oh, let me let them not really see who I am and what I am because they may not like me. Wow. And once I began to tell my story publicly, I was stunned how much relief I felt. Yeah. It was like just shedding pounds of weight and baggage. Yeah.

And I'm sure that you also probably found people that like, man, I thought I was alone in this. I'm going through the same thing. Let me tell you. I never knew so many people's parents had struggled with addiction and struggled financially and gone to prison. So many people would come to me and share their stories. First time I ever publicly talked about second time, I was at an elementary school, and a parent came to me and she told me her daughter's father had just gone to prison.

And this little girl was like to start students. of the class and she just had tears in her eyes. She said, you don't know how much it meant for her to hear you say that. And the little girl just came and she just wrapped her arms around me. She didn't say it works. She just. She didn't have to. Yeah.

She didn't. That's what this platform is about. It's about sharing stories so that people can feel seen because a lot of times people don't have the voice or feel like they have a right to speak up about how they're feeling. Yeah. conversations help people feel seen so I love that you are opening up sharing your truth because there are so many little girls that will hear your story and be like oh my gosh I thought it was just me you know yeah so I love that we're able to open up about this yeah because I write about the

neighbor who used to inappropriately touch me yeah and again not wanting to be the problem never telling anybody and how many children are afraid to speak up right and they carry that shame. They do. Yeah. So many. You opened up about, you talked about anorexia and struggling with bulimia. People look at you and you're like, she's this successful woman.

She's confident. She's got everything going for herself. What's the danger in becoming so good at hiding that nobody can even recognize when you're hurting? Oh, so many dangers there because you are, you feel as if you're the only one and you're struggling alone. And I'm right about telling in separate occasions, my mom. mom and now my husband, then my boyfriend about that.

I never told anybody. And they were both like, well, that's stupid. You do what now? And then just shutting up about it and not speaking about it again. And I laugh about it because they love me more than anybody on the planet. But for black families, this concept of somebody struggling with an eating discipline. And eating disorder is about so much more than weight. It's about control.

It is those things you can't control and those things you can't control. Body image is a part of it. But for me, that was the thing I could control. Oh, my gosh. How old were you when you started struggling with this? I was probably 12 or 13. and it went on on and off probably through my sophomore year of college. Wow, yeah.

I've had friends. I never struggled with that because I just like to eat all the time. But I never turned down the plate. But I had friends who did struggle with that. I couldn't like your mom and your husband or boyfriend at the time. I couldn't wrap my mom. I'm like, why would you do that? Yeah.

Now that you break it down and for anybody else who's dealing with this, this is a better way to put some language behind it and understand these may be the reasons why you're doing this so you can actually get ahead of it because I couldn't understand at that age. Like, why would you do that? And even connecting that having my therapist helped me connect it to the neighbor who used to inappropriately touch me and my shame of my body. That was very curvy, very young. And I had never connected those dots. And I never thought that I thought I had moved on from that.

too, but we realize when we don't resolve issues, when we just keep packing them away, you know, it's like packing a refrigerator with some food. At some point, it's going to start to stink in school. Oh, that's a good analogy. Yeah. And that's what happens when you pack your issues away and you don't deal with them. At some point, they start to rot. Absolutely.

Do you think that high-achieving women have become experts at performing strength because that's what they feel like everyone expects of them? Let me tell you about my therapist. And I've been quoting her so much publicly. I need to put it on a T-shirt. Dr. Rosa Turner Ash said there's a difference between being strong and being powerful. Strong women push through. They have heart attacks.

They have strokes. They have high blood pressure. And they die. Powerful women. stop, they feel, they process. They learn the lesson and then and only then do they move on. So many of us are strong. So for me it was, this is what the women in my life do. They put on the clothes and the hair is done and they just keep going no matter what. They don't process, they don't feel. And learning the difference has just been,

so empowering for me. Yes. I recently, like so many women, we talk about these 300,000 black women who lost your jobs. Well, for people like me who are self-employed contracts or everything, I recently lost a really big contract.

So my first inclination was, girl, you're going to be all right. Don't even think about that. Just keep moving. And then I stopped. I'm like, hold on. This is messed up. Yeah.

And this is scary. Very. And this doesn't feel great. Yeah. So let me processes. Let me allow myself to be in my feelings and then move on. Yeah. And surprisingly, it didn't even take me a day, but I had to pat myself on the back for having my pity party.

Yes, because you don't give yourself the grace to have one. I never allow myself to have pity parties. But I had one that day. Good. And I felt powerful. Yes. Oh, I love that. Yeah.

And I feel like more women should take the time to do that because we are. We're like, I got to keep pushing. I got to keep going. That's right. Like, nobody cares. That's the thought that keeps ringing in our head. We just got to keep going. That's right.

Yeah. I want to know for the people that are listening who are carrying shame or pain or trauma from their past who have finally been able to separate what happened to them from who they are. Because a lot of times people, they kind of get stuck in what happened to them. What is there something that you could say to them who are trying to separate from what happened to who they actually are? You know, there are so many things that we internalize as if it's our fault.

Separate the two, even when it is your fault, even when it is a self-inflicted wound. For me, I think about the grace that God gives to me. So if God offers me grace and I believe in my faith that he forgives me, then why would not forgive myself? Right. And I'm constantly saying to myself, well, girl, that's done now. Yeah. In this powerful season, I know I got to process it and I've got to learn to feel it.

Yeah. But I'm like, girl, that's done. Forgive yourself and move on. And I would just say that to anyone. That same grace that if you are a person of faith, you believe God shows you, that same grace that you would show your neighbor. Yes. Or a family member.

It's okay to show it to yourself. Absolutely. And for some people, it may be writing it down in a book. Yeah. sharing it with others. For some, it just may be that conversation with yourself. Yeah. On forgiving yourself.

Absolutely. And being kind to yourself. Right. No, for sure. In the book you talk about sanding yourself down. Yeah. And our sanding parts yourself down. And I feel like a lot of people in the public eye do this.

And sometimes they don't even realize they're doing it. Whereas like I'm dimming my light in certain areas because I'm too afraid. I want to ask you, at what point did you realize that success, had started costing pieces of who you really are? You know, I take a lot back to running from there because I was so exposed in so many ways, subject to so much scrutiny. And having to explain so much of who I was

and what motivated me to do what I did. But I was always aware of what we now call, imposter syndrome. Yeah. Walking in the room's going, am I really good enough? Like, and these are things I'm saying to myself. Yeah.

Never mind, I was invited into the room. Right. Never mind that they thought I was good enough. I'm like, girl, this jig is going to be up. They're going to see that you really shouldn't be in this room. So it's, it was more of a different times recognizing the sanding. down. Right. But then at some point just saying, and again, I go back to telling my story, saying like, wait a minute, like, you know, I'm, I am all that, and it's okay to be all that.

That means that I'm perfect. Right. But it means that I'm just as qualified. I'm just as powerful. And if I have to dim my light for you to feel better, that's something. that's wrong with you, not with me. Exactly. That's good for you. I'm glad you got to that point. And I was saying also, just lastly, purging friendships that require you to dim your light, too. Because that's something, we all have to, you know, our good friend, Towers, everybody can't

go where you're going. And that doesn't mean that it's because you think you're better than somebody else. I still have friends from kindergarten in my life. but it means that when your purpose no longer aligned, sometimes you have to love people from afar. For sure. Yeah, and I've had that. I actually had a season of this podcast

where we talked about purging season where I just felt like God was literally like pruning my entire life and it was a really tough season to navigate. And I was like, goodness Lord, like, do I have to go through this? But it was for the good, you know? And not all of that lasts forever, you know what I'm saying? Sometimes you just need a separation.

so that we can both grow mature, but some people do, they can't handle the altitude in which you're going. That's right. Yeah, so that's good. That's definitely something that I had to go through. When you look back at yourself from this perspective now, what are some things that you feel like you were hiding or trying to stand down because you were struggling with the imposter syndrome?

Not wanting people to know my struggles was one thing. not people not wanting people to know that I struggle internally was another thing and just you know when when you are often the first for me

in my family I come from a family of self-made people yeah smartest people I've ever known but when you go and you get that degree and you get that advanced degree you're around another group of people, and you're like, oh, okay, you know, their background's a little different from mine.

Yeah. So I'm not always telling the story of my people. Yeah. Because maybe I don't feel like this piece of the puzzle fits in this room. But again, recognizing that's their problem, not my problem. Yeah. Because my people were some strong, resilient people who made a way. out of no way.

Right. When they didn't have money passed down, they didn't have a formal education, and they still figured it out, and they did it with common sense, and they did it with hard work, and they did it with faith. Right. That's so good. I love that. Our new Mick Cafe crafted sodas just drinks, or something more, like Spriteberry Bliss,

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Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Black women, especially when it comes to climbing the corporate ladder or being the first in these rooms. Do you feel like we feel like we have to be more polished, more educated, and everything's even being accepted in those rooms? And why is that? I feel like there's always like a double standard when it comes to us. Well, there is a double standard.

There is a double standard. So I don't think that's all self-imposed, but what I find, and we've seen studies that talk about men entering rooms or even applying for jobs, they can feel like they are 25, 40% qualified and they're like, I'm going for. And we feel like we got to check all the boxes, cross all the T's dot all the eyes, to even present ourselves as a candidate. So part of it is self-imposed, but there is this extra burden that's placed upon us. Yeah.

That we can come with all the credentials and we can come with all the experience and we still have to explain ourselves and justify ourselves. And sometimes even answer to people who we know aren't nearly as qualified as we are. Right. Yeah, no, I've definitely seen that happen before. I want to talk about your motherhood journey. You talk about IVF, you talked about the fibroids, which is something even I. I'm 43 now. So last year I went to the fertility doctor just to even see if I could have children because I hadn't been trying, but I was like, let me just see if I can even have kids, if I should

try to freeze my eggs or what the case may be, found out I had fibroids as well. And she's like, right now it doesn't look like there's any inside your uterus. We would have to do another procedure just to go inside and look around and make sure you're okay. Because if you do want to do IVF and freeze your eggs, then we need to go in and get those fibroids out of your uterus before we can actually plant one. inside you. And I was like, all this stuff we've got to think about. You know, as a woman who has gone through that, you talk about losing count of the surgeries you had to have. Take us on that

journey. And I know there's so many women that struggle with that. You know, I was struggling with and had no idea I was struggling with it because that's not something you find out just going to get a pat smear. No, it's not. Right. Yeah. So for me, and this was late 1990s, early 2000s, So even freezing eggs wasn't a common thing. So I knew that I had fibroids. I had a surgery before, like I'd had a cyst on my ovary. So I had a few minor things. But once my husband and I started trying, and I write about having this exploratory surgery

that then led to the scar tissue that then led to this other condition that compromised my uterus. and was ultimately believed to be the reason that I couldn't carry a child. And it was heartbreaking. One, it's expensive. Secondly, you know, for so many women, you feel as if you are not complete unless you complete that motherhood journey in this traditional way. So feeling like a failure as a woman, as a wife. And, you know, did I bring this on myself by letting them.

do this exploratory surgery and then the pain and trauma of it all. I mean, these surgeries are painful. Wow. And then when you go through IVF treatment, then you are the expense of it all. And it is just, it's such a process. You have to take shots every day. At some point, you have to go to the doctor every day. At some point, they retrieve the eggs and then they do whatever they do with the eggs and the sperm and then you get them implanted. I mean, they're like multiple steps, and I'm not saying this to scare anybody or discourage them, but it is something that, unless you've been through it, you cannot begin to imagine how taxing it is physically and emotionally.

And it was horrible for us because it didn't result in us having a, you know, a child, but that being said, again, this rough side of the mountain. Had I not been through any of that? Yes. I would not have adopted the four wonderful children that I have. And I could not imagine being a mother to anybody else other than those four. Yes, I love that. I can't imagine that's an extreme letdown disappointment to go through all that.

And then they say, sorry, you still can't have children, but your purpose and destiny was in those four. That's right. Yes, I love that. I do want to ask you, what is something that your four children have taught you that living the public life you've had to live could have never taught you? My four children keep me so grounded. Kids will do that. They are my level setters. Oh, I love that.

I mean, even on Mother's Day, I had to go to the mall and look for some clothes for them to wear. election night. And somebody said, don't you have somebody do that for you? I'm like, no, that would be me because I'm still the mother. For sure. You know, and for me, it's, it's grounding because it just helps me prioritize really what's important. And for me, being a mother is really important. And my husband always says to me, you know, they're going to make life decisions for you one day. Like, so you better always make sure they don't forget. They do not forget. So, You know, it's just a, for me, the biggest lesson, it's just been priorities. Yeah, I love that to them.

I love it. And I love you and your husband, Derek. I love your relationship and y'all always together. I didn't realize that you guys, been here 30 years, but, like, we're friends first. We were. We used to study together. I was trying to introduce him to one of my friends. I said, she likes older guys.

Like, talk to her. I like, I like older guys. And my mom was like, I think he wants to do more than study. Yeah, clearly. I love that, but I love your relationship, but I love how you were friends first. How do you feel like that friendship helped shape the bond that you all have through everything that you've gone through and with the test of time? Because a lot of things that you've gone through would break up the strongest couple, like even if, He really wanted to have kids one way, and you're like, I can't.

Certain things in your life, and even running for mayor and office, those things can be straining on a marriage. How do you feel like that friendship really set the tone and that bond that you have? Well, all those things were straining on a marriage. And, you know, again, just what the, it doesn't mean that you go out in public and like, oh, by the way, Derek and I are not speaking today. You know, we're going to walk in here, hold the hands, but we hadn't spoken. It suggests a day. But the friendship, I say for us, the beauty of our relationship, we've never given up on each other at the same time. Oh, I love that.

Relationships, the best of relationships aren't perfect relationships. Sometimes you're here, and sometimes you're here, and it may all be in the same day. But that friendship, sometimes the same hour. work. You know, that friendship is what keeps us connected because we do like each other. We do love each other. We have fun together. We enjoy each other's company. So having that foundation has sustained us and, you know, it's like, I'm like, you're crazy. And he's like, you're crazier. But it, you know, we just always find our way to each other. So I'm, I'm just grateful for that. I love that. I love that. In writing this book, I'm sure there's a lot of reflection and moments where,

as you're writing, was there a moment where you just looked like, man, like, I really have a good husband. You know, like, there's moments where you, you know it, but like as you're writing, it's like, dang, like, he did all this. Like, this is good man, Savannah. Well, you know what? It is because in relationships, you remember the really good things that sustain you. And in writing this book, and I joke with him, I said, you need to pay me for how wonderful you came out in this book. He was like, I pay you every day. He's like, your life is a payment.

it's a derrick is funny but also thinking about you know I how I want my kids to see their father yeah and our relationship you know I don't want to write the details about when we weren't speaking and not getting alone not that you're hiding the truth but you know he is my husband He is the father of my children. Yeah. And I will always hold him in the best life possible for my children. I love that. And vice versa.

He does for me too. Yeah, yeah. He just didn't write a book, yeah. Yes. He said, wait until I write my book. We'll be waiting for it. You can come on keep it positive, we'll talk to you too. I know he's going to watch.

this like what we all talk about but there were so many moments where Derek recognized strengths in you that you didn't even recognize I want to know how important is it to have a partner who sees things when you're doubting yourself oh my gosh Derek has always seen the best in me in that regard yeah that when I didn't believe that I could do certain things and and I write about this even when we are in law school and I said I felt like it was a continuation of my time at Family You because I'm still living my best family life, but I was in law school and getting those first set of grades.

I was like, oh, got to get it together. And him having this conversation with me about you are smart, you're capable. Wow. Like, you're just, you're going to stop going out so much. I know, that's right. That's what the older man will do for you. That's right. Get you together.

Well, he later said he knew then he wanted to marry me, but he was. was not going to explain to people that we met in law school and I flunked out. So he was like, he would not be my story. I would need you to finish. Yeah, you know, he's always seen the best in me. And even when I didn't see it in myself, I'm really fortunate for that. But that's what a relationship should be, whether it's a friendship or whether it's a romantic relationship that people you are around see the very. best in you and bring that out in you.

For sure. You talked about your children grounding you. It's like keeping you ground, not grounding you. Like her kids aren't putting her own punishment. How they ground you? How has your marriage grounded you as well? Well, you know, Derek refers to her home as Derek Stan. And he says it's a sovereign nation.

Oh, no, that's right. So when I was mayor, you know, when I would come in the house, what he called all that aggressive mayor energy. He's like, hey, hey, it's Derek Stan. You need to leave all that at the mailbox. I'll bring all that aggression in here. But, you know, it is difficult to kind of modulate those. You've got to go out in the world one way

and then you've got to come back in the house another way and not in an effort to diminish me, but like, hey, you don't have to come out. come in here with that fighting. Yeah. Like you've been fighting all day. We don't have to fight in here too. You don't have to be aggressive with me.

So, you know, again, and thankfully Derek is, he ain't that in the politics. He supports me because it's me. But he's like, I just want to go to my good job,

do my job, and I'm going to be supportive of you as my wife. So that's helpful. Yeah, I love that Derek stands sounds like a soft landing place for you when you come home. My parents had a rule whatever, like happens at work,

stays at work, so that the home felt more like home. Oh, yeah. So my mom would come in and she was like, I need an hour. So she would go in her room, shut the door, and then an hour's like, okay, what do y'all want to eat?

Like, it was a totally different place. Oh, I'd like to try that. Yeah, but she would take an hour to herself because it was a lot. She worked at a hospital, so she saw so much, and every day it was just like, It was a lot for one person to take. A lot of you know, a lot of you don't understand what people at the hospital sees on a day-to-day basis is not.

That's a lot to internalize. A lot. So I didn't understand it then. But, I mean, it was like, okay, it was just like a normal thing. Mom needs her hour. But as an adult, I get it now because when I go home and I don't have no kids, I'm like, I need an hour. Well, yeah, sometimes you just need to decompress, right? Because you're walking out in the world and you're having to give so much.

Sometimes you just need to take a moment to yourself. Yes, absolutely. Absolutely, absolutely. You talk about your faith, and that is clearly a firm foundation that you stand on. You even dedicated scripture pages in your book. I want to know, how has faith helps you in moments where you didn't understand at the time, but you had to really lean on God to get you through it? Just always remembering what my grandmother would tell me,

that it's going to always work out for my good. So even, you know, not knowing where provision would always come from, not knowing why things happen. Like, but grandmama always told me it was going to work out for my good. Yeah. And the other thing, and again, with faith, some people think of faith as meaning that you've got to be perfect and that you're a holy roller. I say, I'm a big sinner. But we all are. We all are.

I'm about to say, honey, we all are. We all are. But I know that God still loves me, often in spite of me. And that was the faith that my grandmother taught me about. Yes, yeah. And at some point, you know, as with any child, you have to grow into your own faith. Yes. And for me, many of these lessons that she had told me were I had to learn from myself at different times in life.

For sure. Through my own experiences. Yes. So now I want to talk about where we are today. Oh, yeah. Yes, you are now running for governor. I am. First of all, what made you, did you just wake up and say, I'm running for governor?

Absolutely not. I did not. How did we get here? Well, you know, I was doing a lot of things that didn't involve politics. Right. I, you know, I produced the show over at Talapir Studios. I've worked at. Ms. Governor, by the way.

Yes. I had the privilege of working at the White House. I was doing commentating for CNN. I was consulting. I was doing a lot of things, living my best free life. Yeah. But the day after the presidential election, I went into prayer. Like, Lord, what am I called to do in this moment?

And I found a journal. I had written some notes. just having this real honest conversation with God about, well, why? Do I have to run for office? Because the calling was in my heart. Yeah. But my mind's like, girl, do you really want to get, walk back into that and give up all these things that are making you comfortable?

Right. But when God has a calling on your life, it's difficult to ignore it. And for me, that calling is to serve. Mm-hmm. And I prayed about what am I called to do in this season? Yeah. And I know from my time as mayor, I had to go fight on behalf of people. You did.

Didn't have the ability to speak up for themselves. Yeah. And I'm here. You are here. And I know it's the right thing to do because once I had the confirmation that this was the path I was to take, I hadn't thought about it again. Really? Like, was this the right decision? What was the time period from, like, feeling that in your heart?

heart praying about it to like this is what I'm going to do like how long do you have to mull over it i wrote those notes um sometime in November of 2024 because i came across it recently and saw it um i announced my run uh i believe in April of 2025 and I was you know still tossing and turning about it um and again you know I remember even just before making that announcement one of my dear cousins who was more like a brother to me than a cousin, I told us that he was very ill. And we did know that he had been ill. He looked fine to us.

But he took a turn and he told us about two weeks before he passed that he had stomach cancer. And so again, it was this, and then I look at the pictures that I even took. launching the campaign and I can see the sadness in my eyes but again you know the life yeah I'm here professionally I'm here personally but remembering there will be these rough patches yeah and you're gonna go up some rough patches and there gonna be some rough times but just keep climbing yeah and just keep holding on. Yes. So it was, you know, launching professionally, finally saying that out loud was very fulfilling personally. Yeah. Very painful. Yeah. But it was, you know, again, these lessons of

faith that my grandmother taught me. Yeah. No, I love that. You are our mayor during one of the hardest times of my life through the pandemic and faced a lot of scrutiny. you're running for governor. What is something that you can tell people that, because I know we've had this conversation, and like what are things that you can tell people that are going to be different, that this is why you should vote for Keish Lance Bottoms?

Yeah, I'm a battle tested leader. And I fought with every single thing I had for the people of Atlanta and for the people across the state. Yeah. And I did it because it was the right thing to do. And it doesn't mean that every decision I made, was perfect but it did mean that I tried my very best and you know even when people have

asked me why don't you run for a second term right that's a question that comes up yeah I went into prayer about that you know reminding people I finished my term and I finished it strong I did a poll just before I left the mayor's office that 68% yeah our internal polls showed me so knew the people of Atlanta were pleased with the representation I provided. And I write about this in my book. My dad died suddenly at 55. And I given everything I had to be mayor into the city. I was giving everything I had to my family. I write about even the night of the protest in Atlanta when I gave that speech. I remember like it was yesterday. Yeah. When I got home, my son, my son likes it was like, they ate all the fish. They ate all the

fried fish because I was cooking when I left to go to police headquarters. I came in and I fried fish and cooked grits for him when I got home. Back to Mommy Mode. It's like still got a, yeah. So I had given every single thing I had. But at that time I had, I was pre-diabetic. I was pre-glaucoma, which I still am. I have to use drops now. I pre-hypertensive chronic inflammation. I gain 30 pounds like all these things and I would think my daddy died suddenly at 55 if I had four years left yeah what about my kids what about me and making a decision not not out of weakness but out of strength like I'm making the best decision for me and my family at this time and what I will say now served in the White House,

reconnecting even with my therapist, in making sure that I understand I don't have to sacrifice everything about myself for everybody else to succeed and to be happy.

Has been empowering for me. I think that's a message to all the women around the world. Yeah. So when your mom would come home and say I need an hour, it means there are days where I have to say, you know what, I need a minute. And the old me would never, ever do that.

I would rather died making sure that everybody else was happy and whole than live with thinking somebody else didn't get everything they needed out of me. That's so good. Yeah. I totally get that. A lot of people who don't understand politics, we see everything from the outside. Why are they doing that? Why didn't they do this?

Why don't they say this? What is something that you can share to help people who don't really understand politics, understand what goes behind the decision making and how it doesn't all fall on just your, whatever you feel is right? You know, people often expect perfection from politicians. And, you know, even when I made the decision not to run again, So everybody's not going to understand it. It's not for everybody to understand.

Everybody doesn't always understand what it takes to be able to get things done. You sometimes have to negotiate. You sometimes have to give on things that you don't necessarily want to give on, but you see the benefit is worth giving some things in return. And it is difficult as a politician when you have to, fight on all sides. So as a Democrat, I'm already fighting what Republicans on so much. I want to have to fight with my people too. Disagree with me respectfully. Give me your input respectfully. But to be attacked on all sides just makes it more difficult for people to lead. And I believe

that's why you've seen so many people step away from politics and not return. For sure. Yeah. You know, I've had the people at my house. I've had the people call me the N-word. And the people, you know, send inappropriate messages to me and to my kids. I've had the threats on my life, very credible threats from kidnapping to bodily harm. But I would say the vast majority of people who are doing this, it doesn't pay well, so you're not doing it for the money. you're doing it because you care

and you're trying to serve people. So just give people grace. Yeah. I love that. I love that. Thank you. I know these are questions that people want to know and this is a very important election.

So much is happening with where they're changing different things around that are not for the black culture's benefit. So thank you so much. And just reminding people don't check out. This is time to check in. This is not the time to check out. Yeah, a vote that stay on the couch is the vote for the other side.

You may not get everything you want, but if you get 75% of what you want, that's a win. Yeah. Better than none of what you want. That's right. Yeah, no, I totally agree. So this season on Keep It Positive, sweetie, we are leaning more into being unapologetic. So I want to know with you running for all. office, your leadership, being a mother, all the things. What are you most unapologetic about

in this season of your life? I am most unapologetic about choosing me. Yes. So that means sometimes when I get home, if it's 5.30, it may mean that I put on my pajamas at 5.30. I'm not changing into the pre-bed clothes. I'm not changing into the at-home clothes. No, I'm putting my pajamas on and I'm getting in the bed. Yes. May mean that I'm working from my bed, but I'm in the bed because I'm tired. I heard that. Again, that owe me.

Yeah. I would have never thought of doing that. Yeah, and that really rang true when you talked about your father passing away. And I realize the, you know what I'm saying the reality check of I have four more years to the age that my father passed. What am I going to do to make sure? And I know how stressful your job is. that is literally like causing you to become sick, you know, so choosing yourself.

And I think that's a message to all women because we think we're a superhero. That's right. And it's put on your cape and keep going. That's right. And now for me it's taking time like, yeah, this S may be on my chest, but sometimes it gets crooked. Yeah, let's take a minute and straighten it back up. Like, girl, you're good. Yep, I love that.

Mayor Cush, Lance Fathers. Thank you so much for coming to spend time with us. Guys, please go get her book, The Rust Side of the Mountain, where books are available. I promise you, you will not regret it. Thank you so, so much. Thank you so much.

Absolutely. What I appreciate most about this conversation is it's not just about leadership, but about pressure of always having to be strong and composed while still carrying very human things underneath it all. And I think that's what makes the rough side of the mountain so powerful.

Keisha, thank you so much for your honesty, your grace, and for allowing us to see the woman behind the armor. Thank you for tuning into another episode of Keep It Positive, sweetie. Be sure to grab your copy of the rough side of the mountain where books are sold. And don't forget to download the Season 11 Kipps Reflection Guide at crystal renayhazel.com. Subscribe, share this episode with someone who needs it. And if you need advice, positivity, or just want to share what you're going through, email us at Keep It Positive Outcomes at gmail.com.

As always, stay blessed, stay encouraged, and keep it positive, sweetie. I'll see you guys next time. Guys, it's us, the Jonas Brothers. I'm Joe. I'm Kevin. And I'm Nick. And guess what? We created our own podcast called Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts.

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