Scheananigans with Scheana Shay - Innocents v. Wackadoodles with RHOC’s Emily Simpson

Episode Date: October 18, 2024

This week, Scheana is joined in the studio by RHOC’s Emily Simpson for a wide-ranging conversation on everything from Tamra’s recent health revelation, the cast member who changes the most when cameras are up, the potential for the Menendez brothers to be resentenced, working towards healthy relationships with their bodies, and their respective fertility struggles. Emily shares some insider tea on what really happened BTS with Shannon during production of “Love Hotel,” along with explaining why she doesn’t believe John Janssen’s lawsuit is really about the money. Plus, why does Emily say she doesn’t watch RHOC episodes back? Tune in to find out! Follow us: @scheana @scheananigans Guest: @rhoc_emilysimpson  The video version of this episode will be available on Scheana’s YouTube page on Friday, October 18th.Episode Sponsors:Get up to 50% off your first crate at kiwico.com, promo code HONEY.Get a free bag of fresh coffee with any Trade subscription at drinktrade.com/goodasgold.This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/goodasgold and get on your way to being your best self.Head to Wayfair.com right now to get your home holiday ready.Produced by Dear MediaSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The following podcast is a Dear Media production. Hi lovelies, I'm sex educator Ruby Rare. And I'm Megan Button-Hanson, an OnlyFans creator, former sex worker and sex positive columnist. In our brand new podcast, The Ins and Out, we're welcoming you to an unfiltered, playful and inclusive space to talk all about sex in all its glory, nuance and messiness. I feel like we're the sex education people need. We'll unpick all the big questions, like how do we talk about cakes and fantasies? Does stress kill the vibe?

Oh, and does wearing socks actually lead to better orgasms? So come on in. Listen or watch wherever you get your podcasts. It's gonna be juicy. It's gonna be juicy. From Vanderpump rules to motherhood and everywhere in between. Warm up the kettle, it's time to spill some tea. Let's get into some shenanigans with Sheena Shay

Hello everyone, welcome back to shenanigans this week. I have a very special treat. Some might even say a snack. She's a fan favorite orange holder from the Real Housewives of Orange County, lawyer, activist, podcast host, mama bear. The list goes on and on, but I'm so excited. I was just on Watch What Happens Live with her. Thank you for joining me today, Emily Simpson. Thanks for having me. I'm excited to be here. I'm excited to have you. I loved that that whole surprise Watch What Happens Live thing happened so last minute. Yeah, I was I was excited to see you and then we got to chat afterwards, which was great because I feel like we never get the opportunity to. So yeah. Did you know that I was there? No, I had no idea. Did you wonder why you didn't

get a touch up right before you went live? Oh, were you stealing my. Did you wonder why you didn't get a touch-up right before you went live? Oh, were you stealing my glam, is that why? We shared a glam team. They're doing my glam, and I look, and I was like, you guys, it's 9.59. I was like, she's gotta be out there. And they're like, shit, we didn't do touch-ups. No, it's fine, I didn't even notice.

That's how much I don't even care. Okay, good. I really, I'm not even, clearly I'm not even glammed right now. Well, you do have lashes. You look beautiful. These are from yesterday. Okay, I love that. And I slept in them. I do that too.

And then I just glued them back down like slightly where they came undone and that was basically it. Yeah, if I have good eye makeup, I will leave it for at least two days. Oh yeah, I do too. I don't ever wash my face. I just don't. And you have great skin. So that's amazing.

I know I do. I do. It's the best. Yes, I know. No, but I have to say, I love that you got the comfy cozy vibe. Yeah, I had all of 10 minutes to get ready for this. My daughter had her first field trip this morning. So we're like driving up to the Underwood family farm.

It was the whole school there. Jackson, Brittany show up in one car. I wish there were like GoPros in the car to see how that drive went. Wait, did you see them when they got out of the car? No, they were a few minutes late and they were like shoving us onto the tractors. Yeah. And so I was just like, she was texting me from the car and I'm like, how is this going? And it seemed fine once they got there. But when you love to be in the car, like in the back, don't you wonder what the conversation

would be like? Do they just act like everything's normal? Are they just like, oh, so you know, I paid the water bill? Like, I don't know. Like, how does that work? I don't know. I do wish there were GoPros in there. Or is it like, how was your date the other night with someone else? I definitely don't think they're there yet. No, definitely not It was probably a lot of awkward silence and just like interacting with crews, right? Right I would assume But that was fun. And then I'm telling somewhere I'm like, alright, honey, we got to wrap it up You know mommy has to go to work. She did not want to leave

It was so hard to get her out of there. We were in like the petting area. I've probably stepped in goat poop. I don't know. I'm like, I got to go home. I got to change. I had less than 10 minutes to put anything on my face. So when I showed up and saw you in comfy cozy, I'm like, thank God, because I'm telling you, whenever it's a housewife on the podcast, sometimes they show up with their glam squad. Sometimes, I mean, full six inch stilettos. I never know what I'm gonna get.

That is so crazy to me. Like for me, podcast means like sit and chill and have a real conversation. Like you go with friends at home with some coffee and Netflix playing in the background. This is why I love you. Yeah, I don't think full glam. I say full glam.

It would have to be like an event with a red carpet where I knew I was gonna get photographed. And then maybe I would do a full glam. But other than that, I'm just no. I know, I don't have it in me. I don't either. I'm like, is it once you become a mom, you just don't have it in you anymore? Is it the age? I mean well I just talked about our age before we started. I'm close to death so that's where I'm at. Right behind you. That's my age. But you don't look it. I feel it though. What are your secrets? What do you do for your skin besides not washing your face? I don't wash my face and I sleep in my makeup. That's what I do. That's the key, everyone.

Leave your makeup on and you will look like Emily. Well, to get things started, I thought we could maybe kick it off with a fun little OC Housewives Superlatives game. Oh, great. So you can name yourself a current or past housewife, friends of, Alexis, Vicki, whoever.

Yeah, she's a friend. Yes. Right. Friend. Right. We can just skip the game and I'll just say Alexis for everything that you say, like she did with me. Best hostess.

Best hostess. Oh, Heather DeBrow. Most punctual. That would be me. I'm very punctual. Yes. I was here early. You beat me today and I was a little early, but you were even already the most honest

Gina She's like honest to a fault she reminds me of that scene in Goonies where where the Chonk remember like that scene where they the the bad guys are like tell everything. And he's like, and then I pushed my sister down the stairs. And he tells his whole life, that's Gina. That is so funny. Oh my God, I know exactly what you're talking about. Whose spouse is your favorite other than your own? Other than my own, oh.

Well, that would be a tie. I love Eddie and I love Terry. So I would say those two, yeah. Are there any other spouses? I think I and I love Terry. Yeah, I would say those two. Yeah. Yeah, there's are there any other spells as I think? I just named them all Right. Yeah, I guess not not everyone's me anymore Yeah, yeah. Well good answer. I mean Katie's married, but I know I don't really know her husband Oh, yeah, no. Yeah most improved from beginning of the season through the reunion, which we haven't seen yet. Oh, most improved.

I would say Jen. I would say she, you know, like, but it takes a while, you know, when you're new on a show and I think sometimes even when you're filming, it takes a while to get to a point where you're comfortable and you feel like you can add value and speak out. Totally. Yeah. Yeah, okay.

Who would you say is the biggest chameleon for the cameras? Who changes the most when the cameras are on? Oh, she's going to kill me. I would say Heather, but like not in a bad way, just because she's just Heather. So she's like very, she's always very poised. You know, the rest of us aren't really, you know, but she's always very poised and she's very, you know, she's very Heather. I loved the hot mic moment that they left in.

I know. Which they don't admonish me on camera. I know. I know she was probably not happy about that at all. But for me, I found it refreshing because sometimes I feel like she's so concerned about looking so perfect and polished that when you see a moment when she's not, it's just a really good reminder that she's human like the rest of us and that she gets mad at her husband and that she bitches at him and like not everything in her world is just perfection all the time. Totally. No, I loved seeing that.

Whenever you have those fourth wall breaking moments, it just reminds you also that you're watching a television show. Exactly. I think they need more seeing that. Whenever you have those fourth wall breaking moments, it just reminds you also that you're watching a television show. Exactly. I think they need more of that. They have gotten better with it. They do add it in more. Yeah, I love it. Who would you say is the peacemaker of the group?

The peacemaker. Probably Gina or me. I would say we're like the ones in the middle that I feel like we kind of connect with everyone. So we're the ones that probably bring people together. I mean, definitely not Tamara. For sure. Biggest gym rat.

That would be me or Jen. Jen works out a lot too. We work out at the same gym, so I always see her. Nice, no, good for you. You look incredible. I just need to say that. I appreciate it. Thank you most

Athletic well, I think I'm pretty athletic Gina is actually athletic too, even though she eats gummy bears and doesn't work out at all Damn her that she's still out without even trying. Yeah Tamra's athletic. Mm-hmm and Jen's definitely athletic We have a pretty athletic cast. Yeah. You guys have a good one, yeah. Who has the most enviable wardrobe? Well Heather has an amazing wardrobe. I don't know.

I don't really, I don't know. I mean besides Heather, I feel like I don't really covet anyone else's clothes. Oh, Katie dressed really well. She did. She had some really good looks. Yeah. Most generous. Shannon Bedore is very generous.

She really is. She probably shouldn't be, but she is. Who's the biggest Debbie Downer? Debbie Downer. I don't know. I think all of us at some point can be. Yeah. I mean, and I felt, and I don't want to say Shannon

because I don't, I just feel like she went through so much this season that she was upset a lot and she was crying a lot, but I understand why she was because she was dealing with things that I can't imagine. I consider myself to be a very strong person and have a very tough skin, but what she went through this season, like I don't know if I would have,

I probably would have quit. I would have been like, F you all. I'm going home, not doing this crap. So. Even just at the beginning, showing up to that party, having the conversation with Alexis, all of that, I'm like, damn girl. And who knew, I mean, seriously,

I know you're not asking me this, but I can't stop talking, cause that's what I do. Who knew that after that conversation, like the route we were going to go with that. Right. Like in my mind, knowing Alexis was coming back, I knew there was going to be that initial conversation. For sure. I mean, we all knew that was going to happen, right?

Yeah. And then I thought that would be kind of like the end of it. I thought it would have been like, everybody gets out what they're going to say, and then we just go a different route. Oh, no. No. How long do you think she practiced that line? There's the door, Shannon Bedore. I think there were many moments in a mirror with the hair flip and the nails.

Yeah, lots of practicing. I saw her in Johnny J at a direct TV party like two weeks ago. I just went the other direction. I don't blame you. I didn't go. Yeah. Who has the best one-liners? Oh, that would be me.

Yeah. Yeah. Who's the thirstiest? You can take this literally as in, like, who drinks the most or for attention. I would say Katie, and that is because I think that she is, like, one of those people that has always wanted to be on TV and is, like, up in everybody's DMs.

Because she would always make comments about, like, oh, I know her, or I'm friends with her, or I'm friends with Sutton, or I'm friends with all these people, but I'm like, girl, being friends with them doesn't mean that you're up in their DMs. Like, just, you know what I mean? Yeah. So, yeah.

OK. Who would you say is the MVP of this season? MVP? Well, I would just give it to Shannon, just for, like, making it through alive. Right? So, yeah. Okay. Who would you say is the MVP of this season? MVP. Well, I would just give it to Shannon, just for like making it through alive. Right? Like it's still looking good.

I know. And like being pretty much like alive and out and about. Yeah. Yeah. Best new addition to the cast from the last few seasons, like Jen, Katie, Alexis. Clearly not Alexis. I would say Jen. Yeah, I think that she's...

I think she adds something because the rest of us are all very strong and very opinionated and almost aggressive to a certain point. So I think it is nice when you have someone that comes in that has a different type of personality and is more probably relaxed and endearing. And I think that's probably needed when you have such big, strong personalities.

Balance it out. Right. Who would you like to see like return to the show? Like a Gretchen, Vicky, as a housewife, housing in Orange? None of them, none. None? No. I mean, you know what? I wouldn't mind Victoria.

Victoria is the only one that I, I find her to be fabulous TV. Yeah. I mean, Victoria Gumpelson is, I mean, she's this good. Oh that I find her to be fabulous TV. Yeah. I mean, Victoria Gumbelson is, I mean, she's this good. Oh, I love her. She is. Like, even when she talks crap about me, I still, it makes me laugh. Like, I still bow down to her.

Like, she is definitely the, she's the OG of the OGs. Yeah. Like, they call people OGs that aren't even OGs. I'm like, she's the OG OG. Yes. Right. Yeah. Agreed.

Most in need of Emily's legal advice, who most needs your legal advice. Oh, gosh. There's so many. Well, Shannon's still like entangled in this whole situation. So yeah, and I actually do stay connected with her about what's going on and we talk about it.

Yeah. Finally, are we Team Shannon or Team Alexis? I know it's a tough one. If you need to take a minute to think about it. Oh my gosh, well, let me, I might have to think about this. Well, clearly Team Shannon. But team.

I mean, I was Team Shannon when we were filming. I've always been Team Shannon. I mean, I wasn't Team Shannon just because the viewers were Team Shannon. I was Team Shannon when we were actually filming the TV show, not knowing what the viewer reaction would be. Right. Because you don't know, and it could have gone either way because, you know, she did

have a DUI. You never know. Maybe the viewers were pissed that she had a DUI and they thought that she was deserved of all this. But I will tell you, Gina and I were Team Shannon the whole time before we even knew what was going to happen because when we were in it, we were like, what the fuck? Yeah.

This is too much. Yeah. Now on that note, Team Shannon or Team Tamra? Well, I would say Team Shannon. Yeah. And Tamra knows that. I mean, I've had conversations with her before where I'm like, you've got to like,

you gotta like reel it in and you have to show some compassion, you know? Yeah. Like, I mean, you can have, like, I get it. They have a very complex friendship or whatever. I get that. And I think there were underlying issues with Tamara that maybe the rest of us didn't understand why she was so volatile, but that's her thing.

But at some level of just basic humanity, like you have to show some compassion. Yeah. Well, we are going to get into more about Tamara, but we'll take a quick break first, gather ourselves. I'm going to leave. We'll be right back. All right, y'all. And this show is sponsored by BetterHelp because here at Shenanigans, as y'all know, I take therapy very seriously.

Actually had couples therapy this morning and Brock and I made some really big breakthroughs. We both shed some tears and it was just really good for our mental health, for our relationship. And I am an advocate for therapy, which is why I am introducing you to BetterHelp if you don't already know what it is. So I feel like Halloween lets us have fun with what scares us. But for me, it's like, what about those fears

that don't involve zombies and ghosts? Like the fears of the intrusive thoughts that are just in your head? Because I know for me, that is scarier than any haunted house I can go to. And therapy is a great tool for facing your fears and just finding ways to overcome them. Because sometimes the scariest thing is not facing our fears in the first place and holding ourselves back.

If you're thinking of starting therapy, give BetterHelp a try. This was Brock's introduction to therapy and he loved it. It's entirely online, designed to be convenient, flexible, suited to your schedule. You just fill out a brief questionnaire and get matched with the licensed therapist and you can switch therapists at any time for no additional charge. So overcome your fears with BetterHelp.

Visit betterhelp.com slash good as gold today to get 10% off your first month. That's better, H-E-L-p.com slash good as gold. And as Brock and I sat doing therapy this morning, we sat on our amazing furniture we got from Wayfair. Wayfair, y'all, is the place to shop for all things home this holiday season, from sofas to spatulas and everything and anything you need for holiday

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for everyone in every room in your home. I feel like whatever we needed, I went on Wayfair, the bed in our bedroom, for example, also, I was like, this is exactly what I was looking for. So my entire house, you walk in and you're like, where'd you get that? Got it from Wayfair. Wayfair has free and easy shipping, even on the big stuff,

and the best part is they'll even help you set it up. Wayfair is your one stop holiday shop for everything on your to-do list this season. Head to wayfair.com right now to get your home holiday ready. That's W-A-Y-F-A-I-R.com. Wayfair, every style, every home. Okay, so back to Tamra.

Okay. I believe Gina had suggested at some point this season that maybe you were holding back from being real with Tamra because of your business relationship with her. Your podcast, The Popping Off with Teddy and Emily is under their umbrella, correct? Yeah. Okay.

Do you think you might've handled any specific conversation or situation differently if it weren't for that relationship? Not really, because if you watch the, I mean, if you watch the entirety of the season, Tamara and I don't have problems with one another. Do I agree with the way that she handled things with Shannon? No, but you know, I also have to respect that relationship and that friendship.

And she knows that. She would tell me, like, you're on the wrong team. And I was like, sorry. You know what I mean? Like, I'm gonna do what I'm gonna do and think what I'm gonna think. So, no, I don't, I don't, it just, there wasn't any issues between us.

Like, if she had done something to me, I would have had no problem calling her out on it. But we just, there wasn't any issues between us like if she had done something to me I would have had no problem calling her out on it, but we just there wasn't anything. Yeah Did Timmer ever make you feel like you had to fall in line or like hold any of that over your head in any capacity? It's good. No She actually I mean we actually had a conversation once because she would make jokes like oh, I'm gonna fire you from the podcast Yeah, and then I said something to her like, stop saying that. And then she said, oh, I'm just joking because I can't fire you.

And I'm like, I know you can't. It would be the executives, not you. Do you think she got a bad edit this season as she's suggesting? No, absolutely not. I mean, I don't, and I don't like it when people blame the edit. I think that's a weak move. I think it's a lack of taking accountability. And you know, we all get edited. There were so many things that I

filmed with my family this season, they didn't show any of it. You know, I film lots of things with Annabelle. I film with my mother-in-law. Shane and I did family things. They didn't show any of it. I mean, I could have been like, well, you didn't show me as like a mom and a wife and all these things, which is definitely my main thing that I do every day. But at the end of the day, they can't show it all. And there was so much drama with the women

that I know that's where the focus was. So, blaming the edit to me is just a lack of accountability for your own actions. Yeah, especially when you've done a show for so long, you know how the game works. Exactly. Yeah. Well, still sticking with Tamara,

but I have to ask since she revealed on her podcast this week that she went to her first therapy session and was diagnosed with being on the spectrum, citing her lack of empathy for others as a diagnostic factor here. So many online have pointed out that a therapist wouldn't be capable of making such a diagnosis, especially after only one session.

But let's give Tamar the benefit of the doubt here that maybe there's more to the story she hasn't revealed yet. Well, didn't she clarify? I feel like she said something on two Ts, and everyone latched onto it. And then I think she clarified something revealed yet. Didn't she clarify? I feel like she said something on two Ts and everyone latched onto it and then I think she clarified something after that. Okay. I don't know what that is. Okay, so say, add someone who knows her well.

Like was this a revelation to you? Well, I wouldn't say it was a revelation. I've always thought, like I know Tamer pretty well and I've known her for several years now. I've always felt like there was something darker or deeper about her that maybe had not been addressed because she is aggressive. She is, you know, she can take things

and go too far with them. And so, and I can do that too. I'm more of an isolated event kind of person where something pisses me off and I'll yell about it and then I apologize later. I don't consistently do it. And so I've always thought that there was probably something that hadn't been addressed in her psyche

to have that much anger. So I'm not surprised by it. The thing I am surprised by, which I don't know if there was some followup, but I have been to therapy lots of times, and I wouldn't think that a therapist would be able to make that type of a determinative diagnosis with just one session.

I feel like you would have to have a whole battery of tests. I think maybe the conversation was something like, well, because you're like this, maybe this is a suggestion or an option, and maybe we need to look into it further. Clearly I don't know anything. I'm just saying maybe that's what the conversation was. And from my personal experience with a therapist, I've been working with one for three years

when I started opening up about some intrusive thoughts and whatnot, she said, it sounds like you have OCD and then gave me all of these tests and things to do. But she's like, I'm not a psychiatrist. I cannot properly diagnose you. You will need to go to a psychiatrist, which I've been to two and they both said, yes, you have OCD. Right. You're like, confirmed. We know the brain scan showed it and then I still went to the psychiatrist after that.

So just to go back to Tamara, I think it's probably one of those preliminary conversations where it was like, this could be. This is what it sounds like. This is what it sounds like. And then she probably has to do a whole, like you did. It puts you on the right path. A battery of tests to figure out. And you know, then after that, if it was confirmed,

it's still, again, like we talked about before, I don't think that would be shocking because it would make sense. Yeah. Do you think now with her knowing that this is the path for her mental health, it'll help people understand her better, and maybe we'll see a different side of her in the future?

I think that's a possibility. I think any time that you try to figure out why you do the things that you do, and then you embrace it, and then you try to change, then that's good. There's a good path to go on. So yeah. I think too, it's like no matter what age you are

with mental health, I feel like we're still learning more every day. And so just, I'm proud of her for even taking the steps and one therapy session is better than no therapy sessions and hopefully this just continues and she just is on that path. And you know, one more thing on that, you also have to take into factor her age

because when she was growing up, you have to realize that that mental health wasn't something that anyone talked about. And it's not like during that generation, she's older than I am, but when we were children, it's not like our parents were like, you need to go to therapy and we need to figure out what's wrong with you.

There wasn't ADHD and autism and all these different things that we now know about. It was like, get your ass in the house and start behaving and go to your room and stand in the corner. And you know, so it is a different generation, a different type of how things were handled. Yeah. My mom and I were just talking about that recently. We were in Boston this weekend. I do some work with the International OCD Foundation

and I had a sit down and we did this long interview and whatnot and my mom was talking to them after just saying that she felt like her mom, who has passed over 20 years ago, she believes that she probably had OCD too and just never knew what it was, never wanted to open up about the intrusive thoughts because you worry someone's gonna think I'm crazy,

are they gonna take my baby from me? But we just didn't know about mental health back then. And you didn't talk about it. No one did. You didn't discuss it. Yeah, it was just something that for years, for me, 38 years, I just suffered in silence. I didn't open up to anyone because I'm like,

what the fuck is wrong with me? Right, but how do you feel now? I feel so much freer being able to openly talk about it on the podcast, on the show, and just being able to relate with people. There's 238 million people affected by OCD, which is just insane. But now I'm like, I don't feel crazy when I tell someone

what my intrusive thought is. Because I know I don't actually want that to happen, but it took me 38 years to finally open up to my therapist who then put me on the right path to get a brain scan, get with a psychiatrist, get on medication if I wanted. And yeah, so I feel like I'm definitely. So now you have coping mechanisms. Absolutely, yeah.

So I'm just glad that we talk about mental health now because it's not a taboo subject. Not at all, there's like so much stigma around all of this that it's like, let's get rid of this shit. All right, well, from mental health to some legal thoughts I wanted to get into with you, because I loved seeing, there was a scene where you acknowledge that while you aren't actively

practicing law, you're still using your field of expertise and your volunteer work with the Innocence Center. So I love to see that. I also once upon a time thought for one semester in college, like maybe I'll be a lawyer. No, after one communications law class, I was like, yeah, this is not for me. So very proud that you did all of that.

But can you tell me a little bit more on how you got involved with the Innocence Center and what drew you to that cause? You know, it was actually during the COVID time period when we were quarantined. But I had always wanted to be, I'd always wanted to volunteer or be a part of it. After, you know, Shane and I watched The Innocence Files,

I think they might still be on Netflix. It's a documentary. I think it has like three or four stories of, you know, wrongfully convicted and then how long they spent in prison. And I remember watching it with Shane. This was years ago before I was on the show. And I remember sitting there and just being dumbfounded thinking, I'm an attorney, I went

to law school, I took two bar exams, I've practiced law, and I never once really wrapped my brain around the fact that there are people that are wrongfully convicted and spend all this time in prison for something that they did not do. And it was so, I don't know, it was just so profound for me in that moment that I said to myself, if I'm ever in this place where I have the time to volunteer, like I wanna be a part of that organization. So during quarantine when we didn't know what was going on in the world,

and this was also when we were filming and we didn't even know if we were gonna have a show, we didn't know what was going on. What a time. Right, so I sent an email and just said, you know, I would love to volunteer, like how can I get involved? And that was, when was that, 2020, so I sent an email and just said, you know, I would love to volunteer, like how can I get involved? And that was, when was that, 2020.

So that was four years ago. And so I've just been a part of it ever since, you know, I do a lot of fundraising. I love meeting with the exonerated people and just having conversations, learning about them. You know, I would love to be able to do, I'm working on towards, like I wanna do a podcast and actually sit down and

have the conversation like what happened, how did you end up in prison, how long were you in prison, how did you acclimate getting out of prison, where are you now, what do you need? I mean, this is such a just an engrossing conversation. I would love to see you and Kim K do a podcast about all of that. I don't think I'm on her radar but I'll just keep DMing. You never know. We often get nominated in the same categories as their show. We're definitely on their radar. Well, that is true because I do know that Chloe watches the show and she sends me things. So anyway, yeah. So never say never. Right. Do you ever see yourself practicing law again? No, I really don't.

I don't see myself practicing. I do, you know, if I wasn't on Housewives anymore, I could see myself immersing more into, you know, the Innocence Center and being more involved. Right now I have to film a TV show, which is, you know, how time consuming it is. And I don't think people understand how time consuming it is,

but even when it's airing, it's time consuming, because then you're doing press, and you're doing interviews and all those things. So if I wasn't think people understand how time consuming it is, but even when it's airing, it's time consuming, because then you're doing press, and you're doing interviews and all those things. So if I wasn't doing that anymore, I would probably just spend more time volunteering there. Nice. What type of law did you practice? I did family law for a while, and then I did copyright.

Like the last three years I practiced, I did copyright, which worked out really great, because I had younger kids, and copyright is very transactional. So that I liked that because that was a very like go sit in an office, do the work, go home. Totally, very different. How can someone get involved with the Innocence Center

on a volunteer basis and what's the best way to support? You know what, I actually did a post on my Instagram where I put the email address and the websites there. You can always just go to the website. It's very user friendly. It's easy to donate. It's easy to click on volunteer. And so that's how.

Okay. Are there any particular laws that you'd like to see changed when it comes to criminal justice? You know, there are. I mean, I didn't prepare well for like a policy question, but you know, something that changed recently, I did, I think it was last year or the year before, I filmed with Terrell Swift, who spent, I think it was like close to 20 years in prison for a murder that he did not commit.

But he was actually convicted when he was like, I think 17 or something, and the police interrogated him without a parent present, and he ended up signing a confession, and that's how he ended up in prison. And so him working with the Innocence Center, they've actually changed the laws. And now I believe, I don't know,

I can't explicitly say what the law says, but it's basically come down to you cannot, you know, you can't get an underage minor to sign a confession without a president or an attorney or a parent president or an attorney president. Because I mean, think about, I mean, when you're 17 years old and you just wanna go home. Right.

And they put a confession in front of you and they tell you. Right. Yeah, I mean. It's so fucked up. I mean, I think about my own children. I'm like, they would sign it. If they gave them a candy bar

and told them they got to go home, my own children would sign it. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, wow. Well, I would also love to get your legal thoughts on a few other legal matters, because I know you mentioned after this podcast, you're gonna drive by the Menendez house.

I am, it's located at 722 North Elm Street. Anyone was wondering. So there's the new documentary, the Ryan Murphy's Monsters. Right. The docu-series. Doku-series. Dramatization. Yes.

And I feel like now it's just, you know, resurfaced. It's so mainstream again. And new eyes are on their story. D.A. Gascon here in L.A. County is even doing a press conference this week.

So I watched the other. He did a press conference a week. So you might- I watched the other, he did a press conference a little while ago. Okay. And now he's going to do an updated one. I believe they have a hearing in November. Yeah. So what are your thoughts on this? And do you think they might be resentenced and set free? I do.

I think I really do. I don't want to say like too much about it, because I am so engrossed in this story that if I start talking, I'll never leave. I was actually obsessed with this case back in 89, like we were talking about before, because I lived in Middletown, Ohio. So anything that had to do with Beverly Hills or anything

was like another planet for me. And so I remember watching the story in 89. I also watched the court trials and I think it was like 90 something 92 or 94. There were two trials. Which I remember. I was a kid, but I remember that. I remember watching it on court TV. I was very engrossed by this entire situation. And then with the new Ryan Murphy, and here's what I do. I've watched it twice. I've watched Monsters twice now. But what I do is when I watch it, I actually fact check.

So I also pause it and I Google. I do that as well. Cause I'm like, clearly he's dramatized things. So it's hard for me to decipher fact from fiction when I'm watching that. So I'm Googling the entire time. Like, you know, when they show the funeral and then it shows him playing Milly Vanilli.

I'm like, did he really play Milly Vanilli? He did. Yeah. He really did. And so, but then there's the new documentary that just came out on October 6th, which is their live interview from prison. I don't know if you watched that yet.

Oh, I haven't seen that one yet. Okay, that's on Netflix. Adding that to the list. Yeah, so make sure you watch that. And then, you know, Kim K got involved. She released a statement. Mark Garagos represents them, who also represented Scott Peterson, if you know that.

It's just a whole, I just, I wanna do a podcast on it because I have so much to say and no one to talk to. I try to talk to Shane and he's like, "'Oh my God, Emily, stop.' I follow him around the house. I'm like, did you know?' Well, you just mentioned Scott Peterson. Do you think he should get a new trial? Because I know there's been talk around the house. I'm like, did you know? Well, you just mentioned Scott Peterson. Do

you think he should get a new trial? Because I know there's been talk around that case. Yeah, you know, I get a ton of D. Let me just tell everyone I get lots of DMS about this. First of all, it is the Innocence Project in LA that has taken up his case. That is not I'm with the San Diego chapter. So everyone DMA me that's really mad. It's not me. And it's not the Innocence Center that I work with, it is the LA chapter. And I would have to say, I don't know what it is, but there has to be something out there

that's pretty compelling that they would use the resources to get involved in that. And I don't know what that is. Cause I've seen every Scott Peterson documentary there is and I'm convinced the man did it. So I don't know what piece of evidence is out there that we're unaware of. Yeah. Stay tuned. If anyone knows, let me know.

No, I'm invested as well. Okay. But back to your world. Okay. It's still kind of like legal. What's your take on the John Jansen versus Shannon Bedor lawsuit? Oh my gosh. My take on it is that this should have ended a long time ago. I feel like he is intentionally dragging it out because he doesn't want it to end. I think that he and Alexis enjoy torturing her. So fucked up.

And she's made two full offers at this point that I know of, if there's more, I don't know, but I'm aware of two. And he's not interested in the money. He just always wants all these other things. Like I understand her saying, like, let's do a mutual non-disparagement clause. That makes sense, especially when you're on TV.

You've got accusations flying back and forth. Like, let's just end it, both of us, you know, sign it. But the fact that he doesn't want to sign it just says to me that this has nothing to do with money. Like she's offering you the full amount and you don't want it because you want to be able to continue to talk crap about a woman like that makes no sense to me I know take your 75,000 and ride off into the sunset go use it for your wedding right go get married like I got it did Alexis and John cross any legal

lines when they mentioned the tapes when When I first heard about that, especially in the context that it came up, because I believe the video conversation came up when Shannon. OK, Shannon made an offer, but not a full offer initially. Right. Which anyone would do when you're negotiating. You're never going to go in with a full offer. You're going to say, let's offer whatever and see what happens. And sometimes they get it. Right, you never know.

So I know she didn't make a full offer initially. And then I believe that that's when Alexis got mad and said, well, the gloves are off. There's these videos. So when you look at it in that context, it's very blackmailish. It's very, I mean, when you're saying, I didn't get what I wanted,

so now I am going to do this in response, that's a threat. It's a threat of humiliation, public humiliation. Totally. What were your thoughts when Shannon was able to produce that text showing that Alexis was involved with Jim Belino's lawsuit against her and Tamra? I just wish I was in that scene.

I was like, why did no one get me? Where was I? What? I could not believe that. I have my phone automatically set to delete after a year. That made me rethink it. Yes, you gotta take that setting off. Right?

I know. I'm telling you, I think Shannon was looking for that the entire season and she found it finally in the end. On accident. That is how Shannon would find something she needs. Why do you think Alexis's name wasn't on the Bellino lawsuit? Do you think it could have had anything to do with, you know, one day she wants to come back to Housewives and knows that she wouldn't be able to if she's suing a cast member?

You know, I do think that, I don't know, you know, I don't know if the Gimbalino, I don't know if they were divorced when he actually sued Shannon and Tamara. I don't know about that, but if they were divorced, then clearly she wouldn't have been a party. But she did send the text, so clearly she was involved in it.

So I don't know, she's just not- Receipts. Right. Do you think it's a coincidence Shannon's been sued twice? Both times were by men romantically involved with Alexis? No, I don't. I think Alexis saw John at Quiet Woman. I think she knew who he was. I think she knew he used to date Shannon or was currently dating Shannon. And I think she went for it. Well, I don't think you're gonna be letting them

in too close to you. So, all right, we're gonna take one more quick little break and we'll be right back. As we all know, I'm not the craftiest person when it comes to creativity and arts and crafts projects. And that's why KiwiCo has become a common theme in our household when it comes to doing projects together with Summer because they make it so easy,

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you how beautiful you are, how amazing you look. So everything was so positive. That's been really nice. Um, I've had so many women send me messages, and not just short little messages, like long messages. And I appreciate every single one of them. I try to read all of them. I think women just really connected.

And you probably understand this. When you're filming and you say things and you get really emotional and you say all these things, do you ever have that moment of regret where you're like, I probably sound like I'm insane? Yes, and it's my OCD, and then I obsess over and over and over and over. And I'm like, why did ever have that moment of regret where you're like, I don't even, I probably sound like I'm insane. Yes. And it's my OCD and then I obsess over and over and over and over and I'm like, why did I say that?

How did I say it? How's it going to look like? Oh, yes. And that was what I went through when I went through that whole thing with the fashion show and Heather and everything. I remember thinking to myself, I probably sound crazy and I feel crazy. But the fact that so many women have sent me DMs with these long stories about how in their friend group they feel like this.

Or I remember one woman saying, you know, we all got Christmas pajamas, but like I couldn't, I didn't get any because I like, I wasn't the same size as the other women. And I feel like women just connected with that, which at the time I had no idea. I thought I was just insane.

But I really appreciate everyone just feeling it and understanding and just, I don't know, getting me in that moment, you know? I totally got it. I mean, it's like when I'm watching the show, I always try to stay neutral. It's like, I'm not on your show. So I could be friends with everyone

on my show that gets me in trouble. So I'm like, I totally see where Emily's coming from. But then I'm like, oh, then Heather, maybe she wasn't even thinking that at all because I didn't think that she purposely did that. So I'm glad that the audience has reacted so positively because I understood it. Yeah, they did.

And that was so nice and I really appreciate that. And I never said Heather did anything intentional because I never felt that way or thought that. I don't think she's not that kind of woman. I mean, we've been friends for years. I wouldn't be friends with someone that would do something malicious like that. And she wouldn't.

But I think where the disconnect was, was I think she just kept trying to rationalize what she did or what she chose. And I just kept trying to say, just listen to what I'm saying. It's just feelings. But how it made me feel. Right, we're just talking about feelings. We I just kept trying to say, just listen to what I'm saying. It's just feelings. But how it made me feel. Right.

We're just talking about feelings. We're just talking about feelings. That's it. And then Alexis started yelling. It was just like, this is not about you. Like, you were complimenting her, if anything. I know. And she did not. It was so annoying.

That night, I can't even explain to you. First of all, what you guys saw was like, I don't know, 10 minutes maybe. I was there four hours with the woman. Can you imagine? Like she was a wackadoodle from the minute she walked into that house. I think that's my favorite word of the season too,

wackadoodle. It's like one of those like games at the fair, you know? Yeah. You mentioned earlier this season that you might exercise too much and that Shane might not be active enough. Has that changed? Have you been able to find a happier medium there? I feel like we have because I just hired a personal trainer for him. I didn't even ask him. I was like, by the way, you have a personal

trainer now at Lifetime and this is what time you're working out with him. And then I've lessened up a little. I don't really do seven days a week like I used to. Well actually, you know, with all this going on with the show airing, I haven't been able to work out as much, which has actually been good because it's lessened my obsession. So now I'm there like three, four, five times a week

instead of seven. So, yeah. What is your fitness routine? Well, I go, I always do like 30 minutes of cardio first. I like the elliptical because it's good for my knees. I don't like a treadmill because it has too much of an impact. And then I do, I just lift weights,

but I do, you know, I divide muscle groups up. You know, I'll do like bison tries one day, shoulder back the next, legs, and then start over. What has your journey been to finding what works best for you and your body? Oh, my gosh, it's been such a journey. First of all, I think it's just accepting that I can't fit into a mold within Orange County because I think that maybe that's something that I struggle with personally.

And just getting past that, like, I'm just not going to be a size zero to four. It's just never going to happen. And then just finding a workout routine that I like, that I enjoy. And I think that's important. I think you have to find things that you like. Like, do you like to walk? Do you like to take classes?

Like, what is that? That brings you enjoyment and fulfillment. And then sticking with that. And then just not being hard on yourself all the time. Like have a piece of cake at a birthday party and not feel badly about it, you know? And have a drink when you go out with your husband and eat some bread from the bread basket.

Because I was very restrictive like a year ago, right before BravoCon. Do you remember BravoCon was like November 5th or something like that? I was probably a good 10 pounds less than I am now, but I was so restrictive during that time period. Like no alcohol, no carbs, nothing. It's so hard. And I can't, I can't live like that.

Yeah. I did it for like six months. I was, I weighed less. Now I'm a little heavier and I eat the damn bread. And I have an espresso martini when I go out with my husband. You deserve it. Right. How do you deal with negative thoughts about your body?

I think when I start to really feel that way, going to the gym helps because I feel strong. And when you feel strong, you don't have negative thoughts about yourself. So if you go to the gym and you lift some weights and you do some cardio and you have that time where you can just mentally decompress, I leave feeling strong and healthy.

You never regret going to the gym. It's not like, oh, I wish I didn't work out today. I wish I didn't lift all those weights. Yeah, I know. No, same. I hate it when I get so tied up at home with my daughter work errands, whatever. And then I'm like, oh, I didn't work out today.

You will catch me in my gym at 10.30 PM. Then I'm like, no, I gotta get it in because I know I will feel better tonight Going to bed waking up in the morning knowing even if it's 15 minutes on the tonal. I did something. Yeah, exactly Yeah, how do you balance your mental health while? Also being on a show that can stir up like insecurities and traumas and all of that You know, that's a good question. A lot of people ask me about balancing everything. And I think I have really strict boundaries when it comes to the show.

I don't watch the episodes. And everyone thinks that's- At all? No, and everyone thinks that's crazy, but I don't. And I think that's a good healthy boundary for me. I find myself being very self-critical when I used to watch them like years ago. I had that regret where you're like, why did I wear that?

Why did I do my hair like that? Why did I say that? Why didn't I say this? And I just got to the point where I was like, I just don't wanna live in that zone of regret. So I just don't watch it at all. Okay, well then I guess I can't ask you about watching it back.

You know, Shane watches it though, because people are like, well then how do you know what's going on? Well, I'm like, first of all guess I can't ask you about watching it back. But. You know, Shane watches it though, because people are like, well then how do you know what's going on? Well, I'm like, first of all, I lived it. Right. But then obviously there's scenes that I, I wasn't privy to that you see when it's aired, but Shane watches it and he watches it really closely.

And then he'll just tell me, he'll just say, like the one thing he did say was he was like, you got to see this confessional that Heather did. And I'm like, really? And he's like, oh yeah, you got to see this. Yeah. And I'm like, really? And he's like, oh, yeah, you got to see. Yeah. And I'm sure do you like see clips on Instagram or TikTok? You know, so Graham and I get tagged and things. So I feel like if it's anything that pertains to me that I need to see,

the public is tagging me in it or Shane has showed me. Yeah. Yeah. Where do you and Heather stand now? Do you feel like she completely understands where you were coming from and like you feel heard? I don't know if she ever really understood it, but that's OK. OK. Heather, Stan, now, do you feel like she completely understands where you were coming from and like you feel heard? I don't know if she ever really understood it, but that's okay. Okay.

Because I mean, we're, Heather and I are really good friends. Yeah. And we have been for years. And I think that we have a good solid foundation of friendship where we care about one another. And so even if we have misfires, because we're two totally different people, we're always gonna come back together at the end

because we both cherish our friendship. So we're always gonna come back to it. I love that. Speaking of friendships you cherish, it kind of seems like from watching that you and Gina aren't as close this season. What is your relationship currently? Oh no, we're super close.

I don't know if it's just because we had a riff in the middle and I think Gina got in too deep with like the whole Heather and Katie thing. And I think she was very engrossed in all of that. But no, like I just saw her. I don't know, we just went to a concert. I saw there was something you guys posted. It was so cute.

So I'm like from watching the show. So I didn't know if there was like a bit of a rift and now things are, okay, good. Love that. Would you ever do a spinoff with her? Like the two of you, I feel like that would be fun. I would, but it would have to be something fun. Like it couldn't be something serious.

Like I wish they would just give us an RV and like a camera crew. Like a crappy lake boat with Gina and Emily. We just have to like get to Ohio or something, but like with $20 and that's it. We just have to figure it out. Let's manifest that. I would totally watch that.

Aside from Gina, who are you closest with on your cast right now? After Gina, it would probably be Heather. Or Shannon, I'm close with Shannon too. And I talk to Tamara a lot too. I feel like with Heather, Shannon, Tamara, me, Gina, like we're all pretty close. Like it's me and Gina up here.

Like there's nothing that like touches that. But then the rest of us, I'd say all stay in contact and are close, yeah. What from the season surprised you while you were filming? And I was gonna follow up with what surprised you while watching, but. Yeah, honestly, the Alexis and John Jans follow up with what surprised you while watching. Yeah, honestly, the Alexis and John Jansen stuff was a huge surprise for me because I was actually,

which I hate to admit, but I was an advocate of her coming back on the show. Because, and I knew that she was dating John. I was like one of the first people she told, I knew before she came on the show. And I never had a problem with her dating John because Alexis and Shannon were never friends and I never had a problem with her dating John because Alexis and Shannon were never friends and they never filmed together.

So there wasn't any kind of girl code that she was breaking. And I thought, okay, that's interesting, right? We're making a show. Like that's interesting. I would be stupid if I said, oh no, we don't want that. I mean, but I thought it was going to be a very superficial, ha ha ha, I'm dating your man, you know, you got my sloppy seconds.

And then we would move on from that. I did not know that it was going to be a global humiliation take down Shannon ruined her life. I didn't know that. That was a complete surprise. Yeah, I don't think anyone would have campaigned for that to be a part of the season. But I get where you're coming from.

It's like, well, this is interesting. Anytime you're filming a reality show with an ex of any sort, and there's a new girl who was also on the show prior, that is interesting. It is. People wanna watch that. And I was like, that's good TV.

And then it ended up being completely different than what I thought it was. Yeah. Well, I know right after I saw you in New York, you guys came back to film the reunion. How was that experience? It was good. I hate reunions. I don't know how you feel about them.

Indifferent. I go back and forth. I used to love them, then I hated them, and now I'm like, it just depends where I'm at with people. I don't know. I think I'm one of those people that I really always work really hard to resolve things in the moment, like while I'm filming.

So I've never felt like going into a reunion, I have something, you know, profound that I have to work out with someone or figure out. I've never felt like that. So that's why for reunions, I'm like, I'm good. I really, I'm fine. I could really just stay home. Yeah. Like I'll zoom in. Yeah, like maybe, I don't. I really I'm fine. I could really just stay home. Yeah

Like to zoom in for a few minutes and I'll just say hi to everybody and then I'm good Yeah, I think I think viewers will find it very interesting. Okay. I know Andy had said that it was relatively calm Aside from Alexis on stage, would you agree? Oh yeah. Wow. But I think when he says calm though, I think it's interesting. And I also feel like maybe the purpose was because the season was so tumultuous

that maybe when you get to the reunion, it's nice to not have that. Like maybe let's all try and understand each other, you know? With Alexis, do you feel that there is more of a story left to tell for her with this group? Is there anything left to resolve? No, okay Exit left I'm assuming you saw or at least heard about the Instagram stories that the host of love hotel Yeah, Joel Kim booster has posted since that.

Several of Shannon's castmates like Ashley Darby, Countess Luanne have come out in defense of her and Joel has since retracted and apologized. Though after his apology, he posted some cryptic stuff about how he'll always stand up for his friends on set. So my question for you is, he's essentially suggesting that he observed Shannon be rude to a crew member, which is what he in turn did to a cast member.

Have you ever seen Shannon be rude to a crew member? Yes, but that was a long time ago. It's been many, many years since I've seen or witnessed that. And honestly, for the past, I would say, four to five years, I've seen her be nothing but overly generous, like cooking for the crew, making food for them, including them in things. So, and you know, I also knew a producer

that was on the show with her, and I asked him, you know, like, was Shannon, like, out of control? And he goes, no, absolutely not. He said she was Shannon, like, she's always Shannon, like, with the hands and everything, but not rude. Yeah. So, and I believe this person. Totally.

Yeah, so they've always been straight up with me. So I think it was very unprofessional for the host of a show to go onto Instagram and to blast a cast member about an upcoming show and say the things that he did. I thought that was completely out of line and unprofessional. So classless. And you know, if there was, like if she did do something, that's not the way you go about it.

No. And also when you're filming these types of shows, it requires a level of vulnerability and personal feelings and emotions and all of that. And I know for a fact, there's been multiple times I've maybe snapped at my producer, usually hug it out and apologize after, but I'm like, I don't wanna talk about this. It's like, it's natural.

So for him to go and take a moment that was probably something like that and turn it into that, it was just, I'm not a fan, not a fan. Yeah, I agree. Yeah. I mean, there are chains of command that you go through and Instagram is not on that chain of command. No, not at all.

All right. Last thing I've wanted to get into with you. So my husband Brock really wants to expand our family. He would have a whole football team of children if I allowed him to. And as much as I want to give Summer a sibling she can grow up with, like she has two older siblings in Australia

from his previous marriage, but they're not in her life unfortunately. I also had help syndrome and I'm very high risk and now going into turning 40, I can't carry another baby. My doctor's like, absolutely not. Adoption or surrogacy are gonna be your options. The options that we have.

So I'm also like kind of torn on making embryos and what if we get a lot of embryos because we found out his sperm is like pristine apparently. Oh wow, lucky you. I know. So I'm like that. He has platinum sperm. Yes, he does. And now that worries me because I'm like, well, what if we get three or more embryos? You know, what if I only want one? And I just, I don't know. So as someone who has gone through this, I just wanted to ask you, so your sister was your surrogate for all three?

That is incredible. My sister would never. How did that conversation come about? You know, so when Shane and I first got married 15 years ago, we started trying to have kids pretty early because I was 32 at the time. And I remember at 32 thinking like my clock is ticking, like, you know, I'm in my thirties.

And I had multiple miscarriages. I don't even know how many at this point. I think it was like five or six or something. Oh my God. Yeah, just like one after the other, after another. And so it got to the point where I did in vitro myself after multiple miscarriages and then I lost the babies. I was 16 weeks pregnant, so four months pregnant.

We were living in Utah at the time, we were talking earlier about how Shane and I lived in Utah and I'll never forget I was at Costco and I was pregnant with twins, it was a boy and a girl, I was four months along and I remember saying to Shane, I'll never forget the aisle we were in and everything. I said, I don't feel right. Something feels wrong.

And right when I said that, my water broke. And just all over the aisle. And of course, you know, when you're only four months pregnant and your water breaks, that immediately, you know, like, this is not, this is not good. So Shane took me to the emergency room and I had to have, I had to go into labor. I had to have them. This is not good. So Shane took me to the emergency room

and I had to have, I had to go into labor. I had to have them knowing that they weren't going to survive. It was the most horrible thing I've ever been through in my entire life. I remember crying the entire time, just holding onto him saying, I'm never doing this again.

I like, I can't, I can't go through this. And then I had to have an emergency DNC and then I had to have a blood transfusion, I had to stay in the hospital. It was just, it was horrific. And going through that, it was right around Thanksgiving time. So my sister came from Ohio out to Utah

to stay with us for Thanksgiving, and we were sitting in my kitchen, and I was telling her the story of everything I'd gone through, and just how terrible it was, and I didn't know where to go from here. Because after you go through in vitro and you do all of that and then to have nothing, just to, you're back at square one. And my sister, I remember her, we were sitting in the kitchen and she said, please don't

do it again. She said, just don't do it again. I know she goes, I don't know what's wrong with your body, but your body just can't do it. She said, I'll do it for you. I was like, what are you talking about? Like, don't say something that you don't do it again. She goes, I don't know what's wrong with your body, but your body just can't do it. She said, I'll do it for you. I was like, what are you talking about? Don't say something that you don't really mean. And she goes, no, Emily, I'm serious.

There is something wrong with your body. You cannot carry a child. We don't know why. And she has a daughter. So she said, I can do it. I will do it for you. And that was that moment we were like, okay, we're gonna do this.

I don't know how we're gonna do it, but we're gonna do it. And then after the holidays, I reached out to my doctor and said, you know, my sister agreed to be a surrogate. And he was like, great. He was like, we're gonna make this happen because there's something not, I mean, I was never diagnosed. I took every, I did every test you could possibly imagine and there wasn't anything that was definitive.

So I still to this day don't know why I could never actually carry. That's wow, I did not know all of that. I'm so sorry that you went through all of that. It was traumatizing. It was the worst thing I've ever been through. And so to look at my three children now, I really, I always just think about my sister

and how much she sacrificed. And then two years later, then she had my boys. She had twins. Yeah. Wow. I mean, just what your body goes through and to have it go through that multiple times, you are insanely strong.

It was, any woman going through that, like I get it, I understand it. The emotional toll it takes on you is so hard. You know, when I was dealing also with a blended family, like my husband has two daughters from his first wife, and then that was really hard for them to come and stay with us, like right after I had a miscarriage, and I was trying to deal with like,

that, and it was a lot.riage and I was trying to deal with like that and it was a lot. It was hard on our marriage. It really was. Totally. Yeah, I just haven't taken the next step yet because I had a miscarriage before I got pregnant, then I got help syndrome and now I'm like,

I can't even take that chance and to just put my baby in someone else, like it's not going to be my sister. So I, it is, it's a tough choice. I would say probably the thing that brings me the most joy in life is actually watching my children play together. So I would always advocate for a sibling just because watching like my boys play together or my daughter take care of her younger brothers is like, I don't know, it just really,

you know what I mean? But if you're in a position where your health is at risk, or you could possibly go through something traumatic like that, not knowing what the outcome would be. And again, it's the embryos too. I still have, I think I have nine embryos left. And they're all girls. And I'm 48, so it's not like I'm going to,

like Shane and I aren't going to be, you know, doing anything to have more children. But now I'm at that point where I'm like, what do I do with these embryos? I just keep paying the storage fee every year because I can't destroy them. And I can't donate them. And so I just keep paying for it.

Not that I mind paying, but it's just, it's just this, they don't, you don't really think about that when you go into it. You don't ever think about, oh, there could be embryos that are left over that now are my husband and me and siblings to my children, but I don't know what to do with them. And that's what I am thinking about right now.

And I am struggling with because once we found out that his sperm is so good, I have 16 eggs that are frozen. I'm sure only maybe half will survive the thawing process. And then, you know, genetically testing and all of that. But I'm like, it could be very likely that we have three. I don't want three more children. I'm so good with just one. I could do two. If we only had two embryos put in twins,

let's give it a go. But if it's three or more, I'm just like, I'm really struggling where I'm like, I'm not ready to make that decision yet. So we just put a pause on it. And we said, we'll revisit this next year, because it's like taking a toll on me. It really is a tough decision.

And it's also a tough decision to just decide how many embryos to put in. Right. Because that's risky too. You don't wanna do just one. Absolutely. Because you wanna have the best chances. So you wanna put more than one, but then you don't know if you're ready for multiple kids.

And then you don't know if one will take and one won't. And it's such, it's just, it's a mind. I know, I know. Yeah. Well, I'll keep you posted on my journey with that. I'm sure I'll have more questions in the future. Well, if you need anyone to talk to, I've been through all of it.

Thank you. No, and thank you so much for being here. I'm so glad we got to do this. I've wanted you on the podcast for so long. Oh, thank you for having me. It's just the stars aligned. It worked out. We got a cute little Watch What Happens Live moments

together and here we are. Well, thank you for having me. Thank you. Everyone, keep watching having me. Thank you everyone. Keep watching Real Housewives of Orange County. Follow my girl Emily and see her journey going to the Menendez house after this. Thanks for listening and watching guys. Bye. Thanks for listening to Shenanigans with Sheena Shea.

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