The Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast - 12 Days of The Bachelorette: Clayton & Susie Check-in Part 1

Episode Date: July 2, 2022

We're counting down to the premiere of The Bachelorette! But before we follow Gabby and Rachel on their journey for love, we have to check in with our most recent Bachelor and the one that captured his heart! Listen in for an exclusive update from Clayton Echard and Susie Evans and find out their plans for a future together!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Hi, my name is Enya Eumanzor. And I'm Drew Phillips. And we run a podcast called Emergency Intercom. If you're a crime junkie and you love crimes, we're not the podcast for you. But if you have unmedicated ADHD... Oh my God, perfect. And want to hear people with mental illness, psychobabble.

Yes, yes. Then Emergency Intercom is the podcast for you. Open your... free iHeartRadio app, search emergency intercom, and listen now. How serious is youth vaping? Irreversible lung damage serious. One in ten

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I sat down with Warren Campbell, Grammy-winning producer, pastor, and music executive to talk about the beats, the business, and the legacy behind some of the biggest names in gospel, R&B, and hip-hop. Professionally, I started at Deadwell Records. From Mary Mary to Jennifer Hudson, we get into the soul of the music

and the purpose that drives it. Listen to Culture raises us on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The U.S. Open is here, and on my podcast, Good Game with Sarah Spain. I'm breaking down the players, the predictions, the pressure,

and, of course, the honey deuses, the signature cocktail of the U.S. Open. The U.S. Open has gotten to be a very wonderfully experiential sporting event. To hear this and more, listen to Good Game with Sarah Spain, an IHeart women's sports production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment

on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Brought to you by Novartis, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports Network. Just like great shoes, great books take you places. Through unforgettable love stories and into conversations with characters you'll never forget. I think any good romance, it gives me this feeling of like butterflies. I'm Danielle Robay, and this is bookmarked by Reese's Book Club. The new podcast from Hello Sunshine and IHeart Podcasts, where we dive into the story

that shape us on the page and off. Each week, I'm joined by authors, celebs, book talk stars, and more for conversations that will make you laugh, cry, and add way too many books to your TVR pile. Listen to bookmarked by Reese's Book Club on the IHeartRadio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Apple Books is the official audio book and ebook home for Reese's Book Club. Visit apple.co-forward slash Reese Apple Books to find out more. This is the Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast with IHartRadio. Hello everyone. Welcome to the Almost Famous Podcast.

It's Ashley and it's me. It's Ben. I'm here. Yeah. Yeah. And we are basically throwing a big podcast party in anticipation of the July 11th premiere of the Bachelorette. Today we have two very special guests that we can't wait to catch up with.

It's Susie and Clayton. we have so many podcasts. This is awesome. We are pumped this season. I feel like it was a long break. Ashley, is it just me? Or does it feel like the break has been longer than usual? Is that like true? Well, Ben, the break has been longer than usual for sure. However, I feel like it's flown by. Well, because we've had a lot of fun. That's because I'm a mom. Every day goes so fast. And we've had a lot of fun here on the podcast. All right. Hey, it's time, Ashley.

We're continuing the party. Let's bring them in. Hi, my name is Enya Emanzor. And I'm Drew Phillips. And we run a podcast called Emergency Intercom. If you're a crime junkie and you love crimes, we're not the podcast for you. But if you have unmedicated ADHD... Oh, my God, perfect.

And want to hear people with mental illness, psychobabble. Yes, yes. Then Emergency Intercom is the podcast for you. Open your free IHeartRadio app. Search Emergency Intercom and listen now. My name is Ed. Everyone say hello, Ed. Hello, Ed.

I'm from a very rural background myself. My dad is a farmer and my mom is a cousin. So, like, it's not like... What do you get when a true crime producer walks into a comedy club? I know it sounds like the start of a bad joke, but that really was my reality nine. years ago. I just normally do straight stand-up, but this is a bit different. On stage stood a comedian with a story that no one expected to hear. On 22nd of July 2015, a 23-year-old man had killed his

family. And then he came to my house. So what do you get when a true crime producer walks into a comedy club? A new podcast called Wisecrack. where stand-up comedy and murder takes center stage. Available now. Listen to Wisecrack on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Dr. Joy Hardin Bradford. And in session 421 of therapy for black girls, I sit down with Dr. Athea and Billy Shaka to explore how our hair connects to our identity, mental health, and the ways we heal.

Because I think hair is a complex language system, right, in terms of it can tell. how old you are, your marital status, where you're from, you're a spiritual belief. But I think with social media, there's like a hyper fixation and observation of our hair, right? That this is sometimes the first thing someone sees when we make a post or a reel is how our hair is styled. We talk about the important role hairstylists play in our community, the pressure to always look put together, and how breaking up with perfection can actually free us. Plus, if you're someone who gets anxious about flying, don't miss session 418 with Dr. Angela Neil Barnett, where we dive into managing flight anxiety. Listen to Therapy for Black Girls on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

Get fired up, y'all. Season two of Good Game with Sarah Spain is underway. We just welcomed one of my favorite people and an incomparable soccer icon, Megan Rapino, to the show. And we had a blast. We talked about her recent 40th birthday celebrations, co-hosting a podcast with her fiancé Sue Bird, watching former teammates retire and more. Never a dull moment with Pino. Take a listen. What do you miss the most about being a pro athlete?

The final. The final. And the locker room. I really, really, like, you just, you can't replicate. You can't get back. Showing up to locker room every morning just to shit talk. We've got more incredible guests like the legendary Candice Parker. and college superstar A.Z. Fudd.

I mean, seriously, y'all. The guest list is absolutely stacked for season two. And, you know, we're always going to keep you up to speed on all the news and happenings around the women's sports world as well. So make sure you listen to Good Game with Sarah Spain on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports. Smokey the Bears.

Then you know why Smokey tells you when he sees you passing through. Remember, please be careful. It's the least that you can do. It's what you desire. Don't play with matches. Don't play with fire. After 80 years of learning his wildfire prevention tips, Smokey Bear lives within us all.

Learn more at smokybear.com. And remember, Only you can prevent wildfires. Brought to you by the USDA Forest Service, your state forester and the ad council. As mentioned just a second ago, We have Clayton and Seuss. You call her Sews, Clayton, which is going to throw me off.

Is it Susie or Sews? What should we call you? You can call me whatever. Clayton does call me Sews. A lot of my friends call me Sews. But, I mean, I would introduce myself as Susie. Okay. I have an aunt, Suez, and I just can't do it.

Like, I can't call you, Suez. And it just every time it's going to throw me off. Hey, just to give you, if they're out of breath, as expected, they're working out when we tapped in, which is not shocking. at all. It feels very on brand. Thank you for explaining that. We weren't watching cops or anything.

Well, first big question for you guys is how is life in Virginia Beach? Because Clayton made the big move to Susie's hometown. It's good. I feel like we're not there that much because we've been just traveling so much. And we're going back to Missouri and like literally a. day. We're going to go see his family for the fourth, and we're going to hang out there for a while. So we're pretty mobile right now, but it's been fun. Lots of seafood. Yeah, it's, being by Beach is very relaxing whenever you need to just take breather. You can just go down on the boardwalk.

And I've been eating a ton of crab cakes. That's been like every third meal. I've just been putting crab on my burgers. I mean, they put it on everything in Virginia Beach. So it's been a different cuisine and I've enjoyed that. It's just, yeah, far cry from Missouri, which is what I was used to the majority of my life. You know, Clay, I have to ask you, you're a good looking guy, you're big, you're strong, you're athletic. I know Virginia Beach is full of Navy SEALs because my wife's best friend's husband is a Navy SEAL and they live in Virginia Beach. Are you ever intimidated? Do you ever, do you ever try to show them up? And if so, can you? hand you?

So I figured the best thing to do instead of be the outcast was to fit in. And so that's why I grew a mustache. Yeah. Because that's like every other guy has a mustache. And with Top Gun coming out, it's a conversation starter. Really honestly, I've been able to just work my way right in. They're like, oh, you must watch Top Gun. I'm like I have not, but I sure want to.

So fitting in is easy. I like to avoid all conflicts. So we're choosing that route. That's good to avoid conflict with Navy SEALs. Smart move. Yes. I'm pretty sure they learn like 100 ways to kill somebody. So I'm not trying to be one of those ways.

I'm not trying to find out. Let's talk conflict, though, between you guys when it comes to moving in together. Like each of you give me the thing that has been the most annoying about sharing a space. Oh. I know what you're going to put. You want to pull out your list? I know what you'll say. Wait, what am I going to say?

It has to be, like, my beard hairs. Oh, yeah, the shaving, the beard in the sink. So gross. I know. I'm like, you have to get, you have to thoroughly, get the thoroughly clean after that experience. And you do give it a wipe down, but I'm like, we need to be more thorough in the toilet seat. We're working on it. She has her retainers on the countertop.

Well, they're in a container case, but. It was propped open one day. She said she got like a beard hair when she put it in her mouth. I got she told me she came in she's like you need to do a better job of cleaning this off I was like I didn't know it snuck its way in there I was like maybe we should close the case I have a gift you guys need to give each other mutually there's this beard trimmer like canopy have you seen it on Amazon yes so you stick it to the mirror and then you tie it around his neck so everything is caught I'm going to get that that sounds like that that really like sounds like one of the of those uh what they put on dogs animals when they should be a cone it sounds like a cone it looks like a cone the cone of shame is what it sounds like but since they're teaming up on you Clayton I mean I have one that I want to ask you if Suez does here uh does she ever take her hair and sticking on the shower like wall like in clumps to where it's like growing out of the wall

because that that grows me out more than anything uh yeah every time and that's where I again it's I try not to be the one to like bring it send it back her way but I was like, oh, you know, speaking of hair, I have to turn around and see a giant bushel of it every time I got shower. That's not every time. I pretty much clean it up almost every time, but the occasional time it has been left in the shower. Her response was, well, maybe you shouldn't stress me out so much. That's why I'm losing it. That's true.

That's good. The hair loss is real. Oh my gosh. That's so funny. Why is hair off of our bodies so disgusting? That's a good question. I know. That's so true.

it is she does get bothered by like our hair of hers will fall out and i'll pick it up and i'll put it back on her head and she's like ew don't do that i'm like yeah it's just your hair it just literally just fell out i'm putting it but you know it's just messed me being stupid so annoying like i like to do every so often so i guess i deserve it but i don't know yeah this is weird it's not it's not weird until it becomes till it leaves your body it's the side of a good relationship is uh this element trust me i mean i i've been living with my wife now for six months and the only way we make it through every day is by joking about this stuff with each other, especially until you get used to it, and it's expected.

Now, you just talked about your hair falling out in a joking way, but Ashley and I, and a lot of the listeners know from listening this podcast, that coming off The Bachelor and being on The Bachelor is an extremely stressful season of life. It's a great season of life. It's a lot of fun. There's great new opportunities. Life kind of changes, but it's stressful. Are you at a place now?

maybe I should just ask it this way, where are you at now in that journey? Do you feel back to normal? Do you feel like that season is starting to become more peaceful? Are you still in it kind of swirling around trying to get your head on straight? Probably all of the above to that. Like there's days where everything feels very normal and healthy and yeah, like we're thriving with each other and individually. Then there's days that are really complicated, both personally and together, I think, more so than I think it would have been, yeah, had we not gone on the show or started a relationship from the show. So, yeah, it just depends on the day. I think the one thing that we've learned is that, like, no matter what, we love each other so much, and we're here

to help each other in this season, whether that's within the relationship or individually, as we need it. And that doesn't always, it's not always very clear what we're needing in the moment or what we're experiencing, like, are the feelings or the stress and things like that. Like, sometimes it's not super clear why we're feeling the way we're feeling or what we're going through. But I think we've had a lot of really good conversations. And every conversation ultimately has helped us navigate to a better place of understanding ourselves and each other. Yeah. Yeah. I think it comes in waves. It's really good. good days and there's really bad days. I think that though is I would say fairly standard for

relationship. I think obviously we went through some unforeseen circumstances and some very unique. We were in some very unique spots and so because of that it's been really challenging sometimes because we really can't turn to family and friends because they just don't really understand. I mean they want to but we obviously live through what we live through and that makes it tough sometimes when you feel that you want to go get advice from somewhere else but you realize that they have a sliver of the story. And so at the end of the day, we're really the only two that can work through this. And, yeah, there's people that I've went through it besides us.

And that's great. We like to. I've found a lot of value in talking to others that have went through the same experience. And it helps kind of calm our nerves, I think, when we do so. But, but yeah, it's been, it's a lot. I think you try to start any relationship after going through all of that. And it's just kind of wild. You're just like, what is what has happened?

happened. Where do we go from here? And overcommunications, the most critical aspect of it all, I think. When you guys do have your hard days, your arguments, do you usually find yourself reverting back to the end of your season, Clayton, and the drama that went down there? Or do you find that the arguments are totally unrelated? Because I'll be honest from my point of view, even like years after when Jared and I got together, the first like six months, whenever there was like a little argument it usually had to do with what happened years ago we're totally totally over that now but when we first got together yeah yeah i would say thousand percent i think there's so many feelings attached to what the show was uh and so when we get upset about something i think it's just important

for everybody to realize that oftentimes those feelings are attached to something deeper it's not it's not you know oh you put the toilet paper on wrong so i'm going to blow up on you it's you put the Pull of paper wrong, but I'm annoyed at something that you did a few months ago that I just happened to, like, upset me because I was thinking about it earlier. So I always, I do feel that, yeah, there's, I'm sure we're not feeling ones as others that have went through it. And there was so many strong emotions from the show. And it's been a long period of healing.

And I still have days where I don't feel like I'm fully healed. And so, yeah, when something little happens, it can magnify because you are subconscious. thinking about something that happened prior that you promised you would move beyond. But you can say that, but you can say you're going to move on, but to actually do it, it just takes time. And I think that's where it's, what's the right amount of time? I don't know. Well, it's awesome having Clayton and Susie with us.

What a celebration leading up to this season of The Bachelorette. This is going to be a two-part episode. So this was part one. Tune in for part two that will be up soon. But until then, I've been Ben. I've been Ashley. See you soon. Follow the Ben and Ashley I, almost famous podcast on IHartRadio, or subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.

Hi, my name is Enya Umanzor. And I'm Drew Phillips. And we run a podcast called Emergency Intercom. If you're a crime junkie and you love crimes, we're not the podcast for you. But if you have unmedicated ADHD... Oh, my God, perfect. And want to hear people with mental illness, psychobabble. Yes, yes.

Then Emergency Intercom is the podcast for you. Open your free IHeartRadio app. Search Emergency Intercom and listen now. In sitcoms, when someone has a problem, they just blurt it out and move on. Well, I lost my job and my parakeet is missing. How is your day? But the real world is different. Managing life's challenges can be overwhelming.

So, what do we do? we get support. The Huntsman Mental Health Institute and the Ad Council have mental health resources available for you at loveyourmindtay.org. That's loveyourmindtay.org. See how much further you can go when you take care of your mental health. The U.S. Open is here and on my podcast, good game with Sarah Spain. I'm breaking down the players, the predictions, the pressure, and of course the honey deuses, the signature cocktail of the U.S. Open. The U.S. Open has gotten to be a very wonderfully experiential sporting event. To hear this and more, listen to Good Game with Sarah Spain

and IHeart Women's Sports Production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Brought to you by Novartis, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports Network. I was diagnosed with cancer on Friday and cancer free the next Friday.

No chemo, no radiation, none of that. On a recent episode of Culture Raises Us podcast, I sat down with Warren Campbell, Grammy-winning producer, pastor, and music executive to talk about the beats, the business, and the legacy behind some of the biggest names in gospel, R&B, and hip-hop. Professionally, I started at Deadwell Records. From Mary Mary to Jennifer Hudson, we get into the soul of the music and the purpose that

drives it. Listen to Culture raises us on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Just like great shoes, great books take you places. Through unforgettable love stories and into conversations with characters you'll never forget. good romance, it gives me this feeling of like butterflies. I'm Danielle Robay, and this is bookmarked by Reese's Book Club,

the new podcast from Hello Sunshine and IHeart Podcasts, where we dive into the stories that shape us, on the page and off. Each week, I'm joined by authors, celebs, book talk stars, and more for conversations that will make you laugh, cry, and add way too many books to your TBR pile. Listen to bookmarked by Reese's Book Club on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Apple Books is the official audio book and ebook home for Reese's Book Club. Visit apple.co forward slash Reese Apple Books to find out more. This is an IHeart podcast.