The Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast - Dirty Rush: Mother knows best: Sorority House Moms speak out!

Episode Date: April 6, 2026

What is a House Mom?!   These girls can’t take care of themselves!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Serving Pancakes podcast, conversations about volleyball go beyond the court. Today we have a little best friend compatibility test. Okay. How long have we been best friends? Since the day we met. As the League 1 volleyball season heads towards its final stretch, there's no better time to tune in. You'll hear unfiltered analysis, behind-the-scenes stories and conversations with leaders making an impact across the sport. Whether you're following the final push of love season or just love the game, serving

pancakes brings you closer to the action and the people shaping the future of volleyball. Open your free IHeartRadio app, search Serving Pancakes and listen now. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports. 2%. That's the number of people who take the stairs when there is also an escalator available. I'm Michael Easter. And on my podcast, 2%. I break down the signs of mental toughness, fitness, and building resilience in our strange modern world.

Put yourself through some hardships, and you will come out on the other side a happier, more fulfilled, healthier person. Listen to 2%. that's TWO percent on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, I'm Jay Shetty, host of the On Purpose podcast. My latest episode is with Noah Kahn, the singer-songwriter behind the multi-platinum global hit stick season and one of the biggest voices in music today. Talking about the mental illness stuff, it used to be this thing that I was ashamed of. Getting to talk about this is not common for me.

Right now I need it more than ever. Listen to On Purpose with Jay Chetty on the IHart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 10, 10 shots fired in City Hall building. How could this have happened in City Hall? Somebody tell me that. A shocking public murder. This is one of the most dramatic events that really ever happened in New York City politics. I scream, get down, get down, those are shots.

A tragedy that's now forgotten. and a mystery that may or may not have been political. It may have been about sex. Listen to Rorschach, murder at City Hall, on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to Dirty Rush, The Truth About Sorority Life, with your host, me, Gia Judice, Daisy Kent, and Jennifer Fessler. Hi, guys, welcome back to another episode of Dirty Rush. Today we are joined by the women who truly see it all, the backbone of every sorority house. They run the show, keep the chaos somewhat under control, and somehow know everything before anyone else does.

We are talking about sorority house moms or they are officially known house directors. Trust me, nothing gets past them. All right, let me get into it. Well, first, my, so we're going back now, guys, to 1988. So I did have a house mom at University of Texas at the AE5 house. And the only name I know that she has is Aunt Millie. So that's what we called her. And I feel like her name almost completely describes her.

She was like an aunt, like an older aunt. And from what I remember, I'm sorry, Aunt Millie, she was a little stuffy, a little strict. And she was there in a motherly capacity. I don't think she was a house mom that, let's say, we ran to with our boy problems per se. She was just really trying to control the chaos that is a sorority house. But our guests are fabulous. They are going to give you the dirt and talk a little bit about how they got into this line of business. So, okay, let's go ahead and bring in our first house director.

And her name is Cece Calvo. Welcome. Hi. How are you? I'm good. Are you sure you are a director of a house because you look like you should be in a house. I don't know what you're talking about. I get that so often. I started out when I was 27. So just imagine how much younger I looked now, then. Wait, you're older than 27? I'm 39.

Look at you. Well done. You look 22. Good genetics. Yeah. I was saying before we brought you in that my house mother, which is what we called her back in 1988, her name was Aunt Millie, and she did not look like Cece. And I just tried to picture. how, first of all, how did this happen? How did you get this job? Tell me a little bit. So, so I started out. I am a sorority woman. I was a chapter advisor for my chapter back home in Miami. And we were at a training that happened to coincide with a training for house corporations and house directors. And at some point in conversation, we were all done with the weekend and at the airport. I had been saying how much I loved interacting with the women as an advisor. And I wish that

there was kind of a different way to interact with them and just be more involved. And someone from a housing corporation was like, you know, you'd make such a great house bomb. And I was, I looked around and I was like, me? I mean, you mean, isn't that like typically someone older? Like Aunt Millie? Yeah. And I wanted to choose my words very carefully because she was an older woman. And she was like, we know traditionally that's what we've always had is the older house directors.

but one thing we talked about this weekend was how a younger house director has a lot of benefits. You understand the generation a little bit more. And I had to take a pause and be like, yeah, that's technically true. There's sometimes I question things. Right. But the other thing is like liability. You know, you are so good at, you know, if you break your leg in the house, like, you're going to keep working. And I was like, it's sad that you know that.

And she was like, but an older person like, and I was like, oh, they might break their hip or something and be out. She's like, well, that had a lot worse. And I was like, oh, that took a darker turn than I thought. Yeah. Yeah. Wow. And so I started looking into it and it just kind of happened. Wow.

So just so I'm clear. So are you a house mom for the same sorority that you were a member of? Oh, but I have been. Okay. So you've moved around a little bit. Yeah. I've moved around a little bit. I've worked in California for two years.

I did two years in New Jersey, actually at Rutgers in New Brunswick. at Zeta where Gia was a member. So I was the house director the year before she got there. I just missed her, but I did get to meet Teresa. I got to me Teresa when she did her book tour and was going around. And I worked for another organization in Orlando, Florida. And now I'm in North Carolina. Wow.

Okay. So this is not just a job for you. You're not just segueing into something else. This is your career. Nope. This is my career. career currently. I guess it puts a new spin on it on being a house director. I, because of Anne Millie, I think that it is a woman who's maybe retired and, you know, really sort of

very into sorority or Greek life or was in their heyday. But this is a different thing. Are more women your age becoming interested in doing this? We are seeing a really big uptick in younger house directors. The campus that I'm currently at actually has a majority of house directors that in their early 30s. And I have been, my experience has always been the older house directors on campuses. I've been the youngest at the last three campuses by at least 25, 30 years. Right. So it's been really refreshing to see kind of younger house directors joining and really being a part

of it and using it as a stepping stone either to get into some sort of housing position within their national organizations or national organization or just to really get the experience and kind of like figure out if this is something that they want to continue doing. Wow. So do you think it is something you want to continue doing? I definitely do. I've loved it so far. I've been a house director for about 11 years this fall.

I did take a year off when I had a family member pass away. That was a little hard for me to kind of want to dedicate another year. But I came back into it. And I was in my last house for the last five years. Wow. Decided they needed to change. and moved up and I'm closer to family now. So it's really nice.

And it definitely has its ups and downs, but it's such a great job, especially if you love connecting with college age members. Well, tell me, like, what does your job look like on a daily? Like, what's a typical day? So a typical day can be really a lot of different things. You're either super busy to the point where, like, there have been days where I am nonstop from, like,

seven in the morning to, like, nine o'clock at night, or even past that when the member, have socials and I'll forget to eat. Like there have been days where I've forgotten to grab lunch and I have to like stop myself and be like, wait, did I only, am I only surviving off of coffee? Is that what's happening right now? Right, right. But it can be anything from, you know, morning meetings with having vendors coming out,

plumbers, HVAC work, checking in with the staff. I like to do that a couple times a day just to make sure that, you know, housekeeping is up to date at the kitchen. I would like to check in, make sure they have everything. they need, if there's anything that they need me to go get for them, or the members need anything, I can go out and run errands. And then there's some days where you're just sitting here waiting for something to happen. Yeah, yeah. How much would you say, what's the percentage of the logistic part of your job, like, you know, making sure that HV is working, as opposed to,

being there for the girls. I mean, I would think that there's a lot of that involved as well, right? And also, I'm picturing that you have to, you're sort of the disciplinarian. Kind of. Kind of. Okay. Yeah. So a lot of being a house director is, yes, is really the property management aspect of it. You are taking care of the physical house, making sure it's running correctly.

But a large part of it is also the members. Not every organization has their house directors as involved, but I have always wanted to make sure that my number one job is the health, safety, and well-being of the members. that is the end-all be-all for me. I need to make sure that they are happy and healthy because A, it causes me a lot less problems later. And I love to interact with them and help them out with events if they need it

or help them with, you know, I've done anything from like tutoring members in Spanish to just going and supporting them when they invite me to things. I think that's probably my favorite part is when they go out of their way to invite you to make sure that they want you there to support them. Yeah. I mean, because you are such a great age, I would think for, in terms of like having

a friendship with these girls, is it a hard line ever? Because, you know, they probably want to hang out with you and get wasted and, you know, oh, yeah. So do you have to sort of, you know, maintain an era of professionalism or can you kind of have some fun with them? And I've always, from my chapter advisor days, I've, again, I'm a much younger person. And I always, I always, been close in age with the members that I'm dealing with. So I've always been friendly but not friends. Right. And let them know. And I always say that in the beginning when I meet with them. It's like, I can be your best friend or your worst enemy. The choice is yours. At the end of the day, you know, I'm not here to be best friends with you guys and, you know, like bring each other's

hair and stuff. But I do always want the members to feel comfortable coming to talk to me. And I tell them that, you know, if you guys want to come talk to me and if it's something sort of related or school related or personal, Like if you just need somebody to listen to you, my door is always open. My door is always open. You are welcome to come and talk to me. And I can literally just listen. And if you need me to give you advice or suggestions, we can work together on that.

If it's just you just need somebody to listen to you, I'm just here to hear. So it sounds like we say House Director now, not House Mom, which certainly makes sense in this occasion. But my question is, do you feel like a mom sometimes? I mean, I would imagine that you are rallying all of these. I mean, let's call them kids for our purposes. What are they? Sometimes they're what, 19? Yeah, they're between the ages of like 18 and 21, 22 sometimes.

Yeah. The title really changes and it's really dependent on the person. A lot of house directors when I first started referred to it as like, oh, house mom or they were like mom B or mom D, you know. And I was 27, 28 years old. And I was like, I am no one's mom. Yeah, right. And so when we settled on my first house, we settled on my nickname was HD because house director

is the formal title and I wasn't, I didn't want to be a mom anything. And so we settled on HD. I've gone by my full name, Cecilia. At my previous house, I was CC here. I miss CC. So we just add a little formality to it because we're in the South. Yeah. And it's been, it's definitely has this moments where you have to kind of.

remember like you're you're an adult or as my girls one time called it you're the adult adult in the house yeah yeah okay good i like that have ever had a moment when you have to like step in and you didn't feel maybe because you are a certain age capable of handling you know these young women's issues i would think that it would be i mean it's overwhelming for me at age 57 sometimes and my kids are a little older than college age now but do you feel equipped to handle you know everything that gets thrown at you? I would think it would be challenging at times. I definitely feel like there's been times where I shouldn't or I don't think I was capable of handling something. And I will try very hard to acknowledge that where I'm like, this is above my pay

grade. There's some things that I'm equipped to deal with as the house director and there's some things I'm not. And I will outsource it to the, you know, the housing corporation or the chapter advisor and just, you know, send it off through and just be like, hey, this came to me. I don't know what to do. What would you like me to do? What are these situations like? And I've had a myriad of things from mental health issues to sexual assault confessions. And you just kind of have to deal with it.

I try and do training as much as I can. And we do have a house director's conference that I like to attend. I try and attend every summer just because it helps me. reset and I get to share with other house directors, either my age or older and learn from their experiences and kind of have that back and forth. And it really does give me like a mental and physical like reset button before I start my next semester. Yeah. I'm wondering though, like what is your life like living in the house? Are you able to have your own social life? I don't know, like, you know, you're going out on dates too or less, I don't know if you're

married or no, no. So are you dating? You're living in the house. You have, you know, your own thing. Can you have a pet in the house? For the listeners that may be interested in doing something like this. I do. I actually have my, this is Louis B. He is my animal companion and has been for the last 15 years. This is the second house that I've been allowed to have him at when I'm not, when I haven't been in a house where he's allowed. I usually have him with my parents. My mom takes care of him during the year. And for the most part, for 10 months out of the year, I am, this is my life. will still have times where I can go out and socialize and hang out with friends. I try and keep that to like evenings and sparingly and on the weekends, especially because most of

the time the members are off having fun, going to the beach or like hanging out with their friends are going home. So I mean, I'll try and make time for myself to go and just de-stress because it can be really difficult. Like you said, we live here in the house. And another house director and I were just talking about this the other day. You know, when we get upset or when some we have a bad day. Our staff is lucky. They get to go home and, you know, throw things and just like decompress. We, this is our home. Like our apartments, our suites are usually in the house.

We can't exactly throw a temper tantrum and slam the door because our problems are on the other side of that door. Right. We just have to find ways of like, you know, resetting and just escaping the house for a little bit. Even if it's just going for a walk around the campus or in my case, I have. Again, like I said, I have family nearby. So on the weekends, I'll go hang out with my cousins or we'll have family dinner once a month. So I'll make sure to leave my schedule open for that so that I can have some time.

Just be normal and kind of get away from the house and have that break. Yeah. Do you see this as not, I'm not talking about you personally necessarily, but like as a long-term career for a woman who, because it's so, it's such a specific thing, right? You're living in a sorority house with a bunch of young women. you don't have your own space except for your room, I would think, or you're sweet. And I don't know what it would be like to even have a relationship in a situation like this. I don't think that any house directors can have a significant other, can they? Is that allowed?

They can. In fact, yeah, when I was a new member 20-something years ago of my sorority, I actually, there was a chapter that I was very familiar with that had a house mom and house dad. Really? She was married. Her husband basically was the maintenance worker, like the handyman basically, for the house. And in the current organization I work at, they actually allow you to have a spouse live in. They're not allowed to be on the meal plan like you are, but they are allowed to like live in with you and they are subject to the same rules. You are, they allowed to basically stay in the suite and then just go in and out, but not like free range of the house. Wow. What do you think is the most

rewarding part of being a house director. Oh, I love, um, I love at the end of your time with them when they're ready to graduate when they thank you. And you realize you don't, you know, a lot of the time we don't realize how much of an impact, the little time that we have with them makes. Right. But the, when they do graduate or when they do tell you like you, you, you saying this did so much for me. Right. Like, you don't know how much this meant to me. Yeah. I have had a number of experiences that way. When I left my most recent house, I got so many letters that from the women of the chapter and I cried so hard. Well, they're all very lucky young women. Thank you so much for coming on, CC. On the Serving Pancakes podcast, conversations about volleyball go beyond the court. Today we have a little

best friend compatibility test. Okay. How long have we been best friends for? Since the day we met. As the League One volleyball season heads towards its final stretch, there's no better time to tune in. We really are like yin and yang, vodka and tequila. You'll hear unfiltered analysis, behind the scene stories, and conversations with leaders making an impact across the sport. Today, we have Logan Ledneckie. I feel like our fan base in general is very connected. Just like a comforting feeling getting to play at home. Whether you're following the final push of love season or just love the game, serving pancakes brings you closer to the action and the people shaping the future of volleyball. Jordan Thompson had that microphone out. God forbid we make mistakes.

or cuss at our coach. Like when time or two times. Open your free IHeart Radio app. Search Serving Pancakes and listen now. This has been serving pancakes and we'll catch you on the flip side. Okay. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHart Women's Sports. 2%.

That is the number of people who take the stairs when there is also an escalator available. I'm Michael Easter. And on my podcast, 2%. I break down the science of mental toughness. fitness and building resilience in our strange modern world. I'll be speaking with writers, researchers, and other health and fitness experts, and more, to look past the impractical and way too complex pseudoscience that dominates the wellness industry. We really believe that seed oils were inherently inflammatory.

We got it wrong. Many of the problems that we are freaked out about in the world are the result of stress. Put yourself through some hardships, and you will come out on the outside. other side, a happier, more fulfilled, healthier person. Listen to 2%. That's T-W-O-Persent on the I-Hart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, I'm Jay Shetty, host of the On Purpose podcast. My latest episode is with Noah Kahn, the singer-songwriter behind the multi-platinum global

hit stick season and one of the biggest voices in music today. Noah opens up about the pressure that followed his rap. his struggles with mental health and body image and the fear of starting again after such a defining moment in his career it's easy to look at somebody and be like your life must be so sick man you have no clue talking about the mental illness stuff it used to be this thing that i was ashamed of i'm just now trying to unwind this idea that i have to be unhealthy physically or in pain in some emotional way in my life to create good music if someone says that i did a good job i'm like Yeah, I'm good.

Someone says that I suck. I'm like, I suck. Getting to talk about this is not common for me. Right now, I need it more than ever. Listen to On Purpose with Jay Chetty on the IHartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Lori Siegel, and I'm mostly human. I go beyond the headlines with the people building our future. This week, an interview with one of the most influential figures in Silicon Valley, OpenAI, CEO Sam Alder.

I think society is going to decide that creators of AI products bear a tremendous amount of responsibility to products we put out in the world. From power to parenthood. Kids, teenagers, I think they won't need a lot of guardrails around AI. This is such a powerful and such a new thing. From addiction to acceleration. The world we live in is a competitive world. And I don't think that's going to stop. Even if you did a lot of redistribution, you know, we have a deep desire to excel and be competitive and gain status and be useful to others.

And it's a multiplayer game. What does the man who has extraordinary influence over our lives have to say about the weight of that responsibility? Find out a mostly human. My highest order bit is to not destroy the world with AI. Listen to Mostly Human on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. All right, you guys. So next, we have Crystal. Hi.

Hi. We're excited to have you. And apparently you have been a house director for six years at an ACC school. Correct. I have. Right? Yes, I've also worked at Big Ten as well. Wow.

Well, like our guest right before you, you look way too young to have been doing this for that long. Well, thank you. Tell us, please, a little bit about how you got into this. How did you become a house director? Yeah, absolutely. So my trajectory is a little unique because I think I was getting my master's at a university in the North. so Big Ten at the time. And part of the work that you do for a master's program is you have something that's called an

assistantship. And so that was a resident director role for a sorority organization. I was there. So that was the Big Ten. I worked for a university-owned house for about two years there. And then transition to what is like formally known as like a house director role to another organization right at that exact same campus. and worked there for another two years.

And then I made my way back to the South, which is home for me, to ACC school, and have been in this role for about four years now. Cool. What do you think is the hardest part, and what do you think is the most fun part doing this? Hardest part is I think you having to strike, well, I'll say two things,

probably striking a balance of, like, my own personal life, and the professional space and reputation that I want to have. And so by that, I mean, you live in with the women. That's not every house director's experience. Some have like houses that are adjacent. Some are just like more stop-in property management type roles. But for those of us who are in the fire together,

living in with the women, you're living with, you know, 40 to 100, you know, depending on how large the house can hold collegiate women. And, you know, they have their moments. And so I think just trying to, again, know that you have to kind of be on the moment that you step out of your suite, which is, you know, pretty visible. Girls can access you 24-7. And so I think it's just, again, making sure that I have hobbies, I have interests, that if it's something educationally I want to pursue, that I'm doing those things for myself. If it's connecting with family, that I'm still doing those things. I think sometimes my family can get, like, weirded out trying to come and visit me because it's like 700 people that they eat every single time that they come to the house.

But when they sit down and have dinner with me and it's like, oh, you have a private chef. I'm like, yes, I do have a lot of great perks for this. That's not bad. Okay. It's not. It's not. I don't have a grocery bill and that feels good. Not, yeah, not bad.

Hopefully you don't rent. So all that is a plus. Yes. So what about, are you in a relationship? Can I ask? I am. You are. Okay. So how do you balance that? For somebody like myself who's had a long-term partner, the women get used to their presence at the house, right? And so they're not necessarily a stranger.

But I could imagine somebody navigating dating and that being, well, this is my space, but it's a shared space. And so I think you've got to get clear on the policies. You got to get clear with the House Corporation, what the do's and don'ts are. A lot of, I will say, for my work, university-owned, have living partner policies. You sign an addendum or you have your partner have a background check. So they go through all the kind of jump holes and bells and whistles, if you will, to make sure operationally and liability-wise, everybody's covered and everybody's good to go. But it's a benefit to have a suite that is just dedicated to me and my space and I get to decorate it how I want and all of those things. And I've been fortunate. My house corporation has

furnished it. So, you know, my partner will come here. We tend not to. be in other spaces outside the dining room when there are like events that the girls have put on philanthropy for example. Right. But, you know, this is what I will always say about house directors. I'm like, live your life. Like have your relationships again do the things that bring you joy because your life is so much of the work and you can't really escape it, right? Because you live in. Yeah. I wonder like, does that make it in terms of moving forward, moving through the years. Is this something that you think you can do long term? Is it that kind of a career or is it something that you are always thinking of next steps? I think for me,

it has been a bit of both. So I think coming from getting my master's again doing student affairs work, like I can absolutely make this a career. I can stay within a house director role. I can jump to different universities throughout. So I can again, just amass, I think, could have greater chapter sizes, if you will. So go into Bama, right? That kind of thing. I think is progression because you're dealing with a larger house. You're dealing with different staff. But I also think you can kind of segue into national officer roles for different organizations, right? There are a lot of like property manager roles that will go to each house and kind of help to guide and take care of the house

directors there. So that can be a segue to. I think for me, I'm probably, going to do something different. If that's continuing to work up my way in terms of higher education and student affairs work, I don't think this will be the end all be all. But I'm so grateful to have the experience because I don't pay rent. I am close proximity to the downtown area where I live at. I love this chapter to death. And they have been, honestly, the three that I've worked for, they're really great. What makes them better or the best? Or, I don't know. I think the girls, one, I was navigating the pandemic with a couple of the groups and that everybody was just losing their mind. And so, yeah, it is brutal. It's not the kind of sisterhood

that they wanted to curate for themselves, right? And then others were just wild. And I'm like, y'all are giving me a headache. I don't want to deal with all of your foolishness all I want. So this, this group has been really awesome. And I'm close to family, which is so grounding for me. Right. That's so nice. So without asking you this personally, so let's just, say big picture. Can it be good money in being a house director? Yeah, definitely. I think if you can find, I'll say the ideal situation is maybe you have a part-time house director role and you have a on campus or other job, right? I have known and worked with house directors who are also nurses, house directors who are also police officers, house directors who had other campus jobs, right? And so I think

you can really make it work for you. Those are probably lower end of the pay scale. But I will say you can have full-time pay and salary. You can have great benefits depending on how the university has structured the relationship or if the national organization has those things in place. So yeah, I do think it can be really good money. It's not the most well-paid job. But you've got to think about, I think, the additional benefits, the free rent, all of the things,

the food. You're going to save money for... Yeah, a house for your own house, right? And I will also say every time the women leave, I'm like, I have a mansion. So that feels great soon. Bye, enjoy your spring break. That part. Get out of here. Don't let the door hear you.

Well, listen, thank you so much for coming on. We really have enjoyed talking to you. I wish that I had had a house director like you as opposed to the sort of crotchety older woman that I had. But anyway, enjoy doing what you're doing. And thank you so much for coming on Dirty Rush. On the Serving Pancakes podcast, conversations about volleyball go beyond the court. Today we have a little best friend compatibility test. Okay. How long have we been best friends for? This is the day we met. As the League One volleyball season heads towards its final stretch, there's no better time to tune in. We really are like yin and yang, vodka and tequila.

You'll hear unfiltered analysis, behind the scene stories, in conversations with leaders making an impact across the sport. Today we have Logan Ledneckie. I feel like our fan base in general is very connected. Just like a comforting feeling getting to play at home. Whether you're following the final push of love season or just love the game, serving pancakes brings you closer to the action and the people shaping the future of volleyball. Jordan Thompson had that microphone.

Oh, God forbid we make mistakes or cuss at our coach. Like when time or two times. Open your free Iheart radio app. Search serving pancakes and listen now. This has been serving pancakes and we'll catch you on the flip side. Okay. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports. 2%.

That is the number of people who take the stairs when there is also an escalator available. I'm Michael Easter. And on my podcast, 2%. I break down the science of mental toughness, fitness, and building resilience in our strange modern world. I'll be speaking with writers. researchers, and other health and fitness experts, and more, to look past the impractical and way too complex pseudoscience that dominates the wellness industry. We really believe that seed oils were inherently inflammatory. We got it wrong. Many of the problems that we are freaked out about

in the world are the result of stress. Put yourself through some hardships, and you will come out on the other side a happier, more fulfilled, healthier person. Listen to 2%. That's T-W-O-P-Sent on the I-Hart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, I'm Jay Shetty, host of the On Purpose podcast. My latest episode is with Noah Kahn, the singer-songwriter behind the multi-platinum global hit stick season and one of the biggest voices in music today. Noah opens up about the pressure that followed his rapid success, his struggles with mental health and body image,

and the fear of starting again after such a defining moment in his life. his career. It's easy to look at somebody and be like, your life must be so sick. Man, you have no clue talking about the mental illness stuff. It used to be this thing that I was ashamed of. I'm just now trying to unwind this idea that I have to be unhealthy physically or in pain in some emotional way in my life to create good music. If someone says that I did a good job, I'm like, yeah, I'm good. Someone says that I suck. I'm like, I suck. Getting to talk about this is not common for me. Right now, I need it more than ever. Listen to On Purpose with Jay Chetty on the IHart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

I'm Lori Siegel, and I'm mostly human. I go beyond the headlines with the people building our future. This week, an interview with one of the most influential figures in Silicon Valley, OpenAI CEO, Sam Altman. I think society is going to decide that creators of AI products bear a tremendous amount of responsibility to products we put out in the world. From power to parenthood. Kids, teenagers, I think they will need a lot of guardrails around AI. This is such a powerful and such a new thing. From addiction to acceleration.

The world we live in is a competitive world, and I don't think that's going to stop, even if you did a lot of redistribution. We have a deep desire to excel and be competitive and gain status and be useful to others. And it's a multiplayer game. What does the man who has extraordinary influence over our lives have to say about the weight of that responsibility? Find out I'm mostly human. My highest order bit is to not destroy the world with AI. Listen to mostly human on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.

All right, you guys. So now our next guest is Miss Ashley. Hi, Ashley. Hey, how are you? Well, how are you doing? Doing pretty good. I say Miss Ashley. I'm assuming you're not a missus because you look very young to me.

Also to be a house director. But can I ask you how old you are? Sure. Yes. I'm 24 years old. Wow. Are you sure you've been out of college? Barely.

I went into my master's program right out of undergrad. So, yeah, I'm only two years post-grad. So your master's, you're getting your master's in? Yes, I'm getting my master's in public health. Okay, so you are, you're doing this, you're a house director and you're getting your master's at the same time? Yes, correct. Busy girl.

Yes. A busy young lady, yes, young woman. Wow. I mean, I just, I'm looking at you and I just can't have. help but think that you must have some stories to tell. Yes. Yeah, I was in a sorority for four years and now have been the house director for just one year, but I'm the house director at the same school that I was. Get out. Wait. Okay. So what was your house director like when you were in the house? She was nice. She was a little older than me. She was around 60.

So, a little older. Yeah. We didn't have like a close relationship by any means, but, you know, She was there and around, and she was a little silly, a little silly than me, I think. How do you think you're doing it differently? What is, I mean, it's obvious to me that these, you know, these young women are going to look at you differently than they did a 60-year-old woman. But do you think you're, are you closer to them than maybe your house director was to you? Do you think it's easier to be your age, more difficult? Yeah, I think that there's definitely pros and cons. I think I am a little bit closer with them.

I was a senior when they were freshmen, the members that live in the house currently. So we already kind of had this established relationship before I came into the house director role. And yeah, I definitely think it makes us closer. They're a lot more comfortable with me and, you know, can come to me if they need things. And, you know, friends is like maybe, you know, not the right word because there has to be some boundaries. But we're definitely very comfortable with each other. Right. But then, you know, sometimes it can't be.

hard when you have to draw a boundary of being in a place of authority. It's a little bit different. Do they want you to party with them? Do they try to get you to? They ask me sometimes. I can't ever tell if they're being serious or not, but that is actually one thing I don't do. I don't party with them at all. But they do, they do. They do invite me out sometimes. I'll bet they do. So, okay, so tell me a little bit in terms of what you're doing every day, because is it a lot of just sort of being there for the girls talking them through stuff or being a disciplinarian or is it more we talked to a couple of other house directors they are running the house so they are in charge of the maintenance of the house and the employees and so you're doing all of that as well yeah so our

chapter is around i think like 275 members um we have a house obviously on campus which is different than some schools. Yeah, I kind of do it all. We do have a facilities director who's in the chapter. So they kind of do most of the facilitation with the members. But yes, I handle all of the maintenance that goes on. Right now we're getting our house renovated. So I'm kind of handling a lot of the deliveries and meeting with people who have to come look

at the house. I think we had maybe 10 people come to the house to look at our floors. So meeting with them every day when they would come. Not in charge of the other employees. So our kitchen staff or the house cleaner, those are managed separately. But I do have a good relationship with them too. I talk to them every day. I normally, if they need something, normally I do make the calls if it has to do with maintenance specifically.

And sometimes I'm a liaison too, to like the upper house corporation. Wow. It's a serious job. This is not a joke. It is a lot of work. And I think some people don't understand that, yeah, going into it. No, it sounds like a lot of work. Today I'm learning that it's a lot of work.

Tell me about, I don't know, something crazy that's happened, something funny that's happened. Tell, like our listeners want to know, you know, they're definitely going to be listening and thinking, here is this young, adorable person and she's the house director. Has anything crazy happened? I don't know about crazy. The members really are so sweet and they're so respectful, which is really nice. I mean, of course, there's things that go on, I'm sure, maybe a little bit under

my nose. But I feel like the craziest thing, especially at our school, the houses are a little bit older. So it will just be any random day, any random weekend, something breaks, something stops working. Right. Right. The heat goes out, the AC goes out. The dishwasher breaks, and you're just like, what am I supposed to do? Yeah, I'm like 24. I'm at home before. Like, I don't know who to call. What do you want for me? Right. Yeah, literally. How'd be calling your mom?

I do some friends. I'm like, this is actually my job. I need to. Wait. Here you go. Everyone's call. Do you have other house moms you can call? Is there any community of house moms?

Really? Definitely. So that's nice. Our school has not too many sororities. So the community is pretty small and they are really nice. Everyone, most of the other house directors have been here for a little bit longer. So they are really open about sharing. contacts of people that they use, like recycling people or pest control. Everyone's really open

about sharing who they use. So I can always kind of reach out to them, which is really nice. And then also, like my bosses who work for the chapter, they're always there to help me to. Yeah. Anything. So. Right. Right. Do you see yourself doing this for a long time? Honestly, no, because I I was kind of using this while I was in grad school to just help me make a little bit more money. Yeah. A stable place to live. But if I was in like a transitional period, I totally would keep doing it. And I totally understand why some like older women who maybe are single and whose kids have, you know, grown up.

Right. Because it really does give you a really amazing sense of community. You're never lonely. I mean, you're around. Yeah, that. time. And it is, it is a really lucky job to have, I think. Yeah. I mean, it gets you a lot of things, which is what about your personal life? Is it hard to, I don't know, I don't know, are you single? No, I do have a boyfriend. Okay. So how is it managing that? Is he allowed to come see you

at the house? Yeah. So we are long distance. So it doesn't make it too hard just because he's like we're not in the same place all of the time. And then the way our house is set up is I kind of have a separate apartment and that has a separate entrance. Oh, that's nice. So, yeah, so he is allowed over, but he has to use like that separate entrance. And then he's not really allowed to be in like the main house without me. Because our house is a public space for members.

So they are allowed to have guests over in the daytime. So it's kind of a similar idea. Like he's allowed here when he's with me in the day during meals. but yeah, definitely not allowed by himself and like to wander or anything. Yeah. Have you ever had to manage something crazy dangerous that's happened? Has there ever been anything where you're like, okay, I am 24 years old. I can't.

I mean, have you had anything specific you could think of? A couple things, not really have to do with me, but I know there was a member who kind of had a strange run in with an older man. and just we kind of had to like be on the lookout and just like know that if you know anyone approached the house like trying to like draw a boundary of just like don't let anybody in the house that you don't know if someone's knocking asking for someone like kind of I need to be that first line of defense almost like I will come and approach them and it does seem a little interesting because you know I'm telling these 21 year olds to tell me a 24 yeah let me know so I can kind of deal

with it. But I mean, that's just kind of the job that you have to do. Like, you are still supposed to kind of be in this, you know, protective space. Of course. And I was in an executive position when I was in the sorority and undergrad. So I think I kind of already have that mentality of like I've had to kind of, what's the word? Like I've had to be like the face of the chapter before and kind of like be the first line of contact. Right. Of course. Yeah. So I'm kind of used to it. I don't mind telling a man to, you know, go away. Do you, would you recommend this? Do you think this is something that you would tell your friends that are maybe just graduating

that this is, you know, a great segue maybe into something else or you would? A hundred percent. I have said so many times, like, I feel so grateful for the opportunity because it kind of just worked out timing-wise. Like our old house director was changing into a day. different career and my old advisors just reached out and was like, hey, they didn't even ask me specifically. They were just like, do you know anyone interested? And I was thinking about it. And I was like, you know, this could be a really awesome opportunity, especially in grad school where,

you know, money, money can be tight. Totally. So I 100% recommend it. I think maybe you need to know your kind of personality and what the chapter is like going into it. And I think it made it easier just being familiar with the chapter obviously. But I 100% recommend it, especially young people, if the chapter is open to having a younger house director, I think that it makes your relationship really good and they just trust you a lot more. And they just feel comfortable actually coming to make their issues. Yeah, that makes sense.

Thank you so much, you guys, for joining us for this episode of Dirty Rush. Make sure you follow us on Instagram and TikTok at Dirty Rush podcast. We look forward to talking to you again. On the Serving Pancakes podcast, conversations about volleyball go beyond the court. Today we have a little best friend compatibility test. Okay. How long have we been best friends? This is the day we met. As the League One volleyball season heads towards its final stretch, there's no better time to tune in.

You'll hear unfiltered analysis, behind-the-scenes stories, and conversations with leaders making an impact across the sport. Whether you're following the final push of love season or just love the game, serving pancakes brings you closer to the action and the people shaping the future of volleyball. Open your free IHeart radio app. Search serving pancakes and listen now. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports. 2%. That's the number of people who take the stairs when there is also an escalator available. I'm Michael Easter.

I'm on my podcast, 2%. I break down the science of mental toughness, fitness, and building resilience in our strange modern world. Put yourself through some hardships, and you will come out on the other side, a happier, more fulfilled, healthier person. Listen to 2%. That's TWO% on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Hey, I'm Jay Shetty, host of the On Purpose podcast. My latest episode is with Noah Kahn, the singer-songwriter behind the multi-platinum global hit stick season and one of the biggest voices in music today. Talking about the mental illness stuff, it used to be this thing that I was ashamed of. Getting to talk about this is not common for me. right now I need it more than ever Listen to On Purpose with Jay Chetty On the Iheart Radio app

Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts 10, 10 shots five in City Hall building How could this have happened in City Hall? Somebody tell me that. A shocking public murder. This is one of the most dramatic events that really ever happened in New York City politics. I scream, get down, get down, those are shots.

A tragedy that's now forgotten and a mystery that may or may not have been political that may have been about sex listen to roarshack murder at city hall on the iHeart radio app apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts this is an iHeart podcast guaranteed human