We Can Do Hard Things with Glennon Doyle - (BEST OF) Dolly Parton: Thank You for Everything

Episode Date: August 27, 2026

Today, we remember the one and only Dolly Parton. Dolly gave the world so much: her music, her humor, her generosity, her courage, and her unwavering commitment to being exactly who she was—and letting everyone else be exactly who they are, too. We feel incredibly lucky to have had this conversation with her about trusting yourself even when it breaks your heart, beginning again at any age, mothering the world, and living a life of many colors. We love you, Dolly. Thank you for showing all of us how to be more ourselves on purpose. Follow We Can Do Hard Things on:  Instagram — ⁠https://www.instagram.com/wecandohardthings⁠

Pod Squad on Tuesday, the world lost Dolly Parton. It is hard to imagine a world without Dolly in it. For generations, she showed us what it looks like to be completely unapologetically yourself and to use what you have to make life a little more beautiful for everybody else. She gave us her songs, her stories, her humor, her generosity, and her courage. She made millions of us feel like she belonged to us. somehow. Like she really was everybody's Aunt Dolly. We were incredibly lucky to sit down with her a few years ago. And today we want to share that conversation with you again. With Dolly, we talked about

mothering the world, beginning again at any age, and the heartbreaking decision to say no when Elvis wanted to record, I will always love you. Because saying yes would have meant giving away a piece of herself she knew she needed to keep. At the end of the episode we told Dolly, you being yourself on purpose for so long in front of us has allowed all of us to be more of ourselves on purpose. And today we are feeling the depth of that gift. We love you, Dolly. We will miss you. Thank you for everything. Here is our conversation with the one and only, Dolly Part. Hi, everybody. Overwhelmed with joy.

Such an honor to be with you, Ms. Parton. Well, thank you. I'm proud to be with you. So thanks for the nice compliment. Oh, my goodness. We just want to tell our listeners the joy that is happening today. So everybody, Dolly Parton is here. From Locust Ridge to global fame, you, Ms. Parton, have been a constant leader as a business

innovator, advocate for education. your courage to do the right thing, and perhaps just as importantly, when you learn something is hurtful, your resolve to immediately change it is what the world needs more of. From Imagination Libraries 200 million books to school children, to Dollywood's reinvigoration of an entire local economy, to lifting us up with when life is good again and investing in our vaccine, you are always there for us. There is no doubt that your gift of traveling through for Transamerica not only changed hearts, but saved lives. Your stories of those who are shut out and shut in, those counted out or cast out the way you treat each person's story

with the inherent dignity and respect and awe that every person deserves. Thank you for that gift to the world. Wow. I don't know if I can measure up to all of that. You get me emotional here. Wow. Well, thank you so much for I don't know that I'm all that, but I try to do what I can. And I've been around long enough to order to be doing something good for somebody. And I've had a good, long, productive life. And I like sharing and I like loving people and accepting people for who and how they are, because that's how I want to be treated. So thank you for all those wonderful remarks and like I said, I don't know if I can measure up, but I'll do my best. You already have. So that's done. We wanted to say that you so often use songwriting as a way to tell

the untold stories of underdogs and outsiders. And the underdog outsider stories you choose to tell are often those of women, women who have had abortions, women who have been committed to institutions by their own husbands, women trying to hold families together and working so damn hard to stay afloat. What's your favorite story that you've told about a woman's life, one that's changed you to know and to tell? Well, I think one that changed me and actually was very helpful, I think, to a lot of women, was the name of my first album. And it came from Anest Place. It's my song just because I'm a woman. and that was my first RCA album and I wrote that about

it's really about I can see you're disappointed by the way you look at me I'm sorry that I'm not the woman you thought I'd be like someone thinking that they've married a virgin when they haven't anyway so I made my mistakes

but listen and understand my mistakes are no worse than yours just because I'm a woman and that goes all the way through the whole thing about just talking about those kinds of things that a man will take a good girl and ruin her reputation

but when he wants to marry, well, that's a different situation. He'll look for an angel to wear his wedding band, you know, and it's like while, you know, he's left somebody else, you know, just broken and laying in the sand, so to speak. So it's like I know that I'm no angel, you know, like he thought I'd be. So anyways, my mistakes are no worse than yours just because I'm a woman. And it goes on and on about that sort of a thing. So I think we often go through that and at a need that I feel within myself,

because I'd been married to my husband about eight months, and then he started asking me questions about my past. And I said, now, I don't want a lot of you because I'm a pretty open, honest person. So don't ask me nothing you don't want the truth about. So anyway, I told the truth, and he wasn't too happy about that. And then I wrote that song. So I've always been one to uphold myself as a woman and to uphold other women as I can,

because I've written many songs, as you mentioned, about women in their situations, songs that wouldn't play on the radio, like Down from Dover, about an unwed mother, and the bridge about a, you know, girl that had been left behind, left with a baby and all that. So, yeah, I'll kind of cover it all. I'm a songwriter. I am obsessed with you as a business icon. It just feels like you were so... ridiculously ahead of the times in terms of the decisions that you made that I imagine felt

hard. So I'm wondering if you can tell us the story about when Elvis Presley asked you to record your song. What did you tell him? Because your confidence in yourself to say what you needed to say to Elvis Presley. Well, let me clarify that whole story because sometimes it gets to started. That was one of the hardest business decisions that I have ever had to make. Elvis loved the song, and he wanted to record the song. And I'd never met Elvis before, and I was going to get to meet him at the session that day. And it was, I will always love you, right? That was the song. The song, I will always love you. I'm sorry. Yeah, I thought I hadn't said that. But anyway, it was the song, I will always love you. And so he loved that. And even Priscilla told me years later that he sang

that song to her when the day they divorced and they were coming down off the steps of the courthouse. So wasn't Elvis. So don't blame Elvis. I loved Elvis. And so I was ready to go. I was so excited. I mean, I told everybody, Elvis was recording my song. I'll always love you. And the night before, or late afternoon, the day before the session, Colonel Tom Parker had tried to get in touch with me. And so I thought it was about maybe to ask if I'd be willing to do pictures or, you know, that sort of thing. So he proceeds to tell me that they do not record anything with Elvis unless they have the publishing or at least have the publishing. And I'd already had a number one song on it myself. And so that was the most important copyright in my publishing company. And I told him, I said,

well, I'm not going to be able to do that. And he said, well, then we're not going to be able to record the song. And I even said, I think, does Elvis know about that? And he said, something to the effect of like, I'm Elvis's manager and I make the business decision. And I said, well, this is a heartbreaker for me, but I'm not going to be able to do it. And so I didn't. And that broke my heart. But I felt I had to stand up for my rights, for my creativity and for the things that I'm hoping to lead for my family when I'm out here. And was it difficult? Did you struggle with it? Or was it just you knew you had a bright, line, my songwriting and my intellectual property, it stays with me and that's it.

If it had been maybe another song that was not that important, if it had been something new, I might have, I might have considered, you know, have splitting the publishing, you know, to get Elvis to sing something, but not that song because it had already proven itself. It had been number one, you know, already. But that was hard, but that's the kind of decisions you have to make as a business person. But yes, it broke my heart. I cried all night about it. And then even now in my rock album,

I wrote a song about it called I Dreamed About Elvis. And it's all about Elvis coming to me in my sleep. And it tells the whole story about the song, Colonel Tom screwing that up about us singing, I'll always love you. So I sang it with Ronnie McDowell, who sounds exactly like Elvis. And I had a conversation with Elvis,

and he sang with me on I'll always love you, and used the Jordanaires and say, So it's a real special cut from the album that tells that story. So I said, I've got to hear Elvis, or at least to sound like, see how he would sound on this song. So that's what I did. But anyway, getting back to being a business woman, those are the decisions you have to make. I don't even know that I even considered that one for a moment. But I had to make that decision as I've had to make other heartbreaking decisions through the years.

but I just believe that I have to protect my rights. And it's so interesting because when you say you're able to make decisions that break your heart, it means that there's something else in you that is above and beyond even your own heart. Perimenopause can be incredibly confusing because it rarely announces itself. I've seen it over and over again among my friends and family. Midi Health was built for exactly the state. age of life. They're the only virtual care clinic dedicated to women navigating hormonal changes from perimenopause through menopause. It was created by women for women and every clinician is a

menopause expert and hormone trained specialist who understands these changes and takes them seriously. I really appreciate that they don't dismiss women or tell them just to push through it. They work with you to create a customized treatment plan using safe, effective FDA-approved hormonal and non-hormonal options that fit your specific symptoms. And even better, visits are covered by insurance. Book your first virtual visit today at join midi.com. That's join m-I-d-i.com. I try to be intentional about the products that I buy for my family.

So when it comes to laundry, I choose all free. clear detergent. You all know this about me. I'm always thinking about the small everyday choices that add up to how we take care of ourselves and the people we love. And in our house, sensitive skin is just part of our reality. So I'm always trying to make choices that help keep everyone comfortable. That is why it matters to me that all free clear is the number one detergent brand recommended by dermatologists for sensitive skin. And that it's 100% free from dyes, perfumes, and paribans. And the thing I appreciate is that it actually works. It tackles tough stains and odors, you know, real life, messy, everyday stuff, but it's still safe for sensitive skin. So whether it's

workout clothes, kids clothes, or just the constant rotation of laundry, I don't have to overthink it. Pick up a bottle of all free clear detergent for your next laundry day. If you are skeptical about supplements, I totally get it. That was me. But companies like IM8 are here to make supplements transparent, accessible and easy. Instead of trying to keep track of one million bottles, there's just one drink. And it really helps that I love the taste too. IM8's daily ultimate essentials. It replaces 16 supplements with 90 ingredients that support nine major organ systems. It's been easy to stick with this habit because it is so, so simple. Go to IM8health.com slash hard things right now or click on the link in the description and use code hard things for a free welcome kit, five free travel sachets, plus 10% off your

order. That's code hard things at IM8health.com slash hard things. Code hard things at IM8health.com slash hard things. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. I'm a spiritual person too. I feel like I always have one foot in the spiritual. world and one in this world, and I'm always trying to figure that out. You make decisions as someone who's so grounded in something. Don't you have like a morning spiritual routine that you go through each morning? Is that something that you do? Oh, I've always done that. I've always been a person that I do my prayers. I do my affirmations. I do my request, so to speak, and I just send it out there.

But that part of me that's not my heart when I say breaks my heart to do it, then I have to draw on my higher wisdom. I have to draw on that thing that's bigger than me. I have to try to and listen very close to what that voice is saying to me. And that's how I make so many of my decisions. A lot of people call that your gut feeling, you know, like I knew in my gut. But that was the thing to do. Well, I know in my heart and in my higher self what the right things are, because I pray about it and leave myself open to the right answers. And the only times I've ever made major mistakes, if you want to call them that, are times that I didn't listen to that voice and allowed a situation or someone to kind of, you know, just to say, oh, you know what,

maybe it's not that big of a deal. But I always pay for it if I go against that higher wisdom. Our friend Cheryl Strait says sometimes you have to be brave enough to break your own heart. So we need to tell you that in our home, we listened to you. your new album with our 15-year-old who was as blown away that we were talking to you today as our 80-year-old dad. That is a weird thing. That's weird. You're the icon of the 15-year-olds and of the 80-year-olds. Wow. Okay. So the new album is a damn delight. Rock star, besides some new fantastic songs, you collaborated with so many greats, including our dear friend Brandy Carlisle. So that was a special moment.

moment for us. I love her too. Oh, isn't she just a special human being? Oh, she is. She's a doll. I've loved her for years. We've always had a connection. We always, you know, talk about our writing, but we talk about life, and we're just very similar in our spirit and in the way that we create and the way we feel about people. She's got a good little heart in her, and she is so gifted. And I respect and appreciate all God's gifts. And she's certainly. got a great one. We could not agree more. But getting back to your 80-year-old and your 15-year-old, I've been around a long time.

I've been for six decades. I have been in show business, in the business growing. People kind of have grown up with me. And when I was lucky enough to be on Hannah Montana with my little fair goddaughter, Molly Cyrus, who sings one of the songs in the album with me, her song, Reck and Ball. But when I was on Hannah Montana, well, I just started a whole new career with all the young kids, like a little kid, loved Aunt Dolly, because that's what I was on the show. And so they have followed me too, but then the eight-year-olds and the people like that were following me when I was growing in the business.

So I think that people feel like they know me. I'm like a relative, someone they've always known and that they've always kind of liked. It's like, oh, Aunt Dolly's coming. We don't have a good job. So I kind of feel like people just relate to me because they've always seen me. It just seemed like so much fun listening to Rockstar. What was your favorite part of recording it? Well, I just loved the idea that I was going to do a rock album.

I'm 77 years old and I'm going to be a rock star. And so I thought, well, I have to call it Rockstar just for fun. And I did it because they put me in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and I didn't feel I'd done enough to earn that particular title. So I thought, well, I've got to have a rock album to go along to kind of earn my keep, so to speak. But then when I started doing these great iconic songs in the studio by myself, I was thinking, wow, wouldn't it be cool to get some of these great iconic artists that sing that wrote or sang on these songs originally?

And I thought, how cool would that be? It is cool. Just getting in the studio, getting to know some of these people personally, and just hearing their voices in mine live at the same time, or just hearing us, you know, hearing their in my headphones, just hearing that was amazing. For instance, when I did Magic Man with Anne Wilson, who is a fantastic singer, I mean, I had to really put on my top belt for, you know, for some of that stuff because I thought, well, I have to, she's a great singer, so I have to read it.

dig down deep and get everything I have, you know, to match that. Because no way you can out sing them, but you want to try to be as good as, or at least not to embarrass yourself. So it was fun to get in the studio. It was kind of a challenge, but a sweet, you know, melodic kind of, you know, challenge on some of the stuff and we weren't fighting, but it was almost kind of like a, you know, competition. We'd look at each other laugh and think, oh, yeah, you're going to hit that note.

Well, I'm going to hit this one. You know, oh, yeah, you think you can outdo me. Well, watch this. How did you narrow it down to those songs? It must have been overwhelming. That's a very interesting creative endeavor to try to do that. It's funny. I've got to kick out when you said, how did you narrow it down?

I think narrow it down. Nobody ever intended to do 30 songs ever in the whole life. That's true. I had not intended to do that many songs. Usually when you record any album, you go in and you have a few extras. You know, but you think, oh, good, I'll have a few left in the can, we call it, you know, something left on the shelf for bonus tracks or to re-release some other time. But I was just doing this on a demo scale.

I didn't tell anybody I was actually recording the album, my management, nobody. Because I just went in with Kent Wells, who's my musical director. I said, I don't want you tell nobody. and we kind of swore the musicians to secrecy, don't be talking about this until we see what we've got and then see if this is really something I need to be doing. So anyhow, we got great musicians and I kept recording these songs,

and then I thought, oh, I forgot so-and-so, I forgot this, and Carl's favorite song of this. So I just kept recording until one day, plus I was going to just narrow down to like 12, maybe at the most, no 12 or 13 songs. And so one day, Ken, Ken, said, now, Dolly, we got to stop. You can't record every damn song that's ever been written in rock and roll.

So, finally, we stopped. And then we thought, when we got ready to kind of think about putting the album together, we thought, we can't leave this out, we can't leave this out, we can't leave that out. So we thought, well, I thought, well, why don't I just put it out. I'm never done a rock album, never going to do another one. So I thought, well, let's just do it. Anyone who's been to my house recently knows the entire extent of my home decor process because it's simply one word, article.

What I've always appreciated about article is that their furniture manages to feel both beautiful and genuinely well made. We just got the Linnae 105.5.5 inch corner sectional in Elio screen. It is so beautiful and comfortable, but I am not actually scared to use it because it's made with performance fabric. Everything I bought from Article is held up beautifully. They're really bringing us premium quality at affordable prices. Article is offering our listeners $50 off your first purchase of $100 or more. To claim, visit article.com slash hard things and the discount will be automatically applied at checkout. That's article.com slash hard things for $50 off your first purchase of $100 or more. Did you know that the ideal time to start a prenatal is actually six to 12 months before you begin to even try to get pregnant?

What I love about parallel is that they created a conception support pack specifically for this phase. It's not just a generic prenatal. It was formulated by OBs with nutrients they prioritize before conception, including COQ10, DHA, folate, and Cloline. I wish something like this had existed when I was building my family. many women are in that in-between season. Not trying yet, but thinking about it. And it's helpful to know there are things that you can do now to support your body. If you're pregnant, trying, or postpartum, you need to check out parallel. I can't recommend it enough. I had them give me an exclusive code just for you. New customers can use code, we can do hard things and get 20%

of your first order at parallelhealth.com slash we can do hard things. That's P-E-R-E-L-E-L-Halth.com slash we can do hard things. I did some quick math the other day. If dinner takes you about 45 minutes, let's say to plan, prep, cook, and clean up, that's more than five hours every week. And as someone who's always looking for ways to get a little time back, that's one of the many reasons I love Factor. Factor meals are always prepared, fresh, never frozen, and in just a couple of minutes, you've got a meal that actually feels homemade without having to plan grocery shop, cook, or clean. Their whole thing is having a ton of options, whether you're looking for protein plus, calorie smart, keto, or just something delicious that makes life easier. Right now,

get up to $90 off plus free shipping. Hurry, this offer won't last long. Go to factormeals.com. and use code we can. That's up to $90 off plus free shipping, but only with code we can at Factormeals.ca. Factor, Canada's number one ready to eat meal delivery service. You once said about being underestimated. By the time they think I don't know what's going on, I've got the money and I'm gone. which I want to tattoo on my body. I am so interested in this idea of, like, you being underestimated and what that may have to do with your very feminine fashion persona presentation.

What do you think that has to do, if at all, with this underestimation? And how do you use fashion to express yourself and to navigate? your way through culture and what does that have to do with being underestimated or not? Well, actually, the way I look came from a very serious place is a country girl's idea of glam, just like my little song, Backwoods Barbie. You know, I'm just a Backwoods Barbie, too much makeup, too much hair, but don't be fooled by thinking that the goods are not all there. And don't let these false eyelashes lead you to believe that I'm as shallow as I look,

you know, because there's a lot to me. And so that's back in the day, back in the early days when I had said what you just said, and I've got the money and gone, before they realize it, meaning that it, back in the early days, still looking trashy like I did more so even back then. I just was always myself. I just always felt certain, you know, I had to dress certain way because I was comfortable. But I have to admit, I can see why people would think, oh, that girl can't know much. You got to be a dumb blonde.

You wouldn't be smart and, you know, dressed like that. into a business meeting. But I had no problems with any of that because I had six brothers, my dad, my uncles, and my grandpas, and I love men. I'm not intimidated to walk in a room, you know, with a bunch of men. So, but when some of a lot of these really smart businessmen in those early days, I knew I had a product. And I would, you know, I would often say, look, I think I've got something that can make us all a bunch of money, you know, that type of an attitude. But when you first go in, sometimes when you look like that, some I'm just thinking about that and looking about that and not paying attention to the business, you know, and so

before they would realize that sometimes I'd made a deal that they couldn't get out of. And so that's kind of what I meant. So don't take anybody for granted. That, you know, judging that book by the cover. Yeah. I used that song. So that's basically what I'm Don't judge anybody and don't judge me because there's a whole lot to me. And I can't tell anybody else how to run their business. But I've often said I'm a very professional, Dolly Parton. And that's the only person I'm really responsible for, you know, in business or anything else. You can share all your knowledge or anything you know, but you're the one that's responsible for you and the decisions that you make.

Yeah. When you came to Nashville and you were doing this from the beginning, this fashion, this style sense has always been you and behind the seams, which is your new book, tracks, all of that so beautifully. But people were trying to get you to change that early in Nashville. Yes. When do you think it switched to when people understood, oh, she's doing something here, and they stopped trying to get you to change? Well, pretty soon after I'd have my first people started paying attention when I started having hit record. Having songs that I had written that other people were singing.

And so, yeah, that was when at first people were thinking, hey, she's not as shallow as she looks, that kind of thing. But I thought people would love seeing my progression to chronicle my whole life in pictures. Because there's some pretty ridiculous, funny stuff in there. I even laughed out loud myself, you know, trying to put these pictures and things together, thinking, were you serious about that, darling? I thought, well, I guess I must have been because I had it on. I was really, I was really sporting it.

So, anyway, so I was working that. Yeah, I was working. And what's great, I get a chance to talk about all the great people that have helped make me what I am to help create that image and the clothes that I've worn from my early days. And mama making some of my first little stage clothes to the next door neighbor making clothes to my first people in Nashville. and then on up to where, like you're talking about, on the Oscars, singing my song, traveling through. So I just tell the stories about where I was, who these people were, what I was doing at the time. So I'm really proud because it tells more stories like what we're talking about today.

Yeah. I used to be a third grade teacher, reading teacher, and I'm a writer now. And so you and the imagination library move my heart so, so much. much. Abby and I always talk about this, which is that some of the women that we know in our lives or in the world who have the most vibrant and effective kind of world-changing mothering love are people who are not raising their own children. The most amazing mothering people who mother the whole planet. So can you tell us what's the last thing you've done to mother the world that you are most proud of? Well, I'm always mothering somebody, even as I'm leaving this morning. I've

got little nieces and nephews that I keep overnight sometimes. But I always believe that God didn't let me have children, so everybody's kids could be mine. And I think I've proven that a lot through the imagination library. Everybody comes to me for their mothering. I'm known as the Dolly mama in my family and with my friends, you know, they come for advice. They come on my shoulder. They come for whatever they need to do. I'm just the one that's, you know, this kind of there because I've always, I've always been everybody's Aunt Dolly, you know. And so it's just a love inside of me because I grew up. Like I said, we, there's, I'm from a family of 12 and I get a lot of my love and stuff that I was taught through my own mother

and my grandpa, who was a preacher, so we taught that, you know, it's better to give than to receive and you've got to love one another. So that was instilled in me, and that's just part of who I am. Yeah, it sure is. I want to ask you for some personal advice. So we have a little one who's entering the music industry. She's 17, right? She's 17. Brandi's producing her, and she's a little creative songwriter. That's what she loves the most. And now she's entering into this world. what advice would you give to a little budding songwriter who's entering the business world? Well, first of all, I think music is a wonderful, wonderful thing to have in your life, to learn to play the guitar, even if you never make it as a success in the business,

to be able to write songs about things you see and feel, and to be able to sing them. But it's wonderful if you can stick with that. But even I always tell my little niece's nephews, learn to play the guitar. You'll be the head of any party. You'll be the head of any camp, you know, campfire gathering or whatever. If you can play and everybody gets to sing along, you'll be popular anyway. And then if you're good enough, you know, if you're good enough,

then you can become famous and play your guitar like, you know, Ed Sharon. You can sit around a fire and sing it. you can stand out on a stage in front of 100,000 people into it. But I would just say to be true to yourself, and if you love it that much, you've got to put the time and effort. Nobody ever made anything unless you worked that dream. I remember when I first started playing guitar, my little fingers were so sore and so blistered and hurt so bad.

But I kept playing that until they became calloused on tips where I could actually play. They do. Real guitar players, you know, you've got those fingers there. You've got to work it. But most, even some of my own family, when they get to where them fingers start hurting, they quit learning to play.

I said, well, you're never going to get anywhere. If you're not willing to deal with a callus, you're not willing to deal with a problem, you know, this comes up, you know, in your life. There's a lot of calluses out there. Oh, good. You just name them different things. But I would just say, stay with it and enjoy it above everything else.

and just keep trying and just keep focused. And like I said, be you and gather your own strength and just step out and don't be afraid of it. My motto is, or I've always said that my desire to do something is greater than my fear of it. You've been in the industry for six decades, you say. You are a businesswoman. You are a rock star musician. You've done, it seems like everything. What is the identity or title that you feel most at home calling yourself?

I'm just Dolly. I'm just Dolly doing everything that Dolly wants to do or that I feel I'm capable of doing, making a difference. So I'm very proud. A lot of people ask me if I have one thing, you know, that I'm proud of stuff. That's really kind of a hard question because I'm very, very proud of what we were talking about, the imagination library, that I can get that many books. in the hands of that many children. But I'm also proud that I'm a member of the grand old opera.

I'm proud that I can be a songwriter. So I want to be known for everything that I do that's worthy of calling attention to. One of the things that it keeps running through my head is I've heard you say that your favorite song that you wrote was, quote of many colors. I don't know if that's true, but I read it. And also it's my daughter's favorite book. that you turned into that book. And it's amazing to me because that song is a lot about the love and care that your mother put into that gorgeous jacket that she made you that also people

were making fun of you about because it was all quilted together. So you came from this cabin, no running water. Your father was a sharecropper. Your delivery of your birth was paid with cornmeal, with your coat of many colors that became such a part of how we know you to this book about all of this fashion. And do you ever think about the way your mom, you know, thinking back to the time where she makes you this coat and it becomes this moment in your life where you love it but people make fun of you for it. And now you have all of your fashions and the impact of that on the world. Like, what is the connection you make to those two in your head?

I make a lot of connection to that because it's like what you were saying, just all those patches in that coat are really, you know, they really signify so much of what I've done in my life. Mine has been a life of many colors. And it is true that that's my favorite song because it does signify so much more. It deals with the bullying.

It deals with accepting, you know, acceptance. It deals with the love of family and certainly my mother. But that little song, that little story, has meant so much to so many people. And so for so many different reasons. It's like people, so many people have been made fun of for one reason or another. It's a terrible feeling to be made fun of for any reason, to not be accepted as yourself for any reason. You just need to love one another and try to be open-hearted. and accepting of people and things and life of your own self as well.

Ms. Parton, thank you. You being yourself on purpose for so long in front of us has allowed all of us to be more of ourselves on purpose. And we are so grateful for you. Thank you so much to all of you. And I hope I've helped somebody out. As always, you have. Bye Pod Squad.

See you next time. We are proud to say that we can do hard to. Things is an independent production brought to you by us, Treat Media. Treat Media makes art for humans who want to stay human. And you can follow us at We Can Do Hard Things on Instagram.