Sept. 27, 2025
Saturday Morning Run: T.J. Goes Back To School
Apple Podcasts 
Spotify 
Castro 
RSS Feed In the middle of another hectic news week, Amy and T.J. go back to the University of Arkansas to see old friends and cheer on the Razorbacks. T.J. takes some time out to speak to our next generation of journalists, and Amy took plenty of notes!
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
00:00:02
Speaker 1: Welcome everyone to this Saturday Morning run. It is Saturday, September twenty seventh. I'm Amy Roebuck alongside TJ. Holmes, and this is our recovery run where we go over the ways in which we tried to recover from yet another busy news week. It was really NonStop this week, from Jimmy Kimmel getting back on the air to another politically motivated shooting at that ice facility in Dallas.
00:00:32
Speaker 2: A government shutdown.
00:00:34
Speaker 1: Is looming next week. Have we had a break from ominous news?
00:00:38
Speaker 2: It seems in the last time.
00:00:39
Speaker 3: I was hoping this was going to be it, But here you go right off the top mention and all this crap we were trying to get away from. So it put me out. Was kind of upbeat because we're excited right now. We're sitting in Arkansas and all this fun stuff is happening around us, and you just took me back to a place I was trying to get away from. So how you want to do this now here?
00:00:55
Speaker 2: Sarcasm is noted.
00:00:57
Speaker 3: But I was laying on pretty thick you were.
00:00:59
Speaker 2: It was very thick, very thick, like the bacon the way you like it.
00:01:02
Speaker 1: But it is something worth noting that I just feel like we need to acknowledge that. And even for those of us who have been in the news business for three decades and counting, this has seemed particularly heavy, like week after week after week, hoping this cycle ends soon and we can all get a little lighter.
00:01:22
Speaker 2: But there are.
00:01:23
Speaker 1: Always, and we have been trying to point them out throughout the week, silver linings, lessons to be learned, ways forward, where we can actually learn from some of these difficult times. And I think that is the point sometimes at difficult times, is that we still have a lot to learn, and through all of that, we also still have to try to find ways to unwind, to relax, to enjoy, to let it go, to not be so in our heads and worried about the future, but just truly enjoying the now. And we are in Arkansas, babe, We are in a can sell babe.
00:01:56
Speaker 3: Yes, we get back once a year. This is you know. And I probably I do end up adding stress to the trip here to my alma mater here in northwest Arkarsas on Fairville, because I only get back and now we have past three years once a year, and so I try to take advantage and make myself available and I want to see as many people as possible and engagees my journalism department. And that ends up with a very full schedule because since we've been here, we haven't stopped working, and so we have a professional schedule and then we throw a personal schedule on top of that. And maybe we've been off a little more than week at CHEW and that was my fault.
00:02:33
Speaker 1: But you know what, No, but I also look at it as I love learning more about you. And part of a recovery run is you're still running. You're still active. You're just slowing down a bit, you're letting your muscles breathe, but you're still active. It's not like you're sitting on the couch and rotting, as my daughter likes to call it. But you're still moving and you're just moving at a slightly different pace and you're more intentional. It's not about the sweat, it's not about the speed, It's about just the intention. And so I do think I just I got to witness this week you back in a classroom.
00:03:09
Speaker 2: And being very, very professorial, and it.
00:03:12
Speaker 1: Was actually really inspirational to see you connecting with all of these young, bright eyed, bushy tailed stars in their eyes, enthusiastic kids.
00:03:23
Speaker 3: Who delusional, completely delusional about their futures.
00:03:27
Speaker 1: Yes, but you were really, really great up there with them. You were nurturing, you were authentic, you were transparent. In fact, you start I love this. You start your sessions with these groups with a disclaimer. You want to tell our listeners what your disclaimer is.
00:03:41
Speaker 3: Well, it's I tell them. Everything I say in this classroom is off the record. And I do that because I want to make sure they understand they can ask me anything. I don't want to think that man if something I say in here can end up getting out and again, what am I? I just want to make sure they understand you can ask me anything, and I will be honest with you, you all in particular because this is my university and this is stuff you all are asking about and maybe need to know. I don't want to mince words in here. So that's why I do that, and it's worked for me. And look, there are some reality checks that these kids need to hear. But I always love engaging I do anytime I come here, you all need anything. I think there might have been one year they.
00:04:22
Speaker 2: Said, nah TJ we good was that twenty twenty three, Actually.
00:04:27
Speaker 3: It was before that. But other than that, yeah, always you should always give it back. Sometimes financially you can write a check, but man, it means a lot to show up to this place to know I was one of those kids, and I would love, would have loved to have access to an alumni that did all the things I want to do now. So yes, I make myself available. I hand out my email address and tell them I am available anytime.
00:04:55
Speaker 1: And you don't hand out your email address or your contact deformation to anyone that.
00:05:00
Speaker 2: I don't think they do though.
00:05:01
Speaker 1: I don't think they realized how special that moment was, that you were actually offering access to your personal email.
00:05:10
Speaker 2: I was actually a little bit thrown by it because.
00:05:12
Speaker 3: You've known me. Oh, we haven't been You've known me a decade. You do not. I do not. I've been places, You've seen people. Hey, you gotta get you know her. I will give them my producer's number, producer's email. But here it's different. And one kiddy Jacks were hanging out with yesterday. Jack's has already emailed good job, young fellow.
00:05:33
Speaker 1: You told them what the subject line had to be for you to recognize it has to be all.
00:05:37
Speaker 3: Bold University of Arkansas, and that'll get my tea. I tell them the same thing.
00:05:43
Speaker 2: Well, can I tell you this as your partner?
00:05:45
Speaker 3: It?
00:05:46
Speaker 2: You know, what is so fun to be able to watch.
00:05:49
Speaker 1: The person you love do what they love and do it well and inspire other folks, Like it was really fun for me to watch you do something that you're so passionate about it, and you were so good, You really were so inspi. I can't even imagine what it would have been like had I been a student and had the access or the ability to see someone like you be really really open and vulnerable and humble and even at times you said this is an arrogant but you you were able to explain your success in a way that made sense to these kids who think sometimes maybe it just happens overnight or you just get a lucky break, and to actually speak to what it takes was very cool to listen to, you know, And.
00:06:36
Speaker 3: It's nice to I don't reflect on my own journey, my own career, and sometimes I hear things and go, wow, I forgot about that, And actually it's a sense of prime like wow, I overcame that I remember Oh yeah, I did that thing. I did that thing. It's a it's good to reflect and it's fun. It's always good to be home. I never felt I never feel like no matter what success I had, I never feel like a star when I come here. I'm just TJ or Lutilius or I'm just one of them. I'm just the family member, nothing less, nothing more. I love that feeling to never be treated like anything other than the TJ.
00:07:12
Speaker 1: We knew when you're on campus and you always treat each one of these kids and all the faculty.
00:07:18
Speaker 2: You asked them.
00:07:19
Speaker 1: Yes, you're up there and it's a Q and a session with you, but you always turn the tables and ask each person about themselves. What's your name, where are you from, what do you want to do? And that's really cool. You don't often see that with speakers who come up there. They're so excited to tell you all about their fame and their success and how they made it. You are so good at making sure every person in that room felt like they were a part of the conversation in a personal way.
00:07:45
Speaker 3: Well, thank you. I don't think that much about it. I mean, I don't know. Just my mama taught me that that's the only way I know to be And so this was great. Thank you to the University of Arkansas, Professor Foley, Professor Lebetter, and the whole crew and everybody that was great in Ashanti Jack's and Sophia Immigrace Grace, we leve us some imm grace, but we met a bunch of good kids. It was a really good time.
00:08:09
Speaker 1: It's nice to know that in an industry that is really transitioning right now and uncertain, frankly, to think that these kids are entering this, this profession that we loved that you and I went to school for, like we both had a mission. We knew what we wanted to do. We majored in broadcast journalism. And to see these kids walking into a very different landscape than we are. They're bold, they're courageous, and maybe it's good they don't know what they don't know.
00:08:36
Speaker 3: Yeah, but I said to them plenty, I said, you all have more skills and more opportunity than I did, but you also have bigger challenges than I did wanting to get into this industry. So they will figure it out.
00:08:49
Speaker 2: They will, They certainly will. Well. So this is the day of the week.
00:08:54
Speaker 1: On the morning morn where we talk about yes, our intentional downtime, our fun time, our schedule, old us time. And I know we can get into what happened this week, but I am so excited about what will happen later today. Are you nervous or are you excited? We are going to see the Razorbacks play?
00:09:12
Speaker 2: Notre dame.
00:09:15
Speaker 3: I speak for all Razorback fans when I say we're nervous. We're nervous every weekend because we are we have what they Isn't there a saying? Now? Where did I get that? Get used to disappointment? That's from Princess Briane?
00:09:30
Speaker 1: Right?
00:09:31
Speaker 3: Remember that?
00:09:32
Speaker 2: Oh my goodness, good use to disappointment. I feel like.
00:09:36
Speaker 1: Much of life's most important sayings and truths are in that movie.
00:09:41
Speaker 3: Oh they hit them all. Whatever you got going on in life, Princess Princess.
00:09:45
Speaker 2: It's one of the movies we first connected.
00:09:46
Speaker 1: When we first met, we talked about what our favorite movies were, and when you listed Princess Bride, ah man, you had me at Princess bry.
00:09:54
Speaker 3: It's probably two things, you know what my deal breakers? But I could never date someone who smokes, and probably could never date someone one who said they don't like Princess Briane.
00:10:02
Speaker 2: We're just not compatible exactly.
00:10:04
Speaker 1: If you don't love Princess Buttercup, if you don't say as you wish just for the fun of it.
00:10:09
Speaker 2: You're not a friend of mine.
00:10:11
Speaker 3: What was the question?
00:10:11
Speaker 1: Really, the question was today, how are you feeling about your Razorbacks?
00:10:16
Speaker 2: About your hogs?
00:10:16
Speaker 3: I can sum it up with that picture I showed you. My sister sends to me all the time. There's a razorback T shirt and the shirt says, we almost always almost win. That is the That is what it's like to be a razorback football fan. Has been a really brutal two weeks and I think this first time Notre Dame has come to town. So is this, I guess, one of the most story programs in all the football arguably being in Fayebville is a very very big weekend. I'm excited to see everybody, and oh my god, this is gonna be great. Early game, early start, early tailgate. That's gonna be awesome.
00:10:52
Speaker 1: Yes, there's nothing like you know, a breakfast beer at seven am, but that looks like what is probably gonna be happening tomorrow.
00:10:59
Speaker 2: Now when we first got I just.
00:11:00
Speaker 1: Before we get into the early part of the week, I have to talk about what we did when we first got here, because look, we live in Manhattan.
00:11:08
Speaker 2: You know, we have our restaurants that we go to. But we got to.
00:11:11
Speaker 1: The Marriott that we're staying at, and right across the street was I've never heard of it before.
00:11:16
Speaker 2: Maybe this is a big chain, but it's a Benny Hannah knockoff. Is the best Kobe steakhouse? Is that what it's called?
00:11:22
Speaker 3: Maybe Bennie Hanna stole it from them?
00:11:24
Speaker 1: Maybe never know, maybe, but you and I on our first night the two of us together, was this the first night we went out to dinner together?
00:11:32
Speaker 2: I think the whole week we didn't have time.
00:11:34
Speaker 1: We normally tried to at least have one date night just the two of us out, so this was our first. It's not a date night, fine, but are We try to have one dinner out together just you and me every week, and we usually are pretty successful at that.
00:11:53
Speaker 3: We have lots of meals out, We have lots of days and.
00:11:56
Speaker 1: Lunches, yes, but they're usually wrapped around and in between. Where so this we do have, we do have I think at least one night where I feel like we can just kind of cut up.
00:12:05
Speaker 2: And be us.
00:12:05
Speaker 1: Well, anyway, we ended up the only two people you know, at Benny Hannas. They have the big tables with the big metal cooking area whatever.
00:12:16
Speaker 3: Oh yes, they put everybody around that thing, and there's another family over there. There's another couple there.
00:12:22
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's communal. You gotta so. Because we went at five pm, nobody in the play, the only two people.
00:12:32
Speaker 3: Cook all to ourselves.
00:12:33
Speaker 2: We had a Have you ever had that experience?
00:12:37
Speaker 3: Yes, because as you can guess, I usually go exactly.
00:12:40
Speaker 2: What places open five pm because I.
00:12:42
Speaker 3: Don't want to share the space with anybody.
00:12:44
Speaker 2: So we just just the two of us sitting around.
00:12:47
Speaker 1: This big, huge hibachi table and we had the meal of our lives.
00:12:52
Speaker 3: The guy doing the whole show bang bang boom bing bang.
00:12:55
Speaker 2: Bang, the whole thing flames.
00:12:58
Speaker 3: Oh yeah, train the vulcan. I know, we got the whole thing. He didn't do the egg in the hat.
00:13:02
Speaker 2: Though, No he didn't. You're right, and he's that he could.
00:13:05
Speaker 3: He could read us. We weren't interesting.
00:13:06
Speaker 2: He knew we didn't really care about all of his hat tricks.
00:13:09
Speaker 3: We could see before it was fantastic.
00:13:11
Speaker 1: It was so good so that we had a blast. So that was one of the really fun things we did this week. But we also we also got to see some dear friends, and I feel like that's something we don't often get a lot of time to do because of our busy schedules, especially if I don't know, is it the older you get you just seem to not be able to find the time for whatever reason. When you're younger, you're always making time for your friends and prioritizing it, but sometimes it takes going home for that to happen.
00:13:43
Speaker 3: We got parenting to do, we have work, we have people all we got so much going on. And I think a part of it too is some of your dearest and some of your closest folks, and you got the most time and years invested in Maybe not maybe don't live down the street, Maybe they also have busy lives, maybe they're also successful, and then you don't end up spending that kind of time. But then now we have gotten it back, and even my sister just reconnecting with well, I talk to mys dedamned every day, but I don't get to sit down with her and share a meal and the three of us together, and then Betsy, oh my god, our dear Betsy here. She's my handler, if you will, in Fayeteville, and she's been taking care of us for years and years and years. And Chase as well, another good good friend of yours for many, many years that you don't get to see as often. But to sit down with those three and to have a group of five and the closes and I can share anything with that group. We don't get that enough. Only have a handful of folks like that in New York, and it's nice to have that.
00:14:45
Speaker 1: It honestly, it is something that I just feel warmed my soul in a way I wasn't expecting. So it reminds me that with all the craziness of this world, it is and it does take some times those moments where you just make a decision to reconnect, reconnect with your neighbor, with your friend, with your whatever, because especially in these times when the news is as heavy as it is, we all do realize how quickly time passes and how unexpected things can be, and so just to kind of take the news cycle as it is and use it as a catalyst to make different choices.
00:15:25
Speaker 3: Have it right. We were in there two two and a half hours that lunch, the five of us, and where'll be with them at the game today as well? Is there. I cannot remember a single issue or news story or politics or anything that came up in any of our conversation, Not anything about it, anything that negative has been in the news cycle. Nothing.
00:15:48
Speaker 2: Politics were not on the table.
00:15:50
Speaker 3: We talked about nothing but catching up with each other, dating, lives, all kinds of stuff.
00:15:55
Speaker 1: Can I tell you, from Chase to Betsy to your sister, I have no idea politically, we're any of them stand and we're in a part of the country where it's anyone's guests and I have no idea, and I don't care because it doesn't matter. You know what we talked about, relationships.
00:16:13
Speaker 2: That is what we talked about.
00:16:14
Speaker 1: And that actually, if you think about it, what is the thing that most often determines your mood, your happiness, your joy. It is the quality or the status or the state of your relationships. And that's not what we're seeing on the news. That's not what we see that we're bombarded with on a lot of social media, at least in these past few months.
00:16:38
Speaker 2: It feels like it's just all about the.
00:16:41
Speaker 1: State of the world, the of the Union, the state of.
00:16:46
Speaker 2: Politics in general. It's nice not to talk about it.
00:16:51
Speaker 3: I didn't realize until this moment, but that was the one conversation probably I've had outside of you that wasn't heavy. Right, everybody I've dealt with outside of our home, there's somebody wants to mention the shooting in Dallas or something in the news that was happening to Charlie Kirk or something in DC. This was the one time we had a completely issued news, politics free conversation, and I didn't realize how much I needed that.
00:17:19
Speaker 2: Yeah, going home is good, is it not?
00:17:22
Speaker 1: Well? When we come back, we'll talk about the one thing we did do on our own before we headed to Arkansas that also just gave us a moment, a moment to step away from all the chaos. Welcome back to our Saturday morning recovery run, where we just went over our current trip back to TJ's home of Northwest Arkansas. But before we headed this way, in the midst of all the chaos of the world, we actually we got so you know, there's been so much negativity and we've been talking about it, not just in what we're seeing in politics and all the political violence and the finger pointing, but just in the world. And everyone loves to jump on a negative bandwagon and to cancel people and cut people down and say the worst of the worst. And so we were noticing, you know, we love horror movies, all of this negativity, crazy negative reviews about a movie that we were kind of on the fence about seeing.
00:18:31
Speaker 2: It's called Him and Jordan.
00:18:34
Speaker 3: Are we on the fence?
00:18:35
Speaker 2: We were on the fence because it.
00:18:37
Speaker 3: Didn't look like a traditional horror movie toss. It was a horror thriller kind of thing. Jordan Peele was behind it, so we were curious. We'd seen plenty of previews. It was intriguing, but it wasn't one on our radar to.
00:18:48
Speaker 2: Run out right.
00:18:49
Speaker 1: We love the supernatural, We love you know, like ooh, it was scarce. It didn't look like it was going to be a jump scare kind of a movie, which we typically gravitate towards. But when we started seeing all the negative reviews and mean spirited ones, you know.
00:19:03
Speaker 2: We said, we ought to give this a try.
00:19:06
Speaker 1: We ought to see if it's just as bad as they say it is, and if it is, okay, still don't think you have to be mean about it. But we wanted to see it for ourselves, so you and I carved out some time. Sabine actually came with us. Oh yeah, and and in fact, we did a whole movie review. If you're curious, well, if you really want to get into the to the weeds of what we saw and what we witnessed and what we experienced it. By the way, we highly recommend but please check out a podcast.
00:19:29
Speaker 2: I don't know how many back.
00:19:30
Speaker 1: It is now, but if you scroll down our feed you will see our him I think we said F the Critics is the title.
00:19:39
Speaker 2: You said it, and then I was like, I'm writing it.
00:19:41
Speaker 1: I don't think you thought I was actually going to make that the title, but I thought it was really catchy F the Critics. So anyway, if you want to go check out our whole review, you can do that. But I wanted to point out that sometimes it's fun to challenge what people say.
00:19:55
Speaker 2: Something is.
00:19:56
Speaker 1: So, even if it's talking about another person, a friend, a relative, whatever, we all tend to gravitate toward that negative gossip or that negative review, and we want to belong so we jump in.
00:20:09
Speaker 2: And say yeah.
00:20:10
Speaker 1: But I felt like this is maybe the opportunity. We went to go see it, and we actually genuinely disagreed with the critics, genuinely, but you can see how group think happens. You want to belong, you want to be a part of it, and suddenly you are influenced. Your mind is influenced by what you read from other people, and then you think yeah, and you look at it through that lens. So I just think it was an interesting challenge to take away the lens and to actually be really aware of it and say I'm not going to look through that and judge for myself and that movie this week for me was kind of an AHA moment and it just became bigger, maybe than even the movie, but more about what we're seeing in the world.
00:20:51
Speaker 3: I hope that movie does well. I hope folks do go see and these critics they are I don't know how they're training, what they're experience. But even Marlon Wayans, who we have a great affinity for, came out and addressed the criticism you're talking about, and I thought he did in a very classy way respect to the credics. Critics but your opinion is not always everybody's opinion. Just go see the movie. Check it out. Maybe the movie is ahead of its time and understanding the art. I just we see bad movie reviews. I don't know why folks seem to take this one and just want to beat it down in a personal way, not taking on the acting, not taking on even a lot of the writing or cinematography. It was more of a can't believe I wasted my time. I can't believe I got on the train. I can't believe it seemed mean to me, and it didn't seem critical.
00:21:42
Speaker 1: It was just like I didn't like it, and I'm pissed I saw it that.
00:21:46
Speaker 3: That doesn't sound like professional critique. I know some people want to be snarky and maybe how creative and how they write. But I didn't walk away from those reviews necessarily thinking I'm gonna see bad acting or gonna be horrible writing, or the cinematography is going to be bad. I walked away thinking, man, who are these jerks talking about this movie like this?
00:22:05
Speaker 2: Yeah?
00:22:06
Speaker 3: And this is not and Roby is a very This is a very good exercise for us, because you're the one all the time that says, Uh, sometimes when I see terrible reviews by critics, there's some of my favorite movies.
00:22:21
Speaker 2: It's so true because we're.
00:22:22
Speaker 3: Looking at it differently. They're looking maybe a critical way. I want to sit here and enjoy my experience. Thank you Marlon and crew for what you gave us this week. I loved that movie genuinely, not just as a contrarian to these reviews. We are horror movie watchers and fans. We liked that movie.
00:22:40
Speaker 1: Oh when it streams, I will absolutely watch it again. That's how much I liked it. You know. You know my friend Joe, when I first met him, we were just making small talk and I said to him, I said, what's your favorite movie? I mean, it's just something that comes up. And he said anything that scores fifteen percent or below on Rotten Tomatoes. And I laughed so hard because I get that, you know, the critics don't always know everything, and I think that just I'm not trying to be cheesy here, but I do.
00:23:06
Speaker 2: Think that applies to life.
00:23:08
Speaker 1: And I just felt like some of the moments we took out for us this week, including that movie, including going and Yeah and having that fun Q and A with those students and hearing all of their opinions and taking them in and seeing their enthusiasm. I actually felt inspired by almost everything we did this week, and we weren't setting out to be or to be inspired or to get inspired. But I do think if you start looking at your downtime and your free time, and if you really start analyzing it, if you can man if you can look back and reflect and say I learned something and I was inspired by something, and I kept my heart open to other points of view and I didn't jump to conclusions. Just practicing that in our downtime I think will help us all deal with some of well other people's choices to not do so in the public eye. But I just think we can all be more intentional about taking that in and recognizing the opportunities to learn and to stay open.
00:24:13
Speaker 3: Yeah, and we did. This was not planned. I think at some point I was either stressed about or it might have even complained about the itinerary and how busy things ended up here in Fayeville. And what did we get is the highlight probably of the week was talking to those kids. So it was yes, I stress about the itinerary, the schedule and ripping and running and not in kind of lost sight of the value and what I was ultimately supposed to be here and supposed to be doing. So thank you Arkansas, thank you Robes for being complimentary and just being here.
00:24:43
Speaker 1: It's it could be a lot, I you know what, And I will say this. I don't know if I can say. I'm always going to say go dogs, because of course my dogs are playing Alabama today as well, But okay, go.
00:24:57
Speaker 3: Hawks, yeah, and go Dogs. We're not laying this weekend. I would rather have a happy home, So I hope they do end.
00:25:05
Speaker 1: We'll let you know how they do and how we are afterwards. But thank you for listening to us on this Saturday morning recovery run.
00:25:12
Speaker 2: Everyone. Hope you have a wonderful weekend.
Speaker 1: Welcome everyone to this Saturday Morning run. It is Saturday, September twenty seventh. I'm Amy Roebuck alongside TJ. Holmes, and this is our recovery run where we go over the ways in which we tried to recover from yet another busy news week. It was really NonStop this week, from Jimmy Kimmel getting back on the air to another politically motivated shooting at that ice facility in Dallas.
00:00:32
Speaker 2: A government shutdown.
00:00:34
Speaker 1: Is looming next week. Have we had a break from ominous news?
00:00:38
Speaker 2: It seems in the last time.
00:00:39
Speaker 3: I was hoping this was going to be it, But here you go right off the top mention and all this crap we were trying to get away from. So it put me out. Was kind of upbeat because we're excited right now. We're sitting in Arkansas and all this fun stuff is happening around us, and you just took me back to a place I was trying to get away from. So how you want to do this now here?
00:00:55
Speaker 2: Sarcasm is noted.
00:00:57
Speaker 3: But I was laying on pretty thick you were.
00:00:59
Speaker 2: It was very thick, very thick, like the bacon the way you like it.
00:01:02
Speaker 1: But it is something worth noting that I just feel like we need to acknowledge that. And even for those of us who have been in the news business for three decades and counting, this has seemed particularly heavy, like week after week after week, hoping this cycle ends soon and we can all get a little lighter.
00:01:22
Speaker 2: But there are.
00:01:23
Speaker 1: Always, and we have been trying to point them out throughout the week, silver linings, lessons to be learned, ways forward, where we can actually learn from some of these difficult times. And I think that is the point sometimes at difficult times, is that we still have a lot to learn, and through all of that, we also still have to try to find ways to unwind, to relax, to enjoy, to let it go, to not be so in our heads and worried about the future, but just truly enjoying the now. And we are in Arkansas, babe, We are in a can sell babe.
00:01:56
Speaker 3: Yes, we get back once a year. This is you know. And I probably I do end up adding stress to the trip here to my alma mater here in northwest Arkarsas on Fairville, because I only get back and now we have past three years once a year, and so I try to take advantage and make myself available and I want to see as many people as possible and engagees my journalism department. And that ends up with a very full schedule because since we've been here, we haven't stopped working, and so we have a professional schedule and then we throw a personal schedule on top of that. And maybe we've been off a little more than week at CHEW and that was my fault.
00:02:33
Speaker 1: But you know what, No, but I also look at it as I love learning more about you. And part of a recovery run is you're still running. You're still active. You're just slowing down a bit, you're letting your muscles breathe, but you're still active. It's not like you're sitting on the couch and rotting, as my daughter likes to call it. But you're still moving and you're just moving at a slightly different pace and you're more intentional. It's not about the sweat, it's not about the speed, It's about just the intention. And so I do think I just I got to witness this week you back in a classroom.
00:03:09
Speaker 2: And being very, very professorial, and it.
00:03:12
Speaker 1: Was actually really inspirational to see you connecting with all of these young, bright eyed, bushy tailed stars in their eyes, enthusiastic kids.
00:03:23
Speaker 3: Who delusional, completely delusional about their futures.
00:03:27
Speaker 1: Yes, but you were really, really great up there with them. You were nurturing, you were authentic, you were transparent. In fact, you start I love this. You start your sessions with these groups with a disclaimer. You want to tell our listeners what your disclaimer is.
00:03:41
Speaker 3: Well, it's I tell them. Everything I say in this classroom is off the record. And I do that because I want to make sure they understand they can ask me anything. I don't want to think that man if something I say in here can end up getting out and again, what am I? I just want to make sure they understand you can ask me anything, and I will be honest with you, you all in particular because this is my university and this is stuff you all are asking about and maybe need to know. I don't want to mince words in here. So that's why I do that, and it's worked for me. And look, there are some reality checks that these kids need to hear. But I always love engaging I do anytime I come here, you all need anything. I think there might have been one year they.
00:04:22
Speaker 2: Said, nah TJ we good was that twenty twenty three, Actually.
00:04:27
Speaker 3: It was before that. But other than that, yeah, always you should always give it back. Sometimes financially you can write a check, but man, it means a lot to show up to this place to know I was one of those kids, and I would love, would have loved to have access to an alumni that did all the things I want to do now. So yes, I make myself available. I hand out my email address and tell them I am available anytime.
00:04:55
Speaker 1: And you don't hand out your email address or your contact deformation to anyone that.
00:05:00
Speaker 2: I don't think they do though.
00:05:01
Speaker 1: I don't think they realized how special that moment was, that you were actually offering access to your personal email.
00:05:10
Speaker 2: I was actually a little bit thrown by it because.
00:05:12
Speaker 3: You've known me. Oh, we haven't been You've known me a decade. You do not. I do not. I've been places, You've seen people. Hey, you gotta get you know her. I will give them my producer's number, producer's email. But here it's different. And one kiddy Jacks were hanging out with yesterday. Jack's has already emailed good job, young fellow.
00:05:33
Speaker 1: You told them what the subject line had to be for you to recognize it has to be all.
00:05:37
Speaker 3: Bold University of Arkansas, and that'll get my tea. I tell them the same thing.
00:05:43
Speaker 2: Well, can I tell you this as your partner?
00:05:45
Speaker 3: It?
00:05:46
Speaker 2: You know, what is so fun to be able to watch.
00:05:49
Speaker 1: The person you love do what they love and do it well and inspire other folks, Like it was really fun for me to watch you do something that you're so passionate about it, and you were so good, You really were so inspi. I can't even imagine what it would have been like had I been a student and had the access or the ability to see someone like you be really really open and vulnerable and humble and even at times you said this is an arrogant but you you were able to explain your success in a way that made sense to these kids who think sometimes maybe it just happens overnight or you just get a lucky break, and to actually speak to what it takes was very cool to listen to, you know, And.
00:06:36
Speaker 3: It's nice to I don't reflect on my own journey, my own career, and sometimes I hear things and go, wow, I forgot about that, And actually it's a sense of prime like wow, I overcame that I remember Oh yeah, I did that thing. I did that thing. It's a it's good to reflect and it's fun. It's always good to be home. I never felt I never feel like no matter what success I had, I never feel like a star when I come here. I'm just TJ or Lutilius or I'm just one of them. I'm just the family member, nothing less, nothing more. I love that feeling to never be treated like anything other than the TJ.
00:07:12
Speaker 1: We knew when you're on campus and you always treat each one of these kids and all the faculty.
00:07:18
Speaker 2: You asked them.
00:07:19
Speaker 1: Yes, you're up there and it's a Q and a session with you, but you always turn the tables and ask each person about themselves. What's your name, where are you from, what do you want to do? And that's really cool. You don't often see that with speakers who come up there. They're so excited to tell you all about their fame and their success and how they made it. You are so good at making sure every person in that room felt like they were a part of the conversation in a personal way.
00:07:45
Speaker 3: Well, thank you. I don't think that much about it. I mean, I don't know. Just my mama taught me that that's the only way I know to be And so this was great. Thank you to the University of Arkansas, Professor Foley, Professor Lebetter, and the whole crew and everybody that was great in Ashanti Jack's and Sophia Immigrace Grace, we leve us some imm grace, but we met a bunch of good kids. It was a really good time.
00:08:09
Speaker 1: It's nice to know that in an industry that is really transitioning right now and uncertain, frankly, to think that these kids are entering this, this profession that we loved that you and I went to school for, like we both had a mission. We knew what we wanted to do. We majored in broadcast journalism. And to see these kids walking into a very different landscape than we are. They're bold, they're courageous, and maybe it's good they don't know what they don't know.
00:08:36
Speaker 3: Yeah, but I said to them plenty, I said, you all have more skills and more opportunity than I did, but you also have bigger challenges than I did wanting to get into this industry. So they will figure it out.
00:08:49
Speaker 2: They will, They certainly will. Well. So this is the day of the week.
00:08:54
Speaker 1: On the morning morn where we talk about yes, our intentional downtime, our fun time, our schedule, old us time. And I know we can get into what happened this week, but I am so excited about what will happen later today. Are you nervous or are you excited? We are going to see the Razorbacks play?
00:09:12
Speaker 2: Notre dame.
00:09:15
Speaker 3: I speak for all Razorback fans when I say we're nervous. We're nervous every weekend because we are we have what they Isn't there a saying? Now? Where did I get that? Get used to disappointment? That's from Princess Briane?
00:09:30
Speaker 1: Right?
00:09:31
Speaker 3: Remember that?
00:09:32
Speaker 2: Oh my goodness, good use to disappointment. I feel like.
00:09:36
Speaker 1: Much of life's most important sayings and truths are in that movie.
00:09:41
Speaker 3: Oh they hit them all. Whatever you got going on in life, Princess Princess.
00:09:45
Speaker 2: It's one of the movies we first connected.
00:09:46
Speaker 1: When we first met, we talked about what our favorite movies were, and when you listed Princess Bride, ah man, you had me at Princess bry.
00:09:54
Speaker 3: It's probably two things, you know what my deal breakers? But I could never date someone who smokes, and probably could never date someone one who said they don't like Princess Briane.
00:10:02
Speaker 2: We're just not compatible exactly.
00:10:04
Speaker 1: If you don't love Princess Buttercup, if you don't say as you wish just for the fun of it.
00:10:09
Speaker 2: You're not a friend of mine.
00:10:11
Speaker 3: What was the question?
00:10:11
Speaker 1: Really, the question was today, how are you feeling about your Razorbacks?
00:10:16
Speaker 2: About your hogs?
00:10:16
Speaker 3: I can sum it up with that picture I showed you. My sister sends to me all the time. There's a razorback T shirt and the shirt says, we almost always almost win. That is the That is what it's like to be a razorback football fan. Has been a really brutal two weeks and I think this first time Notre Dame has come to town. So is this, I guess, one of the most story programs in all the football arguably being in Fayebville is a very very big weekend. I'm excited to see everybody, and oh my god, this is gonna be great. Early game, early start, early tailgate. That's gonna be awesome.
00:10:52
Speaker 1: Yes, there's nothing like you know, a breakfast beer at seven am, but that looks like what is probably gonna be happening tomorrow.
00:10:59
Speaker 2: Now when we first got I just.
00:11:00
Speaker 1: Before we get into the early part of the week, I have to talk about what we did when we first got here, because look, we live in Manhattan.
00:11:08
Speaker 2: You know, we have our restaurants that we go to. But we got to.
00:11:11
Speaker 1: The Marriott that we're staying at, and right across the street was I've never heard of it before.
00:11:16
Speaker 2: Maybe this is a big chain, but it's a Benny Hannah knockoff. Is the best Kobe steakhouse? Is that what it's called?
00:11:22
Speaker 3: Maybe Bennie Hanna stole it from them?
00:11:24
Speaker 1: Maybe never know, maybe, but you and I on our first night the two of us together, was this the first night we went out to dinner together?
00:11:32
Speaker 2: I think the whole week we didn't have time.
00:11:34
Speaker 1: We normally tried to at least have one date night just the two of us out, so this was our first. It's not a date night, fine, but are We try to have one dinner out together just you and me every week, and we usually are pretty successful at that.
00:11:53
Speaker 3: We have lots of meals out, We have lots of days and.
00:11:56
Speaker 1: Lunches, yes, but they're usually wrapped around and in between. Where so this we do have, we do have I think at least one night where I feel like we can just kind of cut up.
00:12:05
Speaker 2: And be us.
00:12:05
Speaker 1: Well, anyway, we ended up the only two people you know, at Benny Hannas. They have the big tables with the big metal cooking area whatever.
00:12:16
Speaker 3: Oh yes, they put everybody around that thing, and there's another family over there. There's another couple there.
00:12:22
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's communal. You gotta so. Because we went at five pm, nobody in the play, the only two people.
00:12:32
Speaker 3: Cook all to ourselves.
00:12:33
Speaker 2: We had a Have you ever had that experience?
00:12:37
Speaker 3: Yes, because as you can guess, I usually go exactly.
00:12:40
Speaker 2: What places open five pm because I.
00:12:42
Speaker 3: Don't want to share the space with anybody.
00:12:44
Speaker 2: So we just just the two of us sitting around.
00:12:47
Speaker 1: This big, huge hibachi table and we had the meal of our lives.
00:12:52
Speaker 3: The guy doing the whole show bang bang boom bing bang.
00:12:55
Speaker 2: Bang, the whole thing flames.
00:12:58
Speaker 3: Oh yeah, train the vulcan. I know, we got the whole thing. He didn't do the egg in the hat.
00:13:02
Speaker 2: Though, No he didn't. You're right, and he's that he could.
00:13:05
Speaker 3: He could read us. We weren't interesting.
00:13:06
Speaker 2: He knew we didn't really care about all of his hat tricks.
00:13:09
Speaker 3: We could see before it was fantastic.
00:13:11
Speaker 1: It was so good so that we had a blast. So that was one of the really fun things we did this week. But we also we also got to see some dear friends, and I feel like that's something we don't often get a lot of time to do because of our busy schedules, especially if I don't know, is it the older you get you just seem to not be able to find the time for whatever reason. When you're younger, you're always making time for your friends and prioritizing it, but sometimes it takes going home for that to happen.
00:13:43
Speaker 3: We got parenting to do, we have work, we have people all we got so much going on. And I think a part of it too is some of your dearest and some of your closest folks, and you got the most time and years invested in Maybe not maybe don't live down the street, Maybe they also have busy lives, maybe they're also successful, and then you don't end up spending that kind of time. But then now we have gotten it back, and even my sister just reconnecting with well, I talk to mys dedamned every day, but I don't get to sit down with her and share a meal and the three of us together, and then Betsy, oh my god, our dear Betsy here. She's my handler, if you will, in Fayeteville, and she's been taking care of us for years and years and years. And Chase as well, another good good friend of yours for many, many years that you don't get to see as often. But to sit down with those three and to have a group of five and the closes and I can share anything with that group. We don't get that enough. Only have a handful of folks like that in New York, and it's nice to have that.
00:14:45
Speaker 1: It honestly, it is something that I just feel warmed my soul in a way I wasn't expecting. So it reminds me that with all the craziness of this world, it is and it does take some times those moments where you just make a decision to reconnect, reconnect with your neighbor, with your friend, with your whatever, because especially in these times when the news is as heavy as it is, we all do realize how quickly time passes and how unexpected things can be, and so just to kind of take the news cycle as it is and use it as a catalyst to make different choices.
00:15:25
Speaker 3: Have it right. We were in there two two and a half hours that lunch, the five of us, and where'll be with them at the game today as well? Is there. I cannot remember a single issue or news story or politics or anything that came up in any of our conversation, Not anything about it, anything that negative has been in the news cycle. Nothing.
00:15:48
Speaker 2: Politics were not on the table.
00:15:50
Speaker 3: We talked about nothing but catching up with each other, dating, lives, all kinds of stuff.
00:15:55
Speaker 1: Can I tell you, from Chase to Betsy to your sister, I have no idea politically, we're any of them stand and we're in a part of the country where it's anyone's guests and I have no idea, and I don't care because it doesn't matter. You know what we talked about, relationships.
00:16:13
Speaker 2: That is what we talked about.
00:16:14
Speaker 1: And that actually, if you think about it, what is the thing that most often determines your mood, your happiness, your joy. It is the quality or the status or the state of your relationships. And that's not what we're seeing on the news. That's not what we see that we're bombarded with on a lot of social media, at least in these past few months.
00:16:38
Speaker 2: It feels like it's just all about the.
00:16:41
Speaker 1: State of the world, the of the Union, the state of.
00:16:46
Speaker 2: Politics in general. It's nice not to talk about it.
00:16:51
Speaker 3: I didn't realize until this moment, but that was the one conversation probably I've had outside of you that wasn't heavy. Right, everybody I've dealt with outside of our home, there's somebody wants to mention the shooting in Dallas or something in the news that was happening to Charlie Kirk or something in DC. This was the one time we had a completely issued news, politics free conversation, and I didn't realize how much I needed that.
00:17:19
Speaker 2: Yeah, going home is good, is it not?
00:17:22
Speaker 1: Well? When we come back, we'll talk about the one thing we did do on our own before we headed to Arkansas that also just gave us a moment, a moment to step away from all the chaos. Welcome back to our Saturday morning recovery run, where we just went over our current trip back to TJ's home of Northwest Arkansas. But before we headed this way, in the midst of all the chaos of the world, we actually we got so you know, there's been so much negativity and we've been talking about it, not just in what we're seeing in politics and all the political violence and the finger pointing, but just in the world. And everyone loves to jump on a negative bandwagon and to cancel people and cut people down and say the worst of the worst. And so we were noticing, you know, we love horror movies, all of this negativity, crazy negative reviews about a movie that we were kind of on the fence about seeing.
00:18:31
Speaker 2: It's called Him and Jordan.
00:18:34
Speaker 3: Are we on the fence?
00:18:35
Speaker 2: We were on the fence because it.
00:18:37
Speaker 3: Didn't look like a traditional horror movie toss. It was a horror thriller kind of thing. Jordan Peele was behind it, so we were curious. We'd seen plenty of previews. It was intriguing, but it wasn't one on our radar to.
00:18:48
Speaker 2: Run out right.
00:18:49
Speaker 1: We love the supernatural, We love you know, like ooh, it was scarce. It didn't look like it was going to be a jump scare kind of a movie, which we typically gravitate towards. But when we started seeing all the negative reviews and mean spirited ones, you know.
00:19:03
Speaker 2: We said, we ought to give this a try.
00:19:06
Speaker 1: We ought to see if it's just as bad as they say it is, and if it is, okay, still don't think you have to be mean about it. But we wanted to see it for ourselves, so you and I carved out some time. Sabine actually came with us. Oh yeah, and and in fact, we did a whole movie review. If you're curious, well, if you really want to get into the to the weeds of what we saw and what we witnessed and what we experienced it. By the way, we highly recommend but please check out a podcast.
00:19:29
Speaker 2: I don't know how many back.
00:19:30
Speaker 1: It is now, but if you scroll down our feed you will see our him I think we said F the Critics is the title.
00:19:39
Speaker 2: You said it, and then I was like, I'm writing it.
00:19:41
Speaker 1: I don't think you thought I was actually going to make that the title, but I thought it was really catchy F the Critics. So anyway, if you want to go check out our whole review, you can do that. But I wanted to point out that sometimes it's fun to challenge what people say.
00:19:55
Speaker 2: Something is.
00:19:56
Speaker 1: So, even if it's talking about another person, a friend, a relative, whatever, we all tend to gravitate toward that negative gossip or that negative review, and we want to belong so we jump in.
00:20:09
Speaker 2: And say yeah.
00:20:10
Speaker 1: But I felt like this is maybe the opportunity. We went to go see it, and we actually genuinely disagreed with the critics, genuinely, but you can see how group think happens. You want to belong, you want to be a part of it, and suddenly you are influenced. Your mind is influenced by what you read from other people, and then you think yeah, and you look at it through that lens. So I just think it was an interesting challenge to take away the lens and to actually be really aware of it and say I'm not going to look through that and judge for myself and that movie this week for me was kind of an AHA moment and it just became bigger, maybe than even the movie, but more about what we're seeing in the world.
00:20:51
Speaker 3: I hope that movie does well. I hope folks do go see and these critics they are I don't know how they're training, what they're experience. But even Marlon Wayans, who we have a great affinity for, came out and addressed the criticism you're talking about, and I thought he did in a very classy way respect to the credics. Critics but your opinion is not always everybody's opinion. Just go see the movie. Check it out. Maybe the movie is ahead of its time and understanding the art. I just we see bad movie reviews. I don't know why folks seem to take this one and just want to beat it down in a personal way, not taking on the acting, not taking on even a lot of the writing or cinematography. It was more of a can't believe I wasted my time. I can't believe I got on the train. I can't believe it seemed mean to me, and it didn't seem critical.
00:21:42
Speaker 1: It was just like I didn't like it, and I'm pissed I saw it that.
00:21:46
Speaker 3: That doesn't sound like professional critique. I know some people want to be snarky and maybe how creative and how they write. But I didn't walk away from those reviews necessarily thinking I'm gonna see bad acting or gonna be horrible writing, or the cinematography is going to be bad. I walked away thinking, man, who are these jerks talking about this movie like this?
00:22:05
Speaker 2: Yeah?
00:22:06
Speaker 3: And this is not and Roby is a very This is a very good exercise for us, because you're the one all the time that says, Uh, sometimes when I see terrible reviews by critics, there's some of my favorite movies.
00:22:21
Speaker 2: It's so true because we're.
00:22:22
Speaker 3: Looking at it differently. They're looking maybe a critical way. I want to sit here and enjoy my experience. Thank you Marlon and crew for what you gave us this week. I loved that movie genuinely, not just as a contrarian to these reviews. We are horror movie watchers and fans. We liked that movie.
00:22:40
Speaker 1: Oh when it streams, I will absolutely watch it again. That's how much I liked it. You know. You know my friend Joe, when I first met him, we were just making small talk and I said to him, I said, what's your favorite movie? I mean, it's just something that comes up. And he said anything that scores fifteen percent or below on Rotten Tomatoes. And I laughed so hard because I get that, you know, the critics don't always know everything, and I think that just I'm not trying to be cheesy here, but I do.
00:23:06
Speaker 2: Think that applies to life.
00:23:08
Speaker 1: And I just felt like some of the moments we took out for us this week, including that movie, including going and Yeah and having that fun Q and A with those students and hearing all of their opinions and taking them in and seeing their enthusiasm. I actually felt inspired by almost everything we did this week, and we weren't setting out to be or to be inspired or to get inspired. But I do think if you start looking at your downtime and your free time, and if you really start analyzing it, if you can man if you can look back and reflect and say I learned something and I was inspired by something, and I kept my heart open to other points of view and I didn't jump to conclusions. Just practicing that in our downtime I think will help us all deal with some of well other people's choices to not do so in the public eye. But I just think we can all be more intentional about taking that in and recognizing the opportunities to learn and to stay open.
00:24:13
Speaker 3: Yeah, and we did. This was not planned. I think at some point I was either stressed about or it might have even complained about the itinerary and how busy things ended up here in Fayeville. And what did we get is the highlight probably of the week was talking to those kids. So it was yes, I stress about the itinerary, the schedule and ripping and running and not in kind of lost sight of the value and what I was ultimately supposed to be here and supposed to be doing. So thank you Arkansas, thank you Robes for being complimentary and just being here.
00:24:43
Speaker 1: It's it could be a lot, I you know what, And I will say this. I don't know if I can say. I'm always going to say go dogs, because of course my dogs are playing Alabama today as well, But okay, go.
00:24:57
Speaker 3: Hawks, yeah, and go Dogs. We're not laying this weekend. I would rather have a happy home, So I hope they do end.
00:25:05
Speaker 1: We'll let you know how they do and how we are afterwards. But thank you for listening to us on this Saturday morning recovery run.
00:25:12
Speaker 2: Everyone. Hope you have a wonderful weekend.