Deshaun Watson, PASS IT ON

2020-09-08 · 25:10 · Deshaun Watson · Podcast Audio

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[0:53]The sponsor for this whole Labor Day book last week is FirstBook.org. Obviously, the pandemic is

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[1:49]FirstBook.org to help Deshaun Watson is an American football quarterback for the Houston Texans

[1:56]of the NFL. He played college of a ball at Clemson and led the team to a CFP championship game

[2:02]appearance in 2015 and a national championship win in 2016. He was selected by the Texans 12th

[2:08]overall in the 2017 NFL Draft and he was named his first pro ball in 2018. Deshaun, at age 24,

[2:16]has already written a book which is humbling to someone like me who is 44 who has not written a book

[2:22]like this. Anyway, his book is called pass it on, work hard, serve others, repeat. Then I have to say

[2:28]I had to, well, maybe I shouldn't admit this, but I had to ask my husband Kyle. I was like,

[2:33]hey, have you heard of Deshaun Watson? And he was like, oh my god! So anyway, my husband and my son

[2:39]thought this was pretty much the coolest thing I've done on this podcast. So I did it and now I'm

[2:44]like following him on the Houston Texans and spotting him on replays on TV and I had the best time

[2:50]talking to him about his life and the interesting relationship with his mom and habitat for humanity

[2:57]and how another football player, his name I'm forgetting, his super, super famous actually helped him

[3:03]get his first home and habitat for humanity and now he's giving back to his community. Anyway,

[3:08]you should definitely listen to this episode and then you should get any football lovers in your

[3:13]life to listen to it as well. And they will thank you are very, very cool. Hi to John. Thanks for

[3:18]doing this. I'm really excited to have you on mom's. Don't have time to read books. I can't believe

[3:23]you're like not even 25 years old and you've already written this book. What is going on? I can't,

[3:27]I was like, did I read this right? 1995? I was already in college. I feel like an old lady. Oh my gosh.

[3:34]And at all. Nah, yeah, this is, I mean, it's incredible. It's truly a blessing and it's a new

[3:39]experience even for myself. Like you said, it's been 24 years old and I already have a book coming

[3:44]out is something I never even thought of but with the right support cast and the right team I have,

[3:49]they inspired me to be able to take this next step. Wow. So obviously you're an NFL quarterback

[3:56]and you've accomplished a lot in the football world. But what made you want to write this book? Like,

[4:00]why, why shame all these people out there who have been trying to write books for their whole lives

[4:06]and come out, you know, from the starting gate and do it already. Just because I just feel like

[4:10]it was the best way to to touch more people around the world because of course, if you're your sports

[4:17]fan that you kind of know about American football. So you know, you kind of have the United States

[4:21]and my testimony. You kind of hurt about me before. But the people that don't watch sports,

[4:26]the people that are in Europe because I love the travel. I love a travel to Germany. I love

[4:30]London. I love, you know, Amsterdam. They ain't places like that. And of course, they hear about

[4:34]American football, but they don't know anything about us. So for me to be able to express my

[4:40]testimony and my story, I felt like this book can go global. And those people over there can actually,

[4:44]you know, read something and find it interesting and, you know, pick a nugget. Totally. So is this been

[4:49]a really hard time that you can't travel? I mean, being sort of locked down. It's definitely hard.

[4:54]Because I'm so ready to get on my flight and just go and kind of, you know, have some some free time

[4:59]definitely going hard. I feel like I will never be upset by an airplane delay again the rest of my life.

[5:04]Like, I will be so excited to get on a plane. I don't think I've ever been in one place so long

[5:08]in my life. Right? Who does this? Who likes sit to rap? I don't know. It's amazing. So let's talk more

[5:16]about your book. One of the things and I didn't know much about your backstory at all. One of the

[5:21]things I was most impressed about was you're telling the story starting from a young age when you

[5:27]got the house to habitat for humanity. And then how as you've been into this stressful football

[5:34]player now, you've even gone back and you've started your own foundation. Tell me about that whole

[5:42]sort of full circle of your life and how habitat humanity helps you and how now you're giving back

[5:47]again. Yeah. I mean, habitat humanity really just changed my foundation of just me and my

[5:52]family's life. Growing up in the neighborhood A15 house to square. I know a lot of people

[5:57]see me right A15. That's what it is. It's on my area of college. It's the neighborhood that I was

[6:02]through my first birthday, everything until I was like 11 and 12 years old. And that was just so

[6:07]it was a different environment. It was the norm for me, but it was a different environment where

[6:10]it was no stationary departments. You know, you had to get at how you live and and just kind of

[6:15]you know, go from there. And my mom did a good job of really managing that. And then word done,

[6:20]you know, was able to bless us with that habitat for your many home and put us in a different

[6:24]environment where we never even really experienced the thought we were ever going to have a

[6:28]chance to live. And this is open my eyes some more life. And for me to be able to have this platform

[6:33]and do the same thing, I watch NFL, God, we're done to, you know, change my life and help me get to

[6:40]where I am today. So I want to be able to do the same thing with, you know, partner with habitat

[6:44]right in the book and get to these found eight on these communities to be able to do the same. If I

[6:49]can change one person life out of all the people that I touch in me, I mean, that's a dream come

[6:55]true for me. What do you think it was about your life? I mean, you're someone who decides to give

[7:01]back to the ladies in the cafeteria line because you just feel like it and you started a foundation

[7:07]and you've done all this stuff. So early, this desire to give back is amazing. What do you think it

[7:13]was? Is it your mom? Like she's obviously been like such like amazing mom. I mean, I keep reading,

[7:19]I was like reading your stories and like, how do I be as good a monster? So what do you think it

[7:24]was about your upbringing or whatever that's made you want to give back in this way? I think it

[7:29]is because so many people, and I'm not afraid to say that so many people helped me along the way

[7:34]and put me in the, it's through me in the right direction. And even if I was falling in,

[7:38]you know, the wrong direction, there were always somebody that kind of don't mean a nugget and I

[7:43]listened and I felt like, you know, my mom told me that to be able to listen or to observe everyone

[7:48]that you meet because you can get something good out of whoever you meet and also you can get

[7:52]something bad. So but you want to be balanced in the middle where you kind of see both sides and

[7:56]you take it, you know, you take the energy work where it takes you in what really stores in you

[8:01]because I'm a big energy person. So for me to be able to do that and I've been at the worst of the

[8:06]worst and at the lowest peak. So when I see somebody else that, you know, struggling or need a

[8:11]little help, I feel like it's my blessing. It's my purpose to be able to help them out in some type

[8:17]of way because I've been there before and I know what they're going through and I want to be able

[8:22]to help them out of that situation. That's amazing. The ability to be so empathetic is so important

[8:28]and it will serve you well. I'm sure on the field and off the field and all the rest. When you

[8:32]talked in the book about when you were drafted or that's probably not the right when you were

[8:36]the draft pick or whatever, that's probably not the right way to say that either. I have actually

[8:41]watched the draft with my husband who's a huge football fan. So I kind of know I could imagine what

[8:46]you were doing. But when you were when you read the letter from your mom and she said like we

[8:50]were not supposed to be here and you were crying and all that. Tell me about that moment and

[8:55]like all her cancer and like all the stuff you guys went through. What was it like to get up there

[9:00]and I know it's still early. Yeah, I'm literally getting chills now. When you mentioned

[9:05]I'm just reminiscing about that that night and that moment and I mean I couldn't hold it back.

[9:11]There's only been a couple times where I actually just like flat out cried and that was the moment

[9:15]where it was just so much joy, so much passion, so much hard work, so much you know out of 23 years

[9:21]of our you know my life and my mom you know taking care of me and the other kids it was just

[9:26]it was the moment and she knows too she she's the one that didn't start at me like hey we

[9:31]wasn't supposed to be here the numbers say you know we weren't supposed to be here where we come from

[9:36]but you know you did it son you made it we made it we made it together from all the bad with all the

[9:42]good we stayed focused we didn't get too comfortable we care working and now we had this moment

[9:46]and your dream is come true because I used to always tell her as a little boy my mom on plan NFL

[9:50]I'm gonna get you in the house I'm gonna I was always a little boy plan and now that you know

[9:55]it came true it's amazing and when she dealt with our counselor

[10:00]You know, she, the first thing, you know, she told me.

[10:01]She's like, hey, don't, hey son, don't change anything.

[10:04]You know, get closer to the Lord,

[10:05]but continue to be a son that I want you to be.

[10:08]Continue to go out there and be the kid playing football.

[10:11]Don't change your, don't change your perspective on

[10:14]how you look at life and try to, you know,

[10:16]take the street life.

[10:17]You focus on school, football,

[10:19]and you focus on the Lord, and we're gonna be fine.

[10:21]And ever since then, that's why I've been locked in up.

[10:23]Wow. Well, again, your mom hats off, I'm telling you.

[10:27]So tell me about your love of chess.

[10:30]I thought that was so interesting how you called yourself

[10:33]some sort of a nerd.

[10:33]What did you say?

[10:34]Well, then I have a quote.

[10:35]You said, a football in one hand, a chess piece in the other.

[10:38]How athlete nerdy can you get?

[10:40]And you talked about how chess really helps with football

[10:43]and strategy and your leadership ability.

[10:45]So just tell me a little more about the role of chess.

[10:48]Because I got my five-year-old playing.

[10:51]So now hopefully he can be a quarterback.

[10:54]Like, I never really thought about playing chess.

[10:57]I've always saw it.

[10:58]But my QE coach, Quincy Avery,

[11:00]and his guy only called a master professional self.

[11:04]He's out in that Los Angeles, you know, they came together.

[11:06]And they, you know, we sat down

[11:08]and he told me how to play chess one day.

[11:10]And it was supposed to be 30 minutes, you know.

[11:12]And this thing, you know, I looked at the time

[11:14]and it was already three hours.

[11:15]I'm like, whoa, this is actually fun.

[11:17]I'm getting so much out of it.

[11:19]So yeah, we include into our workouts

[11:21]and different, you know, shred it.

[11:22]But I feel like when what I get out of chess

[11:24]is being the quarterback,

[11:26]I'm always making decisions.

[11:27]I'm always reading my opponents.

[11:29]So I'm sitting across that table.

[11:31]I'm reading his move.

[11:31]I'm trying to think what he's thinking.

[11:33]Like, I'm trying to see what he's see at the same time.

[11:36]You know, it's when I'm sitting about that quarterback.

[11:37]I'm doing the same thing against the deepest of guys

[11:40]and making sure that my guy's on the right,

[11:41]you know, right read, I'm making very, very smart decisions

[11:44]at the right time being patient.

[11:46]Sometimes I gotta attack, but sometimes I need to be patient.

[11:48]So all this stuff kind of ties in together,

[11:51]especially with the position that I play.

[11:53]And it's just been, it's been awesome.

[11:54]And how do you not get distracted?

[11:57]Like, how do you keep all of that in

[11:59]and all those plays and managing where everybody is

[12:01]in the field and then having like all the people

[12:05]in the stands are maybe not anymore.

[12:06]I mean, who knows what's happening?

[12:07]But how do you maintain your focus?

[12:10]I get in the zone.

[12:11]And once I step on a field, it's like,

[12:13]I don't even hear the noise, honestly,

[12:15]especially on the road games, but even home games.

[12:17]Like, I don't, I just block out everything.

[12:19]I'm just so locked in and focus on that moment.

[12:23]And what needs to be done and what my job needs to be do

[12:25]be done.

[12:26]I just kind of block it all out.

[12:28]And I've always had that way.

[12:30]And sometimes it's hard for people,

[12:31]sometimes it's not, but for me, it's just always been that way.

[12:34]This is how I know I'm not a real athlete

[12:36]because like I play tennis and like there's a lawn mower,

[12:39]five houses away and I'm like, I can't, I just can't get it.

[12:42]And you have like, you know, stadiums with people

[12:45]and you're like, it doesn't bother me.

[12:46]So speaking of what makes an athlete,

[12:49]you talk about managing losses and how you don't know

[12:52]any great athletes who haven't tried to sort of understand

[12:56]what it was that caused the loss.

[12:57]Otherwise, you can't be a great athlete

[12:59]unless you're really like evaluating that and learning from it.

[13:02]So tell me a little more about managing losses

[13:05]and that strategy.

[13:06]I feel like you get so much more out of the loss

[13:09]than you do a win when you realize a lot more, you know,

[13:12]detail, you know, problems or detail issues

[13:16]that happen that cause the loss.

[13:18]You know, if you win, you kind of, okay, I won.

[13:19]I did this wrong, but you know, onto the next thing.

[13:22]You know, it's not too much correction.

[13:24]But when you lose, you take that loss,

[13:27]especially coming in into a NFL locker room on that Monday,

[13:30]it's not a good feeling, it's not a good energy.

[13:32]And so you kind of evaluate every single play

[13:35]that you do and you kind of point out everything,

[13:37]what caused it, what did I miss out?

[13:40]Should I study a little bit, you know, harder this week?

[13:43]Should I, you know, correct the way I look at different things

[13:46]in different situations.

[13:47]So yeah, I feel like losses is, I look at them as a positive thing.

[13:52]You know, it's really a negative.

[13:53]I look at it as a positive thing cause I get so much more out of it.

[13:56]I was like reading different parts of your book

[13:58]out to my husband.

[13:58]I'm like, you know, this guy like watches videos all the time.

[14:02]He's like, no, that's what you're supposed to do.

[14:04]Like, I guess cause you're constantly like analyzing

[14:06]all the plays and what you can do and how other people

[14:09]find it boring.

[14:10]And but you're like, no, no, no, no, this is how like

[14:12]your brain is just constantly processing.

[14:14]So yeah, I'm always thinking about football

[14:16]in different situations and always watching film, you know,

[14:19]especially, and I've learned too, you know,

[14:22]been in a fell for three years that you don't just watch

[14:25]the previous game or you don't watch that, you know, two weeks ago.

[14:28]You're actually watching the coach, as coach in that team from 1995.

[14:34]I'm like, yeah, I was born in 1995, you know,

[14:37]he's still doing the same things.

[14:38]Like, yeah, he did it versus this player and blah, blah, blah.

[14:41]And it's just like, it's incredible that, you know,

[14:43]like, it's just you see that a lot of coaches, you know,

[14:46]stay in the film work that they do.

[14:48]Wow. How are you not afraid?

[14:50]I mean, in your book, you talk about all your injuries

[14:52]and tearing your ACL twice and all these things and happen to you.

[14:55]How do you get back on the field and not worry?

[14:59]Like, how do you have that confidence in your body that it keeps coming back?

[15:02]And how are you not like afraid?

[15:04]I think it just comes with the preparation and the,

[15:07]the training that I do to get back.

[15:09]And I trust in that.

[15:10]And I just kind of let it loose on the field.

[15:12]And if I, you know, have a little fear,

[15:14]I have a little doubt or worry.

[15:16]I feel like that, that's going to cause my injury or that's going to cause me

[15:19]not to perform at my highest level.

[15:21]So for I even step on the field, I made sure that I'm good,

[15:25]locked in and then once I'm on the field, I just let it loose.

[15:29]And you talked in the book several times about how like,

[15:32]you lined up all your toys as a kid and how like everything had to be.

[15:36]So like, you know, straight and organized and how that's led to this pursuit.

[15:40]So I'm just wondering for all the parents out there

[15:42]who have kids who like to line up their stuff.

[15:44]Like does this give us hope that maybe we have

[15:46]out like athletes of your caliber?

[15:48]What do you think?

[15:49]Either athletes or somebody that's very thoughtful

[15:52]and they're decision making or strategizing, you know, different moves.

[15:56]Because I used to take marbles to pencils.

[16:01]I used to break pencils and pin line them up in different plays to my toys,

[16:05]to batteries, then my mom used to throw away.

[16:07]I got to the trash can I get them out.

[16:10]And I love a play against each other.

[16:12]And that's like age five, four, five, six, seven, eight, all the way to really high school.

[16:18]You know, and then I kind of throw out a stuff away once we moved to the habitat home.

[16:23]But yeah, my whole time growing up childhood, I used to always draw up plays

[16:27]and kind of control everyone else that was around me.

[16:30]You know, when we played football or any type of sports activity.

[16:34]Yeah, I was going to say if you're still playing with batteries, maybe I could offer up

[16:38]some other toy suggestions at this point.

[16:41]Right.

[16:41]In case you're, you know, if you run out of that one, my gosh.

[16:46]So how are you?

[16:47]I mean, you have incorporated all these principles in your book.

[16:51]You've obviously done a ton of work.

[16:52]And I know you worked with a ghostwriter and I read up about her.

[16:55]And she's like super impressive in her own right.

[16:58]How did you two pair up and what was it like working with a ghostwriter?

[17:01]Yeah, we met my rookie year in 2017.

[17:04]I was at the Gallery of Mall and it's a hotel in this door.

[17:07]And we kind of ran into each other.

[17:09]So much, she hit up my agent and, you know, she was like,

[17:12]hey, I'm in this door.

[17:12]I just seem shunned.

[17:13]And we kind of met at the hotel lobby.

[17:16]You know, she sat me down and kind of introduced herself in like,

[17:18]wrote books, but she was like, hey, I feel like you're testing on your,

[17:21]your story.

[17:22]I feel like you should write a book.

[17:24]And at first, I'm like, I'm just focusing on football.

[17:27]Like, I'm not trying to do all that.

[17:29]I don't even like, you know, reading.

[17:33]And so, you know, we kind of picked that sort of side.

[17:35]She kept, you know, contact my agent, contact my agent.

[17:38]And she was very, very, wasn't a knowing,

[17:41]but she was very good at having, hey, you need to get this done.

[17:44]I have a feeling this is going to be good.

[17:46]So, you know, a year and a half later, two years later,

[17:49]we come to this moment and she's still, you know, calling.

[17:52]And so I'm like, yeah, let's give it a try.

[17:54]So we sat down again and really kind of listened to her and thought her out,

[17:58]you know, thought out the whole, you know, both project.

[18:01]And it was just the best situation.

[18:02]I was just like, yeah, you've been right a long time ago.

[18:05]We should have did this in 2017.

[18:06]I would have probably had three books out now.

[18:08]No, but you had something more stories to include.

[18:11]All right, imagine your book when you're 40.

[18:13]You'll have like, you know, you'll have shelves like this,

[18:15]like a hundred books by then, you know.

[18:18]It was just the perfect time to wait and the kind of, you know,

[18:22]build more stories and build more, you know, my professional career

[18:25]that this moment I aged 24, the first book comes out and then

[18:29]there's many more stories to happen.

[18:31]So how did you do it?

[18:32]Did you, did you like dictate to her and she recorded it?

[18:35]And like, what was your process like with her?

[18:37]Yeah, it was a lot of phone calls, a lot of, you know,

[18:39]FaceTime's a lot of, you know, me talking to my agent when I might practice

[18:43]on what's going on, what, you know, her sending questions to me and filling out questions

[18:48]through emails.

[18:49]And I mean, it was just a lot of that kind of content,

[18:52]especially during the season.

[18:53]It was very hard for her to just, you know, pop up here.

[18:56]She didn't want to bother me.

[18:57]She wanted me to block in, which was awesome.

[18:59]But we did a lot of like emailing and FaceTime's and calls and things like that.

[19:04]Wow.

[19:04]Amazing.

[19:05]Well, I love the difference.

[19:07]The line between annoying and persistent and passionate.

[19:11]It's a tricky line.

[19:13]That seems to paint off for her.

[19:14]So that's funny.

[19:16]So now you're going into like a new season and who knows what is going on in the world.

[19:21]Like, how do you take all this mental energy and, you know,

[19:26]you're so thoughtful in the book about outlining your approach to basically

[19:31]every way in which you're living your life, which is just so astounding for anybody.

[19:35]But particularly somebody, your age.

[19:36]And I have to keep talking about your age.

[19:38]But how are you taking all this in and managing the uncertainty with the upcoming season?

[19:42]Like, what do you expect?

[19:44]How are you kind of getting yourself ready when there's so much out in the world that we don't know?

[19:49]Well, honestly, I had to change the way I processed things.

[19:53]And like you said, the word is sped.

[19:55]I haven't expected anything.

[19:56]I just kind of, I'm going with the flow now.

[19:58]I had to change that look.

[20:00]You know, I have a deadline, okay, this is when we're reporting, this is what's going on.

[20:04]We're going to play this team and pre-season and it'll be ready, hyped up.

[20:07]But now I have no expectations because I don't know what's going on.

[20:10]I don't want to be disappointed.

[20:12]I don't want to get too high and it brings me down, you know, and be, you know, too low.

[20:15]So I just kind of take your day by day, step by step, but always stand for parrot for

[20:20]the next situation and being ready to adjust as fast as possible.

[20:24]And so if I have that, you know, my say a portion of season, then I think I'll be fine.

[20:29]And so have you had to, like, are you still training?

[20:31]Like, do you do all that stuff?

[20:33]Yeah, training in like an hour or so.

[20:36]Oh, okay.

[20:38]So I usually train every day in condition and throw and, you know, watch a little tape and

[20:42]things like that in the hangout.

[20:43]Wow.

[20:44]Well, it's exciting, but I don't know.

[20:46]I think if NFL season really doesn't happen, I don't know what my husband's going to do.

[20:50]I don't know what I'm going to do.

[20:53]Oh my gosh, a lot more tape to watch, I guess.

[20:59]So if you were going to write another book, if you were to give advice to people writing

[21:03]a book, like, what would you, what would you tell them having gone through this process

[21:06]already?

[21:07]I just say open up, just open up your imagination, open up the experiences that you dealt

[21:13]with growing up and just tell your story.

[21:16]And that's the biggest thing.

[21:17]Everyone has to have a story.

[21:18]Everyone might have experiences and, you know, good, bad adversity.

[21:23]Just be able to just open up everything that you have and just be able to just let it

[21:26]loose some paper.

[21:27]And it might sound crazy, it might be out of order.

[21:31]But if you have someone like I had in the bell who was my ghostwriter, they're going

[21:35]to organize it and get it, you know, on track, and that's what we did.

[21:39]Wow.

[21:40]I have to say when I first started reading your book, I downloaded it onto my iPad.

[21:44]And there was the opening scene of you, like, basically getting baptized in Israel.

[21:49]And I was like, I think I downloaded the wrong book.

[21:51]I was like, this must be something else.

[21:54]Like, what is going on?

[21:56]Right.

[21:57]Right.

[21:58]Yeah.

[21:59]That was definitely a special moment of my journey.

[22:01]Tell me about the significance of that in the overall context.

[22:04]And then I'll leave you alone in a minute.

[22:06]No, it was just, it was amazing.

[22:08]And my QB trainer, Quincy, he's like my big brother now, he was, you know, they contacted

[22:12]him and it was like, hey, we want you and just trying to come out and train and just kind

[22:15]of get the, you know, the experience and the tour.

[22:18]So we, you know, decided to do that and spent the weekend in Israel.

[22:21]And they were like, hey, you want to get baptized in the river that, you know, Jesus

[22:26]got baptized in it.

[22:27]And so we're like, yeah, I mean, that would be the coolest moment ever.

[22:30]And so we did that.

[22:31]And it was just, it was amazing, the energy, the passion, the people that, you know, make

[22:35]sure we're good each and every day and the food, I mean, everything was just amazing.

[22:40]It was probably one of my favorite trips I've ever been on.

[22:43]Wow.

[22:44]I've never been there.

[22:46]It's great.

[22:47]Now I'm inspired.

[22:48]So what for just your last question, I'll let you go train and do everything else.

[22:52]It's more important.

[22:53]But what do you say to people who are growing up and all have dreams of doing what you're

[22:57]doing?

[22:58]And I know you're still like in the beginning of your career and everything.

[23:01]But what advice did you give to people so they don't give up?

[23:04]So they somehow get, they just don't give up to the point to get to where you are right

[23:09]now.

[23:10]Like what's the advice?

[23:11]Like what's your inspiration?

[23:12]I would say you don't have a doubt, have any doubt, whatever your goals and your dreams

[23:17]own, if it's been the quarterback of an NFL team or being in a movie or whatever you

[23:24]want to be in life, don't have any doubt behind it.

[23:27]Go full throttle at it and don't be afraid to take losses and make mistakes.

[23:33]And that's one thing that I wasn't afraid of going through on my path and my journey.

[23:38]I was always very confident in myself in a humble way, but also I knew that some losses

[23:46]mistakes were going to happen, but I'm going to use it into a positive momentum and to keep

[23:51]pushing forward.

[23:52]That's great.

[23:53]Well, thank you so much.

[23:54]Thanks for coming on Mountain Time Tree books.

[23:56]Thanks for passing it on.

[23:57]Thanks for all of your advice and advice for people like my son and myself and like everybody.

[24:04]It's just really awesome life advice.

[24:07]And I can't wait to now follow you and see as you get to be, you know, old and stodgy

[24:11]like me.

[24:12]And my 40s, but you know what advice you're going to have over the course of your career.

[24:16]So I'm excited to watch it all unfold.

[24:19]Thank you.

[24:20]Thank you.

[24:21]Appreciate you having me on here.

[24:22]All right.

[24:23]Have a great day.

[24:24]All right.

[24:25]Thank you.

[24:26]Bye bye.

[24:27]Thanks so much to firstbook.org for sponsoring this Labor Day book blast.

[24:32]Please consider giving to firstbook.org to help their network of 475,000 educators serving

[24:38]children in need.

[24:39]Thanks for listening to this episode of Moms Don't Have Time to Read Books.

[24:43]Don't forget to follow me on Instagram at zebi Owens and at Moms Don't Have Time to Read

[24:47]Books.

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[24:52]meet lots of authors on Zoom every other week.

[24:55]Thanks so much to Steve and Ryan at Textures Sound for the Sound Editing.

[24:59]And thank you to Morning Moon Productions for providing this fantastic intro and outroom

[25:03]music.