Teddy Swims ties Billboard record for most consecutive weeks on the chart with Lose Control, talks YouTube covers to top Global singer selling out venues, I've tried everything but therapy, tattoos and next chapter of becoming a father

“It’s everything I wanted it to be but it’s also a lot of things I never expected.” Teddy Swims singer and songwriter. From pain to purpose- On September 20, 2022, Ryan, Channing and Fred went to Atlanta to check out this YouTube sensation and social media famed singer who could cover songs which had people gravitating to his voice and unique style. Ryan ended that show saying 5 years from now, 'you will be a huge star and we can say we sat with you before anyone else,'... Well it only took two and half years and we are back sitting with the one and only, and We can say we knew him when... Now, global sensation, topping the charts with his hits Lose Control, Bed on Fire, The Door and many others- Teddy Swims, singer, songwriter who's journey from football fields to soulful sound waves captivated audiences worldwide has become one of the top artists in all of music and has remained the same guy through it all! In his powerful return to The Pivot Podcast, Jaten Dimsdale known as Teddy Swims, sits down with the guys to reflect on how life has transformed since his first appearance in 2022. Back then, he was a rising star trying to find his place. Now, he's a chart-topping artist with a global fanbase—and a much deeper understanding of himself. We traveled to meet up with Teddy on his US tour where he's selling out venues around the country to catch him before his big show, and to no surprise, he's as genuine as the first time we met him. Teddy shares the pivotal moments that led him to embrace his true passion for music, revealing the challenges and triumphs along the way to the top and what it's like to be living his dream. Teddy opens up about the personal growth he's undergone over the past few years—emotionally, mentally, and creatively. He speaks candidly about therapy, heartbreak, healing, and the lessons learned while navigating fame, relationships, and his own identity. From the raw vulnerability in his newest music to the clarity he's found offstage, Teddy bares it all about finding his life partner as he shares his biggest news and excitement around his next chapter- fatherhood. The discussion delves into the creative process behind Teddy's latest album, I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy , exploring the raw emotions and personal experiences that shaped his journey. Teddy reflects on the therapeutic power of music and how it serves as both a personal outlet and a means to connect with others. He opens up on growth as an artist and individual, as he navigates the complexities of fame, self-identity, and the pursuit of authenticity in an industry often defined by its superficiality. The conversation offers a rare glimpse into the mind of an artist continuing to redefine the boundaries of music and personal expression. It explores the transformation: of a man, an artist, and a soul finding peace after chaos. Whether you're just discovering Teddy or have followed him since the beginning, his journey will resonate, inspire, and hit home. Life after viral fame: What success really feels like The role therapy and mental health play in his creative process Lessons in love, loss, and letting go How his sound—and soul—have matured Listen in for an honest, moving conversation about change, growth, and what it really means to come home to yourself. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:01Speaker 00

  Every game day, you show up for your team. Now, it's your time.

• 0:11Speaker 00

  Ask your prescriber about Wegovy. Semaglutide injection, 2.4 milligrams a GLP-1. Call 1-833-4-WEGOVIE or visit wegovie.com to view the medication guide and to learn more about Wegovy. Why wait?

• 0:30Speaker 01

  Man, come in with the fire shoes on.

• 0:32Speaker 02

  I'm ready, come in.

• 0:33Speaker 01

  Yo!

• 0:33Speaker 02

  Okay, okay.

• 0:35Speaker 01

  What up, fam, ladies?

• 0:37Ryan Clark?

  What up, dawg?

• 0:38Speaker 01

  How you doing, man? Good to see you, baby.

• 0:41Ryan Clark?

  What's up, baby?

• 0:41Speaker 01

  Good to see you, man.

• 0:43Speaker 02

  Where do I belong, right here?

• 0:44Ryan Clark?

  Right here, man.

• 0:45Speaker 02

  Okay. Got the Landon Dickerson on?

• 0:47Speaker 01

  Man, you know, I just always get 69 when they make me jerseys. Cause you know, but I try to get one everywhere we go.

• 0:55Ryan Clark?

  What number did you wear back in the day?

• 0:57Speaker 01

  Well, when I was in high school, I wore 74. Like, my dad and all my brothers wore 74.

• 1:02Ryan Clark?

  Right, right.

• 1:02Speaker 01

  But, you know, 69 is funny. So, I wanted to be like my dad, but obviously now I'm not playing ball. I can be 69 all I want.

• 1:11Ryan Clark?

  Teddy Swims is back, man, part two.

• 1:14Speaker 01

  Yeah, man.

• 1:15Ryan Clark?

  It's like the second time you released, I tried everything with therapy. You know what I'm saying? It was like a new thing.

• 1:21Speaker 01

  Dude, how long has it been since we hung out?

• 1:23Ryan Clark?

  September of 2022. The way you treat people, man, the way you move, like, that's what life is about. It's about the relationships you build. But the level of talent that you have, man, like, it is different. It is elite, and you are touching people, you're moving people. And people are paying attention. And so for us, to get an opportunity to sit down with you in this way, like, I feel like five years from now, we'll look back at it and be like, man, before Teddy Swims was the Teddy Swims, everybody else knew on Grammys and all that, he sat down with the pivot, man. So, thank you so much.

• 1:59Speaker 01

  I'll be right back, too.

• 2:01Ryan Clark?

  I'm trying to get some Journey out of him. Okay, so, Chen, you said you learned the words to Journey, right?

• 2:08Speaker 02

  What's that? That's the song, Freddie, that's the song that you got on? Just a small-time girl. Oh, yeah. Living in a lonely world. Let's go, baby. What we got, bro? She took the midnight train going anywhere.

• 2:27Speaker 02

  Just a city boy.

• 2:30Speaker 01

  Born and raised in San Diego. He got it, he got it.

• 2:36Ryan Clark?

  Honestly, man, like, this was something like I did as a fan. Like, you couldn't have been better. Like, honestly, you're...

• 2:44Speaker 01

  Oh, y'all too.

• 2:45Ryan Clark?

  You pulled up in like a Honda Accord or something like that?

• 2:48Speaker 01

  Yeah, sure did, man, I sure did.

• 2:50Ryan Clark?

  It ain't like that outside.

• 2:51Speaker 01

  No, no, yeah, yeah.

• 2:52Ryan Clark?

  Seven tour buses.

• 2:53Speaker 01

  Yeah, yeah, no, we're doing alright, man, we're okay. I just bought a house in Nashville too, my girls, I'd have a baby in a month, man, I'm having a little son. Yeah, he's due on Father's Day too, on the 15th, which I hope he's like, I hope he's born on that day, because I plan on just be like, you know, girl, I know you in pain, but don't you need to tell me something? You know? Don't you need to tell me something, baby? Did you not forget to tell me Happy Father's Day? Totally make it about me, you know?

• 3:17Ryan Clark?

  That'd be awesome.

• 3:37Ryan Clark?

  Freddie T, man, Teddy Swims is here. Channing couldn't make it today, he has a family emergency. Thoughts and prayers are with him. I'm RC, Pivot fam, thank you for pivoting with us. This is one of our favorite guests, we're excited to have him again. Teddy, man, it's, one, as a fan, which is why we did the show the first time. I just want to say congratulations, man, on just all the hard work, starting to show some fruits for you.

• 4:04Speaker 01

  Yeah, thank you, man, well, y'all too, man, thank you, dude. Thank y'all for coming, last time we did this in Atlanta, and here we are in Philly together, which is so cool. Thank y'all for always making the trek, man.

• 4:13Ryan Clark?

  You know, on the way here, just reading so many articles, man, there was so much stuff you were doing that was in Europe. It was, you know, stuff from Berlin and all these places that you've been. That kid from Georgia, who listened to his homeboys that sang Bon Jovi.

• 4:33Fred Taylor?

  How could you ever imagine it would grow to what it's grown to now for you?

• 4:37Speaker 01

  You know, I of course imagined it, you know, that was always the goal. Like, we always saw this being the case, you know, and never let that go. That was the most important thing, but to see it happen, I guess, I guess I would say like the weirdest thing about it is not, it's not, it's everything I wanted it to be, but it's also a lot of things that I never expected, you know what I mean? It's come with its own different type of problems that, you know, like the kid that was telling myself of like, if I could do this for a living, or if I could like establish this as a life, I would like all these problems would go away, and that couldn't be farther from the truth, you know, like, especially when it comes to like certain self-image and self, like, I guess, like, you know, insecurities, like, you would think some of that stuff goes away when you're, when you're like, people think that you're good

• 5:22Speaker 01

  or beautiful in some way, you would think that you would start feeling that way, and that was like, couldn't be further from the truth. You know, it definitely took a lot of hard wake-up calls of being like, I gotta learn how to love me, like, I think it got worse when people started calling, you know, coming in and being like, I, I, I love you, you know, I think it got worse, I felt like I was in this, you know, lying to myself, or they were lying to me, or I just couldn't, you know, it's just, so, you know, it has its own, it has its own ups and downs, but I am so grateful where I am, like, currently in my life, and mentally and spiritually and, you know, physically even, you know, I'm doing all right, so.

• 5:55Fred Taylor?

  No, without a doubt, I mean, it looks that way from the outside looking in, man, and I went back to prepare for this show, I re-watched our last show the first time we were together. You talked about the $30,000 Airbnb the first time you went to LA, you was like, man, no way, that's wasteful money, and we've kept in touch via DM ever since then, right? And you said, look, we gotta run it back. You're on superstar status, man, why, like, why run it back with us?

• 6:23Speaker 01

  This kind of thing, man, you know, because of exactly that, you know, just to come back in and check in to each other, and, I know, dude, I felt so good about last time we chatted, and, I mean, we stay in touch, and you guys have just all been like, we're lifelong friends, you know, and especially now we have that history together, and I've seen how much all of us have just kind of gone in our directions and really like taken off in a beautiful way, and it's good to just, I think it's beautiful to circle back and catch up and be like, man, I'm so proud of you guys, and saying back to me, you know, and it just feels good to be, you know, and we do this damn thing every couple of years and check back in, man, you know, and just. Dude, I love you guys, man, and it means a lot to be hanging with you again. And I miss Chan, I wish he was here too, but whatever's going on, God bless him and I'm praying for him.

• 7:06Ryan Clark?

  Well, you know, the first thing Chan would say, he'd just happy you know how to make a baby.

• 7:10Speaker 01

  Yeah, yeah, well, he wasn't giving me too much credit last time, was he?

• 7:14Fred Taylor?

  The other thing you might say is, are we gonna see Swims and Swims promo anytime soon?

• 7:20Speaker 01

  You know, I'm a ways off of that, I think, but I'm working on it, man. I've been off the booze for a few weeks now, and you know, my guy Luis, who's my security guy, he's like an old Golden Glove boxer, you know, so the last like couple of weeks I've been getting after it in the gym and, you know, trying to get back a little slimmer, for the first time slim, I guess, in my life.

• 7:40Fred Taylor?

  Yeah, slams.

• 7:41Speaker 01

  I just wanna feel good when my son gets here, you know, I wanna feel like strong and be able like, you know, and be like a parent and like present, cuz I, you know, I wanna be home and be like present and be fully there for that, that, that time when I get, you know, when he's here, you know? I wanna catch that baby and be like, whoa, that was intense.

• 8:01Ryan Clark?

  Yeah, you could be like Martin when the baby shot across the kitchen, he's like, I caught him!

• 8:06Speaker 01

  Oh, you know, but speaking of Martin, look, I just got this finished today, cuz last time I was here in Philly, my buddy Jake Caramell started this tattoo and look, we just finished it like right before I came in here, I got this Jerome finished, look how sick that is.

• 8:17Ryan Clark?

  Shut up, dawg.

• 8:19Speaker 01

  That's my favorite show of all time, so I just like, I'm always like, dude, Martin is my, that's my sleep show.

• 8:26Fred Taylor?

  How'd you just come up with that, bro? Did you know that?

• 8:28Speaker 01

  Hey, man, I just be rolling. Yeah, Martin is like my go-to-sleep show, I watch that show over and over, that's like my, that's my bedtime, like that's my everyday show, I love Martin, man.

• 8:37Ryan Clark?

  Teddy, man, before the album released, before your debut album, you hadn't started therapy, and now you've moved in to doing that, what has, what has that journey been like for you?

• 8:49Speaker 01

  Man, I think it's been really wonderful, you know, I think, especially when it comes to like learning love and how love is supposed to be, you know, I had these like, I guess this like bad patterns and like bad things that I just always like kind of associated love with, and I mean, we all gotta break those little, and I still am, learning to it, you know, but I think like, I have to give everything to Rash, man, she's the, God is a woman and she's the most incredible woman, man, to see her like just put out an EP a couple of days ago, still in Pilates, still in yoga, still taking care of her body, still getting like, putting this house together, furnishing it, they're getting it painted, she's doing it all, you know, and I'm on the road and she's just like so powerful, man, she... You know, when we first found out we were pregnant, she was like, you know, I think it'd be good for us to start therapy together, you know, as we're going in.

• 9:33Speaker 01

  And we work on our communication and work on like, making sure we bring this baby in the most loving, healed environment. And, you know, sure enough, then like, I'm doing it alone, and then she's doing it alone. And then I'm like, dude, I think this woman just tricked me into therapy, bro. You know, and like, just like a good woman should. You know what I mean? Like, just does like, she just always gives me like, just has healed me in so many ways. And I guess gave me the tools to heal myself, rather, you know? And I just couldn't be more grateful for her as a human being. She's fucking dope, dude.

• 10:02Fred Taylor?

  We mentioned that it's been a while since the last time, right? What's like the biggest difference in the man that's sitting here today?

• 10:10Speaker 01

  Um, man, you know, I think, I think I'm ready for the, I don't know, I guess the thing that it is now, it's so, it's so wild to see that we're in, you know, 70 people are here doing this job now. You know, we're like 11 trucks and like six buses out there. And it's, it's like, it's a lot of folks, like, counting on this, this thing to work. And I think, I think in more so, I am like taking, uh, just picking and choosing my battles and like really trying to make sure that I'm, I'm, I'm available and like, and I'm like perceptive of things. And I, I think just overall, like the wisdom I've accrued from doing this and trying to be a leader, I think I've just gotten to be a whole lot better of a leader, you know? And, and realizing that what, instead of making decisions all the time,

• 10:53Speaker 01

  actually just being a follower is like the most important thing about leading. You know, a lot of times, like putting the right guy in the position to do the right thing and always trusting that if you trust somebody, they gonna make the right call, rather than just like banging my head and terrified all the time of decisions that I don't know how to make. You know, I think I'm just like following my gut and listening to it a whole lot more, I would say is like, I think with, especially when it came to like lose control kind of having its moment. I remember like, we're still going crazy, but I remember the first time that we played that song and feeling like, God, this is gonna change my life. And seeing that song do the distance and me knowing like, okay, like when I feel something in my gut, I know I need to trust that feeling and don't let nobody tell me shit otherwise, you know?

• 11:33Speaker 01

  And so I think just a lot more in my life, I've moved in, I guess like, not ever questioning myself in my movements now, you know? I wanna be like, I made the decision, I stand on it and I move forward and I don't like, I feel like so long in my life, I was terrified of decisions and not knowing that if you didn't make one, that's also making a decision and sometimes just letting shit happen is the worst thing to do. And if, even if you make the wrong decision, you made one and that's better than not making one, you know? And I think that's the biggest thing I've learned in my life over this couple of years.

• 12:03Fred Taylor?

  And with that, I mean, your stage name, or your last name, your stage name, Swims, what is the, um, Someone Who Isn't Me Sometimes?

• 12:11Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 12:12Fred Taylor?

  With all the new success, do you still feel like you're not you sometimes?

• 12:16Speaker 01

  Well, I think, I think the name was more so like, uh, I guess like, I feel like, I say it like this all the time, I feel like I'm, every, every day, I feel like I'm further from who I thought I was, you know? Like I, like I learn more about myself and the things that are like, so important to me then are just like, there's, there's different things that are important to me now. And I think as I, as I grow and evolve, I think that, that name just keeps it open to like whoever I am becoming, you know, rather than being stuck in this. I, I don't ever want it to be like a, you know, like a different character that I'm playing. I wanna be as authentic as I am to the person that I am at the time, you know? And, and I think as I change, I think that name maybe gets it evolved. I've started experimenting with saying like, soft winner in my shorts, or like, Someone

• 13:01Speaker 01

  Who I Massage Sexually, you know, just to, just to like kinda tiptoe around. When people ask me the question now, you know, I just, I kinda, I've kinda freestyled a little bit, you know?

• 13:11Ryan Clark?

  Nah, I love that. You know, when I first saw you, you were doing covers of all of these fantastic artists, some of the greats in the world on YouTube and I was like, man, like showing my kids and we're talking about it in the house. And then I couldn't help but smile when the Lose Control Challenge took over social media. And so many people did all of these beautiful renditions and versions of your song. And it took me back to like singing with you in Georgia and you just going through all of these songs you'd sing.

• 13:47Fred Taylor?

  That moment of people embracing you the same way you embraced some of the greats, what was that like?

• 13:55Speaker 01

  Yeah, that's incredible, man. It's the best feeling in the world. I mean, it's a reaffirming feeling because, you know, of course, there's like always this fear of like, you know, shut up and sing Shania Twain, fat boy, you know what I mean? I like, there's always that, there's always that fear that like, I've seen so many people kind of get locked in that cover space and I'm just grateful to had like, had something that really broke through and and to see people, yeah, like covering or kids that like I, I find on, on TikTok all the time who are singing this, you know, and they might be like amazing singers, you know, and I'll see like follows you and I'm like, oh, that's crazy. Or they're singing my song and they're incredible, you know, it's like, it's such a beautiful thing to see somebody's take on something or like, I guess, that's the same way that I listen to those songs that I covered,

• 14:35Speaker 01

  you know, that they, I, I sang them from a place of, they were like, my relationships I was singing about are like my certain like summer that I spent with this person and that's the way I think of this song and and truly when like, when you're, I, I find that the beautiful thing about music is that like, I, I don't really ever, you know, like if I think about the Carter 3, for instance, by Lil Wayne, I think about like my ninth grade summer, going into 10th grade and I, I did LSD for the first time and I was, I was going to my first high school parties and stuff and that was like the anth, the whole album was like the anthem of my like coming of age, you know, and so like, I don't know what Lil Wayne was going through when he wrote that stuff, but for me, that just signifies like this coming of age and this beautiful time in my life and, and so like now when I see that and play out in front of my eyes

• 15:19Speaker 01

  with people with my music, you know, it's like maybe they listened to that all summer and like they fell in love to that song and they like, and it doesn't matter about the girl that broke my heart that I wrote that about, it's like, it's actually a love story for some people and it's such a fucking beautiful thing to see, you know?

• 15:33Fred Taylor?

  You said something Teddy that kind of jumped out at me when you mentioned the word fear. We had Jelly Roll on the show and I asked him his biggest fear, but before you answer that one, because I do want to ask you your biggest fear, right? You also mentioned that you're moving, you just got a house in Nashville.

• 15:47Speaker 01

  Yes, sir.

• 15:48Fred Taylor?

  Any collaborations down the road at some point?

• 15:50Speaker 01

  Yeah, you know, man, Jelly is the kindest, most beautiful human in the world, man. He really is, just deserves everything that's coming his way. And I can never speak more highly about a human being than, I'm, nobody can. I really don't think anybody can say anything negative about that guy. Um, but, yeah, dude, one day, one day, we'll, we'll, if, when the time is right, you know, me and him can finally get together and write that tune, you know? We, we've had a couple of things over like the time that somebody might say, like, you guys could do this together, but I'm like, always just like, I think when we get that time to work together and write something that feels like that space in both of us, I think that's the way we gotta do it, you know? And I'm always like, dude, we gotta get together and do it. But, I mean, he's having a whirlwind and I'm, you know, we're, well, one of these days, yeah, when I'm living in Nashville, he's off the road, I'm off the road, we're gonna, we're gonna get there and do something eventually.

• 16:35Ryan Clark?

  Have you ever had the, the all of us look alike, uh, moment with Jelly Roll?

• 16:39Speaker 01

  Well, you know, you know, you know the worst thing that, I won't say the worst thing I have because there's worse people, but like, uh, dude, I was, I was, okay, so we were, we were in JFK in New York and, uh, I'm, I'm leaving the, the Sky Club and, uh, we're on the elevator and this lady's like, you know, oh my God, are you, are you? And I'm like, yeah, you know, um, yeah, yeah, yeah. So, you know, I'm going on myself, you know, I'm feeling myself too, bro. And she, she's like, she's like, can I get a picture with you? And I was like, yeah, absolutely, man. And so we take a picture and I was like, oh, we didn't press the button. And I was like, it's okay, we got distracted. She puts the button and she goes down, she's like, yeah, just casually chilling in the elevator with Jelly Roll. And I was like, and my face is going white, and the door opens and I just like, go correct her, just go, just go, just go.

• 17:21Speaker 01

  And I, you know, I, I was like, at first, like, I mean, not offended, but I just, you know, it just, it just kinda made me feel humbled because I was like, I was like, yeah, that's me, you know, yeah. And I'm scared, like, what if she posted out on Facebook or something, this poor old lady, like, hung out with Jelly Roll today in the elevator and somebody's like, that's not Jelly Roll. And she's like, that piece of shit tried to tell me he's Jelly Roll. And now I just look like a Jelly Roll impersonator. And I didn't want to be like, no, baby, I'm also famous.

• 17:47Speaker 01

  You see, you can't say that, that makes you look worse. So, I just had to let that happen and be like... I probably look like an asshole right now.

• 17:53Ryan Clark?

  That's the thing too, because you get it often, so you are ready to answer that you are who they think you are.

• 18:00Speaker 01

  Next time, wait till they say Teddy Swims before I open my mouth.

• 18:03Fred Taylor?

  They call me Fred Jackson all the time. You play for Buffalo, Fred Jackson?

• 18:07Speaker 01

  Oh no.

• 18:08Fred Taylor?

  It's just Taylor.

• 18:09Speaker 01

  Fred Jackson, come on, baby.

• 18:10Ryan Clark?

  It's so, it's so cool to be here. I mean, sound check is, is going on. Like, you have so many things moving, man, and you're continuing to ascend. Timing is everything.

• 18:22Speaker 01

  Yes, sir. Yes, sir.

• 18:23Ryan Clark?

  You know, I think people always think it, you become an overnight success, but it takes so much work.

• 18:28Speaker 01

  Oh, it sure does.

• 18:29Ryan Clark?

  Do you feel like things happen at the right time for you, for you to be able to handle all of this?

• 18:34Speaker 01

  And dude, I, I, you know, and I say it all the time. I feel like if, if I wanted this so bad, like when I was younger, and, and, and, and, you know, like shout out to people like, kids like Benson Boone, who are just like absolutely mature enough to deal with this at 22, and absolutely like there, and like crushing it. If I would've gotten this at like 22, or any of the, any time before now, I would've sent it straight to my liver and up my nose, dog. You know what I mean? I would've fucked this thing up, dude. I would've ruined it. You know what I mean? I just like, I wasn't there like mentally, or also I didn't have like my, my perspective, or like my, my, my, like, I didn't have the thing to give, I don't think. You know, it took life, and it took lessons, and it took things to like, feel like where, where I'm coming from, I actually speak to people in a way that can bless people now,

• 19:18Speaker 01

  rather than just being a kid talking about love. You know what I mean? I think I really have a blessing to give to people, and also can receive them a lot easier than I did at some point in my life. And so I think timing, again, yeah, it's everything. It's everything. I'm, I'm in the place for this, you know?

• 19:33Ryan Clark?

  What's the one thing that you've done since the last time we saw you where you were like, "Damn."

• 19:42Speaker 01

  I made it. I think like my biggest like I think made it moment is the uh so I um the 30th I guess it was a couple years ago maybe it was right after I talked to you guys and maybe a little few months afterwards um I'd worked with Meghan Trainor and we did this song and her husband Daryl Sabaro like he had just turned 30 and he was the Spy Kids Jr. You know and I remember like going up man my mom was taking us I saw I think Spy Kids 3 like 3 times at theater you know what I'm saying I was all about that shit when I was a kid and so for his 30th birthday he's at the Soho House in LA and they like rented out the theater and uh you know like we watched Spy Kids 2 with with Junie and and and Alexa Vega too and and I was just like I remember I got to call my mom and be like

• 20:23Speaker 01

  mom like I just watched Spy Kids with this [__] Spy Kids like this is I did it you know like I did it she's like I know that was awesome baby I know that was awesome I saw Alexa too I froze up too I met Alexa and I know she's married and stuff and I still apologize for this moment because I was like bro I had the biggest crush on her when I was like a kid you know what I mean and I blurted out when I met her too I was like Alexa it's so good to meet man I used to make out in my pillow to you dude and I was like oh you [__] dumbass why'd you say that I was like I'm so sorry I'm so embarrassed why did I say that I was like 8 you know what I'm saying like so I I mean you know like forgive me like I was and I'm 32 I shouldn't have said that but you know

• 21:01Fred Taylor?

  That is wild.

• 21:02Speaker 01

  Starstruck you know what I mean?

• 21:03Fred Taylor?

  It happens I guess. How is tour life though like uh you still having fun with it the routine is slow?

• 21:09Speaker 01

  Yeah man it's the best dude.

• 21:10Fred Taylor?

  Do you ever have moments where you feel like you want to just be at home in your own bed?

• 21:14Speaker 01

  Of course of course man I mean I do especially now with everything coming up you know with the baby and stuff I want to be at home but there's there's like I I'm lucky enough that like I have my boys here and we got such a strong foundation we're all taking care of each other and checking on each other and and I mean it feels like I've been touring I guess like 11 months out of the year for the last 4 years now so I really don't know too much about home other than the bus at this point you know and and I I do find myself like As touring, I have a better routine than I do at home right now, you know, because I don't even know how to act when I get home. I guess there's like a, there's like a thing that I kind of go through all the time with, with, um, and I, I remember I asked, asking Burt Kreischer about this and he told me this beautiful thing, like he, he's like, man, I get it too, because like, sometimes you get off the road and you're like,

• 21:59Speaker 01

  a couple of days in and you're just like, I don't know, just get depressed, kind of, you know, like. I think there's like, some level of dopamine or some level of endorphins that you get while you're doing this, and this level of praise that you get, that you get so like, it's like, I'm not natural for a human being, I don't think. And so, I tend to like, get home and like, I used to value my alone time and like my home, my space a lot, but now, sometimes I get home and I'm like, scared of, terrified of being alone or find this depression, and I have to tell myself, it's like, you're not depressed, you're just like, not getting this level of dopamine, and maybe your brain has just shut down the, like, production of it altogether. And you're, you're not getting this level of love and appreciation and this like, level of like, acceptance from people all the time at home. And so, when small things happen, I'm like, hey, you know, I get so down on myself.

• 22:44Speaker 01

  And so, it's, it's always like a re-entry when I get back home, you know, is what Burt said. He's like, I just like, try to make sure everybody comes around and like, gives me love, you know? Like, I need, I need, I need to go home to my girl and just like, I really need love right now, you know? I need my brother, I need my mom to, everybody to be here and like, have a cookout or someone to just give me love, tell me everything's okay, because it is, but, you know, there's just, there's things about your brain that just, I think get weird when you're doing this job.

• 23:07Fred Taylor?

  That's, that's fair, because when I look at a lot of, um, you know, a lot of guys that played in NFL, a lot of guys that, you know, they were energized from the crowd and, you know, people loving them and cheering for them. And then when they retire and it's all said and done, they go into this deep depression. They kind of lose themselves and all that different stuff. And, you know, it's, it's one thing when you actually love those likes, versus not loving those likes and learning how, or trying to figure out how to manage it. So I think as you go, continue to, you know, lean on those people that love you the most and... That'll be, um, that'll be your therapy when you're done. You know, knowing that you have them still in your life in your corner. And that's all that matters.

• 23:51Speaker 01

  Yeah, exactly, man. I think, I think that's the biggest thing is just trying to have, again, the people around you. It matters the most, you know, and having people that just will lift you up and, and understand. Cause I, yeah, I'm sure, yeah, I'm sure y'all go through it too. Yeah, in, in the same way that, like, that, that praise is like, just not something. I don't wanna say praise, like, in the wrong way. I mean, just that, that love, you know, that attention, that thing.

• 24:11Fred Taylor?

  If you're feeding into it.

• 24:12Speaker 01

  Yeah, I think, I think it can really, it can define you in a lot of ways sometimes. It's like, could be very good for you, you know, make you, make you proud and make you like, energize and feel good, but it can also be a slippery slope too on the, on the avenue of just like, what am I without this? You know, what do I have without this? What am I if I'm not singing or playing? Or what am I as a father? What I'm, what, what, what do I have to offer outside of what I do? And I've just never really had anything. And so like, that's the biggest thing is always trying to figure out. I gotta get some hobbies, man. You know, like, I gotta, I gotta do, I gotta figure out how to do stuff that is not. I even find that when I've like stopped drinking for a while. I'm like, every day in the, out, in, in the green rooms, I'm like, we gotta write some tunes.

• 24:55Speaker 01

  We gotta do, I gotta keep my mind going so I'm not just like, let's get a drink on, you know? And it's, it's, it's getting tough to be like, I've even started, I just bought a tattoo machine and like, we're just, you know, tattooing the crew and we're tattooing each other. And I'm just like getting, having fun, just like keeping my mind busy, you know, doing something else. And it's been really rewarding too, just doing something different than this, that singing thing, you know?

• 25:16Fred Taylor?

  Did you finish your back yet? I know you said it hurt.

• 25:18Speaker 01

  No, man, I, I, I haven't gotten to see Derek in a, in a minute. Like, like, we haven't gotten to go home to Atlanta enough time to get the back done. But I got some stuff around it added, but I gotta go back to him to get it done, you know? But I'm scared it's been like four years. He's probably gonna like, he's gotten better. He's probably gonna wanna redo a bunch of lines. And I'm gonna be like, dude, don't do that, just lay off of it. So we're gonna get it done.

• 25:37Ryan Clark?

  Teddy, with all these tats you have, man, why did, why weren't you able to finish that one? Like, you got tats on your eyelids.

• 25:44Speaker 01

  Yeah, I'm gonna get it done. It's just gotta be by him, you know? I just don't, I don't ever get a chance when I'm home in Atlanta to get him to do it, you know? But I don't want nobody else to touch his work. He's gotta finish it, you know? That's my boy, so.

• 25:55Fred Taylor?

  Spoken like a real person with tattoos. Is it cheating, though? Those guys that get the anesthesia, get knocked out to get tatted? Is that cheating?

• 26:02Speaker 01

  Look, dude, I'm all about getting the tattoos with as little pain as possible. I've sat through some stuff that I had to earn, and it's not fun. You know, I would, I would totally, I would, I, you know, I would have totally, but now I'm covered enough that I couldn't do that if I wanted to. But I'm, I'm not, I'm not like a, like an old head about it, like, you're a pussy if you like, don't sit down and take it like a man. Like, nah, come on, get your t- get, get covered up, man. You like the art, so does the artist, man. That's all that matters.

• 26:30Ryan Clark?

  Man, absolutely. Freddie T, man, I know you've been back in the gym.

• 26:33Fred Taylor?

  Yep.

• 26:33Ryan Clark?

  I think it was old Travis Hunter getting drafted down there that inspired you. You know what I'm saying? My dog play both sides of the football. I mean, just think, man, if he had some of this Kachava, man, shoot, this all in one, it's like a nutrition shake, but it's plant protein. Like, this would be something that would got you right back in the day.

• 26:48Fred Taylor?

  Hey, bro, you're right. I would have definitely loved this back in the day. But even better now, it supports everything I need. For my energy, digestion, my muscles, my weight. I've been watching my weight. Has 25 grams of plant protein, 85 superfoods. I mean, they should have named it everything, because it has everything.

• 27:04Ryan Clark?

  And what's crazy to me, though, like you said, the plant protein, I was like, man, should I gotta be a vegan to take Kachava? But then I looked at it, bro, adding plant-based protein to your diet is a great way to get all the nourishment you need, and it's a whole-body experience. And what's dope about it, Freddie T, is you can try Kachava now, risk-free, with their Love It Guarantee.

• 27:24Fred Taylor?

  Hey, bro, that's a fact. When I had it, I felt focused, energized, calm, and full for hours. When they say whole body, they wasn't lying.

• 27:32Ryan Clark?

  I mean, absolutely, man. Fuel your game with Kachava. Go to kachava.com and use the code PIVOT for 15% off a subscription for a limited time. That's Kachava, K-A-C-H-A-V-A dot com. Use code PIVOT for 15% off. Listening to you and Fred kinda talk about that, it's sort of solitude. We had this conversation with Jay Shetty and he talked about being alone. It could be solitude or it could be loneliness depending on the way your mind shapes it. And for you, you know, you talked about the applause, right? I think a lot of that is the fact that you worked really hard doing something that you're passionate about giving to people and it feels good when they receive it.

• 28:16Speaker 01

  Yeah, totally.

• 28:17Ryan Clark?

  You know what I'm saying, it feels good when they receive it. One of my favorite things that you've done since the last time we saw you is singing with Kelly Clarkson. Now, I think Kelly Clarkson's freaking amazing.

• 28:26Speaker 01

  We're about to get back with her too in a couple of weeks too.

• 28:28Ryan Clark?

  How was that?

• 28:29Speaker 01

  She's the coolest person, man. And that whole building too, like in her whole place, like everybody in that entire crew, everybody that works on that show, you could just tell like, you know when a good leader, everybody from the top down is all just happy to be there and there's nowhere they'd rather be, like that's how she runs her, it's a well-oiled machine where everybody's just every day well, excited to get up at 4 a.m. Like, they all [bleep] love their jobs, you know? And just her as a human being, all of them as human beings are just great, great people. We're about to do a episode of her and she's doing this whole like, I guess like Teddy Swims episode and we're learning a bunch of duets to do together and singing. So I'm excited to get back with her. She's one of the kindest people in the world, man, she really is.

• 29:13Speaker 01

  And so incredibly talented.

• 29:15Ryan Clark?

  Yeah. Now I gotta tap into that, a Teddy Swims, Kelly Clarkson full sort of experience?

• 29:20Speaker 01

  Yeah, that's what it's gonna be, man, yeah.

• 29:22Ryan Clark?

  Yeah, you absolutely can't beat that. You've grasped so much of what you've worked for. What's the thing that keeps you inspired and motivated now to keep growing and keep going?

• 29:34Speaker 01

  I mean, right now is my son, you know? Like, right now, the thinking about the way that I'm gonna look at the world, I'm already starting to look at things so differently and making decisions differently and like, and he's not here, you know? Like, I can't imagine what I'm gonna have to say when he's right here, you know? I don't know what, I don't know what it's gonna be like, like what, how I'm gonna take, I think, I think the biggest thing that I'm looking forward to, I think is gonna inspire me the most is that like, the being like, present in moments, you know? There's so many times when I'm, when I'm home that I'm like, if I'm not doing this right now or like somebody out is out there getting it and I like, I'm not working on this or I feel like I'm not working enough even though I'm... Going tooth and nail on this, but I feel like there's, there's gonna be that time where I'm sitting there

• 30:18Speaker 01

  holding my baby and I'm, I'm in the living room and I'm just watching Netflix for eight hours. And this is the most productive thing I could be doing right now. And there's not anything else of saying, what are you doing? You gotta be working on this. You gotta be, you know, when that, that voice calms down and I'm like, this is the most productive thing I could do right now is this me and this baby and my girl, like this, like my family. It's the most productive thing. I think it's gonna train, I think it's gonna give me this, this like, when I go to work and when I come home, though I'm gonna be present in, in ways that I don't think I've ever been. And I think the way I'm gonna learn to speak and learn to say things and the way that I will be more, I guess guided and intentional with everything, I think is gonna be like the, if that answers the question at all, I don't know, but I think that's my inspiration right now.

• 31:03Ryan Clark?

  You are, you are different.

• 31:04Speaker 01

  Dude, I feel that way. Thank you, man.

• 31:06Ryan Clark?

  I'm, I'm just saying, and I don't know, I don't get to be around you every day, you know, I get to watch from the outside. The, the guy that sat with us two years ago is not sitting here today. And I think it's, I think it's positive, like I, like you feel the energy, you, you feel the joy, you, you feel the happiness. And you had that then radiating off you, but it feels like stardom. You know, it feels like hard work that's, that's paying off, man. I'm so happy for you, bro.

• 31:36Speaker 01

  You're making me cry, bro. Thank you.

• 31:37Ryan Clark?

  Nah, just to see good people, man, have, yeah, man, have great things happen to them. I was reading something you said and you said your aunt asked you, and I wanna get this right. Why do you have to write the great songs?

• 31:51Speaker 01

  Oh, yeah, yeah. She, she had, uh,

• 31:52Ryan Clark?

  Can you explain that to me?

• 31:53Speaker 01

  Yeah, she had told me one time, this was what kinda healed me through like, you know, having like writer's block, like, uh, she had, she had told me one time, um, we were at Thanksgiving and I'm never really get to be home with my family and she's like, baby, you say you're always in LA writing songs and you're Nashville writing songs and you're writing songs every day. And then on Spotify, you have like 10 songs out. She's like, what's going on with all them songs, you know? And I was like, well, I'm trying to write the good ones. She's like, why don't you only write the good ones? And it dawned on me that I can't only write the good ones, you know, I'm like, I gotta write the bad ones. I gotta write the bad ones that inform the good ones or that, or the good, you know, I, I gotta finish things. It's like, so, when, I think the only time you really get in that like place of writer's block is like wanting something to be good and trying to make something good.

• 32:37Speaker 01

  Even now, I kind of struggle with that as if we've had success with like something as gigantic as as Lose Control. It's like you could go and start writing a song and be like, well, that's not, that don't feel like nothing like as big as that. I need to start over, you know, instead of finishing an idea. And also, you never know what else is gonna connect or or what's gonna connect to your heart. And I just, you know, I just like, so sometimes when I don't feel that gut feeling of this is amazing, then I feel like I like lay off of it, which is the stupidest thing to do, because that's like, you can't, you can't live making art trying to be good, because it's never gonna work like that. We stumbled into lightning in a bottle with that. We didn't just kind of like, alright guys, let's write a hit, you know?

• 33:17Speaker 01

  And you can't do that. You can't just like, let's make something that's gonna connect with everyone. That doesn't, it's not like that, you know? And so I think that, that, just that realization kind of healed me from wanting everything to be good all the time, because it sucks a lot of times. And it's okay to suck completely, bro. You're gonna suck. I'm gonna fail. And I learned from failures, not like, you'd never learn from success, dude. Nothing, you don't learn anything from winning. You know what I mean? You're just like, okay, we won. But what do you, what do you get from that? Nothing usually.

• 33:46Speaker 00

  Every game day, you show up for your team. Now, it's your time.

• 33:57Speaker 00

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• 34:15Fred Taylor?

  I started to ask you, what's your biggest fear? And since we're speaking about failure, like, could you just tap into it?

• 34:22Speaker 01

  I think, this is gonna sound funny, but like, my biggest fear is as, as right now is like, and then this is like a nice way of saying it, but like, watching my dad be a granddad, because he's like the coolest guy in the world. Like, he's the best dude in the world, and I know he's gonna be like the most badass granddad. And I just want my son to think I'm cool, man, you know? I wanna be cool, man, and I just hope he thinks I'm cool, you know? And I just like, I just want to be his hero. I like, all I want in everything in my life is just like, I want, I wanna be there and available and be like, I don't know, my biggest fear currently is just that like, Kids are exposed to everything right now, man. And my parents were like sheltering me from certain things that I needed to like harsh realities and harsh truths. You can't do that with kids anymore. They got everything at their fingertips.

• 35:07Speaker 01

  And even if you keep them from screens, they're gonna find this stuff out. It's there. And you can't keep kids from. It's so terrifying to navigate a child coming into this world. And then having these harsh realities or these harsh truths right out the gate. And from the jump, like from inception, you're like, you know, two years old, they're like hearing these things that are like there's weirdos all over the place, you know, there's just, I don't know, it's just, it just scares the shit out of me that I want to make sure that I'm. I can't shelter him from anything, but I want to make sure that he has the tools to compartmentalize this stuff and like really break it down. And have to be honest with him about things that are should not be honest, like

• 35:47Speaker 01

  being way too young and not believing in Santa Claus or something, you know, terrifies me, you know, like magic getting robbed from him too early on scares me. And just kids these days, it's magic getting robbed, it's a Google away from like the harshest truths that they want to find out and then they see it and then they're like, Dad, why did you lie to me about this thing or this thing or like, and I can't, you can't, you can't lie to them. You gotta like, and so it just scares the shit out of me to try to be like, alright, son, here's the reality. At this age, you know, and have to navigate that with a kid that doesn't quite, you know, understand or has to understand too early. And I just, I fear for children these days that are just, I mean, they're so resilient, you know, and I know that, but it scares the out of me, man.

• 36:30Fred Taylor?

  You're already on the right track, just to hear the passion in your tone and the excitement. And I do know you will be his best friend.

• 36:37Speaker 01

  Yeah, oh yeah.

• 36:38Fred Taylor?

  And a lot of times that'll help circumvent any other stuff that they potentially could get exposed to. And he'll trust you. Just lean on that and everything's gonna be okay. And you can probably take that from two guys who had boys or kids at a young age. So we've been in this thing for a while, man. And just hanging out with them, speaking life into them. And just being their best friend, but also being their parent, right? And disciplining that whole deal. But with your excitement, man, I'm sure, 100% sure, you're gonna do great and he's gonna be fine.

• 37:13Ryan Clark?

  Hey Teddy, so he's met my father. As someone who is not cooler than their father, it's okay. You know what I mean? Like, my pops, bro, like, when my homeboys come to Louisiana, they ask me, "Where's my dad?" Like, and there's times that I have dudes who coach in the league or who play in the league, and they'll come to Louisiana and go to dinner with my dad, and I don't get invited.

• 37:37Speaker 01

  I can't wait to meet him then. He sounds like a legend, bro.

• 37:40Fred Taylor?

  Oh, he's a legend.

• 37:41Ryan Clark?

  He's a legend, and so like, I get that, you know, something I deal with. And I'm clearly not famous like you. Like, people don't even, when they ask me, "Are you so-and-so?", I always ask, "Who you thinking about?" You know what I mean? Because I don't know. Has the fame, or the applause, or the success heightened or lessened the insecurity?

• 38:05Speaker 01

  Man, that's a really good question. I think it's, in a lot of ways, for a long time, it heightened it, you know? It made, it was a very scary situation. Because, again, I thought this was gonna like solve some of my self-image issues. You know, or like my being sure of myself and stuff was gonna come because people told me that I was good, and then I thought I'd feel that way. But I think I had to take it into my own hands, you know? And it's a lot of self-work that I had to do to really get to that point of like, "Okay, so the real thing that the issue was underlying this whole entire time was, that I think I wanted this because I was looking for some sort of acceptance to tell myself that I was good", you know? And that was never gonna come from anyone else, you know?

• 38:46Speaker 01

  It's not anybody else's place to make me feel that my feelings are okay to have. And we all are going through that shit. And the worst thing is that we're just all the center of our own experiences. So like, you know, you think you're alone in this battle that's like everybody's going through, you know? And I think a lot of just self-work over the time is it's now getting to the point where I do feel like, you know, I feel like I'm... I'm a good person and I'm worthy of things. And that takes every day waking up and looking at yourself and as goofy as it sounds, saying, "I love you, man. You're doing a great job. You're my boy," you know? And tell myself, looking at myself in the eyes and saying that stuff. You don't realize a lot of times that like, when you're looking at yourself in the mirror,

• 39:29Speaker 01

  you're like, a lot of times you're even like kinda sucking it in before you walk in there and you're like messing with your shirt. You feel like, "This is how I wanna look at myself." And then you walk away from the mirror and the guts right back out. "I don't know who I'm fooling. I don't know who I'm fooling." You know what I'm saying? So I don't try to make myself all, make the right face and, "All right, this is me." You know, you leave and then something else completely happens. And so I think when I started looking at myself in the eyes in the mirror, it started, you know, having a chat with me in the morning, that was like one of the biggest things that really changed my life. It was just like, "You deserve this. You're a good person," you know? And that, I guess, like lessened the blow of insecurity for me. But I'm always struggling with it, you know? We always will.

• 40:08Ryan Clark?

  How do you wake up ready to do this all the time, every day?

• 40:13Speaker 01

  You don't. God, no, you don't. You never, man. Most of the time I don't. Most of the time I'm like, "Oh, no."

• 40:20Speaker 01

  But, you know what I mean? It's, I look, I find that the best thing is, and me and my boys, we like always try to practice this. It's like, I like prioritizing gratefulness is what I call it, you know? And like, a lot of times, some things might feel a little jobby. It might be the 6:00 a.m., like get up, go to the radio station, sing and... And also, I mean, there's some of the things too that I found that like when you're doing the meet and greets, man, there's some of the most fulfilling things to do. You know, you have like, it's like an hour of time. Like you got 100, 200 people in a line to come see you. You get maybe 20 seconds with each of them, which sometimes is hard. And next thing you know, like sometimes somebody's like, walking up and they're sobbing. And they're like, you know, "My mom was meant to be here. She just passed from cancer or something." And, you know, "Your music's really got me through it."

• 41:04Speaker 01

  And they're crying and you're crying with them and you're like... Man, I'm so glad to hear that thank you. And you give them a hug and then you send them on their way. The next couple walks up and they're just gleaming from ear to ear and they're just like, hey! You know, and you gotta be like, oh, what's up? And you know, and then they're talking about a story of triumph or like how much they're like, we just got married to your song. And then you're meeting them there. And then they're on 20 seconds later and the next people come up and then... So you're just like happy, sad, happy, sad, happy, sad. And then, you know, like after two hours of that and the meet and greet, you know, you're like, what is going on with my... Like emotionally, like what the hell just happened? Like I was just celebrating and then crying and then celebrating and then crying and then... And it all like is beautiful, but it's like such a roller coaster of things.

• 41:44Speaker 01

  And so sometimes that can like weigh on your mentality and your heart in like a lot of rough ways. And so it definitely can get weird. But again, that choosing, like prioritizing gratefulness. I've learned that like the best thing that I can do is to say like how grateful I am and choose my gratefulnesses. Man, one thing, one thing me and my buddy Thomas Brooks, we always do this. A sweet friend of mine, we say, look, just count five reds in a room, five blues, five yellows, five things I love about a person and five things I love about myself. And I just like started, I guess like sometimes it just gets me in the place of like, you know, just prioritizing the things that are great around me that I love and I can see. And also sometimes you just need to bitch, you know? Sometimes you need to be upset and giving yourself that space of that day to be mad, you know?

• 42:29Speaker 01

  Like some days you're just like, man, this, I don't want to be here. And then you could, and you just, you just, you know, sometimes you just need that day to be upset. And then, look, don't talk to me today. I'm not happy. I'm just, I'm gonna be upset, you know? But one thing is I used to always try to like, even if it's 5:00 a.m. at the airport and somebody's like, yo, are you Teddy Smith? Instead of coming up and being like, yeah! You know, and trying to put on this face. It's so much easier now to be like, look, girl, I'm like, I have like three hours of sleep. I am so excited to see you. I'll always take the picture. I'll always give you some love. But girl, I'm at like 20% of myself right now. So forgive me for not having the enthusiasm that you have currently. Is that okay? And a lot of, most times people are like, yeah, dude, of course. Thank you for keeping it real instead of like pretending that like you're... Chuck E. Cheese all the time, you know what I mean?

• 43:15Speaker 01

  It's not always Mickey Mouse out here, you know what I mean? And nobody is, so it's great to just... I find it where if I'm just always honest where I am with people, honesty is the best policy in it.

• 43:25Ryan Clark?

  I was on this panel recently, and the panel was about joy, right? And I'm up there, and it's like Malik Yoba, and it's other actresses, and it's business owners, and everybody's just like so zen. And you know, like, joy is this, and I find this piece of this. And it kind of went around, and I was like, damn, am I the only one that be spazzing? You know what I mean? Because I was like, because at some point, I was like, so y'all don't ever have a day where like you had enough of somebody's stuff, or you felt disrespected, and you popped off? And then like, once I said that, then everybody else on the panel gave a instance of like, yeah, I'm like that too, and I'm like that too. But you almost feel, and being grateful,

• 44:08Ryan Clark?

  you almost feel like being grateful is never having a bad moment. Or never feeling the strain of what you've worked so hard to get. And I've had to learn to give myself some grace.

• 44:21Speaker 01

  Amen, come on, brother. Yes, sir, dude, somebody need to say that. Because I think that's what, I mean, yeah, it's so weird that we in this like, I guess in also the hubbub of social media and whatnot, we're all putting our best foot forward and looking like everything's always like amazing all the time. And like, we're living the best life, and we're just so happy and doing great. And like, and you know, we are, sure, but like, there are like, why are we not, why are we like hiding that? Especially for anybody that's coming up to try to get to a place that we all may be, you know? Like to try to be just full of zen and just like, you know, preach that this is like who you gotta be to get here. Somebody's never gonna feel that as achievable if they have a bad day. They're gonna be like, well, that guy never has an off moment. Like, I'm just not cut out for that.

• 45:06Speaker 01

  I'm not cut from the same cloth in reality. Like, yeah, dude, we all suffered, like, we're all hurting, man. We're all like going through our things. And I think it's so wonderful, it's just a wonderful thing to talk about. And like, joy is, joy is only as good as that downfall behind it. You know, it only is. It's only as sweet because of the shit that comes with it.

• 45:26Ryan Clark?

  I mean, the song said it though, right? He's like joy and pain. He's like sunshine and rain.

• 45:31Speaker 01

  Yes, sir.

• 45:32Ryan Clark?

  You don't know how great the joy is unless you know like the depth of the pain. Because you can kind of have that perspective, but man, shoot, I was there. Like, I remember that. And so now I know how blessed and how lucky I am to be on this side of it, bro. I love that.

• 45:49Fred Taylor?

  Teddy, man, last time we asked you your biggest pivot, but we can't ask you that again right now. I do want to ask you though, if you can leave a voice note to the guy who sat on that couch back in Atlanta with us the first time, what would that be?

• 46:05Speaker 01

  Man, I love you and I care about you so deeply and it's all like coming, you know? It's all there for you. Everything you think it is, is there for you. And just like, maybe just relax, calm the fuck down, you know what I'm saying? Like, it's coming, man, it's coming, you know? And like, just be, where you are is where you need to be right now and be present, you know? Like, where you are is right where you're supposed to be. And he got time, dude, you don't mean to hurry, you know? Just slow down, man, just sniff some roses, some panties, whatever you want, baby. You know what I'm saying? Just slow down, brother. I love you, man. That's what I tell him.

• 46:46Ryan Clark?

  All right, so this is my question, man, because I am, you talked about being the center of our own world. I am definitely the center of mine at many points, right? And I always say, like, if I could sing, I would just sing all the time, right? And I would answer the phone, sing, but I'm sure I wouldn't because it would become my job. When you were making Little Baby Teddy, did you start the night off by playing your music? Or is that weird?

• 47:08Speaker 01

  God, no. I would be so weird to be like, dude, it would be so weird to have my songs come on while I'm in the middle of the act. You know, like, I would be like, uh-uh. I mean, as I'm walking through here, you know, there's like three rooms and my voice is currently playing and it just drives me insane, you know? I definitely am not a...

• 47:28Speaker 01

  I do that, even weirdly enough, as I'm driving now, I sometimes just like prefer silence, you know, like I remember my mom always like cranking the music off when I was a kid and be like, "Why are you doing that?" She's like, "Can we sit in silence?" Now I'm like, "Girl, I feel you." Like I'm just like, just driving, just the road is enough, you know, or like a podcast or an audiobook, you know?

• 47:49Ryan Clark?

  I'm an audiobook guy, like.

• 47:50Speaker 01

  But not while I'm boning, obviously, not an audiobook, but man, that was a good point. If I got the Pivot Podcast, I'm out making my baby, that's what I got going on. Man, I love chatting.

• 48:02Ryan Clark?

  Hey, you filled this spot perfectly today. Man, you know, we'll end with this, I know you gotta go, man, you'll be on the stage soon. For you, what are you working for now? Not the why, right? But what's that goal or what's that thing you see out in the future? I mean, you've been Grammy nominated and you've toured the world. What's that thing that you see as the North Star that, "Nah, Teddy Swims," that I gotta get to that?

• 48:29Speaker 01

  You know, that keeps changing, man, because like, you know, I like, I always wanted this like, everything, you know, like I wanted to like hold like, I remember growing up watching, like when the YouTube came out, I used to watch this video of Michael Jackson all the time, when he goes on to get like eight Grammys and, you know, wins like the most ever, but he gets his seventh for Thriller and he's like, you know, he says like, "You know, I promised if I got another Grammy," which is seven, which is a record, "that I'd take my sunglasses off." And I don't wanna take my glasses off, but I'm doing it for Ms. Hepburn, who's a dear friend of mine, and the ladies in the back, and he just raises them up, people lose their shit, and he puts them back down, they go sit down.

• 49:11Speaker 01

  I always wanted that, you know, that was like, that's success, that's who I wanna be.

• 49:15Ryan Clark?

  Yeah.

• 49:15Speaker 01

  But that's, I don't know, I don't feel that way now, you know? I mean, of course I want that, yeah, but it's not like the end all be all is like the, I'm happy, not any way complacent or like, I don't think I'll ever have enough is what I'm saying. You know, every milestone I hit that I'm just like, it's sweet and I appreciate it, you know, and I try to celebrate the wins, but it's just never enough. And I think I've put so much like, on the platinum record or the diamond record, I've put so much like emphasis on these milestones in my life that I thought would mean so much more to me than they have. And in reality, they just, they... They mean a lot, you know, don't get me wrong, but they're not here to define me, you know?

• 49:56Speaker 01

  And so, my biggest goal is this, again, right now, is like, I just want to be a good daddy man, and I just want to like, I want to be present in moments and like, focus on just here and now. I'm lucky enough that enough people have my schedule booked out for me. So, I'm just, I'm where I'm at, and that's where I'm supposed to be. And I'm just like, I just want to be a good daddy man. I want to raise a good boy, and I want to watch him succeed and thrive. And that's like, that's number one. And, man, all these other kids can have this shit, you know what I'm saying? I've got a beautiful life, and I'm just, I'm here to serve the people that understand it, you know?

• 50:32Speaker 02

  You got a name yet?

• 50:33Speaker 01

  Yeah, my mother's maiden name, Kerbo.

• 50:35Speaker 02

  Love it, man.

• 50:36Speaker 01

  Turbo, Kerbo, man, he's gonna be a fag. Get on the ball, Kerbo, hit him, son! I'm ready to get back on the damn ball field, man. I want to coach some football, man, that's what I want to do. I want to coach that little man. Hey, people will be like, "Are you Jelly Roll?"

• 50:51Speaker 02

  Yeah, you got Jelly Roll's son out there on the field, giving him hell.

• 50:55Speaker 01

  Man, thank you so much, bro. I just want to tell all you people, man, he's still just as genuine and as sweet and authentic as the day we met him, and I really appreciate that about you, man. Thank you for giving us time, fam.

• 51:07Speaker 02

  Yeah, bro, thank y'all for coming, man.

• 51:09Ryan Clark?

  You look good, man.

• 51:10Speaker 02

  You can probably outrun Jason Kelce like this, man.

• 51:12Speaker 01

  I doubt it. Appreciate you, boy, man, man, all the love, man, thank you, bro.

• 51:17Speaker 02

  Yo, send Channing my love, please.

• 51:20Speaker 01

  Will, man.

• 51:21Speaker 02

  Let him know I'm thinking about him.

• 51:52Speaker 00

  Every game day, you show up for your team. Now, it's your time.

• 52:02Speaker 00

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