The Home Run Trailblazer

This history-making trailblazer and hall-of-famer is igniting the path for female athletes as one of the most powerful women in major league baseball! She is a 4 time All-American Athlete, Professional Softball Player, hall-of-famer, and Olympic Gold Medalist! She's the first female commentator for a Major League Baseball game in the history of ESPN AND the first female commentator in MLB postseason history. It is my pleasure to share with you the trailblazer herself, Jessica Mendoza. "I WANT TO WIN!" These are the words of Jessica as she expressed her passion to achieve in every area of her life. In this interview, we dive into what it really takes to win, whether that be in business, in sports, in raising children, in your faith... EVERYTHING! Find out what this Olympian Trailblazer is made of as we venture through her journey of crossing cultural barriers at the Olympics to how she has changed the trajectory of baseball forever! What does it really take to be a trailblazer? Find out how Jessica was able to overcome the criticism that could have crippled her spirits and ruined her career. Watch now to find out how she has maintained her confidence, her strength and her ability to WIN and MAXOUT her life! We DEMYSTIFY the pursuit of work/life balance, DEFINE the value of teamwork and HUMANIZE the insecurities that stare us in the face. Join us on this journey of finding strength, standing out and waving your flag! 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.

• 0:00Ed Mylett?

  I hear so many small business owners say the exact same thing. They just never have enough time in the day. Well, I measure time differently. I've compressed, condensed, heck, I've bent time. My first day is 6:00 a.m. to noon. My second day starts at noon and goes till 6:00 p.m. And my third day, 6:00 p.m. to midnight. I now get 21 days a week. Stack that up over a month, over a year, over five years, and my life's completely different than it would have been otherwise. And if you want to win as an entrepreneur, you have to compress your time, too. And you definitely can't afford to waste it. Waiting weeks on a big bank for capital? Your best bet's to work with my friends at Cardiff. They know how to compress time for entrepreneurs. They get your business approved in minutes and funded the very same day. They're America's favorite small business lender, and for good reason.

• 0:45Ed Mylett?

  Over 20 years in business, over $12 billion deployed to small business across America. Stop letting bank delays slow down your momentum. Head to cardiff.co/ed. That's cardiff.co/ed. Cardiff.co. Real growth, fast funding. Cardiff. Borrow better.

• 1:01Speaker 01

  Mr. President, my company, for me, of the explosion on our rig.

• 1:05Speaker 02

  On October 2nd.

• 1:06Speaker 01

  Causing massive water displacement and triggering a tsunami. They all heap the blame on me.

• 1:11Speaker 02

  Tom Cruise is. Digger got us into this mess. And Digger's gonna dig us up. From the director of Birdman and The Revenant.

• 1:18Speaker 03

  What would happen if I stopped moving? You stall, you freeze to death, that's what.

• 1:22Speaker 02

  With great power comes great deniability.

• 1:25Speaker 03

  I'm not the first nanny.

• 1:27Speaker 02

  Digger. See the trailer online. Only in theaters October 2nd. Rated R. Under 17. Not a minute without parent.

• 1:35Speaker 04

  This is the Ed Mylett Show.

• 1:40Ed Mylett?

  Hi, everybody. It's Ed Mylett. Welcome back to Max Out. I am so fired up about today's program. I've been chasing this lady to get on the show for. Chasing. Chasing. I'm fast, too. Hard to catch. In fact, so hard to catch, I had to drive all the way to your house. Yes. To do this today. I'm holding this pad. So you know this is a great pad. And it's a family home, which is reflective of you, too. But you know this is important to me today because we didn't shoot it at my house. I came to you. And this lady, most of you recognize her. But if you don't, she's a trailblazer. And she's an incredible mother. She's an author. She's one of the greatest college softball players of all time. She's an Olympic gold medalist. And she is many, many other things. But she's also.

• 2:22Ed Mylett?

  Really the first female baseball announcer in the history of ESPN and she is also the host of Sunday Night Baseball with my friend Alex Rodriguez and so we got all kinda stuff to cover today.

• 2:33Speaker 05

  Get in there, get after it.

• 2:35Ed Mylett?

  Good to have you here, thank you.

• 2:36Speaker 05

  Yeah, thanks for coming, I'm glad you're in my house.

• 2:39Ed Mylett?

  I know, I'm pretty honored, it's cool. And we're sober today guys, no alcohol in today's show.

• 2:43Speaker 05

  Alfred Scott.

• 2:44Ed Mylett?

  She did, she did. I wanted to keep it real, so thank you again for doing this. And I don't know if you realize it, but you're making history. Does it feel like it to you? I mean that you've broken through all of these barriers, I mean you're the first woman ever to do what you do in terms of the broadcasting room. Do you ever think about that?

• 3:00Speaker 05

  I don't, I mean I don't think about it like history, I think, I guess when you do stuff like that, it's for history, it's for when 30, 40 years from now and I got grandkids and we're sitting around the table and you look back, that's how I think of it. I think what hits me more is that there's more responsibility.

• 3:19Ed Mylett?

  Yeah.

• 3:20Speaker 05

  So I recognize that this is more than just about me, that this isn't just me doing my job, but there are a lot of women, there's men, fathers, daughters, that depend on me to not screw up. I've recognized that from day one.

• 3:34Ed Mylett?

  Yeah, it's true, when women knew that I was finally had booked you, I gotta tell you, I was struck by kinda the level of emotion from some of the women about how much they're rooting for you, and you're so great at it, so they don't really need to worry about that. But I, it's interesting to me, I think when you're making history, you don't know it. It's not till you're done making it that you go, wow, that was profound. But in, you know, the 50, 80 year history of the sport and then all the television time, you're the first woman to do this, and so it's pretty significant. I had Christine Simmons on my show, who's the president of the LA Sparks, and she's an African-American woman, and she said to me, she says, "I'm conscious of the fact that I'm the first and I wanna do a good enough job so that I'm not the last."

• 4:16Speaker 05

  Yeah, no, and that was honestly one of the biggest things. I talked to John Skipper, who was then president of ESPN, and him giving me the opportunity to be on Sunday Night Baseball. I was like, "Look, I just don't want this to be the, 'Hey, we'll put her on for a couple of games.'" Like, "Don't put me on unless it's something that we want to sustain." And not just with me, but just as far as opening the door to a lot of women. And that's where the responsibility kicks in. Because I screw up, that door closes.

• 4:42Ed Mylett?

  Right.

• 4:42Speaker 05

  I want to knock the damn door down and just like, "Come on, everybody!"

• 4:46Ed Mylett?

  Well, you're doing it because just recently, you just signed a multi-year deal with them. So it doesn't seem like it's going to end anytime soon, right?

• 4:53Speaker 05

  Yeah, I'm excited. Yeah, I get to stay.

• 4:55Ed Mylett?

  Congratulations. That's because you've done such an amazing job. And Alex is constantly telling me how incredible you are. And frankly, before you and I had met, I was familiar with you. But I must tell you, he raved about you in our, you know, private conversations about you. He thinks the world of you. So, but I want to go back because I want people to, you know, you're not the after, you're in progress. But I want people to kind of know a little bit more because I think they know you as the broadcaster. But if you really dig deeper, you're an incredible athlete as well, right? So this woman won a gold medal and a silver medal in the Olympics. And at Stanford in softball, right off camera, I said, "You're one of the greatest college softball players of all time." You're like, "No, no, I'm not." And I said, "Well, at Stanford." She says, "No, no, I'm not." But the truth is, you were a great athlete. Were you always a great athlete growing up?

• 5:40Speaker 05

  No. Oh, my gosh. I wish we had like a reel. I could just show you me. You know, around the holidays especially, my parents would break out like old videos of, you know, me as a kid, me playing softball. I mean, I played all sports, but I was completely uncoordinated.

• 5:56Ed Mylett?

  What?

• 5:57Speaker 05

  Oh, gosh, Ed. Like, me and T-ball, right? The ball's on a stick, okay? It's not moving. I would strike out. But I'm like, I mean, my personality too. Like, I'm like all into it, like taking these huge hacks, trying to swing out of my shoes. And the ball's still sitting there on the stick. And even running down the first baseline, I looked like Phoebe from Friends.

• 6:16Ed Mylett?

  Are you serious? Like, when did you get good?

• 6:18Speaker 05

  I mean, my dad was, you know, he's a legendary in this area, football, baseball coach. And I grew up on the sidelines. I grew up in the dugout. Coach's kid.

• 6:28Ed Mylett?

  You better get good.

• 6:29Speaker 05

  Yeah, well, you're just always practicing. Like, my dad didn't see the uncoordination or just the total, like, you know, wow.

• 6:37Ed Mylett?

  Right.

• 6:38Speaker 05

  He saw the athlete, always, and he saw the potential. And so, especially my younger sister and I, we worked all the time. Before you could eat dinner, you had the weight program.

• 6:46Ed Mylett?

  Seriously?

• 6:47Speaker 05

  This is like when your kid, Coach's kid. I have friends to this day that said, "I hate it coming to dinner at your house because my, your dad would make us work out."

• 6:55Ed Mylett?

  No way.

• 6:57Speaker 05

  And I was like, "Oh, he made you do that, too?" And that was just the norm. I was like, "Is that not what you do at your house?" Yeah, it was called military workouts. And he had like a military press bar, and then we'd have to do this full workout before you could eat dinner.

• 7:09Ed Mylett?

  Whoa.

• 7:10Speaker 05

  Yeah, no, he was intense.

• 7:11Ed Mylett?

  It's funny because of a lot of the athletes I have on my show, not all of them, but usually one of the two parents instilled some sort of kind of crazy work ethic that they think is normal, that nobody else in the world does when they were young. So it was your dad.

• 7:26Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 7:26Ed Mylett?

  And your dad played college football at Fresno State, right?

• 7:28Speaker 05

  Yes, dang, you did do your homework.

• 7:30Ed Mylett?

  I did do my homework. And I'm also told through a mutual friend of ours that your dad is a central figure in the sense that he's a huge fan of yours, but he'll also let you know what's up, both when you played and in broadcasting.

• 7:41Speaker 05

  Oh, yeah.

• 7:41Ed Mylett?

  And that your mom is more just a support and a fan. So describe the dynamic. You just, people, I think people that have children want to know, "How do you make something like this, right?" So what was that, what was that dynamic like or is?

• 7:52Speaker 05

  The balance is key, and I think understanding your kid. I mean, I got two boys now, and my sister and I were super different. And so, just understanding the personality. Like, I mean, my dad pushed me, but my mom was there to also, she was incredibly intelligent, so she pushed the school end of it.

• 8:08Ed Mylett?

  Okay.

• 8:08Speaker 05

  But then was softer on the athlete. She was always just like, "You're doing a great job, no matter what, on the sports side." When it came to school, it was like, "You can do better."

• 8:15Ed Mylett?

  Okay.

• 8:16Speaker 05

  Whereas my dad was like, "Ah, schoolwork." Like. Just get after it and so they balanced each other.

• 8:21Ed Mylett?

  Yeah.

• 8:22Speaker 05

  And we could kind of find that happy medium. They both weren't like hardcore all the time.

• 8:26Ed Mylett?

  Would your dad let you know after a game that something wasn't acceptable or you didn't play well?

• 8:30Speaker 05

  Oh, he'd never let me know the opposite. Like it was, I mean.

• 8:33Ed Mylett?

  You, okay, go ahead.

• 8:35Speaker 05

  I can't remember until I got to college and I remember like the first moment, but until I got to college, I don't remember him ever saying like, "Good job." And I don't mean that in like a bad way. I just, the coaching him, I could be three for four with three home runs and we'd talk about the one at bat I didn't go on base.

• 8:50Ed Mylett?

  No kidding.

• 8:51Speaker 05

  And that mentality is still inside of me of, you know, even in broadcasting, it's like, okay, like you can work and work, but there's always something you can get better.

• 9:00Ed Mylett?

  Better, yeah.

• 9:01Speaker 05

  And it's not looking at it like, "You're bad" or he never was like, "You're awful" or he was never negative. He was just always trying to give that constructive criticism of like, "Okay, but what are we trying to do to get better?"

• 9:13Ed Mylett?

  I think sometimes, I'm that way a little bit too, and I think sometimes it says something to you that's powerful, which is like, "We know you're better than this. I know you can be better than this." I think if you're willing to break the negative part down, even with your kids, because we're in this sort of positive PC world, like everything has to be.

• 9:28Speaker 05

  Everyone gets a trophy.

• 9:29Ed Mylett?

  Everyone gets a trophy.

• 9:30Speaker 05

  We're all great.

• 9:31Ed Mylett?

  But you said you remember the first time he validated something you did. What was that?

• 9:36Speaker 05

  It was like, it was yesterday. It's funny, it's like such an emotional moment because it hit me like a lightning rod and I'll never forget. We were in my parents' van, I was playing in a tournament, so I was at Stanford, freshman year, preseason tournament, we're in San Diego and we just played Cal State Northridge. I was up to bat with the bases loaded. I'm batting third as a freshman, so.

• 9:55Ed Mylett?

  Unbelievable.

• 9:56Speaker 05

  I'm feeling pressure and in my mind, I'm like, "This is who you want it to bat. You want the number three batter, bases loaded. This is a team that we should beat." And I struck out on a changeup. And I can remember the pitch and it was a pretty fat changeup too and I don't know, like just didn't see it, whatever, like missed it, game ends. We had like a break, so my parents took me to lunch before we had to be back for the next game. And I remember sitting in the backseat behind my dad, my mom's over here, and I'm just like, I mean, as down as they come and I'm ready for it. Like, "Tell me what I did wrong." Like, you know, but I'm already like, "I know I'm awful." Like, you know? He pulled the car over and he turned around and he's like, "Jesse, like, don't you know that you're the best athlete that our family has ever seen?"

• 10:43Speaker 05

  And I was just like, like head up, like he's like, my dad played sports. He's like, I played in college. He's like, we had athletes and he's like, I mean, he turned around to look at me and he was so like emotional and proud. And he had never like, never like even come close to it. And all of a sudden it went from like that to like, don't you know? Like you're this down on Australia. Don't you know who you are? Like you're, you're the best damn athlete this family has seen. And to come from the coach, like my dad and like.

• 11:13Ed Mylett?

  Massive moment.

• 11:14Speaker 05

  It literally like changed me because it helped me see me for like the first time. Other than that, like up until that point, it was like just would, you know, he had done just that constant, how can I be better? I'm not good enough. And all of a sudden I was like, wait, you think I'm like, you know, it was, I know it sounds cheesy, but it was, and from that moment on, it was like it shifted.

• 11:36Ed Mylett?

  Yeah.

• 11:36Speaker 05

  He, he till this day, like is my biggest fan, him and my mom, but like his ability now to say, I'm proud of you. And you are accomplishing more than I could have ever imagined. And sometimes it strikes him that it was a female in the family and he said that too.

• 11:51Ed Mylett?

  Yeah.

• 11:51Speaker 05

  You know, he's just like, of all the men that we have in our family and the jocks and he's like, I never would have thought it would have been a woman that would be in our family that would do the things. And, and now he's sold like on women's athletics and.

• 12:02Ed Mylett?

  So amazing.

• 12:03Speaker 05

  It's cool.

• 12:04Ed Mylett?

  I can just see your whole being changes when you talk about it. So that's wonderful, man. Thank you for sharing that. I appreciate that.

• 12:10Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 12:10Ed Mylett?

  Very much.

• 12:11Speaker 05

  It was definitely one of those, you have them sprinkled throughout your life. And that was one that literally was like the heavens opened up and I was just like, wait, what?

• 12:18Ed Mylett?

  Wow. Do you think he's still like, when you're doing really well or you do something is like, like even this New Dealie sign, do you still kind of think of like your dad as one of the first people when you do something good?

• 12:27Speaker 05

  I'm like, Ed, it's like I become, and I'm, I'm daddy's girl and I'm close. My mom's my best friend. I feel like she doesn't get enough credit either. She's my best friend, but she's, it's an easy relationship.

• 12:38Ed Mylett?

  Yeah.

• 12:38Speaker 05

  You know, I was always daddy's girl and just vying for that attention constantly. It was never enough. And till this day, if he tells me he's proud of me, I'm like the 10 year old girl who's like. Really? Are you proud of me? Like, and it's funny because of all the, you know, social media likes and all the things that you can get for whatever you might need. It comes back to my own father just saying, you know, four words.

• 13:02Ed Mylett?

  Me too, by the way. Isn't that amazing? I'm the exact same way. You have millions of people liking your stuff and if my dad's proud of me, everything else. It's amazing. By the way, millions of people are nodding their heads right now. Some of them are crying and they're in total agreeance with you. So, let's just finish this piece though, because it's pretty incredible. This is such an accomplished woman. I, I love, the title of the show's Max Out and it, but like you've really maxed out multiple areas. Like when I look at you, I'm like, I'm in your home. You can feel the spirit in your home and the love. And we're talking about your sons off camera and your husband and just, I can feel this is such a loving family and you were this, you've got this unbelievable pioneering career that we're really going to get into the teeth of in a minute. That's just, it's trailblazing. It's changing something forever potentially and it's you.

• 13:47Ed Mylett?

  It's probably got to blow your mind that it's you. But you were also an amazing athlete. And so, don't be humble about this. You were, were you a four-time All-American?

• 13:56Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 13:57Ed Mylett?

  Four-time All-American. Then you make the Olympic team and win a gold. What is winning a gold medal like?

• 14:04Speaker 05

  What's cool is, okay, so we hear the national anthem how many times, you know, in your lifetime is growing up as a kid, you know, homeroom, games that you've played. I think what hit me with the Olympics, and this is a bit of my personality coming in. I mean, clearly I've loved the game of softball, dedicated most of my life to playing it. So, there's that passion, right? Then you get to the Olympics and to me, in 2004, we had just, we had just gone into Iraq. So, our political place in our country was very interesting at the time. That's me. Like, I'm someone that's very aware of a lot of that. And I remember, you know, getting into the dining hall. The cool thing about the Olympics is the Olympic Village, you've got 10,000 athletes.

• 14:48Speaker 05

  You have more countries represented in the Olympic Village than you do in the United Nations. So, my favorite piece of the Olympics, besides the on the field, was actually our meals.

• 14:58Ed Mylett?

  Really?

• 14:59Speaker 05

  Beyond the fact that I love to eat, but the fact that I would actually not sit with our team. I would go and I remember clearly I wanted to sit down with the Iraqi soccer team.

• 15:09Speaker 05

  And none of them that I had met in line getting food spoke English. So I had met this Egyptian high jumper that was able to help me like translate. And so I went down and sat with Iraqi soccer team with this new like friend that I met on the Egyptian track team and literally just sat down and had conversations about what was happening between our two countries.

• 15:31Ed Mylett?

  Oh my gosh, what a great story.

• 15:33Speaker 05

  No, but it was like.

• 15:35Ed Mylett?

  What did you get out of that?

• 15:36Speaker 05

  Just like, well, honestly, how like upset they were and but yet here we are and they were so just like taken aback by the fact that I wanted to talk politics in the middle of this like entire arena and they ended up inviting me back to their side of the village and we just hung out, we spent like hours just kind of talking and getting into stuff and you know, and it didn't stop there. You meet athletes from all over, but the point is when you have USA across your chest, like I wanted to know what that really meant. And when you win a gold medal and now the anthem is playing, it brought such a sense of pride for our country that I don't want to say, I mean, I was always proud to be an American, but you know, you grow up here, you don't really realize. And for me,

• 16:21Speaker 05

  talking to not just Iraqi athletes, but honestly, you know, athletes that, you know, finding out that they don't have any female representatives from their entire country. So knowing here that I grew up and I had opportunities galore from the age that I could first walk, like throwing a ball and playing with other kids. And so to answer your question, like you get a gold medal, but like honestly, like I lost it and I'm not like very emotional, like crying very much. I lost it. When we got up on that podium and our flag was raising and you have USA across your chest and it's like you combine that, like of course, all the hard work to win that gold, your teammates, your sisters, that love, but there was this

• 17:02Speaker 05

  whole like huge, it hit me in Athens, how proud I was to be from the country I was from and to understand what that meant too, not just, but you know, warfare and all the different things that make it complicated, that sometimes you're not proud of, but at the end of the day, it's, it's USA. This is who I am.

• 17:22Ed Mylett?

  What an amazing story. Like, that is an amazing story. I can just picture you sitting there talking to this Iraqi player, like, what an amazing experience.

• 17:29Speaker 05

  And it was funny, because my teammates were like, "What are you doing? What is going on?" And I wouldn't give up, because I was like, because they were looking, even like, when I first started to try, I was like, trying to converse with them, and it wasn't working, and they're just looking at me, like, "What are you trying, like, you know?" And so then I finally got a friend of mine that I was able, "Okay, can you help me?" And so then I went back to their table, and they're like, "She's back."

• 17:52Ed Mylett?

  She is again.

• 17:54Speaker 05

  And I was like, "I'm gonna do this." And I'm glad I did, because my first impression, I'm sure there would have been like, "Ah, crazy American."

• 18:00Ed Mylett?

  Right, right.

• 18:01Speaker 05

  But we ended up getting to know each other.

• 18:03Ed Mylett?

  What a wonderful story.

• 18:04Speaker 05

  As much as you could, you know, and I loved that, because I can't, I couldn't fly over to Iraq and talk to people.

• 18:09Ed Mylett?

  Right.

• 18:10Speaker 05

  And yet, we have this huge ability, and I know it sounds, I guess, cheesy, but within the Olympic arena, to cross any border.

• 18:17Ed Mylett?

  Right.

• 18:18Speaker 05

  And have, like, real conversations.

• 18:20Ed Mylett?

  Yeah, I don't think it's cheesy, and I actually also think it's kind of a metaphor for who you are, which is that when there's an opportunity presented to you, you jump all over it in every aspect. And not everybody listening to this has the opportunity to go win a gold medal or be in the Olympics, but they do have a chance to get out of their comfort zone and go explore experiences and do something extraordinary. And this is no knock on the rest of your teammates, because they obviously won a gold medal, so there's something you share with them forever. But you were the one who went and did that, right? And so, that's, that really is important. Like, people, there's experiences all around you, every day, every year, there's something where you could step into an uncomfortable space and just have an experience.

• 18:54Speaker 05

  Well, going up to a stranger, like, when you talk about uncomfortable?

• 18:57Ed Mylett?

  Yeah.

• 18:57Speaker 05

  Like, yeah, that's extreme, like, that's someone from another country, but like, I think all the time of times that I've gone up to someone that makes you uncomfortable, because, and I do, I tell you, I get that look a lot, like, what, like, are you, because I'll kind of stumble through, like, I'm not the most, like, I come up to a con, and I was like, "I really want to talk to you." You know, and it hasn't always worked out, too. I've had people that literally have just walked away and been like, "You're crazy."

• 19:20Ed Mylett?

  You're crazy.

• 19:20Speaker 05

  But, the point is, is like, I'll never know. And more of my doors have opened, because I've gone up to complete strangers. By myself and just jumped and I don't even know where I'm going. I'm like, I just know I need to talk to you. So I'm gonna start kind of bubbling through this.

• 19:34Ed Mylett?

  This is very good.

• 19:35Speaker 05

  Awkwardly talking to you and then hopefully at some point we find like a conversation and connect.

• 19:40Ed Mylett?

  Oh my gosh, that's so good.

• 19:42Speaker 05

  But I think people appreciate that.

• 19:43Ed Mylett?

  They do appreciate that. I do the same thing and I am awkward at it and it's gone weird for me a few times too. But like I have, I want a rich life. Like I want experiences. I don't want everybody else's life and that's what I love about you. You haven't done that. You have this standard where like you want to dominate, right? And you did. She's one of the greatest softball players that's ever played that sport before and it gets lost because you've become this pioneering broadcaster, I think for a lot of people too and you're so great at that. And I'm curious, you went and played professionally after that, but I want to go into this tie because I think people can relate to this where your initial dream ends, right? So you maxed out that dream, but it kind of ends. And so there's a lot of people that listen to this, their first dream didn't work, their first business didn't work, their first marriage didn't work, right? There's things they've had where

• 20:26Ed Mylett?

  they're in that transitional period, like how do I put myself back together? How do I step into this space? Did you think you were going to be a baseball broadcaster and what did you do during that window when that dream ended? What does that kind of window of time look like for you?

• 20:41Speaker 05

  And I feel like the biggest thing for me, I mean, you can ask my husband, like I'm always, I always have my hand in multiple things. Like I've never been able, even just in general, like I can't do just one thing. And so even while I was playing, to be honest, going back to why I chose to go to Stanford was like, even though there were huge softball schools, and I know to someone sitting there like, why would you want to go to a softball school? It's not like I'm some like football player is gonna sign with the NFL or, you know? But when you're 17, 16 years old, like you want to go to the big name schools that are still good schools, but they're like, they're gonna win a national championship and all of your favorite players went there.

• 21:17Ed Mylett?

  Right.

• 21:18Speaker 05

  I chose Stanford because my whole plan was like, I'm not gonna play softball after college. Like I need to make sure that I'm thinking about like what this degree is gonna do versus just a great softball place.

• 21:28Ed Mylett?

  You have a big life. I always say that to people, many of my friends and I have this too, I just have a big life, meaning just have a lot of things going on at any given time. And if you don't learn to navigate that when you're not successful, just having a lot of things going on, it's very difficult to navigate having a big life once you are successful. That's why a lot of people get to a level of success, they can't maintain it. Because you've always juggled lots of stuff and had crazy hours, I assume. True for you?

• 21:54Speaker 05

  Yeah, and the bad part is, is I don't know how to not do that. So there is a negative that can come with it. Like, and by no means has my path been perfect. Like, I've juggled too many things and it's gotten way out of control.

• 22:07Ed Mylett?

  Me too.

• 22:07Speaker 05

  And now my off-season, so you can relate. I literally plan stuff. Because like, if I'm not working, because baseball season isn't going on, I drive my husband crazy, because I'm like, let's fly here, let's do this, let's get the kids involved with that. And like, I'm just like, over-planning, because I can't just like...

• 22:24Ed Mylett?

  How do you balance that? People, I'd be really remiss if I didn't ask you, then we'll get back in. How are you at balancing all this stuff? Mother, wife, you know, broadcaster, author, how do you do that?

• 22:37Speaker 05

  I've learned that, like, even the word "balance" is a bad word for me.

• 22:41Ed Mylett?

  Me too. I just put a video out before I pulled up here today, I don't even believe in the concept. I think seeking is good, but you can't get it.

• 22:46Speaker 05

  Because I get that question a lot, like, how do you balance, especially family and work, like, being a mom? And literally, that word, like, makes me cringe, because especially, I feel like, and I'm not saying that men don't have it too, but I feel like for women that are moms, there's this idea that, like, you know, working mom, I can, you know, be hair done, go out and save the world, come home, apron on, dinner's served, house is clean, kids are sitting neatly with a little, you know. Heck no, like, I mean, you should see, my kids are in school right now, otherwise they'd be hanging all over, crazy, like, you know, wrestling you. And, you know, it's crazy and it's not perfect, and there isn't a balance. What I've learned and accepted is that there's times when I'm on the road and I'm missing stuff at home.

• 23:29Speaker 05

  So the balance is not. Like, I'm all in on work and I'm not all in at home. And that's, that's hard to swallow. There's times I'm at home and I'm with the kids and I blow off a conference call. And I'm like, you know what, I want to be in this moment. And, and honestly, my work suffers for it. How do you navigate? How do you, you know, it's definitely imperfect. And the biggest message I just constantly want to get out there, especially for women that are considering having children. Can I do it all? It's not about doing it all. It's doing what you're doing in the moment the best that you can.

• 24:02Ed Mylett?

  Boy, very good.

• 24:03Speaker 05

  And being okay, like swallowing, and like, and that's where, because I get it all the time, the guilt and this image that I have to be like the PTA mom and the... No.

• 24:13Ed Mylett?

  Wow.

• 24:13Speaker 05

  I'm me. And I think for every female out there is... I just had a friend of mine who just was debating. She's in broadcasting, was trying to decide if she should have a child. And I was like, our kids will adapt to who we are and the life that we create, not the life that society said, you know what? This is what children have to do. This is the book on every family.

• 24:32Ed Mylett?

  Yeah.

• 24:32Speaker 05

  This is just our family.

• 24:33Ed Mylett?

  I like, I'm so thrilled you said that because for you to say it's better than the way that I would say it. And because you give permission to a whole gender of people who are the ones who most of the time are the most criticized for that. For some reason, it seems more acceptable for a man to have certain areas of his life spiking. And that's what I say too. There's at any given time, different areas of your life are what I'd call spiking and take your attention.

• 24:56Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 24:56Ed Mylett?

  And you're exactly right, the way you even described it with your hands. But it seems as if it's somewhat acceptable when a male does it. And I don't want to overcook the pie here, but it does seem like women take more criticism oftentimes or maybe feel more guilt about certain areas spiking at any given time.

• 25:11Speaker 05

  It's both. Like, because I work, I mean, I work with all men. And it's amazing to me how, I even had a manager once ask me the question. I think we were at spring training. He was like, oh, how long are you here? I'm like, oh, like 10 days and going around to all the camps. And he's like, you have two kids? And I was like, yeah. He's like, how do you, how do you do it? How are you away? And I was like, how many kids do you have? He's like, two. I'm like, how do you do it? You're here for three months? Like, and I didn't mean it like, and I know this person well. It was just trying, and he was just like, oh. Like, I'm like, it's the same, you're a dad. Like, a dad is just as important as a mom. Like, we're parents, right? Like, it's not perfect, but like... A hundred percent, and there is guilt for sure that I throw on myself.

• 25:52Speaker 05

  But a hundred percent, like, I never see men, even in interviews, or they never get asked, like, "How do you be a dad and you're working?" Like, I've never even heard that question before.

• 26:02Ed Mylett?

  So true.

• 26:03Speaker 05

  I get it all the time.

• 26:05Ed Mylett?

  Yeah, it's so true.

• 26:05Speaker 05

  And definitely judged by it.

• 26:07Ed Mylett?

  Yeah, very, very, very compelling answer. That's so true. So there's this time, your dream ended, you're juggling multiple things at once. You get into broadcasting through the softball space first, right? Is that's how it ends up happening? Were you, don't be humble either, I'm really curious, because you said you weren't a good softball player at first, right? You had to work at that. Did this come more natural? Were you pretty good at this in the very beginning, would you say?

• 26:29Speaker 05

  I think I was just, what surprised me, because when I first got asked to audition, because there was a need, you know, basically softball was exploding on television, and they just needed more people. I remember my agent called, and I just started laughing, and I was like, "Can you imagine a mic in front of me, no filter? Like, I'd be fired first day, like, there's no way." Like, and he's like, "Just go and try." Like, just, it's not gonna hurt, no one's watching, it's an audition. So I did, and I flew out there, and I was just, I was nervous, I didn't understand. I had called a few friends, watched some games, but that was about it. Show up, Beth Moens, who's now my broadcast partner, like, for life on softball, had flown in for it, never had met her before. And we sit down, and they show a game, you know, and we basically jump in on it.

• 27:12Speaker 05

  I can't tell you how natural it felt. So I can't say, like, I don't, I don't have video of that early phase, but I recognized right away, "Oh, I can do this."

• 27:23Ed Mylett?

  Okay.

• 27:24Speaker 05

  It's like kicking it on the couch with your friends, and stuff that I realized I was already doing. Like, "Oh, did you see her backflip, like, on that, you know?"

• 27:30Ed Mylett?

  Yeah.

• 27:31Speaker 05

  And that passion and excitement that just genuinely I have. Plus, the, like, knowledge of being a coach's kid my whole life, and

• 27:38Ed Mylett?

  Good point.

• 27:38Speaker 05

  And literally every night, breaking down video, like, that's what we did.

• 27:42Ed Mylett?

  It's so weird to me, but that's so cool, though.

• 27:44Speaker 05

  I know.

• 27:44Ed Mylett?

  That's awesome.

• 27:45Speaker 05

  We were a weird family.

• 27:46Ed Mylett?

  It's actually beautiful, because it's part of this story that explains you. Like, this work ethic and that extra stuff, and the extra stuff, and like, it's what people need to hear. It's like, this is the true story of how you become special, and you'll never, even when we're off-cameras, like, you just don't accept that you're, when I say "special," I don't mean, like, someone else can't replicate it. I mean, like, unique, in that you've Kept pushing past levels where most people said, "My will to win's over." Like, "Okay, I won, that's enough." And that's, most people in life, they do that. Eventually, their will to win kinda gets bought. Do you know what I mean? Like, you can buy 'em with enough accolades, or enough money, or enough success, or enough acknowledgement. And the really unique people in life, Alex is this way too,

• 28:27Ed Mylett?

  is that there's no destination at which place they wanna stop growing.

• 28:32Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 28:32Ed Mylett?

  Their will is not for sale. I hope that, I think I'm that way.

• 28:35Speaker 05

  Well, there's a screwed up, I can speak for myself, so I don't wanna speak for you, or Alex, or anyone else. But there's a screwed up insecurity that comes with it.

• 28:43Ed Mylett?

  Yes.

• 28:43Speaker 05

  And for me, like, that, i- it's not like the best trait either. Like, there is a part of me that just, you know, I've learned to be able to look myself in the mirror and see a strong, athletic, beautiful, like, all these positives. But for a very long time, there's that sense of like, "I'm not good enough."

• 29:01Ed Mylett?

  Yes.

• 29:01Speaker 05

  "I have to be better. I gotta work hard." And I know now, even in my own space, like, I have to work double, triple as hard just to prove, unfortunately, that like, "I know you don't think I belong, but I'm gonna kick your butt in like, just proving..."

• 29:16Ed Mylett?

  By being great.

• 29:17Speaker 05

  "Just that I'm prepared, and that I'm saying my points, and I'm, I'm who I am."

• 29:22Ed Mylett?

  I'm really glad you said that. Like, I'm loving this, because I am insecure too. And most successful people have had this insecurity that they're not good enough. And it doesn't always come from just a place of confidence or identity. Like, I have a really high identity, so do you. I have self-confidence. Self-confidence more like self-trust. So I really trust myself, but it doesn't mean I'm not insecure, that I'm not measuring up.

• 29:43Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 29:43Ed Mylett?

  And I also think really successful people hold themselves to such a high standard that there's always this power that's pulling them to another place compared to where they are, to where they know they could be.

• 29:53Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 29:53Ed Mylett?

  Do you know what I'm saying? And I think you have that. But the way you became a baseball, I mean, you really got the seat. As I understand the story, this is another example, sort of, you had done some games, but this is another example of an opportunity opened up and like, you jumped. And so, we don't need to say who or what it was, but isn't it accurate that there was somebody who had been suspended, another, there was a role, and if I'm wrong, correct me and tell it the right way. But part of it is someone had, you ended up getting a shot for a very short window in the main seat because of an issue with somebody else, and you seized the day, seized the moment. Is that about right, at some point?

• 30:27Speaker 05

  Yeah, I mean, I would already... Yes, and for Sunday Night Baseball.

• 30:32Ed Mylett?

  Right.

• 30:32Speaker 05

  Which is what I'm doing now.

• 30:34Ed Mylett?

  Right.

• 30:34Speaker 05

  And you're right, it was the timing of all of it, because I had done my first ever national baseball game. And it was kind of like hidden, not that ESPN had hidden it, it was just the time of year was in August. I was replacing someone on ESPN2 on a Monday, and it wasn't a great game at all.

• 30:48Ed Mylett?

  Mm-hmm.

• 30:49Speaker 05

  As far as teams and markets, so it was like, yeah, let's have your first game, be on this like easier stage. And that was on a Monday.

• 30:54Ed Mylett?

  Okay.

• 30:55Speaker 05

  The suspension happened on Wednesday, and I got a call Thursday asking me to be on that Sunday night. So I'd just done my first ever Major League Baseball game.

• 31:04Ed Mylett?

  So the training wheels are off, quick.

• 31:05Speaker 05

  It was like, let's try this.

• 31:08Ed Mylett?

  But you had lots of on-air time, lots of softball time, lots of stuff in softball.

• 31:13Speaker 05

  And I'd covered baseball, like I'd done features and more reporting.

• 31:16Ed Mylett?

  Yes.

• 31:17Speaker 05

  And I think for people that don't understand, like the nuances of broadcasting, reporting and being an analyst, it all sounds the same, but it's totally different.

• 31:25Ed Mylett?

  Okay.

• 31:25Speaker 05

  And changing geography, because I'd actually been an analyst for the Men's College World Series called Baseball, from the sideline, so I was doing the same job.

• 31:32Ed Mylett?

  Mm-hmm.

• 31:33Speaker 05

  But Phil Orland, who's actually my coordinating producer, my boss now, he said the point to me. He's like, "I'd love for you to continue being an analyst, but until we put you in the booth, that geographical change of maybe 60 yards will change how people see you forever." And I had never, I was actually satisfied, as long as I could get my content in of not, I don't want to say just being a reporter, but like really like breaking down swings and doing that. I didn't care where I was, I was going to do it from the sideline.

• 32:01Ed Mylett?

  Yep.

• 32:02Speaker 05

  And that was so accepted there, because at the end of the day, even if I was breaking down a swing, people were like, "Oh yeah, she's a female on the sideline, that's where she belongs."

• 32:08Ed Mylett?

  They've seen female sideline scorers in the NFL, in the NBA.

• 32:10Speaker 05

  Yeah, that she can stay there, that's good, no matter what she's saying, like as long as she's there, we're good.

• 32:16Ed Mylett?

  Whoa, yeah.

• 32:18Speaker 05

  And it's literally just going up the stairs and sitting in a booth that changed everything.

• 32:22Ed Mylett?

  Whoa, so Monday, you had to call Wednesday?

• 32:25Speaker 05

  Thursday.

• 32:26Ed Mylett?

  Okay.

• 32:26Speaker 05

  The suspension happened Wednesday, Thursday. They needed a replacement, so I get a call and they still weren't even sure. They were just kinda like, "We're thinking about using you." And I'm like, "Oh, what Sunday?" They're like, "Oh, like, two days." And I was like, "I need to fly somewhere." And like, for that Monday game, Ed, just to give you like, my nerdiness, I probably prepared three and a half months for that one Monday game. Because I had known I was doing it. So I'd flown all over the country, I'm out with the teams. I was like, "Okay, I'm ready." And I was like, "Well, who's playing? Like, what's going on? Like, I have to fly?" Like, and I live here in LA, and it was a Dodger home game against the Cubs. And it was the game that Jake Arrieta threw a no-hitter, which was the first ever no-hitter on Sunday Night Baseball.

• 33:05Ed Mylett?

  Come on!

• 33:06Speaker 05

  In decades. It was my first game.

• 33:08Ed Mylett?

  God's got his hand in a little bit here and then, right? Like, come on. So your first dagum game...

• 33:14Speaker 05

  Was a no-hitter. The only no-hitter to ever be on Sunday Night Baseball.

• 33:17Ed Mylett?

  That's so...

• 33:17Speaker 05

  It was my first game.

• 33:18Ed Mylett?

  Look at that. My hairless arm has chills on it. That's so amazing. I didn't know that. And so you step into that... Here's one of these things you said earlier. There's a few of those moments in your life.

• 33:28Speaker 05

  Yes. Oh, yeah.

• 33:29Ed Mylett?

  This is one of them.

• 33:30Speaker 05

  And I can remember that game. And I, like, and you're so right with like, there being a hand, for sure. Because I remember Buster Olney, who's the reporter, works on the game, who I didn't know well at that point. Sunday morning, so I come in, you know, I live in LA. I know the Dodgers, like, thank goodness. And I'm offensive-minded, so I'm all about hitting. So I came in with like, tons of Dodgers, tons of hitting.

• 33:54Ed Mylett?

  Yeah.

• 33:54Speaker 05

  So you know what happens. For those that don't understand what a no-hitter is, there's no offense from the Dodgers the entire game. But that, oh no, it was Saturday. I'd come over to the game and Buster introduced me to Jake Arrieta, who was gonna be the pitcher for the Cubs. It was gonna, obviously none of us know this at the time. And just walked over, recognized that, this is her first day on the job. She knows nobody. Let me just be a good dude.

• 34:17Ed Mylett?

  Really?

• 34:18Speaker 05

  And introduce her to the starting pitcher tomorrow, because that'll probably just help her a little bit. He introduces me, kinda breaks the ice to like, because I'd never met Jake and I'm nervous and... Plus, you're in a clubhouse. It's just a, you know, different environment. And the next thing I know Jake and I start talking. I mean, he's super, I mean, him and I clicked right away. He, I mean, his brain, his understanding of his body. We ended up talking for 45 minutes. I got more information on J.K. Reddick than I could ever, and I didn't even write anything down. It was just like you connect with someone.

• 34:46Ed Mylett?

  Did you use it during the game?

• 34:47Speaker 05

  Well, then that's what allowed me.

• 34:49Ed Mylett?

  That's all you had, right? That's what your stuff was?

• 34:50Speaker 05

  Yeah, but I would have gone in with just like Dodgers offense, like yes, with no hits. And instead I could dive into Jake because I'd just spoken to him the day before about just like how he throws a slider, why he gets his body into certain positions. And it was like amazing stuff.

• 35:06Ed Mylett?

  You guys have to understand something. This is the first time, Sunday night baseball, right? Like it's, and you, you step in here and it's a dagum no hitter.

• 35:14Speaker 05

  It's like history making game.

• 35:16Ed Mylett?

  But you crushed, you crushed. And what, what happens from there? Because guys, in the history of the sport, there's been one female to sit, and also it happens to be a Latina, by the way, who sits in that seat, right? What happens? Like do they, do you do another one and then another one? And they're like, hey, we think you're going to come back? Or what, what happens?

• 35:37Speaker 05

  Well, it was just supposed to be the game. And then the suspension ended up getting worse.

• 35:44Ed Mylett?

  Right.

• 35:45Speaker 05

  And so it ended up getting, carrying out through the rest of the regular season. But it was just supposed to be the one game. And then it just, it kept, it literally like, it was crazy. Because it was like, okay, like, that was awesome. Now I'm going to go back to like, you know? And the amount of media that came after that was incredible just because it was a no hitter. So there's so many people like finally tuning in. They're like, wait, is that a woman's voice? So just the, like, all these events happening. And then they kept me on for the, and this was early September by this point. So it was another like four, five games. It wasn't like a ton.

• 36:16Ed Mylett?

  Yeah.

• 36:16Speaker 05

  But I got to finish off the season and then do our wild card game, which is the first postseason game.

• 36:21Ed Mylett?

  You did a postseason game too?

• 36:22Speaker 05

  That year. Yeah, Astros Yankees. And then they asked me to come back and they signed me on to continue. And now I'm going into year four.

• 36:31Ed Mylett?

  That's unreal. And I got to tell you, I told you, we met in a gym, by the way, in St. Louis through Alex. And I told you this when we met, and I'm not, I mean this.

• 36:39Speaker 05

  It's like perfect that I saw you in a gym because you kind of just like blended right. I didn't, had no idea. And then here you are in a gym because you're so buff. I was just like, you're like the fixture of like the.

• 36:49Ed Mylett?

  Thank you. Whatever, whatever.

• 36:52Speaker 05

  He was kissing his biceps and I was like...

• 36:54Ed Mylett?

  Well, once you guys went to that yoga room, like, I gotta go.

• 36:57Speaker 05

  I know, I thought you were gonna do the workout with us.

• 36:59Ed Mylett?

  I left her in the yoga. But I gotta tell you, I told you this then, and I say this to you now. I was a broadcast major, I have a show, I also played baseball, and I think you're incredible at what you do. You are my favorite broadcaster, and whether you were a man or a woman. And the reason is, is that your content preparation's off the charts. But people that are great at something bring a particular energy to it. And this is a lesson for everybody watching this, no matter what you do. Influence is energy, persuasion is energy, attraction is energy. And you have the ability to transfer energy through a camera visually. You also do it with your voice. I think you're unbelievable at what you do. And also, the way you break down the game is obviously very scientific.

• 37:43Ed Mylett?

  But you're incredible what you do, whether you were a male or a female. I just think you're excellent, I just wanna tell you that.

• 37:48Speaker 05

  Thank you.

• 37:48Ed Mylett?

  You really are. And I enjoy watching you, and I watched you for so long. And then, obviously, it morphs into, just a couple of questions about this too. Because now, it's changed the dynamic now. Now there's like, three of you in this box now, right? There's three people in there. And then, sitting next to you is now, one of the five greatest people, I think, ever to... You could argue even the best, but certainly in the top five, ever to actually play that sport. How did that impact you at all? I'm wondering, that dynamic of working with Alex, the fact that he was such an incredible player. Did that cause any thoughts, changes, the way you delivered things, anything like that?

• 38:23Speaker 05

  I mean, so, who I'd worked previously with was Aaron Boone, who was a hitter, wasn't nearly the hitter, obviously, of Alex, but was offensive. I didn't work with the pitcher.

• 38:32Ed Mylett?

  And is now also, by the way, the manager of the Yankees.

• 38:34Speaker 05

  Who's now the manager of the Yankees. And so, that was like, for Aaron and I, like, learning how, when we're both hitting-minded, more so, neither one of us were a pitcher, to kind of figure out that balance. And we would talk, and kind of, to be honest, like, you just get to know what gets people excited. Because we're a team. So what's gonna make a great broadcast? Like, I could say the perfect thing, Alex could say the perfect thing, but if we're not all on the same page, and Matt Vescurian is our play-by-play, it doesn't make for a good broadcast. So what's gonna get you, like, what? So that was my thing with Alex, was finding out, what gets you excited? Like, obviously, we know how your records, everything you were as a player. But then, there's this whole knowledge side to him.

• 39:19Speaker 05

  That you recognize, which you don't see a lot in super talented players, because, I mean, let's be real. They're five years old and they just can hit. So they never really learn anything.

• 39:26Ed Mylett?

  Exactly, right. That's why many of them make the worst coaches.

• 39:29Speaker 05

  Yes, they can't teach, because they're just like, "Just do it."

• 39:31Ed Mylett?

  Exactly.

• 39:32Speaker 05

  That's what I did.

• 39:33Ed Mylett?

  Right, exactly.

• 39:34Speaker 05

  Alex is the exact opposite. Like, he not only is incredibly talented, but then he does his homework and his research, and just understands and dives in, and just, it's endless. Like, the amount of knowledge that he wants to learn, and even as a broadcaster now. So, what was interesting, and what we had to learn, was just like, okay, what gets... I never wanted to let, to step on him. I wanted him to, like, our broadcast, to make sure people, "Someone hits a homerun." Like, I realize this, and as much as we can say, like, "I'm great at all these things," like, I want to hear from Alex, when he's not, you know what I mean? Well, because he's Alex, like, I want, when we're breaking down, like, whatever it is, anything, honestly, in the game, I want to hear what Alex Rodriguez would do.

• 40:19Speaker 05

  Because that's, I mean, he's another level within the game that we're covering. And I can read him now, and feel his, like, body sitting next to me. So I can tell when he's still thinking, so, okay, I can jump in. And he can always follow. But then there's time, and now, like, we, you know, we can tap, and like, it's almost just like, "I got this," you know? I will always take a backseat to Alex with, as far as when he is excited, and he has that energy, you talk about energy? Because when he does that, I feel like he's one of the best broadcasters out there.

• 40:47Ed Mylett?

  Yeah, there's team dynamics and everything that people are listening to here. So it's like, you can't just, nobody wins in business or anything like solo. There's people around you all the time. One thing he tells me about you all the time is like, "You have no idea how hard this lady works, and how prepared she is." Those are the things about you. And then the other thing that he's told me is just like, she always is thinking about how to put me in the best position to win. And that's, this is what he says about you. And that's a lesson for everyone with any company, any business. You have to be in a broadcast booth. It's your work ethic, it's your preparation, and it's putting the people around you in the best position to win, which you need to get credit for. Because not only are you great on your own, but you're great also. And your knowledge level of the game is just through the roof.

• 41:27Speaker 05

  But that also helps you, like, I just, I don't know. And this is playing team sports your whole entire life, but like, if you want to win, I want to win. And I'm competitive, like, yeah, I get it. If it's me in an arena, like, boxing match, me versus you, like, there ain't no team, like, I'm kicking your butt, like, let's go.

• 41:42Ed Mylett?

  Yeah.

• 41:42Speaker 05

  But when you're talking about success... In pretty much anything you do, even when you're working on a project, it takes a team. Raising children, and not just my husband and I, I mean, we got like lots of people

• 41:53Ed Mylett?

  Yeah.

• 41:53Speaker 05

  that help us and support us, like, and I've learned that like I can't do it myself.

• 41:58Ed Mylett?

  Hmm.

• 41:59Speaker 05

  And I learned that as a teammate, like when I played on teams where I could be the best hitter, the best athlete, hit a homerun every time and we lose.

• 42:05Ed Mylett?

  He is.

• 42:06Speaker 05

  I don't want to lose.

• 42:07Ed Mylett?

  I love that.

• 42:08Speaker 05

  I want to win.

• 42:09Ed Mylett?

  I love that.

• 42:09Speaker 05

  So you win by figuring out your teammates.

• 42:12Ed Mylett?

  Mm-hmm. Because of the role you're in, not everyone's going to love you. You've got haters.

• 42:17Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 42:17Ed Mylett?

  And detractors, right? How do you deal with that? Because people out there have them too. If you're going to do anything great in your life, get ready, someone's coming at you. Do you not care? Does it bother you? What do you do with it?

• 42:26Speaker 05

  I mean, I don't know, like, I guess, I'd love to sit here and be like, "Doesn't bother me, screw all you haters." Like, I think I tried that for a little bit. Um, but they do, they get to you, and not all of them. I mean, I've changed my relationship with like social media, not reading, because you talk about you focus on the losses, I also focus on the negative. Like, people could come and say overly positive things over and over and over, and I just, I gloss over it. I read it, but I, I don't let it sink in.

• 42:53Ed Mylett?

  Mm-hmm.

• 42:54Speaker 05

  Someone comes at me with something negative, and I reread it, and I reread it, and it's like, you know, and then I find out they have five followers, or like, you know, and I'm like, "Why am I focused in on this egghead?" Because it's like not even a real avatar.

• 43:07Ed Mylett?

  Yep.

• 43:08Speaker 05

  I don't even know if they're human, you know? And, and here I am, and they're gonna, they're gonna affect my day.

• 43:13Ed Mylett?

  Mm-hmm.

• 43:13Speaker 05

  They're gonna affect, and my early, early years, like three years ago, a Sunday Night Baseball, yeah, back in the day, a Sunday Night Baseball, like, I'd get on air, and all of a sudden their words would come in my head.

• 43:25Ed Mylett?

  Wow.

• 43:25Speaker 05

  Like, "Shut up, you're not good enough, shut up, you didn't play, shut up." Like, and I would start talking, and I would stop talking.

• 43:32Ed Mylett?

  My goodness.

• 43:33Speaker 05

  And that's when I realized, Jess, you gotta stop. Like, you gotta figure out, because they're not going away.

• 43:38Ed Mylett?

  Wow.

• 43:39Speaker 05

  And so, you can't let them affect the way that you go about doing what you do.

• 43:44Ed Mylett?

  Thank you for saying that. I'm amazed that you said that. What did you, how did you do it?

• 43:48Speaker 05

  I just, I, what I learned is, so Twitter is like the worst of, of them, even though I, I use Twitter, and I, I love it for other reasons. I don't look at my mentions for like 24 to 40 hours after a Sunday night baseball game because that's when they're strong. And they're strong positive and they're strong negative. Everyone has a strong reaction to me.

• 44:06Ed Mylett?

  Yeah.

• 44:06Speaker 05

  No one's just like, oh, it's unfortunately, like, no one's like, oh, it's a female, no big deal.

• 44:10Ed Mylett?

  Right, it's a big deal.

• 44:12Speaker 05

  So everyone has some sort of reaction. And so I just don't read them.

• 44:15Ed Mylett?

  Okay.

• 44:15Speaker 05

  And when I come back on there, it's died down. If anyone has anything to say, it's not like crazy.

• 44:22Speaker 05

  And if someone really wants to come up and say something to me to my face, or I've found that that is always constructive. Like whoever has the balls to actually like come up to me and be like, I didn't think you did a good job with. And I've had people come up and say that. We can actually have a conversation.

• 44:39Ed Mylett?

  Right.

• 44:40Speaker 05

  And, and to be honest, I'm so relieved because that means you listen to me.

• 44:45Ed Mylett?

  Yeah.

• 44:45Speaker 05

  I mean, half the time, it's like, oh, you're a woman. You're, I'm like, does anyone like, you're me?

• 44:50Ed Mylett?

  Yeah, right.

• 44:51Speaker 05

  I, I know I'm a female.

• 44:52Ed Mylett?

  I'm pretty sure I've been this way for quite a while.

• 44:54Speaker 05

  Thank you for making me realize my gender.

• 44:56Ed Mylett?

  Yeah.

• 44:56Speaker 05

  Um, but it's, it's literally when it's something that's like, oh, you, you listen to me.

• 45:00Ed Mylett?

  Yeah.

• 45:00Speaker 05

  Because that I can take. And we might even still disagree. I might still argue, but no, his back foot was in that position. But now we're having a real

• 45:07Ed Mylett?

  Yes.

• 45:08Speaker 05

  human conversation, not an egghead, I hate you, go away.

• 45:11Ed Mylett?

  I really appreciate you talking about it because I think people need to know that is part of what you face. It's part of what everybody will face if they're going to do anything great in their life. It's just different. Like if you're the first entrepreneur, you're the first person trying to make six figures, or the first person trying to go to college. You know, you're going to switch through a career your whole family thought you should be in. But you do face that. And so I've always wondered how, because they affect me even. It's really strange. Like I'm in this mental toughness position I'm supposed to be in. And even yesterday, there was a video out and someone made a criticism. But I've also distinguished between, you know, what I think is legitimate criticism and just one of these blank avatars who just hates people, you know, but I appreciate you.

• 45:48Speaker 05

  But it's still like, that's the thing is like, and I've gotten better and I think our, our skin gets thicker

• 45:52Ed Mylett?

  Yeah.

• 45:53Speaker 05

  the more of it. We get, I mean, I come from a sport in softball where everyone's pretty much like positive and maybe little things here and there, but everyone's just lifting you up, lifting you up, lifting you up. So in the beginning, it was, it was hard to like just hear like a lot of just, and my thing is, is like, I don't know, my husband makes fun of me because I'm very naive and that like I really believe like, I don't know, like there's something good in like everybody.

• 46:17Ed Mylett?

  Me too.

• 46:18Speaker 05

  And so when people, it's, it's not that, it's more like I can feel their hatred. And so I've said this, I'm like, I just want to sit down with them and be like, why do you hate me?

• 46:27Ed Mylett?

  Why do you hate me?

• 46:28Speaker 05

  And you can hate me after this, but can we just talk about it? Like, why are you so angry?

• 46:31Ed Mylett?

  Yeah, but what I found overall is that for the most part, they, and I don't mean this to hurt anybody's feelings, they hate them. Like the time it takes to type something like that, and by the way, it always isn't more negative than positive because when you use something very well, people aren't likely to go, you did this very well. It's usually you're going to get an overwhelming majority of the people who type something to you that's negative, but typically they're projecting upon you something that's bothering them in their own life. And I remind myself of that all the time and I actually try to help them. If I'm going to respond, I usually try to respond by helping them. So, but everybody listen to her.

• 47:02Speaker 05

  That's awesome.

• 47:03Ed Mylett?

  Everybody listen to her because that is one of the things when you're pioneering, when you're trailblazing, there's more of this than you can imagine with her and you deal with it very well. The way you're dealing with it is you're winning. And so all of you that are like, how do I deal with it affects, you gotta win. You're winning. She's freaking winning. Like she just renewed. She's so great at what she does. You know, the 1% of the people out there decide to type something, obviously everybody else thinks you're going pretty damn good because you just renewed, right?

• 47:28Speaker 05

  Well, and I think finding, I was tested for the first time in my life since probably like high school when you're battling through like 50, like awkwardness, like who am I? Like, you know, your insecurities are at an all time high. And then, you know, through my life, I found this very confident, like I'm going to, like I can kick ass in life. Like I'm going to do this, you know, and I found this very confident person. And all of a sudden, when you think you got it, like, you know, I was right back to being 15 again.

• 47:55Ed Mylett?

  I know.

• 47:55Speaker 05

  And so I had to like really look inside me and find out like, why has this affected me? What about me? What's, what are the weaker parts? And I had to get strong again. I thought I was so strong. And I appreciate, I mean, all my whole life before this, all I did was speak to young girls about like being an Olympic athlete and finding strength and standing out. And here I am, not even listening to my own words.

• 48:17Speaker 05

  And so that like, it was like a slap in the face of like, how do I, how do I find that strong person again that apparently I've been not faking, but like thinking this whole time like I'm so strong. And then one person comes, or not one person, but

• 48:31Ed Mylett?

  I know what you mean.

• 48:31Speaker 05

  And they come and attack you and the next thing I know, I'm like, oh wow. And I start doubting myself and I'm stopping in the middle of a broadcast what I'm saying because I heard so many people telling me to shut up. And so I'm like, you know what, I need, and I, I really had to find myself again. And I, I had lost her. Like, I don't know, you know, I, I thought that she was always there, but it was actually kinda cool. Cause I thought, once you graduate high school, all the awkwardness of like figuring all that stuff out, but it can come at any age and I learned that.

• 49:01Ed Mylett?

  And I, there's a lot of reasons why we did today, but for me, like this is the reason. Cause it's interesting, this is so good for everyone to hear, like they're listening in on me and you on this, but um, I'm in the space. So of teaching people how to win and be mentally tough and change their confidence and their identity and all these things. Been talking about it forever, typically in front of favorable audiences all the time, right? And I was that insecure, shy, very unconfident young guy too. And it's amazing even the way that you worded it, that dude's still there. And I didn't know he was still there until I went in this and I got some criticism for a thing or two here.

• 49:40Ed Mylett?

  And I, I shouldn't say even me, that sounds arrogant, but I went back to like, oh, I, maybe I, maybe I don't wanna do this. That's not worth it, you know, and I went back to that guy for a while too. I'm like, oh, you've been like full of shit for a while here. Like you aren't this completely strong, studly, completely have all the answers guy, exactly the same thing. And I had to kinda rediscover that in myself too. Like I need to practice what I'm preaching. And I think for everyone to know this, there's gonna be moments where you do step back that, I don't think that dude like completely ever goes away from who I used to be.

• 50:12Speaker 05

  No.

• 50:13Ed Mylett?

  And you have to work like hell to keep him away. Like, once you think he's away, he's still there or she's still there, so.

• 50:19Speaker 05

  But it makes you human, like that's what I realize is like. I'd be talking to these girls and I've learned the more I share that, that I say, there's times I look myself in the mirror and I don't see what I want. I don't see, I see all the things that I could be doing better and, and it's real, it's relatable. And so then I have, I have to find that strength now every day. Like I gotta figure out, and it's easy to have the cover. You know, cause I, I do, I am a strong person.

• 50:46Ed Mylett?

  Yep.

• 50:46Speaker 05

  That person is there.

• 50:47Ed Mylett?

  Mm-hmm.

• 50:47Speaker 05

  But there also is the other.

• 50:49Ed Mylett?

  Yes.

• 50:49Speaker 05

  And it isn't until the haters come out, or even honestly, my own.

• 50:52Ed Mylett?

  Your own criticism of yourself, me too.

• 50:54Speaker 05

  That's actually what comes out the most.

• 50:55Ed Mylett?

  Me too.

• 50:56Speaker 05

  My own little Twitter handle on my head.

• 50:58Ed Mylett?

  No, me too, it's the worst one. I gave a speech a while ago that wasn't good, by my standards.

• 51:02Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 51:02Ed Mylett?

  In front of a lot of people, maybe like 30,000 people, and these guys filmed me afterwards on my jet. And I, I think I almost look like the verge of tears, you know, like, "How do you feel like you did today?" I said, "Honestly, terrible." You know, and it's, that's, I'm back to that guy again, but I actually think it's a little bit healthy, like you said, cause it's, I'm looking for improvement in me when I do those things. So, really, really grateful that you, that you shared that with everybody, cause everyone's going through that and you go through it to a large extent. So, I'm glad that you said it that way. Couple more things then.

• 51:29Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 51:30Ed Mylett?

  Your book.

• 51:31Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 51:32Ed Mylett?

  It's right here, it's been here the whole time.

• 51:34Speaker 05

  Hi, Book.

• 51:35Ed Mylett?

  Hi, Book. So, what is "There's No Base Like Home"? You and your sister wrote this book, right? Who's it for and what is it about? Talk about a busy woman, so.

• 51:45Speaker 05

  It came out this year, um, and oh my gosh, I never realized, I mean, you know, like, writing a book, I don't know what I thought, like, "Oh yeah, sure."

• 51:53Ed Mylett?

  Yeah.

• 51:53Speaker 05

  It took years.

• 51:54Ed Mylett?

  Yes.

• 51:55Speaker 05

  And thank, I mean, honestly, my sister wasn't a part of it at first. Um, it was just me, um, they were gonna kinda like, get like a ghostwriter that kinda helps navigate you. And I just, you know, struggling to get through it, cause my life had changed, all this stuff was happening. And then they decided, you know what, your sister, who's, she's 11th grade English teacher, Alana Dusan, and they were like, "Has she ever written anything?" I'm like, "No." Like, "What if you guys did this together?" I mean, the book was always about two softball sisters. Two, basically, girls growing up trying to navigate.

• 52:23Ed Mylett?

  Okay.

• 52:24Speaker 05

  Um, everything, right? Trying to navigate life, trying to navigate, um, cultural, you know, there's a definitely, a little bit of the Hispanic, but it isn't, it's not even the Hispanic, it's more of just like, your family, that, all you've known, but now you're, you're getting pressured by friends to believe and think other things. You know, and then the sport aspect, which is what I love, cause it's got the softball in there. But then two sisters, and so they're right this with my sister.

• 52:49Ed Mylett?

  Oh, cool.

• 52:49Speaker 05

  And even though it's definitely a fiction, it is my family.

• 52:54Ed Mylett?

  Really?

• 52:55Speaker 05

  And it just turned out that way.

• 52:56Ed Mylett?

  Based in truth.

• 52:57Speaker 05

  The stories there, I mean, I cried when I finished it, and it was really cool, because my dad, and we had talked about my father earlier, when my dad, who doesn't read books, no offense, Dad, but just doesn't read books, when he read this book, I mean, he got emotional.

• 53:12Ed Mylett?

  He did.

• 53:13Speaker 05

  And it's because, I mean, even the illustrations, like, he's got a big Fu Manchu mustache, big Mexican, like, and so even the illustrator, like, nailed it.

• 53:21Ed Mylett?

  Really?

• 53:21Speaker 05

  Getting his idea, but yeah, it's our family, but there's so much reality in there.

• 53:27Ed Mylett?

  Okay, who should read it? What age would you say?

• 53:29Speaker 05

  I mean, it's geared towards eight to 12-year-olds, but I don't know, I have so many, I have so many people that have read it, like, honestly, women that I'm friends with have gone and read the book, and, you know, it just dives into so many different things, and like I said, you might think it's eight to 12-year-old stuff.

• 53:47Ed Mylett?

  It's adult stuff, too.

• 53:48Speaker 05

  I mean, we wrote it as adults with the mindset of what it was like then, but it definitely, I felt myself get in here, and just how you kind of battle and find yourself. So, and so, like, you know, but it really is a constant, and what we talked about, a constant battle, and just getting back to, like, being different, like, and you said that, you said "special," like, what makes you special. My thing is, like, everyone has something about them that's different.

• 54:16Ed Mylett?

  That's right.

• 54:17Speaker 05

  And, like, it comes in all these different forms, but we're so pressured, Ed, and I feel like I can only speak as women, but to fit in, you know, to look like everyone else, to act like everyone else, to have the cool, like, whatever it is, to fit in.

• 54:29Ed Mylett?

  Yeah.

• 54:30Speaker 05

  But standing out is where it's at.

• 54:32Ed Mylett?

  Yes.

• 54:32Speaker 05

  And standing out is literally finding the things that make you different, and owning them, and waving that flag, and being like, "This is who I am."

• 54:39Ed Mylett?

  I already know where you're gonna be eventually, just so you know, like, this is the space you're gonna be in eventually, because your stuff is so good, and it's so true, and the people that I know that are the happiest and most successful are the most self-aware, and that's what you are, and that's what we're talking about today, it's about being self-aware, about the things that you're strong at, your struggles, the little girl... But still in there, you're just a very self-aware woman and that's why you're so powerful. How did they find the book? Like now, I want one. You told me there's one here for me somewhere.

• 55:04Speaker 05

  Yes, I know.

• 55:07Speaker 05

  My son's version.

• 55:08Ed Mylett?

  This is your son's version?

• 55:09Speaker 05

  What's cool is he bookmarked, like, so all these pages, he like bent the pages.

• 55:13Ed Mylett?

  Oh, wow.

• 55:13Speaker 05

  So that he goes back and he like reads them. His name's in here too, so he loves that. But I went and read it at a school, so he's got like seventeen pages.

• 55:22Ed Mylett?

  That's so cool.

• 55:22Speaker 05

  He earmarked, so if someone comes over and they ask him, he has like, well, this is my favorite part, and this is my favorite part.

• 55:28Ed Mylett?

  Wonderful. How do they get it? Can you get it on Amazon?

• 55:30Speaker 05

  Amazon, but like indie bookstores.

• 55:33Ed Mylett?

  Okay.

• 55:33Speaker 05

  But yeah, all the usual spots.

• 55:35Ed Mylett?

  Congratulations on that.

• 55:36Speaker 05

  Thank you.

• 55:36Ed Mylett?

  Yeah, we'll put it on my Instagram too. We'll promote it for you. So, a couple more things real quick, because we're taking up a bunch of your time. Do you have a mentor? I'm just curious.

• 55:45Speaker 05

  Uh, I mean, I have a lot. I mean, I honestly like, I mean, listening to you talk,

• 55:52Speaker 05

  you could put in mentor in a bunch of different ways. There's probably people that you continuously go back to. But I find that like, I love learning from people. Like, the reason I got excited about this is I started to really learn about you.

• 56:03Ed Mylett?

  Oh, thank you.

• 56:03Speaker 05

  No, but like, the more you can surround yourself with people that are like saying the things that you want to hear in yourself. Like, that to me is like, that's how mentorship happens, is just surrounding yourself. And it, I mean, even when I was younger, I would literally gravitate to the varsity high school shortstop. Julie Borchardt. Like, I would literally follow her around everywhere. And she was like my, I mean, idol. It was a local person. It was a twelve-year-old girl.

• 56:26Ed Mylett?

  Yeah.

• 56:27Speaker 05

  She was going to college. She had a full ride scholarship.

• 56:29Ed Mylett?

  She was big time.

• 56:29Speaker 05

  She was big time. And I tried to emulate and learn and figure out who she was.

• 56:34Ed Mylett?

  One of the coolest things in life, if everyone has that experience, is to turn a couple of your heroes into your friends. It's like the most miraculous, amazing experience, you know? I'm conscious of that myself, is like, if I'm ever that role for somebody, I always want to be available and accessible to people that are, that's why we do this, right here what we're doing. So, what would you say to somebody, even though you wouldn't acknowledge any of that? Someone says, hey, I want to turn my life around. It's not where I want it. I want it better. I want to make my dreams happen. Is there any advice you would give to somebody, man or woman, who they go, "I watched the whole show. I'm fascinated." Like, what steps or any advice at all, tactic, thought, idea would you give me to improve my life?

• 57:12Speaker 05

  I think it's like literally, you touched on this earlier, but like finding what makes you different. And I see that in you and your work. You're not afraid to put out there like the real, the unique. Because we're all, I mean, we're all different. We all are. And I think what people are craving now more than ever is finding out. So if you're, whatever it is, you know, that you're in, whatever age you are, whatever point you are in your life, whether it's personal, whether it's business, is like figuring out who the heck you are. And there's definitely something in there that's like, "I don't recognize this in anyone else." And normally, I think our instinct is to be like, "Okay, push that back now." Like, "I don't know where you came from, but like, that's not gonna fit in this room."

• 57:55Speaker 05

  Don't fit in. Don't fit in. Just like totally stand out. And when I think about standing out, that's like what like successful people do. They stand out whether it's because they're smart in a certain way. But I really believe in the person and what allows you to continue that success is just to own whoever it is. When you know, everyone knows that part of you.

• 58:17Ed Mylett?

  Yes.

• 58:17Speaker 05

  Walks into a room and is like, "This ain't like any of you."

• 58:21Ed Mylett?

  Yes.

• 58:22Speaker 05

  And just own that. And you're gonna get some weird looks sometimes. And you're gonna get people that are gonna be like, "She's weird."

• 58:27Ed Mylett?

  Yes.

• 58:27Speaker 05

  And kind of be okay with that, too.

• 58:29Ed Mylett?

  I love that because I, it's, gosh, like, I love that because I think through that gift you have is also where your purpose is and your passion. So what you said is like, I wouldn't, I could not answer that any better or differently. Like, I honestly believe every human being was born with some unique blessing or gift or multiple ones to them. It could be your communication skills, your intensity, your math skills, nurturing, humor, beauty, kindness, listening skills, but you have them. And when you can just get quiet and allow yourself a little bit of credit, go, "You know, that's one thing I'm good at." You know, because people have this long list of stuff, "I'm not any good at this." But you were born with a gift. You were born with some blessings. And one of the great joys of your life is when you discover that. And then if you really want to be happy, you take that gift and that blessing

• 59:12Ed Mylett?

  and you use it towards doing good work for other people. And now you've got a formula for being fulfilled. And so...

• 59:18Speaker 05

  And not just for them, but like connecting with them. And that's what you do. It's not just... I want to use this for you. It's like taking that and being like, I'm going to use this so that we can just meet in this like way. And then you take whatever you created there and you take that to the next level. And you just, you meet all these amazing people. And then you end up like just spreading that, whatever that is, whatever you just found together.

• 59:41Ed Mylett?

  Yeah.

• 59:41Speaker 05

  Instead of just being like me giving this to you. It's like, no, we're giving each other.

• 59:45Ed Mylett?

  I think you just described you better than you described me. I just, I think that's literally what you've been doing all your life, all the way from in the Olympics, walking over there to the Iraqi athlete, all the way to the way you described your relationship in the booth with your family and then with the book and then here today. I think you're amazing. Like, I'm so really glad we did this. I knew this was going to be really good from watching you and admiring you on TV. Then we met, I knew it would be good and things Alex said, but this exceeded what I thought it would be today. Like, I really.

• 1:00:12Speaker 05

  I'm glad.

• 1:00:13Ed Mylett?

  I love this. Thank you so much.

• 1:00:14Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 1:00:15Ed Mylett?

  You helped so many people today. So, hey, everybody, you can follow Jessica on Instagram. Where's that where they should find you?

• 1:00:20Speaker 05

  JessMendoza2.

• 1:00:21Ed Mylett?

  JessMendoza2 on Instagram. You're already following me probably, but what you need to do is you need to make sure you're subscribed to this podcast, if you're listening to the audio, or subscribe to the YouTube version as well. And remember, every day on Instagram, I do the Max Out 2 Minute Drill, which means if you make a comment on my Instagram in the first 2 minutes with that hashtag max out next to it in the main post, we do a drawing every day and you get gear from me, books, coaching calls with me and my guests. Today was miraculously amazingly awesomeness. So, thank you so much.

• 1:00:49Speaker 05

  I love all the additives.

• 1:00:50Ed Mylett?

  It was all wonderful.

• 1:00:51Speaker 05

  Miraculously amazingly awesomeness. That's the name of this one.

• 1:00:53Ed Mylett?

  I'm going to trademark that. And thank you for having me in your home, too. So, thank you so much. Max out. God bless you, everybody.