Episode 95: Visiting with LaShondria Hunt of St. Louis and her story, “New to the Scene”

                                    SSPP ep. 95 LaShondria Hunt

LaShondria Hunt shared a story she'd kept inside for over twenty years on stage at the third That's What She Said St. Louis and stopped by the podcast to discuss her experience. LaShondria chooses to use humor to look back at a traumatic experience and the resulting conversation is underscored by the value of storytelling in healing and community building.

ANNOUNCER  00:00  Raising women's voices one story at a time. Welcome to The She Said Project Podcast.
 [Music: The She Said Project Podcast Theme]

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JENETTE JURCZYK  00:27  I am so ready for this episode of The She Said Project Podcast. Are you ready to have some fun?
 
KERRY ROSSOW  00:32  Always. Duh. Yes.
 
JENETTE  00:34  It's a party at The She Said Project, I'm Jenette, your co host, your host, your Coco host, we're hosting, we're hosting. We're hosts. Hostess with the mostest, there we go. You know, I'm the director of That's What She Said in many cities these days.
 
KERRY  00:47  Yeah, I don't think you sleep. I am the co founder, which is code for, I just stand around clapping for everything Jenette does.
 
JENETTE  00:52  Well, I don't want that to be the case, but...
 
KERRY  00:54  I do. It works great for me.
 
JENETTE  00:58  I always tell people it's like an open adoption. You know, birth mom, adoptive mom, come visit anytime. I'm raising the kid. What do you think? They're happy, they're healthy, everything's okay, your baby's growing. We're in 14 cities. We're in our 10th season of the podcast. I am so proud and excited and exhausted, but really, it's all because of the mission you guys set at the very beginning. Women need a microphone. Women's voices deserve to be heard. And let's start here. And you started with a one night storytelling event in Champaign-Urbana.
 
KERRY  01:31  I thought you were gonna say one night stand. And I was like, I thought we weren't talking about that. Thanks for a different show. That's a different show, but it's the thing is, is that women have been telling stories since the dawn of time. So, like, we didn't have any big, grand idea. The only thing that we brought that was different was we just had a microphone.
 
JENETTE  01:45  You had a stage and a microphone, and a lot of people who showed up and said, Yes, how can we help? And I was one of those meager people in year three, I cornered you in a parking lot, said, How can I help? And I think one of the most fascinating things about this journey was the things that you shared that were stressors for you, were things that brought me joy. And if you can find that in any relationship, work relationship, when you're looking at the task list, what are the things that bring you joy that you're also good at? I mean, we really found a win win, and I've just been so grateful ever since.
 
JENETTE  02:18  Which she's very good at that's great. I mean, I often, I often need, you know the the entertainment for the night, yeah. But I am not the only one who saw the value in bringing an event like this to the women of your community. In fact, one of your very best friends from college, from your college years, reached out to you in year three or four, a couple years ago now, and wanted to bring That's What She Said to St Louis.
 
KERRY  02:18  It's been a great thing that I have seen in my own life and then within the show, but also watching these women take it out into the world. Because I think this would have never happened had we not had people say, Hey, I'm an attorney. Do you need an attorney? Hey, I'm a graphic designer. People offered help that we didn't even know we needed. So now I think, okay, don't just bask in that, when I see someone else doing something awesome. Now I have to reach out,
 
JENETTE  02:20  Step up and offer help?
 
KERRY  02:24  …and after you need to tell inappropriate jokes at your party.
 
KERRY  03:10  It's the whole thing of women connecting with women, women supporting women. And Jenny Miller Pratt (TWSS St. Louis Producer/Director) is one of the most supportive people I have ever met. She makes you feel like you're six foot tall. Wait, wait, I am six feet tall. That makes me feel bulletproof. She's so wonderful, and she had been that person for me in college. So then to get to go to her community, to St Louis, which is a city I love very much, and then to see her doing it with all these other women, and seeing her build up and support and put a microphone in front of them. Pretty fantastic.
 
JENETTE  03:44  Yeah, just to show up the day of the show, sit in the audience and go, "Let's hear what the women of St Louis have to say." And today's guest is from the third That's What She Said St Louis in 2024. Yeah, we're so excited to welcome her to the show, and I think she's on the phone with us now. LaShondria, are you here? My dear?
 
LaSHONDRIA HUNT  04:04  I am.
 
KERRY  04:04  (gasp) Yay!
 
JENETTE  04:06  Thank you for joining us today. I mean, it's been a couple weeks only since your show. How are you feeling?
 
LaSHONDRIA  04:13  First of all, I want to say thank you again for the opportunity. I am still on cloud nine from the show. I can start by saying that I was super nervous, but after a few meetings, a few opportunities to rehearse, I feel good, and I'm excited for the show to hit the YouTube, I'm excited to even see it.
 
JENETTE  04:36  So by the time this episode comes out, I think it will be out on YouTube so our audience, our listeners, can go and find it very quickly. But let me just say you did not look like you were nervous at all. I thought you were born to be on that stage. You just rocked it.
 
LaSHONDRIA  04:52  So what I wanted to do was, and the reason that it felt like that because I wanted to tell my story so that the audience could actually relate to me on a personal level, just to see me as a source of strength, wisdom and some empowerment, and invite women to be more encouraged and resilient. It took a lot, because I was sharing a story that I had held in for over 20 years, but once I got in front of the stage, I was just like, I'm just gonna say it. And it happened, and I believe the audience enjoyed it.
 
KERRY  05:23  Yes, they did. But before we get to your story, I'm curious. How did you wind up on that stage? How did the ask happen? Had you been to a show before? Give me the lowdown on that first.
 
LaSHONDRIA  05:33  So actually, I have a best friend that I hadn't seen for probably seven, eight years, but she had a big sister that I had never met before. So she invited me to the first That's What She Said so, and it was Rhoda Banks. So I was there for two reasons. It was my first show, and I was there to meet my best friend's big sister. So I came. I enjoyed. I met Rhoda, and I've been talking and being friends with Rhoda for the last two years. And she nominated me.
 
JENETTE  06:00  Oh, I saw Rhoda at your show. We had the Rhoda Experience. We know what The Rhoda Experience is.
 
LaSHONDRIA  06:08  Absolutely. I have.
 
JENETTE  06:09  So we're going to share your story with our listeners today. And I don't know if we need a disclaimer or not, but I just want to be clear, this is your story, from your point of view, something you lived through, I feel like I just want to tell our audience we are not here to bash anyone's religion or anyone's church or anyone's relationship with God. I know if that might even be given away too much, but what you shared was both shocking and funny, and you know, you got a bunch of women riled up, cheering you on, but if you really stop and think about it, you experienced something that was not okay.
 
LaSHONDRIA  06:46  Yes, humiliating and embarrassing.
 
JENETTE  06:49  But you gave us all permission to laugh that night. So for that, I thank you. So let's just roll the tape that sounds let's just hit the button, I guess,
 
JENETTE  06:58  but we're gonna hear it in your words, and then we're going to talk about it. Okay, okay, so to our friends out there who are just getting to know LaShondria Hunt for the first time. This is her story on stage in That's What She Said St Louis 2024. Please enjoy "New to the Scene."

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 (Originally recorded on September 14, 2024 at The Sheldon, St. Louis, MO.)

LaSHONDRIA HUNT  07:13  You know, they should create a manual called 'How to Survive the Black Church.' (laughter) Because just showing up, thinking you were about to get closer to God is not enough. You need some protection, but not any old protection. I found what I really needed was a grandmother who attended church every Sunday in a church suit and a bad ass hat, (laughter) I found those were the people who were well respected and most protected. In my early 20s, I felt like something was missing from my life. I didn't know what my passion or purpose was. I was just out here existing. And if you know me, if I'm looking for something, you know, I'm going to find it? Well, I'm not sure, but I decided to go find God.
 
07:32  I recall the day like it was yesterday. It's in me, stuck. Now, keep in mind, I have never been to church as an adult. I didn't have any church clothes, money, or even a Bible. I mean, I had heard great things about the place, so I figured that's where you find God. Everything I heard made me think that it was heaven on earth. Now, if the church is heaven, then that means the people are the angels, so the pastor would be God. Now you see where I'm going with this. So not only was I missing that grandmother in that bad ass hat, I was also missing church clothes. So what I wore was a tight skirt, a tight shirt and some cute heels.
 
09:00  My body was shaped up and banging. I was killing it for my first day of church. (laughter and applause)
 
09:12  I walked in and I was greeted by smiling faces and what I thought were very nice people. I was thinking, this is really where the angels are. These are very good people. I was so excited to stand when they asked for the visitors. I stood. The church welcomed me, and it was great. Now, when I look back, I realize Matthew 2 and 13 would have been perfect. It says, "Run from danger, leave." I believe, but it was my first day. I didn't know any scriptures. I also didn't know I should have ran for my spiritual life.
 
09:54  Well, as soon the service ended, the pastor ran from the pulpit. When I say he ran. I didn't even get a chance to get my tight skirt off the pew. He moved fast. He asked to take me out to dinner right then and there, dag smack in the middle of church. I didn't know what to say, because remember, if the church is Heaven and the people are the angels. This is God. I was confused on why the pastor wanted to take me to dinner, because I was used to the street style approach when a man asked you out on a date, but I guess church is more a sanctified version of the same game. Oh well, I said no, because I had promised my mom I would make her my famous spaghetti.
 
10:49  So I got away from the pastor, but on the way out the door, a deacon caught me, and X could have used my cell phone. I was thinking, it's 2003 everybody got cell phones, but I went ahead and gave him my phone number, because I'm new here. The Deacon put his cell phone up and my phone locked it in and said, call him. If I could be frank, I know what the hell was going on in my first day of church. I got out of there, but I came back the next week because the choir was awesome, the pastor could preach, and I thought it was what I needed. I also thought it was what my son needed. My mama needed, my aunt and uncle, even my best friend and her daughter. I quickly decided that everybody needed God. I was walking the walk, and about two months later, I was involved in Sunday school, Tuesday night teaching, Bible study. I had even joined the choir, and I was the treasurer for Sunday school. I mean, I was all the way in, and along the way, I found myself in bed with the pastor.
 
12:02  Well, let me tell you, heaven on earth quickly turned into hell in church, especially when the women found out I was dating a pastor. He was out loud about me and very quiet about the other women. Yeah, I said it the other women. It was a lot of them. It took a while, but I finally realized I was losing while I was attending church, I lost confidence, I lost faith, I lost self esteem, and I had also lost a desire that I once had for God. I also lost my best friend. Remember the one I had brought and I was so excited about the angels. Turns out she was in bed with the pastor too. Well... (laughter) I got a friend right here.
 
13:00  Well, I finally knew that it was time to go when I realized the women of the church were being intentional about hurting me. They were mean. And if you don't know anything about the black church, well, the pastor's wife is called the First Lady, and I overheard somebody call me the second lady. Those were fighting words, because I'm second to none.
 
13:30  But that's when I knew it was time to go. It was too much, so I left. I spent some time depressed, but not a long time, though I still couldn't believe I went to church to find God, and got hurt. So after spending four years looking for God, I had decided he was gonna have to come find me. And I'll be honest, I was kicking it. I was loving every minute of it. I was traveling to new places. I was partying with friends. Drinks was flowing, club hopping like there was no tomorrow. I was living life to the absolute fullest, and somewhere in the mix, I even found true love. I met my person. I had another baby, and I thought I had it all, but every now and then, I catch myself wondering, is there more to life? I still had that desire to find true passion and purpose, but little did I know, my cousin Adrian would be the guide randomly. My cousin asked me to coordinate her wedding, and I said no, because I had no idea why she would be asking me to do something so big. There's no way I could do that. She told me I was bossy and a good planner, and said, Yes, you could do that.
 
14:42  Well, I finally agreed, and on July 5, 2017 I coordinated her wedding. And let me just say I did excellent. (applause) It went great. It was perfect, to say the least. And here's the crazy thing. Instead of going out looking for God, I found something even better. I found something I was able to do from my heart, and it came very easy. Now, 21 years later, I'm a wedding day coordinator. I am the proud owner of Shon Love Events.
 
15:21  In the last seven years, I've managed and executed 85 amazing weddings, 10 unforgettable events, and I have truly found my passion, and I absolutely love bringing dreams to life. What I realized is that this passion and strength was always inside me waiting to be discovered. I didn't need a manual, an outfit, or even a grandma with a suit and a bad ass hat. So I still wear bagging outfits. What I needed was already within me. God has been my guide from the start, and as I continue this journey, I know I am capable of rising, thriving and shining right where I am. 

(applause) 

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KERRY ROSSOW  16:08  Okay. Wait before we go on one more second, I have to ask you, this is all coming clear in my mind. I was in the front row and there was a fabulous group of men behind me. Were those your fellas, your boys?
 
LaSHONDRIA HUNT  16:21  They were my brothers.
 
KERRY  16:23 Oh, wow.
 
LaSHONDRIA  16:24  And my son. They have never heard the story before, and they were so proud of me.
 
KERRY  16:29  Oh my gosh, I can vouch for that. They were behind me. So I sat down, and they looked a little like deer in the headlights. And I said, Hi, is it your first time? And they said something like, yeah, How'd you guess? What was the first clue? And they were so proud, and they said they were there to watch someone, and they cheered so loudly, and you could just feel the love. I was like, I don't know who these fellas are, but they are fantastic. I actually, I should send you I have a picture with them, because it made my heart so happy to see I knew that one was a son and that two were brothers, and that just made my heart so happy to see that. So sorry. That was just a side note, but as I was thinking back, I'm like, wait, I bet that was your family that I got to meet.
 
LaSHONDRIA  17:14  It was. I'm just smiling.
 
JENETTE JURCZYK  17:17  No, the whole audience was surrounding you that night, because, again, you were charming and funny and amazing, but the story that you shared, you know you are on your search for spiritual health and guidance and love and a relationship with God, whatever that needed to be for you, and you found people who were in positions of power who didn't act very godly, in my opinion,
 
LaSHONDRIA  17:44  That's right.
 
JENETTE  17:45  And you survived.
 
LaSHONDRIA  17:46  I absolutely survived, and it shaped me into the woman that I am today.
 
JENETTE  17:50  But you said, you haven't, you haven't said that story out loud in how many years?
 
LaSHONDRIA  17:54  I've never said it out loud, but it's been 20 years that I've been holding it in, that I've been silent.
 
KERRY  17:59  How do you feel now? How did that feel afterward?
 
LaSHONDRIA  18:04  I feel really, really good, but I feel like I've moved past the embarrassment. I moved past the humiliation. I can have a conversation about it. I can empower someone, and I can also let women know that you're not the first and you're not the last, but we can absolutely get through this. We can get past this. So with that, I feel like it just gave me more room and space to grow.
 
KERRY  18:30  Well, the feedback, I don't know if you could feel it from this stage, but women were losing their ever loving minds, either laughing really, or nodding or like you clearly hit a nerve that people connected to your story.
 
LaSHONDRIA  18:44  And I wanted it to be that way, and I wanted to end. I didn't want to bash anybody, but I wanted to tell my story. I wanted to tell it my way, my personality. But I also wanted the end for God to get the glory and for people to see me for where I am now, not for who I used to be or what I've been through. That was that was very important to me.
 
JENETTE  19:05  Yeah, that was just one experience, one slice of time, that doesn't define church or your relationship, you know, but I love how you opened it, you know, there should be a guidebook for this, because
 
LaSHONDRIA  19:16  Absolutely
 
JENETTE  19:17  You jumped in, sight unseen, and unfortunately, the first impression wasn't a great one, but you didn't give up. You found what you needed. It just took a little bit more time, right? And then you you give back like you get involved you you want to make the world a better place. You want people to find, you know, God or whatever it is, they need to feel whole.
 
LaSHONDRIA  19:37  Yes, absolutely. I still want people to know that, I mean it, that was my experience, and I made it out, you know, so it could be their experience. I didn't want to bash anyone. I didn't, you know, that's why I wanted to say it in my way. I wanted to be funny, but I still wanted people to know that, you know, there's other ways that. Time to find yourself and then it may not come when you think it should come, or when you think it should be there. It took me look 20 years, and here I am now.
 
JENETTE  20:10  Yeah, but people should be held accountable for their actions. It isn't one church or one group you know, it is an individual who made a bad choice and should be held accountable, and that's for every woman who feels like they cannot tell their story, who's been who have been through something or someone victimized them, and like you kept quiet for so long, and you know, you found quite a big stage to let it all out. But I just, I want to use this opportunity to just tell women who have been through something traumatic, that saying it out loud is so healthy and so important. And you know, if something happens, you need to talk about it and you need to find help.
 
KERRY  20:51  You didn't just survive, you thrived. It was just so great to see you and such it coming from what appeared to be such a place of healthy lifestyle, and you were up there just shining like a diamond. And I thought, Oh my goodness. Anne Lamott, an author, said, "if you didn't want me to write bad things about you, you should have been nicer." So I was like,
 
LaSHONDRIA  21:11  I totally agree with that.
 
JENETTE  21:14  You don't want me to tell the story, but behave like that. Absolutely, absolutely.
 
LaSHONDRIA  21:19  But I just want, I just want people to feel encouraged, you know, and be able, like you say, be able to share their own story and with me. I have a passion for helping women. Um, I love women. I love being a woman. I love empowering women. I love giving advice, mentoring. So this, right here, was something like I said, I held in for so long, this gave me a platform I would have never thought in a million years. I didn't know, I know I wanted to tell my story, but I never thought that I would get this opportunity. So I'm thankful for that. Just as a whole,
 
JENETTE  21:54  loud and proud, my friend and I love that you shared in the second half of your story that you found your calling.
 
LaSHONDRIA  21:59  I did
 
JENETTE  22:00  Yes, and you're good.
 
LaSHONDRIA  22:02  I was just telling my friends today that when I hit 100 weddings, I'm gonna throw throw a big party. So right now I am probably eight. I'm seven weddings short of my 2025 goal. So yeah, so I'm very excited. I love exactly where I am. I feel like I'm in the place that I'm supposed to be right now. In my life, married, got a son, got a successful business, I couldn't expect anything better than where I'm at right now. I feel like I'm just where I'm supposed to be.
 
KERRY  22:32  And you have so many new best friends. It was so obvious how much the cast mates loved each other. Every person that went up there. You could just see the women behind them, literally behind them, holding them up and laughing or nodding. You guys really seemed to be a close cast.
 
LaSHONDRIA  22:48  We went from ten to nine, and I'm not sure what happened to our 10th person, but the Nifty Nine, we bonded. And what's really funny is after, when I received the text message to come on the show. I was having dinner with Ashley, who was the first one, was the cancer survivor. So we have absolutely connected. We are friends. We text message, and I just build relationships with new women from different backgrounds. And for that right there alone, I'm thankful, because that's growth for me, meeting new people, create new bonds and relationships. So, yeah, the Nifty Nine.
 
JENETTE  23:25  That's what makes life worth living. You know, powerful relationships, people that you trust, people that lift you up. I don't think there's anything more valuable.
 
LaSHONDRIA  23:33  That's right. I agree.
 
JENETTE  23:35  What was your resistance when your friend told you to be her wedding planner, I remember you saying that you were like, uh, not me. What was that resistance? Was it doubt? Was it outside your comfort zone? Because I want to learn the lesson here of how you embraced your gifts.
 
LaSHONDRIA  23:50  Well, when she asked me to do I wasn't familiar with weddings. I wasn't familiar with coordinating weddings or wedding planning. I had been married, but I didn't remember anything about the process. But...
 
JENETTE  24:01  We never remember the day, right?
 
LaSHONDRIA  24:04  We can't remember. She was basically like, you're going to coordinate my wedding. And I said no. And she said, you are. And I did. Well, I'm not sure why I did, but when I did, it was perfect. People was asking her, like, how much did she pay me? And I was like, wait a minute, I'm supposed to get money for this.  And then I just did some research, and it's like, it's natural. It's like, it's not work for me. I absolutely love what I do. My clients love me.
 
KERRY  24:35  We love you.
 
LaSHONDRIA  24:36  Well, thank you, and I love you too. You know
 
JENETTE  24:40  You have some new best friends, you know, throughout Illinois, and
 
LaSHONDRIA  24:43  I was, I just hope that we all stay connected. I'm not sure what the That's What She Said bond is, but I know that Nifty Nine, we are going to stay close, and I'm looking forward to all the rest of the shows. I can't wait.
 
JENETTE  24:55  I love that. There are definitely women in every show who are like, I want more of this. And they travel. They travel to different cities to support women they don't even know, because it's just the power of the story and being vulnerable and being there to witness and, you know, celebrate the next and the next and the next. And let's bring them all. Let's bring all these women. Let's raise them all up. Let's pay it forward and keep it going. Yeah, I agree. Okay, so I have about 16 events next year. I'm going to need you to organize for me. Bring it, bring it up like I'm going to tap into those talents very soon.
 
LaSHONDRIA  25:31  I love it.
 
JENETTE  25:32  I need some help up in here.
 
LaSHONDRIA  25:34  I can do this thing in my sleep. I almost tell, I almost told Jack Jenny, hey, what you need? I got you. I can help you.
 
KERRY  25:41  You're gonna live to regret those words.
 
LaSHONDRIA  25:44  No, I wouldn't. I just don't know, you know, just don't know how natural this thing comes to me
 
JENETTE  25:48  Yeah, when you love what you do. I mean, putting on it, that's what she said. Show people don't see the work. They show up. It's this beautiful polished night. They don't see the hours and the sweat and the she like, Kerry, you have seen me. You come to a show. You're dressed all pretty, and the lobby is full of beautiful people. And here comes Jenette with, like, sweatpants on and no makeup, puffy and because I've been there since nine o'clock that morning, you know, and I haven't sat down once, you know, it's but there's so much work to show. Oh yes, absolutely. That's what we live for.
 
KERRY 26:23  In a few short hours later, it's like, right thing? Like, okay, you look like you'd been strung out honking tonkin for weeks, and then the next thing I know, you look like a million bucks.
 
JENETTE  26:33  Well, the second ladies are on the stage and the stories begin, my work is done. There's this moment of the lights are on, the show has begun, and that is like my first big exhale. And I'm sure you feel that way when you're at a wedding, when that bride aisle, that's when you exhale, right
 
LaSHONDRIA  26:50  when the aisle, when she gets down the aisle, and then when we get to the reception, I'm like, Let's go so I definitely can relate. Yeah, we made it ceremony stressful, reception, it's a cakewalk.
 
JENETTE  27:00  That's when you get to go and change and put on some lipstick and, you know, pee for the first time.
 
LaSHONDRIA  27:04  That's right. Change my shoes.
 
JENETTE  27:05  That's right. Girl, you and me both.
 
JENETTE  27:07  I always have another pair of shoes backstage, the ones you see me walk out on the stage, and the ones that I have in the wings, right?
 
LaSHONDRIA  27:14  I changed my I have on a pair of nice slides, and then for the reception, I have on sneakers.
 
JENETTE  27:20  Girl, you can write a book. I love it, 'Event Planning with LaShondria,' you needed a book in your story. You needed someone to guide you. The absolutely, yeah, the dos and the don'ts of the church. I love that. You said all you need is a grandma with a great hat. That's all you need.
 
LaSHONDRIA  27:36  Yes
 
KERRY  27:37  I think you called it, didn't you call it a badass hat?
 
LaSHONDRIA  27:39  a badass. A badass hat
 
KERRY  27:41
I love that
 
JENETTE  27:44  I think that's what we all need, just we all need a bad grandma with a badass hat telling us you know what to do and what not to do.
 
LaSHONDRIA  27:50  they've seen things so
 
KERRY  27:52  support to support and some protection. Yep.
 
JENETTE  27:56  Well, you certainly enlightened us, and you know, shared your beautiful spirit and your feistiness. I mean, I know this was a long time ago, but girl, you are just a force.
 
LaSHONDRIA  28:08  Thank you.
 
JENETTE  28:09  You are welcome,
 
LaSHONDRIA  28:10  and thank you for all me. And this is all me all the time.
 
JENETTE  28:14  This is you all the time?
 
LaSHONDRIA  28:15  So this is me all the time.
 
JENETTE  28:16  So that wasn't even a performance on that stage. That was just you being you.
 
LaSHONDRIA  28:20  That was my real personality. That was the real me.
 
JENETTE  28:23  Well, you are a natural storyteller, because we loved it.
 
LaSHONDRIA  28:27  Thank you.
 
JENETTE  28:28  You're welcome.
 
LaSHONDRIA  28:29  Thank you for having me, ladies.
 
KERRY  28:30  Oh, thank you. And tell, tell those men in your life, life they get they got big points. I was actually...
 
LaSHONDRIA  28:36  I cannot wait to call them, and I do not forget to send me the picture
 
KERRY  28:39  I will. I will
 
LaSHONDRIA  28:40  They were so proud of me. They were proud of me, yes,
 
KERRY  28:44  and I thought, in case, you you know, were on the stage and couldn't see or couldn't hear, but they were so proud. And it was such a touching thing to be able to watch.
 
LaSHONDRIA  28:52  Yes, I was a little nervous, because, like I said, they had, they never knew what I experienced. So then when I had an opportunity, he was like, my brother was like, wow. I'm sure the one that you was talking to is the one who he was just like, wow. I'm so proud of you. I'm so proud that you had this opportunity and that you had the courage to tell your story. I didn't know that that happened, but
 
KERRY  29:13  You know what was extra special about those guys? And I commented on it that night. They went wild for you, but they cheered for everyone.
 
LaSHONDRIA  29:22  See, that's good. They're my people.
 
KERRY  29:24  It’s like, those are your people. You know, they, they obviously, you know, they were cheering for the person that they loved and were there to support. But they, they gave it up for everybody. And I thought, oh, like, that's your son and your brothers. Like, you should be so proud of how you raised him, and that those are your brothers.
 
LaSHONDRIA  29:43  I am so excited. I cannot wait to call him. You're gonna be like,
 
KERRY  29:45  Oh no, we thought we shook her. We got a restraining order, right?
 
JENETTE  29:50  No. People ask me all the time, do men come to this thing? And let me just say yes, and we love when men show up to cheer on the women on the show, because... I mean they need to hear these stories, first and foremost. They need to learn from our experiences and truly listen. Oh my god. Listening is such a powerful gift, but we love it when men come out to watch. That's What She Said, and sometimes are the loudest cheering from the crowd. It's amazing. So if we have any men listening here today, thank you for showing up to support the women, of That's What She Said. You know, it's just a matter of time before That's What He Said is gonna roll up here, right? I mean, men have important, powerful stories too, but we can all learn from each other's stories and experiences if we just take time to listen. I'm just so grateful that you said yes to stepping up and going through this experience, because we need women like you out there, LaShondria, and thank you. You're welcome.
 
LaSHONDRIA  30:44   And if you need somebody in show 20, the reunion show, the reunion show, of course, the reunion show
 
JENETTE  30:51 She’s already, she's already planning. She's planning ahead. She's using her gifts. I love it. I love you. I love you. Kerry, I love everybody.
 
KERRY  31:01  Got a whole lot of love flowing around here.
 
JENETTE  31:04  We just have way too much fun here. We could just talk all night, but the Champaign, we're gonna let you go, and we're gonna just say thank you to all our friends and fans who make the she said project podcast possible, and we hope to see you at the next That's What She Said.
 
LaSHONDRIA  31:16  Bye.
 
KERRY  31:17  Over and out!

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[Music: The She Said Project Podcast Theme]
ANNOUNCER  31:30 Thank you for listening to The She Said Project Podcast in partnership with Illinois Public Media. All materials contained in the podcast for the exclusive property of The She Said Project and That’s What She Said, LLC. For more information on our live shows go to [url=https://shesaidproject.com]https://shesaidproject.com[/url]
 
This podcast was made possible with support from Carle and Health Alliance and presented by Sterling Wealth Management, empowering women to live their best lives.