#12 - Christie Ambrosi: Winning Gold, Giving Back, and Empowering Women in Sports

Chris Miller: And then with that, we are officially live.
Christie Ambrosi: This is so exciting.
Chris Miller: Yes. Welcome to the well for everybody, really. This is the first podcast that's been recorded in the Boys and Girls Club studio.
Christie Ambrosi: That is true.
Chris Miller: We're in Lawrence, Kansas, right now. But you haven't been in Lawrence, Kansas forever, so where did you grow up?
Christie Ambrosi: I grew up in Overland Park, Kansas, and was in the Shawnee Mission School District for a long time, until about 8th grade. And then my family moved out to the Blue Valley School District, and so I ended up graduating out of that district and went on to UCLA and lived in California for about seven years.
Chris Miller: Okay, so that's a big change.
Christie Ambrosi: It was it was a culture shock, for sure.
Chris Miller: And what was little Christie like?
Christie Ambrosi: Crazy. That just changed. But, uh, no, just very, um, adventurous. My parents were really good about putting me in all kinds of different activities. I was really blessed to have the opportunities that they provided me and being able to kind of find my own passion. And I just loved sports. I remember them putting me in soccer. I was a gymnast for ten years. That was really the first sport I ever did. But they had me in a bunch of sports at the same time, and soccer I played. And I just remember my dad telling me the story about he would be socializing with his friends and maybe not paying attention. Um, and they'd be like, oh, Christy just scored a goal. And he's like, oh, she did? Okay. And then he'd go back to talking to his friends, not really paying attention. Then they go, Christy scored a goal again. And after a few times that that happened, he's like, Well, I think my kid's kind of good at sports. I should probably start watching her more. And female sports back then was nothing like it is now, and so girls playing sports was kind of a new thing. To be able to keep up with the boys and then be better than the boys was something new. And I just loved the competition, and I loved sports. And that whole environment of being around friends and the friendships and all the things that you get to be a part of in team sports, I just loved. But I fell in love with softball the most. That was my very favorite sport.
Chris Miller: And what made it different than the other sports? Why'd you fall in love with that one?
Christie Ambrosi: I don't know, because it's kind of slow, which isn't really my personality. But I was a pitcher, so you always have the ball, and you always have it must have been a control I must be a control freak.
Chris Miller: You get attention a lot, too.
Christie Ambrosi: You do. So those two things, I think, were, um, enticing, and I think I was good at it, so, of course, everybody likes things that they're good at, but I was really lucky to have a team that I played on growing up called the Sliders. And I was on that team pretty much my whole youth. And so it was the same girls and the same parents, and we just were really close. And that, I think, really contributed to my love of the sport because of that consistency and that camaraderie between the same group of girls that just you don't find very often in sports, especially nowadays. But back then, it was just there wasn't a million teams you could team hop to. Huh. You kind of were forced to get along. And we did. We were really lucky. We all got along really well. We're still friends to this day, a lot of us.
Chris Miller: So you joined the sliders. How old are you?
Christie Ambrosi: Oh, gosh, I think I was like, eight or nine. And I remember we were playing out the Johnson County Girls Athletic Association ball fields off Midland Drive. I mean, they're not even there anymore. I remember I was on Johnny's Barbecue. That was my team. And we were red and, uh, light blue, so he must have been an old Miss Fan or something. But, uh, I just remember seeing the Sliders, and they had Notre Dame colors, and I thought that was so cool. And I didn't know if they were any good or not. I just liked their uniforms, so I wanted to be on their team. And I befriended the coach's daughter, and we ended up playing them, and they were good, and I was like, I want to come play for you. And she and I became really good friends, and she talked her dad into letting me be on the team. And that was how I became a Slider.
Chris Miller: There you go.
Christie Ambrosi: You slid into I slid right in there.
Chris Miller: And high school athletics, it's really cool. Like you said, all of the different things you learned from it. I played soccer. I loved it. Uh, I loved being able to be on a team and learning how to lead people on the field. But also, it really made me a better worker because I'd get crossed up or someone would leave me in the dust and be like, oh, my gosh, that was embarrassing. I don't want that to happen again. So, that being said, it's still pretty hard to go from high school athletics to college athletics. Was there a moment, maybe in high school where you thought to yourself, like, hey, I could go to college for this?
Christie Ambrosi: Oh, yeah. I mean, that was my goal from the very beginning. When they first back in the day, they only had one game on TV, and it was the championship game of the World Series. And so that was the only, uh, game that was televised. And so every year it seemed like it was UCLA and Arizona. So, uh, I grew up watching that rivalry and wanting to go to UCLA or Arizona, because those were the only two colleges I ever saw on TV. So, like every other kid in the country, that's where everybody wanted to go. Nowadays, it's awesome to see how many sports are well, women's sports, but especially softball, how many games are being televised. I mean, a lot of them are. So kids can dream of being on all kinds of different teams. But for me, at the time, those were the only two schools that I visually saw on TV. So I just was determined. I'm like, I'm going to UCLA, Arizona. That's what I'm doing. And the kids that went to those two schools were from California. Like, notoriously, those two universities picked their players from a couple of teams out of California. So I knew that I needed to find a way to play on this team called the Bat Busters. So I remember we had one. This is how old I am. There was only one college recruiting tournament at the time, and it was in Boulder, Colorado. So besides Nationals, it was really the only tournament that college coaches were all at that everybody tried to get into this tournament. And so we get there, and I'm, like, trying to find the Bat Busters, because I'm going to go up to this coach and tell him I need to come play for them. Because in my mind, I'm like, I don't know, 15 at the time, 16 something. In my mind, I'm thinking, I'm good enough to go play for the Bat Busters, and I can play for UCLA, Arizona. So I hunt this guy down. His name is Gary Hanning. And I go find him, and I go up to him, and I'm like, hi, I'm Christy. I'm from Kansas, and I really want to play for you. I know, it's so funny. And he's, like, looking at me like, who is this kid wasting my time? And I said, how do I try out? And my parents have no idea that I'm doing this. They don't know that I've made plans to move to California for the rest of my high school and play for this guy. And he says, Well, I don't really have tryouts. I just kind of ask the players. I want to be on my team. I'm like, oh, okay, will you come watch me play? Because I thought, well, he'll want me to come play on this team. I know that sounds cocky, but it wasn't cockiness. It was just in my own world, it made sense. Uh, teenagers, they really are in their own world, so it's hard for them to look outside of themselves. And I know different at that age. So I said, uh, please come watch me. Well, of course he did it. I mean, he's busy with his team, and they're playing, and we're playing, but we end up winning and winning. We get to the quarterfinals, and we're playing the Batbusters. So I'm thinking, oh, my gosh, this is like a dream. Come true. Now he has to watch me play, right? So we play the Batbusters, and we get up on him really fast, four to nothing. And he no, uh, three to nothing. We get up on him three to nothing. So he's kind of freaking out because we're this little team from Kansas, and they're losing, and he's just thinking to himself, he was going nuts in the dugout. You could tell he was mad. And I remember getting to third base, and the third base I don't know, the third baseman for the Batbusters was committed to go to UCLA. And I knew who she was. Her, uh, name was Nicole Odom. And I was like, Hi, I'm Christy. And she's like, you're really good. Where are you going to school? I'm like, I don't know. I want to go to UCLA, Arizona. She's like, oh, I'm going to UCLA. I'm like, I know. And so we kind of just were chitchatting on the field while we were playing, and, um, we get done. Oh, and by the way, I forgot to tell you the most important part of this. When I had gone up to Gary Hanning originally to ask him if I could come try out for his team, and he basically said no, because he was busy. Um, I said, well, do you have one of those pins, those trading pins that they have? Uh, and I didn't really do that on a regular basis, but that Batbusters pin was, like, the only pin I wanted. And I said, do you have one of those? And he's like, no, I don't have any. Okay, so let's go back to to the story. So I'm at third base. They end up coming back. We end up losing four to three. And I literally don't remember the score of any games I ever played except for, like, that one. And I think it was four to three. I could be wrong, but it was something close. We lost by one run. And we go through the line to say, good game, good game. And I get to Gary Hannon, and he grabs my hand, and he says, kid, you can come play for me anytime. And I open up my hand, and there's a bat buster's pen.
Chris Miller: Wow.
Christie Ambrosi: And I'm like, oh, my gosh. I'm going to California. I'm moving. And so I go back to my parents, and they're like, you ain't going nowhere. What are you talking about? Um, but that accomplishment to me, to be able to prove to myself that what I was thinking about my talent and what I thought I was, I was good enough. And I think that's something that over the years, when I started coaching and giving lessons and doing camps and clinics that I really wanted to relay to the kids, is you are what you think, you are what you eat, and you are who you hang out with, and you can't get away from any of those three things. And so if you believe that you're good enough at something, you will be good enough. If you believe in yourself, you cannot rely on other people to pump your confidence. You cannot rely on other people to believe in you for you to believe in you. And maybe people think that you're cocky or that you're too confident or you're egotistical, but you know what? At the end of the day, who cares? Let them think that. Because the only way you're going to be successful is how you think about yourself. And I feel like, for me, I've struggled in areas of my life about how I feel about myself, but I've never struggled in sports. I've always been very confident in my ability physically to play sports. And that's, I feel like, been such a blessing for me to be successful in other areas of my life because I've had success in one area. And when you have success in one area of your life, it can bleed into other parts. And I just feel really bad for people who don't have that. They don't have an area in their life that they have been able to be confident, like uber confident in. And it's funny because this kind of bleeds over into something we had discussed before about, well, how do you go from the pinnacle of your career, which, uh, we haven't really talked about yet, which I'm sure we will at some point, but being an Olympian and winning a gold medal to then coming back. And what do you do after that? How do you transition from something like that to back to the real world? Because it's really not real. It's like a whole nother world that you're just, like, in for a minute, and then you pop out and you're like, okay, now what do I do now? Because nothing's ever going to compare to that. And so I've really had to find a passion for something other than sports ah, to be confident. And that's been a struggle, because when sports is all you've done your whole life, and that's what you've made your career around, and then you decide, I'm done, and I want to do something totally different. How do you relight that? Fire? Mhm so anyway, I kind of went on a tangent there.
Chris Miller: Do we need me here? I'm looking around. Like, your energy is incredible. You, uh, could literally just ask the question like you did and answer it, and we'd be good.
Christie Ambrosi: Well, it's like that song that Miley Cyrus has out now. Like, I can buy myself flowers. I can talk to myself for hours. I guess I could just sit here and talk to myself. I don't know if anyone's listening, but I can buy myself flowers.
Chris Miller: It's perfect for this because just hearing your ambition and your drive as a kid in high school, approaching this renowned coach and knowing that, hey, I belong here, and then seeing even now, whenever we were setting this all up, as soon as the microphone is on your energy, boom, you're killing it. And that's awesome to be in the same room as yours, but that's a little meta. And we'll hop back into the narrative here, because you're this kid in Kansas, and then you decide, do they send you a letter? UCLA like, what's that day?
Christie Ambrosi: Like, okay, so how UCLA found me was on that same day. So we're playing the Batbusters in Colorado, and at the time, they really hadn't recruited anybody outside of the state of California. And so there was really no way they were going to see me, and I don't think they were at that game. But after that game, the third baseman, uh, that had committed her parents called the coach at UCLA, and Gary Hanning, the coach of the Bat, Busters, told the coaches at UCLA, hey, there's this kid out of Kansas City. You've got to go see her. She's legit. So UCLA basically recruited me without really ever seeing me play. They did it based off these people that they trusted. And I got a full scholarship to go to college at UCLA based off this one interaction I had with this team. And, uh, I really, truly don't believe it would have happened if I wouldn't have gone up to him beforehand before the tournament and introduced myself and said, hey, I want to play for you. This is something I want. And I would tell kids for years, if you want something, you got to go after it. You can't wait for it to come to you. And especially now, there's too many kids with talent. There weren't as many back when I was playing. Now it's just they're all good, and there's plenty to pick from. But how are you going to stand out? How are you going to make yourself different? And to let that fear of failure or fear of rejection hold you back from things that you don't know. I just never have been the type of person that can settle for the woulda, coulda, should have mhm. I just can't walk away not knowing if it could have happened or if it would have happened. So I would rather be rejected and know than not know. I'm a very black and white person. I don't like the gray. Um, I don't live in the gray very well. A lot of life is gray. So it's hard for me sometimes because I just like to know, is it yes or no? Are we doing this or not? What's going on? I don't like to be in the dark. Um, and so I think that's been good for me in a lot of ways in life. But I think also it's not good sometimes, but for more times than not, it's been a good thing for me and my personality.
Chris Miller: Yeah, that comfort level with ambiguity or uncertainty, not knowing. But it's a really good example and a good piece of advice for all of these young kids right now, like you said, who may be on travel teams, and they are going around being around these people who may be really influential with their future. There's a chance that, uh, they could be connected to a school or a program, but they need to do their research. Like, you knew the personnel, you knew the team, you knew who to approach. And it goes well beyond, uh, performing on the field to get to know people, do your research, read the books. Now you're on social media. So imagine if you were on Instagram or TikTok back then.
Christie Ambrosi: I'm so glad they didn't have that back then when I was a teenager, because, uh, oh, boy, I feel lucky. I was listening to this guy on the way to work today about trust and how companies and organizations are built off of trust. But how is trust built? It's not necessarily hard work and being reliable. It's more about people's beliefs and that their beliefs are the same. Um, and that that's really what is the root of trust more than reliability. And so I don't know where I was going with this. This is what happens when you get old. You start talking about something and then you totally forget what the point was, and you can't come back full circle. I know you'll help me because you're young.
Chris Miller: We have a lot going on here. Trust is super important. And I think, like we were saying prior to this, you don't want TikTok or Instagram to exist back then. And I'm sure you say that because you're like, I'm so glad they didn't get to see everything. And I know a lot of people will say that. And the benefit of having it right now is you can go connect with people that you would have never been able to connect with. Uh, I imagine he wouldn't have answered a DM if you sent him a message saying, hey, I play softball in Kansas.
Christie Ambrosi: Yeah. And that was my point, is that that whole in person is so much more impactful than anything you can do online. Online, like, having the Internet is so good for just resource, getting information quickly to and from gathering information, being able to stay connected. But what we've talked about in prior conversations to today, and why you do your podcast that you do is talk to people, is the social and emotional damage that it's done to us as a society compared to when we didn't have it. And all of the fallout that we're having to now somehow deal with and adjust. Like it's not going away. So it's not like social media is ever going to go away. We as society have to find a way now to manage the mental health problems that come with social media and the Internet and how to find ways to help people be on social media. Acceptably because it is. As, uh, everyone knows, I'm preaching to the choir everywhere when it's like, it's easy to sit behind a phone and type whatever you want. Not but nine times out of ten, you would never say that to somebody to their face or you would never say whatever it is that you're typing out loud in front of anyone.
Chris Miller: Mhm.
Christie Ambrosi: And so just being able to connect those for kids to say, okay, if you don't want your parents to see it, or if you wouldn't say it to somebody who says you probably shouldn't be putting it out there, that's hard to teach. And then the fallout of that, it is hard.
Chris Miller: And there is this book I was reading with this researcher would go to different playgrounds and she was studying well, she was watching, observing the kids and taking notes. And one of the things she mentioned is whenever you're on social media and you tweet somebody like, hey, you're fat. They may read that and it's really offensive. That's really rude to say to somebody, but you're not able to see their response whenever they're reading the tweet compared to when you're on the playground and you say that to someone and there's tears or you get to see them upset and you're like, hey, maybe I shouldn't do that. But unfortunately, with the screens, we don't have those cues right. And I'm unable to see if something I said made you feel better, if it made you feel worse. And due to that, I don't know if I should do it again. So I totally agree. And I think one of the best ways or a vehicle to accomplish the things we're talking about is sports. Because whenever you get everybody on the field, or you get everybody on the diamond, in the pool, on the track, whatever that's like, you have to be there it's in person. And what's going to show up is the work that you've put in with the time that you could have been on TikTok, but you chose to work on your jump shot or you chose to do something different. And sports as a vehicle, I think could really help us push the needle a bit closer to kind of what you're talking about too well.
Christie Ambrosi: And I think it's also had a huge impact on people's ability to tap into empathy to being empathetic towards other people. When you don't see it in person, you don't see people's feelings and how words or things can affect people. And that lack of exposure to being empathetic has affected us as a society, I think, because of social media. I mean, I'm not saying I'm against social media, I have social media accounts. But I think that and even as an adult, there's things that I've done on social media where I'm like, oh, I probably don't want to put that out there. That's a little too private. I shouldn't have put that out there. And then I'll take it down or wish I wouldn't have posted this or that. And then there's days when I see, uh, maybe I'm feeling a little bit down and I see posts of people having these great lives. And I kind of feel bad, like I'm not having a great time in my life right now. What's wrong with me? And then it makes you more depressed. I think it's important for kids to know that it's not just kids that deal with this stuff. Adults deal with the same stuff. This stuff does not go away just because you turn 18. This will continue your whole life even as an adult. It is not just for kids. And that's another thing that I think is new, that more adults are coming out and saying, I have depression or I have issues with social media and I'm going to just take a break. And I think it's becoming more common for people to just straight up shut down for a month off of it and just say, I'm just going to take myself away from this and see how much it helps me. And then it seems like every time they come back, they're like, I feel so much better. And then it's like, well then why are you back? I don't know. Um, but it is. I love it because I have a lot of friends in different parts of the world. Like just having the opportunity in my blessed life to have traveled the world and meet so many great people all over the globe to stay connected to them and to be able to see them and talk to them whenever I want. Uh, it's just a blessing. There's so many good things too, about it.
Chris Miller: I totally agree. And the fact that you feel a lot better whenever you take a break from social media, that says something. And I know that I've done that before. Prior to this podcast, I really didn't have social media at all. So I'm getting into the side of the house to where I'm like, oh man, I can really see how this can be harmful by seeing everybody on their best day of the whole month. That's the one thing they choose to post, uh, which can be tough. Now this Kansas girl shows up to California.
Christie Ambrosi: Oh, gosh, yeah.
Chris Miller: What's that like?
Christie Ambrosi: Well, shocking. Which is funny because all the girls in California are like, well, you don't sound like you're from Kansas. And, uh, you sound like a Valley girl. I'm like, well, what does a girl from Kansas sound like? But I think they thought I would be so much different than them that they hadn't really been outside of California and out that way. And I hadn't really been to California. So we, uh, definitely came from different parts of the country. But kind of back to this podcast I was listening to today about. We all had the same belief and we were all there for the same purpose, which bonded us immediately, like, we were sisters, because we were on the same team. We wanted the same thing. We believed in the same thing. It immediately established trust. And I was able to basically have a built in family the day I walked on campus. And that's something that for sports. It doesn't matter what kind of sport it is. I mean, we're trying to build an esports program here. And it's hard for me because I don't game and I don't play video games. And, uh, it's hard for me to look at that as a sport. But as I've done more research, it is a sport for kids who don't want to go out and actually play a traditional sport. It still teaches the same things you would learn if you were in a team sport on a field with a ball. And it's been really enlightening to me and it's totally changed my opinion of that sport. But yeah. So going back to California, when I was in California, uh, the traffic was just totally crazy. Just to get a mile on the 405 took like, 5 hours. I couldn't handle it. I was just like, this is why people have road rage. Um, I loved the weather. There were so many things I loved about it. But then after a while, I just missed home. There's something that keeps drawing me back. It's like I want to be here in Kansas City. I don't know why. It's because I love the warm weather, I love the beach, I love the mountains. But it seems like I always circled back to Kansas at some point in my life. But I loved California when I was there. It was shocking. It was a huge campus, but it was a blast. They were some of the best years of my life. Yeah, I mean, I don't know about you, but I loved college. I loved it.
Chris Miller: How did you deal with homesickness? How often did you come home?
Christie Ambrosi: I didn't come home very often at all. Yeah, I didn't really get homesick. I think it was more of a culture shock for me. I think my freshman year wasn't homesickness. It was more like, this is so different than where I'm from. And so when I struggled, it was just more culturally. And I'm glad because I grew up in Johnson County. It's just a very vanilla rich county at the time, and there wasn't a lot of diversity, there wasn't a lot of, um, cultural richness to that county. And so to get out of there and experience La. Was like, night and day. So for me, at first it was shocking, but then I loved it. I was like, I just met so many people that I never would have met in Johnson County, Kansas. So I embraced it and loved it. Just being a world traveler as a kid, my father immigrated here from Italy. And so that whole side of my family is from Europe, and so we had traveled growing up in Europe and so I had been exposed to other countries and cultures prior to going to college. So I knew the benefits of that and wanted more of that.
Chris Miller: Yeah. Uh, as a, uh, freshman, could you tell that you were going to be able to crack the starting lineup?
Christie Ambrosi: Oh, yeah, of course. No, there's no way. I mean, I knew I had earned it. It wasn't like they said, oh, you'll be a starter. They didn't promise me anything, and I didn't expect them to. But there is one thing that if anyone's met me, they would always back up this, uh, that I have really good work ethic, that I'm a hard worker, and that I'll put the time and energy and effort into anything that I put my mind to. So I didn't have any doubt that I would start and make an impact.
Chris Miller: How does one figure out they made the Olympic team?
Christie Ambrosi: Okay, that's a good question. That process. So the 96 Olympics were the first time softball was in the Olympics. And so I had tried out for that team. They had sent out, like, uh, basically anybody could try out. So you sent in an application and they picked 500 people across the country in ten different places to try out. So I went to actually Lawrence, Kansas and had my first tryout and made the cut. And so then I went to Texas for the second round. So now they've narrowed it down to five rounds. And I think I was like a junior in high school at this time and so went to Arlington somewhere in Texas and had the second tryout. And I thought I did really well, but I got cut. But from that I got invited to so I got cut from that Olympic tryout, but I got invited to the Junior Olympic tryout. So I went to California and tried out for that team and made it. So then I was on the Junior World Team and that's how I got my foot in the door on the national team. And so I was on the US. National team, the junior team, in 95, my senior year in high school and then was on the national team for the next five years after that. Whether it was a team, um, trying to qualify for the Pan American Games or we went to New Zealand for a tournament out there, we were in Canada for the Canada Cup, representing the US. In different international competitions over those five years. And that was really important because they want to see your consistency. And, uh, international competition is very different than college. It's just different. I don't know how to like, when you play Japan or Chinese, Taipei or China, their catchers are different. Like, they pound their glove and they move around back there a lot and they can be very distracting. You will never see a catcher in the US. Doing any of that. Um, they just play differently. Even though it's the same game, it is a little bit different to play internationally. And so the Olympic Committee wants to see how you handle that and how consistent you are playing against international competition for a certain amount of time. But they kind of breed you. Like, they pick those kids that they think over time will make that next team. And so there was only, like, two of us that were on that Junior World Team that actually made the Olympic team in 2000.
Chris Miller: Oh, wow.
Christie Ambrosi: So of that group of girls, only two of us made it to the 2000 Olympic team. Which sometimes when I talk about, I'm like, wow, that is pretty cool that I did that, because the people that were in that pool were so good. For me to be one of the two out of those group is really kind of, you got to pinch me. Anyway, so we go to have the tryouts, and we had just won the World Series. So it was 1999. We were at UCLA. We had just won the national championship. And then that next week, we had to go to the tryouts, and I had pulled my hamstring at the World Series. So I was a little bit worried because it was the last play. It was the last at bat. I was running down first base, pulled my hamstring, go out, we win the national championship, and I have to go try out for the Olympics next week. But I have this pulled hamstring. So I'm, like, really worried that I'm, um, not going to be, uh and I wasn't at my peak, but I knew they weren't just basing the team off that one trial, but you just never know. And I'd been working for four years to try and make this team, so that was in the back of my mind. So we have the trial. None of us really did. Well, like, nobody that made the team had this great, stellar tryout. Um, it would lasted a week. And after we got done, it was late, and we all were flying out the next day. And they said, we will again. There's really no Internet back then. So they would slide an envelope underneath your door, um, and it would have the list of players. They used to just post it in the hallway. But then people were getting upset and crying, so they started to just put the envelope under your door. Little privacy, right? So I remember I was rooming with Stacey Newban, who was my roommate or who was my teammate at UCLA at the time. And we were rooming together on this particular trip at the Olympic tryouts. And so she and I were just, like, waiting and waiting. It was getting late. It was like 02:00 in the morning. And we're like, okay, let's just go to bed because we got to get up and fly out of here tomorrow morning and it's late so we fall asleep. But you know how when you know you don't really fall asleep, you're like still one ear like a dog. Like you're like laying there but your ear is like perked up. And that's kind of how we were sleeping. And so all of a sudden you hear this. Um and so we both wake up and we sit there and we look at each other and I'm like, you get it. And she's like, no, you get it. I'm like, no, you get it. So she goes and gets it and she opens it up and of course you're thinking, I wonder if I make it. But I know she was thinking the same thing. Like what if she doesn't make it? And I do. Like, how am I going to react if we don't both make it? Because I'm not worried about if I don't make it. I'm worried about if she doesn't make it and I make it, how am I going to react in that situation? Because it's going to be really awkward and I'm going to feel really bad for her. And so I just remember her opening up the um, envelope and looking at it and she looked and she just had this big smile on her face and she looked up at me and I just knew because I knew that that would be how she reacted. And so we just got all excited and huh, hugged and called her parents and then we heard people crying in the hallway and so we were both like, okay, what do we do? We only took a couple of minutes to be excited about it and then it turned to, okay, we have to figure out how to console our teammates that we have played with for five years on these random national teams that are crying because they didn't. So you don't really get to celebrate right away because you're really just trying to be a good friend, but you're also in this awkward situation where you made it and they didn't. So do you go out and consult them right now or do you wait till later when that's like an awkward situation? It is a little hard to navigate, but we did, um and then you just start. So then it's once a month, we would meet as a team in San Diego at the training center, then M, the Olympic training center in San Diego. And would practice and then we just train. And we went to Italy for a month. That was really cool. And we got to play. Oh, I loved it. It was so fun. And then we came back and then we went on tour for the summer leading up to the Olympics in September. So that was grueling because you're basically flying into the biggest city in the state and then you hop on a bus and you drive to pretty much the smallest town in the state, and you play a doubleheader against High School All Stars, which really is not a good way to prepare for the Olympics. Playing high School All Star teams, that's really probably not the kind of competition we should have been preparing.
Chris Miller: Were you just crushing all of them?
Christie Ambrosi: Yeah, I went 38 games without a ball hit to me.
Chris Miller: Oh, my God.
Christie Ambrosi: So that's, like, not really the best training, but, uh, I didn't know that stat till somebody pointed it out. I mean, I still was playing as if the ball was going to be but I didn't even realize, oh, my gosh. I was like, God, I haven't had a ball hit to me in a while. But then when someone said, it's been like, 38 games, I'm like, Are you kidding me? 38 games? Or something like that. Can you imagine going playing 38 soccer games and a ball never. You don't even touch the ball.
Chris Miller: So what was the logic behind playing high School All Stars?
Christie Ambrosi: The logic was we were growing the sport, so we're trying to get out there and let the kids see us, get autographs from us, support us, spread the women's. Professional sports just is still struggling to exist and to get corporate America to see, like, there's just as many girls that play sports as boys. And if you invest in women and you invest in us, we will deliver. I mean, women's softball in college right now is the fourth biggest generating revenue sport behind football, basketball, and baseball.
Chris Miller: Wow.
Christie Ambrosi: It is the fourth sport right now, and the Nil has changed, like, things immensely. Just being able to give those athletes the opportunity to capitalize on these opportunities is huge for women more than anything, because we just don't have the opportunity financially to capitalize on professional sports like men do. And hopefully someday we will. And that was really the point of this tour. Yeah, it was to prepare us, but it really wasn't the best way to prepare us, but it was, at the time, the only way they knew how to do it. I mean, they were doing the best they could at the time. Now you look back, you're like, that's ridiculous. But at the time, it was like, well, what else are we supposed to do? Just play each other for four months?
Chris Miller: Could you have played college teams?
Christie Ambrosi: What they do now? So now they do. Um, they didn't then, and I don't really know what the reasoning behind that was. I don't know if it's because they didn't think about it or I don't know, but now they do. So now they go around and they'll go play UCLA, or they'll go play Arizona, or they'll go play Tennessee or Texas or Washington, whoever. All those top 25 teams, they'll go and play them. But no, we played we'd be up all night signing autographs and we'd stay and sign every kid's ball. Now they put a time limit to it just because they have to respect the athletes time and energy. And it's not because they don't want to, but people don't realize the schedule. Like, it's pretty grueling.
Chris Miller: When do you figure out your autograph?
Christie Ambrosi: Oh, my gosh, so funny. I practiced that on my okay, so that's the other thing. These kids these days won't know. Remember when you had I don't know. You're young too. So did you ever have to wrap your textbook? Did you even have a textbook?
Chris Miller: Yeah.
Christie Ambrosi: Okay.
Chris Miller: With book covers?
Christie Ambrosi: Yes. So we would do it with, like, the grocery store brown bag. And then you would, like, practice on that.
Chris Miller: So you would practice your autograph.
Christie Ambrosi: And this is well before I ever knew I was going to be anyone was even going to ask for my autograph. I had my autograph down.
Chris Miller: Did you put your number on there?
Christie Ambrosi: Um, yeah. So mine would be after when the Olympics it's my name. And then I put my number and I put USA gold. Yeah, that's what I put.
Chris Miller: That's what I'm talking about. So you're going from high school to high school and then on the Olympic team, ultimately, you're going to Australia.
Christie Ambrosi: Yeah. So that flight was grueling. Um, I'd flown a lot, but I'll never forget that. It was a long flight and we get there and it's just like it's just crazy. So they had built this village. So everybody wants to know about the Olympic village. They ask me all the time. So the village in Australia, how they did it, because I think every country does it a little bit differently. We were really kind of off site, and it was this big open area that they had built this neighborhood. So they built like, houses and condos and townhouses and apartments. And they basically put a huge fence around this whole neighborhood that they had built. And people had bought these houses and these condos ahead of time, but they weren't allowed to move into them until after the Olympics were over. So basically we're going to build this. This is going to be an Olympic village. But then once we're done with the Olympics, you can move in and it'll be your village. So every country had their own section. So all the US. Athletes were in one area, and all the Australian athletes were in one area and all the Japanese were in one. So it was just like every country had their own little area. And so we had like a house. Our sophomore team, we all stayed in one house. And like, next door, the house next to us was the baseball team. And then on the other side was like the boxing team. And it was funny because, again, cell phones were just coming out and they gave all of us at and T was one of the sponsors, and they gave us all this flip phone that we could use while we were there. And so we thought it was so cool because we all had this flip phone cell phone. Isn't that funny?
Chris Miller: That is funny.
Christie Ambrosi: I am really old. And so we get there and we get all of our well, before we go over to Australia, we have to get all of our gear. So they give us all the Olympic stuff that we're going to wear, all of our passes, all the things you need. And then we go over there. We get in the village. Um, we settle in. And then you just start exploring. You just start walking around and seeing the other athletes, and it's just all these beautiful people from all over the world. I mean, it's just insane.
Chris Miller: Are you talking with people from other countries?
Christie Ambrosi: Oh, yeah, you're talking to everybody. I mean, anybody that will and it would have helped if they had, like, Google Translate.
Chris Miller: Oh, man, can you imagine?
Christie Ambrosi: I know, but they didn't. So there's a lot of charades going.
Chris Miller: On where you're waving now. Whenever you show up to the Olympic Village, you get roomed with somebody.
Christie Ambrosi: Yeah. You have your roommate kind of all I had the same roommate the entire time, that whole year. So you just kind of get assigned and then you just are, uh, with that person the whole time.
Chris Miller: And you all become siblings by that point.
Christie Ambrosi: Oh, yeah. And there was a huge age gap in our Olympic team. So the youngest girl on the team was, like, 21, and the oldest was, like, 42.
Chris Miller: So you were on the lower end?
Christie Ambrosi: Yeah, I was 23 at the time, so I was, like the third youngest, I think.
Chris Miller: Okay.
Christie Ambrosi: Yeah.
Chris Miller: You're interacting with other Team USA athletes.
Christie Ambrosi: Yeah, I'm of all ages. So one of my good friends, Leah Brian Amico, she played at Arizona. She's a four time Olympian. Yeah. Four time Olympian. She's amazing. And we had our cameras. We had our throwaway cameras. It was right before the opening ceremony. So what happened was we had to get in our outfits, which were, at the time, not the most stylish, but we had our Olympic outfit on for the opening ceremonies. And all the US. Athletes are outside their area in the village waiting for this bus to come pick us up to take us to this one arena that we're going to wait in and watch on the jumbo screen, the opening ceremonies until it's time for us to walk in. So, like, a lot of people don't understand when you see those Olympic athletes walk into the arena and walk around the track and then take their spot, where are they before that? Because they're not up in the stands because they take up a lot of room, so they have to go somewhere. So we're in a different arena waiting to then go walk in to the opening ceremonies. So we have to get from the Olympic Village to this arena to wait to go to the next arena. And it's like Jason Kidd and famous, famous athletes. I mean, famous. And Leanne is like, oh my gosh, we got to get our picture taken with all these people before we never see them again. Because we had to play for most of the Olympics. Our schedule was like twelve days long or something. So we knew we weren't going to be able to go out and about for at least twelve days. So we're like, let's go. So she and I are running around like rampant trying to get our picture taken with as many people as we could before we get on the bus. So we missed our bus. So our soccer team is on some bus that we see go drive off. We're like, oh my gosh. So we hop on the women's soccer bus and they're like, come on. So we get on the bus and we go over with them. We get off at the arena and we find our teammates. And she and I are ecstatic because we got our picture taken with all these people. And our teammates missed the opportunity because they were, you know, so we were just silly things like that. That you look back and you're like, wow, i, um, really can't believe I got to be a part of that and that I got to do that. Because, I mean yeah, um, it's just, um because even now, even now when I watch the Olympics, I still watch the Olympics as if I was a kid that never went to the Olympics. I don't look at it any different when I watch it than I did before I went there. I still am in awe and still don't really realize what I got to do.
Chris Miller: Yeah, that's interesting because you've been there.
Christie Ambrosi: Yeah.
Chris Miller: Wow.
Christie Ambrosi: I mean, there's things I know, uh, that other people don't know, but I still watch it as if I'm just this kid that's watching the Olympics.
Chris Miller: That opening ceremony, it's always so cool.
Christie Ambrosi: It was really neat. Uh, so when you first walk through that tunnel, people are just flashing like they're taking pictures, taking pictures. Like, I've never seen anything like it. So I think of like, poor Britney Spears or people that are famous that walk out and have that every day. I could not even imagine. But that was what it was like when I described, like when you're walking through that tunnel into the opening ceremonies, people are just flashing, taking pictures, and you're just like you can barely see, but you're trying to just experience the moment, but you don't even really know how to because you don't even know what's going on. You're like, what is happening?
Chris Miller: There's no guidebook for it. And like you said earlier, you're like, pinch me because trying to figure out what to do in the moment. You have these incredible athletes all around you and you're about to represent your country on the world stage, um, that feeling of Team USA, it hits different, doesn't it, whenever you are representing the whole entire country rather than just a school, right?
Christie Ambrosi: So, like, the whole National Anthem thing, to me, every time that I stand for the National Anthem, not just for the Olympics, but just anytime, I think about all of the people that risked their life for us to have the freedom to do this. And so to me, I just respect the anthem because of that. And I will always stand for the anthem because of that. I'm not saying that there aren't issues with our country and that people have a right to feel the way they do about the anthem. But for me, I just respect the people that have sacrificed their lives for us to have the freedom to be able to be in sports and to do these fun things that we get to do. Because there's still a lot of things going on in the world that people, they don't ever get those opportunities. I mean, they're just fighting to stay alive. They're just fighting to have a roof over their head in that few minutes that that song goes on. That's the kind of stuff I think about for those few minutes. I kind of go to that place every time I hear the anthem. It's kind of an emotional thing for me. And then to think that I was representing our whole country at that moment in time. Um, people ask me, what was it like when you stepped up on the podium and they played the National Anthem? And for me, I always say the same story because it's true. When I was eight years old, I watched Mary Lou Retton win the gold medal in gymnastics. Um, she was the first female from the US to win, uh, the gold medal in the all around for gymnastics. And I just loved her. She was so bubbly. She always had a smile on her face. She was my idol growing up because there was no softball on TV. There was no women's sports on TV, really. So the Olympics was the one time I got to see women on TV play sports. And so she was always my idol. And I just remember watching her when I was eight, get up on that podium and get her medal, and I just turned to my mom and dad, I'm like, I'm going to do that someday. And in my mind, I thought I was going to be gymnastics because I was a gymnast at the time time, and I really wanted to be in the Olympics. So it just made sense. I'm eight and I'm going to be in the Olympics just like Mary Lou. So when I got up on the podium to get my medal, I just remember when they put that around my neck and I put my hand across my chest and I was listening to the anthem, I thought, oh, my gosh, I am doing exactly what Mary Lou Retton did when I was eight years old. I cannot believe this is happening. I remember specifically turning to my parents and saying, I'm going to do that.
Chris Miller: Wow.
Christie Ambrosi: Isn't that crazy?
Chris Miller: That is wild.
Christie Ambrosi: It is wild.
Chris Miller: And the fact that Mary Lou Retton did it, you did it, and you're thinking about when Mary Lou Retton did it.
Christie Ambrosi: Yes. And you know what? I've never met her. She is the one athlete. If I could have any athlete meet any, it would be her.
Chris Miller: Mhm. I wonder where she's at. We should set that up. We should have her recording Girls Club.
Christie Ambrosi: Podcast studio do it. Okay, we're doing it.
Chris Miller: Mhm.
Christie Ambrosi: We're doing it.
Chris Miller: And you know what's funny? Whenever a lot of people say, we're doing it, I'm like, yeah, but whenever you say we're doing and anyone listening to this can also attest to the drive that you've showcased. Just hearing the stories that I'm like, okay, well, I guess we're doing that. I better start researching her. You should probably be the one behind the mic on that one.
Christie Ambrosi: That would be you know what? I think I'm going to do that.
Chris Miller: I think you should.
Christie Ambrosi: I think that would be fabulous.
Chris Miller: I'm here for all the knowledge. Honestly, Christy, you could do a lot of this with a lot of different people because of the energy, the experience, and the drive, and all of that stuff matters. But what is most important is that you're kind and that you can talk with people in a way that makes them feel related. I just did a poll on all the social medias, and I had this question what type of guests will lead to the most successful podcast? One was relatable guests. The second was high achieving Guests, and the third option was a combination of them both. And on none of the polls did high achieving guests get it was always last place. Um, relatable Guests was second place, and the first was both. So to be able to have both those things, that's how you lead to success in a lot of this stuff. Now you have the gold medal. Do they give you a case to really take care of it, or is it just like any other medal you get from winning a tournament?
Christie Ambrosi: No, they give you a case. Uh, the case that ours came in didn't have, like, a clip to close the case, so that would have made it a little more secure. But yes, it did come in a case, and I have it in my safety deposit box. In fact, I'll have to bring it so you can see it someday.
Chris Miller: I would love to see it.
Christie Ambrosi: Yeah, I keep it in the safety deposit box just because I feel like that's the safest place.
Chris Miller: I feel like that's smart. After you get it, do you immediately take it to the deposit box or do you I know they do a lot of media tours, right?
Christie Ambrosi: Yeah, uh, it was around my neck for a while after that. And it's heavy. It's really heavy. Um, because do you want to share it? I really don't like having it in the safety deposit box. But I'm also I mean, people probably don't think I'm humble. I'm like an extroverted. No. Is it introverted? Extrovert, I think is more what I would call myself, where I don't think people would ever perceive me as an introvert or shy, um, because I am so outgoing and ridiculously obnoxiously loud most of the time. But I really am very shy and an introvert. But I just felt like I worked so hard for that medal to not share that with as many people as possible in that experience, because not many people are going to have that opportunity. And it wasn't to go brag and say, oh, look at what I've done. It's more of like I would have loved to have met somebody that had a medal because I never had a chance to see one or touch one or put one on. And so I would always let kids put it on, take a picture with it, it's there to share, to let other kids dream of doing that and believe that they could do it too. I think that was really important for me when I got back with it.
Chris Miller: Mhm, is the whole team going to places where you are like, do they have a media tour for the whole team or is it just individually?
Christie Ambrosi: Yeah. No, they didn't when we they might now, but they didn't back then. We went on the Today Show because they were there. There were certain things that we did together, but then once we got back, we all lived in different places in the country and we were all in different places in our lives because we were all different ages. So we just kind of all went back home and had our own hometown hero parades in our own hometown and people kind of went back and just did their own thing. So no, unfortunately we did and didn't. I think probably now they do more of that. But Sapa was so new to the Olympics and it's been in and out of the Olympics, like, I think 2012 they took it out, but then they put it back in in 2000. Was it 16 or 20? I don't remember. Um, if they took it out in twelve and 16 and then put it back in the 20 Olympics. But it's just been a fight to keep baseball and softball in the Olympics. It's just been a struggle. It always depends on where it is, too, if it's going to be put in the Olympics or not. Because when it was in Japan, they are hardcore baseball and softball fans and they were going to make sure that they. Had those sports in the Olympics, so they brought it back. But then if there's a country that's hosting that doesn't really have baseball and softball, they have to have a team in every sport if they're hosting the Olympics. And so if they just don't have a team that they think is going to be able to be competitive, they probably will just opt out of that sport.
Chris Miller: Yeah, that makes sense. And it's surprising to me that not all Olympics are hosting softball and baseball because of how big it is in the United States. And I guess that we're biased, but it's all around us. People are playing softball and baseball a lot, in my opinion. And like you said, I am a bit younger, so it's changed a lot. Thanks to the Olympic team going to different high schools, I imagine.
Christie Ambrosi: Yeah, I just think that it's just grown with the media coverage now, and a lot of us have gone to different countries. And, like, I used to work with a team called America's Team, and my friend Brigham Joy, he owns that company, and he takes different teams to different countries to play. But then we would go and play three doubleheaders in, let's say, Italy, since we've been talking about Italy. And we would go up in the Milan area, up in northern Italy. Then we go to the Tuscany region, and then we go down to Rome. We did more sightseeing than we did anything, but we would play a doubleheader up in the Milan area against an Italian team. In the first game, we would play straight up. And then the second, uh, game, we would mix the teams. And then after, their families would have dinner that they made. And we'd have this big I say barbecue, but it wasn't barbecue in Italy. It was pasta. It was like the most amazing food you've ever eaten in your whole entire life. And we would just have a dance party after and totally just the kids would become pen pals. Some of them went back and visited these girls and they'd come to the US. And it was more about that. But it was also about exposing our kids to a different culture, to a different way of life, a different way of living, and promoting softball in countries that don't necessarily have it at a higher level. And so I know Leah, like I talked about, she's gone to Jerusalem, she's gone to countries that maybe don't necessarily even know anything. And so we'll bring equipment over there to give to them. So really, just trying to build up the sport internationally has been something that a lot of people in our sport have done. Not just me and not just Leah, but a lot of people over the last 30, 40 years. And that's one thing I realized going in. I didn't think about all the people that came before me. It wasn't really preached to me like that. Until I was in college. And then I started to learn that, hey, you got to respect the people that came before you and all the things they went through to give you what you have now. And I was so young, and I just didn't know to think about those things on my own. And so when I got to college and people were starting to talk about it, now I wish I could go back because I'd be such a different player. I would have been such a different person, a different ball player, if I would have known then what I know now. And I mean, of course we all would, but that was something that I feel like my college coaches did a good job of, was teaching us at the highest level. Like, you got to give back. You've got to look back and you've got to give back, because if it wasn't for those people, you wouldn't have these opportunities. And that's something that I haven't forgotten about.
Chris Miller: Right, because the things that you and your team were doing by going around to all these different high schools, signing softballs, signing hats, practicing your autograph, and then seeing softball go in and out of the Olympics, I feel like it has really provided a platform for I'm from Oklahoma, right? So the university of Oklahoma softball team, like, blowing up. And it all happens chronologically, and there's a lot of things that were done prior to that in your case and in their case. And you come back home in Kansas or California with an Olympic gold medal, do people relate to you differently? Is there a different vibe? Or is it kind of just like, back to normal?
Christie Ambrosi: No, I think in the beginning there's kind of that awestruck. Like they treat you like a celebrity, like you're something different than you were before, or if they didn't know you before. You have to keep yourself grounded. Like, you can't think that you're better than anybody just because you were good at a sport. It doesn't have anything to do with my character. I mean, I've definitely made mistakes in my life that I regret. Big mistakes. Um, and I wish I could take back, but I can't. But the one thing that I've learned through sports is that I can learn from them and make myself better. I think the hard part is when you come back with a gold medal and people treat you like they do the celebrity treatment, you feel like you have to be perfect. You feel like at that point, you're not allowed to make mistakes. Because there is this feeling in society that once you reach that point of I wouldn't say fame, because it's not like I'm like this famous person where when I walk out the door, people know who I am. It's not that. But if I am like, oh, Olympical medalist, and I'm at this function or whatever, and there is this level of expectation for you to be perfect and to never make a mistake if you're at a level of any kind of fame. And I just don't think that's fair. I don't think it's fair for society to put that kind of pressure on people in a public figure type arena to never make a mistake, and when they do, to just go after them the way that they do. Because at the end of the day, they're still a human being, and everybody's going to make mistakes. And that's where that pressure can build up when you're in that position where you just feel like, oh my gosh, I can't make a mistake, and if I do, I'm going to get annihilated for it. And, uh, it's embarrassing, and everyone's going to know about it because I made a mistake and I'm not allowed to make mistakes. And there is an amount of responsibility, but even with that responsibility in that role, you're still going to make mistakes and you just want a little bit of grace. Uh, but then at the same time, I as a person, I've got to be able to do the same thing. I have to be able to do the same thing for other people. And that's been hard where as a coach, you just want kids to be as good as you are. Like, why can't they do it like I did? Why are why is it taking them so long to learn how to do this? I've explained it five different ways to them. Why are they struggling? And to be able to be patient and to be able to just accept that there's not very many people that could play ball like you could. You got to remember that at the end of the day, there's not a lot of people that were built and wired like you were as an athlete. So you have to give them grace. You have to be patient with them. And that was something that was hard for me. And that's still just in the daily when you talk about the drive, there's just not a lot of people that are super driven like how I am. I think I'm very driven and I just like to get things done. Um, and that's unfortunately hard to find. And so I have to just be patient and find ways to motivate m people in a different way than what, uh, motivates me.
Chris Miller: Yeah. Has that always been the case for you with drive?
Christie Ambrosi: Yeah, I've always been I mean, I would say there was a point I've struggled with anxiety and depression my whole life, and so if I get into a point of depression, I certainly have no drive. Like, there's days when I don't want to get out of bed. There's days that I just don't want to see anyone talk to anyone. I have no drive on those days, but when I'm not in that, then I'm good to go. Um, but I think there was a moment in my life when I stopped playing softball and when I stopped coaching. What's my purpose? What am I going to do with myself? Because I don't know how to be a productive person in society. If I'm not doing softball, what am I going to do with myself? And so to be able to have this opportunity at the Boys and Girls Club has been really awesome and really refreshing, because it's shown me a lot of different things that I really like and am interested in and motivate me. And if you don't like or love what you're doing, find something else. Life is way too short to be going to a job that you hate every day. And that's one thing I refuse to do. I will find something that I like, because I was lucky. I was blessed to be able to do something that I loved my whole life for a job for 18 years. But, uh, like anything, I wanted a new challenge. I was kind of done. I was kind of bored at that point. I felt like I had conquered it. I was able to do what I wanted to do, and I just wanted to do something different. But I want to ask you let's talk about you for a minute. So, podcasting. So my brother passed away, but he had Asperger's, and back then, there was no spectrum. People didn't know about autism or anything like that. And he grew up loving to be a DJ. Like, he had this set up in his bedroom where he would record I mean, we're talking about cassette tapes, but he would record himself as if he was a DJ. And he passed away before any podcasting was coming out. But anytime I'm around you or we're talking about, I can't help but think about my brother, because he would have been so good at this. He could have made a career out of this, because he could have done it at home. He wouldn't have had to be around. This just would have been his jam. And it's exciting to see that this could be an avenue for kids that are like my brother, um, and not people, whether they are on spectrums or not, can do all kinds of things. I'm not saying they're not capable of doing anything that they want. It's just that my personal experience with my brother and his passion for radio, uh, it just excites me that podcasting is available the way that it is, and that if you have a voice and you want to talk about something, you have the ability to share it in such a way and still feel like you're in your own world. If you want to be.
Chris Miller: Yeah, totally. And that's an awesome segue. Because I know you had mentioned that question of, uh, what's my purpose? And now you are totally doing something and rocking out that purpose by transitioning to what you're doing here at the Lawrence Boys and Girls Club, because podcasting is an opportunity that, like you were saying, your brother didn't get that luxury to have this technology. And someone can go from recording something on their phone and later that day it's on Spotify. And the other day I'd gotten an email from a woman who was listening to my podcast. And she was like, hey, it's been really nice to listen. She's a registered nurse and one of the episodes resounded with her. That simple fact. I had never met her yet. She's reaching out to me, talking to me about something that was created with this podcast technology. And now we get to partner with youth in our community and give them the tools and give them that ability to contribute to the conversation. And sure, like you were saying, whenever we're younger, there's a lot of things we could learn. And if we knew everything we knew now, back when we were younger, then we would do it differently. But a way to learn is by being a part of the conversation. So I think that being able to create podcasts, being able to teach people, what does it mean to have a podcast, how do you want your audience to feel? What do you want your audience to do after they listen to your podcast? Recording is the start, what's the end? And those are things that we're going to be able to talk about here in this space. And hopefully we can encourage and set an example for other organizations that are similar to this to do the same, because there's a lot of potential and opportunity.
Christie Ambrosi: It's so exciting, just the keyboard here that you have and all the fun little buttons. It's super shiny. And I love shiny things. I just want to go over and push all those buttons. Yeah, I mean, I can push buttons.
Chris Miller: And we were messing with them before we started recording. And the fact that, like you said, your brother would have loved this, because it's like a turntable. And we can immediately go from here to recording someone calling in and they could ask us questions about what do we think about this or that, and we could talk about it like a radio host and someone can be in their room doing that. Uh, and I think this is something that you should do at some point.
Christie Ambrosi: I mean, I am a talker.
Chris Miller: You could do solo episodes, but you could also do conversations.
Christie Ambrosi: I can buy myself flowers. I can talk to myself for hours. I mean, I'm a songbird, am I not? People?
Chris Miller: There's an audience for that.
Christie Ambrosi: Seriously. I mean, karaoke is not my strong suit.
Chris Miller: But you'll do it.
Christie Ambrosi: I don't know, that's one thing. I love American Idol. I love those shows. I love talent shows. I love them. And I admire people who can get up and sing in front of a group of people I can't do it.
Chris Miller: Yeah.
Christie Ambrosi: And I know I'm horrible, but even if I was good, I don't know if I could do it. That's a lot.
Chris Miller: It is a lot. And it's funny because the people who we would ask on American Idol if they can do what you did at softball, they'd be like, no way. That's a lot. And then if they were to ask me, I'd be like, no way to do either of what you all did. I'd be like, no way. So it's cool that we're all wired. You're wired with the drive, and it has an affinity for a particular sport. And it worked. And they're wired with creative self expression and singing, and it works. Then I'm over here tinkering around with these buttons.
Christie Ambrosi: Hey, you've got talent. Come on now. You got a lot of talent.
Chris Miller: And we're getting it to work.
Christie Ambrosi: Like, you're super easy. Do people realize how easy you are to talk to? Did you practice your radio voice or is that just your regular voice?
Chris Miller: This voice? I've rehearsed I'm just kidding. I haven't practiced this voice. I was at this conference in North Texas, uh, University of North Texas, and someone had stopped me whenever I was talking and they said, your voice sounds like butter, or they said something like that. And nobody had really said anything about my voice until then. I used to be self conscious about my voice whenever I was younger because it was deeper than a lot of the people around me. And I just had a voice drop way earlier. Uh, so I haven't practiced.
Christie Ambrosi: I think that you should. Okay, so this is going to sound really bad, but I think that you should have a spot on Dateline or Forensic Files because that is actually very soothing. Even though they're talking about murder and crime scenes, there is something about those people's voices that put me to sleep. So, like, if I have my TV on at night, that's what I listen to and go to sleep, too. Is that sick?
Chris Miller: Uh, there's something wrong with people do.
Christie Ambrosi: It, but their voices on those shows are like, butter, like, so smooth and relaxing, even though they're talking about murder.
Chris Miller: And you're like, oh, it's time to go to sleep. Yeah, I'm dozing off as it's extremely graphic.
Christie Ambrosi: No, I know. Like, there's something wrong with our society that way.
Chris Miller: Some of the most popular podcasts are about that.
Christie Ambrosi: Oh, really? About that particular topic, about crime, about.
Chris Miller: That criminal minds, about all of that. People love listening to that, and I think a lot of people like listening to it because they want to have knowledge about it. And there's something of knowing what's happened kind of gives people a little sense of security, but to you, it just helps you fall asleep.
Christie Ambrosi: That sounds really sick.
Chris Miller: No, it doesn't. Well, um, maybe it does, and I'm just saying no, it doesn't.
Christie Ambrosi: Yeah, you're just trying to be nice, but let's not. Let's just be honest. Remember, I don't like the gray.
Chris Miller: Honesty trust. Okay, so let's wrap it, but prior to doing that final message from Christy.
Christie Ambrosi: Oh, gosh. Well, what area? I don't know. Have fun in life. It's really short. So do what you love. Love what you do.
Chris Miller: Love what you do. And if there's a young girl who's about to pick up a softball bat, what are you telling her?
Christie Ambrosi: Don't give uh up. Be the dirtiest player on the field at the end of the day, if anything. And hustle on and off the field.
Chris Miller: Said from a former player, a former coach, a gold medalist, and soon to be podcaster.
Christie Ambrosi: Wow.
Chris Miller: Right? We did it here first. Okay, folks, we'll see you next time.
Christie Ambrosi: Thank you. You.