BREAKING! Double Murder Suspect Andrew James McGann Makes His First Court Appearance

Summary

Detailed Summary of "BREAKING! Double Murder Suspect Andrew James McGann Makes His First Court Appearance" Episode

Podcast Information:

• Title: Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes Present
• Host/Author: iHeartPodcasts
• Description: Amy Robach and TJ Holmes present an iHeartRadio podcast.
• Episode: BREAKING! Double Murder Suspect Andrew James McGann Makes His First Court Appearance
• Release Date: August 1, 2025

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Introduction to the Case

In this poignant episode, Amy Robach and TJ Holmes delve into the harrowing case of Andrew James McGann, a 28-year-old elementary school teacher charged with the double murder of an Arkansas couple while they were hiking with their young daughters. The episode captures McGann's first court appearance and explores the unfolding details of this tragic event.

McGann's First Court Appearance

On August 1st, Andrew James McGann appeared in court for the first time regarding the double murder charges. TJ Holmes opens the discussion:

"It's August 1st and the suspect charged for killing the Arkansas couple on a hike with their young daughters just made his first court appearance. Bond has been denied." [02:43]

Amy Robach observes McGann's unsettling demeanor:

"It is eerie. And I saw that the hairstylist who was cutting his hair when he was arrested described his face as soulless. And that's actually a really accurate description." [03:20]

Notably, McGann did not enter a plea of not guilty, but according to police, he has verbally admitted guilt.

The Heroic Actions of the Victims

The couple, Clinton and Kristen Brink, were hiking with their two daughters, ages seven and nine, when McGann attacked them. Police reports indicate that Clinton was the first to be assaulted, prompting Kristen to immediately safeguard her children before returning to aid her husband, only to be tragically stabbed herself.

Amy Robach reflects on Kristen's bravery:

"So it's just such a heroic thing first for her to get her kids off and far away from danger, but then to turn around and head back to help her husband. My God, that is a love story for her children and a love story for her husband." [05:26]

TJ Holmes adds:

"She had to go back. She had to make that call because she could have. And I think no one would falter if she kept going with the kids and just made sure she got away because I'm sure that's probably what the husband would have preferred." [06:22]

Community and Police Efforts in Capturing McGann

The swift capture of McGann was a result of diligent police work and community vigilance. Multiple eyewitnesses reported seeing a man with blood on his face, which was crucial in identifying his vehicle—a car with a duct-taped license plate. This led authorities to Springdale, Arkansas, where McGann was apprehended at a local barber shop unperturbed by his actions.

TJ Holmes commends the community's role:

"We can credit to the police on this and to the community up there that listened, that paid attention. ... We were flooded with tips." [10:48]

Amy Robach notes the evidence linking McGann to the crime:

"Yes, he was looking at the news reports and also they said they found blood in his car and they actually were able to link his blood directly to the crime scene." [13:42]

Evidence Supporting McGann's Guilt

Authorities found substantial evidence against McGann, including blood in his vehicle that matched the crime scene and injuries on his hands consistent with the attack. Additionally, McGann was seen around the community soon after the incident, further cementing the case against him.

"He did not seem concerned at all that police were going to find him, which is so interesting because I would think he had seen the sketch art." [13:11]

McGann’s Professional Background and Warning Signs

A significant portion of the discussion centers on McGann's career as an elementary school teacher and the red flags that may have been overlooked during his employment across multiple school districts.

Amy Robach highlights:

"Andrew James McGann, the 28 year old elementary school teacher who is now facing double murder charges." [19:15]

TJ Holmes points out inconsiderate hiring patterns:

"He was a teacher in Oklahoma. Sand Springs School District and Broken Arrow School District. He passed the background checks." [20:23]

Amy Robach further explains past issues:

"He was placed on administrative leave, and he ultimately resigned. And there is a reason that is listed for his resignation. Administrative leave, concerns related to classroom management, professional judgment, and student favoritism." [20:56]

Parental Concerns and Systemic Failures

Parents from previous districts have voiced concerns about McGann's behavior, suggesting that early warning signs were missed or inadequately addressed. Reports include allegations of favoritism towards female students and inappropriate interactions with children.

Amy Robach shares a parent's account:

"A parent that spoke to CBS ... her son came to her and said he was uncomfortable with how Mr. McGann treated specifically female students." [23:13]

Another parent recounts:

"He told one of the little girls. ... 'If you were older, I would love to marry you.'" [23:13]

These testimonies raise critical questions about the effectiveness of background checks and the oversight mechanisms within educational institutions.

TJ Holmes questions the vetting process:

"What do you do? If all that's true, what are you supposed to do? ... It seems like a lot of people did have that experience." [20:08]

Call for Improved Safety Measures

The hosts emphasize the need for more stringent vetting processes and additional safety measures in school districts to prevent such tragedies. They discuss the challenges of identifying potential threats despite passing standard background checks.

Amy Robach suggests:

"Perhaps if there are a few extra safety measures put in place in some of these school districts that could be one small good thing that comes out of really a senseless, horrific tragedy." [27:54]

Conclusion and Forward Look

Amy and TJ Robach conclude by underscoring the ongoing nature of the case and the importance of implementing robust safety nets in educational settings to better protect children. They commit to following the latest developments closely and highlight the need for systemic changes to prevent future incidents.

"We will continue to follow all the latest developments on." [28:19]

"Have a great day, everybody." [28:28]

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This episode of "Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes Present" provides a comprehensive and emotionally resonant exploration of the tragic case involving Andrew James McGann. Through detailed discussions and empathetic reflections, the hosts illuminate both the immediate circumstances of the crime and the broader implications for educational oversight and child safety.

Transcript

[Amy Robach]

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[TJ Holmes]

It's August 1st and the suspect charged for killing the Arkansas couple on a hike with their young daughters just made his first court appearance. Bond has been denied. He did not enter a plea of not guilty, but police say he's already told them he's guilty. And with that, welcome to this episode of Amy and TJ Robes. He was in court just a short time ago, and I guess it was something. There are some images out of there, and it's just kind of eerie to just lay eyes on him.

[Amy Robach]

It is eerie. And I saw that the hairstylist who was cutting his hair when he was arrested described his face as soulless. And that's actually a really accurate description. I may. I know that we're all viewing him and looking at him through the lens of what he's accused of doing, but it's still it. There is something eerie, something vacant in his face. He doesn't have any expression. And yeah, it's, it's, it's. It's frightening even just to look at someone who's capable of what police say he did.

[TJ Holmes]

And yes, they say he did. And they also say that he said he did. We did get some updates from police. Among some of the updates of the fact that they say he did admit it. We'll tell you more about that in a second. But the update, at least from right now, Robes, he's making his first court appearance again. This wasn't the arraignment that's supposed to come August 25, but for now, one of the headlines that did come out is that they are not going to let him out of jail anytime soon. Bond was denied.

[Amy Robach]

That makes a lot of sense. He was also assigned a public defender. It was unclear whether or not he had already acquired an attorney. He had not. So he was given a public defender. And they'll be getting things together next couple of weeks before his arraignment on the 25th. So he didn't enter a plea today or anything like that. This was just to let him know he would not be given bail, which makes a tremendous amount of sense, perfect sense.

[TJ Holmes]

But the new. This information we're just getting because we were just in court before we started recording here. But we did get new information from police, at least overnight. We were wondering in wading Robes, when we first heard about this crime, about some of the details, like what was happening on this hike and people were around and why not bother the daughters? And how did the daughters get away? Well, that was a big part of the story. We now know. We all wondered, we were sure, like their Last moments, these parents were probably trying to protect their kids. But the details, robes are even more gut wrenching and even make you more proud in viewing another parent as you can be.

[Amy Robach]

Absolutely. So Clinton and Kristen Brink are the two. That's the couple, the parents who were murdered. And we now also learned that they were stabbed to death. But police told us that what happened, you had our suspect, Andrew James McGahn, attacking Clinton, the father first. That's when Kristen, the mom, got the two little girls, 7 and 9 years old, to safety. So she rushed them out immediately, got them to safety further along on the trail. But then she went back to go help her husband, Clinton, and that is when police say Andrew James McCann then stabbed her to death as well. So it's just such a heroic thing first for her to get her kids off and far away from danger, but then to turn around and head back to help her husband. My God, that is a love story for, for her children and a love story for her husband.

[TJ Holmes]

You know, as they say sometimes and not making light. But she's a good one, ain't she? A good one? Ain't she a keeper? To think she, I mean, I wonder just, you think in those moments she had to make some kind of decision and to balance, are they safe enough? Who needs me more now, right?

[Amy Robach]

Wow.

[TJ Holmes]

She had to go back. She had to make that call because she could have. And I think no one would falter if she kept going with the kids and just made sure she got away because I'm sure that's probably what the husband would have preferred.

[Amy Robach]

I think every mom asked herself what she would do and every wife asked herself what she would do. And you know, you do have to make a split second decision. I'm getting emotional thinking about it because on one hand, you know, they actually had another daughter back at home, by the way, so they had three girls who need their parents. And I don't know, I don't know what the right call would have been. Of course, I think it's interesting you pointed out as the husband, you wouldn't want her to come back. You would want her to keep running. Go, go.

[TJ Holmes]

And we can sit here and think about that. Now. Awfully in the moment, she. It was instinct and I'm sure she felt good enough as a mom that the kids were okay. Maybe she saw somebody else on the trail because somebody did ended up, did end up finding the kids on the trail and helping them. But just to hear now this detail all the scenarios we thought about, I didn't think about that one.

[Amy Robach]

Yeah. And they were about a half mile into the trail. And it's a popular trail, but you know how trails are. They're few and far between. You see people maybe every half mile or so. But I started thinking there had to have been screaming. How did no one hear? Could she not have been screaming for help? I imagine like having my girls and running and screaming for help. You know, you just don't know what you would do. But the kids were close enough to another hiker. Yes. We were wondering how they found their way back to the visitor center because that seemed surreal and almost impossible for two little girls to navigate their way through a trail and having to go the opposite way wherever this danger was. But another hiker did find the girls and then called 911 immediately and then got them to the visitor center. And that series of events certainly makes a lot more sense than what we were speculating.

[TJ Holmes]

And if we haven't said here now, the. The girls were seven and nine years old. You can't imagine what they're going through now. And what they saw. They experienced this as well, but ended up unharmed. That was part of the new information. We got some other new details from police. So they saying he's had. He has admitted to the crime, the way they put it initially. And I wonder if they were trying to be careful with language here. But the. The person, the investigator who was in charge made the statement that he indicated that was the word indicated that he had committed the crimes. And then she was asked specifically was it a confession? And she said, I would call it an admission. So I wonder what they're being careful.

[Amy Robach]

The legal difference is between an admission and a confession. Maybe a confession you actually usually will sign. They will ask you to write it out and then they'll ask you to sign a confession. So maybe he didn't do that, but verbally you acknowledged that he was the one responsible. It's hard to know.

[TJ Holmes]

There probably is some kind of legal fine line because sometimes confessions get thrown out. Yes, that happens all the time. But if he just told it to you without you trying to coerce anyway, maybe that is the difference. But they should use that language. I would call it an admission. We told you the new details about the attack. Something else here. It turns out there were quite a few witnesses, it sounds like robes that saw this guy at some point before and even after the attack.

[Amy Robach]

Yes. A couple reported seeing a man with blood on his face. And so that was actually how people then were able to see which car he got into. And that is how police were able to track him. So, yes, all of those eyewitnesses, folks who. Some of the folks who took videos and pictures and unknowingly captured him, certainly helped find him. There was the couple who was able to describe his face to police to give that sketch. That certainly was spot on. And then others were able to. And this is when the police were saying they were trying to connect the dots and doing all these interviews before they made the announcement to local residents that there was a double murderer on the loose. But they were doing all of these interviews, piecing it together so they could follow him and find him. But yes, people, I mean, that's not something obviously you would forget if you saw someone running past you on a hiking trail with blood on their face.

[TJ Holmes]

You know, and it worked. Look, I credit to the police on this and to the community up there that listened, that paid attention. And as soon as they said they put that sketch out, they started getting. They said they were. They used the word. We were flooded with tips. And in asking people in an area like that where, you know, people have been taking pictures and got video, said, hey, people, just check what you have. And they said there was video footage that they got that was so key in tracking this guy down. So, I mean, applaud the community and all you folks who did what they asked you to do.

[Amy Robach]

It was that car that led them to him. And someone actually got a video of that, the car, and saw that the license plate was covered with duct tape. So they knew exactly what they were looking for. And they were able to track his car to Springdale, Arkansas. And that is exactly how they found him in that barber shop. That's remarkable.

[TJ Holmes]

I never told you. I guess obviously we've talked about this a little bit. Everybody knows I'm from Arkansas, went to the university that's in the area up there. But we were there not too long ago for my niece's birthday in Springdale, and we stayed in Springdale.

[Amy Robach]

Your niece's wedding, right? You said birthday.

[TJ Holmes]

Yeah. Yes, it was her celebratory. Yeah. Something was going on in which we were.

[Amy Robach]

It was a wedding.

[TJ Holmes]

I had to get her a gift. Okay. But I did. I could show you on the map. It's a five minute drive. That barber shop from where we had that Mexican casa. Oh, yeah, I can't remember. Casa something there.

[Amy Robach]

We had a wonderful Mexican lunch with your sister.

[TJ Holmes]

Yes.

[Amy Robach]

There in Springdale on that main road.

[TJ Holmes]

And we always remember you. They wouldn't let us have drinks outside.

[Amy Robach]

Do you remember that we wanted to sit in the sun so badly and we had, we could only have a margarita inside if we sat on the patio. It had to be alcohol free. It was a very memorable lunch.

[TJ Holmes]

You remember that. But yes, the what we're talking about. And so many people think about don't know northwest Arkansas that well. This has been a sprawling area and one of the highest or the fastest growing areas in the country over the past ten years or so. So this is a booming place. This is not out in the boonies somewhere. But where he was found was dead center in the middle of everything. You were there, you saw. Oh yeah, this area. This is a bustling area.

[Amy Robach]

It's cute, it's adorable.

[TJ Holmes]

And to think he's just roaming around, walking around, hey, it's time for a haircut.

[Amy Robach]

Hiding in plain sight. And certainly didn't seem concerned.

[TJ Holmes]

Yeah, he did.

[Amy Robach]

He did not seem concerned at all that police were going to find him, which is so interesting because I would think he had seen the sketch art. I mean the sketch rendering of him and the photo of him from behind. If I saw that and saw, dang, they did a pretty good job. Looks just like me. And his vehicle description was out there as well. So that's just interesting that he had zero concern about being caught, that he just thought he'd get a haircut.

[TJ Holmes]

And to that point as well, police did say they found things in his apartment that indicated that he had been keeping up with what was going on with this crime.

[Amy Robach]

Yes, he was looking at the news reports and also they said they found blood in his car and they actually were able to link his blood directly to the crime scene. So they've got plenty of evidence that they've got the right guy. He also had injuries to his hands, some cuts from the attack itself, but.

[TJ Holmes]

One of the most, yes, after the crime, shocking enough he was captured, the next shock came and finding out he was an elementary school teacher. And now some are wondering how were the signs missed? Because the next question is, well, there weren't any necessarily signs because he passed background check after background check after background check. But parents, especially some now in Texas are arguing these administrators dropped the ball with this guy.

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[Amy Robach]

All of that [e-mail] welcome back everyone to this edition of Amy & TJ where we are talking about Andrew James McCann, the 28 year old elementary school teacher who is now facing double murder charges in the state of Arkansas for killing that couple who was hiking with their young daughters. And so many people are asking how this guy had been able to go from school district to school district and no one saw, no one heard, no one recognized any sort of warning signs that this something might be off with this man. And you know, you we've had school district after school district say hey, we did our due diligence, we did the background checks, this guy is clean. There's no disciplinary actions on his record that would make us not want to hire him.

[TJ Holmes]

That's all true. What do you do? If all that's true, what are you supposed to do? I really do ask that somewhat rhetorically, but in all honesty, how do you read someone that, you know, just don't have a good feeling about this guy. Because it seems like a lot of people did have that experience.

[Amy Robach]

That is part of the interview process and should be considered 100% if you're going to be dealing with our most precious resources or our most precious gifts, our children. But there were some warning signs, turns out. So he was a teacher in Oklahoma. Correct. Sand Springs School District and Broken Arrow School District. He passed the background checks.

[TJ Holmes]

Those were the two he was at in the two prior years before coming to Springdale. So that would mean three school districts in three different years.

[Amy Robach]

That's a red flag.

[TJ Holmes]

That should be a red flag.

[Amy Robach]

But. And by the way, he was about to start Springdale School District. I mean, he was weeks away from being a teacher to all of those children there in the Springdale area, which is so scary. But when you go back to 2022 to 2023, that school year, he was in the Lewisville School District in Texas. And this is where parents are pointing to a situation that occurred that should have been, why wasn't it on his record? And certainly talking to these parents, they're confused as well. So he was placed on administrative leave, and he ultimately resigned. And there is a reason that is listed for his resignation. Administrative leave, concerns related to classroom management, professional judgment, and student favoritism.

[TJ Holmes]

Now, it doesn't sound terrible. It doesn't sound like this is a nut. It doesn't sound like this person is a threat necessarily. It sounds like they might be bad at their job at the beginning, does it not? That doesn't sound awful. Right.

[Amy Robach]

And maybe you're thinking, so he's 28 now. So three years ago he was 25. I mean, youngest, his first gig, I think he was. So you. You could reasonably think, okay, he's just young and inexperienced, and this isn't necessarily some character flaw, but maybe an experience issue or a maturity issue. You could see possibly how that would be the. I guess, the conclusion that they could come to.

[TJ Holmes]

Okay. But they looked into it. So after some things came to their attention, the district there did do an investigation, and they claim, and I quote, they did not find any evidence of inappropriate behavior with a student. However, we did find his classroom management and professional judgment to be below our district expectations. Ultimately, Mr. McGahn resigned in May of 2023, and that is the end of it. But there are parents there who are saying it's not that simple. Just he was bad at managing a classroom robes, and they are telling some stories of behavior that they saw or they Suspected or made them uncomfortable. And it seems nothing was done about that.

[Amy Robach]

That's right. So several of these parents have spoken to multiple news outlets. There was a parent that spoke to CBS who said that there were signs that not all was right with Mr. McGann. And this woman specifically says that. That she actually. Her son came to her and said he was uncomfortable with how Mr. McGahn treated specifically female students, claiming that he gave them extra treats, kept some of them in his classroom alone during recess. And she said the worst part was when her son came home and told her this story that he saw Mr. McGann tell one of the little girls. And again, this is a fourth grade class, correct? I think these were fourth graders at the time. If you were older, I would love to marry you. And so this parent said her son heard that and was so upset, he came home and started crying. So it disturbed her that much. And so she ultimately said, you drop your kids off every day. And we were literally dropping our kids off to a monster. The fact that he was allowed to continue teaching is what blows my mind.

[TJ Holmes]

Okay. They read it. They saw something in him. But I mean, is it just weird behavior? Is that enough?

[Amy Robach]

It should be. I think when it comes to a teacher and students. Yes. If you have a. A teacher who is displaying bizarre. Just bizarre tendencies and certainly favorite, showing favoritism towards your female students when they're that little, that's scary.

[TJ Holmes]

Okay, so let me ask this then. And this is something that every educator probably out there going, y' all don't even understand. A shortage of teachers, a shortage of help moving around and trying to get and fill positions in time for school. Okay, so this guy, as an example, what's going on when this guy, starting at the age of 25, pretty young to be in charge of. Some kids would buy. You can be 2022, 2023, Texas School District, 2023, Oklahoma School District, 2024, another Oklahoma School District, 2025. He was supposed to start in Arkansas. That's four straight years. That's four different school districts. Something's wrong there.

[Amy Robach]

Yes.

[TJ Holmes]

His record isn't following him. He got into trouble at that first school district, but the next one, the next one, and the next one have no idea about that.

[Amy Robach]

There's nothing on record that anything happened. But why did he keep moving? Why did he keep leaving? It could have been uncomfortable for whatever reason. We don't know. We haven't heard anything yet from those other school districts, but certainly from other parents who say now, I mean, of course it's Monday morning quarterbacking. It's always easy to be able to look back and say, ah, I did think something was off. It's hard in the moment to recognize if someone's just antisocial or has social development issues or is actually homicidal and a maniac.

[TJ Holmes]

You would never go that route, would you?

[Amy Robach]

You wouldn't think it. You wouldn't jump.

[TJ Holmes]

You wouldn't go that far.

[Amy Robach]

Yeah, no, I mean this is other parents were saying. Several parents noticed, myself included, he was off. He was just very disinterested. One word answers. One parent described her son being uncomfortable. Yes. So it's just, it's little things here and there but nothing where someone should have said this guy could go off, this guy could snap.

[TJ Holmes]

Well, they are in Texas at least some starting to call for something to be done. They think something fell through the cracks here and something was missed. Someone on the state member of the state Board of education has called for a thorough investigation. Robe saying we got to make sure at least that we didn't miss something. Maybe this is just one of those things where there's no way the system can do anything about this. But man, if you hire somebody at your school district to take care of 8 year old children, don't you want to know if that person has something on their record.

[Amy Robach]

Yes.

[TJ Holmes]

That caused them to actually have disciplinary action? You would need to know that and know why I would call down to the school, hey, so tell me what happened. Can I talk to some of those parents? You would like to hear that as a thorough vetting and you might make a different decision. I don't know what legally they can do, what unions protect.

[Amy Robach]

That's a tough one. But I do you know this could be a tiny, tiny silver lining if there are some changes implemented, if there are more safety nets put in place. You can't always know what someone's thinking and who they are in their hearts. They're not willing to show you. But perhaps if there are a few extra safety measures put in place in some of these school districts that could be one small good thing that comes out of really a senseless, horrific tragedy that we will continue to follow all the latest developments on. Thank you for listening to us. On this Friday. I'm Amy Robach alongside my partner TJ Holmes.

[Glenn Washington]

Have a great day, everybody.

[Amy Robach]

Foreign.

[Ryan Seacrest]

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[Amy Robach]

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[TJ Holmes]

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[Amy Robach]

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[TJ Holmes]

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[Amy Robach]

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[TJ Holmes]

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[Glenn Washington]

Every day has a to do list, but adding Enjoy Belvita to yours can help you knock out the rest of it. Belveda Breakfast Biscuits are a tasty and convenient breakfast option when paired with low fat yogurt and fruit that provides steady energy all morning while Belvita Energy Snack Bites give you the perfect mid morning refuel. Best part? They both taste great so make the most out of your morning with a bite of Belvita. Pick up a pack of Belvita at your local store today. Does Friendly have a taste? If it does, it's probably like hello's Peppermint Flavored Anti Plaque and Whitening Toothpaste. Brush away plaque, show tartar who's boss and remove surface stains to naturally whiten. Hello's thoughtful and flavor forward products make brushing your teeth feel like a confetti filled bathroom dance party. So say hello to hello with the always cruelty free Never tested on Animals toothpaste that's made to spread smiles. Visit helloproducts.com and let hello add some everyday yay into your life.

[Amy Robach]

Untold stories Life with a Severe Autoimmune Condition, a production from Ruby Studio in partnership with Argenics is back with Season four. Join me Martine Hackett as we explore the realities of life with Myasthenia gravis or MG and Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating polyneuropathy or cidp. We'll uncover the stories of resilience and self advocacy in the face of uncertainty. From overcoming misdiagnosis to finding empowerment in small victories, these are moments that change us. Here's a glimpse of what's in store. Whenever I go to my specialist, he mentions the R word Remission. Is it possible? Like, is it over? But also knowing it's never really over, but just being able to say, hey, there's light at the end of the tunnel. Stay the course. Don't give up on yourself. Every single person living with the autoimmune illness has a life worth living, and it's up to you to define that, to capture that, and to go guns blazing. Follow and listen to untold Stories on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an iHeart podcast.