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Chelsea Houska
The time is here.
Natalie
Here.
Tyra
Are y' all nervous like we were?
Chelsea Houska
No, I'm not nervous. I'm more excited. We've been waiting for this for a long time. A long time.
Natalie
Yeah.
Tyra
Yeah, we're excited.
Chelsea Houska
Yeah. So I'm excited to have you guys on. Kate and Ty. Break it down. We're just gonna break some stuff down. That's what we do.
Tyra
Yes.
Macy
We're pretty good at it.
Tyra
Maybe dance a little.
Macy
I could totally twerk. I'm not about to twerking. Okay. But, you know, maybe one day.
Chelsea Houska
I appreciate guys coming on, though. I really do. I'm like. I'm like. I feel honored. I'm like, you got Macy. Got Natalie just met. You know what I mean?
Tyra
No, we're. Thank you. Very excited. I'm interested to know what y' all want to know about us.
Chelsea Houska
Well, first off, how did you guys, like, get connected? Like, what happened?
Natalie
So I am in radio. That was my. That's always been my profession. We actually went to Chattanooga State together, but at different times, but in the same program.
Chelsea Houska
Oh.
Natalie
So I obviously grew up loving Macy Love, you know, watching the show and.
Chelsea Houska
Oh, so you watched the show before?
Natalie
Yeah.
Tyra
She always. She would always tell me when we first really got to know each other. She's like, you're the reason I didn't get pregnant as a teenager.
Natalie
Literally, I was scared out of my mind.
Macy
We did something right. I'm glad to get something right.
Chelsea Houska
Yeah.
Natalie
That is why I did not lose my virginity in high school, but so I've always been in radio. And she was at an event who. Big Al was there. And I was like, hey, do you want to meet him? Get a picture with him? And so they did. And I just emailed her business account with the picture because I figured she'd want it. And literally, a few months later, she was like, hey, I want to talk about PCOS on the radio.
Macy
Because we both.
Natalie
I didn't know it at the time, but we both suffer from pcos.
Tyra
Yeah. PCOS awareness day.
Macy
Okay.
Chelsea Houska
So you guys both. I have pcos, and that's kind of how the whole little bridge happened.
Tyra
Yeah.
Natalie
So she. She came on my radio show. We did a segment. It was on. It was on the show. And then a few years went by, and we just stayed in touch on social media, really? And I just put out on socials one day. I was like, would anyone be interested in a true crime podcast based out of Chattanooga, Tennessee?
Tyra
Like, would you listen to it?
Natalie
Would you listen to it? Yeah. And I was just going to do It. And she commented, and she was like, call me right now. And so I called her, and that's kind of how it was born.
Tyra
I'm like, I'll be a cool. I'm gonna do it.
Natalie
Yeah.
Macy
Well, plus. Yeah. Like, you're just like me. I'm very intrigued by the whole, like, murder mystery stuff and unsolved cases and stuff like that. So, yeah, I'd be jumping on that train, too.
Tyra
And then I'm pretty sure our professor that we both had in college, like, commented something on it and was like, something along the lines of, like, oh, I see something's in the work works. Like, knew that. That's what. When I said call me, he was like. He already knew. He was like, oh, this is gonna happen.
Macy
Yeah.
Tyra
Yeah, for sure. No, that's been awesome, too. Like, they. When we first started out, they. Any equipment from the media technologies department that they have, like, if they're upgrading, they'll always, like, we can just be like, hey, do you have any of these you're not using? Like, they've been very, very helpful and supportive, which is awesome. This means we're. Were we good students or bad students?
Chelsea Houska
I was gonna say your professor is. Yeah, Yeah.
Macy
I think you're good.
Tyra
Yeah.
Chelsea Houska
Yeah.
Natalie
Also.
Macy
That's funny. So just through, like, networking, you know, Networking.
Tyra
Networking. Networking. Networking. I kind of like that.
Chelsea Houska
Doesn't it sound better?
Macy
It kind of does.
Tyra
Yeah.
Macy
People will tend to know that I have issue with, like, some big.
Tyra
I can't help it, then I gotta listen.
Chelsea Houska
It's just compartmentalizing.
Macy
Yeah. You know, it's like my brain doesn't work that great. Like, I need slow down.
Chelsea Houska
And, you know, she does a lot of Siri.
Macy
Oh, for sure.
Chelsea Houska
She'll be like, type in. She'll, like, reorganize.
Natalie
Yeah.
Chelsea Houska
Okay.
Macy
I struggle with selling earlier.
Chelsea Houska
Yes, yes.
Macy
Yeah, Exactly. Great example. I can't speak sometimes. You know, the big words or whatever. So that's cool. So through all that, then it started with kind of.
Chelsea Houska
And you have experience in radio, so you kind of like, you know, I mean, think about it. Podcasting is pretty much radio on steroids. Right, Right, right. Yeah. So, I mean, you guys have a little bit.
Natalie
I'm radio, she's tv.
Tyra
Yeah.
Natalie
Together. Made a great.
Tyra
Podcasting is exactly what we both do with a little less regulation.
Natalie
Yeah.
Tyra
And limitations.
Macy
That's funner.
Tyra
Like, definitely.
Macy
You know, especially. It's kind of nice, too, to just, like, do something outside of the TV world, you know, that's different. And we can talk more in depth. About certain things. I think that's what really drove me and Ty to want to do it is because we can go more in depth in certain situations of our lives. And, you know, I mean, yours is different because you're covering cases, but in.
Chelsea Houska
The same way, people didn't know you were into crime as much as you are. So now you're able to kind of showcase with the podcast platform that, hey, you didn't know this about me, but, you know, here I am, like, it's awesome.
Tyra
I'm a queen sleuther.
Macy
Well, I can tell you right now, you know, if there's any rumors you need to square, you can always hit Ty and I up. And we'll just keep bringing you on.
Tyra
Anytime, you know, because those are. There's plenty of those.
Macy
Yeah. And because, I mean, you think about it like we've been on a TV journey with each other for 16, 17 years.
Tyra
Yeah.
Macy
You know, we've been friends for that long.
Tyra
Literally.
Macy
We've been through hell and back.
Tyra
Everything. Yeah.
Macy
You know, and it's. So it's cool to be able to do something different.
Tyra
Yes.
Macy
With you and.
Tyra
Yeah.
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Together.
Macy
Yes. Really cool.
Tyra
Other than each other in a different. Whether we're in pajamas, eating pizza or filming.
Macy
Right.
Tyra
You know, like, either or. So this is like, cool doing. Doing something different.
Chelsea Houska
It's one of those things where we. It's the only thing that we, like. No one else knows. This experience of being on TV for 15 years, raising kids, which I have to say, it's like one of those things where it's like, people don't get that we are doing the most triggering, vulnerable, precious thing. Artists with the world just criticizing and literally focal pointing on our parenting, which is the most. I mean, nothing brings out your claws more than someone judging your kids or judging your parenting style. So it's like, I don't think people get the scope of intensity and how hard it really is.
Natalie
Yeah.
Macy
Show is.
Tyra
Yeah.
Macy
That's all it's about.
Tyra
And to. To remain authentic throughout as well. Like knowing that just helping one person makes up for all the 500,000 dick wads.
Chelsea Houska
Yep.
Tyra
That are hating on you. You know what I mean? Like, just to help the one person or be relatable for one person.
Chelsea Houska
Yeah. But it takes a special, like, I don't know, perseverance, character, whatever, to be able to just kind of, you know, eliminate or try to like, filter out 500 negative comments just to get the. The one positive point across at somebody else. Like, it's difficult. I mean, it takes a special Kind of tenacity to be able to, like, handle all of it. Because it's difficult, especially about parenting. It's like, nothing gets you more fired up than someone saying, judging your parenting. And when you think about it, that's what our whole jobs have been. Yeah, they've been judging our parenting. That's where our job requires the judgment of viewers. And it's like, yeah, it's hard.
Macy
That's why most of the time I say to people, like, well, thank God they. They thank God that these are not your children.
Tyra
Yeah.
Macy
And they're mine.
Tyra
Right, Exactly.
Macy
It's my job, not yours.
Tyra
I have. I feel like she and I. I was. When you're not in the TV world and. And then you do something like this, remember having to tell her, like, yeah, stay out of the comment section. Don't read it, don't read it.
Natalie
And I fell for it a few times, and we had conversations, and it's like, no, no, it happens.
Chelsea Houska
Well, it's different than radio. You don't have someone, like, on Instagram, like, right away being able to comment on stuff that you're passionate about.
Tyra
Well, and also, I mean, I come as, you know, a co host, a partner now like a best friend to her. But in the beginning, it's like, oh, by the way, I also come with a shitload of haters.
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Chelsea Houska
Well, how did you navigate that? Did you see it?
Natalie
Just trial and error. She would be like, don't look at the comments. And I would obviously look at them because I try to go, I am.
Tyra
Delete them before she could see them.
Natalie
Yeah. And just. She's just like, no, all press is good press. It doesn't matter. They're still talking about you.
Tyra
And I have. And most of the time, they have no idea what they're actually talking about. Right.
Chelsea Houska
Well, it's coming from ignorance. Which is why I feel like doing a podcast is important, because if you see a really heavy opinion out there, a public opinion, you can correct it or give more data information about why that's happening. Which I feel like is kind of important in our journey with Teen mom, because it's like, now we get five minutes of screen time each episode. It's one of those things where now we have to like, okay, how do.
Tyra
We fill in the blank?
Chelsea Houska
Yeah, because people deserve to have the blanks filled. And I feel like. Because they've been so, you know, loyal to our story and following it, like, we have a. I feel like a duty to, like, you guys got quarter percent of the truth. Here's the rest of it.
Macy
Yeah.
Tyra
Or like, if. If you're go. Everyone is going to have an opinion.
Chelsea Houska
Yeah.
Tyra
But it's like, here, let me give you all of it so you can actually form an educated opinion. It's still. I don't have to like your opinion.
Macy
Right.
Tyra
But I want you to have all of the. Get all of it first, then tell me how you really feel.
Chelsea Houska
You're obviously not in TV world, so all the comments, all the negative stuff, like, I mean, that's hard. That's hard to handle.
Natalie
It was very difficult at first, just trying to. You know, when you get a notification, you want to know what it is. You want to open your phone and see what somebody said.
Tyra
And it was.
Natalie
Especially when we first came out, we want to hear what we're doing right, what we're doing wrong. And then some of it's just pure hate and trying to get past it.
Chelsea Houska
Like, hate with no purpose. Like, you're not. You're not giving any constructive criticism. You're literally just typing this to try to hurt me. Which is why I kind of think, like. Like, if you're on Reddit, you're probably a piece of shit. Like, I mean, I don't know why you go to an anonymous forum page to talk shit about random people. And I didn't even know about Reddit until, like, a year ago. And someone's like, oh, yeah, there's a whole.
Macy
It was a few years ago, but.
Chelsea Houska
Yeah, yeah, there's a whole teen mom like, thing. And I'm like, oh, that's weird.
Natalie
Random.
Chelsea Houska
I mean, go on my Instagram and talk shit to me. Yeah. Why are you hiding in that corner? I don't understand what you're doing over there. You got no power over there. It's anonymous, so I thought it was weird.
Tyra
I often wonder why people will argue in my comment section with people that they don't know about someone they don't know.
Macy
Yep. It makes absolute no sense at all.
Tyra
Who has time for that?
Chelsea Houska
That's what I'm saying.
Tyra
Like, I can only handle my own bullshit. I can't be worried about somebody else's.
Chelsea Houska
And I never once actually commented, like, I hate you, mother. Like, I never, never. I never even had the urge to comment something like negative or bad. So I don't really get the ever.
Macy
I don't either. Because if ever, If I see something I don't like or I disagree with, I just keep scrolling.
Chelsea Houska
Yeah, I think what it is, though, it's this easy access to collective, like, tribal. Oh, I find all these people that share my same opinion. So now I feel validated. And it's like, it's almost. It's toxic, though, because if you stay in that little bubble, like a Reddit page, you're not. You're not gaining any outside perspective. You're not gaining any, you know, deeper context. You're literally just confirmation bias. And you're just doing it to yourself, like, confused on what the purpose of it is and why you feel the need to, like, go hang out with a bunch of people who you don't know.
Macy
It makes them feel full of hate.
Chelsea Houska
That you're only connected with, hate you're not connected with. Oh, I love the show. So you're connected by the criticizing of people you don't know.
Tyra
Yeah, I think it's some sort of validation that they might. One must not be getting in their real life.
Natalie
And she told me that she's like, these people are commenting on things that they have no idea. And that, I mean, that's so sad. You know, I've come to. Instead of being sad from those comments, I feel sad for them. Right?
Tyra
Yeah, I think.
Macy
Yeah. Because I think even I know for myself, when I started this whole TV journey and stuff, it took years to, you know, you. To grow thick skin to it. Like, I. There was a period of my life I had to take two years off social media, you know, because. And eventually now it's to the point and has been for a while. But I post stuff, and if you don't like it, you don't like it. I don't go back and read the comments, Nothing. Unless I see somebody I know, then I read theirs, because it'll pop up, you know, But I'm like, I post what I want to post. If you don't like it, I don't really care because this is my page and I'm not going to read it.
Chelsea Houska
I think what it comes down to, too, is like, they don't understand that their perception of me is just a reflection of them, and they don't even realize that. Like, they're almost don't even get it. Like, you understand that you're projecting right now. You're talking yourself in the mirror, but you're using me as a really easy catalyst to do it and feel good about it, because other people are like, yeah, you're right. And it's like, yeah, I'm right. And it's like, you're not, but okay, it's fine.
Tyra
Yeah.
Chelsea Houska
So I feel like, yeah, like your perception of me is just. It's literally a reflection of yourself, which, the faster you understand that, the quicker you can maybe heal some of your hater vibe or whatever the hell is wrong with you, because something's going on. But you actually had, I have to say, because that two years you took off social media, like, that was for me. Yeah, it was really good for you. But I also felt like. Like, I think it would be different if that stuff happened nowadays because I've never seen someone get so much hate for attacking their mental health. And like, literally, like, you, like, I mean, people like, oh, yeah, they went to rehab, Good for them. And it's like you went to rehab or treatment and you were just like.
Macy
Yeah, it was interesting how it's like people. Yeah, it is. You know, you say that and it's people that go to rehab for addiction problems.
Tyra
People are proud. Yeah.
Macy
But if you're going for your mental.
Tyra
Health postpartum, which is just like, they're both not diseases.
Macy
Right. Then people look down on you, say, oh, you're selfish or you don't care about your career.
Tyra
You just need to get over it. Yeah.
Macy
It's like, how does that even make any sense?
Chelsea Houska
You know, I just feel like the hate you got was really unjustified because. Because like you said, we celebrate these recovering addicts and we celebrate them going to rehab and getting help, but a mom who has postpartum depression and is a birth mom and has generational trauma going back, I mean, and is also.
Tyra
Doing it in front of the entire.
Macy
World and being judged on top of that. Yeah.
Tyra
Like, it was.
Macy
It was a lot. But I think that is interesting. Just haters are always going to hate. And I always tell myself, like, well, haters, they just said to keep us famous because they're spreading our name all over the place, you know, like whatever. Yeah, exactly, exactly. It really is.
Chelsea Houska
But do you find yourself not reading this stuff now?
Natalie
Yeah.
Macy
Right, right.
Chelsea Houska
Don't even open the door because it ain't worth it. Yeah.
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Macy
Been doing your podcast? For two years, right?
Tyra
Yes.
Natalie
Okay.
Chelsea Houska
And what do you think was, like, what do you. What's your advice for us? Help us out. Like, what do you wish you would have known? Yeah. What do you wish you would have known or done differently?
Tyra
Stay authentic. There is. I would say there's more of a benefit than you could ever imagine. Till you do it in, like, the trial and error in the troubleshooting, in the. Make sure you're confident and comfortable with what you're talking about.
Macy
Yeah.
Tyra
But I think as long as you, like, keep your. What your direction is, what your goal is for each episode, I feel like y' all are gonna be great.
Chelsea Houska
So stay loyal to your intention.
Natalie
Yeah.
Chelsea Houska
Yeah.
Tyra
And your purpose for it.
Macy
And make a list. I'm very much a listener maker.
Tyra
Yeah. No, that's how I am, too. Like, if it were me and Taylor. He's not really a list. I'm a list person.
Natalie
Yep.
Chelsea Houska
Yes. I'm like that. I'm a list person.
Tyra
I'm making a list. Yeah, you just fine.
Natalie
I mean, yeah, you know, you've been in this world of, you know, production and things like that. As long as you're yourself, people will love you or hate you, but your. Their name. Your name is still in their mouth. So.
Chelsea Houska
Yeah. And honestly, if they hate me, well, then, you know, you're just weeding out the people. Like, you're. I love. Let the maggots rise up so I can. It's easier that way.
Macy
I love.
Chelsea Houska
Show me your hate so that way I can go.
Tyra
I would also say, too, just like, in. With anything in life, like, make sure that you don't overwork yourself. Where. Because sometimes we've even had periods where it's like what we were talking about earlier before we were recording. Like, people think, oh, you come and you sit down, you talk for an hour, and then you leave and you go home. And it's just. That's what a pot. No, there's, like, a lot of work that goes into making a podcast and publishing a podcast, especially a good one. But give yourself room to, like, rest and breathe and grace to say, you know what? I don't want to put something out, just to put something out.
Chelsea Houska
Right.
Tyra
And if you're not feeling passionate about what you're going to be talking about or who you're going to be talking to, then give it a week and try again next week. You know what I mean? Don't force it. Just make sure that.
Chelsea Houska
Which I feel like. Yeah, I feel like for us, like, I'm loyal to the authenticity. I'm not Loyal to the deadline. And if that deadline has to be pushed in order for my authenticity to take over, then that's what I'll do.
Macy
And like. And like, how you said about being passionate about it. Like, I want to talk about things that I'm passionate about.
Tyra
Yes.
Macy
And that I'm educated about. I don't want to be spreading misinformation and I don't want to sit here and pretend that I'm liking what I'm talking about.
Tyra
Because that's not fun. Yeah.
Macy
You know?
Tyra
Yes, exactly. I think that's. That's pretty much the baseline. I also feel like you'll learn as you go.
Natalie
Yeah.
Tyra
And that's kind of fun. Yeah, it's, it's. And a bit rewarding too, because you.
Natalie
Can go back and be like, look how shitty that was.
Macy
Look how.
Chelsea Houska
Well, it's one of those things where it's like, you gotta be brave enough to be bad at something definitely at first, you know, and that's how you learn and grow.
Tyra
Sometimes failures are actually just a bigger push forward.
Natalie
Failures are opportunities to. To learn and grow.
Tyra
Yes, man.
Chelsea Houska
Yeah. And honestly, failure is. You can't get success without it.
Tyra
Exactly.
Chelsea Houska
It's impossible. You're gonna go through something, you're gonna fail at something in order to get to the top.
Tyra
So I mean, it's definitely.
Chelsea Houska
It's the journey. Yeah. Which we're excited about. That's why we're excited.
Macy
No, I'm excited. Yeah. I'm excited for it.
Chelsea Houska
I almost feel like we're. We've been brewing on this for so long that it's like, we're almost like, okay, Volcano, right? And explode.
Macy
Yeah, that's what I mean. Going back to the list, I have to write down stuff because he's throwing all these things and I'm like, whoa, slow down. Okay.
Chelsea Houska
She'll be driving in the car and she'll be like, listen. I, like, can't even deal with the 8 million subjects that you just covered in 10 minutes. I'm sorry, I'm sorry.
Macy
Like, can we just start with four?
Chelsea Houska
Yeah.
Macy
Top four. You know, because he's very much. He jumps all over the place in every direction.
Chelsea Houska
And, you know, I know when you're not listening because I say blue monkey.
Macy
I was literally just singing it.
Chelsea Houska
So I'll be like, talking. I can tell when she's like, just like, zoned out. Yeah, zoned out.
Macy
Head nodding works with me, I guess. He says secret words. When he says secret, he's like, go. Oh, yeah.
Chelsea Houska
And he's like, it's a way for me to know, though. All right, Tyra, shut up. Yeah, you're rambling and you need to shut up. So I'll be like, oh, you know. Yeah, about that. Nova's practice and everything. Blue Monkey. And she's like, yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm like, okay.
Macy
Well, I'm like, really?
Chelsea Houska
You have done that all the time. There's a way of me saying, hey, are you listening to me?
Tyra
Yeah.
Chelsea Houska
And then it puts you in a position to be like, I wasn't. I'm sorry. So I'm like, I'm just gonna eliminate it. Cause I know I can talk a lot and really fast. So I'll just say. I'll just add in Blue Monkey. And if you go, yeah. Oh, yeah. I'm like, oh, yeah, That's a sign. I lost a moment.
Macy
All right, all right.
Tyra
But then he's hilarious.
Macy
Then he told me that. What? You used to do that to your mom growing up. You throw out random words.
Chelsea Houska
Yeah, because she would. I could tell she's cooking dinner. And I'm like, mommy, did you know that? You know, just going on. And she. And I'd be like, blue Monkey. And she's like, yeah, Ty. Yeah. Yeah. All right, mom, go to my room now.
Macy
Oh, my gosh. That's so funny. That's great, because Nova's the exact same way. She's like our very talkative, curious, wants to know things, ask questions. I mean, that kid will roll out of bed.
Tyra
She reminds me so much.
Macy
Oh, she is.
Chelsea Houska
My mom tells me the same thing because she.
Macy
Like, he usually does. We split it up really good. He usually does the morning stuff with the kids and gets them up for school. And I usually do the nighttime things, so, like, baths, bedtime.
Natalie
Love it.
Macy
Love it.
Chelsea Houska
Isn't that nice? Oh, it feels good.
Macy
Yeah, I love it. But, man, there's mornings when Nova, literally. Her hair is still fluffed. She could be still wrapped in a blanket. And she's just like, my. You ever. You know, I was thinking this thing. You ever look at the stars and you just feel really connected? Because we're part of the stars and our ancestors are a part of the stars. So we're just, like, really connected to stars. And I'm like, oh, you're trying to.
Chelsea Houska
Stir your cup of coffee. Yeah, dude.
Macy
I'm like, it is 6:05 in the morning. Like, where is it? And she would just go on and on and on. And I love that about her. I do. But sometimes I'm just like, ever since she was. Yay.
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Macy
She just talked, Started talking, and she's never stopped.
Chelsea Houska
I taught her blue monkey. I said, nova, if you ever want to just. Just throw it out there and you'll know.
Natalie
Yeah, I did.
Chelsea Houska
That's really smart. I'm gonna. Okay, I'm gonna use that. I'm like, go ahead.
Tyra
Don't get offended.
Macy
I wonder if she's ever used it on me, you know?
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Seriously.
Tyra
Oh, my God. That's.
Macy
Are any of one of your kids like that? Like, very, very.
Tyra
Jade.
Macy
Oh, okay.
Tyra
I feel like her and Nova are actually very similar, and I didn't realize that they were.
Macy
I guess it never clicked to me that Nova and Jade are literally nine.
Tyra
Yeah.
Macy
Same age.
Tyra
Yeah. Nova's, what, January 1st?
Natalie
Yep.
Tyra
New Year's Day. And Jade's May 29th. Right. Just right after her.
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Tyra
They are close, but they're so similar. So similar. Like, the whole wake up in the morning and, like, just talk about some random thing. It's like this whole philosophy. It's like they spent their whole night.
Chelsea Houska
Yeah.
Tyra
Like. Like a rabbit hole without the Internet type of thing. And I'm like, jade, give me a second. Like, I literally brushed my teeth yet. And honestly, neither have you. Like, I know.
Macy
I'm like, where does all this stuff come from?
Tyra
Because I'm not a morning person.
Macy
Me neither.
Tyra
Like, don't talk to me.
Macy
I mean, I'm more talkative, but I just don't like getting up early. That's my problem.
Tyra
No, I just. Don't talk to me. Don't look at me.
Chelsea Houska
I need a good 30 minutes. I got up in one of the kids. I. I purposely get up a half hour before getting any of them up.
Tyra
That's what Taylor does, too.
Chelsea Houska
I need it. I can't handle the chaos. Especially because Nova is the first that gets up, and she is a very, like, dad. I'm like, dude, I can't even.
Macy
And now she gets up at 6. Now I know, because her bearded dragon.
Natalie
Yeah.
Chelsea Houska
Now she's got to feed her bearded dragon. So here I am. Get my coffee. Here she comes, going in the fridge and getting lettuce. And I'm like, please don't speak yet.
Tyra
But she does. She does. Yeah.
Macy
And then I think it's funny. I know we're all on kids right now, but also I think it's funny that, you know, you have a spicy one and I have a spicy one.
Tyra
Who's the spicy one?
Macy
Cracking.
Chelsea Houska
We went over there yesterday at dinner, and we were just. I was. He is.
Tyra
He's the best ball of Fire his.
Macy
Little remarks and stuff. Like, Vada, we call her. Like, she's our Mowgli.
Chelsea Houska
Yep, Mowgli.
Macy
And she's just a spitfire. She knows what she wants. She knows how to get what she wants. And she doesn't care what you say or what you tell her.
Tyra
She's gonna get it.
Chelsea Houska
Vader's gonna learn the hard way.
Tyra
That's Maverick.
Macy
That is.
Tyra
He will. I can literally see his gears turning. And he's like, risk versus reward. Don't care what the risk is, gonna get it. Whatever happens, happens. I'll deal with it after. Whatever. It's fine.
Natalie
And they're so sneaky. One time I was watching them, Mav and Jade, and they were like, yeah, mom lets us drive the golf cart all the time. And I let them because I'm so gullible. I let them do whatever, and they were not supposed to drive.
Chelsea Houska
How did you find out? Did you say, hey, oh, yeah, they're gonna try the golf cart?
Tyra
I was like, because I didn't know.
Macy
They said it was okay. Right. Mix.
Tyra
You gotta be kidding me.
Macy
Yeah. So what'd you say to her? Get them off? No, they're not.
Tyra
No, no.
Natalie
She waited until she got home. Yeah.
Tyra
I said, hey there.
Natalie
Did y. Say that.
Tyra
They talked her into or told her that it was okay, even though they knew it wasn't okay? But yeah, they'll. They'll. Especially together. They will.
Macy
Oh, yeah.
Tyra
Find a way to manipulate the situation. Especially if they know, for instance, like, Natalie, they had never been alone. Like, with Natalie, it's always just been all of us. And it's like, oh, let's see if we can get this one over on her, you know?
Macy
And they're like, hey, Ma. Yeah, we want her to babysit again.
Tyra
Yeah, for sure.
Macy
We're gonna tell her that we could drive the Suburban, you know?
Natalie
Yeah.
Macy
Like, crazy stuff, you know?
Tyra
Yeah, we could totally ride our dirt bikes in the rocks with no helmets on. It's fine.
Chelsea Houska
Does that. Does Mav and Jayla. Do they ever. Are they close with Bentley's other siblings?
Tyra
Yes.
Chelsea Houska
Are they?
Macy
That's good.
Chelsea Houska
That's really good.
Tyra
They actually. Anytime his siblings are at. With Ryan, it's like, can we go to Ryan's? Can we go to Mimi and Papa's? Like, they're big buddies.
Macy
That's super cool that they can all be involved because they're all.
Chelsea Houska
Yes.
Macy
Like Bentley's siblings.
Tyra
Yeah. It's so funny because they're always like, man, our family's kind of weird, but it's kind of cool. Like, we have a lot of family. I don't think my friends have family. Like, their family's not like this. I'm like, nope, probably not.
Chelsea Houska
Because collectively, dummy has how many siblings?
Tyra
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Step. So really? 7. 6. 7.
Chelsea Houska
I only have one sister, so I'm.
Tyra
Like, I only have one brother. Yeah.
Chelsea Houska
I mean, that's literally insane.
Tyra
Like, holy crap, it is.
Chelsea Houska
So the fact that they can all get along and stuff, like, that's cool.
Tyra
Yes. I mean, Bentley is much older than all of them, and he is very much on the same page as me. Like, if. If I ever found out I was going to have a birth, a child, y' all need to check on me. I might end up in a facility somewhere. Bentley's like, no more babies, please.
Macy
Oh, is he over it now?
Tyra
Yeah. He's like, this is too much. It's too much.
Macy
Well, yeah, if you think about it like, his. The youngest is going to be born soon, and he's going to be 16 years older. That was like, me and my brother Nick.
Chelsea Houska
Yeah, that was.
Tyra
No, but that's what Bentley said. He's like, holy crap. So technically, like, I'm 16 now, and this baby is like, you were 16 with me. I'm like, yep. Could you imagine moving out and taking care of this said baby? And he's like, absolutely not.
Macy
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Chelsea Houska
Is any of Bentley's. Anyone in his school? Like, they. What do you. What are you seeing as far as teen pregnancy? Is it down? Is it up? I was curious about that yesterday.
Tyra
I think overall, even. Not even just in Bentley school, but like, you know, friends that he plays other sports and stuff with that go to other schools. I think overall, overall, it's down. But I also think that the resources available for kids to find other education paths and programs and things kind of eliminate the awareness of it or people knowing about it, not because they're hiding it, but there are many more resources available now. But also I think the climate's changed. The conversations are different. And with social media and the Internet, I feel like kids are exposed to so many things earlier than even we were, and it's kind of forcing conversations to happen. So, I mean, just like our show, too. So I think a bit more responsibility and smart, smarter decisions are being made.
Chelsea Houska
Has Belmont ever asked you or, like, mentioned to you about, like, why are we doing this stupid show? Why are you still doing it? Or like, anything negative, like, any kind of. You know what I mean? Because as our kids get older, nova's gonna be 10.
Tyra
Yeah.
Chelsea Houska
And then we're kind of like, you know, and there's days where her. Her mic and she's. I'm like. So I'm like.
Macy
She also knows, too, if you don't want to film, you don't have to.
Chelsea Houska
Yeah. She has the freedom to go in a room.
Tyra
Yeah.
Chelsea Houska
Yeah.
Tyra
Our kids know, even if they're like, okay, I'm okay with it. And then they're like five minutes later, change my mind. All right.
Macy
Right, cool.
Tyra
Like, you never, ever have to. No, he doesn't hate it. I mean, it is one of those, like, oh, man, I just got home from school and they're filming. But he'll just, you know, go up to his room or.
Chelsea Houska
Yeah.
Tyra
Eat a snack, you know, off camera or whatever. But he's never really asked why. I think because honestly, I think it's because of just the conversations that we have while we're filming. And then also when people in public will come up to us. He's always just kind of heard like, oh my God, you know, I was a teen mom too, and you guys helped me so much. Or he hears, you know, the moms that are like, my son or daughter was 15 years old and with. If the show wasn't on, like, I would have never talked to them about.
Macy
Yeah, we've gotten that side.
Tyra
Like, y' all gave me a way in to have that conversation. So I think he's always kind of known that that's why, you know, is hopefully to be relatable, to help someone or to make someone realize they're not alone in certain things that they're going through. Whether it be that they relate to me or y' all or any other person that's, you know, crazy and brave enough to share their story on the show. We all have something different to offer. But I think he's just grown up hearing that and seeing it. So I don't. He's never asked that.
Macy
It's a question. And to go back to about like people are. I feel like our age that are having kids and stuff. It does. We're talking to our children more so because we're learning that children are not stupid and they're actually really smart.
Tyra
We.
Macy
We're starting to talk to them younger, which I think is amazing. Like, people sometimes look at me and Ty like we're crazy.
Chelsea Houska
Yeah.
Macy
But like our 10 year old, she knows what sex is. She knows how it works. That there needs to be a sperm in an egg.
Tyra
Yep.
Macy
She knows that there's protection out there. She knows about birth control. She. And it's all because she is genuinely driven it.
Chelsea Houska
Really?
Macy
Yes. And asked the questions. When she was 5, it clicked in her mind and she looked at Ty and I and she said, oh, so you guys just mated. She plays horses. You gotta make it says click mate. And they make a, A, A new horse made it.
Chelsea Houska
Yeah.
Macy
Me and Ty looked at each other, I said, that's it.
Chelsea Houska
We made it.
Macy
And eventually she would ask more questions and it would lead into like, Well, I can't lie to her. You know, babies don't grow in your belly or come out your belly button. Like, I'm not going to lie. You know, it actually, actually I'm the same way.
Chelsea Houska
Yeah. That led us into her learning that we're like primates. Cuz she's like. I'm like, yeah. I'm like, you were animals. And she's like, whoa, what?
Macy
I'm an animal.
Natalie
Yeah.
Tyra
And as much as she loves animals, you know, she's like, oh, yeah. Yes, I'm an anthem. And I think it's good. I do, too.
Macy
Because she says it now. She even says, like. She said she talks about it a lot more so lately. And she says, I don't think I ever want to have kids. She said, I really want to be the cool aunt.
Tyra
Yeah.
Macy
That has all the reptiles and I can spoil them and give them back. And I said, that's totally fine. That might change. And she says, when I. When I start my period, she goes, I'm getting on birth control. I said, okay, well, there's other things we can do too, you know, like, you know, so she. And it's funny. It's like, kids are smart. And I. You know, our show has even taught me, in a sense.
Chelsea Houska
Yeah, yeah.
Tyra
Definitely.
Macy
Watching other people's stories. Yes. And knowing that we have to talk to our children about all these things at a young age.
Chelsea Houska
Have you seen a shift, like, as far as. Like, because you. Obviously, you grew up. You watched. How old are you?
Natalie
29.
Chelsea Houska
Okay, so you're a little younger, but, like, you. Did you see a shift in culture or, like, in. In school and stuff? Did kids talk about it, like, after the show?
Natalie
After the show.
Chelsea Houska
Like, when the show aired?
Tyra
Like, when you got popped up on the show.
Natalie
I think we were still in that time where you don't talk about it. Like, I had. Okay. I had my first sex talk was at church.
Chelsea Houska
Oh, wow.
Macy
Weird.
Natalie
And it was with, like, the female youth.
Chelsea Houska
Okay, Female youth pastor.
Natalie
It was all females in the room.
Tyra
Was it a conversation of, like, scare them out of sex?
Natalie
No, it was more or less like, this is what married people do. This is only what you should do with Mary. You know, just very cookie cutter. Not. It's a penis and a vagina and an egg and a sperm. It's nothing like that.
Chelsea Houska
Okay.
Natalie
Just put in a beautiful package. And did you absorb the package?
Tyra
A bow of.
Natalie
I mean, not really. They didn't tell me anything that I didn't already know.
Chelsea Houska
Right.
Natalie
You know, I knew what it was.
Tyra
You probably knew a little more and.
Natalie
Was like, this is not really. This is not exactly what it is, but.
Macy
And kids, hate to break it to.
Tyra
Y', all, but did y' all know that?
Chelsea Houska
Yeah. By the way, you don't have to.
Tyra
Maybe I should educate you.
Macy
Right. I already knew this, and I kind of know more than that.
Tyra
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Chelsea Houska
So. Okay, so that's. Did you go to a public school or was it like a Christian. Okay, okay. Okay. That's what I was. What? I'm like, did the. I didn't know if you.
Natalie
Like, we did have health class, and that was educational.
Chelsea Houska
Yeah.
Natalie
But I still feel like it could have been more, you know.
Chelsea Houska
Yeah, but you don't ever remember, like, kids talking about 16 and pregnant or teen mom or.
Natalie
I feel like that was the age where y' all were just. It was like y' all were just starting out, and I was just getting into high school, and so.
Chelsea Houska
Okay.
Natalie
It was, like, not the wanted end result.
Tyra
Yeah.
Chelsea Houska
No, it's because I remember when it first started, like, we had to go defend the show to Matt Lauer on today's show. It was like, no one told us about it, and it was like, you're gonna talk to Matt Lauer this new show. I'm like, all right. Or about whatever's going on. And I literally got grilled by Matt Lauer about why we're glamorizing.
Macy
Yeah. Do you think you're glamorizing T print and we're literally 17 years old, and.
Chelsea Houska
I'm like, no, I don't, sir. And I don't know. Yeah, like, you know, it was just like.
Macy
You think having to place a child for adoption because you have no support is glamorizing?
Tyra
If you think not being able to.
Macy
Having his dad around, can't pay bills, can't go to work is right? Like, this is not glamorizing, and it's. We're trying to show that it's not fun.
Chelsea Houska
Yeah.
Macy
Like, that was crazy.
Chelsea Houska
It was. We were like, what? And then. Don't you think it took a minute for culture and society. Society kind of get the real message.
Tyra
Yeah.
Macy
It's taboo. It's shocking. Like you said, nobody wants to talk about it. Well, we need to talk about it if we want to stop the problems.
Tyra
You have to know and recognize and accept that there's a problem before anything's going to change.
Chelsea Houska
Right.
Tyra
Oh, man. I don't.
Chelsea Houska
It took a minute.
Tyra
Those days I remember wanting. I. I would get so hot in those interviews.
Chelsea Houska
Well, especially when you're not prepared for it. They're like, go on today's show and talk about Team Mom.
Ad Host
Yeah.
Chelsea Houska
No, this guy's reading cue card, grilling us about why we're gonna destroy America's youth because now they're all gonna want to get pregnant to be on TV and stuff.
Tyra
I'm like, if anybody has watched 16 and Pregnant, like, trust me, if I had not gotten myself into this mess, I Would not watch this show and be like, yeah, that looks fun.
Macy
Right? Right? Yeah.
Ad Host
Not at all.
Tyra
I totally. That's exactly what I want my life to be.
Chelsea Houska
And plus, I think one thing that are you. That are, like, cast the original people is unique, is that we didn't know anything about what it was going to be like.
Tyra
No.
Chelsea Houska
For Teen Mom 2 and 16 and PCs and whatever they already saw there was kind of the potential, oh, this is where it could lead into. We were the guinea pigs. We had no idea, like, where. So to say that we're, like, glamorizing what? Our punk has a thousand pounds.
Tyra
Literally.
Chelsea Houska
Like, how do we. I'm still in the trailer, bro. I'm still.
Macy
A couple thousand dollars, and I split it with you. And then my mom took a thousand from me.
Chelsea Houska
Yeah.
Macy
And I've never seen that.
Chelsea Houska
Ever get evicted or something.
Macy
I don't know what it was for. All I remember is she took a thousand dollars from me and I gave you 2500. And so I was stuck with, like, thousand dollars. Yeah. And shared the biggest shot of my life on television.
Chelsea Houska
You forgot about your mom taking it?
Macy
Yeah, dude. Yeah.
Tyra
For a semester of school.
Macy
And that's when they were smoking crack again. Who knows?
Chelsea Houska
Wow.
Tyra
All right.
Chelsea Houska
Yeah, I forgot about that. Yeah. So. Wow. I'm like.
Macy
I remember going around telling people, like, oh, yeah, they'd be like, oh, what show are you filming? I'm like, we're going to be on True Life.
Chelsea Houska
Like, true Life. I'm knocked up as a teen or something.
Macy
Yeah, it's going to be a true life. Like, I feel like even the producers and stuff didn't know.
Tyra
Yeah. Because it really was. It was like a true life. Like. Yeah, like, there was no.
Macy
I love that about it.
Tyra
Yes.
Macy
I like the docu series part of it.
Tyra
Oh, my God. Do you remember, like, one of the craziest things I think about was when after Bentley was born, there would be a camera op that would literally sleep on the couch in the apartment to film the night when the baby would wait. Like, when Bentley would wake up. And I was like, I look back now, and I'm like, that is so insane. But also, like, that's why that dog used. It was so good.
Chelsea Houska
It was. I actually remember this show on the bed and saying, ryan, you're doing this.
Tyra
I have to do homework.
Chelsea Houska
Yeah, yeah.
Tyra
Yes.
Chelsea Houska
And his face looked completely, like, crazy. What do you want me to do about it? He like, dude, do what? Do something.
Macy
Take care of your kids.
Natalie
Anything.
Tyra
Anything's better than nothing at this Point.
Macy
Yes.
Tyra
Oh, man.
Chelsea Houska
How's that. How's that going, though, as far as just like, you know, Bentley and Ryan and I mean, everything.
Macy
Everything.
Tyra
Yeah. Normal and on the up and up. Yeah, I. It's been pretty good. I just said we weren't going to.
Macy
Talk to her about Ryan.
Chelsea Houska
Oh. I guess, like, I meant, like, well, Bentley.
Tyra
Yeah.
Chelsea Houska
It's a whole.
Tyra
It's kind of odd how normal. Normal is. Is now, like, what the normal is and how much healthier it is. But he's been sober for over a year and a half.
Chelsea Houska
Good for him.
Tyra
Two years in April.
Natalie
That's awesome.
Chelsea Houska
All we're interested in knowing is you as a mom. I don't think people get to hear their perspective of being a mom who has to navigate protecting my kid while also trying to be as much of a bridge as possible.
Tyra
Yes.
Chelsea Houska
To the other parent. Like, I mean, my mom, I feel like, had a similar situation, my dad that you had, which is like, how do I. And she asked me, when my dad was in prison, she was like, do you want to go see him? And there's an age where I was like, I don't want to go see him through the glass. It's weird. And so. And I remember her saying, are you sure? I don't want you to regret it, you know, because my sister would go and I wouldn't go. And so, like, I thought about. I'm like, damn. The perspective of the being a mom, having to protect your kids while also trying to nurture and build a bridge to something that could potentially that you're not in control of, harm them. It's like, how does that. How do you do it?
Tyra
You know, for a very long time, I had no idea how to do it. It's much more of a. Follow your gut.
Chelsea Houska
Yeah.
Tyra
What feels right usually is, at least for the time being, after doing a lot of therapy and like, Al Anon and all kinds of things like that over the last, like, honestly, what, four or five years now, learning what you. What I can control and what I can't, what my responsibilities are, what. What are not my responsibilities. But I think for me, the biggest change and shift for me was learning that it is also not my responsibility to write Ryan's wrongs.
Chelsea Houska
Right.
Tyra
I cannot do that. I could try over and over and over again. It's. I cannot do anything about that.
Macy
And that makes sense because I could see as, like a. As a mom or a, you know, parent. You want to fix it.
Tyra
You want.
Macy
Right. Or you, like, maybe start to over overcompensate with this child because, you know, the lack of things that he's missing out on somebody else, you know, that would be hard.
Tyra
It's a whole matter of just really shifting focus from the addict or even your child and focusing on you, working on you, learning what your boundaries are, what. What trauma the experiences have brought you. How maybe your feelings toward the other parent affect how you parent, but also how you might. You might get in the way or. Or detach, which also isn't good for the kid. But it's way more about looking internally because that. I can only control me, right? I can only uphold my responsibilities. And I can also just show. Be an example of, like, working on yourself, doing the work to try to get healthier mentally and emotionally and talking about it. And this is something that I, like before, I did a lot of work and therapy and stuff on myself, trying to make sense of his addiction and trying to figure it out. If I figure it out, then maybe I can fix it or then maybe I can do this. But I think it was a matter of, like, when we got pregnant with Bentley and we moved into an apartment, and then Bentley was born. Neither one of us knew what we were doing at all. Obviously. We were kids having a kid. And I think for me, it was like, I don't know what I'm doing. But also my motherly instinct kicked in, and I was very much still like, well, I don't have time to sit here and, like, focus on what I don't know. Like, I just gotta do it and I gotta do it. And it was like, just do it. And on the surface, I looked like I knew what I was doing, and I looked like I was okay, and I looked like I wasn't panicking all the time, you know? Whereas with him, it's like he doesn't know what he's doing either, right? And I look like I know what I'm doing, and I don't have time to slow down and help him. Like, we didn't talk about things like that. And I think for him is like, holy shit. Every. They seem fine. I don't know what I'm doing, and I'm panicking. Why is she not panicking?
Macy
What.
Tyra
How does she know what to do? And I don't know what to do?
Chelsea Houska
Something wrong, right?
Tyra
Or like, that you're not good enough. Just failing.
Chelsea Houska
Yeah.
Tyra
And it's like, we were so young, we didn't know to talk about those things with each other. We didn't.
Natalie
Our.
Tyra
Our relationship was full of love. But it was nowhere. It was not a mature relate. Because we weren't mature. We weren't emotionally immature. We weren't even from a relationship standpoint. Again, we were kids. And it's like, I'm trying to keep my head above water. And he's like, wait, but she's doing it. And she's not saying that she's freaking out, but I'm still freaking out. And I still don't know. Like, it was just a whole, like.
Chelsea Houska
So do you think vulnerability might have been missing? Like, just being honest with each other about this is hard. I don't. I'm freaking out inside. I don't know what I'm doing.
Tyra
Yes.
Chelsea Houska
Like, because then you guys could have maybe connected on that.
Tyra
Yeah. And being so in survival mode, you naturally become selfish, especially when you're a kid.
Chelsea Houska
Robot mode.
Tyra
Yeah. And it's like, I wasn't thinking about how he was doing.
Chelsea Houska
Right.
Tyra
You know, because I. I could hardly wipe my own ass. Like, I couldn't. You know, I can't help you because I don't even know how to help myself.
Chelsea Houska
But I think you being curious about what he was experiencing is like, your curiosity really is empathy. You're trying to, like, make a connect. Like, you know, which is, like I said, I commend you because a lot of people can get hardened and they can stay hardened.
Tyra
You.
Chelsea Houska
You got hardened, which is a part of the process. But then you eventually. Listen, I need. Your curiosity took over.
Tyra
Yeah.
Chelsea Houska
Which I think is. That creates healing.
Tyra
I mean, I agree. And I think too, when you do get hardened and you are just angry all the time, if you allow yourself to do it, like, you finally realize, like, at that point you're just poisoning yourself.
Chelsea Houska
Oh, yeah.
Tyra
Oh, yeah.
Chelsea Houska
Wait for them to die.
Tyra
Yeah. It's not. They're not poisoning. Like I'm poisoning myself by.
Macy
And you say that stuff a lot. Like, you've. You've also said that to Nova. Like, with certain things, you know, if you take on, like, how. Whatever the saying, you always say it to her.
Chelsea Houska
I have too many.
Macy
When people are bullying her or, like, doing hard things.
Tyra
Things.
Macy
Or you're right at the. In the end, it ends up just hurting yourself more. You're literally poisoning yourself.
Tyra
Like you said.
Macy
Like you said. Waiting for them to die.
Chelsea Houska
Yeah.
Macy
Yep.
Chelsea Houska
Toxic.
Tyra
But when you're the one holding the bottle.
Macy
Yeah, exactly.
Tyra
You're the one that's, like, in control of what you're doing and how you're being affected, but you're so focused on what somebody else is doing. Instead of focusing on yourself and what you're doing, like, how are you helping yourself? You know?
Chelsea Houska
Yeah.
Tyra
If you're just focused on fixing them.
Macy
Or figuring them out, never gonna be good.
Tyra
That's. Yeah, it's, it's. That's one thing about Al Anon that was like, mind blowing to me is like, it actually has nothing to do with the addict and everything to do with you.
Chelsea Houska
And I've never actually been to Al Anon.
Tyra
It's amazing.
Chelsea Houska
But people have. I mean, Dr. Drew's been telling, oh.
Tyra
Yeah, it is game changer.
Macy
But one thing I love about you and just watching your whole journey and just being a friend of yours is I told her last night, I said, I'm just. You're such a good mom in the sense of, you know, you let your kids, you're supportive of them and you help them, but you literally let Bentley grow and make his own opinion of his father. And I feel like Tyler's mom did the same thing with him. She never down talked him. She was honest with him if things were going on and he asked questions. But Tyler was able to grow up and make his own opinion of his father for what it is. And that takes hard work to do because as a parent, I'm sure you probably want to say, no, your dad's a piece of, you know, or whatever it is. He's a drug addict. And you know, like, because you are angry at times because you see your child in pain, but take self control.
Tyra
The most important thing, though is knowing that when you talk bad about your child's other parent, you're telling your child that half of them is bad, half of them is wrong, half of them is a piece of shit, half of them is worthless. They're. They're made of both of you. And you're just literally telling your child that half of them is worthless.
Chelsea Houska
Right.
Macy
I think a lot of people need to hear what you just said.
Chelsea Houska
Yeah.
Tyra
Yep.
Macy
Because there's a lot of co parenting situations that don't go that way. And little kids have to hear.
Tyra
Yep.
Macy
Their other parent being talked about in negative ways.
Tyra
Definitely. I. I think as a humankind, we are all now, given our podcast, we do find that some people are just bad. Like they're just. Yeah, they're just not. Not good. But majority. We all have goodness inside. We all have growth and trauma and love and want to do and be healthy and loving and caring. But you know, for a kid, they're supposed to feel loved. And if they're not getting it from one of Their parents. And then the parent that does claim and show up to love them and support them is dogging them. It's like, as a kid, it's like, so you don't love me enough to not tell me that half of me is fucked up.
Chelsea Houska
Right.
Tyra
Like, it's not about. It's their child. Like, I know. Oh, it sucks. That's one of my biggest things. I'm like, hey, don't, don't.
Natalie
Don't do that.
Chelsea Houska
And also disrespecting the fact that they have a different love that's just as vital with that person than you do with them. So it's like, you have to understand and nurture that. So I'm saying it's hard to do, though.
Tyra
And you're kind of also telling them that how they feel about that person is wrong.
Chelsea Houska
Right. You should feel mad, like me. You should think these things.
Macy
Like I do when children, they just love because they love.
Tyra
Yes.
Chelsea Houska
You know, you could learn a lot more from kids.
Macy
My kids teach me something new on the Daily 100. Yes. But, Natalie, do you have any, like, did you have anyone in your family that was in addiction or have you ever experienced.
Natalie
We had family members. I've never been, like, face to face with it or lived with someone in active addiction. I think we all have traumas and they shape us in different ways. When I was growing up, before I was at school age, I had a babysitter. And it was just this couple that my aunt knew from church, and they had several kids that they would watch during the day. And I was raped by them, by the husband. And it was so odd because after I got out of that situation and it's like I forgot about it. Like, it was like too much for my little brain to handle that I blocked it out for so many years. Like, I just. It was like one day I was.
Chelsea Houska
Like, oh, yeah, that happened to me.
Natalie
That happened to me.
Chelsea Houska
Yep.
Natalie
And then you have to deal with it.
Chelsea Houska
Yeah.
Natalie
And that's where therapy comes in. And, you know, and then my. The person I lost my virginity to used to hit me. And I felt like that was a really pivotal time for me because I was able to connect that Those acts are not okay. They're not loving, they're not healthy. They're not.
Tyra
You know, it's not what love looks like.
Natalie
It's not what love is. And it's okay to get out of it, but you gotta. You gotta treat yourself. You've gotta make sure that your mental health is okay.
Macy
I wanna say, first of all, I wanna say thanks for being vulnerable and sharing that, because you don't have to. And also, I hope you know that it takes a lot of strength and power to speak upon that and that I'm sad that that happened to you. Did. Did you ever. You know, don't ever. You don't have to answer anything if it's too personal or you're uncomfortable, but did you ever speak about it to your family? Was there anything done to this person?
Natalie
So I did not know that I was being hurt. You know, when you're three or four, you think an adult's telling you to do something, you're supposed to do it. And I didn't think anything of it at first. And I just randomly. I have a different memory of it. Me and my mom have talked about it. Like, I remember we were at, like, Chick Fil A, and I told her, and she was like, no, we were driving home and you told me. So my memory is a little off on how. But I was like, this person is doing this to me. And she was like, like, what? And then we had a deeper conversation about it. And they did sit down with the husband and wife. We all went to a park, and I was there. There. My parents were there, and the couple was there. We sat down at a park, and the woman goes, tell your mom and dad you're lying. Tell your mom and dad this.
Macy
Didn't know about it.
Natalie
She would go and get her hair done once a week, and that's when it would happen. And I was like, no, this. This happened to me. Like, I'm not gonna. I'm not gonna. I'm not gonna let my parents think I'm lying. Right. Because I'm not lying.
Tyra
Right.
Natalie
But no, no, no repercussions forever.
Chelsea Houska
So in front of your mom, she said, tell your mom you're lying.
Tyra
Did I whip.
Chelsea Houska
Could you?
Macy
No.
Chelsea Houska
I'm, like.
Tyra
Handcuffed.
Chelsea Houska
Okay, so let me ask you a question. Do you think that the way that that was handled was the right way?
Macy
No.
Chelsea Houska
Okay. So if you like. Because kids experiences all the time and they don't know how to say how.
Macy
She said that the memories came up. The same thing happened to my mother.
Chelsea Houska
Yeah.
Macy
Something happened to her when she was younger and she started getting flashbacks when she was, like, 17 years old.
Natalie
That's exactly what happened.
Tyra
Wow.
Chelsea Houska
When you got older.
Natalie
Yeah, I did not. I didn't think about it through elementary school. I don't remember thinking about it in middle school, high school. When you're. When you start getting into, you know, as hormones. It all came out feelings.
Tyra
Yeah.
Natalie
Wow. And it really helped because I took a psychology class in high school, and it was like, I can't remember what the, like, point of view was or the thesis was, but it was just like, tell your parents something that you may not have told them before or your experience. And then I would let my mom read it, and she was like, oh, well, this is different. Or this is different. Or she remembered it differently.
Tyra
Wow.
Natalie
Yeah.
Chelsea Houska
So I want. I want to bring up the point, though, that you, being a victim, said, I wish my parents would have handled it differently.
Natalie
And it was a different time.
Chelsea Houska
It was a different time. But I feel like people who are listening or possibly anyone, like, you know, it's like, what. Would you have wanted it to be handled? Do you think it was? Do you think would have been better if you weren't involved and that they would have been like, legal stuff happened.
Natalie
Oh, yeah.
Chelsea Houska
Okay. Okay. Yeah.
Natalie
I should have never seen him after that.
Chelsea Houska
Yeah.
Natalie
And I did see him after that.
Chelsea Houska
Yeah. Which is like. I'm like, it's. That's.
Natalie
The promise was I was never to be left alone with him. So.
Chelsea Houska
Okay, wait a minute. So how often were you.
Natalie
Once a week alone with him? No, after the. After I told my parents, I started going to the hair salon with her, but I still went back.
Chelsea Houska
Okay. Right. So they just.
Natalie
My parents didn't know how to handle it. They didn't know what to do.
Macy
But as a kid of that and as a survivor of that, does that make you feel like. Did that make you feel like they didn't believe you in a sense because I told you this thing?
Chelsea Houska
Yeah. Okay.
Macy
A little.
Tyra
Yeah.
Macy
And then I'm still around this or.
Chelsea Houska
Made you feel like you probably should just not talk about it because clearly I said something, and now. Yeah, I'm back in this.
Natalie
And I think that's probably why I forgot about it for so long. It was like, okay, it's here. This is what happened. There's nothing that we can do to change it. Let's just never talk about it again.
Tyra
And.
Chelsea Houska
And have your parents ever, like, addressed it?
Natalie
Yeah, they feel really bad.
Chelsea Houska
Okay. Right. Because they. Obviously, now they know. They know better or whatever. Because I think one of the hard things, though, is that, like, when you're a kid and you're like, when I was sexually abused, I told my mom, and she was off and slapped me. She was so mad thinking that I was lying, which I get from her perspective now as an adult, I'm like, okay, what's A horrible lie. And you can incriminate a lot of innocent people. And she just thought I was making up stories. But it's one of those things where it's like if. If, you know, by you sharing your story about that. I share my story. If we can just. If this even gets out to one parent, like, this is how you handle it. The child should never, ever be around that person ever again. Never be forced to see them, unless, unfortunately, it's at a court date when they have to testify. And that's the only. That should be the last time.
Tyra
Well, yeah. And time.
Macy
I've always said too, like, when it comes to any situation like that I will believe in my child until proven otherwise. I will fight tooth and nail because some parents end up, like, pushing aside or like, oh, maybe they're making up stories or whatever. And you can't do that.
Chelsea Houska
I think also, though, a lot of parents do the wrong. They kind of absorb it the wrong ways. And like, oh, no, it's a reflection of my parenting. I'm bad.
Tyra
I failed.
Chelsea Houska
I don't want anyone to know that I put my kid in a bad situations ocean that could have been, you.
Natalie
Know, very much it. They didn't know what to do, so they wanted it to go away.
Chelsea Houska
And also from their community, I'm pretty sure they didn't want people that, you know, I mean, because I think it's.
Natalie
Like, I put my kid in that situation.
Chelsea Houska
Yeah. Right. And so I think parents just swallow your pride. Believe your child until proven you know, otherwise. And yeah. I appreciate you sharing that, though. That's hard. I mean, that's. Yeah.
Natalie
It's all about helping other people.
Chelsea Houska
Yeah.
Macy
Well, thank you for sharing that.
Chelsea Houska
But. So you never dealt with any addiction, though. That's. It's okay. Interesting.
Tyra
But you're right.
Macy
Trauma is trauma.
Natalie
Trauma. And you have to deal with it or it's going to come back to you in the ass at some point in your life. And you got to deal with it. You got to go to the.
Tyra
It really does.
Macy
Yeah. Mine slapped me in the face at 21 years old and hit me like a ton of bricks.
Tyra
I really firmly believe too, that until you've really gotten to know your trauma and gotten to know every way of yourself, you truly cannot love yourself.
Chelsea Houska
True.
Tyra
You know, until you've really gotten to know the good, the bad, the ugly, the. The child in you. Like, until you've really just sat with your own shit. Yeah. Long enough to get comfortable, you really cannot truly love yourself and care for yourself if you don't get to know who you are.
Natalie
And I actually have this. It's a picture that one of those two people that babysat me when I was younger. I have a picture of myself that they took that I look at. It's on my fridge. And anytime I'm like, God, Natalie, you've done this, you've done that. You're feeling bad about myself. I'm like, I'm talking to that little girl.
Tyra
Yes, that is who you're talking to.
Natalie
Yeah.
Chelsea Houska
Who in a way, as an adult, you can look back and say, deserve better.
Natalie
Yeah.
Chelsea Houska
Deserve better. And it's okay to say that. I'm not shaming your parents.
Natalie
It's not.
Chelsea Houska
It's just being honest.
Macy
They didn't know.
Tyra
They didn't know.
Chelsea Houska
Right.
Natalie
And they didn't have the resources that we have now.
Chelsea Houska
Yeah. Because I feel like with. I feel like with therapy, it's like, you don't have to be this hugely traumatized person to benefit from therapy. I think therapy comes along as, like, I. There's curiosity leads to understanding. A deeper understanding leads to healing. It's like, I don't know. I can better process it if I know why I act this way. So it's like, okay, you have to be. Just stay curious about your healing.
Tyra
One of the therapists I worked with for a very long time had a great metaphor for therapy. And like you said, you don't have to necessarily have a lot of trauma that is really deep and sad and scary and ugly for therapy to be beneficial. You think of it as, like, all right, you have a toolbox, and when you go to therapy, you're gonna get a new tool to help you navigate life easier, better, healthier because of the tools you have in your toolbox that you get from therapy. And that's whether it's trauma, whether it's something in the future. Like, therapy is just filling that toolbox.
Chelsea Houska
The more things. The more. Yeah. The more tools you have, the more things you can fix.
Tyra
Yes.
Chelsea Houska
So, you know, my toolbox saves me.
Macy
All the time.
Chelsea Houska
Coping strategies and stuff. But I think. But I think, you know, it's almost like looking at yourself like you're like. Like an. Like an outside experiment. Let me. I'm so curious why my brain does this, Why I got. Why don't. Why does that trigger me? Yeah.
Tyra
Why do I react.
Chelsea Houska
Why do I react this way? Where's the power being held here? Like, my. If it wasn't for me being curious, I would never would have started therapy.
Tyra
Yeah.
Chelsea Houska
But I just knew I was like, why do you do this? Like, what's wrong with you?
Macy
Figure me out.
Chelsea Houska
Yeah.
Macy
Figure myself out.
Chelsea Houska
Help me, you know. Yeah.
Macy
Figuring out myself. My mind. Yeah.
Chelsea Houska
Yeah. It's a. But it's a conscious decision you have to make definitely as an adult. And I also feel like the adults, a lot of adults need to just take more accountability for not being curious enough. Why are you not curious enough? Aren't you? Don't you want to know more about who you are so that way you can raise little kids and help them know better who they are? And it's like, it has a ripple effect. I mean, you know, so, yeah. Therapy.
Macy
Therapy, Therapy.
Tyra
Yes.
Natalie
Your mental health matters.
Chelsea Houska
Yeah.
Macy
100%. You therapy has helped me, you know, put some generational traumas, stopped it in its tracks, you know, so.
Chelsea Houska
And there's still some people who don't believe in generational trauma, which is mind.
Macy
Blowing to me because I can literally name things off the top of my head that has been carried down from generation to generation in my family.
Chelsea Houska
It's insane. Like, and like I said, it can be. It doesn't always come in a. Like. Like really. Oh, clear. There's something wrong here.
Tyra
Yeah. Or the exact same.
Chelsea Houska
Yeah. Because honestly, it's like, I know a lot of people who grew up like I. Beautiful family, great house, awesome parents, and there's. That happened, you know, and it's like. Yeah. I just feel like you can't ever. You have nothing to lose from going therapy. You have nothing to lose. You have only everything to gain.
Macy
So.
Chelsea Houska
Yeah, learn about your damn self.
Macy
I did too. So I wanted to know, like, where can people find your guys? Podcast people.
Natalie
Listen, Instagram, any, wherever you download podcasts.
Macy
Yeah. Oh, okay. Good.
Tyra
Yeah. Spotify, everywhere, Apple.
Macy
I just. I appreciate you guys hopping on here. I feel like, you know, we started off really fluffy and then gets really deep. You know what I mean? Like, that's how conversations go with us. I kind of feel like this was.
Tyra
Kind of therapeutic, though. Yeah, it's been. It's been really good. But telling your story is therapeutic. Definitely.
Macy
It is. But I just want to say thank you because, I mean, you don't really know us and that's, you know, I've.
Natalie
Tried to be as open as possible because I know someone somewhere is relating to me right now.
Chelsea Houska
100. That's why. Perfect partner.
Tyra
Yeah.
Chelsea Houska
See, it works. It works great because you got to have that. You gotta have this.
Tyra
The purpose.
Chelsea Houska
Yeah.
Macy
And like I said, if you guys ever want to come on in or you want us to come on, let me know. Or you want to squash something. You know, just definitely, you know, we'll figure something out.
Chelsea Houska
I'll be sending some Michigan Unsolved Mysteries.
Tyra
Yes.
Macy
Totally.
Ad Host
I want.
Chelsea Houska
Yeah, let us. Let us be a guest. Let us, like, come on and let's like. I want to get into some.
Tyra
Yeah, I'm gonna be like, hey, can you find this address and please time this drive.
Chelsea Houska
Okay.
Tyra
All right, Got it, got it. How many there?
Chelsea Houska
We'll make sure to film them for behind the scenes. New water area.
Macy
We'll be good. You know, we're in that little area.
Tyra
Baku's old hat and seriously, perfect. Definitely. No, it's been fun. Thanks for having. Yeah.
Natalie
Thank you for having us.
Macy
Yeah.
Ad Host
It's been awesome.
Tyra
Thank you for coming. Love you guys. I love you too.
Chelsea Houska
Break it down. We break it down.
Ad Host
Yeah.
Macy
Damn. Do we, huh?
Chelsea Houska
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Episode: ENCORE Can't Right Their Wrongs, feat. Maci Bookout & Natalie Gard
Date: December 31, 2025
Hosts: Catelynn & Tyler Baltierra
Guests: Maci Bookout & Natalie Gard
Platform: PodcastOne
This episode of Cate & Ty Break It Down features a candid, layered conversation with Maci Bookout and Natalie Gard. The crew—well-known for their journeys on Teen Mom and related projects—dives into the complexities of life after reality TV fame, authentic friendship, co-parenting, parenting under the microscope, mental health, and the legacy of trauma. The tone ranges from warm camaraderie and laughter, to deeply honest and vulnerable disclosures, offering both behind-the-scenes reality TV insight and universal life lessons.
[00:50 – 04:25]
[05:01 – 07:15]
[07:22 – 14:54]
[15:30 – 18:50]
[19:52 – 25:11]
[28:50 – 37:42]
[40:00 – 50:53]
[51:11 – 63:40]
On Parenting Under Scrutiny:
“People don’t get that we are doing the most triggering, vulnerable, precious thing... with the world just criticizing and focal pointing on our parenting.”
—Chelsea Houska [05:47]
On Haters:
“Just helping one person makes up for all the 500,000 dick wads that are hating on you.”
—Tyra [06:23]
On Co-Parenting with an Addict:
“It is not my responsibility to write Ryan’s wrongs.”
—Tyra [42:22]
On Talking Bad About the Other Parent:
“You’re literally telling your child that half of them is worthless.”
—Tyra [48:52]
On Trauma and Therapy:
“Until you’ve really gotten to know the good, the bad, the ugly... you really cannot truly love yourself and care for yourself if you don’t get to know who you are.”
—Tyra [59:19]
On Podcasting:
“Stay loyal to your intention... don’t overwork yourself. Give yourself room to rest and grace to say, ‘I don’t want to put something out just to put something out.’”
—Tyra [16:14, 17:51]
On Being Brave Enough to Grow:
“You gotta be brave enough to be bad at something definitely at first, you know, and that’s how you learn and grow.”
—Chelsea [18:26]
| Segment | Details | Timestamps | |--------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------| | Podcast Origins | How Natalie and Maci met, started podcasting | 00:50 – 04:25 | | Parenting Publicly | Intensity of public scrutiny over parenting | 05:01 – 07:15 | | Handling Hate | Strategies for dealing with public criticism, power of authenticity | 07:22 – 14:54 | | Podcasting Tips | Advice for newcomers, authenticity, self-care | 15:30 – 18:50 | | Family Dynamics | Hilarious and heartfelt parenting stories | 19:52 – 25:11 | | Teen Pregnancy | Stigma, shifting conversations, truthful education for kids | 28:50 – 37:42 | | Co-parenting/Addict| Managing boundaries, protecting kids’ self-worth | 40:00 – 50:53 | | Trauma & Healing | Sexual abuse, repressed memories, importance of therapy | 51:11 – 63:40 |
This episode skillfully balances humor and gravity, modeling how to have tough, meaningful conversations while holding space for laughter, growth, and hope. Listeners receive rare transparency into the intersection of fame, personal growth, family life, and generational healing, along with practical and heartfelt advice for anyone facing similar struggles.
Find Maci & Natalie’s podcast on Instagram, Spotify, Apple—anywhere podcasts are available.
“Telling your story is therapeutic. You gotta have purpose.”
—Tyra [63:51–64:12]