Podcast Summary: Keep it Positive, Sweetie – "The Way Love Goes w/ Brat + Judy"
Date: February 22, 2026
Host: Crystal Renee Hayslett
Guests: Da Brat and Judy (Jesseca “Judy” Dupart)

Main Theme: Intentional Love, Partnership, and Building Happiness

This episode dives deep into the realities of cultivating love, partnership, and joy with intention. Host Crystal Renee Hayslett connects with celebrity couple Da Brat and Judy (Jesseca Dupart) to explore personal growth, motherhood, boundaries, healing, and the sometimes challenging dynamics of love – all while celebrating the everyday choices that "protect home." The conversation is candid, often humorous, and full of practical wisdom from two women whose relationship has played out in the public eye.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Growing Together, On Purpose

• Intimacy and Privacy in Motherhood

  • Judy discusses how motherhood has changed their interactions with the public, bringing a desire for more privacy and being present for their child.

    “Motherhood keeps us quite busy… there is a sense of privacy that we want to have with our child.” (05:23, Judy)

  • Da Brat admits to caring less about social media and embracing being a mom:

    “She’s in love with being a mom.” (05:44, Judy)

• The Journey to Motherhood Later in Life

  • Both share candidly about deciding to have a child as older parents and the reality of declining egg quality.
  • Judy explains her egg extraction and Da Brat carrying their child:

    “I was able to be the oven and…I was able to carry it…At first, I was like, carry? Never in a million years.” (06:27-07:13, Da Brat & Judy)

• Transformation Through Motherhood

  • Da Brat describes the vulnerability motherhood brought:

    “...after having our son, everything makes me cry. Especially when I look at him… I’m a cream puff when it comes to him.” (08:43-08:59, Da Brat)

Vulnerability and Identity

• Breaking Old Patterns of Survival

  • Da Brat reveals she lived in "survival mode" until meeting Judy, learning to let down old defenses formed from her upbringing and early career:

    “I think I was in survival mode until I met Beautiful.” (13:50, Da Brat) “My grandma actually taught me…you don’t show them your weakness…growing up in Chicago…I had to fight all my life.” (09:17-09:34, Da Brat)

• Letting Love Be Public

  • Both share the moment Da Brat publicly embraced their relationship at Essence Fest, defying industry expectations:

    “...for the first time, I felt like I didn’t care what anybody said. The love that I felt from her—I just wanted everybody to know.” (14:43, Da Brat) “That was the first time… I didn’t care.” (16:05, Da Brat)

• Establishing Boundaries and Self-Awareness

  • Judy talks about learning to balance her natural openness with respect for Da Brat’s more reserved nature, finding a middle ground in what they share:

    “Our transparency is ours. But…there are some times where we just need to be moms.” (12:05, Judy)

The Work of Love

• Conflict, Resolution, and Growth

  • The couple discusses honest examples of conflict, such as an argument over a harmless message leading to a thrown phone (20:42-21:25), but reflect on growing into healthier communication:

    “That wasn’t a good reaction. That’s an example of a bad reaction…now we kind of know how to do [it].” (21:25, Da Brat) “I don’t respond immediately because I know I’m going to say something I shouldn’t.” (23:03, Judy)

• Different Communication and Conflict Styles

  • Da Brat wants to resolve arguments immediately; Judy takes a week or more to cool off, which they now recognize and compromise around.
  • Crystal challenges them to always affirm love before sleeping, even if conflict isn’t resolved:

    “My mom did always teach me that: never go to bed angry…” (27:49, Krista Renee Hayslett)

• Learning Each Other’s Love Languages

  • Judy: “I had to learn that even though gift-giving is a thing for me…it doesn’t matter how much I give to her…she prefers acts of service.” (28:59, Judy)

• Listening, Not Just Responding

  • Da Brat emphasizes truly hearing your partner, not just formulating a comeback:

    “Really listen to your partner instead of answering just to have an answer or a reply.” (30:10, Da Brat)

Success, Identity, and Ambition

• Supporting Individual Growth in Relationship

  • Judy encourages Da Brat to maintain independence:

    “What I never want her to do is feel like she’s been everything to me, but disregarded herself.” (35:51, Judy)

  • Judy also shares her drive for ambition and Da Brat’s acceptance of living more in-the-moment, illustrating their strengths and balance as a couple.

    “I’m happy like this…Not a planner.” (37:11-37:12, Da Brat) “You are highly ambitious…[others] are just like, I’m good.” (37:20, Krista)

• Owning Mistakes and Learning in Business

  • Judy speaks honestly about entrepreneurship, risk, and accepting responsibility:

    “If I’ve empowered somebody in a seat to be able to make a decision that could cost me millions of dollars, that was my risk.” (42:46, Judy) “No investors, no nothing. So… I am going to be in the meetings… I am going to stay up…” (41:59, Judy)

• Mutual Support and Giving Flowers

  • Da Brat’s loving tribute:

    “You are everything that a woman can aspire to be…You run Kaleidoscope as CEO, you’re a mother…You wear a lot of hats and you don’t like to get your flowers, but you are everything…” (39:58-41:06, Da Brat)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On being in the spotlight:

  “I didn’t let her in much [to the business] because she is angry, she does want to punch somebody in the face…But now I’ve let her in…she’s angry and I’m like, this actually is the order of business when you have a company.” (44:34, Judy)

• On love being work:

  “Love is not a destination…it’s like you have to work on it every day.” (31:45, Judy) “It will be difficult…sometimes it will feel like the best thing ever…and then it will feel like…not today.” (32:00, Judy, playfully)

• On balancing public/private life:

  "Even though we share a child, I also have 100% full respect for what she feels is appropriate to share and not share with our child." (12:05, Judy)

• On vulnerabilities and healing:

  “I’ve always been a cream puff inside. But I had preferred to keep it hid until she came along...Everything makes me cry now.” (08:43, Da Brat)

• Comic relief:

  • The “scroll and delete” phone advice (17:29-17:41).
  • Laughter and playful banter about old relationships and “pretty feet” (20:54-21:15, 33:32).
  • Both teasing how competitive they can be and how Judy pushes Da Brat to try new things (19:00-19:07).

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Opening and Guest Introduction: 02:44 – 05:09
• Motherhood and Privacy: 05:23 – 06:09
• Becoming Parents Later in Life: 06:09 – 08:16
• Vulnerability and Persona: 08:26 – 09:34
• Origins of Kaleidoscope (Judy’s Business): 09:58 – 11:33
• Boundaries & Transparency in the Public Eye: 11:58 – 13:13
• Survival Mode and Relationship Openness: 13:50 – 16:08
• Essence Fest: Coming Out as a Couple: 14:43 – 16:08
• Conflict & Communication Styles: 20:27 – 23:15
• Love Languages: 28:59 – 29:56
• Learning to Listen and Patience: 30:10 – 31:29
• Mutual Support & Giving Flowers: 39:57 – 41:14
• Business Lessons and Owning Mistakes: 42:46 – 44:33

Final Takeaways

• Intentional Love: Happiness in relationships doesn’t "just happen"—it’s built consciously, with effort, humor, and honesty.
• Championing Growth: Both Judy and Da Brat encourage one another to keep their identities alive, balance work with family, and find joy in their unique differences.
• Transparency AND Boundaries: There’s wisdom in sharing your journey and joy—but only in ways that align with your values and protect your home.
• Real Talk on Success: Building anything worthwhile—love, business, family—requires risk, humility, and openness to learning from failures.
• Showing up, Always: Whether it’s through daily acts of service, listening, or simply saying “I love you” before bed, the magic of partnership is in the small, repeated choices.

Episode Resources

• Book: The Way Love Goes – Out February 3, 2026 (pre-order available; links in Da Brat and Judy’s bios)
• Follow: @sosobrat and @darealbbjudy on Instagram for updates

Keep It Positive, Sweetie:
This episode is a joyful, deeply honest testament to the fact that intentional love, partnership, and happiness are journeys—ones that are best traveled with grace, humor, and a touch of real-life "therapy" along the way.