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The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast
1KHO 755: Before You Feel Brave | Sadie Robertson Huff, Duck Dynasty
00:45:03
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- [00:00]
Podcast Host
We have had so many guests on this show talk about how powerful the outdoors can be for kids, especially kids with ADHD or different ways of learning and processing the world. And if you are raising a child with adhd, dyslexia, a language disorder, or really any kind of learning difference, I want to share a podcast that I think you'll really appreciate. It's called Everyone Gets a Juice Box. It's parents just being honest with each other in a really safe, welcoming space about the highs and lows of raising neurodivergent kids. And what I love about it is how real it is. There was one story about a mom who had this big career running a major podcast division, and she realized she hadn't been home to see her daughter before bed for weeks. And at the same time, she was starting to notice these little moments, like her daughter freezing up during a simple preschool performance and just having that gut feeling like something's different here. And then all the doubt that comes with that. Like other people saying, she seems fine. Well, you're sitting here thinking, but I'm her parent and I know her. This mom eventually stepped back in and reconnected and created little games together just to help her daughter communicate better. It's such a good reminder that connection doesn't have to be complicated. It just has to be intentional. So if that interests you, go check it out to listen. Search for Everyone Gets a juice Box in your podcast app. That's Everyone Gets a Juice Box.
- [01:07]
Jenny Urchin
Welcome to the 1000 Hours Outside podcast. My name is Jenny Urchin, the founder of 1000 Hours Outside. Actually, my 750th episode dropped today on the podcast. And today I'm also interviewing Sadie Robertson Huff for the second time. Welcome back, Sadie.
- [01:24]
Sadie Robertson Huff
Thank you. Glad to be back. Congratulations. That's no small thing. You're way past me. That's amazing.
- [01:31]
Jenny Urchin
That's a lot. It's been so fun. You get to meet so many cool people. And I never could have imagined, I never could imagine who I was gonna get to meet and have conversations with. We're obviously such a huge fan of your family. We've been down and to do to the headquarters. We've got all the merchandise. And I love the show. Love the show. Long before we had a podcast or anything like that, really promoting getting outside and family. And that is something that content can do, right? Like, online content can get a bad rap. But, you know, on the other hand, it really can bring people together. It can be your time when you snuggle up on the couch as A family, it can inspire you to get outside. You know, we got to blow on all the duck calls, and we got to, you know, walk through the different rooms that were there. And this is really about getting kids outside and connected with nature. And so one of the things that is important as a mom is trying to find content that you like for your kids. And I know you've got three young kids. Can you talk about that entrance into the. You know, this is a different world, right? There's just technology everywhere. How are you figuring out what to do with your own kids?
- [02:33]
Sadie Robertson Huff
Yes, that is great. It is a constant conversation that Christian and I have. Actually, right before we jumped on this call, I was just scrolling Instagram, of course, you know, as we do when we sit here for a second. And it was this video and it. You. You've probably seen it because it's right up your alley. And it was these kids who were playing outside and they're like, wait, do you mean in the future everyone's just going to be staring at a box? Do you mean in the future people are going to have their own phone and not a home phone? And it was so devastating because you're like, oh. And so feel like Christian and I are always trying to find the balance of, like, using the technology we have today as the gift that it is, but also not losing the beauty of how we were raised, how our parents live outside in community with one another. And so there. There is a balance in that. You know, one on one hand, like, the best memories we have are all outside with the kids playing. We're. Every single day we go on a walk. We're always jumping on the trampoline. We're always doing the little. The playground and the swing set, and we have a little playhouse that the kids pretend is ice cream shop. And all. All that kind of stuff is so important and the best of memories. But then also, we do see that entertainment has a huge place in. In our lives, and it's what shapes us a lot of times. Like, we've seen that with Duck Dynasty. The power of people watching a TV show and deciding, hey, let's. Let's actually have dinner together because they did. Let's pray together because their family is doing that. Let's laugh at each other more and invest in our marriages and our families. And so we've seen the power of entertainment impact people's faith, impact people's families. And so we see the beauty of it, and we certainly see that for our kids. And so, yeah, one of the things I'M really passionate about right now is if we're gonna have screen time making it worth our time. And that's why we're super passionate about things. Like the Minnow app is incredible. They have all faith based, family friendly content on the app and so anytime our kids are watching it, we know they're actually watching something that's teaching them about the Bible, that's teaching them about faith and good values. And it is hilarious because, you know, my kids are obsessed. They love princesses, they love all that. But my two and a half year old blonde hair, blue eyed girl wants to have a David and Goliath birthday party, which I think is the funniest thing in the whole world, but because her favorite show is the David show, you know, and so I am seeing like the power of good screen time being well worth our time and impacting them in such sweet ways. So, yeah, it's the balance of let's get outside, let's play. But when we do have downtime, when we are going to watch something as a family, let it be something that's, you know, investing into our, into our souls. And the thing is that doesn't have to come at the expense of not being entertaining. That's why I love the app because it's so kid friendly and it's fun and it's entertaining, but there's deeper messaging there.
- [05:21]
Jenny Urchin
Yeah. And I agree with you. I mean, we watch Duck Dynasty. Like I said long before I had a podcast or even would have thought that I would have had a chance to talk with you. And you know, it, it has helped strengthen our marriage because you see it and you see what I want and is I want four generations from now for all those little cousins to be friends and to have each other and to swim together and to be together and to have this sort of network of aunts and uncles and grandparents that like, if, you know, if someone is off, you know, speaking somewhere, speaking at Liberty or speaking at the Passion conference, that there's, there's cousins and there's like this network of people. And I agree, it's like it can be so impactful in our little corner of the world. It has been really impactful for us. So the Minnow app in particular, they have an Easter special coming out.
- [06:06]
Sadie Robertson Huff
Yep, yep. So they have a whole series called Laugh and Grow and they have tons of shows, like I said, David, veggietales, the classics. They have a lot of their originals. Suni the Unicorn, our kids love because of course they're into all things like that. But they have this Laugh and Grow series and it particularly like, actually teaches the Bible. So these are going through the life of Jesus, creation, all of these things that, you know, you would love to teach your kids, but when you start reading the Bible to a 2 year old, they're like, wait, what does this mean? It actually teaches in the Bible in a theologically sound, but in a way that a kid would actually understand it and be engaged by it. And it's really cool because my kids asked me so many deep questions. Like yesterday, honey goes, mom, I have a very important question. Does God sleep at night? And I was like, no, God doesn't. He never sleeps, he never slumbers. The Bible tells us that. But they're constantly thinking about these things because they're seeing these things, they're learning these things. And the Minnow app actually like goes through questions your kids at. I mean, the Laugh and Grow series, it'll be like, but why did Jesus have to die on the cross? Like, a kid will say it and then it'll be like, well, Jesus died on the cross. And then it like does the whole thing. And there's songs involved. So it's in a way that it's the questions that they might have, answering them in a way that they understand them, but staying true to the Bible. And I think that's such a gift as a parent to have.
- [07:25]
Jenny Urchin
Yeah, yeah. What a great resource. What a great resource. And Easter in particular can bring up these tricky topics, these tough questions. They go to church, why did Jesus have to die? And it can be hard to know how to talk about those things. So the app will help. And even for this Easter special, you can just watch the songs individually if your kids, kids like the songs. And it's available in American Sign Language, Portuguese, Spanish, a lot of things.
- [07:47]
Sadie Robertson Huff
Yeah, so.
- [07:49]
Jenny Urchin
So a lot of families do that. Like, they teach their kids. We did American Sign Language with our kids when they were little. You know, they can't say anything, but they can sign more, they can sign milk, you know, those types of things. So it's an awesome option for families when you're trying to figure out what you're going to use your media time for, if you have media time in your family. So since we're talking about this, I would love to talk a little bit, and I know it's been a while about Dancing with the Stars.
- [08:09]
Sadie Robertson Huff
You.
- [08:10]
Jenny Urchin
I've got four of your books sitting here. Last time we talked about your new devotional, the Next Step, which I gave as gifts to several people But I've got a bunch of your books here and some of these books have been turned into, I don't. What do they call them? Like, like deluxe editions.
- [08:24]
Sadie Robertson Huff
Yeah, Isn't that cool?
- [08:27]
Jenny Urchin
So some have like pictures with your face, but you can also get these deluxe editions. And one of the things that you talk about and we sometimes will watch reality TV as a family so you know, like Survivor, that it's a fun, you know, you come together, who's.
- [08:39]
Sadie Robertson Huff
Who's going to win Survivor? That is our show.
- [08:42]
Jenny Urchin
It's all outside. I would say I have two dream jobs, Sadie. One of them would be to bake the cakes at Costco. I think that that seems like it will be really fun. And also I would love to build those games. Like someone does that.
- [08:56]
Sadie Robertson Huff
Great dreams to have. I hope both of them come true for you in your life. But this Survivor games, how fun would that be? And you know when they show the examples, I'm like, who is hired to do that?
- [09:07]
Jenny Urchin
Ye.
- [09:07]
Sadie Robertson Huff
Yes. That sounds so fun.
- [09:09]
Jenny Urchin
Yeah, they only show like their leg or their shoe or their arm and out. Yeah, I've done the same thing. I'm like, who is that? And they've got to be brilliant because they're coming up with all of these different games and puzzles. So. So we like to do that and it's fun, you know, like who's going to win, who's going to get voted off? Who do you like? Why do you like them? You know, it opens up a lot of conversations. So you did Dancing with the Stars and you t. You were 16, you talk about it in several of your books. So the books I have here are Live Fearless. I have just Live. There's one called Live. There's who are you following? What an incredible book about pursuing Jesus in a social media obsessed world. I've got a devotional here, how to put love first. There's a different live book as well. There's three live books.
- [09:51]
Sadie Robertson Huff
Live Original was the first and I'll tell you, it's really funny. So the reason why we did the deluxe ones, the new ones was not because we were trying to be so fancy, really. It was because when I first wrote it I was 15 and so my face was 15 year old Sadie face. And you know, now I'm 28 and I, I love when people buy the book, but I would be like signing these books and I'd be like, oh my gosh, this is kind of embarrassing. And I really felt like the book was more than just for a 15 year old. You Know what I mean? Like, this is a message that could reach a lot of people and I didn't want it to prohibit a 25 year old from buying it because a 15 year old's face is on it. So that's why we kind of upped it a little bit to some just blank copies with cute pink and little design in it. But Yeah, I was 16 when I did Dance with the Stars. I. Well, I had just turned 17. Actually, I was 16 when I did my first interview with them. And it's a miracle they actually chose me because I was so shy, which is funny now to think about, but I was actually very, very shy. And they were asking me all these questions and my mom was in the room and every question they would ask me, I would just look to my mom to answer it. And I'll never forget when we left the interview, my mom was like laughing about how awkwardly nervous I got. And I said, well, if anything, you might be on Dancing with the Stars because you took that interview for me. And so it really was just a wonder that they chose me. That was had to have been the Lord. But yeah, when I look back at that time of my life, it was so wild and so fun. And the show now, you know, has gotten to have a whole new surge of fans from TikTok and Instagram and all the different things, social media, but it's a fun experience. I still love to dance. That's why me and my husband do our dance videos all the time. And because I love to dance, my daughter loves to dance, I have to get them to stop dancing to go to bed, which I love about them. And so it actually did introduce a love for dance I didn't know was there. And I still try to have that in pockets. And dancing's like, you know, when, when we have a hard day, we turn on the music, we dance, you know, we dance it out. And so I'm grateful for that time of my life. Who would have thought? That's so crazy still for me to think about.
- [12:02]
Jenny Urchin
Yeah, who would have thought? And it's so embodied, you know, just like all of this being outdoors and the dancing and it's in person and you're with someone else. And I've seen other pockets of people. Like I read a book about a neuroscientist who did a local Dancing with the Stars competition with his wife. Like there's all these little offshoots and it's getting you moving.
- [12:21]
Sadie Robertson Huff
Yeah, we have one here. They keep asking Christian to do it. He keeps Saying no. I'm like, babe, you gotta do it. But yeah, it's so fun. One of my friends hosts our local Daisy with the Stars. And it's so much fun. It's so, so good for people. I mean, the Bible says you turn my morning into dancing, my sorrow into joy. And so, I mean, there, there is something spiritual about. I mean, disable stars isn't super spiritual, but there's nothing spiritual about when you're going through life. And life can be heavy and life can be hard. Choosing to dance anyways, and really, people come up to Krishna all the time. They're like, we love your dancing videos. Like, why did y' all start doing that? Because Christian cannot dance at all. And that's part of the funny aspect of this, because I'll try to do it right. And he just, he, he tries, but it just doesn't come out right. But it really came. Actually, we started doing it in a hard time. It's during COVID and we had just gotten married and all of the plans we thought we were gonna have just completely get canceled like everybody else's in the world in 2020. And I had just like a really hard day and felt like so tired of being in the house. And I said, I just want to dance. And he's like, let's dance. And that was our first dancing video. And we still do that when things get a little heavier, hard.
- [13:32]
Jenny Urchin
And now you got a bunch of kids in the mix. That's so fun.
- [13:35]
Sadie Robertson Huff
Yeah.
- [13:37]
Podcast Host
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- [17:09]
Jenny Urchin
So I. There's a statistic, Sadie. It's from a book called Smart Moves, which is one of my favorite books. The author's name? Dr. Carla Hannaford. And she is a. A, like a. I just kind of forgot what she is. Anyway, she's got a PhD.
- [17:23]
Sadie Robertson Huff
This is why I don't do titles for people, because I. I'll botch them. I'm like, I actually don't know what you have or what that means.
- [17:30]
Jenny Urchin
She's a little older. She's in her 80s, and she's like a pediatric occupational therapist. I think she was like a teacher, too. She just worked a lot with kids, and she saw, you know, like, these patterns about kids that were really smart but just didn't do super well in the school environment and, like, how to help them. So she has this statistic in her book that says elderly people who dance regularly. So this is all about movement. Like, smart moves. The subtitle is why learning is not all in your head. It's not all seat work and desk work and worksheets. So the statistic is elderly people who dance regularly have a 76 less chance of developing dementia.
- [18:06]
Sadie Robertson Huff
What?
- [18:08]
Jenny Urchin
I know.
- [18:09]
Sadie Robertson Huff
Okay, Smart moves. I'm getting Smart moves.
- [18:13]
Jenny Urchin
It will change your life. It's because the way that God made our bodies is that when we move in complex ways, it grows the brain. And so if you think about childhood in the way that it's supposed to be, with a lot of movement, a lot of time outdoors, like, what do kids do? They roll around, they romp around. They do these complex things. They learn to ride a bike. They learn to ride it without holding on to the handlebars, like, all these things. And it's like the way God made it. The body grows the brain through movement. So dancing actually is a really big deal. And if you can do it through old age, which people stop.
- [18:46]
Podcast Host
Right.
- [18:47]
Jenny Urchin
They do it when they're kids. They take dance class. But your story is that you weren't a dancer. You were an athlete, which dancing is obviously athletic. You're playing basketball. You were not a dancer. It's not like you had grown up doing ballet and jazz and tap and all these things and without training. Is that correct? Like, you went on the show.
- [19:06]
Sadie Robertson Huff
Yes. I had no idea what I was doing. I mean, truly, it. It's so. It's so cool to think about. And you're right. I love that thought, though. I'm seriously gonna go get that book and make my mom and grandma read it and great grandma. Because I'm like, keep moving, Keep moving. But no, yeah, I. I was not a dancer. I did, like, dance when I was three, maybe, you know, and four. And then I remember telling my mom it was too slow. I was like, I'm gonna go play softball. And so I did softball, basketball, track, tennis, everything else, but wasn't a D. When I started Smith Stars, I'll never forget, it was the first day we showed up, and they put you right into it. So I get to la, My dance partner picked me up. That's when I met Mark and drove us to the studio. And we literally did the commercial that day. Full, you know, dressed in the outfit, and you do all the thing. And then they. I would never forget how nervous I was when they put me on the stage and there's all the pros around. Like, I. I never met any of them again. Just 17, not a dancer. And they turned on the song Shake it Off by Taylor Swift, and they said, dance. And I was like, oh. Like, right now they're like, yeah, just like, dance. And I straight out did the sprinkler because that was, like, all I knew what to do. And I remember looking at Mark, and I said, you got a winner. Like, sarcastically, because this was obviously so bad. But Mark was such a good coach, and I think being an athlete, I. I love the coaching aspect of it. I love the challenge of it. And one thing that he did so well at was he leaded me and guided me very well. And as a woman, like, when you're dancing with a man, it's very cool. And the women do it, too, with the men, but it's a little bit harder because they're smaller than the men. But for Mark, I mean, he would turn my body this way, and my body would just go that way, you know, and you just learn to kind of follow his movement, which was really, really a cool experience and challenged me in so many ways and definitely gave me a gift of a lifetime to learn how to move. Wow.
- [21:09]
Jenny Urchin
And what a story the story is, is that you can have no experience. All you know how to do is the sprinkler. I mean, I relate to that. I hardly went because my parents were a little more strict, but, like, sometimes they would have dances in middle school, and I was like, I don't know.
- [21:23]
Sadie Robertson Huff
Well, we. It was so funny, though, so this is just timely. This week. We were gonna do this funny little tick tock video, and it was my mom and Christian, and I said, okay, this is the challenge. I'm gonna turn on this song. And it was the theme song for Duck Dynasty, the new duck dynamic, See the revival. And so I'm returning the song. And without looking at each other and with no planning, dance whatever you think of in your mind. We did the most opposite dances. It was the funniest video ever. My mom looked like she was in slow motion. And so my mom has been dying over that video. And I'm like, don't let make it. You know, like, don't let that stop you. You. You can learn. You can keep going. But it was pretty funny.
- [22:01]
Jenny Urchin
Well, you had a low moment too, like when you're dancing with the star. So this is. These are from. These books that are from a little bit ago, but you had made a mistake one night, and you said you just felt so terrible. You're crying about it. You're so embarrassed. And your mom was like, no one would know. No one would know. And you watched it back and you were like, it's actually true. No one would know. They don't know what. What it was supposed to be. So I love that. It's like a full circle moment. Now your mom's dancing. Can you talk about the. The hard parts? You talk about those in your books, I think something that's tricky, right? So there's a statistic. Someone just told me the other day, there's a book coming out about influencer kids. And it is just the pros, the cons, and everything in between. Some kids have a phenomenal experience. Some kids do not. And you know, what should this look like? Type thing? And the book is you. You're ping ponged all over. You're like, I think that. No, wait, maybe I think that. But one of the statistics in there was a 86% of kids, I. I don't know what age, but would want to. They want to become YouTubers. Okay, that's a lot. That's a high percentage, you know? So I think sometimes people look at a life like yours and they. They idolize all the good parts without necessarily knowing the hard parts. So I just wanted to talk about one of the hard parts, just so people know, like, this is not all sunshine and rainbows. When you did Dancing with the stars, and you're 17 years old, you're still a high schooler. So first of all, you have to miss your basketball season, which is a. That's a really big deal. We've got kids that are in that age range, and if you've been playing basketball the whole time, and, like, this is your junior year, your senior year, like, that's a sophomore year, it's a big deal to miss a whole season. But you talked about how when you came back, you would think that everyone would be like, whoa, great job. That was so cool. We loved watching it all, you know, how'd it go? And you said nobody talked about it. And you stopped getting invited to things and you got booted from your lunch table. You said. One of the girls literally said to you, we don't want to hear about it, so don't even mention it. It.
- [23:59]
Sadie Robertson Huff
Yeah, brutal. High school, so rough. But that's not just high school. You know, unfortunately, you do just kind of see that in life. My grandpa always says to me, if you're holding the football, you're going to get tackled. And a lot of that really is true, unfortunately, about our culture. There's a lot of good things. There's a lot of positive things. And thankfully, I'm at the stage now where I am so grateful for such deeply rooted friendships who know me and love me for who I am and don't care what I do in the sense of it. They're not. They. They care deeply about what I do because they believe in it, but they don't care in such a way that it changes the way they see me. And so I'm so grateful for that. So you can find such great friends and enjoy in it, but there is a lot of heart in it, and there's a lot of being misunderstood in it. And in high school, that was certainly the case. Basketball in particular, that was something I had done my whole life. That was something I really thought I would go on to college to do. That was what I was. Was training to pursue. And then my junior year was going on this to the stars, which, again, such a gift. So cool, so fun. But getting back, it was very hard because even in my games, we would have, like, so many people show up with duck calls and they quack every time I would dribble, and they would have signs about the duck girl. And it was just. It was Honestly, embarrassing. It was very hard, very isolating time in my life. And so that was, that was really hard. And then I remember telling my mom, like, crying, like, I'll never have friends, like, how am I gonna ever make friends? And if I don't go to college, how would I make friends? And all the different things and no one understands, blah, blah, all the things. I just remember feeling that. And you know, you can't limit God because if God, everyone says this and it's so true. If God calls you to something, he will equip you with it. If God calls him, he's going to provide for it. And God provides everything you need. Like, not just, just. It's not just in one way, it's in all the things. And so I'm like, God, if you call me, there's like. And you call us also to be in community with people, then you have to show me how to build that, how to find that, how to grow that. And so for, for me over the years, it's just been so sweet. One of the big things for us was moving back home where a place where we did feel really known and really loved. We lived. I lived in Nashville and it was so fun, it was great, but I just didn't feel like I could find those deep roots and kind of structure my life in such a way where, yeah, on the outside, some of the things I do might not be your typical lifestyle, but really on a day to day, my life is so normal and I love that and I needed to cultivate that. And so I say it to say, yeah, there are good things about it, there are hard things about it. To the 86% of kids who want to be YouTubers, I think people look at jobs like that on social media and think it's easy because you're only seeing like the output. But it is so hard to grow any sort of following online and then maintain any sort of following online. There is so many highs and lows with that. So I do think, I mean, that's why I wrote who are you following? I think we need a little bit more context to how to approach things like social media. And then I think too, whenever I ever get in one on one conversation, so people are like, should I start this? Should I start that? I'm like, you should, but you also need to know what comes with that. Because I think that you have, people do have a perspective, that it's one way and you know, 750 episodes, you don't get there. That's not easy. You Know, you put a lot of hard work into anything. You gotta sew a lot of seeds, water a lot of ground before you see anything start to flourish.
- [27:28]
Jenny Urchin
Yeah. And just how it affects your relationships. I was pretty shocked to read that in your book. You know, that you would come home and then you basically be, like, shunned. And you talk about the poppy, you know, in the. Yeah, that was in the next step. The. The newest devotional where, you know, if you stand up, up, and especially, I think, for women, if you start to grow a little taller than everybody else, they don't like that, and so they're going to try and cut you down. And so here it is. You're taking an opportunity that, like you said, it didn't even seem like an opportunity at first because they were like, no, we picked somebody else. We picked. There's already someone else your age on the season. It's not going to be you. You had waited months anyway. You were like, okay, fine. And then last minute, they were like, well, you're going to come in, you're going to be a week late. I mean, it's hard. It was a hard thing, a brave thing to do. And then you come back and think that people at least are going to
- [28:15]
Podcast Host
give you, like, a pat on the
- [28:16]
Jenny Urchin
back, your friends, and they're just like, we don't want to know anything about it.
- [28:21]
Sadie Robertson Huff
Yeah. You know what? It really was hard. I think back to that time, though, and this is so true about life. Like, when you go through hard things like that, where you just feel, like, misunderstood, isolated, things are hard. God calls you to something no one else seems to be doing. That really is the time where you grow such a deep relationship if you choose to, in your faith and. And with God. And for me, like, what I do now is different than what I was doing. I danced with the stars. But there's so many things I learned during that time of my life, more than dancing, way more than dancing, that have carried me through. And I look back at that. I mean, I still think about the first episode. It's with stars. I was on top of this giant birthday cake and by myself at this top of the cake. And we were about to dance to the song, and there's a live audience and there's judges, and there's literally 10 million people watching on TV, like, no pressure. And I remember sitting on that birthday cake before the music started, and I remember saying, Hebrews 10:35. For I will not forget the confident trust I have in the Lord, for this will be richly Rewarded. And then you hear that song plays, I do the dance, and, like, I just remember feeling like I was floating. Like, I didn't even. I felt so carried. I just felt so carried. And literally, to this day, when I have big moments, approach speaking at Passion Conference right before I go out there, and I'll think, in my own human strength, I cannot do this, but I will not forget the confident trust to have a new lord, for it will be richly rewarded. And then I feel carried. It's like when I. When I'm in that moment, it's like the. The spirit fills me in such a way that it doesn't feel like my own effort. So you. You learn to trust God in that in such a deep way. So, yeah, it was super brave and courageous and scary to do at 16. It's still super scary to do at 28. But, yeah, I have a confident trust that I've built with God. And so, yeah, it was hard. It was brutal. I would not lie to you. I cried a lot, but at the same time, it did shape me a lot.
- [30:20]
Jenny Urchin
And what a thing that you kept winning, so, you know, you kept moving, you kept advancing on, because what you said was, you get through it. Then you're like, okay, that's great, right? You know, I did it. Well, next week, I have to do it. And then it was like again and again and again until you eventually were second place from not having dance. Second place. You say you used to be the most fearful person that you knew. You're afraid of storms, you're afraid of public speaking. And so each of these experiences, and you spoke at Winter Jam, speaking at Passion, you're singing.
- [30:47]
Sadie Robertson Huff
Yeah. Shocking. It really is shocking. Again, like, if you give God your yes, he'll. He'll open some doors that you didn't think you'd ever walk through. And that's certainly been my experience. It's wild. I never thought I would come in second. My parents literally said to me, try to come in fourth. So it's not embarrassing. I mean, try to try to get to the fourth week not coming forward. Try to get to the fourth week so it's not embarrassing. Never did I think I would be in the finals. Never did I come in second. That was just really the cherry on top. And by the time it was me and Alfonso at the end, I'm so glad he won, because look at him now hosting Dancing with the Stars. Like, that was his trajectory, and I was above and beyond what I even thought I would come there for. And it was such a Gift. And then, yeah, to go on and do all these things, it's. It's so wild and I'm so grateful. And it's only the Lord. But again, I think that for everybody, if you say yes to God, you will be amazed at some of the things that he allows you to walk into. And they're all going to feel bigger than who you are. And I think sometimes you look at other people's life and you go, oh, well, of course she can do it, because she's brave like that, or she's confident like that, or she has that personality. And I love that you called out that I wrote that about myself, because it's true. I was the most fearful person I knew. I was not the public speaker. I was actually terrible at stuff like that. I was like, that was just not me. And so it's so cool to see what God can do with your. Yes. And with what you feel are your limitations. But actually he's going to show you those are just the opportunities for faith.
- [32:20]
Jenny Urchin
I know you said these books really are for any age, and I totally agree with that. So the books, any age, you pick them up if you're a teen, a preteen, you pick them up if you're a mom, if your grandma. You do speak a lot, though, to young people. And when you go to passion conferences or college kids. My niece came to the one in Texas in January, like right around the new Year, and absolutely loved it. It was so cool to see. And she was posting videos of you and Levi and Louis and all these different things. So just, it's really neat as like an aunt or like a mom, I'm like a mom close to grandma age, you know, to see the influence there and the impact. And one of the things that you talk about is that young people are experiencing anxiety. So there was a statistic that. That was in one of your books, actually. It's in Live Fearless. So this book is from 2018, pre pandemic. You know, the statistic was 40 million people in the US under age 18 suffer from anxiety disorders. It's a lot. It's a lot of young people that are struggling with anxiety. And so when you talked about your story about, like, being afraid of storms, and you say, but you have. You see that you have to actually do this stuff, you would think that the cure would be to do nothing. Yeah, I'm anxious, so I'm. I'm just gonna stay home. I'm not gonna do it. But when you look at your story in the Growth and How one step led to the next step, led to the next thing. And you get a little bit of more experience here, and you get a little bit more experience there. So can you talk to the young person, the 40 million who are struggling with anxiety? I mean, we've kind of talked about a little bit, but like you said, it's like you. You gotta do stuff. You even talked about your dad. Your dad was all about, like, challenges, growing up, challengers, yourself.
- [33:57]
Sadie Robertson Huff
Yeah, I think that I'm so glad you called that out, because I do. I've been saying this recently. I literally have a tattoo that says Fearless. And I wrote a book called Live Fearless. So what I'm about to say, I'm not contradicting the message that I put out because I stand by everything in that book, but I do wish I could change the title a little bit because I think that people hear that Live Fearless. And I think the goal is to not be afraid. That you're not supposed to have fear, but the truth is you are going to have fear because you're a human. And that's a part of the human experience. Experience. And having fear proves that you're living, that things are intimidating, that things feel bigger than you. And when the aspect of faith comes in, it's okay that things feel bigger than you, because that's where you have to have faith. And I think when we read the Bible and we see God say so many times, do not be afraid. Do not be afraid. Do not be afraid. It's like when people will say to you when you have anxiety. People say this to me all the time. Do you know that God says, do not be afraid 365 times times one for every day. And you hear that and you're like, yeah, okay, well, then why? I'm afraid. I gotta stop being afraid. But when you read it in its context, God meets with these people in the Old Testament over and over and over again. I mean, and in the New Testament, when Jesus would come to people, when angels would come to people, the first thing that they would always say is, do not be afraid. But what was about to come right after them saying do not be afraid was going to be something that was going to absolutely terrify that person. Do not be afraid. I'm calling you to go to the place you don't want to go. Do not be afraid. Your savior that you thought was going to be in this tomb is not there. Don't worry. I know that sounds crazy. He's risen. It was always challenging them to believe for Something bigger than them or the impossible. So I say that to say, God doesn't say, do not be afraid to shame you for fear. He says, do not be afraid. Trust that I'm with you. I know you're going to be scared. I know you're gonna feel afraid. What you're about to do is going to intimidate you. But trust that I'm bigger than it. Trust that I'm with you. So go. So do it. So run. And so for me, that's been a challenge to me in my life. It's like, okay, fear is not a bad thing. It's a human thing. Yes. I'm a little scared right now. That doesn't mean I'm not supposed to do it. That just means that I'm supposed to trust that God really is going to be with me when I take that next step. And the more you take that next step and he meets you where you're at, the more confident trust you have in him to keep keep going. You gain strength, you gain courage, you gra, gain bravery. And so it's not that I don't feel afraid when I still speak anywhere. I mean, literally. I spoke to our local middle school recently, and I was feeling nervous. My heart was racing. I still feel that. But that doesn't make me go, oh, I shouldn't do it. It makes me go, okay, God, be with me, you know? And. And I remind myself, you're with me on that birthday cake. You were with me when I spoke of passion. You were with me. Whatever. I had that hard conversation with my friend. You're going to be with me now. So to the 40 million people who struggle with anxiety, I would just say it doesn't have to limit you. It doesn't have to stop you. That's not writing your story. That's not what your identity is. Is. Is in. You don't have anxiety. You struggle with anxiety. I used to, like, claim that as, like my identity as like, my personality. And then I got to the point where I like, nope, that's not going to define my life. That's a part of my life. But that's not something that has to limit me for what I can do in this lifetime.
- [37:15]
Jenny Urchin
I love that. I love that, you know, God was with me on the birthday cake. I just talked to Dr. Daniel Amen yesterday, and you had mentioned him in your book talking about purpose. And. And actually, if you become too famous too soon, it can, you know, if you have too much pleasure too soon, basically, it can start to wear out. Your pleasure centers. So he has a book called Stones of Remembrance, and it's a small book about Bible verses and different Bible verses for different situations in life. But that is really biblical to remember. People would stack stones and talked to this woman named Heather Thompson Day, and she has a basket in her house where if some. If God answers a prayer, she'll write it on a small little stone. And she. She keeps it in this basket. And so she said, you know, if she comes to these situations where she's afraid, she has this physical reminder. Now, some people would get mad because she took stones, but, you know, whatever. But she has that. That physical reminder that God has come through in the past and in your situation. These are not easy things. Like when you talked about the dancing and you'd never done it before, some kids by 17 would have had 12 years of training or. Or possibly even more. The other thing you talked about was with the singing and you had to go record this song. Oh, it took over 200 times. And then you were like, well, how often does it normally take?
- [38:32]
Sadie Robertson Huff
Like, like 10? And I'm like, okay, love that. We love to hear that.
- [38:37]
Jenny Urchin
But you still did it. You still did it. It's not easy things. And you say yes, and you can just see how it's grown person. It has opened up doors for your own family and will continue. You know, that's something you think about down the road. You don't know. You don't know what kids you're gonna have and you know what doors you're gonna open for them. Like, I'm talking to dude. Perfect. Later today. Are you kidding me? Like, my. My kids were like, are you. Are you kidding? Like, they were so excited and like, they've been on the tour, you know, so you just don't know. You take these steps and you're like, maybe if I do this for 750 episodes, you never know. Actually, you know, the things are not easy. So you do, do, do. And you follow God's plan and his hand is on it. The show is in a revival season. Can you talk about the decision making behind the scenes there? Was it just. Was it an easy yes? Was it a hard yes?
- [39:27]
Sadie Robertson Huff
It was. I won't say an easy yes. I won't even say a hard yes. It was just a yes. That took a lot of. Of consideration and discernment. You know, we had so much fun doing the show the first time. It was, I mean, obviously, no regrets. Look at what Duck Dynasty became. And was. However, like we've mentioned, it was Hard. Of course it was hard. There's 136 episodes, 12 seasons, five years of our, you know, cameras in our house. And cameras in our house isn't just like hidden cameras. It's like 30 people crew and all the different things. So it's just a different way of living. And, you know, a lot of faces, a lot of. A lot of, I guess, people knowing your face and all the different things. So we definitely kind of had. Okay, do we want to do that again? That. That's a big yes. Do we want that for our kids? Talk about the influencer thing. Like, for me, I'm so grateful that my parents said yes to doing Duck Dynasty because I was the influencer's kid. You know, I was the reality, my TV show kid. And thankfully, my life turned out good. I'm so grateful that that was what my parents decided for me. And so on one hand, I'm like, well, I love my childhood. I think I do want this for my kids. But on the other hand, I'm like, but, oh, gosh, that was so hard. And what if their friends don't like them? Like, their. My friends didn't like me. All of a sudden, you know, you're weighing all that. And so a lot of prayer, a lot of consideration, but at the end of the day, we always come back to whatever called to, and we feel a great calling on our life. I think we're all called to this, but particularly in this. In this light. We went Back to Matthew 5, you know, when Jesus said, you are the light of the world, you know, and it talks about not hiding your light under the sand, but actually putting on top so that everyone can see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. And, I mean, I couldn't. I just kept reading that and going, what an opportunity to be a light, you know, what an opportunity for people to see our family and potentially glorify God in heaven and, you know, all that kind of stuff. And so it ultimately came back to that and said, yes. And gosh, we had. We've had so much fun. It's been great. It's been hard. I mean, doing it as the kid was just easy. I mean, I just was along for the ride. It was fun. I was like, this is great. Doing it as the mom and running a ministry and. And podcast and all the different stuff and keeping up with it all. And I was pregnant with Kit the entire time we were filming. I had Kit while we were filming. It was definitely all the things it was. It was good and it was hard. We're so glad we did it. And season two is out right now on A E on Prime. Eventually we'll be on Hulu and it's just been so much fun to do with our family.
- [42:07]
Jenny Urchin
Wow. Yeah. What a bonding thing. What a bonding thing. And I love that you show both sides of it, Sadie. That's like a really big theme about what you do. Like you're going to show, you know, these are the really cool parts. These are the opportunities that it gave me. Also, you know, there's less privacy. Also, you know, there can be some little cracks that happen with friendships and different relationships. And you. Then you talk about too, like sometimes it's good to be anonymous. You talked about when you started dating Christian, if you've got a young person in your home. I think that this book, who are you following? Is a phenomenal one to add about pursuing Jesus in a social media obsessed world. Like, you talk about how. How even with dating you can start to really obsess. Like you become a spy, FBI agent. Yeah, I would have done that. It just wasn't around when. I mean you. Because you kind of want to know everything, who they date before, what that person looked like, you know, and all of these things. So you're talking about that and you talk about there is value in, in some parts of it being anonymous and, and keeping some things for private. So you talk about. And that's how Jesus was. Jesus had years and of a private life before he had a public life. Sadie, this is a robust offering that you have. It's so many books you people can see. You speak at these incredible events or at the middle school. You have, you sing, you have a band, you have these live original events. The little sister. I mean, we got the hat. We got a lot of the stuff. My, my. One of my daughters has a hat. And then your podcast has, I mean, millions upon millions upon millions of listens. So it's just been such a blessing to talk about, I think, the good sides of media. You know, what are we going to pick for our kids? Like the Minnow app and obviously go watch Duck Dynasty.
- [43:43]
Podcast Host
Can you tell people about your podcast?
- [43:45]
Sadie Robertson Huff
Yes, I have a podcast called Whoa, that's good. And I'm a little over 400 episodes, so I'm trying to keep up with you.
- [43:52]
Jenny Urchin
Well, listen, my downloads are much of a smidgen in comparison.
- [43:57]
Sadie Robertson Huff
Girl, no, you're crushing. Like I said, I have people come up to me all the time. Time. But you were on the thousand hours podcast, Mary Gate She. They do, like, tracking their hours outside and all stuff. So, like, you've reached so many, so many people. Podcasting, I think, is the greatest form of social media. It's not social media, but platforms, I guess, that you can be on because it's where you really get to be your yourself. And, like, it's not controlled by an algorithm. People want to come listen. They want to come listen, and what an honor. So I think that's why the downloads do mean so much, because you're like, wow, like, you chose to listen to this. You could have listen to anything. And so my podcast is called what that's Good. It's centered on good advice. And so I ask all of our guests the best piece of advice they've ever been given, and then we go into a conversation, hopefully giving others advice who are listening. I've received so much advice, so I'm sure you feel this way. You know, interviewing so many people. I'm like, I don't know who I would be had I not sat in that chair for seven years and listen to the advice people have given me. And it has shaped me in so many ways. So I feel like I'm growing right alongside the listener every single week.
- [44:57]
Jenny Urchin
Week.
- [44:58]
Sadie Robertson Huff
The heart behind it is to be a sister and a friend to those who don't have one. And that's what I try to do. And it has been the greatest blessing for me and our family. And that's my favorite thing. Whenever I'm going to, you know, out and about, and people come up to us and meet us. I love when people are like, I listen to the podcast and when you had that person on or this episode changed, like, that's just the greatest compliment. I love it.
- [45:20]
Jenny Urchin
Ah, I love that. What a show. What a premise for a show. I love that premise for a show. And something that really stuck out to me. I have it in red in my notes from your Dancing with the Stars time is, you were talking about how the people did not hesitate to point out what you needed to change. You know, they would want. The example that you gave was that you said so a lot. So, you know, so this. So that they're like, you have to stop saying so. And I just thought in life, especially once you hit adulthood, people don't really get in your business very much and tell you your life would be better. You would be better at this if you could you just cut that word out. And, like, you give such great advice. There's this generational advice in your book, like, you talked about your Mama Joe. And she was like, look, when we used to go be entertained, we would just be in the moment. Like, put your camera away. Just don't film it, you know, enjoy it. Dance and listen to the music. And so I love that that's what you're doing is you're sharing people's good advice. These are ways that they can just change. Change their life. You have your. I mean, you've had a ton of your family members on. It's just fantastic. Sadie, what an honor to get a chance to talk with you again. I always love it.
- [46:19]
Podcast Host
Thanks so much for being here.
- [46:21]
Sadie Robertson Huff
You are the best. You're the most incredible interviewer. Every time I'm on your podcast, I feel so encouraged by the parts of my books you read, the things that you. And so thank you for doing what you do and your success. I wish you all the best. Talking to dude. Perfect. Let's go. I mean, you're. Thanks for having me on. It was a joy.
- [46:40]
Jenny Urchin
Thanks, Eddie.
- [46:41]
Sadie Robertson Huff
Thank you. Daily commute doesn't have to be boring.
- [46:45]
Jenny Urchin
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