← The Bobby Bones Show
The Bobby Bones Show
MORGAN: Is He the One? From Modern Dating to Misconceptions, Morgan Shares It All
00:47:34
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- [00:00]
Morgan Huelsman
This is an iheart Podcast.
- [00:04]
Ryan Seacrest
Hey, it's Ryan Seacrest for Albertsons and Safeway. Now through August 26th, it's back to Deals time where you can enjoy storewide deals and earn four times points. Look for in store tags to earn on eligible items from Triscuit, Starbucks, Frito Lay, Ziploc, Charmin, Charmin Ultrasoft, and Tide Liquid Original. Then clip the offer in the app for automatic event long savings. Shop in store or online for easy drive up and go pickup or delivery subject to availability restrictions apply. Visit Albertsons or Safeway.com for more details.
- [00:35]
Kelly Harnett
The Girlfriends is back with a new season and this time I'm telling you the story of Kelly Harnett. Kelly spent over a decade in prison for a murder she says she didn't commit. As she fought for her freedom, she taught herself the law.
- [00:48]
Morgan Huelsman
He goes oh God.
- [00:49]
Kelly Harnett
Harnett Jailhouse Lawyer and became a beacon of hope for the women locked up alongside her.
- [00:55]
Morgan Huelsman
You're supposed to have your faith in God, but I had nothing but faith in her. I think I was put here to save souls by getting people out of prison.
- [01:03]
Kelly Harnett
The Go Friends Jailhouse Lawyer listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [01:12]
Ryan Seacrest
The stuff you should know Guys have made their own summer playlists of their must listen podcasts on movies.
- [01:18]
Josh
It's me, Josh and I'd like to welcome you to the Stuff you should.
- [01:21]
Ryan Seacrest
Know Summer Movie playlist.
- [01:23]
Josh
What screams summer more than a nice darkened air conditioned theater and a great movie playing right in front of you?
- [01:28]
Ryan Seacrest
Episodes on James Bond, special effects, stunt men and women, disaster films, even movies that change filmmaking and many more. Listen the stuff you should know Summer Movie Playlist on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts.
- [01:55]
Josh
Take this personally with Morgan Huelsman while.
- [02:01]
Morgan Huelsman
You guys see the to love these episodes. So I decided to run it back for Summertime and I am answering some of Yalls questions that you submitted on Instagram and they range from all kinds of topics. We're going to talk about jobs and work, boyfriend and dating my dog Remy and everything to do with Remy and then some random questions thrown in there about friendships and misconceptions and moving to a state where you know, nobody. We're going to kick this off starting with jobs because that seems to be a pretty hot topic right now. So first question coming in. How do you know if it's time to move on from a job? I would like bigger career opportunities. This one is a tricky one for me to get started off and answer, because I have been in a career that I've kind of moved up in throughout my whole big girl adult jobs. When I was working as a teenager at Buffalo Wild Wings, I was also kind of doing the same thing where I was just moving up the ranks. And so I've never really left a job to chase a different type of career. Now I will say I've always had these inner conversations with myself where I've recognized that if I'm ever in a position where I feel like I'm not growing, I will then look at the job that I currently have and say, is that because of me or is that because of the job that I'm in? Am I the one who stunted my growth? Have I not taken different opportunities to try different things? Have I expressed to my manager or boss that I would like to do X, Y and Z? If you've exhausted every single thing that you think you can do in the job that you're currently in, then yeah, you should always explore other opportunities because the biggest thing that humans want is growth. You want to grow, you want to do better, you want to change. And if you're not going to keep trying to do that in the job that you have, then it's probably time to look at something else. Now I think there's also another conversation to be had here. Where do you love what you're doing? Is it the job you've always wanted or are you wanting to chase something else? Because this isn't what it turned out to be like. You need to have an inner conversation with yourself on what things you're expecting out of your life and what that potentially looks like. I say that lightly because getting a job right now seems to be pretty difficult if you're looking career wise, if you're just looking for a job to do, you know, every day, hourly, whatever that may look like, it might be a little bit easier, but even that seems to be proving pretty difficult. So I wouldn't jump ship unless you have a plan in place. That's something I personally wouldn't do. I wouldn't leave a job just to say, oh, I don't have a job, but I'll figure it out. I like to have plans in place because it protects me. It makes me feel comfortable to make kind of a risky move, and that way it doesn't feel as risky, but you should always be wanting to grow. So if that's the bottom line of all of this and you don't feel like you're getting bigger opportunities with the job that you're at, then I think you know that it's time. But ultimately the only one who's going to be able to make that decision is you and the inner version of yourself. I've always wanted to work in social media. What do you recommend to get started? The beauty of social media right now is that anybody can work in it and anybody can get started. Today you could have some job and start working on social media. It will feel like you have two jobs. Let me paint this picture. Social media and content creation is a full time job within itself. As someone who not only has a job as a digital director running social media, but as somebody who also is building her own personal brand and a podcast and creating content, it feels every day like I have three or four different jobs. It's a lot of work. I know it can look easy and it feels like everybody can do it. But true social media and content creation is a drive. Whether you want to be in front of the camera or behind. Takes a lot of effort to put out quality content and take the time to do editing and invest in your craft. So I think it feels like everybody can do social media. And is there an avenue for everyone in social media? Yeah, I think anybody could do this and find a niche or find a way that they can break through the crowd. But I also believe that it's not meant for everyone because it's not easy in the bigger scope of things. Sometimes it's not even easy just to sit here and talk in front of a camera that's not meant for everyone. But even just being behind a camera and creating content isn't for everybody. So one, the first step I would say to get started is just start creating content for yourself. See how you feel about it. What do you like, what it feels like to do? Do you like this work or is it like seemed really fun, bright, shiny, but it's not so cool after all. And then start to kind of move in different directions to pursue that opportunity. And when I say that I mean start making connections. Start looking into jobs and marketing and PR and digital marketing because so much of that involves social media. When it comes to bigger companies. If you're looking to be on an other side. Kind of like my job that I do with the Bobby Bone show as the digital director. But if you want to just start, start today, start creating content and try to see what you can do within social media and content creation and see what you like. Because there is a lot of different jobs that exist within social media, across the board that you may like one, but not the other. All that to say anything that you need to spend a lot of time doing, you should love it and you should be so passionate about it because I promise it's gonna feel like a whole lot and there's gonna be days where you want to quit, you don't want to do it. So you need to love it. If this is something that you're considering pursuing full time, are you able to take vacation outside of when the Bobby Bones show does? So if anybody here listens to this podcast, but maybe not Bobby Bones show, maybe you found me from a different way. I work on a show called the Bobby Bone show and it's a radio show. And no, we all take vacation together. That's kind of how it works. We're a team. If one takes vacation, we all do. Now there's opportunities for when I went home from my sister's baby shower or if something comes up emergency wise, you have a funeral, you have a wedding, there's some leniency in that. But as far as a full vacation, no, we only take them all together. Do you get annoyed with your dating history being constantly judged on the Bobby Bones Show? I think this is interesting because I don't think there's an annoyance for me because I chose to share my personal life with people. That was a choice that I made. Now, do I get annoyed with how people insert opinions and try and make things exaggerated and, you know, change the narrative? Absolutely. That's part of the game though. So you either get with it and be okay with it or you just stop talking about it all together. That's kind of the two options. And I feel like my dating life has been a very cool moment for me on being part of the show because I've gotten to connect with so many listeners over that. There's a lot of people who have reached out and followed me simply because we were going through similar things across different times in my life. And had I not done that, I don't feel like I would have the connection that I do with a lot of the listeners. And I think the hardest part for me in general sharing anything personal on the show is that there's a whole lot of people out there that are strangers who feel rather it be inclined or just the all knowing of everything that happens in my life. People are very quick to judge. Strangers across the board love to think that they know everything about me and everything that's going on in my life. Or heck, you'll even have people from 15 years ago who've met me one time or went with me in high school and be like, I know everything about this person. But the reality is you, unless somebody was a close friend of mine at one point or another, is the only way you've truly ever known my entire life. And I think that happens all over on social media. I think we're quick to judge. I think we're quick to share our opinions when we don't have the whole story. You wouldn't do that in person, but in digital world, it's like people forget that people are humans on there. Just technology has made it so much easier. So that would be the one annoyance that I have with in general sharing personal information about my life. Besides that, I've enjoyed all of it. And it's really easy to roll my eyes at the guys on the show because they feel like my brothers. And speaking of my dating life, there were a lot of questions about my new boo that I had hard launched on Instagram. So one of the top questions, is he the one? Now this is tricky. And I don't think I've ever in my life on the show been like, this is the person for me. I'm going to marry them. Mostly because I'm hesitant. I have been hurt so much in relationships. I have had four serious relationships in my adult life and three of those were very painful for me. And a lot of that comes from one I love completely. I just give my all when I'm in something, whether it be a friendship, relationship, work, you're gonna get every part of me. I don't half ass things. That's not who I am. So even when I love, I love fully. Two, I don't date just to date. That's what casual dating is for. That's why I go on so many dates when I'm single. Because I'm dating, you're supposed to meet people, you're supposed to explore and figure out what you like and don't like. When I am with somebody and in a relationship with someone, I see a potential for a future. I'm not dating them just to date them. That's never been who I am. So the relationships over the course of time have always felt like they were going to be something. Now in this relationship that I'm in right now, I can confidently say that it is different than anything I have ever been in. It feels safe, it's consistent, it's kind and warm and I don't feel threatened, I don't feel a lack of Confidence. I don't feel a lack of loyalty. There's so much security in this current relationship that I've never felt before. And it was funny. I was talking to my boyfriend. We were on a walk the other day, and he was like, you know, talking about the invisible string theory, because that's kind of how our relationship came to be. We had a lot of kind of missing strings that were, like, invisible. And it was possible we could have run into each other, and there's possibilities for people to set us up. But for some reason, we were supposed to meet in the bar that night with the friends that I had, and we were just talking about all the. The fate around it. But I also was thinking and talking to him out loud at the same time as I was thinking, because I do that often where I said, you know, I look back, and of course, I could have wished that I met you sooner, but I think I had to date my ex before you because he was the first time that a relationship felt safe for me. He was the first person to teach me that I could be treated well without having chaos or without being yelled at or without this looming darkness. And I think had I met my current boyfriend before my ex, then I don't know how it would have ended up. I think the timeline of how that all happened in the. The way that it did was necessary for me to be the person that I am right now in this moment, to be the partner that I could be for my current boyfriend. And I think that's so cool to be able to maturely look at my life and be like, there was a reason for all of this. And it's funny, because people always tell you, especially as a single person, and I refuse to ever say this to a single person, but everything works out how it's supposed to, or there's a reason for everything, or you'll find someone when you stop looking. And while all of those things are likely true, I would never say them to somebody, because when you're going through it, dating in today's world, or struggling and trying to find someone while everybody else is in love, it's the last things you want to hear. But it is kind of true. In the situation that I have with my current boyfriend. I did find him in a bar. Well, my friends found him in a bar for me, and I wasn't looking. And that night, I specifically said to my friends, hey, this is a girls weekend, and that's what I'm focused on. And I. I wish that I could kind of bottle up who I am in this moment and, like, pass it on to people. Because I feel like this version of me has just learned so many lessons from so many difficult experiences to be prepared for this relationship. And I hope on everything that this is the one. I feel like it's a possibility that it is. And I also think there's a nervousness in me to truly say out loud, yes, it is the one, because I'm still scared of being hurt. He knows this. We have these conversations often where he's like, I'm not going anywhere. This is where I am. This is where I want to be. You're who I want to be with. But there's this girl inside of me who is like, no, you're going to leave. Everybody's left before, and you know something's going to happen and we're going to break up. I just have so much looming fear that couldn't be healed before he came along. It could only be healed. When I entered into this relationship, he was and is the safe place for me to finally heal parts of myself that I couldn't heal without a partner. And I needed somebody like him to show up to be able to do that. And I think that alone is special in itself. And beyond that, who we are matches each other's energy so beautifully. We have so much in common. We have so many of the same shared beliefs, shared ideals on every level. And I think that's important. We've had all the important conversations where we agree on literally, to a T, on the same things. So there is a huge part of me that believes this could possibly be it, while also recognizing that there's a huge part of me that's really scared to admit that. And that's just kind of where we are right now. And I'm not anymore in the place with our relationship where I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop, because that's kind of a thing for me, too, with the past relationships. But I am afraid to, like, say out loud, this is it, and fully, like, be like, yeah, okay, when I know that I'm afraid of him leaving, and it has absolutely nothing to do with him, and I don't take it out on him. It's not his responsibility. And it's kind of like the saying, you know, like, he's not the dad you had, but he's the dad that that stepped up. It's kind of like that. He is. He is not the man that showed up originally, but he's the man who stepped up now in my life to heal all the broken hearts and broken pieces of me and we're doing that for each other. You know I'm talking about myself because I can only share person personally and firsthand my experience. But he's been doing that for me and I think that's so special and I really, really believe this is something good and that's what I feel like. I can confidently say in this moment.
- [18:13]
Josh
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- [19:12]
Ryan Seacrest
Hey, it's Ryan Seacrest for Albertsons and Safeway. Now through August 26th, it's back to Deals time where you can enjoy storewide deals and earn four times points. Look for in store tags to earn on eligible items from Dave's Killer Bread, Pilgrims, Best Foods, Hidden Valley, Progresso and General Mills. Then clip the offer in the app for automatic event long savings. Shop in store or online for easy drive up and go pick up or delivery subject to availability restrictions apply. Visit Albertsons or Safeway.com for more details.
- [19:43]
Kelly Harnett
Kelly Harnet spent over a decade in prison for a murder she says she didn't commit.
- [19:49]
Morgan Huelsman
I'm 100% innocent.
- [19:51]
Kelly Harnett
While behind bars, she learned the law from scratch.
- [19:55]
Morgan Huelsman
He goes, oh God.
- [19:56]
Kelly Harnett
Harnett Jailhouse lawyer and as she fought for herself, she also became a lifeline for the women locked up alongside her. You're supposed to have your faith in.
- [20:05]
Morgan Huelsman
God, but I had nothing but faith in her.
- [20:07]
Kelly Harnett
So many of these women had lived the same stories.
- [20:11]
Morgan Huelsman
I said, were you a victim of domestic violence?
- [20:13]
Kelly Harnett
And she was like, yeah, but maybe Kelly could change the ending.
- [20:19]
Morgan Huelsman
I said, how many people have gotten other incarcerated individuals out of here I'm going to be the first one to do that.
- [20:28]
Kelly Harnett
This is the story of Kelly Harnett, a woman who spent 12 years fighting not just for her own freedom, but her girlfriend's too.
- [20:36]
Morgan Huelsman
I think I have a mission from God to save souls by getting people out of prison.
- [20:41]
Kelly Harnett
The girlfriends jailhouse lawyer listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [20:54]
Morgan Huelsman
Does your boyfriend listen to you on the Bobby Bone show? And how does he feel about you talking about us? He could not be more unbothered by anything in my life. He is so incredibly supportive of everything that I do. He's sat in on a few podcast interviews and just love to be in the room and watching it all happen. And when I share things for prep, he's like, oh, yeah, whatever. Okay, cool. There's not a single part of this man who is the least bit angry or concerned. He trusts me and trusts that I'm going to do right by him just as I would because I want to. He deserves that. So he is quite literally unbothered in all of the aspects and he gets a lot of good laughs. He doesn't listen, but he'll watch social videos because he supports me. Like, he subscribed to the. To the show's YouTube page and he will always get updates. He's like, look what came up on my phone today. And he just thinks half of it is hilarious. Have you and your boyfriend talked about moving in together yet? It's definitely a topic of conversation. We've talked about that. We've talked about kids, we've talked about marriage and all the things and how. How we feel on every topic. So it's definitely been a topic and hopefully one that will come together in the coming future. Favorite part of vacation with the boyfriend. We were just talking about this the other day. Both of us really loved. We were sitting on the beach in Grand Marie and we were watching the sunrise. Mind you, this is after I tried to pull him out of bed like three different times so we could catch the northern lights because they were technically supposed to hit where we were at. And so I woke him up at like. We went to bed at 11. We woke up at 1am and then woke up again for sunrise at like 4:35. And he was just the greatest sport during all of it. And we went and sat on the beach and just watched the sunrise, me, him and Remy. And I had my little blanket and I was all snuggled up and I felt so much peace and calmness that I have never felt in my life. And that was a really special moment for me also too, because I have traveled with previous partners, but it's never been quite as smooth. I've always been a pretty easy travel partner because I've, you know, I know my quirks, I know how to take care of myself. But something about that trip was very smooth and we just had so much fun. So, yeah, all good stuff. But that sunrise I love. If you have never done it in your life, catch a sunrise. Whether it's on a beach or a mountaintop or anywhere, very scenic. Sunrises and sunsets are some of my favorite things to witness, especially in a national park. How do I date in this modern world? I haven't dated in 10 years. There's gonna be a lot of changes for you that you're gonna experience in the dating. I honestly don't know that there is a how to date. One of my favorite accounts on Instagram who I've actually had her on this podcast. Her name is Erica and she's a dating coach. Her account is a little nudge and she's so just honest and blunt about everything and she kind of cuts through the in dating. And so I think everybody should follow her when it comes to. To setting up, especially if you're doing online dating, setting up your profile and how to converse. Because we've kind of made dating all the more complicated. And I think she can help you really cut through the noise when it all comes down to it, because I believe that there are worthy people of dating. I've never truly lost hope in dating. I always knew I was having this conversation with somebody online because they had messaged me and they were like, I just don't see how this is ever going to happen for me. And how do you know that you're going to have love one day? And I think it's with all things in life, you never know that something's going to happen. But if you create a life that you love and you've created a place where you love people, like, I have this beautiful life for myself where I have friends, I have close relationships with my family, I've created communities, I've volunteered, I have found a job that I love pursuing. I had so much love surrounding me despite the troubled dating woes, that I knew if all of those things could exist, love was going to exist for me. In the capacity of a romantic relationship. I created the setting for it. I created an environment that one day was going to be open and welcoming to love. Now, if you create an environment where you believe that love doesn't exist, or you haven't nurtured friendships or family or a community for yourself. Yeah, you're gonna have some lost hope there because you're not going to believe it exists. But if you surround yourself with love, then you're going to have a further belief that it does exist. And it can be possible, even when it gets frustrating and hard, because it does. As with anything you're gonna do in life, there's gonna be trials and tribulations and moments where you're like, what the am I doing? But you will find people that will make you happy. You will go on dates that are gonna make you laugh. You're gonna go on dates that probably make you cringe also. And all of it is a cool story to share. I truly started looking at my life probably in the last three years of dating, where everything became. I'm just doing it for the plot now. Do that with safety measures. But I would say yes to dates or I'd say yes to people asking me in public just because it made sense. It made sense to say yes more often than it made sense to say no. And if you show up in that way with this belief that love exists around you and with this mindset of, why don't I try it one time? I think you'll succeed in whatever you want to happen in your dating life. But if you go at it with an approach, which, trust me, I had plenty of moments of this where I hated dating. I hated the experience that I was having and I was complaining. I was sitting on a floor and I was like, why am I doing this? I'm never gonna meet anybody. I had that plenty of times. But to learn from my mistake, don't allow yourself to go there. Just know that it will happen for you. And if you create the environment that sets it up perfectly when the time is there, then you have already done all the work that you needed to do. So enjoy and have fun while you can. There's something I was even talking to my boyfriend about this. My good girlfriend and I, Julia Cole, went on a Europe trip over Christmas. And she was there. We had a little dinner where she met him and it was so, so much fun. But I said, I'm so happy that that trip happened because I got to be single in Europe and living life with my best friend. And if I had told 25 year old me that, that I was single at 31 and I hadn't met anybody, she'd probably be pissed. But 31 year old Morgan can Now look at that moment and be like, I'm so happy I got to have this Europe trip with my best friend where we were both single, because that will never happen again once both of us meet somebody. And as we're sitting at dinner and recapping it, I'm. I'm sitting there with a boyfriend who was so happy to share in that moment with me and know that I got to live a full life before I met him. And I think that's so important for anybody who's dating, male or female, stepping into a healthy relationship and shaking your past. Yeah, working on that. You guys kind of heard a little bit about that earlier. I'm still working on this one myself. And I think the easiest way to truly step in to a healthy relationship is when you have someone who is safe and secure to allow you to feel the things you need to feel to move through your past. Now, don't get me wrong, there's absolutely healing and work that needs to be done by yourself before you enter another relationship. If you've had heartbreak or been an abusive relationship or emotionally traumatizing relationship, whatever it may be, there is absolutely work that needs to be done for you, for yourself, before you enter one. But a lot of that work that also needs to be done is when you enter that relationship, which means you have to have a partner who feels safe and you feel like you can heal with that person or you're just going to keep repeating the same patterns. And I know that now because after two very rough relationships, one of those being abusive, and two where they were much more healing and much more healthy, I was in a safer space to start healing on that. When I was in those two rough relationships, I was never healing, not even after the abusive into the next one. There was still stuff there, and there was cheating, and there was things going on that I never felt my body, my nervous system, never felt safe to be in, to start to heal those parts of me. And it's kind of ironic because I was talking to a girlfriend about this, that. That I feel like now in this new relationship that I'm healing so much that my body is also making a lot of health problems. I had come forward because my body was in so much fight or flight that it never had time to truly, like, deal with some of the health issues I was having. And that's crazy. So talk about, like, healing in a relationship, but also I'm, like, trying to heal my health at the same time, and it's wild. And I don't know if there's absolutely any science behind that. There may be, there may not be, but that's what I feel and that's what I'm experiencing. So, truthfully, the only way to shake your past is to allow yourself, one, the grace to know that it's going to be hard, and two, to trust yourself that, like, you are continually growing and making better decisions. And you have to trust that if you're entering a relationship, that this is someone that you can heal with. And if you can't do those two things, then it's probably not the right person for you if you're someone who's dealt with shitty relationships. So choose your partner wisely. I think I got a message the other day from a dude who had trolled me, gosh, I don't know how many times, and he said, you know, years ago, I told you to lower your standards because you were never going to find somebody, but you didn't and seem to work out for you. And so I want to relay the message of which I did many times on Instagram in my single days, saying that I would never lower my standards. After the I had been through, you couldn't convince me otherwise. If I had to lower my standards, I just wasn't gonna date or I wasn't gonna get married, and that was gonna be fine for me. And so I'm glad I didn't. You know why? Because I found someone who was above and beyond my standard, which was very high. And I'm so proud of myself for sticking to that gun. So stick to it and keep your standards high and know that you deserve a healthy relationship and keep repeating that to yourself. Internal conversations are the most important thing you're ever going to do for your own healing. That's where a lot of the work is happening. Moving on to talk about Miss Remy girl as she's laying here like a little rug on top of my rug. She is a therapy dog, if you don't know. She's 10 years old. We had her 10th birthday in April, and that was so special. So somebody wants to know my gotcha story with Remy. So way back when, when I lived in Wichita with my parents, right out of college, I started volunteering at the Kansas Humane Society. I wanted to walk dogs and I wanted to help because in college we had fostered. Gosh, I want to say it was like 22 dogs and cats over the course of our my last year at college when I was living with four other girls. And that really lit a fire under me to help rescues and rescue work and shelters. So when I moved to Kansas, I wanted to. Or when I moved from. I shouldn't say Kansas. When I moved from Manhattan back to Wichita, I wanted to keep that fire. So I started volunteering at Kansas Humane Society. And I think it was my second week of walking dogs, and Remy came in as a stray. And my parents were kind of talking about getting another. Another dog. And she was so little, and they said she was a Maltese mix. And we had a Maltese at the time. And I was like, oh, we should. We should get her. You guys want another dog? And they ended up coming out to meet her on, like, an off day. She wasn't even up for adoption yet. She had just come in. She was a puppy about two and a half months old, hadn't been spay aid, so she wasn't even on the adoption floor yet. They came up to meet her, and we were in the playyard, and I took her out, and we all kind of sat down, and immediately she just ran to me. And my parents were like, morgan, we can take her, but she wants you. Like, she's attached to you. And they felt very strongly that she had imprinted on me in that moment. And it kind of got me thinking. But I was not employed at the time. I had just gotten out of college. I was living with my parents. I was like, this is not the time for me to be getting a dog, to be, like, responsible. But I couldn't stop thinking about her. So I think it was like a day later I called them and put a hold on her. I put a deposit down, essentially, and said, I want her. And they were like, well, she needs to get spayed. So I put a hold on her, waiting to see how spade what? I was nervous for 24 hours. She's a freaking puppy at that point. And she obviously caught through the spade just fine. And that next day, my parents were like. Had put some toys in my room and a little, like, kind of kennel thing. And they were like, you can adopt her if you want to. And I was like, oh, my God. I started freaking out, also freaking out, because I'm like, how the frick am I going to do any of this? And I went that day. I picked her up, and we've been best friends ever since. It was kind of crazy, though, because I get her. I started a new job a month later, which was working for iHeart in Wichita. And then 10 months into that job is when I was moving down to Nashville, and I got a job at the Nashville iHeartRadio offices. And so, so much change was happening in my life all the time. While having a brand new puppy and trying to train her, which we did go through a lot of training when we lived in Wichita. I went through, I think 18 weeks of training. We did like puppy class and then we did basic training, then we did advanced training. And then at that point we started to hear about therapy work. And that's when I was like, okay, I feel like she'd be really good at this. She was always a very big people person. She loved people. And she was this fluffy little teddy bear, Ewok looking thing that would run up to you and love you. And I felt really compelled that, like, okay, she might be a therapy dog, but they had to be about 2 years old to be able to do that work. So I didn't attack that right away. But she had a lot of training leading up to it. She was a canine good citizen. She was actually my emotional support animal for a while after and kind of during my abusive relationship. She was really the thing that helped me survive. And after that whole ordeal, because that was kind of the first year or so when I was living in Nashville and I went into therapy and I did a lot of work and I said, you know, now is the time for us to get into therapy work. So I found an organization called Therapy Arc and that's where we train to become a therapy animal team. She pacifying colors and we became a team together and started volunteering. And that healed a huge piece of my heart with her. Taking her from what was once a emotional support animal for me to being a therapy dog for other people was kind of a beautiful fate situation. And I just love her. Now she's 10 and I don't even know where 10 years went.
- [37:46]
Josh
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- [38:44]
Ryan Seacrest
Hey, it's Ryan Seacrest for Albertsons and Safeway. Now through August 26th, it's back to deals time, where you can enjoy storewide deals and earn four times points. Look for in store tax to earn on eligible items from Dave's Killer Bread, Pilgrims, Best Foods, Hidden Valley, Progreso, and General Mills. Then clip the offer in the app for automatic event long savings. Shop in store or online for easy drive up and go pick up or delivery subject to availability restrictions apply. Visit Albertsons or Safeway.com for more details.
- [39:15]
Kelly Harnett
Kelly Harnett spent over a decade in prison for a murder she says she didn't commit.
- [39:20]
Morgan Huelsman
I'm 100% innocent.
- [39:23]
Kelly Harnett
While behind bars, she learned the law from scratch.
- [39:26]
Morgan Huelsman
He goes, oh God. Harnett jailhouse lawyer.
- [39:30]
Kelly Harnett
And as she fought for herself, she also became a lifeline for the women locked up alongside her. You're supposed to have your faith in.
- [39:36]
Morgan Huelsman
God, but I had nothing but faith in her.
- [39:39]
Kelly Harnett
So many of these women had lived the same stories.
- [39:42]
Morgan Huelsman
I said, were you a victim of domestic violence?
- [39:45]
Kelly Harnett
And she was like, yeah, but maybe Kelly could change the ending.
- [39:51]
Morgan Huelsman
I said, how many people have gotten other incarcerated individuals out of here? I'm gonna be the first one to do that.
- [40:00]
Kelly Harnett
This is the story of Kelly Harnett, a woman who spent 12 years years fighting not just for her own freedom, but her girlfriend's too.
- [40:08]
Morgan Huelsman
I think I have a mission from God to save souls by getting people out of prison.
- [40:13]
Kelly Harnett
The girlfriends, jailhouse lawyer listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [40:24]
Morgan Huelsman
And somebody else followed up with getting a dog therapy certified, finding a place to volunteer. So honestly, I just started googling to get Remy and I Thera therapy team certified. I just went on Google and I was searching different therapy organizations near me and that's how I stumbled upon therapy arc and they really helped the entire process. They did a screening to see if she was even a dog that seemed like she was interested in therapy. Because, mind you, do not train a dog to be a therapy dog if they you're like, oh, well, they don't really necessarily like people. Like they're gonna be around people all the time. So do not train a dog to be a therapy dog if they're nervous around people. So the screening helps some of that. So you don't waste time or make sure that your dog kind of has these inherent instincts to be a therapy Dog. She passed that. We did six weeks of training with them. They prepared us all for the test. And then we go and you take this kind of long test and it's a collaboration between you two, so you both have to be prepared for it. And she passed that with flying colors. And we've renewed twice now. We're about to renew again this year. So it's definitely a undertaking if it's something you're interested in. But it was so important for me to do because I love volunteering. I've always been a big volunteer girl. Even in high school, I was part of a organization called K's, which all we did was volunteer stuff with different non profits. And I was the K's area president. So volunteering has been kind of huge in my life ever since I was in middle school, especially with leadership studies and doing different leadership classes. All of that was interconnected. And then it felt like such a natural fit when I got Remy. So I would just google, do some googling and find places near you. And that's how you get certified. Favorite state to travel with Remy. I want to travel with my dog for the first time. I love traveling everywhere with her. Obviously, the more outdoor activities, the more you can be out on patios is going to be the most enjoyable experience. I loved going out out west with her. I did a road trip with my parents and their dog and it was Remy and I and we did a bunch of national parks. Now, mind you, you can't bring dogs in national parks on hikes, but they can ride in the car with you. And if you get an Airbnb or a cabin, some of them allow you to keep them behind. So just make sure you plan those things. And when I had taken Remy on this recent trip, I got so much questions and obviously grief and people were getting mad at me for bringing her on my trip. But something that I really have learned with planning a vacation with your dog is to just make sure that it's stuff that they also want to do. I think you can bring along a dog to trips that you planned for you. But I have a trip coming up where I'm going to Universal and Disney. I'm not bringing her. That's not a trip for her. She would be miserable. She'd be sitting in a hotel all day. So when I do bring her, the trips that I bring her on are hiking centric. They're very nature involved. I like spending time on paths, patios, finding unusual things that she might be able to tag along with. Like on this trip. She could go to different breweries and wineries, and we had options for her that were very centric around nature, which is also something I love to do anyways. I love to hike. I love to sit on patio. So none of that was unusual for me. So I made it a trip for her. And for me, it's the best tip I can give whenever you want to go somewhere. Also, if you just Google dog friendly cities, you'll find a bunch of them. I loved going to Chicago. It felt super dog friendly. Nashville's very dog friendly. I know Austin is too. Denver is as well. You have a bunch of list, especially the mountain towns out there. You have a lot of people that love to go on hikes and stuff with their dogs. And if you can find areas with a lot of state parks, those are perfect because state parks do allow dogs, besides a few kind of special ones. But you can go hiking with them and it gets a lot of activity. But if you're going in the summer, make sure you have a dog stroller or a dog pack back or something, or booties, because it gets so hot on their little paws. Need to protect them. Which is something that I don't know if a lot of people do. No, I see a lot of people walking their dogs. I don't know about anywhere else, but right now in Nashville, it is so freaking hot outside. And during the heat of the day, I will see people walking their dogs. Guys, if you can't hold your hand on pavement for at least five seconds without hurting your hand, your dog's feet should not be out there. That means they are burning their feet. I know we like to think that, like, oh, dogs can do anything and you need to treat them like a dog. But I'm sorry, do you want your feet burned? If you don't want to be walking barefoot on something, don't do it to your dog. This is not something I feel like a lot of people have been educated on. You have to protect their paws. They can blister, they can expose skin. Their paws are how they cool off. And if their paws are so hot, they're literally going to be overheating. So take care of your pups. And that's a very important thing to do anyways. Travel with your animals. You should. It is the coolest experience. Seeing the world through Remy's eyes is one of my favorite things to witness. She loves everything. She's so excited just to see and smell new things. And might I remind anybody who finds that controversial that it's their first Time living too. And also, again, putting yourself in their shoes. I don't think you just want to live in one house your entire life and see nothing but that house, house. So take them when you can. Take trips without them, but also take trips for them and with them. All right, it's time. We're getting into the random questions now. We're gonna do one misconception of you I think the easiest one off the top of my head right now because even though I wrote it down here, I did not prepare for it. I think a lot of people think I'm happy all the time and I am not, or that I'm put together all the time, or that I have it really easy, etc. Etc. I would love to remind people that just because you hear things on a show or you see things on social media does not mean you have the whole picture. I'm somebody who struggles with depression, anxiety. The last, gosh, three years, really, I've dealt with long Covid and my health has been struggling. I don't feel great in my body right now. I struggle with. With body image issues on the daily. I'm a vegetarian. Eating is hard for me. I love to work out. I'm really hard on myself when I don't work out. And I struggle with finding balance in my job. I don't get through my to do list every day. I'm up until meeting my boyfriend, struggled with dating. I think it's really easy for us to believe that everybody else has it so good. And I think it's easy to think that the people you see online are just they don't have any struggles or they don't have any hardship. And I don't think that's true for anybody. I think more often than not, your happiest people are the ones who are struggling the most. Now, that is not the case with me right now. I do feel very happy. I feel very loved and supported. And while I'm still struggling with a lot of health stuff and while I'm really struggling with the body that I'm in right now, it doesn't mean I'm not happy in other areas of my life. But all that to say, let's stop believing everybody has it so good. Do I have it as worse as some people? Absolutely not. And I know that. But as one of my very first episodes of this podcast taught us, two things can be true. So let's stop believing that everything is easy for everybody or just because stuff is hard for you that it's not hard for Somebody else. I think we have to have more compassion and empathy for people. And that's the biggest misconception that comes to my head. Do the girls who bullied you in high school ever reach out after hearing you talk about it on the show? I have never had the two main ones ever reach out. One of them has looked at a bunch of my stuff on social media, which I've seen, and that's been interesting. I've had the husband of one of them approach me in a bar and say he doesn't understand the whole situation and why any of that went down in high school. And anybody who's kind of been associated with it, if you will, or went along with it because, you know, we were all teen girls I've talked to and we've made amends and we're amicable and things are all good there. So everything beyond that, those really main two who were the ones who did the worst things, things are all kind of settled there. But besides those two now I've never heard from him. I don't know that I ever will. Will I ever move back to Kansas? I love Kansas. Kansas will always be my home. It'll always be where I was born and raised. And my family is amazing and I love getting to see them and I wish I could see them so much more often now. All that to say I don't know that I ever will. And I'm sure that'll make my parents sad to hear, but I don't know that the life I've created for myself could exist there. If my life takes a drastic turn or something happens with one of my family members, yeah, I would be home or find a way to be part of that whole experience and what I need to do. But if none of that happens and it's up to me, then, no, I don't think I ever will. Not because I don't love it and not because it's not home, but because the life I've created for myself here is full of so much adventure and opportunities in life that I think it would be drastically different if I moved home. I think if I ever do move, it'll be to a mountain town somewhere. That's my perfect place is a mountain town or somewhere like a Grand Marais or maybe not Grand Marie, because I don't think I could do that much snow in. In winter time, but something that has. Has quite a lot of adventure, a lot of different scenic stuff. I'm so big in nature. Things you do or your closest friends do for you that protects quality of friendships. Something that is so important in the world of social media today. Just because I see something on social media of a friend and I respond on social media, I won't only respond that way. I'll reach out to them by text or by a phone call or some other way because I, I think there is a loss in quality when you're only speaking on social media. I think when you communicate also on social media as well as texting and phone, you're fine. But it's so important to me to check in, send a text when I'm thinking of somebody, or do something for someone when I see they're going through. If they've had a hard day, I'll Venmo on $10 and say go get a drink on me. Or I'll send cookies if they're dealing with a loss. Or I'll show up for them with a care basket and say what do you need from me? And, or hey, I'm doing this for you. That's more likely. But sometimes they don't know and I'll say I'm just here when you do need me or you just want to talk. Showing up is so important and I think that's truly the test of most great relationships, friendships, family, anything to that matter is how much effort you put in. And my closest friendships are all about effort. Even if it's showing up with a text message, a phone call or showing up to my door, they're all the same as long as you're showing up in the good and the bad. Because if you just show up in the bad, I'm probably going to start having questions, maybe show up in the good to celebrate exciting things that are happening and show up when it's hard. And then in the little moments between, that's where quality is. That's somebody who you know is worth investing your time in, in both ways. So not only do I require that same level of care and effort in friendships, but I make sure that I'm doing that for my friends. Because we don't deal with one sided these day and age people. Okay, we're not doing this like I'm only doing the work. This is supposed to be a team effort on all fronts. So I think that's the most important thing when it comes to any relationship is effort and showing up. I know it can be hard when life is busy and when there's so much happening, big life moments, but you have to show up if you want quality friendships. You have to show up for each other. And I don't know that any of my friendships could have sustained the craziness of adult life if we didn't know how to show up for each other one way or another. Well, that is all we have. There was more questions, but I think I got to the majority of them. And I appreciate you guys hanging out with me on this podcast every week and listening and submitting questions and doing all this fun stuff. I'm really excited because we have some fun episodes coming up. We have one with Scotty Hasting. He's talking about his music career and being a veteran. I've got Struggle Jennings, who has an insane life story. He's also an artist. And then we've got Nate and Holly. If you've heard of 21 pineapples, he has a disability and his mom and him post pictures and videos all the time on social media and they've kind of had a rise to fame that way. So really cool interviews that are coming and I can't wait for you to hear, but sometimes I feel like it's good to do some questions and just touch base with you guys and have conversations about things that you want to hear. So if you ever want to hear something that I'm not touching on or I'm not bringing on, just shoot me a message on Instagram for the podcast akethispersonally. And thank you. Thanks for supporting the podcast. Thanks for being here. Thanks for loving me and not trolling me all the time. Some of you guys are incredible people who really know how to to show love and show up and I'm so appreciative of that. So thank you guys and I will yap at you next week.
- [54:36]
Ryan Seacrest
Hey, it's Ryan Seacrest for Albertsons and Safeway. Now through August 26th, it's back to deals time where you can enjoy storewide deals and earn four times points. Look for in store tags to earn on eligible items from Dave's Killer Bread, Pilgrim's Best Foods, Hidden Valley, Progresso and General Mills. Then clip the offer in the app for automatic event long savings. Shop in store or online for easy drive up and go. Pickup or delivery subject to availability restrictions apply. Visit Albertsons or Safeway.com for more details.
- [55:07]
Kelly Harnett
The Girlfriends is back with a new season, and this time I'm telling you the story of Kelly Harnett. Kelly spent over a decade in prison for a murder she says she didn't commit. As she fought for her freedom, she taught herself the law.
- [55:20]
Morgan Huelsman
He goes, oh God.
- [55:21]
Kelly Harnett
Harnett jailhouse lawyer and became a beacon of hope for the women locked up alongside her.
- [55:27]
Morgan Huelsman
You're supposed to have your faith in God, but I had nothing but faith in her. I think I was put here to save souls by getting people out of prison.
- [55:35]
Kelly Harnett
The Girlfriends Jailhouse Lawyer listen on the iHeartra Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [55:44]
Ryan Seacrest
The stuff you should know guys have made their own summer playlist of their must listen podcasts on movies.
- [55:49]
Josh
It's me, Josh and I'd like to welcome you to the Stuff you should.
- [55:53]
Ryan Seacrest
Know Summer Movie playlist.
- [55:54]
Josh
What screams summer more than a nice darkened air conditioned theater and a great movie playing right in front of you?
- [56:00]
Ryan Seacrest
Episodes on James Bond, special effects, stunt men and women, disaster frequency films, even movies that change filmmaking and many more. Listen to the stuff you should know Summer Movie Playlist on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts.
- [56:14]
Morgan Huelsman
This is an iHeart podcast.