Remote vs. In-Office Work & Tragic Texas A&M Cheerleader

Summary

The Southern Tea – December 17, 2025

Episode: Remote vs. In-Office Work & Tragic Texas A&M Cheerleader
Host: Lindsie Chrisley
Guest: Kristen

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Overview

In this heartfelt episode of The Southern Tea, Lindsie and Kristen dive deep into a range of personal and topical subjects. They start with reflections on routine and the challenges of being out of sync, then debate the growing divide between remote and in-office work—highlighting generational differences and personal priorities. The latter part of the episode shifts toward recent headlines and difficult conversations around mental health, including the tragic loss of a Texas A&M cheerleader and the complexities of recognizing and supporting those struggling. The blend of humor, authenticity, and vulnerability characterizes the conversation, making it relatable and impactful.

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Main Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Comfort (and Struggle) of Routine

• Both hosts discuss how their weeks have been thrown off, particularly Kristen, who’s recovering from surgery.
  • Kristen: "It's like being dictated by a different routine than your routine, and it really irritates me." (03:36)
• Lindsie reflects on the mix of relief and FOMO from taking breaks in regular podcasting and travel planning for Disney.
  • Lindsie: "It's like when you're used to a routine and then you don't have one, and you just... The world is your oyster." (02:54)

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2. The Remote vs. In-Office Work Dilemma

Would you take $120K fully remote, or $240K in-office?

• Generational Differences: Lindsie is surprised by how many Gen Zers favor remote work, even at half the salary.
• Personal Preferences:
  • Lindsie: Favors larger salary and office environment for structure and separation of work/life.
    • "If I was going to do a corporate job, I would want to be in an office with colleagues, able to leave my work there." (09:36)
  • Kristen: Strongly prefers remote for quality of life, less commute, more flexibility with chores, and cost savings.
    • "My father-in-law, when he works from home, throws laundry in. He's getting life tasks done that you would not be able to do if you were out of the office." (12:13)
• Work/Life Balance: Kristen highlights that remote work enables her to multitask on life chores, adding, "Cost doesn't always mean financially." (19:02)
• Quality of Life vs. Income: Both agree peace of mind and family time are increasingly valuable as they get older.
  • Lindsie: "At this point in my life, I just want peace and I don't care what it costs me." (19:40)
• Single Parents & Capacity: Commiseration about how single-parent families manage in today’s world.

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3. Parenthood, Capacity, and "Just Figuring It Out"

• Discussion of societal pressure regarding having more children, with both hosts expressing feeling stretched to their limits already.
  • Lindsie: "I'm trying to do all of this stuff, like, be a good wife, keep the house clean, do the laundry, put a meal on the table... Me having another child would be beyond my capacity." (23:31)
• Both agree everyone’s "plate" is different—what one person can handle, another may not.

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4. Virality and News: Candace Owens & Erica Kirk, The Reiner Case

• Candace Owens/Erica Kirk: Both hosts express skepticism about how productive a meeting between Owens and Kirk could really be given their opposing stances.
  • Lindsie: "I don’t see how productive of a conversation that you can have… the maturity level… would have to be there." (37:55)
• Rob Reiner Case: Lindsie recounts the shocking murder case and shares her initial suspicions about the son, noting the impact of a troubled background.
  • "Not because of him having addiction or homelessness... but based on the children, that one would have made most sense to me." (40:36)

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5. Mental Health, Suicide, and Supporting Each Other

Content Warning Segment Begins ~41:35

• Lindsie details the tragic loss of a Texas A&M cheerleader who died by suicide, discussing the family’s disbelief, the details of her death, and the signals missed by friends and authorities.
  • Lindsie: "Maybe probably should have contacted the university to get some help." (51:03)
• Kristen bravely shares her personal struggles with suicidal ideation, describing internal battles and feelings of isolation.
  • Kristen: "You actually feel like everybody's life around you would be so much better if you weren't in it." (54:12)
  • "The strong ones don't get checked on... the ones who appear happiest... they don't get checked on." (54:00)
• Lindsie expresses support: "Everyone listening to this podcast... the world is so much better with you in it." (57:23)
• They emphasize checking in on friends and the importance of mental health dialogue, especially for teens and young adults.
  • Lindsie: "People don't realize how far that something like that goes... just to let somebody know they have been seen." (60:12)
• Notable Resource:
  • "If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts... dial 988 or go to suicidepreventionlifeline.org and get some help." (64:45)

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6. School Violence and Public Safety Anxiety

• Update on the Appalachian High School shooting case. Lindsie shares her anxiety attending crowded events post-news.
  • Lindsie: "I get fixated on stuff like this... I need to watch for every update." (65:00)
• Kristen discusses how 9/11 shaped her anxiety around crowds from a young age.
  • Kristen: "I was in third grade… and we saw the first tower collapse. I will never forget." (68:29)
• Both hosts acknowledge how these events color their current experiences, especially as parents.

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7. Humor, Hospital Fails, and a Peeping Squirrel

• Lighter moments intersperse the heavy topics: Kristen’s mortifying hospital story about surgery while menstruating, and a squirrel relentlessly trying to enter Lindsie’s house.
  • Kristen: "Take your tampon out before surgery, or else it's getting taken out for you." (33:32)
  • Lindsie: "He's now looking at me… he has moved over to the window and he is looking at me." (25:54)
• Anecdotes highlight the show’s balancing act of serious and comic relief.

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8. Devotional & Personal Reflections

• Lindsie shares a devotional about God's faithfulness amid unanswered prayers and life's delays.
  • "If it didn't happen this year, it's okay. God is still faithful... the things that didn't happen this year are just great stories waiting to unfold in God’s time." (77:34)
• Reminder to embrace the unknown and have patience.

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Notable Quotes

• "Cost doesn't always mean financially." — Kristen (19:02)
• "At this point in my life, I just want peace and I don't care what it costs me." — Lindsie (19:40)
• "The strong ones don't get checked on. The ones who take care of people don't get checked on." — Kristen (54:00)
• "If it didn't happen this year, it's okay. God is still faithful." — Lindsie (77:34)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Routine & Life Update: 01:03–07:09
• Remote vs. In-Office Work Debate: 08:45–21:34
• Parenting Capacity & “Just Figuring It Out”: 21:34–25:25
• Peeping Squirrel / Hospital Tampon Story: 25:28–34:02
• Candace Owens / Erica Kirk Meeting: 34:53–38:06
• Rob Reiner Case Discussion: 38:23–41:01
• Texas A&M Cheerleader Tragedy & Mental Health Talk: 41:35–64:11
• Appalachian School Shooting Update and Public Safety Anxiety: 64:58–75:00
• Devotional & Closing Thoughts: 76:35–78:16

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Takeaways

• Work: Quality of life is increasingly prioritized over salary, especially among millennials and Gen Z.
• Parenting: Capacity differs for everyone; it's okay to say no to more if you’re at your limit.
• Mental Health: Even those who seem “strong” can struggle deeply; check in and support your people.
• Current Events: High-profile tragedies hit home, fueling anxieties, especially for parents and those already sensitive to safety concerns.
• Faith & Resilience: Delays and hardships do not mean failure—sometimes, it’s simply not time yet.

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If you or someone you know is struggling, please reach out to the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 or visit suicidepreventionlifeline.org.

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This episode combines relatable personal stories with serious conversations, and the hosts’ authenticity makes it both comforting and insightful for listeners navigating similar life stages and challenges.

Transcript

[Lindsay Chrisley]

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[Sean D. Nelson]

Hmm, it's gotta be when I'm really craving it and it's convenient.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Could you be more specific?

[Sean D. Nelson]

When it's cravinient.

[Kristen]

Okay.

[Sean D. Nelson]

Like a freshly baked cookie made with.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Real butter available right down the street.

[Sean D. Nelson]

At a.m. p.m. Or a savory breakfast.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Sandwich I can grab in just a second at AM pm.

[Kristen]

I'm seeing a pattern here.

[Sean D. Nelson]

Well yeah, we're talking about what I.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Crave which is anything from AM pm. What more could you want?

[Kristen]

Stop by AM PM where the snacks.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

And drinks are perfectly craveable and convenient.

[Sean D. Nelson]

That's cravenience AM PM Too much Good stuff.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Maybe I'm just like weird. Maybe I'm crunchy. This is the Southern Tea with Lindsey Chrisley. I think it's so funny when you get Christmas cards and all of these people write their children's accomplishments on the back. I don't love them. A southern girl and a boy mom who's trying to navigate life while staying.

[Kristen]

True to her roots.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

I am a functioning non functioning human being right now. Join Lindsay each week as she swears to spill the tea, the whole tea and nothing but the tea.

[Kristen]

Tea that is the tea.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Here's Lindsay. Good morning and welcome back to another episode of the Southern Tea. Good morning, Kristen.

[Kristen]

Hello Lindsay. It's so good to be back. I know.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Lord, I thought that the gallbladder was really going to take you out.

[Kristen]

Ma', am. I have been saying to Corey for since I got home from the hospital that it is going to take me out. I have low low hopes these days. But I know you know it'll feel better once it's gone. Just need to get it gone.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

I don't even know what a gallbladder is and what it does in the body. I just hope I never have a problem with one.

[Kristen]

All I'm going to say is it you up. Okay. I did not know that. Between your pancreas and your gallbladder and your bile duct, how much Havoc that can wreak in your body have never. Could have never anticipated what has transpired for me.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

That is so freaking horrible. Um, I cannot believe that I just wrapped up coffee combos for the year.

[Kristen]

Which is so exciting.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

It's, like, exciting, but it's also bittersweet because when you do this every single week of your life, it's like you feel like you have FOMO if you're not, but at the same time, you're really enjoying your time off.

[Kristen]

Right. I mean, I get that, though.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

It's like when you're used to a routine and then you don't have one, and you just. It's like the world is your oyster, and you can just kind of, like, do whatever you want. I'm like, what's that?

[Kristen]

That's literally me right now. Because got home from the hospital Saturday night in the hospital. Couldn't tell you what I did. I didn't do anything. There was literally nothing happening in the hospital besides me getting pain medication and sleeping and then, like, a mini surgery somewhere in there. Get home, and it's all like, oh, like, are you so happy to be home? And it's like, no, because I'm still in pain and all these things. And on Sunday, I just, like, literally didn't do anything. And then yesterday, tried to work a little bit. Today, trying to work a little bit. Just trying to, like, take care of myself and, like, the roots. There's, like, no routine to it. It's like I have to sleep when my body tells me I need to sleep. It's like being dictated by a different routine than your routine, and it really irritates me.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Yeah. I don't do well outside of the regular routine. I feel like my days aren't as useful and productive if I'm not on, like, a very scheduled schedule. Does that make sense?

[Kristen]

Yes. Yeah.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

But then also, I very much operate, like, every Friday of my life, I operate on, like, a loose schedule, and I'm very productive.

[Kristen]

But because that is your Friday schedule, so you know that that's your routine. That is.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

That is very true. But I cannot believe, like, I feel like this year has gone by so slow, but also at the same time, so fast. Like, I blinked and it's almost 20, 26.

[Kristen]

Oh, yeah.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

But then there's been certain days where I'm like, this year feels like it's been 19 years.

[Kristen]

I would say starting in October for you and I, we just kept getting kicked in the face.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Kicked in the face repeatedly, over and over. I gave myself one day, one day to get all of my stuff together to head out for Disney, which I'm.

[Kristen]

Very curious to see how that goes.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

I personally feel like it's not going to go well. I have contemplated moving my dates. This is after. If you do Disney. And what I feel like is the right way by like making your dining reservations and knowing what park you're visiting on what day to like, cool. Coordinate your dining reservation so it like all makes sense. And you work with somebody that like helps you plan all of your stuff. It's not just that easy to just like change it all up.

[Kristen]

Yeah.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

And I think about my parents growing up. I was actually having a conversation with my mom the other day and she said, you and Kyle thrive so much off of a routine because your dad and I were both people that very much lacked routine. And it's kind of like gypsies, right? Like just come and go as you please. Buy Disney tickets. If you go that day, you go. If you don't, you don't. You know, you might be planning to leave tomorrow, but you actually leave three days from then. Like, what is that?

[Kristen]

I don't know because I have. I just remember I had family near Disney the whole time I was growing up. So we would go visit them, we would go to Walt Disney World and like we would just. It's like this is the day that we're going. We would go, we would do the things and we would drive back to their house. For me, seeing the way that it goes down now, this is like a wedding like being planned. The amount of emails that I have seen, the amount of phone calls that I have seen going back and forth about character, like breakfasts and dining reservations and what location you're staying on the property and do you want park hopper or not? I'm like, what park are we hopping? Like what is going on? There was like one park that I went to. You know, I'm like Universal and Disney. That's about it. You're like, no, bitch. This is, this is like real serious.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

No, this is like a full blown affair that I really put a lot of time and energy into. And I just feel like if you're going to go and fight a crowd like Disney World, and particularly like during a holiday like Christmas, you have to have a plan. And I know that it's different strokes for different folks. Right? Like some people very much operate well off of a loose somewhat schedule. Some people operate well off of no plan whatsoever. I operate very well knowing that I have everything in line. Like this is where I'M going today. And this is what we're doing in that park today when it comes to dining and what rides we're starting at and what time we're leaving so we can get back to our resort so that we can watch the fireworks from the balcony. Like, that is me. But I also feel like my personality as far as, like, how I function so well on a schedule is somewhat of a trauma response to my parents never having one.

[Kristen]

It could be where you're, like, seeking some type of, like, routine and stability, and it.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

And it really wasn't like they were doing anything wrong. You know what I mean? It's just like different personalities, different people operate, you know, different ways and at different speeds. And I just have to know exactly what's going on at all times. But I have to tell you this video that I ran across the other day, and I was like, oh, my God, I have to wait to ask Kristen this.

[Kristen]

Okay. Okay.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

So it was a video and it was a girl talking, and she said. She posed a question. She said, hypothetically, would you take a remote job completely, like, completely remote for 120,000 or 240,000 in office?

[Kristen]

I'm taking the remote job.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

It was so interesting to me because most of Gen Z that was responding because she was also asking, you know, like, tell me if you're Gen Z or whatever. Most of gen Z said 120,000 with completely remote job.

[Kristen]

Yeah, I would 100 do that over the in office option.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

I would take the 240,000 in office job.

[Kristen]

This is interesting. I want to hear your reasons.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Number one, it's double the salary, which you do have to consider, you know, like, there's variables in this. Right. How far are we traveling to said job for the 240,000? I personally think if I was going to do a corporate job, I would want to be in an office with colleagues able to leave my work there.

[Kristen]

Mm.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

I feel like if I was staying in, like, the world that I'm currently in, and I essentially am my job, it would be the better choice or the easier choice to choose the 120,000 completely remote because I am my job.

[Kristen]

So here's some things for me. One, the commute, right? So, like, you're talking like, wear and tear on your car gas. You don't know about traffic. We don't know how far of a drive it is. Whatever, whatever. Most people's average commutes, I think, are an hour. Also, you have to think about clothing specifically for in office attire, which is vastly different than most People are working from home. Like, what their work from home attire is.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Oh, some people's work from home attire is wild. Including myself. I know someone and when I say. Actually, I'm not going to say who it is, but by process of elimination, you guys are going to guess it. I know someone who will sit on Zooms and it'll be party on the bottom, business on top.

[Kristen]

Oh, that's me. Every time I have to get on meetings, it's you. Yeah, that's literally me.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

I was talking about you.

[Kristen]

Yeah, I love that it's me. I don't even. I don't give a crap. Like, you cannot see my bottoms. I don't care. And you, I will look fantastic from the top up. And nobody needs to know what's going on below the desk. But you have to think about the cost of that stuff. You also have to think about the interruptions that happen in an office where a lot of it is like, you know, you can get very, very sidetracked in an office. Also, most of your meetings in an office are still taking place on Zoom. There is no collaborative work happening. So when people are using that as a back to office excuse of we need people working collaborative, collaboratively, and we need minds mashing together, it's not happening. People are sitting in their cubicles and they're still taking Zoom meetings. So that does. That does not fly. That does not work for me in the slightest. So that's crazy. You also have to think about having like food at work and things like that. So if you don't have time to prep lunch, you are spending money at lunch, coffee, like things that you're going to get for yourself to make the commute better, like all of that type of stuff. And there's just a lot of outside cost that goes into working in office. You also lose the ability to, like, some people can do this. I am not someone who's good at it. The way that my, like, layout of my house is set up and where my office is in comparison to everything else does not make this very easy for me. But my father in law, when he works from home, he throws laundry in. He's doing laundry, he'll get up, he'll prep dinner, he'll do all the things like that to make things much easier. And like, so he's getting life tasks done that you would not be able to do if you were out of the office. And it's freeing up time in the personal life where you lose so much time in the personal life. As far as leaving your job at work. That has not happened since before actually I would say right up at Covid, ever since remote work became a thing. I can't tell you how many people I know that had to go back to office or are working hybrid schedules and that's supposed to be a perk. A hybrid schedule is now supposed to be looked at as a perk. And hybrid instead of being three days out, it's two days out and three days in and they have to come home and finish and continue working. So like not only are you losing all the time, you're having to drive, you're having to do this, you're having to spend money, you're doing all these things, you're still coming home and using your personal time to work now. And a lot of them are not getting paid for it because most people in the workforce like that are salaried. If you are a last minute shopper like us this year, you know the feeling. Shelves are empty and ideas are running low. Aura Frames is a solution with a gift that feels personal. I have talked about these for the last several weeks because I have several people who will be receiving them as presents this year and I am so excited. They are all off to their destinations already. I have a couple that I'm bringing Christmas morning places and it is such a beautiful gift and it you can use this for years to come.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

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[Kristen]

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[Lindsay Chrisley]

Bring on the holiday cheer and treat yourself or someone you love to Seoul this season. Right now Seoul is offering our listeners 30% off your entire order. Go to getSoul.com and use code Southern Tea. That's Get Soul.com promo code Southern Tea for 30% off. I think that I'm just the type of person that because I've worked from home for so long, yeah it's like it's kind of lonely sometimes just being here by myself and while I can say I am a very productive like working from home person. For example yesterday I went to drop Jackson off at school, I went to my workout so I would also have to consider that because a lot of people, yeah like some people are working out before work if they're getting up at 4 or 5 o' clock in the morning and going, doing that, coming home, showering and then going to their job. But a lot of people are going to their job, coming home, then getting that task if you want to consider it a task done or not being able to do it all Monday through Friday. So I go to my workout, tried to drive to the car wash but I realized that it was freezing degrees. I don't Know why I didn't look at the temperature to realize that the car wash wouldn't be open. But I was like, you know what?

[Kristen]

Whatever.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Ran to the grocery store, got stuff for dinner, came home, did laundry, worked on email, worked with my Disney planner, had a phone call with her, did some stuff for the podcast, did most all of my laundry. Today I had one load of laundry left and just put that in right before this recording, have my dinner laid out. So to that point, I do think that the 240,000 seems so much better because it's double the amount. But what you're giving up might not be worth that one.

[Kristen]

That's. That's the biggest takeaway for me is that at my big age of 32, there's like, as far as quality of my life goes, I used to think that I would take a dollar for whatever. Right. Like, there was a time in my life where that was what it was. I am lucky enough to be able to say that is not actually worth, like, what it's costing me. And cost doesn't always mean financially.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

That makes sense to me. Actually, Kayl and I had a conversation not too long ago about, like, cost. Cost to everybody is different.

[Kristen]

Yes.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

You know, so, like, are you going to take the financial loss for the financial piece? Please tell me why. I just got a text from Kale saying there's nothing more humbling today than being fully dressed in kitty merch and running to the bathroom in public to avoid myself in public.

[Kristen]

Oh, my God. Like, honestly, not a girl for putting it. Trying to put us on the map.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

You know what I mean? No, I think that that cost is just different for so many people. Like, at this point in my life, I just want peace and I don't care what it costs me.

[Kristen]

Yeah. And I think you hit a point where it's like that. And if you're lucky enough, if you are lucky enough to be able to choose things over finances, that which is a luxury. And I'm not one to say that it's not. It is flat out a luxury. That, to me is what? Like that to me is really when you made it, when you don't have to do something for a dollar. And you can make a very happy life. And I know it's very difficult because you could be content at a certain rate for such a long time, and then you get slammed with inflation and things like that, like we're all dealing with now. And then those. Those dollars equate to way less. And then you might have to reevaluate your financial position. I might not always be able to say, yeah, I'd give up the double paying job, but you have to like actually break it down. Like you have to take it and look further out, like, okay, how much usage on my car? How, like, how is like, what is that going to do for like my maintenance schedule? What is like, you know, how much approximately am I going to spend in work clothes and lunches and, you know, coffees and all of those things. And really like, do the math to see how much you're actually gaining, if anything. And also see if you're incurring cost because now you're in office. So like, are you having to hire a babysitter for an interim period of time because you can't get home in time to like get your kids from the bus or school or whatever that looks like? Are you then going to pay for aftercare or some type? Like, you know, there's so many things that go into that that I think that people look at a raise and they're immediately like, oh my God, yes. Or the back to office thing and whatever. It's, it's really, really hard.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

I mean, I do not know how single parent households with no help are able to do it.

[Kristen]

I, I don't know.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

I applaud those people because I do not know how I could do it.

[Kristen]

I look at that every single day, truly. And I'm like, I can't get X, Y and Z done. And I have three adults in a household and no children. How the is my friend who is a single parent, no help whatsoever, getting four kids, two from wherever they're, they're making their sports, she's working full time, they're making money, she's side hustling. I have no idea, I have no idea how people make it happen, but they do.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

I just personally feel like. So my grandmother used to always tell me, you just figure out how to make it work. And I never understood that.

[Kristen]

Yeah, me neither. My mom and my dad said the same to me growing up.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

And I'm like, yeah, I know, like what you're saying. So for a long period of time I was being asked and I hate the question and I never ask people this question because I hate it so much because I hate when I was asked. But it's like, when are you gonna have another baby? And I'm like, I can't even. And everybody's capacity is different, right? So what might work for me might not, you know, work for somebody else. And what they can put on their Plate I might not be able to put on my plate. I'm just like, I'm trying to do all of this stuff, like, be a good wife, keep the house clean, do the laundry, put a meal on the table, give all of my undivided attention to my child because he deserves it. I brought him here, and I feel like he deserves every bit of my time that I have to give. And me having another child would be beyond my capacity because I don't want to take away from the child that I already have. And then also, I have working obligations.

[Kristen]

Right, Right.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

And I was told, well, you just figure it out.

[Kristen]

Yeah. And you're like, what does that mean? I need the freaking blueprint. What does that mean?

[Lindsay Chrisley]

If somebody could have given me a piece of paper, like, to tell me step by step, like, how you manage to do that. But then also, you've got to consider everybody has different outlooks on things, right? So people who want multiple children, they're like, it's not. Keel has always said, love doesn't divide, it multiplies. And I get it. Like, it makes sense to me. And I can see it with people who have multiple children, but I don't know how I could have done it.

[Kristen]

For me, it, like, I don't. I don't have any kids. Right. So it's like that decision to go from, like, changing your life to just being about yourself to adding a child. And Corey and I talk about it all the time like, we want a child, but it's always that, like, well, now's not the right time because of X, Y, and Z. And, you know, I've asked so many people, and they're like, if you wait until the right time, you're never gonna have a baby, because there's never a right time.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

I was told that my whole life.

[Kristen]

Too do it, and then you just adjust. And as a very huge planner that I am, I'm like, that in and of itself will send me into a spiral.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Agreed.

[Kristen]

Agreed. Like, could you imagine someone telling me right today that I'm pregnant? No.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

I think that would truly beyond the fact that the gallbladder could take you out, that might be what takes you out.

[Kristen]

Like, when they were asking me in the hospital, like, are you pregnant? Meanwhile, I sprung my period in the hospital, and they were still asking me.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Oh, God.

[Kristen]

I was like, if you tell me right now that I am, I'm gonna lose my mind.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Not. Not pregnant and needing a gallbladder out.

[Kristen]

Well, I also don't even know how the fuck that works, actually. Let me tell you a really mortifying story about the hospital, Lyns.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Okay. Do you keep hearing this blasting into my window?

[Kristen]

Yeah. What's going on?

[Lindsay Chrisley]

It is a squirrel.

[Kristen]

What?

[Lindsay Chrisley]

It is a squirrel. Like, he's trying to get into my house and he's been trying to get in for days, and I'm terrified of him.

[Kristen]

It. Maybe he just wants to cuddle.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

No. Like, he's now looking at me like, sit. Like, he has moved over to the window and he is looking at me.

[Kristen]

You have a peeping squirrel.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

I do not.

[Kristen]

Squirrel. Is he throwing shit at your window?

[Lindsay Chrisley]

No, he's just looking at me like he can see me in here and he's jumping.

[Kristen]

Ah.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Lindsay, did you hear it? He flung off.

[Kristen]

Oh, my God.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

He sees me in here and he does this every day. Like, when he sees me working, it's almost like a domesticated thing. Like, I wonder if someone raised it and let it loose.

[Kristen]

He's co working with you?

[Lindsay Chrisley]

He is my co worker. Wait, tell me the story about the hospital.

[Kristen]

Okay. There's a lot of mortifying taking me to, like, the depths of my, like, hell of terrifying things for me that occurred in the hospital. But I'm just going to talk about this one. So a couple days into my hospital stay, I find out that I get told, like, you're going to have this surgery. And I said, all right. Like, which is beyond me. That is not my M.O. at all. Didn't research it, didn't look it up. Nothing. Was just hopped up on pain meds and said, okay, sounds good. So they come to get me, and I ask at that time, because I have a tampon in. And I said, do I need to remove my tampon? And they're like, where this is going? They're like, no, no, no, it's fine. I said, are we sure? Because I do not want somebody removing my tampon for me. And they said, yeah, no, you're good. Okay, great. I'm on this thing. We're headed to the. To the freaking or. I'm just getting told that I'm getting more medicine. And I was like, whatever. Like, just knock me out before I have to lay back. Because I can't lay back or I'll scream. Positionally. It's like a fucking nightmare. So I'm crying. I start crying because, like, Corey's not there. He's at work. My mom's with me. It just hits me that I'm. My throat's fucking about. It just hits me that I'm having this, like, fucking surgery. And I'm scared. Like, I'm just scared. I've only ever had one surgery in my life, so really was like, oh, shit. Like, might not come back from this one. So I was like, okay, like, whatever.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

So.

[Kristen]

So I'm crying, and they're trying to call me. Like, the nurses and whatever are trying to calm me down. And I'm trying to tell them that I can't lay back. They need to give me medicine before they try to lay me back or I'm going to scream. And I. That's embarrassing. And then there's a bunch of men in the room because, like, my surgeon is male, and there's, like, a couple like. Like, texts and stuff in there that are male. There was, like, two women, majority female. So I start looking at the nurse I'm looking for. I'm like, I need my nurse. I need my nurse. So she comes around the bed, and she's like, is everything okay? I said, I have a tampon in right now. She goes, okay, let's get you to be able to get it out. I said, no, I can't get it out from the position y' all have me in right now.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

So wait, you're gonna take it out, like, in front of them?

[Kristen]

No, she was gonna get me to get out of the bed to go take it out. Okay. And I said, where. Where am I going? And she was like, oh, I'm gonna get you to step down, and we'll just have you remove it. She asked. Then she asked all the men to leave the room. So first of all, there was a man that wouldn't leave the room, so she had to keep telling him to get out. So he finally got out of the room, and then it was just me, her, and one other female nurse. And she was going to try to get me down, but then she's like, are you going to be able to get back up? And I was like, absolutely not. So she said, all right, like, butterfly your legs like you would when you're getting waxed. And she had to pull my tampon out of me. Mortifying. I'm crying. And she's like, it's okay. Like, we do this all the time. We see this all the time. It is totally fine. Whatever, whatever. And I'm like, it's not okay. I'm, like, hysterically crying. And then she said also, just so you know, when you wake up, if you have stuff on your bum, it's me that put it there. And I. That was the last thing that I remember hearing before I got Knocked out with medication.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

What in the world?

[Kristen]

Something was going to get put on my butthole. Thanks to HomeServe for sponsoring this episode. We talk about this all the time. Owning a home is truly amazing until it is absolutely not. So. So one minute you might be sipping coffee, the next you're ankle deep in water from a burst pipe. Repairs literally don't care about timing and they definitely do not care about your budget and it's so frustrating. However, regular homeowners insurance usually doesn't cover a lot of the day to day wear and tear, plumbing failures, H VAC breakdowns, electrical issues. You're often on your own for those, which is terrifying. But this is where HomeServe comes in. It's like a subscription for your home. For as little as4.99amonth, they have got your back.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

It is super simple. You choose a plan for your needs and budget and when something on your plan goes wrong, just call their 24. 7 hotline to start the repair process. They have helped homeowners like you for over 20 years. With a trusted national network of 2,600 local contractors with 4.5 million customers and a 4.8 out of 5 post repair rating and an A plus BBB rating. They're the real deal.

[Kristen]

One time when I had first moved in, our water heater needed repair. I had no idea what was going on. I reached out to my regular homeown insurance or like that is not a problem. I could have used home serve in this situation. So I 10 out of 10 recommend signing up.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

This is y' all signed to help protect your home systems and your wallet with HomeServe against covered repairs plans start at just 4.99amonth. Go to HomeServe.com to find the plan that's right for you. That's HomeServe.com not available everywhere. Most plans range between 4.99 to 11.99amonth. Your first year terms apply on covered repairs. Okay, so there are two different types of people in this world. Anybody who's listening to this, if you have ever had a child, you're always told, oh, at the point that you have a child, your modesty will go out the window. Nothing will matter. There are some people that that can apply to. There are others who are married to somebody for a decade who will not take a shit if three doors are not closed. I fall in that category of people and I feel like you are somewhat in that category of people. Maybe not like to the degree of category that I'm in, but you teeter like, more towards that. I can tell you right now, if someone tried to take a tampon out of me, just put me out.

[Kristen]

I was so emotional. I was so upset. And then the when you have stuff there, like, I put it there vibe, I was like, what are we, like, what stuff are we talking about? I don't know what's going on. And then just La La land. And then I woke up and they were like yelling at me, trying to wake me up, telling me I needed to breathe because evidently I was enjoying my nap way too much.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Bless your heart. Like, that's a traumatic experience and I can't even imagine. And then just being mortified with men in the room. I mean, obviously they know what tampons are. They're in the medical field. They know what a pad is, all of these things, but it doesn't lighten the blow, you know what I mean?

[Kristen]

And like when you just like already you. They weren't letting me shower and I'm like trying to stay sponge bathe and like, I can't, can't move. I have swelling everywhere. I just don't feel good. I don't feel like myself. I'm not with the. I am, you know, two sheets to the wind, thanks to the pain meds. It was a nightmare. So that was just one of the many humbling, mortifying experiences that I went through. But I had to share because it is true. Take your tampon out before surgery or else it's getting taken out for you.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

I just don't know why any medical professional would have told you not to take your tampon out, as it is a foreign object.

[Kristen]

That was my whole thing. I'm like. At first of all, the fact that I even remembered it was like, kudos to me. But being told I was like, gaslit. No, no, it's fine. What do you mean it's fine to them, it. Maybe for her, she was like, oh, it's fine because they'll just take it out. But I was like, explicit. I was very explicit that I didn't want someone taking my damn pot now, which I know is probably small fries to a lot of people, but like, for me it's a thing. So.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

So that's so crazy. I can just remember back in the 90s, do you remember when people would have babies and they had to take like their fingernail polish off of their nails and their toes?

[Kristen]

Yes, it is.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

And like now that's not a thing anymore.

[Kristen]

I thought that it had something to do with them having to be able to see the Color of your, of your fingernails to see your oxygen level. So like as like a double checker. But then I heard something about like metal flakes being in nail polish and then having like the fire combustibility aspect with like oxygen and all those things.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

But think about it today, like used to fingernail polish. Just used to be fingernail polish, right? Like, it was all just the same. Whatever. Now you've got jail now. Okay, and so if you have to be hospitalized, what do you do?

[Kristen]

I don't know. That's a great question. I don't know.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Like, I would love to know. Wait, while you were out, I know that you are somewhat, I don't know how deeply invested in Candace Owens content, but did you see, and this is not political at all. This is just news that I saw this past week about Erica Kirk meeting with Candace Owens.

[Kristen]

Okay. So this came across my thing saying they were having a meeting, but I didn't know if it was legitimate. I didn't know if I was seeing shit because I was kind of hallucinating a little bit. But I didn't know if it was real or not. And I actually never went back to look it up because I forgot until you just said it.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Yeah. So both Erica Kirk and Candace Owens confirmed the meeting on social media post and Erica Kirk wrote they agreed that public discussions, live streams and tweets are on hold until after the meeting. Kirk also added. I look forward to a productive conversation. Owens wrote in response. I am very much looking forward to this discussion.

[Kristen]

Okay. I'm intrigued to see what comes out of said discussion.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

I don't know with them being on such opposite sides of the fence in this situation, how productive of a conversation that they could possibly have. Because I also feel like Candace Owens is so, like, invested in the way that she thinks and the way that she researches and the way she investigates, like, all of the things that I feel like it would be very hard to sway her opinion away from that.

[Kristen]

I would agree that's. That was one of my reasons for it piquing my interest because I was like, I don't know if anybody can convince and Candace Owens of anything.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

I. I don't know. But I was having a conversation with somebody yesterday and they were like, I am so invested in this. Like, I want to see the conversation. I want to see what comes out of the conversation. And just from a perspective of them both having such large public platforms and so active on social media platforms and podcasts, I cannot imagine this meeting. I understand it was not live streamed or was not open for public view. But you cannot convince me it will be a hill that I die on that. There were absolutely camera people from both sides and some type of NDA or something like that that was signed and the footage to be mutually agreed upon before release.

[Kristen]

Oh, I agree with you wholeheartedly. There's no way.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

I just. I thought that that was so interesting. And it was, you know, really, the. The event that I did not predict to happen in 2025.

[Kristen]

No, I thought that if. If anything, it would be like mid-2026, I thought.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Not at all.

[Kristen]

Okay.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Because when you are on such opposite sides of the fence about something, I don't see how productive of a conversation that you can have. I mean, it would take a great deal of maturity.

[Kristen]

Right. Which I. I would agree with that. I would agree with that. I'm.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

I can't be done. I'm just saying the maturity level to participate in that conversation in a productive manner would have to be there.

[Kristen]

Well, especially given the topics, you know what I mean? For sure.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Other crazy news. Did you see that the director of Princess Diaries, Rob Reiner.

[Kristen]

Yeah.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Did you see that his son was arrested? So Rob Reiner and his wife were stabbed to death. And their home, I think it was like, in the hills in la.

[Kristen]

Okay.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

You didn't see this?

[Kristen]

No, I saw this. I want to. Wait, was this the one that happened, like, maybe like a month ago, or was this.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

No, no, no, no. They found them on December 14th. So we're talking about two days ago.

[Kristen]

Okay. No.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

And the initial reports that came out said that they weren't looking for a suspect. And I immediately said, oh, well, it's probably the son. I don't know why I said that. But then news broke yesterday that the son had been taken into custody following the deaths of the parents, Rob Reiner and Michelle and Michelle Singer Reiner. It says they were killed in their Los angeles home Sunday, December 14th. Before he was arrested, People magazine reported that he was being questioned by the Los Angeles Police Department Robbery and Homicide Division. Oh, yeah. And he was taken into custody on murder charges.

[Kristen]

Okay. So to me, I would have. If he. If I knew he had a kid, I would have assumed that, too. It was just like, very Menendez esque. Do we know, like, the motive or anything like that?

[Lindsay Chrisley]

So it says that the Los Angeles Fire Department was called to the home to provide medical aid. I think the daughter actually found them, it said, at 3:30pm and it says that sources subsequently identified the victims. It said the couple had been married since 1980. 9. And they met while he was directing When Harry Met Sally. And it said that they had three children. But the reason that I thought it was the son was because I had read like a long while ago that the son had previously spoken openly about his struggles with addiction and homelessness and that that had began in his early teens.

[Kristen]

Okay.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

And so not because of him having addiction or homelessness or those types of struggles necessarily. Was I like. It was definitely him. But based off of the children, that one would have made the most sense to me.

[Kristen]

Do we think it was for money or.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

It doesn't say a motive yet.

[Kristen]

Yeah.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

But what's so crazy is that he's being held on $4 million bail and was booked on murder charges. Like $4 million is a lot of bail money. But why wouldn't he being. Be being held without bail?

[Kristen]

That was. Okay. I was about to say that. I'm like, wait, murder, bail probably shouldn't exist in the same sentence. You know, Isn't that crazy? That's wild. I'm intrigued to see what gets uncovered there.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

I feel like you have just been like so out of the news and like everything that's going on and I have been all up in it, like on it. Got God dawn it. This following segment contains mentions of mental health and suicide. If this is a conversation that you would not like to listen to very much understand and you can fast forward. I've been following this story on this Texas A and M cheerleader. Did you see that?

[Kristen]

No. If this happened recently, if this happened anytime since, anything that happened in the last 10 days, count me out.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Yeah. So it was a Texas A and M cheerleader and she was reported like missing. But then when they actually found her cell phone device, somehow they recovered like on the phone a deleted suicide note that was days before her death.

[Kristen]

Oh.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

And it's been this whole thing because I think that the mom. It was said that the mom or like family members wanted to launch an investigation into the police department because they. They don't believe that she would have ever done what they're saying that she did. Saying that she plunged from a 17 story building. She was on the 17th story of an Austin apartment building. And friends have come out and said. And I do think that like some of the situation with the mom is maybe a situation of like, I do not want to believe this and cannot believe this. Like in a state of complete shock and grief. Yeah.

[Kristen]

And denial 1,000%.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Yeah. I think that that's probably more so of what it is. And I think the media has just kind of made it sound like, oh well, you know, it's the parents or the mom against the police department.

[Kristen]

Right.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

But there was quotes that. So the Austin police detective actually had a news conference and said that she had made suicidal comments previously to friends all the way back to October of the year. And it continued through the evening of her death with some self harming actions early in the evening and a text message to another friend indicating the thought of suicide.

[Kristen]

I think that no parent wants to believe that their kid could ever be in a place of wanting to take their own life and that it's probably the most because it's, I think that that is the most helpless that a parent could be. You like, yes, there is help when you're suicidal 1000%. It's professional help that's required. I don't like and parents like, they believe that they're supposed to be able to fix anything and everything. Right. So it's like, I think it also takes like a shot at them, like oh, did I do something to cause it? And it's just something that I think that you're just not built to process.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

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[Kristen]

They have 20 new recipes every week made from nutrient rich ingredients. Tempo keeps things exciting and helps you stay consistent with healthy habits no matter your goals. There's a Tempo meal for you. Protein packed meals with up to 30 grams of protein which is what I will be focusing on once my gallbladder is out. Calorie conscious, carb conscious, even fiber rich. It's super convenient but also flexible enough to fit the way you want to eat. Tempo was even the official partner of the 2025 CrossFit Games, proving their meals are built to support optimal nutrition and.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

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[Kristen]

Lindsay, let me tell you something else that I'm gifting people this year and everyone is begging for it, but everyone is not getting it. Lola blankets absolutely one of the top items that I've purchased for people this year.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Someone in my home actually stole my Lola blanket and used it all weekend. I just finished washing it and I've been using it for recordings all day. If you guys have not heard about Lola, Lola is the world's number one blanket. Crafted with ultra soft luxury vegan faux fur and a signature four way stretch that sets it apart. It is machine washable, it's double hemmed for durability and it stays flawless. So we're talking no pilling, no shedding, even after repeated washes. I wash my Lulu blanket every single week and it looks brand new.

[Kristen]

My blanket gets stolen by multiple people in my house and then when we have guests visit, they like take it as if it's an option. So at this point I've gotten myself a second second one and that has been essential to my recovery and I will be using it after I have my surgeries.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Lola is something that I reach for as a go to gift. So whether it's like a baby shower or a holiday gift, it's so personal, it's beautiful and something people actually use every day. Lola has over 10,000 5 star reviews and once you feel it, you're going to know why. There's a reason it's called the world's number one blanket. This thing truly is the next level. Give the gift of softness. This holiday season with Lola Blankets. For a limited time, our listeners are getting a huge 40% off their entire order@lola blankets.com by using code Southern Tea at checkout. Just head to Lola blankets.com and use code Southern Tea for 40% off. After you purchase they will ask you where you heard about them. Please support our show and tell them that we sent you one. I mean I just think we've had a lot of conversations over the last year of, you know, kids, I mean this was a 17 year old girl, but even kids that are younger than my son having access to social media and friends having access to each other at all times. You don't know what's going through these kids heads every single day. And the way that not that this kind of stuff didn't happen before social media and before all of the access because I know it did. I don't know if we hear more about it now because also we have access to the Internet in ways that we wouldn't have when I'm saying, oh, well, it wasn't as prevalent, but people really don't think about what our kids are seeing every single day and possible conversations that we are not prepared privy to every single day. And I do check ins with Jackson all the time because that is a huge fear, just as a parent of your child being unhappy and for. For this mom. I can't even imagine the. The level of grieving. Like, this was a beautiful girl, cheerleader at Texas A M. Supposedly she was intoxicated and asked to leave somewhere earlier that night. And she had been sending these types of text messages. Allegedly. And I'm going to say allegedly because this is just the report from the police and the forensics, like from her phone. Supposedly she'd been saying all of this stuff all the way back in October, and she becomes intoxicated, was asked to leave somewhere. She left. There was a video. There was video surveillance showing, like, a large group of friends that left the apartment complex. And then this girl and three other girls were le leaving the apartment. And so she had told friends that she lost her phone, she borrowed someone else's phone, called her boyfriend from that phone. And then there was a witness saying that they heard her arguing with a boyfriend. And then that was only two minutes before the 911 call was made.

[Kristen]

See, the argument with the boyfriend is throwing me off.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

I know. And then you've got to be so careful because, you know, you don't want to get into a situation to where, you know, you're blaming, I think, all the way back to like the Idaho four, you know, and. And that one boyfriend and how people were going after him and, you know, come to find out it was nothing that was involving him. I'm just more concerned of the fact that maybe some of these friends. And again, not trying to blame anybody. Hindsight's always 20 20, but, like, these are children's lives. At the point that she was making comments like that that were alarming, and you're giving statement to law enforcement after she jumped from 17 stories. Maybe probably should have contacted the university to get some help.

[Kristen]

You know, I think that it's hard, though, because I think that kids are so desensitized because of all the crap that goes on, and they're so desensitized to things that when people make comments, they might not raise red flags until something actually happens. Like, I truly wholeheartedly believe that that is what happens most of the time is that, oh, my God, it doesn't make sense until you're putting the puzzle pieces together because something happened.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

I mean, I can, I can see that.

[Kristen]

I mean, how many times we all run around saying, like, oh, my God, I'm gonna kill myself. Like, you know, like, it's just, it's so second nature to a lot of people. And, you know, mental health has been made such a joke in our country, our generation. It's just, it's not. There is still so much work to be done. And like, I will fully admit on this podcast, like, I am someone who has struggled with suicidal ideation, and I could. It takes one second. And that's the scariest part. It takes one second for someone to make the wrong decision because they're feeling a type of way, because their brain is telling them, because they have anxiety, because they have whatever is going on. It takes one second.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

But do you think in a situation like this, that this was like a snapped situation? Because I think it was both. I think the girl was essentially crying for help by reaching out to friends, saying some of the things that she allegedly said all the way back to October. And then there was a note that was in a deleted, like, I guess deleted in her notes app on her phone. And then the phone call with the boyfriend. And then all of a sudden she jumps from 17 stories and then a 911 call is made two minutes later.

[Kristen]

We don't know the context. Of the argument. For all we know, she was telling the boyfriend she wanted to offer self and he was telling her not to, and they were fighting. And I, I do think that jumping is a. And I could be very wrong, but I would say that jumping. I think that jumping 17 stories would have to be more of like a rash decision, not, not like a planned one.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

I would agree.

[Kristen]

As far as the suicide note goes, again, I will be fully so honest on this podcast. I've written several.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

But can you walk me through, through when you've done that? This is the first time I'm ever hearing you say this, so, like, I'm taken aback.

[Kristen]

Sorry. I apologize.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

No, it's like literally breaking my heart when you get to that point. What gets you to that point and what makes you feel like you need to do that? Like, is it.

[Kristen]

I can speak for myself. I, I, I'll speak for myself. And I think that everybody's different. I will say that there are times where it's a lot of times where I'm not caring for myself at all. I'm pouring into everybody else around me and I'm literally drowning. And nobody sees it, nobody checks, because, like, the strong ones don't get checked on. The ones who take care of people don't get checked on. The ones who appear happiest and smiley and all the things like that. They don't get checked on. Um, and I'm not saying that anybody checking on me would have made me feel any differently. I just. It's something that I've noticed, but I guess it gets to the point where you actually feel like everybody's life around you would be so much better if you weren't in it. And you think that you're, like, essentially doing a solid. Like, that's how it has felt in my case through my struggles is that my mom would be better off without me here for X, Y and z reason. I'm not a good daughter. I'm not a good friend. Corey would be better off if we weren't married and I wasn't here. And all the things. Like, I have struggled with this pretty much throughout, like, since the time my dad passed away to. I would say now. Like, not now now, but like, through adulthood. Like, I'm good right now, but that doesn't mean that I will be good in three months.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Is it an you get to a place of overwhelm?

[Kristen]

Yes. It's an overwhelming feeling of I am literally just like, the worst things that you could think about yourself will hit my. My mind all at one time, and my brain will perpetuate it. Like, my brain will literally just perpetuate it over and over again. And, you know, then you have this thing called cognitive dissonance where the logical side of your brain, eventually, it stops working, but your logical side will fight with the other side that's going on, and it drives you absolutely insane. Like, I sound crazy trying to explain this, but I hope that by saying it. You know, people make comments to me all the time like, you're superwoman, you're this, you're that. Like, no, I. I struggle with the rest of them. With the best of them. I. I struggle and it'll. It'll just get to this place where. And I'll feel it coming and I'll. It depends on, like, could be a really stressful time in personal life or work or just usually it's all of the things at one time where, like, everything might not be going so good. And then, you know, you have the little fights that you get into at home with, like, your significant other and all the things and you're like, wow, I think their life would actually be better off without me. And, like, you'll have Those, like, fleeting thoughts. This is. I'm speaking for myself, what happens? And I'll have, like, fleeting thoughts of that. And then I start to, like, those thoughts start taking over, like in the depths of the night when you can't sleep. And it's literally just like whispering at you, like, you know, you. You don't need to be here.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

But voices not.

[Kristen]

It's like, it's your own. It's my own brain. It's like my own brain mulling over things that I think. Like, my internal thoughts are not good thoughts all the time. Like, I have a very. I have very negative self talk that goes on in my brain very, very frequently, which also shocks the.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Out of people to hear everyone listening to this podcast, including you. Like, the world is so much better with you in it, and you are so loved and being overwhelmed. I can very much understand that in moments of just stress and maybe not having answers or anxiety and not knowing what to do. And I know it's so easy to say because I have not struggled with this. And I have so much empathy for you. I know that it could probably feel so lonely.

[Kristen]

Yes, it feels very isolating. And then you. A lot of people like me will isolate themselves further into it.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

But, like, the world is so much better with you in it. And God had a purpose for you, for you to be here. And that is not the purpose.

[Kristen]

No. And. And when you come out of it, it's like the best. It's like the best feeling until you. I get. I feel guilty because I know, like, my logical brain will start to work again. And I'm like, are you stupid? Like, the amount of lives around you that you would impact, like, it's the. It's the craziest thing. And it's not all the time. Like, I've gone periods of years where it hasn't happened. I've gone periods where I've had situations coming down. Like, literally every freaking quarter of the year, I'm slipping into, like, a situation. So it's hard, but I can absolutely understand how somebody would be in that frame of mind and make a snap decision. Being in so much pain internally and thinking that you're causing pain to so many people around you, I know that they would do something. And that is the scariest part. And that's why when people are like, oh, my God, we had no idea. I'm. I am very sensitive to other people's mental health. And I think you can attest to that. Like, I know something is going on with you before you even Sometimes know something's going on with you.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

It's actually really weird. Like, sometimes Kristin knows that I'm about to hit, like, a breaking point before I get there. And then it's almost like when she says something to me about it, I'm like, okay, now, right now is the moment that I am choosing to break. Yeah.

[Kristen]

And, like. But, like, I pay attention to it because I. I, like, it's very, very weird. I'm hypersensitive to, like, patterns and just, like, things that are said and things like that. And that's why I go out of my way to, like, check on people and, you know, because it literally takes one second. It takes a really bad night, a really bad day. It, like, I. It's so sad stuff to deal with.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

We all need to be aware that people every day are having struggles like this. And I tell that to Jackson all the time. Like, not specifically about this, but just because he's in middle school. I feel like that is such an age or ages where kids are really, like, coming into their self. And it's some of the hardest years to be able to navigate. And I always tell them, like, hey, if you see somebody struggling, just ask them, are they okay? Like, do they need a friend? People don't realize, like, how far that something like that goes. And it's something that's so small just to let somebody know that they have been seen. But when I read this story about this girl, my heart breaks for her parents because I know they're in grief, and it's just sad. Like, they're seeking answers, right? Like, maybe they weren't necessarily aware of all the things. This girl's in college, you know, so she's living in an apartment. She's doing her own life. And, you know, I can think back to when I was in college. My parents didn't know all the struggles that I was going through and the things that were going on, you know, so. So not that she wasn't close with her parents. I'm not saying that, but I. I could see where the disconnect would be, where they might not have been as aware as what they now feel like they wanted to be. But there was a quote from the police chief that said, I understand how grief and the need for answers can raise intense emotions and many questions, but sometimes the truth doesn't provide the answers that we're hoping for, and that is this case. Adding that her heart aches for this girl's parents, she said, I have three daughters and a son, and I cannot begin to imagine the pain. But the family hired the Texas attorney Tony Busby, who actually represented more than 150 alleged victims of Diddy.

[Kristen]

Oh, I was gonna say that name sounds familiar.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Yeah. And in a quote, they also said they feel certain. So this was coming from Busby. It says they feel certain that this was not an accident and this was certainly not suicide. The family deserves straight answers and we hope we can get them those answers.

[Kristen]

I think it's hard to say certains when there's no witnesses, no cameras, you know, and I get it. I think any family would hope that someone in their family wouldn't be struggling to that degree and make that decision.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

And I I just want to put a disclaimer in here. If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or experiencing mental health Crisis, you can dial 988-to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or go to suicidepreventionlifeline.org and get some help.

[Kristen]

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[Lindsay Chrisley]

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[Kristen]

Yes, ma'. Am.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Okay, so there was an update on that. And I will tell you, I almost had a nervous breakdown. We took the kids to Helen this weekend to do the Christmas parade and we rode the mountain roller coaster and took them to eat and candy shopping and souvenir shopping and like, all the things. And I had just read this news the Friday we went on Saturday. And I get fixated on stuff like this. Like, you know how I am and I need to watch for like every update and find out what's going on and like, what would have caused that. And you know, just seeking answers. And I think it's really hard when you have kids that are school age and they're in school buildings and you're reading stuff like this and then you go to a place of large crowds and you're just absolutely so fearful.

[Kristen]

Yeah.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

And so I told David, I was like, we need to leave right now.

[Kristen]

You just got like, so overwhelmed.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

So overwhelmed. But it says, Appalachian High School shooting. Mental evaluation still incomplete for Colt Gray. It says that its case remains stalled as the psychological evaluation is unfinished and not expected until late February.

[Kristen]

What the fuck is taking so long?

[Lindsay Chrisley]

I don't know. But it says that Colin Gray, which was the dad that had purchased the firearm, he's also awaiting trial and that was also delayed until February. It's a separate trial. And they moved his trial to another county.

[Kristen]

Oh my God. Yeah, I've been in that situation before though, where I'm like, in public. It happens frequently, especially when I go to hockey games because that's like the biggest crowd that I usually am sitting in, like the most frequently. And I'll look around and I'm like, oh, like this would be terrible right now. And I've done that for a long time. Truly. Like, I've done that shit since 9 11.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Really?

[Kristen]

Yes. Because we had so many people specifically from my direct area. And I'm talking like, oh yeah, that makes sense. And all of that type of that lost people. And like, it hit our community so hard. I mean, it hit the world hard, but like, it hit our community so hard that I will literally never forget. I will never forget.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

I feel like we all, probably, anybody listening to this and us remember, like, exactly where we were and what we were doing on 9 11.

[Kristen]

Oh my God. I can tell you right now, I Literally can still smell the classroom.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

I was in journalism in a trailer.

[Kristen]

I was in third grade. Mr. Kane, shout out third grade class. Myself and my friend were in the same class. We were talking, and it was supposed to be the beginning of the morning. We were doing, like, morning announcements. Whatever, whatever. My teacher got called out of the room. We were talking. We weren't supposed to be talking. Everybody got told to shut the up, basically, so we're just not listening. He came in the room, asked us both to get out of the room and go in the hallway. So we were like, fuck, we're in huge trouble because we were talking. No. We got told we were being picked up from class because something bad happened and our babysitter was there. We had the same babysitter, and she was there to come get us.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Oh, my God.

[Kristen]

Like, oh, my God, what is going on? Wouldn't tell us anything else. Went to the office. She took us immediately. And it was right before the school. They put the schools and shit on lockdown, so people weren't able to go get their kids and stuff after that. So we got out. We went back to my babysitter's house, and I. We walked into her house. It was a split level. Either you either went down or up. We went up. We walked into her kitchen. She had one of those kitchen TVs. And we saw the. The first tower collapse. Wow. Literally will never fucking forget. And then I had her older sons, like, running around talking about how it was a specific group that was, like, targeting us or whatever, which was so false. It was so made up. We were. We were so young. Like, we didn't know what the fuck any of this meant. My brother was in high school at the time, and he was in technology class. And they came up on their computers, and then the school locked them out of all of the computers, like, right after it flashed up. And he. Unfortunately. I don't want to say unfortunately. He was in class with one of the daughters of one of the pilots that crashed into the towers.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Oh, my gosh.

[Kristen]

And their mom came to get them.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

That is absolutely.

[Kristen]

I have chills. Literally chills right now talking like. But it was. It was crazy. And I was so sketched out to go to, like, any big events. Not until my, like, teen years did I get into going to concerts and stuff like that. And I felt like that was at the age that I started, like, tailgating. So I would, like, drink a little bit. It would take my anxiety down and stuff like that and kind of got, like, better up until you Know, I was probably, I want to say, like, 20, 23, 24, I feel like, is when everything started, like, ramping up again with like, you know, all of the gun violence and things like that. And I definitely, like, I, I. There have been times where I have, like, stopped, like, not gone to an event because I'm like, oh, my God, like, this, the climate right now.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Get a bad feeling or something. Like, I don't know what it is, but eerie.

[Kristen]

That's the best way I could describe it. It's like an eerie feeling that something bad is going to happen.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Yeah. But also, I just think that we're both kind of anxious type people. And I know that other people probably experience this too. And I say this, like, not to be funny, but for me to go into a large crowd or like a sea of people, I need to be put on a Xanax strip.

[Kristen]

No, I will never forget at the tours this year, like, at the tour dates, you coming off the stage, you and Kale coming off the stage and kill. Kale going one way, you getting consumed by the crowd in another. And I am literally fighting people to get to you because you just don't.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Fudgeing, know, like, it's, it's terrifying and it's so sad because you want to be so presently there and invested, but also your mind is going in every other direction of, like, if something went wrong, like, what would happen? Like, not me sending out text messages prior to those shows being like, hey, if anything ever happens to me, just know that you're like, just let him know that he's loved.

[Kristen]

It's so, it's sad. It's so, so sad. And, like, I'm sure there's many people be like, that's so dramatic. You just, like, don't. You literally don't know.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

You don't know. What's so crazy, though, is, and, And I do have a great deal of empathy. Like, I'm a very empathetic person for just people in general. But what really took me off guard when I saw, because this was on our local news, just how different he looks now than when he was detained is crazy to me and bothers me some because the jury that's going to be sitting for this is gonna see him like that and not what he looked like when he did it, right.

[Kristen]

And you're like, you feel like it might sway them.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

And I don't know why, like, I'm thinking like that. But I, I watched the status hearing. They had a, like, video thing on it. And it only Lasted a couple of minutes. And I can't understand why it would take this long for an evaluation to be completed.

[Kristen]

I don't know. I. That's what, that's what's like blowing my mind. I just don't understand. Isn't it just like a one time thing?

[Lindsay Chrisley]

I don't know what all evaluations go on in a situation like this, but his attorney was saying. And he's had multiple attorney switchovers, but it says that once the evaluation is completed, it will assist in determining what additional motions need to be filed so that they can dictate the path that the case needs to take based on potential findings of additional motions.

[Kristen]

Okay. Well, I just hope it gets done soon. The. The. How long it takes to get any type of justice is crazy.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

It's so crazy to me. And I just think about the people and the families and the victims that were impacted or lost lives because of this. And the court system is allowed to delay these types of things. Not that it. It might not necessarily bring some people closure, but for some it might.

[Kristen]

Well, and then it's like the. The other side of it is like, we want to process. Right. Like, that's the other.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Yeah.

[Kristen]

Like wanting to be thorough. So it's just. There's no making anybody happy when a crime is committed. That's really the point blank.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

What it is point blank. I just feel so bad for the families. And then I. I just try to put myself in the shoes of like, the parents and stuff. And I can't imagine, like the feeling that I would have if I saw that on the news. And just the complete change up of being in civilian clothing, slicked back, dyed hair, completely different look. And it's just bothersome to me.

[Kristen]

Well, for me it's always like the. You get to change your look, you get to change your appearance, you get to do all of these things that the people that you murdered do not get to do. I know, it's like the straight up audacity for me.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

And I mean, I do get. Remember when we were covering the Idaho 4 and I had said, like, I did understand him not coming to trial with his jail suit on or whatever, because almost. Even though we knew he was guilty.

[Kristen]

Yeah. He just wasn't convicted yet.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

He just wasn't convicted yet. It almost makes him painted in that light, I guess.

[Kristen]

Yeah.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Painted in the light of truth.

[Kristen]

Right. Literally.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

But they're allowed to wear civilian clothing. And it's like, do you not think about the victims and why that person sitting there.

[Kristen]

It's got to Be so hard.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

I couldn't even imagine being some of those parents or siblings or grandparents or aunts or uncle. Like, I cannot even imagine.

[Kristen]

No. Ending up in the same room and you can't even have. You can't even get a swing. Oh, my God.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Let me tell you what happened last week.

[Kristen]

Oh, God.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

So I have Kayla on the podcast, right?

[Kristen]

Yeah.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Please tell me why the episode starts talking like, she just starts talking about her assault, arrest.

[Kristen]

Oh, God.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

And then you're ending this one with you can't even swing.

[Kristen]

Yeah. You're not even allowed to swing.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Southern tea assaults.

[Kristen]

Southern tea assaults. Southern. This. This episode was deep, man.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

I can't. I do have weekly devotional. My pastor had a guest speaker this week, and he said, reactivity, which is a form of anxiety, is contagious. We catch it and we spread it.

[Kristen]

Oh, agreed.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

And I agreed with that wholeheartedly. I was like, I've got to write that out, my notes to be able to share. I also ran across this when I was reading this week. It says, and if it didn't happen this year, it's okay. God is still faithful. The best thing about God's faithfulness is everything has a purpose. Even in the waiting, the closed doors, the delays, the unanswered prayers can be good. When God says, not yet, my child, get excited. The things that didn't happen this year are just great stories waiting to unfold in God's time. Continue to wait actively in the Lord. Be so confident in God's plans that when something unexpected happens, you can easily say, that's my God protecting and redirecting me.

[Kristen]

I love that.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

And on that note, I am going to fold my last load of laundry. I've got to get my suitcases out. I've got to find all my Mickey ears.

[Kristen]

I have the best trip ever, Kristin.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

I still have to go Christmas shopping tomorrow.

[Kristen]

I love that you slated that in for the 17th of December.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

I know. You know, it was really just, like, the anxiety that I needed to.

[Kristen]

Honestly, you perform best under anxiety.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

I love that you say that. But, like, I hate it, so.

[Kristen]

Yeah, you hate it. Like, until you crash out, I'm like, all right, she's. She can kill this. Like, she can get this done for sure.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

I hope that you guys have such a fantastic week. If you have not followed us on Instagram, you can do that at the Southern Table Podcast. You can also join our official Facebook group. If you have not subscribed to the show, you can do that from any podcast app, wherever you get your pods always first at Podcast one. We hope that you guys have a fantastic week and we'll be back to chat soon.

[Kristen]

Bye. Stream Pluto TV. Stream Pluto TV for free. Stream blockbuster hits like 21 Jump Street Ted, the Expendables, and so much more on Pluto TV.

[Lindsay Chrisley]

Stream Now Pay Never.

[Sean D. Nelson]

Hey everyone, it is Sean D. Nelson, author, entrepreneur and CEO. You know that love sack guy? I've got some exciting news. Season two of the Let Me Save youe 25 Years podcast is finally here. We are back with more incredible insights, powerful stories, and expert advice to help you navigate business and life. Get ready for fresh topics, actionable takeaways, inspiring journeys that will save you years of guesswork. We go deep on topics that no one else wants to talk about, right? We're not talking about successes. We're talking about failures, mistakes. The stuff where the real lessons are learned along the way. Because even when we fall flat on our face, we're still moving forward. Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur, business leader, or just looking to enhance your personal growth, we have something for everyone on this podcast. It's season two of the Let Me Save youe 25 Years podcast, with new episodes every Thursday. Subscribe now on your favorite podcast app and let's get started.