Why Was I At Focus On The Family?

Last week I caught a flight out of Nashville to Colorado Springs.

Focus on the Family invited me back to be a guest for  a SECOND TIME, yeah pretty cool, right? The last time I was there was a couple years ago. This time I came back to share about my book The Mean Mom’s Guide to Raising Great Kids.

When I arrived, after getting lost in their massive parking lot, I was greeted with my own FOTF welcome sign. It was so sweet! I’d been busy visiting lots of friends the day before and just might have been up late and up even earlier to go over my notes for the taping so I was missing my cup of coffee in the worst way. 

Eva (their producer) brought me in to their studio. It was great to see her again. The last time I was at Focus she’d just had her first son. Now, she’s a mama of two. I’m trying to convince her to move to Nashville. Dennis Rainey, if you’re reading this, she’d really love a great job producing.  Do you have any openings? Also, her kids are adorable. (That should help. I hear Dennis LOVES kids.)

I met with Vance again. He’s one of their editors. I’ve worked with him for a few years. What a nice guy. He brought out some ideas their art department was working on for some articles I was assigned to write for them. Can I even tell you how cool it is to see a scene from your book in your words in cartoon?

THE COOLEST THING EVER–and I’m not even a huge cartoon fan.

This time around, I’ll have a Mean Mom feature article hitting their printed magazine in August and another article on Marshmallow Moms going out through their email subscriber list the same time my interviews air.

I’m pretty sure the radio interview is scheduled to air around August 23 and 24th, but I’ll keep you posted.

 The Interview

The interview went really well. I was almost as nervous this time as I was the first time. Not sure those butterflies will ever go away.  Jim Daly and John Fuller are really great guys and do a wonderful job of trying to make you feel welcome and they do a pretty good job of distractign you from thinking of the hundreds of thousands of folks who will be tuning in to your words once it airs.

BUT–When John Fuller gave the promo and call signs for their Canadian market (which I didn’t remember hearing the last time I was there) it was a reminder that CANADA will be tuning in, too. And, that my friends had me nervous all over again.

Here’s the what’s even more awesome—the interview will air in two parts for two days, not just one day this time. I am so grateful for that. The uncool thing? Jim Daly asks some deep questions that threw me off. Since I’m such a seasoned veteran and radio professional with TWO visits to Focus now, I understand the sound tech will be cutting and editing our whole time in the studio. This means I stopped mid-answer at one point and asked, “Jim, what are you trying to ask me? And, why are your questions so dang deep?” I laughed.

He said, “Because I just want to draw out answers I think our listeners might be asking.” Well, heck, their listeners are either MENSA members or I’m just two rocks short of a bag, because I was like, “What….?”

At the end of the interview Jim asked me pretty much the same question that Bob Lepine asked me when I was in the Family Life studios. It was basically something like, “What would you like to tell moms out there if you could talk to them face to face.”

Sidenote: Ask me what I want mom to know and I’ll always think of my mom and how much I miss her.

That was all it took. On came the waterworks. I couldn’t help it. I was tired. I was coffee-less. Tears came fast and I think I hiccuped while I talked which is pretty much like a crying-burp.

So, I’m sure you’ll hear that if you tune in to the second day.

Thankfully, their sound tech, “Stan”, has been with FOTF for over 23 years and will make me sound great, I’m sure. Plus, I told him he HAD TO make me sound great. (And smart and skinny.) Then I threw down some gangsta signs and I’m sure he was picking up what I was putting down.

Also, I may not have thrown down gangsta signs.

After the interview I met with Vance, then went to lunch with Eva and Stan. We laughed and talked for way longer than I think they probably should have. It was fun bouncing ideas off of them for my future books and listening to some of their hilarious family stories. They really are some great people there.

Why Didn’t I Bring My Family?

There’s lots of reasons.

1. Flying the whole family to Colorado is extremely $$$$.
2. The kids were finishing their last week of school before finals.
3. I get nervous answering questions and being watched by my family through a sound booth.
4. Paul is not the best at small talk. This would make catching up with old friends over a 2hr lunch awkward.
5. Who knows what my little angels might say? I learned this lesson when I brought David to my very first Family Life interview with Bob Lepine & Dennis Rainey. A story for another time…and it’s a good one!

Though, I do think I’ll bring the whole family next time.

And, YES, I believe there will be a next time.