Ciara: Don’t Let Him Waste Your Time (FBF)

0:26Daddy gang, I am so so excited for today's guest. Are you ready? Sierra is here. She is a Grammy award-winning triple platinum musician. She's also an entrepreneur, cover model, fashion icon, wife, mother. I mean, goddamn, is there anything that she doesn't do? I cannot wait to sit down with her and get to know her today. I remember being so obsessed with her music when I was younger, fully had a dance routine to one two step. I still remember the choreography to this day. Maybe I will have to show her my dance moves. She like fully leaves and walks out. She's like, you're so bad. No, but in all honesty, you guys, if you think about it, in her two decade long career, Sierra has seen ups and downs, but our girls always come out on top.

1:20And daddy gang, we're getting into it today. We are going to discuss toxic relationships, knowing your worth, leveling up in all aspects of life. This episode is going to be, I already know it, full of wisdom and advice and just things that are going to make you feel good, okay? So come hang out with me and Sierra. Sierra! Loose beef is, she's like, I'm not coming in now. Let's go!

1:48What is up, daddy gang? It is your founding father, Alex Cooper, with Call Her Daddy.

2:01sierra welcome to call her daddy thank you for having me i am so happy you're here first of all congrats on your pregnancy thank you talk to me how far along are you oh my gosh i don't say how far along i am because i'm kind of funny and marking the time okay because the most important wish is a healthy baby and desire and i feel like when you mark time it kind of puts pressure on the time marker totally but i am i am the bump is bumping i'm feeling good i'm feeling a little i would say big and slow but you know i'm feeling good i'm feeling grateful so this is baby number four number four did you always want a big family i did i'm an only child so i think because of that like i always beg my mom and dad for a brother or sister like please please please can you have another baby and they would be like it's not happening um and then I kind of like being a only child as I got into my teens like this actually works out it's all about me I like it

3:16I am such a big fan and this year marks the 20th anniversary of your debut album goodies yes yes It is crazy to think that because it's like you've just done so much in your career. But to think back to those OG days, I'm wondering, like, what does it make you feel when you know that people 20 years later are still so obsessed, so in love with the original hits? Oh, my goodness. I feel grateful. It's actually this is the 19th year. The 20th year is coming up. Coming up. OK. Yeah. So but knowing that I'm about to enter that year, I feel a heart full of gratitude. It makes me feel motivated. you know um it's so funny because it also just reminds you why you just keep on going like why you don't stop why you don't stop believing and you stay committed to your vision because when i was young i was like i spoke so much into like the things that i saw happening for myself and it's kind of crazy like i actually i had a goal sheet so my goal sheet i was um like 14 years old when i wrote it down before i got discovered i had three goals so the first goal was to get discovered okay and i wrote on how i was gonna get discovered so i'm gonna get talent shows and all this kind of stuff and then my second goal was once i got discovered to sell three to four million albums and i did five which was a blessing so check off one and check off two and three was longevity so it was broad but i was still like envisioning like long-term success so to know that having a vision as a young girl dreaming big and it actually happens dude it's kind of crazy that's kind of the story of my life like i speak a lot of life into like a lot that happens to me and I envision it before it happens and it's crazy that we're sitting here almost 20 years in it's also crazy to hear you at 14 putting that goal list together I'm like what the fuck was I doing at 14 like picking my nose and like getting on Accutane I was like oh shit like damn like were you always that ambitious and were your parents like go Sierra or were there ever like oh my god slow down like chill you don't need to be doing all this at this young of an age yeah well my dad was my mom and my dad were supportive and i always say the one thing i can say i'm truly thankful for is that they allowed me to do what i wanted to do like they didn't stop me my mom was more you know she had more reservations than my dad did about the music industry because she watched all those vh1 like true story that i forget what they call the show it was a show called do you remember um yeah something like a true true hollywood story yes something like that yeah basically it's like all the bad stuff so you watch those shows and you're like yeah it's a little scary like is that what my daughter's getting into my mom was thinking that way so i think she was a little like what's that music industry world about um and um but she still allowed me to do it and she was super supportive my mom and my dad were my dad would travel late nights to the studio with me sleep on the sofa while i'm recording in the booth driving back home get ready for school all i mean he was in it they both were supportive so um you know i'm glad they let me do that right i'm glad they allowed me that opportunity and i will never forget that for my babies yeah like i gotta like let them pursue their dreams and what they're passionate about so i took a i've taken a note from that couple notes from your parents i love you just a couple yeah yeah you've done so much in your career when you reflect on your career and i know this is kind of hard to answer but like what is the most iconic moment in your mind of your career oh my goodness that's hard i know um you know i i do i will say i think goodies was very special for me because it put me on the map my first single was number one for eight weeks long we were breaking records and all this cool stuff then which was really amazing um and it was kind of that moment of like where my identity was established like right away but it was clear on like who this girl was like sierra from atlanta cc from atlanta um but here to stay kind of energy i feel and i think even the imagery of things that we did like the swimsuit with the jeans and i wear my tall boxer boots um i i mean i couldn't go anywhere without the high top high tops are still my thing to this day but the boxer boots were like my jam i needed my wrestling boots actually yeah i feel like it was something that like everyone will always remember like it fashion wise music wise like as a woman like it was just so iconic I remember when it came out I like still listen to it to this day I remember making up also like oh my god and then when one two step came out and I was like making up the like most awkward dances like with my friends thinking we're like hot shit like it wasn't hot just to clarify Sierra it was not as hot as you I know it's cute no okay but um I I just think about you at that young age though and I'm curious like if you can take me back a little bit to like what was life like you're coming out with music you're rising to fame and you're only 18 years old like yeah what was your life like at that time so I was always super super focused super driven you know very very um headstrong yeah you know I remember when I was like put my vision together for the project I'm like I'm gonna do like this and I'm gonna do like that and I'm gonna do this and it's gonna be this like and I was very clear on my vision like no one could tell me anything different and I was very opinionated at a young age.

8:23I relate in some ways to that of just being like so, yeah, like headstrong and like, I know what I'm doing. Like, I'm gonna make it, I'm gonna make this happen. Sometimes I've experienced though, you almost struggle to pause and be happy for yourself in a moment of like, oh shit, like I did this. Do you have a moment in your career at that young age where you were able to stop and be like, oh damn, like I made it. Like that one, I made it moment. do you remember that? I think maybe a small blip of that was winning a Grammy. Oh, just a little. That was a very special moment for me because I'd always dreamt of something as like, that's like the Super Bowl for music, right?

9:04It's like, it doesn't get any higher than that award. So for me, that was super special and significant. But to be honest with you, my world was going so fast. So as you can imagine, it literally was like the first 10 songs in my career, whether it was my song or collaboration they were all top 10 top five top three records or number one records so i don't think i really allowed myself until a little bit later to stop and like really realize where i was and i think you realize it even more when you have a challenge when you when you face adversity that's when you go oh you start to realize like okay exactly where things were um you know and then when you determine you stay at it you fight through it you battle through your challenges and you keep it moving and you keep on staying on the track because that's all a part of it but my true made it moment though I will say if I could pick a moment where I'm like oh like was definitely winning a grammy yeah yeah damn damn yeah I think a lot of people are like I hope that's my oh I made it moment where I win a grammy here we go hearing you obviously like you're such a savvy businesswoman and I'm just sitting here like thinking of you because your career started so young like what was the hardest business lesson that you had to learn early on oh you gotta leave your emotions at the door like you know there's a time and a place for um sincerity and and being emotional especially as a woman something early on i learned that you know i'm like in business there's no there's no gray it's only black and white right so if you can you know find a way to manage your emotions you know that's it's game changing because you also realize that a lot of people in our industry don't really care for your emotions a lot of people don't really care in general it's like what can you do for me in this moment what can you do for me in general that's kind of the mentality for a lot of people a lot of my experiences and then when you know the good ones you hold on to them and you value them but I think being a young woman being determined um you know and all that good stuff and having to like manage my stuff like mind you my parents weren't like, you know, navigating this world for me.

11:06I was a young girl, like hiring and firing and do, I mean like everything. So the emotions I had to learn early, take them, leave them at the door. Yeah. Yeah. Do you think that like on a personal level, like how did you stay grounded while you're getting like famous and pictures and everything? Like where did you find your center core? I'll be honest with you. I'm a spiritual girl, right? I think, I think a lot of people know that but so for me my foundation was that I had faith I for me I know who God and Jesus is like that's important for me right everybody has their thing but I think that kind of helps to keep me like level set the people around me like to this day I still call my boy Jasper who I met when I was like 14 years old record my first song like he was there in the booth with me so mind you that's 20 plus years of relationship my best friend a makeup artist who's been in my career since I was 16 my first professional shoot as a solo artist actually my first professional shoot in general she did that so we're 20 plus years of friendship and she's my matron of honor um my team i stay pretty consistent i try to keep it like i'm a creature of habit i think consistency is key but i do believe having people having that consistent group of people in circle people that i can trust yeah and know they got my back i think that was a big part that really helped me to stay like level-headed and to be able to reset or have a place to go to because I always say I don't care how strong you are I don't care how capable you are you have to have somebody you can talk to like that is so important because the one thing that is very detrimental to can be detrimental to a person is when you bottle stuff in and you don't have a place to go yep so for me I think having a place to go has always been a great thing for me or someone I can trust and talk to even if it's just one person like everybody doesn't have to know your stuff like you know but just one person if you have one you have enough for me personally and then of course I pray and all that good stuff I appreciate you sharing that because again obviously most people that are going to listen like they can't relate to maybe some parts of your life but that's some of the most relatable shit is like making sure that you have good people around you yeah and actually people that you trust and it doesn't have to be a lot of people but I think if you don't have good people you can lose your way because if you're then you're potentially hanging out with people that could sway you or you don't trust and then you have trust issues.

13:27It's like making sure you know people are there for the right reasons, which sometimes you can't. You have to just trust. One hundred percent. And sometimes you get screwed over. One hundred percent. You got to have people that you know are going to be honest with you that will, you know, hold you accountable. But it's also how they hold how they hold themselves, like how they live their lives too. Right. You can't have the wrong people feeding you, like you said, like that's when it is dangerous. Right. And one thing I have learned is that when you're vulnerable, that is the most crucial spot that you to listen to the right person because you can listen to the wrong person when you're vulnerable and they can send you completely left right like that's the thing about life it's like amazing how one decision can change your life for better or for worse one decision right so who's feeding you when you're vulnerable like that's so important you even see some celebrities and you can tell like the people that maybe don't have people with the right intentions in their camp because it's like of course like you guys at some point can be just reduced to like an object of like go here go here go here we're all making money off of you and at some point you have to decide like you're the one that keeps it all moving so you have to advocate for yourself in some capacity like keep those people that actually have the right intentions and the right like they want the best for you and that's hard though it is it's hard but you know my thing is it's like There's a line in the Bible that talks about what good is it for a man to gain the world and lose his soul.

14:49One of my greatest fears is to have a certain amount of success. It's like the highest level, but to not know who I am. And I'm very, very intentional about that. Like making sure I'm checking myself too. Like I got to check myself sometimes too. And it's like I want to be incredibly successful, but I don't want it that much. I'm like lost in the end. Right. Imagine it all comes out. We pray we all get to 80, 90. yeah and you're like yeah i did it for all what i got no one around me i got nothing that i don't even know who the hell i am yeah glad i got the grammys and the awards and the albums but like and who am i empty yeah i'm so terrified of that and i see it happen so often in my industry like a lot of the greats that i respected and admired a lot of their stories like it's not that beautiful story that you saw and why you fell in love with what they do and i'm just like man And like, that's not truly living to me.

15:44Like it can't, my life, the success of my life can also be based off of the materialistic stuff and the awards and all those great things. Like that's, that just can't be enough to fill my cup because honestly, sometimes those things don't happen for you when you want them to happen anyways. Like there's still things that I wish I, you know, could do, I'm hoping to do and it may not happen. So I've got to make sure I have a level set and understanding of like, what is my definition of success? Right. When you're so young, you look so far ahead. And you should. You should look far ahead and you shouldn't dream big.

16:17But you're sometimes so honed in on all these things that you have so much time to get to. And it's like, you got to have perspective, right? You got to stay rooted within yourself and know who you are along the way. Because you can lose yourself. It's so true. And I appreciate you saying that. Because I feel like right now, our culture is very like, go, go, go. You want more. We want the coolest fashion. we want money we want success we want the big cars and the houses and the cool things and if you don't have it then you're a loser and you're not as cool yes there's just so much comparison right now and especially for women it's just like the aging aspect and like we're not good enough if we don't get there's just so much what is something that you learned in your 20s that you still carry with you to this day that you can share with us patience i i really that's one of my favorite words well actually perspective is one of my favorite words but also patience i would say patience is everything.

17:12You know, sometimes, like I say, you want things to happen in a certain marker for you and they may not happen until you're 50 or 60 years old. You just don't know, right? So to me, you got to have patience in the process, like trust the timing that's meant for you. Things are going to happen for you when they're supposed to. Even for me, I have to remind myself when stuff is ugly, I'm like, this is a part of life. Yeah. Right. This is, you're supposed to have a little bit of the ugly. Like I say, sometimes you have to go through the ugly to get to the pretty. Yeah. Right. Right. Even also you saying earlier, you were like, I didn't even stop in moments because like when everything's going well, you just keep moving.

17:45And the hardest moments are the moments that you actually are hip checked with you and yourself to be like, whoa, first of all, so grateful for the good times. Yeah. Because this shit's rough right now. And you then gain that perspective. Yeah. I also think what you're saying about patience is really important, too, especially with people in this young generation. I feel it of like the patience of like the comparison is oh my god that person got that job and I didn't get the job or I didn't get the thing I wanted and it's like we're comparing ourselves to the person around us or our friends around us everything moves at a different pace yeah it does and the reason you didn't get that job is for a reason because you're going to get another thing I'm trying to tell you it's hard yeah and sometimes too things look pretty on the outside but you don't know what somebody's going through when you're like looking at what they have going you want what they have girl you don't know what they're going through no clue right so it's like you got to trust your own timing like you know it's it's so much better that way like do you know what's crazy for me is i remember like in the days of me you know being signed to traditional labels and i look i would look up and i watch other artists like i'm like i've been around the block for like a long time but she just come in and she like looking like she rolling two times faster and what i just like and i'm busting my butt like i'm like i know i work hard and she works like i know she ain't showing up how i show and it looks like the world is just going so taking off and it's like you know what like that's for them like and and celebrate it too actually i think there's something really good about celebrating the success of others because when it's your time it's going to happen for you things take time yeah right it's so true and it's also like like you said like if someone pops off so fast and it's so different like we don't know what they're going through, maybe they're also really struggling.

19:25Like who the hell has popped off so fast and been like mental health is at a hundred. It's not a thing. It gets crazy. And sometimes too, I think when you go so fast in the beginning, you don't have much to look forward to, or you don't appreciate it. Like I appreciate every step of the way for myself because of what I've gone through. And I know for a fact, I wouldn't appreciate it if I had everything given to me, the world given to when I wanted it, you know, when I wanted it basically. And it's like me telling my kids like, you can't have everything at, you know, can you imagine how crazy the world would be if we had everything we wanted when we wanted it?

20:00Like that would be nuts. Nuts. We'd all be miserable. Crazy. Like crazy. Like we'd be running around like crazy town. All of that. I'm telling you, everybody be lost. Like, you know, like losing it too. So true. So there's something to like, you know, the struggle. There's something to adversity. There's something to getting knocked down and getting back up. there's something to like all of that good stuff right and just like trust the process like if it's meant for you it's gonna happen for you when it's supposed to how it's supposed to and it's gonna be so great it is kind of about the process of like letting things play out then you appreciate it more you have more understanding of who you are as a human being when you go through more shit like you do you come out on top because you have learned experiences rather than just getting it all you're like oh this was easy yes speaking of relationships um I want to talk to you about love and relationships obviously you're married to Russell Wilson the Denver Broncos quarterback we love that for you it's so cute to see like it seems like you guys have such a healthy and loving relationship um I see online people commenting like Sierra like where do I find my Russell like where do I find like my couple goals and obviously in order to get to a healthy relationship you got to go through things before you get to that point and i want to talk to you a little bit about growing and learning and how you got to where you are now around the time that you met russell you were going through a really public and what looked like painful breakup and i think about like leaving a relationship is so hard to make that decision especially i'm assuming as you when you have a child how did you know for yourself it was time to leave oh my goodness when you know you're supposed to make a make a super defined decision in your life you know it from like the head to your feet from your feet to your head and your soul and your body you know it and it's almost like your taste buds change right you have a taste bud for a certain kind of thing and then the taste buds just go you got to sometimes also look in the mirror and reflect on yourself too right like okay what are things that i could be doing differently in my life or you know what's a part of what I'm looking for change but what does that mean so you have to kind of define everything about making changes in your life that are very critical and you know I've talked about before obviously when you have a child it's very important to me like now it's no time to play around like the whole like experimentation kind of phase is out the door it's like I am now responsible for another life right so what am I doing like how am I thinking that through so So, you know, and then when you're tired, you're tired.

22:44You're tired. You know, and so we get tired. And we don't want to be tired all the time. Like, you know, I'm like, I want joy. I want to make sure my cup is full. Like, how am I living my life? Like, I always say, don't let nobody waste your time. Like, that's one thing, like, we talk about, like, you know, life and the trajectory of life and what, you know, it's like, I don't care if it's relationship or friendship, business, whatever it is. Like, don't let it waste your time. it's just not worth it yeah right so yeah I mean those are those are things that come to my mind how I process when I'm making a pivotal when it there's a pivotal moment in my life and in and in any aspect of my life when you hear people talk about it it does seem like oh that's so simple but when you're in it it is like it's really hard to collect yourself when you're trying to leave something and you're like you're so used to something yeah even if it's toxic like Like I have women write into me, Sierra, that are like, the fear of being alone sometimes is worse than the fear of staying in something toxic.

23:47And I wonder like what advice you have. Because it's like - Well, the thing is, is that what you do learn is toxicity will, it can kill you. Like toxicity, putting toxic things into your body is not good. It's not. So I think it's like we have to be real with ourselves, right? It's like, what do you want out of life for yourself? you have to be a little selfish in your thought process and whatever's around you needs to align with that right like you know that's important like but that whole like the toxic like is like there's nothing fun about you know being confused all the time or someone taking you on like the ring around like that's not that's not fun it's not fun and i feel like from my personal experience like I've been in some toxic relationships where it almost you can normalize it like when you're in it for long enough and I like that you spoke about it like there is a moment and and I pray for a lot of women listening like you catch that moment before it gets really detrimental to your own health but like there's that moment you know but for a while you can like have full blinders on and just not see it because it becomes so normalized I'm wondering like when you were younger like what is something that you now recognize is a red flag but at the time you would either like ignore or maybe like turn away from well yes like how is a person talking to you how do they treat others how do they what you know you do ignore a lot of stuff like when you just want to see what you want to see but again when you start thinking holistically it's like you know no one's going to be perfect but you do want the one that's perfect for you like and how How many boxes can they check off for you that fits what your desire is?

25:31And it should be both ways. We and Russell, we always talk about being equally yoked. For us from day one, honestly, I think it was a healthy place. I thank God because we always saw a lot of things the same way. I think that's more than half the battle when you're kind of aligned. Yes, it's definitely like how someone talks to you. What's their track record? Girl. What's their track record? and sometimes too like listen you know you don't you again you see things how you see them like sometimes you do overlook things because of your perspective and again it's like you're trying to see things like the glass has full like you're trying to see it from a positive lens but again like what's a person doing i think more than anything it's like they can tell you everything a person can be like oh i've changed and i'm doing that and i've heard those stories before of course i've heard that song before um but what are they doing right and i think sometimes you tend to put the words before the actions right you listen you listen more versus like just watching like how are they showing up or not showing up like and then sometimes you don't realize like they're telling you it's like they're telling you the same thing in a different way it's like well wait a minute what you told me last time you told me the same thing again and You're doing the same thing again.

26:50So like, you know what I'm saying? Like, yeah. And I love what you said about you and Russell. It's like, we're very similar in the way that we think and what we like and what we believe in. And like, of course, everyone's different. But when you find yourself trying to make something work so hard and you're the one that's constantly forgiving or coming back. Full stop. Red flag. red flag yeah for sure it's like it takes two yeah you know and like how are you showing up like you ain't showing up so i ain't showing up either i'm actually going i'm out like yeah i showed up and i'm cool like you ain't gonna exhaust me to the because honestly you can lose yourself in those moments like and like i said it's one of my greatest fears and i've been there before i'm looking to someone i'm like you ain't gonna waste my life i'm sorry like that's not an option like it's so scary though right it is scary it is scary but you know you gotta like put your foot down for what you want and what you deserve all the girlies are taking notes right now they're like fuck yes you are like yeah but don't be afraid no yeah you're right don't be afraid of like the best part is leaving the best part is getting out the best part is finding yourself without that person and obviously you now are in such a healthy relationship it looks and I'm so happy for you just like even when you talk about him I can just tell like yeah like you're happy and so I also wonder like when you go into a healthy relationship I think sometimes it's so annoying but like sometimes we can't help but bring our baggage and our habits from our past relationships that we've had in our life like was there anything that you had to unlearn essentially when you got into your relationship with Russell leave it at the door leave it at the door that I think that's so important for yourself and your own sanity but it's also not fair to your partner to bring old baggage that is from the past because then I think you don't give yourself an opportunity to fully be in that love and be engulfed in that love and to create something fresh for yourself before Russ came into my life like I didn't think he was gonna come into my life that fast to be honest with you um but before he came into my life the the place that I was at mentally when I decided like you know I'm I'm desiring something different and I was clear on like I was very intentional in that that phase of my life and obviously you have my baby um in my life my first born um you know I took that moment for myself because I think sometimes too like if we go back to back you know in relationships you also aren't having a chance to like make peace with yourself and to really like tap into you in a way that you maybe don't know you need to but you need to sometimes pause like take a break and just like love on yourself reset get clarity you know the past is the past where are you trying where you want to and really truly look ahead like and be clear and intentional with that so I think I will say the the moment before Ross came into my life I said I thought I was going to be single for like four years at least I was like I'm not doing this i'm tired because i'm tired like i'm like it's what's going on and i'm also i'm it's self-reflecting it's everything going on right so i had like to go through that phase and that process and that journey um you know and so in that moment when you're resetting the things that are of the past or they're starting to become of the past to you right so it's like you're already clearing up your mind just in general for yourself like not even for someone to come into my life but just me doing this self-cleanse thing I need to do with myself, like, get really fine myself, like, who am I, like, what's this woman want to feel like when she walks throughout the world, like, what does she talk like, what does she think like, like, I mean, it's all these things that are about myself, I'm like, this is what I need for me, right, and then, of course, like, who's going to be in her life, like, I'm thinking about these things, and I'm like, I mean, my mind is as vivid as it can be, and like, he's going to be a man of God, like, he's going to love kids, because I have a child now i'm like he's gonna love to like travel the world like i mean all these things like i'm envisioning it so much that i can taste so you talk about those taste buds that taste bud starts to have a palette that's all it's like fit for all that stuff so i'm thinking that way you know already so when i see it i know it and when i saw my honey my husband like i've never seen anything like that yeah never not i haven't talked to anyone like that like i haven't felt anything like that but i feel everything that i said like i'm almost gonna cry my hormones but maybe it's not my homeless but but i could like see like it was exactly what i was saying right in front of me like it's crazy oh my god like crazy how when when did you meet him like what was the situation how did you meet

32:04when did you meet him like what was the situation how did you meet we met um when we meet what year was this 20 oh gosh 2015 okay in 2015 okay um where were you we were actually in california and the crazy thing is we started talking early at first um we were chatting a little bit and And then we had our first in-person meeting. So before we met in person, we were chatting a little bit. And when he met in person, it was the craziest thing because I was trying to make sure I'm doing this right because, mind you, I hadn't met a guy at this point. I hadn't talked to a guy or anything at this point.

32:41So I'm like, this is like, you know, it's a guy in general. And then he always, he was like, well, because I'm like, well, when we were meeting, I'm like, I also was looking at it from a friendship perspective. You know. Sierra. I'm just saying like, you know, the buildup before you get there. And he was like, what French? He's like, I don't want to look for no French. You know? So we joke about that. I love it. Because I want to be like, really like best fun and like, yeah, what you talking about? I mean, but he was cute though, you know, but you know, we, we gonna start, we gonna go on phases kind of thing.

33:13But when we met in person, um, the first time in person we talked, um, was actually at my place. oh and you know the it was kind of the not kind of but it was the best thing for the both of us we felt because even though we were you know meeting as friends and all that stuff even it's not a you know my son was there and my dad was there so see the friendship perspective oh yeah you really were like meet my he's probably like oh my god i'm meeting the dad you're like no you're just a homie no no no no no no we actually talked about it and you know what did he say to me he was like well I'm gonna have to meet him anyways like Wes is very like I love it confident very so I'm like you know so we meet and again that's not that's not like a traditional way I'm not telling someone to do that yeah but because it's he and I you know your public figures in our world unfortunately oftentimes I think if you jump you put the cart before the horse before you are officially together the world puts this pressure on you and this it's just become something else that it kind of like gets in the way of what you know the true like the true um thing is that's there could be so we just were being private basically we were going to go out to dinner and then we kind of like we just let's keep it in what did you guys do so we just talked and we were supposed to have dinner food was like belly was like content even though it was hungry it was content like you know because we were like talking and talking and talking and it was crazy everything that we talked about like we were aligned on like and i'm not gonna lie to you it was one point in time we were talking and he was talking to me and i wasn't hearing nothing he was saying because i was like he's so beautiful like i'm looking at him i'm like he was like gorgeous like because i didn't like look i didn't look him i don't want to know anything about like him before we met right So I'm just like, wow.

35:11Yeah, no, I was. I was literally just sitting there like he's talking. I'm like, oh, wait, but just friends. Just friends. Just friends. But the words are going like this. Over my head. And so, yes. He's like, do you agree? You're like, uh-huh. Exactly. What did you say? Yeah, I love that. For sure. I mean, I'm hearing what he's saying. I'm in the conversation. But I can't remember all that we were saying. You know, so. You're looking great. It was nice. So we just sat and talked. And I knew. and I said this the other day when I when I was talking to him I was like this is something different I knew like that I'd never felt what I felt in that moment I knew this was a different man that I was talking to then you know I just knew like I just it was different like so much to the point that I called Yoli my best friend I called her after and I said Yoli I was like I don't want to jinx anything.

36:04I was like, but I think he's, and she goes, the one. And I go, yes. Like, and I never said that in my life. Never said that in my life. So. He was meant to be. Without a doubt. Without a doubt. What was it about him that really impressed you that day? It was, you know what, his conversation, how he talked about life. It's also a feeling too. You know, it's kind of hard to put in words, but I know I know what I'm talking to like I said those taste buds are activated like I'm talking to like every sensor everything that I had on the palate was like stim it was stimulated it was like clear like um you know and so I just knew like even how he talked to my dad you know and my son was like moving around and at some point in time like that he's holding him like there was actually this funny thing y 'all think we ever told by this but where there's this chair that's like in my living in my um kitchen and the chair is like about to fall over and future is literally my son is he's right there and literally rust like slides and the socks catches the chair it honestly no it's this may sound bad but no lie he slides over catches the chair and i'm like okay okay superman we got a superman in a bit no but you know you're literally sitting there like no it was just everything no it was good about everything like there wasn't one thing that wasn't something like yeah do you know what i mean i know what you're saying too and i think it's important because obviously like you said which i love that you're explaining after a breakup of what you know you don't want anymore and you have that moment within yourself you quickly align of like whoa I got to get my shit together like I didn't like how I felt I didn't like this this this this or I liked this and I want to bring this into my next relationship whatever it is but then when you meet that person especially when you've had maybe the not like the healthiest of relationships before yeah it's a feeling of like you still have those like giddy butterflies like we said like you're drooling in the corner yeah but it's you there's a sense of like calmness and And I remember I felt it with my fiance because I, it was like, he is kept, it keeps me on my toes and it's so exciting, but it's like safe and calm and I'm not insecure and I'm not like, there's still that feeling of like, Oh, you want to impress them and have fun.

38:28But it's a different level of connection where you feel like you've known them for a long time. You know what I mean? It is like, there's something there that you're like, Whoa, like your soul's almost, this is like corny, but like, it's like almost like you knew you were supposed to meet. No, 100%. No, no, no, no, no. 100 % like because that's what and also to like and I think I've said this but just in case it's like literally the conversation we're having is so aligned like you're going back and forth and you're like you're going like yes like everything you're saying it's like a fiery kind of feeling to it because you're like almost talking to yourself a little bit yeah right um but there's something you made me think about um hold on wait let me see oh with the giddy thing right what's so amazing and I feel so blessed um because now we are in year seven of marriage eight years of being together so baby on my way love it no is that I still get the giddy feeling I think it's so important we always talk about that right is that you still want to like Russ always says you know I believe his dad would say to him like you got to always compete or it's kind of one of his things that he came up with but you got to always compete so it is that thing where it's like even though you do build a comfort over time you still want to like you know you still want to make sure you keep it like cute you want to keep it sexy you want to keep it spicy you want to keep it fun like we still do we do date nights every friday because in football that's the off day uh-huh so we do date nights every friday we stay committed to that and we like look for it's something i look forward to and the fires they burn like you know and you still feel like dating all over the other night we played at uno at dinner and i was like and i said babe can we take the uno cards and he was like yeah you know but and he played oh no but that was the little things like and i was like i had so much i literally told him the next morning like i had so much fun like so i think it's like you know it's it's all that you know it's like you know do you do you have someone in your life that's also down to try new things with you like do they accept you at your lowest of your low points right like every day is not perfect yeah like i've had moments where i look up you know and i'm going through a challenging time and he's the one person the only person i can look to in that moment and he has always has the right words to say like you know all those things are important too like how does a person speak to you when you're at your low right in your relationship because that's key like it's really you too like so true when it's all said and done like it's you too and you have your kids of course too but like it's the two of you yeah even hearing you too like when he came over it wasn't just you like you had a son like you have a son you're like you're bringing someone into your life that now is not just going to be a relationship with yourself you need to also have a relationship with my son like how did he take on being a stepfather oh he jumped right in changing the diapers right away um no hesitation he's an amazing father like watching him with all of our kids is like it is one of the sweetest things it's one of the sexiest things to to be honest with you.

41:25I'm just saying ladies, when a man jumps in and changes the diapers and he be pulling up to the teacher parent conferences and he be, you know. It's like, ooh. He surprised Cece at the dentist the other day and she was like, daddy. And I was like, daddy. I would say the same thing too. Like daddy at the dentist? Yeah, I'm like, okay. But it is, that's what you want. That feels good, you know. It's like, it feels good when, you know, There's something about a man turning on that part of them. They're manning for you, they're being a man for you, but they're also being a man for your family. There's no better feeling than knowing that when we all look up and if we look at him, he's got us.

42:09I know he's gonna wrap his arms around me and my babies fully. There's no depth that he won't go to for us or to make sure things are right for us. like that that it's kind of hard to put that in words but that feels good

42:43we gotta know sierra what what is your favorite part about being married to a professional athlete oh gosh um you know it's crazy i loved football before he came into my life like i'm a tomboy so i watched the game with my my dad growing up um but you know i mean i i think i say that because i think that you really enjoy i really enjoy the journey with him i enjoy the highs and lows with him i enjoy his competitive nature like i really respect it like one thing about russ is like when it comes to football he is so dedicated to football it's like football and family football family like I mean he's really dedicated to his game and I really admire that so obviously doing what I do I feel like I get so much of a motivational dose like every day on his journey and what I do like I get really inspired like you know um you know you would think that I'm in the huddle with him when he's in the huddle you would think that because like I'm in this thing like um but we have so much fun like sports you know sports are such a it's such a powerful force music is a powerful force so it's such a blessing to have sports and music in our household um but i do enjoy like the the this the the joy that we get even you know like i say the highs and the lows getting ready for each sunday or if it's a monday night or a thursday night you know the drum up in our in our household with the kids like also being excited and being able it's just a whole like it's it's a blessing.

44:14I was about to say like, tell us what's the vibe of the house on game day? Like, what are we doing? Okay. Game day. Okay. So Russ is a creature of habit. Okay. So he's, he's like very consistent. So it's very routine. Um, you know, he does his body work, his treatment work and all that good stuff. Um, and he's in his peace then. And typically when he does it, I'm with him. So mommy's like, okay, kids, like I'll be right back. Like, but I gotta be there like in that zen moment um and then he goes through his motion to prepare for the game and then the kids are definitely upstairs running around like chaos turnstuff excited you know it's not that serious for them at this age um although i will say future is getting more serious he's also into sports too so he can feel a little bit of the journey too sienna's like go daddy yeah yeah yeah and win's like go go i mean this is different levels right but um we have that flow and then he gets ready we do we he gets ready to roll out the door we do prayer every every time before a game as a family he goes off to do his thing and then it's me and the babies we're getting ourselves together we ride to the car we jam out i'm dj mama the kids are djs too they all want to pick their own songs it's all the good energy rolling up to the stadium and um and then we roll into the suite and then you know when you sit down i'm not gonna lie to you guys especially being pregnant the emotional roller coaster is like oh lord i'd be talking to myself like i mean it's just a journey i'm like jeez heart stop pumping so fast sometimes like it's crazy i love it though it's crazy because you feel like i said i'm in the huddle too i'm out there like you know let's go boys you know i'm i'm wanting you know always the best outcome so um it's so good but it's fun and after the game we eat dinner together you know or whatnot.

46:09But it's pretty chill. It's exciting, but it's pretty chill. It's good. Russ is really serious about what he does. I think it's important that we respect that journey, that process for him on a daily basis. So we try to make sure we kind of... It's a combination of all that stuff. I love it. But it's fun. I'm thinking of you saying you're also in the car with your babies. I'm like, do you play them your music? Do they know mom's music? When it's new. I don't like playing my music back to me. I just feel like that's kind of weird sometimes. But I'm not gonna lie to you. Tell me. When I have a song that I really love, I might listen to myself a little bit, you know, just a little bit.

46:50You know, and my kids, they may pick my songs. Like when I put up Level Up, they love that song. I'm honestly, I'm not saying because it's my record, but I really love my song, How We Roll. That's my jam and I ain't gonna lie, I put it on the other day and played it back about seven times. I'm like this song just feels so good. Like it's me to, you know. But also the same with like Loki and BRB. I was like, okay. Like it's a vibe. And I wonder if Russell plays it in the car for the kids while you're not there. He's like, guys, this is mommy. He will, you know, he's really big on like, guys, you gotta listen to mommy's music.

47:23He will make sure they know my music or hear it and listen to it, but he'll definitely make sure the kids like, you know, support mommy, which is sweet. Like they, I think one day it was like the kids were having to pick between one song and the other. I don't even know what the songs were, but one of them was mine and one wasn't. And he was like, you better pick your mom's song. You know, so. Let's keep it real. You know who we support in this family? Mom. Let's make sure we, you know. I love it. Yes. It's really cute to eat, because I'm sitting here and I'm like, you've won a Grammy. He's won a Super Bowl.

47:52Like, you guys are the ultimate power couple. And I think a lot of people look at you guys and envy you, obviously. And it's like, whoa, their life is so amazing. Like, when you do go through the hard moments, Like, how do you guys level set each other? Like, what is the process of keeping each other grounded and keeping each other like? Being able to be honest and communicate, I think, has been game changing for us. And even when it's ugly, sometimes it's got to get a little, like I said, get a little ugly before you get to the pretty. But I just think some, like, there's nothing better for me than knowing, like, I was able to say what I felt fully and he heard me.

48:26Yeah. And don't you like it too? And vice versa. it's different in that type of relationship where you know like you're you're both trying to come back together and like you both have the same goal like no one's winning no we actually just have to hear each other understand it where in other relationships i've had it's like oh this is just an ego thing like i'm never gonna win because you aren't even listening to what i'm saying when you say the word toxic it kind of rings a certain way for me because like i said you earlier i'm like toxic things can do damage to you it can be harmful to you so the glorifying of things that are harmful to you will never be cool to me never be cool like never be fly never be the way of you know um it's just that's just not it to me personally so you have this great relationship now knowing the relationships you've had in the past of like sometimes you got to go through the bad to get to the good like we said so it is exciting for i think for women listening of like oh like even if you're in the trenches right now listening to this and you're not in a healthy relationship or you're not feeling good about yourself or it's an abusive situation whatever you're in like yeah you can get out yes and you can find happiness and you can find what you deserve but again patience like give yourself some grace it can't happen overnight 100 but it is nice to hear from you of like it can happen it can happen baby let's talk about your music though because like i said we were all jamming to it in the office day we were just like laughing we were blasting it we're like how creepy if she like rolls up and we're just like screaming your music but now i'm like i think you would have liked it it would have been kind of fun i might jump in and dance with you hey your epcc i need to understand yeah who is cc who is sierra talk about the two so cc and sierra connected it's not an alter ego okay but there is an energy that comes out when you say cc like i turn my lip up a little bit she get a little stank with it i'm from atlanta so you know there's a lot of soul in what we do there and um you know when i came up it was obviously my nickname but people would be like you know when they say go cc go cc go go cc go c like there's an energy that comes with that there's a film that comes with that and it's you know it's i would say um i just i really on this project i wanted to make sure i had those core elements of what that is because that's something special for me from a music standpoint yeah like when you say go cc when you say go cc go cc go like there's something about that that's just like a little it's a little saucy you know and so um you know that that's kind of it it's not an alter ego though yeah it's just like a little bit more of like a vibe yeah like a little sassy vibe got a little more sass to her cc era you know if you talk to me and i'm in my like sierra mode and it depends on the situation.

51:11I try to like, you know, like Michelle said, when they go low, you go high. You know, that kind of thing. Cece might, she might snap back a little bit. She might bite back a little bit. Just a little bit. I love it. I love it. Just a little more, you know. What do you want people to like feel when they're listening to this music? Like, is there a specific place you envision people listening to it? What's the vibe? I feel like this music on this project is kind of like that perfect house party energy where you can like kick back if you want to. It's feel good. It's a little, it's a sexy record, but it's also if you want to like chill back, people, if you want to roll up, roll up on the skates or roll up literally if you want to, you know, put toast up to it if you want to.

51:56My song Two In Love, it's a slower record. That's a moment where I'm trying to remember, it's like one night, Russ and I like had a little bit of a disagreement and i'm like gosh like the truth is i'm just too in love you know i was like oh my gosh like this is like really like all about how in love with you are and i love it it's so sweet it's so sweet well you know it's that feeling on that record it's like you're upset like you know i watched this tiktok or something someone was doing and they were like mad at each other it's like this is how couples do when you're mad like but you still love each other and like you slam the car you let them in the car but you slam their hard or you like gotta give them food but you open the fridge with attitude and you close the fridge with attitude like that kind of energy so like on two in love i'm like like you he always put his arms around me a certain way and like if he doesn't do it i'm like like when we're sleeping i'm like i feel that like but i mean i want to be mad too but i want you to put your arm on me like you know i'm like It's like all those kind of feelings.

52:58So before I put this project out, it's exactly like what I wanted it to be. And there's no better feeling than that. Yeah. You now being able to do things on your own and figure out what you want to continue to sound like as your career continues to grow and expand. It's just truly was such an honor sitting with you today because like you are such an accomplished woman and sitting with you and getting any of the wisdom we can get from you today, Sierra. I know I'm like, I'm taking it in note. I'm like, everyone's writing notes. You're just such an inspiration. And it's really surreal for me to sit down with you today because I'm such a fan.

53:34And thank you, thank you, thank you. And congrats on your baby. Thank you. So happy you're expanding the family. Maybe we'll see a number five at one point. You sound like Russ. Don't get crazy now, okay? Let's just go one baby at a time. Thank you, Sierra. Thank you, I had so much fun. And congratulations to you. You were like killing it. I think there was this new article about you on Forbes. And, you know, I mean, keep on doing what you're doing. You're obviously doing, you're obviously giving a platform for women. You've created a platform for women that is very important and critical. And your personality is incredible.

54:08So keep on shining your light. Thank you. Thank you. Cheers. Woo! We did it! Call her daddy! Woo!