Speaker 2: 0:00

This episode sponsored by Stuart Arango Oral Surgery. Learn more at SAOralsurgeonscom. And Kathy L Wall State Farm Agency. Learn more at KathyLWallcom. And KidBiz and the Biz. To learn more, visit KidBizUSAcom. Welcome to the Bubble Lunch. I'm Martha Jackson and today is our last episode of 2023. And joining me today is my dear friend, Kim Gregory. Kim, thanks for joining us today.

Speaker 1: 0:36

Thank you, my dear friend Martha Jackson. I'm so happy to be here today.

Speaker 2: 0:40

She asked me to say that, by the way.

Speaker 1: 0:42

I did, I did.

Speaker 2: 0:43

Anyways, the tables are turning just a little bit today. Usually we're the ones doing the interviewing, but today Kim is going to actually be interviewing me and just kind of reflect back on 2023. Take it away.

Speaker 1: 0:55

Kim. Thanks, martha. So let's start with a little bit about the Bubble Lounge. You've made some incredible changes in the last couple of years. You've broadened the number of people that are listening. You've broadened it from just women to men and now probably all of Highland Park High School, and just want to kind of highlight you for a minute. So 53 countries, 140,000 listeners, 230 episodes and over 4,000 people on Instagram. So really you should be patting yourself on the back.

Speaker 2: 1:26

Congratulations. Well, thank you. Yeah, I never would have believed that we would have gotten here and that we would have lasted for five years, because when we started out I really didn't know what we were in for. It's like I was a nervous wreck starting this thing. Just the thought of putting myself out there with my peers you know the audience of Highland Park women just scared the heck out of me, to be honest with you. But you know we have reports that show that people have been listening all these years and all the things you just you talked about there. So we just keep going.

Speaker 1: 1:57

I love it. I love it. So we'll talk about next year as we start to wrap up, but as we're starting today, let's talk about some of your favorite episodes. So, when you think about the year, what are your favorite couple of episodes?

Speaker 2: 2:10

Oh, wow. Well, it's just. That is my most favorite thing about doing this podcast is just the opportunity to meet so many interesting people. Like so many people we cross paths with that I would not normally have any reason to talk to, for example, coach Allen, the football coach for Highland Park. I mean, one of the most winningness coaches out there in the state of Texas and just an incredible man. And that was a really great interview to me because I'd wanted to interview him for several years and I was. I didn't have the courage to ask him, which is so silly now because I literally sent him an email. He didn't know who the heck I was. He immediately said yes, it was not that big of a deal, I think my favorite thing this year was when you dragged me down to do the send off for the football team.

Speaker 1: 2:57

And we got there and we were the only ones there- and I said, martha, do you have the right time? And you, were trying to call people, so then I called a football mom friend of mine who said, yeah, that's an half an hour.

Speaker 2: 3:08

Yeah, that's us. It was cold, that it was a very cold day, and yeah, I thought we had missed it, but it turns out we were just too early. Well, that pretty much sums me up because I'm so nervous about being late that most of the times I end up being too early.

Speaker 1: 3:23

So you also interviewed Coach Jordan and I listened to that podcast and really his connections with the students is just so powerful and I think that was one of your. In passing, you told me one of your favorite episodes as well. Can you talk a little bit about that one?

Speaker 2: 3:38

Yeah, of course. No, it absolutely was one of my most favorite ones. He is the new athletic director to Highland Park this year and the last one wasn't there very long. The previous one, coach Ringo, was there for quite a while. Never had the opportunity to meet him. I just think the athletic director is a really important key part of all athletics at any high school or college and that a lot of people don't get the opportunity to really know them. It's just a name that you don't really.

Speaker 2: 4:09

that's on emails that you get, and you don't really get to put a face with the name and hear the backstory of how they got to that position and everything. So I really enjoyed getting to know him myself but, more importantly, helping the community to get to know him.

Speaker 1: 4:27

Yeah, it was a really good interview. So then, any others that were your favorites. Before we move to the next kind of topic, well, Dr Rockwood again another new person to Highland Park.

Speaker 2: 4:38

This year we had a lot of changes, a lot of new faces, a lot of new teachers, a lot of new people in top positions, such as the superintendent, and that was another opportunity to get to know him and I really enjoyed that interview because it was really nice to be able to introduce him to the community as well.

Speaker 1: 4:57

So you also had an intern over the summer, chloe Walsh, and she really brought in some listeners and was a big hit. Can you talk a little bit about the impact that Chloe had, and then maybe are you looking for other interns?

Speaker 2: 5:13

Yes, absolutely so. I think that that was kind of divine intervention because I at the time she reached out and asked me if I needed an intern, I was drowning I think it was an April, early part of May and just like drowning with all the senior stuff that you were going to be getting into here in a few months. It was just a crazy time. I literally was having such a hard time keeping up with everything. And I knew Chloe because our girls were bills together and I knew that she was just she was a lieutenant. She's just like everyone in the community loves her. She's just one of those people that just has something really special about her and she's got this work ethic and all these ideas and this energy and enthusiasm and she could not have reached out at a better time. I'm like heck, yes, I need help. Please come and join us.

Speaker 1: 6:01

Well, and let's give her a shout out. She had the best episode of 2023. The most listeners right.

Speaker 2: 6:09

Yes, she did. I mean, she blew it away. Out of all the episodes we did this year, affairs and his came in with the most listens. That's what I'm talking about is people love her. Plus, it was very timely and that she was talking. She was giving advice about sorority recruitment, which was coming up for a lot of the girls out there. So it's just a perfect timing with a perfect guest and just everything was amazing. She did such a great job on that episode, so Chloe, if you're listening, mark.

Speaker 1: 6:39

I would like you to come back, maybe this next summer, or if you want to do something remote and anyone else who's interested, please call Martha Jackson. She would love to have another intern. So, martha, changing for a second and maybe going a little off topic. So we talked a little bit about football, but you also interviewed the La Crosse coaches this year and you have a freshman who plays La Crosse and is switched through some different sports and our La Crosse team had an amazing year, amazing, yeah. So maybe touch on that for a second.

Speaker 2: 7:11

Just to correct you real quickly it was not the coaches, it was the captains.

Speaker 1: 7:14

I'm sorry, I meant captains, because the coach won't return my emails. Oh, I meant captains, I'm sorry, Just FYI.

Speaker 2: 7:22

I have reached out to Coach Pressler multiple times and even talked to him in person. He seemed interested, but he will not return my emails.

Speaker 1: 7:28

Coach Pressler returned her emails.

Speaker 2: 7:31

So you know that's still an option if he's interested. But it was the captains and I love talking to them because we literally had them on right before the season started. I went to almost everyone at the varsity La Crosse games. I had never been to a La Crosse game prior to that and I was blown away with the level of dedication, enthusiasm, professionalism, everything with this team and they won state.

Speaker 1: 7:58

It all paid off Amazing. Well, you know I had never been to a La Crosse game until recently, when we were all in Vegas together and I was so impressed and what an incredibly difficult and just so intense sport. So looking forward to this next year. So let's switch over. You also started this year doing some sideline reporting, so to speak, at the HP Scots football game. So talk a little bit about that.

Speaker 2: 8:22

Yeah. So that all came as something I had pitched another entity about doing for them and it didn't really work out as planned, and so I just said, you know what? We're just going to take everything that we were going to do there and apply it to our Instagram account and it ended up being like the most fun I've ever had with the podcast, being on the sidelines, meeting so many of these kids, the coaches, the parents, the fans just like so many people. It takes so much in our community to make this happen. The football season happened and make it so special, and it was so amazing to be a part of it. I really loved every minute of it, Got to know so many kids so much that when Sean and I would walk by, I don't think they knew my name but they'd say, hey, Bubble Lounge. And it was just cute to have high schoolers recognize you because, you know, teenagers don't usually pay attention to adults and it was just really neat for them to call out and want to be a part of it.

Speaker 1: 9:23

I completely agree. I was senior at the high school and I think that I'm invisible most of the time. So, on the sidelines, though, I think it's important to highlight that your podcast and whatever you want to call it, reporting on the sidelines brought over 560,000 views from just the varsity games, that's amazing, and then you also had the chance to shine the light on some groups that don't typically get attention.

Speaker 1: 9:52

So can you talk a little bit about the Sparkle Scots the band, the dads, the fans and sort of some of the work you did there to highlight them?

Speaker 2: 10:00

Yeah, of course, I just feel like there's certain groups, primarily the football players and the bells. They get a lot of attention and a lot of love. The community adores them, understandably so. But, like I said earlier, there's so many other groups that play a part in making Friday Night Lights so special in our community. I mean, this community lives for the football season, absolutely loves it, and everyone turns out and goes to it. And there's so many groups that are equally as important that just don't get the love that they deserve, and so we spent a lot of time highlighting the band, the color guard, the drum line, the band director, the Sparkle Scots and the dads, the fans, and so so many groups that wouldn't normally get featured, and it turns out that everyone loved it and loved hearing from so many other groups.

Speaker 1: 10:53

I'm kind of wondering when you're going to highlight the golf team. As a mom who has a golfer for the fourth year at Highland Park, I think we need to give the golfer some love. They do need some love.

Speaker 2: 11:03

I mean they play year round pretty much. They don't really have a season, but we've talked about that before and I think that we need to make that a priority in 2024, before he graduates.

Speaker 1: 11:15

Happy to help. Happy to help. So let's switch off the high school for a bit. I think it was also really a focus for you this year to focus, or to shine the light on, businesses in the community and women-owned businesses. So can you talk a little bit about some of the work you did there? I think it was wonderful. I think we've been able to promote you've been able, pardon me, to promote some businesses that are owned by women and just really help them to get more people to come in and see the wonderful things that they're doing in our community.

Speaker 2: 11:46

Yeah Well, one of the reasons that I wanted to start this podcast is because we have so many unique locally owned businesses. I can't stand how, every time you go to any city out there, they're all starting to look alike, with all the same strip centers, with the Home Depots and the Barnes, noble's and all the big chain stores seem to be taking over and kind of pushing out the mom pop stores. I think that's something that really makes our community so unique and special is because there are so many locally owned businesses. As far as the women owned businesses, some of the things that we did this year is we had Lynn Skybell on the show who was a sponsor, and she owns a small jewelry store in Preston Center.

Speaker 2: 12:28

It's been around forever but a lot of people didn't know that it was still around and she has told me and this, I swear this warms my heart so much she said of all of our marketing and all of our PR efforts we've ever done, being on your podcast has done us the best as far as return on investment goes, and like four months afterwards, randomly, people have stopped in and said I heard you on the Belville Lounge and she's gotten a lot of business from it.

Speaker 2: 12:57

It's gone really well. And then, of course, our good friend Kathy Wall, state Farm Insurance. She was a sponsor in our earlier days and then during COVID we just kind of backed off asking people to be sponsors and we just kind of focused on trying to drive organic business to the local businesses. Well, we reached back out to her in recent months and she's like of course I would love to, but she has a couple of funny stories of how she literally was in the ladies room in her office and a stranger said I recognize your voice, you're a sponsor of the bubble lounge.

Speaker 1: 13:35

So I guess what Martha's saying is it pays to sponsor the bubble lounge, so they're always happy to talk to people who would like the opportunity to be recognized through this podcast.

Speaker 2: 13:46

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Speaker 2: 15:48

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Speaker 1: 16:47

So, Martha, when we think about what's coming, so tell us a little bit about what you want to do as we move into the new year. So you did some different things this year the live broadcasts from the football games. I think you did something at Kendra Scott. What's coming Like? What else do you want to do with the live broadcasts?

Speaker 2: 17:07

Well, that was by far my most favorite part of the year. Like I said, I would like to continue doing that. I will be working a little bit more with Game On. Who does the live broadcast for all the sporting events? We have a big event coming up for the baseball team before the season kicks off.

Speaker 2: 17:28

Here in January. I'm super duper excited to promote this. We are gonna have a podcast episode with the baseball captains here in a couple of weeks and we'll tell you all the details about the event. But my friend, lori Schultz, has taken over this year and is chairing the event and, wow, I'm going to tell you she is turning this thing into a really big, elaborate, amazing event. There's talks of some pretty exciting special guests that will be there and I literally can't wait for this podcast to come out. We can tell you all the details.

Speaker 1: 18:02

Can not wait, can not wait. So everyone holds your breath until we start to hear more about that. So I know that we've also talked a little bit about the fact that you wanna do more with focusing on kids and activities in the neighborhood, so is there anything specific that comes to mind that you could highlight today?

Speaker 2: 18:19

Well, I just think you know the kids are a future for this neighborhood to continue with the same excellence that Orious has had. So I love focusing on the kids. They love being on the show, love being a part of the interviews. So just more sports. I mean, it's impossible for us to do every single thing that we would like to, because there's just a couple of us here and but a lot of times parents will reach out. Sometimes the kids reach out and just say, hey, you know, can we be on your radar? We have this thing coming up and would love for you to come out to it. So always feel free to do that, guys, because I can't be everywhere at once that I want to do as much as that I can to highlight all the wonderful things that these kids are doing within our schools or extracurricular activities, academics, all that kind of stuff.

Speaker 1: 19:11

I think this is a great time to sort of highlight too, that you are always up for input from your listeners. You want the input. You want to know are there guests that people would like to hear from? Are there topics people would like to hear? And then I know that you've said it a couple of times this keeps you really busy and you'd like to grow it, but you really need some help.

Speaker 1: 19:34

So, what about? We're talking about the kids, but what about the moms? So would you want some help from some moms out there?

Speaker 2: 19:40

I desperately need some help, and I am one of the worst people for asking for help. It's very hard for me to delegate things or just to admit that I can't do it all. So and I think a lot of moms are that way, but there's a lot of moms out there that are kind of sitting dormant. They, like so many, have had these amazing careers, or maybe they still do, and they have all this talent that they want to put into something. That's why these moms volunteer so much, is there so much that is needed of them, and I need some help too. So I let's get you some help. That is going to be very top priority for the new year, because I simply can't do it all anymore and I really do need help, and I'll be posting, like, more details of what exactly it is I'm looking for. But if anyone's out there thinking, ooh, I would love to help with the bubble lounge, please contact me.

Speaker 1: 20:35

Calling all moms. I know you and I were talking the other night and I you said you wanted some of the brainstorm with them and as someone who took a break from my career and have really enjoyed the time off, I said I'd be happy to brainstorm with you. Let's do it Right. Yeah, Cause once I go back to the office, We'll never see you again.

Speaker 2: 20:53

You'll never see me again, just like you never saw me before.

Speaker 1: 20:55

So okay, so um, we've talked a lot about the things over the year. Why don't you tell us about your funniest moment? I know that you and I have talked about it. I think you were interviewing your priest and uh, it, it, it sort of went Saturday night live on us.

Speaker 2: 21:14

It did I. You know there's been a lot of laughs in the bubble lounge, both in the studio and out at the events that we've been to, but this one in particular just happened, like literally last week Kim and Chris Garada. He's the rector of St Michael's and all angels, one of the biggest Episcopal churches in the country, right here in Dallas. He is such a comedian Like he literally should be an actor. I mean, I guess you kind of are when you're, you know, at the pulp and all that. He is hilarious. We were sitting here at this table and we were taking a picture at the end of our episode as we do a lot of times and making a little promo video for the episode. And he goes. You know what I'm getting?

Speaker 2: 21:54

I'm getting sweaty balls, vibes sitting here at this table and I'm like, oh my God, are you kidding me? He goes, let's do it. So we reenacted the sweaty ball skit, which a lot of you know out there is just hilarious they're.

Speaker 2: 22:09

And if you don't, Google it it's with Alec Baldwin and it's an NPR setting and it's hilarious. But what I think was probably the most funny, he's a really big deal and he was the one pushing to do this and I was so uptight Like I was like, oh my God, I'm going to get you fired. You know you're, you're, if you leave my church I'm going to die. You know I'll have the whole community after me and everyone will be so upset I go. I could get you fired, I guess only if it's not funny.

Speaker 1: 22:41

You know as as so. So, as someone who my grandfather grandfather was an Episcopal bishop, I would tell you he would not be funny or be doing the reenactment. So I love this. This is just like so real to where we are today and and what a great opportunity to get real with your own, your own priest.

Speaker 2: 23:00

I mean, we're just laughing hysterically here. It was awesome so.

Speaker 1: 23:05

Martha, again, we've talked about my gosh. You've expanded the countries across the world. Your, your listeners have just boomed, and the number of episodes you're constantly prepping and working on episodes. So anything else from this year that you would want to highlight before we sort of say goodbye to 2023 and get excited for 2024?.

Speaker 2: 23:28

Well, I think something that we've learned this past year and also during the past five years, as we've interviewed a lot of people. Obviously, we've interviewed local celebrities. People ask me a lot of times who's the most famous person I've ever interviewed. The answer to that is Caitlyn Jenner.

Speaker 1: 23:45

That was at a charity event.

Speaker 2: 23:47

That's a story within itself. However, just to share some of this with you, these, rafael, what we have found is because it's a very hyper local podcast. The more locally focused we are, the better the episodes do. People are really enjoying hearing from the kids, the captains of the teams, the local business owners. Tracy Walder, who wrote Unexpected Spy, is always an interview that I bring up because, good lord almighty, how many times do you have the opportunity to meet a fellow mom in your neighborhood that just happens to be an ex spy for the CIA and FBI? I mean, what a story.

Speaker 1: 24:25

I love that and I just watched that movie with Arnold Schwarzenegger True Lies with Mack the other night and we laughed so hard oh, that would never happen. But it did right, like it's exactly happened to you, I know, I know.

Speaker 2: 24:40

In this little small eight mile community, we have such a cast of characters, of people who have done so many amazing things young people, older people, so many different stories to be told and all you have to do is really listen and look for it and find these stories to share and we literally are never going to run out of content.

Speaker 1: 25:03

Absolutely. So you're saying if there's something, someone you know on your street who's interesting, let me know. Yes, absolutely so. As we wrap 2023 and start to look forward to 2024, what are you thinking about? That would be interesting for people to know. That's coming for the Bubble Lounge.

Speaker 2: 25:21

Well, of course as I mentioned, the big baseball event is coming up here early to mid January and we'll talk more about that when we have the captains on Just more school focused events, more community focused. I just love when our community comes together at the Christmas tree lightings and the 4th of July parade. Those things just warm my heart. I absolutely love that so much about our community. So focusing more on things like that who knows, maybe even creating one or two of these events on our own that we could be a part of would be really amazing. But just continue to grow, get the word out, keep spreading the word, have more listeners, have more sponsors, just more of everything. It's been a great five years and just kind of continue on Well and you're so active and you're always doing really cool things.

Speaker 1: 26:13

It would be great if you could even share, maybe once a month, with the community Some of the cool things that are up and coming just in the broader Dallas area that people could go do, and we have so many great things in the park cities, but there's also so many fun things. I know you attended this really cool holiday event at the Galleria.

Speaker 2: 26:35

Oh, yes, yes.

Speaker 1: 26:36

There's just so many great things in the DFW area that make it so unique, and I think you have a platform for this. So again, you've had an amazing year. I want to remind everyone, if you didn't hear us the first time, chloe Walsh, you were the best Martha's looking for another Chloe Walsh for this upcoming summer. And then, moms, if you want to help with the Bubble Lounge, please contact Martha and please, please. Again, martha is always open to input from listeners on guests and topics and just, it's been a really great year for you. So congratulations, martha.

Speaker 2: 27:14

Thank you so much. Thank you for being here today. Glad to be here it's been so nice not not having to ask the questions.

Speaker 1: 27:22

Happy New Year.

Speaker 2: 27:23

Happy New Year to all of you. Thank you so much. That's been another episode of the Bubble Lounge. I'm Martha Jackson.

Speaker 1: 27:30

I'm.

Speaker 2: 27:30

Kim Gregory, and we'll catch you next time.