The Bubble Lounge (Highland Park & University Park Texas)
The Bubble Lounge Podcast is hosted by Martha Jackson and is the leading hyper-local podcast covering Highland Park and University Park, Texas. With more than 350 episodes and over 190,000 listens, the show has become a trusted voice connecting the Park Cities community.
Each week, Martha sits down with community leaders, business owners, athletes, and residents to spotlight the people, places, and conversations shaping life in the Park Cities. Episodes explore philanthropy, lifestyle, wellness, fashion, relationships, local business, and the moments that bring neighbors together.
What sets The Bubble Lounge apart is its focused reach. Designed for an influential, community-minded audience, especially women and families in Highland Park and University Park — the podcast delivers authentic storytelling paired with strong local impact.
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https://www.bubblelounge.net
The Bubble Lounge (Highland Park & University Park Texas)
Wrapping up 2024 and looking ahead!
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In this special year-end episode of The Bubble Lounge, Martha is joined by guest host Kim Gregorie to reflect on the highlights of 2024, sharing memorable moments, lessons learned, and community milestones. Together, they’ll dive into exciting plans and goals for 2025, offering listeners a glimpse of what’s to come for the podcast and the Park Cities community. Join us as we wrap-up the year and toast to a bright new year ahead!
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Year-End Special at Mannerly Concierge
Speaker 1Friends , you have got to take advantage of this year-end special from Mannerly Concierge Home Management . Mannerly is offering a one-month free membership if you sign up before the end of the year . And even better , if you buy a membership for a family member , you also get a month free off of your service . Friends , this is a great deal and you totally want to take advantage of it now . Mannerly is a locally owned home management company that specializes in maintaining your home . Got a repair or remodeling job ? They can handle it . Once you make sure all that routine maintenance is actually done right , they do it . One of the most valuable assets you own is your home , so why not protect it with Mannerly ? So don't delay . Take advantage of their free membership offer before the year ends . Just call them at 214-463-2462 or visit their website at mannerlycom . And one more thing let them know that Martha from the Bubble Lounge sent you .
Speaker 2Welcome to the Bubble Lounge . I'm Kim Gregory and I'm joined here today by Martha Jackson . Oh , you might be wondering what do you mean , kim Gregory ? Well , last year thank you , martha Martha invited me to guest host , and this year we're going to do it again , and it'll be a little bit of a flip-flop because , instead of your usual , it's just going to be me and Martha getting to talk about Martha the magic behind the mic . So , martha , thanks for letting me do this . I don't know if anybody really knows , but Martha and I hang out a lot . We're actually friends , and so this is going to be a lot of fun today , a little different than the usual Bubble Lounge .
Speaker 1You know I'm so excited to be on the other end of the microphone I Lounge . You know I'm so excited to be on the other end of the microphone . I can just sit back and relax and get the questions .
Speaker 2Yeah , I know I was a little nervous , you know like to have you be on the other side of it . I wouldn't want to let you down or say something that wouldn't really be in the Bubble Lounge format , you know . Oh , you would never let me down . So before we have some fun though , martha , I think this has been a really big year for you . What is it ? Seven years now ?
Speaker 1Yes , we just celebrated seven years this fall .
Speaker 2How many episodes are you up to at this point in time ? We're getting really close to 300 . It's like around 286 , something in there , I remember the 250th this year . I can't remember which episode it was , which one . Was it One of the captains ? Well , anyway , I just remember you celebrated your 250th . So well , we'll have to do 300 next year . And then , how many followers do you have right now ?
Speaker 1We have 160,000 listeners .
Speaker 2Wow , wow , wow . Okay . So well , I want to have some fun , but I do think that we should recap the top five episodes that you've really had this year , because I thought there were some really , really , really important ones as we think about the community . And I know that you got sick of me calling you and you kept saying go listen to the podcast , but I know a lot of people really probably loved two of them , especially what's going on next in Snyder Plaza . So promise me you're going to keep those going next year as we continue to have the Snyder Plaza stuff going on .
Speaker 1Well , absolutely so . The episodes that are very informative and educational , and also the ones that are to get to know your neighbor , type of things . People really resonate with those and they really seem to enjoy those , and the Snyder Plaza one , especially because that's such a hot topic . That's how you know , we live in a small town and have a tight-knit community , because we are so passionate and we really care about what's going on with the parking lot and this shopping center in the middle of our city .
Speaker 2I just know I kept calling you like , hey , what's going on ? When's it going to be back ? And you're like , well , you just listened to the podcast . But it's easier just to kind of bug you about it . That and the school bond , I think I kept bugging you , which may have been why you finally did an episode on it , because I just kept bugging you with , hey , do you know anything about this ? What should I do ? And you were like , oh my gosh , I'll do an episode on it . But so what were some of the other ones that were a highlight this year ?
Speaker 1Well , I mean , we had a really really good year . I just I really take it seriously delivering content to our listeners , because I know that if we don't , they're going to go away and they're not going to want to listen anymore . So I mean people really loved hearing from the valedictorian Benjamin Martin .
Speaker 2I love Benjamin Martin , I just love him . He is so sweet . You know he and Matt graduated together Right .
Speaker 2And his mom . Lori Martin is one of my favorite people . She's a dear friend of mine and he's just a wonderful young man , in fact . Funny enough , this will make you laugh . I don't think I told you this . Remember , when I went to New York a couple months ago , I was standing in the airport in New York and he's going to school there . He's back at Princeton Right and I'm standing in the airport waiting to come back and I turn around and there's Benjamin . No way .
Speaker 2Yeah , and I'm like hey , I'm like Benjamin and he's like Miss Gregory . I'm like , yeah , and he's like what are you doing here ? I'm like , well , I was in New York visiting some people . He's like , oh , you have friends here . Yes , Benjamin , mom , I have friends too , and he was like okay , and then , and the salutatorian was with him , because they both yeah , so they're standing there , but they didn't really want to talk to me . Yeah , yeah , and I was like trying to talk to them and they just slowly like went away , you know .
Speaker 1Yeah , sometimes , sometimes the kids really don't want to talk to the adults , that's . I think that's pretty normal . It was kind of funny .
Speaker 2But you know the other one . I think that is interesting and you went through it this year , sorority Rush . You did one on the Secrets and I remember that week . I remember every day talking to you when Alexis went through and I know she went through it this year . And , sorority Rush , you know I've been there and it's hard right and I loved when I had that opportunity in my youth but that was a really big episode for people . I think people appreciated it .
Speaker 1Yeah , again , just informative episodes that like educate and give you information that you're seeking . Sorority Rush is something we all can relate to . We know what it was like when we went through and it's changed so much since we were younger and it has become extremely competitive . It's very stressful for both the rushy and the mom going through that week , and so that was a really , really great episode . And you're right , we talked a lot that week . Alexis had a really good rush , but it ended up coming down to two and being a very hard decision . It always comes down to two and this episode really did a good job of just kind of preparing you and getting you ready of what to expect that week and just to kind of how to work with the situations when that comes up .
Speaker 2Yeah , you know , I always tell my nieces have all gone through and I'm always saying to them don't go with what other people think you should do .
Speaker 2Don't choose based on what other people or where you think is the popular house or whatever that is . You need to choose where you feel you're comfortable , like where it is that you've found people that you want to spend time with and and you'll be happy , and then you'll want to spend time there and you'll find the people that are your people and it's a lot of fun . So , all right , well , enough about the bubble lounge this year , because I want to do this different and I want people to get to know the Martha Jackson that I know and love to death and really the person you are , because you really do light up a room when you come in and I think it'll be fun for people to see a different side of Martha . So we're going to do a little bit more , I guess , on the Bubble Lounge . But I think that I know how the Bubble Lounge got started , but could you talk a little bit about how we even got here ? I mean seven years , but how did it get started ? I remember back when you first started it .
Speaker 2I brought you a coffee mug that said something about champagne on it , and so how did it all get started ?
Speaker 1this whole stay-at-home mom thing has kind of run its course . The kids are getting older . I need to look at what is next for me , and I knew I didn't want to go back to corporate America . That was never a good fit for me , Working in a cubicle and just living by other people's rules . It just didn't fit with my Aquarius free spirit that I have . And so I knew I wanted to do something on my own , but I wasn't quite sure what it was .
Speaker 1And Sean had done several podcasts in the past like way before I even know what the heck a podcast was and he said I always thought it would be really interesting to do a hyper local focus podcast , all about the neighborhood that we live in . And I was like , oh my gosh , tell me more . And we talked and talked , and talked and I said , oh wow , we will never run out of topics to talk about because there's so many interesting things going on in this neighborhood , so many interesting people , so many people starting businesses , being authors and just all the stuff and the students and athletes all the stuff we will never run out of things to talk about .
Speaker 2You know , what's so interesting is I've learned more about people in the neighborhood from the interviews you've done , and probably things I would have never learned about people in the neighborhood . And you just brought up athletes and you brought up Sean a minute ago , who I also love dearly . So when you start to think about it , that's something you did different this year you guys on the sidelines , and I think it was really fun to watch you interview parents and coaches and fans , and I know you always interview all the captains and it's been really fun to sort of watch the football games through your lens . And we're coming up on the state championship on Saturday . I know I'm wearing my shirt today , going to bring it home again , I hope this year . But thinking about this year , what's one of your favorite episodes ? Or even out of all of the 280 , what's one of your favorite episodes ?
Speaker 1Well , that's kind of like asking what your favorite child is . I know you only have one , but I have two , and so you , it's like you , just you can't .
Speaker 2God only gave me one , because he knew I couldn't love anybody as much as I love Mac .
Speaker 1It's , it's hard to pick just one . So , again , like what I said earlier , we were talking about the Snyder Plaza episode . That one really resonated with a lot of different people . I mean people were constantly sending me DMs , texting me , telling me in person like how important that episode was to them . Because , again , we live in a very small town , when you really think about it , inside of one of the biggest cities in the state and in the country . Actually , so when we're that passionate about parking in a shopping center , I think that speaks volumes . But it really helped a lot of people understand the thought process of what was going on with this paid parking . Because it was so easy and I'll tell you that I definitely . The minute I heard about it it was like heck , no , no to paid parking , no to paid parking . But once you actually heard the reasoning behind it it opened up people's mind to at least be like okay , I get that perspective and not be so yes and no and just be like a little bit more open and just opening dialogue . I think is so important and that is really important to me . I love it when people can have a conversation and actually think beyond their initial thoughts of absolutely no .
Martha's Music and Horseback Riding Passions
Speaker 1I want to share an experience we had with SA Oral Surgeons because it made such a difference for us . Last holiday break my daughter , who's in college , needed her wisdom teeth out , so we booked with SA Oral Surgeons . From the very start , I felt like we were in the best hands possible . I can't say enough about how comforting it was to know that they don't use opioids . It really put my mind at ease Walking into the office . It felt so warm and welcoming . The staff was fantastic so kind , patient and reassuring . They just have this way of making you feel like you're at home , which was such a relief for both of us . Watching my daughter go through the procedure without worry and seeing how smoothly everything went , it was just a huge weight lifted .
Speaker 1Dr Stewart and Dr Arango have such an impressive reputation and it's clear why they're best in Big D winners . They offer a full range of services from both kids and adults , and they're right here in the neighborhood , located at Northwest Highway and Hillcrest Avenue . If you're looking for top-notch care and skilled hands you can trust . I really recommend Essay Oral Surgeons . Just head to EssaySurgeonscom to learn more or book an appointment . That's EssaySurgeonscom . It made all the difference for us All right .
Speaker 2So I kind of eased you into this because I know you don't like to talk about yourself , so you've been able to keep it real high level and about the bubble lounge . But now we're going to have some fun . So I hope that you're ready and so you're going to like sort of turn off Martha , the bubble lounge lady , and we're going to let people kind of get to know you a little bit more . I'm still going to ease you into this . But for those of you who don't know Martha very well , she is a huge music fan . She goes to a ton of concerts We've been to . We went to . Where did we go ? This year ? We went to Stevie Nicks . Yes , Stevie Nicks . This year we went to Elton .
Speaker 1John , we went to both on my birthday .
Speaker 2We went to Elton John for my birthday a couple years ago , right . And then we went to Stevie Nicks this year for my birthday . Yes , we went to the Colt . That was a birthday present I gave you on your birthday . Oh wow , yeah , that was fun . And then we went to Whitesnake yes , that was super fun .
Speaker 1That was fun . We cut in line .
Speaker 2Remember that .
Speaker 1That was cool right .
Speaker 2So Martha's a big music fan . She'll go to any concert . Huge heavy metal fan , I might add . She might kill me for sharing all her secrets . But , martha , if you were to give the Bubble Lounge a soundtrack , so when you think about it , no-transcript , name it .
Speaker 1Oh my gosh . Well , you know I'm going to go with a lot of the 80s because that's my genre and , in my opinion , the best time period for music . So let's go with Living on a Prayer by Bon Jovi . It's just a real feel good anthem about resilience and community and I feel like that aligns with the podcast focus on celebrating the neighborhood and all celebrating the neighborhood .
Speaker 2I'm just so happy you didn't go with Motley Crue .
Speaker 1Oh wait , well , I have a couple more . Oh okay , go ahead , go ahead , go ahead . So here I go again by Whitesnake . You and I saw them together , yeah , we did , of course . And it's a song about forging your path and persevering and echoing the you know , the entrepreneurial spirit that goes on in our community . And then I would say the third one would be Sweet Child of Mine , by Guns N' Roses .
Speaker 2One of my favorites . I just saw them a few years ago and it was on my bucket list and I just I love that band so much . Now , if Kid Rock comes anytime soon , we are going , we are so going . I love him too . That is one of your favorites , I know , I know . And then I just went to Morgan Wallen too . He was amazing . I'd go back again . I had some help . I love that song so good .
Speaker 1Yeah , he's a great guy .
Speaker 2Okay , so now a little bit more , and you may not like this one , but I'm going to ask you anyway . So what's something your listeners would never guess about you ? I don't know if it's like a secret hobby , a guilty pleasure , sort of like a Martha Jackson fun fact .
Speaker 1Oh , I think there's a lot , but here's the one I'm going to go with , and I don't even think you know about it , I don't think we've talked about this . I can't wait . I used to show horses , huh , I , I can't wait . You place within that so you get a certain amount of points . So , after a full day of events , there's all sorts of events . There's events where you're presenting your horse and they're judging you on how well you present them .
Speaker 2So basically , you won . Yeah , okay , so you're a winner when it comes to showing horses .
Speaker 1Yeah , did you actually ride on the horse .
Speaker 2Absolutely , I'm scared of horses , I'm scared to death .
Speaker 1Oh yeah , I hate horses . Okay , so if it's a quarter horse , and probably other breeds too , they're like giant puppies actually . They really are , yeah .
Speaker 2That's what the person said . When I was a counselor and I had to go take this kid and some horses and my horse took off , oh no , and then it jumped over this little . It felt like a river to me . They said it was like a little puddle , but I felt like I was going to die . And I've not been on a horse since . Well .
Speaker 1I hear you I've had my share of those moments as well . But yeah , I rode English and Western . I used to travel all over the country for my competitions . You are a Fort Worth girl , I know . I mean , I'm from Fort Worth . What else would I do ? You know ? Right ? Am I going to be a cheerleader or a bell or something like that ? No , you ride horses . I love it . I love it . Like your horse runs really fast and you make them do this it's called a sliding stop and they slide and they get down really low and they slide and you do these . No , thank , you .
Speaker 1Super quick turns . No , it's so super amazing fun . You have no idea who would have thought . Who would have thought I know , like I'm sure that , does Sean know this ? He kind of knows about it because we talked about it recently . He doesn't watch Yellowstone , but I was telling him no , I mean , does he know about the horse thing ? Yeah , a little bit . I mean I probably haven't gone . Are there photos ? Oh yeah , there's tons of photos .
Speaker 2I've got to see these .
Speaker 1Yeah , I would love to share them with you . But I also have gone out on a friend's ranch and we herded up the cattle and we brought them back in and I've done cutting , which is also in Yellowstone . So if you know about reining and cutting , I have done that . Although that was not my main focus , I have done it and it's absolutely amazing . I would love to do it again . So if anyone out there has a ranch with cattle and you do reining and cutting , please invite me .
Speaker 2Wow , speaking of inviting , I would
Dream Dinner Guests
Speaker 2love to know . I was just thinking about this the other day when I was thinking about the holidays and having family around , and I , you know , I'm such a geek I like to come up with ways to create conversation , to make sure things don't get awkward , you know . So I started to make a list of questions to ask for my son , to ask his grandfather when he's here visiting , and so this is one of the questions , and so I thought , well , I'll ask Martha this too . So , martha , if you could have dinner with any three people it can be anybody living , historical , anybody you want who and why ? Oh my gosh , I think that is it , and I know it can't be me , so I'm just kidding . I'm just kidding , okay . So who and why ?
Speaker 1I think that's a brilliant question . I think that really , when people answer a question like that , I think it says a lot about their personality . So this should be interesting , what I share and I would love to hear about his vision for creating magical experiences , the ups , the downs , how he built this empire and how he kept innovating , Like back in the day they just didn't have all the resources that we have now to research and do all the things , and he just was brilliant Wow .
Speaker 2Like way ahead of his time . That's one .
Speaker 1Yes , that's one . So , okay , you're going to love this one . Kim Nikki Sixx . Oh , of course , he is the founding member of Motley Crew , one of my most favorite bands , and I'm sure that's going to shock a lot of you , because I really don't look the part to love a band that looks like that so much , but I do .
Speaker 2You know , I really do want to say that recently I needed a concert t-shirt . And who did I call ? I called you and said do you have a ? I know you have a concert t-shirt in the form of a heavy metal band that I might be able to borrow . Oh , my gosh , I have so many , you said , of course .
Speaker 1I do .
Speaker 2And it was just funny .
Speaker 1Yeah , no , I have a huge collection and , oddly , I don't like to wear T-shirts , so they literally sit in a zip-up bag . Here's the third one . But Nicky's life story is so fascinating to me . He overcame such a horrible childhood and a very severe drug addiction . He turned his life around just like channeling his experience into music and inspiring others . Channeling his experience into music and inspiring others , he just he really is a neat person , to be honest , even though he looks like a wild 80s rock star , and he still does to this day . But I've met him a couple of times .
Speaker 2I wish you had At that thing in California . What's that thing called ? No , not at that thing .
Speaker 1At a hotel in Denver , colorado , because we Wow Sean's over there laughing we were vacationing in Beaver Creek . Sean was there . Oh yeah , sean helped instigate the meeting of Nikki Sixx , and so they were performing in Denver , colorado , which is sort of a small market compared to some of the others , and so we went there and we ended up staying at the same hotel that they were at , so we literally had a chance .
Speaker 2I just want to for the listeners . By chance they were staying at the same hotel .
Speaker 1Yes , by chance . I mean there was no research or any thought behind that at all just by chance . So my kids and Sean were literally at the pool with Nikki Sixx and his wife all day . I was in the meantime getting my nails done with Alice Cooper's wife and his lead guitar player , nita Strauss , which are legendary , and also Tommy Lee . I think a lot of you know Tommy Lee . He's known to be pretty wild . He was at the hotel as well . He's still handsome .
Speaker 2I do think he's pretty handsome .
Speaker 1And Sean chit-chatted with him in the elevator . We had quite the experience . Anyways , I really admire Nikki Sixx . Okay , last one . Last one is Martha Stewart . I recently watched- .
Speaker 2I loved that the documentary .
Speaker 1Yes , it was so cool . I had no idea that she was literally one of the first women to be on Wall Street and to hear her stories and just how she was treated . But she was such a strong woman , she held her ground , she did her thing and she just , she has just made such a .
Speaker 2She's amazing . I saw her at Tate last year . Oh wow , she was incredible . And what was so funny ? When I saw her I don't think I told you this I went to go see her and she kept trying to sort of lay up for the moderator to talk about when she went to prison and they wouldn't talk about it , they wouldn't take it , they wouldn't do it .
Speaker 1Well , it's kind of a conservative crowd . They probably didn't want to get into that , but get into that , but it's so interesting right . It is a huge part of her story .
Speaker 2Right , and when I saw that documentary , I watched it recently . I want to have Mac watch it when he's home at Christmas . I've been making a list of things to watch . I thought it was incredibly interesting . Like you're saying , she's one of the first women on Wall Street . The other thing I thought was interesting is she's really one of the first women for all of this .
Speaker 1So what we're doing today ? Yeah , he was like the OG as the influencers , way before we even knew that term Right , absolutely and all of her stuff with Kmart .
Speaker 2That's like how you're like began all of the get paid to do this sort of thing . It was really interesting . I just I haven't seen it . Go see it Absolutely , and hopefully Martha will hear us say this , because she's on my list to meet too . I just think she is so incredible and doesn't get enough credit for what she's done .
Speaker 1She's just the epitome of a badass woman .
Speaker 1No , I like her because she's a badass woman and she's just making things happen she is . I wanted to give a personal thank you to our good friend and show sponsor , kathy Elwall State Farm Agency . You to our good friend and show sponsor , kathy Elwall State Farm Agency . We have known Kathy for more than 15 years and there is no person we trust more when it comes to insurance than Kathy Elwall . Kathy is always available to help you find the right insurance for your family needs , whether it's covering your home , auto or providing a life insurance policy tailored to the unique needs of families in Highland Park . My family trusts Kathy with our insurance and we hope you will too . Please visit kathylwallcom to learn more and let her know that Martha from the Bubble Lounge sent you .
Speaker 2Okay , so we're going to go to the next thing and , for those of you who don't know , martha's youngest child , blake , is currently learning to drive , and so Martha might be a little bit stressed out sometimes . And yes , martha , I will help you teach Blake how to drive . We've been going through this . She's like will you help , will you help teach Blake how to drive ? Because I taught Mac how to drive , because Mac needed to learn during COVID . So , as you all know , there weren't driving instructors . So I am a certified driving instructor .
Unwinding With TV and Laughter
Speaker 2If anyone wants help teaching their children how to drive , a certified driving instructor . If anyone wants help teaching their children how to drive , and so you're kind of stressed out sometimes about this , yeah , so why don't you tell us what does Martha Jackson do to unwind ?
Speaker 1Oh , my goodness . Well , I mean just going back to what you said about the driving . I just don't know where this parent-taught driving thing came about . We don't know what we're doing . We learned how to drive . I guess you do . You should turn that over to the professionals . Back in my day in Fort Worth , you went to Sears Driving School . You sat in a classroom with your peers and you did all the stuff . That's how it should be . And I will feel it wasn't a class , I took it in high school . I will feel personally guilty if he has a wreck or anything happens . But yes , kim is a certified driving instructor , so she is going to help Blake , especially over this holiday break . I will , I will help .
Speaker 1But what do I do to unwind ? That is a really good question , because I really am not very good at relaxing and unwinding . No , really , I don't think I know how to do that . Sean will confirm that . But most recently , I have gotten addicted to Yellowstone . I mean , I did not expect to enjoy that show as much as I did and I got addicted to it and I really love it and I'm towards the end of it and I got addicted to it and I really love it and I'm towards the end of it . You know the original series . Then we go back into 1800 or whatever it's called . Right , right , right . I'm almost done with the regular season and I'm super excited . And then from there we're going to go to Landman , which I understand .
Speaker 2I'm watching it .
Speaker 1It takes part in Fort Worth , so I think I'm in a really an Aledo and different places that we can all relate to around here , so I'm looking forward to that . I think that's going to be very helpful .
Speaker 2Landman is really , really good , and probably the best I've ever seen . Billy Bob Thornton and I'm I wait for Sundays when the new episode comes out . You're going to love it . So what I hear you saying , though , is you watch a little TV and disconnect from real life . To watch it , yeah , or to unwind . That's what I need to do . Absolutely Perfect , okay . So now I'm so curious about this one . If you could swap a lot with anyone in the bubble for a day , who would it be that you'd want to swap with ? You know , I love this . I do this to my kid all the time . I know he's dreading coming home from college , but I do these questions every time we have dinner , and he's like oh my gosh , mom , not more of these questions .
Speaker 1Well , I love that you ask him that . I mean , that gets you really thinking that I would go with anyone in the bubble . So if I was a dude I would be the most amazing football player . I would be like iconic and everyone would know and I would be an amazing player . So I would want to I thought you were going to say Coach Allen , no , listen to this . So I would like to switch with Troy Aikman because I think it would be so amazing to be an infamous NFL football player . And then the second part of that is he's also done color commentary for ESPN and Monday Night Football and that's , you know , a little bit of a far cry from sidelines at Highlander Stadium .
Speaker 2You know , what I think is so funny that you're saying that about the commentating and I'm going to add in here something other people wouldn't know about you , because I didn't really know until we talked about it this year is you're so natural on the sidelines and so you're talking about Troy Aikman and Trading Places and he does such a great job . Right , he's a great commentator .
Speaker 1He's a great commentator .
Speaker 2You're a great commentator and I've told you that and I said gosh , you do such a great job . I don't think I could do that . And part of it , too , is I don't like myself on film . And you said to me oh , I'm very uncomfortable , you don't like that . You're not naturally enjoying being behind a camera . You'd never know . That is 100% true and I know you probably don't like that . I shared that it's all good , it's not something that you enjoy getting in front ?
Speaker 1You'd never know . You look like you're having a ball , I am having a ball , but internally there are struggles and anxiety , just like anyone else out there . I mean , the fear of public speaking rakes right behind the fear of death for people . That's a fact . And I struggle with the same thing that most people do Like . So many people don't want to be on the microphone or the camera and it is definitely a struggle for me and it's why I didn't pursue radio TV film , which was my major at OU , and it took kind of a midlife crisis to kind of force me into thinking you know what I never did ? That I regret that I didn't do that . I'm going to do it now and even though I've been doing this podcast for seven years , it still is a struggle , it really is .
Speaker 2You know I always tell Mac so when he was younger to help him later in life and he didn't get it until now he's in college I had him take an acting class in the summers , two summers in a row . He's like Mom , I don't want to be an actress . It's not about being an actor . This is going to help you with getting up in front of people and being okay with it . He was probably like eight when I did it . Maybe it was one summer , I don't remember . But I remember him thinking how dumb it was that I had him taking this acting class because he didn't want to be an actor . But now he doesn't mind , he does very well giving presentations etc . The whole goal was to give him this presence when he had to do presentations , and I think we talked a little bit about it , like should we do an acting class ? Wouldn't that be fun ?
Speaker 2And I'm always looking for things that we can do besides going out to get burgers , or maybe when we go get martinis I mean , I don't know , but we do . By the way , for everyone , martha and I , if you're looking for the best burger in town , we can tell you where it is , because we love burgers and so . But I think it's just interesting when you see someone who's so natural and you're just so natural and you do such a great job . And I hope you'll keep doing all the sidelines next year , because now that I don't have a child at Highland Park , I don't go to the games and so I know it annoys you , but I text you . I don't even know if Sean knows that I text you every game . What's the score ? What's the score ? Did they win ? And you're like , oh my gosh , will you just come to the game with me ? And so sometimes I do but it's kind of fun .
Speaker 1You and my 84-year-old mom text me constantly what's going on and she watches it .
Speaker 2She's like yep , I did . I hope she's not listening and I hope she didn't hear that imitation . You know , I'm going to bring my dad this week . He's going to be here from California and he's never been to a like Friday night lights kind of football game . So I said , dad , I got you a wheelchair , I'm going to wheel you into AT&T . He's a little skeptical but I think he'll enjoy it . Okay , so let's talk . We'll wind down with a little bit more about the show , because I know that'll make you comfortable and if I think of anything else that people don't know about Martha Jackson , we're going to wind down with a couple of things more on Martha . But when you think about the show , I know you always have a lot of fun , but was there any shows where you just couldn't stop laughing , where you just had a moment ? You know one of those moments where you're just giggling to thinking back , oh my gosh .
Speaker 1Well , so not necessarily doing the show , but after we record a podcast we usually do a little video to promote the episode on Instagram .
Speaker 2And the photos that Sean takes , which last year horrible horrible .
Speaker 1Well , there's not the best lighting in the Bubble Lounge studio because Sean does Zoom calls in here and he has to have a specific lighting that works for him . It's not all about us . So , yeah , definitely during some of those videos I have gotten the giggles , and probably the worst was with my doctor . Ironically , dr Patel and I kept making mistakes and tripping over my words , and the more I did that , the more I got the giggles and I just kept laughing and then she just kind of like got on board too , and anytime she tried to say something she'd laugh . So it was just this back and forth thing between either I had a good take and she started laughing , or she had a good take and I started laughing . So it took a while for us to sync up and pull ourselves together , but it was funny to experience that moment with an MD .
Speaker 2Wow , well , and I know you just had one of your favorite guests on last week , your minister .
Speaker 1The rector from St Michael's and All Angels . Yes , Chris .
Speaker 2Garotta , it was a good one . It was a good one , and I know you talked about forgiveness and I think that's so important as we're coming into the holiday season , and I know that we've talked about it and I just in fact , I just wrote something up on forgiveness yesterday . I'm going to have to give it to you because I think that it would be meaningful during this holiday season . Okay , so , when we think about the bubble lounge , what are we going to expect in 2025 ?
Speaker 1Definitely looking at making some changes , because if you keep doing what you're doing , you're going to get the same results that you've been getting , and I'm happy with the results , but I want to keep growing and doing better . So there's definitely some changes in place . We're talking to a couple of new potential sponsors and I can't wait to announce those at the beginning of the year , but more Instagram things and just a lot more of what we've been doing .
Speaker 2But I guess new and improved Excellent and I know you're always willing to hear from people in the community . If there's episodes they'd like to see , you do and just shoot Martha a note and she's always looking for creative content . All right , to wind us down , let's do sort of like a rapid fire , rapid fire couple of things and have a little bit more fun . What's something most listeners would be surprised to learn about ? You Real quick .
Speaker 1The fear of public speaking . Everyone thinks , because you have a podcast , that you're completely fine and chill about speaking in public , and I still struggle with it .
Speaker 2Favorite interview guest .
Speaker 1Oh , my goodness . So I don't know . I don't want to say favorite , but most interesting would be Tracy Walter , who's the mom in the neighborhood and wrote the book Unexpected Spy , To see her and to meet her . She looks like your everyday mom in the park cities and she was in the FBI and CIA . I mean wow , Wow .
Speaker 2Best neighborhood coffee shop where we might see you hanging out .
Speaker 1By far Zest . A lot of people don't know . In the back of the restaurant is an actual coffee shop that in the evening turns into a bar . I have only been there at the coffee shop part and I do conduct a lot of Bubba Lounge meetings there .
Speaker 2I also conduct meetings there and love it . Favorite place to grab a burger .
Speaker 1Oh my gosh , I love burgers . Like you said earlier , Burger House is my favorite . I like the thinner burger by far .
Speaker 2What about Hudson House ? That's gone now we're not having that one .
Speaker 1I do love the Hudson House burger too . I do , but Burger House is a little closer to home so I go there more often
Bubble Lounge Community and Martini Plans
Speaker 1.
Speaker 2Favorite place to grab a martini With me . With me , with you Ramble Room , for sure Ramble Room , and I want to try that new place . You went last night , I did , was it ?
Speaker 1good , I did not have a martini there , oh , okay , fine .
Speaker 2Well then we'll have to try it out for a martini . And then , last thing , one word to describe the Bubble Lounge .
Speaker 1Oh , definitely community . It's all about the community in this neighborhood . That's what makes this place so special .
Speaker 2Well , martha , thanks for having me back for a second year . Hopefully we'll do it again next year . And to everyone out there , thank you for joining us on the Bubble Lounge . Hope that you will listen a lot more in 2025 for all the new things that Martha will be doing . That's been another episode of the Bubble Lounge and I've been your guest host , kim Gregory .
