Press Tour (Part One)

From Earthquakes to Finding My Voice

At one of the many interviews I did. started to feel a little more comfortable by now.

Kicking Things Off with Parade Magazine

The press tour was a whirlwind, but such a blast—especially with Scott by my side. That said, there were definitely a few “Hold my hand, I think I’m gonna puke.” moments that kept me on my toes.

It all kicked off on April 14 with a phone interview for Parade Magazine with Lanae Brody. A phone call was the perfect way to start. I could glance at my notes without feeling like I was cheating on a test. Lanae was lovely and started by asking if I was nervous when I first pitched the idea of telling Scott’s story in a book. (Spoiler: I was.) She also asked Scott how he felt about me approaching him with the idea, and then we dove into American Idol, The Voice, and the whole audition process.

Did I Miss a Spicy Question?

Midway through the interview, things got seismic. Out of nowhere, both Lanae and Scott yelped, “Whoa!” Scott asked, “Did you feel that?” and Lanae confirmed she had. I was still in Texas, completely clueless. For a second I thought I’d missed a spicy question, but it turned out it was just an earthquake in LA. I was a little bummed we weren’t on Zoom so I could have seen their reactions, but we powered through and wrapped it up.

The Nerves Are Real

I hung up feeling slightly less like I was going to lose my lunch before the next one. My family didn’t understand why I was so nervous. They kept telling me, “Just talk like you always do!” Honestly, I wasn’t sure either. I love talking about my kids and the book, but I’d never done interviews for national magazines, TV, or radio. I’d always been in the background during Scott’s interviews with Pentatonix. I had a sense of how it all worked, but the nerves still crept in.

One Side Effect I Didn’t Expect

The pre-interview jitters made it hard to eat, and I ended up losing eight pounds that month. Not exactly a diet I’d recommend, but I wasn’t complaining.

Finding My Rhythm

A huge thanks to my publicist, Ken Phillips, who eased me into everything with phone and Zoom interviews before the TV and radio rounds started. By the time those came around, I felt like a pro. Ken was so helpful, and I’m really grateful for his guidance. Scott also deserves credit for jumping in when I got a little tongue-tied.

Next Up: Zoom Interviews

The energy picked up even more after this, and Zoom interviews came with their own curveballs. I’ll share those next.