Send a text

Season two of Bench to Bold is officially here — and Marnie and Alisa are back with a brand new studio, a lot more to say, and zero plans to slow down. In this season premiere, the co-hosts reflect on a whirlwind trip to Super Bowl Media Row (yes, Cam Newton recognized them), share major updates on Marnie's MLB licensing deal and upcoming Baseball Billy books, and pull back the curtain on what it actually looks like to build something from scratch — from Alisa hand-writing labels in her car to Marnie lugging books to the post office every Tuesday. They also talk about how they met through the Ronald McDonald House, why giving back changes everything, and what "Bench to Bold" really means when life gets messy.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:

• 00:00 — Welcome to Season 2 & the New EVRYBDY Studio Season 2 launch and what's new for Bench to Bold
• 03:00 — Super Bowl Media Row: Celebrity Petting Zoo & Cam Newton Behind the scenes at Super Bowl Media Row — and how Cam Newton recognized Marnie
• 06:00 — NFL Off the Field Wives Event, Ashanti & Raising Real Money An inside look at the NFL Off the Field Wives' 25th year event and the power of women supporting women
• 07:00 — How Marnie & Alisa Met: The Ronald McDonald House Story The event neither of them wanted to attend — and how it changed everything
• 10:30 — Marnie's MLB Deal: Baseball Billy & the Yankees and Phillies Books Marnie's Major League Baseball licensing deal and the Baseball Billy book series launching end of March
• 14:00 — Women's Flag Ball League Plans Plans for an affordable, family-friendly women's flag ball league
• 15:30 — Alisa Lux Beauty: Launching a Full Makeup Line in Three Months What it actually takes to build a product business solo — from the bedroom distribution center to handwriting labels in the car
• 19:00 — The Real Back Office: Entrepreneurship Isn't Glamorous The unglamorous back office reality every entrepreneur knows but rarely talks about
• 22:00 — Scorekeeping, Partnerships & What Makes Relationships Work Why scorekeeping is the enemy of great relationships — in business and in life
• 24:00 — Giving Courtside Seats Away & Why Generosity Pays Off Giving courtside Hornets seats to Ronald McDonald House families and why giving back changes the dynamic of everything
• 28:00 — Season 2 Goals & What "Bench to Bold" Really Means What being on the

Send a text

Episode Description

There’s a voice most of us carry around all day. It comments on what we eat, how we look, what we said in that meeting last week. It’s constant. It’s cruel. And most of the time — we don’t even notice we’re doing it.

Colleen Odegaard has spent 30 years on live television, interviewing A-list celebrities and Charlotte’s most compelling stories. But behind the camera, she’s been doing a very different kind of work — the kind that doesn’t show up on a highlight reel. In this episode, she opens up about the unexpected divorce that blindsided her after 23 years, the self-compassion practice that carried her through, and why she believes the way we talk to ourselves is the most important thing we’ll ever change.

She and Alisa and Marnie get into radical acceptance, the comparison trap, letting go of control with adult kids, and the ego she caught running the show — even at 55, when she bought her first solo home. This one is honest, warm, and full of moments you’ll want to sit with.

Show Notes — Key Timestamps (Approximate)

• 00:00 — Welcome + Meet Colleen Odegaard
• 01:30 — The real reason she got into broadcast journalism (it wasn’t noble)
• 08:30 — Feeling benched in a cutthroat industry
• 11:00 — Why growth isn’t about age — it’s about what you do with the time
• 13:00 — The divorce she didn’t see coming after 23 years
• 15:30 — How she got through it: therapy, dharma talks, nature, and friends
• 17:00 — Radical acceptance: what it actually means vs. resignation
• 18:30 — Letting go of control — especially with adult kids
• 25:00 — Self-compassion vs. self-esteem: why compassion has to come first
• 27:30 — Buying her own condo at 55 and the ego check that came with it
• 40:00 — The self-talk we normalize without realizing it
• 41:30 — Why doing something kind for someone else is actually self-care

Send a text

What does it look like to open your heart and your home to children from across the world? In this deeply moving episode of Bench to Bold, Alisa and Marnie sit down with Patty Shropshire, a teacher-turned-realtor, adoptive mother of two, and one of the most quietly bold women we've ever had on the show.

Patty's adoption story is actually two stories and they couldn't be more different. First, the miraculous journey that brought five-month-old Kaya home from Korea, complete with a divine sign from the neighbors next door. Then, the unexpected path to adopting 14-year-old Josh from Ethiopia a trip that started as a missions visit and ended with a family.

In this episode, we cover:

• How Patty felt called to adopt long before she was married — and how that calling eventually became reality

• The Korean neighbors who appeared in her front yard on the exact day the agency called — and why their names changed everything

• What it's really like to adopt a 14-year-old with trauma — and the two years of counseling that helped Patty become the parent Josh needed

• The beauty and challenge of raising a multicultural, multiracial family

• Identity, abandonment, and the emotional layers adopted children carry — and how to meet them with love

• Seven trips to Ethiopia, reconnecting with Josh's birth family, and why Patty keeps going back

• Patty's second bold act: leaving 30 years of teaching to become a top realtor with Ivester Jackson | Christie's International

• What she'd say to anyone considering adoption: just do it — but go in with open eyes

Whether you've thought about adoption, are in the middle of a bold reinvention of your own, or just need to be reminded that love is bigger than borders — this episode is for you.

Connect with Patty:

• Instagram: @pattyshropshirerealty

• Facebook: @shropshirerealty

• Brokerage: Ivester Jackson | Christie's International Real Estate

🎧 Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe to Bench to Bold on Apple Podcasts, leave us a review, and share this episode with a friend who needs to hear it.