Missed Calls - Episode 02

In this episode of Missed Calls, Cori explores the power of leaving voicemails for her late father, finding comfort and relief from anxiety through these small moments of connection. She reflects on how these calls help her feel close to him, especially during stressful times like the "Sunday Scaries."

Cori also shares memories of her dad’s influence on her love for creating an atmosphere around everything she does, from making mixtapes to curating moods for her favorite shows. Along the way, she touches on themes of loss, pets, and how those we love continue to shape us, even after they're gone.

In a special treat, Cori plays a nostalgic recording of her dad’s voice from when he was the automated announcer for a car wash, highlighting how even the smallest memories can bring comfort.

Finally, she invites listeners to share their own stories or leave a voicemail for her dad, creating a space for connection and reflection.

Episode Timestamps:

• [00:00:00] Intro and reflections on voicemails as a source of comfort
• [00:01:00] Conquering the "Sunday Scaries" by calling Dad
• [00:03:00] Nostalgic memories of music, mixtapes, and shared moments
• [00:05:00] Embracing Dad’s creativity of turning everyday activities into immersive experiences
• [00:06:00] Dealing with loss and the heartache of losing a beloved pet
• [00:09:00] Special connection to her father through shared experiences
• [00:10:00] Reflections on how her dad’s influence continues in her life
• [00:11:00] A special car wash recording featuring her dad’s voice

Don’t Miss: At the end of this episode, enjoy a heartwarming surprise—a recording of Cori’s dad as the voice of an automated car wash. It’s a small but touching way to hold on to the sound of a loved one’s voice.

If you’d like to share a story, memory, or even leave your own voicemail for Cori’s dad, you can do so by clicking the link in the show notes. Your message can be anonymous, and Cori can even edit it for you if you’re feeling a bit shy. Whether you want to reminisce or just need someone to listen, she’s here for you.

Let’s keep the conversation going—submit your voicemails and stories here: https://bit.ly/47hYUHg

Stay Connected:

• Learn more about the podcast and how to submit your own voicemail or story about Dan - https://coriorak.com/hey-pops-podcast
• Get involved and learn more about the Dan Culhane Memorial Fund - https://www.danculhanememorialfund.org/

Subscribe & Review: If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Your feedback helps others find the show and supports me in continuing to share these stories.

Thank you for being part of this journey with me. See you next week for Episode 3 of "Hey Pops."

Transcript

Missed Calls Episode 2

Cori: [00:00:00] Hello, everybody. Welcome back to Missed Calls. This is the second episode. This is super fun for me to call. And I think that I might start doing a little bit of a mixture of instead of just leaving one voicemail every other week, I might just start calling my dad more often. And I'll just splice together little ones that come up.

I mean, we'll see what happens. Maybe I'll have a lot to say, maybe I won't, but it's really fun to just kind of like walk around and feel as though I'm on the phone with my dad. Or leaving him a message. I feel a little self conscious because it's like, in a way, just me meandering through. Gibberish. But it feels great.

And this call was super special because all day yesterday, on Sunday, I had the worst Sunday Scaries and like just heavy, heavy anxiety. I couldn't put my finger on it. And so, I I was like, maybe it was because I was thinking I'm going to have to do so much on Monday. Obviously, that's what Sunday Scaries are.

[00:01:00] And to combat that, I was like, what can I do today that'll help me get ahead for tomorrow? And the voicemail to my pops was one of them. And I just walked around talking to my dad and honest to God, I felt better for the rest of the night. It felt so good. I can't believe the power that comes from calling my dad.

So I love these. This is a cool project. This is so fun. And stay tuned for the end of the call because I am going to play the recording of what it sounds like to get a car wash from my dad. So thank you for listening and stay tuned.

Hi, it's Dan. I can't come to the phone right now, but if you leave a message, I'll call you right back. Thanks. Hey Pops, so it is Sunday, September[00:02:00] 

8th. I said that it's September because I love, I

don't get the seasons I'm[00:03:00] 

listening to. I was reading a book called Daisy Jones and the Six, which I think you would've loved because it reads like a documentary. Stevie Nicks and awesome 70's vibe. I just like to make that theme and, you know, if I'm watching Game of Thrones, I like to make a big platter of meat and wine and pretend I'm at a medieval table, rubbing down just like they are, or I got hooked on watching Hot Ones interviews and had to get wings because I had to be, transport myself there with them.

And I, I love that. I think it's so much fun [00:04:00] to make a whole event and a whole vibe out of what you're doing. And I have you to thank for that. I still have some of your CD mixes too. You make the best mixtapes. Like, the Cops and Robbers one. You have like a bunch of different cool mixes. Christmas ones. I think back when there was like that slush of swinger vibe.

Swinger. Swinger. Not swingers. Swing music. You had all these cool samples from the radio station so you made me a cool swing mixtape. So I still love making the same thing and I was thinking about how like I went to a class on Friday and it was all these great 90s hits. I was thinking about how much even like a workout is so much more fun when you're like going with the beat of the music.

And, yeah, I I was just thinking a lot about music and you. [00:05:00] And I was thinking also, so my neighbor has a cat and his name is Gogi. And Gogi is trying to be friends with Creature. So Gogi comes over once or twice a day. And he's awesome, but also he's a fucking asshole. He is a little rowdy baby boy. And Creature is like this old chill woman who hates music.

That he's, like, bouncing around and wanting to play and wrestle and everything. Also, his siblings are dogs, so he's like a rough houser and Creech just doesn't like anyone. It might be, you know, because she was shot a couple of times, but she also lives with a hermit, so we share. That hermit energy of, um, nobody's allowed in the house.

So, Yogi just comes in whenever he wants to, because I live half indoor, half outdoor, so there's absolutely no way I can keep him out. And I didn't see him for a couple of days, and it made me think I kind of like pre grieved him, worrying that something had happened to him, and then today he came. Right, funnily enough, he came [00:06:00] right after I texted Nancy to just be like, Hey, I don't want to say this out loud because it makes me super sad, but I can't stop thinking the worst about this situation.

And she was like, he's probably just out on a walkabout. And within like 30 minutes, he showed up. And this is after two days of him being missing. And for one, that made me think of you because, I was chatting with Nancy, but I do that all the time, so we think about you all the time. But for two, I was thinking about how growing up, you had to do all the hard things with the pets.

You had to be the one that heard a lot of the worst news, or, you know, had to help relocate Charlie, because who buys a Weimaraner and Egan? When you only have like a 16 or 17 year old kid at home and everybody else is busy. So poor Charlie. But anyways, I digress. I just was thinking about how you always got the short end of the stick and had so much heartache with, with pets, with Petey and uh, Ziggy.

And had to experience it myself, the [00:07:00] heartache, um, firsthand on the 1st of January in 2022. Jake was away for the new year. And, uh, it was actually, we were in the process of kind of starting our separation, and we knew it was coming, but Maddie started to fall super ill, and so I had to drive to the vet with Kathy and Steve, and be with Maddie.

And the thing is, is that like, you know, technically, she's, she's Jake's dog, and so they gave me the honor and the respect of being there, but also choosing when. You know, she closed her eyes for good, and it was just, ah, the hardest. I don't know how you, who, how can you, who makes that, how do you make that decision?

You know, like, that was the hardest decision I've had to make in the moment like that. And it was the first of the new year, and it was just, ah, it was just. Oh, and I wished you were here for that because you know Maddie and you've been [00:08:00] around and like I always reach out to you when she was going through stuff and now I think about it because I'm so insanely attached to Creature.

I get kind of like, I don't, I can't, I can't think of what the phrase is but I get those like catastrophic thoughts of losing her and what I would do. And speaking of Creature, speaking of you, speaking of the dogs, when I was And it was the transition period between, I moved out of Jake, living with Jake, and I stayed with Nancy for like, just about two months almost.

And I went up to DV's cabin, and just me and Creech went up there, and it was so awesome. And she Like would love running around in the forest and I got to read your note in the in the visitor log about you going up there I think it was just you and ziggy And you guys had walked along the water and you had watched re watched season one of deadwood or something like that It just felt so fucking cool that I [00:09:00] was doing the same exact thing that you had done, and you had been there alone, and you had had the same experience, and I just love you.

I don't know if you can tell that I'm winded. I'm walking around my house, and I also have a bit of the Sunday scaries, and I don't know necessarily why, but I, I don't know, I just sat there feeling stressed out. But I was like, what can I do to give myself a dopamine hit, and Actually calling you was it so I have like a nervous energy but I want you to know that it's cuz I Miss you, and I love you, and I wish so much that you could see what I'm doing now and who I am now and All this cool work with podcasts and stuff and I did this LinkedIn call last week And I I started I started to feel of myself and actually confident [00:10:00] in putting myself out there and I'm so excited to show you what's next and have you listen to all of the episodes that I help produce and yeah.

So anyways, I love you. I really actually feel better from this, and I miss you, and I wish I could listen to non pre recorded Dad. So when I miss you, I often put on a, like, clip of an audiobook, or old commercial, or I used to go on a quick trip to listen to you be the automated voice on the car wash, which I'm the most lucky girl on earth that I can access your voice and your memory that click, but it's just not the same as, you know, your truest you, your real voice.

I want to hear kiddo, and I want to hear sweetheart, and yeah, I want to hear your laugh. Actually, you don't hear your laugh. Your laugh is usually a mischievous one where just your shoulders are going up and [00:11:00] down. And I fucking miss that. So, I love you. I'm actually going to um, forget what I'm about to say.

No idea what I was just about to say. It sounded awesome, too. Like, I'm actually that's the start of something exciting but God only knows what it was. Anyways, I love you. And, I miss you. And, I wish you were here. I love you pops. Bye.

One of the following options. Thank you. Now, when the wash is ready, just pull forward into the wash.

Thank you again for listening. And don't forget in the show notes and on the [00:12:00] website, there is a link that you can click on and it'll just quickly record an audio message. I would love to hear some stories or if you feel like you could use a little call from my dad, I would love to hear it. So don't forget in the show notes.

Click on that link. It just sends a message. It can be anonymous. You can leave your name. If that goes directly to me, it doesn't go straight on the podcast, obviously. So I can edit it also if you feel silly. So say hi. You can say like, Hey, can you edit out the ums, which I um and like, I um and like far too much.

Anyways, I love you all. Learn something, call someone, remind them how much they mean to you and honor those that you can't call. Love you all. Bye.