Raising the bar: Chivonn Anderson

In this episode, trailblazer Chivonn Anderson shares how resilience, love, and purpose have shaped a life dedicated to opening doors for others. From standing up to injustices to creating spaces where people truly belong, Chivonn reminds us of what one woman's bravery can spark.

Discover Chivonn's women's sports bar, Marsha's.

For more, visit She What? on Instagram.

Brought to you by Capital Health

Credits:

Producer and Host: Jess Downey

Producer and Host: Maureen Petrosky

Producer and Editor: Leigh Iacobucci

Artwork: Peter Yates Design

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Transcript

Chivonn (00:04):

It just felt to me that I had this responsibility to stand up and do something, even knowing that it was gonna cost me pretty much everything.

Jess (00:22):

I'm Jess Downey. You might know me as Editor-in-Chief of Real Woman and Thriving Magazines for Capital Health.

Maureen (00:28):

And I'm Maureen Petrosky. You might have seen me on the Today Show or CBS mornings as an entertaining expert or know some of my books like Wine Club and Zero Proof Drinks.

Jess (00:37):

And we're two friends who created She What?

Maureen (00:40):

<laugh> a podcast that digs into the personal and often surprising stories of women who inspire us

Jess (00:47):

and they get real about the wins, the fails, and everything in between.

Maureen (00:52):

Here we invite her to tell the whole story, the pain she endured, the triumph she celebrated, the friends she made along the way, and maybe even how she reinvented herself.

Jess (01:03):

These are the kinds of stories that make us think. They make us laugh, they keep us going.

Maureen (01:08):

Need a dose of inspiration? It's here. Need a fresh perspective? We got that too.

Jess (01:18):

Hi Maureen.

Maureen (01:19):

Hey Jess.

Jess (01:20):

You know, we like to think things have changed so much for the better for women and they really have on so many fronts. We're edging toward equality, especially in career. But the reality is that women still routinely are faced with everything from misogyny to straight up harassment in the workplace.

Maureen (01:38):

Yeah. Women should never have to choose. I mean, nobody should never have to choose between their career and their conscience. But unfortunately, you'd probably be hard pressed to find a woman who hasn't been faced with that.

Jess (01:49):

I have. Have you?

Maureen (01:51):

I totally have. And I think like many women, I straddled the line, tried avoidance, did what I had to do to keep my job and kind of maintaining my dignity at the same time.

Jess (02:02):

Yeah, I, I mean, I think at first maybe we try to ignore it and then we try to be polite because we're confused about what's going on. Is this for real? And then there comes a time when we have to decide what to do next. And some women might just take it. Today's guest though, a different story.

Maureen (02:20):

Absolutely. Chivonn Anderson is a Philly girl through and through. She's a gutsy trailblazer and honestly a hero to a lot of women, including you and I after this interview, but especially women in the military.

Jess (02:32):

Yes. And now she is the completely badass owner of the first women's sports bar in Philly. It's called Marsha's, right on South Street.

Maureen (02:41):

And she's also the Winter 2026 Cover girl on Real Woman magazine.

Jess (02:46):

Da dah dah. But just a heads up, there are some sensitive subjects. In this episode, we do talk about suicidal ideation and sexual assault. So listeners just take care.

Maureen (02:57):

This guest showed us all the pain that she endured has led to the joy of reinventing herself. So stick around

Jess (03:12):

Chivonn Anderson, welcome to She What?

Chivonn (03:15):

Well, thank you. I'm very excited to be here and very grateful for you having me.

Maureen (03:19):

We are so excited that you're here and I think we're all really anxious. Chivonn and I have not met before, but Jess and Chivonn have, and Chivonn is going to be a cover girl for Real Woman Magazine. And I think Jess is gonna show her the cover right now.

Jess (03:34):

All right, ready? Oh, yes you have. See now there's a lot of pressure on your I'm, I'm scared. I know

Maureen (03:38):

You better love it.

Jess (03:39):

Are you ready? Holy crap. <laugh> so good, right?

Chivonn (03:47):

That's So amazing. I look super cool.

Jess (03:49):

You're a total badass.

Maureen (03:50):

Such a badass. I love it. You can't see the cover, but you will see the cover. Jess, when can everybody see the cover?

Jess (03:57):

They will see the cover right after this episode airs in January.

Maureen (04:00):

Amazing. Amazing. It is so good. So look for the issue of Real Woman with Chivonn. But today we're gonna get into a little bit about your whole story, which is what we love to do on She What?. You just opened Philadelphia's first ever women's sports bar, so kudos to you for that. But let's back it up. Were you born and raised a Philly girl?

Chivonn (04:21):

Born in Pittsburgh, but raised in Philly for sure.

Jess (04:24):

Okay, so you don't have any Pittsburgh memories really? Philly's your main town.

Chivonn (04:29):

Oh yes, for sure. I, when I tell people that I was actually born in Pittsburgh, a lot of my friends were shocked. They were like, what? <laugh>? You know, it's like, yeah. 'cause we were literally there for my, my family was there for maybe a year and then my moved back, my mom moved back because it was just too hard for her to raise myself and my sister by herself in Pittsburgh.

Jess (04:45):

And so what part of Philly did you grow up in?

Chivonn (04:47):

I grew up in Olony, which is a small little neighborhood right outside of North Philly. I actually grew up right in front of Fern Rock train station, which is the last stop on the Broad Street line. So yes, I'm very familiar with the Broad Street line. Used to ride it a lot as a

Jess (05:03):

Kid. Yeah. And you were the first family of color on your block, weren't you? Yes,

Chivonn (05:06):

We were. My mom told me the struggles. She went through trying to find a house for us to buy and she didn't want to live in North Philly. And the real estate agent just kept taking her to places in North Philly. My mom was like, this is not where I want to be. And she found the house told that real estate agent, the real estate agent, was very upset that my mom found this house in this particular neighborhood and really didn't wanna move forward with helping her get the, you know, get the deal done. But my mom did and it was a huge life goal for her to buy a house. So my sister and I could have stability growing up because that was one thing that she didn't have as a child, was stability and housing because they were just always moving. So when my mom got the house, we were like, oh, this is great.

Chivonn (05:48):

And then, you know, come to realize as an adult, my mom told me later that we were the first non-white people to move onto that block. So this is like 82 in Philly and there's still some kind of like, I don't wanna say segregated neighborhoods, but there was just places where, you know, certain people belonged and certain people didn't. And it wasn't easy for us the first couple of years, but my mother was not want to be pushed around or bullied. And she was just like, this is my house, this is where we're gonna stay. And eventually those people got tired of trying to mess with us 'cause they realized it wasn't gonna work and the neighborhood started to change and you know, maybe by like 88, 89 it was more a more diverse block. For sure.

Jess (06:27):

Your mom sounds like a She What?,

Maureen (06:29):

I know! I was thinking the same thing, Jess. Oh, absolutely. I just love a badass mom. And we just see that generationally how impactful that can be and that you can tell that story about your mom, you know, wanting to own her own house. Like such a cool thing. Obviously not an easy thing. And then it kind of lays the groundwork for you and how you venture into your life.

Chivonn (06:53):

Absolutely.

Maureen (06:54):

Go mom.

Chivonn (06:55):

Yeah, I'm not one to shy away from a challenge or be intimidated by people.

Jess (07:00):

Yeah. So let's talk about some of that. We'd love to hear about your decision to join the Air Force during the height of don't ask, don't tell.

Chivonn (07:08):

I always kind of had this feeling that I wanted to be some sort of civil servant. I was really, wasn't sure what it was, but coming out at the age of 15, 16 and in the nineties, I felt lucky that I was able to, to be out and to live my life without any kind of fear, repercussion or anything like that. Then my mom got a job working at Temple, uh, at their hospital. And they have, I still think the programs around, um, where they provide tuition remission for family members, for any one of an employee of the school. So when my mom found out that Temple offered this program, um, she was like, I'm staying at Temple. She was just like, I want my girls to have opportunities that I'd never had. And college was definitely one of those. 'cause my mom was forced to drop out of high school because of just like violence and stuff. So she got her GED and she just knew that education is paramount.

Maureen (08:00):

I love your mom. She sounds so smart. And she had the foresight to set herself up and set her girls up. Yeah,

Chivonn (08:08):

Absolutely. Absolutely. I did my first year in in Temple and I didn't really know what I wanted to do. Um, but I was like, you know, maybe I'll join the Air Force or join the military and I'm kind of like kicking around the idea. And I knew that when I was signing all of the paperwork. One thing people don't really understand is when you join the military, you become a piece of property so you belong to them. And as I am, you know, signing all these paperwork, like don't ask don't tell comes.

Jess (08:38):

Was that the first you'd heard of it?

Chivonn (08:39):

No, I knew that I was getting myself into and

Jess (08:42):

Just to remind people and that you could be part of the military as an L-G-B-T-Q person, but you, you couldn't talk about it, you couldn't disclose, right?

Chivonn (08:51):

Correct. You couldn't disclose, you couldn't be, um, suspected of any homosexual activity at all. If you were then you were in breach of contract and then you would be, um, discharged, whether that would be, you know, you know, general dishonorable, you know, anything like that. So I knew that I was making a personal sacrifice, but in the grand scheme of things in my mind is that there were so many people that came before me to allow me to be an out teenager that I thought it was the least that I could do is just to kind of, I don't wanna say hide myself, but just kind of put a little bit of my identity into the background to be able to protect those people who allowed me to have the ability to come out as a, as a teenager.

Maureen (09:39):

So you said you were doing paperwork and then it came across. Was there actually like a piece of paper you had to sign? Or like, is it part like I'm like, I'm, yeah, <laugh>. It sounds crazy to me.

Chivonn (09:49):

Okay. So when you join the military next to possibly, you know, to buying a property, buying a house, um, you wouldn't sign as much documentation as you do joining the military. So we got to the point where it was like, don't ask, don't tell. And I was like, I know what I'm doing, I'm just, you know, I, I'm signing it and I just, you know, I signed it and it was just, it was part of the, you know, par for the course. I was like, this is what I have to do in order to, to serve my country. So that's what I'm gonna do. I ended up being a aerospace ground mechanic, which basically means I was a mechanic for gun ships, uh, C-130 gun ships.

Maureen (10:25):

It sounds like a pretty important job though, <laugh>.

Chivonn (10:30):

Yeah, I, I mean it was definitely really important, but I was in when nine 11 happened, so the base I was at was within maybe like five days. Like we were activated and we were on and ready to go. And, um, what do

Maureen (10:43):

You remember about that day?

Chivonn (10:45):

I remember everything. It's, um, so I was new to my base. I was there for maybe six weeks at the beginning of one of our orientation classes. We're sitting there when I'm, and I'm with a bunch of different airmen and next thing we know, like the TV turns on and you see it's the World Trade Center and you see the one building is already smoking. And then we literally watched the plane fly into the other building and it's just gasps and sirens go off immediately and it's threat con delta or whatever, like the highest threat con you could be at sirens are going off, everybody is scrambling. And they were like, return to your, to your shop or wherever you are supposed to be. You are gonna go there and you're gonna stay there and you're gonna wait until we find out exactly what's going on and how we're gonna react.

Chivonn (11:34):

So what they did was they took all of the new airmen that were new to the base, that hadn't fully transitioned into their jobs yet, and they put us all in mobility. So what that basically meant was we would have military individuals and it wasn't just Air Force, it was, you know, we'd have Army, we'd have Marine, whoever it was, they would come to our base, we would in process them. It was one of the most intense situations that I have ever been in in my life. But it was also the situation that introduced me to Ryan, who was basically my beard in the military at the time. And being in that position actually gave me the opportunity to kind of shine with my own kind of leadership skills, being able to, to take hold of situations and make sure that things happen and things get done. Because when I was at my normal job as the mechanic, that's when I, that's where I was getting like sexually and physically harassed by my immediate supervisor.

Maureen (12:36):

Tell, okay, let's, yeah. Yeah. Let's, let's dig into that a lot. <laugh>. That's a lot. Okay, everybody take a deep breath now. <laugh>. Yes. Woo. Okay. So nine 11 was intense for every one of us, but I cannot imagine what it would've been like to be in the military at that moment. But now you are talking a little bit about your regular position as a mechanic and being mm-hmm <affirmative>. You said physically and sexually harassed there. So tell us a little bit about what that's like, what the environment was like and you know, was it accepted, was it overlooked? Were you the only one? Did you feel like you were being targeted? And, and then how this really is pivotal for you in your experience in the military?

Chivonn (13:19):

I started getting harassed basically the day I showed up. And it was one of those things where, you know, you're kind of naive. I was 20, I thought that these people were supposed to protect me and look out for me, and I was just really caught off guard as things started. And it, it wasn't, you know, very aggressive. It started with just certain comments and then standing too close to you and touching you and, and

Maureen (13:47):

Yeah, you know, when it's wrong. I mean, you know when it's wrong in your gut,

Chivonn (13:50):

Right? But when you're in the military, like I said, you were a piece of property and he is the person that I'm supposed to go to if I feel threatened or unsafe. So I found myself in a situation where I just kind of put my head down and just dealt with it because I didn't really know what else to do and I didn't talk about it. So I really leaned into living two kind of separate lives. I had my life and the military, and then I had my life outside of the military. So this, you know, the harassment was happening for months and months and months. And Ryan, he was like the only person I really kind of told what was going on. And this is your beard? Yes. There's only two times in my life that I really contemplated taking my own life. And this was that time that other time.

Chivonn (14:44):

The first one was before I came out, like literally hours before I came out. But I was like, I can't take my life because there are so many people that love me and care about me, and I just have to figure out what to do in the situation. So I finally, like, I, I went to Ryan's apartment and was telling him I'm freaking out. And I was just like, I don't, I don't know what to do. And he's like, you gotta find out if it's only you to give you perspective of numbers. My shop, there was a hundred of us in that shop, 10 of us were women, and out of the 10, eight of them had been harassed in some way by my supervisor. It was one of those things where something has to give, but the majority of the women in my shop, they're there for careers and you don't jeopardize your career by speaking out.

Chivonn (15:35):

But I shared my experience with them and I told them that what's happening isn't okay and that we have to do something. So I go through and figure out like what I have to do to report certain things. So you have to follow your chain of command. So there was one female sergeant in our shop, and she was a woman. She had been in for maybe 15 years and she told me, she's like, Chivonn, I know I, I experienced it myself. She's like, but I can't go there with you. She's like, I can't jeopardize my career. And I completely understood, I hoped that you could support me, but that's fine, I'll just do it by myself. So, you know, 21-year-old girl from Philly just being like, all right. So I go to my shop chief and it was one of the scariest things I've ever done in my life, but I had to tell him.

Chivonn (16:23):

So I said, he has sexually harassed and physically assaulted me. He is a threat and something needs to happen and I'm coming to you to tell you this and are you going to do something about this? And he looked at me with no hesitation and was like, no. Like, are you kidding me? It was literally, I invoked my mother's spirit of this Puerto Rican, Irish, Scottish woman that was just like, oh hell no. I said, sir, I do not accept that answer. And um, with all due respect, I am going over your head. So I went immediately to the top of the hill basically, and I am just livid. I'm scared, I'm infuriated. I'm just like, I told him what happened and I was like, if you don't do anything about this, I'm going over your head and I'm going to the inspector general. He's like, Anderson, give me 24 hours to investigate this. If you do not like my answer, I will personally take you to the ig

Maureen (17:25):

Finally. Yay somebody. Yes, God, I've been waiting and waiting for.

Speaker 4 (17:29):

I know my, my shoulders are up on my ears at this point.

Chivonn (17:32):

<laugh>, I look at myself now and I look at, you know, opening Marsha's and all the other things that I've done in my life and it's like nothing comes into comparison to me standing up at 21 years old to men that were triple my age and say that what is happening is not okay and that I have to be a voice for the voiceless. And if I can do that at 21, then I can do anything else in my life.

Jess (17:59):

I'm so glad you said that because you know, that whole story is harrowing in so many ways and I think Maureen and I were both feeling, while you were telling it, the tension and the stress and the kind of worry and anxiety you were carrying on so many fronts, but you were also doing that at a time. It's easy to think back now 'cause we've had me too and we've been through so many iterations of empower, you know, female empowerment and mm-hmm <affirmative>. You did that on your own at a time when you didn't have any power or any business really standing up and and speaking out. So I'm so glad you got to a place where that feels like an empowering choice that you made no matter what the outcome was.

Chivonn (18:40):

Yeah. And one thing that really resonates with me is that I'm a girl from Philly and you don't threaten people from Philly and I was <laugh> straight. Right? You just don't do it. And Philly was all I knew when I joined the military. Philly was my whole world. And being from this city, it's like one of those things where you feel like, you know, in a family you can make fun of each other, but don't let anybody else outside the family come and try to make fun of you 'cause them fighting words. And it just felt to me that I had this responsibility to stand up and do something even knowing that it was gonna cost me pretty much everything and I would do the same thing over again, knowing exactly the way it would turn out because that's what I was supposed to do. And my time in the military was just get one predator out, you know? And that hopefully have helped and saved, you know, thousands of women coming up in, in the air force, um, to actually like, enjoy their time there and, and thrive and be successful and not worry about like their life when they go to work every day. <laugh>.

Maureen (19:50):

Totally. Yeah. And then also be inspired by what you did. So if it happens again, you set an example that you can stand up for yourself and you'll be okay. You'll get through it, you know, one way or the other, you get to the other side. And I think that the echo of your strength and bravery continues and hopefully even people listening to this will just be inspired to use their voice. I know. I am for sure. So clearly you have the strength to keep moving forward through very hard and difficult things. So now you're like, I'm gonna buy a bar. <laugh>. Yeah, <laugh>. Nothing easy for you, Siobhan. So let's fast forward a little bit and talk about something fun that we can celebrate in addition to your Yeah, absolutely. <laugh>, your other wins. Bring us to present day, what's happening with you and tell us about Marsha's.

Chivonn (20:44):

Uh, so we have been open for about two months now, and I am, I trying to describe how I feel is just like I, there's no words for it. Um, I have been presented with an opportunity to help shift and change and expand the, the narrative of Philadelphia and the way we think of women and the way we think of people and the way we think of women's sports. I want marshes to be a foundation in Philly. I don't believe we're gonna be going anywhere anytime soon. The opposite. I want us to grow and expand and to just help change the way people think of women-owned businesses in general, and then the way we think of, um, women playing sports, playing professional sports, like they're badass women and they need to be honored, they need to be paid and we need to show up for them the way that they show up for us.

Maureen (21:41):

Definitely. I mean, I think Justin and I would agree to everything you just said, but a hundred percent I gotta know like getting this amazing spot of real estate. I mean, you are in the, you are in it, right? Like traffic area. Like who did, you know, I feel like you might have, you know, it seems like in Phil, who did you kill? Yeah. Who did you kill, right? It's like, where are the bodies? It's, it just feels like in Philly you don't have to slide in and get yourself a liquor license and a sweet spot. So how did this come to be?

Chivonn (22:11):

You know what? I feel like it was the culmination of like my entire life. Um, I go and I look back at everything, every, every win, every loss, every setback, every victory, and every single thing has brought me to this moment and talking about what you know is about who you know mm-hmm <affirmative>. And the person to reach out to is the head of the South Street Head House business district because she knows all of the owners, she knows all of the people. So I sat down and told her what I was thinking and her eyes just like lit up and she's like, oh my God, I can't believe we're having this conversation right now. Because Chris, who is the owner of Wooly Mammoth, she's like, I know he's literally putting in a bar up for sale. And I was like, what <laugh>? And she told me that it was the building, the liquor license and the business assets at a price I could afford.

Maureen (23:07):

She just did air quotes everybody. <laugh>. Yes. I just did air quotes around afford, around afford.

Chivonn (23:12):

And within maybe eight to 10 days of me walking into the building, I submitted my offer with my business plan and, um, the preapproval letter and he accepted our offer because of what we were trying to do with this space. Yes. It wasn't going to be just a transactional deal. This was a part of who I am and what I wanted to do for Philly and for South Street. And he was, he was like, this is what I want, this is what I want for this space. And we officially went under contract, I signed the papers after the day after the Eagles won the Super Bowl <laugh> Go Birds. 

Maureen (23:52):

Oh, no way. Yeah. This is perfect. Just keep the party going. Yeah.

Chivonn (23:55):

<laugh>. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And it's still weird to me to to think that like, oh, I'm the boss. I'm like, oh, people ask me questions and I'm like, the final answer. I'm like, what is crazy

Maureen (24:06):

<laugh>?

Jess (24:07):

So I have a bunch of questions for you. Um, I know we're coming kind of close to the end of our time, but what of, of all these moments, you know, the Super Bowl, the, you know, signing on the dotted line, what, what has been the highest of the high points for you? How did you get to celebrate and how do you feel? How do you feel?

Chivonn (24:26):

All of this is very bittersweet, um, because both my parents are gone and they were the support that I had growing, growing up. And to me, Marsha's is the tangible physical love that my parents had for me and showed for me my entire life, but especially after I came out. And if it wasn't for them, I wouldn't be sitting here right now. So being able to have that space and to know that it's a way for me to share the love and acceptance that I had from my parents with the rest of the world. Like, I feel like the luckiest person because I get to, to bear witness to people feeling at home, you know, maybe for the first time when they walk into Marsh's. And that's kind of what I want. Like the grand opening blew me away. I I'm still shocked that, you know, that many people showed up and waited in line and it was important for me to go and try to physically talk to every single person that was out there because I want, I want them to know that I see them and I appreciate them and I want them to come back.

Chivonn (25:32):

And just because you can't get in into day doesn't mean that you can't, you won't be able to get in tomorrow or in a week or in a year. But being able to like really interact with all of those people is life changing and I'm just excited for the future. I'm really excited for, um, unrivaled that's happening. Um, we're working on doing some stuff with them, uh, and you know, March Madness. 

Jess (25:57):

Say a little bit more about Unrivaled.

Chivonn (25:59):

So Unrivaled is a three on three basketball tournament that helps the players in the WNBA stay in the States during the off season. You know, they get to play, they get to get paid, and they get to have a little bit of say in what's going on in that business of unrivaled and they haven't traveled really at all. And, um, the, the Philadelphia Sisters, um, which were instrumental in getting us the bid for our WNBA team in the thirties, they were reaching out to the, the owner of the unrivaled and was like, if we're gonna travel, we're gonna do anything this year. It needs to be in Philly. And we were, um, Marsh's was invited to that big announcement and it's just like, it's a really exciting time for, for the city and for, for women's professional sports. And to have marshes be a part of that is again, things that I'd never, ever thought in in my life would ever happen. You know, the biggest goal I wanted, I just, when I was 12, I was like, I want to, you know, be CEO of my own company. Didn't know what that meant, <laugh>, but I was like, I know that's what I wanna do. And I feel like, you know, Marsha's is kind of the beginning of me achieving that goal. Like we're kind of already there and I'm just really excited to move forward and to, to work with so many wonderful people. 

Jess (27:14):

My gosh, my stomach has been through so many different iterations during this interview. <laugh>, I'm feeling so proud of you and so happy for you. 

Chivonn (27:22):

Thank you.

Maureen (27:23):

I know, and it just feels like slow and steady wins the race. I feel like you just haven't ever taken your foot off the gas and I cannot, cannot wait to see what you do next.

Chivonn (27:35):

Oh, thank you so much. But we're working on getting the second floor open, <laugh>, so that'll be, so that'll

Jess (27:39):

Be what's, that's what's next, <laugh>. Yeah.

Maureen (27:41):

Well, tell us what we can expect when we come to visit you at Marsha's.

Chivonn (27:47):

Uh, well, you know what I, I really like to describe it as, you know, you're going to your favorite aunt's house who is just like kooky and crazy <laugh> and you're just like, I love this woman because she lets me kind of do whatever I want and then will stick up for me when mom comes to pick me up <laugh>. And it's unlike, you know, any other bar I like to say that you walk into like, the energy is just happy and fun and it literally feels like you're in somebody's house, you know, because it is an old row home. So we are kind of like sticking with that and just still like adding things to, to the space. I actually have a, um, a local woman of color artist painted a new portrait of Marsha.

Jess (28:28):

That's Marsha p Johnson, right? You you wanna say who Marsha is.

Chivonn (28:32):

Marsha p Johnson. She was one of the, um, leading faces of the Stonewall, um, Stonewall Riots and Rebellion and you know, I wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for her. Sylvia Rivera and all the, all those other people that said, nah, we're not gonna take this anymore.

Maureen (28:48):

I have a feeling you're not gonna sit down for anything. You're not gonna take anything. This girl has got it. I can't. <laugh>. Chivonn, thank you so, so much for sharing your story with us today on Sheva. I just wish you continued success and Jess, I'm sure joins me and continued joy and finding peace in your life and just, you are a light and I can't wait to come to Marsha's and toast you. It's

Jess (29:11):

Gonna be awesome. Yeah, thanks so much. This was incredible. It was a rollercoaster but it was incredible. And, um, we're pumped for you.

Chivonn (29:18):

Thank you so much. I really appreciate y'all having me on here. Um, and I look forward to, again, just having a great relationship with y'all and just, you know, doing wonderful things in the future For sure.

Maureen (29:30):

Oh, you got it. We're best friends

Chivonn (29:31):

Now. <laugh>.

Jess (29:32):

<laugh>,

Maureen (29:34):

We got

Chivonn (29:34):

You. Hell yeah,

Jess (29:39):

Man. I still have the goosebumps. I have the tummy ache, I have the chills, I have the excitement, I have all the feelings about her and I just wanted to put my arms around her the whole time.

Maureen (29:48):

I know so many times I just wanted to reach out and hold her hand, but she is strong and the picture of strength and I feel like when she joined the military, she had no idea what battle was actually in front of her and she just fought the good fight and never backed down.

Jess (30:03):

She fought it for herself, she fought it for us, she really did.

Maureen (30:06):

And she's still fighting it for women in women's sports. And I just think she is a real team player and I'm gonna be a team player like she is.

Jess (30:14):

Yeah, I wanna be on her team. Let's go.

Maureen (30:17):

Yes,

Jess (30:19):

She what comes to you from Real Woman Magazine, a product of Capital Health. This episode was produced by Leigh Iacobucci with Music by Epidemic Sound.

Maureen (30:29):

Please, please leave us a rating and review. We want the show to be so great and we need you to help us do that. So follow, subscribe, and next time bring your friends too. Until then, I'm Maureen Petrosky.

Jess (30:41):

And I'm Jess Downey.