00:00I love the way you talk about your kids and getting to share these moments with them.
00:03What has it been like getting to share the experience of, you know, being in the ballroom,
00:07watching your sister on Dancing with the Stars and do your kids or your daughters already kind
00:11of like getting the itch to be on future seasons of the show way down the line?
00:15Oh yes, I'm like, okay, how many years does the show need to keep going so that my girls can
00:20do it?
00:21No, they, it's been so special. I mean, from day one, Riley's first season,
00:26Sage, my oldest was very aware. June came after, June was actually like eight months old for Riley's
00:33first season, but watching them just watch Riley grow on the show and be so excited about every
00:39single week, watching, voting, being so invested. It's just, it's so special. I feel so lucky that
00:46my girls have someone like Riley to look up to because she's amazing and she's such a good role
00:51model and she's doing such an amazing job. And it's so fun to see my girls just be absolutely obsessed
00:56in love. My daughter Sage actually had her sixth birthday last night and the birthday party was
01:01a Dancing with the Stars, Disney night watch party, and it was just the sweetest thing ever. So I am
01:05all about it. I love it. They love it. And it's such a fun thing for us to share together.
01:10I'm obsessed
01:11with that. You know, I do want to talk a little bit about this season because it's just all anybody,
01:15including myself can talk about right now. Obviously, I get it. It's so good. Well, obviously,
01:21Riley's so talented and I am curious because obviously you've gone through this yourself.
01:26The internet is not always the nicest place to be. So I am curious that as her sister,
01:31what do you say to those who have been critical of her or her choreography over the last few weeks,
01:36years, whatever it may be? You know what? I applaud all of the current pros on the show right now
01:40because I feel like my last couple seasons, social media picked up a bit, but I never did a season
01:47where social media was at the level that it is now, which one that's been really, really cool
01:51because this show has gotten such an incredible resurgence because of social media. There is
01:57so much positive. We see the love and the support that fans are giving to each of these couples and
02:04the pros and the celebrities. And I want to really emphasize that because I feel like there's so much
02:08focus on the negative because it's there and it's hard to ignore. But what I have always said to
02:13Riley and to anyone who's asked for advice on dealing with online negativity is to look for the
02:19good. If you look for the good, you will find it. But then vice versa, if you look for the
02:22bad,
02:22you also will find it. So look for the good because there is so much. I think, I mean, like
02:28I said,
02:28the resurgence of this show is a testament to all the incredible love and good that has come from
02:35social media and it's amazing to see. But it is hard. There's always going to be noise no matter
02:39what you do. So I think if you just know that, like, I'm just going to focus on the good
02:43and look
02:44for that positive light and make sure that's what I'm putting my attention into. Yeah, totally. And
02:49you know, like you said, I am luckily on the algorithm that loves Riley and Connor this season.
02:54They're so good and they've built really such a strong fan base. Even Derek predicted that they'll be
02:59in the finale. What's it like to get to see her get her flowers from the judges?
03:03Oh my goodness. Well, I am always proud of Riley. Genuinely, like, I feel like a second mom to her
03:09and everything she does, I'm just her biggest fan, her biggest cheerleader. What I love about her the
03:14most is that she has never changed who she is for one second. Through all of the things in her
03:19career,
03:20she's always been the sweet, kind, loving Riley that we all know and love. And that makes me so proud.
03:26But then beyond that, seeing her get recognized for her choreography, her talents, her abilities,
03:32like, I can't even tell you how happy it makes me. I'm so, so proud. I think she is so
03:37deserving of
03:37all of the love. And I just, I'm so happy for her. Truly could not be more happy for her.
03:41And I've
03:42loved this season for her. I think it's been such a special season for her for so many reasons. And
03:47it's really, really cool to see people just recognizing and appreciating her talent.
03:51Yeah. And you know, I do have to ask you because obviously, you know, Riley's posted with him.
03:56She has a boyfriend, but so many people have been like loving the chemistry between her and Connor
04:00in their dances. What do you say to those people and how important is it in a competition, especially
04:05like this to really sell that chemistry? Oh, well, I think chemistry goes, goes beyond so many
04:11different things. I mean, I have such incredible chemistry with my best friends. Like we might have
04:15the best chemistry ever. So I think it's really cool to focus and to think about like the friendships
04:20that are created when doing the show. One of my favorite parts of when I was on the show
04:25was the genuine friendships and connections that I created with each of my partners. It
04:31is undeniable. You are spending hours and hours with this person and you're putting in so much
04:36time, so much work. You're doing scary things. Like a lot of times you're, you're, you're asking
04:41your celebrity to do something very vulnerable and scary and you're their support. And I just,
04:46I really think it is so cool and so special. The relationships that can be formed on this show
04:51and the friendships that are lifelong. I mean, I still am friends with all of my partners. I still
04:55stay in touch and I've loved Riley and Connor. The season have been such a fun, bright light,
05:01such a bright, fun energy that is just contagious. You just feel happy when you're watching them.
05:06Like literally I'm the, I'm the total dance mom watching their videos and just like,
05:10like smiling at your ear because they just make you so happy. They're, they're joy and excitement for all the
05:15things that they're doing are just so contagious. And I love that people are loving their friendship.
05:19I think it's so special.
