Sam Acho: Welcome back to the Sam Acho podcast featuring Cliff Marshall.
This is a place and a space where we go first.
We give space and we grow hope.
We talk about faith, family, football, and finances.
And today we have a very, very special guest and as we
usually do on most episodes.
Clif, please introduce our special guest.
Clif Marshall: Yes, Sam, we are so fired up today because we
have Casey Phillips with us.
Casey is a Mizzou Tiger alumni.
She's a current reporter for the Tampa Bay Bucks.
She has also spent time with the La Rams and the Washington Wizards.
She loves Jesus, and we are thrilled to have her on the Sam Acho podcast today.
So Casey, thank you for being here.
Casey Phillips: Oh, thank you guys so much for having me.
I am so excited to be here.
And, uh, yeah, just Sam was a, a light.
In the building here in Tampa when he was here.
So just so pumped to watch him now with the broadcast career and to get a
chance to be, be a part of the podcast.
I feel like the roles have reversed here.
Sam Acho: Uh, no, I, before we press record, I said, Casey,
I need you to give me a grade.
So like, hindsight, people don't know.
And I, it didn't dawn on me or occur to me until we were about to press record,
but Tampa Bay was the last place that I played in the NFL, so I played nine years
in the NFL and my last year, the last half of the season, I thought my career
was, then I was ready to retire and move on and, and just move on with my life.
I got a call from.
From Bruce Ens, who was my coach in, in Arizona, but fast forward,
he was the coach in Tampa Bay.
And I mean, so much so where, you know, my time in Chicago would come to an end.
I had a, I tore my pec, I was out for the year.
I had a, you know, signed a multi-year deal, but I got cut
one year into my two year deal.
First time it'd ever been cut, we'd went to Buffalo.
I was training with the bills.
I was in training camp, right?
Playing with Josh Allen and all these guys.
And I got cut from the bills.
At this point, I'm like, dude, what is going on?
And I'm ready to be done.
I remember telling my wife like, Hey babe, let's just hang it up, right?
Like let's just be done, move on.
And she, she says, I don't think that God's done with us yet.
And I'm like, well, I pray too.
So like, how are you supposed to?
But fast, fast forward, we stayed in Buffalo for about, and I haven't
shared this story a ton, but we stayed Buffalo for about two months
and I kind of made this deal.
I said, you know what?
I told my wife, I said, babe.
I will stay here until it gets cold.
And when it gets cold, I'm, I'm going back to, you know, we had a,
there's like some venture capital stuff I was gonna go do also, I'm
gonna go do that and start a new life.
And so essentially like it got cold and so we packed up all our stuff.
We had just purchased the home that we were renting in Chicago before
when I was playing with the Bears.
We, we purchased it and so we were gonna put it on the market, rent
it out through some real estate stuff, and we drove back to Chicago.
It was my first time.
If you wa wanna say it that way, like away from football.
We drove on a, I think I had the conversation with her on a Friday, Hey,
let's be done on Saturday, we drive back to Chicago, right from Buffalo
to Chicago, I don't know how many, 8, 10, 12 hours, whatever the drive was.
And on Sunday morning I couldn't even watch the NFLI, I mean, it was just like
I was, that whole season, I've been angry and frustrated and upset and confused.
I mean, just all the different emotions of, of losing something that
you'd spent your whole life doing.
And, and I remember it was on that Sunday, and on the Monday I
was going to move to Minnesota.
My buddy had this opportunity for me and some venture capital stuff,
and I was like, boom, let's do it.
And I had a flight on Monday at like 4:00 PM as most people know, Casey, you
know this cliff, you know this, you spent three decades in, in the sports world.
Sunday is when the NFL games are played, and if people get injured, you don't
know about their injuries until Monday when they go get their MRIs, et cetera.
So.
I called, I, I fired my agent.
So I was the one calling teams.
I spent two months calling teams.
Nobody was picking up nothing.
And all of a sudden, Monday afternoon around one or 2:00 PM
I get a call from, from someone with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Uh, Q is actually, Q called me, uh, and he said, Hey, Sam, as you know,
we have four outside linebackers.
Two of them got injured in the game yesterday.
Do you want to come and work out?
Mind you, I had like made the decision in my mind that I was
gonna be done, but at that moment, he, he said, do you wanna work out?
And I remember my, my, I mean, he's six now, but he was
one at the time was crying.
Crying.
I was trying to register our washing machine that we were gonna, you know,
for the, you know, and all of a sudden I said, Hey, can I call you back?
I said, can I call you back?
Mind you, and it wasn't because I didn't wanna go to Tampa, but it was really
just this idea of like, Hey, God, I, I wanted to go out on my own terms.
I wanted to say hi.
I said no to the NFL.
What if this is my opportunity to say no to the NFL?
Well, I remember, uh, I said, lemme call you back.
I said, oh, I get it.
You know, I hear your baby crying in the background, but
yeah, sure, gimme a call back.
I prayed and I felt, I think our listeners would resonate.
Casey, you resonate, cliff.
It's like this.
I felt, I felt this kind of like voice, if you will.
It felt something that was just like, say yes.
Say yes.
And I remember going downstairs and sharing with my wife and, and
she kind of gave the thumbs up.
I had a, you know, my, my 10 year old's probably six at the time, I'm like,
Hey, do you want daddy to go play?
He's like, no, daddy, stay home sale.
You know, but I, but I said yes, and I'd go and I worked out with Tampa Bay.
I signed with Tampa Band.
I spent, I spent the last eight games of the season with the Buccaneers
playing on defense on special teams.
And that was when I got a chance to meet Casey and Casey.
You started off this podcast by saying that I was a light.
In the locker room and in the city you are a light in the locker room and
in the city and in everything you do within, at the stadium, at the facility.
I mean, I didn't know a lot of people who were following Jesus on the team.
I just didn't know that team was a very young team, and it was kind
of, the culture was different.
I felt, I thought my, my, my purpose there was just to kind of help lead
and guide some of the younger players.
But you stuck out Casey and I, I don't even, like I said, I don't even know
how I knew that you were a follower of Jesus, but something about you.
To, and so I'm so honored.
That's my longwinded way of saying thank you for joining the podcast.
Casey Phillips: Oh, well, thank you so much.
I mean, I can't think of a better compliment than what you just
said, and, and I appreciate it.
I, I don't know for sure how you knew.
My guess is.
A lot of times, you know, new player comes in and my job is to just, you know,
professionally creep on Google to like learn all the things about everybody.
And uh, so I know that, you know, when I researched you, when you joined
that I knew that you were a believer.
And so usually when that happens, if like I've seen that a player is outspoken
about it, I will usually then like approach to just say like, Hey, me too.
Like, let me know if you need a church.
Let me know if you need this just to, especially when you're new, like, I
always like guys to know, hey, like.
I'm here for you in that, in that area, if you need a church, if,
you know, if your wife needs a, a place to take the kids on a Sunday
morning when you're playing whatever.
And so, um, I think I, I'm guessing I most likely, you know, had one of those
moments with you of like, Hey, me too.
Um, but I wanted to show that this is, you gave me this,
Sam Acho: Oh yes.
Casey Phillips: so this is, you said five years ago, right?
Six.
It was 2019.
Does that sound right?
Yep.
Sam Acho: my last year.
Yep.
Five, six years ago.
Casey Phillips: So you gave a bunch of the guys on the team.
One of these, you gave like the whole locker room practically, like
these just showed up on every guy's chair, whether they wanted it or not.
I think you were just like here and then you were so kind and gave me one
as well, which I thought was so cool.
And it's been amazing because I have literally been reading this.
For five years.
And what's really cool is there are certain, I mean, I, I write and underline
all over it, but um, it was cool.
I got to tell my husband that I was coming on with you.
I'm like, this is who gave me this Jesus calling because there are days and years
I pull one up where I'll write the year.
Then the thing.
And so I get to track through the years what I was like, what I got outta that
day, what I was praying about, and then I've gotten to watch as answers
have come to the different things.
And so this is like one of my most prized possessions.
And you were who gave it to me, so thank you for that.
Sam Acho: oh my gosh.
That makes me so glad.
I'm, I'm starting to tear up a little bit because like that book that Jesus
calling book, Casey, like that devotional got me through like some seasons.
That book got, that devotional got me through some seasons of life.
I mean, sure, some highs, but those are some low lows.
Those I could talk about all the, whether they're being released or being
injured and not knowing what was next.
It was almost just like, it's like two paragraphs and a couple verses
and it's as if Jesus is speaking to you and for whatever reason, and
you, you resonate with this as well.
It's like it's perfect timing.
It's perfect timing and so I gotta pick, my mind got torn and
tattered and, and all these things.
I gotta pick mine back up, but man, thank you for, for, for
sharing that and showing that.
Casey Phillips: I was, I was so glad I remembered to, to bring it in.
But yeah, this thing is, it's so true and like I think that is what's
so cool about a thing that you.
Go back to is how often we don't go back to things to even always remember
and recognize when we got answers.
You know that we just get the answer sometimes and move on and like remembering
both to be grateful, but then also the next time that there is a challenge,
the next time there is a thing.
We've got that evidence, we've got that.
Well, I saw that this year.
This happened, man, this is back when I was praying this for me.
Lemme tell you, there are some days where I was praying for a husband in
this devotional and now I have him and he has all the things I prayed for, and
I always love pointing that out to him.
Then I'm like, look at this babe.
I was really, I was really praying about this one here.
So, um, yeah.
It's just so cool to have those moments where you get those things answered
and those prayers answered to be able to, then now, the next time you're
praying for something, it's like, well, obviously like I look at all these,
look at all this evidence already.
Clif Marshall: Casey, it's abundantly clear that the faith that you
have is so important to you.
I just wanted to know, you know, is it something that.
Happened in your childhood or have you, was you brought up in the
church or did you come to Christ a little bit later on in your life?
What was your journey like?
Uh, you know, following Christ?
Casey Phillips: Yeah, a little bit of both.
I was raised in the church.
I mean, like Sam, I'm a Texan.
You know how that is.
There's one on every one on every
Sam Acho: Every corner.
Casey Phillips: yeah, it's, it's not, do you go to church?
It's where, right.
That was the, that was the question.
So, yeah, I mean, I definitely grew up in church.
Um, I don't, I always say that it became my own, I, in high school, that I went
to a youth group event and, uh, that I got tricked into going to, 'cause
I was told there was barbecue there.
That's how they get you in Texas too.
They promised barbecue and I didn't even know what I was going to and
it was the first time I ever heard like contemporary Christian music.
'cause our church was very hymns, pews, robes, formal stuff.
And um, I saw these people that I knew from school raising their
hands, eyes are closed and I'm like.
What in the world is happening?
Like I was kind of weirded out by it.
I was like, I don't understand what's going on, but these are all people that
I know and I know they're not crazy.
So like, what would be causing this?
And I started listening to the words of the song and just trying to figure out
like what would make these people I.
React that way.
And just in that moment, I, I had the first time ever this understanding
of God's love for me individually and care for me and like the depth
of that and what that would mean.
And it just, I, I can't explain it, but it just, that moment, that was it that I had.
It was the first really emotional understanding and connection of
what a faith like this would mean for me as compared to just, yeah,
we go to church, I check this box.
Um, and that was it, that there was no looking back.
I think that was when I was about 14 or 15, and that's when it really became
a priority in my life from there.
Clif Marshall: Wow.
What?
Um, I think working in the NFL Sam, you played in the NFL Casey.
You're in the NFL right now.
Um.
You know, I guess on game day, I coached in the NFL Casey for a few
years with the Cincinnati Bengals.
You could see the, the Bengals stuff behind me.
Uh, I've also spent time in college basketball, so I've done both.
But I just know in the, in the NFL, certainly on game day, I
used to see the players, you know, pre pregame or postgame, and I
just know faith is so important.
Uh, the athletes and everybody who works in the NFL, so to speak.
So, Casey, I guess for, for you, how do you use, you know, your
faith in your career, uh, as a reporter for the Tampa Bay Bucks?
Casey Phillips: Yeah.
For me it's always been really important that, um, my faith is
shown in how I do everything that.
We're Christians 24/7 and I don't think it has to mean beating people over the
head with it, but I just wanna know that everything I do, if people find
out I'm a Christian, that that makes sense in their mind for how I'm carrying
myself, and especially for me, it's the way that, I mean, I am telling
people stories and there is nothing.
More personal than that.
More important than that is that I know the trust that means of players and
coaches and people putting their, their reputations, their stories, their public
image, sometimes in my hands when I do these interviews and these podcasts.
And so for me it's that I.
I will always choose what I think is the Godly way to handle and enter, you
know, a relationship with everybody here.
The types of questions I ask that I'm never going to sacrifice, you
know, the way that I think God is calling me to love him and love these
people, and it for the sake of views or clicks or numbers like I want.
The way we handle an interview to make whoever it was feel like they
were cared for and loved that.
So often athletes are not treated like people, right?
That the way people talk about them online, the way people treat them, I
want them to walk away feeling like now the fans are gonna see their
humanity and what matters to them and their family and their friends.
Um, so just making sure that I take extreme care with how I treat all
my coworkers, how I treat everyone, and how I tell their stories.
'cause I know that's.
That's a really big deal to be putting that in my hands and, and I
also knew that for me, I was gonna wanna invite players to go to church.
I was gonna wanna offer to pray for players.
And if I have now done a story saying all this negative stuff about you
or not being honorable and how I did that, like, are you kidding?
Can you imagine?
I put out this story where I'm like bashing some player and then
I'm like, Hey, by the way, do you wanna go to church with me tomorrow?
They're gonna be like.
What, and I just knew that I wanted the way I did my job to line up with,
if I was gonna invite them to church, that there was no contradiction there.
Sam Acho: Casey, how do you, I'm gonna, I know Cliff's got a couple, but I
media I from being a player now.
As you know, there's so much that goes into clicks and likes and,
and and, and, and getting the, the, being the first to tell a story.
What is your priority when it comes to being successful?
And I wasn't gonna say in your job, but like, I guess, how do you view success?
What do you view as success?
Casey Phillips: I think for specifically my job, I view success as.
A couple things.
If I get the, the player, or especially maybe their mom, to tell me that they
love how I portrayed them in something.
If I get a, if I get a player's family member to say they love the interview
I did with their son or their brother or whatever, I'm like, what a win.
And then it's also.
For me when like I had a, a mom message me about her daughter who was asked to
a school assignment write a, a woman that she wanted to be like someday.
And she picked me and she sent me this essay.
Her daughter had written that she was eight years old and that
why she wanted to be like me.
So then I think like, am I, do I feel like I want her to be like me?
Is is success to me is that I can say that I want that 8-year-old
girl to do everything that I do.
I would be happy about that, that I would feel good about
that if she wants to be like me.
And so it's that I do my job in a way that I feel like I've done it
in an honorable way where I can say to the next generation of girls, do
like I did and feel good about that.
Um, and then that the players and their families are happy with the
way that I've told their story.
Clif Marshall: Very good.
Casey, I have to ask, I see you worked with the Washington Wizards
and now you're obviously in the NFL with the Tampa Bay Bucks.
Um, again, I've spent time in both football and basketball as a
strength and conditioning coach.
So I just gotta ask you, what, um, did you enjoy more working in the
NBA or currently working in the NFL?
Casey Phillips: Ooh, that's tough.
Um, my schedule liked the NFL better, let me tell you that.
That's for
Clif Marshall: Right.
Casey Phillips: Um, especially 'cause when I was there, I was also covering
the Washington Mystics at the same time.
So we had no off season that we went straight from NBA to WNBA.
And, um, that's part of why I only lasted two years there is I
was like, I think I'm gonna die if I continue in this trajectory.
So then I got an offer to go to the NFL and I was like, oh, 17 at the
time, even 16 games compared to 80 something with, you know, the NBA
and then all those WNBA games later.
So I, I, from a schedule standpoint, obviously NFL is is better,
but basketball was my love.
It's what I played.
It's, it's my favorite sport in the world.
So like.
And it was funny, I, I was more starstruck covering the WNBA than
like the NBA or NFL because those were so many of the women I had grown up.
Idolizing and watching and wanting to be like, and, and so it's funny
how that was actually the times I had to be like, Casey, get it together.
Like it's, it's all right.
Like, those were the people.
So I, I really loved getting to start my career covering a sport that I
was so familiar with, that I felt so knowledgeable about football.
I definitely had a lot I had to learn once I got here.
So it took a lot of work from just an Xs and Os standpoint, not having played it.
Um, but yeah, they both are really cool in their own ways
of, I loved basketball, but.
Having 53 people to tell stories about is really great as compared to only, you
know, we had at the time, it's like 12 guys on the team and only like nine were
actually dressing and playing even on any given night or you know, more dressing.
But nine guys get in the rotation.
You got 80 something games.
You are just having to interview the same guy over and over and over and over.
And whereas at least football, you, you have more people to
choose from and, and more stories.
Sam Acho: Hmm.
Casey, how did you get into the industry?
Casey Phillips: Man, I, I am convinced that God just wanted me to do this job.
'cause there are so many things about it that I'm like, I, this
is wild how it all worked out.
But I knew when I was very young, I wanted to do some form of broadcasting.
So I actually, I was just at my parents this weekend and we found these old
photos of me anchoring the news at my middle school when I was 11 and 12.
Um, but I, back then I wanted to be Katie Couric.
And I think it's, especially because that's what was like.
You just could see that more, that there were more women doing that
kind of a broadcasting job than there were on the sports side.
And people would even recommend that, oh, you should be like Katie
Couric, you know, which is great.
But I think that's what everyone kept kind of pushing.
And then, um, my high school also had, um, a.
You know, kind of broadcast station at it And my teacher for that class was like,
Hey, I give one student the chance to interview for some internships every year.
I know this is what you actually wanna do.
And she goes, I wanna be clear, you won't get them.
You're 17, you're gonna be interviewing against college graduates.
Like it's just so you get some experience in the door.
And she said, so I'm gonna let you interview with the Dallas Mavericks
and with Fox Sports Southwest.
And I was like.
Why have I not thought about doing sports?
It was like this light bulb went off.
Like I played every sport.
I loved sports and I loved that it took a woman also suggesting sports to me.
You know that, that at that time, that just wasn't as much of a thing.
So I went and interviewed for both internships and I got
both of them at 17, which is.
Again, I'm like, clearly God wanted me to do this because I was not
necessarily the most qualified.
I'm sure I wasn't and I was 17, but I went and did both them.
So I worked both internships that summer.
Um, and then from there it was like I got in the door and I
just knew all these people.
So from 17 to 22.
I did Fox Sports Southwest, three different summers, the Mavericks.
I did two different summers with the Dallas Cowboys.
I did CBS in Dallas, two different summers, all just from kind
of knowing everybody once you get into that industry there.
Um, and then right as I was about to finish college, I'm like, man,
I've done a thousand internships.
I'm finally gonna get paid to do this career when I finish.
Uh, and I tore my ACL right before graduating and I, oh God.
And I had some chats.
I was.
I was unhappy about this.
I was like, I don't understand.
You've always made it so clear.
This is what you want me to do.
Like how can this happen?
And, you know, 'cause to be a reporter, especially right outta the gate, I
needed to be carrying all my camera gear and shooting myself and, you
know, sitting down on the baseline, I physically couldn't do the job.
So I took an internship with, uh, Disney Sports pr, and I remember at the time.
Being terrified that that was going to derail my whole career.
That you feel like if you get out of broadcasting for any amount of time,
like it's just over before it started.
And, and I was so afraid I was gonna get pigeonholed into just more the PR side.
And, um, but that internship, I, right after I applied for the Wizards blindly,
didn't know anybody applied online.
I found out 300 other people applied at least, and they gave it to me.
And I remember asking them like.
I'm thrilled you did.
Can you tell me why me?
And they said, well, you know, everyone that applied had broadcast
experience, but because of your work at Disney, you also had done
social media and PR and marketing.
And those are all things that when you work for a team, you're
gonna have to do all of those.
So everyone had broadcast experience, but only you had this thing.
And I just remember hearing, God, I, I could pic I pictured
this expression of him going.
That's what I pictured where the thing that I had been so mad and I, and I was
so frustrated and didn't understand the plan, and to finally all of a sudden see
that like what I thought was gonna ruin.
Derailed his whole plan and career.
God knew that that was exactly the thing that I needed to get it
started and it got me into this team reporter route, which was just being
created at the time when I graduated.
These team reporter roles didn't even really exist yet.
That one year I did at Disney was when they started getting created,
and so my job with the Wizards and then at the time, basically the
Wizards and Celtics were like the only ones that had this team reporter.
Role and it let me break in, right as these were being formed.
And so my job with the Wizards, my job with the Rams, and then my job with
the Bucks, I was the first person to get to have all three of them that they
were these brand new created roles.
And it just always made me think about how like, man, God can open doors you
don't, like, I didn't even know to expect these kind of jobs when I was in college.
And it just all worked out perfectly timing wise.
Sam Acho: To me that sounds Cliff, like a cliff note.
You know, usually when we do Casey on this, on this podcast is, uh, cliff
shares his CliffNotes, and I know we're not even close to being done yet, but
Cliff, what Cliff note do you have?
From what we just heard from Casey, I.
Clif Marshall: Well, I think she just pretty much summed it up.
I think, uh, we work as if it's up to us, but we pray as if it's up to God.
You know, like in our C career, Sam, you as an NFL player, KCU as
a NFL, broadcaster and Reporter.
I mean, it's, and even me as a coach, you can reflect back on your journey.
You reflect back on your career and you could look at
God's Hand has been with you.
And so I think the cliff note for me today, at least for this
podcast, is work as if it's up to you, but pray as if it's up to God.
Casey Phillips: Mm.
I love that Mark Batterson says that all the time.
He was, uh, my pastor when I lived in dc.
Clif Marshall: Wow.
I, I know he is.
Put some great books out there and have a ton of respect for him for sure.
Um, I did want to ask you, um, Casey, about your journey, um,
and if you just go back again, you mentioned you were 17 years old.
What would you tell 17-year-old Casey as you reflect back right now?
Casey Phillips: Yeah, I think, um, I would say it's gonna turn
out even better than you imagine.
That.
You know, I, I think one of my favorite verses is the Ephesians three 20.
If he's able to do a measure, it'll be more than all we ask or imagine.
And I think that it's also the fact that the back half of that verse
is that according to his power at work within us, where it's like.
We love to think about, he's just gonna do more for me.
But it's like according to the idea of if you're allowing like him to
work through you as well, and that as long, I think I would say back then of
like, Hey, as long as you're walking with him, it is gonna turn out even
better than you can ever imagine.
Whatever your plans are, it's gonna be even better.
And that includes the things that are not fun at the time.
Like, would I wanna tear my ACL.
No, but would I now change that for anything?
Absolutely not.
I would tear it all over again because of the direction that it brought me and
the way that it formed this stuff now of where like, God can use even those,
you know, hardest kind of darkest things to take you where he wants you to go.
So, um.
Then I also I think would tell, you know, 17-year-old Casey, one of my favorite
things to guide me when making decisions is something I heard Andy Stanley say
one time of just ask yourself, what does love require of me that I think
as Christians, like that's the question that when we get ourselves in a binary,
we don't know what God wants us to do.
Maybe of just like God's made it so clear our job is just to
love him and love other people.
And so if you're not sure what to do at any point in your life,
what does love require of me?
And that's, I think, some of the best advice.
Sam Acho: Casey, we, we talk.
Thank you so much for sharing that.
We talk, uh, about adversity a lot on this podcast.
shared a little bit about tearing your ACL right before your dream job and how
it worked out, but on the outside we see, I see man, Casey, she's always got
a smile on and she's a reporter for the Bucks, and now she's married and she
got what, A Super Bowl with Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski and all the things.
But there's some things behind the scenes that a lot of people don't know about.
Can you share with us a little bit about your journey with some of the autoimmune
disease diseases that you've dealt with?
Casey Phillips: Yeah, so, um.
Ironically, it was, uh, right when I met you was when all of it was happening.
So again, the things that you don't know at the time about somebody.
Um, so I, in the summer of 2019, um, just suddenly.
Had massive health stuff going on out of the blue where I went down
to, I'm five foot eight, I went down to 111 pounds, um, which is wild.
And I, I will spare you all the, the details.
Um, but it was bad.
And I got put in the ER a couple times.
Um, it was, it was really rough.
And And I ended up getting diagnosed with what's called ulcerative colitis.
So a lot of people have heard Crohn's, ulcerative colitis.
They're, they're very similar things.
Um.
It was, I, I was in pretty bad shape and they had to put me on just wild amounts
of steroids to try to bring it down, which was, was super fun as a broadcaster.
'cause it made my face get all puffy and it caused me to have like acne everywhere.
And I was like, this is great.
Everything is fine.
Um, but I remember just at the time, like.
One of my first thoughts was like, am I gonna get to still do this job?
I mean, there's anyone that has heard of or knows anything
about ulcerative colitis.
Like you have no idea what that's going to do to your, it's different for every
person and what that can look like.
And I'm reading about it and just even the way it got delivered to
me, I, I woke up from getting, you know, a colonoscopy to diagnose it.
I'm coming out of the anesthesia and they're like, okay, yeah,
you have this autoimmune disease.
You'll have it for life.
There's no cure.
And I'm like, first of all, we should work on the bedside manner a little bit.
But, um, I mean, that's a wild thing to hear of just like, here's this
thing, you're gonna have the rest of your life and you have no idea
how and when it's gonna affect you and what that's gonna look like.
And I just remember sitting there having a very similar moment with
God of like, I just don't understand.
This does not feel like something that is gonna help me live.
the life for you that I would, I would like to, and especially this job that
I, I love so much, like, am I gonna still be able to do these things?
And I, it's one of the clearest times I felt like I heard from God and
I heard him say, if I have called you to it, I will equip you for it.
And I, I just remember at the time being like, okay, I don't
know what that's gonna look like.
I, but it just tells me that if, if God wants me to do it, I'll be able to do it.
And if he doesn't, then I don't wanna do it anyway.
And, um.
You know, it was just such a, now looking back like that was.
Such a dark time.
It was very scary.
Um, it was months before I was kind of back into like normal.
And here again, I'm having to fly to London for a game and I'm having to
cover the whole NFL and I'm like, I don't even know what this is gonna look like.
I'm not feeling great.
I'm, you know, all these things.
Um.
And then of course, right as I kind of get it under control, COVID happens
and trying to deal with like the whole COVID pandemic with an autoimmune
disease was its own challenge.
So then right as we get into like 2021 where I'm like, okay, like
we've kind of got a handle on this.
Like I know what's going on now.
I actually got diagnosed with a second autoimmune disease that affects my um,
joints and my back and my spine, and.
So then, um, I had to get on like a new, you know, medication that could
try to treat both where I was having to give myself injections every two weeks.
Then through those injections, I started having really bad, um,
allergic reactions to them where I was developing hives all over the place.
So I'd be like on air doing an interview and suddenly start feeling like all
these hives developing, feeling swelling, feeling the stuff, and I'd have to finish
the interview, and then I'd have to go run out to my car with an ice bag and
like Benadryl that I kept out there.
And like sit in my backseat for a bit to like ice those
to try to make them go away.
And it got to a point where it was just not sustainable.
And so then I had to switch to a whole nother medication where now I have
to go and get IV infusions that last two or three hours every six weeks.
Um, and it has just been a wild ride of there being something therefore
like every year since 2019 where it was like getting diagnosed with
a new thing or a new medicine or switching medicines or that something.
It's just every year there's been something with all of this.
And I just always thought like.
What is this gonna look like?
What is my life gonna look like?
Am I gonna get to do these jobs?
Am I gonna get married?
Am I gonna, you know, all these questions?
And now here I am, you know, five and a half years later, and you know,
I have been able to do this job.
I've gotten married, I've bought a house, I've won a Super Bowl, ring.
Like all of these incredible things.
And now.
I look at verses like, you know, James one, two and the considering
it pure joy when you face trials of many kinds 'cause of the perseverance
and Romans five, three, same thing.
We rejoice in our sufferings knowing that it produces
endurance and character and hope.
And I get to understand a bit about that now because look,
have I enjoyed all of this?
Absolutely not, but I do believe that I've seen where now, like I'm a more
empathetic person knowing that you have no idea what people are going through.
I.
Like you said, Sam, like no one would have any idea of all of this
if they're just watching Buck's content that any of this is happening.
So I'm more empathetic not knowing what someone's going through.
I'm very empathetic to people that have chronic pain or illness.
I know how tough it is to go through that, and I also know like I'm
stronger and can handle more than I would've thought if you had told me.
All of this was going to happen.
I'd have been like, Nope, I can't do that.
I'm not strong enough.
I can't handle that.
And to just learn that no, like you are stronger than as long as,
again, you lean on God for it.
I couldn't have handled it on my own, but by leaning on God through
it, you know, I can handle more than I would've thought, and now I'm
able to give back to other people.
Go through this that I got to speak to a group of kids who all have it.
That were going to a summer camp that are for kids who have one of
my autoimmune diseases, and they got to ask me all these questions of,
you know, and it's, they're so cute.
These kids are like, what do you do if you have to go to
the bathroom when you're on tv?
Like, it was really adorable.
Um, but I get to talk to these kids going through it and give
back, and so now it's really cool.
I've gotten involved in the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation.
And, um, I'm on their gala board, so we're having a gala this fall here in Tampa, and
they asked me to be their patient honoree, which was really, really special for me.
So I'm gonna get to give a speech at the gala and, um, just talk about my
experience and hope to try to encourage I.
Other people going through it and you know, I'm just now so much more grateful
for the blessings in my life, knowing how easily they could have gotten taken away.
That the moment you see, like it is so fragile that the moment I'm going
to the er, it, I recognized that like it could all be taken away.
In that moment through, through nothing I did or didn't do.
There are just sometimes circumstances where it happens and when you recognize
that man, you are so grateful for the days you are healthy, the days you can do
the things you wanna do, the days that.
You recognize everything that could get taken away from you.
So I can see all the ways that going through this has made me a better person,
a stronger person, a better Christian, more reliant on God, closer to him.
'cause man, when you have health stuff that you can't do anything
about, you talk to God a whole lot.
And um, so as much as I have not, it's not what I would wish on anybody.
I can see the truth in those verses that talk about the way it can produce
that endurance and character and hope.
Clif Marshall: Casey, you're.
Oh, sorry, Sam
Sam Acho: No, you got it.
Cliff.
Clif Marshall: Casey.
You talk and your test has become your testimony.
Casey Phillips: Mm-hmm.
Clif Marshall: life is, 10% of what happens to us and 90% of how we respond.
And your response is encouraging.
Um, and it's impactful just to hear your story.
And I think, um, a good friend of mine told me the event plus the response.
And your response has been incredible.
So thank you so much for, for sharing that.
I just wanted to throw that out there.
Sam, I know you had a question.
Sam Acho: Well, no, I, I just even a, a, a comment, you know, 'cause
we, we do, at this podcast, we go first, gift space, girl hope.
Uh,
what can you tell somebody, Casey, who is going through some hard stuff.
Right now that needs some hope.
Casey Phillips: Yeah, I think it's that, um, the hard times are the thing that
will define you one way or the other.
And kinda like what Cliff was saying, it's the hard times happen to everybody.
I've heard someone say, you're either going into a storm, you're in a storm,
or you're coming out of a storm like.
And so hard times are going to happen.
And so the question is always about how we're going to respond to it.
And what I think is nice to remember is that it's, it's okay to not respond
great every moment of every day.
It's more about the over the long haul.
What direction are you heading?
Are you overall like leaning into God, leaning into family, leaning into
friends, leaning into who you wanna be.
I know there were times I beat myself up where there were days where I was just
really sad and I would sometimes feel bad about that, thinking like, oh, a real
Christian would be able to, you know, see the good in all of this and be, not be so,
and I, I, I don't think that that's fair.
And so I think it's the idea of.
Understand where you wanna go.
Understand that you don't wanna be defeated by whatever this hard time
is and have your eyes set on that point of who you wanna be in God.
But give yourself the grace to know that you will not be perfect
in your response every day.
And that does not mean any less of you as a person or a character.
'cause we do celebrate people that we see go through hard things and say,
man, they're always still smiling, or they're always still in a great
place and it makes you feel pressure.
To be that happy, smiley, perfect face all the time.
And so I would tell people like understand that the hardest thing is not the last
thing that you, there will be better days in some form, and frankly, even if
it means after this life, like that's the beauty of the hope that we have.
At some point there will be better days, and we hope they're
sooner rather than later.
But in the hard days, like.
Make your choice of who you wanna be, and then give yourself grace when you don't
always live up to that every single day.
Sam Acho: Casey, I wanna, uh, well, thank you.
Dropping gems.
Uh, we need to call, we need to have like a Casey's corner, right?
You already, you probably already have that.
I'm not, this already exists.
Uh, but, uh, Casey, I, I've, as I'm listening to you, I, I'm hearing
a lot of, man, I, I was the first to do this and the first to do
that, and this job wasn't created.
And, and, and I'm also hearing.
Sure.
Like I was, you know, there with Tom Brady and Robert Gronkowski and all
these Mike Evans, where you're like, man, the, the, the women on the mystics.
Those were my heroes.
What impact are you having on women in your world that a lot
of us don't even know about?
Casey Phillips: Oh man, I'm not sure.
I hope it, I hope I am.
I, like I said, I sometimes do get to hear from um, either young girls
whose parents reach out to me and talk about how much they love being
able to show them my videos and how much their daughters love, you know,
watching my stuff, which is really cool.
And, um, I do get reached out to by, you know, high school
and college students who.
Wanna do this for a living and, and reach out, which also
every time makes me feel old.
And it's always so funny to me 'cause I'm like, man, I, I feel like I was
just that person and I almost still feel like I am that person of like,
man, I should reach out to so-and-so.
And I'm, it's always funny to me when people reach out to me for career advice,
I'm like, am I in a position to give that?
It's so wild.
But yeah, I think, um, I just hope that, um, yeah, I just hope that I'm showing
younger girls and, and other women that.
This is a wonderful job in life and that it's not always this, you know, really
rough, horrible battle being a woman in this sphere that we have made so much
progress that I'm, I'm so thankful to the women who went through what I view
as the really hard stuff in the eighties and the nineties and, and really breaking
down those barriers and doors for us that are now in it at this point where.
Have I had some, some weird things, you know, and some not great things happen
because I'm a woman in this sphere.
Sure.
But honestly, I feel like overall, like we have made so much progress and I think
that I want women to see that like this is our space, this is our time of whether
it's women's sports or men's sports.
Like you belong anywhere, anywhere you wanna be, anywhere
that God decides you need to be.
You belong there.
And.
It can be an amazing ride that is just so much fun and I want women to see also
the, again, the way that I do it, of trying to put God first and trying to make
sure that I put my character and values first, and that that can be done around a
world where sports, entertainment, media, they can try to tell you that you gotta
do things a certain way to have success.
And that to try to show that no, like stay true to who you are and
like don't Actually, Todd Bowles just said this the other week.
Um, we have something here called the National Coaching Academy, where we
help coaches try to break into the NFL.
'cause you know how it's such a, like, who, you know, kind of thing.
Um, so they bring whether high school, college or international, you know, pro
outside of NFL coaches get a chance to come in and learn from all of our staff.
And Coach Bowles was talking to all of them, and that was
actually the advice he gave.
Was, don't sacrifice who you are for what you want.
And that's what I think I would want women to see watching me and
to learn more than anything is just, yeah, don't sacrifice who you are
for what you want in this industry.
Clif Marshall: That's great advice, Casey.
I think the, uh, one thing that I, when I hear your story and uh, know that
your, uh, background is and working for the Bucks right now, I just feel like
that you're living out your passion.
At the same time, you have a great purpose, and again, it's super inspiring.
I do want to know, on your day-to-day job with the Tampa Bay Bucks, what is your
most enjoyable part of the job and what is the least enjoyable part of the job?
Casey Phillips: Hmm.
Interesting.
Okay.
So
Clif Marshall: I.
Casey Phillips: yeah, I mean most, the part I enjoy the most is just getting to.
Learn the stories of the people that are here.
I love when we get like, you know, a new player and I get to dive in trying to
learn everything about them and, and find out all the interesting, cool things.
And I love when I learn something about somebody that others don't know.
'cause in today's day and age of media, it feels like every story's been told.
And if I can find something.
That other people don't.
And I, I love that.
And so I actually, it got to happen with Coach Bowles last year, and
it was one of my favorite moments.
I learned that he had been a radio DJ in his playing days.
It was like incognito, like did not, no one knew this was NFL player,
Todd Bowles at the time doing this.
He was just like a radio dj.
And I was like, what was your name?
Like your show name?
And he was like, land of Love.
And I about died.
I was like, this is the greatest thing I've ever heard.
And I got his permission to let me.
Share that.
And I got to share it at this big event where Baker and Mike Evans and these
guys are there with Todd on stage.
And I got to deploy this information and watch all of them be like, what?
Oh my.
Like, and it, that was so fun to watch like that I got to help
cultivate this bonding moment between players and coach and all of that.
So like, I love when I get to find the ways to bring humor, to bring
bonding, to bring joy, like all of that, um, least favorite is.
My shows still all have to happen even if we lose.
That's an unfortunate, it's an unfortunate part of the job.
I'm like, can I not have a clause that says I only have to do this if we win?
Um, because let me tell you, going into a locker room right after a really bad loss
and walking up to a player and going, Hey, so you know that game that just happened?
Do you wanna talk about it with me for an hour tomorrow?
Like that is by far my least favorite is having to make that ask.
And even having to.
Yeah.
Having to ask a guy to do that where I'm like, let's, yeah, let's
relive that tomorrow, please.
When you'd also probably rather be sleeping.
Thank you.
Um, but thankfully that's where it's nice that I've been here a long time.
I've built good relationships with the guys.
They know I'm gonna make it as painless as I possibly can.
You know, we're not gonna just sit here and dwell on whatever went wrong.
We're gonna move on, we're gonna find good things to talk about.
Uh, but yeah, that's, that's definitely the part that is my least favorite.
Sam Acho: That's so good Casey, I, I've got, so on this
podcast we talk about faith.
Talk about family, talk about football, talk about finance.
I want to go back to the football piece, but not necessarily the
Casey Phillips: Oh good.
I was real worried you were gonna say the finance part and I was like, oh no.
Sam Acho: not yet.
Not yet.
We'll get to that a little bit later.
Uh, but, but the Olympics flag football, we, we were chatting before and you got
really excited about saying, Hey, I want to let, oh, let's, let's dig in on that.
So let's dig in a little bit.
What are you most excited about for flag football in the Olympics?
Casey Phillips: First of all, again, as we established Texas girl at heart, right?
So, and also like my high school was when you picture peak Texas high school
football, this was my school that my two quarterbacks in high school were
Chase Daniel and Greg M, not too Shoppy.
Sam Acho: You went to Southlake Carroll.
Casey Phillips: I did.
See
Sam Acho: I didn't know that?
Casey Phillips: knows.
I know.
Look at that.
So, yeah, I went to South Lake Carroll and I, yep.
And I, man, I am telling you, if I could have played flag football, I would've
been the happiest person in the world.
The fact that this is now an option for so many girls in high school
and to then let them see an Olympics that they could have as a goal.
I mean, it's unbelievable.
'cause even when I was first starting to play basketball, the WNBA was
like just about to be formed and to be playing a sport that you don't
have this dream of, you know, that so many people don't realize, like for
little boys, they get to be like, oh yeah, I wanna go to the NFL someday.
I wanna go to the NBA someday.
To now know that there are all these kids, boys and girls that are
playing flag football that will now have this Olympics thing to look
at on the global skate stage is so.
Amazing.
And I think it's gonna be a really great opportunity, of course for the NFL to grow
its brand internationally, like to grow football internationally is incredible.
But from a specifically like flag standpoint, I have grown to love it
here because first of all, so Florida was the first state to sanction Girls
Flag as a high school varsity sport.
Um, they're very big into it here, and man, the Buccaneers are.
Part of just the groundbreaking efforts on really supporting it and promoting
Girls Flag that, especially Darcy Glazer.
Kasowitz is our, one of our owners is just so passionate about this.
So the Bucks host, the largest girls flag football competition
in the country every year.
Girls flag football preseason classic.
The seventh annual one was this year, hosted a record,
115 teams across 20 counties.
It was wild watching how many of these teams that are here from Florida and
other places, we also used a bunch of other flag events throughout the year.
I have watched these girls and the passion they play and their skill
level, and I'm like, man, I cannot wait for this to be highlighted thinking
that some of these girls I'm watching, like these are gonna be some of the
people that are on this Olympic team.
And I am just so excited for women to have this as a goal to be looking at.
And also, I love this is this, this was amazing to me.
So the Bucks were the first to create an academic scholarship
back in 2020 for girls who play organized football and are passionate
about pursuing a career in sports.
And we now it's called the She is Football scholarship.
And a, a big part of it is this idea that.
There have been all these studies showing that there's a huge correlation between
female participation in sports at the youth level and success later in life.
94% of female executives have participated in sports, but girls drop out of
sports at twice the rate of boys.
And so the Bucks really look at it as, man, like our mission
is to keep girls in the game.
We have all this programming, accessibility resources that we're
trying to use our platform to create.
These opportunities to develop these future leaders of tomorrow.
And I feel like now the fact that the Olympics and the NFL and
everyone is just getting on this flag football train for, for both
men and women is going to be so fun.
And we have just loved being on this ground floor of this new sport
that is just sweeping now, not just the nation, but the world.
And then like, come on, we're all dreaming of the NFL guys.
We're excited to, to maybe play.
Right?
I mean, I, I, I'll be interested to see like.
There are people who have been dedicated to playing flag football.
It is not a guarantee that it's gonna be a team full of NFL players, that there's
a whole lot of these flag football players that this is what they've been doing.
So that to me is gonna be so fun to watch is how many NFL guys are in a spot?
How many are people that have already just been playing flag
and the strategy behind it.
'cause I, I just, I think it's gonna be a blast to watch.
Clif Marshall: I gotta ask Casey, as we finish up here, tell me about
your Tampa Bay Bucks this year.
Tell me about the team, the outlook, and just, uh, even a little bit
about their draft class that they're bringing in this season.
I.
Casey Phillips: man, let me tell you, I am fired up about this
year, and I'm not just saying that
Sam Acho: I was gonna say, because if, if you weren't, if
you weren't, could you tell us.
Casey Phillips: I get it.
I get that.
I work for the team.
I am not just saying that, first of all, I mean our whole starting offense is back.
That is almost unheard of in the NFL to bring literally every
single offensive starter back.
And then now of course we keep, you know, losing our offensive coordinators
to these head coaching jobs.
'cause you know, they've been doing a great job here, which is awesome.
But man, how nice that even though we lose our offensive coordinator,
we get to promote one from within.
So you get to keep that consistency and that continuity, which, you
know, baker Mayfield was like, thank goodness that poor man has
had more coordinators than any.
I mean, it's unreal.
Um, and so to have Baker have that confidence and continuity to have the
whole offensive line now that have all played together for a whole year.
That run game that went from almost worse to almost first last year.
No reason to think it's not gonna look just as good this year.
So everything offensively we saw that was clicking last year, and
then now defensively you bring in Hassan Reddick, which I think
is gonna be really fun to watch.
And um, I'd love to hear Sam's thoughts on what that might bring as
a, as an outside linebacker himself.
But you know, I mean, Todd Bowles, like he can dial it up
no matter who is playing for him.
That man loves to scheme.
And I mean, Vito ve is dropping in coverage randomly,
like you just don't know.
You never know what Todd Bowles is going to do.
So the defense, I think that's gonna be interesting to watch.
You know, maybe seeing guys like you, you still have lavante there
in the middle, holding it down after all these years playing it just
like, I mean, defying father time.
And then to see, man, how's it gonna look?
When we got a young, younger guy coming in next to him, maybe in Sier Dennis.
We got a couple people fighting for some of those spots.
Um, and then our draft class, you, you brought them up.
I cannot say enough amazing things about our first round draft pick cca.
He is, lemme tell you, someone you should have on your podcast.
The man is, uh, definitely very passionate about his faith.
And I, I don't know how many times in my whole career I have heard
scouting staffs talk about players, like they talked about a mecca.
Just that they were like this kid, I mean, so mature.
Head on the right way, like plays the game the right way.
That they were just like this, we gotta have this guy.
'cause even when you look at the fact that it was not the position
of biggest need, that's where, you know, they were just like, no, this
guy, like, we believe in this guy.
And I think for him to get to come in and learn under Mike Evans and
Chris Godwin, I mean, good grief.
Like you cannot ask for a better masterclass.
That.
So that's gonna be a blast.
And then man, I, I think that they found some gems on defense.
I think that the back to back corners that we took, um, Paris and, and Morrison,
I think I'm really excited about them.
Especially Jacob Parish has already like, already made a couple picks,
already had a guy, a couple people in practice being like, okay.
And then Morrison I think is a steal, just 'cause he had health issues last year.
He, I think he'd have been a first rounder.
I think he'd have been like, I think we got a steal.
Being willing to wait on this, you know, health stuff that's going on.
I mean, we got Walker who I think is another, again, I'd love to
hear the outside edge rush, your thoughts you have over here.
But I mean, the guy had about a a billion sacks.
In college, just so productive.
And so I look at kinda these mid round and I've watched that Jason line and
his staff, they have been able to build through a lot of these mid round picks
over the years really effectively.
So I think that they, they felt like everybody expected 'em to go defense
first round and I think they felt like they got to still get this guy,
they couldn't let pass while still addressing the defensive areas that
they felt like they needed to do.
So I, I think that there is no reason for us to not feel like, I mean,
there's no reason we shouldn't be.
At least as good as we were last year.
And I feel like there's a lot of ways where I'm like, man, we're, I think
we, I think we feel really great about it and it's gonna be a fun year.
And just the comradery.
The, the guys on this team, it's unreal.
I mean, they all would die for Baker.
Like they would run into oncoming traffic for that man.
And that is a cool thing to have in a quarterback.
And I think that just the way, the offensive line,
they are never not together.
They are, they move as a blob, as a unit.
And those are the two things you want as a team when you're offensive line
are best buds and always together.
And that they would literally take a bullet for their quarterback.
You're gonna go a long way.
Sam Acho: That is so good.
Dang.
Now we see why Casey does what she does.
It ain't just it.
Oh my good.
I mean, and so much insight.
I mean the, and I think that's one of the things that people don't realize is like
you're a part of the fabric of the team.
As much as it's, yeah, players and coaches.
It's like you are, you are like, you travel with the team, you're in the
locker room, you're in the facility.
And so this insight that you're providing, I mean, I've listened to the
stories about Ekka Buka and, and his and, and, and kind of his background.
You remind me of Benjamin Morrison, right?
Who would've been a first round pick without, if not for the injury.
Uh, I'm getting excited now.
And also, by the way, I think y'all haven't lost the division
since I got there, right?
So like the last four or five years.
And so, um.
Man, I'm, I'm hyped now.
Cliff, we need to go, uh, you know, everybody to put, put the pads on again.
Put the jersey on again.
Uh,
Casey Phillips: do it.
Sam Acho: Yes.
So before we go,
Hmm.
I think what I wanna do right now, I know we had the Cliff notes earlier,
but Casey, you've shared so much, you've dropped so much gems, so many gems
in Casey's corner, but as, as many of gems of you've dropped, cliff, if you
could just kind of recap again for us.
Some high level lessons that you've learned, some cliff notes
for everyone that's listening before we, before we say goodbye.
Clif Marshall: Yes.
I think my takeaway from hearing Casey's story, obviously, and again, it's full
of passion and purpose, but it's, it's literally how she has fought the good
fight and how she's gonna finish the race.
But it's more importantly about life being 10% of what happens to
you and 90% of how you respond.
As she's talking about her autoimmune disease, as she's talking about
her ACL, as she's talking about many setbacks that she has faced,
she still has a smile on her face.
And joy in our heart.
And what I love more than anything is how this podcast started.
You guys talking about being the salt and the light.
And Sam, that's exactly what you are.
That's what you were in that locker room in Tampa Bay with the Bucks
and Casey, that's exactly what you are each and every day as well.
And that's why I believe the two of you guys connected and hit it off there
in Tampa Bay and Casey, that's why you're on our podcast this afternoon.
Casey Phillips: Awesome.
I love it.
Yeah.
And thank you guys so much for having me.
It's, it's been an, an honor and a, and a blessing and, and just so
cool to Cliff, get to meet you and Sam to get to chat with you again.
And it's just been so cool for me to watch you and on your just incredible,
uh, meteor rise over the years and every time you, you pop on my tv,
I'm just like, ah, look at Sam.
He's crushing it.
Just absolutely crushing the game.
So, uh, just so excited for you and, and what you've been able to
accomplish since you left football.
Sam Acho: Well, I appreciate it.
Well, Casey, I'm learning from you.
I'm learning from you, watching you walk with.
Watching you walk from before I even knew I was gonna go and t do tv, I
saw you and I'm seeing you walk in integrity when no one is watching.
And that to me stands out so much more than all the likes and
retweets and, oh, I got this scoop.
You walk in and with integrity, cliff said it.
You are salt and you are light.
Right?
The salt of the earth, the salt of the world.
Like you preserve the taste of things you keep like in an industry that's decaying.
You are keeping it from decaying your salt, your light in a dark place, not
just in a locker room, but in media.
Look at where, where media is going.
Media is a really dark place.
And yet you are a light.
So it's no wonder where, why so many young people are looking to you for
advice and you're a young person in your in, in your own, right, right.
We're not saying you're old, but so many young people are looking
to you because they're like, man, they know light when they see it.
You can't deny light, right?
You taste salt.
You can't, you can't, you know that taste.
And so really from me to you, thank you for being salt and light, even
when I didn't even know that this was, this is what I was going to do.
You're still leading the way and being a guide for not just young
women or young men, but people who are currently in your industry trying
to learn how to do it with grace.
And so thank you Casey for joining the Sam Macho Podcast.
Uh.
I mean, I, I do wanna give you space for the last word.
If, if, if, uh, if you'll, if you'll allow me, I wanna give you space to,
to kind of share the last word with us.
Casey Phillips: Oh man.
So much pressure on the last word.
No, I just think, um, I think that it's amazing to just realize that.
As long as we really do, like I said, work like it depends on
you pray, like it depends on God.
Like everything is going to work out and be better than you ever imagined.
And I say that as someone who had things happen to me that
are not what I would've planned.
Like I would not have planned to have autoimmune issues and, and
all these different things in the way that I sometimes hate that it
might affect, you know, my husband and my family are, are different
things, but like I know for a fact.
That everything really does, like God can use everything for good, even if God
does not cause the bad thing to happen.
Like he can use all of it for good.
And so whatever people are going through know that.
If you choose to conti, you know, pray continually, give thanks in all
circumstances, that God's gonna be able to show you the ways that that thing can
be used for good and that you can help other people and make a difference in the
world, maybe because of that hard thing.
Sam Acho: That's so good.
Well, on behalf of Casey Phillips, cliff Marshall, I'm Sam Macho.
Thank you so much for joining the Sam Macho Podcast.
Make sure to go to sam macho.com.
To find all the resources for this podcast and also hear more about Casey's story.
We'll see you next time.