When life is just downright overwhelming...

Oh man, these are crazy times in the Silas household. It's as if the world is dropping things on my head to see if I can hold it all before my neck collapses or I fall over. It's supposed to be the best and most exciting time in my life. I'm a first time author telling the untold stories of women in the locker rooms and clubhouses, on the sidelines and in press boxes, in sports television and radio studios...honestly. It's so dang cool and outrageous, but at times it also seems like it may be too much to handle.
The book describes my journey and walks you through my career. It shares moments of greatness and times of pain and challenges. I always say "I'm just a girl with a story to tell." But, sometimes I feel it's much more powerful than what I'm thinking. Not one woman has made a full time, stable, and long career as a host in sports talk radio. We've been there for a moment or two. We've done sports updates and reporting from the field and games. But, not one of us has had a consistent and healthy career on sports talk radio stations. We're accepted, but with the safety of an arms distance. I'm not complaining, just expressing a truth of our business. And I know this to be factual because it's happened to me.
Some of the best programmers in the business in the past and of today have hired me, believed in me and given me a chance. When times got tough it never seemed to be because I wasn't ready for my show, I wasn't prepared for the content, I wasn't up for the controversy or the backlash. In my experiences, and I can only speak from those, it was because the groups of boys/males I worked with just didn't want me around, didn't want to change their behavior to make it comfortable for a woman to be in the room, the office or the studio.

So, the stories are there, now what? How can we make it happen? How can we as a society mold the business of sports radio into a place that welcomes both genders? I know, and I've known for a long time there needs to be someone out there who's innovative, fearless and unstoppable. This someone must be ready to deal with the hate mail, the negative feedback, phone calls and emails. This someone must have the strength to know it will take time to teach sports radio listeners that women know as much as men and are as interesting talking sports. The hardest part, the biggest challenge and the most difficult moments are when sports radio listeners insist that we (women) talk and think like men. This is something we will never do! Some women attempt to, to keep their jobs, but it hasn't been too successful. Check out the numbers of women on sports talk shows, as hosts around the U.S. There aren't many. And on a national level, not one. What does that tell you? You tell me. I'm ready, because I'm still looking for that 'someone.' I won't stop until I find him or her to be that 'someone'.