We welcomed St. Louis native Jessica Radloff, a New York Times bestselling author, TV host, and podcaster, to discuss her upcoming book, Young Sheldon: The Juicier Than Meemaw’s Brisket Inside Story of the Hit Comedy (releasing October 20, 2026), and her work on The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series and official podcast. Jessica explained she began watching The Big Bang Theory after seeing reruns while sick in St. Louis, then pursued deep, new interviews—over 200 hours—for fresh behind-the-scenes details.

Many cast members recorded their own audiobook portions for the Young Sheldon book, including Reba McEntire. She teased surprises such as Jim Parsons becoming narrator late in development and a recast librarian role, plus end-of-series tensions and spinoff drama. Jessica encouraged preorders and will appear on November 8, at 7:00 PM at the St. Louis Jewish Book Festival with Matt Hobby. She advised aspiring journalists to diversify skills and build relationships amid major media industry changes.

[00:00] Opening

[00:41] Show Welcome Sponsor

[00:52] Meet Jessica Radloff

[02:41] St Louis Roots

[03:03] Big Bang Breakthrough

[04:49] Deep Research Process

[06:16] Cast Reads Audiobook

[07:37] Juicy Book Surprises

[10:35] Naming Young Sheldon

[12:28] Big Bang Universe Updates

[14:31] Sheldon The Cat Story

[15:25] How To Get The Book

[17:48] St Louis Jewish Book Festival Event

[20:16] Why Audiobook Is Special

[25:01] Advice For Media Careers

[30:01] Final Thanks Wrap Up

[30:32] Recap & Outro

Takeaways:

• Jessica spent over 200 hours interviewing cast and crew to ensure new, deeply reported material for the book.
• The oral history format made people more willing to be candid about tensions and surprises behind the scenes.
• She confirmed there are genuine surprises in the book, including narrator choices, casting changes, and spin-off-related tensions.
• Many original actors recorded their own sections, bringing authentic voices to listeners.
• She advised aspiring journalists to diversify skills across multimedia, public speaking, and platform-building to succeed in modern media.
• Jessica emphasized building professional relationships early and maintaining them rather than waiting until you're out of a job to ask for help.
• Listeners were encouraged to pre-order Young Sheldon to secure a copy for the October 20 release and to attend the November 8 event in St. Louis.

• St Louis Jewish Book Festival Speaker Series - Jessica Radloff
• Purchase - Young Sheldon The (Juicier-Than-Meemaw’s-Brisket) Inside Story of the Hit Comedy
• TikTok - Jessica Radloff
• X - Jessica Radloff
• LinkedIn - Jessica Radloff
• Instagram - Jessica Radloff
• Facebook - Jessica Radloff

This is Season 9! For more episodes, go to stlintune.com

#jessicaradloff #youngsheldon #thebigbangtheory #YoungSheldonbook #YoungSheldonoralhistory #BigBangTheoryoralhistory #StLouisJewishBookFestival

Folks, what's juicier than Memaw's brisket?

You're going to find out here on St. Louis in tune.

Welcome to St. Louis in tune and thank you for joining us for fresh perspectives on issues and events with experts, community leaders and everyday people who make a difference in shaping our society and world.

I'm Arnold Stricker along with co host Mark Langston.

Greetings to Mark.

Memaw Briskets.

Meemaw's Brisket Sounds to My mouth is watering.

I am.

It's almost lunchtime here.

I'm ready folks.

We're glad that you joined us today.

Want to thank our sponsor, Better Rate Mortgage for their support of the show.

You can listen to previous [email protected] where you can follow us and leave a review.

Our thought for the day is by Beatrix Potter.

There is something delicious about writing the first words of a story.

You never quite know where they'll take you.

And our guest, wow, the first words that she wrote.

You never know where they're taking her either.

Jessica Radloff is a New York Times best selling author, television host and podcaster.

She's a native of St. Louis, Missouri.

She spent nearly 15 years at Glamour magazine, ultimately serving as its senior west coast editor.

She's the author of the New York Times best selling book the Big Bang Theory, the definitive inside story of the epic hit series which was written in 2022.

And now the official behind the scenes oral history, Young Sheldon, the Juicier than Meemaw's Brisket inside story of the hit comedy which is just coming out here in October 2026.

Additionally, she hosts and is an executive producer of the official Big Bang Theory podcast for HBO Max and Warner Brothers.

Jessica welcome to Saint Lucien.

I'm tired.

I'm tired, you guys.

I.

You guys need a break after all.

That was a mouthful.

My goodness, I had another paragraph.

A triple major in theater, media and journalism for two and a half years.

How did you do that, girl?

She's a smart girl.

Oh man.

This is probably why I'm still single because I have just been working and working and I need to maybe stop that a little bit.

So yeah, I know it's a little bit crazy.

But anyway, good morning.

I'm so happy to join you guys today.

Glad that you joined us.

And for our listeners, she's calling from the west coast to.

She's also, you probably have seen her.

She's a frequent media commentator on Access Hollywood, Good Morning America Today.

She regularly hosts major Hollywood red carpets industry panels Do I hear that you're.

From the St. Louis metropolitan area?

She's a cult.

Yes, Chesterfield.

A cult.

Such a Parkway Central cult.

Oh, okay.

Where did you guys go to high school?

We were University City Indians at the time.

You City Indians?

Which now they're lions.

So Mark and I both were classmates.

Oh, I love that you have really,.

I don't want to say stumbled into something that's just huge, but.

Because I don't want to diminish your efforts.

No, I did.

I stumbled into it.

No, you were sick into it because you were on your mom's couch, right?

Yeah.

I had known the cast of the Big Bang Theory for a little bit prior to covering the show, but I didn't really watch the Big Bang Theory.

I watched the first episode when it premiered, and that was it, because I was like, I don't think I'm going to really be into this show.

So I just.

I didn't watch it.

And it wasn't until.

But I got to know the actors because they were often nominated Emmys or Critics Choice or SAG Awards or any of those.

So I got to know them, but I didn't know enough to really ask specific questions about the Big Bang Theory.

And it wasn't until, I believe it was December 2012, when I was home in St. Louis over the holidays, sick as a dog with the flu, and my parents were like, we just started watching Big Bang Theory and reruns, and it is hysterical, and you need to watch this.

And I was like, I'll watch C Span right now.

I don't care.

Put on whatever you want.

And they did.

And then they explained they had to do a lot of explaining about the characters, because I often say I don't recommend just jumping into a random season of this show.

You need to start at the beginning.

But they explained a lot to me.

And then I was like, wait, this is very smart, and this is really funny.

And that's how I started then watching it.

And then it took off, and readers at Glamour loved it.

So I really did stumble into it.

And I definitely stumbled into writing the books and doing the podcast, because that was never the plan.

And it's just, I always say, one of my favorite pieces of advice is go where you're wanted.

So they wanted it, and I still was reluctant, but I did it, and I'm glad I did.

And you were.

Gosh, how many hours of interviews?

And the books?

Both of the books are lengthy, but they are so detailed and they are thoroughly researched.

You spent a lot of time And I want to give you credit for that because it's not just, oh yeah, I talked to them for a couple times and I wrote this up and boom, there you go.

You really did a lot of research.

That's very sweet of you to say.

I really did.

And my thinking is, if you're going to ask somebody to spend $30 on a book, especially, especially in the economy that we're in right now, you have got to make it worth every bit of that and then some.

And I knew that both with Young Sheldon and Big Bang, there isn't so much written about both shows, but I wanted brand new interviews for both.

I wanted to go deep with them.

I spent over 200 hours doing interviews and to their credit, they all, they still took my calls and my zooms and opened their doors to me.

And I think they really enjoyed it too, which made it more fun.

But I really was like, if we're going to do this, we have to do it right.

You can't just do a couple interviews here and there or take old interviews and splice it together.

No, you've got to get all new stuff.

And I think that's what's really fun about an oral history once a show has ended, is that people are willing to open up in a lot greater detail, in depth after they're done with it versus when they were in it.

So that was really rewarding.

But yeah, I'm tired.

I bet.

Have the cast members read your book?

I'm sure they have.

They have.

And they also, most of all of them came in and recorded their portion of the book for the audio version, which is incredible.

Including Reba McEntire, which just blew my mind that she was able to make time in her schedule to do that.

Yeah, they've all read it.

They love it.

They're also bracing themselves because they do get very vulnerable and it's scary to do that, especially for a lot of the Young Sheldon team who wasn't as publicly forward facing as maybe the cast of Big Bang.

So it's scary to put yourself out there and talk about a lot of your personal life.

But I give them a lot of credit and I think people are going to have a lot more respect for these people once they read the book.

I think it's a credit to you and your research and putting out a book that is fresh that people did come in and read those things, especially, you know, Reba McIntyre.

It's not like, yeah, Reba, can you come over?

Sure, I'll come over.

No, people have to know they have to have a reason and a validation of why I should do this.

And so kudos to you on that.

That's huge.

Thanks.

What was the.

That means a lot.

What was the.

How do I ask this?

Are there.

You get into some behind the scenes kinds of things and there's, there's contract.

Contract issues and things like that.

And I think it's very explainable of why people would open up more after the fact.

But are there some really big surprises in the new book that people will be.

Oh, my gosh, I never knew that.

Wow, I can't believe that.

Are we going to experience some of those things?

Yes.

Because I could not write a book if there wasn't the surprises in there.

You.

I never want to write just an encyclopedia recapping things.

You got to give people new, fresh, juicy information, as they say on the title of this book, which I have to give credit.

My dad came up with that subhead because I was like, everybody now when they do an oral history, it's like the definitive inside guide.

And when I was like, oh, I don't want to do that again.

It was a mouthful last time.

What can we do?

And my dad came up with the juicier than Meemaw's brisket, which is hysterical, but it is still a mouthful.

But you gotta give the, you gotta give the juicy stuff to the reader because you want them to really be inclined to read a book.

But yeah, there's a lot of little surprises in the book.

For instance, like Jim Parsons was the narrator of every episode.

Originally, there was not gonna be a narrator on the show.

And that was a suggestion from Jon Favreau, who directed the pilot episode.

He was like, if you have one of the titans of comedy attached to this show as an executive producer, then use him in another way to help draw the viewer in and especially when you have kids on a show.

So that was pretty much a last minute decision to bring Jim Parsons in and the narrator.

Also, Julie Haggerty was originally cast as the librarian on Young Sheldon.

She was let go, for lack of a better word, during the first couple episodes.

They realized she wasn't the right fit and they brought in Sarah Baker.

So there's lots of little surprises like that throughout the way.

And then there's some big surprises and reveals, such as how the show ended, the frustration among the cast, how it was done, the spinoff that happened with Georgie and Mandy, and how the news leaked and that upset the cast a lot, and especially some of the parents of the kids.

So there was a lot of drama with that.

And then, you know, also, just as a family, we all expect the TV families we watch on screen to be the most lovey dovey, close off screen as they are on screen.

And that's not always the case.

And this cast really did care about each other and they do love each other and they're still very close.

But they talk about the times that there was tension and it wasn't easy.

And I give them credit for that because we all hear cast members say, we're such a family, we love each other.

There's nothing wrong with that.

It's great.

We want them to be.

But I also think there's something valuable in saying, yeah, we love each other, but we also went through some really hard times and we're going to tell you about that so that it wasn't as much as a surprise as it was a really nice way to open that conversation up.

And families do go through hard times, just regular families.

There's love there, but there's also strainful times and stress and things that happen.

I was interested in.

There was a different name originally for the show, Young Sheldon.

And that was bantered back and forth.

What's the backstory behind that?

Yeah, Young Sheldon.

It has been a punching bag, the name Sheldon, for the last 20 years.

And I was telling someone the other day, remember when Colbert announced he was going off the air and Jimmy Kimmel was very upset with that news and Kimmel went on his show and was like, f CBS and all their Sheldon or Saturday Night Live has done skits where they make fun of Sheldon.

This is.

This name has been a punching bag.

And it's only because of the success of the show and how recognizable it is.

But with that said, originally, when Chuck Lorre and Steve Molaro were going to proceed with a prequel series, they weren't crazy about it.

It was the Untitled Sheldon Project or something like that.

They were trying to figure out a name and they weren't crazy about the name Young Sheldon, but they couldn't come up with anything better.

That told you a lot.

In a few words.

They were thinking maybe the Cooper Family, the Sheldon Chronicles, something that wasn't just Young Sheldon.

And even Steve Molaro, the ep, says he was never a fan of the name Friends for a TV show.

But it's the kind of thing where just it grows on you and it just becomes part of what you know.

So it was the right name because it drew people in.

You immediately knew what it was.

But I think especially as the show became more of an ensemble.

I think they would have loved if it was called the Coopers or the Cooper Family.

But, you know, all in all, you can't go wrong with a show that is still in the top 10 of acquired shows on streaming and one of Netflix's top 20 shows of the last decade.

It's been more than successful.

So I know they're very happy with it.

I have to ask about Penny and Leonard.

They had that.

They had that little relationship for a while.

I always were worried that might have really disrupted the whole.

The whole thing.

But they seemed to go get through it okay when they finally broke up.

They did.

You're taking me back in time to the Big Bang Theory book, because we talked a lot about that, about how that was a relationship that people didn't know if it was going to last.

And some people wanted them to break up and others wanted them to stay together.

And it was really hard to navigate what they were going to do.

So, yeah, they ended up sticking it out.

They are still happily married and they have kids.

And so, yeah, so we got a little hint of their lives now in some Young Sheldon episodes, especially the finale, when we learn that Penny babysits Sheldon and Amy's kids and everything.

And there was all this discourse online in the end of Young Sheldon because Leonard wasn't mentioned.

And people were thinking there's literally Reddit threads about, did Leonard die?

Why isn't Leonard mention Young Sheldon?

What happened to Leonard?

And that is something that I had to address with the producers.

Guys, where's Leonard?

Yeah, I can confirm Leonard is not dead.

Leonard is doing very well, but people just.

These characters are very real.

And even the producers say, just because it's gone off the air doesn't mean that the characters go away.

They're still out there in a different land living their lives.

It's just.

We're not watching that anymore.

It's understandable why people want to know what is going on with them.

And technically, the universe still continues because Georgie and Mandy is a spin off of Young Sheldon.

And even the Stewart failed to save the universe.

They brought back some of the Big Bang Theory cast, but it's an alternate universe, so it's not really what the characters would be up to, but it's.

Yeah, a lot of people still.

They're like, what are they doing?

I have to know.

I have to know.

And so they did drop an Easter egg along the way in Young Sheldon just to kind of help the viewer feel good knowing that these characters are still alive.

And well, before you say it, Arnold, I have to tell you one thing.

We have a cat at our house and we named him Sheldon after Sheldon.

We do.

He has.

And he's an orange cat.

He's an orange cabbage.

The cutest thing in the world.

But he has a spot on the couch.

He has this one spot on the couch.

We cannot keep him off this spot on the couch.

He goes to this spot all the time.

So I just had to throw that out just for fun.

That is.

I love that your Sheldon has a spot as well.

Yeah, that's how else.

That's where he got his name from.

Because it's like that cat keeps sitting at that spot on the couch.

Okay, go ahead, Arnold.

Arnold's going, what?

But you know what, though?

You're not alone.

So many people have named kids through these characters.

So yeah, you're not, you're not the only one that's in it.

But I love that you have an orange tabby named Sheldon.

That is.

I want to see a photo of Sheldon.

Thank you, Jessica.

I appreciate it.

It's Arnold Stricker.

Welcome, Arnold Stricker.

Along with Mark Langston of St. Louis in Tomb.

We're talking to Jessica Radloff.

She's New York Times best selling author and we're talking to her about her latest book here, Young Sheldon.

And I won't go into the rest of that, but folks, you can get this.

It's available as an audiobook also, and a hard copy you can get.

Where can they get that, Jessica?

So pre orders are open right now.

My.

Sorry, my, my headphone just popped up.

So pre orders.

The book is available in pre order right now.

Which is so important because when I was in St. Louis last, I actually went into the Barnes and Noble in Chesterfield and I said I just wanted to see how many books you guys are going to have on October 20th when it comes out.

And they're like, we're going to have two copies in.

And I was like, oh, gosh, it's really hard because that's a whole other inside baseball game unless you're Prince Harry or Michael Douglas where you're going to get 40 copies of a book in a bookstore.

And they just, it's harder to get a lot of copies of a book available.

So my best advice is pre order the book.

Now you can pre order it on Barnes and Noble, you can pre order on Amazon, Walmart.com, target.com, wherever you get your books, local bookstores, and that way you will for sure have a copy arrive on October 20th.

You can of course go into a bookstore and I hope there will be copies, but you never know.

So that's why I always say pre order it ahead of time.

And and then on my Instagram, which is at Jessica Radlaw, 14, I also have a link to a Talk Shop Live interview that I did with Montana Jordan, who plays Georgie on Young Sheldon and Georgie and Mandy.

And he and I signed books and there's still some available.

So if anyone wants to sign the book, that's on my Instagram.

But pre orders are so important wherever you get your books and that way you'll be sure to get it on the 20th in case my dad goes into Barnes and Noble in Chesterfield and buys the two books that are there.

And then you walk in an hour later and you're like, where are the books?

That's a good dad.

That's a good dad.

Come on.

So it's Young Shelton.

You never know.

That could happen.

Yeah, that's true.

That's true.

It's Young Sheldon, the juicier than Meemaw's brisket inside story of the hit comedy.

And Jessica's last name is spelled R, A D L O F F. And folks, we're going to post all of her Instagram, her ex, her LinkedIn on the podcast page so you can check that out there.

I the big thing, she's going to be here in St. Louis on November 8th at 7pm out at the J.

And she's part of the St. Louis Jewish Book Festival speaker series.

She's going to be here with Matt Hobby who plays Pastor Jeff on Young Sheldon.

Oh great.

And they're going to be taking questions and kind of talking about that.

So kind of, what's the format going to be for that, Jessica?

It will be a Q and A with me and Matt Hobby.

So like a 45 minute Q&A.

And then we're going to be signing books after.

And I got to give my mom credit.

One, I think this is hysterical because the St. Louis Jewish book Festival has been around for a really long time and they bring in such amazing guests and obviously you do not have to be Jewish to attend.

It is open to everybody because that's what the community is all about.

But my mom said to me it was so cute because she was like, wouldn't it be so funny if for the St. Louis Jewish book Festival you get Matt, who played the pastor on the show to come in to do it with you?

And I'm like, that would honestly, that would be hysterical because he was such.

He still plays Pastor Jeff on Georgie and Mandy and he is hysterical.

He is so funny.

And Matt Hobby is quite possibly one of the nicest, most supportive people I've ever met.

And he is just so funny.

And he will do the accent as Pastor Jeff and he will get into character.

And I'm thinking maybe we get his.

What do they call it, the cloak that or what the pastor wears his gown.

And maybe we see if we can borrow that from the costume department at Georgie Mandy and have him wear it to the St. Louis Jewish book Festival and be like, can I get an amen?

Can we?

We're welcoming everybody and I just.

I think it's great.

But it's also what Young Sheldon was all about, which was welcoming all different faiths and talking about all different things.

And that's the great thing about books.

So, yeah, we're going to be in person.

We're going to fly in from LA on November 8th at 7pm Sunday nights.

And I'm so excited because I know kids especially love this show.

And Matt is just the greatest.

And also fun fact, his wife on the show, Officer Robin, played by Mary Grill, is his real life wife.

Oh, wow.

And she also did the audio version of the book and their story is in the book of.

They have some fascinating stories.

So it's really cool.

It was really a family affair for them.

I think that's great that you have them read their part on the audiobook.

That's just wonderful.

It was a happy accident because nobody from Big Bang did it for the Big Bang Theory book.

And it really.

And it wasn't their fault.

I just didn't ask because I was told I would come in and do my portion is the kind of the narrator.

But they hire actors to play these parts for the audiobooks.

And so you basically it's $220 an hour.

It's the SAG scale to come in and do it.

And was also still Covid.

And so I didn't even bother to ask because I was like, there's no way they're going to come in and do it.

And then when I was working on the Young Sheldon book a year ago, Montana Jordan plays Georgie.

He had the thickest Texas accent you've ever heard.

People don't even think it's real because it is so thick.

It is like a different language.

And I say that in the best way.

And Montana was like, who?

Who's going to play me in the audiobook?

And I said they hire actors.

And he goes like, oh no.

He's like, I want to do it.

And I was like, really?

And he's like, yeah.

He' like, I want to come in and record my portion.

And once he said that, I was like, okay, now I should just ask the rest of the cast to see if they would do it.

And most all of them were like, absolutely, we will be there.

We want to do it.

It floored me.

I was so happy.

I was so touched, because, again, they were not getting paid what they are deserving of getting paid or what they're used to getting paid.

They did it because they loved the show and they wanted to do it as a favor.

And Jim Parsons did his vers because he does the foreword for the book, and Annie Potts did hers.

And it's really incredible to hear these people read their own lines.

And I'm so grateful that they did that again.

It's a testament to your thoroughness and your ability to bring out the.

The key things that are of interest and that are fresh.

And they trusted you.

And you've been doing this a while.

The first book, a New York Times bestseller.

They.

And they were like, why wouldn't I want to be involved with this?

So that really speaks highly of you, Jessica.

Yeah, that's very sweet.

It might have also been because Chuck and Steve were like, you know what?

We're doing this again, so you better be a part of it.

People had their arms behind their back when you're.

Yeah.

When your bosses are like, guess what?

We're doing another bug.

But, like, I feel like maybe they're like, we don't have a choice.

We got to talk to her.

But no, they were all really wonderful.

And Montana, again, he admits he gets shy in interviews.

It's not his favorite thing to do.

And he was really worried at first because he was like, I don't know if I'm gonna remember everything the way you want me to.

He started on the show when he was 14, and he ended up loving this process so much.

He would be like, when are we doing our next interview?

When are we doing it?

And he gave me this great blurb for the back of the book, which is.

He's like, I've never been to therapy, but this felt like therapy.

And I mean that in the best way.

And it was a blast.

And he just.

He opened up so much, and it was so great.

And I just.

I love them so much for doing it.

It definitely helps when your bosses are, like, putting their support behind it.

But I give them credit because if you don't have the actors that can take it over the finish line.

You're just not going to have a book that's worthy.

And they made this book what it is.

So I'm so grateful to all of them.

I want to see the.

I want to listen to the audiobooks too.

I'm excited about that as well.

I really bought it.

I didn't.

Let me tell you something.

I get some copies for free of the hardcover because I give them out to the cast and all that.

I didn't get a voucher for a free audiobook for.

Or maybe I was supposed to, I don't know, for Big Bang.

I never bought it.

I never listened to the audiobook for Big Bang, but I went and I already pre ordered the audiobook for Young Sheldon because I was like, I.

You better believe I want to listen.

Oh, yeah, I want to.

I, I was there when they went into the booth, but I couldn't hear them in there.

So I can't wait to hear them say they're like the, their interviews over again.

I'm very excited.

Oh, yeah.

I don't know when that's ever happened where the actual actors and have.

Have done their part on audiobook.

That's.

I think it's fantastic.

I know they do.

When they have a memoir come out, they'll go into the audiobook and they'll do their own.

But for an oral history like this, it is very rare I think I've.

Ever heard about it.

Yeah.

Yeah.

It was really incredible and I just had the best time with them.

I've been posting a lot of behind the scenes videos of them recording it, and it has been so much fun because they got into it, they were like, let's do it.

And some of them cried in there.

I'm like, I can't wait.

Wow.

I know.

I can't wait either.

I'm with you.

Last question for you.

And you can limit this to.

Oh, don't make it the last question.

Come on.

I got a few more minutes.

What do you got?

Okay, throw me a hard ball.

There's some people out there who are listening, who are maybe in school just like you were, who are working in media arts or journalism, and you have a really varied background.

What do you tell them?

How do you encourage them?

What kind of information do you give them to as they.

Maybe they say, man, I want to do what Jessica's doing, or I'd like to be an editor like she was at Glamour magazine.

What do they need to do?

What key things do you offer them as Suggestions?

I say be careful because I, you know, I was at glamour for 15 years and then all of the editorial staff was pretty much laid off this past April.

And I do look at it as a blessing because I.

15 Years is an incredible run and I'm so proud of it.

I was also at a point in my career where I was ready for new adventures as well.

But the unfortunate side of that is that the media industry is changing drastically and the glamour that we were a part of for so long is.

Has changed and so much now is commerce driven and just they have different visions.

And so the.

The media industry is not what it was.

And that is really hard.

And that's why you see a lot of journalists going out on their own, starting their own tub stacks, doing their own YouTube stuff, because legacy media just has very much devolved into something that I don't want to say isn't as recognizable as it was, but that is the truth of it.

And so I.

The most important thing I can say is diversify.

And I'm so glad that I pushed to do the Big Bang podcast or write books, because you can't just write anymore.

You have to be proficient in so many other areas in order to succeed in this world now, especially one that is so powered by AI.

You have to be able to know how to speak in public to an audience, whether that is in front a room full of 200 people or if it is, to 3,000 Instagram followers, or you have to lean into the multimedia aspect of everything with journalism.

So it's so important to diversify and really get proficient in a lot of different areas.

But also the best advice too, especially if you're young and you're in school, which, you know, I really say, think about what you are most passionate about, what you would do for free.

And that's where you should put your efforts behind.

Because for a long time when I was starting out, I wasn't getting paid to write.

I was doing a lot of writing for free or for pennies.

And I did it because I wanted to.

And if you want to do something that that's how you know you're passionate about it.

I do believe that the phrase do what you love, you'll never work a day in your life is BS because even though I do love what I decided to go into, it is a lot of work.

There are days I don't love it.

It's really hard.

But you've got to be passionate about it because that's what will sustain you during the hard times.

And also don't feel like you have to have it all figured out or know what you're going to do while you're in school, because I sure didn't.

And those lists about 30 under 30 or whatever.

Don't pay attention to it because it's really just about taking the steps to get to where you want to in your career.

And everybody's on their own timeline.

That's excellent advice.

Great advice.

Wow.

Jessica Radloss, Very, very sweet.

You were going to go with a really hard question about this show and I was so prepared.

I was like, oh, this is a very sweet one.

So no, I always like when we have people of your caliber on the show.

I want them to speak to individuals who are considering the profession that we're talking about.

And it's always great advice and people need to listen to that because you've been through that and you're offering, especially as that media is changing.

That was really strong advice because in a lot of areas it's not that way.

So thank you for taking time.

Oh my God.

I was going to say too, if you want more.

One more nugget of advice I would say too, don't always be fearful of being laid off, but always keep it in the back of your mind.

Inform the relationships that are going to carry you through your career now because too many people wait until they are out of a job, until they start reaching out to people and asking for help.

And that is the worst way you can do it.

Form those relationships, those connections.

Now take people out to lunch while you still have a job or whatever it is.

Get to know them because people are more than likely to help you out if they know your intentions are genuine.

That's the other thing too is just don't wait until it happens.

And I'm lucky that I had those relationships in place.

But always never get to the point where you're too full of yourself to think, oh, it's not going to happen to me.

I'll wait till I'll address that later.

No, talk to people now and make those connections.

That's a huge asset to have.

Great advice.

Great advice.

Jessica, thanks very much for taking time to talk to us about your latest book and we look forward to that time out at the J where you're going to be speaking.

That's Sunday, November 8th at 7pm folks.

You can go to jccstl.com to get tickets for that.

Jessica, you take care.

Thank you both so much and I hope to meet you when I'm in St. Louis you are such great interviewers and you ask such amazing questions.

So thank you both so much.

I really appreciate it.

Thank you very much.

We'll talk to you.

Bye.

Bye.

Bye.

What a wonderful girl.

Oh, my gosh, Mark.

And so it's this is the St. Louis Jewish book Festival again, open to anybody.

And this, the festival is has actually started now.

So it goes through December.

And go to jccstl.com but she's going to be speaking with Matt Hobby on the Young Sheldon the Juicier Than Meemaw's Brisket Inside Story, the Hidden Comedy.

That's Sunday, November 8th at 7:00pm And I, you know, I didn't even go into some of the stuff that she's done.

It's just crazy.

It's just, she's unbelievable.

Yeah, she really is.

I can't.

I really want to hear that.

That audiobook, I'm excited about that.

That's going to be a fun thing to listen to.

And audiobooks are great, especially if you're doing something working and you don't have to devote your mind to it or Harry Weber talked about that when he sculpted sculpting.

He listens to audiobooks.

Or maybe you're driving.

We listen to audio stuff or podcasts along the way when we're driving somewhere a long period of time.

Oh, yeah.

Wow.

So much fun.

Okay, so the book again is Young Sheldon the Juicier Than Meemaw's Brisket Inside Story, the hit comedy.

And we will post a lot of her links on the podcast page so you can maybe get that preliminary order, etc.

Etc.

Etc.

All of that.

So you want to call it?

Mark?

Yeah, let's call it.

Great show.

It was a great show and we're glad that Jessica was able to talk to us.

She was speaking to us from Hollywood.

Hollywood, California, Hollyweird.

Yeah, some folks.

And that's another whole story about the Hollywood sign out there.

Oh, my God.

The history of that.

It just wasn't Hollywood at the time.

So that's all for this hour.

We thank you for listening.

If you've enjoyed this episode, you, you can listen to additional [email protected] where you can follow us and leave a review and thank Bob Berthisel for our theme music, our sponsor, Better Rate Mortgage, our guest, Jessica Radloff and co host Mark Langston.

We thank you for being a part of our community of curious minds.

St. Louis in tune is a production of Motif Media Group and the US Radio Network.

Remember to keep seeking, keep learning, walk worthy, and let your light shine for St. Louis in tune.

I'm Arnold Stricker.

Sam, It's.