Before we turn the page on the year, I wanted to pause and look back at some of the conversations from this season that lingered with me the most. This year-end highlights episode brings together some of the most memorable moments from Things No One Tells You, the ones that sparked reflection, surprise, and honest self-examination.

Across these clips, a few themes kept surfacing: confidence that wavers, pressure that doesn’t always show on the outside, and the question of who we are after the milestone moment passes or when we’re on shifting ground.

What You’ll Hear:

• Losing confidence right after success (03:18, Stephanie Szostak)
• Mentorship as a stabilizing force in high-pressure rooms (08:24, Kadi Lee)
• The importance of relationships in high pressure situations (17:03, Daniel Jones)
• The emotional reality of climbing the mountain, then staying there (22:46, Craig Melvin)
• Scrappiness and meeting the moment when it matters most (26:03, Aliett Buttelman)
• How faith can play out during intense moments in the NFL (35:15, Len Vanden Bos)
• A powerful reminder about what our kids need from us (42:09, Bridget KerMorris)
• What it looks like when you bet on yourself (47:40, Brooke Baldwin) 

These conversations are a reminder that behind every highlight reel is a human story. If you’re heading into the new year with questions, hopes, or a little uncertainty, you’re not alone. 

We’re looking forward to kicking off Season 2 of TNOTY in the new year! Follow Lindsay and TNOTY on Instagram to keep up with the latest.

To watch or listen to the full episode for any of the highlighted clips in this 2025 Highlights episode, click on the blog links below.

Tough Love with SOUL ON FIRE Actor Stephanie Szostak: Ep 18

https://www.lindsaycz.com/show-notes/stephanie-szostak-18 

Things No One Tells You About Creating a Conscious Brand with Kadi Lee: Ep 7

https://www.lindsaycz.com/show-notes/kadi-lee-07 

Staying Grounded in the NFL Spotlight with Colts QB Daniel Jones: Ep 23 

https://www.lindsaycz.com/show-notes/daniel-jones-23 

Things No One Tells You About The Work Behind the Spotlight with Craig Melvin: Ep 6

https://www.lindsaycz.com/show-notes/craig-melvin-06 

Things No One Tells You About Glitter Freckles and Grit with Aliett Buttelman: Ep 8

https://www.lindsaycz.com/show-notes/aliett-buttelman 

Faith in Football with the Buffalo Bills: Ep 16

https://www.lindsaycz.com/show-notes/buffalo-bills-16 

What Our Kids Need More Than Rules with Bridget KerMorris: Ep 21 

https://www.lindsaycz.com/show-notes/bridget-kermorris-21 

The Unraveling That Changes Everything with Brooke Baldwin: Ep 5 https://www.lindsaycz.com/show-notes/brooke-baldwin-05 

You can watch this interview on YouTube: https://youtu.be/3mOTBsOPPfs 

For a full transcript and more, check out our blog post: https://www.lindsaycz.com/show-notes/tnoty-highlights-29 

[00:00:21] Some of the conversations that we've had that have really stuck with us, and honestly, some of these clips that we've chosen are moments that, after the episode has wrapped, after we've finished taping, we've been like, Oh my gosh, can you believe this was such an interesting thing to talk about? You get the drill.

[00:00:59] Building that connection is really based on that. It's also things that we've learned from guests, like their confidence, conversations about identity, about what happens after the big moment, or when you happen to be right in the middle of it. So if you're in a season of chasing something, maybe you're landing something, or you're trying to hold onto something, these clips.

[00:01:43] A grief to purpose pivot, parenting through the middle school years. And when I tell you that there's an episode that I have listened to several times, it is that one because I really think there are so many gems when it comes to being a middle school parent. And tho I am now feeling after leaving a dream job?

[00:02:14] We are beginning with an honest look at something that. I think everyone deals with it at some point, men or women, it doesn't matter. This is a look at imposter syndrome, and this was a conversation with my good friend, actress Stephanie Szostak. Stephanie has been in a ton of movies, including The Devil Wears Prada and Dinner for Schmucks.

[00:02:51] So this is the moment that I thought was so fascinating in our conversation because Stephanie was sharing how she had a crippling bout of imposter syndrome when she landed her first big movie, and when she is talking about the actors that she was on set with and what happened and how this created her new focus on this other area of her life.

[00:03:18] Stephanie: I, well, I think another thing people don't tell you is when you get to the place that you've been working for so long, that, and you've worked hard, and finally you're there at the place and now you land in that place and instead of being like, yes, okay, I'm ready.

[00:04:03] And I'm playing opposite. Paul Rudd, you've heard this story a lot.

[00:04:08] Stephanie: Paul Rudd, Steve, it shocks me every time you say it. I'm like, what? And I really just lost my confidence. And I remember my self-talk basically after most takes was. Oh my gosh, that sucked my own performance, you know? And then I was like, oh, they're gonna think it sucked.

[00:04:49] And it just impacted not only my performance, but also how I related to other people and my well-being. Well-being happened for about two years. The good thing is it led me to seek to learn tools, like self-talk and a whole bunch of other tools that helped not only with confidence on set, but also really gave me a whole new perspective on life and more joy and more meaning, and I'm sure all your listeners.

[00:05:42] A coach, a football coach, you see them on the sidelines with their play sheet. They are not relying on memory to call the play. They're constantly looking at their play sheet. And so what if we could have our own personal playbook that we could look at in the morning before we get distracted by the news?

[00:06:16] Lindsay: Something that surprised me so much from that conversation was just the thought that success doesn't always bring confidence, but sometimes it actually rattles it.

[00:06:45] Our next clip is from guest Kadi Lee, hairstylist to the stars. She owns a brand and also a salon out in California. Her clip is really the flip side because it's more like what it looks like when you do have a study voice in your ear in terms of mentorship. So from confidence wobbling. To cbecoach Stephanie asks about needing a playbook.

[00:07:29] Here it is from Kadi. So, when you think back to whoever it is that you're working on, maybe some of the actresses, like the ones that obviously include Meghan Markle, Julia Roberts, what is the thing that you've experienced that you would say is something that no one tells you just about doing the job, that you've learned along the way?

[00:08:24], he was the biggest inspiration to me, and to go and work for him was first a dream, and then to become not only his mentee, but now one of his closest friends is, has been like my wildest dream come true. So Serge has really been a guiding light in my life, in my career. And so yeah, there were things no one told me, but I also had like a very great bird in my ear telling me, you know, guiding me and telling me things, and Serge has always worked with like the utmost of, discre and elegance, and I just always wanted to be like him. So I kind of emulated him, a nd when he gave me the opportunity. To first work with Julia, like well over like 15 years ago. I just followed his lead. I mean, he was there with me that day.

[00:09:40] Lindsay: That's awesome. So he was just literally like, Do you wanna come work with me on Julia Roberts?

[00:09:46] Lindsay: And with that day, what do you remember thinking?

[00:09:51] Lindsay: Really.

[00:09:55] Lindsay: Why, but I, he obviously was like, taken with the way that you did your work. So like, why did you feel that way, do you think?

[00:10:15] She had just finished filming a film, and I had to make her blonde in one day for a Lancombe commercial. Oh my gosh. Yeah. And you know, it's like. She is a busy person, and with, you know, raising young children and time was of the essence,,e and it was like, you didn't get nine hours to do this. Like, I literally had, you know, perhaps a mornand, but search helped.

[00:11:22] Oh my goodness. And now, like we just laugh about it because you know, now we just chat like old friends.

[00:11:32] Kadi: Yeah, I just, I was focused gon getting every single thing right. And it was almost like I was in conversation with myself, as I could, I don't know, I was telling myself like, you're gonna do a sweep of color here, and you're going to pop that little piece there.

[00:12:14] Lindsay: Oh my. I love that. And, you know, two things. It's like, first of all, it could have been any actress, but obviously, what's the first thing everyone thinks about when you say Julia Roberts? It's her hair, right? Yeah. So it's like, well, besides the fact that she's an amazing actress. So that's funny.

[00:12:52] Like it sounds like that's kind of what it was, right? It's just like this, yes. Yeah. Like it's lighting you up.

[00:13:04] Stephanie: Right?

[00:13:20] Lindsay: You know what's funny is when people, that have reached such a high level of, I wanna say, I guess for lack of a better term, success, say that like you look around and you feel like the luckiest person on the planet, but it is, if you take a step back and look at the people, and especially like these guests that we're talking to and what they've accomplished.

[00:14:01] She doesn't love to talk at all. She just wants to be in her workspace. So. Regardless of how you work with your own talent and your own personal performance with people who are really effective in high-pressure environments, it also comes down to how they work with those around them. And that leads me perfectly into the clip from my next guest, high-pressure moment, how pros react in real time.

[00:14:55] I connected with him. He had been in Indianapolis, not for a long time at all, because he was just brought on as the new quarterback, and he wasn't even named the official starter yet. But I remember being like, Oh my goodness. This is fascinating because. No one knew what he was going to be able to do there.

[00:15:34] And in fact, that was a lot of our conversation talking about. What, you know, what do you know of the 500? What do you know about just India in general as a place where you would be living? So that just struck me as like, whoa, here's this guy that kind of, at this moment in his career, does have a lot to prove based on what the fan base thinks.

[00:16:06] I was just watching and being like, you go, you know, you build that success on what you know so well, which is just you're great at your craft. You're a constant hustler with your work ethic, but also above all, he's probably incredible with the people around him. A great connector, and he's very good at figuring out how to create, maintain, and really nurture his relationships.

[00:16:50] From an NFL quarterback. What would you say is the thing no one tells you? What have you experienced on your journey so far that you think is valuable for other people to learn from?

[00:17:20]. Playing in the NFL or the relationships you're able to build with coaches, with teammates, you know, and, how long, you know, how long that can go. How, you know, what that can do on the field and off the field, a nd, you know, fortunate in the NFL you're playing in, you know. If you think about growing up and a lot of people played sports growing up, and for me at least, you know, sports was kind of how I built relationships, how I got to know people, you know, kind of what you do in your free time with your friends and in the summer or whatever it is.

[00:18:13] You know, I guess, and one way to say it is just, I just really enjoy being in a locker room and how special it is to kind of be in a locker room on a team with a group of guys.

[00:18:43] Crazy level of talent every week, but also the fact that they are doing it in front of an audience of national proportion and now, you know Then, also put into the fact, I know this sounds like really deep thoughts with Lindsay, but the fact that there are fans of specific teams, so you know that people like you, you also know that people hate you.

[00:19:24] Then don't even think, people don't even realize that added part, right? That's that pressure. And I think sometimes that makes the highs feel so much higher, like making an amazing play. People are going crazy, but certainly it makes the lows feel so much lower, like when you drop a pass, when you make a really boneheaded play, when you throw an interception, whatever it is.

[00:20:07] And what Daniel Jones talked about was very similar to Melvin. It's just in terms of, okay, you've got this pressure, figuring out how to work through the pressure, but certainly figuring out. What happens when you make it? Like, how do you approach that? And people don't talk about what happens then. So I'm very interested in you hearing this clip.

[00:20:44] Melvin: I enjoy interviewing people who have. Just ordinary people, and I hate to use that adjective, but

[00:20:55] Melvin: Famous, whatever that means now. But those people who've overcome something extraordinary or done something extraordinary, I like catching that person the day after they've had the best day of their life, and they didn't see it coming. That lights me up. Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying I don't enjoy being like an A-list movie star and spending time with them.

[00:21:22] Lindsay: The unexpected. Yeah. Yeah. They're relatable. So wait, so that's the thing no one tells you..

[00:21:35] I take your time. No one tells you the sheer sacrifice that is required. To make it, I use air quotes deliberately, like I don't, I think that a lot of people don't understand how hard you have to work, how much you have to be willing to give up, how much you have to second-guess yourself and your decisions, and feel like an imposter.

[00:22:26] Lindsay: Why do you think that is? Do you think it's because you're trying not to fail, a nd you obviously don't wanna get fired from the thing that you've gotten to? Or do you think it's also? A piece of human nature. You get there and then, well, what else is there? What do you think?

[00:22:46] What do I do now? Do I stay at the top of the mountain? Do I climb down? Do I go back the other way? I came up like, you don't, but no one tells you that. Like, it's like you gotta, it's like climb the mountain, you get to the top, and you're like, oh, wow, this is pretty amazing.

[00:23:24] Lindsay: Well, that was very honest. That was a very honest revelation from Melvin. And you know, it's something that like, I feel like we've talked about, but hearing him say it out loud about like, you climb this mountain, you climb this mountain, and then what, you know, what's weird and I'm just gonna go ahead and say it, but like, as a wife of a person saying that is but you don't have to climb the mountain 'cause we love you.

[00:24:08] and speaking about climbing the mountain, as he said. This next conversation is also similar. It's also about chasing the summit. But really, the highlight here is kind of about when that happens overnight and is a catalyst moment, and this person's version of how they handled that is a blueprint that I have continued to share with several people that I just talked to in conversation.

[00:24:58] Aliett, while she was modeling, was also focused on sort of the business behind it and how all the different things worked. So she was explaining that it's no surprise that when she was approached by her co-founder, about like, Hey, we should really start this brand together. So phase, I'd be most recognizable for, these beautiful glitter freckles, these tattoos that you put on.

[00:25:41] But this clip in particular is about this overnight. Occurrence, which happens to be Taylor Swift wearing your product, where she's going to be photographed. What I loved most and what really kind of surprised me the most, because I wasn't expecting it, was the way that Aliett and her team reacted to that moment when they knew.

[00:26:28] But the magic happens when you can meet the moment. So many moments happen, and people miss them. So anyway, this is a perfect example of them taking advantage of the amazing storm that happened for them. One of the things that Aliett touched on that I loved most was her saying scrappiness is a muscle that you build early and never lose.

[00:27:05] So here is Aliett Buttelman talking about what happened when Taylor Swift showed up in her freckles.

[00:27:26] Our product is waterproof and long-lasting, and sweat-proof. She could marry on stage and my back to like our scrappiness of what no one tells you in the early days. No one tells you that strategy comes from. A place of not having, and because we did not, we didn't have an abundance of resources in the early days, you would go about things differently than somebody who can throw a major marketing budget at something.

[00:28:13] Yes. Let's send it to the wives and girlfriends of the chief. So she's in the box. These tre red and gold glitter freckles because, you know, they're supporting their men, a nd maybe she wants to be a part of that. And where is it? And that was what we were gonna do. We're just gonna surround Taylor with it.

[00:28:37] Lindsay: And what was that moment like for you, and how did you find out?

[00:28:50] I just like to clear out messages every night. And a content creator wrote, twisting. I think Taylor's at the game right now, wearing, I think, your glitter freckles and blackout TVs on lookup. She's doing the whole runway strut through the tunnel. And I look at my explore page on Instagram, and it's Preez Hilton, Dave Portnoy, chicks in the Office, Daily Mail, and New York Post.

[00:29:34] He's recorded it for history, and I'm just knowing my life's about to change, and I didn't even watch the TV. I set up my office in my living room for the night. We stayed up all night. I had my brother-in-law over. I'm calling Nina. She's not answering the phone. No, she is not answering. She was in a meditation, and I was just like, girl, it's time to work.

[00:30:21] Lindsay: So what, what did that look like? Like, what did you really think you needed to do in that span? That 'cause that just gave me chills. Like the moment, you're right. It's like the moment just. It can go so fast.

[00:30:41] I probably had a, there was probably over a hundred press outlets those first few hours that were writing about this. I mean, anything that has to do with Taylor,

[00:30:53] Aliett: I'm telling you, scrappy days of not having anything, you figure out how to reach people, and it's, you're on LinkedIn?

[00:31:09] Lindsay: That's amazing.

[00:31:24] And they're like, Can you come into the studio? Like we want you to do an on-air demo. We wanna cover this.

[00:31:32] Aliett: This was 8:00 AM the next morning.

[00:31:44] It appears to be what they're doing or trying to do, and then someone like Aliett and a lot of people out there that get these seeds of a passion, and they decide that they wanna try something. And I really am a firm believer that you've got to give that time and space and go for it. And with Aliett knowing what they had the vision for, knowing that it wasn't all easy.

[00:32:36]I have seen just a lot of examples of how faith has impacted teams as well as players individually. Of course, the Buffalo Bills invited us to training camp to sit down with team Chaplain, Len Vanden Bos, and we were joined by former player, retired Buffalo Bill, Lorenzo Alexander. Because Lorenzo is someone who has had a lot of experience and is very involved with faith in the locker rooms.

[00:33:21] So Len, this is his full-time job. He's very much a piece of the fabric of that Buffalo Bills community. So much so that they put him to work on the field during practice as well and, you know, ahead of the game. But his job really is to. Help build a connection with the players. Help of course with their walk of faith, their journey with God, but also just be someone there for them.

[00:34:16] So almost three years ago. When safety Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac event on the field, Len shared. His perspective on that day also shared how faith became such a role that it helped them pass through that tragedy. And I really learned something from this episode because Len took us back to that night on that field on Monday night Football when the event happened, and the way that he described what happened, and also how he.

[00:35:02] The bills had the situation 16 years later, after Sean happenedYeahah. Damar Hamlin. Yeah. Having a cardiac event on the field. What was that like for you when that was unfolding? Wow.

[00:35:27] Hard hits, but most of the time they get back up, you know, and those, you know, 10, 12 minutes that he was down felt like an hour. You know, because you could see, you know, the look on the doctor's faces. You could see the look on the trainer's faces that this was something different. Right? And so all of a sudden it goes from, you know, what down is it? And, to what's going on. He's not getting up. And all of a sudden, in mass, we're moving as a team, and we're starting to kneel and pray with guys. And, but you're close enough to hear, you know, what the doctors are saying and to visually see, you know, Denny Ellington doing compressions on him.

[00:36:43] And you're praying, and you're looking over and all of a sudden, you know, the thought creeps into your mind about five minutes into it, as he coas. Right. I had never had that thought. Right. You know, I mean, he could be hurt really bad, you know, but all of a sudden, and the emotions, if you, know, have seen any of that footage, the emotions are all over the place with our guys, you know, guys are crying, guys aren't able to look, And by this time, by we're the five, six minute mark, the Bengals team has come over, you know, and there's an ambulance coming on and you know, the, image of Denny doing those compressions for nine minutes, you know, just felt like, like I said earlier, it felt like an hour to going, you know, we're just praying, Lord, bring him back, you know?

[00:37:56] Maybe it took two. But we heard he has a pulse, you know, and before you know it, man, he was in that ambulance and, you know, you're like, what do we, you know, what happened? What just happened? All of our minds are off of football, you know, and I remember I went over to the ambulance door to try to, you know, pray over him somehow.

[00:38:39] Bring him back begging you, Lord. Bring him back. You know? And, you know, that I, you know, there was a moment, there were moments there. We didn't know what was going on.

[00:38:53] Len: Yeah. His heart had, you know, and the leadership Sean showed in that, in those moments, 'cause the officials came over and it was, you have five minutes to warm up.

[00:39:28] He goes, if you guys play this game, whatever the league decides, so be it. But I'm going to the hospital. That's where I belong. And that's just. I was so impressed with Sean's decisiveness, you know, and that was, I thought to myself, that's exactly what we should be doing.

[00:39:55] plays a role in the locker rooms and how you maybe don't take the time to think about the fact that there is such a diverse group of men playing on this team, coming from so many different places, so many different backgrounds, so many different outlooks on life. And it really just kind of painted a picture too for me about like how important it is, no matter what your working environment i, or like your family group dynamic is just.

[00:40:43] The direct line to that is because she is a parent coach, specifically of middle school parents. Parents of kids who are in middle school. I have a middle schooler, sixth grade, so this is my first trip into this. Bridget has been through it several times. She's got a hundred kids. Kidding. But she is so amazing in the content that she puts out, truly because she always has these very specific likes.

[00:41:28] Am I doing this enough? Should I be letting him figure this out for himself? Should I interject myself here more? But with Bridget. When she talked about the thing no one tells you, it almost just brought me to tears because I thought across the years and the decades and the generations of parents, this one thing never changed, and it still hasn't changed, and it's not going to change.

[00:42:09] Bridget: We're not told how much our kids wanna be connected to us.

[00:42:33] And so, gosh, like what an opportunity we have here. I just look at the middle school years, and I see so much opportunity, t,y and that's the message that I want to get across. 'cause as parents. No one tells us this either, but like we can really love these years with our kids. Mm-hmm. We can. So our kids, they wanna be close with us.

[00:43:10] Yes, this is like a safe place to land. 'Cause I really am, I often say this, Lindsay, like, I'm like, I say to my parents like that, I coach and stuff. I'm like, I'm not worried about your kids. I'm worried, like I know they're really well taken care of. I'm worried about you, like I'm worried about you, the parent, and being able to enjoy these years, and you know, parent with integrity and feel good during these years.

[00:43:42] Lindsay: Oh, Bridget, just so wise, right? And sometimes I'll think about that now. And I've really also taken to hear, connecting with my kids if possible, around bedtime.

[00:44:21] What's happening here? You know? And so just listening to that advice of like, they just wanna know you like them. Man, that hits hard, and I think it's awesome. Also, something that Bridget said that really pertains to this next guest is, you know, the concept of kids. Middle schoolers oftentimes are just kind of figuring out, like, who am I?

[00:45:02] I was there for a short time. She was there for a very long time. Brooke was a well-known CNN anchor. Highly expected, you know, tons of breaking news.High. High national profile situations under her belt. Very likable and just a likable person in her delivery. And I think the way that people knew that they could rely on her and what she had to say.

[00:45:45] And if you're so used to the grind or doing what you do for so long, once you don't have that thing, maybe at the end of the day, we're all just kind of worried, like. Like Bridget said, do they like me? Right? But so Brooke's whole episode to me was mind-blowing. But this clip is really about her unraveling.

[00:46:37] I think it's amazing. And this is Brooke being really honest about what that feeling is like. So I'm curious, like, there are all these things.

[00:46:48] Lindsay: The thing I think we should start with. You leave CNN, and now you're in and like you're figuring out what's next so that you can bridge us to unraveling, however.

[00:47:01] Brooke: Yeah. I would say I remember exactly the moment when I think I was maybe not even out of CNN just yet. I left in April of 2021, and somewhere in there, I remember having a phone call with a really powerful woman, and I said to her, You know, I could have stayed in news.

[00:47:40] Like, I wanna try something else. And so I really totally bet on myself. But if you had told me four years ago, like how hard that road would be, you know, and just how hard it would be to like, you know, like, sort of turn, turn the ship. I'm glad I didn't know. I'm also glad that was the choice I made.

[00:48:22] You're used to being part of a machine, and I think the biggest adjustment in what really kicked off my unraveling was being dropped, kicked out of my dream job, but then also this like, wait, who am I if I don't have this container, this fancy container that is CNN around me? Wait, who am I if I don't, if I'm not CNN's Brooke Baldwin and I'm just Brooke.

[00:49:07] Lindsay: I hope you like that little things no one tells you time capsule, but what really, what strikes me most is how different these lives of the guests that we talk to look on the outside, but how really, how similar the inner questions often are. So, you know, whether it's something like success loss, reinvention, parenting, or pressure, everyone is navigating uncertainty in the same way.

[00:49:48] I hope that helps. It's why we're doing this. It's why I still would love to hear any topics that you guys are interested in. But as always, thank you so much for being here, for watching, for listening. We're so glad that you're a part of this community, and we can't wait to see you for a full slate of new episodes in season two.

[00:50:24] Listeners, we would love to grow this community. We are so grateful that you're a part of it. See you next time.