Reese Brown (00:08.314)

Reagan, thank you so much for taking the time to sit down and talk with me. I'm really excited to do this. It's been probably a couple years since we've seen each other, which is crazy.

Reagan Potts (00:25.36)

Yeah, yeah, thank you for having me. It's been, I'm excited to be here. It's cool.

Reese Brown (00:29.77)

Yeah, I'm so glad. Okay, so first question that I always start with, just what's one thing you're grateful for to kind of kickstart a conversation?

Reagan Potts (00:37.944)

That's such a nice question, that's so sweet. What am I grateful for? I mean, just life right now. Life is going well, you know, I just moved across the country and starting a new adventure, I guess. Just grateful for that. That's been fun.

Reese Brown (00:39.946)

Hehehehe

Reese Brown (00:47.424)

Yeah.

Reese Brown (00:52.234)

I love that. So actually now that you mentioned that, what? You moved pretty quickly when we were like scheduling this. I feel like it happened like within a week you were there and you did it. So I'm assuming you moved for grad school. Yes, for your master's program.

Reagan Potts (01:02.744)

Hehehe

Reagan Potts (01:08.824)

Yes, yeah, so I moved to Eugene, which is where the University of Oregon is at. So, yeah, I'm here for that. But it did honestly happen pretty quickly. I like.

Reese Brown (01:19.381)

Yeah.

Reagan Potts (01:20.764)

I decided where I was going to school in, I think, June or July, and then it was a matter of like, okay, now I got to find somewhere to live, now I got to do all the things, and it happened very fast. And I also didn't really tell a lot of people I was moving, honestly. Only the people who were literally there when it was happening kind of knew. It wasn't like I did something like, oh, I'm moving, everyone come say bye or whatever. I kind of just sent it.

Reese Brown (01:34.816)

Yeah.

Reese Brown (01:39.714)

Sure.

Reese Brown (01:45.751)

Right.

Reese Brown (01:49.474)

I kind of love that though. What's that? The new thing is like move in secret, you know, and then it's like when the thing happens, you can start to tell everyone which I do think to a certain extent, like telling people what you're doing can be a good like motivator to keep going. However, I do think there's something really cool about like, I'm just doing my thing. And like, it's not to tell anyone about it's just for me and it's my thing. What so you've only been there for

a little under a week, right?

Reagan Potts (02:19.8)

I guess at this point it's been, actually I think it's been a little longer. I think it's been about two and a half weeks maybe. I mean, yeah, I mean to be fair, it was like the first week I was just actually moving and everything. So I've probably only been settled for about a little over a week.

Reese Brown (02:25.286)

Oh, whoa, okay, my timeline's off.

Reese Brown (02:31.338)

Yeah.

Reese Brown (02:35.598)

Okay, nice. So what has it been like so far? Cause born and raised in Dallas, but obviously now you're in Oregon. What's the transition been like so far? I know you're still kind of smack dab in the middle of it, but.

Reagan Potts (02:42.057)

Yes.

Reagan Potts (02:51.7)

Yeah, no, it's been good. I mean, I've been pretty much just, you know, getting to know the place. Like I kind of fell in love with Oregon anyways, just from like racing actually. So like doing that whole thing when I was still racing, I was coaching as well. And I was doing a lot of that stuff up here in the Pacific Northwest. And yeah, once, once I was here, I kind of just like never wanted to leave. So yeah, I mean, I came back and here I am. And so far it's been good. I've been doing just like all of the things that I.

Reese Brown (02:58.027)

Yeah.

Reese Brown (03:02.954)

Yeah.

Reese Brown (03:14.244)

Oh, I love that.

Reagan Potts (03:21.108)

just want to do all the time. Like I've been mountain biking and hiking. And like the other day, we, me and my friends hiked to this summit of one of the like local trails. And then like a school started literally yesterday. So yeah, it's been good. Like we, I went to a football game here. That was crazy. It's just like, you know, getting acclimated, trying to try new things and do, do what I want to do.

Reese Brown (03:37.038)

crazy.

Reese Brown (03:43.344)

Yeah.

Reese Brown (03:50.134)

Yeah, I love that. So speaking of doing what you wanna do, of course, we've been talking about kind of where you're at right now. I wanna rewind all the way back and tell me your story. I know that is kind of an intense question. So whatever you feel like called to share in this moment, but of course, I know a little bit of it for our listeners. Reagan and I were middle school besties. So, but yeah, I would love to hear.

Reagan Potts (04:11.359)

I'm gonna go.

Reese Brown (04:20.159)

your story.

Reagan Potts (04:21.54)

Yeah, no, for sure. So like you said, I'm born and raised in Dallas. I had never really left up until literally, I guess, three weeks ago. So I had been doing, you know, school and everything there, my whole life was there. I was adopted when I was super young. So that was, you know, its own, its own crazy thing. But I pretty much just I loved Dallas. I loved being there.

Reese Brown (04:31.607)

Yeah.

Reese Brown (04:43.278)

sure.

Reagan Potts (04:48.744)

outside of school I was racing dirt bikes. So, you know, I mean, you know this, but it was a massive part of my life for such a long time. Like it was like the thing that everyone knew about me. And yeah, so once I stopped doing that, I kind of just had kind of like a, like a identity crisis in a way of kind of like, who am I like without this thing? And so once I kind of got over that,

Reese Brown (05:08.023)

Yeah.

Reagan Potts (05:13.924)

I just started doing things that I loved and found out that I, you know, obviously love architecture. That's what I'm doing now. But I also got super into like music and I got super into this, this whole situation that we're doing now. And yeah, it's, I mean, I guess my story to say, to sum it up in some way, it's been, it's been a ride. There's been good things. There's been bad things. I mean, everyone has those hard moments in life for sure.

Reese Brown (05:27.93)

Yeah.

Reese Brown (05:40.939)

Yeah.

Reagan Potts (05:42.644)

But it's, I mean, I'm super grateful for where I am, honestly. Like, for the most part, it's just been a lot of school. It's been a lot of, you know, transitional periods of tough life like everyone has. But it's, it's good. I like it.

Reese Brown (05:54.239)

Yeah.

Reese Brown (05:58.026)

That's awesome. I love that. So talking more about how like choosing to stop riding dirt bikes, how you came to that decision, and what that transition really was like, because I know for me when I stopped acting, it was a very similar thing where it was like, oh, I'm not going to go to school for acting. I'm not doing this professionally anymore. This is the thing that I've always said I'm going to do. This is who I am. This is what I'm going to do. This is my life.

everything centered around this. And then all of a sudden it just wasn't. And it is very much like, oh, I am a person beyond this one thing actually. Who is that person? So I would love to hear a little bit more about what that experience was like for you and how you kind of came out on the other side of that.

Reagan Potts (06:39.411)

Yeah.

Reagan Potts (06:46.404)

I mean, it was hard, honestly. Like, you explained it pretty perfectly. Like, it's something that I had started when I was literally three years old, you know? And then I had started racing when I was like nine or 10. Like, it had literally been such a big part of my life for forever. And I ended up retiring, you know, quote unquote. I guess about a year ago, I had kind of just...

Reese Brown (06:59.232)

Yeah.

Reagan Potts (07:13.52)

not done it all, but it kind of felt like I had, like I had. I had done all the things in Texas. I had won all the things that you could win in Texas. And so I.

Reese Brown (07:21.438)

Yeah, I was about to say, for those who aren't familiar, Reagan is extremely successful in this world. So definitely note of that. Yeah.

Reagan Potts (07:30.86)

Thank you. Yeah. I mean, it was definitely hard work, but it was worth it. But it was like I had done all the things and then I started racing nationally. And that was like that alone was probably the coolest year of my life, because I was like literally I was I was traveling every weekend. And when I wasn't traveling to the East Coast for racing, I was coaching on the West Coast. Like I got to ride in some of the coolest places. Like I did an entire coaching session in the Mojave Desert. Like, yeah, like just.

Reese Brown (07:57.506)

That's sick.

Reagan Potts (07:58.568)

amazing cool things. And so it kind of just felt like I was like, Oh, I'm like, not at the peak of racing, but like I am as, as close to the top as I think I want to get. And obviously I had like, I have really good friends who are like even, you know, more successful than me who are, you know, sponsored by some really crazy teams and that's, it's what they do professionally. And I, I think I kind of just got like really close to that point. And I realized like, I don't think I want to.

Reese Brown (08:09.482)

Mmm.

Reagan Potts (08:28.256)

just my life to be this all the time. Like, I think I want to do other things and see what else is out there. And so after that year of being on the road, like literally every weekend on the road, I came back and came back to Dallas and I kind of slowly stepped out of racing, stepped out of coaching.

Reese Brown (08:31.117)

Yeah.

Reese Brown (08:41.856)

Yeah.

Reagan Potts (08:50.984)

and just learned what I wanted to do with my life. And obviously that was really hard because at first I really struggled and I think it was weird. I was going through so many other things at the time as well. Like I was about to graduate and then personally I was going through a breakup and I was doing all these other things and I was like, oh, I really don't know who I am. It was like I didn't know where I was moving, I didn't know what was happening. And so it was hard, but...

Reese Brown (09:04.981)

Yeah.

Reese Brown (09:10.914)

Yeah.

Reagan Potts (09:21.528)

That whole three months of life was probably the most, like, the thing I'm the most grateful for. Like, it just taught me so much. Like, there was a lot of pain, obviously, but it taught me so many amazing things about myself. And I honestly, I don't think I could be happier than where I am now.

Reese Brown (09:31.528)

Mm.

Reese Brown (09:41.134)

I love that. What a great like button to end that story on because I think this idea of like so many of us end up tying our identity to specific things just because when you're growing up, like you get involved in sports or the arts or something and it's like, oh, this is my thing. Like, I feel like kids are taught like you gotta find your thing. And then when you do, it's like, oh, but actually now you need to make money and like survive in the world. And it's like, okay.

there's that, but then also you get older and it's like, okay, but also I would like to be happy. Like there's also that. So I think that's, of course, not wonderful that you had to go through that transition period and those hardships, but wonderful that you've come out on the other side with these like lessons. And I think it's so cool that the main learning has just been about yourself, because I do think that is the thing. I mean,

Reagan Potts (10:16.828)

Yeah, yeah.

Reese Brown (10:39.394)

big reason why I started the podcast, right, is I think so many people are just going through the motions of life and maybe wouldn't have stopped like, oh, I could do this professionally if I wanted to, why wouldn't I, right? Instead of stopping and evaluating and saying like, actually, what do I want to do? What is going to make this life fulfilling and purposeful and make me who I want to be? So I have a lot of admiration for you, like taking that step.

And also, like, when it rains, it pours. Like, it sounds like those three months, it was just like, everything hits at once. Yeah, so it's interesting how stuff kind of lines up like that, where it's like, oh, personal crisis. Oh, also other personal crisis. Oh, also career crisis all at the same time.

Reagan Potts (11:13.272)

True.

Reagan Potts (11:16.673)

Yeah.

Reagan Potts (11:32.784)

Yeah, yeah, it was, it was, it was like I said, it was like just a weird time, but like I genuinely just like, the definitely when it rains it pours, but I just I learned so much like

Reese Brown (11:34.423)

Who am I?

Reese Brown (11:39.106)

Yeah.

Reagan Potts (11:45.532)

And I think up until that point, I had kind of always seen myself as, you know, this one type of person. And I think after that, like, I kind of learned like, oh, like, I have the skills to do whatever I want to do. Like, not necessarily just like, oh, I'm only good at this one thing. But it's like.

Reese Brown (11:52.503)

Mmm.

Reagan Potts (12:05.208)

I had kind of asked myself the question of like, who are you like, without this thing? Like, what are you good at other than this thing? And it was like, oh, I'm good at like, I understand how to learn things quickly. Like I can kind of teach myself anything. Like I, it's like all of these things that I, I knew, but I just never acknowledged about myself. And so it was like, it was this period of just like self-learning and self-love that I think I hadn't had. And so, yeah, it was, it was amazing.

Reese Brown (12:11.51)

Right.

Reese Brown (12:34.978)

That's so powerful to the like, realizing that you are more capable than you could have imagined, right? That it's like, the thing that actually gives you that freedom is that self-love piece of saying, no, I can do whatever I wanna do. I do have this skillset. And like being a professional, building a career from like being a child all the way to being an adult, like that teaches you so much. It's like, you know how to manage a brand because you were a brand, you know.

how to be competitive and like talk professionally and teach and coach and like all of these things that are transferable skills to other things. One thing I wanna go back and explore, of course you're studying architecture now, but you also said you got back into music and in middle school, that was a huge thing that we did together. So also speaking of you being talented, Reagan is an amazing singer and guitar player.

Reagan Potts (13:18.868)

Yes.

Reagan Potts (13:31.18)

Ahem.

Reese Brown (13:31.938)

Um, what was the return to music like for you?

Reagan Potts (13:35.012)

Please don't hype me up like this. It's not it's not that serious No, I mean Honestly, like I never I think it wasn't even like a return I think it was more like in I mean you and I know this in middle school We were just like doing things and like just I think we both were like, oh you like this thing I like this thing like we'll do it together. So like I it's like but in middle school, you like don't really know what you're doing like just in life in general. So like

Reese Brown (13:39.47)

Uh?

Reese Brown (13:54.785)

Yeah.

Reagan Potts (14:01.572)

Um, I don't really think I had necessarily like returned to music per se. I think it was more like, honestly, like COVID hit and I was stuck in my apartment and I kind of was like, I need to do something like anything. And obviously I still play guitar. I learned how to play piano. Like I did all of those things. So like.

Reese Brown (14:09.82)

Mmm.

Reagan Potts (14:22.5)

I kind of just got really into like hearing music. I don't necessarily like do all of the production anymore, but like I got really into just like finding good music and then like learning how to like recreate that kind of thing and like what good music sounds like. And so it wasn't anything that I ever like publicly did, you know? Like it's not like I was like, I'm going to release an album. That never happened. It's not going to happen people. So sorry. But like it was kind of just...

Reese Brown (14:26.561)

Mmm.

Reese Brown (14:43.842)

Sure. Yeah.

Reese Brown (14:50.008)

Stop begging for it. It's not gonna happen. Yeah.

Reagan Potts (14:53.476)

Come on guys, come on, I know my fans are out there. No, yeah, I mean like it just, it was one of those other things that like I learned about myself and it had always kind of been there but like it was something that I knew just made me happy and it's something that I kind of can always fall back on in like just a sense of like I know that I can do this thing if I need to like cheer myself up or be happy or whatever.

Reese Brown (15:02.987)

Yeah.

Reese Brown (15:18.078)

Yeah, that's really wonderful. And I love how all of these different things that you've kind of incorporated into your life seems so disparate, like racing and making music and then like podcasting. I guess making music and podcasting do have some crossover, but then you've been able to like make this podcast that you've started called Pole Position about Formula One. And...

I think anyone looking at that on the surface would be like, oh, architecture and music and racing, these seem like very different things, but you've been able to craft them in a way that is actually very interwoven in a very purposeful way that works really well for you. What would you say is like, maybe not the connecting thread, but the thing that brings all of these things together for you and why you feel drawn to these different things?

Reagan Potts (16:14.94)

I think it's a couple things. I think...

One, passion, just like having a passion for all the things and learning once it's like you have a passion for something, you try to incorporate all of those passions together. So that was number one. Number two, honestly, I think architecture started, architecture and racing kind of started a large majority of it. I think in both of those things, you just learn certain skills, like especially in architecture, you learn how to learn. Like you learn how to design, obviously,

Reese Brown (16:20.506)

Mm.

Reagan Potts (16:48.174)

not just about that, it's how to very quickly assess a problem and then solve that problem. And so I think like everything else kind of just came after that. It's like once you understand that idea of how that like you can teach yourself things and there's a process by which you can teach yourself pretty much anything. And if you apply that to anything, you can do that. So.

I think that was a big thing. Like just that if there was like a key, you know, tie to everything, it's I just learned how to learn. And then I took the things that I was passionate about and learned how to be better at those things. And I mean, obviously, there's other things, you know, like it's not just those things. Like there's so many other things that I think people kind of look at. And they're like, oh, like you do all of these things. Like, I mean, I didn't mention this, but like I'm on the rugby team. Like I like I climbed for it.

Reese Brown (17:27.797)

Yeah.

Reese Brown (17:41.066)

I didn't know that, that's so cool.

Reagan Potts (17:42.03)

year. Yeah, I mean, I rode collegiately for a year. Like, it's like, it's all these random things, you know, that like, it's like a surface level, you're like, how do any of these things play into each other? And it's kind of just like, no, I was passionate about something. And so I taught myself how to do it. And yeah, I mean, it sounds simple, but it was like, it took a minute to get there.

Reese Brown (18:03.071)

Yeah.

Reese Brown (18:07.682)

No, of course. And I think, you know, to tie it back to what you're talking about, that like three months kind of period of self exploration and self love in that growth, I think. I heard a quote the other day, and this is like so kitschy to bring this up, but it's like rock bottom is the solid foundation on which you can build like the rest of your life and I don't want to project that onto you at all, but.

I do feel like when you go through really tough experiences, it gives you the perspective to be able to then say, okay, life is too short to not chase after the things that I'm passionate about. But also, what do I have to lose, like, from trying things out and exploring them? And it really sounds like all of those things do go back to like, a love of learning. And even though you're trying out all these different things, you have this passion for learning new things and

getting really good at them and then being able to say, okay, what's the next challenge? What's the next new thing that can broaden my horizons or who I am as a person? How do you think you developed that love of learning? Or do you think it's been innate and there all along?

Reagan Potts (19:21.6)

Um, I think for me, it was kind of just something that I had always done. I'd always loved, um, growing up, I had very much kind of grown up in a space that.

was very competitive. So like everything I did, it was like, I wanted, not only wanted, but like I've, in some ways probably felt pressured to like be the best. And then that kind of grew into me wanting to be the best. And it was like, have you ever seen Taladigga Nights? Like, you know how they're like, if you ain't first, yeah, it was like, it was very much that kind of thing of like, if I wasn't first, like, it didn't matter. Like I just, I didn't care. And so I had to kind of unlearn

Reese Brown (19:43.662)

Mm.

Reese Brown (19:52.191)

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Reagan Potts (20:02.226)

that took a while honestly that took several years so I think to answer your question about learning it was like I have always been really passionate about learning and I wanted to be the best at learning and I wanted to be the best at whatever I was learning and so I would say it was just innate but it also took a lot of I guess almost unlearning and then relearning how to do

Reese Brown (20:06.082)

Yeah.

Reese Brown (20:30.91)

Yeah, well, and I do think a big part of, you know, this learning how to learn is also learning how to unlearn. Like, there's so many things that unintentionally are programmed into us from, you know, family of origin or society that we're socialized to believe and schools that we went to and like you're just constantly absorbing all of these messages. And so anything that you want to do that's new that contradicts something that's already kind of in there.

You have to be able to unlearn that in order to replace it with this new information or this new program. What if you could kind of talk about that unlearning process? What do you think helped you do that? Helped you recognize, oh, these are some things I need to unlearn and this is how I'm going to go about doing that.

Reagan Potts (21:24.46)

Therapy. Therapy, honestly, like it changed my life. Like up until probably, I mean, I probably like.

Reese Brown (21:27.161)

Say it louder for the people in the back. Yeah.

Reagan Potts (21:38.0)

freshman year of college, like I had kind of been somebody who was like, I'm going to do it all on my own. Like, I don't need anybody to help figure out whatever I'm going through. Like, I can process, I wasn't processing, I can do all my own things. Like, that kind of mindset. And I think once again, it was like, I kind of felt like I got to a point where I was hitting rock bottom in a way. Like, I was, I was in the middle of school, I was burnt out, like COVID had just happened, like all of these things happened. And

Reese Brown (21:48.974)

Hehehehe

Reese Brown (21:59.207)

Mmm.

Reagan Potts (22:06.332)

It was like, okay, maybe I can't do it all on my own. Actually funny story. Um, my friends kind of noticed it before I did. I, I had become like, so like interwoven in the idea of like, I have to be the best and like, it was making me like such a bitter and angry person. Like, I felt like I was, I felt like I was drowning, but like, I was, I felt like I also should have like been able to just pull myself out of it. And because I couldn't do that, I was so angry.

Reese Brown (22:21.453)

Mm.

Reese Brown (22:28.342)

Hmm

Reagan Potts (22:36.286)

my friends were kind of like, hey, like you're not doing okay. And I was like, I was like, no, I'm good. And they were like, no, you're not. So they were kind of the people who were like, you should like talk to somebody. You should go see a therapist, do the thing. Like, and so I don't think I would have done it without my friends, honestly. So I got into therapy and at that point, I started to kind of see the patterns of like, oh, these are some of the things that I need to work on. Like, like I said, I had this super competitive all or nothing.

Reese Brown (22:40.821)

care.

Reagan Potts (23:06.146)

mindset. And that was something that I really had to unlearn. And once you know, you kind of start to unravel that it's like, okay, well, what caused this and what led to all of these things? And so then you have to go even further back and deal with all of those things. And yeah, it's like, it's obviously it's, it's a road. It's a, it's a hard road to travel, but, um, it was probably the best thing that I've ever done. I'm still in therapy. Every, every single day is a new day to learn something new about myself and something that I need to work on. So,

Reese Brown (23:21.215)

Yeah.

Reagan Potts (23:37.387)

Yeah, therapy. I truly, like, if there's nothing else, listen, people out there, if there's nothing else that you take from me being here, you should try therapy if you haven't before, because it is the most amazing thing that I ever did for myself.

Reese Brown (23:51.762)

Yeah, I adore that answer. I mean, you know, I was in therapy back in middle school, I'm still in therapy now. And I think that you were just spot on in saying like, every single day is a new day to learn something about yourself. Like, if we don't know like why we are here, or how to even define what human beings and consciousness and this reality is like, we don't have answers for that.

But if we know anything, we know that we are a collection of our own experiences. And if those experiences fucked you up, like you gotta, you gotta figure that out to be able to then like, give other people even better experiences, right? Like one hurdle for me with going to therapy too, was like, this is a deeply selfish action. I felt like, oh, I'm taking all this time for myself or this energy that I'm spending.

Reagan Potts (24:29.552)

Yeah.

Reese Brown (24:49.094)

on myself as time I could be helping other people. Like, I don't need to do this. I am fine. There's people out there that are struggling with basic food and survival and why should I even be complaining? But that hurdle of like, oh no, taking the time to do this does actually make me a better steward of other people, of helping other people, of caring about the people I love was a huge switch for me.

Oh no, like this is worth it. So that's amazing. I love that. I love that helped you like unlearn certain things, but also learn other things that like, cause this is another thing about therapy. It's like, well, this is also what you do really well. Like these are the things that you should have pride in and like remind yourself that you're good at. Also, what amazing friends to be like, hey.

Reagan Potts (25:45.097)

Right?

Reese Brown (25:46.622)

We love you. We want you to be at your best and to be happy. Like that's epic. Everyone needs friends like those.

Reagan Potts (25:55.688)

Yeah, I mean, they like, I mean, obviously, they're still my best friends today. But like, it's like just having friends that can be so real with you and just be like, look, like you're like, we see it and we know that like, you want to be this like super tough person who like doesn't have anything like roll off my back kind of thing, but like, it's okay to not be that person. And yeah, they were just like.

I truly, they were there through the whole process too, like getting started and I was, like we all have a group chat and like, I remember I texted them one day and I was like, guys, like I did it, like I went to therapy and they were just like so pumped. And they were like, hell yeah, dude, like you got this. Like, and so like I truly, like they changed my life, you know?

Reese Brown (26:41.826)

That gives me goosebumps. I love that. And seriously, like even now, it's always for me like, oh, at what point do I tell someone new that I'm in therapy and that this is what I'm doing? Cause you never know how someone's going to react, what their frame of reference for that is. And so knowing that you just had that foundation of support is beautiful. How do you think...

you because it's obviously friendship is a very real relationship and it's hard to find people that you can be that real with. What do you think y'all do to like craft this very healthy friendship? Like what has that been like in terms of like relationship skills and finding people that you click with and being able to open up to people on that very real level?

Reagan Potts (27:35.048)

So I think for me, I definitely am a very quality over quantity kind of person when it comes to friends.

Um, I, I would say I probably have like less than five really, really solid friends, right? Um, but specifically in that, in that situation, it's like, there was two, two other people, so it was just the three of us and like, we had gone to high school together, but ironically, like we weren't super close in high school. We kind of became closer after high school. And I think it's kind of like you, because we were a little older at that point, we were probably like 19, 20. I say older.

like super old but old enough to be like mature about things. I think we were all going through very similar things just like...

Reese Brown (28:14.065)

still, yeah.

Reagan Potts (28:21.572)

in life and that makes it a lot easier to be open. But also, I think all three of us would say we're not super great at opening up all the time, but we definitely just kept talking and I think it was just a matter of like showing up for each other. It's like no matter what and we obviously, we all live in very different places now, but it's like we make it a point to get together every year. Like we go on vacations together, we bring our significant others around,

We have group chats with our... It's like, we make it a point to stay in each other's lives and we also make it a point to check on each other. Just even if we have nothing to talk about, just kind of saying, hey, I texted them a couple of days ago and I was like, guys, I miss y'all. I just, I miss y'all. I hope everyone's doing well. And they were like, dude, we miss you too. How's school been? How are you doing up there? Just like, even if we don't have anything to say,

Reese Brown (29:18.9)

Yeah.

Reagan Potts (29:21.426)

in a point to kind of stay in each other's lives, stay active. And I think the only reason that we kind of fostered that relationship was just similar life experiences at the time and then kind of knowing that we needed people in our lives.

Reese Brown (29:26.603)

Yeah.

Reese Brown (29:40.054)

Yeah, for sure. I think that like, just showing up and continuing to show up is like one of the number one ways you can show someone like, I care about you, I'm thinking about you, you matter. So that's brilliant. But also I think the like, y'all coming to this friendship with similar life experiences and all knowing that

y'all may not open up very easily, at least for me, knowing that someone else struggles with similar things, it's much easier to talk to them about those things. Cause it's like, I know you get it. Like I know that you know that I know that this is like crazy what I'm about to say, or that like this sounds weird or silly, but like you get it. And you get it in a way that not everyone will be able to. So having that level of like relatability, I do think is so unique.

and important. So to pivot a little bit to the wonderful podcast that you have called the Pole Position podcast that is all about F1, tell me a little bit about what inspired you and your friends to create this podcast.

Reagan Potts (30:46.011)

I'm sorry.

Reagan Potts (30:57.2)

Yeah, so first things first, this was not all me. I cannot take credit for all this. It was a collective group of us. So shout out, shout out to them. Shout out to Emily, shout out to Steele, shout out to Jackie, but yeah, like it was, I think honestly, it was another one of those things of like, sorry, I think it was another one of those things where we kind of, we all kind of saw that we liked this thing and

We've all been friends, honestly, not that long, but it's like, once you kind of, it's a kind of friendship where it's like, you click with people and then it's like you're set, you know? So.

Reese Brown (31:37.803)

Yeah.

Reagan Potts (31:38.716)

I think we kind of just saw that we had this thing in common and my friends, like they're literally so funny. Like, it's like, it's not really even me. Like, they're just hilarious people. And I think it was one of those things where we were like, hey, like, we're funny. Like, we're not really doing anything crazy. Like.

what if we did this thing? And it was kind of a joke at first. I think honestly, like every podcast is like, I'm going to start a podcast. And then it's a joke. And then it like falls off. Like that happened. But this kind of goes back into like the skills that I had. It was like, oh, no, we could actually do this. Like I already have the skills necessary to do this. Like I know what everyone would need to get. Like we could do it if y'all really wanted to. And I think my friends were like, you know what, like

Reese Brown (32:03.31)

sure.

Reese Brown (32:06.651)

Yeah.

Reagan Potts (32:28.788)

why not, especially like since I was moving, it kind of felt like a way that we could all stay connected. And yeah, it just, it kind of happened.

Reese Brown (32:30.103)

Yeah.

Reese Brown (32:38.046)

I love that. And I love that it is a way for y'all to stay connected, but it also is such a specific niche that I'm like, as someone who knows nothing about F1, I am still entertained by your podcast. So I think that speaks to the level of like personality and humor that you and your friends do have, cause it's like, literally I listened to an episode not knowing a single thing, like none of the terminology, nothing. And then I was like,

Reagan Potts (32:54.672)

Thank you.

Reese Brown (33:07.978)

I'm definitely going to subscribe and keep listening because this is fun to listen to. So I think you can really sense the camaraderie and relationship that you have and wanting to stay in touch. So that's really beautiful. I also love y'all's social media presence, which sounds kind of silly, but I love that you post clips of the podcast and independent videos that aren't necessarily from the podcast but are just of y'all.

Reagan Potts (33:11.229)

Thank you.

Reese Brown (33:35.254)

What inspired you to do that and make it this more like personal thing about y'all?

Reagan Potts (33:42.904)

Yeah, I mean, I think we kind of just honestly, we get we I

I think I looked a lot into other podcasts and what other people were doing as part of something for me to learn more about what we were getting into. And it was kind of like people are always posting videos of their podcast, but it wasn't just because there's four of us, that's a lot of people to try to get to know. And so I think it makes it easier for people to then recognize, oh, that's a face to the voice and this is who this person is and this is what they like.

Reese Brown (33:56.299)

Yeah.

Reagan Potts (34:19.17)

it kind of just helps personify us a little bit better. But I can't take credit for our social media strategy. That's actually my friend Jackie. So she does all of our social media. We all have kind of like a hand in it. Like we have obviously like things that we all post, but like she for the most part like has our schedule and like she'll text us and be like, hey, you need to do this filter today. And like, hey, you need to do this thing. So like literally like she's great. And like

Reese Brown (34:44.942)

Queen.

Reagan Potts (34:48.404)

And I think that kind of speaks back to kind of like our friendship too, like.

So Jackie and I have known each other for years, I guess almost 10 years. Like we've known each other for a long time, but Steele and Emily, they've known each other for even longer than that. And so it was like these two duos of people coming together. And I think that kind of helps because it's like, there is a camaraderie and there is like a, you know, comfortability in some sense of the people that you already know, but then it's like you're getting to know new people at the same time. And I think it makes it a little easier

in some ways. So yeah, going back to your question, I think it's just personification and trying to make it a little more personal and a little more fun. Like, people don't just want to see videos of me talking all the time. Like, people want to know, like, who I like in Formula One and, like, how I got into it or things like that. So yeah.

Reese Brown (35:30.208)

Yeah.

Reese Brown (35:34.443)

Yeah.

Reese Brown (35:42.423)

Yeah.

Reese Brown (35:48.05)

I love that. Okay. So last kind of questions to round out our conversation. One in light of everything we talked about and your podcast and Formula One, your life story, all this stuff. Is there anything we missed? Anything that you're like, I need to clarify, I need to make sure I say this or that you want to throw out there. This is like space time for you to like anything you need to add.

Reagan Potts (36:11.149)

Hehehe

Reagan Potts (36:18.144)

I think if there was one thing I should add, it's that I didn't get here on my own. It was the support of my friends, my family. So just like all of those people, like, thank you. You know? Even like you, you know? Like we had like such a good friendship and like we still do. Like, I mean, it's just, you kind of brought me into the person I am in some ways too. So like, yeah, I think it's like.

Reese Brown (36:40.459)

Yeah.

Reagan Potts (36:47.532)

once you have a good support group, you know, that that's number one. And after that, it's like anything that anybody wants to do. Like, I think it's possible. Like, I know this sounds so cliche, but it's like, you know, just like do whatever you want to do and like dream it as big as you want. And like, you'll figure it out, you know.

Reese Brown (37:05.962)

Yeah, no, I think that's absolutely lovely and so true that like, there's too many things in this world telling us no, shutting us down, putting us in boxes to be another person doing that to ourselves, right? Like, you have to be your number one fan and you have to be the first person to tell yourself yes. And this is another like cliche quote or whatever, but I love it. And it's the if your dreams don't scare you, they're not big enough. Like, you should wake up excited, but also like...

Reagan Potts (37:32.536)

True.

Reese Brown (37:35.598)

terrified of becoming your best self in the best way. Like that sounds weird, but in this like, whoa, I don't know how I'm gonna make it work, but you will, you always will. And you're just so on the point in that like, without like you and Julia, I would not have survived middle school. I was a wreck in middle school, aren't we all?

Reagan Potts (37:57.656)

Julia!

Reese Brown (37:59.206)

I know, I know. I was texting her yesterday and I was like, oh my gosh, I'm recording with Reagan. This is like such a weird, like full circle moment. But like, we are all messes in middle school, but particularly me, I was like on one and like, but like, I still think back on like real conversations that the three of us would have with each other about like real shit.

Reagan Potts (38:06.238)

Hehehe

Reagan Potts (38:15.696)

Nah, not at all, not at all.

Reese Brown (38:26.898)

and be in like in my brain thinking like if I did not have those people I certainly would not be who I am today so Thank you for your friendship and for continuing to be a wonderful person To know and have in my life

Reagan Potts (38:45.436)

No, it's funny that you say that you were the biggest mess because I definitely like looking back, I definitely at least in middle school, I was like, Reese has it together. She knows what she's doing. I was like, I need to be like her. I literally in middle school, I was like, I need to be like her. This is who I need to be like.

Reese Brown (39:05.794)

That is very, very sweet of you to say. Look, I remember like me in middle school waking up being like, how am I going to pretend that I have my shit together today? Like, how am I going to like be liked by everyone? Cause of course that's like the most important thing. And then like which cross body bag did I need to have? Which sparrows?

Reagan Potts (39:31.976)

Not the cross body.

Reese Brown (39:33.698)

spareys that I needed to have with my Nike Elite socks so that I could be like cool. And like yeah, middle school is just a rough time but like having those people you can always go back to is super important. And I think the fact that like we can still talk and like I still catch up with Julia and Jamie too like speaks to the strength of that friendship which is wonderful. Last question.

Reagan Potts (39:40.525)

Oh man.

Reese Brown (40:01.046)

What is one word that you would use to describe how you're feeling right now? Whatever word comes to mind, it does not have to be fancy.

Reagan Potts (40:10.412)

Content. Yeah, content. I think, I mean, I've just, it took a long time, but I think I'm finally like in a place where I know I have a long way to go, but.

Reese Brown (40:12.85)

I love that. Now tell us why.

Reagan Potts (40:27.864)

I at least am content with where I'm at and I can kind of look back at least over my entire life and kind of just say, yeah, there were hard times, but like, I'm the person I am and I like the person I am. So content, like I'm content with that and I'm content with me and what I'm doing and can't really complain, you know?

Reese Brown (40:47.922)

Yeah, no, I think that's wonderful because the acknowledgement of like, yeah, I still have a long way to go, but like, I like who I am right now. And I like the person that I'm trying to be. And that's like the journey is part of the joy. Like that's epic. Reagan, thank you so much for your time for doing this interview. I so appreciate it. I'm going to link poll position. Would you prefer Spotify or Apple podcasts linked?

Reagan Potts (41:16.912)

Either one. You can find us on anything.

Reese Brown (41:18.046)

Okay. Podcast will be linked in all of the description, podcast notes, Instagram will be as well. So everyone can find you and the wonderful work that you and your friends are doing. And just thank you so, so much. I really appreciate it.

Reagan Potts (41:33.356)

Thank you for having me. This has been amazing. And it's always great to catch up with you. We definitely need to talk more for sure. Ha ha ha.

Reese Brown (41:40.778)

Yes, yes, we will make a better point to do that. Thank you so much, Reagan.

Reagan Potts (41:45.516)

Thank you.