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Pivot Podcast

Laura Rutledge ESPN star on balancing family and high-profile job, the fear of Motherhood ruining her career, dealing with grief behind the scenes and reveals what marked change for the rising star.

Pivot Podcast

The Pivot Podcast Network

Football, Sports, Society & Culture

4.93.2K Ratings

🗓️ 8 May 2026

⏱️ 63 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

“I was afraid being a mom would hold me back then it became my greatest strength."- Laura Rutledge A Pivotal conversation as we celebrate Mother’s Day and all the amazing women who impact lives daily. We welcome Emmy Award-Winning sports television host, Laura Rutledge, for a raw and inspiring conversation about the journey behind the success. Before becoming one of the most recognizable faces in sports media, Laura was on a path that she never thought would end up landing her a sideline view of sports’ biggest arenas from NFL to College Football to The Masters. In a deeply personal revelation, Laura opens up about the sacrifices, grief, fear of losing her career after becoming a mom, and the relentless work it takes to show up for both family and purpose. A powerful reminder that strength isn’t just what you achieve — it’s what you overcome. Laura shares the emotional decision of becoming a mother while fearing it could slow down — or even ruin — the career she worked so hard to build. Reflecting on her recent years, she opens up about the real fear and even disappointment of finding out about her first pregnancy and how that single experience changed her mindset and course of life forever. She talks candidly about balancing ambition with family, overcoming doubt, handling loss, and redefining success beyond titles and television. Laura explains the  support of her long-time husband, breaking the mold and attacking life differently than most couples, Laura opens up on the challenges of having a high profile career, while trying to raise kids away from the spotlight and stay true to her roots. Although her younger years were shaped by a competitive nature- performing ballet overseas, winning Miss Florida in 2012 and developing a deep love of Gator pride attending Florida University, Laura discovered her true calling and the love of her in life, in an unexpected turn. Laura opens up about meeting her husband, Josh early in life and building a relationship while navigating the uncertainty of a rising career in sports broadcasting. She reflects on breaking into a male-dominated industry, earning respect in sports media, and the pressure that came with constantly proving herself on the biggest stages. This is a powerful conversation about ambition, sacrifice, motherhood, love, and pure authenticity you don’t want to miss. And from our Pivot Family to yours-Happy Mother's Day to all the women out there who consistently show up with unconditional love and praying for those who may be missing their moms today, we see you and send you strength. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

Right, home from work, walk the dog, kids are back.

0:05.0

Mom!

0:06.0

Up the stairs for something.

0:08.0

Ugh, back down, no idea what I went up for.

0:12.0

Mom, what's for dinner?

0:14.0

Chop, sizzle, done.

0:17.0

Hello Fresh can't slow life down, but it makes bringing everyone together around the table a whole lot easier.

0:23.4

So its phones down, forks up.

0:25.5

Hello Fresh. Bring back dinner time.

0:29.5

We have a special Mother's Day pivot for you as we sit with the host of the Emmy-winning NFL Live, Laura Rutledge.

0:36.4

But today, you'll learn about Laura McKeeman.

0:39.5

She's not just a TV superstar. She's Josh Rettig's wife and Reese and Jack's mom.

0:46.1

Truthfully, she was never supposed to be on TV. She always planned on being a professional

0:51.0

ballerina. So there was training in China and rushing boarding schools, but while

0:56.0

auditioning for ballet companies, there were just gators everywhere. So her and her mom took it as a sign

1:02.7

that maybe she should attend the University of Florida. And boy, was that the right decision.

1:08.8

She takes us back to the Alabama tailgate that changed her life,

1:12.3

shares NFL Live secrets, and the power of a supportive husband. And most importantly,

1:17.8

she gives us her why. Laura opens up about the death of her brother Alex, who she says

1:23.8

would have been the best uncle ever. And then she tells us about the life of her prized

1:29.1

accomplishments, her children. This show brought it all. We had tears. We had laughter. But most

1:34.6

of all, we had fun. So please welcome the amazing Lower Rutledge to the pivot and to all the

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