My mom is an art teacher and is very much into the performing arts. What can I say? She is the female in my life and has guided me on how to act and conduct myself. A lot of my strength comes from her.

I'm somebody that has a very big competitive edge and a chip on my shoulder.

Being a woman in a male-dominated industry, you are so afraid of people thinking you are weak.

I think the biggest thing to do - especially if you're a woman trying to succeed in a male-dominated industry - is to just study as much you can and get ready for negativity, backlash, and comments. There's going to be a ton of it.

I don't cheer for anyone because my job is obviously more important, but the reason why I got into sports is because of my father. He's a giant sports fan and we are from New England, so he cheered for the Celtics and the Red Sox.

Whether I'm on the road or off the road it's really important for me mentally and physically. Physically, when I'm on the road, I work with men that love to eat - I work with former athletes, with men who love to indulge on the road, so I eat like a guy. I have four appetizers, I try their entrees, I eat mine, I like dessert. So I have to make sure that physically, I try to stay in shape. I'm always doing some sort of a workout, and then mentally it just helps a lot with the stress.

It's what you'd expect out of Baton Rouge: people tailgating with shrimp étouffée, everything from alligators roasting on a barbecue to dishes that you would get in the French Quarter. These people are serious and they are legit and they're ready to go.