Today I am sitting down with Madison Gildon (Gil-DON, not Gil-DAN), which was apparently a whole thing at her wedding and I love that for her! Madison is the wife of professional hockey player Max Gildon, and her story is one of the most unique and fun ones I have had the pleasure of hearing on this podcast so far.

As you'll get to hear, before she was a hockey wife living across Europe, Madison spent 7 years as a flight attendant with American Airlines, living in New York City, Charlotte, and Dallas and flying to some of the most beautiful cities in the world. So when Max signed his first contract overseas and said 'hey, I'm moving to Germany', Madison was perhaps the one person on the planet who was already perfectly groomed for exactly this kind of life. She just didn't know it yet!

Today she shares what it really looks like to build a career and an identity for yourself in this lifestyle as a hockey partner living across the pond in Europe.

Madison is warm, funny, thoughtful, and genuinely one of those people who just figures it out, and I just know you are going to love her too!

Did something in this conversation I had with Madison resonate with you? We'd love to hear about it, so let us know over on Instagram, @wereinonepod, and we'll see you back soon for another hard-hitting episode!

Just some of the highlights you'll hear:

• How a flight attendant from Oklahoma ends up living on a vineyard in the Italian Dolomites, and why Madison's background actually made her more prepared for this life than most

• The summer they fell in love, the phone call that changed everything, and how she and Max built something real from a relationship that barely had time to start

• What it was like to work two weeks on and two weeks in Germany just to stay close to him during that first season

• How Madison finished her university degree online from Slovakia while Max's team went on to win the championship that year

• What planning an entire wedding from Europe looked like and how Madison's "Say Yes to the Dress" moment was different than she imagined it would be, but was still special

• Why she thinks people romanticize the hockey wife life, and what holding it down at home actually looks like day to day

• The culture shock that nobody warned Madison about and that has now become one of her favorite parts of living in Europe

• Her advice for any girl in this lifestyle who is struggling to find her footing, plus why building community is the thing she considers non-negotiable

• The new full time remote job she just landed that actually lets her work flex hours so she never has to miss a game
  
  

LINKS:

Madison's Instagram

Max's Hockey Profile

Welcome back for the conclusion of my conversation with the incredible Carlin McCrimmon Phillips, and I have to say is this half of our talk gave me just as many goosebumps as the first. If you haven't listened to Part One yet, go back and start there first, because Carlin's story is one you really want to hear from the beginning.

In this episode, we pick up with the lighter side of Carlin's hockey journey: how she met her now-husband Adam, the on-and-off love story that spanned years, cities, and a whole lot of growing up. We talk about finding your own identity in this lifestyle, what it looks like to build a career when you're always one trade away from starting over, and how Carlin went from substitute teacher hopeful in Odessa, Texas to running the entire front office of a hockey team (all while a mass shooter was on the loose a block from her house, which yes, really happened).

We also get into what it was like for Carlin to come back to this life as a coach's wife rather than a player's daughter, the full circle moments that keep showing up in her family's story, and some of the most honest, beautiful answers I have ever heard to the question of what hockey has truly given her.

Carlin, thank you again. This was truly one for the books and I am honored to have the chance to bring our conversation to my listeners.

Did something in this conversation I had with Carlin, including the first part that aired last time, resonate with you? I'd love to hear about it, so let us know over on Instagram, @wereinonepod, and we'll see you back soon for another hard-hitting episode!

Just some of the highlights you'll hear:

• The story of how Carlin met Adam and why she knew from almost the very beginning that he was going to be "her person"

• How their relationship survived long distance, two breakups, and one of the worst days of her life

• What living full-time with Adam during his playing days actually looked like, and the unofficial role Carlin found herself in that nobody warned her about

• How boredom in Orlando accidentally led to one of the best things that ever happened to her

• Why Adam's decision to retire didn't surprise her even a little, and what she had already been watching quietly for years

• A scary night when an active shooter was a block from their house on Adam's very first road trip as a coach

• How Carlin walked into an empty front office one day and ended up staying for four years

• The full circle moment that finally felt like home for her and all the grown-up things that came with it

• Carlin's favorite memory of her dad that has nothing to do with a game

• What hockey has truly given her and why after everything, she still considers this life one of the greatest gifts she has ever received

LINKS:

Brad McCrimmon's Hockey Profile

Plane crash kills KHL team in hockey's 'darkest day'

26: Growing Up a Hockey Daughter and Finding Her Own Path in the Sport with Carlin-McCrimmon Phillips [Part One]

20: From the Crease to the Flower Field: Carrie Martin on 22 Years of Hockey Life

Today I am sitting down with someone who I can only describe as the true trifecta of the hockey world. Carlin McCrimmon-Phillips grew up as a hockey daughter, became a hockey wife, and now navigates life as a hockey coach's wife. She is the daughter of the late Brad McCrimmon, an 18-year NHL veteran, Stanley Cup champion, and beloved coach whose name is forever etched into the fabric of this game.

This episode is one that I have been looking forward to for a long time, and I want to say upfront that Carlin approached this conversation with such grace, such warmth, and such incredible honesty that I truly had no words at times. We start at the very beginning, September 7, 2011, the date when everything in her life changed, and Carlin walks us through that unimaginable morning in a way that is raw, real, and at times even surprisingly beautiful.

This conversation is one I will never forget, so Carlin, thank you for trusting me with your story. This one is truly special.

For listeners, we'd love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so let us know over on Instagram, @wereinonepod, and you don't want to miss the conclusion of my talk with this incredible guest, and human being, next time on the podcast!

Just some of the highlights you'll hear:

• How Carlin found out about the plane crash on the morning of September 7, 2011 and what that first day looked like for her family

• Why her dad's goodbye the morning he left for Russia felt different from any other goodbye their family had ever had

• How Hockey Canada, the Canadian Consulate, and the people around them made it possible to bring him home and what this meant to her

• The way Carlin's family leaned on the Probert family, who understood their loss in a way few others could

• How they honoured Brad at their first year in Calgary, and why hearing his voice for the first time on that tribute video hit differently for everyone in the room

• What Carlin did at her wedding just three weeks ago to make sure her dad was there without making it sad

• What it was really like growing up as Brad McCrimmon's daughter, from playing laser tag in the basement in Saskatoon to culture shock in Atlanta where nobody really knew what hockey was

• Why Atlanta turned out to be one of her favourite chapters despite being the hardest move

• The culture of giving back that was woven into their family from day one, and why Carlin was the kid asking her mom if she could skip school to go to Children's Hospital of Atlanta

LINKS:

Brad McCrimmon's Hockey Profile

Plane crash kills KHL team in hockey's 'darkest day'