Paw 87: Kicking off the Fourth of July with a Little Country, and A Whole Lot of Soul from Super Singer Brei Carter!
Country and Soul star Brei Carter, FlowerPowerDaily founder Jill Brooke and her new books that tie in to Taylor Swift, plus our fab feline friend and our cat correspondent, founder of the Give Them Ten Movement, Deborah Cribbs, all joining me to kick off America’s 250th birthday!
Listen to Episode #87 Now:
BIO:
Brei Carter is an award-winning country-soul artist known for blending country, soul and pop with deep Southern Roots. Raised in Monroe, Louisiana, and influenced by legends like Charley Pride and Aretha Franklin, she brings a unique style shaped by her faith and perseverance. A U.S. Army Veteran, she holds degrees in Business, International Relations and Theology.
Since moving to Nashville, Brei has gained recognition for her smooth, yet edgy sound. Her debut single gave her a buzz and earned praise from Music Row Magazine. She has performed at CMAFest, Woodsongs Oldtime Radio Hour and over 43 shows in 2024. A proud Alpha Kappa Alpha member and recipient of the 2024 Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award, Brei continues to make waves with viral moments and new music.
A few days before she chatted with Jill Rappaport on "Rappaport To The Rescue" on Pet Life Radio, Brei WON "Artist of the Year" at the 9th Annual Mississippi Music Awards!
Jill Brooke is a flower historian, founder of FlowerPowerDaily, and a columnist for
Florists' Review magazine, which has reported on the global floral industry since 1897.
former CNN correspondent and editor in chief if Avenue and Travel Savvy, she is the recipient of the American Institute of Floral
Designers' Merit Award for showing how flowers impact history, culture and news stories.
Jill Brooke is a flower historian, founder of FlowerPowerDaily, and a columnist for
Florists' Review magazine, which has reported on the global floral industry since 1897.
former CNN correspondent and editor in chief if Avenue and Travel Savvy, she is the recipient of the American Institute of Floral
Designers' Merit Award for showing how flowers impact history, culture and news stories. The author of "The Genius of Flowers" - she looks at how flowers intersects in decor, fashion, wellness, fragrance, medicine and psychology and speaks around the country on the power of flowers to improve family relationships and mental health.
Transcript:
Welcome to a special 4th of July edition of Rappaport to the Rescue. I'm Jill Rappaport, and I want to kick this show off with this important reminder to all of our wonderful pet parents. On our 250th anniversary, the fireworks will be bigger, bolder, and louder than ever.
And for our animals, that is terrifying. So many pets run for cover and often run away, so please be mindful during this celebratory time. And in celebration of our country's special birthday, have I got a great show for you, starting with Brie Carter.
What a talent this award-winning country and soul artist is, who also happens to be a U.S. veteran. Then I'll catch up with an old pal of mine, Jill Brooke, who has become the femme fatale of the flower world. And now Jill has written an incredible, beautiful book just about to be released, and its diverse info will help our beloved animals as well.
And then we'll wrap with our cat correspondent, Deborah Cribbs, who's on location with important news for all our felines. All that and more when we come back. Welcome back to Rappaport to the Rescue, and hold on to your cowboy hats, folks, because today we have Brie Carter in the house.
She's a Louisiana-born country soul singer, and that in itself is so unusual, and she'll explain how she got on both of those wonderful roads. She's also a United States Army veteran who has a doctorate in theology. This is one renaissance woman.
And she believes music and mental health go hand in hand. And like me, Brie is also an ambassador for the Horses for Mental Health campaign. And this year-long initiative now supports over 130 charity partners around the globe with their equine-assisted programs.
If our audience could only see how fabulous you look in that great cowboy hat. You are as well, Jill. Thank you for having me.
This is amazing. This is perfect timing. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else right now than right here with you.
Oh, that's going to be the quote we use on the website from you, if you don't mind. Well, you're singing, if anybody's voice can get you up and moving, it's yours, Brie. And you have been described as a country soul singer.
Explain what that is. You know what? That is a great question, Jill. A country soul singer is someone that's big into the storytelling of just different experiences and things that they've been through or they've gone through with friends or family.
And then it also gels the soulful, the blues portion to the rhythm and what have you. And you put it all together and you have country soul. Plus being from Louisiana, my roots are not only country, but it's soul also.
I grew up in the church. So just bringing all of those elements together, just wanting to be unique and just be Brie Carter, that's all. And you're in a rarefied world.
I mean, how many country soul singers are there? You've really carved out quite a unique niche for yourself. Well, you know what? I like to think so, but I've been rather surprised lately. Every time I turn around now, I see more and more people saying, oh, I'm country soul.
And I was like, oh, when did this happen? But yeah, I'm like, I'm the original OG. And I was going to say, you've paved the way for those, haven't you, honey? I love it. For sure.
But you know what? A staple to that is Chris Stapleton. I would say Chris Stapleton is more of a country soul just with his storytelling, his soulful voice, and just the rhythm and the blues that ties to everything that he does as well. So he's definitely has always been an inspiration.
So I got to give him some of that credit too. Well, your life has been an unbelievable ride. Was singing always in your soul ever since you could walk and talk? You know what? It has been something that I've wanted to do as a child, but I grew up in the church choir down in Louisiana.
So I grew up singing in the choir, long list of family members, distant cousin, Aretha Franklin, Melvin of the Temptations. So there is definitely some musical influence and heritage in my bloodstream. So it's been there, but I did the traditional route as a lot of people, instead of following those childhood dreams, I went on, graduated from high school, went to college, joined the military, got into corporate America and what have you.
And unfortunately, 2014, my biological father passed away and I decided to just go full speed into music. But in addition to that, I've been blessed with a bonus dad, my stepfather, he was in a quartet, he's a preacher. So you can say I'm a PK, I'm a preacher's kid too.
So the whole everything. And that's very similar to Aretha Franklin. She was one of my sister's closest friends.
She's been right here at the ranch. We threw a party for Aretha years ago and her gospel background, her father being a preacher, and it had such an impact on her life. And when she started out, she definitely wasn't the norm.
For sure. I think that's what it's about. But Jill, I want to come to your ranch too.
I'm ready to come there and celebrate. So you gotta tell me when I get my invite. You're invited anytime you want.
Are you kidding? We'll throw a big party as long as you promise me you have to sing. Oh, most definitely. Of course, I'd be honored to.
Let's talk about the other facets of your life. You also have a doctorate in theology. You know what I do? Faith is everything to me.
I grew up in the church and God, my faith is my compass. It's who I am. And I like to say I'm not perfect by no means.
I'm a work in progress. But at the same time, I love the Lord and I'm only here because of him. So it's everything to me.
And I think that music is part of my ministry. And I just like to make sure that I'm doing my part in life and giving back and just spreading a lot of good. In addition to that, mental health is just huge today.
And I've just been able along the musical path and what have you and just been in the military, I've been able to become involved with Horses for Mental Health. Just by doing that, it's made a huge difference because they're doing a lot to give back to the veterans, also give back to people that are in the music community. And Horses for Mental Health, it's made a huge difference in my life.
Other than singing and music, Horses is my passion. We give them life, but they give us life too. Absolutely.
And let's talk about your military career. First of all, thank you for your service, being a veteran. And Horses can help us so much.
And they have, especially when it comes to our veterans. They can just feel you, just their heartbeat. Recently, I was at a trail ride and I met two horses and literally, I just wanted to kiss them and hug them and rub them.
And they're gentle beings. And I wish the world would just know how great that they are for your mental health and what have you. And it's so wonderful that this organization, Horses for Mental Health, has dedicated this campaign with ambassadors like you, and I'm blessed to be one as well, to really tell people what these animals have done for us, to educate the community and the public about how wonderful they are.
And they add so much to our lives. You're absolutely right. It's something about Horses for Mental Health, I like to say, because when I talk about, you know, they say the quiet before the storm, they just give you that peace before any storm in life and what have you.
They give you the confidence to know that you can survive the storms that are coming. And your music. Have you written any songs about horses? You know what? I got something that's going to be coming real soon.
I had a feeling. I have, yes. I mean, I tell people any chance I get, and I can be around horses.
So my goal one day is to actually own a farm and have my own horses and what have you. I just want them to be free. And because when we're with them, we're able to be free.
So, but yeah, I do have a horse song that will be coming out soon. Well, you know, I'm not going to let you go without singing a little of that. Okay.
That one's not ready yet. Listen, it's still being whipped up and baked. It ain't ready to come out yet.
You have just received some pretty incredible accolades. Recently, you got a very special honor in Mississippi. Tell our audience about that.
Yes. By the grace of God, I won for the Mississippi Music Awards. And it was actually, the event was held in Meridian, Mississippi.
I won Artist of the Year. And that was really, and it was based on not just community, but it was based on the fans and what have you. So people voted.
And just by that happening, it's just confirmation that I'm on the right path of what God has me to do. And I'm just so thankful and grateful. I tell people I get to do music, it could be because it's a blessing.
I kind of say I have the Ms in my life. I have music, I have ministry, and I have medicine. And it all kind of gels together.
And mental health is a part of all of that. So, and I get to share it with the world. I love those three Ms and the fact that the word men wasn't in any of them.
People, you know, it's something you say that Jill. And obviously, I'm a fan of love. And definitely, we all need love.
None of us were meant to be here alone. But I just tell people, get busy living, or as they say, get busy dying. I choose to get busy living.
And what God has for me, he has for me. I just want to, instead of waiting for certain things, I just want to live. But music has always been your first love.
Since I was a little girl, I used to always love Cowboy Boots. So that was in my soul. Because some people are like, oh, why country? Why country and soul? And I'm like, it's not that I went and said, okay, I want to do this genre.
The genre was who I am. So I grew up with it. It's been a part of me.
And it was something that I just couldn't run from. It's very interesting, though, because even now you say country soul, to me, it's unusual. But I bet when you first started, and you combine the two, you were probably the only game in town doing that.
You know what, I think so. Honestly, I'd venture to say so. And I think more people, but I tell people, if it's who they are, too, everyone has to find and live in their own truth and who they are.
So I know I'm not the only country soul artist. People just need to live and be true. As long as people are true to who they are, hey, the more the merrier.
I just know that Brie Carter is being Brie Carter by being country soul. Well, I know you don't have the horse song ready quite yet, but I know you have a lot of other beautiful tunes. And you know, Brie, you want to come visit me and you want to hang out at the ranch? I need a song today.
Hey, hey, hey, hey. Let them boots get to talking, baby, all night long. Want to hear some hands clapping, boots yapping.
Get off that wall. Let's have a ball. Yeah.
Move it to the right. Groove it to the left. Do see do went some slow.
Last few steps, y'all. Oh, that's fabulous. Oh, that was great.
You're going to come to the ranch soon and visit me, right, Brie? I absolutely cannot wait. I'm sending you hugs and kisses. Definitely, you are a godsend.
Keep being an angel. And Jill, keep letting your light shine, because we need that in the world. Well, we need your light, too.
And anything you want to plug, you've had such an exciting career. You just won this huge honor. What's coming up down the pike? What can we look forward to? You know what? Recently, I released an album called Country Lives in Me.
It's a tribute to who I am and just growing up and what have you. It's showing some of those Louisiana roots. And just check me out.
As you mentioned earlier, I am an ambassador for Horses for Mental Health. Ideally, I'll be doing a lot more stuff around the United States in different places, making a difference for that. And just anywhere God wants to send me, I'm ready to go.
And ideally, on tour, doing music, doing medicine. Medicine is a passion. I get to work with people that suffer from AML, acute myeloid leukemia, so adults and children.
So my life is a service. So that's what I want people to know. I'm a faith-filled God-lover, woman of God.
And I just want to do good for the world and for other people. Oh, and you are doing it. Thank you for being here.
Thank you for blessing us with your incredible voice. Brie Carter, what a great interview. Thank you and God bless.
Now, when we come back, a woman who's truly putting the pedal to the metal, as in flower pedal. We'll catch up with author and flower historian Jill Brooke up next. Welcome back to Rappaport to the Rescue.
I'm Jill Rappaport, and I am really excited for my next guest, who, by the way, has my same name. My friend Jill Brooke and I go back decades. We both started out as reporters.
She was a cub reporter for the New York Post. I was at Channel 2 News. We bonded immediately over our love of celebrities, of New York, of animals.
And Jill has gone on to create such an amazing flower empire. She is a historian of flowers. She created and is the founder of Flower Power Daily.
And now you have a new book coming out called The Genius of Flowers. And people are probably saying, wait, what do flowers have to do with animals? But you're about to tell us. Well, absolutely, because the animals recognize and feel that they want to be around nature.
And they want to be surrounded by flowers, because flowers don't only beautify our minds. They're more than decoration. They're medicinal, and they make you feel good.
And what we have learned now because of neuroplasticity is that you can actually shape and rewire your brain based on how you create your surroundings. So you know how our doggies always want to like pull on that leash, and they want to go into a garden, and you're going, wait, wait, wait, wait. Well, the reason is, is that they intuitively know that when you plug into the life force of nature, it calms you, it boosts happiness, and it clarifies your mind to make better decisions.
That is the arms of nature. And you know, there's been a lot of talk about how certain flowers are toxic to animals. Exactly.
That's my big question, that certain flowers can kill our beloved animals. Yes, the fact is, is to be careful and to be mindful. Bring bulbs like tulips and daffodils and hyacinths.
They contain something called lyserine in their bulbs, which can cause vomiting or diarrhea and cardiac issues. And lilies, which are right now coming up in the summer, they can cause fatal kidney failure in cats and are toxic to dogs. But the bottom line is, is that animals and humans benefit from being in the welcoming arms of nature.
And as the book, The Genius of Flowers, What Life's Most Beautiful Creations Can Teach Us, as it says, and cites in studies that I put in the book, is that we spend 60% less time in nature. And we really need to correct that because not all growth is online. The best way to improve mental health is to be near nature, to have flowers literally in your home.
The reason I did this book is because I think that we are so scared of AI and what it's bringing, and everything seems so fearful. But just remember, nature is the original intelligence. And the same sun that powers artificial intelligence and all the data centers is also opening your garden rose and coaxing open a daisy.
And you really have to trust that flowers and nature are the original intelligence. And Mother Nature is a force that holds the deepest truths and connects us to a world far larger and far more compassionate than anything engineered. And the cool thing is, you don't have to be around flowers, and they don't necessarily have to be live flowers.
Flowers can intersect in every part of your life, in decor, in fashion, in food. They literally are the most healing force on the planet, and it's so accessible to us. If you have flowers in the hospital, you know how everybody says, oh, you should bring flowers to the hospital.
Well, studies that I cite in this book show that people who either see flowers outside a hospital room or get them, they not only recover quickly, they need less meds. And science and flowers are intrinsically related. Aspirin, that is named after medicine, which is a flower.
A lot of the cancer drugs, the sources are flowers. So we need to get more connected to flowers. And I show that I was very scared of things.
And I was saying, how do I calm myself down? And I know that being around flowers made me happy. And being the reporter that we both are, Jill, I dug deeper and I said, what can we learn from these ancient survivors? Who have survived the dinosaurs, the Ice Agers, Industrial Revolution, planetary changes? They figure it out. And a flower will bloom in a crack in a pavement in New York City.
And what does that tell you? Flowers don't need perfect situations to grow, just like humans. And there's always hope, if you have it, that your life will bloom if you just have the right attitude. Oh, that's such a beautiful and important message, Jill.
And I just love that this is the journey that you have taken. And you even mentioned to me some interesting story about Taylor Swift involving flowers and her cats. I mean, tell me about that because we're all talking and waiting with bated breath for the big wedding this week.
Yes. I named in the book, Taylor Swift, the goddess of the garden for this era. So, Taylor uses flowers the way the great woman of history did, as tools of power, seduction, and connection.
And there's a direct link from Swift to Elizabeth Taylor, Queen Victoria, Empress Josephine, and even Cleopatra. Flowers help powerful women retain both femininity and power. They signal femininity without fragility, beauty without apology, and a kind of wild, unapologetic joy that is contagious and relatable while softening those hard edges of ambition.
And the way she's with her cat, she's independently fabulous. She likes cats because this is a woman who's building empires, and she is the empire builder unapologetically for our time. And she beautifies her surroundings always with flowers and pets.
And she knows that pets and flowers are a great combination for feeling good and looking good. And we all can't wait to see just how great she's going to look at her wedding this week. Jill, it was wonderful to catch up with you.
Congratulations on the book, The Genius of Flowers, about to hit the stores. Go to Barnes & Noble, Simon & Schuster. But again, everybody, support local bookstores because they make your neighborhood special.
So take your dog for a walk and go into a bookstore. Oh, great note to end on. And getting back to the subject of cats, because you talked about Taylor Swift and her love of her cats, we have our cat correspondent, Deborah Cribbs, coming to us live from the Humane Society of Greater Dayton when we come back.
Welcome back to Rappaport to the Rescue. I'm Jill Rappaport. Right now, we are joined by our cat correspondent, Deborah Cribbs, who's at the Humane Society of Greater Dayton, Ohio.
And she's going to tell us something you probably wouldn't expect. Did you know that among nearly 5,000 animal shelters nationwide, very few have a licensed social worker on staff? And Dayton Humane is one that does. Deborah, I am really excited to hear about this topic because it's really the human side of animal welfare that we're going to delve into, right? Deborah Absolutely.
You know, it's interesting, Jill. We think about animals, cats and dogs, our companion animals, in peril, and that's the conversation that we usually have in animal welfare. But you know what? There's something lately, I would say over the last decade, that has really become the conversation, which is the human element of the household vis-a-vis the animal.
So I'm here at Dayton Humane with Christina Hill. So breaking news, Jill, humans and animals both need help. What do humans do when they need help? Sometimes they have professional guidance like a social worker.
Nowadays, what's happening is that the humans are struggling along with the animals. So we bring in a veterinarian social worker to help, let's call it the household. Christina, talk about your background first.
Christina Absolutely. So my background is in crisis work. I've been here in the animal welfare section for the past couple of years.
And here at the Humane Society, I'm the One Health program manager. And what that is, is I work within all parts of the Humane Society over in our veterinary hospital with our humane agents and in the shelter, really working on connecting those people who come in for services for their pets and making sure that they're okay. Because we know that if a person is not okay, then there's a chance that their pet is going to be okay.
So if we can really, again, that One Health, make sure that whole entire home is okay. That's really what we're doing here. And I've worked with the other veterinary social workers working on the animal welfare guidelines, co-authoring that, working on co-authoring another chapter on keeping people and pets together.
So nationally, Jill, you may not realize one of the biggest challenges in animal welfare lately is that people are having to do the very, very hard and sad thing, which is surrender their pets to a facility. Why? Because they can't afford to keep the pet because of food, or there's a medical issue and they can't afford that medical care. This is critical.
Literally, I was just looking, Jill, at these numbers yesterday. There is a doubling over the last year of animals being surrendered nationally. That to me is the crisis.
And you guys, unusually, Dayton Humane has this ability to help both humans and animals. Christina, what would you do if somebody comes in today to surrender a pet? Your team is smart enough and trained well enough to ask why. And they say, probably with some shame, that they can no longer afford to keep this pet.
What will your team do for that person? We see that very frequently here. So everybody knows that I'm an excellent resource they can come grab. But for that person, the first thing we're going to do is meet them with compassion and empathy.
Nobody wants to surrender their pet. That is not something somebody wakes up wanting to do. And so approaching them with empathy and just asking, hey, what's going on? Can I get some more information on the circumstances that are bringing you to this decision? And a lot of times we're seeing that's no more access to food resources.
Maybe they lost their job and they can't afford pet food. We have donations that come in and we redistribute those donations out. So we'll provide pet food.
I can help them get linked to job programs, job readiness programs, so they can then sustain themselves. But we're here in that that interim to help provide those support and resources. That's so great, because obviously, it's the most heartbreaking thing you would have to do is to give up a pet and you're giving them options to see if there's any way that they can still keep their beloved fur angel.
Absolutely. That is exactly right. It's not a decision anybody wants to make.
So just know that, Jill, in this part of the country, we are leading the charge of helping humans keep their pets in their homes. And I'm really proud that Dayton Humane is such a great partner to us here. Deborah, fascinating segment.
And I know you're going to be very busy there this weekend, especially sadly, because of Fourth of July. So many animals end up on the streets and run away because of the fireworks. Yeah, yeah.
It's really terrifying. So you've got your hands full and bless you for what you're doing. And we always advocate for microchipping our pets.
And just like those circumstances when it's fireworks and Fourth of July, I know my dog is terrified of fireworks. So if we microchip them and they get out, we can get them back to where they belong and where their loves. Good point.
Great information. Thank you both. Deborah, wonderful as always.
And we want to thank you all for joining us on this edition of Rappaport to the Rescue. And please have a safe and wonderful holiday. Thank you.
"Rappaport to the Rescue" Theme Song Written & Produced by Mark Winter
© Copyright 2022 Such Fun Music (ASCAP)