A session with Tri Delta’s LEADDD Network, recorded live Feb. 6, 2024: Join Emmy-nominated executive producer Betsy Schechter, Emory, who spent nine years developing the inspirational film “Gloria Gaynor: I Will Survive,” a biopic about the disco legend’s personal and professional life.
A session with Tri Delta’s LEADDD Network, recorded live Feb. 6, 2024: Tri Delta’s LEADDD Network session, recorded live Feb. 6, 2024: In this special LEADDD Network session, Betsy takes us on a journey through her experiences in the film and TV industry, recounting how she founded her own production company at a young age and the significant role Tri Delta continues to play in her life and career.
Then prepare to be inspired and uplifted as Betsy shares the making of “Gloria Gaynor: I Will Survive” and how her friendship with Gloria has impacted her life. Betsy delves into the deeper message behind the film—Gloria’s resilient journey from stardom to overcoming challenges and ultimately carving out a new path. The movie explores important themes of survival and unlocking the keys to thriving. Don't miss out on this motivational episode that promises to leave you empowered and ready to conquer your own journey!
Welcome to February's bonus LEADDD Network session. I'm Karen White, Tri Delta CEO. I'm so excited to be with you today. Thanks for joining all of you survivors out there. I am thrilled to welcome today's guest, Betsy Schechter from the Alpha Omega Chapter at Emory. Betsy is and Emmy-nominated producer who has created and produced scripted and non-scripted programming for major networks and cable outlets including CBS,
NBC, ABC, A&E, National Geographic, History, the Oprah Winfrey Network and MTV. So Betsy met Gloria Gaynor in 2015 and she was totally inspired by Gloria's life and her story. Nine years later, “Gloria Gaynor: I Will Survive,” the documentary film that Betsy produced, has made the rounds at all the film festivals across the globe and is now being released for a very special one night only showing in movie theaters nationwide on February 13th in celebration of Galentine's Day. So let's take a look at the trailer for the film and then welcome Betsy to share her story with us.
We love technology when it all comes together.
[Movie Trailer]
[Music] “At first I was afraid. I was petrified”
[Gloria Gaynor] For the last 40 years, I’ve been telling you I would survive. But I never told you how! It was a fun time. “I Will Survive” topped the charts at number one. My fan base growing like wildfire. People were beginning to recognize me on the street, but that girl was lonely.
[V/O] Her husband was her manager. He called all the shots.
[GG] I was so afraid of abandonment. I allowed myself to be controlled. Hang on, baby, it's gonna be a bumpy ride. “It's Gloria Gaynor.” Parties. “Gloria Gaynor.” Smoking marijuana. “Gloria Gaynor.” Doing cocaine. I felt like fists grabbed me in my chest and said, "That's enough." And I'm going, "Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God." And I realized that's what that was, that was God. 65 years old, divorced. Who am I now? I really want to inspire people with the faith that has brought me through all of the difficult times. I needed to find a manager that's willing to champion an artist that has never done gospel music before.
[Chris Stevens, Music Producer] The things that she has been through.
[GG] I was paralyzed from the waist down.
[Chris Stevens] I just knew they would become an instrumental part of this recording.
[GG] I had really, really deep scars. From abuse. When you grow up feeling unlovable.
[Music] “There was a time when I was broken.”
[Bart Millard, Mercy Me] Gloria Gaynor is kind of a poster child of people just getting through. To point to what is her source of strength was just a cool idea.
[GG] If you can dream it, you can accomplish it. To be honored like this inspires me to keep going with this project.
[V/O] So how old were you when you started college?
[GG] 65. Age is just a number. All of those struggles make us stronger and help us to get to where we want to be, do what we want to do, create what we want to create. And survive and thrive.
[End Trailer]
Oh my gosh, wow. That trailer was just under three minutes. I am already beyond moved and cannot wait to see this film. And LEADDDers, we are going to talk about Gloria. But first, Betsy, I wanna talk about you. And let's go to the beginning. right? Let's talk about Tri Delta from the beginning. You say it's played a big role in your life from college into today. So tell us more.
Yeah. I mean, my friends from Tri Delt are still my friends, dear, dear friends. In fact, one of my friends who's on today was in the delivery room when my daughter was born.
My gosh.
And you know what? I learned a lot about service. I learned about friendships, which is a big theme with this you know, in women and not like, you know, that you could do anything you want to do. And that came from being in Tri Delta. And also, I actually had my first camera, which was this huge camera, my Tri Delt sisters would like put like light bulbs up and let me try and film a little bit.
Oh, I love that.
Yeah, it's really a full circle. But there's so much that you, you know, sisterhood, but also feeling as a woman empowered to do what you want to do in the world. And that came from Tri Delt and it still carries through.
That's awesome. So tell us about your career. So many awards, an Emmy nomination, film festivals, television series. Tell us all about it, Betsy.
It started at Emory, interning at CNN. And then just, you know, I wanna be a storyteller and whatever medium it is. And I've worked hard when you're younger and you're trying to prove yourself. And then just I've had good opportunities and then took it from there. And just each thing I do, is its own little baby in a way to get it out there. But this was, was particularly special, this film.
So you started at CNN, you moved to Inside Edition.
Yes, the news magazine show.
Talk about that.
It was, I was all over the country. Like, you know, I was young, it was just my first job. And then from there, you know, I wanted to tell stories. So I moved out to LA after CNN, after Inside Edition, which actually at Tribeca, a lot of friends who I met at Inside Edition came to the Tribeca Festival. It's all about connection and friendships there. And then I went out to LA and I made, I wanted to make movies, you know, scripted to TV movies and I did a documentary about at-risk children. And then I came back and started my own company pretty young and started doing all sorts of things in that field and different from whether it was scripted or non-scripted or documentaries. It's all about telling stories. So you have TV movies, you have over a hundred episodes of Paranormal State.
Yes, that was my big claim to fame and now everyone thinks I like and after that everyone wanted me to do paranormal things and, truth be told, it scares me but I created it thinking I would do a scripted series and then I found the a real group of people and I filmed a pilot that's what you do like you try and sell it and it just took off and we did a hundred episodes and I was with a lot of haunted locations which uh were pretty incredible.
That's amazing. And your resume includes Match.com, not like searching for love, but what did you do for Match.com?
You know, I went to pitch them a TV show and they were talking about how nobody believes their dating commercials because it's all actors. And I was like, why don't you just do real people? So we did two years of real dates. And that was really fun and it was, you know, we shot it just like documentary style and then it was different because you do 15 second spots, which I, you know, I was used to doing 44 minutes, so you never knew what was going to happen on those dates.
Well, for those of us who may or may not be guilty of having been on Match.com, I would agree. You never know what's going to happen Match.com. So, and then you also did commercials, right? Series of commercials?
Well, the Match stuff was the commercials. But I really found that I love the longer form storytelling. I know I did like I did Glamour magazine. We did something, we did an iPad commercial with Kristen Chenoweth and that was really fun.
Alright, and then you meet Gloria. So tell us about meeting Gloria and the aha moment that made you decide to turn Gloria's life into this film.
You know, I had been doing a documentary music series for MTV International. I was in Amsterdam and Scotland and all over. And it was just that the way I wanted to do it was less biography, but you know, because it's a network, you have to sort of keep in the lane. And so when someone introduced me to Gloria, just a mutual friend, I was like, oh, I don't want to do something about someone just sitting in a chair and we're telling their story and when I met her she was 71 and she just got in her college degree because she never she was told she could never go to college because she didn't have the money. And then she was going to Nashville to do this album which no one would invest in so I thought well, This is this is really interesting. So I flew down there just to see if I would be even interested in pursuing this and it took five years for her to finish the album. She had ups and downs in her life and then we had COVID and so it took a long time. And also I could not get anyone to, you know, I'm used to the network's funding and you know, people think, oh, she's older, she's a disco queen. They didn't see what I was seeing of this incredible woman and what she was doing. So I just did it myself.
Well, and so you did talk a little bit about, this was an incredible story that was unfolding for you as you got to know her, but that nobody would touch it from a funding standpoint. So tell us about self -funding this. How did you, how do you go about doing that?
Well, you know, was it over the course of like eight or nine years. So, you know, I'm doing two other shows and working on other things. I was directing this as well so we would go in and out of her life and then at the end I have some good friends who had just been through divorces who gave me some divorce money which is great and appropriate. And then I had my editor who's one of the best. He won the Emmy last year for The First Wave and he had 15 offers, I showed him footage, so he came on and, you know, it was just a labor of love from everyone who came on who took last salary and did it, you know, and they, everybody did it together to make it what it was. And it was, in the end, I did full time. You know, I just kind of dived in to finish it. It took me a year to edit it.
Oh, wow. Yeah.
But we had so much footage and we also which is really cool is it took me three years to edit it. Years. I heard about this archival, this super eight footage from the seventies, like from’72 to’77 from one of Gloria's band members. It was like this myth. And I tracked it down and took me about two years convince the band member to let me use it. So it's like going back in time and Gloria on the road where disco is just starting and you see her in such a different place. And it's really cool and exciting to see all that.
That's awesome. I can't wait to see how it all came together now. You talk about telling stories, right? And that telling stories about women and especially older women is difficult. You know, say more about that.
Well, you know, what's hard is that sort of we really we have to be the change we want and it's hard because um we're also denying younger women the opportunity to see older women who are really important in our lives and that's because you know networks are just like oh we want if you're not young or infamous yeah then we don't want to put it on and it's a shame because I did the LA international women's festival where this woman's been doing it for 19 years. And I said, "I'm gonna do your festival." Even though we did Tribeca and we're doing the big festivals like Palm Springs. And we won the best feature doc, but a lot of moms brought their daughters who happened to be like huge influencers. And they were blown away by the film and by Gloria. And that's where I'm trying to make a change. I want like the theater, we only get one night and one day, four and seven, but we have to show the, you know, we have to show Hollywood or the people who make decisions that they're missing out on something great. I mean, the fact is since Tribeca, we've won an award and we've won two audience awards. We just won the audience award at Palm Springs for best of best. So I think, you know, the reason I'm doing this is I'm excited about setting up a future for, you know, I have a six year old daughter setting up a future for our, our, the younger generation to know that like it's okay to get older and, and, and enjoy it. And, and we can learn from each other. I guess I don't want to be on a soapbox or anything, but I think it's perfect by example, right?
Um, so we absolutely do. And it's, it's kind of, you know, we talk about it a lot and Tri Delta as the power. of this intergenerational sisterhood that we have, right? And the ability to learn from one another across, you know, in Tri Delta, five generations, right, are currently members of this amazing organization. So did you happen to see the Grammys the other night with Joni Mitchell, right?
Amazing. I mean, that, and if you didn't have a Brandi Carllsle, right?
Yes. Yes. That's the thing. Brandi did a documentary with Tanya Tucker.
Like, if you don't have a young person attached to the older person, you know, with this also. But it was-- I mean, that was what an amazing moment. And even Tracy Chapman, you know, like, these are like—
Yes.
And then people are talking about it. But we don't get a chance to see this. So we have to push the envelope a little ourselves to say, you know, you know, it's like how Tyler Perry basically got his stuff because he got the audiences to come and then Hollywood took to notice.
So, so tell us the things. I mean, I know you talk about documentary filmmaking can be risky, right? So talk a little bit about that, but then tell us what you really loved about creating this film.
Um, the risk is what I loved because. because usually when I'm doing television series, you have like six weeks to edit your three you have a schedule you have to keep to your schedule. With this, there was nobody telling us okay, where's the footage? What are you doing? We just were like flying by the seat of our pants. But basically, we didn't know where this would go because it took Gloria five years to even get distribution and get the album done. And all these amazing musicians came on and she had had, you know, I was with her in Spain. I mean, it was this, the scary part is, is, is where are we going to put this? How is this going to end? But then the joy of it was actually being on the road with her being, you know, I felt like, you know, I'd been on the road with like Macklemore and Ryan Lewis and Ed Sheeran and stuff like for the other show.
Wait, wait, wait, just one more time for those of us here in the front row. Macklemore, Ed Sheeran, like you dropped these. names. Like, so you know that you have been with these people.
I, you know, in filming, but not like the way I was with Gloria and not this woman who's such a sage, but also a lot of fun and funny. And I felt like I was like on the road, you know, like it was just a little, you get to live a life that you normally wouldn't live when we were in Spain, but it's incredible to her. She is, the band has like been with her forever, this new band, since she had ... had her divorce. And they just, it's a family. She treats everyone and it's fun. So there were great moments of we were in Marbella in Spain and we were all on a boat. You know, like we couldn't put half the footage in, you know, you fall in love with those and then you realize no one else falls in love with it because they weren't there and didn't experience it. But I guess that the journey and the struggle is, the struggle was it was unfortunate to see how she's enormous, like 60,000 people, audiences. You can't walk anywhere in Europe without somebody stopping her and telling her their story of I Will Survive or asking her, seeing a concert. And here we just, you know, it's a little bit harder. It was a little harder for her part. You'll see in the story why. And so that, that too was just eye-opening and seeing how, I mean, she just, I mean this summer she was playing for 60,000 people in Portugal, you know, she doesn't stop. She played with Bocelli this summer, too, he invited her to, I was like, why couldn't I be filming now and going to Italy to describe it?
And so, is she 71 now? How old is she now?
She's 80, she just turned 80.
Oh my gosh, oh, because 9, yeah, nine years to make the film. Wow. Wow, still performing at 80.
She just took up CrossFit. I mean, that's what I say, like, but also, you know, the message is the film that aren't like preachy, but it's just showing, you know, we see it in action is, yes, people are telling you can't do this or that or this and you have to just be the determination of your future, you know, and so she, and also she gets disappointed. And there's, you know, she almost died in an operation while we're there, you know, like there was a lot that happened that life happens. I mean, I started this. And I got pregnant during the filming and I my six year old was at the Tribeca Film Festival. So there's like all that life that happens to all of us. And then my sadly, my dad passed away during it. But all of that being the film really helped me get through because I learned from her about, you know, faith and therapy and all that stuff that she says. She combines it all.
Yeah. Do you have a favorite Gloria story?
Oh my gosh, I don't know. I mean, there's so much, I mean, we were in Spain and we bought these little funny things from like, actually, the Basilica and we got back and we were scammed. It wasn't working. So she's like, let's go back and tell them. So we got in the car. I mean, it was just, it was just funny moments like that or she's great. She's a, I'm trying to think, there's so many, I mean, she has great Christmas parties and everyone goes around and sings. You know, her stories, I think my favorite stuff is seeing the people who've gone through whether it's cancer or divorce or any age group and they come up to her and they I've been with her when they tell their stories and how she embraces them which is cool. I mean there's so many stories with her over the years and she's just really funny too like she's just a good sense of humor.
I love that she's doing CrossFit at age 80. So one of our listeners, Francés Jones has a question in the chat. Francés says the clip is fantastic and she's really interested in your marketing strategy. So, and then she's got a second question.
So in marketing this film, sort of, where's your head been, where have your thoughts been on getting this film out and seeing? It's hard, hard, we're not a studio, we're a small little team, we're getting some help, but it's not a big budget, so we're just going grassroots, you know, talking to you all, the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, which Gloria has done a lot of volunteer work for a long time is spreading the word, where we're just going to, you know, we're just, you know, and it's also when people see the film. then they go tell other people, you know, we're doing press. And so after this, hopefully, you know, enough people will have seen the film to tell people and then we'll figure out the next stage. But this has been, I mean, for me, which I'm used to working with networks who have huge machines of marketing, and I've never really done a movie. I didn't have to do it in the theater, but we are doing it with a Fathom event because we do want the theater experience. It is a different experience. We mix the sound to make it like laugh, and also, you know, Dr. Lipi Roy, who was amazing, who was from writes for Forbes and came to Tribeca and she's like the biggest, one of the hardest things for women is loneliness and isolation, especially after COVID. And she thought, thought that the gathering of people to get into a theater and have a collective experience would be, you know, it's part of the experience of the film. So that's why we decided to do this one-day event which we're having the "I Will Survive" singalong after with Gloria's recorded really special sing along. So after the movie's over, where everyone can like sing the song together which will be kind of cool too. We'll never do that again, that this will be the only time.
I was gonna say so what does success look like for you on Galentine’s Day? Like do you measure it in ticket sales or just the conversation and stuff happening on social media? Like what are you envisioning?
I just envision like women and men whoever people coming and then from the film, you know, I mean, ticket sales would be great, not for so much, of course, it's nice to get ticket sales, but it would send a message to the importance of programming, that's not certain ways, especially documentary films right now are taking a beating this last past year or so, because so it's just sending a message. And I mean, for me, success will happen when I've been to the ... like I was just in Palm Springs and you know people come up and say oh my god I'm going to start writing again you know I thought it was over for me you know success is measured by how you can measure success by money or how you've helped other people I guess you know for me this film is about that and just people having fun and yes people coming to theaters and enjoy it. it. So, I mean, Gloria's story inspiring people and then the idea that the story was made inspiring people too. Yeah, I mean, for everyone, all of us, we have things that we're struggling with and also, oh, it's so hard or all like, I mean, this job and I want to do this. I mean, we all have, it's, you know, what's amazing about Gloria, she's just so identifiable with all of our struggles, but also, also what she has found, which I in the beginning had no clue of how to apply it to my own life when I first met her, but is how to find her own faith and inspiration and to get through the dark. You know, one of her songs is like joy comes in the morning. So when we are crying or upset or something happens, like it's just, we know we can just push a little further and we'll get up to the new thing. thing. So I think the music is, I just hope, you know, people that never listened to gospel music, I mean, her old music, her ’70s music is great, but the album, people started buying the album after seeing, you know, it did well, you know, but it's, that's cool too. I mean, I hope, I do hope that like the, that younger people can listen to gospel music, to see it too, like, you know, maybe some of the Tri Delt chapters and they get to kind of see a different side of, you know, life.
Yeah.
I mean, I feel like finishing it was one of the, I think I've already won because it was so hard.
That's success right there, right? Just to get it done.
Yeah. But I did have really. a lot of support from my Tri Delt sisters who some are on. I mean, and we have a separate Facebook together. So, and they came to, some of them came to the festivals which we've done. So, it's really important that we all support each other. And I think that's what's great about Tri Delta and what we all do, you know, 'cause everyone is like, like at a special story or something, that's impressive and that they've done.
Absolutely, so question, second follow-up question from Francés. It's a harder one, right? She's wondering whether you received any pushback in releasing this from years ago when it was rumored that Gloria was homophobic, right? Did that become an issue for you and any of your filmmaking or any of the work you were doing with her?
No, because I know she's not, you know? She's walked the walk, she's talked the talk, her friends, people who work for her. I think rumors just happen, you know, because Donna Summers, and you know, with that whole thing. So I know I haven't had any pushback. In fact, you know, a lot of really wonderful people from, you know, LGBTQ community have seen the film before I even I had screenings for just to make sure like, you know, when you're living in a box, you get people to comment, you know, from and give notes, you know, like, as if you were having a network, but we didn't have a network. So it's, you know, so no, I didn't, I didn't get any pushback. And a lot of people who've seen the film are, you know, it's not a, the film is about Gloria. So it's not, you know, about one area or the other area, but we have one for people who are, you know, someone who has, we have a section in the film that shows the power of "I Will Survive" and how it's helped so many different groups of people. So it's important.
Well, it’s an anthem, right? Like it over the years, I think it's become an anthem for so many people and so many, in so many situations, so many groups, individuals. Do we learn much about how that song came to be?
Oh yeah, it's, I mean …
Spoiler alert, right?
No. You saw in the trailer that she fell off a stage and she was paralyzed, which is, you know, and it kind of has, there's parts of, it really has to do with that time period of her life. That was a really horrific thing. She couldn't walk, she was in the hospital for several months and she had a, you know, her, she thought it was over, so.
Yeah, how incredibly scary.
Yeah. Yeah. That's the thing. She's had so many, I don't want to, there's so many things that have happened to her, but yet she is the happiest person I know. She's so much joy now. And I think she had to go through life's lessons. It's almost like for that, that she had to get through it to get to a place of where she is now. She just built a new home at 78. She designed a built a new home that she—
That's amazing.
With a CrossFit studio inside. She zooms with her trainer, who's in--she has a place in North Carolina that she's--it's funny because I found footage from her from in '72, a radio interview. And they asked her, you know, know, of all the places she's been and she was just starting out, you know, she hadn't gotten anywhere. She came very poor in Newark and she says this location, which is now where she has a house, which is, and I found it and I played with her. She couldn't believe it because it was so crazy. It was so long ago and now here she is, has a house in that very place.
That's awesome, right? Full circle moment. So you've got your own production company. What's next? for you?
I have a few projects scripted, not documentary ones, but all like, you know, I really just want to do projects that have some kind of like hero's journey and positive and you know, if I can, you know, like I think I have one with Dr. Jamie Williams, he is the best. former 49ers football player who was the original writer of the first script of “Any Given Sunday.” And we've been trying to get this film out from years and years and years. So he and I are, he just wrote the script. So we're gonna, we'll raise money. We're not, I'm not gonna fund it. (laughing)
No, that sounds very exciting. Now there's a question in the chat around back to Paranormal State, right? Do you have a favorite Paranormal State episode?
Oh my God, there's a few. I mean, we did a hundred. I can't say I went on all one hundred, but in the beginning I went on a lot of them. I mean, there was one we did, and I mean, a favorite is kind of weird because these are some of the scariest ones. I don't know if you know Lorraine Warren who um Famke Jenssen plays her now in the movies, she was she was at um what's it called, Amityville, yeah anyway. We had this case in Maine and we had uh and she came out and and I have to tell you honestly we never, like our psychic if they were coming they would be in out in the van, like we never everything everything was done as a documentary style. And so I could go to sleep every night and say this is authentic. And I remember her turning to me and going, "Oh, honey, this is not good." And we were like isolated in Maine in this woods place and where we were staying in the hotel. And it was, but there was a mystery to it that we solved. So it was kind of, that was one of my favorite ones.
Okay, that's very cool. So you had a psychic on set?
We always had somebody who would sort of do a walkthrough to pick up things. And so this was Chip Coffey who's been on a lot and we would, everyone would be in the cars. This is sort of behind-the-scenes kind of stuff.
Yeah, we love this, we love that.
Have the team and the camera because I didn't wanna, we really did take it very, very, very seriously. And this one, if you walk in, you know, there's like an old bed in the basement on the ground floor in the living room. There was no signs of like what, what had happened in this case. It was all about these dogs. It was all had to do with dogs. And this, he had no idea. And he was walking up the stairs and he goes to the, the Ryan, who is the leader of the team. He goes, he just turns around and he goes, What about the dogs? And I'm like, we all freaked out because he had no way. of knowing about the dogs. And then subsequently there's a lot of things that happened with the dogs in the whole case and even Lorraine. And so that was, it was great to be with someone like her who really, she was probably in her 70s when she was out there doing it.
Wow, wow. All right, so question in the chat. Thank you everybody for participating. Thank you for answering that too. This is from Brooke and thank you, Sarah Brown, for your question. This is from Brooke asking about why documentaries are taking a hit because, you know, at least on the big screen, because they seem so popular on the streaming channels. I agree, although a lot of them she says are, you know, sort of negative or crime, you know, true crime kind of stories. So what are your thoughts on why documentaries you know, at least on the big screen, are struggling at the box office?
Well, it's not even that it's not getting the support because, you know, there's people who have written articles about this. I'm sort of you know, like at Sundance last year not one even the one the documentaries that one didn't sell. When three or four years ago, I think that there were a lot of high bids on documentaries, but they don't they're not they don't bring people back every week to get, you know, to pull in viewers. So it's just a change in its business models, you know, it's not about whether something's good or bad or it's just business models, which we can change, we can change business models by showing its worth and we can, you know, that's, that's the beauty of like film and television, you can create something and then it can, you know, this has been a grassroots but you know, from the from the festivals alone, we've gotten so much just, you know, word of mouth kind of thing. So, you know, it's, but there's a lot of really good women like that are working on trying to, you know, get more movies and things about, you know, not just women, but women who are doing different things, you know, older women, you know, Gina Davis has. a foundation that she's, so I think it's just everyone, you know, and I've met so many amazing people who are helping, it's like you all supporting the film. And, you know, it doesn't mean that we're not gonna be end up somewhere on one of the Netflix and stuff, but you know, sometimes I've gotten feedback, this is the most amazing film, but our viewers are younger, do you know?
Yeah, yeah.
So you want to show that. we have a big group, vast audience internationally, people are people are clamoring to see it. But first, we just want to have this really wonderful experience, because theaters are like, that's also they're struggling, theaters are struggling. So, right, to be able to hear the music and sound and do all that thing for one day. It's like, why not? You know, we've, we've done nine years of this, you know, working on this. So let's have this great celebration of the film and Gloria, you know, Gloria's, and it's
Now, how will you celebrate? How will you celebrate Gallentine’s Day? Where will you be? What will you be doing? And what will Gloria be doing?
We're gonna be at 42nd and 8th, we're gonna be in New York and Times Square at the movie theater there.
Awesome.
It with a lot of like friends and you know, everyone just, there's four o 'clock and seven o 'clock showings everywhere. So if it'd be fun, you know, but she really appreciates all the love she's receiving because she's been kind of on her own and trying to really push forth her messages and things. And even to get this film, her album, done was so hard, but I think she's just, you know, she's just looking, she's actually writing music with, she wrote a song, Miley Cyrus Flower, she wrote a song with a writer that just won the Grammy. She wrote a song with the Taylor Swift, someone who writes with Taylor Swift a lot, and she's working on a new album, so it's kind of fun for that.
That's incredible. I love that she's still making music right and still really feeding her creative side after all she's been through. So I'm glad you'll be together on Galentine’s Day too to celebrate this big debut.
Yeah lots of friends that's you know will be there and I think it'll be fun. There’s so much fun, and then I think about, Okay what's next? You know, and all the new years and projects, like we all do, like we finish something and we're like, okay, we're ready for a new challenge, I guess.
Well, we're excited and somebody put in the chat and this is true that Tri Delta's Executive Office team, we're based here in Dallas. Our team is going to the movie next Tuesday at four o 'clock. We're going as a whole team. I can bet that we've got Tri Delta alumnae chapter who are going to do a Galentine’s event similar to this. And Tri Delta Nation will be behind this, including your Alpha Omega sisters who have shown up today in the chat, which is awesome.
Oh, they're amazing. And they're all impressive in their own right. Every one of them is just, I mean, it must be, it must, you know, being a part of Tri Delta, it's like the, every one of them is different and it's, it's interesting and has accomplished so much. So everyone should wear, like, do some kind of Tri Delta take a picture and I will make sure, like, Gloria does something with it, you know, or I'll do it.
Oh, we got it, absolutely. You know, I wonder if Gloria is affiliated with an organization. I mean, she could absolutely be a Tri Delta honor initiate, right?
Oh, yeah, she would.
I mean, she's just been through college, right?
Yeah, yeah, she just, you know, she, this is what she's been through. incredible. I think she started college at 65. And she, it took her till 71. And she's like, Betsy, I'm like, in Russia in a lobby, because I don't have the internet in my room. And my professor won't like say, Oh, you just did a concert, you can't hand in your paper. She get no, she's getting cut no slack. You got no slack for it. She got her degree in psychology.
Okay, yeah. Yeah, that sounds fun.
When we were, my fellow Tri Delt sisters will know that in college we were, like the Go-Go's was our thing that got us together. And “I Will Survive” was too, like one of those things. Everybody has a story or can sing it. I think it's the number, like the top five karaoke.
Yeah, that's, that was, it was a question in the chat is do we know where it is on the karaoke it's got to be top five right?
Yeah it's in the top five it's and that's why it's so fun because she's like okay this time you're not going to be karaoke you're going to be singing with me um and and it has a almost I think a billion streams worldwide a billion um so you know this the movie isn't so much I mean it is a her story but it's really fun more about not just surviving, but the keys to thriving.
Yeah, yeah.
That's kind of, if people can take away from it, you know, that how they can utilize her messages and how you know, and her, the way she does things and then apply it to yourself to not just okay, I survived this or so that I survived COVID, but how do we then take that and make ourselves even happier and more joyful?
Yeah, stronger, better from it, right?
Right, that's what I've taken from it even in the struggle to get it made, which, you know, my friends know it's ups and downs with anything, you know? And also, you know, I'm a single mom, so it was, it's, you know, you're trying to like, you know, do everything. We all like, I think women especially, you know, it's just trying to, balance everything whether you know and then you know it no matter what you have to like get through there could be a night or just like oh I'm exhausted then you're like the next day you're with your friends and having fun so I think that's you know sort of the Gloria and her manager were really good friends and they've been through a lot together so it was nice to see friendships of women and not you know it's you know a lot of times in the media, which is okay, you know, you get these women are like battling, and that's part of the, you know, but here it is women lifting each other up. So I think that's been great too.
Right, that, that to me is that's a tie here, right? Like, Tri Delta is about, you know, women supporting women, right, lifting each other up and powering each other. And it's like Gloria's story goes right along with that, right? That you see that in her life.
You see it and you see it in her friendship with her manager who wants to get this record made. You see them like, it's almost like Lucy and Ethel, the two of them.
Well, I will tell you, I'm reading in the chat that the Charlotte, North Carolina, Tri Delta Alumnae Chapter will be attending the film next week and wearing disco outfits. That's what we should all be doing.
I'm gonna wear a disco outfit.
Are you wearing disco?
Okay, can we agree we're disco?
The challenge is on.
I love that. All right, so Disco and Deltas.
Disco and Deltas, that's what we should call it.
Right, all over social media. This is what we want people, a little Delta Love for Gloria and for Betsy. I mean, congratulations, sister Delta. That's, it's just amazing. And thanks for spending time with us today.
Oh, my God, this is a really, I'm honored that you even all took time out of your busy, busy, busy, busy days to just spend time with me, you know, that's what's so exciting about this, is that, you know, I've learned, I'm meeting so many incredible people, but especially women who are supportive of each other. And it does remind me of Tri Delta so much. So this was like the most important thing of all the things. I mean, I was on Good Morning America, but you know, this has been like, to me, it's full circle. It's really the best full circle I could ever experience from this film.
I love it. Good morning America, Let's Talk Tri Delta. I love even saying those things, LEADDD Network, right, in the same sentence. We are so proud to know you. Congratulations.
Thank you so much.
We are walking this walk with you. We will see you virtually next Tuesday that will be all around you surrounding you and Gloria with lots of Delta Love.
Oh, I'm excited. Deltas and disco. This is the challenge. We'll get everyone to go and have fun and then, you know, I'm happy if anyone has questions after or wants to connect, I'm happy too.
Thank you so much, Betsy. Thanks for joining us. And, sister Deltas, grab your friends. Let's go celebrate Galentine's Day with a movie outing. We're going to drop a link right in the chat to purchase tickets. If you haven't already, I do have mine. We have ours at Executive Office. We love sharing the stories of Tri Deltas like Betsy doing amazing things in this world.
It's humbling. And if you spread, you know, you ask about marketing, it's word of mouth. This is like, this is really a word of mouth kind of film where people aren't gonna, you know, we're not like buying ads on television or big poster boards. So if you're inclined to just tell, you know, tell people, or if somebody really needs it and you want to pay it forward you know, that's also a good way to do it.
That's a great idea. Well, when you say word of mouth, we have a lot of mouths. We do and we use a lot of words. So this, once you've got Tri Delta Nation going, we are here for you. So, ladies, you heard the challenge, Disco and Deltas. For all of you on the call, we want to make sure that you've got the rest of the spring season of LEADDD Network on your calendar, next Tuesday, not next Tuesday, a couple of Tuesdays from now, February 27th at two o 'clock Central will be with our DEI expert Risha Grant. She is always powerful and so informative. We'll get together again on Sunday, April 14th, at 3 .30 in the afternoon, and we'll be with Alex Snodgrass. She is the author of The Defined Dish. We'll talk about her newest cookbook called “Dinner Tonight.” Alex is a Tri Delta from Texas Christian, so we love all the Tri Deltas that surround us. And then don't forget that registration for Convention 2024 is now open. And early bird pricing will end in just a couple of weeks on February 20th. We've got a very special networking event for LEADDDers on Thursday, the Thursday of Convention just after the opening session. That will allow you all to connect IRL in real life face to face outside of our virtual sessions and we're all looking forward to that. So thanks you all again for joining today our special LEADDD Network bonus session with Betsy and Gloria, too.
Thank you. I'll have her get I promise you I'm going to get her to do a try to shout out.
We cannot wait.
I’ll see her at Kelly Clarkson. So I'll tell her and I'll get it over to you.
And again, with the name, she just dropped Kelly Clarkson.
Oh, I didn't mean I'm not going on it. I'm just watching her be on the show. I'm just getting I'm just lucky enough to go to the audience. And so I'm a fan. I'm going to be a fan too. You know, oh my gosh.
Well, we will look for Gloria on Kelly. And then we will look for Gloria, Deltas and Disco coming soon. To all of you today, thanks for being here. Huge Delta love. We will see you all soon.
Thank you so much.
Thank you.