Latest news with #Danica
Perth Now
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Danica Patrick accuses Aaron Rodgers of being 'emotionally abusive'
Danica Patrick has accused Aaron Rodgers of being "emotionally abusive". The 43-year-old former racing driver dated Aaron, 41, between January 2018 and July 2020, and Danica has now opened up about the circumstances surrounding their break-up, admitting that it was her most painful life experience. Asked to share the "most amount of pain" she's ever experienced, Danica said on 'The Sage Steele Show': "The break-up with Aaron in 2020. Because it was sudden, it felt like. "It was my life. So like when you live with somebody, it's your whole life. And because the nature of the relationship was emotionally abusive, so that wore me down to nothing." Danica recalled being "torn to bits" by her break-up from the NFL star. She shared: "People could never imagine that I would lack … any confidence or belief in the simple things about who I am. "Everything was torn to bits. Yeah, he leaves a trail of blood. I don't think I'm saying too much earth-shattering stuff, after we? There's been enough out there." Asked if she knew at the time that the relationship was "emotionally abusive", Danica replied: "Hindsight, I ignored it, but in real life, it was just like I just feel like - I would say all the time, 'I'm built for hard things. I can handle hard things.' And so I just saw it as a hard thing. "And my nature is to try harder and do more. And I was like, 'What if I don't do it for the right person?' Like what if I just get a stick up my a** about this and get too proud and go like, 'You know what, I'm just done.' Instead of going, 'Man just try a little harder because what if you look back and wish you would have tried?' Like I would never want that in my life." Although Danica tried her best to make the relationship work, she doesn't look back with any regrets. She said: "It gave me the greatest gift, the greatest gift, which is myself. It gave me the greatest gift of how much I needed to show up for myself and take care of myself." Aaron has yet to respond to Danica's allegations.
Buzz Feed
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
Danica Patrick Aaron Rodgers Emotional Abuse Comments
This story contains discussion of abuse. Danica Patrick is making some shocking claims about her past relationship with Aaron Rodgers. During an appearance on The Sage Steele Show, the former NASCAR driver opened up about her relationship with the football player, whom she dated from 2018 to 2020. When Sage asked Danica to describe "the most amount of pain" she's ever been in, she replied, "The breakup with Aaron in 2020." 'Because it was sudden, it felt like," she explained. "It was my life. So like when you live with somebody, it's your whole life. And because the nature of the relationship was emotionally abusive, so that wore me down to nothing.' 'People could never imagine that I would lack…any confidence or belief in the simple things about who I am. Everything was torn to bits. Yeah, he leaves a trail of blood. I don't think I'm saying too much earth-shattering stuff after we — there's been enough out there." Sage then asked Danica if she'd realized "at the time" that the relationship was "emotionally abusive," and she replied that she came to the realization "in hindsight." "I ignored it, but in real life, it was just like I just feel like — I would say all the time, 'I'm built for hard things. I can handle hard things.' And so I just saw it as a hard thing,' she added. 'And my nature is to try harder and do more. And I was like, 'What if I don't do it for the right person?' Like, what if I just get a stick up my ass about this and get too proud and go like, 'You know what, I'm just done.' Instead of going, 'Man just try a little harder because what if you look back and wish you would have tried?' Like, I would never want that in my life.' Danica also said that her ultimate takeaway from the relationship's dissolution was that "everything leads to the next thing.' "It gave me the greatest gift — the greatest gift — which is myself," she said. "It gave me the greatest gift of how much I needed to show up for myself and take care of myself.' You can watch the entire interview here. The National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline is 1-800-950-6264 (NAMI) and provides information and referral services; is an association of mental health professionals from more than 25 countries who support efforts to reduce harm in therapy.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Danica McKellar Talks to Closer — and Calls the Story Her ‘Most Faithful Message' to Date
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways At 50, Danica McKellar is entering a new chapter, one filled with purpose, perspective and profound gratitude. The beloved Wonder Years star recently sat down with Closer Weekly to reflect on life's twists and triumphs, sharing what she calls her 'most faithful message' to date. 'The way we experience our lives is exactly because of what we choose to focus on,' she shares. 'We all get dealt a hand. Some parts are good, some are challenging. But the story we tell ourselves about that hand, that's what defines our life.' It's a truth she's learned over time, through both joy and pain. Danica shared that, for much of her life, she lived in a state of constant worry. 'I used to be a really stressed-out kid,' she admits. 'I thought if I didn't work really hard all the time, I'd fail.' But over the years, Danica's mindset shifted, thanks in part to a spiritual awakening that began in college when she was dating someone in recovery and started attending Al-Anon. 'That's when I heard things like 'Let go and let God' for the first time,' she recalls. 'It opened something in me. I started to realize I didn't have to control everything.' Danica's strength lies in what she's let go of, especially the expectations of Hollywood. After The Wonder Years, she walked away from acting to pursue a degree in mathematics at UCLA, a move that surprised many. 'I needed to know who I was without all the glamor and superficiality,' she explains. Pursuing a math degree at UCLA gave her that chance, and she describes it as 'empowering' and 'grounding.' But when she finished school and began thinking about returning to acting, the fear crept in. 'I worried I made a mistake. I felt like I was behind and had to catch up. What if I couldn't go back?' She began taking roles in indie films, unsure if her career would regain momentum, until she landed a role on The West Wing, which she appeared on for two seasons. 'That show was a turning point. It reminded me that I still had something to offer in the industry,' she says. GettyImages-2206910728 Still, even with her successes, the doubts lingered. 'You second-guess yourself,' she admits. But now, with 12 math books and millions of copies in print, Danica realizes the move was exactly what she needed, she recalls, 'Looking back, I know everything unfolded the way it needed to. I had to step away from Hollywood to come back on my own terms and that made all the difference.' As she looks ahead to the next decade, Danica's vision is simple: more movies, more books and more time with her family. 'Turning 50 is a blessing,' she shares. 'It's made me more committed to my health, my work and my peace.' More recently, a deeper relationship with her faith helped ease the anxiety she once felt every day. 'Three years ago, I came into my faith fully. I used to have a lot of biases about religion, but I've realized it's not about rules, it's about relationship. That changed everything.' That message she shares daily with her 14-year-old son, Draco. She and her ex-husband, Mike Verta, coparent with care and mutual respect,'We really work as a team. And that means putting ego aside and focusing on what's best for him,' she says. Now starring in and producing films for Great American Family Channel and authoring math books for kids, Danica has transitioned from teen stardom to educator and inspiring mother. Her latest book, I Love You 100: A Counting Book Full of Love (available for preorder), marks her 12th math title, teaching little ones to count while reminding them they are loved unconditionally. 'It's about loving your child through every emotion,' she says. 'Happy, sad, angry, it doesn't matter. I love you no matter what.' Danica stays true to herself, "I can't think of another article that was so faithful to my message,' the Wonder Years alum tells Closer of her interview, 'Faith, health, family, coparenting, all the projects I wanted to promote, everything."
The Guardian
28-04-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
‘At the lowest point, I lose the dog altogether': my disastrous debut at a dog agility competition
Before every dog agility event, the human handlers walk the course as a group – without the dogs – wandering slowly round the ring with one hand or the other outstretched. It's an eerie thing to watch, like a crowd of bleary eyed tourists wearily progressing through an airport. But it's important: the dogs don't get to try the course beforehand, so their handlers have to formulate a strategy to guide their pets from jump to tunnel to seesaw in the correct order. There's a late-March chill in the air inside the Easton College Equestrian Centre near Norwich, but events are already well under way, across three separate rings, by 9am. First-place finishers occasionally approach the organiser, Melanie Wright, to claim their prizes. 'Wine glass, tumbler or voucher?' she asks. Some competitors have won so many prizes over the years that they've got no room for another tumbler. The vouchers – for agility training – are a popular option. Dog agility was first introduced at Crufts in 1978, as a demonstration to fill a gap in the schedule. There are now 5,500 registered handlers and 9,000 dogs competing in Kennel Club events, including this one, the Agility Ability open show, where 260 dogs are signed up to take part. There are two types of course: jumping (jumps, tunnels and closely planted weaving poles) and agility (which adds 'contact' obstacles including seesaws and high walkways). For the top grades – six and seven – the judges set more confounding courses: dogs must circle round jumps to take them from the other side, or double back towards a previous obstacle when a tunnel is right in front of them. Take the wrong route, and you're eliminated. This show is open to all skill levels – there are beginners as well as champions. Dogs are sorted by size and grade. No pedigree is required – crossbreeds are welcome – but border collies dominate the sport. Most of the handlers are over 40, although the age range is considerable. Pam Mayhew and her dog Danica will be competing in Portugal in July as part of the Kennel Club's Senior Open Agility Team GB (66 and over). Danica is a stabyhoun, a rare Dutch breed whose name roughly translates as 'stand by me dog'. 'They're sort of national dogs,' says Pam. 'There are statues of these up in Friesland [in the north of the Netherlands].' Demi Wright – Melanie's 18-year-old daughter – is also going to Portugal this summer, for her first international competition as an adult. 'I went to Belgium last year to compete in the junior world championships, and she had two silvers,' Demi says, nodding toward Shelby, a border-papillon cross who is, essentially, a tiny collie with enormous ears. Demi has been doing agility training since she was three. Agility handlers are mostly women. On today's showing, I would guess the proportion at 80% or higher, but it's hard to be sure, since many of the men in attendance are what Melanie calls 'agility husbands' – just there to hold a lead, fetch a toy or drive home. I find Laurence Blake in the queue for ring two, feeding his dog Indie a tube of Primula – the squeezy cheese is meant to calm him down. 'Otherwise, he's a little bit crazy at the start line,' he says. Indie – a 20-month-old working golden retriever – is new to agility; this is only his second show. But Laurence has been doing it for 15 years. 'I got a dog that was very quick, very motivated, and I just fell into it,' he says. He has no idea why more men don't go in for agility training, but he says the age range is definitely widening. 'There are a lot of young handlers coming along, and that's improved the sport, it's got a lot quicker.' Laurence and Indie step into the ring and are promptly eliminated; Laurence's disappointment is palpable. Hayley Gilbert, 27, has been competing in agility shows since she was seven, but today she's the judge for ring three. She arrived at 7am to set up the first course of a dozen, with about 20 dogs on average running in each. Judges, I am told, have reputations – some handlers won't compete if they hear a particular judge is setting the course. 'That's very true,' says Hayley, 'although I'm fortunate in that a lot of people will come to me and say: 'Oh, I came today because you're judging.' That's really nice.' During a run, the judge stands at a vantage point and signs – an open hand for a fault, a closed hand for a refusal, crossed arms for elimination – to a 'scrime' (the positions of scribe and timer, amalgamated) who records everything. Elimination-worthy offences can include, well, elimination. 'I've had two dogs this morning that have pooed in the ring,' says Hayley. Tunnels shudder as the animals fly through them. Dogs of every size barrel up the seesaw and then pause on the descending end (the dog must still be in contact with the seesaw when it hits the ground); they slalom through the weaving poles with astonishing skill. Watching dog after dog bound through the course, clearly having the time of their lives, I am reminded of a line from the philosopher Mark Rowlands' book The Happiness of Dogs: 'Meaning in life exists wherever happiness erupts from nature,' he wrote. 'If you want to know the meaning of life, get a dog.' These animals are wholly absorbed in the joyous, headlong pursuit of lolloping around the course. I feel guilty that I don't do this with my own dog. No commensurate agility is required from the handlers. 'This lady here, she's on a knee replacement,' says Melanie Wright, directing my attention to ring three. All you really need to do is issue clear instructions. And, anyway, the dogs all seem to know what they're doing. How hard can it be? To demonstrate, Melanie lets me have a go during the lunch break with her own dog, a blue-eyed border collie called Beat (competition name: Magilitas the Beat Goes on). Beat has an all-consuming enthusiasm for the agility course, which can sometimes make him erratic ('He's an idiot,' is how Melanie puts it). Melanie and I walk the course in ring two – each obstacle is numbered on the side you must approach it from; some are numbered more than once. There are commands, specific to each dog, for every obstacle. Some are easy – the tunnel, for Beat, is 'through' – but I get confused over the commands for wrapping left or right round the jumps, and where to put my hands. I take Beat into the ring. Almost as soon as I let go of him, he's over the first jump. At my direction, he wraps left round jump two and takes it backwards. 'Through!' I shout, and he hits the tunnel at speed. After that, things fall apart quickly. Thanks to my poor signalling, Beat vaults a jump the wrong way and must be led back to take it again. Then I get confused – I can't remember where obstacle 10 is. At the lowest point, I lose the dog altogether, spinning 360 degrees in search of him while he negotiates the far end of the course on his own. If there were a judge in the ring, I would have been disqualified before the halfway mark. Beat doesn't fare much better during the real thing – he actually is sort of an idiot – but Demi and Shelby score an impressive win in the small agility combined grades six and seven, with no faults and a time of 36.182 seconds. I never found out whether she chose the wine glass or tumbler.
Associated Press
08-04-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Red Team Go Builds Equity Into the Foundation of Infrastructure
04/08/2025, Woodinville, Washington // PRODIGY: Feature Story // When it comes to architecture, engineering, and construction (A/E/C), equity has often been viewed as a requirement, rather than something that is the vehicle for building better infrastructure and communities. That is why Red Team Go (RTG) has been flipping the script for almost 15 years now. At its helm, founder Danica Mason blends in her industry knowledge with social advocacy into the consultancy firm. At the core of the company's mission are federal and state mandates that require a portion of public project spending to go toward diverse small businesses: those owned by women, minorities, veterans, and other underrepresented groups. Yet, these targets are often only met by the required amount and rarely exceeded, due to systematic hurdles, limited outreach, and fears around risk and cost. That's where RTG steps in. 'Our job is to bridge the gap between prime contractors and the small, certified businesses that can help meet diversity goals,' Danica says. 'We make the introductions, break down the work packages to a manageable size, and help everyone meet business objectives while fulfilling civil rights obligations.' This, for Danica, is more than about compliance; it's about transformation for these small owners. An analysis by the American Independent Business Alliance translates how every dollar spent with a small business circulates three times over within the community. Danica emphasizes, 'We're here to build capacity and create generational change. That's what equity should look like in real time.' Danica understands the stakes personally. As a woman-owned small business herself, she knows firsthand how difficult it can be to break into the industry—and how crucial those first opportunities are. 'RTG grew only through word of mouth for over a decade. We didn't even put up a website for those first ten years,' she shares. The consultancy firm built trust by delivering well. That trust allowed the company to grow, hire, and pay it forward. Danica Mason, founder of Red Team Go RTG's track record of exceeding diversity targets speaks for itself. On one design-build project with just a 2% Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) goal, the firm helped push utilization to nearly 14%. On a highway project with a 26% goal across multiple categories, RTG achieved a commendable 49% utilization. Danica shares that on the $700 million highway program, RTG helped connect more than 160 certified diverse businesses, generating nearly $180 million in spending, an impact that reaches far beyond any construction site. Danica understands that risk management is key: large firms often face higher costs and logistical challenges when working with smaller subcontractors. 'You're adding more overhead, more management needs, and sometimes unknown performance levels. Our job is to ensure that those small businesses are ready, capable, and supported—so prime businesses feel confident bringing them in.' The firm doesn't just work with private contractors. RTG also partners directly with public agencies—transportation departments, cities, and federal bodies—to facilitate utilization and compliance during project delivery. Their services span team development, SOQ and proposal management, branding, grant writing, and, critically, inclusion program administration. Their involvement with organizations like BuildIT, the only LGBT industry Association focused on sustainable growth for certified LGBT-owned businesses and allies, further illustrates RTG's commitment to equity as both a business strategy and a value system. RTG's founder Danica believes that equity in A/E/C isn't just the right thing to do; it's the smart thing. 'When you diversify your team, suppliers, and subs, you strengthen your project. And you strengthen the communities you're building in.' RTG's model is simple but powerful: create opportunity, deliver quality, and grow capacity. They don't take on work they can't deliver on. Every member of the team specializes in their role. That selectivity, combined with deep industry knowledge, is what's allowed RTG to scale successfully while staying true to its mission. Looking ahead, Mason envisions RTG playing an even bigger role in reshaping how inclusion is built into infrastructure from the ground up. 'We've always focused on collaboration,' she says. 'And now we're ready to help others achieve what we've been able to do. When small businesses succeed, communities succeed. That's the future we're building.' Media Contact
