Father Daughter Podcast

In this episode, Mike and Lucy talk about Lucy’s 19th birthday, the end of summer, watching old home videos, and how life has changed since the start of the pandemic. Mike reflects on when he was 19 and asks Lucy what she wants to remember about this time in her life.

In this episode, Mike and Lucy have a conversation with Mike's mom and Lucy's grandmother, Mary Vallely. Mike and his mom reminisce about growing up years apart in the same house in the same neighborhood on Ovington Avenue in Edison, New Jersey. They talk about how Mike's dad, Art, was so well-loved at all of the different places he worked at and how the Kenny Roger's song "Through The Years" has become the song that represents Art and Mary's relationship. Mike confirms Vallely Family Folklore that Art and Mary met at Edison Institution: Tastee Sub Shop, how Art was one of the eatery's very first employees, and how that meeting at Tastee's led to their dating. How, after a break in their relationship, Art surprised Mary with a Sweet Sixteen Party and the big kiss that brought them back together. How after Art was drafted into the Army and stationed in Korea, he finagled his way home to elope with Mary. Other topics covered include the birth of Mike's brother, Joe, at Fort Benning in Georgia, Art and Mary's early days in Edison with three kids, and Mike's struggles in school. How Mike and his Mom agreed that Mike would try to do better in school if he were allowed to get a skateboard and when Mike and his young family moved from California back to New Jersey to live with his parents in 1994, where Mike rededicated himself to his pro skate career. To be continued.

In this episode, Mike and Lucy discuss Mike's turning 50, and they reflect on some of Mike's Summer memories through the years starting with the end of the school year, including the time Mike wore a half-shirt to school, the time he gave himself a nickname and the time he sang a solo in the school choir. From there, they dig into Summer's at the Jersey Shore, back to school shopping, this current strange Summer of 2020, and what they will remember from this time. Mike reminisces about the Summer of '85, his first Summer as a skateboarder, and this episode ends with Mike talking about his first car and Lucy sharing her excitement for learning to drive.

In this episode, Mike and Lucy share stories from their recent Route 66 road trip through the California Desert and Northwest Arizona, including visits to Mojave National Preserve, Joshua Tree National Park, and Grand Canyon National Park. They discuss the sights they saw, the music they listened to, and the meals they ate along the way. 

In this episode, Mike and Lucy welcome their first guest, none other than Mike's wife and Lucy's mother, Ann Vallely. Celebrating 28 years of marriage, and some 31 years together, Mike and Ann discuss the first four years of their relationship. Topics covered include: Meeting at Skate Escape in Irvine, California in March 1988, how they began dating in December 1988, and moving in together in early-1990. They talk about how they became LA Kings fans, their friendship with Ed and Deanna Templeton, their marriage in Las Vegas in 1992, the birth of their first daughter Emily, and the secret to their loving marriage. To be continued.

In this episode, Mike shares a new mantra with Lucy, "Don't waste the morning light." Together they discuss the joy of mornings, time management, and Mike's tendency to be a workaholic. Lucy relates her experiences as a dancer to Mike's long-standing viewpoint that skateboarding is an art form and not a sport. Mike tells about his first experiences with skateboarding, and Lucy reminisces about how she danced on a broken foot for two years. They examine the idea of skateboarding and dance as sports and conclude that the topic is broad and of great paradox, that there is no right way, that everyone has their own path.

In this episode, Mike and Lucy discuss exercising in bad weather, and Mike reflects upon running in Boston along the Charles River in the rain. Mike shares his new ritual: Screenless Sundays, and they talk about some of their recent rucks together through Long Beach, California, and having the eyes of a tourist in their hometown. They examine John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath and the differences between the book and the 1940 film, and further sketch their ideas for their Joad Road Trip for some time in the coming months. They dig into the importance of community and connection, and the emergence of The Street Plant Battalion, the community that has sprouted up around their skateboard company Street Plant. They explore the idea that nothing is mundane, how every action is a work of art, and to do all things with gratitude

Professional skateboarder Mike Vallely, and daughter, professional dancer, Lucy Vallely, sit down with each other in the family garage, reflecting on these uncommon times. Together, they discuss the joy of running while listening to music, the Grateful Dead's American Beauty album, and Robert Hunter's lyrics. They reminisce upon a father-daughter road trip they took in 2010 to see Tom Petty perform in Oakland, California, and make a plan, inspired by John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath, for a Route 66 road trip sometime in the next few months.