Dolly Parton: The Original Nashville Girl

This was not the episode we planned.

Meghan Linsey arrived yesterday expecting a fun conversation. Just as she got here, we learned that Dolly Parton had passed away. We were stunned, heartbroken, and honestly didn’t know what to do. Canceling felt understandable, but we both believed Dolly would tell us to keep going.

So we sat down, pressed record, and talked it out.

What followed was an unplanned, raw, and deeply loving Dolly Parton tribute. We talk about the music, generosity, strength, humor, and unmistakable sparkle the original Nashville girl gave the world. Meghan shares how singing “Hard Candy Christmas” helped her discover her own voice, why Dolly’s songs became part of the soundtrack of our lives, and how Dolly brought people together like no one else could.

This conversation also became an honest reflection on Meghan’s journey from Steel Magnolia to forging a career on her own. She opens up about heartbreak, loving someone through addiction, choosing herself, enduring Nashville’s cruelty, and finding the courage to keep making music during the moments when she wanted to quit.

There are tears in this episode. There is shock, laughter, heartbreak, and disbelief. Most of all, there is an enormous amount of love for a woman whose life changed country music—and changed us.

Yesterday, two Nashville girls sat together, trying to make sense of it all and asking the question that has guided us so many times before: What would Dolly do? We think she would tell us to be kind to one another, keep chasing the dream, and keep going—even when we don’t know how.

We are sharing this conversation today because Dolly would have said, “Now you girls go on and have a podcast.” So that’s what we did. We will always love you, Dolly. Thank you…for everything.