Cristy Lee: The Moment Everything Changed
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Company
Red Line Synthetic Oil
Red Line Synthetic Oil makes special oils and lubricants that help engines and machines run better and last longer.
Company
Meekum Auctions
Meekum Auctions is a company that sells cars at auction, where people can bid on vehicles ranging from affordable to very expensive classic cars.
Car
Land Discoverys
The Land Rover Discovery is a fancy SUV that can handle tough off-road conditions while also being comfortable for everyday use. It's great for families because it has a lot of space inside and is built to last. People like to talk about it because it mixes luxury with the ability to go on adventures.
Concept
Packard Proving Grounds
The Packard Proving Grounds is a place where cars were tested by the Packard company. It has old buildings that show how cars were made and tested in the past.
Concept
automotive museum
An automotive museum is a place where you can see many different cars, especially older and classic ones. It's like a gallery for cars where you can learn about their history and how they've changed over time.
Car
Packard
Packard is a brand of cars that was very popular in the early 20th century. They were known for being luxurious and well-made, and many classic Packard cars are still admired today.
Car
Dodge Challenger
The Dodge Challenger is a popular muscle car that many people love for its powerful performance and classic design.
Car
Plymouth Barracuda
The Plymouth Barracuda is a classic car that many people admire for its unique look and strong performance.
Concept
stock cars
Stock cars are cars that haven't been changed or modified from how they were originally made. Many people like them because they represent the car's true design.
Concept
restomod
A restomod is an old car that has been updated with new parts and technology to make it run better while still looking like the original.
Part
fuel injection
Fuel injection is a way of getting fuel into an engine that helps it run better and cleaner compared to older methods like carburetors.
Car
Plymouth Cuda
The Plymouth Cuda is a classic car from the 1970s that is popular for its powerful engine and unique look.
Car
Ford Mustang
The 1969 Mustang is a famous car from Ford that is loved for its sporty look and powerful engines.
Car
Shelby Cobra
The Shelby Cobra is a classic sports car that was made in the 1960s and is famous for being very fast and exciting to drive. It's loved by car enthusiasts and collectors because of its unique design and powerful engine. People talk about it because it represents a special time in car history when performance was everything.
Car
Ford Mustang Mach 1
The Mustang Mach 1 is a special version of the Ford Mustang that is designed for better performance and speed.
Car
BMW 2002 TII
The BMW 2002 TII is an older car that is known for being fun to drive and is part of a series that made BMW popular for sporty cars.
Term
manual transmission
A manual transmission is a system in cars where you have to change gears yourself using a stick and a pedal. It allows you to control how the car moves more directly than an automatic transmission, which does it for you.
Concept
project car
A project car is a car that someone buys to fix up or improve. It usually needs a lot of work, so it's not just ready to drive right away. People enjoy working on them as a hobby.
Term
classic car
A classic car is an older vehicle, usually at least 20 years old, that many people appreciate for its style and history. People often enjoy restoring and taking care of these cars.
Car
BMW
BMW is a well-known car brand from Germany that makes luxury and sporty cars. Many people like BMWs for their performance and quality.
Car
Chevrolet C10
The Chevrolet C10 is an older pickup truck that many people love for its strength and usefulness. It was made for many years and is often sought after by collectors.
Car
Chevrolet C20
The Chevrolet C20 is a stronger version of the C10 truck, made for tougher jobs. Like the C10, it's popular among people who like classic trucks.
Car
Ford long bed trucks
Ford long bed trucks are pickup trucks made by Ford that have a longer back area for carrying more stuff. They're great for people who need to haul larger items.
Car
Chevy 3100
The Chevy 3100 is an old pickup truck from Chevrolet made in 1950. It's known for its classic look and is often restored by car enthusiasts.
LIVE
Hey guys, it's Christy Lee here.
Just checking in over at the JP Emerson show
just to say, hey, touch base, see what I'm up to.
You guys should definitely tune in.
And yeah, here I am.
Welcome to the JP Emerson show, where we ride shotgun as you tell your story.
Here's your host, JP Emerson.
Welcome back to the JP Emerson show, provided by Red Line Synthetic Oil, offering technical
support and more than 100 quality products, including motor oils, gear oils, assembly
lubes, fuel additives, and water wetter to the automotive, motorcycle, marine, and industrial
markets.
Visit them at redlineoil.com and buy Meekum Auctions, the world leader of live auction
action from entry level to investment grade, classic to modern, foreign to domestic, and
wild to mild.
Meekum has it all for every budget and every individual taste.
Visit them at meekum.com.
Today we're joined by someone who has truly left her mark on the worlds of motorsports,
automotive television, and even real estate entertainment.
You know her from Motor Trends All Girls Garage, Discovery's Garage Squad, and HGTV's Battle
of the Mountain.
She's a motorcycle racer, car enthusiast, and a trailblazer for women in the automotive
industry.
Beyond the screen, she's an inspiration for resilience, passion, and authenticity.
Please welcome back the one and only Christy Lee.
How you doing, Christy?
Yay, the crowd goes wild.
I'm just kidding.
I'm good.
I'm good.
It's good to be back.
Thanks for having me.
Absolutely.
Absolutely.
I have to start something off that you and I briefly touched on about, you know, you
are our only three-time guest on this show and we are very happy to have you.
But for those out there who don't know, and I know we do get this question a lot, you
know, JP, how did you get started in this?
I'm going to point the finger at Christy right now because long ago, long ago as we
are kicking off our sixth season, but long ago back before COVID, before this show even
existed.
I was writing for magazines and doing a series called Power Profiles, and Christy was kind
enough to suffer through it with us as we asked all kinds of interesting questions.
And we put together a story on Christy, which you can actually still find on our website.
There's a reason she is the top picture on our website, and we had a lot of fun doing
that.
Unfortunately, literally, 30 days later, a worldwide pandemic shut us all down, including
all the magazines that I was supplying.
We held on to that story for about 30 days.
I had no idea what was going to happen, neither did the rest of the world.
I sent Christy a message and I said, I don't know if we have a home for this, you know,
I can put it on our website, but nobody looks at our website.
And of course, in true Christy fashion, she said, yeah, go for it, send me a link, I'll
share it, which we did.
And Christy shared it on her socials and promptly crashed our website.
Yes, that is true.
She crashed it within 24 hours, and that story is and remains today our biggest and most
red story ever in Power Profiles.
So Christy, you kind of forced us into doing the podcast thing.
So thank you.
And I have no idea how you did it or why you did it.
Maybe it was a cruel joke, but thank you for that.
And welcome back.
I'm just a party crasher.
What could I say?
So other than the fact that you crashed us and caused us headaches and we didn't know
what to do, we were just a very small time website, you know, basically operating off
a shoestring.
We've gone through quite a bit actually following you and with you.
We actually had somebody hand you a phone up at and cruising the coast not too long
ago. And of course, it was me on the other end of the phone saying hello.
So they wanted me to tell you they promised they're not stalking you.
They just wanted to say hello.
But a lot has happened.
You've been on our show before.
You were on about two years ago, and I will be remiss if I do not point out that in that
time you got married.
Congratulations.
Thank you so much.
Thank you so much.
I did do that.
It was all over the internet.
I mean, how can we miss it?
It was it was one of the one of the most.
You know, if you're a car a car person, one of the most surreal things to see is not only
your wedding and first actually learning that you actually got married because I know
there's some things that, you know, many of us don't share.
But your reception was just just out of this world.
I mean, it was just if you're a car lover, I don't know.
I don't know how you guys did it.
But, you know, tell us about that.
I mean, you know, both my husband and I are car people, obviously.
And, you know, we we met through motorcycles.
So bringing, you know, the the motor-esque feel into our our wedding was obviously very
important to us.
And one of the places that was we knew would be perfect was the Packard Proving Grounds.
It's actually a Packard Museum.
So but it's the former Packard Proving Grounds and they still have intact like the original
one of the original garages and one of the original tank buildings, and they still have
a portion of the test track and the timing tower intact at the facility as well.
So it's an absolutely beautiful grounds.
Obviously, it's got a ton of automobile history behind it and still in place.
They also have a really exceptional automotive museum on site with I think 20 or so cars
that are there on display.
So we were able to have our our our ceremony and reception there.
And then guests were kind of able to come in and, you know, start the reception
and then go take a tour of some of the cars, some of the the Packards.
So it was a great way to introduce our love for automobiles into our, you know,
our wedding and our love for each other, obviously.
So it was it was a really cool event and we had a whole whole boatload of people
and we had a really good time and it was it was very fun.
It's very fun.
Yeah, it looked amazing in the realm of of of car oriented weddings.
Of course, you know, we just saw one recently.
But man, what a blowout.
I don't know how I whether you had a wedding planner or whether you managed
to do this yourself as you seem to do everything else.
It was just man, truly, truly amazing.
It's it's something that that actually we were all blown away by.
Thank you. Yeah.
I mean, I'm definitely the unfortunately, I'm the DIYer.
So yes, I was in fact also the wedding planner because that's what I do.
But yeah, you know, it was it was an amazing day.
It was a great time.
We had a lot of fun and it was a lot of a lot of amazing memories made.
Absolutely. Absolutely.
And speaking of DIY, I mean, you know, I think if we look you up
in the automotive dictionary, I mean, there's so many things
that just jump out about you.
And of course, DIY is certainly has to be has to be one of the top things.
I mean, you you've been in automotive.
You've been broadcasting HGTV.
I mean, where the heck did that come from?
I mean, you know, it's, you know, certainly, you know, your way around some tools.
But I talk about a you hung a left and collected two hundred dollars
and didn't stop. I mean, where did that come from?
If only the world of TV was as easily as put as easy as playing monopoly.
I'm still waiting for my get out of jail free card to pop up any day now
or that, you know, 200 collect two hundred dollars.
You just want a beauty pageant in community chess.
But anyways, so I've actually been in real estate for over 20 years.
I moved from Daytona to Detroit to invest in real estate.
So I have kind of a storied history in that industry.
And I approached HGTV, gosh, it's probably been eight years ago now
with, hey, you know, I work in real estate.
I'm a licensed real estate salesperson in the state of Michigan.
I'm a former investor, house flipper.
I have a lot of renovation experience.
I've worked with dozens of contractors.
Let's do a show.
And, you know, it does take a while to kind of gain traction
and do something like, quote, unquote, do a show.
So after, you know, the course of a few years,
I started filming a show, my show called Steel Bus House with HGTV.
And we started filming before the pandemic.
And then the pandemic happened and made the filming of my show take three years.
So that that that was probably a little longer than normal.
But yeah, I've been working with HGTV ever since.
I've hosted a couple of different shows and been on some fun projects with them.
And I've also been actually very heavily involved with real estate
over the past couple of months as well.
I typically don't do a lot of transactions,
but I have been doing more the last couple of weeks.
I just closed on a house last week, actually, on an investment property.
But yes, so, you know, I've been working with some buyer clients.
I just finished a renovation on an investment property,
a full renovation on that.
And then I have purchased a new home for myself as well.
And I'm currently renovating that house, which is a ton of work.
So I have been full time on that.
And then the next project is building my own mega barn garage.
I am going to contract most of that out.
I will not be hoisting the stick-frame pole and footing up myself, obviously.
But yeah, so that's like kind of the next project that's on the docket.
But always moving, always going.
And then, you know, winter is a great time for car projects.
So I've got some little projects I'm going to work on throughout the winter.
But yeah, I've just been been flooded with real estate and home projects
over the past couple of months.
You know, it's interesting you talk about a barn garage, you know, last time we talked.
You promised you were thinning the herd with the motorcycles and the things in your garage.
Were you successful in doing that?
Isn't story time fun?
I love story time.
It's like my favorite thing when you say you're going to do something and then you never do it.
No, I mean, here's what's really cool about motorcycles is for every four motorcycles,
you can fit one car.
So it's like if you do the math, the math, mathematically speaking, says that you should have more motorcycles.
That's how I math that.
Yeah, I don't know.
I've probably bought and sold a few things here and there over the past year or two.
I actually don't even know what the count is on bikes at the moment
because there's just stuff like scattered everywhere.
I still have one that's in pieces in the shed.
So but it's a rolling chassis, so technically it counts.
But yeah, so I don't know, I'm pretty bad at that.
But I have been doing a lot better at not trolling Facebook marketplace on a daily basis, looking for the next buy.
So I guess that's I always have a few saved, but I guess that's I guess that's good.
I'm on my best behavior.
You always get the unvarnished truth when you're talking with Christy.
She's she's just going to lay it out there.
And that's yeah, I think that's that's awesome.
I love hearing that.
And I kind of already knew the answer before I asked that question, but I kind of wanted to put you on the spot.
So I mean, are you really a true car enthusiast if you aren't checking marketplace on a regular basis?
Come on, that's true.
That's real or at least bring a trailer like come on.
Yeah, that's true.
That's true.
You know, you mentioned you're always keeping busy, which of course I've known forever.
But if I can if I can just switch gears for a second here.
And of course, this is this is more of a serious nature.
But you're very open with with what's going on in your world and socially, etc.
And not too long ago, you shared a health issue, which I thought was incredibly.
I hesitate to use the word brave because it's so overused.
But I think it's so incredibly open because.
We are people, you know, we're all people.
We were we have things that that don't go as you see on television.
You know, we're we don't fix things in 30 minutes and sell them for a million dollars in 30 minutes.
You know, we have lives and these things happen.
And can you tell us a little bit about that incident and and how you're doing today?
Yeah, yeah, I mean, I basically in January of 2023,
I was diagnosed with Graves disease and thyroid eye disease.
They're both autoimmune disorders and it was extremely unexpected.
So I didn't have any symptoms.
You know, I didn't have any warning signs.
I basically just woke up with what I thought was a really horrible migraine one morning
and within a week I was in the emergency room and diagnosed with two life changing diseases.
Since then, I went through about, you know, eight months of treatment, surgeries and rehabilitation.
You know, I did like what would basically be described as like chemotherapy type treatment
for my for my eyes over the course of a couple of months.
I had orbital decompression surgery on both of my eyes and I had a total thyroidectomy
all within a three to four month period.
So in retrospect, I would not recommend I think three major life changing surgeries like that back to back to back.
But you know, I went for it.
So the recovery process was a bit difficult to say the least.
But yeah, you know, by year of 2023, I don't want to say was a total wash.
I mean, I was able to get back to filming and be back on television in August of 2023.
So I was able to start filming again with HGTV, you know, not very long after my surgeries.
I mean, I can look back at that the filming and, you know, those those TV episodes now and even photos
and look at my face and my eyes and it's like, you know, post surgery.
I definitely was still still in recovery.
But, you know, I did it.
But anyways, I've kind of used my my platform as a way to, you know, speak about both autoimmune diseases
and other rare diseases and connect with other people who are experiencing that.
And from, you know, if there is a silver lining within some sort of, you know, horrible life changing diagnosis,
it is that I can connect with other people who are experiencing similar, you know, diseases
or no people who are going through the same same type of treatments or diseases
or even have some type of other health issue that they're struggling with.
And just let them know like, hey, you're not alone.
You know, this happens to people and it's unfortunate, but like you don't have to go through this by yourself.
Like there are other people out there that are doing the same thing.
And, you know, since then, I've been able to work closely with, you know, other doctors in my community
and other we call ourselves Ted warriors, thyroid eye disease, Ted, and meet some other people
who are experiencing the same thing and create like a kind of like a social group, like a rehab group.
I guess you could say a recovery group.
I should say locally here called in the blink of an eye.
So like your life changes in the blink of an eye.
So that's our local regional to Michigan thyroid eye disease group.
So that's been that's been that's been great.
And as far as my health now, like, you know, they're both it's a journey.
So, you know, it has its ups and downs.
And so I just have to kind of monitor my health closely and, you know, maintain a healthy lifestyle
and take my medication on time and all of those things.
And, you know, it's it's been pretty good knock knock on wood.
But but yeah, it's it's a journey.
It's a journey.
I think it's amazing that that you were able to to openly share that.
And of course, you got the response that you did, which of course, you know, we all figured that you would.
But, you know, in a in a world where you see either people on television or in person or in these at these events, you know, life isn't life isn't polished.
You know, there's there's rust spots.
If I can use that phrase and and it's, you know, life happens and having somebody like yourself be able to to share that, you know, unfortunately, go through that.
But to share that with others and uplift and uplift that that portion of the of the communities.
To me, I tip my cap to you because I I think it's our responsibility to be able to share those things, you know, and let other people know they're not by themselves.
Yeah, yeah.
I mean, it definitely humanizes you.
You know, it's like, I think people see you, you know, on television or in the limelight and you you somehow gain this superhuman type of persona.
And I'm a I'm a pretty lively like upbeat energetic person.
So, you know, I'm not often seen in a in a down type of manner anyways.
And I'm, you know, constantly thriving for like the next thing.
So that ambition definitely comes through.
But, you know, we're all human and we all have things happen to us and things that change our lives and affect our lives.
And I think that, you know, would I want to be diagnosed with two life changing autoimmune diseases?
Absolutely not.
I wouldn't wish that on my worst end of me, anybody for that matter.
But, you know, if you're you kind of dealt that hand, it's like, well, what do you do with it?
You know, I can, you know, basically lay in a hole and get curl up in the middle position and just take it.
Or, you know, I can, you know, power through it and persevere and let this not take me down.
And hopefully that, you know, that nature, that ambition, that drive will show somebody else that like, hey, this is this isn't going to this isn't going to ruin my life.
And so that's the that's the like I said, that's the silver lining for all of it with me is that I can share my story.
I can tell my story and what I've been through and that that in some way hopefully inspires even just one person that they can do the same thing.
And that makes it makes it all worth it to me.
Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely.
Well, if I can change to a slightly more upbeat topic.
You know, motorsport and real estate and and, you know, all the things that you're involved in.
What, how do you see those worlds connecting?
I mean, what what excites you about bridging them all together?
I mean, it's all things that I love.
Like I've always said for the longest time that I've basically created a career for myself out of just being myself.
So these are all things that I would do or have done or will do regardless of whether or not they're on TV or in the public light or on social media.
So it's just me kind of living my life to the fullest.
And it's just like, oh, yeah, well, I happen to just be filming while that was happening.
Or, you know, here's a little tidbit on Instagram.
So, you know, I think, you know, there's probably a lot of people out there that are doing the same thing.
You know, I think there's a lot of people out there that maybe have a dream of creating some sort of, you know, public persona that is within either the home industry or the automotive industry or both.
That maybe isn't like something that they necessarily love, but they want to embody that and more power to them.
I don't really know how to be anything but myself, like all the time.
So I don't really know how I would create a career for myself doing something that I didn't really love doing.
So I mean, the real estate stuff, like I love real estate.
Like I said, I've been doing it for a long time.
My roots are deep with it.
You know, I'm a licensed salesperson.
Like I'm very involved with it.
Working with my hands, working with tools, building things.
Those are all things that I love doing.
And I love home renovating and home design and interior decor, all of that stuff.
Cars, it's the same thing.
Like, you know, I love cars.
I love working on cars.
I love building things.
I love taking them apart.
I don't always love putting them back together.
Sometimes I got to hate working on cars, but I think that we all commiserate with that.
But anyways, yeah, it's like I've kind of just created a lifestyle around doing the things I love doing.
And you know, there's a lot of other things that I love doing that I just have really like put out there in the lands of television and social media.
But you know, it's, I really need to do all of it.
Like, I don't know.
I guess I'm always, I've always been a, I don't want to say jack of all trades.
You know, but that's just a jail of all trades.
It's a jail of all trades.
Isn't that the phrase?
Yeah.
It's kind of, that's kind of always been my thing.
Like I've done a lot of different things in my life and I've worn a lot of different hats.
So yeah, that's just, that's just kind of who I am.
Yeah.
Yeah.
We, we've seen, we've seen the commercials we've, we've seen when you pop up on TV, you know, it's kind of funny for me.
Sometimes it's like, I see people pop up on TV and I think, Hey, I know them, you know, or, you know, they're in my phone or I just, you know, I just messaged with them last week.
But, you know, let's talk not necessarily the dream garage, but let's talk Christie's dream garage.
If you can have any vehicle, cars, bikes, whatever, and I know this is going to be hard because you pretty much have them all already.
But any, anything at all, let's say, let's say your husband comes home and says, Hey, I moved four bikes out of the garage and you can put any car in there.
I know the first thing you're going to say is which four did you move?
But what are you, what are you putting in the garage?
I mean, there's like the most recent things that have been on my shopping list of cars that I've been, you know, kind of keeping an eye out for.
I've been looking for a classic Mopar for a long time.
So a classic challenger, preferably.
And I'm a little all over the place with that to be completely honest.
You know, like a arcuda, you always got an eye out for one of those.
My biggest thing is I really like stock cars.
So one thing I love about muscle cars is I love them in their, you know, their original state, their stock original state.
So a lot of these cars, their restomads, you know, and that's amazing.
You know, there's something to be said about a modern, modern drivetrain, a modern chassis, like, you know, and there's definitely something to be said about getting in your car.
And it starts right away with a high output, you know, distributor and in a fuel injection, you know what I mean?
Yeah.
Versus, you know, a car with a 40 year old carburetor on it that's gunked up and, you know, has a vacuum leak.
But anyways, so yeah, I've been looking at vintage Mopar, you know, a vintage Cuda.
I've been really wanted 69 Mustang, but it's got to be a manual transmission.
So kind of been all over the place.
If I want like a Mach 1 or just a fastback or, I mean, you know, God forbid like a Cobra jet.
And then, you know, I've been looking at a late 70s BMW 2002, like preferably a TII.
But again, it's got to be a manual transmission and not too modernized.
So yeah, I mean, I have like a whole kind of list of cars that I've been keeping an eye out on, you know, I've been talking about the next project car for a while too.
And, you know, all of my cars are like constant project cars.
I mean, I think anybody knows that if you own a car, especially a classic car, that it's just a never ending project.
So it's it's hard because I've also been saying for years to that the next car that I buy isn't going to be a project car.
Because even if you buy it in a state where it isn't currently a project, it will at some point become a project.
So it's like, I don't need any more projects because I bought a BMW and that's just a never ending project.
Little did I know that's my own fault.
But yeah, like there's always a list of things I'm looking for and then motorcycles too.
It's the same thing.
I think it's a little easier to shop and wheel and deal with bikes than it is with cars just because again, the storage and the value is a lot different.
You know, you're looking at a couple thousand dollars for motorcycles versus you looking at tens of thousands of dollars for cars.
But yeah, I mean, I love trucks too.
Like I've wanted a, you know, a big cab, like a four by four C 10 for a while, like a C 20 or something.
So, you know, always keeping an eye out for those.
And I love the long bed forwards to the like mid 70s long bed forwards.
So yeah, I mean, there's the list, the list goes on.
You know, as you're mentioning these, I'm thinking about how big this barn garage is going to have to be.
Not big enough.
Tell you that never, never going to be, never going to be big enough.
I don't think that the township I live in will allow us to build a garage large enough to house all of that for personal use.
Well, let me throw some of these at you because gosh knows you never know what you're going to say next.
So I'm going to throw these at you.
So let's do a couple of lightning questions.
So I know the first one's going to be very easy, but Daytona or Detroit?
Oh my God, that's not even a fair question because there's things that I love and hate about both.
I don't want to say hate Daytona.
The most thing I miss the most is the beach because you can't recreate that.
And I know that a beach is defined as where the body of water meets the land, but I don't care.
The lake in Michigan is not the beach like the ocean and Florida.
But and you know, Detroit in Michigan, like I love, I love the seasons.
I love, I love the landscape and the weather and the homegrown nature of the state so much.
So yeah, there's things that I love and don't love as much about both.
I mean, obviously it's like, you know, it's really freaking cold right now in Michigan.
So it's not the greatest thing, but yeah, I can't pick between the two.
Okay. All right. This one may be a little easier.
Renting in your garage or racing at the track?
Oh my gosh. Okay. So I'm not a favorites person.
So if you're like, what's your favorite ice cream flavor?
Like I'm, you know, I can't pick one.
What's your favorite car?
I don't know. What's the application? Are we going to the track?
Are we going for a cruise? Are we just doing like a drive-in?
Like what's the deal?
So going to the track or I don't know, like, because I love going to the racetrack.
So I, again, I can't, I can't pick.
Okay. All right. Well, I'll tell you what.
I'm the worst.
I'm not sure he's there with you or whether he can hear me or not,
but I'm going to put you on the spot. If he can hear, he may just,
he may just jump on between, between yourself and your husband.
Who's the better driver?
Well, he's not here and he can't defend himself.
So it's definitely me. No.
I mean, he is obviously a really good driver and he is definitely a good driver.
Definitely a significantly better motorcycle racer than I will ever be.
So he, he takes the win on that.
As far as like driving experience, like I definitely have more driving experience.
I have my race license.
I've spent a lot more time behind the wheel on the track on four wheels than he has.
So he by far takes the cake when it comes to two wheels, but four wheels,
I've got more experience, but I will say he's very good at racing bikes.
So I think if he spent more time behind the wheel and cars, like,
I got some competition for sure.
Okay. All right. All right.
When you guys are on a road trip, who picks the playlist?
Oh man, like we both really love music.
Like music is a very big thing in our household.
So we listen to all kinds of genres of music and I,
my genres of music are extremely vast.
I also worked in radio for four years and rock radio. So, you know,
I love rock music, but I kind of like everything.
So I guess it kind of just depends on what mood we're in because I used to be a
radio DJ. I always feel like I have to be the DJ and I absolutely love putting
together playlists at events and parties and we'll be host guests at our house
or at the track or whatever because it's all about like reading the vibe.
So the type of music that you're picking has to read the vibe and then I'll play
a song and I'll kind of watch people's mood in response to that song and choose
the playlist based off that. So like I take my music selection very seriously.
All right. Who is more competitive?
Oh man, that might be pretty equal for my husband and I.
John and I are both very competitive people.
I guess it depends again, like what we're competing with.
When it comes to anything that like requires some sort of like artistic or creative
perspective, like, you know, that kind of stuff.
That's definitely my department.
But he's the engineer.
But we're very competitive, but in a playful nature.
Sure.
With everything.
Like who scans their phone in at the gym first?
Like every time we go in to check in at the gym.
Like every time.
Well, this one.
With a build, something you're working on.
Who's a bigger perfectionist?
I'm really, and I don't know if this is just because like I've spent so much time
working on other people's stuff in other people's environments with other people.
So like working in TV, you kind of just have to get used to working in someone
else's shop with someone else's tools on someone else's stuff with someone else.
And so you kind of just have to like let all those OCD tendencies go.
But when I work on projects myself, I'm pretty systematic.
I mean, I would think that the average person wouldn't look at my way of
building and disassembling things as too crazy.
But maybe, I mean, I'm really particular about how I disassemble things and
organize them and label things.
And especially with motorcycles, because all the parts are very tiny.
And there's a lot of intricate pieces and a lot of very same but not same
bolts and hardware.
So I like to be very organized with that stuff and slightly meticulous.
But he's really organized with like tools and parts and that kind of stuff too.
So like, I think I'm more organized with the teardown, more OCD with the teardown
and he's more OCD with like the tools.
I'm either like my tools are very well organized and everything looks amazing
and they're all lined up perfectly in the tool drawer or there's just stuff everywhere.
There's like, there's absolutely no in between.
Yeah.
Yeah.
But you know where everything is.
It could be everywhere, but you know exactly where to find it.
Not necessarily, it's either or.
It's either everything's really highly exceptionally organized and tuned
or it's an absolute disaster and total chaos and you can't find anything.
There's no in between for me.
And that's like across the board with my entire life.
So when you're amongst friends, who tells the better car stories?
Oh, well, I'm definitely the better storyteller.
It's all about like building up the story and creating the intimate details and like,
yeah, I'm definitely a better, better storyteller, but don't tell him that.
Well, I won't tell him.
I just don't let him listen.
Maybe we need to get John on and find that out.
But yeah, we'll see.
So let me ask you this last one because again, I know you're tight with time.
Who, I probably know this, but who's more likely to buy a project car on
impulse and what is the other person's response or reply when they find out
it's happened?
I mean, that's definitely me.
And like, John is super supportive of my crazy.
So, you know, it's actually his fault because he's in it.
So yeah, I mean, when I wanted to buy the BMW project car, I basically found it
on Marketplace and I was like, yeah, I want to get this car.
And then like, you know, two days later, I had it.
But, you know, he, he kind of helps with that process and that goes both ways
to you because if there's something that, you know, he wants to get or he thinks
it's a good project or an interesting buy, like, you know, he wanted to buy his
1950 Chevy 3100 and I was like, do it, you know, go get it.
Like, if that's something that you want, go for it.
And luckily, I didn't have to go all the way up to Drummond Island to buy it
with him.
His friends went instead, but yeah, so we're super supportive when it comes to
that kind of stuff.
And it's like, you know, you only live once and if something like that is going
to make you happy, then you should do it.
So we're both very supportive, but I'm obviously the more impulsive person.
John, if you are listening, we will definitely get you on and we'll spill
a bunch of tea.
So I have a whole, we'll spill lots of tea.
I have, I have a whole lot of notes of years of conversing with Christie.
So yes, there's, there's a lot to tell.
Last time she was on John, she did probably the world's worst English accent
trying to impersonate somebody.
So you might have to change that one.
So Christie, again, I greatly appreciate you taking the time to join us again.
It's always so much fun to do it.
I know you've got so many things going on, so we don't want to keep you from
them.
But again, first of all, thank you for everything always.
First off, thank you for crashing our website early on and pushing us into this
direction.
And thanks for always just being so open and being willing to join us.
Talking to me on the phone up in Mississippi or I don't even remember cruising
the coast and at least just saying hello, I do appreciate it.
And every time I go by dinosaur world there on interstate four in Florida and
I see that Tyrannosaurus Rex, it's like, oh, I know, I know who notices that when
they come by.
So, but it's much, the place is much bigger now.
So, you know, you ought to stop by and see it.
So yeah, it's, it's huge.
Christie, thank you again for everything.
I do appreciate it.
Say hello to John and do remind him I am going to get some info.
So, but I appreciate it.
You guys stay warm up there and we will, we will talk to you again very soon.
Okay.
Thanks so much for having me.
I appreciate it.
All right.
Thank you.
Okay.
Thanks.
Thanks for riding along with us.
Remember to rate and recommend us on Apple podcasts, overcast or wherever you listen
to your favorite podcast.
To share your story, visit JPEmerson.com and be sure to invite your friends to come along
for the ride.
Bye.
About this episode
Cristy Lee shares her journey through the automotive and television industries, discussing her recent marriage and the unique car-themed wedding she had. She opens up about her health challenges, including a diagnosis of Graves disease and thyroid eye disease, and how she has used her experience to connect with others facing similar issues. The conversation also touches on her passion for DIY projects, her dream garage, and the balance between her love for cars and real estate. Cristy’s candidness and enthusiasm for life and cars make for an engaging listen.
Original notes
Season five of The JP Emerson Show opens with a never‑before‑told story and the guest who unknowingly helped launch the entire podcast: longtime friend Cristy Lee. JP reveals for the first time how an interview he recorded with Cristy just as the COVID‑19 pandemic shut down production, lost its intended home, was published on his own website, and went so viral within 24 hours that it crashed his site — ultimately sparking the creation of the show.
Together, JP and Cristy revisit that moment and dive into everything since, from her recent public appearances and wildly popular television shows to her car‑themed wedding at the Packard Proving Grounds, her HGTV and real‑estate projects, and her winter garage plans. Cristy also opens up about her battle with Graves’ disease and thyroid eye disease, sharing the surgeries, setbacks, and strength behind her return to filming and her commitment to supporting others with autoimmune conditions.
Mixed with dream‑garage talk, classic Mopars, BMW 2002 fantasies, music, friendly competition with her husband, John Hawkins, and a fun Q&A, this premiere blends history, heart, and horsepower in a way only Cristy and JP can.
Connect with Cristy here:
https://www.facebook.com/CristyLeeOfficial
https://www.instagram.com/cristylee09/
Connect with Red Line Oil:
Connect with Mecum Auctions:
Connect with JP Emerson:
Olivia “Liv” Harper, PR, Marketing, & Distribution Executive: www.jpemerson.com
For more podcasts on cars, check out Ford Mustang: The Early Years Podcast at www.TheMustangPodcast.com, on Apple Podcasts, or anywhere you get your podcasts
For more information about sponsorship or advertising on The JP Emerson Show or podcast launch services, contact Doug Sandler at [email protected] or visit www.turnkeypodcast.com
The JP Emerson Show
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