What started as a simple listener question quickly turned into an unfiltered reality check. On their Calm Down podcast, Charissa Thompson and Erin Andrews stripped away the glamor often attached to sports media and spoke candidly about what it actually takes to survive in male-dominated spaces. Their message was not polished or comforting. It cut straight to the point.

“Study your a** off, Study. Get prepared,” Andrews said immediately before Thompson chimed in. “Don’t be sensitive too. You can’t be sensitive. Have some big Cajones. If anyone starts popping off, go right back at them. You’ve got to think like a locker room.”

On their podcast, their advice then turned tactical, adding another layer to their earlier words. Andrews countered that standing up for yourself takes time.

“It takes a minute to be able to pop off, though,” she noted.

Thompson agreed, then warned against the rookie mistake of coming in aggressive from day one.

“Don’t come in hot,” the FOX host warned. “Don’t come in your first day on the job, and you’re like, oh, f**k you, man. No. Let’s pump the brakes.”

The advice came with years of experience from the anchors of Fox’s football coverage and hosts of the popular Calm Down podcast. Their expert presence and chemistry have kept them at the forefront of NFL Sundays, making them influential figures in how the game is presented and discussed today.

The Calm Down podcast launched in 2021 as Erin Andrews’ and Charissa Thompson’s answer to traditional sports media, blending unfiltered friendship with big-name conversations from the start. Its debut episode featured comedian Kevin Hart, setting the tone for candid chats that span NFL culture, life, and beyond. Since then, the show has welcomed notable voices like Travis Kelce, Russell Wilson, and former NFL officiating chief Dean Blandino.

Over a decade-long journey for Charissa Thompson and Erin Andrews

Andrews and Thompson have cemented their place, covering the NFL with FOX for about a decade. Andrews has served as Fox’s lead sideline reporter since 2014 and has anchored big-moment broadcasts like Super Bowls and NFC Championship games.

Thompson has also cemented her place in the football media landscape, hosting Fox NFL Kickoff since rejoining Fox in 2013 and fronting Amazon Prime Video’s Thursday Night Football pregame show alongside other NFL studio work.

Both reporters established their reputations over time. Andrews began as a freelance reporter with FOX Sports Florida-South, which covered the Tampa Bay Lightning, then moved to ESPN in 2004 as an NHL reporter before becoming a College GameDay host for eight years.

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She joined FOX in 2012 and has since become the network’s lead sideline reporter, covering three Super Bowls, 10 NFC Championships, and multiple World Series broadcasts. In 2022, she became the first female recipient of the prestigious Pat Summerall Award, recognizing her career impact in sports broadcasting.

Thompson started at FOX Sports in 2006 as an HR assistant, moved to production roles in Denver, landed her first on-air gig hosting a Rockies show, and eventually became a regular on “Best Damn Sports Show Period.”

After stints at Yahoo Sports and Versus, she joined ESPN in 2011, then returned to FOX in May 2013 when the network launched FS1. Today, she hosts FOX NFL Kickoff, the Sunday pregame show leading into FOX NFL Sunday, plus Prime Video’s Thursday Night Football pregame and “NFL Films Presents” on FS1.

In over a decade, this duo has turned expertise, grit, and authenticity into authority. Their podcast, Calm Down, captures that ethos perfectly by showing the next generation exactly what it takes to thrive.