Julianna Zobrist, an Iowa native, ended up in Chicago when her husband Ben was signed to the Cubs late last year. But even if you’ve never seen her wrangling her three kids at Wrigley Field—they’re regulars at the concession stands—you might have heard her voice. That’s because Ben uses her song “Alive” as his walk-up music when he heads to home plate.
Zobrist family at Cubs signing
Julianna with husband Ben (Chicago Cubs second baseman) and kids Zion, 7; Kruse, 4; Blaise, 9 months.
Album Shatterproof is available now.
Julianna has a career of her own outside of being a baseball wife; this mom of three just released an album, Shatterproof, on July 1, Christian pop targeted at fellow moms. “Alive,” the first single, released on the same day Ben and Julianna’s youngest daughter, Blaise, was born (and just three days after Ben helped the Kansas City Royals win the World Series). The chorus seems strangely appropriate for a couple who are focused on the future for their family here in Chicago (and maybe, just maybe, another championship ring): “I, I feel alive/I feel like the air is rushing in/Now it’s clear, I can’t go back again.”
Welcome to Chicago! How’s the adjustment been?
The moving part is never easy, we all know that, packing a thousand things and having to go through everything. Like, how did we accumulate so many toys?! … After the moving part was done, it’s been a very easy transition, but people have made it very easy for us. They’ve been incredibly welcoming to us.
Have you found any favorite spots in the city to take the kids?
We have just loved discovering all of the little hidden parks everywhere. … We’re just kind of park-hoppers; we just like to go from park to park. That’s been so much fun. The Lincoln Park Zoo, I am obsessed with. That was the first time I’ve heard a lion roar in person, and it was terrifying. … We’ve loved going there. And all of the museums.
What’s it like to watch Ben play? Do you get nervous?
I do! Not for him, I have endless confidence in him. But when he’s in pressure situations, I’m like “Ahhh!” Like I can’t decide if I want to watch or not, you know? But I always do. So yes, I do get nervous, but that’s part of the thrill of it all. … When I met him, I thought he was going to be a youth pastor. So, surprise! [laughs] It’s a little different.
How do you balance your music and supporting your husband and being a mom?
The foundation of our scheduling is that … we don’t spend any longer than six days apart from each other. … I’m able to do music where it fits with his schedule. If he’s on the road and I’m not going with him, then I can do my shows then, or I can go and write then…. So we make it work.
What message do you want women to take away from the album?
The record is called Shatterproof, and the basic idea behind being a ‘shatterproof woman’ is being free to be who you are. … We’re all different, we all have different lives, but at the end of the day, we need to find what this common ground is between us. … Being a mom is hard enough, so the last thing we need as moms is feeling like I’m disapproving of you or you’re disapproving of me. I mean, God forbid our children actually act like 4-year-olds at one point or throw a tantrum! That happens to every single mom. So encouraging [each other] could be a very powerful thing.
