Mt. Juliet couple Goose Gossett and Elaina D. Smith couldn't be more different from the outside looking in. Taking time for an interview with Mt. Juliet Lifestyle, Elaina rose to the season's occasion with a floral, flowy top, perfectly tucked hair, and a full face of makeup. She sat perched with confidence that might be intimidating if not backed by her warm, inviting smile. Goose, her husband, displayed just as much self-assuredness but opted for a more casual vibe in a t-shirt, jeans, and a baseball cap. A seemingly unlikely couple, to be sure.
Smith has ascended from one of hundreds of voices on country radio via her syndicated show, Nights with Elaina, to an official host on this year's ACM Awards red carpet (alongside television personality, entrepreneur, and author Kristin Cavallari; rising star, and viral sensation Priscilla Block, and television host Zuri Hall), among several other successes.
Becoming a star in her own right, Smith is poised to be one of the most respected voices in the business of country music. Her public persona is tempered by a vibrant personality that can find commonality and kinship with anyone open to a good glass of wine or a Friends re-run.
Smith moved to Nashville in 2013 to pursue a career in country radio and met her husband Goose shortly after on New Years' Eve 2014. The two found an instantaneous connection. Though it took years to capitalize on it, their undeniable attraction - rooted in a willingness to support one another and put each other first - allowed them to find their way back to each other.
Goose is a musician, avid hunter, fisher, and self-proclaimed wanderer. He runs a YouTube channel called “A Day In The Field” to teach and help others learn more about outdoorsy life.
"It's great to be able to dive into such different worlds, and then appeal to and meet so many different people, and have a lot of hilarious moments," Smith says of their differences.
If you spend just a few minutes talking to the pair, married since 2020, and it's clear they've found in each other love and support, it's incredibly profound and goes much deeper than any tagged social photo could portray.
"It's very easy. She finds a way to still be so kind and still champion me - and when it goes both ways, you know you're giving, but you're also getting," said Gossett of Smith. She loves me just as much as I love her."
However, maintaining that supernatural ability to connect with others is something Smith's continued to nurture by practicing self-care and setting some good old-fashioned boundaries.
"That 'I haven't taken a vacation in ten years' mentality is pretty unhealthy. I need to live my life and have my own experiences to do what I do because being on-air, I need to be able to talk about my life experiences and feel relatable."
That mindset, backed by the support of a community and her husband's love, ensures Smith's much-needed light will never be eclipsed.
"I couldn't do any of this without him," she said of Gossett.
"I have no doubt you could," he quickly replied.
