Add to Cart with Kulap Vilaysack & SuChin Pak

Episode: Bareback on Fire Horse
Airdate: February 6, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode of "Add to Cart" is deeply rooted in the metaphor of the Fire Horse, invoking the spirit of burning down what isn't serving us and entering a new year—literally and figuratively—with clarity and intensity. Kulap and SuChin candidly explore their evolving approaches to conscious consumerism, decluttering their physical and digital lives, deepening parenting philosophies, and reflecting on how current events inform their spending and actions. Peppered with signature comedic banter, the hosts share vivid imagery, relatable confessions, and actionable advice, ultimately weaving a tapestry about healing, solidarity, and the real emotional labor of being human right now.

Key Themes and Discussion Points

1. Entering the Year of the Fire Horse: Burn It Down & Start Anew

[04:07]

• Kulap draws inspiration from the Lunar New Year and the “Year of the Fire Horse,” expressing a desire to rid herself of the weight of the previous year and leap “bareback” into a new chapter.
• Both hosts discuss the exhaustion and emotional heaviness of 2026's early days, using humor and vulnerability to process their feelings.
• Quote:
  • Kulap: “The way that I wanna get on the year of a fire horse...bare back like a Mongolian steppe warrior aflame and just burn everything down.” [04:07]

2. Mutual Aid, Community Action, and Minnesota

[06:14]

• SuChin implores listeners to support mutual aid efforts in Minnesota, highlighting ongoing hardship in her home state.
• She provides practical suggestions: donating to specific funds (Women’s Foundation of Minnesota, Immigrant Rapid Response Fund, Bryant Family Fund), and using the “5 Calls” app for advocacy from home.
• Quote:
  • SuChin: “These are dark days and the only way we’re gonna get through this is if we do it together.” [08:22]
• They emphasize the privilege and accessibility of helping from a place of relative safety.

3. Practicing Values-Aligned Consumerism

[10:26]

• The “remove from cart” section is devoted to walking away from brands and services that don’t reflect the hosts’ values, even if the alternatives are imperfect.
• SuChin announces she’s canceled her Spotify and TikTok accounts, and details a boycott of Target, Home Depot, Amazon, Whole Foods, and Starbucks.
• Admits to “imperfect” protest—continuing to use some services linked to problematic corporations, but aspires for daily consistent alignment with her ethics.
• Quotes:
  • Kulap: “The blue pill is harder. We’re not saying this is an easy path that she is on and we have to support her. This is a path for a warrior.” [15:31]
  • SuChin: “I don’t want to be this mindful...I’m an old mom of a three year old. I don’t want to have to think this hard.” [15:52]
  • “We all realize that we live in multitudes and we live in complete opposition and hypocrisy. We acknowledge that.” [16:17]

4. Radical Decluttering & Spiritual Reset

[21:28]

• Kulap describes a deep commitment to decluttering her home and digital spaces—throwing out expired medication, COVID tests, unused products, and cleaning up her phone apps.
• She frames this as both practical and spiritual, referencing the Japanese “osoji” tradition of purging to remove negative energy before a new year.
• Quotes:
  • “What do I have? So, the level of clearing...anything, I am just like: nope, not using you? Gone. Get gone.” [22:55]
  • SuChin: “This is more than tidying. It is a spiritual practice to remove negative energy, preparing the space to welcome good fortune for the coming year.” [23:39]

5. The Metaphor of the Fire Horse (Reprised)

[24:30]

• The hosts repeatedly return to the “galloping fire horse” image, tying their quest for renewal and resistance to this metaphor.
• With characteristic humor, their descriptions get increasingly vivid: “the heat of her hot breath and Coo’s sweaty skin on her back,” “Rode hard and put away wet.” [24:31–24:48]

6. Add to Cart—Broadway, Travel, and Joyful Consumption

[43:51]

• Kulap recounts the joy of seeing five shows in four nights in New York City with her husband, including friends’ performances (Jason Mantzoukas, Sarah Silverman), “Taskmaster” live, “Chess,” “Spelling Bee,” and “Ragtime.”
• Sleep was the unexpected star: “No, sleep is porn for parents.” [52:09]
• Quote:
  • “It was delicious. Yeah, it’s like naughty, dirty, stanky porn. Asleep. So good.” [52:13]

7. Parenting Add to Cart: Mental Health & Accepting Help

[29:10]

• SuChin describes a parenting crisis with her tween daughter, and how an episode of Jay Shetty’s podcast with Dr. Becky reframed her understanding of parenting as a skill that requires expert coaching.
• They discuss the importance of acknowledging limitations, seeking help, and the emotional labor of parenting.
• Quotes:
  • “How do we expect to raise children differently, better than we were raised? What frame of reference am I supposed to be pulling from?” [34:01]
  • “You get not only the laundry back...you get your brain back. You get your time back. Right?” [69:43]

8. The Open Cart: The “Lead Lady” and Testing for Toxins

[55:53]

• SuChin voices anxiety about hidden toxins in everyday items, specifically referencing the influencer dubbed “the Lead Lady,” who advocates for lead testing in household goods after her child suffered lead poisoning.
• The hosts discuss balancing actionable knowledge and protecting their peace of mind—the fine line between useful awareness and spiraling anxiety.
• Quotes:
  • “This is where I sit and I’ve talked about let. Mike did get lead poisoning and we found out it was from. And I didn’t. Neither one of us knew that there could be lead in plates.” [60:30]
  • Kulap: “Let’s just see. So I’ll be interested and then I’ll borrow the kit the next time in LA and come and test out just my quick little plates. And then I’m just gonna return that right back to you.” [64:55]

9. Removing the Burden of Chores: The Power of Poplin

[65:56]

• SuChin describes how “Poplin,” a laundry outsourcing service, has radically shifted her daily life by freeing up time and mental energy previously consumed by chores.
• She notes the existential dread of spending too much life on chores, mitigated by strategic outsourcing.
• Quote:
  • “I am reporting live from the field to tell you that it is on average, like three hours a day...And that is shocking because...what would my life look like? What would I accomplish?” [66:04, 67:11]

Notable Quotes & Moments with Timestamps

• Kulap (on the Fire Horse & emotional state):
  “The way that I want to jump on the fire horse, bare back like a Mongolian steppe warrior aflame and just burn everything down.” [04:07]

• SuChin (about activism):
  “These are dark days and the only way we’re gonna get through this is if we do it together.” [08:22]

• Kulap (on boycotting brands):
  “Corporate is shaking. They lost fire horse on TikTok. Her burning credit card no longer kisses your flames.” [13:37]

• SuChin (on imperfect activism):
  “We all realize that we live in multitudes and we live in complete opposition and hypocrisy. We acknowledge that.” [16:17]
  “I just want to find ways to not like, be their bitch.” [17:53]

• Kulap (on spiritual decluttering):
  “This is more than tidying. It is a spiritual practice to remove negative energy, preparing the space to welcome good fortune for the coming year.” [23:39]

• Sleep as a luxury:
  Kulap: “Sleep is porn for parents.”
  SuChin: “It was delicious. Yeah, it’s like naughty, dirty, stanky porn. Asleep. So good.” [52:09–52:14]

• SuChin (parenting as a skill):
  “How do we expect to raise children differently, better than we were raised? What frame of reference am I supposed to be pulling from?” [34:01]

• SuChin (about chores):
  “I am reporting live from the field to tell you that it is on average, like three hours a day...what would my life look like? What would I accomplish?” [66:04, 67:11]

Segments & Timestamps

• [03:15] – Welcoming listeners & Fire Horse imagery
• [06:14] – Community action, Minnesota, and mutual aid
• [10:26] – Remove from cart: Boycotting brands, deleting apps
• [21:28] – Radical decluttering, spiritual & practical
• [29:10] – Parenting crisis: Coaching, Dr. Becky’s advice
• [43:51] – Add to cart: Joyful consumption/trip to New York
• [55:53] – Open cart: “Lead Lady,” environmental toxins in household goods
• [65:56] – Remove from cart: Chores; Add to cart: Laundry outsourcing (Poplin)

Tone & Style

As always, Kulap and SuChin blend irreverent humor (“full tits, full skin, skin from contact”), self-deprecation, and deep empathy. Their discussion is open, honest, and vulnerable, never shying from the complexity and contradictions of modern life.

For New Listeners

If you haven’t listened to the episode, expect a shot of warmth, catharsis, and actionable self-examination. You’ll be encouraged to rethink your consumer habits, declutter for your spiritual health, parent with more intention—and to let yourself off the hook for imperfect activism and the struggles of daily life.

Find more resources, products, and mutual aid links in the show notes or on their social media.