Podcast Summary:

Becoming You with Suzy Welch
Episode: Two Boomers and a Zoomer Walk Into a Bar… And A Values Hoedown Ensues ft. "Excuse My Grandma"
Date: October 28, 2025
Host: Suzy Welch (NYU Stern Professor, journalist, bestselling author)
Guests: Kim and "Grandma" from the multigenerational media brand "Excuse My Grandma"

Episode Overview

This episode unpacks generational differences and bridge-building through the lens of personal values. Suzy Welch invites Kim and her grandmother ("Excuse My Grandma") to take and discuss their results on the Values Bridge, a tool that helps people understand and articulate their most important values—and the degree to which they’re actually living those values. Through lively, loving conversation, the trio explores how upbringing, age, and cultural shifts shape what we care about, highlighting how open dialogue (and a sense of humor) allows for mutual understanding without conflict.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Backstory of "Excuse My Grandma"

[01:27–03:40]

• Kim explains how the media brand began during the COVID-19 pandemic, after moving in with her grandparents:

  “I was in my early 20s going on lots of dates and grandma was getting very involved in all of it… Let's start a podcast together.” — Kim [02:14]

• Quickly expanded to TikTok and Instagram, building a following of over 1.5 million across generations.
• Grandma credits Kim as the driving force but appreciates being the “talent,” noting their audience is about 50% over 50.

2. The Art of Bridge-Building Across Generations

[03:40–05:53]

• Suzy highlights their public model of loving dialogue through disagreement:

  “You have these conversations which are sometimes you don't agree… It's like the conversations we all want to have. We want to talk about the differences in values in a way that is loving and not explosive.” — Suzy [03:40]

• Grandma shares tips for staying connected across generations (tech adoption, intentional communication).

3. Values Bridge Assessment: How They Compare

[05:53–14:20]

Grandma’s Top Values

• Family Centricism: Family as the organizing life principle.
• Affluence: Desire for financial security (“It’s generational…”).
• Voice: Authentic self-expression.
• Low desire for Luminance (fame): It’s her lowest value; she participates out of love for Kim.

Kim’s Top Values

• Eudaimonia: Greek for flourishing—self-care, pleasure, leisure, fun (includes mental health).

  “Every day you wake up and I'm like, this is how I'm feeling… I can't imagine pushing that down.” — Kim [11:09]

• Luminance: Ambition to be well-known.

  “Since I’m 2 years old, I’m like, I want to be a movie star.” — Kim [12:58]

• Family Centricism: Family still ranks high.

• Voice: Authentic self-expression, but less realized than desired.

• Intergenerational contrasts:

  • Older generations (Grandma, Suzy) have lower emphasis on self-care (Eudaimonia) and fame (Luminance), higher on affluence and family.
  • Younger generation (Kim) sees self-care as an antidote to anxiety and is comfortable desiring recognition.

4. The Meaning and Expression of Values

[14:20–22:49]

• Belovedness (romantic importance):

  • Kim: Low. Career and autonomy are a priority.
  • Grandma: Higher, reflects cultural context where women centered lives on partners.

  “Would you give up your career for a man?”
  “No.” — Both [19:29–19:34]

• Generational context:

  • Grandma notes women had fewer career opportunities: “Very few women had careers…families were your career.” [20:39]
  • Kim reflects possibility of values changing after “seismic events” (marriage, children, loss).

5. How Values Change—Or Don’t

[22:49–25:21]

• Suzy summarizes academic perspectives:

  • Values mostly set by age 25.
  • Expression of values can shift after major life changes (“seismic events”) but generally remain stable.

  “The pandemic was one of these things that just shifted everybody’s values around…changing your values is a really big deal.” — Suzy [25:04]

• Grandma reflects on negative impacts of pandemic isolation for older generations, while Kim notes it gave her space to reflect on what she truly wanted.

6. Authenticity Gap: Where Are You Living Your Values—& Where Not?

[26:47–32:49]

• Kim:

  • Eudaimonia & Luminance: Not as fully lived as desired (“Bring it!”) [27:54].
  • Voice: Wants to express herself more apart from the duo dynamic with Grandma.

    “I would love for everyone to know me a little bit more and, like, even personally, like find out…what my personal brand is.” — Kim [28:22]

  • Radius (impact) & Agency (control/autonomy): Largest gaps—feels not making as big an impact or having as much personal agency as she hopes.

    “I never feel like I’m doing enough, like, to help…to leave a mark permanently.” — Kim [30:52] “A lot of people in my life have opinions and want to tell me how to live my life.” — Kim [31:54]

• Grandma:

  • Family Centricism, Voice, Place, Belonging: No gap; she’s living as she wishes.
  • Affluence: Wants more financial security (possibly for legacy).
  • Luminance: Too much exposure; she participates for Kim’s sake, not her own.

    “I’m looking to get rid of things, not...get more.” — Grandma [29:25]

7. Relationship Values & Communication

[16:08–17:59]

• Suzy discusses how mismatch in values causes relationship issues.
• Naming specific values/language makes “values conversations” concrete and productive.

  “The limits of my language are the limits of my world.” — Student via Suzy (referencing Wittgenstein) [17:42]

8. Closing Thoughts: Modeling Loving Disagreement

[34:23–35:00]

• Suzy summarizes: Open, values-based dialogue models how to disagree lovingly, and grow closer rather than apart.

  “You allow people then to go and have conversations like this with the people around them…your ability to talk about values in a way that’s actually incredibly loving and respectful without caving to the other person.” — Suzy [34:47]

• Kim and Grandma reflect on feeling heard, sometimes compromising, and sometimes standing firm—a healthy dynamic.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Generational Understanding:

  • “Everybody has joy from a different thing. To me, joy would be seeing family…not so much in going to a gym and feeling like I had buffed up for the weekend.” — Grandma [09:38]

• On Changing Values Over Time:

  • “I think that they’re pretty stable over our lives. We do, though, have seismic events.” — Suzy [24:17]
  • “If I had to do it again, maybe it might be different. You can't even do it because I wasn't raised…It’s also generational.” — Grandma [21:07]

• On Self-Care and Anxiety:

  • “For people who are younger…they’ll talk about Eudaimonia as being their defense against anxiety. Anxiety is something that…It's almost like the specter hanging over the younger generations.” — Suzy [10:09]

• On Fame/Ambition Conflict:

  • “Should I feel bad that I'm making her do her last thing for my first thing or is because family's her first, it's like a mutually beneficial…” — Kim [14:20]
  • “I think it’s mutually beneficial…also, I’m having a lot of fun.” — Grandma [14:37]

• On Relationship Priorities:

  • “I feel like there are things that are so intrinsic to me that I'm not changing myself for a man. 100.” — Kim [19:34]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:27] — How “Excuse My Grandma” began (Kim)
• [03:40] — Value of loving disagreement (Suzy)
• [06:09] — Grandma’s top values revealed (Suzy)
• [08:37] — Eudaimonia and anxiety as generational value (Kim & Suzy)
• [12:29] — Kim’s drive for fame/luminance (Suzy & Kim)
• [14:20] — Intergenerational value conflicts (Kim & Grandma)
• [19:29] — Would you give up your career for a man? (“No.”)
• [22:49] — Are values set or do they change? (Suzy’s research)
• [26:51] — Discussion of authenticity gaps (Suzy)
• [28:22] — Kim on self-expression gap
• [30:52] — Kim on legacy/radius gap
• [31:54] — Agency gap and feeling controlled
• [34:47] — How to talk about values lovingly (Suzy)

Structure of Episode

• Introduction & Context: Suzy sets up the conversation around values and bridge-building.
• Origin Story: Kim and Grandma narrate their journey to becoming a media brand.
• Values Bridge Deep Dive: Going through each’s top values and comparing generational differences.
• Authenticity Gap: Where each is or isn’t living their stated values.
• Communication Tips: Language for value-based conversations, especially in relationships.
• Broader Implications: How values shape life and how the pandemic triggered value-shifts.
• Closing: Modeling mutual respect, loving dialogue, and the importance of “running back and forth on the bridge.”

Tone & Takeaway

Lively, candid, and loving—this episode delivers humor, wisdom, and actionable insights. Suzy’s framework and the guests’ openness make “values” vivid and tangible, offering listeners a roadmap for bridging generational divides in their own lives—all grounded in frank self-reflection and respect.