Crissle’s Couch — Session 15 ft. Jade

Podcast by CAKE MEDIA
Original Air Date: February 17, 2026

Episode Overview

This week on Crissle’s Couch, host Crissle welcomes back fan-favorite Jade for a laughter-filled, honest, and empathetic session tackling listener letters. Crystal and Jade serve up candid advice, sharp social commentary, and a blend of tough love and encouragement, touching on fears about parenthood, financial strain in relationships, friendship fallouts, workplace drama, and wedding party woes—all with their signature mix of humor and heart.

Featured Topics & Key Insights

1. Fear of Parenthood and Mental Health

(06:00 – 16:30)

• Listener Letter: “What can I do if I’m genuinely terrified of having kids because of family history with mental health and addiction issues?”
• Key Points:
  • Crissle:
    • Acknowledges the real anxiety around bringing kids into the world and validates the option to opt out of parenthood if fear is overwhelming.

      “You don’t have to do that if you’re genuinely terrified, like you quite literally said you were, of having kids.” (06:25)

    • Emphasizes there's no guarantees with having children and every child is unique—positive and negative outcomes are unpredictable.
    • Notes that even perfect parents can’t shield their kids from every challenge.
  • Jade:
    • Shares her own initial fear of pregnancy and motherhood, referencing her own family’s struggles and her daughter’s quirks:

      “I was genuinely terrified of having a child for multiple reasons, for the physical pain, for what I could not control as far as how their personality would come out...” (09:34)

    • Explains that parenting is filled with challenge but also immense joy:

      “She has been my greatest teacher and my greatest lesson in this life. And my biggest challenge as well.” (11:00)

    • Encourages not to parent from a place of fear, while also being pragmatic about the lack of guarantees.
    • Highlights the importance of balancing awareness of potential difficulties with openness to the joys and rewards of parenting.
• Memorable Moment:
  • Crissle brings humor to a heavy topic with stories about her dog, Lainey, and quick asides about quirky children and family dynamics.

2. Relationship Strain and Financial Imbalance

(16:28 – 38:00)

• Listener Letter: “I supported my partner through loss and a career change, but now I’m shouldering all the bills. She wants to move out, but doesn’t want to break up. Advice?”
• Key Points:
  • Crissle:
    • Points out the classic mistake of moving in too soon, especially before seeing how a partner handles adulthood (“You are the new parent now.”).
    • Urges the listener to evaluate the relationship based on present actions, not just past potential or early compatibility:

      “You are enabling this behavior ... You’re not putting her in a position to grow up.” (37:53)

    • Stresses the importance of boundaries and self-care, especially when one partner is unwilling to contribute equally.
  • Jade:
    • Brings a chef’s perspective, warning about the realities of the hospitality industry (“You will never be sustained the way you think you will as a chef.” 23:54).
    • Uses tough love to press the listener to prioritize their own needs:

      “You gotta be a little better to yourself. Like, you have not considered yourself in any of these decisions...” (25:19)

    • Highlights the pitfalls of propping up a partner ignoring consequences of their choices.
• Notable Quotes:
  • Crissle, on boundaries:

    “... you gotta weigh all the sides. I just don’t want you to go in and be like, ugh, what if my kid’s a crackhead?” (15:02)

  • Jade, on enabling partners:

    “You didn’t sign up to be responsible for it until you did.” (26:17)

• Actionable Advice:
  • Don’t keep shouldering someone else’s responsibilities; it’s time to put your foot down, reclaim your peace, and if needed, end it.

3. Friendship Fallouts and Communication

(39:06 – 50:30)

• Listener Letter: “I lost a close friend after a minor conflict and she cut me off. Did I do something wrong?”
• Key Points:
  • Crissle & Jade:
    • Agree the “conflict” wasn’t friendship-ending and that sometimes, people (especially new friends post-move) just aren’t a good fit long-term.
    • Discuss the dangers of letting resentment simmer:

      “If my friends would be like, you know what we ask each other ... Do you want feedback or do you just want me to listen?” (42:15)

    • Jade suggests the listener’s irritation may have seeped through, possibly making their comment harsher than intended.
    • Both agree on the value of being honest about irritation early on to avoid blowups.
• Memorable Moment:
  • Crissle & Jade lampoon the friend’s long, teary voice message and mailing back the keys with tongue-in-cheek dramatics.
• Advice Summed Up:
  • “Say things when they get on your nerves and not let it fester.” (49:10)
  • Sometimes friendships serve a purpose and pass—let them go and move forward.

4. Workplace Drama: “Too Polished” and Not Being Heard

(50:39 – 63:18)

• Listener Letter: “A teacher I supervise refused to do her duties, yelled at me; my manager told me I was ‘too polished’ and made it my job to fix the relationship.”
• Key Points:
  • Jade:
    • Immediately zeros in on the problem: the manager undermined the listener.

      “Your manager is the problem here.” (53:32)

    • Calls out the absurdity of “too polished” as an actual critique.

      “That would make me cuss you out. And then I dare you to fire me for that.” (55:38)

  • Crissle:
    • Encourages documenting everything and keeping communication strictly professional.

      “There’s nothing else for me and you to talk about. Cause you disrespected the fuck out of me.” (57:35)

    • Urges seeking support up the management chain or through HR if necessary.
    • Empathizes with the structural challenges educators face, encourages finding fulfillment in serving students, and not to let toxic adults ruin the positive aspects of the work.
• Memorable Exchange:
  • Jade on incompetent bosses:

    “If anybody out there would like to take care of me and all I have to do is ... and me by proxy ... I come with her!” (35:38)

• Advice:
  • Stay professional, protect your peace, and escalate as needed—but remember why you’re in your job in the first place.

5. Wedding Woes: Friends, Exes, and RSVPs

(63:43 – 73:38)

• Listener Letter: “My nonbinary friend Eric cheated on their fiancée Liz. Now neither has RSVP’d to my wedding. I wanted both there—even as wedding party members. What do I do?”
• Key Points:
  • Crissle:
    • Stresses Eric should step up:

      “Their former fiancée ... Eric and Liz should be able to put on their adult underpants. There’s a bitch I don’t like a lot of places I go.” (66:36)

    • Questions why either would let their personal drama upstage the joy of a close friend’s wedding.
  • Jade:
    • Adds empathy, noting sometimes drama is just unavoidable, but agrees the focus should be on the couple’s happiness, not others' mess:

      “They’re either going to choose not to be there or they’re going to choose to be there. ... What you gonna do at that point?” (68:41)

    • Advocates for transparency—have honest conversations with both parties, but don’t let their baggage steal your joy.
• Advice:
  • Be upfront but don’t twist yourself in knots over grown folks’ decisions—focus on your union.
• Memorable Quip:
  • Jade on RSVP etiquette:

    “Don’t show up. You better send me a crock pot.” (70:10)

Notable Quotes & Timestamp Quick Reference

• “If you feel like, oh God, if I had a kid with severe mental health issues ... you can just opt out. You weren’t born being a parent.” —Crissle (06:25)
• “Sometimes ... the quietest things ... Kids are some of the funniest you'll ever. Hilarious, funny.” —Jade (10:38)
• “You’re not putting her in a position to do that. You are enabling this behavior in a way ...” —Crissle (37:53)
• “You gotta be a little better to yourself. Like, you have not considered yourself in any of these decisions, right?” —Jade (25:42)
• “Say things when they get on your nerves and not let it fester is so important.” —Crissle (49:10)
• “Your manager’s the problem here. No, but that’s what I’m saying. The manager ... you’re a higher up.” —Jade (53:32)
• “There’s nothing else for me and you to talk about ... Cause you disrespected the fuck out of me.” —Crissle (57:35)
• “Eric and Liz should be able to put on their adult underpants about this ... Like, there’s a bitch I don’t like a lot of places I go.” —Crissle (66:36)
• “If you don’t think you can put that hurt aside, it will make me sad to not have you there, but...” —Jade (71:07)

Recurring Memorable Moments

• “Annoying the dog shit out of me” running joke, Jade & Crissle apply humor when friendships grate on their nerves.
• Child and pet antics: frequent, genuine laughs about Jade's daughter and Lainey, Crissle's dog, grounding the advice in everyday realities.
• Witty digs at capitalism: recurring critique of workplace dynamics, financial struggle, and societal pressures.

Timestamps for Major Listener Letters

• Fear of Parenthood/Mental Health: 06:00 – 16:30
• Relationship Financial Imbalance: 16:28 – 38:00
• Friendship Fallout: 39:06 – 50:30
• Workplace Drama (“Too Polished”): 50:39 – 63:18
• Wedding Woes: 63:43 – 73:38

Takeaways & Episode Tone

• Empathetic, honest, unfiltered—Crissle and Jade offer both affirmation and gentle challenge without shying away from hard truths.
• Humorous and relatable—real-life examples, quick wit, and sidebar banter keep tough topics approachable and engaging.
• Accountability with Care—Listeners are encouraged to set boundaries, advocate for themselves, and seek joy, but also to be self-aware and considerate.

Conclusion

Session 15 of Crissle’s Couch delivers deeply relatable, sharp, and funny advice on the messiness of real life, relationships, work, and personal choices. If you need practical, sometimes tough, but always loving wisdom—with plenty of laughs—this is your space to feel heard, challenged, and maybe a little lighter.