DaBaddest Radio – "Track Meets Trauma"

Host: Bretman Rock
Co-hosts: Princess, Ms. K, Kat (Producer)
Date: September 18, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode of DaBaddest Radio blends laughs, Filipino cultural nostalgia, deep family reflections, and some good old-fashioned competition. Bretman, Princess, and Ms. K gather in their newly chosen studio location to get vulnerable about grief, the importance of healing, and the realities of navigating blended families, all under the playful framework of a sports-themed episode. Highlights include their favorite sports facts, a lighthearted sports pop quiz, heartfelt revelations about losing parents, and an emotional announcement from Princess.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Moving to a New Studio Location

• The crew discusses filming outside the usual dome due to lighting issues.
• Everyone remarks on how much better the vibes and sound are, with Ms. K and Princess saying, "I lowkey love it." (03:35)

2. Sports-Themed Fits & Fun Facts

• Inspired by Filipino "intramurals"—school sports days—everyone dresses in sporty looks.
• Ms. K wears baseball attire ("I only like baseball because of the men," - 01:08), but admits her crush is Shohei Otani.
• Princess reps basketball and shares her favorite fun facts:
  • Basketball invented by Dr. James Naismith in 1891, with original hoops as peach baskets and games once being 9-on-9. (06:09)
  • "If you were taller than 6'8", you got free admission to the first NBA game." (07:35)
• Bretman represents track & field:
  • Track and field is the oldest Olympic sport, dating back to 776 BC.
  • "The marathon started with the story of Pheidippides, the Greek soldier who ran to Athens and died from exhaustion." (09:18)

3. Olympic Faves & School Sports Stories

• They swap stories on favorite Olympic events:

  • Bretman loves badminton ("We don't ever talk about badminton enough...I love a good badminton match." - 10:43) and figure skating.
  • Ms. K enjoys javelin and relay races.
  • Princess prefers gymnastics and ping pong—especially those super-speedy matches.

• Anecdotes include Bretman's high school crush as a badminton rival, and Ms. K sharing childhood reminiscence: "When I first came to America...there was no book of badminton, just a printed-out paper." (11:13)

4. The Power of Girly-Pop Sports

• Praises for volleyball, synchronized swimming, and the “girly-pop” sports:
  • “All the girly pop ones!” – Ms. K and Bretman, on what they love to watch at the Olympics. (12:42)

5. Tea of the Week: VMAs & Pop Memories

• Ms. K asks about recent VMAs:
  • Bretman raves about New York as the best locale for the VMAs, reminisces about iconic Lady Gaga, Rihanna, and Beyoncé moments.
  • Princess remembers Miley Cyrus vs. Nicki Minaj as her standout VMA memory.
    Quote:
    "That was a very—that was culture. Like the world shifted when she asked, 'Miley, what's good?'" (16:13)

6. Fertility of the Week: Navigating Blended Families

• Princess opens up about patience and empathy in blended families:
  • "All the kids come from different households and they're taught different things...be patient with them. This is their first time being little humans." (18:44)
  • Example: Divergent household rules, like whether it’s okay to eat meals with screens.
  • Both Princess and Bretman talk about navigating gender stereotypes with children: "In this house, everything is for you. Everything is anything." (22:30)

7. Princess’s Big Announcement

• Princess emotionally announces a temporary departure:
  • “I won’t be leaving DaBaddest Radio. I just need some things...to finish and be consistent with...It’s just a ‘see you later’.” (22:52)
  • She aims to return after tackling personal, family, and creative goals.

8. Main Segment: Track Meets Trauma – Grief, Healing, & Family

• Bretman shares a poignant reflection about grieving his father and the process of healing:

  "I never got to properly grieve my dad...I refused to see him laid in the casket...so many people came to ask me for a picture [at his funeral]...A moment I needed but never got or understood." (25:01)

  • Talks about progressing from resentment and numbness to acceptance and honoring his father's memory.
  • Ms. K and Princess add their perspectives, including experiences of loss and estrangement from their own fathers.
  • Ms. K recalls a dream with her late father around her graduation: "In a way, that gave me a chance to see he sees me graduating." (34:07)
  • The theme: There is no perfect path to grieving, and self-forgiveness is crucial.

  Memorable Quotes:

  • "Don't blame yourself. I think so much of me—and not forgiving my dad—was just, I was blaming me a lot." – Bretman (35:36)
  • "Honestly, for me, after dad passed away, it made me love and appreciate my mom more..." – Princess (37:02)

9. Healing, Humor, and Family Bonds

• Uplifting chat on cherishing loved ones, especially their mom.
  • “Once she’s gone, it’s like... I personally won’t have that one person that I feel like I could be a kid again…” – Princess (37:58)

10. Sports Pop Quiz: Laughter & Learning (group, 39:29–46:58)

• Kat leads a fun sports terminology quiz.

• Hilarity ensues as everyone fumbles through football, basketball, tennis, volleyball, soccer, and bowling vocabulary.

  Highlights:

  • “Wide receiver? That’s a football player—he catches the ball.” – Princess (40:17)
  • “In tennis, love means...umm...the point before you win?” – Ms. K (42:08)
  • “Strike!” – All, on bowling (43:55)
  • “What’s a turkey?” – (Three strikes in a row. 44:17)
  • “If you’re good at any sport—what would it be?”
    Princess: boxing ("To get more concussion." 48:15),
    Bretman: figure skating,
    Ms. K: cheer.

11. Music Memories: Songs on Your Birth Date (49:03)

• The crew discovers the number one songs the week they were born:
  • Princess: "Maria Maria" – Santana (49:49)
  • Ms. K: "Mo Money Mo Problems"
  • Bretman: "A Friend of Mine" by Kelly Price (and "Too Close" by Next)
• They urge listeners to share their own birthdate songs.

12. Product of the Week Recommendations (51:54)

• Bretman: Illiyoon Ceramide Ato Concentrate Cream – "Great for sensitive, dry skin...worth your money." (51:59)
• Ms. K: Bag charm from Made in Hawaii – "I've been obsessed with key charms." (52:46)
• Princess: Bangles by Joi (Instagram small business) – Lovingly matches with her kids. (53:09)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Grief:
  "I never got to ever properly grief my dad...Everything was numb." – Bretman (25:01)
• On Blended Families:
  "Just be patient with them and remember that this is their first time being little humans..." – Princess (18:44)
• On Children's Gender Stereotypes:
  "In this house, everything is for you. Everything is anything." – Bretman (22:30)
• On Sports:
  "We don't talk about badminton enough... Oh my God, I love a good badminton match." – Bretman (10:53)

Important Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment/Quote | |-----------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:35 | Sports day attire & Filipino "intramurals" explained | | 06:09 | Princess on basketball history & first NBA game | | 08:14 | Bretman’s track & marathon history | | 10:43 | “We don’t talk about badminton enough…” – Bretman | | 16:13 | “That was a very—that was culture.” – On Miley/Nicki VMA moment | | 18:44 | Princess on patience in blended families | | 22:52 | Princess announces leave of absence ("It’s just a ‘see you later’…") | | 25:01 | Bretman’s open letter on grieving his father | | 34:07 | Ms. K’s dream about her late dad | | 35:36 | “Don't blame yourself.” – Bretman on grief | | 39:29 | Sports pop quiz begins (Kat as host, group laughs) | | 46:58 | “If you could be great at any sport…?” | | 49:49 | Songs on the week they were born | | 51:59 | Product of the day picks begin |

Episode Tone & Takeaways

• Warm, humorous, reflective, open, supportive, family-oriented
• Seamlessly balances lighthearted sports banter with sincere, vulnerable discussions
• Major themes: healing, self-forgiveness, family bonds, and joy in small everyday things
• Encourages listeners to embrace their own stories, be patient with themselves/others, and celebrate being “the baddest” in their unique way

Listen If:

You love a mix of Filipino culture, hilariously relatable family moments, sports trivia, emotional real talk, and a healthy dose of Bretman Rock’s signature confidence and compassion.

Follow-up prompt for listeners:
“Comment your #1 song from your birth week and why you think it describes you!”