Podcast Summary
Podcast: Don't Listen To Us
Episode: "A New Year Without Resolutions And With Lots of Songs"
Hosts: Mandy Patinkin, Kathryn Grody, Gideon Grody Patinkin
Release Date: January 7, 2026
Network: Lemonada Media
Episode Overview
This lively, freewheeling episode finds the Patinkin-Grody family entering the new year without resolutions, but full of stories, advice, and spontaneous song. They reflect on aging, family mishaps, the futility (and guilt) of New Year's resolutions, the nature of forgiveness, and cross-generational slang. True to form, the trio navigates listener questions with banter, candor, humor, and a few musical interludes.
Key Discussion Points
1. Aging, Labels, and Youthfulness
- Opening banter (01:05–01:46) centers on what it means to be "old," with the hosts playfully debating whether "elder," "fogy," or "crotchety old" best describes them.
- Kathryn: "I'm ancient middle now, honey."
- Mandy: "Elder? No... What about crotchety old?"
- They riff on generational labels and stages of life.
2. New Year's Eve Memories & Sleepwalking Through Y2K
- Gideon shares his story of accidentally sleeping through Y2K in Hawaii at age 14 (01:50–03:23), missing the “end of the world” party he'd prepped for.
- Kathryn: “It was the most upset I'd ever seen you in your whole life.” (03:01)
- Anecdotes about sleep-talking and emergency mishaps ensue, including a panic-induced response to a friend’s heart attack (03:39–04:08) and Mandy’s dramatic restaurant choking incident (04:18–04:59).
3. Listener Question #1: The Guilt of Broken Resolutions
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Jesse writes in about perpetually failed New Year's resolutions to read more, sparking a roundtable on the value and pressure of resolutions (05:30–07:57).
- Mandy: "I've never made a New Year's resolution. I can't take the pressure." (06:02)
- Kathryn: "Monday's the New Year's of the week. I sort of agree with dad that New Year's resolutions are...kind of bogus." (06:52)
- Suggestions for Jesse include using audiobooks to fit reading into a busy schedule (07:08).
- Gideon cites a New York Times article stating audiobook comprehension is as strong as reading (07:26).
Memorable Moment:
- Kathryn: "If I had a resolution for dad, I'd probably say, take a breath before you act." (08:12)
- Mandy, deadpan: "Jesse and Gideon are responsible for our divorce." (08:24)
4. Listener Question #2: The Complexity of Forgiveness
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Karen from Boston shares her philosophy that forgiveness is a gift to oneself, not a statement of condoning harm, referencing family tensions over whether to forgive a problematic brother (09:14–10:26).
- Karen (listener): "Forgiveness absolutely does not mean that I agree with what another person did. It's a gift I give myself."
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The hosts debate the concept:
- Mandy: "I have a particular attitude toward forgiveness. I don't do it because I don't think it's necessary." (10:26)
- He critiques societal obsession with "fixing" things, advocating instead for sitting with discomfort:
"Why can't you...stay with the discomfort? ...Some things are uncomfortable...they don't need to be forgiven." (11:35) - Kathryn pushes back: "I think this is an example of how two things can maybe be true...You and your sister needed to forgive...for yourselves." (12:06)
Discussion Highlights:
- Forgiveness versus acceptance—are they different or overlapping?
- Mandy’s struggle with inability to self-forgive:
"I think everything I do is wrong. I think I'm always in trouble. I wouldn't have a minute to live...because I would be asking forgiveness 24/7." (12:56) - Kathryn’s acting-rooted empathy: "I try and understand where a person's coming from...There's a difference between behavior that is absolutely forgivable to me...and behavior that there is no forgiveness for." (14:01)
- Critique of generational rigidity:
Kathryn: "I do sometimes find that particular generation rather doctrinaire and rigid in their rights and wrongs...not as open to nuance..." (16:13)
5. Listener Story: The Worst Advice — Bear Edition
- Susan submits a comical but risky anecdote about a school administrator instructing her son “run downhill from a bear,” which is patently false (19:00–22:14).
- Kathryn shares real-life bear encounters and the real advice: "Don't run from any bears even if I'm on a horizontal flat road with them." (23:13)
- Gideon summarizes: "Don't run from bears." (26:01)
- Mandy, ever the showman, delivers a musical riff about bears and bad advice (25:12–25:45).
6. Intergenerational Slang Game
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"Hang Time" segment: Gideon tests parents on Gen Z slang (26:23–32:31):
- Riz:
- Kathryn: "I think it means enthusiasm."
- Actual meaning: Charisma, charm.
- Mandy: "I think it means erection." (27:26)
- Drip: Stylish, cool; not “pee.”
- Delulu: Delusional.
- Cap: A lie; “no cap” = no lie.
- De blovo: Made up by Gideon, leading to family confusion and laughter.
Notable Exchanges:
- Gideon: "Dad has penis on the mind. It's okay." (28:20)
- Kathryn: "Can you make me a list of these? I want to use [them]." (30:04)
- Mandy: "This was a shitty podcast...Only we took up too much time singing a song." (32:42)
- Riz:
Notable Quotes & Moments
- On resolutions:
- Mandy: "I've seen it in movies, but I've never done it." (06:20)
- Gideon: "Monday's the New Year's of the week." (06:49)
- On forgiveness:
- Mandy: "What are you, a deity? You have to forgive yourself? Aren’t you a human being? Don’t human beings make mistakes?...Does everything need to be forgiven?" (10:43)
- Kathryn: "I have a friend that I wish had forgiven me because I talked too much at lunch once and she never spoke to me again." (16:13)
- On bad advice:
- Kathryn: "That is really amazing that that administrator said something about what he clearly doesn't know about." (23:13)
- On slang:
- Gideon: "No one says de blovo." (32:22)
Timestamps for Key Segments
- Aging and Labels: 01:05–01:46
- Y2K Sleep Story: 01:50–03:23
- Listener Q1: Resolutions: 05:30–08:24
- Listener Q2: Forgiveness: 09:14–16:13
- Bear Advice Anecdote: 19:00–26:01
- Slang Game: 26:23–32:31
Episode Tone & Feel
The episode is warm, chaotic, and wise but never preachy—full of classic Patinkin-Grody banter, generational digressions, off-the-cuff musical numbers, and gentle advice for listeners who, like the hosts, may be skeptical of advice shows. The hosts embrace their flaws and encourage acceptance, humor, and curiosity in navigating family, age, and the fakakta world.
Takeaway Advice
- Skip New Year's resolutions if they make you feel guilty; find joy in smaller, consistent habits instead.
- Forgive for your own peace, but don’t feel pressured to forgive unless it’s right for you.
- Don’t run from bears—literally or figuratively.
- Communication across generations can be fun (if confusing); embrace the slang, or invent your own.
Summary compiled for listeners who want all the wit, wisdom, and comic chaos without having to listen—though if you do, don't say they didn't warn you.