Podcast Summary

Don’t Listen To Us with Mandy Patinkin & Kathryn Grody

Episode: Quit Your Job, Joy as Protest and a Family Secret
Date: October 22, 2025
Host: Lemonada Media
Main Speakers: Mandy Patinkin, Kathryn Grody, Gideon Grody Patinkin

Overview

This lively, multi-generational episode of Don’t Listen to Us features the Patinkin-Grody family offering unvarnished, heartfelt, and often hilarious advice to listeners on finding joy as protest, facing the fear of quitting your job, and navigating the persistent sense of youthfulness as we age. It also features a candid family confession involving gin and bathtub fire, serving as both comic relief and a meditation on parental progress. The show’s signature blend of open-hearted wisdom, real-life anecdotes, and loving banter makes for a rich, relatable listen.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Feeling Young at Heart Versus Getting Older

(Listener: Willie Conway, 04:43)

• Willie's Question: "Why does the mind feel it does not match the age we are? I’m a kid at heart."
  • Mandy reflects on "the greatest gift in the world"—maintaining a youthful spirit regardless of age, recounting a childhood memory of his father's love for The Little Engine That Could and the resilience it represented (01:25–02:25).
  • Kathryn points out that our inner child never leaves us, and society's perception often clashes with our self-perception:

    “The kid that you were is inside of you always. …Your attitude and your curiosity is what keeps you, your brain and your mind active…” (07:34)

  • Gideon notes the normalization and new popularity of non-traditional living arrangements and "chosen family," highlighting how community and companionship manifest in different forms beyond romance (09:18–10:27).
  • Mandy admits to resisting the word "community" when it feels forced, but cherishes the feeling of being “in commune” with those who share his values (11:36–12:24).
  • Notable Quote:

    "Norman Lear was asked, when he was 100, how old he felt, and he said, 'I feel as old as whoever I'm talking to.’” – Kathryn (14:24)

2. Joy and Laughter as Acts of Protest

(Listener: Maria from Sydney, Australia, 18:20)

• Maria asks: “How do you manage to be not so serious about life and still have fun, especially as we all get older?”
  • Kathryn tells a moving story about a dying friend, whose last words were simply, “have fun,” and frames joy as resistance:

    “One of the things that rebuts [sorrow] and an act of resistance is to find joy and fun anyway…" (19:16)

  • Family rituals for finding joy: daily long hikes, grandkids, indulgent ice cream, and the importance of naps as one ages.
  • Mandy shares that making each other laugh, especially in moments of tension, is central to their relationship:

    "We often, in the middle of the heat of some insane losing-it…discussion, we start laughing because we see how absurd we are." (21:29)

  • Kathryn highlights the gratitude that comes with surviving to later years, contrasting with the early deaths of her own parents (22:12–22:47).
  • Mandy emphasizes the importance of doing things that keep both body and mind active—walks, music, memorization, and meeting new people—as the secret to staying young and happy (25:56–26:31).

3. Taking Risks: Quitting Your Job and Pursuing Dreams

(Listener: Britt, Live Caller, Professional Chef, 29:36)

• Britt’s Dilemma: Wants to leave her decent-paying job with benefits to start a food truck but fears losing stability, letting people down, and financial insecurity.
  • The family showers Britt with approval and warmth—“I wanted to marry you!” jokes Kathryn (31:02).
  • Britt describes her vision of a breakfast-focused, community-centered food truck and reaching out to local factories as clients—already demonstrating courage and ingenuity (32:35–33:32).
  • Mandy reframes job loss as opportunity:

    "I've always wished the actor's mentality for my corporate friends so they wouldn't be afraid of the job ending, they'd be afraid of it continuing. Because the glory of an ending is then you go to a new job, new experience, new people." (34:32–36:11)

  • Gideon and Kathryn urge practical consideration—but affirm that risk can be as scary as not risking:

    “Is it more scary not to take the risk?” – Kathryn (38:39)

  • Kathryn and Mandy share personal examples of creative risk (“Let’s hold hands and jump off the cliff!”) and the idea that you can always course-correct after failure.
  • Kathryn tells the "starfish story," reinforcing the impact of small, community-centered actions (42:39).
  • Britt shares her dream of using the food truck to give back—serving free breakfasts to the local food pantry.
  • Mandy’s advice, paraphrasing his Zen Buddhist uncle:

    “Our actions are the ground we walk on.” (40:30) “If you don’t want to take a risk, don’t bother getting up.” (43:55)

4. Family Secrets and Parental Progress

(Segment: Gideon’s Secrets, 44:26)

• Gideon confesses to a mishap from childhood—setting gin on fire in the bathroom, nearly burning the house down, and furiously scrubbing the evidence away before his parents returned (44:39–47:21).
• Mandy and Kathryn are both incredulous and impressed; Kathryn especially believes the story.
• The family reflects on their own childhood secrets and the difference in parental responses across generations. Mandy contrasts his own reaction (“not embraced for my curiosity and nurtured for my suffering") with how he treated his children (49:46–50:16).

  "Some people continue the harm that their parents have done. And some people learn from it." – Gideon (50:16) "Hurt people, hurt people." – Kathryn (51:34)

Notable Quotes

• On the secret of youth:

  “I think we are kids till the moment we die. I think it’s one of the greatest gifts you’ve been given as a human being.” — Mandy (06:15)

• On risk and regret:

  “If you have a dream...if you don’t try it, you will never forgive yourself. What do you have to lose? ...You may hit the pot of gold. ...When you do what you love...that’s your destiny.” — Mandy (25:24, 40:30–41:06)

• On joy as protest:

  “There’s a lot of sorrow in our lives, in the world, and I think one of the things that rebuts it and an act of resistance is to find joy and fun anyway.” — Kathryn (19:16)

• On community:

  “‘Intentional community,’ meaning, you know, that you’ll all take care of each other… I may need it at one point, but I’m gonna just be a little stupid and not plan for it.” — Mandy (12:24)

• On family progress:

  “You didn’t get the kind of compassion … when you were vulnerable, and you were able to not carry that forward and be loving and kind and wonderful to your children when they were in any kind of trouble, physical or emotional. And I think that’s a great thing to really hear.” — Kathryn (50:39)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Book talk & aging: 00:56–04:43
• Willie’s question (youthful mind, aging body): 04:43–14:35
• Maria’s question (joy, ageing, protest through fun): 18:08–27:15
• Britt’s dilemma (quitting job for food truck dream): 29:36–44:22
• Gideon’s Family Secret (gin fire story): 44:26–47:26
• Reflections on childhood secrets & parental progress: 47:26–51:34

Tone & Language

The episode blends warmth, humor, candid family banter, and gentle irreverence. The hosts balance empathetic listening (especially Kathryn) with playful skepticism (often via Gideon’s asides and Mandy’s larger-than-life stories). Tough topics—grief, anxiety, regret—are addressed with vulnerability and comic relief, resulting in a tone that is both comforting and energizing.

Memorable Moments

• Mandy’s story about The Little Engine That Could as the only book his father ever loved (01:25–01:37)
• Kathryn’s concise wisdom from her dying friend: “Have fun” (19:16)
• Britt’s food truck idea lighting up the family, especially Kathryn’s “I just, I wanted to marry you” (31:02)
• Gideon’s harrowing confession of setting fire to the bathroom as a child (44:43–47:21)
• Genuine moments of family accountability and generational healing, “Some people continue the harm that their parents have done. And some people learn from it.” (50:16)

Takeaways

• The mind’s youthfulness is both a gift and a protest against the stereotypes (and surprise) brought by aging.
• Joy is an act of resistance, and laughter can bridge even the most difficult conversations.
• Pursuing dreams, even at risk, is essential; regret stems more from inaction than failure.
• Vulnerability and honesty about youthful mistakes foster intergenerational healing.

For more stories or to submit your own questions, reach the hosts at askmandyandcatherinemail.com or their socials.