Podcast Summary
Podcast: I Said No Gifts!
Host: Bridger Winegar
Guest: Mo Fry Pasic
Episode: Mo Fry Pasic Disobeys Bridger
Release Date: December 4, 2025
Episode Overview
This episode of I Said No Gifts! features the quick-witted and charming Mo Fry Pasic. As always, host Bridger Winegar invites a guest for backyard banter with just one stipulation: no gifts. True to tradition, Mo arrives with a suspicious poster tube in hand, and what unfurls is a hilarious, spontaneous, and heartwarming conversation about childhood, curses (literal and figurative), cats, milkshakes, motivational posters, and the quirks of gifts and nostalgia.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
Bridger’s “Situation”: Rain, Power Outages, and a Cold Start
- [02:00–04:32]
- Bridger recounts his “raw” morning—power outage, cold shower in the dark, and, crucially, a house that did not flood (“Any time my house isn’t full of water, it’s a good time.”).
- Mo delights in the chaos: “Oh, I love that. I’m meeting you in such a raw form. Thank you for showing up.”
Weather, Home Energy, and the Water Curse
- [04:47–10:15]
- Mo loves rainy LA days: “Cloudy weather is like a little jacket for the world.”
- Bridger recounts stress about past floods, suggesting his family may be “cursed.” Mo offers a spiritual reframe, musing about water as both destroyer and purifier—“a very loving destroyer if you think about it” [08:08].
- Mo wonders: Is Bridger’s podcast—obsessed with gifts—actually a journey to reconcile with material attachment?
- Bridger: “Maybe the podcast brought the curse back to be healed.”
Homes, Decor, and Cats
- [10:48–14:18]
- Mo describes her home aesthetic as Feminine Scarface: “I love sort of an 80s aesthetic, but also cozy, plush blankets where you can nest.”
- They discuss pets—Bridger’s got a Rottweiler puppy (very good in the rain), Mo’s cat Vanya is an experienced traveler—and swap cat travel horror stories.
The Cat Litter Conspiracy: “Big Litter”
- [15:06–17:41]
- Both lament the state of cat litter tech, devising a tongue-in-cheek “Big Litter” conspiracy:
- Mo: “What if we've uncovered something? There will never be a solution to cat litter. People have probably been killed because there would be.” [17:21]
- Bridger, deadpan: “I would say the same level as big oil.”
- Both lament the state of cat litter tech, devising a tongue-in-cheek “Big Litter” conspiracy:
Curses, Home Vibes, and Platitudes
- [18:00–26:18]
- A running bit about being “the curse breaker” (“I never blame someone… but we can zoom out and find a personal pattern that it can release.” – Mo, [09:49]).
- Mo’s love of literal interpretation leads to sincere delight in cliché motivational posters.
- Bridger: “They are so universal, so felt and experienced, that they become trite—but they are powerful things…”
The Gift Reveal: Motivational School Posters
[21:45–26:18]
- Mo presents a poster tube containing authentic vintage motivational school posters inherited from a great aunt who was a principal in LA:
- Sample posters include:
- “Obstacles are what you see when you take your eyes off the goal.” [22:24]
- “A sunset is a sunrise on the other side of the world.” [23:00]
- “Just reach for the sky.” [23:09]
- Mo: “They’re so dumb they become profound… you look at these and you’re like, maybe I’m not alone in the world.”
- Bridger, about his aunt: “Maybe she was more of a… you know, she was discouraging everyone.”
- Sample posters include:
On Teachers, Childhood, and School Social Hierarchies
[27:18–31:41]
- Sharing awkward stories about running into teachers out in public.
- Both discuss their school personas.
- Bridger: “I was an excellent student. I was teacher’s favorite.” [28:29]
- Mo: “I was popular, which feels psychotic to say… but at my school the cool kids were the ones politically active, not the stereotypical types.” [30:06]
Memorable Quote:
“When Mean Girls came out… it kind of ruined [seeing teachers in public] for me.” – Mo Fry Pasic, [27:35]
Sports: The Badminton vs. Volleyball Debate
[31:44–36:10]
- Bridger’s gym-class trauma: “I don’t think I’ve ever successfully gotten a volleyball over the net.”
- Badminton emerges as the official “gay sport,” to friendly debate.
- Mo: “No, it’s not. It’s so wealthy… There are so many other sports I’d name before badminton.” [33:06]
- Bridger: “Badminton is so gay. Are you kidding me?”
- Mo: “Wealthy people aren’t straight. Here’s a hot take.”
Rainy LA, Social Whirlwinds, and Revisiting the Posters
[36:32–39:01]
- Bridger jokes about “cutting out all my current friends and going to balls and galas” to fully enter the world of boat-owning, badminton-playing high society.
Utah Lore: Super Dell and The Owl Incident
[38:11–43:31]
- Nostalgic deep-dive into Utah celebrity “Super Dell,” known for local commercials, hang-gliding, and… allegedly harassing an owl.
- Mo, incredulous: “So was he famous before the gun and the hang glider?”
- Listeners treated to an impromptu brainstorm for true crime podcast names: “Dell with the Devil” [43:31].
Fantasy Books, Game of Thrones, and Endings
[44:58–49:21]
- Light roast of Game of Thrones’ creature deficiency.
- Bridger: “Let’s throw in another creature… It’s just dragons. You’ve got a talking lion in Narnia, but nothing here?”
- Dialogue on the struggle to land a story (“You should know how you’re going to land the plane before you get it in the air.” – Bridger, [49:05]).
The Game: Gift or a Curse
[50:16–68:11]
- A recurring segment: Mo must declare if things are a “gift” or a “curse,” and justify why.
- Speakerphone – Curse. “It’s a curse. It never feels like it’s for you.” [52:14] (Correct)
- Milkshakes – Mo: Gift (for personal, Midwestern nostalgia), Bridger: Curse, due to inconsistent quality and “the spit and dairy situation.”
- “If there’s a dairy element to a drink, it’s got to be in a separate glass…” – Bridger, [55:07]
- Foaming hand soap – Mo: Curse (for being chaotic), Bridger: Gift (“The slime’s gotta go. We’re doing foam or grit only.”) [65:39]
- Interlude: Both wax poetic about favorite soap, scents (sandalwood, lavender, Tom Ford’s “volatile agents”), and changing trends in chic hand soap brands.
Listener Question: The Perfect Gift for a Croatian Grandma
[68:32–73:51]
- A listener needs a gift for their 90-year-old Croatian grandma: it mustn’t create clutter, has to be light (cheap postage), and she’s not tech-savvy.
- Mo’s expert advice (as a Croatian herself): Send a small linen bag with pressed Croatian lavender, just like her relatives would use in closets for scent—a nostalgic, lightweight, meaningful delight. [71:05]
- Bridger’s runner-up suggestions: a stick of gum, lifesaver, or a handwritten letter.
- Mo: “Effort and thoughtfulness when you can’t have weight or tech—bring this grandma to tears!”
Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)
-
On the “Big Litter” Conspiracy:
- “What if we've uncovered something? There will never be a solution to cat litter. People have probably been killed because there would be.”
– Mo Fry Pasic, [17:21]
- “What if we've uncovered something? There will never be a solution to cat litter. People have probably been killed because there would be.”
-
On Motivational Platitudes:
- “They’re so dumb they become profound.”
– Mo Fry Pasic about old-school motivational posters, [24:15]
- “They’re so dumb they become profound.”
-
On Milkshake Sharing:
- “If there’s a dairy element to a drink, it’s got to be in a separate glass, so…”
– Bridger Winegar, [55:07]
- “If there’s a dairy element to a drink, it’s got to be in a separate glass, so…”
-
Meta-moment:
- “Listeners are saving so much money, they could play badminton.”
– Mo, tongue-in-cheek about the value of this “expert” podcast, [35:20]
- “Listeners are saving so much money, they could play badminton.”
-
On school popularity:
- “I was popular, which feels psychotic to say… at my school the cool kids were the ones politically active—not the stereotypical types.”
– Mo, [30:06]
- “I was popular, which feels psychotic to say… at my school the cool kids were the ones politically active—not the stereotypical types.”
-
On Game of Thrones’ dragon problem:
- “Let’s throw in another creature… it’s just dragons.”
– Bridger, [46:09]
- “Let’s throw in another creature… it’s just dragons.”
-
On landing the plane (story endings):
- “You should know how you’re going to land the plane before you get it in the air…”
– Bridger, [49:05]
- “You should know how you’re going to land the plane before you get it in the air…”
Final Moments
[74:04–end]
- Bridger reflects on the perfect day: a batch of inspirational posters, a rain-washed backyard, and a new friend.
- Mo departs, umbrella in hand, after a delightful, densely-packed conversation.
Summary Tone
The episode is light, irreverent, and playful. Bridger’s gentle self-deprecation meets Mo’s vivid absurdity and direct warmth, making for a charming exploration of nostalgia, comfort, and the weird rituals that surround gifts, childhood, and memory. The jokes tumble into bits, the bits morph into surprisingly poignant thoughts, and the natural rapport between host and guest keeps “I Said No Gifts!” feeling like the best kind of comedic hangout.
Timestamps for Key Segments
- Bridger’s morning, house flood trauma: [02:00–04:47]
- Rain, curses, and home: [04:47–10:15]
- Mo’s home, pets, and travel: [10:48–14:18]
- Cat litter & “Big Litter” conspiracy: [15:06–17:41]
- Receiving the motivational posters (gift): [21:45–26:18]
- School days & teacher stories: [27:18–31:41]
- Sports debate (badminton/volleyball): [31:44–36:10]
- Utah’s Super Dell and true crime brainstorm: [38:11–43:31]
- Fantasy and Game of Thrones: [44:58–49:21]
- Game: Gift or a Curse: [50:16–68:11]
- Listener question (Croatian grandma gift): [68:32–73:51]
- Closing, umbrella, and rain: [74:04–end]
Note: All ads, sponsor breaks, and non-content sections have been omitted from this summary.