Aging Is Actually Awesome

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Aging Is Actually Awesome"

Laugh Lines with Kim & Penn Holderness
Date: November 18, 2025
Hosts: Kim Holderness & Penn Holderness

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Episode Overview

In this uproarious episode, Kim and Penn Holderness explore why aging can truly be awesome, busting myths about youth and celebrating the wisdom, confidence, and humor that come with growing older. Through candid reflection, listener stories, and signature segments like the "Laugh Line" and "Gen Z Slang of the Week," they unpack the real upsides of getting older—plus the things nobody wants to relive from their twenties. The episode is rich with playful banter, self-deprecating humor, and engaging real-life anecdotes, all designed to help audiences age better (and laugh harder) together.

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Main Discussion Points & Insights

1. Kicking Off with Nostalgia and Humor

• The hosts joke about “school handouts printed in light purple” and the nostalgic chemical scent, connecting with listeners who remember dittos and EPA Superfund sites.
  Kim: "If you remember getting school handouts that were printed in light purple and smelled like an EPA super fun site, you might have found your home." (04:00)
• Playful banter about age difference ("cradle robber"), use of “readers,” and light pokes at aging signs.

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2. The Upside of Aging: What’s Actually Awesome

• Kim reflects on turning 50 and correcting her son, who thinks youth is ideal:
  • Kim: “Sweet boy, you could not pay me to be 25 again. … I do not want to be younger. Aging is awesome.” (06:10)
• The hosts recount things they don’t miss from their twenties:
  • Waking up sore after minor exercise now, versus bouncing back easily before.
  • Penn misses the “collagen” in their necks but not the pressure of youth.
• Kim: “I do want the collagen in my neck back… but I don’t want to be younger.”
• Kim emphasizes she’s not convincing herself—she’s genuinely happier at this age.

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3. The "Laugh Line" Listener Call: Penn’s Space Mix-Up & the Art of Feedback

• Playful, extended exchange with listener Pam, an 8th grade science teacher, who corrects Penn’s astronomy terms:
  • Pam (Listener Call-In): “You said when we rotate around the sun. That’s not correct. We revolve around the sun. We rotate.” (07:45)
• Penn’s humorous, staged attempts at apologizing, aided by Kim and producer Ann Marie:
  • Penn: “I am mortified that I got that wrong. Not only once, but then just now when I was trying to explain that I know the difference.” (09:46)
  • Kim’s feedback on Penn’s apology: “It’s coming off a little defensive.” (10:44)
• A comical but heartfelt lesson in receiving criticism gracefully:
  • Kim: “We really only give feedback to people we like and love. If I didn’t care about you, I wouldn’t bother correcting you.” (14:41)
• Key takeaway: Embracing feedback as a tool for growth, not a personal attack.

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4. Giving—and Receiving—Compliments, Especially Among Men

• Penn recounts being complimented by a man who called him “a male model.” He notes that, while he gives compliments to other men, it’s less common for men to receive them.
  • Penn: “That’s not normal and I would love to normalize that. … Men would probably be a little less grumpy if we just told each other how great we all look.” (16:59)
• Kim compares this to the supportiveness of women in social settings, e.g., the "girl time" at bar bathrooms.
• Calls for a new movement: "Dude, you look good," encouraging men to compliment each other more openly.
• Laughs over modern slang for compliments: gas up, glaze, mist ("glazing" is overdoing it; "misting" is just enough).
  • Penn: “I’m gonna mist you guys.” (19:33)

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5. Three Things Kim Would Not Want to Relive About Her 20s

• Finding Your Passion Deadline: The unnecessary panic about locking in a life direction by 30.
  • Kim: “I thought I had to find my passion by the time I was 30 or my life would be over.” (20:07)
• Lack of Self-Awareness: Shame about being introverted and not knowing to prioritize alone time.
  • Suggests the need for “introvert rooms” at weddings and conferences. (21:16)
• Thongs: Kim celebrates never needing to wear thongs (aka “butt floss”) again and unpacks the absurdity and discomfort of that particular 20s fashion staple.
  • Kim: “I graduated from that. The minute I got pregnant, I was like, oh God, why would I ever do this to myself?” (22:24)

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6. Listener Feedback: What They Wouldn’t Relive and What Gets Better

• Submissions share common themes:
  • Acne & Insecurity: “Huge underground zit in the center of the forehead…” (Jen, 27:49)
  • Overreacting: Everything felt “important, serious and permanent.” (Ivy League Foodie, 28:06)
  • Fashion: Tube tops and sky-high heels (28:44)
  • Moving Friends for Pizza: Tired of helping friends move in exchange for pizza.
  • Remembering Phone Numbers: Both missed and not missed; prompts discussion on lost skills and emergency prep.
• Weddings and College:
  • Many dread the endless cycle of weddings and find college overrated or, at least, not the “best years” ever.
  • Kim: “You don’t have to love your college experience, and you don’t have to do it that way.” (34:44)
• Late Night Eating: The joys (and regrets) of late night Taco Bell and hangovers.

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7. Nuggets of Wisdom: What Gets Better With Age (Penn’s "Nugs")

(40:03)

#5: Stop Caring What Others Think

• Penn: “The amount of Fs that you give about trying to make other people happy—it's gone down.” (40:28) #4: Spending Grown-Up Money
• Being able to buy fun things for yourself just because you can—like a college letterman-style jacket. #3: Adult Relationships With Kids
• The excitement of relating to your kids as adults and forming lasting adult connections.
• Penn: "Most of your relationship with them will be as a fully grown adult, which is wild..." (43:09) #2: Boredom Becomes a Gift
• Learning to sit with boredom and even enjoy it, rather than fearing it.
  • Kim shares about practicing “raw dog my boredom”—timing how long she can just sit, phone-free. #1: 50th Birthday Parties Rock
• The consensus: 50th birthday parties are the new weddings. No pressure, just fun and real celebration—truly owned by the birthday person.

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8. What Listeners Love About Getting Older

• Confidence and Not Caring:
  • “The best part is not caring about what anyone thinks.” (Marjorie, 52:18)
  • "I was so shy and worried about other people’s opinions. … Now I have a lot of confidence.” (Mary, 52:50)
• Having More Perspective:
  • “Now not everything is the biggest deal ever.” (Danielle, 53:07)
  • Kim tells a story of her home ceiling collapsing and being able to handle it calmly.
• No More Periods: For several female listeners, menopause and the end of cycles is a cause for celebration.

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9. New Segment: “Days of Our Midlives”

• Kim updates listeners on midlife health experiments. She’s trying EMDR, neurofeedback, and creatine (which makes her energetic but also teary).
  • Kim: “So does creatine make you cry, or is that just menopause?” (55:05)
• Penn gently nags about maybe not doing all the things at once for more scientific self-discovery.

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10. Gen Z/Alpha Slang of the Week

• Word: Chopped
  • Meaning: “ruined, failed, or unattractive.”
  • Usage: “That outfit is chopped.” (57:37)
  • Kim: “If your kids tell you that something you did was chopped, they are not talking about your salad.” (58:00)

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• Kim, on aging:
  "You could not pay me to be 25 again. … Aging is awesome." (06:10)
• Penn, on feedback:
  "Pam, you're a damn American hero for taking some time out of your busy schedule. … I made a mistake, and I don't know how to apologize." (12:10)
• Kim, on introversion:
  "If I were to plan [my wedding] again, ... I would have had an introvert room at my wedding, so I could just like, go away and chill with, like, five people." (21:13)
• On 50th birthdays:
  "50th birthday parties are so amazing because everybody just wants to have an awesome time." (46:42)
• Penn, on aging and relationships:
  "Your relationship with your kids becomes more like the relationship you'll have with them for the rest of your life." (43:09)
• Listener Danielle:
  "I just went downstairs, saw bubbles coming out of my washing machine onto the floor, and I was like, okay, worse things have happened this week." (53:07)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 04:00 – Connection with listeners via nostalgic humor
• 06:10 – Kim’s take on aging vs youth
• 07:45 – Listener call: Rotation vs revolution & apology segment
• 14:41 – The art of receiving feedback kindly
• 16:59 – Normalizing men complimenting men
• 20:07 – Kim’s list: things she’d never relive
• 27:49–34:44 – Listener call-ins: worst parts of the 20s, especially college and weddings
• 40:03 – Penn’s Nugs: Five things that get better with age
• 52:18 – Listener feedback: confidence and self-acceptance with age
• 54:05 – Days of Our Midlives: Kim’s midlife wellness journeys
• 57:37 – Gen Z Slang of the Week: “Chopped”

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Tone & Style

The tone is upbeat, irreverent, and warmly self-deprecating—Kim and Penn riff off each other with quick banter, but pause for genuine reflection and listener inclusion. The show mixes real talk about difficult aging topics (e.g., menopause, regret) with comedic flourishes, family anecdotes, and a sincere desire to help listeners feel better about getting older.

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Takeaways

• Aging comes with freedom from the pressure of youth—including caring less about what others think, spending money on things that bring joy, and developing more adult-to-adult relationships.
• Many things people dread about aging are myths; the 40s and 50s can be a time of greater confidence, comfort, and perspective.
• Listener engagement is a core part of the show, shaping both the humor and the practical advice.
• The show champions both laughter and vulnerability—reminding listeners to embrace change, laugh at past regrets, and experiment with new approaches to wellness and happiness.

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For more, call the Laugh Line: 323-364-3929, or email: [e-mail]

Transcript

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[A]

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[B]

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[A]

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Tech and steps independence for them. Peace of mind for you. Anyone got a ball?

[A]

Does one have a ball in a podcast? We have an alien head.

[B]

Yeah, I get the alien head, but.

[A]

I have a lot of energy. But I'm also crying a lot.

[B]

Maybe we'll do an official apology for Pam on this. Can you meet me over here on camera three? That's what podcasts are all about. She's kind of going deep. Stuff like that. Yeah, we get older every day. Got more wrinkles.

[A]

That's okay.

[B]

Yeah, we're laughing. When we age, life is like a comedy stage. And that's why we got laugh lines.

[A]

Hey everybody, I'm Kim Holderness.

[B]

And I'm Penn Holderness. Thanks so much for joining us again or. Or for the first time. Welcome to Laugh Lines.

[A]

Just so you know a little bit about this podcast. We. We have a lot of fun here. So much fun that if you remember getting school handouts that were printed in light purple and smelled like an EPA super fun site, you might have found your home. And this from a YouTube comment. I wish I could read. Who?

[B]

It's Brian. His name's Brian.

[A]

It's Brian. It is printed so small.

[B]

Brian Gleason. Brian. It's not. It's completely illegible. But I looked this up when I was downstairs using my readers, which I've been told I. It may be leaning a little too much if I was wearing my readers for this entire podcast. But thank you, Brian.

[A]

That was really funny.

[B]

Also, if you know what an EPA Superfund site is.

[A]

Your home.

[B]

Yeah, your home.

[A]

But do you remember? So when I read that out loud that I could smell it. Do you know, I think they called them dittos. Right? Because when they crank them out, everyone.

[B]

Had their own name for it, but it was basically using carbon paper, right? Because they printed it and you would have several copies. Like even my first news job, we had those that you would.

[A]

But this is different. There was like A. There was a specific chemical smell that I was. Not good for us. Can't be campy. Oh, gosh. But then. Then we got past that. I think by middle school, we were past that.

[B]

Yeah. I think it made it into high school for me. Like, we're. Remember, we're a little bit.

[A]

We were behind the times.

[B]

No, we're just a little different age.

[A]

You're, like two years older than me. Right?

[B]

There it is.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Middle school, last three years. So, yeah, it was a little bit ahead of you. A little bit of a cradle robber over here.

[A]

Today. We're going to have a lot of fun. We started a discussion online. We're bringing it here. The things you could not pay me to relive from my twenties. And also the amazing parts of aging.

[B]

Right. I mean, it's a good, positive way to look at it. There are some things that we miss, you know, like being able to just go to sleep and then just wake up.

[A]

I miss the collagen in my neck.

[B]

All that.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Just general. Like, you could be basically fit by doing, like, a twentieth of the stuff that you have to do now to be fit.

[A]

But you're so right. Like, going to sleep. Just going to sleep, and then you wake up.

[B]

I would go on a run and then not have to nurse my body for a week.

[A]

But again, so it started with this. I. I think recently, I. I'm turning 50 soon, and, yay, you don't look.

[B]

A day over 29.

[A]

Exactly. And my. But my son keeps saying, oh, yeah, you don't look a day over 25. And I've had to correct him multiple times to say, sweet boy, you could not pay me to be 25 again. And I think this is the most surprising part of aging.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Is that I. I do not want to be younger. Aging is awesome. I do want the collagen in my neck back. Yeah, I do want that.

[B]

There's surgeries for that.

[A]

But I don't want to be younger. So I've had to convince him, no, like, aging is pretty amazing.

[B]

And just to be clear, I want to make sure everybody here knows this. Kim's not convincing herself here. She's convincing you now. She convinced she. She is not making this up. She's 100%, I think, happier at this age.

[A]

Before we get to all this, we have to have an update on the laugh line.

[B]

Call us up and you tell us what's on your mind.

[A]

We had a podcast a couple weeks ago where Penn got very passionate about a comment that may be an alien that he was, he was watching like he was watching election results.

[B]

Three Eye Atlas.

[A]

The 3i Atlas.

[B]

I'm not the only one watching it, by the way.

[A]

No, it was, he was watching it like it was election night. So he was using a lot of space words. And I think we got a call from a listener.

[B]

Oh, cool.

[A]

Who has some feedback. Oh, some feedback.

[B]

Oh, I'm less excited now.

[A]

Sam is on vacay. We have Ann Marie running, the producer Mike today. Say hello. Hello. And this call is from Pam.

[B]

Oh, Pam. Okay.

[A]

Hey, Penn, it's Pam from Massachusetts for me. You had mentioned how you thought maybe you were putting people to sleep with your section of the podcast about the alien life and the comet. I was actually screaming at my radio because I'm an 8th grade science teacher and one of my giant pet peeves is when my students use the word rotate and revolution incorrectly. Rotation and revolution. You said when we rotate around the sun. That's not correct. We revolve around the sun. We rotate.

[B]

I know, Pam. Did I.

[A]

So I was screaming at this screaming. I tried so hard to drill into my students heads the difference and then you used it wrong. So I just had to call and tell you that I'm sorry. Okay, have a great day. I still love you guys. She still loves me.

[B]

Okay, great.

[A]

She still loves you, Pam. I love this. Okay, so you do know the difference.

[B]

Yes. Okay, so I was, I was talking about. I think I was getting a little excited and I'm sure I said something about how when it rotates around the earth, it obviously revolves. Rotate. Is anyone got a ball?

[A]

Does one have a ball in a podcast? No, we have an alien head.

[B]

Yeah, get the alien head when you rotate. That's doing this.

[A]

So for listeners, people listening to this podcast, we have our alien mask as one does and just in the office, casual like.

[B]

Yeah. So the Earth does a lot of things, but two of the things it does is rotates. So spins on a 23 and a half degree axis. Pam, because I do know about space. So like, not exactly like this, but tilted a little bit like this. But then it also revolves.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

On the same basic plane as all of the other planets in the solar system. And Atlas 3i, which is rotating at about a five degree inclination from our solar system's basic plane of rotation.

[A]

Rotation or revolution.

[B]

Revolution. Revolution. See, I'm. Yeah, it's. You're right. I get these mixed up, but I know what they are.

[A]

You know what they are. But in casual conversation, the revolution is.

[B]

Going around the sun, the rotation is. It Just spinning.

[A]

Right.

[B]

So I am. You know what? I am mortified that I got that wrong. Not only once, but then just now when I was trying to explain that I know the difference. So that's bad. So, like, I feel like maybe we'll do an official apology for Pam on this. Can you meet me over here on camera three? And Sam's gonna add some slow zooms and dramatic music for this.

[A]

Okay. Pam?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Bam.

[B]

Sorry I made you yell at your. Your car. Maybe we've got some anger issues. We've got to talk about that. Cause you to yell at your car, but you are 100% right. I. I'm sorry, you're 100, right. And we're gonna spell that. Y o, u r 100% right. Yes, I do know the difference. And I know that a comet like its destination and that's spelled. It apostrophe S is determined by revolution. I got that one wrong too. See, I'm getting stuff wrong on purpose.

[A]

I know. Okay. Okay.

[B]

No, you don't like this.

[A]

No, I do. I think. You know what? Can I. Can I give feedback on your apology?

[B]

Oh, God. Yeah.

[A]

It's coming off a little defensive.

[B]

I mean, I. So I did this, like, I did a lot of research. I gave people a lot of information on the comet, and the one piece of feedback I got back was like a word that I got wrong. So that's maybe me being a little defensive.

[A]

Yes, you're being a little defensive, but you got it wrong. And so what? Maybe instead of framing this as an apology, we frame this as gratitude for Pam.

[B]

Okay, Pam, thank you for pointing out the one mistake that I made in a two or three minute.

[A]

Defensive alert. Defensive alert.

[B]

Okay. Sorry. So what should I just say?

[A]

Thank you for your feedback that the. The.

[B]

That you too. I got it. I got it. Hey, Pam, I'm sorry if what I did offended you. No, no, I know that's wrong.

[A]

I'm sorry, but I know that's wrong. Take five, Pam.

[B]

I'm sorry that I mixed up those two things. I am a useless human being.

[A]

No.

[B]

No sense of grace.

[A]

No.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

No, it's. I'm. Thank you for your call. Thank you for helping me pay attention to this and be becoming aware of this. I. You can throw in that, you know, but that's not important here. It's that she took the time to. Okay. To teach. Just. Just.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

As you were using your platform. Okay.

[B]

Pam, you're a damn American hero for taking some time out of your busy schedule. First of all, you're A teacher.

[A]

Bless the teachers.

[B]

Let's just. Let's just stop. Like, stop my little bit here. I love every single teacher. They deserve to be paid more. They deserve not to be harassed online. Harassed online by me right now because of my ego. And I made a mistake, and I don't know how to apologize. You don't deserve that, Pam. You deserve a thank you for taking the time out of your very busy schedule to explain to me something that I already know.

[A]

No, honey, no.

[B]

But I got. But I got wrong. But I got wrong. But what's wrong, Amerie? Am I having some trouble here?

[A]

You're struggling a little bit. It. My friend, we've been to enough marriage counseling. You know how to do this.

[B]

But this is space. This is my one thing that I'm good at. I screwed up. Okay, you know what it is? Let's start over.

[A]

Okay, Ready? Take seven.

[B]

Okay, Pam. I want to start out by saying some of my favorite people are named Pam. Who? My, like, college roommate's mom, Pam Whitten. Love her. She's amazing. Remember we saw her on the way to Costa Rica. Pam Salzi, former anchor.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

That I used to work with. Love her when. Like, when I want something not to stick when I'm making chicken. Pam. I love Pam. I am. I'm a huge fan. So let me start with that. Second of all, bless you for being a teacher, and bless you for explaining to your kids things that are important to understand. I bet you also work with, like, it's an its. And you're. And your. My big one is less and fewer, which I've been working with with my kid. I am a huge fan of all of those. I am deeply mortified that I got Revolution and Rotation mixed up when I was talking about the Three Eye Atlas Comet. I do know the difference, but I got it wrong. And since no one here corrected me, I'm really glad that you did. So. Wait, what did I.

[A]

Okay, we're gonna take that as a win.

[B]

No, no, no.

[A]

Let me take that as a win.

[B]

I am. I'm super grateful for. For you. I hope that we can continue this conversation, and I. I feel like we can all grow together.

[A]

No, you did great.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

No, that was great.

[B]

Thanks again for calling, Pam. And goodbye.

[A]

So know that if you call the laugh line, you also might get an apology.

[B]

Yeah. Wait a minute. So now it's just gonna be people? Like, they're gonna be lining up for this.

[A]

No, no, no, no.

[B]

Because everybody wants to see me eat crow.

[A]

Okay, so, Penn. I know I getting Feedback is something as a family, we're working on, we're working on processing how to receive feedback because I believe we really only give feedback to people we like and love. Right? Because if I didn't care about you.

[B]

She'D say she loved me.

[A]

Yeah, I know, right?

[B]

I love her too.

[A]

If I didn't care about you, I wouldn't bother correcting you. Right, so. Or not even correcting, but just like offering feedback on something. So we're working on that as a family. So know that I do want to say, pen, not all the feedback you've received lately has been bad. This morning we're on our way to a teacher conference, which that's another podcast, and a man, Penn, walks out with our Starbucks orders. A man follows him to the car, knocks on the window, pen rolls on the window. And this is a middle aged man. He's our age, probably. He goes, you look like a male model. Ben was so stunned. I'm like, he is very attractive, isn't it? He's like, yeah, the hair, the outfit. He's like, yeah, my, my. I guess his cousins or sisters were models or something. He's like, no, you look like a model. Didn't say anything to me in the passenger seat, but that's okay. But you did not know how to take that compliment. And really brought to light the fact that men that I've seen, I could be wrong. Don't compliment other men on their physical appearance. Whereas women love to do that. If you've ever been in a bar, a bar, a bathroom at a bar at like 12:31am that is peak girl time. You, they people are in the mirror fixing their lip gloss and it is like, girl, you look perfect. Strangers, it is talk to each other about everybody's comp. They're fixing each other's stuff. They're like helping strangers. That is the most peak girl experience. And I will, if I see a woman who's like dressed beautifully or I like, I compliment, I try to compliment women if I see them feeling good and looking good, but I don't think men do.

[B]

And just to be clear, like, I don't think, I don't think I like recoiled or was offended or thought that.

[A]

No, no, no, no, no.

[B]

I didn't feel like I didn't. I don't think I had like a homophobic response or anything. I thought it was very nice of him, of course, but I, I think I just sloughed it off and I was like, yeah, well, you know, I got a good looking wife or something.

[A]

Yeah, you said something about me.

[B]

You're right. That's not normal. And I would love to normalize that because, you know, men are a little. We'd probably be a little less grumpy if we just leaned in and just told each other how. How great we all look.

[A]

So do you feel like it if you. You can't compliment. Like, somebody has been working out a lot. They've been. Let's face it, we have a lot of friends on Ozempic, and so they. They're working hard in the gym, and they're looking. So you don't feel comfortable being like, man, oh, no.

[B]

I give it out all the time.

[A]

You do?

[B]

Oh, no. Oh, my gosh. Yeah. I tell people. I tell men all the time that they look great, that they look like they're in shape. Like, that's a nice shirt. I like. I do that all the time. I just don't know how to receive it.

[A]

Okay, but do you think. But other men don't hand it out as frequently?

[B]

No, not really. I mean, I have. It's. I kind of know that my friends who are going to do it, and they're usually. They're usually people that are just a little more open and, you know.

[A]

And you think men might pause on that because other men might think they are, like, have feelings for them or something.

[B]

100%. There is a general homophobia. General homophobia when it comes to men talking about the appearance of other men. And that goes back to when we were, like, kids, because. And I don't want to say what we say, but what are you. Yeah, like, that's. That's what is said.

[A]

Okay, so, Penn, I feel like you need to start the. Dude, you look good movement.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

And just start. And. And I think listeners of this podcast, if you're a man, I think you need to start complimenting your friends, because I think, oh, gosh, women, this is where we're leading.

[B]

Yeah. So I tell you what, for next week, guys, just send me some headshots, and we'll just go through them and I'll compliment how good you all look. I think that's a great idea for a segment.

[A]

Just as long as they're headshots.

[B]

I said head.

[A]

Shoulders up.

[B]

That's why I said shoulders up. You heard me say head shots.

[A]

Shoulders up.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Guys.

[B]

Emory, what do you think of this idea? Is this a good idea for a podcast?

[A]

I love it.

[B]

That's mostly audio.

[A]

No, I love it. I think wives, send pictures of your husbands. Pen was gonna. He's gonna dab them up. Is that what the kids say? They're gonna dab them up or glaze?

[B]

I'm gonna give flowers or gas them up.

[A]

No, glaze them up. No, no. Like, they. It's glazing them, right?

[B]

Glazing is over. Doing it like, glazing is, like, exaggerating so much that it's like. Okay, slow your roll.

[A]

Okay. He's gonna mist them. Not a glaze, just a mist. Just a light mist.

[B]

I'm gonna mist you guys.

[A]

Oh, God. I don't know why this sounds even worse than what we're trying to do.

[B]

Well, glazing's bad too. Let's.

[A]

Okay, we're moving on. Okay. Our initial conversation that we started a long time ago. This is the most ADHD podcast you've ever listened to. Was about three things that you could not pay us to redo and relive in our 20s. I put together three things, Pen, that you could not pay me to redo and relive.

[B]

From your 20s? From 25 specifically. Is that kind of 20s?

[A]

But yeah, mid-20s, I would say, specifically.

[B]

Love it.

[A]

Okay, ready?

[B]

Yep.

[A]

I thought I had to find my passion by the time I was 30 or my life would be over.

[B]

Oh, yeah.

[A]

I felt a sense of panic, I think, right around the end of college, realizing that I didn't really, like, with the job I was about to get into, but I thought I had to, like, really commit to it. So that was that feeling of panic I'm glad I don't have to experience anymore. Number two, I really didn't have the words or language for the things I was feeling. I was an introvert, and I love people, and I love going out, but I would then need a break, and I felt true shame that I needed that break. Now. I know that that's how I'm built, but I even, like. We did a whole podcast about how our wedding was not the best day of my life because I'm an introvert, and we had a lot of people at our wedding, and I think what I needed, if I were to plan it again, I would want all those people there or most of them there, but I would have had, like, an introvert room at my wedding, so I could just like, go away and chill with, like, five people.

[B]

Like, are we talking about during the reception?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Okay, so in the reception, where you would have an introvert room.

[A]

Yeah. I think that a wedding is a lot of compromise, and I think that you would still want to have a lot of people there. I think I can, I can live with that. But I would have like built in introvert breaks. And by the way, don't you think that's a good idea at conferences? Every conference. If you guys go to work conference.

[B]

It's so loud.

[A]

It's so loud and there's so much talking. If you just make like they have room for breastfeeding, feeding mothers, which they should have. If you can in addition make an introvert room and you just put on like noise canceling headphones so you're not.

[B]

Talking when you go in the introvert room. It's not for smaller conversations. It's a silent.

[A]

It could be. Yeah. We're gonna workshop this.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. In addition to our nightclub that opens at 3pm, we're also gonna open a chain of introvert rooms.

[B]

Won't that just be opening in an already existing place?

[A]

Honey, this is why I didn't go to business school.

[B]

I didn't mean to know you, but yes, you're a genius.

[A]

The third thing I'm glad that you couldn't pay me to relive out of my 20s thongs.

[B]

Oh, butt floss.

[A]

Why? Yeah, the whale tail. Didn't need it. I mean, now if you see my underwear lines, guys, I wear underwear. You know, I wear underwear. I, I appreciate that. Other women in their 50s, 40s and 50s may still wear thongs, but I graduated from that. The minute I got pregnant, I was like, oh God, why would I ever do this to myself?

[B]

Can I ask a question? And I mean, Amory, feel free to jump in here too. What was the. So was the purpose of it to not show an underwear line or was it to look like to look more attractive? I'm just wondering like what the purpose was.

[A]

I think it was like an underwear line thing.

[B]

It was under. Okay.

[A]

Yeah, it was a no panty line situation.

[B]

Yeah, I remember. Just like, you know, Cisco wrote a song about it, about how much, how much he likes thongs. I look, I love, I love women. I am like, I love looking at women. I can tell you all about what different types of underwear are because I love women. But the thong, to me, always, I would look at it and think, man, that that middle part is right, right up by, right up by their butthole. And there's really no way short of a bidet to keep that completely clean. So I just always assume there's going to be like a skid mark on a thong. And that's like where my brain goes. And so I would much rather just.

[A]

Like let it be free Woman.

[B]

To just have that. Just not flossing. That middle area.

[A]

Yes. No, I mean it is it. You got to be. When you put on a thon thong, especially a light color one, you have to be really confident with what's going on.

[B]

Yeah. If I had to wear a thong, I can't. I don't even want to imagine what my underwear would look like.

[A]

Even though I've seen, like, I.

[B]

Not that I don't try really hard.

[A]

But sometimes it's like the Sharpie, like.

[B]

I just so. To me, that's where my brain immediately. The first time I saw one when.

[A]

I was like, oh, it was like I, I brought. It gave me so much joy just to like throw those things away. And. And I think for the Amazing Race finale, I remember this specifically because I'd started my period and of course it's like perimenopausal. It was like super heavy. Gross. Tmi. But my dress, you could like kind of see everything in my dress. And one of my friends said, oh, you need to put on a thong because I can see your underwear. And I was like, girl, you're gonna see my underwear.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

Like, I am an adult woman who wears underwear. Sorry. And I needed to, like, keep things secure up there. So this is tmi. Anyway, never thongs again. So take that, Nelly.

[B]

I thought it was Cisco.

[A]

Cisco. I'm sorry. More on this after these words.

[B]

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[A]

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[B]

Yeah. I think a lot of people are going to be nodding their heads when they hear from people like Jen, huge underground zit in the center of the forehead with no bangs to cover it.

[A]

Just. And that would happen like the day before a big meeting or a day. Because in the 20s you're still hormonal and getting acne.

[B]

There's something about an underground zit. Like you know it's there before anybody else does.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Like you know it's coming and then so you'll like, I'll y' all say to you like, man, this zit's bugging me. And you'll be like, I don't see it. And then, then you forget about it. And like one day later, it's Mount Vesuvius.

[A]

Okay. Ivy League foodie said how traumatic everything felt. It all seems so important, serious and permanent.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

10 out of 10. Everything felt so important. And it is to a certain extent. But with age, you realize that there is, there are more space for mistakes and there are more space, there's more space to redo things than you think.

[B]

Okay, I'm really interested in this one. Lynette Neider tube tops. I'm with you. That's another one. Like, have you, like, what girl has looked her best in a tube top?

[A]

There are a lot of girls look really good into.

[B]

Yeah. But if they look good in Tube tops. They look good in other stuff.

[A]

I. I appreciate that. I've. I've. I don't know if I've ever worn a tube top in public, so I.

[B]

Don'T think you have.

[A]

No, I'm not a tube top girl. But they're girls. They look good. Not wearing sky high heels to everything. Amen. And I would say, Covid broke me, broke my feet. I can no longer do that. Mad galactic moving apartments every year. And Laura said, moving your friends for pizza and a thank you.

[B]

Okay. That has become an actual boundary that I've put on people.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

When they ask, like, can you. And here's the thing. Even at our age, you know it's coming because they'll say, hey, do you mind coming over and just help me move a couple stuff?

[A]

Just this one.

[B]

And so they don't say, like, we need you to pivot a giant sleeper couch up three stories. And also, like, move this custom dining room table to another person's house. It's always just like, hey, do you mind just kind of coming over and rolling over? Five minutes. It never takes five minutes.

[A]

Right.

[B]

It takes an hour. And the chances of you having a back injury, that will flare up two days later. Not at that moment, but two days later. Because of the stress of what just happened, they increase tenfold every year.

[A]

I will say, sweet Sam, who's on vacation, got a truck. Listen to this. So she could help people move.

[B]

Well, she's younger.

[A]

She is way younger. That is a sign of youth, I would say. I would even dare say in our family, I would ban getting a truck, because the minute you get a truck, I would imagine people want you to move things more.

[B]

This one I disagree with. But. But I think it's a really good point. Martian man says he doesn't miss having to remember phone numbers.

[A]

I still remember every phone number from my childhood. But right now, ask me my child's phone number.

[B]

Did you get it? You gotta think.

[A]

I have to think about it. I have to. I. I don't know. It.

[B]

Maybe it's because it was, like a cool skill that I had, but I miss having to memorize phone numbers. I think that was probably good for our brains. Yeah, probably. And I didn't mind. You know what else it was? You. The. The people that you cared the most about. You remember their phone numbers. So you always made it a point to, like, call and check in on them. And now it's just everyone's phone number is everyone's phone number.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

I think it helped give you, like, A smaller circle of, of friends when you had to just memorize people's phone numbers.

[A]

I would say if there was an emergency, my phone ran out of battery and I, I would be able to call you. And if you didn't pick up the phone. My mom's number. No. And Marie, I talked to her 47 times a day.

[B]

I don't know your phone number.

[A]

I know the area code eight times a day.

[B]

I don't. It's two.

[A]

No, there's. There's an area code.

[B]

It starts with a two.

[A]

Yes, it's a Michigan area code. I've had the same phone number since I'm 17 years old. Okay.

[B]

Do you know my phone number?

[A]

No. No. Why would you, like. I don't even know the last couple digits.

[B]

Okay, here's why we need to know, like, your emergency phone numbers is because what happens when your phone dies? Well, you have to use someone else's phone and they're not going to have your phone number.

[A]

Well, I go very doom and gloom, you know, because that's where my head goes. So I'm like, okay, there's going to be a time our energy. Energy grid's going to go out. Cell phone tires are going to go out. We are going to need to contact Anne Marie about the video she's posting. I'm kidding. Not about that. But just like we're going to want.

[B]

To life or death.

[A]

We want to know her family's okay. And like, we may never talk to Anne Marie again because we don't have a way to get in touch with her. Here's what we're going to do. We're going to take a page out of my mom's book. Yeah. We're going to get a note card and we're going to write down all your important numbers and we're going to put it on the inside of your cabinet. That's what we should do. That's a very Midwest mom thing to do that you had to write down all your friends numbers. We had. I have to say, she could find you. Oh. In the friend's numbers. Ooh, okay.

[B]

I remember that cabinet.

[A]

Yeah, we had that cabinet, too.

[B]

Ours was just on the wall. Okay, well, you know what? I'm glad that Martian man brought that up because that took us down memory lane.

[A]

One from Nikki from Nashville. She said, I don't miss all the weddings. Everyone was getting married the same year. I went to at least 15 weddings one summer I was still in college and broke all the gifts and new outfits. I have to say, yes that time I remember being super broke. I remember being a bridesmaid in a very fancy wedding. And the bride was, like, kind of mad at me and brought it up to me. She said, your gift. Like, it wasn't. I, I. There was nothing on her registry that I could afford. So I think I bought her, like, a vase that was, like, from Ross, right? Like, Dress for Less. She called me out. She's like, what? She's like, could you have gotten together with a few more people? Serious? We're not friends right now, but there is a moment where you're a bridesmaid that many times. It is so expensive. But now that I'm almost 50, I love a wedding.

[B]

Oh, God.

[A]

I love to dance and I love an open bar. So I think now I'm ready for, like, my friend's kids to get, like, I want to go to weddings again.

[B]

It's coming, babe.

[A]

Or like, second weddings. But second weddings are always, like, very reflective.

[B]

We don't get invited to as many second weddings. We haven't had any. Well, they're just smaller. Like, no one has, like, a bash of a second wedding.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Like, it'll be. It could be, like, we have really good friends who have gotten married again, but they say we're going to go to a destination. It's just going to be the two of us and family. And that's totally understandable.

[A]

Or maybe they're having a big bash and just not inviting us.

[B]

That's entirely possible.

[A]

Okay. I will say that overwhelmingly. We got feedback pen on Instagram that people, you could not. The thing they could not pay them to experience again was college. And everybody wrote against the grain here, but college. Happy to be past it. Everybody's like, no, I know this is going to be unpopular, but college. And most of that was around being hungover and doing the same thing the next week, drunkenly knocking out my two front teeth in college. And Monica the Taco Bell drive through home at 2am so my question is, and we got.

[B]

That's all college.

[A]

That's all college stuff. And we got more than a hundred of those about college, about college. And so I think it's a conversation we probably need to tell our college kids is that not everybody loves their college experience. And you don't have to do it that way.

[B]

That's true. You don't have to. You don't have to have that kind of experience. You also don't have to go to college.

[A]

Well, you don't have to do it in college. But so here's my Question, Ben. So Monica, she did the late Taco Bell drive thrus at 2am oh God. You can just taste it like that late night Taco Bell.

[B]

I've got zero complaints about late night Taco Bell.

[A]

To am I just like the way you feel. Oh you, Are you a Taco Bell girl at. At 2am I will crush some taco.

[B]

Bell at 2am it's because whatever it is, like you can handle it. You may not be able to handle it during the day because you're like, oh, you know, kind of just trying to. But if you've had a couple of beers and it's 2am Whatever comes out of that drive thru and they know it, it doesn't have to be like.

[A]

Warm.

[B]

Like it's, it could be stale.

[A]

You're like, this is actually just the cardboard. This is that they put the gordita in.

[B]

Yeah, it's happening.

[A]

Eat the cardboard. So do you have to experience that to know okay, now that I'm in my 30s, 40s, 50s, I don't need to do that again. So do people that didn't do that, do they get through? Do they go through life going, man, I never had a crazy 20s party life?

[B]

Isn't regret interesting. It's it, it's probably more of an illusion than we think it is because you regret things that you didn't do but you also don't know if they were good or not unless you did them. You know what I mean?

[A]

I was just talking to a group of high schoolers and I said my view of regret is the things I didn't do. Yeah, I rarely regret. That's what I'm thinking at this point in my life. Things, things I've done and I'm sorry for. Of course I wish I could go back and redo but I can't, you know, dwell on that. But it's the opportunities I didn't take.

[B]

So when were you just talking to.

[A]

A bunch of high schoolers at the PC school?

[B]

The thing.

[A]

Yeah, sorry.

[B]

It was like that. Just randomly.

[A]

I randomly. While they were trick or treating, I pull them aside.

[B]

Guys, let's talk about regrets. About regrets. And they egg our house like immediately afterwards.

[A]

Like, dude, I just wanted a full size Snickers.

[B]

High schoolers like talking to me cases and wearing a football jersey. That's a costume.

[A]

Yeah, that's if you're coming to my door, I don't care how old you are, I will give you candy.

[B]

That's true.

[A]

I will give you candy. I like, let's not police A kid wanting to be a kid. That is my TED Talk.

[B]

You're welcome. Anyway, I'm just more talking about how, like, they think a costume is putting on.

[A]

Oh, that's really lazy. But Jersey, I. I will. I just. I don't know that we talk about it enough because everybody prefaced it with this is going to be unpopular or like, I didn't really tell anybody this. I'm saying it now. That college for a lot of people is not the best time.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Of their life.

[B]

And that was eye opening. Right. I mean, I think we both had a pretty positive college experience. I'm also really curious because I know it's changed a lot. I know that just talking to high.

[A]

Schoolers that I pull aside on Halloween.

[B]

Night, that there's such a wild set of expectations, there's such a new workforce. I know more kids now than I did, you know, in the last 20 years who are taking, like, a community college route or taking like a tra. Like go learn a trade route. And I'm, like, super curious to see if they. I think. I think it's going to work out great for them.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

You know, so the. The whole. The whole paradigm and model of college. Fascinating. If that's going to change even more. That's not really what that guy was saying, but that's what podcasts are all about. She's kind of going deeper with stuff like that.

[A]

So you guys sent in some hilarious messages about things that you couldn't pay to redo, including Y2K. Remember the stranglehold, the fear of Y2K?

[B]

Yeah. That was around 20s.

[A]

Yeah. So not having to deal with possible exploding computers.

[B]

We worked in a news room, too. Like, that was. We were. We thought we were going to be the only people left on Earth because they put us in, like, a bunker, basically.

[A]

Are you kidding me? No. We've talked about this.

[B]

Or you were by a bank.

[A]

Loyal podcast listeners will know this, that I was stationed next to a cash machine, I think, in hopes of it just spitting out, like, cash, like, not knowing how to. And I was going to stand there, like, I was like, in a Price is Right wind catch machine.

[B]

And then it hits 12 o' clock and it's. Kim goes, okay, here we go. Here we go.

[A]

And nothing. They even asked me. They're like, hey, can you put in your card? And I was like, for. Like, just to see if it works. I'm like, we can't do this on live tv because I have $14 in my account and I won't be able to get money out.

[B]

So no, Y2K has not solved that problem. Back to you, Bob.

[A]

Okay, now that we've survived that, and I promise you, if you're in your 20s and listening, oh my gosh, it gets so much better. But what are your things? Pe. Your top five? Are these your nugs of things get better with age?

[B]

Let's make these the nugs.

[A]

Pens Nugs.

[B]

All right. These are my top five nugs.

[A]

Should you explain what nugs are?

[B]

It's their little nuggets of knowledge. They're just little nuggets of information that allow. Allow everybody to grow together.

[A]

And we're still looking for a nug sponsor. So. Pens Nugs.

[B]

Okay. Top five things that get better with age, in my opinion. Number five. The amount of Fs that you give about trying to make other people happy.

[A]

Yeah, I have none of those anymore.

[B]

It's gone down.

[A]

I have very few of those.

[B]

I have fewer. I have more than you. I have fewer. It's just always no one gets older and is like, you know what? I really, really want to make sure that more people are happy with me.

[A]

I think menopause is the great leveler there, and it's not. I still care. I want to. Still want to be a good human, so I still care about my community. I still care about like how I'm treating other people, but if people don't like me, I'm okay.

[B]

For me, I think it's. I think that my circle has constricted and I. There's still a lot of people that I love, but like 80 to 90% of what I want to do is, is. Is family based. And so anything outside of that, it's. It's. I don't know, like, I don't want to be mean to people, but it just doesn't drive any of the things that I do.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Number four, spending grown up money on things because you've earned it. Dang it.

[A]

Like what?

[B]

So I would never do this ever, but I have coming today. Maybe. Maybe it's outside the door. Wouldn't that be great? A like college letterman jacket for. For my daughter's college.

[A]

What?

[B]

Like a big shiny and it says the college name across the middle and it looks like it wasn't that expensive. I got it on discount. But I've always wanted one of those for like my college. And I didn't really have the funds or the like justification for it. And so I. That's. That'll be coming in shortly.

[A]

You bought a. Is it like leather sleeves or Just like.

[B]

No, it's more like shiny.

[A]

Okay. I guess like a bomber. Satin bomber.

[B]

It's a lot.

[A]

Where do you. Where do you think you're going to wear this?

[B]

Around the house during football games, basketball games. Just like, if, if, if my team's playing and it's never been my team now, but I'm writing machek to it, so now it's my team. And so, yeah, just like, for that. And it just wasn't anything and I. And this is great because, like, your face is saying it all. I don't care that you're making this face. This is for me.

[A]

Yeah. You have a job. You worked hard for your money. I'm just shocked because you. This man never buys clothing. No, he has, like, we've talked about this. He has like five black T shirts. Three of them have holes. He continues to wear them. His underwear is like 20 years old. And I have to like, force him to get new underwear. But you've bought a. I cannot wait for Lola to see this. She's gonna die.

[B]

I don't think she's gonna like it, but again, grow it up, buddy.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Number three.

[B]

Number three is your relationship with your kids becomes more and more like the relationship you'll have with them for the rest of your life.

[A]

Life.

[B]

I like, I've always. And isn't it wild to think that with all of this parenting that we're doing, if you do it right, you're gonna live for your. For your kids to reach 50. Right. That's the hope. And if that's the case, most of your relationship with. With them will be as a fully grown adult. Which is wild because you imagine your kids as kids.

[A]

Right?

[B]

Right. But I really like this. I like the fact that I can have conversations with my kids that are adult, introspective, self aware, and, and it's. It's. As much as I love talking to my kids, it becomes more like just talking to like, one of your friends. And I. To me, like, I think that's gonna. That's gonna be my favorite phase.

[A]

I love that.

[B]

I know. That's wild because, like, everyone's always like, oh, they're so cute. We need everything.

[A]

But the baby stage was hard. Yeah.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

No, I love that.

[B]

Like, I actually like that. I like the fact that we're getting there.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

My number two nugget. Boredom is not a problem really anymore. It is a gift that has been the case for me. I remember boredom was something that I was so terrified of in, in college and in my 20s. Like, I would go find something to do because sitting still, just it. And maybe that's just my particular type of brain. But now, like, the ability just to, like, sit still and stare at a wall is, like, really nice.

[A]

I will say something. I've been trying lately and I haven't even told you about this is. I've been trying to embrace being bored like on a weekend. I've been reading a lot. I just finished book number 40 out of 50 of my goal for the year. And I don't want to doom scroll, but sometimes I'm not quite ready. There'll be a day or two between books where I'm just not quite ready to jump into the next book. So I've been literally trying to time myself to see how long in the morning when I'm drinking my coffee, how long I can just sit there.

[B]

Like, raw dog it.

[A]

Raw dog my boredom. And I have been. I'll put the timer on, put my phone on the other side and my instinct to reach for my phone to check something.

[B]

Right, so you're timing yourself to time.

[A]

Myself to see how long I can just sit there.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

It is not very long.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Because it's the morning. There's stuff happening I need to like, like, oh, I need to. When is that meeting? But for. I should be able to do that for 10 minutes. And it is a fight every morning just to sit there. And then I think, next step, I'm going to try to meditate. But right now I just need to see if I can sit there without doing anything.

[B]

So it doesn't sound like you're enjoying it.

[A]

It's hard still.

[B]

Yeah. Maybe it's just. Maybe it's become easier for me. Like, it didn't used to be easy. I felt like I needed to always be doing something, but just like sitting down and like staring at the wall.

[A]

Maybe I should try it at night because in the morning there's so many things I feel like I need to be prepared for.

[B]

You're.

[A]

You're.

[B]

You're kind of jump out with a lot of gusto in the morning.

[A]

I do have a lot of gusto. I. Yeah. Anyway.

[B]

Number, number one, the number one top thing that gets better with age. 50th birthday parties are the best. Birthday parties.

[A]

Scratch what I said about weddings. Take that off the table. 50th birthday parties. Because weddings, there's a lot of pressure and the bride's nervous and the groom's nervous and there's family. There's always family drama. Take away. Edit what I said about weddings. 50th birthday parties are so amazing because everybody just wants to have an awesome time.

[B]

Right. And it's, it's not about what your family or anybody else expects or wants. It's what the person who's turning 50 wants. And usually it's like a lot of fun. Incredibly different in each situation. Right. So you're like learning about, oh, here's what our, here's what these people are valuing now. Right. And then also, you know, it's just, we, like, you don't get to get together as much as you want to see. This is like an unbelievable reunion when you get to do that. A lot of times it's someone you haven't seen in a while.

[A]

Yeah. Just like my 50th birthday party is going to be.

[B]

Yours is Kim's. Kim's. Okay. My, my 50th birthday at how many people?

[A]

150 more than. I think it was like 175.

[B]

Kim's were trending toward this many people.

[A]

Yeah, we're doing two. That's.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So I, I, I just feel like I want Penn and I to go to, like, a really fancy beach.

[B]

I'm here for it.

[A]

Go on hikes, go swimming and read books and.

[B]

Sounds like a honeymoon.

[A]

I'm. Yeah. And just kind of like, and celebrate making it that far. And then, and then throughout the year, I will allow people to pay attention to me and say, oh, you're 50, let's go out to dinner. But I don't need a party.

[B]

I hear you. Sounds great. Did I just hear you say that your 50th birthday is going to be a year long? You said. Okay.

[A]

No, it's just going to be one of those things where I everything that year is going to be like, oh, I want a college letterman jacket for college I didn't go to. I'm 50. So.

[B]

So interesting. Why don't I ever buy clothes? When I buy one article of clothing, she is holding on to it now.

[A]

Oh, no, no. I'm just really excited and I think we're going to need to model this. More on this after these words.

[B]

All right, guys, the holidays are near. And aura frames is how I'm redeeming myself this year.

[A]

Okay. Oh, boy.

[B]

I know, I know. I have a history of some unadvised gift giving.

[A]

Would that be the car trash can that you gave me, like last year or the bathrobe, the extra bathrobe you gave me.

[B]

So I still stand by the car trash can. I think it's the gift that keeps on giving year round. But yes, okay. With Aura though, you can share your photos and videos effortlessly straight from your phone all year long.

[A]

You can preload photos before it ships. Just download the Aura app and connect to Wi Fi.

[B]

Don't wait. Win the holidays now with Aura Frames.

[A]

For a limited time, visit auraframes.com and get 45 off Aura's best selling Carver mat frames named number one by Wirecutter by using promo code Laughlines at checkout.

[B]

That's a U R A frames.com promo code laughlines. This exclusive Black Friday Cyber Monday deal is their best of the year. So order now before it ends.

[A]

Support the show by mentioning us at checkout. Terms and conditions apply. As the holidays approach, I'm determined to get ahead of New Year's resolutions and tackle some of my goals right away.

[B]

You love a good New Year's Year's resolution. So what are we talking about for this year?

[A]

Okay, well, of course keeping up these good habits, but I really need to tackle the home design. Like our guest room is just a room of lost furniture and that's sort of at the top of the list. So thank goodness for Masterclass.

[B]

Are you talking about the small habits that make a big impact Masterclass with author James Clear and the designing a home on a budget class with joy and a game?

[A]

Exactly. With Masterclass, you can learn from the best to become your best. With plans starting at $10 a month, you get unlimited access to over 200 classes.

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[A]

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[B]

Masterclass always has great offers the during during the holidays, sometimes up to as much as 50 off. So head over to Masterclass.com Holderness for the current offer.

[A]

That's up to 50 off at Masterclass.com Holderness Masterclass.com Holderness this show is sponsored by Midi Health.

[B]

Are you in midlife feeling dismissed, unheard, or just plain tired of the old healthcare system? Well, ladies, I'm here to tell you you're not alone.

[A]

It's. It's super. It's wonderful. When you do the creepy movie trailer.

[B]

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[A]

Okay? I know you're being Silly, but stats don't lie. In fact, even today 75% of women seeking care for perimenopause and menopause issues are left entirely untreated.

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[A]

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[A]

That's joinmitty.com midi the Care Women deserve Back to the laugh line for what we love about getting older. Christina Randall said, I love being able to spend money on health. She spent her own health. Marjorie said, the best part is not caring about what anyone thinks. It's nice not to care at all. That's great. Mike's wife wrote, I love not having periods. And a couple people wrote wrote that too. I am so excited for that. I can't wait. Mary wrote, I know it's not the fun answer, but it's confidence. I was so, so shy and worried about what other people's opinions were. I was terrified to be in social situations. Now I have a lot of confidence. So Danielle, she says now not everything is the biggest deal ever. I watch my teenagers as they go through all the feels and sweat the small stuff and I just went downstairs, saw bubbles coming out of my washing machine onto the floor and I was like, okay, worse things have happened this week and this month. So time for a mental health walk. I absolutely.

[B]

So as she's writing this, her bubbles are overflowing, her washing machine explodes and she's okay, that's good. That's a good place to be.

[A]

Yeah, I will say, like when our ceiling collapsed because of a pipe burst last year and it was right before Thanksgiving, I actually did okay with it because I was like, you know what? Oh, I was upset. But I didn't like, cry and rage.

[B]

That's true.

[A]

Yeah. And at my 20s, it would have, like.

[B]

Yeah, that's true.

[A]

It would have taken me out for a month.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

I'm pitching a new segment, Pen, and I want to call it Days of Our Midlives.

[B]

Like the opera. Soap opera.

[A]

Yeah. And we can put in the theme song here.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Okay. So my pitch for this segment is I'm going to update you on all of the weird health, wellness things that I want to try.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

A few weeks ago, I asked Pen, you may remember if I should try EMDR and neurofeedback, which I. And overwhelming overwhelmingly, you guys said I should. So I'm going to try it and report back both. Sure.

[B]

Do you remember the. One of them was.

[A]

But the neurofeedback people are saying that's, like, where they put the shower cap on and the goo on your head. And they. But they say it really works.

[B]

People.

[A]

Many people.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

I could read you the emails.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Okay. Many people. So I'm gonna try it. But Days of Our Midlives, I'm. I started taking creatine. First of all, I have a lot of energy.

[B]

Well, do you remember when you told me, like, this has taurine, but it's the good taurine.

[A]

I know.

[B]

And I was like, is there a good taurine?

[A]

I don't know. But I'm only taking half of the dose. I'm, like, working my way up because apparently when you start taking creatine, you get a little bloaty. And, like, I don't want to be bloaty. So I'm wondering if I. So I'm just kind of, like, stepping up, but I have a lot of energy, but I'm also crying a lot. So does creatine make you cry, or is that just menopause?

[B]

That wasn't for me to answer. That was just a rhetorical question or.

[A]

No. No.

[B]

Okay. I don't know. Like, you're. So. I will say that currently you are on. You are doing all the work and all the things, and it's quite. To me, it feels like it's a lot. Right. There's a. You're doing a lot of stuff. And if I think. I wonder if people should do all this stuff or, like, maybe just, like, pick one or two things.

[A]

So is this your nice way of saying I should peel back some of the things I'm working on?

[B]

I guess what I mean is, like, how the variables go up, like, exponentially when you're trying five things instead of like one or two things, so you don't know how one is affecting the other. Okay, but so like a new creatine, a new therapy, is it, is it smart to like ease this in and try like one, give it some time to see how it goes and like try the next thing and see how it goes? I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. Like, I'm definitely not a doctor.

[A]

Now on to the next segment. What Gen Zers are saying.

[B]

I love, I love that we're doing this. A couple of weeks ago, SNL did a skit where they were all like, all these women, funny women on SNL were playing like prepubescent boys podcast bros. And they were all doing a podcast. And I'm like, oh my God, my son came up here and did this with a bunch of his friends and it sounded exactly like this.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And they, it's. If you want to know what the kids are saying, find this skit because they put every single possible word in there. And I thought it was really funny.

[A]

This is pretty Gen Alpha specific, but I, because I've heard my son say this, they use this, the Gen Alpha and maybe Gen Z word of the day is chopped.

[B]

Chopped. Chopped. First of all, it's not good. It means ruined, failed or unattractive. Did you know that?

[A]

I think with context clues I could. But it is used a lot because there's also I cooked, which is good. Good.

[B]

But I'm cooked.

[A]

I'm is bad.

[B]

Well, it just means I've been cooked by something.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Right.

[A]

So for example, after that 12 hour shift, I'm totally chopped. Not to be confused with like I'm cooked, which means I'm exhausted. But there's a lot of food words here. Like if you ate something went well. But chopped is bad.

[B]

But like a lot of times it just means it was a failure. Like the surprise party was chopped when the guest of honor walked in early.

[A]

But okay, I would say that that outfit's pretty chopped. It's like how they would use it.

[B]

Okay. So it's a little quicker.

[A]

Yeah. That outfit is chopped.

[B]

So chopped is the opposite of snatched.

[A]

I, I want to say it's chopped as the opposite of eight.

[B]

It's a performance, that outfit.

[A]

Eight.

[B]

Okay, you can say that.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

What if it's like so for our age. Killed. Yeah, like I killed.

[A]

Right.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

So there's are just more gentle food words.

[B]

Yeah. So chopped the word of the day. Chopped. Once again, ruined, failed or unattractive. If you're kids tell you that something that you did was chopped. They are not talking about your salad. They're talking about something you did wrong.

[A]

And a lot of cooking words. They're just very hungry. There's chops.

[B]

They really are.

[A]

They're eating. They're cooking.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

They're blanching. They're sauteing.

[B]

They're poaching.

[A]

They're poaching.

[B]

They're glazing.

[A]

Oh, and glaze. And glaze. I think that.

[B]

Yeah, that's a cooking one.

[A]

That's a cur. Yes. Well, okay. Anyway, thank you guys.

[B]

What a journey.

[A]

What a journey. Thank you for spending time with us. We love to hear from you and, you know, share this podcast. If you liked it and if you didn't, you know, that's fine too.

[B]

Special shout out to Pam for giving us 10 extra minutes of content today. And to the wonderful ladies in this room for teaching me how to not passive aggressively apologize.

[A]

Take us out with the credits there.

[B]

Laugh Lines is written and produced by Kim Holderness, Penn Holderness and Ann Marie Tapke with original music by Pen Holderness and it is filmed, edited and live produced by Sam Allen usually, but today, Anne Marie Tapke. Anne Marie Tapke handled that. And hosted by acast. As always, we love to hear from you. Please write to [e-mail] or leave a voicemail because. Yep, we got a voicemail. 323-364-3929 and we're going to talk to you soon on the laugh line.

[A]

Love you. By this holiday, Verizon is helping you bundle up incredible gifts and savings. You'll get the latest phone with a new line on my plan and a brand new smartwatch and tablet. No trade in needed even on our lowest price plan. That's two gifts for your family and one for you. Or two for you and one for someone else. Or three gifts for you and only you. Either way, you save big on three amazing gifts at Verizon. All on the best 5G network. Visit Verizon today. Rankings based on rootmetric Truth score report dated 1 each 2025. Your results may vary. Service plan required for watch and tablet. Additional terms apply. Did you know Tide has been upgraded to provide an even better clean in cold water? Tide is specifically designed to fight any stain you throw at it. Even in cold butter. Yep.

[B]

Chocolate ice cream. Sure thing.

[A]

Barbecue sauce. Tide's got you covered.

[B]

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[A]

Additionally, Tide pods let you confidently fight tough stains with new coldzyme technology.

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Just remember, if it's gotta be clean.

[A]

It's gotta be tied.

[B]

This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Do you ever think about switching insurance companies to see if you could save some cash? Progressive makes it easy to see if you could save when you bundle your home and auto policies. Try [e-mail] Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. Potential savings will vary. Not available in all states.

[A]

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