Staying Alive with Jon Gabrus & Adam Pally

Episode: "No Hitting, No Biting" (w/ Rosebud Baker)
Date: September 25, 2025
Podcast Network: SmartLess Media

Episode Overview

In this candid and riotously funny episode, Jon Gabrus and Adam Pally welcome comedian Rosebud Baker for a deeply honest, irreverent, and self-aware conversation about health, wellness, parenthood, sobriety, and show business. The trio veer seamlessly between dark comedy, heartfelt admissions, and biting critiques of modern life—illuminating the grim realities (and absurdities) of trying to "stay alive" while juggling parenting, comedy, therapy, and self-care in a world run by algorithms, content, and sleep deprivation.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Fitness, Sleep, and Modern Wellness

• Jon and Adam's Opening Wellness Check-in (00:26-02:01):
  • Jon shares he's working out daily, using free weights—even late at night—which he jokes helps him resist drinking.
    • "It also holds me off sometimes from drinking." – Jon (00:48)
  • Adam describes a run in New York, ending with a shirtless lay in the park, humorously describing instances with local teens.
• The group sets the self-deprecating and brutally honest tone for wellness: It's hard, sometimes gross, and often about doing “the least bad” thing.

2. Parenthood, Motherhood, and Sleep Deprivation

• Rosebud on Motherhood (04:46-11:58):
  • Rosebud describes the exhausting, mind-altering effects of having a very young child and the resulting sleep deficit:
    • "I haven't gotten enough sleep to form a new memory in, like, four years, and that's...and my daughter's one and a half." – Rosebud (11:38)
  • Adam and Jon relate, describing parenthood as one endless, REM-deprived day.
  • Rosebud jokes about getting "50 First Dates disease" and worries no one would notice if she developed dementia (11:49).

3. Vices: Vaping and Sobriety

• Candid Takes on Substance Use (06:01-09:08):
  • Rosebud and Adam reveal their affinity for vaping (nicotine and weed), swapping stories about hiding weed smells from their kids—with much self-mockery about parental responsibilities.
    • "My daughter called me dad-mom for a long time… I feel like I fixed whatever was broken." – Rosebud (08:41)
  • Rosebud opens up about her sobriety, stressing that giving up drinking wasn’t so much a choice as a necessity for survival (16:54–17:29).
    • "Every day that I don't drink, I go, that's a frigging miracle." – Rosebud (17:13)

Notable Segment: "No Hitting, No Biting"

• Rosebud perfectly sums up her approach to day-to-day sobriety:
  • "If I didn’t hit or bite someone, I did good that day. That's kind of what it feels like, you know?" (17:43)

4. Mental Health & Therapy

• Therapy as Self-Care (13:34–16:38):
  • Rosebud shares she recently returned to therapy, prompted partly by an episode of White Lotus (21:01).
  • The group discusses the difficulty of committing to therapy, the emotional exhaustion of introspection, and the feeling of wanting to "bring something" to each session.
    • “I cannot do the emotional work. It’s exhausting to go in…and then just sort of, like, process it afterwards.” – Rosebud (15:04)
  • Adam coins the phrase “Angel’s Advocate”: offering hopeful alternatives; Rosebud jokes about returning to bad habits.

5. Navigating Modern Life, Phone Addiction, and Content Overload

• The group laments their addiction to phones, the speed of passing fads, and the feeling of personality whiplash caused by algorithms (03:25–04:36).
  • "Sometimes I'm like, let me just put my phone away for a week so I can remember what's on it." – Rosebud (03:58)
  • Discussion of constantly shifting interests, and being “slaves to content”—either consuming or creating (03:25–04:13).

6. Show Business, Auditions, and the Brutal Grind

• Inside Comedy & Acting (48:29–54:48):
  • All three discuss the futility and emotional cost of chasing acting roles, the indifference of the industry, and the process of self-taping auditions that rarely lead to jobs.
    • "You have to do all these fucking hoops...and all the shit that you have to edit. You don't have to do any of that when you're actually [acting]." – Jon (52:25)
  • Rosebud recounts her joy in directing her own comedy special (“Motherlode”), the difference between writing/acting, and the importance of creative control.

7. Touring as a Comic & Family Travel Logistics

• Rosebud, a touring comic and mother, recounts bringing her family and nanny on the road:
  • “The road is so lonely, and when I was on the road pregnant, I felt like I was with somebody the whole time.” – Rosebud (40:20)
  • She and her husband (also a comic) strategize how to travel together, take turns headlining, and find genuine joy bringing their toddler on the road. The group discusses how having kids forces you into healthier routines and out of hotel "bed-rotting" (44:07–44:41).

8. Discussion on Wellness "Shortcuts": Supplements, Fiber, & Realistic Health

• Rosebud lists her self-care regimen: NAD supplements, iron, stool softeners (32:13–34:07).
  • The trio joke about the various ways they manage their digestive health, including fiber and the perils of traveling as a comedian with unpredictable bathrooms.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On Sleep Deprivation & Parenting:
“I haven't gotten enough sleep to form a new memory in, like, four years, and that's... and my daughter's one and a half.”
— Rosebud Baker [11:38]

On Sobriety:
"Every day that I don't drink, I go, that's a friggin' miracle."
— Rosebud Baker [17:13]

On Modern Identity Crisis:
"Ten years ago, I’ve gone through in a microsecond. And in my head, I've already been a goth...and then I came out of it."
— Adam Pally [04:13]

On Phone Addiction:
"Let me just put my phone away for a week so I can remember what's on it."
— Rosebud Baker [03:58]

On Comedy & Motherhood:
“Doing a special about motherhood is a little bit like walking into an open grave.”
— Rosebud Baker [55:09]

On the Entertainment Grind:
"You have to do all these fucking hoops...And all the shit that you have to edit. You don’t have to do any of that when you’re actually [acting]."
— Jon Gabrus [52:25]

Episode Timestamps for Key Segments

• (00:26–02:01): Jon and Adam discuss fitness routines and the challenges of keeping healthy on the road.
• (04:46–11:58): Rosebud on motherhood, exhaustion, and sleep.
• (06:01–09:08): Vaping, quitting smoking, and parenting while indulging vices.
• (13:34–16:38): Therapy, emotional labor, and honest self-appraisal.
• (17:43–17:57): The "No Hitting, No Biting" sobriety benchmark—raw honesty about staying sober.
• (21:01–24:00): Therapy proliferation, White Lotus as a trigger for self-reflection.
• (32:13–34:07): Health supplements, fiber, and the practicalities of bathroom health.
• (39:04–44:41): Touring while pregnant and parenting, juggling family and comedy careers.
• (48:29–54:48): The grind of auditions, losing out on roles, and taking creative control.

Tone and Style

The conversation is raw, hilarious, and grossly forthcoming—balancing genuine vulnerability with relentless self-deprecation and comedic flair. Honest debates about wellness, therapy, and parenting are consistently undercut with sarcasm and savage wit, staying true to the hosts’ comedic backgrounds.

Takeaways for Listeners

• **Authenticity is the theme—**wellness isn't always green juice and spin class. Sometimes, it's just doing one less harmful thing, making it through the day, or getting back into therapy after a TV show reminds you of your issues.
• Parenting, health, and self-improvement aren't linear; they're cyclical, exhausting, and sometimes just about “no hitting, no biting.”
• Comedians, despite their public personas, face the same anxieties, struggles, and humiliations as everyone else—often with less sleep and more self-loathing.
• **The search for balance is a moving target—**so much so that sometimes, surviving and sharing your story becomes the win.

Rosebud Baker’s special, "Motherlode," is streaming now on Netflix.

This episode offers a riotous, brutally honest, and ultimately comforting reminder: if you made it through the day without hitting, biting, or throwing in the towel, you’re doing better than you think.