Staying Alive – "Opening Lids & Inner Kids" (with Casey Wilson)

Podcast: Staying Alive with Jon Gabrus & Adam Pally
Host Network: SmartLess Media
Air Date: November 13, 2025
Guest: Casey Wilson
Summary by Podcast Summarizer

Episode Overview

This lively and hilarious episode welcomes comedian and actress Casey Wilson, best known for "Happy Endings," "Bitch Sesh," and countless more. Jon Gabrus and Adam Pally, true to the ethos of "Staying Alive," dive deep with Casey into their not-so-glamorous but always honest approaches to health, wellness, aging, mental health, and all manner of bodily maintenance. The trio share stories about skincare, gym routines (and resistance to them), therapy (including psychedelic treatments), and plenty of showbiz and personal anecdotes, all shot through with their irreverent banter and willingness to be "grossly forthcoming."

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Skincare Mishaps and Maintenance (00:00–06:00)

• Casey arrives straight from her dermatologist, sporting recent laser burns and wounds from various cosmetic treatments. The gang riffs on the things they endure for skin "maintenance" as they age.
• Jon casually reveals his improbably hairless body. Casey and Adam roast him ("First of all, how hairless you are is insane." – Adam, 00:50).
• The three reflect on the all-consuming demands of skincare and the weird places it takes them ("Turns out we have skin all over our body." – Jon, 00:30).

2. The Podcast’s Health and Wellness "Conceit" (06:30–10:30)

• Casey asks, "I don't know the conceit. You said something about health." (06:30)
• The conceit: unhealthy/mentally unwell hosts asking friends, "What are you doing to stay alive?"
• A confessional parade of medications and supplements, with Adam referencing his "six meds" and Jon outlining his "pile of pills" ("I can take a pile of pills in my hand, throw back like 12 at once..." – Jon, 07:33).
• The group debates the murky efficacy of vitamins and the sometimes placebo-esque hope of wellness routines.

3. Aging, Ego, and the Allure of Vanity (10:30–14:20)

• The hosts and Casey muse on how perceptions of age shift as they get older, and whether, given unlimited money, they’d keep working creatively or disappear.
• "If I'm answering that honestly, the number of dollars it would take for no one to see me again is not as high as you would think." – Jon (12:25)
• Casey reflects: "Even five years ago, I’d have been like, 'I love my craft.' Now I'm like, I wouldn't do one thing." (13:11)
• They joke about showbiz's late-in-life "breakout" stories being not-so-late, actually—e.g., Bryan Cranston and Melissa McCarthy.

4. Physical Activity: Battle Stories & Reluctance (15:55–17:37, 24:54–26:37)

• Casey admits to playing tennis as her major cardio, saying she does weights "once a week" and is otherwise "so lazy" (16:14).
• The Oura ring saga: Casey’s wearable tech is so alarmed by her inactivity, it practically calls for help. "Are you okay? 200 ambulance inbound, literally." (16:39)
• Adam scoffs at quantifying wellness: "I know I’ve been sitting too long because when I stand up, I get lightheaded." (17:22)

5. Women's vs Men’s Wellness Rituals (29:24–31:05)

• The hypocrisy of judging women for cosmetic maintenance is skewered—men accept cold plunges and supplement stacks, but sneer at elaborate skincare.
• "Women just have to spend tens of thousands and multi hours, and a guy’s walking into a cold plunge." – Casey (30:11)
• Men’s "wellness" as just another form of self-care and self-obsession.

6. Cosmetic Procedures: Open Book (26:37–29:24)

• Casey details her regular "barbaric" treatments: blood infusions into her face, salmon sperm injections, laser for scars, peels, and burns.
• "Today she took my blood and infused it into my face...then she injected salmon sperm." (26:40)
• Jokes about men joining in: "I know I'm gonna get something done, I know it." – Adam (28:21)
• "Women fucking have to do this stuff. I'm glad men are starting to do it!" – Casey (28:17)

7. Psychedelic & Ketamine Therapy: Mental Health Epic (31:37–41:18)

• In one of the episode’s highlights, Jon recounts his guided mushroom therapy session (35:09) involving a psychedelic journey where he met his "inner children"—a deeply transformative experience:
  • "I met my inner children ... three versions of myself in my childhood basement. It felt like a sitcom." – Jon (35:34)
  • He describes providing advice to his 12- and 5-year-old selves, feeling their emotions, and walking away with actionable self-care wisdom.
• Casey and Adam open up about their experiences with ketamine therapy:
  • "It’s helped me so much." – Casey (34:32)
  • They detail the therapeutic setup: eye masks, olfactory cues, guided introspection.
  • The crew riffs on the oddness of doing these sessions in a condo, with garbage trucks rolling by.

8. Moderation, Substance Use, and Getting Older (43:23–45:59)

• Casey admits drinking less: "I want to, but I just like, feel bad." (43:28)
• The preference is for rare, blowout nights, not casual drinks. All three reflect on alcohol/weed as coping or creative tools, and how their relationships have shifted.
  • "Weed helped me get off alcohol hard." – Jon (45:09)
  • Adam only uses a vape, aware that even small amounts now can render him useless for hours.

9. The Absurdity of Longevity Culture & Biohacking (49:04–52:54)

• The group mock-ponders billionaire wellness extremes: testosterone, jiu jitsu, controversial anti-aging protocols.
• References to crazy "longevity influencers," those measuring "grip strength and boners," and exchanging blood with their children.
• "He recycles the son's blood, puts it in his..." – Adam (51:02)
• "To me, an IV is like, crazy. Although I do get them quite a bit." – Casey (51:41)
• IV therapy anecdotes: Casey gets Benadryl-laced IV drips, recounting groggy, pleasure-filled after-effects, nicknamed "the Cosby" by her doc ("You can't say that. Sorry. We can’t call it that." – Casey, 52:35).

10. Housewives, Scandal, and Comedy as Self-Preservation (53:29–end)

• Casey plugs her podcast "Bitch Sesh" and the trio deconstructs recent wild scandals on "Real Housewives of Salt Lake City."
• "Any housewife worth their salt has been arrested. If you haven't, do better." – Casey (55:38)
• Reflections on how Housewives drama is more about crime and darkness than mere catfight TV.
• The conversation loops through inside jokes, stories of tennis rivalries, and unfiltered friendship moments that round out the show.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the podcast’s premise:
  "We're sort of a health and wellness podcast hosted by physically unhealthy and mentally unwell people. Guess which one of us is which. Trick question." – Jon (06:35)
• On supplement overload:
  "You take a vitamin...you piss 99% of it out." – Adam (07:50)
• On physical decline:
  "Now I'm 43. And I'm like, honestly, 60 is a good time to do asscat." – Jon (11:04)
• On high-tech health tracking:
  "My Oura ring was like, are you okay? 200 ambulance inbound, literally.” – Casey (16:39)
• On gendered beauty maintenance:
  "Women just have to spend tens and tens of thousands of dollars in multi hours and a guy's walking into a cold plunge." – Casey (30:11)
• Psychedelic therapy revelation:
  "I met my inner children ... three versions of myself in my childhood basement...It was like a multi-cam with me and two younger versions of myself." – Jon (35:34)
  "You can do whatever you want." – Jon to his childhood self (37:17)
• On substance adjustment with age:
  "I know getting older because I really want to [drink] but I just feel bad." – Casey (43:28)
• On billionaire wellness:
  "We should be concerned that all the billionaires in the world are like, yes, I spend every day taking stuff to make me stronger and I learn jiu jitsu..." – Jon (49:12)
• On Housewives criminality:
  "Any housewife worth their salt has been arrested. If you haven’t, do better." – Casey (55:38)
• Casey’s comedy as brutal honesty:
  "Can I be honest? With you as like a true, true friend who loves you...You could be Matt Damon if you lost, like, 30 pounds." – Casey (62:44)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:00–06:00: Dermatologist tales & skincare comedy
• 06:30: Show’s health/wellness premise explained
• 10:30: Age, ego, and Hollywood breakouts
• 15:55: Casey’s exercise (tennis & minimal weights)
• 16:39: Wearable tech interventions (“Are you OK?”)
• 24:54–26:37: Casey’s cosmetic treatments ("salmon sperm" etc.)
• 29:24–31:05: The gender divide in wellness routines
• 31:37–41:18: Psychedelic and ketamine therapy, Jon's inner child story
• 43:23–45:59: Substance moderation, alcohol and weed with age
• 49:04–52:54: Billionaire health hacks, IV infusions, Cosby anecdote
• 53:29–56:09: Real Housewives breakdown and comedic crime recaps
• 62:44: Casey’s brutally honest "Matt Damon" story (plane anecdote)

Tone and Flow

The episode is consistently irreverent, playful, and open-hearted—each topic, no matter how heavy or gross, is handled with vulnerability but always layered in humor. Banter and tangents abound, making the conversation feel like a genuine hangout among old friends with shared wounds and wisdom.

Final Thoughts

For fans and newcomers alike, this episode offers a hilarious but poignant look at the trials of midlife—cosmetic, corporeal, creative, and emotional. Whether discussing the weird rituals of Hollywood health or the profound outcomes of psychedelic therapy, the group never shies from honesty or laughter.

Recommended for: Fans of authentic conversations about aging, wellness, therapy, and the subtle indignities of staying alive. Plus: great pop culture and Real Housewives gossip.

Summary by Podcast Summarizer – a service for listeners who crave the heart of the conversation, without the ads and preambles.