Vault: How Did You Embarrass Yourself During An Argument?

Summary

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The Bert Show (Pionaire Podcasting)

Episode: Vault: How Did You Embarrass Yourself During An Argument?
Date: January 15, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode of The Bert Show dives into the all-too-relatable theme of embarrassing yourself during an argument—those moments when you’re absolutely certain you’re right, only to realize (often in a very public or humiliating fashion) that you’re dead wrong. The cast shares their own stories and invites listeners to call in with their “argument fails,” resulting in a hilarious, honest, and sometimes cringe-inducing exploration of pride, humility, and just how easy it is to make a fool of yourself.

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Key Discussion Points & Segment Breakdowns

1. Concert Chat as a Launchpad

(01:19–05:27)

• The show opens with conversation about the Kenny Chesney concert at Philips Arena.
• Birch, Gretchen, and Phil reminisce about the impressive crowd, the rowdy nature of events where "the beer's flowing," and set the stage for stories about public mishaps.
• Transition Quote:
  Birch (05:04): “Anywhere there’s assigned seating, if you don’t sit in your assigned seat, it just bugs me…”

2. Birch’s Own Argument Fail: The Row Mix-Up

(05:27–08:49)

• Birch tells about being at the concert and getting into a minor spat when someone insisted they were in the wrong seats—only for the “accuser” to find out he was mistaken, embarrassing himself in front of everyone.
• Quote:
  Birch (07:42): “He…the whole night tried to be buddy-buddy with me after that, his girlfriend apologized—she legitimately felt bad.”

3. From the Other Side: Standing Your Ground, Realizing You’re Wrong

(08:20–09:37)

• Phil reflects on the universal gut-drop of being sure you’re in the right only to be proven wrong.

• Invitation for listeners who’ve been “humbled” by these moments.

  Phil (08:20):
  “You were sticking up for something you knew in your heart of hearts you were right for…then, like, 30 seconds later, you realize, damn, damn, damn, I was wrong.”

4. Listener Call-Ins: Awkward Arguments and Realizations

a. Vic’s $20 Panhandler Debacle

(09:39–10:29)

• Vic recounts getting into a near-fight with a panhandler, demanding back $20 he thought he’d never given—until realizing he’d spent it already and just forgot.
• Notable exchange:
  Vic (10:18): “I realized I had spent, you know, spent all my money, but I was too embarrassed to go back.”

b. Red Light Righteousness

(10:33–11:22)

• Vic again calls, telling of angrily honking at another driver at a red light—unaware there was a “No turn on red” sign. The resulting embarrassment ruined his girlfriend’s mood.

  Vic (11:16): “...and my girlfriend’s like—she’s pissed off. She didn’t want to go to dinner after that.”

c. Turning the Tables & Masking Embarrassment

(11:25–11:39)

• Phil asks if, when proven wrong, people (especially men) sometimes pick a fight afterward to cover up their mistake.

  Phil (11:25): “Rather than apologizing, you get in a fight with your girlfriend over something else just to mask the fact that you were just wrong?”

5. Classic Mishap: The Wheelchair Row at a Concert

(11:41–12:57)

• Birch shares his “all-time favorite” argument fail: a radio colleague once tried to hype up a crowd at a concert by shouting for the entire front row to stand—only to discover it was reserved for wheelchair users.

  Birch (12:44):
  “He called for the house lights...and then everybody in the entire venue could see that he’s been yelling at all these people that are in wheelchairs.”

  Crash (13:06):
  "'They're probably going, 'Loud jerk! If I could stand up, I would.'"

6. Security Scare: Wallet Accusation Fallout

(13:22–14:23)

• Mark shares a story from his time as head of security: after a brawl and macing a man, it appeared they’d attacked the wrong person, until the truth came out—but not before a terrifying 15-20 seconds.

  Mark (14:16):
  "There was about 15 or 20 seconds there, dead silence, where we all thought we had committed a felony."

7. Misplaced ID on a 21st Birthday

(14:35–15:58)

• Vic returns with a birthday embarrassment story: after raising hell thinking the bar staff lost his ID, he later finds it in his pocket. His friends stood by him, only for him to later come clean.

  Vic (15:53):
  “We leave the place finally…And I look in my pants pocket…And I put my ID in my side pocket on the pants.”

• Phil points out the social pressure of having everyone stand behind you, only to discover your mistake.

8. Everyday Example: Credit Card Mix-Ups

(16:05–16:54)

• Birch and Crash share how misunderstandings often happen with credit card returns at restaurants and ticket systems, leading to unnecessary arguments.

  Birch (16:49):
  “...we’re kind of arguing a little bit with the Disney people. And then it ends up it was Crash's fault and you’re going straight to hell...”

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Birch on assigned seating (05:11):
  “If you don’t sit in your assigned seat, it just bugs me...chances are, somebody is going to be in those seats.”

• Phil on being proven wrong (11:16):
  “Like I said, you only have a couple of options. Either it’s like, you find humility or you just refuse to believe what just happened.”

• Story highlight (12:44):
  “He’s been yelling at all these people that are in wheelchairs.”

• Group dynamic and tone: The cast roasts each other and their callers in a lighthearted, self-deprecating tone, encouraging laughter at the universal experience of awkward mistakes.

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Timestamp Guide to Key Segments

| Segment | Timestamps | |--------------------------------------------------|--------------| | Kenny Chesney concert & Assigned Seating | 01:19–05:27 | | Birch’s Row Mix-Up Story | 05:27–08:49 | | Calls: “How Did You Embarrass Yourself?” | 09:39–16:05 | | Favorite Mishap: The Wheelchair Row | 11:41–12:57 | | Security Mix-up/Wallet-accusation | 13:22–14:23 | | Birthday ID Confusion | 14:35–15:58 | | General Commentary and Credit Card Mishap | 16:05–16:54 |

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Final Thoughts

The episode captures both the shame and humor in realizing you’ve been wrong after an impassioned argument, whether at a concert, in traffic, or while out with friends. Through real-life confessions from both hosts and listeners, The Bert Show serves up laughter, humility, and a reminder to not take ourselves (or our momentary righteousness) too seriously.

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Transcript

[Raj]

Hey, it's Raj and Noah, and we're back with a new season of Am I Doing It Wrong? The show that explores the all too human anxieties we have about trying to get our lives right.

[Noah]

Because we're still doing a lot of stuff wrong.

[Raj]

But who isn't? That's why each week we're talking about the topics that we could all use a little helping hit with. Whether it's making new friends as an adult, managing our emotions, or even dreaming.

[Noah]

We'Ll be talking to experts in their fields who are definitely doing things right, so the rest of us can be a bit wiser and a lot better equipped to handle whatever life throws at us.

[Raj]

Subscribe now and listen to new episodes of Am I Doing It Wrong? Dropping every Thursday starting January 1st, wherever you get your podcasts.

[Noah]

And for the first time ever, we're gonna have full video episodes on YouTube. Because as long as there are things to get wrong, we're gonna be right here to help you do them better.

[Birch]

Love y'.

[Crash]

All.

[Verizon Announcer]

In a world where January is supposed to be boring, one staple of the holidays refuses to end. The great deals at Verizon. The joy just keeps on coming. Right now you can save on four new phones and four. Critics agree it's the deal that keeps on giving. Come into Verizon and save on four new phones and four lines on unlimited welcome. Additional terms [e-mail] for details.

[Birch]

The Birch Show.

[Phil]

Jeff was out at the Kenny Chesney concert last night.

[Birch]

Yeah, Phil was there, too. It was a great show. This guy is amazing, man. Seventeen or sixteen thousand, whatever, hundred people at Philip's arena three nights in a row.

[Phil]

I'm out of the loop on the country thing. Like I was. I just have the old traditional country thing in my head, and I've never gone back.

[Birch]

He said more than once from the stage that in his 12 years of touring, he has never once played the same city three nights in a row and three sellouts. I mean, that's huge.

[Phil]

Is it the kind of thing where he plays Atlanta because he doesn't play other Southern cities that are close, like Birmingham and all?

[Birch]

No, he's pulling from everywhere. Like I said, he's been touring for 12 years and he has been partying. You know, he came to Atlanta and partied hard for three solid nights.

[Gretchen]

Even more proof of it, he even sold out Detroit in like an hour. Two shows in Detroit. He sold those out in like an hour.

[Crash]

All them Yankees like Kenny Chesky.

[Gretchen]

It's huge. It's like that country music. Boom. Right now. And last night was just amazing. It was absolutely gorgeous.

[Crash]

His new marriage helps at all.

[Birch]

I mean, somebody.

[Gretchen]

At one point, I went with my brother Sam and my dad, my little sister, and we were just having a great time. And I got elbowed more than once because he was going up to where the sky boxes were or where the boxes were.

[Raj]

And.

[Gretchen]

And at one point, somebody elbowed me and said, did he just say, hey, Renee? Because it sounded like in his second or third song. He went and pointed it up one of the boxes and said, hey, Renee. Because he was waving to the crowd. And I got elbowed twice. Somebody said that. He did that more than once. I didn't catch it.

[Birch]

She wasn't there last night. She was there Saturday night.

[Gretchen]

Okay.

[Birch]

She was there at the concert on Saturday night. And Uncle Cracker came out, and Gretchen Wilson came out again. Cracker was hammered last night out.

[Phil]

No, really, who knew? The guy drinks.

[Birch]

I don't know if you saw this from the side of the stage you were sitting on, Phil. But I thought. I'm pretty sure that Kenny Chesney was giving hand signals to do his band, whether or not to keep or get rid of crack. Like, keep Cracker on stage, really? Like, he had to turn around and he nodded at his guitar player, and, like, his guitar player was like, are you sure? And that happened right in front of us.

[Phil]

Like, what's the crowd like now at a country concert?

[Gretchen]

I mean, gorgeous, hot, wonderful. Yeah, it was like. It was like going to a UGA game, but everyone was dressed up. I mean, the crowd was. It was. Yeah, it was like 20,000 beautiful people. A younger crowd now. I mean, I would say the average age there was probably between the ages of 20 and 25.

[Birch]

Really?

[Gretchen]

Yeah. And all the girls, you know, had their cowboy hats on, and all the guys had cowboy hats on. And it was just. It was. If you watch, like, a Kenny Chesney video, that's what it was like.

[Birch]

Yeah, it was cool. The problem was. And I was talking to some of my friends at Philip Serena, and they. I mean, you know, I think we all agree it's a great place to see a concert, and they do an awesome job. And we were talking about the different crowds and, you know, three nights of any concert, plus Destiny's Child on Friday night. So these guys have been working for, like, straight nights, you know, at concerts, and they were looking pretty beat up. And some of them were telling me that sometimes this crowd gets a little rowdy, you know, really. A little more rowdy than Other crowds just cause, you know, the beer's flowing and they're out to have a good time. And sometimes. And I almost experienced that with Jessica because we said, I have, you know, a few pet peeves or quirks or whatever you want to call them. You know, one of them is, I hate being left on hold on the phone. It drives me nuts. That's very frustrating to me. And another one is at any sort of event where there's assigned seating. I hate people who try to sit in better seats before the event begins. Like, I'm okay with if you're at a baseball game and three or four innings have gone by and you've been sitting like, you know, 50 rows up and you've seen the same two rows empty down and you can talk to the usher and you can go down there, whatever. If you can do that, that's fine.

[Phil]

It's the same theory in a plane too.

[Birch]

Yes. Sit in your seat.

[Phil]

Like, if you want to go to it, sit in your seat until the door closes. And then if there's an open seat, at that point you get up and you go, right, right.

[Birch]

And so that is just anywhere there's assigned seating. If you don't sit in your assigned seat, it just bugs me because chances are somebody is going to be in those seats. I mean, you know, if you're going to whatever the event is, those seats have been sold.

[Crash]

Give them a chance to be late. I mean, give them a chance to get to their seat first.

[Birch]

So we are sitting in our seats and we're in, you know, whatever section we are, blah, blah, blah. And we're in row three and we're sitting in the section and there's only. Because it's kind of. It's like it's near a tunnel and stuff. And I think there might have been like a, like some handicap accessible space next to us. And it was kind of a weird row. There were only four rows in the seats. And even on the ticket it looked kind of funny. So it was 1, 2, 3, like it said on the ticket. It said 3, 1, 2, 3, 4, something like that. It was a little hard to read. But we walked in and like I said, you know, I've got friends who work at Phillips Arena. We walked in with them and he just goes, okay, there's your seats right there. And we just sat in the empty row on the seats in that row closest to the stage. Like we slid all the way down. Well, some guy comes in with his girlfriend and because we had the whole row, four seats we're actually sitting right in the middle of the row. So we would have been sitting in seats two and three. And we're sitting there, and this guy comes in with the girl. And I had all four seats in the row, and the other seats were in my pocket. So the guy comes in and says to Jessica, hey, you're in our seats. Jessica's like, no, I don't think so, and takes out her ticket. He goes, I know where my seats are. You're in my seats. And his girlfriend goes, just move down. Move down to Jessica. And Jessica's like, I don't think so, but whatever. So we slide down to the end of the row, and Jessica's like, hey, would you mind if I could I see your ticket? So the girlfriend says to the guy, hey, can she see your ticket? And the guy's like, who the hell is she? She doesn't need to see our tickets. Hands Jessica t Goes, I know where my GD seat is. I am not effing up. This is my seat. This is where I belong. And I just lean out and glared at him, right? You know? And I'm like, that's ridiculous, dude. What is your deal? And then as soon as this is during Gretchen Wilson, soon as the lights came back up, this guy looks over at us and goes, you guys got to move now. And gets an usher and says, hey, we're supposed to be at the end. We're on the seats closest to the stage. They're in our seats, and they're being a holes about it or something like that. And gives the usher his ticket. And the usher says, sir, you're in the wrong row.

[Crash]

And what does he do?

[Birch]

He. I refute. He the whole night, tried to be like, buddy, buddy with me. After that, his girlfriend apologized to Jessica, and he apologized to Jessica. And she. Like, I actually said to her afterwards, I'm like, you were too nice to him. Like, I didn't even look at him, didn't make contact. And if he did, I was gonna tell him, you know what? You just don't be an a hole. Like, don't just sit in your seats. Yeah, that drives me nuts. And if it wasn't, like, if it's an honest mistake, like, I thought we may have been in the right row because, like I said, we walked in with our buddy from Phillips, and he just goes, there you go. And we just sat in the empty row like, we could have been one row off. It was no big deal. But just wait till the break. Don't be a jerk. You Know what I mean? Just don't.

[Phil]

I'd love to take this from this, the other guy's angle, like, where you were sticking up for something you knew in your heart of hearts you were right for. Like, you were willing to fight over it. And then, like, 30 seconds later, you realize, damn, damn, damn, I was wrong. Because we've all been there and had that sinking feeling, you know, when you're sticking up for something so passionately, then you realize, oh, I'm totally in the wrong here. 404-741-1005. I'd love this guy to call in. That was me.

[Birch]

I actually. If he wasn't such a jerk about the whole thing, I would have felt terrible for him because it was such a humbling experience. And it was seriously, like, the last song, last two songs of Gretchen Wilson's set. And we just, like. My deal is, like, just slide down. Let everybody sit here. When the lights come out, we'll sort it out. No big deal, right? And this guy just had to be loud and boisterous. And it felt. I felt bad for his girlfriend because she looked at Jessica and she goes, oh, my God, I'm so sorry. Like, she legitimately felt bad.

[Crash]

I. We could take phone calls from girlfriends, too, of their man or a friend of someone who did it. Did that, too, like, because the man.

[Phil]

Was sticking up for you and he was in the wrong.

[Crash]

Because there's plenty of times when women are embarrassed by the way a guy's trying to buck up and handle a situation. But. And then to find out that, you.

[Phil]

Know, oh, hey, Vic, you're on all the hits. Q100.

[Vic]

Hey, what's up, man?

[Phil]

What's going on?

[Vic]

I kind of the same situation, but it took place at Freak Me, and I had, like, $40 in my pocket, and I bought, like, a T shirt and, you know, something to drink. I was kind of, you know, had too much to drink. So later on, I had took a picture with one of the panhandlers or whatever, and I forgot that I spent my $20 and gave him my last 20. So I stood there for the longest, man, about to fight this guy. I'm like, you know, come on, man, I want my money, or I'm gonna take the camera and all this kind of stuff. But he decided to give me my $20 back.

[Birch]

Wait.

[Vic]

I realized I had spent, you know, spent all my money, but I was too embarrassed to go back.

[Phil]

Of course you were. Of course you were. All right, Vic, thank you for calling.

[Vic]

All right, thanks.

[Phil]

Appreciate it. Too much pride. Getting away, man.

[Verizon Announcer]

Yeah.

[Phil]

All the hits. Q100.

[Gretchen]

Hi.

[Vic]

Hey. How you doing?

[Phil]

All right.

[Vic]

Okay. I'm sitting at a red light. Me and my girlfriend, I'm, we're going to dinner. And I'm behind the car at the red light and this guy wouldn't move at all. And I'm sitting here blowing the horn at him, blowing the horn at him and yelling at him. He's yelling at me, shooting me the finger. And we're about to get out of the car and just go at it. Then all of a sudden he's pointing up at the light, and I look up there and there's a sign that says, no turn on red. And my girlfriend's like, she's pissed off. She's just like, she didn't want to go to dinner after that. I'm sitting there and I didn't know it too. I just laughed. It was just funny to me.

[Phil]

Like I said, you only have a couple of options. Either it's like you find humility or you just refuse to believe what just happened.

[Vic]

I wanted to catch up to the guy, so I'm sorry, but I couldn't.

[Phil]

Have you ever been in this situation where you know you're wrong, you're found out, and then rather than apologizing, you get in a fight with your girlfriend over something else just to mask the fact that you were just wrong?

[Vic]

Yes, definitely.

[Phil]

He somehow tried to put it back on her with something else.

[Birch]

Yeah, My, my favorite story, I think this, this is kind of close. I mean, I don't think this guy had any choice but to be humbled. But this is my favorite all time story of a situation like this where you just have to, you got the tail's got to be between your legs. Actually happened at Burt's old radio station when they were introducing a concert and this guy named Al goes out on stage to bring, bring, you know, the next band out. And it's like, you know, some real, like, let's say it's Black Eyed Peas. That's a pumped up. That's like, you got to get up and dance band, right? So he goes out there, he goes, hey, thanks for coming to the, you know, whatever, you know, KISS concert number five. You guys having a good time? Everybody cheers. He goes, I need you to get on your feet and make some noise for the Black Eyed Peas. And like the front row, two rows, everybody stands up at them. He goes, you will not stay seated for. Stand up in the front. Hey, we need to make some noise to get the front row to Stand up. And people are cheering, you know, and he goes, front row, get on your feet. And they. Then they turn the lights on. And he sees that that's where they put all the wheelchairs.

[Phil]

He called for the house lights. Kid and I were actually on stage with him and he's like, house lights, house lights. So they put all the lights on. And then everybody in the entire venue could see that he's been yelling at all these people that are in wheelchairs.

[Birch]

Yeah. Oh, what did he do? I don't know. At that point, you're just like, all right, here's the black eyed peak. Oh, my.

[Crash]

They're probably going loud. Jerk. If I could stand up, I would. Thanks so much.

[Birch]

I would stand up and I would chase you with a stick.

[Crash]

I will kick your ass.

[Phil]

I mean, you're in front 15,000 people at that point. Good morning, Mark. You're on all the hits. Q100.

[Mark]

Hey, guys, what's going on? Well, I was head of security at Backstreet a few years ago. That now deceased 24 Hour nightclub, right. And it was an off night and we had gotten this call that somebody had lifted this guy's wallet. Well, we found the guy, chased him four blocks. When he ran from us, he got maced. Fight ensued. I have a scar to this day on my knee where we were rolling around on the asphalt. We dragged a guy back, get him in front of the victim, who says, my wallet hasn't been stolen.

[Phil]

So was the wrong. You guys maced and fought with the wrong guy?

[Mark]

No, no, it turns out the guy had just had. Had quite a bit to drink and didn't realize this guy had stolen his wallet. We actually had the right guy. But There was about 15 or 20 seconds there, dead silence, where we all thought we had committed a felony.

[Phil]

But you did end up.

[Crash]

Yeah, it ended up being correct.

[Mark]

It ended up being correct. But there was that. There was that 15 or 20 seconds where we thought, oh, my God, we're all going to jail.

[Phil]

Here comes a lawsuit.

[Birch]

That would have shut Backstreet down a lot earlier. That would have been like Jimmy's Backstreet or something like that.

[Phil]

Good morning, David. You're on all the hits.

[Vic]

Yeah, I have kind of a story about my 21st birthday.

[Gretchen]

Yes, sir.

[Vic]

I was at a place in Buckhead, I think it was the Vortex. And my friends had taken me out drinking earlier in the afternoon. We had got to this place sometime that evening, so I was already fairly buzzed. We began drinking and the people who were working there asked us to see our ID several times. I guess we looked young. And by the time we got done and we're ready to leave, we were all, you know, pretty intoxicated. And I couldn't find my id, so we still had plenty of the night left for me to go drinking on my 21st birthday. And I began to raise hell about these people who lost my id. So I'm raising hell. And eventually the patio where we're sitting completely cleared out because I was raising so much hell and causing such a fuss. My friends jump into the fight because they completely see my passion, and they think they're like, okay, well, they must have taken the idea. They're totally behind me, on board with me. We leave the place finally, after they escort us out, to put it nicely. And after we're leaving, we're about halfway home because there's nowhere else to go with the person on his 21st birthday without his ID. And I look in my pants pocket. I'm wearing those cargo jeans that have the pockets on the side. And I put my ID in my side pocket on the pants. And my friend, unfortunately knew one of the guys who worked at that place, and he was actually never went bad because I kind of ruined it for him with the scene that I made there.

[Phil]

So did you ever come clean? So you did come clean with your friends?

[Vic]

Yeah, I did. Of course, we had to keep drinking.

[Phil]

Because there does come a time where, like, you've already made an ass out of all your friends also, and you just kind of maybe want to hide that fact that you were in the wrong.

[Crash]

You know, I'm sure there's plenty of people, like, when they're paying by credit card at dinner, and then they put the card back in their wallet, but they forget that they did it. And then they think the waiter still has their credit card. And then also at Bird's Big Adventure, Crash, I don't know if you remember this, but Crash and I were trying to get into one of the parks. We were hanging out the day that the families were on their own. And so we had gone to one of the parks, and then we got in. Everything's good. So we leave. We go to another park. His credit card had somehow stuck to the back of the park pass. So when he tried to put the park pass into the new park, they.

[Birch]

Wouldn'T let it in.

[Crash]

And so I'm standing there with my arms crossed, like, I can't. You know, we just used this. And he said, we're kind of arguing a little bit with the Disney people. And then it ends up it was.

[Phil]

Crash's fault and you're going straight to hell. You start arguing with the Birch, I.

[Gretchen]

Know you're wrong, man.

[Birch]

The Birch Show.

[Verizon Announcer]

In a world where January is supposed to be boring, one staple of the holiday refuses to end. The great deal's at Verizon. The joy just keeps on coming. Right now you can save on four new phones and four lines. Critics agree it's the deal that keeps on giving. Come into Verizon and save on four new phones and four lines on unlimited. Welcome. Additional terms apply seeverizon.com for details.

[Raj]

Hey, it's Raj and Noah. And we're back with a new season of Am I Doing It Wrong? The show that explores the all too human anxieties we have about trying to get our lives right.

[Noah]

Because we're still doing a lot of stuff wrong.

[Raj]

But who isn't? That's why each week we're talking about the topics that we could all use a little helping hit with. Whether it's making new friends as an adult, managing our emotions, or even dreaming.

[Noah]

We'Ll be talking to experts in their fields who are definitely doing things right. So the rest of us can be a bit wiser and a lot better equipped to handle whatever life throws at us.

[Raj]

Subscribe now and listen to new episodes of Am I Doing It Wrong? Dropping every Thursday starting January 1st, wherever you get your podcasts.

[Noah]

And for the first time ever, we're gonna have full video episodes on YouTube. Because as long as there are things to get wrong, we're going to be right here to help you do them better.

[Birch]

Love y'.

[Raj]

All.

[Birch]

With endless scroll algorithms and AI flooding feeds, podcasting stands out. They're sought, not served. Audiences actively choose to hear trusted voices on topics they care about. In fact, 72% of listeners say podcasts shape cultural conversations for marketers, that means podcasts shift brand perception like no other channel. Acast's podcast Pulse 2025 report has the pro proof. Get all the [e-mail].