The blondEST — “The Puffer Fish Problem”

Host: Savanna Boda

Episode Date: December 29, 2025

Overview

In this candid, chatty episode, Savanna Boda—The Dallas Aesthetician—recaps a tumultuous end of year filled with spa renovation delays, fish tank chaos, reflections on personal growth, and the search for balance between work, fun, and relationships. Alongside her friend Tyler, Savanna blends irreverent humor, real-life updates, and surprising vulnerability in a “life debrief” episode that also previews her mindset for 2026’s “Year of the Horse.”

Major Discussion Points & Insights

1. Spa Delays and Business Frustration

• Savanna shares her stress over delays in opening her new spa location, pushed out due to holiday slowdowns and unfinished tasks.

• She emphasizes her commitment to quality over rushing for profit:

  “At the end of the day, I want the quality to be amazing. I want everyone to have this new experience ... I’m not going to just, like, cut it short just because, like, we need to be making money in clinic.” — Savanna (03:37)

• The delays caused by contractors and scheduling issues become a recurring source of exasperation.

Notable Quote:

“How do people not work? That’s a long break. I would freak out. That’s like an adult spring break.” — Savanna (01:03)

2. The Puffer Fish Tank Problem

• The “puffer fish problem” is literal: Savanna’s puffer fish, whimsically named Carlos (or as argued, “Candy Pop”), has been killing everything else in her aquarium.
• She rails against seemingly conflicting advice from employees at different fish stores, dubbing the aquarium industry a “Ponzi scheme” in comic exaggeration.

Highlights:

• The puffer's destructive streak (Cosmo, Cora, Carmen, and Clara the clownfish all perished, Cleo survived).
• Frustration at not being able to reach her fish cleaner:

  “I need round the clock care, especially when we’re having this many fatalities. I need someone I can call. I need someone I can trust.” — Savanna (05:51)

• Tyler corrects her Ponzi scheme analogy (10:01), providing the definition in amusing back-and-forth.

3. Camera Mystery & Life Debrief

• The duo spends part of the episode tracking down a missing camera, with a tangle of purses and accusations flying, finally deducing it was likely left with Maria.
• The camera contains content from a boudoir shoot Savanna did to push herself outside of comfort zones after her divorce.

Notable Moment:

“I’m a little bit concerned about this camera being missing because of the contents on that camera.” — Savanna (27:11)

4. Team Changes & Workplace Culture

• Notes on spa operations: team expansion, someone voluntarily leaving (“fire quit hybrid”), and the dynamic improving as everyone starts “kikiing and getting along.”
• Open call for local Dallas hires to apply for retail associate/client coordinator roles.

Quote:

“As a boss, amazing to see, I love to hear the laughter of my children in the hallways.” — Savanna (26:15)

5. Relationships, Personality, and Dating

• Savanna talks openly about her struggles with dating, identifying as an “omnivert”—capable of extroversion but naturally introverted.
• She discusses how hard it is for her to form close relationships:

  “People think I like people because of my job and being on social media. Like, I like people, but I don’t like with a lot of people, if that makes sense.” — Savanna (16:27)

• Tyler and Savanna analyze her tendency to invest deeply when she finally connects, but acknowledge her boundaries and refusal to settle.
• Tyler jokes, “When Savanna Boda chooses you, you’re fucked.” (18:10)

6. Spirituality & 2026 “Year of the Horse”

• Savanna introduces the “Year of the Horse” as a time of personal and karmic renewal.
• Encourages listeners to address lingering issues and move forward—“or you’re going to be in another nine-year cycle and the horse moves—like, it’s not going to wait for you.” (21:41)
• She speaks candidly about being both religious and spiritual, negotiating Christian beliefs with intuitive practices, and working with her spiritual advisor Brenda:

  “Prayers are manifestation. I mean it’s truly speaking out what you want, and God listens, your angels listen.” — Savanna (23:20)

7. Rediscovering Fun & Overcoming Past Trauma

• Savanna, formerly a “hater of fun” due to her workaholic tendencies and controlling marriage, shares how she’s finally letting herself have a social life—visiting bars, playing pool, and experiencing “attention” for the first time in years.

• She’s clear the party phase is temporary:

  “I’m not gonna be fucking 30 going to bars on Friday nights. And I only go the weekends I don’t have my son.” — Savanna (29:41)

• Reflects on coping with single parenthood and the dangers of mistaking busyness for fulfillment:

  “I gaslit myself into thinking fun was overrated and that work is life. And you guys—gotta tell you—it’s fun. I fear fun is fun. I never thought I would say that.” — Savanna (32:39)

• Touches briefly on trauma from her past marriage and how work became her “safe space”:

  “I feel like if I wasn’t at work, he was, like, up my ass ... even if it was a work dinner, he’d be, like, psychotic about it and think that I was, like, fucking all of my reps that are old men that are married.” — Savanna (33:53)

Memorable Quotes & Moments with Timestamps

• ”I think it’s a Ponzi scheme. I don’t even know what a Ponzi scheme is, but I know it’s a type of scheme, and I think it sounds interesting.”
  — Savanna, explaining her puffer fish theory (05:38)

• ”She was kind of the cunt of the group, honestly. She was an antagonizer … Carlos is just weeding out the bad apple. You know, it’s fine. Like, fuck Clara, honestly.”
  — Savanna, storytelling in full color (08:47)

• ”When Savanna Boda chooses you, you’re fucked.”
  — Tyler (18:10)

• ”I need to learn how to be a little more detached. ... There’s people I can tolerate ... there’s not many people I’m excited to hang out with and genuinely want to invest time in.”
  — Savanna on her social circle (16:11-17:14)

• ”Girls just want to have fun.”
  — Savanna’s summary of her new outlook (30:42)

Key Timestamps

| Segment Description | Timestamp | |---------------------------------------------|------------| | Spa delays, holiday frustration | 00:50–03:37| | Puffer fish carnage and “Ponzi scheme” | 05:10–12:00| | Camera investigation and boudoir photos | 07:00–13:14; 27:11| | Team updates, hiring news | 14:00–15:36; 26:22| | Dating, omnivert personality discussion | 16:00–19:00| | “Year of the Horse” spiritual advice | 21:37–25:57| | Embracing fun, escaping past patterns | 28:30–34:40| | Marriage trauma/work as coping mechanism | 33:00–33:52|

Tone & Style

• Conversational, unfiltered, irreverent, and vulnerable; often humorous and self-deprecating
• Frequent light swearing, playful nicknames, and inside jokes
• Rapid-fire banter between Savanna and Tyler, with emotional honesty and practical advice threaded throughout

Final Thoughts

Episode “The Puffer Fish Problem” will resonate with longtime fans for its blend of offbeat pet drama, business owner stress, and a rare glimpse at Savanna’s personal evolution. The main takeaway: change is uncomfortable but necessary, and in the coming “Year of the Horse,” Savanna is buckling up to run toward growth—with more fun, firmer boundaries, and a (hopefully) revitalized spa.