The Karol Markowicz Show: "Faith, Family & Education in a Digital Age"

Guests: Bethany Mandel & John Ashbrook
Host: Carol Markowitz
Date: January 28, 2026
Podcast: The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show (iHeartPodcasts)

Overview

This episode of The Karol Markowicz Show (a featured segment on The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show) focuses on crucial issues at the intersection of faith, family, and education in today’s digital world. The show is divided into two major segments:

1. A listener advice segment with Bethany Mandel, co-author of Stolen Youth and host of "The Mom Wars" podcast, discussing a listener's family and education dilemma.
2. An in-depth interview with John Ashbrook, co-host of the Ruthless Podcast, exploring his journey through politics and media, the importance of humor in conservative media, and the meaning of family and parenting today.

Throughout, the conversation is warm, authentic, and often humorous, offering a blend of practical advice and cultural insight.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Listener Advice: Navigating Changes in Family & Faith

(Bethany Mandel joins to answer a listener question)

• The Listener's Dilemma:
  • A committed Christian couple made life decisions around church and homeschooling. The husband now wants to stop attending church regularly and prefers their children to attend the Christian school he attended instead of homeschooling. The listener feels unsettled by these changes and seeks advice.
  • [03:27–04:55]

Bethany Mandel’s Response

• On Changing Plans and Flexibility in Marriage:
  • Bethany notes that it's a good sign the husband wants Christian schooling for the kids, not public school, and that changes of opinion as parents are normal:

    “His reasoning is not bad… We went into, you know, being parents, not knowing what we wanted to do, and we changed. And Seth, my husband, changed also. I think that you need that flexibility… If he had said, I want to send the kids public, I think that’s where I would say, stand up and fight.”
    [05:05–05:51]

  • Practical advice: Agree to try the Christian school, but reassess after kindergarten—especially if finances are tight:

    “Let’s just see how kindergarten goes. And kindergarten was 2019 to 2020 … I think I would say to the husband, okay, but let’s reevaluate at the end of kindergarten. Unless there’s a money concern, which there just might be.”
    [06:16–06:34]

  • On financial stress and private education:

    “If tuition is too much of a stretch, then that’s where you kind of stand up and say no.”
    [07:58–08:20]

Carol Markowitz’s Reflections

• Watching for Deeper Issues, But Accepting Change:
  • Jokes about suspecting everyone is “on drugs”—a nod to her Brooklyn upbringing—but acknowledges sometimes people’s priorities simply shift.
  • Encourages monitoring the husband’s demeanor for any real issue but accepts that “plans change”:

    “My husband and I got together with the plan that we would live in New York forever. And if one of us didn’t want to do that, that would be crazy. … Here we are four years into our Florida life and obviously things changed.”
    [09:25–09:52]

  • Advocates flexibility, watching for any true issues, and being open to mid-course corrections in family plans.

Notable Moments

• Bethany’s Practical Humor:

  “I would have told him to get a job at a law firm because we can’t afford it. And that’s it. … I wasn’t willing to have fewer [children] for the sake of paying for private school, so.”
  [07:42–07:58]

• On using school requirements as leverage:

  "Attending church is a requisite of sending our kids to this school. Sorry, it’s out of my hands."
  [08:21–08:39]

2. Interview: John Ashbrook on Community, Podcasting, and Family

(Deep-dive conversation covering John’s background, the Ruthless Podcast’s style, and personal reflections on family)

Roots and Identity

• Cincinnati Roots:
  • Discusses the unique pride and communal culture of Cincinnati natives:

    “A lot of other people from Ohio don’t always consider Cincinnati as part of Ohio. They always say it’s like a nation state.”
    [15:26–15:45]

Career Journey

• From Political Operative to Podcaster:
  • Originally started in politics (driver for a Congressman, then press secretary) and always loved conservative talk radio:

    “I used to listen from Bill Bennett in the morning … to Laura Ingram … Rush Limbaugh … Sean Hannity … and then Mark Levin.”
    [17:51–19:19]

  • Ruthless Podcast began as a COVID-era Zoom happy hour with friends, drinking bourbon and betting on horses; it went public in October 2020.
  • On transitioning from political staffer to (somewhat) public figure:

    “You go back there as somebody who's doing podcasting, and people are like, oh, no, I listen to the podcast. … It is different than political communications, where usually you’re trying to sort of downplay the controversy. But on the show, you always love the controversy.”
    [20:15–21:07]

Humor as a Political Force

• On Lightness and Wit in Conservative Media:
  • John credits Rush Limbaugh for blending humor and information—now often rare in conservative commentary:

    “There’s so much content out there, particularly on the right … where everybody wants to read you the Federalist papers. … That’s not how Rush was … a guy who is absolutely at the top of his game in broadcasting, changing media … a lot of that had to do with his humor and not taking things too seriously.”
    [21:44–23:03]

Family & Parenting

• Most Proud Of:

  • “100% my children. I've got three daughters, and I love these girls more than life itself.”
    [25:59–26:21]
  • Shares heartwarming and humorous stories about each daughter—one a talented singer, another with Down Syndrome who “brings so much humor,” and the youngest an enthusiastic athlete.

• The Meaning of Parenthood:

  • “Parenting is the greatest thing that could ever happen to a person … there is nothing better in life than kids.”
    [27:20–27:42]
  • Talks about the cultural trends depicting parenting as joyless, and expresses the desire to counteract that perception:

    "There's been a collapse in the idea that young men should have kids ... talking about how amazing parenting is ... goes a long way to changing that conversation.”
    [27:42–28:08]

  • On exhaustion:

    “It is exhausting. But the exhaustion is worth it.”
    [29:28–29:34]

Advice for Life in the Digital Age

• John Ashbrook's Best Life Tip:

  “You’ve got to unplug and you’ve got to just take some time. You got to put your iPhone down. You got to put Twitter down. … and just live life with those who are around you … It is so gratifying to spend time with people in real life and not on… your phone… it always energizes you in a way that you’d never expect.”
  [35:45–36:40]

Five-Year Predictions (with Characteristic Humor)

• Struggles to make firm predictions, but hopes for:
  • The Cincinnati Bengals making another Super Bowl
  • The Cincinnati Reds in the World Series
  • The Republican Party regaining national strength
    [34:17–35:16]

Notable Quotes

• “What people hear on our show is exactly what we’re doing when the cameras are off. … If I say something dumb, everybody laughs at me. … The audience really likes that. … It adds a layer of authenticity that you don't always get with the legacy media.”
  [23:20–24:26]
• “It’s a lot of fun watching them [his daughters] experience life … Parenting is the greatest thing that could ever happen.”
  [27:20–27:42]

Important Timestamps

• Advice Segment w/ Bethany Mandel: 02:28–10:34
• Listener’s Question Read: 03:27
• Bethany’s Perspective on Marriage & Schooling: 05:05
• Carol’s Thoughts on Changing Life Plans: 09:25
• Interview with John Ashbrook: starts 14:36
• On Cincinnati Pride: 15:26–16:23
• Path to Ruthless Podcast & Radio: 17:51–21:07
• Importance of Humor in Media: 21:44–23:03
• Parental Pride & Parenting Wisdom: 25:59–27:42
• On Modern Parenting Narratives & Young Men: 27:42–28:08
• Unplugging from Digital Life: 35:45–36:40

Memorable Moments

• Bethany Mandel’s advice to handle school choices practically: “Let’s just try kindergarten and see how it goes.” [06:16]
• John Ashbrook’s warmth describing his family: “My oldest daughter … when she sings, it brings tears to your eyes.” [26:21]
• The closing life tip: “Touching grass and living your life in real life.” – Carol Markowitz, to which John enthusiastically agrees. [36:40–36:44]

Summary

This episode stands out for its honest, relatable conversation about how faith, family, and education plans evolve—sometimes unexpectedly. Both Bethany Mandel and John Ashbrook stress the value of flexibility, humor, authentic relationships, and real-life presence in an age of digital distraction and shifting cultural narratives about parenting. The light tone, sprinkled with laughter and real-life stories, makes for an insightful and engaging discussion valuable for any listener navigating similar issues.