Intrusive Thoughts by Adam Rippon

Episode: Sleepless in Finland: Reclining Seats, HOA Drama & Trashy Behavior
Release Date: August 28, 2025
Host: Adam Rippon
Location: Helsinki, Finland

Episode Overview

In this international edition, Adam records live from a cottage in Helsinki, Finland, reflecting on his jet-lagged, sleepless arrival. The episode's tone is comedically frazzled, hyper-candid, and unfiltered as usual, with Adam diving headfirst into listener questions and "intrusive thoughts" spanning air travel etiquette, neighborly disputes, HOA hot takes, trashy public behavior, dollar-store reader glasses, and the podcast’s own rebranding journey.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Sleep Deprivation in Finland & Dedication to the Podcast

• [00:00–07:00]
  • Adam sets up the first ever episode recorded outside the U.S., directly after landing in Finland, and having not slept for 24 hours.
  • Emphasizes commitment to consistency:

  “There’s no days off. Intrusive thoughts don’t stop when we travel. If anything, I would say they only continue.”

2. Listener Questions: Reclining Seats on Planes

• [07:15–20:00]
  • Carrie from Portland: Asks for Adam’s thoughts on airplane seat reclining etiquette after experiencing a barrage of Trump videos and instantly-reclined seats on a recent flight.
  • Adam’s take:
    • If the seat reclines, you have every right to use it, but etiquette matters.
    • Recommends a “recline cascade”—if the person in front reclines, you can, too.
    • On watching Fox News or Trump videos on a public flight:

    “The Fox News audience has got one foot in the grave and the other on a banana peel... two-for-one urns, that’s what’s on Fox News commercials!” ([13:45])

    • Ultimately practical and nonjudgmental:

    “If the seats recline, and they can recline, you should recline them, right? It’s fair... You need to reclaim your space. Fight fire with bending back and reclining.” ([18:20])

3. HOA Drama: Noisy Neighbors & Music Teachers

• [20:00–37:50]
  • Listener text shares the dilemma: Downstairs neighbors complain about noisy toddler footsteps, threaten legal action to change unit bylaws, despite teaching loud music lessons at home.
  • Adam’s unfiltered advice:
    • Living in communal buildings means accepting reasonable noise from others.
    • The neighbors “sound miserable... get a grip. You’re not Jeff Bezos, you can’t live in the middle of nowhere.”
    • Hypocrisy called out: “I can hear your students’ short stubby fingers: Don’t Stop Believing—I’ve stopped believing. I don’t believe anymore.” ([27:10])
    • Suggests fighting fire with fire: “If they come to your house, you need to pull the same crazy shit... I can’t even hear the footsteps, all I can hear is the trombone and the flute and the baby grand.”
    • Legal angle: Warns neighbors may also be bending rules by running a business from home and trying to write off space for taxes—“The law protects a human, but the law does not protect a flute. It doesn’t.”
    • On community living and tolerance:

    “Some people are so afraid to be uncomfortable for five minutes. So weak. I hate people who are weak... If you can’t look at a situation from another person’s perspective and just maybe put yourself in their shoes... you’re being a baby.” ([32:43])

4. Adam’s Complex Relationship with HOAs

• [37:00–39:00]
  • Admits “necessary evil”:
    • HOAs sometimes prevent neighborhood eyesores: “Some of you are out here buying garden gnomes and flamingos... it actually wouldn’t be cute.”
    • Still rails against rising HOA fees, arbitrary decisions, and swears he'll “never be a member... If I’m ever a member of an HOA, take me out to the back of the barn, pull the trigger.”

5. Voicemail Segment

• [39:19–47:33]

a) Trashy Car Behavior & Littering

- *Caller Rebecca witnessed extreme littering from another driver, wonders how to respond.*
- Adam’s visceral disgust:
    > “I remember the first time I ever saw someone litter and I felt like I had just watched a murder.” (**[40:06]**)
    - Dismisses honking as insufficient, “There’s nothing you can do... but someone who holds the horn, I know they’re crazy.”
    - Connects littering and “weakness” with prior HOA/music neighbor topics.

b) Reading Glasses at Daiso, Dollar-Store Hunting, & Asian Discount Stores

- *Caller Laurie thanks Adam for tip on cheap reading glasses at Japanese discount stores, then asks about the podcast’s rebrand.*
- Riffing on Daiso, Asian upbringings:  
    > “When you said, ‘I’m Asian,’ I went ‘me too.’ And I know I’m not, but... I felt like I had the secret codes, and the secret codes were I just knew where Daiso was and I knew what fu was.” (**[47:39]**)
    - Gives tips about Asian discount culture, Target’s ‘expensive’ glasses, and planning “an Asian trip haul.”

c) The Podcast Name Change: The Rebrand Story

- Explains that “The Podcast by Adam Rippon” became “Intrusive Thoughts” naturally:
    - Not forced by PodcastOne, claims, “I’m not strong-armed into literally doing anything.”
    - Heard feedback:  
    > “Some of the feedback was, like, you don’t finish any of the stories you start. Okay, first of all, f—off. And second of all, you’re right. Haven’t finished a story since day one.” (**[51:31]**)
    - The new name fits because “this podcast is filled with absolutely thoughts that are intrusive.”
    - Ends with: “If you don’t know who I am, then you don’t really know what that [old title] is. So that’s why.”
    - Jokes about not knowing how to rate or review a podcast but asks listeners to do it anyway.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Recording While Sleep Deprived:
  “Something inside me — I’m on right now, borrowed time. I can feel it. I am sort of like on the reserve drive, but I’m having fun so far.” [05:40]

• On Reclining Airplane Seats:
  “If it wasn’t fair, they wouldn’t have the option to recline! ...Fight fire with bending back and reclining.” [18:20]

• On Neighbors and Weakness:
  “There’s nothing worse than being weak. There’s so many weak people out there, including your neighbors, music teachers who are complaining about two year olds’ heels pounding into the hardwood floor.” [32:43]

• On HOAs:
  “It’s a necessary evil to keep you in line so it doesn’t look like you live in a free-for-all junkyard. It’s in place for your own good, because people can’t be trusted.” [36:58]

• On Witnessing Littering:
  “It felt that serious and crazy to me... I looked at her like she had just shot someone in the head. And she looked at me and said, ‘What?’” [40:06]

• On Rebranding the Podcast:
  "At the end of the day... this podcast is just that — my intrusive thoughts. It just felt good." [54:20]

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment / Topic | |-----------|-----------------| | 00:00–07:00 | Adam’s Finland arrival, exhaustion, podcast commitment | | 07:15–20:00 | Plane reclining seats, Fox News observations, etiquette | | 20:00–37:50 | HOA/toddler noise drama, neighbor disputes, music teacher story | | 37:56 | Voicemail: Trashy car/littering incident | | 40:06 | Littering anecdote, “murder” metaphor | | 45:56 | Voicemail: Reading glasses/Daiso, podcast rebrand query | | 47:30–52:00 | Discussion of podcast rebranding, production, “intrusive thoughts”| | 54:20 | Adam on new title, why it fits |

Tone & Style

• Adam’s personality shines: self-deprecating, blunt, playful, and at times crankily philosophical.
• Lots of asides, tangents, and gentle roasting of both listeners and himself.
• Candid about “not finishing stories” and riffing on topics spurred by exhaustion.
• Reinforces themes of personal boundaries, community living, and (un)common sense.

For New or Casual Listeners

This episode typifies “Intrusive Thoughts” — unfiltered advice, high-energy rants, and an audience of “hot and funny” self-selectors. Adam’s blend of empathy, pettiness, life hacks, and tired travel snark is constant. Don’t expect neat resolutions, but enjoy the ride through the unpredictable landscape of Adam Rippon’s mind — especially when he’s 25 hours awake and 5,000 miles away from home.