“HOW DO I END THIS CONVERSATION?”

Summary

Therapy Gecko Podcast Summary: “HOW DO I END THIS CONVERSATION?”

Podcast Information:

• Title: Therapy Gecko
• Host/Author: iHeartPodcasts
• Episode: “HOW DO I END THIS CONVERSATION?”
• Release Date: March 26, 2025

Overview

In the episode titled “HOW DO I END THIS CONVERSATION?”, the unlicensed lizard psychologist from Therapy Gecko delves into the intricacies of social interactions, focusing on maintaining calmness, initiating conversations, and gracefully ending them. Through engaging dialogues with various callers, the host explores themes of anxiety, loneliness, community building, and personal growth. The episode seamlessly blends practical advice with personal anecdotes, offering listeners valuable insights into navigating social landscapes.

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1. Maintaining Calmness in Social Interactions

The episode opens with a conversation between the host, Tony, and caller Chris, discussing the experience of feeling unusually calm and the challenges of maintaining that state without overanalyzing it.

• Tony [02:09]: "I don't know what it is, man. You ever get really calm and then you're like, all right, I need to backtrack and make note of all the variables of this situation so I can reverse engineer the calmness at all times. Does that make sense?"
• Chris [02:44]: "Whenever I'm in that state, I'm just like, oh, this is nice. And then I just kind of let it ride out."

Key Insights:

• Overanalyzing calmness can lead to anxiety.
• Embracing the moment without dissecting it fosters genuine peace.

2. Strategies for Initiating and Ending Conversations

A significant portion of the episode centers on effective communication strategies, particularly how to start and end conversations without social discomfort.

• Tony [07:05]: "But you know what the best feeling in the world is... it's like, when the lights go down, that naturally ends your conversation for you. It's like, that's like a chef's kiss moment."
• Chris [08:05]: "There's so many times... starting it and ending it are like my nightmare scenario because I never know how to end it."

Strategies Discussed:

• Natural Cutoffs: Utilizing event transitions (e.g., lights dimming at a show) to end conversations effortlessly.
• Personal Initiative: Taking the first step to gracefully exit a conversation by expressing gratitude and bidding farewell.

3. Coping with Loneliness and Building Community

Listeners are guided through understanding and addressing feelings of loneliness, emphasizing the importance of proactive community building.

• Tony [09:07]: "There's probably elements to why I'm feeling more calm, but I don't know what they are."
• Chris [10:57]: "It's a decent amount where... just like going first. You know, being the guy to invite people over."

Key Takeaways:

• Loneliness can stem from one-sided friendships or lack of meaningful connections.
• Building a community requires initiating social interactions and being open to forming new relationships.

4. Balancing Escapism and Real Life

The dialogue explores the necessity of balancing escapism with real-life responsibilities to maintain mental health.

• Tony [16:28]: "I just want to watch something that has nothing to do with the world or the brain or whatever. Like yesterday I just sat on the couch and watched an hour-long video ranking all of the Wario games."
• Chris [17:42]: "Sometimes just mentally off is just beautiful. I do it at least for like an hour a day."

Insights:

• Escapism through activities like gaming provides a mental break and reset.
• Maintaining a balance prevents burnout while allowing time for relaxation and enjoyment.

5. Caller Stories: Personal Experiences and Insights

a. Chris's Journey in Georgia

Chris, a 23-year-old from South Georgia, shares his struggles with loneliness and the challenges of forming meaningful friendships in his current environment.

• Chris [25:05]: "I just feel like it’s really one-sided. I can sit here and listen to my buddy's issues, but when it's the other way around, it’s usually like, oh, that’s not a big deal."

Discussion Points:

• The difficulty of finding reciprocal friendships.
• Balancing work responsibilities with personal life to mitigate loneliness.

b. Sam's Solo Travel and Personal Growth

Sam discusses his upcoming solo trip to Hawaii as a means of personal growth and coping with a recent breakup.

• Sam [38:21]: "I'm really excited to go to Hawaii on my first solo trip next week."
• Tony [38:47]: "This is your first solo trip?"

Key Points:

• Solo travel as a form of self-discovery and healing.
• The importance of stepping out of one’s comfort zone to build confidence.

c. Tim's Life Story and Challenges

Tim, a 25-year-old from Arkansas now living in Oregon, shares his journey from a supportive childhood to facing loneliness and challenges in his adult life.

• Tim [55:39]: "I was born in Fort Smith, Arkansas. My childhood was pretty good until I was 12..."
• Tony [71:23]: "The reward mindset can get pretty dangerous."

Highlights:

• Moving to a new city in search of better opportunities.
• Struggles with substance use and maintaining sobriety.
• The impact of reward-based motivations on personal development.

6. Host's Reflections and Advice

Throughout the episode, Tony reflects on his own experiences, offering advice and personal insights to callers seeking guidance.

• Tony [32:16]: "There’s a yearning, and everyone’s afraid to go first. But when you go first, the people who have the yearning will join you."
• Tony [71:04]: "I think doing. If you get to the point, if you stop doing, it's good, the best thing you could do is, like, do a lot of things and then go into rest mode..."

Advice Given:

• Initiate social interactions to attract like-minded individuals.
• Maintain a balance between activity and rest to prevent mental exhaustion.

7. Conclusion

The episode wraps up with Tony expressing gratitude towards the listeners and announcing upcoming live sessions, emphasizing the ongoing journey of personal growth and community building.

• Tony [85:00]: "Thank you for listening to this podcast. Good luck, Geck bless."

Final Thoughts:

• Continuous effort in social interactions fosters meaningful connections.
• Embracing both active and restful phases leads to a balanced and fulfilling life.

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Notable Quotes:

• Tony [02:09]: "Does that make sense?"
• Chris [02:44]: "This is nice. And then I just kind of let it ride out."
• Tony [07:05]: "That's like a chef's kiss moment."
• Chris [08:05]: "Ending it are like my nightmare scenario."
• Sam [38:21]: "I'm really excited to go to Hawaii on my first solo trip next week."
• Tony [32:16]: "When you go first, the people who have the yearning will join you."

---

Conclusion

“HOW DO I END THIS CONVERSATION?” is a thoughtful exploration of the social dynamics that underpin our daily interactions. Through heartfelt conversations and relatable anecdotes, the Therapy Gecko host provides listeners with practical tools to enhance their communication skills, build meaningful relationships, and achieve personal growth. This episode serves as a valuable resource for anyone seeking to navigate the complexities of social life with confidence and grace.

Transcript

[Geico Spokesperson]

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[Tony]

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[Tony]

Visiting the zoo, taking a scenic ride, knowing you're insured by specialists, and sharing.

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[Tony]

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[Jorge Cham]

Have you ever wondered, if your pet is lying to you, why is my.

[Tony]

Cat not here and I go in.

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And she's eating my lunch?

[Jorge Cham]

Or if hypnotism is real, you will use this suggestion in order to enhance your cognitive control. But what's inside a black hole?

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Black holes could be a consequence of the way that we understand the universe.

[Jorge Cham]

Well, we have answers for you in the new I Heart Original podcast, Science Stuff. Join me or Hitcham as we answer questions about animals, space, our brains, and our bodies. So give yourself permission to be a science geek and listen to science stuff on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Geico Spokesperson]

Imagine you're scrolling through TikTok. You come across a video of a teenage girl and then a photo of the person suspected of killing her. It was shocking. It was very shocking. Like, that could have been my daughter. Like, you never know. I'm Jen Swan. I'm the host of a new podcast called My Friend Daisy. It's the story of how and why a group of teenagers turned to social media to help track down their friend's killer. Listen, my friend daisy on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, y'all? I'm A.J. andrews, pro softball player, sports analyst, and the first woman to win a Rawlings Gold Glove on my new podcast, Dropping Diamonds. We dive headfirst into the world of softball by sharing powerful stories, insights and conversations that inspire and empower. It's time to drop bombs and diamonds. Dropping diamonds with AJ Andrews is an iHeart women's sports production in partnership with Athletes Unlimited, Softball League and Deep Blue Sports in Entertainment. Listen to dropping diamonds with AJ Andrews on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast. Brought to you by Novartis, founding partner.

[Tony]

Of iHeart Women's Sports Network. Hello. How you doing? I'm doing. I'm actually, like, pretty calm right now, which is great. I don't know what it is. I don't know what it is, man. You ever get really calm and then you're like, all right, I need to be backtrack and make note of all the variables of this situation so I can reverse engineer the calmness at all times. Does that make sense?

[Chris]

It makes sense, but you're going to hate my answer.

[Tony]

Oh, no.

[Chris]

Whenever I'm, like, in that state, I'm just like, oh, this is nice. And then I just kind of let it ride out.

[Tony]

That's the funny thing.

[Chris]

Maybe I'll, like, maybe I'll take note of, like, cure the things going on around me and, like, maybe, you know, this is the thing that's making things feel cool.

[Tony]

Yeah.

[Chris]

But otherwise, I'm just, you know, trying to live in the moment. Let it.

[Tony]

Let it be cool. See, that's the funny thing is, I think when you're calm, if you then start to go, okay, I need to reverse engineer the. The variables that got me to this state. And then all of a sudden, bam, you're anxious again. Yeah.

[Chris]

That's putting too much thought into, like, being calm. It's like, all right, let's just enjoy being calm.

[Tony]

Let's.

[Chris]

Let's enjoy, like, you know, the day and kind of like the state that you're in.

[Tony]

I will say there's probably all. There probably is elements to why I'm feeling more calm, but I don't know what they are.

[Chris]

I mean, it could, like, straight up be anything. You could have just, like, slept well the night before, and that just does enough to your, like, brain chemistry to just like, oh, we're feeling good today. Because I straight up think, like, whenever I have a day where I'm feeling, like, exceptionally well, I think it's like, just the smallest thing that happened to go right in your day that kind of sets you up for having, like, a good rest of your day. So I think sometimes it's just luck.

[Tony]

I. Well, I have a. I'm doing a poker game tonight, so I'm excited about that. I feel like that's. I think, like, that's. That's the thing for me is I feel like I like having something to look forward to now.

[Chris]

Are you looking forward to, like, hanging out and being with people? Are you looking forward to, like, gambling and, like, losing all your money?

[Tony]

No. It's like. No, I like. I actually. Well, I really like. I like, I've started getting into poker, very low stakes, like $20 poker. Just because it's like I like being around a table of people and like hanging out. But, and, but like you don't necessarily are. You're not necessarily obligated. It's not like a fucking dinner party where you have like this weird obligation to talk. But it's the. My, here's the poker, actually, here's what it is, is it fulfills my dream scenario at all times. My dream scenario at all times is to be in a group of people who are all like talking and have the option to join in on the conversation, but also the option to withdraw and just simply be around people without the pressure of having to keep up a conversation. Actually, I take back that that's my dream at all times because actually there's a lot of times where I do enjoy having a one on one conversation, but there's a lot of times where I feel that way where I'm like, I want to be around people, but I don't really want to have to talk to anyone. And poker is a great, is like the perfect scenario. I actually don't like gambling. Like, you know, that's why I like playing like very like low stakes things. Like I went to, I mean, I've been to Vegas a bunch of times, but I put like $10 in a willy Wonka slot machine once and then I lost and I was like, I think that's the end of my gambling. See, that's. I don't like like the slot machines and stuff because that's all the opposite of what I was just talking about. Like, I like just like being around.

[Chris]

Oh yeah.

[Tony]

Folks.

[Chris]

I get like that same kind of like interaction through like concerts. Like, I go to like a lot of like hardcore shows. Like, you know, small, like like 50 people in like a. And everyone's so chill that it's like, all right, I can like talk and engage in conversation. But the really one thing that I really, really like about it is that like, you know, we're all. Everybody's talking. You can call in, go out, whatever you want, but as soon as the band comes on, everybody just needs to kind of be quiet for a sec. And then you enjoy the band and kind of beat the fuck out of your friends. And that's great.

[Tony]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh, wait, you know what the best feeling in the world is, okay? When you're at like a show, whether it's like comedy or concert or whatever, and you're like talking to someone and not necessarily because you don't Enjoy the conversation that you're having, but just because ending a conversation in general can be difficult. Right. You're having a conversation with somebody and then the thing starts, like the lights go down.

[Chris]

Yeah.

[Tony]

And then that naturally ends your conversation for you. It's like, that's like a chef's kiss moment.

[Chris]

Oh, dude, you don't even know. There's so many times like, I feel like I'm alright with have it. Like having a conversation but starting it and ending it are like my nightmare scenario because I never know how to end it. Just having like the natural cutoff of like, we're done with this conversation can sometimes be a lifesaver in a, like, just in a situation.

[Tony]

Right, right. I'm very. I got a weird thing socially where like, I. Sometimes I truly feel like I'll. I'll be out some nights or like, you know, doing this podcast or like, whatever. I'll be out some nights and sometimes I'm like, dude, I'm like a fucking genius. Like, I feel like I can talk to anyone. I feel like I can hold a conversation great. I feel like I can. I've been like, like I. I'll like learn how to end conversations gracefully by just like citing you. I think, I think the key to all of, like, sometimes I'm like, like that and I'm like, dude, I'm like, I'm like butter today. And other times I'm like, oh man, I'm like whacked out right now. I can't do any of that. Goes back to the beginning of the conversation we were having about the variables and the cocktail that needs to be created. Not the, you know, alcohol, but like the cocktail that needs to be created of different variables to get to that point. What were you gonna say?

[Chris]

Just the exact same thing. Like, it, it feels like luck sometimes. It feels like, oh, I just woke up in the day where I'm able to just be on and, you know, have this conversation and, you know, move in, in and out like it's nothing. And there are times where I'm like, I'm slipping over every single word that comes out of my mouth and the ability to make friends today is just non existent.

[Tony]

You know, there's one thing. I was watching some stupid YouTube video or I guess it wasn't stupid because it was I thinking about it and it was actually smart and not stupid at all. But what. Anyway, it said something like, like, like socially just start meaning. Like meaning. Meaning. Oh, no, no, no, not start. I'm sorry, starts the wrong word. Go first is the right word. Like, if you're, like, at a fucking thing or whatever and everyone's being weird and no one's talking to each other, or even if people are talking to each other, like, go be the first one to be like, hey, how's it going? What are you guys doing? Hey, my name is Whatever. Or, like, if you walk by someone on the street, like, go first to smile and wave. You know, if. If you're having a conversation and you don't necessarily know how to end it, go first in being like, well, hey, man, it was nice to meet you and see you around the universe, you know, just, like, real. Like, realize that in. Actually, weirdly, in every single social situation, you always have the power to, like, do that, to go first in whatever. Whether it's wanting to talk to somebody or wanting to not talk to somebody or wanting to feel connected in some way like that. When that kind of hit me, I'm like, oh, I should just always go first.

[Chris]

Mm. So let's say, like, you're at a place, you want to talk somebody you don't know, you don't know them, do you just go up and talk to them? Because for me, personally, I just try to think of the weirdest thing I could point out that's going on around me and then try to, like, create a conversation off of that. Do you do something like that?

[Tony]

Or you just see, you know, I, I like that. I like that. Because it's a great litmus test, right? Because if you go up to somebody and you say something weird there, I. If that person is, you know, keeps the ball rolling with you.

[Chris]

Yeah.

[Tony]

Yes. And you. That's a great person to talk to. That's a person you want to be in a conversation with. But if the person goes, what are you fucking? Oh, I don't really get it. Then you're like, great. I don't have any interest in being in a conversation with this person anyway. So, yeah, you know, that's. That's the way to do it. What do I do in that situation? It depends. Sometimes, like, I went out the other. I'm trying to, like, I, I, I. I have this. I have this thing like, I need to leave my fucking house every day or else I go insane. And I. There's this venue around town that I wanted to go to. I just wanted to check it out and see what's going on. So I just. I. I just went and they were having, like, a little fundraiser party for an indie film that someone working at the venue was Making. And so I just started. I was just, you know, that was. It was kind of an easy thing to, you know, go up to somebody and be like, hey, what do you have something to do with the film? And, you know, then we just start talking from there. And I also. I'm also late recently. I've gotten pretty good as well at recognizing where. Recognizing when somebody doesn't want to be talking to me and accepting that and moving on. It's very. It's. It's an important skill to learn whether or not somebody wants to talk to you. Because if someone. If you're engaged in a conversation and you're asking someone questions, if. Here's the key. If someone wants to be talking to you, they will ask, you know, let you know. They'll fucking let you know. They'll ask you questions back. They'll be like, oh. Or like, you know, whatever. But if someone does not want to be talking to you, they will just be giving you nothing. And if someone's. If you're talking to somebody and they're giving you nothing and they don't want to talk to you, there is something graceful about being just like, all right, well, good to see you.

[Chris]

Right. 100%. And it. I feel like there's a decent amount of, like, social situations where, like. And also just like, if it doesn't go, like, at 100% perfect, like, just not letting it ruin the rest of your time at that event and just like, all right, well, that was what it was, and let's move on. Is also, like, decently important to, you know, like, ensuring that your. The rest of your night goes well.

[Tony]

All this. All this is in your brain. It's all in your mind.

[Chris]

Oh, 100%.

[Tony]

You know, the confidence and whatever, you know, and the best way to gain.

[Chris]

The confidence is just by, like, just doing it. Which is, you know, easier said than done, but, you know, just like, with, like. I heard somebody, like, describe it as, like, working out.

[Tony]

Yeah.

[Chris]

You know, if it's not. If it's not a muscle, you flex constantly, you're going to struggle with it, but the more you do it, the more it will come natural.

[Tony]

Yeah, totally.

[Chris]

And that kind of, like, put in perspective.

[Tony]

Yeah. Yeah. Sometimes you. If you hold yourself up for too long or you stay alone for too long, you, like, you just forget how to talk to people. Same thing. It was like being out of the gym for too long, you know, and then other the consequentially. Right. If you get used to going up to, you know, you're At a party, like, hey, whatever is up, you know, you get better at doing that and you get better at kind of like handling the rejection of, you know, again, that moment when you realize that somebody just doesn't want to talk to you.

[Chris]

Yeah. Now that being said, a good night alone. Other than just like pretending like the world doesn't exist every once in a while, nothing better.

[Tony]

I, I did that last night. I normally, I try to like, I go on fucking meetup and I go on. Although I'm on all these email lists of like, stuff to do and I try to just go out and just be out of my house because I just, I can't. I don't like staying, you know, home and with my thoughts. But yesterday I did that and it actually was pretty nice. I have this thing where I think, because on the podcast I have all these like kind of more esoteric conversations about life and you know, I get. Lately at least, I've been getting very existential and talking about brain stuff and just whatever the fuck. My favorite fucking thing is, I, I want to, I just want to watch something that has nothing to do with the world or the brain or whatever. Like yesterday I just sat on the couch and I watched an hour long video ranking all of the Wario games.

[Chris]

Hell yeah.

[Tony]

I was like, this is exactly what I need in my face right now is, is not. I don't want to read the news. I don't want to, you know, some stupid psychology video about why my, you know, your brain, whatever. Just let's rank the WARIO games. I mean, that's what's great about video games, is a deep sense of escapism.

[Chris]

Oh, 100%. And like, I've heard you talk before about like escapism and stuff like that and you know, sometimes it's useful. And I think escapism personally is like super necessary, like for some parts of the day just to like, forget about, you know, things existing and just doing something that like, you just, just enjoy and just like, I don't want to say like mentally off, but almost like mentally off because like, you know, life is short. I don't, you don't need to be spending the whole time like learning things. As much as I love learning, I love learning. But like, sometimes just mentally off is just beautiful. I, I do it at least for like an hour a day.

[Tony]

Yeah. To just turn the brain off mentally. I think there's a bad. Yeah, there's got to be a good. This is a good balance. You don't want to, you don't want to escape too much that you're far gone and you forgot how to talk to people. But then also, if you stress your fu. And I do, I do this a lot. Stress yourself out so much about, like, existing in the real world and trying to like, make something of yourself in the real world and trying to, you know, push forward. You ju, you just stress out and you spiral. See, this good. This has got to be a fucking, a good balance of that again. That's, yeah, that's my balance is trying to go out, trying to talk to people, trying to do things, trying to be a human being and then being like, all right, I, I, I have stressed myself out too much. I'm gonna watch ranking all the Yoshi. I'm gonna, I'm gonna watch this fucking YouTube video about the history of the Virtual Boy.

[Chris]

Now with a video with where they're ranking the Wario games. Did you, did you have like a firm opinion on it or were you there? Like, just learn, like, were you. Did you hear his number one ranking and you're like, fuck yeah, you nailed it. Or you like, you're full of shit. You don't know anything.

[Tony]

I was a big, I'm a big fan of warioware. Touched, I want to say, was he ranked all the games with Wario in them. So he, he cross pollinated the WarioWare games and the Wario Land games and which is a bit of is, you know, I mean, guess they're all Wario games. But I, I think war. I think Wario, where it touched, was at the top of at least his WarIowaWare list. And that I agree with. But I'm biased cuz I grew up with it.

[Chris]

Sure, sure.

[Tony]

What's, what's your, what's your name again?

[Chris]

Tony.

[Tony]

Tony.

[Chris]

Yeah.

[Tony]

This has been. Nice chatting with you. I'm enjoying this. This is, I gotta say, I, while I do love, while I have had a lot of fun with a lot of the different kinds of genres and calls that this podcast has taken form of, I've been enjoying this new one lately of simply just chatting with folks. So thank you for simply just chatting with me today, Tony.

[Chris]

Yeah, of course, brother. Anytime.

[Tony]

Anything else you want to say to the people, the computer before we go?

[Chris]

No. Love you all. Take care.

[Tony]

Later, Tony.

[Chris]

Yep.

[Tony]

Hello.

[Jen Swan]

Hey.

[Tony]

Hey. What's your name?

[Jen Swan]

Chris.

[Tony]

Chris. What's up, Chris? How's, how's it going?

[Jen Swan]

I'm blessed, man, but I still got some struggles in my life. How about you, Mr. Gekko?

[Tony]

Tell me what's, what's blessing. You these days.

[Jen Swan]

Always say I'm blessed because, you know, I could walk, I could talk, like, speak and breathe, man. You know, not a lot of people have that. Or not everybody, at least.

[Tony]

Yeah, that's really. That's, I think, the meaning of life. I've speculated often on what the meaning of life is. Maybe there's multiple of them, but that's definitely one of them, I think is like getting your baseline of happiness down to that. Right. You can either. Ha. You can either. You can either get yourself to externally meet your internal requirements for happiness, even if they're a fucking lot, or you can just lower the bar to the ground and be like, all I need in my life is to breathe. But that's hard, you know? That's hard. There's a lot.

[Jen Swan]

I definitely don't live like that, right.

[Tony]

No, neither do I. Not.

[Jen Swan]

Yeah. I say I'm blessed because I acknowledge at least have that. But I'm always stressing out, man. Always non stop.

[Tony]

Yeah. Well, yeah. Just the thing of, like, you know. Yeah. If you can. If you can be happy with not a lot, you're probably gonna be happier. But some people are. I'm not. I don't think I'm wired to be that way. I'm not wired to be happy sitting alone in a room. Like, if I were like, alone, like, here's the thing, right? Is like, if I were like alone in an empty white room and I was naked and occasionally someone slid an apple and some water under the door and that was like my entire life, I don't think I could get to a point where I'm like, well, at least I'm breathing. You know what I mean?

[Jen Swan]

Yeah. No, you need more.

[Tony]

Yeah.

[Jen Swan]

I think it's part of the human condition, though. It's like we always want more.

[Tony]

Yeah.

[Jen Swan]

Like, even when you go into the gym, I'm sure every time you go in there, it's like, man, I don't look good enough, man. If only. Whether it's consciously or subconsciously, man, I wish I look like this dude. When reality. That, dude, you wish you look like. Wish you look like somebody else. Like, it's.

[Tony]

Yeah.

[Jen Swan]

Even with the. Even with the wealthiest people, man. Like, they don't. They're not happy with their wealth. They just look at other wealthy people and kind of get disgruntled by it.

[Tony]

Actually, I will say I. I've. Whenever I do curls in the mirror, I do look at myself and I'm like, I think I look pretty sick.

[Jen Swan]

Yeah, bro.

[Tony]

Curls, they do that's what. That's doing curls and looking at your biceps, being like, yo, I'm kind of actually awesome. This is a great feeling today, boys.

[Jen Swan]

I'm him.

[Tony]

What? Yeah. Yeah, that's. That's the feeling. So what's. Well, I'll ask you this. I haven't asked anyone this episode, this. But is there a specific thing that you wanted to talk about today or just kind of want to. Want to dick around?

[Jen Swan]

I mean. Yeah, I mean, I. I called me cuz, truth be told, I've been feeling lonely lately, man.

[Tony]

Well, let's talk about this. Why are you feeling lonely?

[Jen Swan]

Well, I just realized, like, a lot of the friends I have, like, truthfully, man, like, they have helped me before, but nowadays it just feels like. It feels just really one sided. Like I. I can sit here and listen to my buddy's issues, you know, and try to help talk them through it, be there for him, but it's like when it's the other way around, it's usually like, oh, that's not a big deal, man. Why are you worried about it? And, yeah, me, him actually had a little falling out recently, but now it's just kind of been me, you know, Obviously I've got friends at church and stuff like that, but whenever I get off of work, when I go home, it's just me and it's. It's a little nerve rattling, you know?

[Tony]

Yeah. Yeah. So you go to church?

[Jen Swan]

Yeah.

[Tony]

And do you meet people at church?

[Jen Swan]

I mean, it's a small church, so I know everybody there, but it's a weird dichotomy, man. Like, the kids my age all go to school because I'm 23, you know?

[Tony]

You're 23?

[Jen Swan]

Yeah.

[Tony]

I thought you were like 48 years old. This changes everything. This changes completely. You're 23?

[Jen Swan]

Yeah, man.

[Tony]

I thought you were like fucking 50. Oh, my God. Okay, hold on. This changes. This is. Okay, this. I thought this was gonna be a way more depressing conversation, but this is great. This is great. Okay, continue. Continue, please.

[Jen Swan]

So, like, you know, I don't. To make a long story short, man, I've had to provide for myself since I was 18. I basically grew up in the equivalent of a crack house, so I had to get the fuck out of there as soon as I could.

[Tony]

Mm.

[Jen Swan]

And for the time being, I can't really go to college. All the college kids that are around, I don't know how they really view me. They don't treat me bad or nothing, but it's like they don't they also don't invite me to shit either. And it feels like they're just kind of nice to me because we all go to church and they want to be nice, so. Really, like, the majority of my friends are all older than me. Like, they're all 30 plus.

[Tony]

Really?

[Jen Swan]

Yeah.

[Tony]

What? So. So what's. What state are you in? Can I ask?

[Jen Swan]

I live in Georgia. South Georgia.

[Tony]

South Georgia. How close are you to fucking Atlanta?

[Jen Swan]

Shit, man. Like, three hours.

[Tony]

Three hours. What do you do for work?

[Jen Swan]

I. I build grills, lawnmowers, and patio furniture for Lowe's and Home Depot.

[Tony]

And your main problem is. Your main problem is that you're lonely.

[Jen Swan]

Yeah. And, like, really, man?

[Tony]

Go ahead.

[Tim]

Sorry.

[Jen Swan]

I don't know it to be true, but I just feel like one of these days I'm gonna have a group of people because, you know, I dj, but I also like making beats. Like, I want to actually have a clique of people. We all come together and make our little hometown a hot spot.

[Tony]

Dude, dude, dude. My God. What's your name again?

[Tim]

Chris.

[Tony]

Chris. Chris. I. I feel. I so deeply want to go. I. I know maybe it's out of place, but I so deeply want to go life coach on you right now because I have just. I have just so many ideas about your life. It's fun to have ideas about what other people should. The best. The coolest thing ever is to have ideas about what other people should do with their lives, because you just give it. You just. Because you don't have to do them yourself, you know, that's the. So it's way more fun. It's so fun to. This is one of the things I think I like doing about this podcast is it's so fun to come up with ideas for other people to do with their lives, because that's the fun part is the coming up with the ideas. The actually doing it is the hard part. But I have. I have so many ideas for your life.

[Jen Swan]

Hey, man, go ahead. I'm all ears.

[Tony]

I mean, well, all right, let's you. If we can get into the weeds of it here. What. Where do you live? You live alone, right? Yeah, just in like an up. What do you pay for your apartment?

[Jen Swan]

Yeah, yeah, I live in a. It's like a quadruple, but it's just like my own little apartment. No one else can get in there.

[Tim]

It's all.

[Tony]

What do you pay for it?

[Jen Swan]

Like, 750amonth.

[Tony]

750Amonth. Okay. What. And this job you have making grills and shit. What? Could you get a job? Because if I. His. Can I, can I just, Can I just tell you what I would do if I were you?

[Jen Swan]

Go ahead.

[Tony]

Okay. If I were you, Chris, if I were you, and I know you're not supposed to tell people what to do, but I just am so like fired up about this. If I were you, I would just fucking move to Atlanta, okay? Get. Go live with like six fucking roommates so that you can still be paying 750 and then just start, you know, find some fucking bullshit fucking job like as you know, tending bar or just some fucking what you could, like if you really try, you can find some fucking bullshit fucking thing to do and then live in Atlanta with like six roommates, go out to DJ events, start your own DJ night at whatever bar that you end up bartending at or whatever the fuck place will have you. Start some fucking meetup group of like, you know, beat makers who get together every Wednesday at whatever the fuck and just do live that life. Like, is that, does that, that doesn't even sound that hard when you do that.

[Jen Swan]

No, it wouldn't be. But here's the dilemma, Mr. Tell me the dilemma.

[Tony]

I want to know the dilemma.

[Jen Swan]

I would be out this town in a heartbeat. But my side job with DJing is actually a family owned business. And so the guy who runs it has been doing this for over 40 years. And so essentially where I'm at right now, okay, so just number wise per gig, I get about 400 minimum in Atlanta and in Savannah. Like, I really appreciate the scene up there and one day I will, like, I really do want to go up there and just explore, but everybody is having to work twice as hard as me to get half as much money as me. And they're not learning from a guy who's been doing it for 40 years.

[Tony]

Sure.

[Jen Swan]

So he's 60 right now. He says he's gonna retire when he turns 70. So ultimately, which I appreciate you telling me this, but the dilemma is I want to learn as much as I can from this guy because he really knows what he's doing. Cool, man.

[Tony]

Look, look, look, I, I respect that. I respect that. Well, so then I guess, look, if you don't want to move to Atlanta, which I know is like a whole big life thing, you know, there, I guess, I guess what I'm saying to you is that there are ways, I think, and look, this is what I'm trying to fucking do in my own life. There are ways to, I think, create more community where you already are by just like, going first. You know what I mean? Like, being the guy. Invite people over. Or, like, if you want to be in a thing with a bunch of people doing a fucking thing, you got to be the. You got to be the guy to go first and be like, hey, there. Is there one other person who DJs in wherever the fuck Georgia you live in?

[Jen Swan]

I appreciate you telling me that, man. Cuz I do have some people on Snapchat from around here that. You know. A lot of people my age. I don't know if it's the age of social media or what, man, but.

[Tim]

A lot of people are afraid to.

[Jen Swan]

Talk to each other.

[Tony]

A lot of people are afraid to talk to each other. A lot of people don't want to leave their house. But here's the thing. Here's the crazy thing, and this is what I've noticed, is that within all those people who are afraid to leave their house and afraid to talk to people, whatever, I think genuinely that there is some fucking yearning that everyone has.

[Tim]

There has to be.

[Tony]

Then, bro, there's a yearning, and everyone's afraid to go first. But when you go first, the. The people who have the yearning will join you.

[Tim]

Bro.

[Jen Swan]

I'm giving you a virtual high five right now, man.

[Tony]

I'm gonna try to follow. Look, I'm gonna try to follow my own advice. I mean, that's kind of the era that I'm in right now, dude.

[Jen Swan]

If you move to Atlanta, I'll come with you.

[Tony]

I am unfortunate. I love Atlanta. I've been in Atlanta a bunch of times. I've lived there a couple times, but I'm. I am not going to move to Atlanta anytime soon.

[Jen Swan]

Yeah. Thank you for having me on, Mr. Gekko. Y'all have a blessed one. God bless America.

[Tony]

Hey, take care, man. Bye. Bye.

[Jen Swan]

All right. See you. Rough.

[Tony]

Yeah, I'm on. That's kind of my arc right now. That's what I'm. It's fun. I feel like it's. It's fun when I talk. Sometimes when I talk to callers, I'm like. I'm just kind of like. And a lot of the times on this podcast, I'm just, like, kind of working out a lot of my own issues, and as I'm talking to somebody about theirs, I'm coming up with solutions for myself. And that's kind of. That's. I think one of them, you know, in the call that we just had is like. Yeah. I mean, you know, if you're kind of lonely and you want to do a thing, you Just got to start it yourself. Hello?

[Sam]

Hi. Can you hear me?

[Tony]

Yeah. What's your name?

[Sam]

Yo, I'm Sam, and today's my birthday.

[Tony]

Oh, happy birthday. How old are you turning? All right, you know what? We don't even have to. You know what I've thought about, Sam, is I've thought about there's no way I'm gonna actually be able to do this. But could you imagine how much better life would be if you just forgot how old you were?

[Sam]

That would be cool. I don't know. One day, I guess I would look in the mirror and I have all these wrinkles and I really could be any age. The mind is the age, right? The age isn't your age. Your mind is your age. So I was like, literally about to wash this chemical out of my hair, and I was like, let me call one more time. So I'm gonna turn off the water and let the chemicals just stay in my hair a little bit longer because.

[Tony]

Oh, here, here, here. I was gonna. Actually, this is perfect. I was gonna go on a rant. So if you wanna wash the chemicals out of your hair, I'll go on my rant and then we can reconvene afterwards. Okay. What's your rent?

[Sam]

What's your rant about? Right now?

[Tony]

My rant is about this idea of, like, age being in the mind. And I'll tell a quick tidbit. There's this guy. So I just. I spent two months in Japan at the beginning of this year. And there's this guy, his name is Dave Bull, I think is his name. And he's like 70 something and he has a. He lives in Japan. My friend Sensei Martian Shout out him. He introduced me to this guy, Dave, who. He lives in Japan and he's been living there for a while. And he has this like, wood print shop that does like traditional, like, wood printing stuff. And I met this guy, he's like in his 70s, and he's running this shop. And the guy is running his shop like he's fucking 23 years old running a startup. Like, he's. He's running around and he's like, okay, we're doing. We're getting these shipments. We got to do this, we got to do that. And no, we're doing content and we're doing this. And, you know, he's got this whole studio where he does his twitch streams and he makes YouTube videos and he's shipping out orders and he's got this team and he's like, he's really working. Is really? And you talk to him, and he's sharp, and it's like, dude, I'm. This guy's 74 fucking years old. I was so inspired by the way that he ran his business and the way that he was being, because I'm, like, 27, and I'm. You know, you meet a lot of people who are, you know, younger. Younger than me even, or people in their 30s or whatever who just feel done and they feel old, right? And then you meet a guy like this. This guy in Japan, and you're like, oh, it's all. You're really just at any given point in your life, about as old as you decide that you are. You know, I just thought that was interesting. So that's my rant. How are they. How are the chemicals in your hair?

[Sam]

You know, they're doing good, I think. I think a few more minutes won't really kill them because it's going to be a little more lengthy process to get them out. So I'm just going to let him be for a bit. But I totally know what you mean. I. I went to this workout class today, and the instructor, he's like, this really old guy, but the energy he had, he's like, all right, we're going.

[Tim]

Yes.

[Sam]

Yes, baby, go.

[Tony]

Oh, get the.

[Jen Swan]

Get a little bit lower.

[Tony]

Perfect.

[Sam]

Yeah. And he's running around, like, enthused and. And I was like, man, like, he came to be the coach today. Sometimes you have a workout coach and they're just really, like, they could care less about what's going on. You can tell. But that guy was, like, super into it, and. And he was older. Probably one of the older coaches I've had, but it was really cool. Also, I. I've been following you for a little bit, as in, like, I know you guys are walking around Japan. I was watching the live stream a little bit because I'm so enthused about. Yeah, I'm so. Dude. About traveling and, bro, I'm about to go to Hawaii on my first solo trip next week. I'm really.

[Tony]

Kick ass. Kick ass. How long are you gonna be there for?

[Sam]

I'm gonna be there for a week. And then when the flight lands, like, the Tuesday after, I'm gonna go to work, like, from the airport, so we'll see how that goes. But I think I can troop through it. I'm really excited. I'm gonna go to, like, the Honolulu area and stay in this cool hostel for the first time and see how awesome it is. I'm really, really, really excited that's what.

[Tony]

I was going to ask is if you were doing the, the hostel route, dude.

[Sam]

Yeah, it's so the one that I'm going to stay at, it has like, daily tours and like all these events where you can meet travelers and has, like, they transport you places and they're like, here we can go see this and that. And they have like a daily schedule and I'm really excited. There's also like an app, dude. So the hostel has an app where you can talk to all these other travelers, like plan things and meet people. It's so awesome. I'm really excited.

[Tony]

Mm. Yeah. I mean, what. Yeah. What you're talking. What you talk about is awesome. Yeah. Shout free advertising to hostelworld.com.

[Sam]

Yep, that's the one.

[Tony]

Yeah, they have, yeah, they have these group chats where you can, like, meet people in hostels. And yeah, there's, you know what's, it's so, it's. It's interesting. So what you're talking about, these hostels, they exist like all over the world and there's a culture of, like, people I've met, like, I, I've done a lot of, like, hostile traveling and, you know, there's all the. You'll meet somebody and they'll be like, yeah, I've been on the road for nine months. Just like, you know that whatever. They, they maybe have some kind of online job or like, a lot of people just like, waitress or do some kind of odd job for like six months out of the year and they just live super humbly and with a bunch of fucking roommates or whatever and they just save up all that money and then they go for six months and run around all these hostels or they have a remote job or something. And yeah, it's interesting, dude. There's people out there who are, who are really living that lifestyle for extended periods of time. I'm excited for you. It's like the first time you go and you solo travel and you kind of experience what it's like to just throw yourself into that ocean. It's really cool.

[Sam]

Yeah, I'm really. I can't wait because I've traveled a lot since I was younger, but it was always to a destination or like to a family member. Like. Like a destination as in, like, oh, I'm going to this festival. Like, I'm not going to explore the city or whatever. Like, and I'm usually with a group of friends, so this is like the first time I'm going just, just because. And it was so cheap, dude. Too so I'm. I'm excited. And of course, I'm going through, like, a little breakup. And that's just, of course, like, helping me, you know, blossom. Because I love. I've always loved traveling. And, you know, like, there's sometimes when you have a person and they're. They're. I don't know, like, my ex was a little more conservative as far as, like, being able to spend anything on anything. So it was kind of like a guilt trip if I wanted to go somewhere, like, I had to front for both of us, and then he'd pay me back later. And it's kind of, like, freeing. Just like, hey, I want to go. I'm going to go. I'm going to meet people. And this is like, the start of a new chapter. So it's great. What's your favorite place that you've traveled.

[Tony]

Like, out of the U.S. my two favorite cities out of the U.S. are Amsterdam and Tokyo. Amsterdam's great. Amsterdam's got this hostel called the Flying Pig. That was one of the first hostels I stayed in when I was doing solo travel stuff. And it's cool. Cause, yeah, they have, like, a bar and they're very, like, you know, social hostel. And then I also. There's. I don't know if it's still around, but there's a hostel in Amsterdam called Cocomama, and that one's a little bit more like, chill vibes. Like a communal living room. People are playing board games and watching TV and stuff. That's one of the really cool things about, like, hostels is that they have, like, varying vibes. Like, if you want to go meet a bunch of strangers and go out and get fucked up and, you know, do all that stuff, there's places where you can go do that. And then if you just want to chill and play board games, there's places to do, too. Yeah, it's a cool. It's a cool scene. I really like. If you're. If you're, like, young and you're out of college, you have a gap or whatever, or you just have no idea what you're doing, I highly recommend giving that shit a shot. Because it's also, like you said, it's like, it's a really cheap and fun way to travel.

[Sam]

Yeah, I was so surprised. Like, hotels versus hostels are. Are freaking crazy. And then I know people are worried about the safety in a lot of hostels, but I feel like if you look at the reviews and you look at the, like, people will complain more about things they don't like then leaves great reviews. So if there's a lot of great reviews, you're probably gonna be okay. You know what I mean?

[Tony]

So this is your first solo trip?

[Sam]

Yeah. Yeah. Like completely by myself. Yeah.

[Tony]

That's cool. Are you, are you nervous? Are you excited?

[Sam]

I'm not, I'm not really nervous at all. I'm. I'm just excited and I'm. I'm waiting to see how this one goes because I'm actually going to come to New York in May and then I have a week in October. I'm trying to figure out where I should go next.

[Tony]

I'm not really sure what's on your. Do you have a list of like places you might want to go?

[Sam]

I really want to go to New Zealand and walk the like, you know, the Mordor and the, the Shire and all that stuff.

[Tony]

But yeah, sure, sure.

[Sam]

Yeah. That's like a dream of mine. But I think that that's gonna need a bigger chunk of time. My work is super picky about vacations there. I'm like a manager at a place, like a retail place and they're like, you can only take the cat vacation Saturday to Friday. And I'm like, but it's cheaper to travel like Monday to Monday. Like that's great. But we allow you to go Saturday to Friday, so it's just really strange. I get a lot of pto, but they're just very picky about how I use it. So. Although I want to go to New Zealand, I think that's like probably something I can't do in just like a seven day period. Probably need to be like 14 days or something.

[Tony]

Yeah, New Zealand's tricky. Yeah. I went to, I did the, a little Australia tour like a couple years ago and then when I came back it was a full like 10 days of like. I couldn't sleep. I was like up until 6:00 in the morning every night and sleeping until 2:00pm Some crazy shit.

[Sam]

Damn.

[Tony]

What's going on in your life besides traveling?

[Sam]

Well, I'm starting to paint again.

[Tony]

Cool.

[Sam]

I used to paint like all the time and do resin art and stuff, but I just kind of moved away from it. But like, now that I have more time, I'm getting back into it. And I just did my first three resin pieces like a couple weeks ago that I'm really happy about. And I just got a new position at work, so that's pretty cool too. Yeah. And I don't know, just getting back into the gym, you know, getting back into the Swing of things, pretty much, but. But it's really fun. Do you ever do. Do you ever paint or anything? Like, do you ever do art, Arts and crafts kind of stuff?

[Tony]

Well, I successfully got a bunch of people to look at a bunch of trash that I put behind glass as part of an.

[Sam]

I wanted to come.

[Tony]

And that. That was fun. It made me wish that I did have some kind of artistic talents. Do I ever do. I'll doodle. I doodle. I doodle. I doodle to get out. Like, none of my doodles are good. They're. They're mainly just, like, schizophrenic, like, ADHD fidgets more than they are any. Anything that attempts any sort of artistic value. But, yeah, I don't know so much if I. If I do any art as I do just fidget with a pen, making little circles and squares and stick figures and shit.

[Sam]

Hey, well, you know, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. There's some stuff I see in the museum, and I wonder what, like, why it's there. So, like, you know, everyone has their own perception. You never know someone could fall in love with your ADHD squiggly art. You have no idea, bro.

[Tony]

It's there because some fucking douchebag got some fucking email and was like, all right, this is. You know, things are the way they are because some person decided that it was supposed to be there or whatever, and, you know, they own the museum, so they can do whatever they want. And, I mean, yeah, that's. That's why stuff is there, you know?

[Sam]

How was your. Your art expos. What is our effort? I. I was saying the word, and I. Yeah, how do.

[Tony]

I.

[Sam]

Was that received, like, by people who weren't sure of what. What they were looking at? Exactly.

[Tony]

I think everyone had a good time, man. I actually, it's funny. I. So I auctioned off the pieces at the end. I kept two of them, and then, yeah, I kept two of them, and then one of them, the. The guy who bought it just didn't show up to get it, which I thought was gonna happen for all of them, to be honest. But. So I took. I took the remaining three pieces and I stacked them all up and I put them in my room. And like, okay, I know it's trash, but, like, I know it's trash, and I know I'm the one that made it. So maybe this is a little bit selfish, this say, but something about the empty water bottle in the glass. It does look cool. It looks cool when you display it. I'm like I look at it and I'm like, I like that I would have that in. So I at least feel good that even though it is putting trash behind a glass box, I feel like I made something that I myself would, would and do display currently in my living space. So I feel good about that.

[Sam]

Yeah.

[Tony]

What's your name again?

[Sam]

My name's.

[Tony]

Good luck on your solo trip. I love, I love hearing people do shit. I love that people are doing things and excited. I often, I feel often too jaded and it makes me feel good to. I'm living vicariously through your joy in this moment. So good luck to you, but have a great day.

[Sam]

Thank you.

[Tony]

You too. Bye. Bye, Sam.

[Sam]

Bye.

[Tony]

It's tax season and by now I.

[Geico Spokesperson]

Know we're all a bit tired of numbers, but here's an important one you need to hear. $16.5 billion. That's how much money in refunds the IRS flagged for possible identity fraud last year. Here's another 20%. That's the overall increase in identity theft related to tax fraud in 2024 alone.

[Tony]

But it's not all grim news.

[Geico Spokesperson]

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[Tony]

Based restoration specialists will fix it. Backed by another good number, the million dollar protection plan.

[Geico Spokesperson]

In fact, restoration is guaranteed or your money back. Don't face identity theft and financial losses alone. There's strength in numbers with Lifelock. Identity theft protection for tax season and beyond. Join now and save up to 40% your first year. Call 1-800-LIFELOCK and use promo code iheart or go to lifelock.com iheart for 40% off. Terms apply. Is this a good time? It's me, Dylan Mulvaney and my dear friend Joe Locke from Heartstopper. And Agatha all along is my very first guest on my brand new podcast, the Dylan Hour. It's musical mayhem and it is going to be so much fun.

[Tim]

I like a man.

[Geico Spokesperson]

You like a man. What do I like? Joe?

[Tony]

You like a man too.

[Geico Spokesperson]

We often. There's quite similar. There's some cross pollination happening in here.

[Tony]

Not like. No. Have we? No.

[Geico Spokesperson]

No, not yet. Never say never. I cannot wait for all you girls, gays and they to join me on this extremely special pink confection of a podcast. There is so much darkness in this world and what I think we could all use more of is a little joy. Listen to the Dylan hour on the iHeartRadio app. Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to your podcasts. Love ya.

[Jorge Cham]

Have you ever wondered, if your pet is lying to you, why is my.

[Geico Spokesperson]

Cat not here and I go in and she's eating my lunch?

[Jorge Cham]

Or if hypnotism is real, you will.

[Geico Spokesperson]

Use the suggestion in order to enhance your cognitive control.

[Jorge Cham]

But what's inside a black hole?

[Geico Spokesperson]

Black holes could be a consequence of the way that we understand the universe.

[Jorge Cham]

Well, we have answers for you in the new iHeart original podcast, Science Stuff. Join me, Jorge Cham, as we tackle questions you've always wanted to know the answer to about animals, space, our brains and our bodies. Questions like, can you survive being cryogenically frozen?

[Sam]

This is experimental.

[Tony]

This may never work for you.

[Jorge Cham]

What's a quantum computer?

[Tony]

It's not just a faster computer. It performs in a fundamentally different way.

[Jorge Cham]

Do you really have to wait 30 minutes after eating before you can go swimming?

[Chris]

It's not really a safety issue.

[Geico Spokesperson]

It's more of a comfort issue.

[Jorge Cham]

We'll talk to experts, break it down, and give you easy to understand explanations to to fascinating scientific questions. So give yourself permission to be a science geek and listen to science stuff on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Geico Spokesperson]

Imagine you're scrolling through TikTok. You come across a video of a teenage girl and then a photo of the person suspected of killing her. And I was like, what? Like, it was him. I was like, oh, my God. It was shocking. It was very shocking. I'm Jen Swan. I'm a journalist in Los Angeles, and I've spent the past few years investigating the story behind the viral posts and the extraordinary events that followed.

[Tony]

I started investing my time to get her justice.

[Tim]

They put out something on social media.

[Chris]

So I get called in the middle.

[Tim]

Of the night all the time.

[Geico Spokesperson]

It's like, how do you think you're gonna get away with something like this? Like you kill somebody. It's the story of how and why. Why a group of teenagers turned to social media to help track down their friend's killer. This is their story. This is my friend Daisy. Listen to my friend daisy on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Tony]

Hello.

[Tim]

Hello.

[Tony]

Hey, what's your name?

[Tim]

Oh, my name's Tim.

[Tony]

Tim.

[Tim]

We talked a while ago. Uh, I'm the guy that got the colonoscopy.

[Tony]

You're the guy that got the colonoscopy? How long ago was this?

[Tim]

This was a while ago. Um, yeah, you said if I had a good colon, you'd come to Portland. And if I had a bad colon, you'd destroy Portland with your death rate.

[Tony]

Oh, okay. What was. So what happens? Do you have the good colon of the bad?

[Jen Swan]

My colon.

[Tim]

Solid. My colon is good. So you have to come back.

[Tony]

I've been to port. I. When did. I've been to Portland a bunch of times.

[Tim]

I know, I know. But the deal was you'll come back.

[Tony]

I would. No, no. If I do, I'm gonna. I'm gonna. I'm gonna do. Yeah, I. I need. I kind of needed to take this year off, but I'm gonna try to do. If there were. If there remains interest in therapy Gecko live around the country. I absolutely will go to Portland again. If people wanted to come back, my friend, you know, it's fights. I don't. I don't know. I'm always like again. We're getting to this summer. It'll be five years of geckoing and I'm. Every year I'm like, it's crazy this keeps lasting this long, man.

[Tim]

I've been here all five years.

[Tony]

Fucking crazy, man. I'm blessed. I don't know why. I don't know. I go crazy all the time. This is a. It's a. It's a real. It's a real blessing, you know?

[Tim]

Yeah.

[Tony]

I gotta zoom out every now and then.

[Tim]

I. I feel like we gotta talk about more than my colon this time.

[Tony]

What do you want to talk about? What do you want to talk about?

[Tim]

Oh, man, we can. We can just talk about life. I like the life stories. It feels weird giving a life story, you know what I mean? It almost feels self centered.

[Tony]

Go, please do it. I don't. Well, what is your life story? Who are you? Tim.

[Tim]

Oh, well, I'm 25 right now. I'm from Arkansas, but I live in Oregon. I moved here when I was 19. Yeah, damn. Now that I'm. Now that I'm ready to tell you my life story. I don't know how to tell you my life story.

[Tony]

That was a paradoxical thing you just said. Do you feel ready to tell me your life story?

[Tim]

Maybe I'm not ready to tell you my life story, Lyle.

[Tony]

Is it because. Can I ask you this? Is it because you're uncomfortable with whatever the subject matter of your life story is, or is it because you literally do not mechanically know how?

[Tim]

No, I think I'm just nervous.

[Tony]

Would you know, there's no pressure if I helped walk is, by the way. You don't have to if you don't want to. If I Helped walk you through it. Do you think you could do it?

[Tim]

I think. I think that would help, yeah.

[Tony]

Okay. So you were born in Arkansas?

[Tim]

I was, yep. I was born in Fort Smith, Arkansas.

[Tony]

And how was your childhood?

[Tim]

My childhood was pretty good. Up until. Up Until I was 12, I lived, you know, with my whole family. I had my. My cousins right across the street and my. My grandparents right down the street. After that, everything got split up a little bit and, you know, yeah, I went. I lived in a really small town, and that's why I moved to Oregon. Not really a much bigger place, but, you know, a little. A little different as far as.

[Jen Swan]

There'S.

[Tim]

Less ignorance here than there is in Arkansas. You know, ignorance is very prevalent where I'm from.

[Tony]

Although isn't. What's the big city in. In Arkansas, little. Is it Little Rock.

[Tim]

Little Rock's the capital. But I think probably Fayetteville is probably the biggest place because that's where the college is at.

[Tony]

Is it? I feel like all these, like, red states, like, all of them have these, like. I don't know if you would call them big cities, but these, like, kind of like more like. Like little, like blue liberal dots, like, like an Austin, Texas kind of a thing is that they have that in Arkansas.

[Tim]

I mean, Fayetteville's becoming more liberal. You know, like I said, it's a college town, so it's like a younger generation, like a specifically educated younger generation that's seems to be changing things a little bit, but it's definitely an overwhelmingly red state. I would say Arkansas is one of the few places that, like, there's not. There isn't really a big city there. Like, I don't know what the population of Fayetteville is, but it's pretty small. And it's the biggest one. I think it's the biggest one, at least. Yeah. But I moved to. I moved to Eugene. I guess it's kind of funny, like, what made me move to Eugene, Oregon, is I made, like, music videos in high school, and I was on acid one night in my bedroom and saw a music video that was really. It was really shitty, but I thought it was really good while I was on acid, you know? And I ended up moving to Eugene to live with the people that made that video like, a week later.

[Tony]

What the. How did you get in touch with them?

[Tim]

I just found him on Instagram through the. Through the music video, like, the description on YouTube. It was, like, a bunch of dudes that were about the same age as me and just happened to also be Wanting to get roommates and stuff.

[Tony]

Yeah, that's pretty sick. And why do you still live with them?

[Tim]

No, I don't. They turned out to be, like, much bigger drug heads than I was. You know, Like, I mean, I haven't done psychedelic since like, all the way back then, but I never did, like, no. Hate to anybody that does coke or anything, but I never did, like, coke or cat or any of those things. And all my roommates did. And so we were in this, like three bedroom apartment with like eight people, all of them off of coke besides me, pretty much.

[Tony]

Cocaine is. Cocaine is good a couple times a year. Special occasions. Birthday.

[Tim]

I could imagine. I think I'm too anxious of a person to try. He said Hanukkah. I think I'm just too anxious of a person to do coke in general.

[Tony]

No. Yeah, I mean. No. I mean, doing it every fucking day or weekend is. I was gonna say probably bad, but I think I can confidently say just bad.

[Tim]

Yeah, yeah. I think pro. I think I was gonna say probably too.

[Tony]

I am no doctor.

[Tim]

Yeah, I think bad. Yeah, yeah, yeah, no, me either.

[Tony]

Do you do any drugs nowadays? Are you a weed guy? Do you do.

[Tim]

I mean, I smoke weed, but same as you've mentioned many times. I'm trying to cut back. Yeah, trying to cut back and just. I was. I was talking to somebody about this the other day. I really like to take like a full year, like, or even a little bit shorter. Just fully sober off of everything. I mean, all I do is weed and I like nicotine and then I'll drink occasionally. But I think it'd be cool to like, see what my headspace is, like, just completely sober because it's like I had. I mean, I've had nicotine since like 15 and weed since, like 16, so I don't think I've ever gone, honestly, a full, like, few days without one or the other, at least. So. Yeah, I think it'd be cool to see what. See what my mind is like, you know, withdrawal.

[Tony]

I don't know if this was a withdrawal thing, but yeah, when I went, you know, when I kind of went through like a weird period of like. Like depression, anxiety, shit. I wasn't smoking weed because I was afraid. Because I was afraid that, like, weed was gonna actually, like, exacerb. Exacerbate, masturbate those feelings. I thought it was gonna make them worse and so I avoided it. Then I just. I had this one night. This was within the week or whatever the fuck is maybe a couple weeks ago where I was Like. Or I kind of felt like I. Dude, I felt like I was fucking drowning. Like, I felt like I was in a pool. Like, I mentally felt like I was in a pool that had the fucking pool cover on it, you know? And I was feeling. It's a bad feeling. And then I took a really big hit of a weed pen and I. And I went, oh, my God. And I felt, like, the feeling when you. I felt a feeling like. Like when you've been, like, submerged underwater for too long and you. You get. You rise back up and you catch your breath and. And I just had that feeling. I was like, oh, my fuck. Holy Jesus Christ. Yeah, just a big. Is a huge. Just relief. I don't know if that's healthy, but I did experience that.

[Tim]

Yeah, no, I'm not. That's what I was about to get into. I'm not. I'm not sure if, like, that. That feeling of relief coming from a substance is a good thing, but, like, it's. It's interesting because, you know, sometimes I'll get that. That A feeling of relief after, like, taking a hit, but other times, like, it's like, you're looking. It almost feels like if I'm looking to get that feeling of relief by smoking, then I don't. But if I'm just.

[Tony]

Yeah.

[Tim]

Like, if I just happen to be like, oh, I'm gonna smoke, then I do get it. Does that make sense?

[Tony]

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, for sure. Yeah.

[Tim]

Like, if I'm. If I know I'm using it as an escape, then I don't think it serves that purpose. But if I like, my ideal. My ideal use of weed is like, get through my whole day, do everything I need to do, and then, like, end of the day, when all of my responsibilities are done, I can kick back and relax and smoke some weed.

[Tony]

Yeah. But if I do it. Sorry.

[Tim]

Yeah, I didn't want to know. You're good. I think pretty much any other circumstance, it does the opposite for me.

[Tony]

Yeah, I know. I used to. And I still do sometimes, like, with weed, like, use it to separate the day. Like, all right. I have a period of time where I am in fucking reality. I am deep in the matrix. I'm getting my work done, I'm going to the gym, I'm doing whatever the fuck I need to. And then at night, getting high for me was always. Is always, like, a symbol of, like, you're done for the day, you're good. You know, I've talked about. I've probably talked about this on the podcast 800 billion times. But like, I meet these people sometimes who they can. Who they don't have that. And it's just like constant, like, wake and bake, like fucking let me get high and go do stuff all the time and that shit. Yeah. I don't know. And they. And they're not. These people that I meet that do this. They're not like a mess. They, like, get their shit done. But I just. The fact that their brain can do that always amazes me.

[Tim]

Yeah, it is interesting. It makes me. Makes me wonder if there's some like. Does that mean that our brain chemistry is, like, flawed in some way? Or is it. Or is it simply we just have different brain chemistry?

[Tony]

You know, Is it weird? Not. I'm gonna get esoteric again, but isn't it weird that we all have different brain chemistries and personalities? Like, wouldn't it make sense if, like a human being, there's. There was just. Okay, it's just a human being. And every human being comes equipped with standard brain. And it's like. I mean, like ants, you know, like ants don't. I mean, dogs have personalities. Yeah, their bones are big enough for that. But yeah, once your brain gets to a certain size, it starts to morph and have different, stronger variations in personalities and chemistries. And I'm sure there's some Harvard scientist douche who could tell us why these things are the way they are, but it's interesting to ponder about them.

[Tim]

Yeah, no, it is interesting. I read this. This book not too long ago called Seven and a half Lessons about the Brain. It's not. It's not like a self help book. It's more of like a. Like a neurology, like, like essays kind of. It's kind of just about how your brain develops. And. Yeah, I'm not. I'm not gonna try and explain it because I'm not smart enough to, but maybe. Maybe someday you'll check it out. It's pretty small, so I think you'd find it interesting.

[Tony]

Tim, Is that your name?

[Tim]

That is my name. Well, that's not. Yeah, that's my name.

[Tony]

Well, I'm glad your colon is going good. I'm glad that they don't need to shove a camera. But they put it in. They put a camera in your ass, right?

[Tim]

Yeah, they did. They did put a camera in my ass.

[Tony]

Isn't it crazy?

[Tim]

Yeah.

[Tony]

But no matter who you are, you have to. I think mainly. I think it's mainly. Men and women get colonoscopies, right?

[Tim]

I think so, yeah.

[Tony]

Okay. Maybe I'M Maybe I'm mistaking it for, like a prostate.

[Tim]

No matter who you are, at some point in your life, you'll probably have a camera in your ass. Yeah.

[Tony]

God, what a.

[Tim]

At least I wasn't like the guy that called after me and had to get it, like, in my penis. That would have been. I would have been more scared about that.

[Tony]

What a burden it is to be alive, and yet what an honor as well.

[Tim]

That's the beauty of it all. The. The horror and the ex and the excitement. You know, it goes hand in hand.

[Tony]

Tim, is there anything else you want to say to the people of the computer before we go?

[Tim]

Can I ask you one more question and then I'll. And then I'll get my. Fine. If you still were going to the.

[Tony]

Gym, man, one more time.

[Tim]

Have you still been going to the gym?

[Tony]

Yeah, yeah, I'm not. I'm not going like, as stringent Lee as I was. Bob. Yeah. I've lost like £30 since my last. Oh, yeah.

[Tim]

That's sick, dude. Yeah. A few months ago as well. Say one time I started a few months ago as well. So it's. It's cool to kind of like. Like, I mean, I know other people. Makes me sound like I don't know anybody. It's cool to have you as well going to the gym. It's nice to hear you mention it every now. And podcast, you know, I had a little bit where it was getting a lot harder for me to go, and I'm. My goal helped me get back in there, so.

[Tony]

Okay, good, good, good, good, good. My goal is to be. I want to be as skinny as I was before I started doing this. I think here's what. Here's what happened to me is this is exactly what happened to me is a couple of things is. So once I. Once I started doing this and it started like popping off a is. I just cared about nothing except doing this and making sure that this was. That this kind of the therapy gecko universe was trudging forward. And so I was kind of like, as long as the therapy gecko universe is trudging forward, nothing else mattered. So I would. And then. So there was that. It was that mindset. And then B was the thing of. B was this thing of just like, oh, I had a routine where I would stream and then the stream would be over at 9pm and I would smoke weed and just eat an extra. Literally, like 4, 4 or 5,000 calories of like, bullshit, you know, because I felt like I had earned it totally and then I had this mindset. I. This was a crazy mindset I had where I was like, okay, I've become successful now on the Internet. I don't have to take care of any other aspect of my life.

[Tim]

Yeah. You know, that reward mindset can get dangerous.

[Tony]

Say that one more time.

[Tim]

That reward type mindset can get pretty dangerous where it's right. Like you, You. You're trying to reward yourself with things constant. I would do that a lot where it's like, right, I'm stressed out, but I've been doing a lot, so I'm gonna reward myself by not doing this entire day. You know what I mean? And I don't think that's a productive way to do.

[Tony]

No, it's. It's not. I thought. Yeah, I thought I was like, yeah, you know? No, once it was. It was really stupid because it's like, oh, I got a million views on TikTok. I don't. I no longer have to work on improving myself as a human being in any way, shape or form ever again. That was. I mean, I was 22 when that happened, so. Yeah, but there is that. So, so. Oh, God. So now I'm trying to get back to at least what I was before the gecko happens, so.

[Tim]

Before the gecko happened. Well, that's a good goal, man. Yeah, you'll get there. I can. We can all tell you're working hard, so.

[Tony]

Thanks. Thanks. I'm excited. I'm gonna do another. I always post these, like, shirtless pictures to promote the tours. So when I do another one, I'm gonna do. I'm gonna hopefully be ripped by then. We'll see what happens.

[Tim]

Oh, yeah.

[Tony]

Tim, is there anything. Is there anything else you want to say to the people at the computer before we go?

[Tim]

I'll reiterate the last thing I said last time. Take care of your colon. Treat it right.

[Tony]

Take care, brother.

[Tim]

Yep, you too. Bye.

[Geico Spokesperson]

Is this a good time? It's me, Dylan Mulvaney, and my dear friend Joe Locke from Heartstopper. And Agatha all Along is my very first, first guest on my brand new podcast, the Dylan Hour. It's musical mayhem and it is going to be so much fun.

[Tim]

I like a man.

[Geico Spokesperson]

You like a man. What do I like?

[Tony]

Joe, you like a man, too.

[Geico Spokesperson]

We often. There's quite similar. There's some cross pollination happening in here.

[Tony]

Not like. No. Have we. No.

[Geico Spokesperson]

No, not yet. Never say never. I cannot wait for all you girls, gays and they's to join me on this extremely special pink confection of a podcast. There is so much darkness in this world. And what I think we could all use more of is a little joy. Listen to the Dylan hour on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your podcasts. Love ya.

[Jorge Cham]

Have you ever wondered, if your pet is lying to you, why is my.

[Tony]

Cat not here and I go in.

[Geico Spokesperson]

And she's eating my lunch?

[Jorge Cham]

Or if hypnotism is real, you will.

[Geico Spokesperson]

Use the suggestion in order to enhance your cognitive control.

[Jorge Cham]

But what's inside a black hole?

[Geico Spokesperson]

Black holes could be a consequence of the way that we understand the universe.

[Jorge Cham]

Well, we have answers for you in the new iHeart original podcast Science Stuff. Join me, Jorge Cham, as we tackle questions you've always wanted to know the answer to about animals, space, our brains and our bodies questions. Can you survive being cryogenically frozen?

[Sam]

This is experimental.

[Tony]

This may never work for you.

[Jorge Cham]

What's a quantum computer?

[Geico Spokesperson]

It's not just a faster computer.

[Tony]

It performs in a fundamentally different way.

[Jorge Cham]

Do you really have to wait 30 minutes after eating before you can go swimming?

[Chris]

It's not really a safety issue.

[Geico Spokesperson]

It's more of a comfort issue.

[Jorge Cham]

Talk to experts, break it down, and give you easy to understand explanations to fascinating scientific questions. So give yourself permission to be a science geek and listen to science stuff on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Geico Spokesperson]

Imagine you're scrolling through TikTok. You come across a video of a teenage girl and then a photo of the person suspected of killing her. And I was like, what? Like, it was him. I was like, oh my God. It was shocking. It was very shocking. I'm Jen Swan. I'm a journalist in Los Angeles, and I've spent the past few years investigating the story behind the viral posts and the extraordinary events that followed.

[Tony]

I started investing my time to get her justice.

[Tim]

They put out something on social media.

[Tony]

So I'd get called in the middle of the night all the time.

[Geico Spokesperson]

It's like, how do you think you're gonna get away with something like this? Like you kill somebody. It's the story of how and why a group of teenagers turned to social media to help track down their friend's killer. This is their story. This is my friend Daisy. Listen to my friend daisy on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, y'all, it's your girl, Cheekies. And I'm back with a brand new season of your favorite podcast, Cheekies and Chill. I'll be Sharing even more personal stories with you guys. And I know a lot of people are gonna attack me. Why? Are you gonna go visit your dad? Your mom wouldn't be okay with it. I'm gonna tell you guys right now. I know my mother, and I know my mom had a very forgiving heart. That is my story on plastic surgery. This is my truth. I think the last time I cried like that was when I lost my mom. Like that, like, yelling. I was like, no, no.

[Tony]

I was like, oh.

[Geico Spokesperson]

And I thought, what did I do wrong? And as always, you'll get my exclusive take on topics like love, personal growth, health, family ties, and more. And don't forget, I'll also be dishing out my best advice to you on episodes of Dear Cheekies. So my fiance and I have been.

[Tony]

Together for 10 years.

[Geico Spokesperson]

In the first two years of being.

[Tony]

Together, I find out he is cheating.

[Geico Spokesperson]

On me, not only with women, but also with men.

[Tony]

What should I do?

[Geico Spokesperson]

Okay, where do I start? That's not love. He doesn't love you enough. Because if he loved you, he'd be faithful. It's going to be an exciting year, and I hope that you can join me, listen to Cheekies and Chill Season four as part of the My Cultura podcast network, available on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Tony]

Hey, what's up? What's your name?

[A.J. Andrews]

I'm Tony. It's nice to meet you, Tony.

[Tony]

Nice to meet you, too. I met a guy named Tony the other day, but that has nothing to do with you at all. What's up, Tony? How's. How's life?

[A.J. Andrews]

I'm doing good. What's your name?

[Tony]

My name is Lyle.

[A.J. Andrews]

I used to know a bunch of killers named Lyle. Are you a killer, Lyle?

[Tony]

Are you. Are you. Are you fucking with me right now? Or did you really used to know?

[Tim]

No.

[Tony]

Yeah, I'm just joking.

[A.J. Andrews]

I'm just pulling your chin.

[Tony]

Am I a killer? I kill. I killed a plant the other day.

[A.J. Andrews]

What was it?

[Tony]

I don't even remember I killed it. No, I didn't actively kill that. I indirectly killed it via negligence. It was given to me as a gift. That's actually the second time someone has given me a plant as a gift, and I murdered it through negligent negligence, which I know it's. Which is such a bummer. I know people love plants, but.

[Tim]

Yeah.

[Tony]

Anyway, I feel like I've been talking about myself too much lately. What's up with you, Tony?

[A.J. Andrews]

For sure, I've had a. I've had a ton of stuff going on recently. You know, every time I've. I've tried to calden, I've tried to call in, I've always had something, like, specific that I've wanted to talk about, but I guess I don't really have anything Today. Today, for the first time in a long time, I feel like I don't necessarily have to work. You know, I don't have to worry for a little bit. So, you know, it's. It's a pretty good day today.

[Tony]

First of all, that's sick. Second of all, why don't you have to worry today? What changed?

[A.J. Andrews]

So, I mean, it's a minor celebration, but, you know, I really take these things close to heart. I have all my bills paid, and I just finished my, like, psychology essay for my second semester. So, you know, I. I don't have work to do. Like, I don't have to go to work. I don't have things to study.

[Tony]

Yeah.

[A.J. Andrews]

What I do in my free time, like, outside of that is I like to, like, I go to concerts or I go to comedy shows. I'm from California, and there's this little group. I don't know how popular they are. They're called offline comedy. And the entire idea is that you go with a bunch of people and the kind of social zeitgeist is that no one's really supposed to have their phone up. I mean, you can. No one's going to stop you. But it's meant to create a very more social environment. And I thought that was really cool, so I went to that. There's this place called the Gallo center where they host a lot of shows. Like, I know Weird Al Yankovic has played there a few times.

[Tony]

I'm sorry to interrupt.

[A.J. Andrews]

I volunteer.

[Tony]

I'm curious about offline comedy because it's very funny to me, because the default of a comedy show is already that you're not supposed to be on your phone. So what is the point? What's. What is. What is the whole offline aspect of the. You're already not supposed to use your phone during a comedy show?

[A.J. Andrews]

Well, you know, I think this happens to a lot of people. Yeah. And I don't know if it's, you know, held mainly by just a younger demographic, but a lot of people automatically resort to just, like, going to their phones if they ever feel, like, socially awkward. You know, people that are trying to. To get out into this kind of very abrasive, loud scene. You know, it might be helpful to have, like, a little bit Of a reminder, you know, I appreciate this as a concept exists.

[Tony]

So it's just a normal comedy showcase.

[A.J. Andrews]

Yeah, there's. There are a few people from like Comedy Central, you know, a few people that have done hours on there and it was pretty cheap. It was like 26 bucks. I don't really go to comedy shows very often, but I do go to a lot of concerts and it's usually a bit more expensive than that.

[Tony]

Who do you. Wait, so 20, 26 bucks felt cheap to you?

[A.J. Andrews]

Yeah, I mean, at least in California because all of the, like, all of the shows that are out here are in like San Francisco or like, like Sacramento. You know, these places that are. That are really expensive, really high cost of living.

[Tony]

Yeah, well, if you go to like, what is it? Anytime you go to like a, like a real comedy club, like a comedy seller or fucking like an improv or something, you. They, you have to pay for a ticket, but then they also make you pay like a two drink minimum. And then after the tip and everything, you. Yeah, you kind of get out of there at like, you know, 70 bucks or something like that.

[A.J. Andrews]

That's crazy. I didn't know that. What's it called? I'm not 21 yet, so I'm not allowed to like, like, like do anything.

[Tony]

You're not allowed to go into those places?

[A.J. Andrews]

Yeah, I'm 19. You know, one thing that I was doing while I was working because, okay, I've never had like a real job, so while I was trying to do this volunteer work.

[Tony]

Yeah, you're nice.

[A.J. Andrews]

They had me working. Yeah, they, they had me work in the cash register, but no one asked my age. And I guess they just didn't know. And I didn't know that I wasn't supposed to be back there. But they're like, wait, so how old are you? And I'm like, you know, I'm 19, I'm about to turn 20. And they're like, oh, you can't like touch the alcohol, like at all. And I'm like, oh, I'm sorry. So that just really slowed me down, you know, really hindered my efficiency for. For how old I am. Really unfortunate.

[Tony]

Well, Tony, I'm glad that. That's good. You don't have to worry or do anything, you know, I guess if I had to. I guess, I guess, I guess if I had to do gecko therapy, if I had to do gecko therapy upon you right now that you didn't ask for, only because it's what's present in my mind right now. I will say this. Doing. If you. If you. If you get to the point, if you stop doing, it's good, the best thing you could do is, like, do a lot of things and then go into rest mode and then enjoy your break from doing things. But if you. But it's. If you're never doing things ever, you will start to question the meaning of existence and your own death. You'll go crazy. Oh, man. So don't do that.

[A.J. Andrews]

Tell me about it. When I was younger, I feel like I was kind of, like, super sheltered, so I just spent a lot of time thinking. And now that I'm older, I've gone into, like, philosophy and the humanities and, you know, just. Just things that are like. And also comedy for a large part of it that are filled with. With those kinds of questions that don't have answers.

[Tony]

What was I gonna say? Is he gonna say, oh, yes, thinking is bad. Question nothing. Do what you're told, fall in line, and you actually. You'll probably have a much better life than if you start to question stuff, because once you start questioning stuff, you'll. You go into the abyss and then you can't get out of it. Why am I do this? Oh, who are your favorite comedians, by the way?

[A.J. Andrews]

Oh, my favorite comedians. It's hard to say. I grew up with, like, with John Mulaney. I grew up with Joe Coy, Gabriel Iglesias, you know, basically anyone that was on Netflix and Big at the time. When I was like 13, I was on. I was watching that. You know, I really. I really like those guys. They have a special place for me.

[Tony]

Tony, is there anything else you want to say to the people, the computer before we go?

[A.J. Andrews]

No. Thanks for having me on. Have a good day. Live.

[Tony]

You too. Bye. Bye. Well, folks, thank you guys for listening. That was a fun time. A lot of. I liked being able. This was a good episode of just chatting with folks, you know, that felt good. It's bits. I continue to feel a great honor that people are still listening to this podcast. I thank you all very much for being here. And folks, also, by the way, if you're listening to this, I am going to be doing a therapy gecko live in New York City this coming Sunday. And I'm gonna leave the link to buy tickets in the episode description. I'm gonna try. This is kind. This is a very minimum viable product version of this. I'm trying to kind of. I want us. My goal ultimately is to just start doing a regular therapy gecko live here in New York. So this is gonna be the most bare bones version of it. Tickets are gonna be like $5. So if you live in New York and you're free, I think this episode was gonna come out on a Wednesday. So if you're free the Sunday after this, the next Sunday from when this episode airs, check out the Come come hang at the link in in the bio. Okay. Thank you for listening to this podcast. Good luck, Geck bless. And that's it. I don't have any more words to say. Thank you.

[Jorge Cham]

Have you ever wondered, if your pet is lying to you, why is my.

[Tony]

Cat not here and I go in.

[Geico Spokesperson]

And she's eating my lunch?

[Jorge Cham]

Or if hypnotism is real, you will use the suggestion in order to enhance your cognitive control. But what's inside a black hole?

[Geico Spokesperson]

Black holes could be a consequence of the way that we understand the universe.

[Jorge Cham]

Well, we have answers for you in the new iHeart original podcast, Science Stuff. Join me, Jorge Ham, as we answer questions about animals, space, our brains and our bodies. So give yourself permission to be a science geek and listen to science stuff on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Geico Spokesperson]

Imagine you're scrolling through TikTok. You come across a video of a teenage girl and then a photo of the person suspected of killing her. It was shocking. It was very shocking. Like, that could have been my daughter. Like, you never know. I'm Jen Swan. I'm the host of a new podcast called My Friend Daisy. It's the story of how and why a group of teenagers turned to social media to help track down their friend's killer. Listen to my friend daisy on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, y'all? I'm A.J. andrews, pro softball player, sports analyst, and the first woman to win a Rawlings Gold Glove on my new podcast, Dropping Diamonds. We dive headfirst into the world of softball by sharing powerful stories, insights, and conversations that inspire and empower. It's time to drop bombs and diamonds. Dropping diamonds with AJ Andrews is an iHeart women's sports production in partnership with Athletes Unlimited Softball League and Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. Listen to dropping diamonds with AJ Andrews on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Tony]

Brought to you by Novartis, founding partner of iHeart Women's Sports Network. Hi, I'm Bob Pittman, chairman and CEO of iHeartMedia. I'm excited to introduce a brand new season of my podcast, Math and Stories from the frontiers of marketing. I'm having conversations with some folks across a wide range of industries to hear how they reach the top of their fields and the lessons they learned along the way that everyone can use. I'll be joined by innovative leaders like chairman and and CEO of Elf Beauty Tarang Amin, legendary singer, songwriter and philanthropist.

[Geico Spokesperson]

Jewel Being a rock star is very.

[Tony]

Fun, but helping people is way more fun. And Damian Maldonado, CEO of American Financing I figured out the formula. I just have to work hard.

[Chris]

Then that's magic.

[Tony]

Join me as we uncover innovations in data and analytics, the math and the ever important creative spark, the magic. Listen to math and magic on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.