Podcast Summary: You, Me & Mike — Ep. 207: Let's Keep it Casual

Date: October 8, 2025
Hosts: Jenn and Mike Todryk
Podcast: You, Me & Mike
Episode Theme:
This episode is a candid, lighthearted look into the everyday lives of Jenn and Mike Todryk as they navigate the chaos of back-to-school season, family routines, marriage dynamics, and personal highlights from the week. The couple keeps the tone engaging, relatable, and humorous, inviting listeners into their real family conversations, with plenty of playful banter and deep dives into their parenting and partnership styles.

1. Weekly Highlights and Personal Moments

[00:34 - 05:46]

• Jenn kicks off with an impromptu “highlight of your week” segment.
• Mike first mentions how busy the week has been with kids’ school, sports, and activities, but quickly pivots to naming fantasy football as his personal highlight (“Fantasy football’s back. It’s huge.” – Mike, [01:31]).
  • Jenn teases Mike for not picking golf, given his recent lessons and the gift of new clubs, leading to a funny back-and-forth on whether he’s “really a golfer” if he hardly ever plays.
  • Mike reflects on the humility of returning to hobbies after a long time:

    “Doing something you used to be really good at and then restarting it again is very humbling, because in my mind, I should be good at it.” – Mike, [03:07]

• Jenn’s highlight: The kids going back to school (“It’s like an extremely close second to Christmas for me as a kid.” – Jenn, [06:05])
  • She reminisces about her excitement for new clothes and the feeling of reinventing herself for each school year.
  • Mike and Jenn share memories of their own high school “Best Of” awards and the quirks of those categories.

2. Back-to-School Routines & Parenting Hacks

[09:08 - 25:14]

Excitement & Preparation

• Jenn details her enthusiasm for preparing for the school year, including labeling shoes, picking out outfits, and writing daily inspirational messages on a letter board (“The inspiration is getting really low quality. Like, today is Monday is the new fun day.” – Jenn, [11:49]).
• The routine:
  • Outfits picked the night before.
  • Breakfast prep and water bottle filling amid the morning rush.
  • Jenn manages hair and details, Mike handles food (“Our breakfast rotates between protein waffles, eggs, sausage links, those Kodiak… I have been trying to do a lot more eggs recently…” – Mike, [20:10]).
• Their attempt at balance:
  • Trying to provide more protein-rich breakfasts, keeping cereal as an occasional treat, and dividing morning duties.
  • Reflections on the challenges for parents with strict schedules (“It’s a heck of a lot easier just to do cereal. I can tell you that.” – Mike, [21:05])

3. School Nutrition & Lunches — Processed Food and Parental Choices

[25:15 - 34:54]

• The couple dives into school lunch quality, advocating for less processed, less sugary options.

  • “Personally, I’m not a huge fan of [school lunches] because of just the amount of processed stuff that goes into it.” – Mike, [26:57]

• They discuss using the school lunch app to track nutrition, surprise at high sugar content, and frustrations with “extras” like sugary “sparkling waters.”
  • “39 grams of sugar in the sparkling water. And I was like… I ever showed that to the principal…” – Mike, [30:46]
• Both reflect on food sensitivities (notably, their son’s reaction to food dyes) and the reality that homemade lunches take more time, but allow more control.
  • Jenn stresses her top concern: the short window kids have to eat hot lunch, especially for younger kids, which means they often don’t eat enough.
• Parenting style: balancing nutritional ideals with practicality and allowing kids choices within healthy boundaries (“We ask our kids what they want for lunch. They get to pick their snack, give them options within guidelines…” – Jenn, [34:33]).

4. Marriage Dynamics: Division of Labor, Communication, and Evolving Roles

[35:05 - 52:47]

Team Parenting

• Both hosts credit their flexible work-from-home schedules for being able to share parenting and home routines “about 50/50.”
  • “If you’re home, you’re 50 percent a parent with me.” – Jenn, [37:09]
  • Open discussion about expectations in marriage, shaped by family of origin and unspoken assumptions (“There’s verbal expectations… and non-verbal expectations.” – Mike, [40:13]).
• Mike shares he expected more traditional gender divides before marriage—even admits his mom’s caregiving style primed him for it—but has adapted to a more equal partnership.

Communication

• Jenn is matter-of-fact and direct about asking for help and stating needs, something Mike appreciates:
  • “The one thing you’ve been able to do or things just part of your personality… I always know what your expectations are because you’ll tell me, right. Very quickly.” – Mike, [43:02]
  • Jenn points out the importance of regular “check ins” as kids grow and life stages change.

Respect, Friendship, and Adjusting Lead Roles

• Mike:

  “I did expect my spouse to be my best friend. I did want that. So I want to—if I’m going to treat you with anything, if you’re my best friend—how am I going to treat my friends?… It’s a mutual respect.” – Mike, [47:33]

• They both acknowledge that sometimes one leads more than the other, depending on work projects or life seasons, and that’s a key to their flow.

5. Can Marriage Really Be 50/50?

[48:47 - 52:47]

• Jenn poses the “spicy” question: Is a truly 50/50 marriage possible?
  • Mike: “On a macro scale, could be 50/50. But in the moment, there’s generally someone who’s giving more or taking more. That’s compromise, the dance.” – Mike, [49:14]
• Jenn reframes the idea—a 50/50 partnership is less about the exact percentage of work and more about both partners feeling supported and like they’re each contributing half to the whole.
  • “I think 50/50 marriage is both two people feel like they are split—whatever the workload is, they are getting 50 percent help from their partner.” – Jenn, [49:52]
  • They highlight the necessity of understanding each other’s “love languages” and priorities for true partnership.

6. Lighthearted Moments: Costco Skeleton & “Weird Questions” Segment

[53:10 - 56:40]

• Jenn’s “second highlight” of the week: Acquiring a giant skeleton from Costco for Halloween decorations (“What a win. Hoya. I could not find those dumb skeletons and then had a whole Costco open up right in my town.” – Jenn, [53:16]).
• Closing “Jar of Weird Questions” game:
  • “Would you rather visit outer space or the deepest part of the ocean?”
  • Neither host wants to do either; lots of banter about oxygen deprivation vs. water pressure (“Shoot me. I know in my life I don’t want to go to either.” – Jenn, [54:17]).
  • Mike shouts out his astronaut classmate Frank Rubio, who ended up stuck in the ISS for a year (“Imagine being… it was gonna, I know it’s a sacrifice. I’m gonna be gone for three months and then a year later I show back up home…” – Mike, [55:28])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “[Doing] something you used to be really good at and then restarting it again is very humbling…” – Mike, [03:07]
• “You’re a celebrity designer, so why would I let you not work around the house?” – Mike, [52:40], joking about their division of labor.
• “If you’re home, you’re 50% a parent with me, so you’re not… you don’t have to be at work. Get up, you know?” – Jenn, [37:09]
• “We both kind of tango there… it’s like an unspoken thing.” – Jenn, on handling school pickup logistics, [35:29]
• “My highlight of the week… was getting that skeleton from Costco.” – Jenn, [53:16]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:34–05:46 — Weekly highlights, golf vs. fantasy football
• 06:05–09:08 — Back-to-school excitement, high school memories
• 09:08–25:14 — Morning routines, breakfast/lunch routines, prepping kids
• 25:15–34:54 — School lunch, processed food, healthy eating choices
• 35:05–52:47 — Division of parental labor, marriage dynamics, communication
• 48:47–52:47 — Debate: Can marriage be 50/50? Love languages
• 53:10–56:40 — Costco skeleton, skeleton decorating, weird questions segment

Overall Tone

Warm, playful, and insightful. Jenn and Mike’s chemistry shines through as they trade quips, confess real struggles, and analyze family logistics in a relatable, down-to-earth style. The episode is equal parts practical parenting advice, marriage counseling, and comedic storytelling—a true casual hang in podcast form.