Crack It In An Hour

Somewhere along the way, keeping kids safe slowly turned into keeping them supervised at all times. In this episode, Romain kicks things off by asking a simple but uncomfortable question: when did letting kids roam start to feel irresponsible? Why has independent play, wandering the neighborhood, or figuring things out alone become so rare? Jesse, Biz, and Romain dig into the cultural, emotional, and practical reasons parents hold on so tightly—from fear and social pressure to convenience and guilt—and what kids might be losing as a result. They talk confidence, risk, boredom, resilience, and why freedom isn’t the opposite of care. Did they crack it? Check it out.

Somewhere along the way, “I’ll just pay someone to do it” became the default. In this episode, Jesse kicks things off by asking why DIY and basic handiness have quietly disappeared from everyday life. Why don’t more people try to fix things themselves? Is it the time commitment? The mental load? Or the fear of making it worse and having nothing to show for it? Jesse, Simon, and Romain get into the psychology of modern convenience, the satisfaction (and frustration) of doing things yourself, and whether the risk of failure has scared us off from even trying. Did they crack it? Check it out!

Most of us know we should drink more water… and yet here we are. On this episode, Simon brings a deceptively simple problem to the table: why don’t people drink enough water? With nearly half of Americans falling short and around 30% walking around dehydrated, the gang (Biz, Jesse, Romain, and Simon) dig into why awareness hasn’t translated into action. From the rise of Stanley cups to the limits of wellness culture, they explore what actually drives behavior change — and what it would take to get people drinking water more often. Is this a branding problem? A habit problem? Or something deeper? Let’s crack it.

Landlines are dead…but what would it take to bring them back? In this episode, Biz joins Jesse, Simon, and Romain as they discuss how we could bring one of the more recent forgotten pieces of technology back into our lives.

What starts as a conversation about reducing screen time quickly turns into a bigger debate about purpose, nostalgia, and whether has just moved past communal technology. Could landlines be reimagined for modern life? How do other “old” things manage to feel cool again? And is there something we’ve lost by abandoning them entirely? It’s a tough, wide-ranging discussion with plenty of disagreement and a few completely unexpected ideas. Check it out.

Every January, we promise ourselves change. Eat better. Move more. Finally become the person we swore we’d be last year. And then… most resolutions quietly die by February. In this episode, Simon brings a question he’s been circling with Romain and Jesse: how do we actually help people stick to their New Year’s resolutions?

The group digs into the role resolutions are supposed to play, why they so consistently fail, and whether the entire concept needs a rethink. Are we asking too much? Framing it all wrong? Or setting people up to fail from the start? It’s a wide-ranging conversation about motivation, identity, pressure, and whether the traditional New Year’s resolution still makes sense in modern life. Did they crack it? Give it a listen and find out.

“Value” has always been one of QSR’s biggest weapons. Cheap, fast, dependable. But what happens when rising food costs start chipping away at the very thing that made QSR… well, QSR?

In this episode, Jesse, Romain, and Simon dig into the future of quick service restaurants and ask a deceptively simple question: are value customers actually your most valuable customers anymore? From redefining what “value” really means today, to exploring the emotional, experiential, and brand factors that matter beyond price, the group goes wide on how QSRs can stay relevant in a world where affordability is no longer guaranteed. It’s a big conversation about changing expectations, shifting loyalties, and what customers really want when everything costs more. Did they crack it? Give it a listen.

It’s the Holiday Special, which means normal rules do not apply. In this episode Jesse, Simon, and Romain crack open five past topics — Aging, Sleep, Dating, Tennis, and College — to see what they got right, what they got wrong, and what new takes have emerged after letting these ideas sit for a while. Some opinions have evolved, some have hardened, and a few get completely re-litigated. It’s reflective, messy, funny, and exactly what happens when you put three strong opinions in a room at the end of the year. Consider this a festive remix of some Crack It greatest hits.

The American mall didn’t die overnight—it slowly lost its reason to exist. In this episode, Jesse, Simon, and Romain unpack how overbuilding, e-commerce, cultural shifts, and the loss of hangout spaces like record stores hollowed malls out. Then they flip the question forward: what should a mall be in a world where online shopping is permanent? From experiential brands to fandom-driven spaces and destination food, the crew takes a crack at whether malls still have a future worth saving. Did they crack the great mall revival?

Why do some people leap while others freeze? In this episode, Romain, Jesse and Simon team up with French entrepreneur Alix Petit, founder of Heimstone, Creative Director of The Refreshment Club and the mind behind the Substack WHAT COMES AFTER. Together they unpack the psychology of making big choices, what failure really means, how physical well-being fuels mental courage, and the reasons people avoid change even when they desperately want it. Did they crack what it takes to choose boldly? Listen and find out!

Drinking isn’t down because indulgence is down — it’s down because the entire culture around it is cracking. In this episode, Jesse, Simon and Romain tackle the decline of drinking as a social experience and ask what it would take to revive it. Are bars worse now? Is the rise of remote work, wellness trends, and “protecting your peace” killing the collective joy of being a little buzzed together? And what happens to human connection when everyone is terrified of being filmed after three margaritas? From London pub culture to the idea of phone-free bars, to the possibility that drinking might actually be a form of modern self-care (don’t @ us), the gang breaks down what drinking used to mean, and what it could mean again. Did we crack it? Check it out.