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Episode: 51
Hosts: Tom Vann, Colette Fehr, Dan Dennis | Guest: None
Sponsors / Ad ReadsCold open: the apology. Dan nearly flubs the intro, then Tom apologizes to Colette for "ditching" her at a recent comedy show. They describe the familiar party move where you bring a new friend and then drift off with your old friends.
The comedy show seating saga. The hosts walk through the night. A table had been reserved through Krista and Miles for Tom, Dan, Colette, Kentucky Steve and Tom's wife. Then they ran into old radio friends, including Jimmy (Jim Colbert, teased for his Tony Soprano linen look) and Jack. The group went in through the VIP entrance, which Tom and Dan both say they didn't want to do, and grew to a party of ten. The two leftover seats ended up away from the main table. Dan offered to sit there alone, but Colette and Steve took them, putting them in what the hosts call the "timeout corner." Steve was happy as long as he had a beer.
Colette's take: no drama. Colette says no apology was needed. She quickly read the situation, didn't care, and would have said something if it bothered her. She jokes about being kept off the "cool kids table" and says Dan offering to sit alone was ridiculous. Dan defends that he really did want to sit alone.
Host anxiety and event stress. The talk turns to why hosting stresses people out. Tom says he can't enjoy his own parties because he worries whether everyone is having fun, and says his wife is even worse. Dan explains that event season, with long calls with Tracy to cover every detail, weighs on him because he blames himself if anything goes wrong. Colette relates it to her book launch, where worrying about turnout and food took away from her own enjoyment.
Colette's advice: letting go. Colette says anxious "worrier" types are often wired this way, but you can move toward more emotional freedom. Her tips: stay conscious of the pattern, remind yourself you can tolerate other people's disappointment, and remember you aren't responsible for everyone. Dan separates unreasonable complaints, like grumbling about lines at a free beer fest, from real dropped balls, like promising gift bags and not delivering. Colette agrees. Running bit: Tom mixing up "consternation" and "constipation."
Elizabeth Holmes film: first take. Colette gives her review of the much-talked-about Elizabeth Holmes film from Lance Oppenheim and Nathan Fielder, which the guys also covered on Monday's ACT show. She argues it isn't really a documentary but an artistic think piece. The hosts mention a news report that Oppenheim is facing questions about using other people's footage without permission, and Crespo's recommendation of the film.
The premise and Holmes's motive. Colette lays out the setup. Holmes invited the crew in one month after giving birth to her second child and 34 days before reporting to prison, and Fielder lived in the house with the family. Colette sees it as a carefully built rehabilitation effort and a launchpad for "Theranos 2.0," which the film shows. The pitch is that Holmes is a misunderstood, neurodivergent Silicon Valley visionary. The hosts compare it to tech "vaporware" hype.
What the movie leaves out. Colette says the film skips the facts. She points viewers to John Carreyrou's book Bad Blood, the earlier HBO documentary, and Hulu's The Dropout. She describes Holmes's habit of dodging questions with word salad and calls it manipulation. She notes that therapists can't diagnose someone who isn't their patient. Then she goes through the documented harm: false pregnancy and cancer results, machines that didn't work, results quietly run on other companies' equipment, and employees who were threatened when they raised concerns.
Neurodivergence explained. Tom asks what "neurodivergent" actually means. Colette explains it as a brain that works a little differently, with ADHD and autism spectrum disorder (which now includes what used to be called Asperger's) as examples. She stresses it isn't a negative label. The hosts talk about Holmes's unblinking, intense eye contact. Colette explains why sustained eye contact reads as dominating, and wonders whether Holmes and Fielder are both neurodivergent in some way.
Layers of manipulation. Colette calls the movie fascinating and well made. Part of what makes it compelling is watching Fielder get pulled in and come to care about Holmes. Her Insights from the Couch co-host Laura even said she thought they might kiss. Colette sees several layers: the filmmakers shaping the story, Holmes working on Fielder, and the audience being moved by both. She also reads it as a commentary on being watched in the social media age.
Trauma vs. accountability. Colette brings up Holmes's account of past trauma and her claims that former partner and co-defendant Sunny Balwani groomed and abused her. Some therapists have responded to those claims with sympathy. Colette says several things can be true at once, but people are still responsible for what they do. She argues that excusing Holmes infantilizes women and notes that Holmes shows no remorse. Tom asks whether we now give people too much grace because we have more detailed labels for conditions.
Can someone like this change? Tom asks whether a lifelong manipulator can be rehabilitated. Colette says only if the person wants to change, and doubts Holmes does. She expects investors to back Holmes again. Colette says Holmes is reportedly moving to a halfway house soon and expects a follow-up film.
Creative choices in the film. Colette points out things that shape how viewers see Holmes. The film shows a modest beach rental, while Holmes had recently lived in a very expensive home. It shows a drive to Texas for prison, when she reportedly flew private. Colette shares a story from Bad Blood: as a child, Holmes told a relative she wanted to be a billionaire. Colette's view is that Holmes is driven by greatness and power more than money, and wants to be the female Steve Jobs. Side discussion covers Silicon Valley "joining your delusion" and Jobs's approach to his own cancer.
Gender and the "girl boss" angle. Tom notes that ruthless ambition in men is often admired. Colette says she champions women in business, but this is about someone harming others regardless of gender. She cites whistleblower Tyler Shultz, who recently warned never to underestimate Holmes. Her advice to viewers: see the movie, but think for themselves and look up the facts.
Did Holmes like it? Tom asks how Holmes feels about the film. Colette cites a post-release interview where Fielder said Holmes told him she hadn't seen it yet but trusted him. Colette reads that as Holmes believing she had him where she wanted him. The hosts agree that a hit movie means "mission accomplished" for her.
Wrap-up silliness. The episode ends with crude joking about Holmes's looks and "crazy eyes." Tom gets labeled "neurodivergent" by the others before the sign-off.
Hosts: Tom Vann, Colette Fehr, Dan Dennis | Guest: None
Sponsors / Ad ReadsEpisode: "Kentucky Steve" Hosts: Tom Vann, Colette Fehr, Dan Dennis | Guest: None
Sponsors / Ad ReadsCold open: credentials check. The hosts list what qualifies them. One was forklift certified in the early 2000s, one is a Universal Life Church reverend, and Colette has been a licensed relationship therapist for almost 15 years. They joke about their UCF degrees: an interdisciplinary studies degree and a business degree from before the internet. Colette shares that she started as an English and communication double major at Flagler and finished communication at UCF.
Getting a reluctant partner to therapy. Listeners have written in about partners who resist couples therapy. The hosts note the stereotype that men are usually the reluctant ones. Tom says he felt that way years ago with Crystal. They have been together 20+ years since they were teenagers, and he worried that going to therapy meant they were headed for divorce.
Not all therapy is equal. Colette says some people resist because they had a bad experience before. Couples therapy done by someone without specific training can do harm. She stresses researching therapists and finding one trained to work with two people and two truths at once.
How to broach it. Her advice is to be open, honest and vulnerable. Frame therapy around how important the relationship is, ask how your partner feels, offer to do the research, and ask for just one session. She says more men are reaching out to her than when she started, and many tell her it's nothing like they expected.
Don't ring the alarm bell. A host admits he tends to treat small problems as emergencies and compares it to a computer crapping out before an edit. The group agrees that urgency triggers divorce fear. The advice is to raise therapy during a calm moment, not mid-fight or as a threat.
Fear of being the bad guy. Colette promotes emotionally focused couples therapy (EFT), which is based on attachment science, as the evidence-based gold standard, and says it doesn't take sides. Tom says he expected to face his wife plus "her lawyer." Instead he found a neutral mediator. The hosts joke about him then trying to keep the therapist on his side.
Life in waves. Tom says relationships have highs and lows, and the goal is to spend more time in the middle. Therapy can even out the extreme bad stretches. Colette talks about "raw spots" from past wounds and plugs her book The Cost of Quiet. She explains that people tend to pick partners very different from themselves. As a big extrovert, she has almost always ended up with quieter partners.
Finding the right fit. Look for specific couples training, ask which model a therapist uses, and make sure both partners click with them. Colette offers listeners referrals if she isn't the right fit. A host says most therapists he contacted readily referred him elsewhere. Colette notes clients often say she was the only one who responded, and says providing referrals is an ethical standard.
Role play: "the game's on." A host plays a dismissive husband who refuses therapy, then floats Zoom therapy as a compromise. Colette says she doesn't do consultation calls or meet-and-greets and prefers clients come to her office. She does use Zoom for clients in other parts of the state and through her coaching company.
The 11th hour. When a relationship is really struggling, Colette says to get honest without threatening. She cites a stat that over 70% of divorces are initiated by women, rising to about 90% among college-educated women, which gets a joke about college. She describes men who are only ready to work on things after their wife has seen a lawyer. Her point: if a partner asks for therapy, they're still fighting for the relationship.
Hard things are valuable. A host is complimented for seeing value in difficult things like workouts and long business hours. The group suggests applying the same reframe to relationships.
Enter Kentucky Steve. Colette mentions her husband, who is in his 60s and grew up on a farm in Kentucky, and says he probably wouldn't have done therapy if he hadn't married a therapist. The hosts riff on the character "Kentucky Steve": tractors, quiet coffee on the porch, snapping beans. They declare it the episode name.
Busyness as identity. A host brings up a clip from Insights from the Couch about work-life balance and retirement. He relates to staying busy as his whole "dad personality" and admits he doesn't know what "taking care of yourself" means. Colette ties this to "gray divorce." Divorce is down among younger people but rising for those over 50, often after years on autopilot focused on kids and work.
Relationships as plants. Colette compares a relationship to a potted plant, or even an orchid, that can't be neglected for decades. There are side jokes about one host loving plants and hating succulents, and Colette admits she has a black thumb.
Give it one session. The recap for reluctant partners: the hardest step is staying open-minded, and the session itself is usually easier than expected.
Faking it on pop culture. Tom admits he often pretends to know about news and pop culture stories, including the Cornell story Colette had brought up. Dan says Tom has done this to him for years. They talk about how algorithms give everyone different news feeds. A host says Kentucky Steve's feed would be sports, like Ja'Marr Chase's concussion protocol and whether there will be baseball next year.
Cornell fraternity case. Colette summarizes a controversial case: a woman identified as Jane Doe alleges a sexual assault at a Cornell fraternity party two years ago, after first describing the encounter as consensual. The accused men were also intoxicated, and one says he was the one assaulted. The hosts stress they don't have enough facts to form an opinion. They discuss consent, intoxication, bystanders speaking up, and the need for more education for young people. They also question an article that told women never to go to fraternity parties.
Echo chambers. The group discusses why jurors avoid media coverage, how outrage drives engagement, and how men and women are being pushed against each other. Colette mentions online "decentering men" content. A host compares this to lawyers who see lawsuits everywhere because that's their world. The Lindsay Clancy case comes up as another example.
Mob justice. The accused students have been identified publicly, lost jobs, and their families have received death threats. Unaffiliated chapters of the same fraternity are also getting hate mail. Jane Doe may also have been targeted, possibly by swatting, and a host explains what swatting is. Colette hopes for justice through due process.
Restricting internet access. A host floats the idea of restricting internet use for people who harass others online, comparing it to firearm restrictions in some states and rules for sex offenders. The hosts aren't sure of the facts and acknowledge the free speech and regulation tension.
Closing: back to basics. Colette says all of this makes her want to simplify life and invest in human connection. She calls back to last week's dinner table conversation, saying connection with the people you love is the best medicine for well-being.
Episode: "The Dinner Divorce" (LTN48)
Hosts: Tom Vann, Colette Fehr, Dan Dennis | Guest: None
Sponsors / Ad ReadsEpisode: "Let's Talk About It Now" (LTN 47)
Hosts: Tom Vann, Colette Fehr, Dan Dennis | Guest: None
Sponsors / Ad ReadsHosts: Tom Vann, Dan Dennis, Colette Fehr | Guest: None
Sponsors / Ad ReadsLove Thy Neighbor — Episode Notes
Episode: "Take Me Line Dancing" Hosts: Tom Vann, Colette Fehr, Dan Dennis | Guest: None
Sponsors / Ad ReadsCold open: 80s cover band night — The hosts open by discussing a Molly Ringwald's-themed 80s tribute show one of them attended, riffing on how great cover bands can be at delivering pure nostalgia. A shoutout goes to a local DeLand cover band called The A-Team, friends of one of the hosts who mostly play high school reunion parties.
The non-dancing spouse — The hosts dig into the dynamic of one spouse being an enthusiastic singer/dancer while the other stands stone-still at concerts. They joke about husbands who show zero reaction, the frustration of feeling like your energy gets "sucked out," and the impossibility of forcing a partner to perform enthusiasm they don't feel.
Lionel Richie / Earth, Wind & Fire concert recap — A host recounts going to a last-minute Lionel Richie show in Orlando with Earth, Wind & Fire opening, including praise for how enduring EWF's catalog is. They note the band's drummer is currently in intensive care and had to cancel a planned interview. The host admits being annoyed at the show because her husband, drained from a same-day flight back from Iceland, wasn't showing any enthusiasm; he apologized the next day.
The line-dancing "map" — The conversation turns to a real situation: one host's wife left him a treasure-hunt-style map leading to a barn, asking him to take her line dancing. He's reluctant, citing fear of embarrassment, being a bad dancer, and especially the risk of being filmed and mocked on social media. He compares the ask to his wife asking him to go skydiving — something outside his comfort zone.
Ordering for your spouse / gentlemanly gestures — A tangent breaks out about husbands ordering food for their wives at restaurants and pumping their gas, debating where thoughtful gentlemanly behavior ends and controlling behavior begins.
Bids for connection — the therapy take — Returning to the line-dancing dilemma, the group discusses the idea of a "bid for connection": a partner's request doesn't have to be about the literal activity, and dismissing it outright can reinforce a partner's fear that they're never prioritized. The advice is to have an honest conversation about the discomfort rather than either refusing outright or faking enthusiasm.
Standing like a statue in public — More examples of unengaged spouses at social events — looking like "security guards" at a book launch, standing silently at a graduation party — and discussion of how that body language can embarrass or hurt a partner even if unintentional, balanced against the point that people shouldn't have to fake their personality.
Colette's viral "Sweet Child O' Mine" moment — Colette Fehr describes posting a video of herself screaming along to "Sweet Child O' Mine" at the 80s show to her Instagram story. Her adult daughters messaged saying it sounded bad and was unprofessional for her public/therapist brand; a former high-school acquaintance also sent a snarky comment. She took the video down but later second-guessed that decision, especially after her husband said the reaction seemed like an overreaction and he liked the authenticity.
Social media out of context — The hosts discuss how a moment that's totally normal live (singing/dancing at a concert) reads as strange or cringey when reduced to an out-of-context clip for people scrolling at home — "had to be there" — and how authenticity gets punished online in a way it wouldn't in person.
Curated photos vs. real moments — Related tangent on how posed vacation photos (endless retakes for the "perfect" shot) are arguably less real than a single unedited, in-the-moment clip, and how younger generations may read spontaneous/unpolished content differently than older ones.
Vulnerability as connection — The hosts tie the social-media embarrassment back to the show's broader relationship theme: being less guarded and more authentic — admitting insecurity, trying something uncomfortable for a partner (like line dancing) — is what actually builds connection.
Should a therapist look "put together"? — Debate over whether a relationship therapist sharing goofy, imperfect content undermines professional credibility, using analogies to wanting your surgeon or pilot to appear buttoned-up versus wanting a therapist to seem human and relatable.
Does a therapist need a great relationship to give advice? — Colette Fehr discusses whether being single or divorced affects credibility as a couples therapist. She argues clinical skill and evidence-based methods matter more than personal relationship status, though she feels her own experience with marriage, divorce, and remarriage helps her relate to clients. She references a recent Substack post she wrote about the importance of "play" and silliness in relationships.
AI and losing authenticity in communication — A short segment on how running emails through AI tools to "perfect" them strips out personal voice and humanity, paralleling the episode's theme of authenticity versus polish.
Listener email: the six-foot snake — An anonymous listener writes in that her husband's coworker relocated to Texas and left behind a ball python, which now lives in a tank in what she wanted to be a home office. Her husband refuses to get rid of it and deflects when asked. The hosts frame this as not really being about the snake but about her feeling excluded from household decisions, and give advice on addressing communication patterns and resentment when one partner repeatedly feels unheard, tying it back to the "bids for connection" theme from earlier and plugging Colette's book, "The Cost of Quiet."
Bookstore tangent / AI paranoia — A closing aside about a crowded Barnes & Noble reopening, hope for an "analog backlash" against tech, and a joking bit about AI reading and shredding physical books as evidence of a coming robot takeover.
Wrap-up — The hosts close by half-committing to a group outing combining line dancing and karaoke, one host jokes about working on being less passive-aggressive with his wife, and they sign off with the listener email address.
Episode: "Mama Coco's Milk Vortex" Hosts: Tom Vann, Colette Fehr, Dan Dennis | Guest: None
Sponsors / Ad Reads###
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Love Thy Neighbor returns for back-to-school season
Late-night fishing with Tommy leads to no shave and unfinished dishes
Close friends use deep trust to safely needle each other
Tom and Dan function like a non-sexual married couple
Imagining Tom and Dan's productivity as a gay couple
Teen hormones and developing brains limit emotional control and decision-making
Peer pressure and social media make modern adolescence uniquely difficult
Smartphones erase privacy, extend school drama, and create constant judgment
Online highlight reels fuel nonstop comparison and unrealistic standards
Less face-to-face interaction limits real-world social development
Humans were not built to compare themselves with the entire world
Rejection triggers an ancient fear of exclusion from the group
Intelligence cannot erase the pain of judgment or vulnerability
Emotional sensitivity and detachment are opposite unhealthy extremes
Accepting emotions reduces shame, withdrawal, and negative self-talk
Local rivals can trigger more jealousy than distant success
Imagining a younger therapist named Paulette replacing Colette
Colette unsuccessfully pitched her relationship book to Oprah's podcast
An AI-sounding rival book succeeding would make rejection sting more
Jealousy, anger, hurt, and disappointment are normal human emotions
Feelings are valid, but cruelty and hostile reactions are not
Another person's success does not prove personal inadequacy
Self-compassion should come before gratitude and redirection
Tamron Hall proves one missed opportunity does not erase past success
Comfort yourself like a loving parent or best friend
Paulette takes over Love Thy Neighbor with "Who Needs Namers"
Dreaming of tutoring kids despite terrible math and weak math SAT scores
Social media comparison hits emotionally immature teens especially hard
Worrying about Maisie's innocence as harsher realities approach
Modern kids are overexposed online but sheltered from real life
A 13-year-old dating a 22-year-old counselor reflects once-normalized predatory behavior
Earlier generations raised themselves, gaining independence through real risks
Smoking at 13 and other youthful risks could be traumatic or dangerous
Modern teens get fewer chances to fail, adapt, and build resilience
Peer conflict, rejection, and disappointment teach essential life skills
Wondering if delayed independence is healthier or creates fragile adults
Ancient children faced danger and contributed to survival at young ages
Tommy fishes unsupervised while phone tracking balances freedom and safety
Parents fear alligators, traffic, predators, and kidnappers
Women constantly scan for danger while men often overlook that burden
Arriving alone early or jogging with loud music raises safety concerns
Men may imagine attacks as exciting stories instead of constant threats
Absurd fantasies about fighting an attacker and cleaning up afterward
Missing physical challenges and adrenaline, with skydiving as a safer thrill
A father avoids emotional and sexual conversations with his sons
Silent fishing trips lead to an awkward masturbation talk assignment
Sneaking condoms into a backpack instead of discussing sex
An eight-year-old gets a horrifyingly clinical explanation of reproduction
Accidentally witnessing parents having sex creates an "unfortunate experience"
Parents struggle because they received little sex education themselves
Both parents should give sons shame-free guidance about sex and masturbation
Religious shame and porn fears can distort normal adolescent sexuality
Mentoring boys shapes how they become men and treat women
Children learn relationships by watching affection and conflict at home
Genetics and poor role models do not excuse avoiding personal growth
Losing a father young and having an emotionally reserved stepfather
Family patterns can normalize low affection, unhealthy conflict, and estrangement
Intentional work and honest talks can break unhealthy family cycles
Children of divorced parents are more likely to divorce
Divorce may be necessary without being the ideal outcome
Helping children choose healthy partners before divorce becomes necessary
Distrusting divorce research because the researcher is named Wolfinger
Stable marriages show children that couples can survive difficult periods
Healthy disagreement allows commitment without identical beliefs
Childhood divorce can make ordinary conflict feel catastrophic
Therapy can reframe disagreement as healthy instead of threatening
Parents will make mistakes, but honest dialogue matters more than perfection
Approach struggling teens with curiosity instead of immediately fixing them
Adapt difficult conversations to each child's personality
Fathers discussing feelings show boys that men can be emotionally open
Humor, everyday stories, and AI tips can help start awkward conversations
Maisie's school attitude creates a natural parenting lesson
Parents do not need to diagnose depression or anxiety themselves
Watch for persistent personality changes lasting more than two weeks
Warning signs include lost interests, unusual isolation, and academic decline
Major unexplained changes warrant evaluation by a qualified professional
The Cost of Quiet by Colette Jane Fehr
Insights from the Couch podcast
Questions at [email protected]
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