Boxeys Unfiltered: Impromptu car conversation on veterans’ benefits, constitutional values, media literacy, and staying human in polarized times

Episode Summary

This episode was recorded spontaneously in the car on the way to a medical appointment. Maggie and Nick discuss concerns about proposed VA procedural changes. The conversation expands into reflections on constitutional rights, media distrust, political polarization, generational dynamics, and the challenge of having meaningful conversations across ideological divides.

⚠️ Content Note

This episode includes discussion of:

• disability and medical trauma• government policy and political conflict• violence and systemic harm• sexual abuse and exploitation (brief mention)

And lots of cussing.

Please listen with care and pause if needed.

We talk about proposed VA procedural changes and the fear many disabled veterans have about their ratings being revisited or reduced. For many veterans including us, benefits are not about comfort. They are about stability, dignity, and survival. If you want to follow ongoing discussion and advocacy around VA policy and disability protections, here are a few places to start:

VFW statement

DAV statement

Make public comment here before April 20, 2026

The oath and what it means

We talk about our oath of enlistment.

“I, (state name of enlistee), do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. (So help me God).”

Nick took this Oath as an officer in the USMC as do all Military Officers and those who hold office.

I, [name], do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.[1]\

Many veterans are struggling with the tension between constitutional ideals and what they are witnessing in real time. That tension does not belong to one political identity. It belongs to anyone who took that oath seriously.

Nick played part of Malcolm X’s speech, By Any Means Necessary, watch the speech here ( starting at 2:30).

Media literacy and choosing curiosity over certainty

We mention a few independent journalists and commentators whose work we have found helpful for context, history, or analysis:

• Heather Cox Richardson (historical context and daily analysis)- Letters from An American• Allison Gill of The Breakdown Mueller, She Wrote / Daily Beans• Joyce Vance – Civil Discourse with Joyce Vance

Maggie stated that “studies show left leaning media is more in line with facts than right wing media”, and here is a study that digs in a bit to what she was referring to. There is bias all over the internet left and right, media literacy is crucial.

Maggie mentioned DHS buying a property for 100 million dollars over the appraised value for an ICE facility, here is the local news link about that sale.

Thank you To everyone listening, sharing episodes.To the paid subscribers helping keep this work sustainable.To the people who disagree with us but stay curious anyway.

Thank you

Keep asking questions.Keep living out of the box.

We’ll see y’all next time.

Love,

Nick and Maggie

Announcements:

Come see us in person

We will be at the Wild Chicken Festival on March 21 in Fitzgerald GA with our first Out of the Boxeys bookstore pop-up.

Books. Stickers. Mugs. Conversations. A little chaos. A lot of gratitude.

If you are local, please stop by and say hello and grab your copy of The 3 Things and get it signed. Meeting listeners face-to-face is one of the most grounding parts of this whole journey.

Merch & ways to support

If you have been asking how to support the podcast and our work, here are a few options:

• We have merch! Get your Out of the Boxeys mug here (hoodies and stickers to come)• Share the episode with someone who values thoughtful conversation• Leave a rating or review• Join the Substack community by subscribing

Every small act of support helps sustain creative work that moves at the pace of real life.

In this episode we’re talking with Nada Yousif, astrologer, screenwriter, and the author of The Astrology of Healing: Unlocking Our Sacred Wounds with the Wisdom of the Stars. Nada joins us to read our composite chart and explore what astrology can teach us about our shared purpose and that third thing that’s created when charts are combined.

Nada walks us through what a composite chart is, how it differs from individual birth charts, and what it can reveal about connection and healing over time. Whether you are deeply familiar with astrology or just beginning to explore it, this conversation is grounded and deeply affirming.

We loved this conversation and hope it leaves you with the warm fuzzies as it did us.

Resources and Links

Nada’s book, The Astrology of Healing: Unlocking Our Sacred Wounds with the Wisdom of the Stars out on February 3, 2026!! Book a session with Nada at thesoulsastrology.comUse discount code OOTB for 20 percent off.

Listener Support

Out of the Boxeys is listener-supported. Subscribing helps support our work and ensures you never miss an episode.

Huge shout-out to John L., Gina, Laura, Lydia, and Deg. Thank you so much for your support.

Music by Alex Gordon HiFi

Thank you for listening. Take care of each other out there.

Just a heads-up: our language is extra spicy this episode, and the sound is wonky because I (Maggie) record from my beloved adjustable bed every episode, and in this one, I am reclined and the mic is too close to my mouth- lesson learned for next time I record during a crash. (See my TEDxOjai talk I Am One of the Millions Missing for more info on my illness and why I record from bed).

For those who deal with brain fog, notice the number of times I ask Nick for names of things- editing was a trip.

Here’s a more in-depth explanation of the Spoon Theory that is mentioned at the beginning of the show.

Check out Spoonie Sister Shop for your spoonie merch needs.

🎬 Movies We Loved in 2025

* Wicked for Good

* Sinners

* Superman

* Zootopia 2

* Flow (animated film)

* Doctor Sleep — Great to watch after Welcome to Derry

📺 TV Shows we loved this year

* Welcome to Derry on HBOmax

* Invincible (Season 3)

* Shrinking on Apple TV (and an eternal shout out to Ted Lasso as well)

* The Bear on Hulu

* The Pitt on HBOmax

📚 Books we loved (and a plug for Out of the Boxeys Books)

* Free Thinkers by Sarah Jacoby

* White Poverty by Rev William Barber III

* Where Do We Go From Here : Chaos or Community by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr

* Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

* Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark

* Horror Store, The Final Girl Support Group, Witchcraft for Wayward Girls all by Grady Hendrix

* The Devil and Mrs. Davenport by Paulette Kennedy

* A House with Good Bones by T. Kingfisher

* You Like It Darker by Stephen King

🎮 Video Games

* Stray — available on PlayStation / Steam

* Disney Dreamlight Valley — Disney Dreamlight Valley Official Site

🎧 Podcasts

* The Daily Beans The Daily Beans Official Site

* The Dollop

* The Rewatchables

* The Flop House

* How Did This Get Made?

* Armchair Expert

* My Favorite Murder

* In The Red Clay (Maggie couldn’t remember the name of this one, but it led down a rabbit hole of pods about The Dixie Mafia)

🎵 Music & Artists

(Links typically go to artist profiles or streaming pages)

* Prof

* Snarky Puppy

* Norman Sann

* CORRECTION- The song we were referring to is Up and Down by Chris Housman, I misattributed it to Morgan Wallen (Morgan Wallen has a song called Up Down but it is not what we were referring to, Nick was right when he said “Chris something”)

* Pussy Riot - Make America Great Again

* Kirby , Miss Black America album, Na$ty is my favorite, watch the video-so well done!

* Kendrick Lamar’s amazing performance, how was the 2025 superbowl only 11 months ago???

* Taylor Swift- Life of a Showgirl

* Indigo Girls & Melissa Etheridge, Yes We Are tour

🛠 Favorite Tools & Apps

* Spoonie Sister Shop

* Procreate

* Passion Planner

* StoryGraph

* Libro.fm

* Bookshop.org ebook reader app (I said Kobo on the recording)

Visible Health app & Visible Band - Here’s Maggie’s referral link for $20 off https://join.makevisible.com/6828449dc6df35

Happy 2026 yall! We’re so glad you’re here! Shout out to our OOTB subscribers, especially Lydia, John, and Gina!

Episode produced by Maggie Boxey. Music by AlexGordonhifi.com.

Keep Asking Questions, keep living outside of the box, and we’ll see yall next time!

Summary

For our very first Side Quest, we sit down with our oldest son, James Kuykendall, a 23-year-old accountant in Charlotte, to talk about all things parenting. We dig into early memories, blended-family life, discipline, mischief, perfectionism, nervous systems, and what it’s like to grow up together as a family across distance, duty stations, and seasons.

There’s laughter and a whole lot of honesty about what we got wrong, what we learned, and how we try to do better now.

We also get into the joy of raising adult kids, social battery shutdowns, and why Christmas felt like pure magic when James was little.

Toward the end, James shares a beautiful definition of sonder—and we wrap with what we’re all watching, reading, and loving- links below.

Nick and I shared a mic on this one (thank you for your patience with the audio), and thank y’all for giving us grace as we pace energy and post when we can.

The case that Maggie couldn’t remember was the story of Phineas Cage.

What We’re Watching & Reading

James

* Avatar: The Last Airbender

* The Godfather by Mario Puzo

Maggie

* Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

* George Orwell’s Shooting an Elephant

Nick

* Freethinkers by Susan Jacoby

* “Robert Ingersoll’s Eulogy for Walt Whitman”

Shared

* Welcome to Derry

Nugget of Wisdom

James’s closing wisdom:Sonder — the realization that every person you pass is living a life as vivid, complex, and important as your own.

Credits

* Produced by: Maggie Boxey

* Music by: Alex Gordon HiFi

* Listener supporters: Gina, John & Lydia, we love y’all.

* Support our dream of a mobile bookstore on Substack → [link]

* Follow us behind the scenes on IG: @outoftheboxeys

If you want to go deeper into our story:

* TEDx Talk: I Am One of the Millions Missing

* The 3 Things: A Practical Path to Collective Recovery by Maggie Boxey

The sound issues have been fixed, but please know that Maggie is the producer and she lives with brain fog so you get what you get and you giggle when she screws it up, No judging!

Summary- In this episode, Nick and Maggie discuss the complexities of living in a small town, particularly focusing on the cultural and social dynamics of Fitzgerald, Georgia. They explore the town’s history, the significance of the recent No Kings Day, and the challenges of being progressive in a conservative environment. The conversation also touches on broader societal issues such as race, education, and political polarization.

If you’re ever in Fitzgerald make sure to stop by the Blue and Gray museum. Below is the documentary that is shown at the start of the self-guided tour, the portion that made Maggie emotional starts around 11:45.

Marching As One, Fitzgerald GA documentary

Maggie brought up legislation from Gov Kemp. Here is info about it: “The Georgia Senate has approved a measure that would prohibit local school boards and administrators from discriminating “on the basis of race” by promoting or encouraging “divisive concepts” in classrooms. House Bill 1084, known as the “Protect Students First Act,”… would “prohibit schools and local school systems from advocating divisive concepts and ensure that curricula and training programs encourage students and employees to practice tolerance and respect and not judge others based on race,”” (CNN)

The Wild Chicken Festival is central to our local culture. Fitzgerald is known for our wild chickens, check them out here: https://www.fitzgeraldga.org/wild-chickens.html. And our huge chicken statue is one of the hottest controversies in town (we are definitely Team Chicken).

Announcements: OOTB Out of the Boxeys is officially listener-supported!That means if our stories have meant something to you, you can now help us keep the dream going/growing. Your support helps us cover production costs and the behind-the-scenes work that goes into each episode. More than that, it helps seed our next big dream, turning OOTB into a mobile bookstore and creative hub for conversations and connection across South Georgia and beyond.

Thank you to our first supporters, Lydia M., Gina W. , and John L.! We love you!

Out of the Boxeys is a listener-supported podcast. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Nick had 2 things for show and tell this week:

* This adorable baby was thought to be extinct and has reappeared after 30 years.

Vietnamese Mouse-deer rediscovered

* Our current show is Welcome to Derry on HBOmax. If you are a fan of horror/Stephen King, this is a must see.

Maggie shared this Nugget of Wisdom:

“A community is a living organism, it must be nurtured, cared for and loved, or it will die.” - Clayton Jay Jr (Maggie’s Grandfather “Papa”), 1965.

If books are on your holiday shopping list, please consider shopping at OOTB Books & Media, our bookshop .org affiliate link (soon to be mobile bookstore!).

Thank you to Alex Hifi for our adorable jingle. Go support his work at https://www.alexgordonhifi.com/

Keep asking question, and keep living outside thebox. We’ll see yall next time!

In Episode 4, Nick and Maggie share their experiences in the military, reflecting on how 9/11 reshaped service culture and national priorities. They discuss the realities of military life, the discipline, the contradictions, and the sense of purpose it can bring, as well as the political and social forces that shape those who serve. The conversation also explores gender dynamics, personal growth, and the lasting impact of service on how they see the country today.

You are not required to follow unlawful orders. Should you have any questions, please use the following resources to uphold your Oath to the Constitution:

GI Rights Hotline (Independent & Confidential): 877-447-4487 or contact your local base legal office, JAG, Army IG, or Chaplain

We’ll be posting reels and images from this episode on both Maggie's and the pod’s IG and our Substack Out of the Boxeys.

In this heartfelt conversation, Nick and Maggie share their journey from friendship to love, discussing the challenges they faced along the way, including breakups, mental health struggles, and the importance of communication. They reflect on their first date, the proposal, and the ups and downs of married life, emphasizing the significance of mutual respect and understanding in their relationship. Through laughter and shared experiences, they highlight the beauty of their connection and the lessons learned throughout their journey together.

Original Show notes with hyperlinks available at outoftheboxeys.substack.com.

Hey y’all—just a quick heads-up before we get started:In this episode, we talk openly about suicide and mental health , which may be difficult for some listeners. Please take care while listening. If you’re struggling, you're not alone. In the U.S., you can call or text 988 anytime to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, available 24/7. (Other content warnings: car accident, mention of child death in a previous car accident, and there’s a possible emetophobia trigger with talk of car sickness. )

Our opening banter is about COVID since it has hit our house this week. We couldn’t agree on what the current rules were about school attendance after infection.

For clarity here is the current guidance: The CDC now treats COVID like other respiratory viruses. They recommend basic prevention like staying home when sick, improving ventilation, handwashing, and cleaning surfaces. Masks and extra precautions are suggested in high-risk situations or for folks who are immunocompromised.

In Georgia, there’s no state mandate for school-wide COVID testing or quarantine. Local districts may set their own policies, but the state encourages schools to follow general illness prevention practices. (We were told by the school nurse our child could return as long as they were 24 hours without fever and symptoms were improving, which is in line with the CDC recommendation.

Be careful out there, y’all!

Click here for information about ECT for anyone curious.

Maggie uses the word sponsor a few times in this episode to clarify:

Sponsor (TRICARE insurance):The military member whose service makes the rest of the family eligible for TRICARE. If you're the spouse or kid, they’re your sponsor.

Sponsor (12-Step programs):Someone in recovery who offers guidance as you work the steps.

Maggie references her Toxically Empathetic shirt. (Go follow Jen Hamilton on IG and tiktok, she’s national treasure).

Learn more about Brene Brown and “the story I’m telling myself” here

Learn more about the Prayer of St Frances here

Here’s the reel Maggie mentioned with Nikki Giovanni and the quote is “Love is a bench. And a bench is something that, no matter what, when you're tired, when you're sad, you can sit. It's going to be right there, and it's got your back" - Toni Morrison

Here’s Maggie’s mention of her recent writing Toward a shared reality about the experience of living in separate informational ecosystems.

Nugget of Wisdom for the week: Conversations are hard, but we have to have them. ~Nick

For show and tell this week Nick told the story of the retired accountant, Kent Broussard, a 66 year old Tuba player for LSU, living out his dreams. Reminding us it’s never too late! Read Kent’s story here.

Thanks for listening, and as always:Maggie: Keep asking questions.Nick: Keep living out of the box.Maggie: We’ll see y’all next time.

Make sure to follow, subscribe on Substack, or wherever you listen. Follow OOTB and Maggie on Instagram

This episode was produced by me, Maggie Boxey, with lots of heart and zero clue what I’m doing (but we’re figuring it out as we go), so bear with me as we figure it out.

Big thanks to Alex Gordon HiFi for our theme music—go check out his other work if you haven’t yet

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In this episode, Maggie and Nick delve into the nuances of their personal journey, discussing the challenges of living with MEcfs. They explore the impact of illness on their relationship, the importance of mutual respect, and the power of storytelling through their experiences. The conversation touches on cultural references, personal anecdotes, and the significance of finding joy in small moments.

Show Notes:

After summing up our thoughts on Superman, we jump in to talk about the experience of living with ME, but don’t go into specifics of the illness all that much. Please watch the TEDx talk here for a deeper dive:

Comment, like and share so that this message goes as far and wide as possible.

I mentioned the Visible Health App and how much it helps me in my pacing (which is my most effective treatment). Here is my referral link, (click here) to save $20 (we both get $20 off when you sign up with the link). This isn’t a paid ad, just something that helps me greatly!

Resources for Meeps and their caregivers:

ME Action Network: This is my lifeline. From information about ME, how to talk to my health care providers, and support, I couldn’t have done the last year and a half without them. There are care giver support groups as well.

Bateman Horne Center: Another priceless resource. There is a comprehensive Clinical Care Guide listed on the website along with many other informational resources. They too have patient and caregiver support group meetings online.

I know I’m leaving out a ton of info, but these are a good start.

Show & Tell:

Nick is loving the series Alien: Earth, watch it on hulu

And more on the Oracle here

I edited and produced the show, and I left in a lot of the brain farts and pauses to show you a tiny bit of the reality of cognitive dysfunction. I am not in a crash, but very fatigued and as we go along it gets harder for me to talk. If it sounds unedited, that’s by design.

Much love to you and yours and make sure to take care of each other,

Maggie

Summary

In this inaugural episode of 'Out of the Boxeys', hosts Maggie and Nick Boxey share their unique family dynamics, personal backgrounds, and the journey that led them to create this podcast. They discuss the challenges of living with chronic illness, the importance of acceptance in raising their children, and the complexities of navigating identity in a small town. The conversation also touches on their political views, spirituality, and the significance of community. With a blend of humor and heartfelt insights, they aim to connect with listeners who feel different or out of the ordinary.

Special thanks to Alex Gordon for our music! Listen to and support his work at https://www.alexgordonhifi.com/

For full show notes go to https://outoftheboxeys.substack.com/

Thank you so much for joining us on our first episode. Sound may be glitchy in spots, and we lost Nick completely for a minute there, but we’ve learned a lot and didn’t want to make great the enemy of good… so stay tuned, it’ll only get better!

As Nick said, Look for the good! and go watch Superman.

Love,

Maggie and Nick