PLATE & PONDER: Empty-Nesting with Jen & Chris Fenton

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Plate & Ponder: Empty-Nesting with Jen & Chris Fenton

Empty-nesting just got loud, proud, and unapologetically fun! 

Jen & Chris are back at the table breaking down: 

• The ultimate battle of Men’s Volleyball GOATs (sparks flew) - Zach & Andrew Chapin (Pepperdine vs USC - 2X)...
• Spencer Pratt’s bold-as-hell, no-filter chase for Mayor of Los Angeles 
• Why Ryan Gosling looks ridiculously handsome and absolutely crushes it in the massive new blockbuster Project Hail Mary — Chris is calling it one of the most entertaining, pure-Hollywood movies in years. NO LEFT / NO RIGHT - Just PURE Entertainment and Emotional Tugs!
• And the mic-drop moment: Chris’s own comedy Bad Counselors was shot 100% in America with an all-American crew and cast — at a time when 60% of Hollywood productions are filmed overseas and 50% of its biggest stars are foreign. HOW BOUT THEM APPLES! And it's coming to a theater near you this summer!

Real talk, big laughs, zero apologies, and a whole lot of American pride. This is the kind of episode you’ll finish and immediately text your group chat about. 

Grab a plate, hit play, and join the conversation!  

What do you think — is Spencer Pratt actually the shake-up LA needs? Drop your take below!

#ProjectHailMary
#RyanGosling
#SpencerPrattForMayor
#LAMayor
#SpencerPratt

#BadCounselors
#AmericanMade
#MadeInUSA
#Hollywood

#PlateAndPonder
#EmptyNesting
#Podcast 

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Plate & Ponder: Empty Nesting just dropped the most unhinged family dinner table rant you’ll hear all week.

In this episode, Jen & Chris Fenton are officially feeling the empty-nest vibes—college internships, final exams, and the wild new Company Retreat Series are hitting different now that the kids are launching. 

Then the conversation takes a hard left: 

• Tiger Woods’ Masters magic was missed (and the golf drama that had Chris yelling at the TV). BUT HOW BOUT RORY!
• Britney Spears’ latest chaos (because of course it came up) 
• Eric Swalwell somehow sliding into the mix like that one uncle who won’t stop talking politics

It’s equal parts hilarious, heartfelt, and “wait… how did we get HERE?” — the exact chaotic energy that makes you hit play and text your group chat the link.

If you’ve ever mixed golf takes, pop-star meltdowns, and congressional shade while figuring out what life looks like when the kids move out… this one’s for you.

Listen now wherever you get your pods
Drop your favorite unhinged tangent in the comments — we read every single one!

#PlateAndPonder #EmptyNestLife #TigerWoods #BritneySpears #FamilyChaos #PodcastVibes

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MELANIA JUST BROUGHT EPSTEIN ROARING BACK... AND THE FENTONS ARE NOT HOLDING BACK!

Plate & Ponder: Empty-Nesting with Jen & Chris Fenton just dropped their most explosive episode yet — and it’s the kind of kitchen-table chaos that’s about to flood your feed. 

Empty-nest power couple Jen and Chris are back, plates in hand, diving fork-first into the week’s wildest headlines:

• Melania Trump’s bombshell statement that just reignited the entire Epstein saga (yes, it’s back, baby — and the tin-foil hats are officially ON ) 
• Iran tensions hitting DEFCON levels (missiles, oil, and “what happens next?”) 
• The massive LAUSD strike about to shut down LA schools — and what it really means for families 
• That jaw-dropping “Company Retreat” story that had them laughing (and you will too) 
• Plus all the unfiltered empty-nesting realness, nostalgia, and “how are we even navigating this world?” vibes only Jen & Chris deliver

No scripts. No filter. Just two sharp, hilarious empty-nesters saying what everyone else is thinking over dinner.

This one’s already blowing up because it’s raw, timely, and actually fun to listen to. If you love podcasts that feel like eavesdropping on the smartest (and funniest) couple you know… this is your episode.

Hit play. Share it. Argue about it in the comments. 

Plate & Ponder: Empty-Nesting with Jen and Chris Fenton — where the food’s good and the takes are better. 

Who else is obsessed with these two? Drop a  if you’re tuning in right now! #PlateAndPonder #MelaniaEpstein #TinHatsOn #Iran #LAUSDStrike #EmptyNesting #PodcastGold

PS:  Let's tag the GREATNESS from "Company Retreat":

TWITTER:

• Anthony Norman (The "Hero"/Participant): @anthony_norman
• Alex Bonifer (Dougie Womack Jr.): @alexbonifer
• Blair Beeken (Marjorie Lee): @blair.beeken
• Emily Pendergast (Amy Patterson): @ependergast
• Erica Hernandez (Kate Martinez): @erica.herndz
• Jerry Hauck (Doug Womack): @realjerryhauck
• Jim Woods (Jimmy Weber): @thejimmywoods
• LaNisa Renee Frederick (Jackie Griffin): @lanisafrederick
• Marc-Sully Saint-Fleur (PJ Green): @marcsullysaintfleur
• Rachel Kaly (Claire Coleman): @rachel.kaly
• Rob Lathan (Other Anthony): @rob.lathan
• Ryan Perez (Kevin Gomez): @ryguyperez
• Stephanie Hodge (Helen Schaffer): @stephaniehodge68
• Warren Burke (Steve Mosley): @warrenslburke
• Wendy Braun (Elizabeth Prescott): @mswendybraun

INSTAGRAM:

• Anthony Norman (plays "Other Anthony"): @anthony_norman
• Alex Bonifer (plays Dougie Jr.): @alexbonifer
• LaNisa Renee Frederick (plays Tiffani): @lanisafrederick
• Emily Pendergast (plays Sarah): @ependergast
• Rob Lathan (plays Dave): @rob.lathan
• Marc Sully Saint-Fleur (plays Mark): @marcsullysaintfleur
• Real Jerry Hauck (plays Jerry): @realjerryhauck
• Jim Woods (plays Jim): @thejimmywoods
• Ryan Perez (plays Ryan): @ryguyperez
• Stephanie Hodge (plays Barb): @stephaniehodge68
• Erica Hernandez (plays Erica): @erica.herndz
• Rachel Kaly (plays Rachel): @rachel.kaly
• Wendy Braun (plays Elizabeth): @mswendybraun
• Warren Burke (plays Coach P): @warrenslburke
• Blair Beeken (plays Blair): @blair.beeken

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Jen & Chris Fenton are back with a Plate & Ponder: Empty Nesting episode that’s pure chaos, deliciousness, and “wait… WHAT?!” energy! 

We just returned from Denmark & Sweden, and we’re spilling EVERYTHING:
Ambrosial Cuisine that ruined us for American food forever. Boy were these restaurants AMAZING:

https://www.papisaluhallen.se/  @papisaluhallen @felixbratt

https://maven.dk/en/maven-english @restaurantmaven

https://cofoco.dk/en/restaurant/donna @cofocodk 

https://cofoco.dk/en/restaurant/les-trois-cochons

https://www.restaurant-anton.dk/ @restaurant.anton

https://jadecph.dk/ @jadecph

Copenhagen Anarchists who taught us more about freedom in 10 minutes than a TED Talk AND BOY DO THEY KNOW FASHION!

https://www.theessence.dk/ @theessence.dk

As did Sweden!

https://www.tigerofsweden.com/us/en/home/ @tigerofsweden

Hotel DJs turning lobbies into midnight raves (yes, really) at a HOTEL THAT WAS EPIC IN COPENHAGEN:

https://villacopenhagen.com/  @villacph

The undisputed Best of BOTH Denmark & Sweden — we ranked the food, BOAT TOURS, SPA'S, vibes, and hidden gems so you don’t have to:

https://beaire.com/en/aire-ancient-baths-copenhagen @aireancientbathsdk

https://www.heycaptain.dk/ @heycaptaincph

Then we landed back in LA and immediately dove into:
Mayor Karen Bass’s latest LAX Airport Follies (we’re still recovering) 

Food. Anarchy. Hotel dance floors. Political facepalms. And the kind of travel stories that make your friends jealous they stayed home. 

This one’s unhinged in the best way. 

Drop everything and listen — then text your bestie “we’re going to Sweden & Denmark!”

Find this episode wherever you listen to podcasts! Then follow, download, review, and DM us any fun ideas for future episodes!!

#PlateAndPonder #EmptyNesting #ScandinaviaDump #CopenhagenChaos #SwedishSpasSaveLives #LAXDrama #JenAndChrisFenton #TravelWithUs 

(Empty nesters: this one’s for YOU. Everyone else: you’re still invited.)

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Chris flies solo from Copenhagen in this explosive Plate & Ponder episode that’s blowing up feeds for all the right reasons.

We’re going deep on the Iran conflict while stuffing our faces with Michelin-starred Danish magic that’ll make you book a ticket tomorrow. Then we spill the real tea on why Danes are naturally skinny — it’s NOT the gym, it’s the diet (and yes, it works). 

Next: Tivoli Gardens — the actual insane fairytale park that inspired Walt Disney (you’ll never see Disneyland the same way again). We also dive into Copenhagen’s shockingly clean harbor water you can actually swim in AND DRINK, and roast the city’s “meh” airport… while throwing serious shade at LAX and JFK. “You two have no excuse still though, so get your butts fixing it up... STAT.”

Raw, hilarious, and unfiltered from the streets of Copenhagen — this is the episode everyone’s sharing. Hit play before your algorithm buries it. 

New episode of Plate & Ponder is LIVE. Copenhagen just raised the bar. 

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MARDI GRAS MAYHEM MEETS EMPTY-NESTING REAL-TALK WITH OUR AMAZING DAUGHTER, KAYLIE FENTON!

(And a guest starring call-in from Megan!)

Buckle up, because the latest Plate & Ponder Empty Nesting episode is an absolute RIDE! 

We sat down with our daughter for a no-holds-barred Father-Daughter debate on New Orleans and Mardi Gras… and things got WILD fast. 

We’re spilling it ALL:
 The jaw-dropping floats and bead-chasing chaos.
 Topless women, drunken idiots, overdoses, and the unclassy party side nobody talks about.
 Fraternity (NOT FRAT!) date parties, Mississippi River inner-tube floating madness, and those “what happens on Bourbon stays on Bourbon” nights
BUT ALSO…
 The CLASSY side — mind-blowing restaurants, killer bars & clubs, relaxed cable car days gliding through the city, and the hidden new neighborhoods you HAVE to explore.

It’s hilarious, honest, a little shocking, and 100% the kind of raw parent-kid conversation every empty-nester needs! 

One minute we’re laughing till we cry… the next we’re debating whether Mardi Gras is worth the hangover. 

You’re gonna want to listen with your own adult kids — then immediately text them “WE’RE GOING TO NOLA!” 

 Drop a  in the comments if you’ve survived Mardi Gras… or if this episode just convinced you to book tickets! 

#MardiGrasDebate #NewOrleansVibes #EmptyNesting #PlateAndPonder #FamilyPodcast #NOLA2026

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Plate & Ponder w/ Special Guests FARNAZ GOLSHANI & DR. LAWRENCE FLECHNER: “The Forbidden Dinner Table Bomb: Iran at War, ER Nightmares, High School Heartbreak, Civil Discourse & Why We’re Still Choosing Joy”

What happens when the most dangerous conversation in America collides with the most terrifying moments of parenthood?

In this raw, unfiltered dinner-table episode, we finally pull up a chair to the forbidden topic: Iran, the escalating war, and why nobody’s allowed to talk about it without getting canceled. But we don’t stop at geopolitics. We weave it straight into the chaos of real life — the ER nightmares that every parent dreads, the broken system of modern medicine that’s failing our kids when they need it most, and the gut-wrenching fear that hits when your high-schooler is suddenly the one on the gurney.

We talk raising teens in a world that feels like it’s on fire. We explore why civil discourse is dying… and how to bring it back to your own kitchen table. And through it all, we ask the hardest question of 2026: 

How do you keep choosing joy — really living life to the fullest — when the headlines scream otherwise?

No screaming. No talking points. Just FOUR friends over plates of food AND WINE, doing what we do best: pondering the un-ponderable with honesty, heart, and zero filter.

This one might get us in trouble.
It might also be the most important conversation you hear all month.

 Hit play. Pour the wine. Bring the tissues… and maybe a second helping of courage.

#PlateAndPonder #ForbiddenDinnerTalk #IranWar #ParentingInCrisis #ChooseJoy

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PLATE & PONDER EPISODE DROPS — CHAOS MODE ACTIVATED!

Chris Fenton’s MASSIVE A.D.D. is running the show (apologies to Jen who has to keep the show on track... sort of!) as he bounces from topic to topic like a pinball on Red Bull! 

He roasts the annoyances of getting OLD (yes, he now owns his own blood pressure machine — full grandpa era unlocked ), drags Hollywood for its jaw-dropping lack of self-awareness (everyone please get out of THE BUBBLE - for the sake of our Industry!), tears into the TERRIBLE Oscar ratings (and we wonder why? Where are the big stars? Clooney, Damon, Affleck, Pitt, Cruise, etc etc), goes deep on the Iran War & climate change madness, calls out celebrities who are WAY too skinny (actually this bugs Jen more than Chris), and asks the million-dollar question: WHY THE HELL AREN’T WE PAYING TSA WORKERS MORE?!

Zero filter. Zero chill. Pure rant energy. AND JEN REIGNS IT IN. Somehow... She really does work magic at times!

If you love unhinged real talk with zero Hollywood BS, this one’s for you.

 Listen now — And let us know what topic hit you hardest? Drop it in a DM to @thedragonfeeder or @feeding.the.dragon!

And follow, download, enjoy, engage, and review!!!! 

#PlateAndPonder #ChrisFenton #OscarsFail #HollywoodExposed #TSAWorkers #ADDRealTalk #GettingOldSucks

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 OSCARS CHAOS UNLEASHED: Hollywood's Imploding Empire Exposed! 

In this explosive episode of PLATE & PONDER: Empty-Nesting with Jen & Chris Fenton, we dive headfirst into past & current issues inside Hollywood as well as various past Academy Awards meltdowns – from jaw-dropping controversies (oh, yeah, who can forget Will Smith or Harvey Weinstein) and red-carpet scandals to the brutal downsizing that's gutting Tinseltown. Thousands of jobs vanishing overnight? We break down the film industry's mass layoffs, union strikes igniting fury across studios, and the seismic Warner Bros. acquisition by Paramount that's reshaping Hollywood's power map.

But that's not all – we connect the dots to global tensions with the escalating Iran conflict, as it seems the war drums are only beating louder... And does some of it tie back to entertainment's elite? Maybe... And there's the current spotlight on the Ellisons' billion-dollar moves, insider secrets, and what this means for your favorite films (or lack thereof)... and your comfortable, neighborhood theater!

Jen and Chris serve up unfiltered insights over a delicious meal, watching jet skis and waves break in the South Bay behind them... On a day that feels more like July than the Sunday of the Academy Awards...  

Is this the end of Hollywood as we know it? Maybe... Tune in NOW!

And please share (follow, download, review, & engage) the episode to others if they're ready to ponder the plate of chaos along with us!  

#Oscars2026 #HollywoodCrisis #IranConflict #UnionStrikes #EllisonEmpire #PlateAndPonder

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An Explosive Episode:  Pondering Turbulent Travels, Robotic Revolutions, Epstein, Iran, Nostalgia, & AI Disruption!

And, even better, JEN FENTON IS BACK!!!

Buckle up, foodies and thinkers! In this mind-bending episode of Plate & Ponder: Empty-nesting with Jen & Chris Fenton, we dive fork-first into a whirlwind of chaos, conspiracy, and cutting-edge craziness that'll leave you hungry for more. 

We kick off with Turbulent Travels – those nightmare delays turning airports into battlegrounds! With NOLA Airport being GROUND ZERO.

Then, brace for Robotic Revolutions! Humanoid bots are invading our lives – think Tesla's Optimus flipping burgers or Boston Dynamics' dancers out-maneuvering humans. Are we on the brink of a sci-fi utopia or a robot uprising? Chris geeks out on the tech, while Jen ponders if she'll be replaced on the podcast (HINT: She won't since our fans like her more than Chris!).

Shifting gears to the shadowy side, we unpack the Jeffrey Epstein saga – fresh twists in the scandal that refuses to die. Or, at least, Chris talks about his argument with GROK over whether it was morally fine to put Epstein into a photo of his friends.

No breather here – straight into the Iran Conflict, where geopolitical fireworks explode! Missiles, alliances, and oil drama: We start to break down the latest escalations... until we stop, deciding that on a Sunny Saturday, we should keep things more light & fun!

So then we go with Nostalgia, and the memories we hold vividly in our minds that are quite different than the reality! Reliving glory days – from '80s mixtapes to childhood triumphs -- and even Chris's reunion with the Mira Costa Lacrosse team last night who asked him to announce their nighttime game... And HE LOVED EVERY minute of it! 

Finally, the grand finale: AI Disruption! From ChatBots & Agents trading Bitcoin to others hiring (or renting humans) to do "human things" that AI can't... at least as of yet...

Join Jen & Chris for laughs, insights, and mouthwatering moments that blend the profound with the profane. Whether you're pondering over pasta or commuting in chaos, this episode is your ticket to enlightened entertainment. Tune in now – in no matter what of the 50 countries around the world were this amazing podcast is now available...... Iran, you next??? 

Available on all major platforms. We are #PlateAndPonder #MindfulMunching.

Please follow, download, review, engage, and enjoy!!!