Senior year is a proving ground.

In this episode of Riffin’ with Raff, Rob sits down with returning guest Mallory Moss to talk about discipline, team culture, resilience, and what it means to grow — even when you don’t feel grown yet.

They unpack:

• Why motivation is overrated
• How habits shape identity
• The psychology of productivity
• Recovering from a car accident
• Fixing toxic team dynamics
• Choosing legacy over personal stats
• The power of economic thinking at a young age

Mallory’s perspective is thoughtful, grounded, and refreshingly disciplined — a reminder that grit isn’t loud, it’s consistent.

As senior lacrosse season approaches, this conversation becomes less about sports… and more about who you become in the process.

📞 Call the Raff's Brain Hotline! Pick a topic, make a statement, ask a question! 571-408-8058.

🎙️ Episode Breakdown

• Senior year mindset
• Productivity & discipline on snow days
• Habit formation & consistency
• Gym culture & confidence
• Leadership and team chemistry
• Overcoming setbacks (on the field & on icy roads)
• Frugality & subjective value
• Defining success: team vs. individual
• Leaving a lasting impact

On this episode of Raff’s Brain – Drive & Jive, Rob records on the road and wrestles with creativity, technology, and identity in real time.

From Meta-powered sunglasses and Spanish vocabulary experiments to group text dynamics and lifelong friendships, this episode slowly shifts into something deeper: how we’re thinking too small about AI.

After five days into a 30-day Instagram posting challenge, Rob hits his first creative barrier while building AI-generated cartoons. The concept? A middle-aged Grim Reaper named Mort facing professional irrelevance.

But the bigger realization: maybe we’re all just using new tools to recreate old formats.

What if AI isn’t about faster content… but entirely new forms of storytelling?

It’s messy. It’s exploratory. It’s Drive & Jive.

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571-408-8058.

Podcast Outline

• What Raff’s Brain Is (and isn’t)
• Drive & Jive vs. Riffin’ with Raff vs. Hot Yoga Problems
• Living with layered tech (Meta glasses, AI assistants)
• The psychology of group texts and identity
• The 30-day Instagram challenge
• AI text-to-video animation experiments
• Why Mort (the Grim Reaper) might work as a concept
• Why the execution isn’t working
• The film camera analogy
• Efficiency vs. transformation
• The future of AI storytelling
• Creativity as experimentation

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571-408-8058

Two days of hot yoga. One impossible baby grasshopper. And a full-blown philosophical detour into the fate of newspapers.

In this Hot Yoga Problems episode, Rob explores the tension between nostalgia and progress — from the tactile joy of reading a physical newspaper to the modern outrage over canceled sports sections.

It’s a sweaty meditation on comparison, change, media evolution, and the strange comfort of walking your hands back from downward dog.

If you’ve ever:
Compared yourself in a yoga class
Complained about “how things used to be”
Wondered how newspapers even survive in 2026
Or needed someone to yell “TAKE A CHILL PILL” at society
This one’s for you.
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571-408-8058

Episode Breakdown
Back-to-back yoga humility
The baby grasshopper nemesis
Loving physical newspapers in a digital world
The economics of modern media
Stop complaining about change
Chill pill revival campaign
The joy of simple yoga transitions
Why the future keeps moving (with or without us)

After more than a decade of yoga, Rob encounters something shocking:

The Blossoming Cobra.

Is it a pose? A metaphor? Or proof that anyone can invent anything if they add frog legs to it?

This episode of Hot Yoga Problems dives into the absurdity of yoga naming conventions, the contradiction of “almost without fail,” and whether going to yoga gives you a psychological “license to ill.”

Along the way:

• A reinterpretation of Beastie Boys philosophy
• Rain-soaked Virginia traffic reflections
• The ritual vs. results debate in wellness culture
• Word love, word hate, and linguistic rabbit holes
• A 30-day AI Instagram challenge with a $100K pot
• Remote work vibes from West Virginia

It’s chaotic. It’s reflective. It’s oddly insightful.

And it might just inspire your own Blossoming Triangle.

Call the Raff's Brain Hotline! Pick a topic, make a statement, ask a question! 571-408-8058.

Episode Outline

• Discovering the Blossoming Cobra
• Ten Years of Yoga… and Still Surprised
• The Problem with “Almost Without Fail”
• License to Ill: Childhood vs. Adult Meaning
• Does Yoga Give You Behavioral Permission?
• Rain, Traffic, and Responsibility
• Word Fascinations & Verbal Pet Peeves
• West Virginia Remote Reset
• AI Text-to-Video as a Creative Obsession
• The 30-Day Instagram Experiment 

In this episode of Raff’s Brain, Rob experiments with AI in a big way, by letting AI debate AI.

After two viral essays ignited the internet—one predicting massive white-collar job disruption, the other arguing that fear is the real threat—Rob uploaded both pieces into Google NotebookLM and generated a 16-minute AI-powered conversation unpacking the arguments.

The result is surprisingly thoughtful, nuanced, and practical.

Is this the beginning of widespread displacement? Or the dawn of unprecedented abundance? Maybe both.

If you’ve felt the tension in your timeline lately, this episode is your guided tour through the noise.

Call the Raff’s Brain Hotline! Pick a topic, make a statement, ask a question! 571-408-8058.

🎧 In This Episode

• The viral essay that sparked AI panic
• The historical case for technological optimism
• Why recursive AI development changes the stakes
• The difference between “seen” and “unseen” economic impact
• Why the middle-tier cognitive work may vanish
• What you should be doing this week to stay ahead

NOTE:
I uploaded two dueling essays about AI into NotebookLM. This podcast segment is one of the products it created - a distillation of the two competing perspectives. This was my good faith effort to further discussion of what I consider to be an important topic - what are the implications of AI on society and how should we prepare for the coming disruption? I encourage listeners to check out both essays in full.

TWO ESSAYS:
Essay A: “Something Big is Happening" by @mattshumer_
https://x.com/mattshumer_/status/2021256989876109403?s=20

Essay B: "AI isn't coming for your future. Fear is." by @cboyack
https://x.com/cboyack/status/2021647373571862952?s=20

Rob walks out of a brutally tough hot yoga class and immediately gets philosophical about winter, accountability, and a new menace: Snow Crete—that concrete-like snowpack in Northern Virginia/DC that crunches under your tires and won’t melt no matter how much you stare at the forecast. He makes a bold call that it could linger through the end of February (and maybe into March), then turns the lens inward: the snow isn’t the real reason he’s been off his fitness game—it’s him. After a week away from hot yoga and a couple weeks of cold-weather laziness, he’s back in action, talking tracking, mindset shifts, and the never-ending struggle to be better than your default settings. Bonus twist: today’s class soundtrack goes full 90s (Spice Girls, Oasis, Bush), turning a “murdered by yoga” session into a nostalgic mental karaoke party.

Outline

• Post-class dispatch: cold weather, hot yoga heat, and crunchy streets
• Snow Crete defined: compacted snow that behaves like concrete
• Forecast skepticism + bold prediction about melt timeline
• Four-way stop etiquette and “somebody has to go” energy
• February pronunciation rant (and other language quirks)
• The honesty moment: weather excuses vs personal responsibility
• Reboot plan: tracking weight/metrics/macros and getting consistent again
• Class recap: intensity level “shut down the studio”
• The surprise: a 90s playlist that hijacks your brain mid-pose
• Final word: survive the Snowpocalypse + Snow Crete isn’t done yet

Call the Raff's Brain Hotline! Pick a topic, make a statement, ask a question! 571-408-8058.

In this can't-miss finale of the Riffin’ with Raff NFL playoff mini-series, Rob Raffety and Hoa Phan go head-to-head on Super Bowl predictions. They break down how New England clawed their way into the big game, why Seattle looks unstoppable, and whether Drake May is the real deal. The conversation turns candid (and cathartic) as Raff vents about the Steelers’ surprise hiring of Mike McCarthy and reflects on what it really means to root for a storied franchise. Spirited, smart, and packed with fan-feels.

Outline:

• Opening Salvo: Hoa Dominates the Playoffs
• AFC Wrap-Up: Patriots Grind It Out
• NFC Clash: Seattle Shines, Rams Collapse
• Super Bowl Showdown: Stats vs Emotions
• Raff’s Wild Score Prediction
• Steelers Talk: McCarthy Hired, Fanbase Divided
• Can Will Howard Be the Future in Pittsburgh?
• The Real Cost of a “Competitive” Franchise
• Nostalgia, Loyalty, and Being a Long-Suffering Fan
• Wrap-Up: Seattle in a Blowout… or Not?

📞 Call the Raff's Brain Hotline! Pick a topic, make a statement, ask a question! 571-408-8058

It’s Groundhog Day, it’s snowing, and Rob just had one of the weirdest savasana experiences of his hot yoga life. This short-but-stacked episode blends everyday chaos, yogic reflections, and comically relatable frustrations from the snowy streets. From “hell or high water” musings to morning routines and 6AM class crowds, Rob delivers a hilariously rambling meditation on life, language, and the mail truck that blocked his driveway.

Outline:

• Cold Morning Yoga: Welcome to February
• Savasana Gone Wrong: That Soundtrack Tho
• Groundhog Day Legends and Logic
• Yoga Class Challenges & New Year Resolution Vibes
• Hell or High Water: Phrase Dissection
• Snowstorm Driving & Mailman Maneuvers
• Morning Rituals: Teeth, Shower, Chaos
• Quick Exit, Slippery Streets

📞 Call the Raff's Brain Hotline! Pick a topic, make a statement, ask a question! 571-408-8058

On this episode of Hot Yoga Problems, Rob Raffety shares a rare and mildly traumatic moment: receiving a stink eye in yoga class. Was it earned? Was it imagined? Was it a side effect of rolling into the sacred 9:30am slot unannounced? Rob dives deep into the territorial rituals of yoga studio life, the unspoken rules of corner spots, and how circadian rhythms, winter prep, and substitute teachers all factored into this high-stakes Saturday morning stretch. With humor, humility, and a surprising amount of brain anatomy, Rob serves up laughs, insights, and a new philosophy for inner peace: replace the stink eye with the cerebellum wink.

 Call the Raff’s Brain Hotline! Pick a topic, make a statement, ask a question! 571-408-8058.

Outline:

• First-Time Offense: Rob gets the stink eye in hot yoga
• Prepping for Snowmageddon with some deep breathing and deep stretching
• From Early Bird to 9:30 Class Rookie: A disruption in the natural order
• The Psychology of the “Usuals”: Routine, recognition, and class hierarchy
• The Yoga Studio as Monopoly Board: Claiming corner real estate
• Judgment & Projection: The many faces of the stink eye
• Rob’s Internal Dialogue: Confession of his own silent judgments
• The Birth of the “Cerebellum Wink”: A gentler, brain-based reaction
• Naming Dogs After Brain Parts: Why “Medulla Oblongata” might be next
• Chill, Flow, Repeat: Reflections on overthinking and letting go
• Preparing for the Vortex: Snacks, logs, and philosophical musings
• Namaste, mofos

In this Hot Yoga Problems episode, Rob Raffety battles a Core 3 hot yoga class while the DC area melts down over an impending snowstorm. From mastering the flying frog (kind of) to fumbling a mystifying pose transition, it's an evening class full of sweat, sarcasm, and self-reflection. Enter Chatbot 5000—Rob’s digital frenemy—to roast his effort and remind him that sweat isn’t a personality trait. Plus, a side rant on the annual snowpocalypse hysteria that grips the DMV. Equal parts stretch, struggle, and sass—tune in and Namaste, mediocre mofos.

Outline:

• Intro: The calm before the snowstorm freakout
• Night yoga vs. morning yoga – surprising insights
• Yoga pose breakdown: From Crow to Flying Frog
• A puzzling transition and yoga ego check
• Chatbot 5000 returns with burns and barbs
• Inner dialogue meets outer frustration
• Is this growth or just decorative mediocrity?
• The DMV snow panic cycle returns
• Reflections on effort, change, and letting go
• Outro: Namaste, hydrate, and lower the bar

📞 Call the Raff’s Brain Hotline! Pick a topic, make a statement, ask a question! 571-408-8058