In short
Podcast Episode Summary: #629 - The Pursuit
Overview In episode #629 of "This Past Weekend," Theo Von returns with a solo episode filled with humorous anecdotes and thoughtful reflections. He discusses topics ranging from societal norms, personal growth challenges, and the significance of active participation in American life. Additionally, he reminisces about the year 2025 and interacts with voicemails from listeners.
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Key Themes and Discussions
- Metaphorical Discussions
- Lesbian Chauffeurs to Heaven: Theo humorously compares a certain "chocolatey lesbian" to a "Willy Wonka" figure helping others reach heaven, reflecting on how societal acceptance of diverse identities has evolved.
- Unique Monthly Challenges: Theo discusses various humorous and absurd monthly challenges people set for themselves, emphasizing the human experience of trying new things.
- Active Citizenship
- Theo touches upon the idea that being an American is not a passive experience. He reflects on a conversation with Ken Burns about the Declaration of Independence, emphasizing that its existence relies on active participation from the citizens.
- Personal Growth
- Challenge of Self-Improvement: Theo explores the gap between the person he is and the person he aspires to be. He reflects on themes of comfort versus discomfort in the pursuit of personal growth and integrity.
- Mindfulness and Meditation: He expresses a desire to practice mindfulness more regularly, recognizing the benefits it could bring to his mental clarity and peace.
- Candid Voice Messages
- Voicemail Interactions: Theo engages with listeners' voicemails, providing humorous yet insightful advice on various personal issues, from dating to handling feelings of inadequacy during the holiday season.
- Community Support: He emphasizes the importance of community and connection, especially during challenging times.
- Reflection on Societal Issues
- Theo raises concerns about the future of America, the changing nature of societal norms, and personal fears related to existential threats to freedom and identity.
- He shares that maintaining a sense of hope and purpose amidst uncertainty is crucial.
- Humor in Vulnerability
- Throughout the episode, Theo’s humor shines through even when discussing serious topics, such as addiction, relationship dynamics, and personal challenges, making the weighty subjects more relatable.
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Key Takeaways
- Importance of Active Participation: Citizenship in America requires active engagement and vigilance, reminding listeners that freedom and values are not guaranteed.
- Vulnerability and Humility: Embracing vulnerabilities and acknowledging personal struggles fosters connection and authenticity in conversations.
- Humor as a Coping Mechanism: Laughter can be a healing force, helping to navigate life's complexities and uncertainties.
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Conclusion Theo Von's solo episode #629 combines humor with deep reflections on life, community, and personal growth. Through his engaging storytelling and candid interactions with listeners, he highlights the importance of active participation in both personal and societal contexts.
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:00You know, recently, I realized how much incredible drive it takes to be a small business owner, to create something here and want to see it thrive and see it through the little stair steps along the way. You know, there's a company called Crippling Hot Sauce that I learned about. There's another called Chucker Cherries that I learned about. Right here in America, they're made. And right here in America, they evolve and grow. Business owners are built differently, and there's nothing more satisfying than your business keeping up with you. As your small business grows, ShipStation can be there to help.
0:37ShipStation centralizes your shipping tasks into one easy platform. It's simple. And their rate browser automatically finds you the best rates across more than 200 carriers at discounts up to 90%. There's a reason why so many successful businesses use ShipStation. Right now, you can upgrade to shipping software that does more than keep up with your business. ShipStation propels it forward. Start your 60-day free trial at ShipStation.com slash Theo. That's shipstation.com slash T-H-E-O We got a bunch of vibey hats now on the site On the website here If you're looking for them We got that two-tone gang gang hat That orange camo That all mesh That classic duck camo rope hat That bone camo That femur fitty boy That's what's up And that nautical rope hat If you want to get a hat which is just a little apartment for your head.
1:40Go on there, theovonstore.com. And if you don't need a hat, don't even worry about it. And thank you guys so much. Happy holidays. Lord, I got some things I need to say. Lord, I got some things I need to say. The studs, man, everybody saw that beautiful, they had a lesbian lady and it was kind of a little, kind of a little chocolatey lesbian out there and she was helping people get to heaven. she is that willy wonka she's that kind of lesbian willy wonka and she's helping people get to heaven baby praise god i loved seeing that play it up a little bit if we can show that
2:34you can't win
2:45Okay, a truck went by right there. That's nothing, twin.
3:01Dang, bro.
3:08that's what's up baby and that's what's beautiful about the world that's beautiful look at that lesbians helping people get to heaven that's where we are it's a lesbian heaven baby that's what it is a thug holiday it's um it's december 2025 and i'm grateful to sit here with you today and to uh have a moment of each other's time i really am and yeah back in the day a lesbian Were lesbians allowed to help people get to heaven? I would say no. You would see lesbians high-fiving each other. You would see lesbians, they were untickleable. That was a thing you could tell if you tickled a woman and they didn't laugh.
3:53But they had just gotten like a fade, a boosy fade. Those were kind of giveaways at the time, but now things are different. But yeah, it just feels like there's things you want to yell at the heavens. And I'll expound on that. I'll get into that a little bit. We're going to get to some of you guys' calls. I'm happy to have this time. And yeah, I know people, congratulations to anybody who's coming off like a sober October. You know, I know there's that. There's No Nut November, 40 Fart March. If anybody did that this year, which is pretty fun. People don't do it much, but it's, you know, trying to fart just 40 times in March.
4:44And nighttime doesn't count. Nighttime doesn't count. So, yeah, that's – you don't tally those. But what else? There's, yeah, Movember where you don't shave or whatever for HIV or whatever. There's what, 11 shit June is another one. If you've never, you want to make your own Vietnam, baby, try an 11 shit June. Try an 11 shit June. And do not try, do not try, do not, this is not advice. We're just saying these are things people do. I'm not telling anybody to go do it. now if you do do uh an 11 sj and you uh do do duties in the middle of the night that counts if you're you know if you're night shitting or whatever that that counts those count um but yeah people are challenging themselves in the world you know so it's good to know that we are still out there challenging ourselves as humans, as humans that exist.
5:53So congratulations to anybody that's going through, that's been through any of those things this year. And you start to wonder, you start to wonder like, why does it feel like maybe our country is like, we're losing or we're falling behind or as humans that we might be overtaken by robots. And then you realize, oh, I know why, because we're doing an 11-shit June. Like we're doing no-nut November. You know, that's what we're focusing on. Or like a 2 ,000-step timber, you know. Some people did, I know, 2 ,000-step timber, and that's kind of crazy. We only do 2 ,000 steps in that month. That's pretty cool.
6:35There's different ones out there. I'd love to know more of them. If you know some, drop those off in the hotline, 985-664-9503. Let me know some of the challenges that you and your friends have been putting yourselves through over time. But yeah, happy to be alive here still in America. And one thing that I learned this year that I thought was interesting or that I listened about was Ken Burns when he came on. and he was talking about the Declaration of Independence and he was talking about the American Revolution. And he said that like the Declaration of Independence was, it's just a, it's like, it's not, it's definitive, but only as long as it's taken care of, right?
7:26It's like, it's not guaranteed throughout time that there's gonna be an America or that these are the laws and the ways that things are going to be. So yeah, it's like I think I just always thought that America was guaranteed. That's what I thought. I thought, oh, well, America, yeah, it's guaranteed, right? This will always be here. Whether we say things are good in America or things are bad in America, that it will always be there. and then you start to realize well that's not the truth there's nothing that says america has to be there forever you know as much as it would be hard for us to conceptualize it that's that that america disappearing or being taken over or um renamed basically uh like or having a merger is far-fetched.
8:25It's not impossible because it's not a guaranteed thing. The Declaration of Independence, it's a hopeful letter to the future. It's almost like we look at the Declaration of Independence more like a receipt than like a worksheet. That's what I think of. Or just as America that way. And I'm not trying to get real highbrow. like I know that like, uh, this is how we need to be or anything like that. I'm just, I'm kind of thinking of just how I have taken it for granted. Just how it's like, this thing won't always be here unless we protect it. Um, now what gets scary is when the America that we believe is one way starts to change.
9:12And then you're like, well, what am I protecting?
9:18and I think that's also some of the place where we are right now but yeah I just was like yeah I've always kind of just assumed America would be here that it would be this steadfast thing but that's not the truth it's you know throughout time places have changed and they've been overtaken and they've had different rulers from different places come in I'm sure there's been a lot of places that have been sold out from under their feet so I don't know just thinking about that not trying to get into like a negative space about it but just like that having an America is an active thing it's not a passive thing and that's scary and then also though it's exciting because there is some challenge like okay how do I contribute instead of just assume.
10:22So those are just some stuff I'm thinking about. Yeah, I've had a tough time keeping some of my thoughts organized recently. And so I'm just doing my best.
10:39What else have I been thinking about?
10:47I think I've been thinking about like how much, you know, the person I would like to be in the person that I am and the distance between those two.
11:03and how much do I
11:08how much do I really how much do I really want to be the best version of myself I think I want to but I guess how much work do I want to put in like here I am with all this gift of just being alive right of being alive of being able to like exist in the universe I can smell things if somebody's cooking muffins I can smell it I can make macaroni I can go for a walk I can look at my neighbor yeah there's all these little things you can do for that are like make you alive and then it's like yeah sometimes I just get comfortable so yeah I think I've just been thinking about how much more like Like, am I willing to get more uncomfortable to see if I can be more?
12:07And just, yeah, to get to know myself more.
12:14Yeah, and then what, am I afraid of something if I don't do that? you know there's practices in like just like um my dating life or my like time scheduling or my organization all those types of things where i could be doing you know um where i could be doing better you know to have just like better sense of integrity with myself um And yeah, it's like, but sometimes I want to take the easy way out or I just want to do what feels good or yeah. And I'm not being super hard on myself. I'm just thinking like, I guess how many times do I want to go in some of these patterns where I don't get a different outcome?
13:10Yeah.
13:16yeah so I guess I'm just thinking about that as the year ends and we're coming into a new year and and then like realistically challenging myself yeah cause I don't want to set myself up for just for failure and then I don't want to be too hard on myself so what are some realistic ways to challenge myself
13:39so yeah I'm not looking for any self pity or anything like that I'm just thinking out loud. You know, I fell into a weird spot in this show over the past few years where I used to just think out loud and then, uh, and then I started fearing that a lot of it was self pity. So yeah, just, I'm just grateful to be thinking out loud. I'm grateful to have some time to think out loud and I'm going to try to meditate more in the coming month. And that's going to help me have some more peace of mind. Um, and that will give my brain a little bit more time to feel relaxed and to be able to have thoughts and be less reactive and more responsive, but not reactive.
14:27So I'm looking forward to that. Is any of this communication making sense, Trevin, today? Yeah, for sure. Okay. I mean, it even ties back to the Ken Burns episode. I mean, it's like in the Declaration, it's the pursuit of happiness. It's a pursuit, you know? Oh, that's what they say in it, yeah. It's the pursuit of happiness, right? It's like, yeah, America wasn't guaranteed, right? And it's the pursuit of happiness, but it's, yeah, it's something that it's not guaranteed. It's like it has to continually be achieved. and in the end the revolution was by the people and it has to be achieved by it's like never before in America has I felt like that we have to be the ones to pick ourselves up pick our neighbors up and our friends up and and and do better by ourselves and by each other or just continue to do, right?
15:40Yeah, just continue to do, that this is a doing.
15:46So, yeah, I don't know. Maybe I'm seeming crazy, but that's some stuff that's been on my mind. Do you think anybody else thinks about that, Trevin? Definitely. I do every day. Thanks, man. Yeah, thanks for helping me today, dude. I just feel like, yeah, it's just a lot, man. It's a lot. Um, yeah, man, sometimes it's just a lot. And then it's also kind of scary when you realize, shit, this shit isn't guaranteed. You're like, you know, we've been walking around kind of big backing with the American flag in my generation, in my lifetime. Like, damn, we've been, we've been out there big backing, you know, we had Michael Jordan and them went over there and beat the chopsticks off them dogs over there.
16:32you know, like in the dream team, you know what I'm saying? We've had, you know what I'm saying? We've always been like America, but then you start to realize that a lot of the sports, all that's just, that's just, that's the fun. That's the comfort food. The truth is just like, you know, is this going to continue? Is this still going to be, who's this going to be owned by? What's this, How is this going to be operated? Anyway, grateful to be able to think out loud. Thank you guys for listening to me. Thanks for being a part of this podcast. We got to be, and thanks, Trevin. I appreciate it, man.
17:15And congratulations, dude. We got to be on the podcast charts for Spotify. So I want to thank everybody that helped us make the charts just by paying attention at all or listening or even looking at a social media thing. thing or calling in letting us be a part of your life and letting us be a part of our lives and
17:44yeah I don't know I feel sad all of a sudden for some reason kind of
17:52trying to think of why a little bit let me think um um
18:01I think it feels a little bit scary. That's what I think it feels like to me. It feels a little scary. Thinking about like what's going to happen and what could happen. And man, maybe I am getting paranoid. I agree. Also just got a new tooth put in. My tooth broke the other day eating some popcorn on a Southwest flight. But yeah, I think I'm feeling like just unsure. That's a lot of it. I think I'm feeling unsure about what the future looks like, and it used to feel more certain. And that's kind of spooky. It's kind of spooky to feel some of that. So anyway, not trying to be a downer. And boobie, I'm wearing this shirt today.
18:49Thank God I wore it. That just made me smile. And yeah, thank everybody that enjoyed the podcast or paid attention. And yeah, I can't believe that we did, that people absorbed so many different episodes. And I'm thankful to Joe Rogan who helped give me some suggestions over the past couple of years about podcasting. And just to be able to operate in a world where we get to talk. You know, when I was a kid, I never had a voice. I didn't have a voice for myself. I didn't have anybody teaching me how to have a voice or how to speak up for myself. I lived in a lot of fear and stuff like that and so to just be in a place even if look even if it's just like damn this honky is loud I got some things I need to say that just I can't even believe that that that was a turn of a venom that that was a little that just making any type of chart where your voice is involved for one minute in time.
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20:53I put it together, bam, hit it with that packet of Armra. And we've worked out a special offer for our audience. Receive 15 % off your first order. Go to tryarmra.com slash Theo or enter Theo to get 15 % off your first order. That's T-R-Y-A-R-M-R-A.com slash Theo. Tryarmra.com slash Theo. You know, these days, managing your finances is a job of its own. It's crazy. Like, I don't know. Where is it? What's it connected to? How do we? I'm paying for what? You open your door, you get an umbrella subscription. I got 40 umbrellas here. Hadn't rained in a month. Rocket Money can help. Rocket Money is a personal finance app that helps you find and cancel your unwanted subscriptions, monitors your spending and helps lower your bills so you can grow your savings.
21:53I just spoke with their CEO the other day. We had a great conversation about what they're doing to help people save. Rocket Money has saved users over$2.5 billion, including over$880 million in canceled subscriptions alone. Their 10 million members save up to$740 a year when they use all of the app's premium features. Cancel your unwanted subscriptions and reach your financial goals faster with Rocket Money. Go to rocketmoney.com slash T-H-E-O today. I fully recommend this product. That's rocketmoney.com slash Theo. Rocketmoney.com slash T-H-E-O. Yeah, I just, I can't believe that we get to do this.
22:42Thank all the producers that we have. There's a lot. We posted them onto Facebook. We'll run their names at the end of this episode today. Thank you to our producers currently, Trevin, Nick, Zach, Powers, our lead producer, Andrew Baxter, Nick Davis, Trevin Stegall. Is that how you say your last name, Trevin? Stegall. Damn. Fuck, dude. So we still have a lot to learn here, guys. That's what I'm saying. Trevin Stegall. Thank you so much, dude. And yeah, I can't even believe that. Can you believe that? It's crazy. I can't. I mean, that's kind of crazy. Like, I'm not saying next year we'll be back into, you know, we'll be the 11 ,000th podcast and in two years we'll be out of business.
23:23But, but just, it's just funny, man. I just cannot even believe that. That is crazy to me.
23:33But yeah, but just thanks for paying attention or not for paying, just fucking, I don't know. Thanks for fucking around with this. Thanks for letting us just bother you. That's what I mean. Yeah. I honestly mean that. That's what I mean. Thanks for letting us bother you a little bit. All right, let's get into some calls here. Here we go. Yep, and it's a different time now. We need lesbians to get into heaven, man. And that's the thing. Everybody now, we all got to pull our weight. we all need uh even lesbians are we we all need lesbians to get into heaven you know lesbians are helping people get into heaven so obviously you know hey phil i just wanted to call i wanted to ask you man i i got a best friend he has a problem he's in love with lesbians all of his girls that he falls in love with turn out to be lesbians.
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24:38And I just, we need some advice of how he can break through, how he can convert these girls. I just want to know if you got any advice on that, brother. Wow. How to bring a lesbian back, huh? How to bring a stud back out of the solar system and get them right here, boots on the ground.
25:08I think your buddy, and I've seen this before, and it's the only reason I'm saying this. I had a friend, and I think we could still be friends. We haven't seen each other in a long time. But anyway, he really was homosexual. He was homosexual. But he would try to date gay women. because he was afraid to just date homosexual men. So it kind of wasn't cool. It's like if you were just trying to get the, because the truth is he's trying to get these women that are kind of like men. He's trying to get them to be full men. You know, and he would try to make them get jobs with like UPS or whatever, do that kind of shit to try to get them all the way over there.
25:59You know, but now no matter how many hours you work for UPS or, um, or you work at the post office or whatever, you ain't going to sprout a wiener. You know, that shit is just, that's facts. So that was the kind of shit that he was trying to do. And we didn't realize it at first. We're just like, damn, he likes these tough women. You know, he likes these women. Like one of his chicks would wear a fucking neck brace for no reason. You know what I'm saying? That bitch was a, she, you know, she would just, she looked like a damn Pez dispenser over there. And she did drywall, you know?
26:39And, but anyway, but anyway, the truth was he was trying to convert these women over to men. So I think your buddy could be homosexual, buddy. So I would sit your buddy down and I'd see if he's gay. Is he gay? Is your buddy gay?
27:01But after he's done deciding if he likes men or women, tell him to fucking get his shit together and help this country out. That's all I'm telling him. After he's done deciding, because a lot of these lesbian women, they got that long pussy on them. You know what I'm saying, boy. A lot of them, they'll stand there just at night just straining as hard as they can. Just trying to launch that clam, just trying to elongate that sea lamb, baby. You know, a lot of them just trying to strain so much they just sprout a heck. But who knows? And I think I wish him well out there, brother. Praise God. Let's hear more.
27:45What do you think, Trevin? Is that fair to say to those guys? I think definitely if he wants a real challenge, there's bigger fish to fry. Yeah. You're trying to convert a lesbian. Don't mess that lady up like that. Just go either get a straight woman or get a gay man. But don't sit here standing on both sides of the fence. You're ruining other people's shit. You out here, you talking to a girl with a boozy fade and a ball cap over there and a Texas Rangers hat and a wife beater or whatever. And she's taped her nipples down or whatever. Chill out, man. She drew hair on her chest between her tits.
28:24And you're, you know, you're trying to say, ooh, ooh. You know, let me buy you some oven mitts or something. Don't do that shit. Get out there and get what you really want, which is a man. Get that little Christmas wiener, baby. Get that baby antler. You know what I'm saying? That can't. You out here pretending, wasting these lesbian times. Don't waste these lesbian times because we need them right now. they're helping us get into heaven. It's all hands on deck, baby. It's blacks versus drones, baby. Let's go. What else do we have? We got another call that came in right here. Yo, Theo Vaughn. My name is Patrick.
29:09What's up, Patrick? Good to hear from you, brother. Thank you for calling. I live in Washington, Illinois. Oh, you live in Washington, Illinois? Boy, dude, my friend Corey used to live there. He was in the pipe fitters union, dude. He might still be in it. I'm not going to text him. Okay, onward. I kind of need some advice, bro. I like, I want to ask this girl for her number, but like, you know, like I ain't ever really talked to her that much. We talked a little bit, but like not that much. And low key, we got three lunch hours at our school. I don't know what one she's switching to next semester after Christmas break.
29:50So, like, can you, like, give me some advice to, like, you know, get her number before Christmas break? I mean, dude, if you're trying to get, I remember that stuff. Were you trying to get a girl's number at school? That's hard, bro. God, because the nerves, dude, my nerves were so high during school, I couldn't even do anything. Dude, every time I even saw a girl, I had to go to the office and get ice on my head. Dude, if I tried to ask a girl to a dance or whatever, I would just wake up in the lobby or whatever, covered in ice or whatever, eight bags of ice. They'd have me just iced out, bro.
30:29I look like damn 2 Chainz out there running a fever, though, dude. It was just, dude, I didn't, yeah. If I even, dude, if I even wrote check yes or no on a piece of paper, I'd fall out my chair like one of those little Joe Rogan baby videos, you know? So, dude, I don't have any advice. Are you kidding, bro? What are you even talking about, dude? You know, I couldn't do shit. You haven't heard any of these podcasts, bro? I got nothing, dog. You think I got advice for you? Dude, I don't have a woman. You think I can help you get somebody? And I will say this, though, dude. there's nothing better than talking to the girl and do and win or lose because you walk off and you're like yup at least i tried bro that's american shit that's american shit bro dude just say hey give me half your number don't even put it all on her give me half your number because that's even easier because here's the thing if she wants you to have all of it she'll make sure you get the rest of it say hey give me half your number and then give her a sign an envelope or something with your address on it for the mail put the stamps on it and say look if you want me to have the other half send me that bit you know then at least you got some excitement coming you got Santa's sending you something Christmas means something right there so that's kind of something dude but yeah dude I remember I asked some girl to a dance one time.
32:05She said yes. I was high on mushrooms. I will admit that. But I got so excited right when she said yes. I ran through this party of children outdoors. Ran, jumped over a chain link fence, cut my hand and stomach open. Had to go to emergency room, ambulance, everything. So, yeah, dude. You got the wrong guy, bro. But I love that, bro. And, yeah, you get over there and you say, Look, I would love to have one number of your phone number. Just start there. Don't ask for the whole number, bro. Don't be greedy, bro. Get one number. See what happens, bro. You know what I'm saying? Leave room for God to work.
32:49Praise God, brother. Good luck out there. What do you think, Trevin? That's fair? He's got to pursue it, bro. Pursue the happiness. Yeah, you got to pursue. That's true. It's the pursuit of happiness. It's not guaranteed, bro. That's true. It's the pursuit. You're right, bro. Yeah, you got to get over there. Dude, I'm trying to think of what you could do. But you can't be crazy, dude. Look, if she's not interested, you can't make somebody interested. But you can just have a little bit of energy about you.
33:21Here we go right here. And happy holidays to everybody and Merry Christmas. The hotline is always 985-664-9503.
33:33Hey, Theo. My name's Casey. What's up, Casey? Thanks for calling. I'm drinking a little Celsius. I'm a fan. I've been listening for a long time. I'm a little drunk right now, which is the only reason I called in. Just want to let you know, I just listened to your episode where you were talking about garlic bread. It's the best. I love garlic bread so much. I can't even tell you how much I freaking love garlic bread. But even more than that, I love you. I love garlic bread and I love you. Just wanted to let you know you're the best. Keep doing what you're doing. Don't ever stop. Love you. I love garlic bread and I love you.
34:22Mwah.
34:26Dang, that girl's Italian, boy. Wow. that garlic bread, that shit is good, bro, when that shit gets hard at the edges, bro, and it turns up a little, because you start that bit, it's flat, right, that garlic bread, my, you know what I'm saying, my, and you put that in, at the end, it turns up, like, like the edges are trying to get into the middle, that's what's up, I'm like, damn, maybe, girl, it's like that, I'm gonna leave the window open for you, so, but yeah, that woman's Italian. All right. Thank you for calling. And yeah, thank you for liking garlic bread. I like it. And I'm glad that I like it.
35:10So. All right. What else we got here? Hey, Theo, it's Colin. Hey, man, it's December 1st right now. And, you know, it's supposed to be the holidays where everyone's all happy and shit. But man, every year, this time of year is the worst for me. Like everyone's supposed to be happy during Christmas and I'm just sitting there trying to just pretend to be happy. But it's tough. I don't know. I got my birthday this month, too. And like everything is supposed to be good. But it's always just a rough time of year. I was curious if you ever dealt with that or had any advice. Appreciate you. Yeah, man.
35:54Thanks for the call. Was it Dylan? What was it? Hey, Theo, it's Colin. Colin, sorry. Yeah, dude. Dude, there's sometimes when I get on here to do this podcast where I am not as happy as I, you know, this is the, like, this is me, like, kind of, not maximum happiness, but there's times where I sit down and I think about stuff and sometimes I want to, like, I don't want to be happy.
36:28you know, I want to either be more earnest or I want to be more like share things that I'm scared of or fear. You know, I think there's times like that. Um, there's times where I feel some responsibility, like, Oh, I can't, I can't have people listen in and then they're listening to some guy be sad. That's shitty. You know, what's even going on then? Um, and not, not in a heavy way, but yeah, it's like, uh, yeah. I mean, yeah. Sometimes I'm scared. I'm scared about stuff, you know, I'm scared what, you know, if everything's going to be okay, that's like a big fear. That's always with me, you know, and I don't even know where it came from.
37:12It's been there my whole life. Is everything going to be okay? Think about that fear, right? I'm just thinking about it out loud. I've never really even thought about it. What an insane fear I've had it since I was a kid. Is everything going to be okay? I've never said it vocally out like this before. That's an impossible thing for somebody to carry around. That's realistic, right? Of course, everything isn't going to be okay. But to think that there's some kid that is like, you know, that as a kid or as a young man, I was walking with that all the time. And then it's still sometimes is like a, it's like a bead of sweat that, you know, kind of shows up on the, on the shower door of my brain sometimes, you know?
38:02Yeah, is everything gonna be okay? Fuck no, it's not. Some things will, some things, but it just, you know, that weird feeling, you know, that's something that's like, um, oh, I have to do something. What do I need to do? That's always been something that's a thing that's one of my repetitive things. What do I have to do? You know, like if people are over, I'm always like, is it too hot? Is it too cold? I'm staying, like, I can't, there's no, like, are you hot or cold? 50 seconds later, I'm like, hey. I know we've been talking for another minute or two. Are you getting any hotter or colder? It's like, I can't, you know, it's tough for me to let things be.
38:47it's tough for me to let things be. It's tough for me not to take an action and do something. Because that's scary. It's scary for me. If I let things be, then it's out of my control.
39:04And that's scary. And the truth is, though, a lot of it's, so much of it's out of my control anyway. so much of it's out of my control
39:23yeah and I think it's turning that over that if I can and I'm not pestering myself but if I could get more comfortable with when that feeling comes up of like okay I need to do something I need to say something I need to ask somebody if they're hot or cold if I could be like, you know, just God's got this. I'm just going to have faith that everything's okay. I'm just going to have faith that everything's okay. Yeah, if I could just lean into some more of those moments of just, I don't have to affect this. Anyway, I'm talking about me, man. Let me listen to your question again so I can try to talk about you.
40:09And I'm sorry. I'm sitting there talking about myself. Jesus. No. Like, everyone's supposed to be happy during Christmas. And I'm just sitting there trying to just pretend to be happy. But it's tough. I don't know. I got my birthday this month, too. And, like, everything is supposed to be good. But it's always just a rough time of year. I was curious if you ever dealt with that or had any advice. Appreciate you. Okay.
40:39Yeah, I think it's an okay time to take a nap. First, let me say that. It's an okay time not to fight the wars that are out there. It's an okay time not to hit some man or woman who's dressed up like an elf on a lime scooter or whatever who's been drinking. It's an okay not to hit them with your car. It's an okay time not to engage in too much of the crazy stuff. I mean, this is a time of year when a lot of animals go hibernate. You know, a lot of animals go hibernate. Even the sun isn't even out that long. So for us to be like, hey, it's kind of a lot. It's kind of going against nature. So I think it's okay to take some time for yourself and like not feel the overwhelming sense of I have to do everything.
41:26Like earlier today, I was like, oh, people are probably going to Christmas parties. Nobody's invited me to any Christmas parties, right? I was thinking of that. and my mom invited me to a Christmas party at her house and my friend Bo invited me to a Christmas party with his family around Christmas but I hadn't gotten invited to anything like you know I'm home it's before Christmas blah blah blah so and that's okay but I I need to just be like hey this is a great time for me to read to work on you know my step work that I'm going through again to to enjoy some time with myself, not, you know, not to feel that FOMO, not to feel this overwhelming sense of like, well, let me have a, let me control me, you know, um, I wonder why I don't feel at peace very much because I don't let myself be at peace very much.
42:22Um, but for your instance, sorry, I'm still fucking talking about me, dude, bro, stop. Stop. But I think there's two sides to this. I was talking to my friend Chris today, and he was saying he was feeling kind of down. And I noticed this. If I do those things, like I can isolate during the holidays as well, and that's not good. During Thanksgiving, I kind of showed up to my family, and I didn't have the best attitude.
42:50And I knew in my head what was going on. And there were moments I was able to work through it and show up and do okay. I think I wanted to spend some alone time with my mom. I didn't get that. And so when things weren't going kind of exactly the way I wanted them, I turned, you know, this side of me comes out that's,
43:14you know what, I'll cut myself off from people. It'll be like, oh, things aren't kind of perfect here right now. Then I'm not going to apply myself to this situation. I'm going to cut my emotions, my feelings. I'm going to kind of keep everything away from you. Things aren't exactly the way I want them. I'm going to keep myself from you. And really, I'm just hurting myself. But also, I can be kind of like not helping the environment around me.
43:47But that's been a thing of mine over the years, I realized. It's like a way that I'll try to hurt somebody's feelings is I'll try to keep my love away from them, which is kind of crazy to say out loud, I think. And I don't know exactly what I mean by it, but I've noticed it at times. Like, oh, this isn't kind of the way I want it, then you're not going to get any of me.
44:23I can kind of know what I'm saying, but part of me doesn't know exactly what I'm saying. But does that make any sense, Trevon, you think? Yeah, it's just like you close off, you know? Yeah, I'll close off. And sometimes I'll only be home for a certain amount of time or I'll only be around family a certain amount of time. So there's not a ton of time for really us to have time together. And even in those moments, it's like I'll almost shut down here, you know? So, yeah, I can tend to kind of get that way. But brother, I think, yeah, don't expect too much out of the holidays. Try not to put too much pressure on yourself.
44:56But try to bring some joy to yourself. Go do something that finds you some joy. Do not isolate too much. Because you also can bring joy to other people, you know? That's the worst part about when I shut down is what I'm really missing out on. It's not really me. like, it's just like, if I show up in a good mood, I can help somebody else have a nice time. You know, maybe I can play with the baby or I can see my friend's dog or I can, you know, tell my sister she has a nice shirt or that she looks pretty or, you know, I can do little things. I can sit and play a game. I can do something. I can talk to someone else at the family get together that I don't know.
45:36It's like, it's like, if I don't shut down, if I don't get in that selfish way, then I can do, I can just be a part of what is of the best situation. Not for me, but just what's the best possible outcome is that I just try to show up with a smile on my face. How can I help?
46:00And, but yeah, sometimes you have to pretend to be happy, man. Here's the thing. You pretend to be happy, eventually you will be. That's the craziest part. You pretend to be happy, eventually you will be. Yeah, I think anything, if you do it, you will, like, actions first. People think you have to, like, think it first. No. You can't think yourself into right actions, but you can act yourself into right thinkings. Can you look that up for me on Perplexity, please? Who is one of our sponsors? thank you perplexity for helping us figure stuff out. Yeah. Many people can act themselves in a good thinking because behavior often reshapes beliefs, emotions, and self-image over time.
46:49So yeah, I think it's like, yeah, you don't have to pretend that everybody's happy. Maybe you're not the happiest guy. You don't have to be Santa. You could be one of his elves that smokes behind the woodshop. You don't have to be the best guy. You know, what about go watch bad Santa? Just do a gateway package into some sort of holiday vibes. You know, watch Miracle on 34th Street, but then watch Nightmare on Elm Street. You know what I'm saying? Do both. You can do, you know what I'm saying? There's a mix of everything out there. But I do believe that if you show up and you find a place to show up that feels kind of comfortable to you, to your birthday, whoever invites you over for your birthday, or if somebody calls you, if you try to show up with the best part to you, even if you have to pretend that I think the best part to you will meet those pretendings halfway.
47:42I believe that. I don't think that makes any sense, but yeah, I think you can act your way into feeling better, but you don't have to do. Yeah. Christmas gets on a lot of people's nerves, especially this time of year. It's hectic. There's so many things to do. So don't be hard on yourself. Don't over isolate. it's a balance I think everything is but yeah I appreciate you calling dude I appreciate you because yeah it's like fuck sometimes we all have to pretend to be happy
48:11but I think that's a lot of things you know I have friends in marriages that tell me it's like dude every day you wake up you don't want to be married but on some of those days you just pretend that you want to be married you know and then you get to the days where you do want to be so I don't know I know I've just rambled a lot about me and I didn't help you at all. Not that I was trying to help you or that. I don't know shit. Look at me. But fuck, dude. What are we going to do about America? That's a big question, you know. But blessings to you, dude. Happy holidays. And yeah, thanks for just being here and letting me think with you out loud.
48:49Love you, brother. And I'm going to send you a birthday present. So we'll reach out and send you a birthday present. and yeah.
49:03Yeah, and I hope if you don't have, if you don't join a bunch of other people and feel great there, that we can find ways to feel great with ourselves, good enough. You know, that's the even crazier trick. It's like, because sometimes I'm using going out to see people and do things just to get away from myself, which is crazy. Just to get away from those moments where it's me and me standing there in the living room of my head.
49:32So good, so good, so good. Give big, save big with Rack Friday deals at Nordstrom Rack. For a limited time, take an extra 40 % off Red Tag Clarence for a total savings up to 75 % off. Save on gifts for everyone on your list from brands like Vince, Cole Haunt, Sam Edelman, and more. All sales final and restrictions apply. The best stuff goes fast, so bring your gift list and your wish list to your nearest Nordstrom Rack today. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. The holidays are a time of traditions. Some people have many in their family and some have none or they're just beginning their own.
50:12Now's the time to reflect on what they mean to you or to rewrite those traditions and make them your own. Incorporating therapy into your new or existing traditions can help ensure you take time for yourself during what can be a very joyful but sometimes hectic and lonely time of year. One tradition we have in my family is verbal altercations and leaving family events early and crying in our vehicles. That's something we like to do. What are yours? Well, BetterHelp can help. BetterHelp therapists work according to a strict code of conduct and are fully licensed in the U.S. With over 30 ,000 therapists, BetterHelp is one of the world's largest online therapy platforms.
51:00Having served over 5 million people globally, this December, start a new tradition by taking care of you. Our listeners get 10 % off at BetterHelp.com slash Theo. That's BetterHelp.com slash T-H-E-O. What's another call? You want to pick one off here, Trevin, that you like? There's a couple ones. We get a list usually of calls here, and so... What about a follow-up on twins, advice for twins from the Baby Me episode? Oh, that's a great call. That's a great call. Good call. Yeah, that's a great idea because we just had somebody call in who was having twins, and I don't believe in them. But this person has some twin advice.
51:44Here we go. Yeah, my name is Michael from Indianapolis. I'm calling in hopes to respond to Cage. He called in on your last solo episode about having twins and needing some advice. And I guess, now, you know, this can go to K, Dan, and Riley now. Congratulations to all y 'all, man. Kids are rough, man. They're the best hell that you could ever willingly put yourself through. Wow, the best hell you could willingly put yourself through. That's a beautiful statement. Let's hear more. Thank you so much. And I mean that. they're also the most rewarding things that you could ever do and you just gotta if i could ever give anybody some advice man it is just that you gotta take care of yourself the lady has to take care of herself you guys gotta take care of each other can't pour from an empty cup so if you don't take care of yourself you can't take care of her she doesn't care herself she can't take care of you you gotta take care of yourselves you can't take care of each other in terms you can't take care of your kids but i am serious like you guys have to take care of yourselves that's the main thing man you got to take some adult time be there be a dad be a mom be active be present but man if you got parents that won't mind you know watching the kid overnight one time take advantage of that man go party go make some crazy decisions as long as you can go to work monday clock in and be a dad again then and take care of yourself man that's my biggest advice amen yeah that's true so now we're like yeah how much how can i do all these things and i'm yeah I show up you know I show up to fix a car with no tools cause I ain't take care of my own shit I'm over there pretending just making a note using my hand just making a wrench noise while I use it um take care of yourself first and you can take care of those twins I love that uh here's another one right here let's see what came in hey theo this is cody from florida hey cody thanks for calling brother how are you today onward and uh i just heard you you're big on the topics with having a porn addiction and being an alcoholic i know you did that 12-step program and honestly man those two things are biggest problems of my life.
54:14I just had my girlfriend over a year break up with me because of a porn addiction, which that is just so embarrassing. I can't even think of myself as a normal person anymore. I feel so embarrassed. I feel such like a weak man. and the alcohol problem in that. I want to know what you did to help yourself with both of those addictions, mainly the porn addiction, to be honest. And that's just so embarrassing to say. Hey, brother, thanks for ringing us up here. And, yeah, the only things I know that have helped me with any type of addiction are 12-step recovery programs.
55:09I know some people use different programs or different things. People have used rehab, detox. I know that some people need those sorts of things. I haven't used... I've used like some short-term rehab. I've not had to use long-term rehab or detox in my life yet.
55:32and yeah those are the things that I know there's SLAA meetings sex and love addiction online and you can find and you can just attend on zoom they're great places to start and local AA meetings and I would go to three meetings three different ones until you see what you think about it but those programs I know work. There's no lifelong cure. It's a daily reprieve. And it works if you work it. I believe those things. And it will get better. It will get better if you go and work on it. You know, yeah, nothing changes if nothing changes. We've talked about that before. and that's the truth. I've thought things would change in my life if they, I'll just grow out of it, this will happen, or this person, someone will come along, I'll move somewhere, and this, no, it's, it doesn't, more often than not, none of those things help.
56:38I'm not saying never. For me, for me. Yeah, but I'm sorry that you're dealing with that loss, but also in a way I'm glad that you are realizing this and you can get a hold of it now because there's no time like the present man and what a great gift to ourselves to try and take care of ourselves better so amen to you brother I love you and yeah thanks for calling and letting us think about that
57:06let's do this call right here it might be time to get on out of here and I know this episode maybe was a little bit heavy was this episode too heavy Trevin? I don't think so we got there Okay. Yeah. My, my, my nervous system is getting a little bit burnt out. Um, so, uh, here we go. Hi, Theo. I'm calling from Ohio and I just want to let you know, I have reached one year sober. Um, it has been the worst ride possible, but I finally did it. Um, and I'm just calling to let you know, you and you have been a huge. Part of my journey in every way possible, I remember being just fucked up on drugs and alcohol watching your show.
57:56And now I watch your show sober without fucking drugs and alcohol. And I still laugh like I used to. It is the best thing ever. So I just wanted to say thank you. And if you have any advice for the other people that are trying to get sober, you know, just spread the love and keep going. Thank you, Theo. Bye. Amen. Congratulations. That's awesome. Thanks so much for sharing that message, you know. Yeah, and I feel lucky to be part of a podcast that we're able to even talk about that kind of stuff or that you're able to call in and share that message. And congratulations. One year, that's crazy.
58:39That's beautiful. And shit, your voice was so loud in the beginning. Hi, Theo. It almost got on my damn nerves. I thought crazy it was. I'm like, dang, she's doing so good. She's lit up, lit up by the Lord and the feelings of self-worth. And so that's a beautiful, that is beautiful to hear around this time of year. And anytime, man, you hear somebody feel proud of themselves. That's beautiful. and I'm glad that this show could just be a part of something and that's one of the things that makes me so lucky like just like even just being a part of this show it's like what could God use us to do if we put ourselves in the best situation
59:31you know and can I meet God halfway and I know we've talked about that a little bit before and not that God isn't all the way I know he's all the way there But I'm just saying like, yeah, just the beauty of what God can use all of us for if we make ourselves an available tool, you know, kind of. So, but man, what a time of year to, I know this was a lot of thinking about me this episode. I'm sorry about that. Look at that guy on that shirt, that little rickshaw donkey right there. that little fucking lesbian school teacher I love him boobie ah yeah yeah we got we're here you know we're here we're alive we got a shot we got a shot we can figure it out we can't do it alone and uh Yeah.
1:00:39And what did I start talking about? What things do we want to, if I wanted to yell, if I wanted to just say something to the heavens, maybe that's it, you know, just like, man, what could I, what could I be used for? You know, if I can, you know, just let me be, I don't know. What could I be used for if I'm, if I,
1:01:03and maybe it's just if I just ask God you know
1:01:10you know and that's one of the morning prayers that is part of my routine right now it's just asking God to use me and build with me as thou wilt
1:01:24yeah but yeah there's so much out there, you know. There's so much out there. Anyway, I don't know if I've... Did we cover everything you think, Trevin? Are we okay? Yeah, we're good. Okay, man. Thank you so much for your help this year, Trevin. Anytime. And, uh... Yeah. We do our best. We're trying. It's just another day, right? We don't have to save the world today. That feels good. Doesn't it feel good to know that?
1:02:00okay who knows I love you guys thanks for being a part of the podcast today thanks for your calls as always the hotline 985-664-9503 congratulations to the young lady getting a year sober to the guy whose birthday is coming up we love you bro enjoy your holidays make them enjoyable for you somehow it is in the end it's our somewhat our responsibility to find joy okay anyway I'm getting Chatty, love you guys. You guys be good to yourselves. You deserve it. Thank you so much for helping with the Jersey auction. We raised almost$40 ,000 to go to the Cumberland Heights Recovery Center. It's going to help subsidize recovery for individuals over there.
1:02:41And for the show with Mike Rowe, where we're helping people buy stuff from their fellow Americans. Anyway, whatever. All right. You guys have a wonderful one. And love you guys And yeah, talk to you later Bye Now I'm just floating on the breeze And I feel I'm falling like these leaves I must be cornerstone Oh, but when I reach that ground I'll share this peace of mind I found I can feel it in my bones But it's gonna take
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Theo is back with a solo episode to talk about lesbian chauffeurs to heaven, unique monthly challenges, and why being an American isn’t a passive thing. He also reminisces on 2025 and responds to some of your voicemails.
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