This week, Bret and Josh slow things down for a holiday special built for everyone celebrating this season — Christmas, Chanukah, or just the rare gift of a quieter calendar. They dig into why this time of year feels heavier and more meaningful than the rest, where our traditions come from, and why light, nostalgia, and togetherness matter so much when the days get shorter.
It’s a thoughtful, funny look at the stuff we think we know about the holidays — the stuff that should go and the stuff that actually makes them meaningful.
We finally stopped beating around the bush and cut to the chase. This episode digs into the origins of the idioms we use every day — from biting the bullet and pulling yourself by your own bootstraps to being saved by the bell and ending up back at square one.
Along the way, we uncover the history behind deadlines, dead ringer, beyond the pale, and more. No wild goose chases here — just the whole nine yards on why these phrases stuck and how we still use them today.
This week, Bret and Josh ask the question every Gen X and Millennial has muttered under their breath since 2007: Why are we still working 9–5? They dig into how a schedule built for factories, steam engines, and men in suspenders somehow became the default for people with laptops, text messages, and carpool duty. It’s history, humor, and a gentle roast of the Industrial Revolution — and maybe the reminder that the world has changed… but our calendars haven’t caught up…and we still want to be able to take a daily nap.
This week, Bret and Josh break down the real story behind Thanksgiving — what actually happened, what absolutely didn’t, and why this holiday became the chaotic, heartwarming tradition we all know. From the myths we learned in school to the surprising history of turkey, parades, football, and family rituals, the guys unpack everything you should know about America’s favorite food-coma holiday.
It’s history, humor, and a reminder that even if the story isn’t perfect, the togetherness still is.
This week, Bret and Josh rewind to the magic of toy stores — the fluorescent glow, the smell of plastic and cardboard, the towering wall of GI Joes, the endless LEGO sets, and that childhood feeling that anything was possible if you had five bucks and time to roam the aisles.
Then they dig into the mystery of what really happened to Toys “R” Us. It wasn’t a lack of kids or toys — it was something far stranger and hidden beneath the surface. The guys break down the behind-the-scenes decisions that quietly drained the magic from Jeffrey’s kingdom.
And they close with the longing we all feel: that hope of finding a little bit of that toy-store wonder again, even if the aisles are gone.
This week, Bret and Josh crack open the surprising origins of the dad joke — the most groan-worthy, eye-roll-inducing, low-effort form of humor ever invented. From ancient puns and Shakespearean wordplay to the psychology of why dads become pun machines in midlife, the guys unpack how cheesy jokes became a love language for generations.
It’s equal parts history lesson, cultural anthropology, and classic TFMT foolishness — because sometimes a bad joke isn’t bad at all… it’s just how dads say “I love you.”
Remember when Saturday mornings meant a couch, a mixing bowl of cereal, and three solid hours of cartoons before your parents even woke up?
Bret and Josh dig into the mystery of where all that went — from government rules and ad crackdowns to the rise of streaming and on-demand everything. It’s part history, part nostalgia, and a reminder that sometimes the best lessons came from a cartoon rabbit in sneakers.
Josh is gearing up for a hunting trip, Bret just wrapped up 75 Hard, and somehow the conversation drifts into the death of MTV. From the glory days when music videos introduced us to every new band worth knowing, to the slow fade into The Real World and endless reality reruns, Bret and Josh unpack how a generation lost its soundtrack.
It’s part nostalgia, part midlife update, and all classic TFMT — a mix of real life, ridiculous tangents, and a shared wish that MTV would just play one more music video.
NOTE: we had to cut off the ending of the podcast, no wrap music until we change the song. Working on that.
Josh is gearing up for a hunting trip, Bret just wrapped up 75 Hard, and somehow the conversation drifts into the death of MTV. From the glory days when music videos introduced us to every new band worth knowing, to the slow fade into The Real World and endless reality reruns, Bret and Josh unpack how a generation lost its soundtrack.
It’s part nostalgia, part midlife update, and all classic TFMT — a mix of real life, ridiculous tangents, and a shared wish that MTV would just play one more music video.
NOTE: we had to cut off the ending of the podcast, no wrap music until we change the song. Working on that.
This week, Bret and Josh face the impossible choices every dad knows too well. Would you rather assemble IKEA furniture or survive a family road trip? Fix the Wi-Fi or unclog the toilet? It’s a full episode of midlife dilemmas, questionable decisions, and laugh-out-loud “yep, been there” moments. Welcome to Dad Life — where the choices are tough, the stakes are low, and the laughs are real.
Bret and Josh head back to campus — one for Parents Weekend, one for Homecoming — and catch all the feels of returning to where it all started. From old dorm memories to football games, tailgates, and watching their kids (and nieces) live the moments they once did, it’s a nostalgic, full-circle ride through school spirit and growing up.
And yes… Josh stayed up way past his bedtime.
This week, Bret and Josh dive into some of the funniest “is it real or not?” debates from our childhood and beyond. From whether pro wrestling was legit to the true nature of Tom & Jerry’s friendship, we rewind to the things that had us guessing as kids. Then we crank it up with wild conspiracies: Birds Aren’t Real, Denver Airport’s Illuminati tunnels, Chuck E. Cheese’s recycled pizza, Disney’s hidden Easter eggs, and even AI taking over the world…and remember to be careful what you do when there are birds around, they are always watching and recording.
A lot of laughs, a lot of “no way, man” moments, and maybe just enough truth to make you wonder.
The world feels darker than ever — from terror attacks and random violence to political shootings plastered across our screens. As parents, the question isn’t just how do we explain evil to our kids? It’s how do we prepare them to face it with courage?
This week, Bret and Josh talk about raising kids who understand that freedom isn’t free — that evil will always hate it — and that their job is to be tougher than the darkness around them. From remembering 9/11 to unpacking the recent headlines, we reflect on how to teach our kids resilience, conviction, and the call to be a light when the world feels heavy.
Because even in dark times, courage and light can still win.
Forget corporate handbooks — the real rules of work were written on the classroom carpet back in kindergarten. This week, Bret and Josh break down how the basics still apply: share your toys (and credit), take turns (yes, even in meetings), clean up your mess (literally and figuratively), and say you’re sorry (without an HR investigation).
We also hit the grown-up essentials: nap time = avoiding burnout, snack time = fueling your day (not just vending machine regret), and the hard truth that it’s not your coworker’s job to manage your emotions.
Because at the end of the day, work isn’t complicated — it’s just recess with paychecks, and some of us still can’t play nice.
Some advice goes in one ear and out the other — but some lines stick for life. This week, Bret and Josh swap the best pieces of advice they ever got, from the timeless “nothing good happens after midnight” to the hard-won lessons about money, love, and growing up.
Josh also shares how he survived dropping his son off at college — equal parts emotional, exhausting, and proud — and why moments like that remind us why the right words at the right time matter.
Because sometimes the hardest goodbyes — and the simplest advice — are what last the longest
This week, Bret and Josh rewind to one of life’s biggest milestones — leaving home for the first time. We share our own stories of shaky launches into independence, from questionable packing decisions to those unforgettable “oh crap” reality checks.
Josh is on the verge of experiencing it from the other side, as he prepares to drop his son off at college for the first time. Together, we talk about what that moment means, why it’s both exciting and gut-wrenching, and whether today’s kids get the same crash course in adulthood we did.
Because leaving the nest isn’t just about kids growing up — it’s about parents figuring out how to cry in the car without embarrassing anyone.
Before cheat codes and save points, there was only one rule: don’t die. This week, Bret and Josh fire up the nostalgia with a trip back to the 8-bit era — when games like Contra, Zelda, TMNT, and even Pitfall taught us the art of patience, strategy, and persistence.
Josh and Bret talk about blowing on cartridges, memorizing enemy patterns, stuffing towels in the door cracks so you could play at night, teaming up on the couch with friends, and celebrating those rare victories that came after dozens of failed attempts. Along the way, we explore whether today’s instant-gratification gaming culture still delivers the same grit-building experiences… or if something valuable was left back in those pixelated worlds.
Once upon a time, if you had a problem with someone, you handled it. Face-to-face. No texts. No ghosting. Just words — awkward, angry, clumsy, honest words.
This week, Bret and Josh get into the gritty life school of confrontation — what it taught us growing up Gen X, and what seems to be missing in today’s conflict-avoidant, GenZ Staring, emoji-coded culture. From hallway showdowns and forced apologies to the wild rise of “ghostlighting” and dry texting, this episode explores how avoiding tension might be killing our ability to grow, forgive, and move on.
We also dive into how this shift is affecting kids, relationships, and even workplaces — and challenge the idea that avoiding conflict is somehow healthier than working through it.
#69 This week in the Treefort, Bret and Josh pull back the foil wrapper on the food we thought was fine — and somehow lived to talk about. From Pop-Tarts and bagel bites to ramen dinners and roller dogs that looked like wizard fingers, this is a love letter to the food crimes and the never-would-I-ever-eat-that food of our youth.
The rant gets real as they tear into the scam that was the food pyramid, how nobody understood nutrition labels until their 30s, and Josh’s go-to ramen creation before a night out in college. It’s greasy, it’s nostalgic, it’s hilarious — and it pairs perfectly with a Capri Sun and low expectations.
Songs on the mixtape this week: Eat It by Weird Al and Pour Some Sugar on Me by Def Leppard.
In this new segment episode called Mixtape Rewind, we dive into the life lessons we picked up from the movies that raised us. From The Karate Kid’s reminder that the boring reps matter, to Dead Poets Society’s call to stand up even when your voice shakes, these films delivered more than entertainment — they gave us a code.
We unpack timeless truths from The Sandlot, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Forrest Gump, and The NeverEnding Story, all backed by a soundtrack that hits hard with “You’re the Best” by Joe Esposito and Cyndi Lauper’s “The Goonies ‘R’ Good Enough.” Plus, our “You Gotta Be Kidding Me” segment makes its debut. It’s all heart, grit, and Gen X wisdom — one rewind at a time.