Treeforts and Mixtapes

Why do we own so much stuff we don’t actually use? This week, Josh returns from Parents’ Weekend with stories of college football, bad weather, three dogs, and camping — before we somehow end up confronting the real problem: our garages. Old paint. Duplicate tools. Electronics we haven’t used in years. Clothes we don’t wear. Junk drawers that have become archaeological sites. And, of course, the universal justification for keeping all of it: “I might need that someday.” We talk about why it’s so easy to accumulate stuff, why throwing it away feels weirdly difficult, and which categories we could purge tomorrow versus the ones we’ll apparently be buried with. Plus, Dungeon Crawler Carl, garage confessions, and two middle-aged men publicly committing to clean out a drawer. Will we actually do it? Probably not. But now you know… and knowing is half the battle.

It’s Josh's birthday episode, so we’re starting something new. On our birthday (or near it) the birthday boy is bringing his Top 5 Favorite Things from the past year — anything is fair game: something bought, watched, discovered, experienced, or just became weirdly obsessed with. No carefully curated “best of” list. No profound life lessons required. Just five things that made the year better, the stories behind them, and the inevitable debate over whether any of them are actually as good as advertised. Consider it our very unofficial, highly subjective annual favorites list.

Are vacations actually supposed to be relaxing—or is “rest and recharge” just corporate propaganda designed to get us ready to go back to work? This week, we debate what separates a vacation from a trip, poolside nothingness vs. seeing everything, meticulously planned itineraries vs. completely winging it, repeat destinations vs. somewhere new, and why adding kids can change the definition of “vacation” entirely. But somewhere between all-inclusives, sightseeing, vacation workouts, and trying to maximize every dollar you spent, we land on a bigger question: What actually makes a vacation great? Maybe it isn’t how rested you are when you get home. Maybe it’s the unexpected moments, the people you shared them with, and the stories you’re still telling years later.

A celebrity wedding, a World Cup final, America's 250th birthday — it's been a big few weeks. But while everyone was watching all of that, scientists quietly confirmed the first atmosphere on a rocky planet outside our solar system, may have found a natural alternative to Ozempic, and made a breakthrough in Alzheimer's research that could change everything. We dig into all of it — the big cultural moments and the stories nobody talked about — and ask a simple question: what happened to our sense of wonder?

By the power of Grayskull... we did not expect to like this. We went in with rock-bottom expectations after the infamous 1987 version and came out pleasantly surprised. We break down what worked — the action, the visuals, Idris Elba nailing Man-At-Arms, and the nostalgic nods to the original cartoon — and what didn't, including forced humor, questionable lighting, and an Adam/He-Man who felt a little too wimpy for the most powerful man in the universe. We also riff on the movie's "so bad it's good" charm, debate whether the cartoon's monster-of-the-week format beats a two-hour movie, and kick off a list of other 80s cartoons that deserve — or don't deserve — the reboot treatment. Bottom line: not perfect, but genuinely fun. Big, dumb fun, exactly how a He-Man movie should be.

Episode 100. We didn't plan on making it this far —and here we are. Bret and Josh pull seven clips from the vault, talk about slang that aged badly, G.I. Joe life lessons, first jobs, the Mandela Effect, getting old, vitamins we used to mock, and what two years of showing up actually means. No highlight reel. Just the real conversation. Here is to the next 100!

Booth or table? Do you use the fancy guest towel? How long can your trash cans stay at the curb before the neighbors start talking? Bret and Josh dig into the unspoken rules that govern everyday life — restaurants, waiting rooms, cul-de-sacs, group travel, and more. Nobody wrote these down. Nobody agreed to them. And yet here we all are, following them anyway.

Your brain still thinks you’re 28… but your body completely disagrees. This week, Bret and Josh sit down with veteran trainer Neil Anderson, creator of GPP Fitness and co-creator of RWND Fit, to talk about why so many people over 45 are working harder in the gym and getting worse results. With more than 30 years of experience training people and now specializing with people over 45, Neil breaks down overtraining, recovery, walking vs cardio, functional strength, and why the old “no pain, no gain” mentality stops working after 45. Neil’s trains people of all fitness levels and and ages. His NEW BOOK book Fit AF-(ter) 45 is available at GPPFitness.com.

Bret and Josh break down the weird phrases people use when they have nothing real to say. From “living the dream” and “can’t complain” to “circle back” and “I’ll let you go,” modern life is full of fillers, scripts, and polite escape routes. A funny look at awkwardness, office jargon, forgotten names, and why we all talk this way more than we’d like to admit.

A missed personal best, a canceled lacrosse game, and a deep dive into lightning and water safety somehow turn into one realization: nothing is casual anymore. Bret and Josh break down how everything — from workouts to birthday parties to watching a game — has become a full production. There’s planning, coordination, expectations… and apparently charcuterie boards for everything. They talk about why spontaneous hangouts feel weird now, who would absolutely panic if you showed up unannounced, and how modern life got so structured. Also: adult Lunchables might be the peak of civilization. This week’s challenge? Do something without turning it into a whole thing.

When did everything become a review? This week, Bret and Josh get into the rise of rating everything — from restaurants and products to national parks, movies, and even life itself. What started as a helpful tool has somehow turned into a full-time habit. They break down what reviews actually help (and which ones are completely useless), why written reviews still beat star ratings, and how things like hiking trails, Airbnb stays, and even sugar-free gummy bears have all entered the rating economy. Along the way: Busch Gardens, Cedar City food hunts, movie takes, and the realization that not everything needs a score. Because at some point… you have to stop reviewing things and just live them.

When did everyone become an expert on everything… immediately? Bret and Josh cover a little bit of everything this week — from 5AM track meets and roller coasters at Busch Gardens, to business trips in Europe and the universal ability for people to have strong opinions on things they just learned about. They unpack how we went from thinking things through… to reacting in real time — whether it’s breaking news, gas prices, or whatever’s blowing up online. Also: why you should trust Josh on the Denver Broncos roster… but maybe not global geopolitics. The real question — are we actually forming opinions… or just reacting faster than ever?

This week we talk reboots, remakes, and why Hollywood keeps reopening stories that already had an ending. From Top Gun getting it right to Jurassic Park, Karate Kid, and the growing list of revived shows like Scrubs (and the potential of a Knight Rider..wha???) and other 80s/90s TV favorites, we ask why some reboots work while others feel completely unnecessary. At what point does bringing something back honor the original… and when does it just feel like Hollywood ran out of ideas?

Remember when you had to wait for things? A new episode each week. Saving up for a CD and listening from front to back. Planning your night around one game you couldn’t miss. Now we binge entire seasons, skip songs after 15 seconds, and watch highlights before the game’s even over. This week, we talk about what happens when scarcity disappears, and everything becomes instantly available. Does unlimited access flatten the experience? Are we savoring less and consuming more? Did convenience make life better… or did we quietly optimize the magic out of it?

We used to say yes. Order the weird thing. Take the risk. Now we read the reviews, give a show three episodes, and know exactly what we like. This week we talk about the shift from being the main characters to becoming the editors — how competence replaced some of the chaos, and whether that’s growth… or predictability. Robot competitions, Carolina Reapers, “Shrinking,” and one real question: Are we less curious… or just more experienced?

This week, Bret and Josh take on one of adulthood’s biggest lies: the idea that we’ll eventually “catch up.” From inbox-zero fantasies to the promise that life will slow down after just one more thing, they unpack why being “done” no longer exists—and why that’s not a personal failure. It’s a light, funny look at modern life, endless to-do lists, and the relief that comes from realizing there was never a finish line in the first place.

This week on TFMT, Bret and Josh unpack why we’re always losing and forgetting things — from keys and phones to entire trains of thought. Spoiler: it’s not aging or carelessness. It’s interruption. A funny, relatable look at how modern life quietly wrecks our memory… and why it’s not something to beat yourself up over.

This week, Bret and Josh break down the unspoken rules of adult life that everyone follows—and no one remembers agreeing to. From workplace etiquette and social norms to travel behavior and tech expectations, they unpack why we comply, what happens when we don’t, and which rules deserve to disappear forever. Funny, relatable, and slightly therapeutic.

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.