Midlife Crisis, the Podcast

USA World Cup Disaster, Making Friends in Your 30s, and our friend Isaac’s Elmo Voice | Ep. 59

Our longtime friend Isaac joins us for Episode 59 to catch up on life in Seattle, surviving adulthood, and what leadership actually looks like once you become the person everyone expects to have the answers. We break down the US Men’s National Team’s embarrassing World Cup exit, question whether America will ever fully embrace soccer, accuse FIFA of doing everything possible to keep Argentina alive, and check the latest standings in our increasingly serious $50 World Cup bet. We also continue our new “At Our Age” segment and ask some very thirty-something questions: Should we be saving money or making more memories? Are we still chasing titles and bigger paychecks—or just a better life? And when was the last time any of us actually made a new friend? Plus, we review the new Minions and Toy Story movies, discuss the mysterious Kumar Method internet rabbit hole, react to the rise of AI-generated music, preview the 2026 NFL season, debate illegal fireworks, answer listener questions, and force Isaac to bring back his legendary Elmo impression.

World Cup Fever, NBA Chaos, and Isaiah Joins the Pod | Ep. 58

This week on Midlife Crisis, our friend Isaiah joins us as a third member of the podcast, and we get into a little bit of everything. We start with the wild stunt at the Empire State Building, where a couple climbed it, flew a banner, got engaged, and then got arrested. From there, we somehow end up talking about Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding at MSG, what actually makes a good wedding, whether we’d write our own vows, and what we’d change about Jeff’s wedding. Then we get into burnout, comparing how it hits across different jobs including our own. Of course, we also had to talk World Cup. Mexico is on a run, USA is still alive, and we debate what makes international soccer so fun, frustrating, dramatic, and confusing for casual fans like us. We get into flopping, offsides, why Mexico’s jersey feels like a cultural moment, and why the World Cup might be the only acceptable time to say “we” when talking about sports. Later, we discuss how much effort it takes to maintain friendships in your 30s, whether socks and slides are still acceptable to wear out and about, if drinking games are still fun, and whether video games and social media are helping us unwind or just stealing time from more useful adult hobbies. We also cover what we’re watching, including Supergirl, Obsession, and Jeff’s very late Game of Thrones journey, before jumping into a full NBA movement extravaganza: Malik Beasley gambling allegations, Kawhi back to Toronto, LeBron’s future after the Lakers, LaMelo to Minnesota, and why sports media needs to own its bad takes. We close the episode with what hurts this week and what feels good, including Isaiah turning 32, gratitude around getting older, burnout, and Jeff reacting to Chris Johnson’s ALS diagnosis. To bring it full circle, Jeff ends the episode by bringing back the Ice Bucket Challenge live on the pod. Episode 58 is longer than usual, but in the best way: friends talking sports, getting older, bad takes, life, burnout, gratitude, and everything in between.

AI Music, World Cup Bets, and Getting Too Old to Leave the House | Ep. 57

This week, Jeff is back, the Wi-Fi is fixed, and we start with a viral song called “Rubberz” that leads into a conversation about AI, creativity, authenticity, and why the process of making something might matter more than the final product itself. We also get into the World Cup and our thoughts so far, a team draft from the contenders that are most likely to win it all, and bad USA soccer chants. From there, we talk about Brandon Marshall making his son run at 2 AM, the UK’s social media ban for kids and teenagers under 16, and whether technology is forcing kids to grow up too fast. Then we introduce a new segment, “At Our Age, I Have to Ask…”, where we toss in a few questions relevant to being in your thirties. We also talk Toy Story 5, The Dink, Lego Keanu Reeves, Jeff’s first-time Game of Thrones Season 1 reactions (Yes, he's THAT late to the party), the NBA Draft, the Giannis trade, ACL recovery, fatherhood, and the bittersweet feeling of watching your kid grow up. As always, it’s pop culture, sports, friendship, getting older, and just the right amount of overthinking. Thanks for hanging out with us.

Daniel Is Back, Jeff’s Wi-Fi Is Not — Tequila, World Cup & White House UFC | Ep. 56

This week on Midlife Crisis, Jeff’s Wi-Fi tapped out, so our close friend Daniel Martinez joins in, who longtime listeners will remember was our first guest on the podcast about a year ago. We kick things off talking about Daniel's world cup game experience with the USMNT vs Paraguay, a recent viral internet moment, and why creative direction matters when everyone is trying to stand out online. From there, we get into the UFC America 250 event, the connection between spectacle and taste, and why some big cultural moments land while others feel like they’re trying too hard. Daniel also catches us up on Mas Vida Tequila, the brand he’s building with a few of our other close friends. We talk about their first year in business, getting into more Southern California locations, and the deeper story behind the brand: family, friendship, and creating something that actually carries meaning. We also shout out Sterling Hampton IV’s documentary Twitch: The Story of Daniel Franco, talk about the power of seeing friends build real things, and wrap with some NBA Finals thoughts and a little early Fourth of July chaos. Episode 56 is about creativity, culture, taste, friendship, and the weird but beautiful feeling of watching the people around you make things happen.

The Spurs Choked, The World Cup Begins, and Milk Is Back | Midlife Crisis Ep. 55

This week on Midlife Crisis, we come in emotionally defeated after one of the most disgusting NBA Finals collapses we’ve ever seen and try to process it in real time. We break down the Spurs’ meltdown, Knicks chaos, bad late-game decisions, and why watching sports can ruin your whole night even when it’s not technically your team. From there, we get into the start of the World Cup, the official failure of our Dry June challenge, Coors Light’s ridiculous “Taller Boy,” Backrooms and the weird discomfort of liminal spaces, the new Social Network sequel, Zelda nostalgia, Scooby-Doo reboots, and why everything we grew up with keeps getting remade. We also share some ridiculous stories about almost passing out after getting blood drawn recently. It’s sports pain, pop culture tangents, grown-man realizations, and the usual group chat energy all in one episode.