StroongeCast

Welcome to episode 112. This week we're discussing whether talking about your marriage problems with a close friend or family member is acceptable. Internalising everything can lead to lashing out at the wrong time, and we think that it's best to have a sounding board that isn't always just your partner. Our Stroonge News story of the week: 'Man caught in car with £14k of drugs as a lamb ate chips...

Welcome to episode 111. This week we're talking all things Halloween. From 'chairs around the fireplace' to 'hiding the knives', we look at some of the more unusual traditions around the world that you may not have heard of before. Our Stroonge News story of the week: 'Man's £11k Halloween display that has taken over neighbour's garden' https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm62yldg6qypo?app-referre...

Welcome to episode 110. This week we're discussing loyalty tests for your significant other. What does trust mean to you? Does a loyalty test, in which you get someone to ask your partner for their number or whether they are in a relationship, really help you decide whether to stay with them? Our Stroonge News story of the week: 'A tourist in Bali reportedly set his $112,000 vacation villa ablaze...

Welcome to episode 109. This week we're discussing the difficulties faced when having an anxious child. Getting them past a difficult experience (when it's scary to deal with) can cause us to feel crippling guilt for pushing them to do something they must do, even when it's hard and even when we know it really is the best thing for them. Our Stroonge News story of the week: 'Museum’s Peanut Butter...

Welcome to episode 108. This week we're discussing the things we'd do differently as parents of young children, knowing what we know now and given how the world has changed quite significantly since ours were young. From screen time to rules and discipline, what might parenting young children look like in the 2020s? Our Stroonge News story of the week: 'Metro UK on Instagram: "A BookToker’s dream...

Welcome to episode 107. This week we're discussing an unusual situation that arose on social media in which a child was sent to school with Oreos in their packed lunch and was told by another parent that they shouldn't have them because *their* child isn't allowed them. There's a plot twist to this story, however, and all is not as it seems. Our Stroonge News story of the week: '25-year-old Sonni...

Welcome to episode 106. This week we're discussing world events that probably made you stop in your tracks, and the moment you realised something big was going on. We probably all have at least one thing that we remember, be it Princess Diana's death, 9/11, the 7/7 bombings or the death of the Queen. Where were you? What events do you remember? What sticks in your mind the most? Let us know. Our S...

Welcome to episode 105. This week we're discussing the different ways in which Millennials and Gen Z use various emojis. From nail polish signifying 'going to get one's nails done' (if you're a millennial) to so-called 'Slay Energy' (if you're Gen Z), the interpretations beggar belief. A source for this episode: 'English with Leap on Instagram: "Drop your most used emoji below"' https://www.instag...

Welcome to episode 104. This week we're discussing the shark attack on a lady in Australia who lost part of her left arm as a result. Negative comments on the attack from predominantly a male audience sparked our talking points. It seems that we live in a world of punching down, or being unnecessarily jealous of others instead of building them up or being able to celebrate their accomplishments. W...

Welcome to episode 103. This is an unexpected follow-up to last week's episode in which we discussed hoax callers, but this time we're talking about scams, how to identify some of them and with luck, avoid them. They come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, and it's not always obvious what to look for. Our Stroonge News story of the week: 'The world's first webcam was switched off 25 years ago' http...

Welcome to episode 102. This week we discuss a story in which a hoax caller rang around various restaurants pretending to be law enforcement, asking staff to bring in an employee for questioning, because they had supposedly stolen money from a customer. Over the phone, the fake officer would ask staff to often strip-search employees in back rooms and perform acts we cannot discuss here. A source f...

Welcome to episode 101. This week we discuss the idea of one person loving the other more in a relationship. Is it possible that one person has more love for the other? Is it possible that, on different days or at different times of day you feel more or less love for your partner? Is love even measurable or quantifiable? Our Stroonge News story of the week: 'Children's stunted lungs show recovery...

Welcome to episode 100. This week we're in Italy on holiday, and we discuss what it's like to have a week away with family. Kirsten's mother, sister and aunty are with us unlike last year when it was just the four of us on a cruise ship. We're staying in a villa with some good and bad bits which have caused both happiness and consternation, probably in equal measure. From the very well-sized pool,...

welcome to episode 99. this week we discuss the use of smart glasses, in particular the meta glasses in relation to blind people using them for legitimate reasons, and the unfortunately bad people using them for ill-gotten gains. while andre uses them to record audio and video from some of his gigs, the time he drove a car or family days out, others have found ways to disable the recording light,...

Welcome to episode 98. This week we discuss the ethics of a household robot being used for pleasure among other things, after a BBC television show Kirsten and Andre watched recently. If you had access to a household helper, would you find it useful or creepy? Would you try it and see how you got on or simply never take one in the first place? If you're in the UK and have access to BBC iPlayer, ch...

Welcome to episode 97. This week we discuss the idea of keeping secrets from one another, be that about money, things friends or family say about your partner and the best places to hide gifts from each other. Our Stroonge News story of the week: 'Terrified caged monkey left abandoned in a cage on a bus' https://www.london-now.co.uk/news/26296413.monkey-abandoned-cage-302-bus-near-kensal-rise/#Ech...

Welcome to episode 96. This week Ed and Andre discuss the trials and tribulations of AI coding, what it means to us, how it's been changing how we work and play, and how accessibility plays a huge part in our decision to use it. Is it cost-effective? Is it dangerous? Is it taking us away from our wives? What does Kirsten have to say on the subject? Ednun's Github Page: https://github.com/Ednunp An...

Welcome to episode 95. This week we discuss the idea of 'Stranger Danger', how to keep our young ones safe and out of harm, and how different it is teaching them in today's landscape of not just people on the street, but people online also. AI and deep-fakes can enhance a feeling of familiarity and safety that we've never seen before, so it's even harder to make sure they stay safe and out of harm...

Welcome to episode 94. This week we discuss the fact that men should be there for the birth of their children whenever possible. They helped put them there, they should be in the same room as they come into this world too. Our Stroonge News story of the week: 'Hottest day: Berlin police deploy water cannon to beat the heat' https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2026/06/28/hottest-day-berlin-police-de...

Welcome to episode 93. This week we discuss the hot weather in the UK, the fact that it's going to become a necessary part of life to have AC in our homes, and realise that we got very lucky by resurrecting an old unit left in our garden shed so the kids could have it in their room as well, which gets even hotter than the living room due to all the furniture in it. Kirsten also gives us a few hot...

Welcome to episode 92. This week we discuss our fears and concerns for the future, mainly around things like: 'What do we do when the kids leave home? How will we fill our time? What if they need us and end up living far away?' Common things that parents most likely feel as their children turn into adults. For each fear we try to find a positive thing to offset it however, so it's not all doom and...

Welcome to episode 91. This week we discuss a video that's making the rounds in which a person essentially says that If his woman got fat, he'd 'stop feeding her and tell her to get on the treadmill.' Apart from being a disgustingly rude and hurtful thing to say, it's uncouth and shows that the person's attraction is clearly only skin-deep. This was sparked after discussion about a footballer's wi...

Welcome to episode 90. This week we discuss the art of having a difficult conversation, be it with friends, family or when out on a trip. Do you complain when there's hair in your food? Do you talk to that family member that might be doing something you don't like in the moment? Do you have chats (not arguments) with your significant other about difficult topics? Our Stroonge News story of the wee...

Welcome to episode 89. This week we discuss some of the most ridiculous arguments in history. From a stolen bucket to whether an imaginary friend is bigger than yours or not, there are a lot of silly discussions floating around. Our Stroonge News story of the week: 'Scotland became the first country to make period products free for everyone... +More' https://www.instagram.com/p/DYwlq_ZFMwu/?img_in...

Welcome to episode 88. This week we delve into Kirsten's younger life as she lived alongside foreign exchange students. How was it to be sharing a house with non-family members? Where did they come from and what were they like? Her parents were hosts for a few years, so we thought we'd take a look into what that entails. Our Stroonge News story of the week: 'Humanoid robot chases wild boars from n...