Laugh Lines with Kim & Penn Holderness

There was a time when we’d have a reservation at a cozy restaurant to celebrate Valentine’s Day. Things are different now, but not “bad” different. I don’t love my husband any less. In fact, there’s no way I could love him more, but we are not in our date night era. So this week, our producer Ann Marie Taepke (she also plays our Midwest Neighbor in videos) joins us! When you've been toge...

Last week, we put out a fun video about Taylor Swift and the Super Bowl. It went viral and for the most part people loved it. But some of the comments got us talking enough to feel like we needed to do a podcast on it. Over the past couple months, Taylor Swift has received criticism for supporting her boyfriend Travis Kelce in his career. Some of the recent claims about her are misogynistic a...

This week, we had you join us to play our new game What The Flock? (Thanks for being DTF... which is down to flock, of course.) We also have Peter Denbigh, CEO of Skyler Imagination , join us before we play to give a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to launch a game. We had so much fun making this game, and we cannot wait for you to play it! You can order it from Skyler Imagination or Amazo...

*This podcast talks about weight loss and issues surrounding body image* I love the sentiment around body positivity today. Models of all sizes cover magazines, and performers in larger bodies headline tours. But I don't know if I will ever get there. I grew up in the 90s where being thin was socially rewarded. It wasn't until I met Penn that I realized how you look doesn't have an impact on how y...

Boundaries have been a buzzword for a while, but what they really? (And are we even doing them right?) Today we welcome Dr. Abby Medcalf onto the show to talk to us about how boundaries keep people in rather than keep them out. She gives us advice and examples on healthy boundaries, how to keep them, and why you shouldn't justify them. Learn more about Dr. Abby Medcalf and her book Boundaries Made...

This year I am trying to worry less, and it’s a hard resolution to measure. But I have a theory about needing to do less of something: Adding more. If I try to do more, will I have time to worry? I wrote a blog post last week that kicked off this topic in our weekly podcast. Penn and I talk through what we want more of in 2024 (which Penn is super on board with for the sole reason that it rhymes....

My motto lately has been: "That sounds like a January problem." So when it came to the last podcast of the year, I decided to make it a problem for our lovely team: Ann Marie Taepke and Sam Allen. Hear the 4 of us discuss the best moments from the podcast this year, what Penn & I have learned about each other, and some behind-the-scenes fun. (Should we have Sam and Ann Marie on again?) Have a...

I don’t buy lottery tickets. Not because I have moral opposition, but because I know I’ll never get this lucky ever again. Ten years ago, we won the internet lottery. We posted a video we titled, “ XMAS JAMMIES ” and it went viral. To be clear, we didn’t intend for millions of people to watch that video. It changed our lives forever (it's even how you're listening to this podcast now!) This w...

I have to admit, I roll my eyes when people tell me to slow down and enjoy things. When I first heard the phrase ‘Calm Christmas’ my mind heard the word lazy. There are so many obligations and traditions that are expected of us this time of year, how can you possibly slow down? This week we talked to Beth Kempton, author of Calm Christmas and a Happy New Year: A Little Book of Festive Joy , to hel...

Have you ever gotten a gift so bad that it's hilarious? This week we needed a laugh so we asked you for your worst gift stories. You did not disappoint. (Also, did you hear cheese or Jesus? Let us know PLEASE!) Have a question for us? Call 323-364-3929 or email us at podcast@theholdernessfamily.com. Play Our Game Shop Our Merch Grab Our Book Join Our Newsletter Kim and Penn are&nbsp...

Penn and I are no strangers to sports. We both enjoy playing recreationally, watching matches, and our kids are competitive too. There’s so much to admire about professional athletes. But what can we learn from them? This week we have world-renowned sports psychologist, Dr. Nicole Detling, on the podcast to talk about how to get our heads into a winning mindset. Dr. Nicole has consulted athle...

Last month, I announced my Slow 60 Challenge in an attempt to minimize anxiety and unnecessary stress in my life. Maybe you’ve probably heard of the “Hard 75 Challenge” - my Slow 60 is completely the opposite. This week on the podcast, I talk to Penn about my Slow 60 Challenge and how I am doing with it. While I haven’t been able to achieve my goals everyday, I don’t get too hung up if I slip. I m...

This week we try our first Holderness Book Club! Nikki Erlick, author of The Measure , joins us this week to discuss her New York Times Bestselling novel. (While I have read the book, Penn is representing the book club member who just comes for the wine.) We talk to Nikki about the inspiration around her book, how the pandemic influenced it, and she answers your questions. We stayed away from spoi...

Kim and I have a phrase that we talk about in our marriage book : Name it to tame it. It’s the idea that when you say your fears out loud you take away some of its power over you. It was the inspiration for today’s podcast about naming what you are afraid of... without getting too heavy. I promise this is a fun podcast episode. We also call this exercise "naming the tarantula" - more on that in th...

In our society of overabundance, we are constantly craving more, more, more. For me, I can't stop scrolling. It’s like a slot machine, but in this case, the slot machine is my phone. You know you can get something of value, you know you’ll eventually get a reward if you keep trying, and oh boy can you play it over and over again. Luckily, we had Michael Easter on the podcast this week to talk abou...

We’ve all done it – looked into our dog’s eyes and wished we knew what they were thinking. We enlisted the help of our dear friend, Victoria Stilwell. She is the dog-training mastermind behind the hit show It’s Me or the Dog , the Victoria Stilwell Academy, and many other projects. She’s a big deal in the dog-training world and we were so excited to have her on this week’s podcast. We're trying a...

We have a very special guest joining us for today's podcast. Academy Award-winning actor and New York Times bestselling author, Matthew McConaughey! Matthew graciously gave us some of his time to talk about his new children's book, Just Because . (It's fabulous and you can get it wherever books are sold.) We talk about dreams, creative inspiration, his Greenlights Grant Initiative, and if his thre...

Recently, we put out a song parody in response to Taylor Swift showing up to watch Travis Kelce at the Kansas City Chiefs game. (The rush of a deadline is exciting for Penn’s ADHD brain as well as both of our former news journalist backgrounds.) After we hit publish on the video, we kept getting the same comment: "I wish you would sing every news story!" On this week’s podcast, we e...

I like to think I am a recovering ‘snow plow’ parent. You’ve heard of helicopter parents that hover over their children, right? Well, instead of just hovering, you remove all the obstacles for your kids in order for them not to experience disappointment. I think it’s hard for any parent to see their kids struggle, but the struggle is what builds resilience, right? This week on the podcas...

Who remembers what it was like to walk around the mall on a Friday night and seeing all your friends? It takes so long nowadays for my friend group to make plans. I miss the days when there was a standing social event you could just show up at. You couldn't text anyone to say you were there. You did laps around the mall and got to enjoy the surprise and delight of seeing people you knew. This week...

Penn and I have had our fair share of interactions with hospice as our loved ones grow older. There are so many people who don’t always have access to hospice care in the way they would like. But one thing I do know, the nurses who care for us in our final days are a special breed. One of these special nurses is Hadley Vlahos, a registered nurse devoted to hospice care. Hadley (or Nurse Hadle...

I am constantly wavering about being proud of my kids for good grades and feeling overwhelmed with how much work they have to do. The same goes for sports as I’m the loudest one cheering on the sidelines, but sometimes brought to tears when they have a hard loss. We wanted to discuss how to deal with setbacks, so we brought Michelle Icard onto the podcast to tell us how to turn failures into...

When you've been married for a long time, it's hard to learn something new about each other. Luckily, our producer, Ann Marie Taepke, joined us this week on the podcast to help. Inspired by our friends, Shawn Johnson and Andrew East (who did this on their podcast recently) we play "How Well Do You Know Your Partner?" Learn what I have pretend fights about, Penn's worst vacation, and why Penn think...

Some people get FOMO (the Fear of Missing Out) but I have FOMS (the Fear of Missing Sleep.) I go to bed early and I am an extremely light sleeper. Penn, on the other hand, likes to say up a bit later than me and... is a snorer. Recently, Penn had a cold and slept in the guest room and I had some of the best sleep of my life. It got me wondering, are there couples who have happy marriages and sleep...

It's back to school time and we honestly needed a little pep talk. So, Dr. Seidel joined us on the podcast this week to calm our nerves. Her biggest piece of advice? You have to let your kids fail. (As a perfectionist who wants to cover my kids in bubble wrap every single day, it’s hard to hear.) Parents often say, I’ll worry about my own needs later. However, Dr. Seidel says we need to put o...