The Jack and Cathy (Shit) Show

In this episode ... Cathy, her mother and her brother decided (months ago) to pursue Luxembourg citizenship because their ancestry allowed for it. After months of planning, the entire crew - included significant others - made the journey to Europe. And because Jack and Cathy love their fans so much, the carved out a few minutes while on the trip to record a podcast from Luxembourg and share some f...

In this episode ... We are on the brink of another change. The house is near complete and we are contemplating our next move. Do we find another project? Do we stay in Wisconsin? What are our goals? The house will be fully complete in February of next year and that will be yet another turning point for us. What's next? That's what we talk about! Recorded October 16, 2023

In this episode ... Months ago, we introduced Terri Luna to the Shit Show podcast as she was embarking on a new life as a single woman in her 50s. So we've been watching Terri via social media and noticed she changed her life completely. She bought a van. She moved out of her home. She set free many belongings and set out on the road. She started living "The Van Life." So after a ser...

In this episode ... We begin the episode bouncing all over the place, jumping from one topic to the next ... we had a long day. Finally, after getting our self in order, we dive into the topic at hand: therapy. We love going to spend time with our favorite couples counselor, Linda, for so many reasons. This week, we took a trip to Chicago to catch up with Linda and arm ourselves with even more too...

In this episode .. OMG the Chicago Bears are terrible and Jack keeps losing money. But that's not the point of this podcast though it seems to take up more time than it should. So we dive into The Blue Zones. We loved the Netflix special, bought the books and are now consumed with what it represents - not the diet, but rather the lifestyle. Recorded 9/19/2023

In this episode ... First, Jack makes a wager with Cathy. She is a Packer's fan, Jack is a Bears' and on the day of the recording they threw down a bet. Let's see where this goes ... Second, Jack had his wisdom teeth pulled and drank too much to ease the pain ... Third, we talked about being less reactive with one another and to NOT create negative stories in our head about our partner...

In this episode ... We love a bunch of other podcasts and in particular often listen to Pivot (with Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway). In a recent Pivot podcast, the pair talked about life influences: those people or experiences that moved all of us as young individuals and pushed us or affected us in some way that profoundly guides our current life experiences. So we wanted to talk about such thin...

In this episode ... Cathy, while browsing Tik Tok, became engrossed with the relationship series called, The Skin Deep. If you've not seen it, the Emmy Award winning series seats two people across from one another answering deeply personal questions with the attempt to get to know each other better. The participants are from all walks of life, parent and child, partners, friends. To bring the...

In this episode ... We finally went to see Barbie, the movie that is getting rave reviews and causing a bit of a stir for some politicians and media personalities. For Jack and Cathy, the movie had a profound affect. For Jack specifically, he sees the world a little bit differently - in a good way. Recorded August 23, 2023

In this episode ... We went on our first camping trip of the year and brought our podcast recording gear so we could bring you conversations from the forest. At least this year, Jack didn't break any ribs while mountain biking. Then the rains came in and we needed to stop recording ... and resume at home. Once we got settled in, we asked this question of ourselves ... do we talk too much? List...

In this episode ... Before Alex and Sam got married, and as the wedding day neared, they realized they needed a day-of wedding coordinator to help manage the festivities. Paul and Nilsa, founders of Tremaine Weddings (tremaineweddings.com) came to the rescue and were simply amazing. From the first time meeting Paul an Nilsa and then up to the wedding, we found these two humans to be quite special....

In this episode ... We love the musician Brandi Carlile and we were crazy lucky to learn that she was playing in Boston on our Anniversary. So we made a last-second trip to the east coast. Walked the Freedom Trail. Saw the Red Sox. Went to an amazing coastal town called Newburyport. Went whale watching. Saw a play. Then went to Marshfield, MA, for the Levitate Festival to see Brandi. 

 And then t...

In this episode ... Cathy wants to talk about intimacy and it's impact on relationships. Not the intimacy of sex. Rather, emotion connection through holding hands, listening, spending time together and growing. So she takes the lead and the conversation flows ... and turns into a therapy session for Jack as Cathy tries to understand him better. Recorded July 2, 2023

In this episode ... Cathy recognized Jack was out of sorts and it led to a conversation about men and their emotion cycles (akin to cycles that women experience, though clearly without the overt physical expressions). Cathy has the patience of a saint and then some. Recorded June 14, 2023

In this episode ... We are both quite confused - and often irritated - regarding the recent obsession with the transgender topic. Our producer - Jack's daughter - is transgender. Gender identity is deeply personal, and transgender individuals have the right to live and express themselves authentically. Allowing Ki to live her life in alignment with her true self is all that matters to us. We d...

In this episode ... One of our FAV fans - New Zealand Nancy - was the inspiration behind this podcast. Nancy loves the podcast and loves to leave us voice mail comments after listening to nearly each episode. Her recent voice mail comments inspired today's podcast. She pointed out that every relationship serves a purpose and that we either grow or we don't. We talk of our former selves, ou...

In this episode … Both of us believe mediation is a better method for divorce having used such an approach for our respective divorces. Such an approach is not for everyone. Please meet Susan Hansen. "Susan is co-founder of the Family Mediation Center (https://www.familymediationcenter.org/) and has held leadership positions in many legal associations and community organizations. She is past...

In this episode ... Jack and Cathy take a break from deep conversations and go all light and breezy (a place Jack feels most comfortable, btw). Along the way, the two discuss changing Jack's last name. It might actually happen! Recorded April 24, 2023

In this episode .. A good friend of Cathy's shared that she and her husband occasionally meet with a marriage counselor as a way to continue to connect and get better at their relationship, even when there's nothing bad going on. They view it similarly to getting an annual checkup at the doctor or seeing a personal trainer to improve fitness. So Cathy wanted to explore seeing a therapist a...

In this episode … We spent February and March traveling around much of the south watching Sam and his Iowa Hawkeyes play baseball. Along the way we had a stop in Austin, TX, where we caught up with Cathy’s good friend - and hair and make-up artist - Beth Lloyd. We set up shop in her amazing AirBnB and then let the conversation flow. Enjoy! Recorded February 25, 2023

In this episode ...   During opening weekend of the Iowa University Baseball season, we took a trip to see Jack's youngest, Sam, play in Port Charlotte, FL.    Sam asked us to bring our podcast gear because he wanted to be a guest - on location.   So we packed up the home studio and chilled with Sam for a couple of hours, mics and cameras rolling without interruption.    We thought the podcast...

In this episode ...   During opening weekend of the Iowa University Baseball season, we took a trip to see Jack's youngest, Sam, play in Port Charlotte, FL.    Sam asked us to bring our podcast gear because he wanted to be a guest - on location.   So we packed up the home studio and chilled with Sam for a couple of hours, mics and cameras rolling without interruption.  &nb...

In this episode ... In January, we took a day-trip to Ripon, WI, and were instantly smitten.  It's a gorgeous town about an hour and a half Northwest of Milwaukee, with amazing food, wonderful shops and a vibe that screams up-and-coming.  We almost don't want to tell anyone.  During the trip, we met Dan Guitierrez, and his mother, Tammy, both shop owners in the town and curators of...

In this episode ... We share a tough week for us. Cathy thought it important to share. Jack was a bit reluctant.  It was the first time since we started dating where we truly had our doubts of this relationship. We were out of sync in ways that forced us to evaluate all things us.  We questioned our future. We questioned each other. We missed obvious bids for connection. We dug our heels into our...

In this episode ... We get to experience Jack's true colors when he gets sick. And, well, it's a bit over the top.  While it was a flu - and one that knocked him out for a few days - Jack can admit that he gets a bit dramatic whenever he's not feeling 100% So Cathy did her best to coddle the baby. It turned into a podcast.  Good news is, Jack never lost his sense of humor. Listen and you...