The Loud Quiet - Empty Nest Living

The holidays are over, the fridge is still full of leftovers, and the routine hasn’t quite found its way home yet. In this episode, Rick and Clancy talk about what happens between Thanksgiving and “whenever we finally pull it together.” The extra food. The extra drinks. The social calendar that never lets up. And the moment, especially in your 50s, when your body makes it very clear that it notice...

Your young adult’s path may look messy, stalled, or off-script… and that doesn’t mean something is wrong. In this guest episode, we’re joined by Joanna Lilley, a therapeutic consultant who works with young adults and their parents during the often complicated transition into adulthood. Joanna helps families navigate college decisions, mental health challenges, academic setbacks, and those moments...

That weird stretch between Christmas and New Year’s… when no one knows what day it is, the snacks never stop, and you start thinking about what just happened and what might be coming next. In this New Year’s Day episode, we look back on 2025 and talk about what surprised us most… how this podcast grew way beyond what we expected, how the community took on a life of its own, and how the empty nest...

We’re releasing this episode on Christmas Day, and it felt like the right time to bring this one back. This is a Greatest Hits re-release of Episode 20, originally recorded after our very first holiday season as empty nesters… when both kids came home from college and the house went from quiet to very full, very fast. It was the first time we experienced that swing back to shared meals, full sched...

When the kids are grown and the house is quieter, the way couples talk to each other starts to matter in new ways. Some patterns get easier. Others get harder to ignore. In this episode of The Loud Quiet , we’re joined by marriage counselor and author Raffi Bilek for a practical, honest conversation about communication, conflict, and what actually helps couples stay connected during the empty nest...

Holiday food has a way of anchoring a season. We make certain things every year without even thinking about it… and the kids now expect them just as much as we do. In this episode we talk through the foods we grew up with, the ones that stuck, and the ones we only remember when someone says “remember when…?” Quick note… The Loud Quiet book is almost ready. If you want early updates and preorder in...

Sometimes saying yes takes you somewhere you never expected… like an EDM show on a Sunday night, surrounded by people half your age and a bass that makes your clothes vibrate. In this episode, Rick and Clancy share what happened when Tanner finally talked them into a Chris Lake show… and why it ended up feeling surprisingly joyful, safe, and honestly pretty fun. And then the week flipped right int...

Some Thanksgivings are predictable… this one definitely wasn’t. For this Greatest Hits episode, we’re flashing back to our 2023 Thanksgiving trip to Arizona, a holiday full of hiking, travel hiccups, questionable turkey, and a whole lot of Phase 10 and football. It originally aired as Episode 16 and it still makes us laugh. Since this episode is coming out on Thanksgiving, we want to say how thank...

Using business ideas for a personal relationship. It sounds unusual at first, but Dr. Robin Buckley makes it feel surprisingly natural. She talks about relationships in a way that feels clear and doable without losing the heart of it. She takes ideas most of us only ever use in business and shows how they can actually make home life easier… especially when you’re in the empty nest stage and trying...

For a lot of families, Thanksgiving week feels like it should be a given… everyone comes home, the same sides hit the table, the Cowboys disappoint us again. But for some parents of college kids, that mid-November homecoming doesn’t happen. In this episode, Rick and Clancy talk about what it’s like when your student can’t make it home for Thanksgiving and how to stay connected across the miles. Fr...

This episode is a little different... it’s a two-parter. We recorded the first half before leaving for our empty nest getaway to Mexico, talking through what we hoped for (and what we worried might happen). Then, after the trip, we sat back down to see if those expectations actually matched reality. From pre-trip nerves and some lighthearted talk about “resort romance” to real reflections on unplu...

Most of us were never taught how to love ourselves... and yet, it’s the foundation of every healthy relationship we’ll ever have. In this week’s conversation, Rick and Clancy sit down with relationship coach Chaya Garcia to talk about what self-love really looks like in the empty nest years, how it shapes the way we date, and why it’s never too late to grow in connection. Chaya shares real, practi...

Can AI save you $1,400? It did for Rick. This week, Rick and Clancy talk about how AI is showing up in real life for empty nesters, including stories from The Loud Quiet community. From planning dinners for two and simplifying home maintenance to creating custom workouts and even preparing for job interviews, listeners shared how they’re using these tools in practical, everyday ways. They also tal...

Every podcast starts somewhere… and this week, we’re sharing exactly how The Loud Quiet - Empty Nest Living came to be. It all goes back to one late-night drive, a little vodka honesty, and a question from Clancy that stopped Rick cold. That moment caught us off guard and led to discussions on how we saw our relationship, our future, and eventually led to creating this show. In this episode, we ta...

How Do We Reinvent Ourselves? What does it really mean to reinvent yourself once the house goes quiet? In this episode, Rick and Clancy talk about what reinvention has looked like for them since becoming empty nesters... how it’s less about one big change and more about staying curious, open, and willing to keep learning. They share stories from their recent trip to the Empowered Podcaster Confere...

Parenting doesn’t come with a guidebook... but sometimes it comes with text messages. In this episode, we sit down with Tammy Cohen, author of Text Messages To My Sons , to talk about the lessons, reminders, and heart-to-hearts she’s been sending her boys for years. Tammy shares why she started capturing her wisdom in text form, how her sons have received it, and what it looks like to parent adult...

What started as “just a quick drive” turned into a full-on Baylor game day adventure… complete with tailgates, rivalries, bugs that wouldn’t quit, and a whole lot of laughs with friends. In this episode, we talk about navigating friendships in the empty nest… especially when your kids are dating each other… plus what it’s like to step into traditions that weren’t originally ours but now feel prett...

What happens when you visit your kids in their own space? We share the funny, surprising, and eye-opening moments of stepping into their world while on the road between Phoenix and Tucson. Visiting your kids on their turf brings a mix of surprises, laughs, and those little reminders that they’re building lives outside of your roof. This week’s episode was recorded while we were literally on the ro...

Some signs of fall are comforting. Some are kind of annoying. And some, like the flashing yellow school zone lights, just make you groan. In this episode, Rick and Clancy share the little markers that tell them fall has arrived. Childhood soccer uniforms, back-to-school shopping trips, college football weekends, the first cool front fake-out, and pumpkin scented candles all make the list. They als...

Retirement isn’t just about 401(k)s and Social Security. It’s also about your identity, your routines, your relationship, and that strange feeling of waking up with nowhere to be. In this episode, Rick and Clancy sit down with retirement coach Wendy Leggett to talk about the non-financial side of retirement: what makes it hard, what makes it meaningful, and how to approach it with curiosity instea...

The house is quiet again... and we’re back in the studio. The return of the empty nest, even for the 3rd time, stirs up a wide range of feelings.  In this milestone 100th episode, we reflect on how much has changed... since starting the podcast, since our first round of empty nest living, and even just since last summer. From Iceland inside jokes to unexpected museum noises to the rediscovery of p...

You’re a couple again... but it doesn’t feel quite the same. This Greatest Hits episode takes us back to the early weeks of our empty nest life. The routines technically returned... but everything about them felt different. From light trash cans to creepy museum portraits to the moment the house goes quiet and it hits you all over again... this one’s for anyone staring down the weird, slow shift f...

Some parenting lessons don’t hit until you’re in a parking lot, crying with your kid, trying to help them through something you can’t fix. This Greatest Hits episode from our first season walks through a tough moment with our daughter Teagan... her first big roommate conflict in college... and how we had to learn a new way to parent her through it. From awkward campus moments to the heartbreak of...

The IKEA bags. The ramen in the pantry. The horse figurine in the car. This is the episode we recorded just days after becoming official empty nesters... and let’s just say, the tears were flowing. Originally aired as Episode 2, this one holds a lot of heart. It’s a real-time look at what it feels like to leave your youngest at college... awkward silences, Target runs, unexpected breakdowns, and t...

Whether it’s your first college drop-off or your last, move-in season is a major milestone in empty nest life... and it comes with a LOT of moving parts. In this episode, we walk through our favorite practical and emotional tips from years of college move-ins... what we’ve learned, what we wish we had known earlier, and what might help ease the transition for you and your student. From the glory o...