Treeforts and Mixtapes

This week, Bret and Josh dive into some of the funniest “is it real or not?” debates from our childhood and beyond. From whether pro wrestling was legit to the true nature of Tom & Jerry’s friendship, we rewind to the things that had us guessing as kids. Then we crank it up with wild conspiracies: Birds Aren’t Real, Denver Airport’s Illuminati tunnels, Chuck E. Cheese’s recycled pizza, Disney’...

The world feels darker than ever — from terror attacks and random violence to political shootings plastered across our screens. As parents, the question isn’t just how do we explain evil to our kids? It’s how do we prepare them to face it with courage? This week, Bret and Josh talk about raising kids who understand that freedom isn’t free — that evil will always hate it — and that their job is to...

Forget corporate handbooks — the real rules of work were written on the classroom carpet back in kindergarten. This week, Bret and Josh break down how the basics still apply: share your toys (and credit), take turns (yes, even in meetings), clean up your mess (literally and figuratively), and say you’re sorry (without an HR investigation). We also hit the grown-up essentials: nap time = avoiding b...

Some advice goes in one ear and out the other — but some lines stick for life. This week, Bret and Josh swap the best pieces of advice they ever got, from the timeless “nothing good happens after midnight” to the hard-won lessons about money, love, and growing up. Josh also shares how he survived dropping his son off at college — equal parts emotional, exhausting, and proud — and why moments like...

This week, Bret and Josh rewind to one of life’s biggest milestones — leaving home for the first time. We share our own stories of shaky launches into independence, from questionable packing decisions to those unforgettable “oh crap” reality checks. Josh is on the verge of experiencing it from the other side, as he prepares to drop his son off at college for the first time. Together, we talk about...

Before cheat codes and save points, there was only one rule: don’t die. This week, Bret and Josh fire up the nostalgia with a trip back to the 8-bit era — when games like Contra, Zelda, TMNT, and even Pitfall taught us the art of patience, strategy, and persistence. Josh and Bret talk about blowing on cartridges, memorizing enemy patterns, stuffing towels in the door cracks so you could play at ni...

Once upon a time, if you had a problem with someone, you handled it. Face-to-face. No texts. No ghosting. Just words — awkward, angry, clumsy, honest words. This week, Bret and Josh get into the gritty life school of confrontation — what it taught us growing up Gen X, and what seems to be missing in today’s conflict-avoidant, GenZ Staring, emoji-coded culture. From hallway showdowns and forced apo...

#69 This week in the Treefort, Bret and Josh pull back the foil wrapper on the food we thought was fine — and somehow lived to talk about. From Pop-Tarts and bagel bites to ramen dinners and roller dogs that looked like wizard fingers, this is a love letter to the food crimes and the never-would-I-ever-eat-that food of our youth. The rant gets real as they tear into the scam that was the food pyra...

In this new segment episode called Mixtape Rewind , we dive into the life lessons we picked up from the movies that raised us. From The Karate Kid ’s reminder that the boring reps matter, to Dead Poets Society ’s call to stand up even when your voice shakes, these films delivered more than entertainment — they gave us a code. We unpack timeless truths from The Sandlot , Ferris Bueller’s Day Off ,...

We used to be the remote. Now, if something takes effort, we skip it. In this episode, Bret and Josh unpack how technology—while making life more convenient—might be robbing us of something essential: our edge. Physically, we move less. Mentally, we outsource thinking. Socially, we avoid discomfort. But the truth is: we need friction. Struggle builds strength. Challenge sharpens focus. Discomfort...

This week, Bret and Josh wrestle with a key dad identity crisis: Are we fun dads… or just walking rulebooks with snacks? From letting your kids skip chores to realizing you sound exactly like your own father, they break down the tension between structure and spontaneity—and what “fun” even looks like in 2025 dad life. Spoiler: letting your kid stay up late while doing bedtime math in your head sti...

Troy Ita joins Bret and Josh in the Treefort to talk Florida roots, raising kids with patience, and embracing the Gen X art of chilling out. From sounding like his own dad when laying down life lessons, to helping his kids learn real social skills in a tech-heavy world, Troy brings laughs and laid-back wisdom. Plus, a Princess Bride moment reminds us all: parenting is mostly just trying not to los...

At what point did concerts, group dinners, and staying out past 9pm become a hard no? Bret and Josh explore the great midlife trade-off: doing less, and loving it. From avoiding plans that sound exhausting to skipping things we once lived for, this episode asks—are we actually getting wiser… or just chronically tired? If it doesn’t involve stretch pants, easy parking, or the ability to bail last-m...

Why is every 20-something with a ring light suddenly a life coach? Bret asks the question, and Josh—bitter, skeptical, and fully Gen X—has thoughts. This episode dives into the rise of young “experts,” the influencer-to-guru pipeline, and whether social media clout has replaced actual experience. Does experience really matter? YES!!!! But here’s the twist: did we help create this? By shielding kid...

Josh and Bret tackle the misunderstood art of Resting Dad Face—why Gen X always looks mildly annoyed, even when we’re just thinking about what to make for dinner. In a world where kids are encouraged to name every emotion, color-code their feelings, and express themselves constantly, we’re over here trying to teach emotional intelligence without turning every car ride into a therapy session. We ta...

Josh and Bret dig into a big question: What does it even mean to be cool anymore? Is it still a leather jacket and cool-dude attitude… or is it now a curated Instagram aesthetic and hipster energy? We’re talking about how Gen X defined cool--think Starter Jackets, Grunge Dr Marten, Track Suits (were they ever cool), and not trying too hard, and how the definition has totally shifted. Is “cool” now...

Being a dad in today’s world means navigating way more than just bedtime routines and forgotten science projects—it means explaining headlines, answering impossible questions, and trying not to scream during PTA meetings or political ads. In this episode, Josh, Sean and Bret dig into the wild intersection of fatherhood and politics—from the dinner table debates we never planned for to the tightrop...

Josh, Sean, and Bret go full nostalgia mode, diving into the stuff we thought was high-end luxury growing up—only to realize later it was total garbage. Remember thinking Sizzler and Olive Garden were fine dining? That a fridge with an ice and water dispenser was peak sophistication? And don’t get us started on Vinette ice cream (the plastic tray presentation was elite). We also break down the mos...

Josh is back from New Orleans, and let’s just say—between the beignets, ghost tours, alligator sightings, and next-level food, NOLA still knows how to blow your mind. While recapping the trip, Josh and Bret dive into a conversation about the unwritten Gen X rules that leave younger generations scratching their heads. If you have the chance to stay at one company for your whole career, would you? W...

Josh, Bret, and Sean kick things off with a throwback to home sick days—you know, back when staying home meant watching The Price Is Right and sipping flat 7UP. We swap stories about faking sick, the tricks that worked, the ones that totally didn’t, and how our parents basically had a built-in B.S. detector. Then Sean takes us into beast mode with the story of his first 50km ultra run—what it took...

Remember when we could function on pizza rolls, Mountain Dew, and zero sleep? Yeah, those days are over. Now it’s all about supplements, protein powders, joint support, and forcing ourselves to “enjoy” skipping just to keep the wheels from falling off. In this episode, Josh and Bret dive into the reality of getting older—the rituals, the routines, and the weird aches that show up uninvited. From d...

Bret’s back from Germany, full of schnitzel, pretzels, and stories—and fighting off jet lag like a champ. But after recapping the food and culture, the conversation takes a turn down memory lane as Josh and Bret revisit their Gen X glory days of getting into trouble: sneaking out, pulling pranks, and somehow never getting caught. From backyard fireworks to creative excuses that somehow worked, we...

You get laid off… then win a million bucks. What do you do? If you’re Gen X, you quietly pay off your mortgage, maybe upgrade your grill, and go back to work like nothing happened. In this episode, Josh and Bret unpack the story of the guy that won the money on Beast Games and what he is doing with the money now—they dive into how Gen X handles sudden wealth vs. how Millennials and Gen Z might thr...

Bret’s back from the Netherlands and ready to confess: without Google Maps, he would’ve been 100% lost in the land of bikes and canals. Meanwhile, Josh spent the week living like it was 1994 after completely shattering his iPhone—no texts, no maps, no mindless scrolling. And somehow… he survived. So it got us thinking—what did we even do before smartphones? Could we go back? Would we even want to?...

The knees crack, the back aches, and suddenly, we’re stretching before playing ball like we’re in the NBA Finals. Is this what aging feels like? Today, we tackle the brutal reality of feeling old before we’re ready—debating the odds of inevitable back surgery and the struggle of staying active without falling apart. But here’s the real question: Has virtual work actually replaced face-to-face busi...