55. Compliments That Should Come With a Warning Label

Send us Fan MailSixty episodes in, and somehow we've reached the bottom. Literally.This week on Wrong Way Forward, Katy and Justin celebrate their 60th episode with a collection of stories that prove common sense may officially be extinct.First, a concerned kindergarten parent writes to Dear Abby because her child's teacher is apparently such a terrible singer that she wants to stage a musical intervention. Katy and Justin debate whether the teacher needs voice lessons—or whether this parent desperately needs a hobby. Naturally, the discussion turns into Katy defending her own singing career, Justin questioning her talent, and a spirited debate about whether anyone over 50 should still be allowed on a dance floor.Then Justin does the unthinkable: he critiques Céline Dion. Yes, that Céline Dion. Katy is appropriately horrified.But the real disaster comes when they tackle the viral story of an endurance athlete who reportedly finished first despite suffering an extraordinary—and very public—bathroom emergency during the competition. Is that dedication? A health hazard? Or the worst sportsmanship imaginable? Katy and Justin have thoughts, and none of them are particularly appetizing.Next, it's back to college as they explore the growing business of throwing fraternity-style parties for middle-aged adults. Think beer pong, questionable costumes, babysitters, and a strict no-photographic-evidence policy.Finally, in a rare moment of sincerity, Katy and Justin reflect on Thanksgiving, aging, lifelong friendships, family, and the unexpected joy of reaching 60 episodes together.This week: Bad singers. Questionable champions. Middle-aged frat parties. And a little gratitude buried beneath all the chaos.Thanks for joining us for 60 episodes of bad advice, questionable judgment, and absolutely no personal growth.New episodes every Thursday. Subscribe to Wrong Way Forward wherever you listen to podcasts.The Secret Is OUTThe Secret Is Out tells the coming-out stories of LGBTQ people —...Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Send us Fan MailDear Diary, My Husband Is an Asshole | Wrong Way ForwardEight years of marriage. One secret Google Doc. An entire marriage's worth of grievances. What could possibly go wrong?This week on Wrong Way Forward, Katy and Justin dive into a New York Times ethics dilemma involving a woman who has spent years documenting her arguments with her husband—only to discover that he secretly went through her phone and read every last word.Now he's furious, she's devastated, and their marriage counselor probably needs a vacation.Katy sees a massive invasion of privacy and a husband waving enough red flags to start his own parade. Justin isn't defending the snooping, but he has a question: If your spouse keeps an eight-year record of everything you've done wrong, is that therapy—or ammunition?Naturally, the disagreement gets personal, with Justin threatening to start his own “Katy's an Asshole” journal.Then the conversation turns to a listener's advice about handling childhood bullying, including why Justin might be the world's most overprotective parent despite not having children.Finally, Katy and Justin take an unexpected detour into ancient philosophy, exploring Ryan Holiday's interpretation of Stoic wisdom from Marcus Aurelius and Seneca. Can we stop complaining, let go of things we can't control, and quit obsessing over what other people think?For two people who have just spent half an episode judging a stranger's marriage, it's a particularly ambitious goal.This week: Secret journals. Marital warfare. Helicopter parenting. Ancient philosophers. And two best friends who could probably benefit from a little Stoicism themselves.New episodes every Thursday. Subscribe to Wrong Way Forward wherever you listen to podcasts.The Secret Is OUTThe Secret Is Out tells the coming-out stories of LGBTQ people —...Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Send us Fan MailNothing says “we care about your mental health” quite like forcing you to spend eight more hours with the people you already see 40 hours a week.This week on Wrong Way Forward, Katy and Justin go head-to-head over one of corporate America's greatest inventions: mandatory fun. When a listener's advice-column dilemma raises the question of whether employees should be forced to participate in company bonding days, Justin would rather stay home with his dogs, while Katy thinks everyone needs to suck it up and be a team player.Naturally, the conversation spirals into trust falls with Greg from accounting, Katy's traumatic discovery of Justin's college grades, and the horrifying realization that Justin somehow graduated with an accounting degree.Then things get even scarier.Just in time for Halloween, Katy and Justin tackle the controversy surrounding a children's clown costume sold through Target, revisit some of the most spectacularly offensive celebrity costume decisions, and ask a very reasonable question: Who the hell is approving this stuff?From compulsory workplace happiness to questionable Halloween costumes, it's another episode proving that common sense isn't nearly as common as it should be.This week: Forced fun. Failed accounting. Racist clowns. And absolutely no trust falls.New episodes every Thursday. Subscribe to Wrong Way Forward wherever you listen to podcasts.The Secret Is OUTThe Secret Is Out tells the coming-out stories of LGBTQ people —...Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Send us Fan MailTill Death Do Us Part… Unless I Get Lonely | Wrong Way ForwardWhat happens when your spouse has Alzheimer's, your marriage has effectively become a one-person operation, and you're ready to start dating again?A woman wrote to The New York Times asking whether it's ethically acceptable to pursue another relationship while her husband battles advanced Alzheimer's. The ethicist gave her the green light. Justin nearly had a stroke.This week on Wrong Way Forward, Katy and Justin tackle one of their most uncomfortable ethical dilemmas yet. Do marriage vows come with an expiration date? Does an age gap change your obligations? And is wanting a little romance on the side understandable—or completely unforgivable?Then the conversation takes an unexpected turn: What if you're not married at all? Does a boyfriend of three years have the same obligations as a spouse of thirty?Plus, a listener delivers some refreshingly blunt parenting advice: Stop fixing everything for your kids. Sometimes the best lesson is letting them screw up.Marriage, morality, questionable judgment, and absolutely no shortage of unsolicited opinions.Wrong Way Forward. Bad advice. Strong opinions. Questionable qualifications.🎙️ New episodes every Thursday. Subscribe, follow, and tell us: Would you stay, stray, or walk away?The Secret Is OUTThe Secret Is Out tells the coming-out stories of LGBTQ people —...Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Send us Fan MailYou Look Great! Were You Ugly Before?Is it a compliment or an insult wearing lipstick?This week on Wrong Way Forward, Katy and Justin take on backhanded compliments, high school reunion disasters, and Miss Manners' painfully polite advice. From “You really grew into your nose” to the dreaded corporate “shit sandwich,” no insult disguised as kindness is safe.Plus, should you really start saying no to everything after 40? Because apparently wisdom comes with an expiration date.Wrong Way Forward — where bad advice goes to die.Listen wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes every Thursday!The Secret Is OUTThe Secret Is Out tells the coming-out stories of LGBTQ people —...Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Send us Fan MailSaving the planet sounds great—until there are maggots on your patio.This week, Katy and Justin are joined by sustainability expert and author Kelly Weger to figure out whether the everyday things we do in the name of the environment actually make a difference.Are we already past the point of no return on climate change? Does recycling really matter? Is sustainable living only for people who can afford it? What’s the environmental cost of AI? And for the love of God, can we please stop pretending anyone likes paper straws?Kelly explains why you don’t have to be perfect to make a difference—and why giving up may be the biggest wrong way forward of all.  Pasted textAlong the way, Katy confesses to Waffle House and disposable-straw guilt, Justin reveals the horrifying consequences of putting a chicken carcass in the compost bin, and somehow boxed wine emerges as a possible environmental solution.  Pasted textSmall changes. Big problems. Lots of bad decisions.Listen to Wrong Way Forward wherever you get your podcasts.The Secret Is OUTThe Secret Is Out tells the coming-out stories of LGBTQ people —...Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Send us Fan MailThe Disney vacation. The elaborate birthday party. The perfect Christmas. The Instagram-worthy “core memory.”What if your kids don’t remember any of it?This week on Wrong Way Forward, Katy and Justin ask a surprisingly emotional question: What do we actually remember from childhood—and are parents trying way too hard to manufacture memories for their kids?The conversation starts with an unforgettable clip from Oprah. An 11-year-old girl was losing her mother to cancer. Her mom had taken her on trips and deliberately tried to create special experiences before she died. But when Oprah asked the girl for her favorite memory of her mother, it wasn't Disney World.It was eating Cheerios together at 2:00 in the morning. That sends Katy and Justin down memory lane. Katy remembers hot Mississippi summers, burning his legs on his mother's Buick seats and singing with his family in the car and sleeping in sleeping bags over the air-conditioning vents with her siblings. And one of their favorite memories from an incredible trip to Asia wasn't the luxury villa or expensive restaurant—it was their friends doing a ridiculous synchronized swimming routine in the pool.  So have social media and the obsession with creating “core memories” convinced parents that childhood has to be bigger, more expensive and more perfect than it actually does?The conversation gets much more personal as Katy talks about losing her parents without warning and what she wishes she'd had more time to experience with them. Justin shares the childhood memory of discovering his mother secretly making powdered milk because his parents couldn't afford regular milk—and what that moment means to him decades later. Then, because this is Wrong Way Forward, things take a turn as Katy climbs onto her soapbox about what today's pop songs are teaching young women about relationships and self-respect. But it all comes back to one simple idea:Stop trying so hard to manufacture the perfect memory. Be present. Create a safe, loving place for the moments to happen on their own.Because money doesn't make memories. Moments do. New episodes of Wrong Way Forward every Thursday.Email: [email protected] Text: 720-251-4450Follow us on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and LinkedIn.The Secret Is OUTThe Secret Is Out tells the coming-out stories of LGBTQ people —...Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Send us Fan MailYou know their favorite food. You know how they take their coffee. You probably know what side of the bed they sleep on.But do you know how much debt they have? Whether they want kids? How they handle anger? What makes them jealous? How important sex is to them? Or what happens when you can’t stand their mother?This week on Wrong Way Forward, Katy and Justin tackle the questions couples should be asking BEFORE they get married—and some of them get uncomfortable fast.They start with a big one: What is the most traumatic experience of your life, and how does the residue of that experience show up in your relationship today? Is your partner supposed to help you work through that baggage—or is expecting your spouse to become your therapist the wrong way forward? Then they work through the questions that can make or break a relationship:Kids. Religion. Exes. Debt. Money. In-laws. Sex. Porn. Jealousy. Independence. Love languages. And the habits your partner has that make you absolutely insane. And Katy raises another question: Should you only have these conversations before marriage—or should couples ask them again every five or ten years? Because the person you married at 25 may have very different answers at 40, 50 or 60. But after all those questions, they land on one that may matter more than everything else:Does this person make you a better person? Before you walk down the aisle—or if you've already been married for 20 years—this might be a conversation worth having.🎧 New episodes of Wrong Way Forward every Thursday.📧 [email protected] 📱 720-251-4450Follow Wrong Way Forward on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube. The Secret Is OUTThe Secret Is Out tells the coming-out stories of LGBTQ people —...Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Send us Fan MailYour kid comes home and tells you another kid is mean, bossy, cruel, or making their life miserable. Your instinct? Step in and fix it.But should you?This week on Wrong Way Forward, Katy and Justin tackle the world of Mean Girls—and whether parents are getting way too involved in their kids’ relationships. When should you call another parent? When should you intervene? And when does stepping in actually rob your child of the chance to develop resilience and learn how to navigate conflict?Katy introduces the “Friday Rule”: before jumping into your kid’s drama, wait until Friday. Because the friendship crisis that feels catastrophic on Wednesday may be completely forgotten two days later—while the fight you start with another parent could last a whole lot longer. Plus: Do Mean Boys exist? Justin remembers an insult from fifth grade that somehow stuck with him for decades, Katy confesses her enduring love of gossip, and the conversation eventually takes a sharp turn into celebrity gossip. It’s parenting, bullying, resilience, gossip, and plenty of unsolicited advice on this week’s Wrong Way Forward.🎧 New episodes every Thursday. 📧 [email protected] 📱 Text us: 720-251-4450The Secret Is OUTThe Secret Is Out tells the coming-out stories of LGBTQ people —...Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Send us Fan MailMaybe the best life advice didn’t come from a therapist, a self-help book, or some TikTok guru.Maybe it came from The Golden Girls.This week on Wrong Way Forward, Katy and Justin revisit one of the most iconic shows of their generation—and discover that underneath all those one-liners was some surprisingly great advice about getting older, friendship, loneliness, anger, loss, and actually enjoying the life you have.First up: You’re getting older. Get over it. Instead of obsessing over wrinkles, aches, weight, or whether anyone is still looking at you, what if getting older means finally knowing who you are—and realizing you don’t have nearly as much to prove? Then there’s friendship. Could a real-life Golden Girls living arrangement actually be the answer to loneliness as we age? Katy and Justin talk about chosen family, decades-long friendships, and why having people around you may become even more important later in life. And then Sophia delivers perhaps the best analogy ever for holding onto anger: it’s like shredded wheat stuck under your dentures. Let it sit there long enough and eventually it’s going to hurt you more than anyone else. That leads to a surprisingly serious conversation about resentment, emotional baggage, and learning to deal with anger before it takes over your life. Finally, one of The Golden Girls’ most emotional moments leads to a simple lesson about friendship: don’t just show up for someone’s worst moments. Show up for their life. Funny, nostalgic, occasionally inappropriate—and somehow still relevant decades later.Maybe The Golden Girls really did have life figured out.New episodes of Wrong Way Forward every Thursday.Email: [email protected] Text: 720-251-4450 Follow us on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and LinkedIn. The Secret Is OUTThe Secret Is Out tells the coming-out stories of LGBTQ people —...Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify