A father and daughter discuss life across their generations. Science, medicine, music, and whatever else they choose to discuss are on the table.
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Peter and Aubrey recap the surprise family trip to Las Vegas for Peter's 50th — the first time the whole family has been together since Alex and Lily got married. They cover the Backstreet Boys' "Into the Millennium" residency at the Sphere (including the Gen Z crowd singing along, often badly, and some truly unsettling visuals), the crab-leg assault at the Bacchanal Buffet, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and the main event: 20 laps in a Ferrari 296 GTB at SpeedVegas with a relentlessly encouraging coach named Nico. Peter also plugs his new Imperfect Practice piece arguing that the harms of social
Peter and Aubrey tackle one of the hardest social transitions there is: making friends as an adult, after college's forced proximity is gone. Aubrey shares how COVID convinced her she'd turned introverted — until a weekend with a fearless friend showed her the extrovert was still there, just walled off. Peter traces how med school and residency made friendship functionally impossible, and how a Dungeons & Dragons group finally gave him a reason to show up — and the stickiness to keep showing up. They separate social isolation from loneliness, debunk the viral claim that isolation is as dangero
Peter and Aubrey share everything they wanted to be when they grew up — from Aubrey's childhood spy fantasies and mermaid aspirations to Peter's astronaut dreams (crushed by a second-grade principal). Peter recounts his journey from orthopaedic surgery to urology, and Aubrey traces her path from pediatric cardiothoracic surgery to astrophysics. Show Notes Plex FM: Peter built a custom music radio app using Claude/Fable that turns his Plex library into live FM-style stations by decade, genre, and mood — complete with dial hiss. PlexCoax: The inspiration — an app that creates pseudo-live TV chan
Peter and Aubrey each share their five all-time favorite TV shows — and discover an accidental through line. Three of Peter's five were created by Mike Schur, and nearly every pick on both lists is about people helping each other become better. They talk about why "prestige TV" doesn't appeal to them (too stressful), why comedy doesn't have to be mindless to be meaningful, and how these shows reflect a belief that community — not individualism — is what makes us human. Show Notes Aubrey's #1 — Friends: Classic background show; jokes that didn't age well somehow got funnier for it. Peter's coun
Peter checks in while recovering from a cold and deep into the newly released Forza Horizon 6 (set in Japan); Aubrey is heading into summer break and excited about her personal training certification. The episode's central metaphor — "motivation is weather, systems are climate" — frames a rich conversation about why motivation fades and what it looks like to build sustainable personal systems instead. Peter catalogs a long history of task management apps before landing on a daily-note-plus-Todoist system, automated through Claude Cowork, that finally fits how his brain works. Aubrey shares her
Peter and Aubrey work through a list of fitness and health myths — everything from whether your pee needs to be clear to whether cold plunges do anything besides make you cold. Peter, a physician who actually researched every item beforehand, delivers verdicts with increasing exasperation at the wellness-industrial complex. The episode gets off to a chaotic start when Aubrey's city issues a tornado warning mid-recording, which they handle with an extremely relaxed amount of concern. SHOW NOTES Unplanned cold open: A tornado warning interrupts the recording right before Aubrey introduces the to
Peter and Aubrey dig into Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinneman — all seven books, with book eight nine days out. They cover how they each came to the series, why the audiobooks (narrated by Jeff Hays) are basically the only correct way to experience it, and what separates DCC from the litRPG slop Peter burned out on years ago. The back half goes full spoilers: theories on the ending, whether Donut survives, and a frank debate about where DCC actually sits in the pantheon — fun and entertaining, they agree, but not literature, which is fine — and which leads Peter to take a brief shot at Brand
Peter and Aubrey work through all 37 official MCU films on Peter's custom tier list tool, placing each from S down to D with no shortage of strong opinions along the way. The results are roughly what you'd expect from two Marvel fans who still remember opening-night midnight showings — Thor: Ragnarok and The Winter Soldier are untouchable, Eternals and Iron Man 2 are not. The episode also touches on the MCU's recent creative upswing (Thunderbolts, Fantastic Four), the ongoing wound that is Secret Invasion, and a pre-show check-in that includes Aubrey's genuinely harrowing week of tornado evacu
Peter and Aubrey dig into the Project Hail Mary film adaptation — both are big fans of the book and came in with high hopes and specific anxieties about how it would translate to screen. They start spoiler-free with their history with Andy Weir's work and their first impressions of the casting, then move into a full spoiler breakdown of the story, the Grace/Rocky relationship, the practical effects choice for Rocky, and what the filmmakers got right (and wrong) about adapting the book. Peter notes no medical fact this week, and Aubrey closes with a brief Astro Fact about the Artemis II moon la
Peter and Aubrey do a mid-year check-in on their yearly themes — but first, Peter has to process something: Neurosis, his favorite band and a formative musical experience, just surprise-dropped their first album in nearly a decade on the spring equinox, and he has many feelings about it. The episode covers how both of their themes are going (fitness and peace for Aubrey; a flexible experimental framework for Peter), detours into the relative merits of Notion vs. dedicated apps, and closes with some genuinely good news: Aubrey is officially a published astrophysics author. SHOW NOTES Neurosis s
Peter and Aubrey dig into the role music plays in their daily lives — not what they're listening to, but how and when they listen. The conversation covers workout playlists, surgery soundtracks, sleep conditioning, studying to isochronic tones on YouTube, and the art of playlist curation. A highlight: Peter reveals an elaborate system of thematic, pun-named playlists (Egyptian death metal, Lovecraft, Poe references) that genuinely impresses Aubrey, who mostly just has "My Pookies" and a birthday party banger playlist she still uses. SHOW NOTES The topic: Peter proposes talking about the role m
This week on Generations, we dive into health tracking—why we use it, where it falls short, and how it can actually help instead of hurt. We talk Apple Watches, calorie deficits, anxiety, sleep data, menstrual cycle tracking, and why trends matter more than daily numbers. We share what we’ve learned from years of experimenting with fitness wearables, why privacy matters in tech, and how being “in tune with our bodies” isn’t about obsession—it’s about awareness. And we wrap with some surprising research on how just a little resistance training can dramatically lower your risk of death and even
This week, we dig into the news that Brandon Sanderson has sold the rights to the entire Cosmere to Apple TV. We talk through our initial reactions—excitement mixed with very real nervousness—about what it means when beloved books make the jump to live-action. Along the way, we explore why Apple TV might actually be the best possible home for something this ambitious, how creative control (and unfinished stories) matter more than ever, and what makes Sanderson’s worlds both uniquely difficult and incredibly promising to adapt. We wrap up with thoughts on casting, representation, unfinished ser
This week, we dive into video games—what we play, what we love, what we bounce off of, and what being a “gamer” even means anymore. We talk through our very different gaming habits, from hundreds of hours in Stardew Valley and Minecraft to deep, story-driven single-player epics like Mass Effect and Assassin’s Creed. Along the way, we explore why some games feel comforting, why others feel like work, how difficulty and time shape our choices, and how gaming has changed with age, technology, and expectations. It’s a laid-back, honest conversation about play, frustration, storytelling, and why it
This week, we take a lighter turn and talk about what we’re genuinely looking forward to in 2026. From major movies and long-awaited books to video games, music releases, space missions, and even what not to get excited about, we reflect on anticipation itself—how hype changes with age, how expectations can be complicated, and how sometimes the biggest thing we’re excited for is simply a slower, steadier year. It’s a wide-ranging, honest conversation about culture, creativity, and where we’re putting our energy as we look ahead. Show Notes We open with some life updates, including travel fatig
In this episode, we push back hard against New Year’s resolutions and unpack why they so often leave us feeling guilty, frustrated, and stuck. Instead, we talk through the idea of yearly themes—a gentler, more flexible way to guide growth without the pressure of pass/fail goals. We reflect on our past themes, share what worked (and what didn’t), and introduce our themes for 2026: a year of peace and the year of gentle refinement. Along the way, we dig into anxiety, sleep, routines, and why progress is never linear—and that’s actually the point. Show Notes We open by talking about being togethe
In this episode, we wrap up the year by looking back at everything we read in 2025 — the books we loved, the ones that surprised us, and the ones that completely missed the mark. We dig deep into our shared love (and growing concerns) around Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere, celebrate standout reads like Project Hail Mary and Murderbot, and unpack why some wildly popular fantasy series just didn’t work for us. Along the way, we talk rereads, audiobooks, nonfiction that actually changed how we think, and the frustration of realizing — a little too late — that a book you just finished maybe… wasn’t v
This week we settle in for a post-Thanksgiving catch-up, sharing how wildly different our holidays looked — from Peter’s early family feast and multiple pie rounds to Aubrey’s first snowy Wisconsin Thanksgiving with a marathon dog show in the background. We recap Aubrey and Hayden’s dream honeymoon in Punta Cana (complete with a personal butler, swim-up suite, and unexpectedly eye-opening moments outside the resort), reflect on the realities of tourism, talk about the new food-pantry project Aubrey is helping with, and rant lovingly about overconsumption and skipped-over Thanksgiving vibes. It
This week, we dive deep into Wind and Truth, the fifth entry in Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive. What starts as admiration for Sanderson’s worldbuilding turns into a sharp critique of bloated storytelling, lazy editing, and inconsistent prose. We talk about what worked—Kaladin’s healing arc, Adolin’s relationships, and some truly epic battles—but spend most of the episode unpacking what didn’t: Shallan’s unbearable arc, the meandering Ghostbloods subplot, and a Dalinar who’s overstayed his welcome. The discussion moves from disappointment to analysis, tackling themes of mental health, n
After years of Marvel fatigue, we dive deep into Thunderbolts*—the first MCU film since Endgame to genuinely move us. From Florence Pugh’s standout performance as Yelena to the surprisingly heartfelt “group hug” finale, we unpack why this movie finally brought back the magic that’s been missing. Along the way, we reflect on our shared Marvel journey, rank the post-Endgame films (spoiler: most didn’t make the cut), and rediscover what made these stories so meaningful in the first place. Opening Catch-up Aubrey starts a new job as an after-school group leader for kids — “the fun person, not the
We kick off this cozy catch-up episode by talking about burnout, post-wedding exhaustion, and the lingering weirdness of long-distance relationships. From there, we dive into the theme of lifelong learning—how to keep your brain sharp and your curiosity alive after formal schooling ends. Peter shares his new quarterly “learning sprint” approach inspired by David Perell’s Learn Like an Athlete, outlining his plan to spend the next three months mastering story structure before returning to novel-writing. Aubrey reflects on keeping her astrophysics skills sharp, learning more about fitness from a
In this catch-up episode of Generations, Peter and Aubrey return after a whirlwind few weeks. Peter talks about buying a new car (and reluctantly becoming a Toyota RAV4 hybrid owner), while Aubrey shares stories from her Alaskan cruise, her wedding, and all the chaos leading up to it—including marathon-induced detours, anxious pre-wedding jitters, and Mario Kart battles. The two swap laughs, family updates, and wrap with Aubrey geeking out over a black hole that’s devouring suns by the thousands. Show Notes Catching up after a break Peter and Aubrey talk about why they’ve been away and what’s
In this episode, Peter and Aubrey talk candidly about the stresses they’re facing—Aubrey with last-minute wedding planning and Peter with heavy experiences at work. They explore how decision fatigue, social media comparisons, and secondary trauma weigh on them, and share the small but important ways they cope—from Hayden’s grounded advice and wedding perspective shifts, to Taskmaster marathons, D&D nights, and even Donkey Kong therapy. The conversation circles around what really matters—connection, perspective, and finding moments of relief—and wraps with an astronomy tidbit on the Perseids me
In this episode of Generations, we explore the power of daily habits—both the ones we've nailed down and the ones we’re still working on. From journaling and meditation to supplement rituals and walking routines, we share what helps anchor our days and set the tone for intentional living. Our conversation blends the practical with the personal, touching on sleep struggles, the quest to ditch screens before bed, and the quirks that make each of our routines uniquely their own. Episode Notes: Peter and Aubrey catch up on life—summer swim meets, visits from friends, and family travel.Aubrey intro
In this heartfelt and wide-ranging episode of Generations, Peter unveils his new passion project—“Imperfect Practice,” a blog and YouTube channel exploring self-improvement through honest, iterative growth. He and Aubrey discuss the origin of the idea, the motivation behind it, and what he hopes to offer. Along the way, they reflect on podcast appearances, sleep habits, trivia mishaps, kayaking misadventures, Lego flowers, and the generational shift in taste for sitcoms. The conversation blends personal stories, tech nerd-outs, and mutual support, offering a warm and thoughtful exchange about
