TFEs: Thoughts. Feelings. Emotions. (sports)

With Mental health awareness month here, Kelsey and Dalen discuss what kelsey describes as the worst day of her life and the toll that took on her mental health. They dive into the different levels of prioritizing mental health, and what happens when you are taking positive steps and something is still missing. Is religion the missing piece? And apparently Dalen gets shook easily…”Man Down!”

On this week’s episode, Kelsey and Dalen look back on a weekend rooted in male friendships made over two decades ago. How those changed, what kept them together, and why has masculinity become a negative term?  Plus they discuss morality, morals, consequences and what comes next. Also, doesn’t everyone cry at weddings?

Kelsey and Dalen reflect on the last week of support and community, and discuss what they felt after sharing last week that they recently had another miscarriage. They also reflected on Spring Break, and while it’s different than your college years, they discussed how gratifying is it to get to be the family taking the trip. Plus- what do you hope your kids remember from these trips decades later? And out of left field, how important is your hose length?

Pregnancy Loss On this episode.  Dalen and Kelsey open up about the last few weeks away from the podcast.  While their March Madness schedules were busy, it was another pregnancy loss in the midst of a hectic season that challenged them the most. The episode starts with a clip the couple recorded when they found out they were pregnant.  They shared the happiness, anxieties, and complicated raw emotions of pregnancy after a previous loss. Then, they discuss the here and now navigating another miscarriage in the midst of march Madness.  They reflect on the small gratitudes that kept them afloat, how faith and religion play an integral role in deciding what's next, the pressures of aging, and the sadness of experiencing this loss again after waiting for and wanting more children.

On this episode, Dalen and Kelsey's true plan for the podcast get derailed when talking TFEs take them down a different path. What's life like when you realize the places where you are irreplaceable and prioritize those? Why is it important to be grateful for even the things you experience daily. And why fighting for your marriage doesn't mean things aren't good.

On this episode, Dalen and Kelsey play a game of catch up. The chaos of this season, coupled with family loss has made the slow time before the busy, busier. They talk about navigating that, reflect on a life lived 97 years, and try to talk a little hoops… all with an almost two year old in the room. Plus, could you do a podcast when your flight leaves in 2 hours? It’s March and it’s Madness!

On this week’s episode of TFEs, Kelsey loves Love…does Dalen?  Why they think setting the tone with their kids matters so much and doing the little things in life goes a long way.  Plus, the old Southern saying “bless your heart” takes on a much bigger meaning when they discuss a charity near and dear to their heart. 

On this episode, Dalen clears the way for Kelsey to have her own therapy session after a great morning was derailed in a matter minutes. And, the E in TFEs should stand for empathy this week. Why did a sweet video make a baby cry? Would you hold hands with a stranger who had peed themselves? And what are you doing to make sure you’re a fountain, not a drain? 

On this episode, Dalen and Kelsey come back from separate work trips in different mental places… Kelsey’s excited- Dalen’s in a funk. So they unpack it all with TFEs. Plus what’s it like to see your child achieve their dreams? Is that the ultimate parenting goal? And why doing what your partner needs can’t happen if you only want them to read your mind.  

It's not what you think... or maybe it is. On this episode, Dalen and Kelsey deep dive into how powerful it can be to lose the screens and just listen to a voice- and this thought provoking moment all started with a children's Christmas gift. What happens when you focus in on a voice, when it's one you can't hear everyday, or one you won't hear again? Plus- is driving home in silence an insane move or a thought provoking slowdown. Some might say you're rawdogging the ride- they're not wrong. Before we go, let's celebrate an anniversary, offer some unsolicited advice, and relive Dalen's greatest (or worst) moment celebrating as a has been athlete and diehard Steelers fan.**  Listener Note ** some technical challenges to our sound at min 48, we will resolve for next week!

Kelsey and Dalen discuss choosing to celebrate the highs of a hard 2025 and look ahead to hopes for 2026.  Plus New Year’s resolutions and New Year’s Eve stories and perspective as your life stage changes. Happy 2026!  Thanks for listening and hopefully sharing your TFEs with those close to you.  

Dalen and Kelsey take a deep dive on the holidays. Their discussion of family traditions and the Magic of Christmas evolves into an emotional conversation of how holidays can be a milestone and reminder of things lost and gained, plans that worked out and dreams that haven’t been realized. Plus Dalen’s favorite Christmas Eve mass story is one you’ve got to hear, and why decorating a Christmas tree has so much more meaning when you do it with people you love. 

Kelsey and Dalen try to answer the age old question: why are men so bad at being sick? That somehow evolves into a discussion about Notre Dame being left out the College Football Playoff (if you don’t know, don’t worry- you will). The focus of the big conversation though is what happens when you find yourself in the middle of somewhere you didn’t ask for or didn’t plan to be? How can you handle it when your plans don’t work out? The couple talks through what it means to believe God is making space for something better and the challenges for believers and nonbelievers, how to be self motivated and gain perspective through the hard. Also, a real conversation about the letdowns after pregnancy loss.

Kelsey and Dalen discuss their family trip to Atlanta over Thanksgiving and some lessons learned. Most importantly, how to prioritize each other as we move into the most hectic but wonderful time of the year. Also, what do you do when your daughter thinks she's created a great name for her Elf on the Shelf but it's actually a body part? 

Kelsey and Dalen discuss their birthday week, perspective on aging, how their birthday desires have evolved and why chaos isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Plus, is imposing on your friend’s family Thanksgiving just too much?

On this episode of TFEs, Dalen and Kelsey dive into the mental shift of you HAVE to, versus you GET to. The couple also opens a letter they wrote themselves three months ago on a retreat and dives into the TFEs of looking back and comparing to the present. Plus, itchy sweaters, snow, holiday explorations, and should being considered a below average singer be a reason to start a fight.

After sickness, Halloween, and a grandparents visit, Dalen & Kelsey are back with goals set for the future and a hope of honing in on how to make them attainable. They discuss the letdown of feeling like a homework assignment was incomplete, and the hope that goal setting will have on the whole family. But is there a danger in being TOO goal oriented? Plus- it’s date night! 

Kelsey and Dalen discuss the importance of setting and writing down their goals.  Ironically, they do this while consistently getting sidetracked with random stories, life anecdotes and why Back To The Future is a philosophical work of art.

Dalen and Kelsey dive into a complex emotion that took center stage during a children’s movie: anxiety. How do you navigate the anxieties of adulthood, learn from past traumas and explain the complexities to your kids?  Plus- what do a thong and a bush have in common? Hold on, it’s a wild ride.

Another week, another episode of Kelsey dragging Dalen into some Taylor Swift dialogue- but this one is a little different. Exit signs and kaleidoscopes lead the way, while the couple looks back on a crazy work week that brought one thing into focus thanks to a college basketball player: the importance of being present 

Dalen and Kelsey talk about something Dalen is doing and just assumed Kelsey had done in the past…therapy. The couple gives their TFEs on therapy, stigma, the impact, the need and desires that fuel finding a therapist. Also, what happens when you finally reach out to a therapist, and you get ghosted. Plus, Taylor Swift’s new album comes out Friday and one of them cares.

Kelsey and Dalen and dive headfirst into fear. From irrational fears (Kelsey is spiraling after a weekend car trip gone wrong) to fears that are inevitable realities. Dalen shares his thoughts on life after you lose a loved one and the ways his dad still shows up.  The most recent example left him fumbling for words in front of Spike Lee. Plus, do parents REALLY have a favorite child? 

Kelsey and Dalen recap a 6AM flight with a wannabe standup comedian for a flight attendant, talk TFEs on this season of parenting, and dive into one of the micro-moments that can make or break a relationship: being a couple who goes to bed together.

In episode four, Dalen’s TFEs off the top take them through a vulnerable conversation about job changes, self worth, and navigating times when you aren’t in control. Kelsey & Dalen discuss why being busy and booked is great, but it isn’t always a blessing. The couple relive a fancy date night that ended poorly, and a casual impromptu date night that was perfect. And what happens when you meet one of your heroes? Ask Kelsey- she just tried to keep it together while interviewing one of her GOATs.

Kelsey & Dalen reflect on the support & impact of sharing personal grief & challenges with an online community, as well as the realities of walking into a room knowing everyone knows the hard you’re handling. They dive into college football fandom, the Bill Belichick experience, & why Kelsey may be one of the only people unbothered by his girlfriend. Plus… why you should want a red wagon kind of life.

Kelsey and Dalen discuss a getaway to a Wellness Retreat that was purposely scheduled around August 23, a date when they were due to have their second child together. The couple candidly shares their pain and feelings after suffering a miscarriage, the stigmatization of this conversation, the realities of no one else seeing the pain, and the power and healing in saying it out loud.

In the debut episode, Dalen and Kelsey explain: what are TFEs. The couple describes the origin story of this concept, the role TFEs now play in their every day lives, and the power (and challenges) of allowing yourself to stop and explore each one.   

TFEs is a podcast hosted by a married couple Kelsey and Dalen Cuff — both former college athletes and now on-air sports personalities — who dive into life’s rawest moments with humor, heart, and honesty. TFEs stands for Thoughts, Feelings, Emotions, an abbreviation that became the foundational phrase their relationship was built on.This isn’t just a podcast about relationships or sports. It’s about real life. From parenting and marriage, to mental health, personal growth, and sports moments that resonate — TFEs is where therapy meets real life and love.