Digging in Our Dirt

In this episode, Culley and Maryll continue their reckoning with their fathers’ beautifully curated bluster as the iconoclasts start to lose their luster. We examine the cost and complicated perks of witnessing both the peak and the fall of the idol, and the pressure of sustaining the "greatest hits" for a man who is the last to admit his own reality. It is a look at the loyalty required to hold up the pedestal even as the myth begins to crack.

In this episode, Culley and Maryll examine the foundational stories their fathers told—the ones that hardened into legend. We revisit the ‘greatest hits’ of their self-mythology, deconstructing the narratives that both created and fed the iconoclasts. In doing so, we recognize the essential role of the Greek chorus—be it a chorus of one or many—because a legend cannot exist in a vacuum, and every iconoclast requires an audience to sustain the myth.

In this episode, Maryll & Culley take a quick but thoughtful look at what really makes someone family. Do you have to share DNA to belong—or is family defined by something deeper, like love, loyalty, and lived connection?

Maryll & Culley unpack the layers of extended family—how relationships shift when you marry into a new one, and the surprises that come with it. They speculate on Spencer Gifts inventory and reflect on inherited family patterns: how easy it is to fall into them, and the awareness it takes to break free to build family on your own terms.

Maryll & Culley reflect on what it meant to have their fathers return to their lives in grade school and beyond. They explore the responsibility of parents and stepparents—what was said, what wasn’t—and how those silences shaped them. The conversation also touches on Culley’s half-sister, the steady influence of their grandparents, and the complex emotions of welcoming fathers back into their worlds.

In the second part of the "Mom" episode, Culley and Maryll continue their exploration of their mothers' lives, examining their ties to the men in their lives, including their ex-husbands through their children, their second marriages, and the lasting impact of divorce.

In this episode, Culley and Maryll explore the lives of their mothers, examining the women who raised them. Despite coming from different backgrounds and either adhering to or rebelling against traditional roles for women in the 1960s, they discover commonalities in their mothers' experiences and the choices they had to make.

In this second episode, Maryll and Culley take a deeper dive into the lasting influence their fathers have had on their lives. As they continue their conversation, they unravel the complex emotions surrounding the men who shaped them, and the unresolved questions that linger in their minds. Through shared memories and candid reflections, this episode offers a raw and vulnerable look into how the absence of their fathers continues to shape their identities, relationships, and the path forward. With every story told and memory revisited, they lay the groundwork for a season that explores the power of legacy, the depth of grief, and the healing that comes from embracing the past.This episode was edited by Juliua Fraser.

In this heartfelt episode, lock in with Maryll and Culley, two friends with nearly 30 years of history, as they begin to unpack the deep, emotional connection that has bound them together: their fathers. As they reflect on their pasts, they dive into the shared experiences and unresolved questions that their fathers left behind. This conversation sets the stage for a season filled with intimate discussions exploring grief, family dynamics, and the legacy of their fathers, as they continue to navigate the impact of their absence.This episode was edited by Juliua Fraser.

Two best friends wrestle with the ghosts of their fathers. After the eerily parallel, tragic decline and deaths of their respective alpha dads, Maryll and Culley attempt to untangle a wide web of family dynamics – with the comfort and familiarity of a decades-long friendship as their only guide. They explore grief, growing up in broken homes, chasing their fathers (literally and metaphorically), separating dad myths from realities, elder decline, becoming a parent's parent, and multiple surprise siblings – and find themselves in the process.