Zen Pop

Todd and Cathy Adams

Zen POP is a podcast about understanding ourselves through the music, movies, and moments that shaped us. With a distinctly Gen X sensibility, we use pop culture as a mirror, reflecting our emotional patterns, relationships, blind spots, and where we’re still learning. Each episode starts with something we all know and love, then uses humor, memory, and shared reference points to go deeper into what we watch and listen to, what it reveals about us, and how those stories shape our relationships and our sense of self. We organize conversations into categories, themes, and “best of” lists because remembering together helps us understand ourselves more clearly. Listeners can also access Zen Parenting LIVE!, our premium podcast focused entirely on parenting and self-awareness, along with exclusive episodes and deeper connection with other Team Zen members. https://zenpopparenting.com/#team-zen

  1. 2 days ago

    Summer School- Episode #886

    Cathy and Todd close out their "Movies We Love (But Love to Make Fun Of)" series with 1987's Summer School, the comedy where Mark Harmon's laid-back gym teacher gets stuck teaching English after the assigned teacher wins the lottery and bails. It's full of '80s pop culture, and underneath all of it there's a genuinely sweet message about meeting struggling kids where they are.

  2. 1 Sept

    Teen Wolf- Episode #885

    Cathy and Todd discuss Teen Wolf for Movies We Love and Love to Make Fun Of month, the 1985 werewolf-basketball classic that turned a barely-known Michael J. Fox into a star just months after Back to the Future changed his life. They discuss the movie's best and strangest moments from Stiles's party-hosting mastery to Boof simply refusing to take no for an answer, and get into what the wolf actually represents: a metaphor for suddenly gaining power and having to learn how to handle it responsibly. They count down their 10 best Gen X high school party scenes in movie history and break down the infamous end-credits clip that wasn't even supposed to make it into the film.

  3. 25 Aug

    St. Elmo's Fire- Episode #884

    Cathy and Todd discuss St. Elmo's Fire for Movies We LOVE and LOVE to Make Fun Of month, the 1985 classic that made $37.8 million on a $10 million budget despite critics disliking it. They get into the David Blum "Hollywood's Brat Pack" article that changed everyone's careers overnight, Andrew McCarthy's book and documentary about being labeled a Brat, and then go over the movie's genuinely alarming WTF moments like Kirby's rewarded stalking arc, Billy pushing past Jules's "no," and his "there was no St. Elmo's Fire, you're making it up" non-help speech — before landing on their red flags list for the movie's worst behavior and the quotes they still can't stop repeating ("Wasted Love!").

  4. 18 Aug

    Cocktail Episode #883

    Cathy and Todd discuss Cocktail for Movies We Love and Love to Make Fun of Month. They revisit the 1988 Tom Cruise classic with its flair bartending, strange plot turns, and very serious ideas about money, masculinity, friendship, and success. They share their memories of seeing it when they were younger, explore the darker story hidden beneath the story, unpack Doug’s Coughlin’s Laws and Kerry’s missing backstory, and ask the important questions: Why does everyone make life-changing decisions based on barroom bets? And how did a critically despised Razzie winner become a movie we all still quote, rewatch, and love to make fun of? Subscribe to Cathy’s weekly Zen Moment and upgrade to hear a weekly Zen Moment podcast hosted by Cathy and Todd! Some Ways to Support Us Sign up for Cathy’s Substack Order Restoring our Girls Links shared in this episode: For the full show notes, visit zenpopparenting.com. This week’s sponsor(s): Avid Co DuPage County Area Decorating, Painting, Remodeling by Avid Co includes kitchens, basements, bathrooms, flooring, tiling, fire and flood restoration. MenLiving – A virtual and in-person community of guys connecting deeply and living fully. No requirements, no creeds, no gurus, no judgements Todd Adams Life & Leadership Coaching for Guys Other Ways to Support Us Follow us on social media Instagram YouTube Facebook Buy and leave a review for Cathy’s Book Zen Parenting: Caring for Ourselves and Our Children in an Unpredictable World

  5. 11 Aug

    Top Gun Maverick- Episode #882

    Cathy and Todd discuss Top Gun: Maverick to complete their summer blockbuster series, the 2022 legacy sequel that brought Tom Cruise back to the role that made him famous, three decades (and a pandemic delay) later. They talk about Val Kilmer’s real battle with throat cancer and how it shaped his return as Iceman, discuss the film’s themes of grief, legacy, and mentorship, debate why Jon Hamm’s character is such a dick, and share Cathy’s deeply conflicted feelings about Tom Cruise, who happens to look a lot like Todd. They also discussed the original Top Gun (1986) earlier in the summer, click here to listen: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/top-gun-episode-871/id414414318?i=1000770790944 Subscribe to Cathy’s weekly Zen Moment and upgrade to hear a weekly Zen Moment podcast hosted by Cathy and Todd! Some Ways to Support Us Sign up for Cathy’s Substack Order Restoring our Girls Links shared in this episode: For the full show notes, visit zenpopparenting.com. This week’s sponsor(s): Avid Co DuPage County Area Decorating, Painting, Remodeling by Avid Co includes kitchens, basements, bathrooms, flooring, tiling, fire and flood restoration. MenLiving – A virtual and in-person community of guys connecting deeply and living fully. No requirements, no creeds, no gurus, no judgements Todd Adams Life & Leadership Coaching for Guys Other Ways to Support Us Follow us on social media Instagram YouTube Facebook Buy and leave a review for Cathy’s Book Zen Parenting: Caring for Ourselves and Our Children in an Unpredictable World

  6. 4 Aug

    Wedding Crashers- Episode #881

    Cathy and Todd continue their summer blockbuster series and discuss Wedding Crashers, the 2005 comedy starring Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson that grossed $288.5 million on a $40 million budget. They cover the cast including Rachel McAdams, Isla Fisher, Christopher Walken, Bradley Cooper, and Jane Seymour, plus behind-the-scenes trivia like the almost-cast Justin Long, the scrapped Daniel Craig sequel, and Owen Wilson’s improvised “Rules” of wedding crashing. They count down the movie’s best quotes and talk through the film’s male friendship theme. Subscribe to Cathy’s weekly Zen Moment and upgrade to hear a weekly Zen Moment podcast hosted by Cathy and Todd! Some Ways to Support Us Sign up for Cathy’s Substack Order Restoring our Girls Links shared in this episode: For the full show notes, visit zenpopparenting.com. This week’s sponsor(s): Avid Co DuPage County Area Decorating, Painting, Remodeling by Avid Co includes kitchens, basements, bathrooms, flooring, tiling, fire and flood restoration. MenLiving – A virtual and in-person community of guys connecting deeply and living fully. No requirements, no creeds, no gurus, no judgements Todd Adams Life & Leadership Coaching for Guys Other Ways to Support Us Follow us on social media Instagram YouTube Facebook Buy and leave a review for Cathy’s Book Zen Parenting: Caring for Ourselves and Our Children in an Unpredictable World

  7. 28 Jul

    The Odyssey- Episode #880

    Cathy and Todd discuss the most recent summer blockbuster, The Odyssey, Christopher Nolan’s take on Homer’s epic and why a 2,700-year-old story about identity, home, and longing still hits just as hard today. From the Cyclops to the Sirens to Circe, they trace the myths and monsters and what those stories still reveal about who we are, and why the humanities matter to a thriving culture. It’s also a conversation about disguise and belonging, and why it’s so hard to come home when the choices of war change the world and leave shame behind. Subscribe to Cathy’s weekly Zen Moment and upgrade to hear a weekly Zen Moment podcast hosted by Cathy and Todd! Some Ways to Support Us Sign up for Cathy’s Substack Order Restoring our Girls Links shared in this episode: For the full show notes, visit zenpopparenting.com. This week’s sponsor(s): Avid Co DuPage County Area Decorating, Painting, Remodeling by Avid Co includes kitchens, basements, bathrooms, flooring, tiling, fire and flood restoration. MenLiving – A virtual and in-person community of guys connecting deeply and living fully. No requirements, no creeds, no gurus, no judgements Todd Adams Life & Leadership Coaching for Guys Other Ways to Support Us Follow us on social media Instagram YouTube Facebook Buy and leave a review for Cathy’s Book Zen Parenting: Caring for Ourselves and Our Children in an Unpredictable World

  8. 21 Jul

    Animal House- Episode #879

    Cathy and Todd continue their summer blockbusters series with National Lampoon’s Animal House (1978), John Landis’s frat-house classic that launched the college-comedy genre. They discuss the cast, behind-the-scenes trivia, the film’s most WTF scenes, and their own experiences in the Greek system. They also list the top 15 fraternity party songs of the early ’90s, plus the top ten things Animal House gave us that are still discussed, used, or homaged today. Subscribe to Cathy’s weekly Zen Moment and upgrade to hear a weekly Zen Moment podcast hosted by Cathy and Todd! Some Ways to Support Us Sign up for Cathy’s Substack Order Restoring our Girls Links shared in this episode: For the full show notes, visit zenpopparenting.com. This week’s sponsor(s): Avid Co DuPage County Area Decorating, Painting, Remodeling by Avid Co includes kitchens, basements, bathrooms, flooring, tiling, fire and flood restoration. MenLiving – A virtual and in-person community of guys connecting deeply and living fully. No requirements, no creeds, no gurus, no judgements Todd Adams Life & Leadership Coaching for Guys Other Ways to Support Us Follow us on social media Instagram YouTube Facebook Buy and leave a review for Cathy’s Book Zen Parenting: Caring for Ourselves and Our Children in an Unpredictable World

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About

Zen POP is a podcast about understanding ourselves through the music, movies, and moments that shaped us. With a distinctly Gen X sensibility, we use pop culture as a mirror, reflecting our emotional patterns, relationships, blind spots, and where we’re still learning. Each episode starts with something we all know and love, then uses humor, memory, and shared reference points to go deeper into what we watch and listen to, what it reveals about us, and how those stories shape our relationships and our sense of self. We organize conversations into categories, themes, and “best of” lists because remembering together helps us understand ourselves more clearly. Listeners can also access Zen Parenting LIVE!, our premium podcast focused entirely on parenting and self-awareness, along with exclusive episodes and deeper connection with other Team Zen members. https://zenpopparenting.com/#team-zen

Information

  • Creator
    Todd and Cathy Adams
  • Years Active
    2011 - 2026
  • Episodes
    918
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 927618
  • Show Website
    Zen Pop

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