This Week in Breeders Podcast

Garrett Bucks and Sarah Wheeler
  • 5.0 (3)
  • Parenting
  • Updated Biweekly

Sarah Wheeler and Garrett Bucks, a real life adult woman and man who are friends, unpack the world of cis, hetero, nuclear family life and culture, with jokes and hand gestures. www.thisweekinbreeders.org

  1. Apr 10

    CPAP... goes your heart

    Hello friends, Normally, these Ask Breeders Anything episodes, where Sarah and Garrett leave each other voice mails exploring all manner of gender-adjacent curiosity, are just for paid subscribers. BUT, this one is going to all of you. You’re welcome. And also, we’re sorry, because yes this is in place of what would normally be a full episode. You’re not getting one of those because, for the past couple weeks, both hosts have been navigating a combination of spring break and illness. What did we talk about? CPAPs, antidepressants and other aphrodisiacs, of course. Was there ever any doubt? It all started because Sarah asked for Garrett’s thoughts, as a CPAP user, on a recent Saturday Night Live mock ad for the medical device. Yes, Garrett had opinions, less about that skit itself than the extremely odd phenomenon of actual innuendo-laden CPAP advertisement. So many adoring wives, giving come hither looks to their elephant-masked heavy breathing spouses. We’ll share some examples below, because oh buddy. How’d we eventually get to the antidepressant part? Well, you have to listen to the episode for that. Also, do you like episodes like this? Well, you know who gets more of them? Paid subscribers. The absolute best folks around, if you ask us. Ready for some CPAP ads? If you’re reading this on any non-Substack podcast ep, mozey over to this post at thisweekinbreeders.org and enjoy! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thisweekinbreeders.org/subscribe

    14 min

  2. Mar 26

    How well do you know your man... osphere?

    Man oh manosphere. Odds are, you’ve heard that there’s a wildly popular Louis Theroux documentary on Netflix these days, one where the extremely British documentarian spends an ungodly amount of time with prominent reactionary dude influencers. Garrett watched it, Sarah didn’t, so join along as he takes her on a journey through a strange world of washboard abs, one-way monogamy and, well, some of the worst imaginable opinions and actions. The big question: Do we really need to spend time with these guys? Or is there a more interesting story right outside the frame. LINKS! * A very good video about youth travel baseball. * Official Netflix site for the Theroux documentary. * Oops! Garrett snuck in Lindy West discourse into the episode. Here’s some important background, here’s Garrett’s piece, and here’s our bonus episode on polyamory and moving to the Midwest. * You definitely shouldn’t take the “female delusion survey” we referenced in the episode but here it is. * Some smart thoughts from Andi Zeisler and her teenage son (Salon). * A good review from Lucy Mangan in the Guardian. * H20 Just Add Water: An Australian show about mermaids and also a real estate developing dad who finds his heart (A Sarah recommendation? Maybe?). * Too many people (Garrett included) have opinions about the fox and bunny’s relationship in Zootopia 2. More: * This Week In Breeders is a podcast! And you can listen to it wherever you like to listen to podcasts (Apple; Spotify; at the gym, where you’re working to turn your soy arms into tempeh arms). * But if you really want to stay updated, you should go to thisweekinbreeders.org and subscribe, so that you get episodes delivered directly to your inbox. * And then, after you do so, you should be like “but now I really want to support this podcast, and I’d also love to listen to their bonus episodes, like the recent one, where we were brave enough to ask POLYAMORY OR MOVING TO THE MIDWEST,” opt for a paid subscription. * Or maybe you want another way to help us out, which is very kind of you. Would you consider dropping us one of those five star reviews on your preferred podcast app? Or telling your friends? Thank you! * In every case, thanks for being here, pals! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thisweekinbreeders.org/subscribe

    1h 33m

  3. Mar 12

    Men lie, women lie, but This Week In Breeders will never lie (especially not to Gen Z)

    Oh wow. What great faces we’re making in that thumbnail image. It looks like we’re extremely concerned. And with good reason, actually, because this week we too are considering whether the kids all right. Hard to say, honestly. On one hand, there’s a new poll out that reveals that Gen Z men have more conservative politics than their grandfathers. And oh buddy are there far too many bad faith dude whisperers trying to convince young fellas to join the He Man Women Hater’s Club. But the Breeders can’t help but root for our slightly younger compatriots. We too are figuring it out. This was a fun episode. Sarah interviewed Garrett about a recent piece he wrote about that study. This dovetailed into a discussion of a critique that Garrett often gets, when he makes arguments about how it’s more important for guys to care about being better neighbors than being “better men.” Namely, that young guys aren’t going to listen to all that potluck-based pablum. What if they need somebody to appeal directly to their manhood? What if they’ll ignore folks like Garrett who aren’t willing to talk to them about masculinity specifically? Interesting questions, for sure. Pretty good fodder for a podcast, actually. Also discussed: Various places Andie Macdowell has lived; whether the movie Groundhog Day holds up; Garrett’s birthday (and the best age to have a birthday); Garrett’s entire taxonomy of the manosphere in less than five minutes; Sarah’s first ever boundary; a movie that is not out in theaters yet but that Sarah has already pre-analyzed; consensual open mouth stranger kissing… and a very bizarre novelty t-shirt. Links: * Literally just a Facebook thread of Missoulians bragging about seeing Andie Macdowell around town. * “Why Phil Connors from Groundhog Day is actually a terrible person” * Kings College study on international viewpoints on gender (broken down by generation) * Garrett’s essay about the study (“An open letter to the 31% of Gen Z men who believe that a woman’s role is to obey her husband”). * Another field guide to the manosphere (Media Matters) * Anand Giridharadas on the Epstein class and the elite male drive to separate themselves from any actual human relationships (“Never Eat With Women,” The Ink ). * “There is one word that explains why so many men are in the Epstein files, so why is nobody saying it” ( Celeste Davis in Matriarchal Blessing ). * Garrett and Celeste’s live conversation ( “Scott Galloway is basically a Mormon housewife”). * “The empathy perception gap” (Stanford Report) * Nate Bergatze is… The Breadwinner * Elvis Presley, who, whether we want to admit it or not, embodies how both Sarah and Garrett would act on stage if they were international pop superstars. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thisweekinbreeders.org/subscribe

    1h 20m

  4. Feb 26

    Coming of age... with the Breeders

    Ready to go for a ride? We’re covering some ground today: Two co-hosts. Reminiscing about four moments in their lives. Rapid fire (well, rapid fire with tangents). I think you’ll pick up the format pretty quickly, but the basic idea is that we each remembered back to when we were 5, 15, 25 and 35 and reflected on who, during that time, was our model for how to be a man or a woman. As we yelled out loud (with airhorn) on the episode… IT’S A JOINT REFLECTIVE EXERCISE. You know what was interesting about this? Just about everything. The two of us know each other pretty darn well. And yet, we were surprised and intrigued in a new way. Should you try this with your friends? Oh yeah. And as Sarah mentioned, we also wouldn’t hate it if you wanted to share some of these reflections with us as well. Topics discussed: Claire Danes, the 1987 Jefferson County (Montana) Cross Country Team, trying on your mom’s clothes, vicarious keg stands, older siblings, the motherhood internet, our moms, our dads, literally taking bites out of Infinite Jest, and of course, getting knocked down, and getting up again, because you’re never gonna keep us down. Links: * An Instagram reel (from Garrett) about what he packs for kids at his speaking events. * If you’re ever in Oakland when Sarah and her husband are hosting trivia, you should go! * Hubba Hubba Zoot Zoot by Caramba (a real song!) * Edge of Seventeen by Stevie Nicks (a much better remembered real song!). * The trailer for Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (since you don’t have the opportunity to watch the 1987 Jefferson High School Cross Country video). * WMFO at Tufts University (sadly “talkin’ about women” is no longer on the air). * The intro scene to My So-Called Life. * A reflection on how— contrary to Garrett’s one-degree removed fantasy— the late ‘90s Missoula, Montana literary punk scene might have been easier for young men than women. * The woman who is eating Infinite Jest * The Barbie scene about men explaining Pavement to women. * Madison, Wisconsin’s undergrad party scene (not pictured: Steve). * Circa 2008 Lily Allen profile (the Guardian, of course). * Steven Hyden’s fatherhood-focused profile of Kanye West for Grantland (note: this is a CIRCA 2013 KANYE WEST… a lot hadn’t happened yet!). * Alyssa Liu’s dad, very proud but also thinking about his fathering life and realizing he could have made some different choices (relatable!). * Sarah is right— everybody loves Kip’s dad from Heated Rivalry. * A wonderful tribute to the Mel-O-Dee karaoke night in El Cerrito. More: * This Week In Breeders is a podcast! And you can listen to it wherever you like to listen to podcasts (Apple; Spotify; the very feminism-friendly DJ booth at Tufts University in the late 1990s, etc.). * But if you really want to stay updated, you should go to thisweekinbreeders.org and subscribe, so that you get episodes delivered directly to your inbox. * And then, after you do so, you should be like “but now I really want to support this podcast, and I’d also love to listen to their bonus episodes, like the recent one where Sarah Wheeler shared what snacks she sneaks into movies and also asked Garrett “‘so, does your wife dress you?'” opt for a paid subscription. * Or maybe you want another way to help us out, which is very kind of you. Would you consider dropping us one of those five star reviews on your preferred podcast app? Or telling your friends? Thank you! * In every case, thanks for being here, pals! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thisweekinbreeders.org/subscribe

    1h 33m

  5. Feb 12

    The stars are out for mixed-gender feminist podcasting's most glamorous event of the year

    You all! It’s here! Our most anticipated episode of the year (according to the two of us, and only the two of us). The This Week In Breeders Oscars Spectacular. Friends, there was so much gender in the movies last year. There were women having mental breakdowns and/or founding religions. There were men (so many men) being sad, playing sad baseball, doing sad art heists, reanimating sad corpses, making sad albums about the death of the American dream, becoming dads, being sad about being dads, realizing they were sad dads and it was time to suddenly become happy dads… truly, so much gender (especially that one gender). Also, there was at least one movie that truly changed Sarah’s life, and also a couple guys we’d definitely let babysit our kids (all our love to you, Benicio Del Toro, and also the sweet projectionist Grandpa in The Secret Agent). Plus: The greatest surprise gift/musical interlude in podcasting history? Potentially! You need to listen to the end! We’re not just saying that! * Last year’s Mother Of It All Oscar’s Episode (the secret origin story, both for this episode, and this podcast more generally). * Sarah’s feature on If I Had Legs I’d Kick You (The Cut). * Garrett is in Portland, Oregon this next weekend (Feb 20-22). Multiple events at Trinity Episcopal, including a public potluck on Friday night and a workshop on Saturday. Perhaps you’d like to come? * Puppy bowl, baby (Garrett’s household is Team Fluff, by the way). * The therapeutic board games that raised Sarah. * Amanda Montei’s essay about how Frankenstein is much better than watching Frankenstein. * Taffy Broadesser-Acker watches a Broadway show over and over again. * Look! It’s Sarah and Garrett’s Letterboxd accounts. * Garrett does not need this very expensive Testament of Ann Lee shirt (and Ann Lee would be disappointed in him if he did buy it), but you can understand why he’s torn, right? * Though we both support Emily Gould buying the shirt * Most importantly of all: The complete lyrics to “Gonna be hostin,” so that you too can sing along when Sarah performs it live on stage at the Oscars. * Garrett would like to offer his apologies for mixing up the Skarsgards, and also for calling Ronald Bronstein “Richard,” but appreciates that Sarah was able to correct him. * BREAKING NEWS: The number of living Shakers (reported by us as two) HAS RISEN TO THREE! LET’S GOOOOOO! More: * This Week In Breeders is a podcast! And you can listen to it wherever you like to listen to podcasts (Apple; Spotify; in your gothic bell tower where you reanimate corpses). * But if you really want to stay updated, you should go to thisweekinbreeders.org and subscribe, so that you get episodes delivered directly to your inbox. * And then, after you do so, you should be like “but now I really want to support this podcast, and I’d also love to listen to their bonus episodes, like the recent one where they shared their Instagram algorithms with each other and it was a WILD ride,” opt for a paid subscription. * Or maybe you want another way to help us out, which is very kind of you. Would you consider dropping us one of those five star reviews on your preferred podcast app? Or telling your friends? Thank you! * In every case, thanks for being here, pals! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thisweekinbreeders.org/subscribe

    1h 47m

  6. Jan 29

    Talk less, laminate more.

    So, has this ever happened to you? You and your cohost are recording a podcast. You’ve planned for this podcast. It’s going to be about the Oscars, a topic of intense mutual interest. And then, at the top of the episode, you start to talk about navigating this moment in American authoritarianism as a parent and before you know it you’ve decided to punt the Oscar talk to another week because this is literally all you can talk about now. Oh, just us? Well, here you go then. We’re really proud of this one, because it feels like the present-tense contents of our heart literally split open. With jokes, still. And a heaping helping of affirmation and inspiration, because we really get into why this moment requires a wide variety of actions and activities. Is your contribution enough? Not alone, of course, but as one puzzle piece amongst several, absolutely! What about the Oscars episode? Oh it’s coming. You better believe it’s coming. But in the meantime, thanks friends. Keep up the good work, even if it feels like it’s not enough. We love you. [Full disclosure, there’s a little jump in the recording at the point where we decided to pivot the topic, but it’s just a blip and we hope it’s not too distracting]. Links: * Want to give to the Minneapolis rental assistance project that Garrett talked about? It’s here! Thank you! * Want to check out Garretts’s Love Letters To Minneapolis project (and add in your own)? It’s here! * And here are some pictures of a few of those love letters, now hung up across the city of Minneapolis. * Would you like a recipe for chicken tetrazzini? Remember that if you want it Sarah’s dad’s style you have to put it in the fridge “with a suggestion of foil” on top. * Robert F. Worth in The Atlantic on the various lanes that Minneapolis activists are taking right now. * The Potluck Manifesto (Garrett) * Since we didn’t do Oscars this week and because Garrett referred to his account as “my bonsai tree,” here are Sarah and Garrett’s letterboxd accounts. More: * This Week In Breeders is a podcast! And you can listen to it wherever you like to listen to podcasts (Apple; Spotify; in a church basement, in hour four of a community organizing training, with your kid tugging at your jeans telling you they’re hungry and bored). * But if you really want to stay updated, you should go to thisweekinbreeders.org and subscribe, so that you get episodes delivered directly to your inbox. * And then, after you do so, you should be like “but now I really want to support this podcast, and I’d also love to listen to their bonus episodes, like the recent one where they shared their Instagram algorithms with each other and it was a WILD ride,” opt for a paid subscription. * Or maybe you want another way to help us out, which is very kind of you. Would you consider dropping us one of those five star reviews on your preferred podcast app? Or telling your friends? Thank you! * In every case, thanks for being here, pals! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thisweekinbreeders.org/subscribe

    1h 19m

  7. Jan 15

    Fox News says that "gangs of wine moms" are taking on ICE in Minneapolis... but where are the men?

    Hi all, we’re back! It’s our first episode of the year, and our most timely one to date. We recorded this yesterday, with both the protests and the heinous ICE repression in Minneapolis deeply on our hearts. This goes without saying, but these are simultatneously frightening and inspiring times. We wish that none of our neighbors had to stand up to this level of repression, but we’re unspeakably grateful for those who are. We’re also noticing something (and we’re definitely not alone here): In Minneapolis, as was the case in Chicago, Charlotte and LA, the care and resistance networks standing up to ICE are disproportionally led by women (especially moms) and trans people. That’s not to say that there aren’t plenty of cis men showing up (particularly in direct confrontations with agents), but there’s a pattern at play, one that should be familiar to anybody who's ever attended both PTA and DSA meetings. What’s going on? And what do we make of it? We’re proud of how we wrestled with a whole bunch of the relevant layers, and we hope you enjoy it. Also: we didn’t just talked about fascism and its discontents (us, we are the discontents). We also leaned into our roles as hip coastal sophisticate (Sarah) and salt of the earth frozen Midwesterner (Garrett). Can you guess which one of us talked a bunch about ice skating and which of us attended an all mom dance party where she didn’t do drugs but only because nobody offered? Oh, you can guess? Well, you’re correct. Also: Rose Byrne gets a bearded lizard. And childless young people roast the hell out of us old childed weirdos. Like we said, we’re back, baby. Love you all. Links: * Most importantly: our favorite list of ways to get involved and support activists in Minneapolis right now. * Garrett’s organizing messages of support for Minneapolis organizers (only takes a few minutes! add yours!). * Take a workshop with Sarah on choosing the right school for neurodivergent kids. * Speedskating rules! And the sixty year old guy who only started speed skating at 50 and competed at the Olympic trials also rules. * Mom’s only dance party! (Sarah’s verdict: it’s complicated). * Jesse Watters on the (ugh!) “crazy looking” “single” women protesting in Minneapolis (Fox News: again, ugh) * Diabolical Lies had an episode about Scott Galloway that made us give up on thinking we need to do a Galloway episode (scroll down for the comment about Minneapolis that we read aloud). * Collectivism and Individualism in Status Hierarchies, an article by Vincenzo Iacoviello and Fabio Lorenzi-Cioldi, two Italian men whose names we pronounced really well (International Review of Social Psychology). * Gendered Activism: A Cross-national View on Gender Differences in Protest Activity by Kyle Dodson (Social Currents) * The normative male alexithymia hypothesis by R.F. Levant (chapter in Assessing and treating emotionally inexpressive men). * “Man enough to care” by Shannon Watts ( Playing with Fire ). * Comedian Chris Fleming on modern parenting * Rose Byrne and Bobby Cannavale love each other and their bearded dragon from New Jersey. More: * This Week In Breeders is a podcast! And you can listen to it wherever you like to listen to podcasts (Apple; Spotify; or in the back corner of a Fox News Studio, while Jesse Watters keeps yelling “WHERE’S MARK RUFFALO” at you for some reason). * But if you really want to stay updated, you should go to thisweekinbreeders.org and subscribe, so that you get episodes delivered directly to your inbox. * And then, after you do so, you should be like “but now I really want to support this podcast, and I’d also love to listen to their bonus episodes, like the recent one where they invented “Nighttime Routine ASMR,” opt for a paid subscription. * Or maybe you want another way to help us out, which is very kind of you. Would you consider dropping us one of those five star reviews on your preferred podcast app? Or telling your friends? Thank you! * In every case, thanks for being here, pals! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thisweekinbreeders.org/subscribe

    1h 36m

  8. 12/18/2025

    Girls Can Be Demon Hunters, But Can Boys Share a Pair of Traveling Pants?

    If you expected that the first ever This Week In Breeders movie episode would be a placid, predictable affair… oh buddy, get ready. Here’s an incomplete accounting of nonsense that went down over the course of our recording: * Sarah revealed the extremely inappropriate film that she and her siblings watched during a childhood snow day. * A few minutes later, we pause the episode because Sarah needed to buy Lily Allen concert tickets super urgently, and then we debrief every single possible element of that experience. * Sarah then reveals the EXTREMELY CONTROVERSIAL way that she got revenge on a super mean man she encountered on a plane. Huh! When we put it like that, it sounds mostly like this was a Sarah Gone Wild Episode, and, sure, but (1). Who doesn’t want that? (2). It’s not like Garrett didn’t also go on multiple tangents (again!) about that character from K-Pop Demon Hunters whose only personality trait is “abs” and (3). None of that prevented us from peeling back so many layers about the movies that raised us, the movies that are raising our kids, and what they did and didn’t teach us about what boys and girls are allowed to do/be/feel. Links: * If you’re wondering… was it really THAT impressive that Sarah successfully purchased Lily Allen “West End Girl Tour” tickets, the answer is YES! Those puppies went fast! * Shout out to our pals at Dire Straights ( Tracy Clark-Flory and Amanda Montei), who you too can join for a Lily Allen concert in San Francisco for the low price of a one million dollar premium subscription to both of our pods. * The 2020 Geena Davis Institute report on gender representation in children’s films. * American International Pictures and the “Peter Pan Syndrome” marketing method (TV Tropes) * Spoilers for the plot twist hiding in your child’s Lego Friends Set (wait, mild mannered Paisley is secretly international pop star Ley-la????) * “Why Girls Can’t Be Goonies” (Wit and Folly, who has a standing invitation to watch Lily Allen with Sarah). * Why do Minnesotans call people from Edina cake-eaters? * Boymom by Ruth Whippman , a very good book that Garrett has read once and that Sarah has read twice (but who’s counting). * The legacy of Free To Be… You and Me (NPR) * Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants Two (2 Pants, Two sisterious) * U.S. Viewers Overwhelmingly Want to See More TV Shows Depicting Realistic Work-Life Balance, Family Care and Gender Equity: Survey (Variety, Todd Spangler). More: * This Week In Breeders is a podcast! And you can listen to it wherever you like to listen to podcasts (Apple; Spotify; or delivered in the pocket of a pair of traveling pants). * But if you really want to stay updated, you should go to thisweekinbreeders.org and subscribe, so that you get episodes delivered directly to your inbox. * And then, after you do so, you should be like “but now I really want to support this podcast, and I’d also love to listen to their bonus episodes, like the recent one where they invented “Nighttime Routine ASMR,” opt for a paid subscription. * Or maybe you want another way to help us out, which is very kind of you. Would you consider dropping us one of those five star reviews on your preferred podcast app? Or telling your friends? Thank you! * In every case, thanks for being here, pals! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thisweekinbreeders.org/subscribe

    1h 13m
See All (15)

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

Sarah Wheeler and Garrett Bucks, a real life adult woman and man who are friends, unpack the world of cis, hetero, nuclear family life and culture, with jokes and hand gestures. www.thisweekinbreeders.org

Information

  • Creator
    Garrett Bucks and Sarah Wheeler
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    15
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Sarah Wheeler
  • Show Website
    This Week in Breeders Podcast