The Kylen and Kenda Show

Saint Kay Media

Kylen is 33. He lives in a shed on his dad's property, gets his news from YouTube, and plays video games until 3am. He also wants a family, a home, and a life that looks nothing like the one he's living. I'm trying to help him build it. He's trying to help his mentor, Kenda, understand why his whole generation is stuck. Neither of us is sure it's working.

  1. 1h ago

    Andrew Tate and the Four Controls Every Cult Uses

    Kenda came into this one with a stack of research and a question. How does anyone end up in a cult? Her answer starts with Steven Hassan's BITE model, four basic things that all cults have. Behavior, information, thought and emotion. They try to control all of it. She says the people who join are not who you would expect. They are not troubled or unintelligent. They are intelligent people who are searching for connection and something to improve. Kylen brings Andrew Tate. He admits he first took him for a guy who cracked the algorithm and said wild things for clicks. Kenda adds what she found: about 155,000 members in his online university, about 184 million a year, and what UK journalists reported from inside the paid "war rooms". She also watched a Manosphere documentary the night before, and it did not go well for the men on screen. From there they go through the lover boy technique, a Netflix documentary about a TikTok management company that ran like a church and asked for 70 percent of what its members made, a South Korean election that split 58 percent exactly down the line, and the sunk cost fallacy. Then who runs a cult, which is the dark triad, and why 15 percent of men now say they have no close friends. Kylen would like it noted that he is in a cult called Kenda's cult, and she will not let him leave. They end on connection. Everybody wants it, and sometimes the thing we want most is the thing we push away. The Kylen and Kenda Show. Kenda is the mentor. Kylen is the mentee. Sources Kenda names in the episode: Steven Hassan's Combating Cult Mind Control, Pew Research, a Danish report on fake teen accounts, the book Raising Cain, and a Netflix documentary on the 7M TikTok agency. 00:00 Cold open01:18 Cults, and why we are talking about them02:14 The BITE model, four things every cult controls03:01 Who actually joins a cult05:05 Andrew Tate and the kids who copy him06:06 Inside a Manosphere documentary08:58 So what is the Manosphere?10:33 Labels, semantics and treating people fairly11:53 Why the Manosphere has a cult element12:55 "He's just funny": how many people like Andrew Tate14:21 The Tate war rooms and 184 million a year16:14 The lover boy technique18:12 The TikTok cult19:58 South Korea, and a 58 percent split down the middle23:31 "It's just true" is where learning stops24:47 The sunk cost fallacy26:00 How to be okay with being wrong27:41 How the Manosphere pulls you in29:50 Humiliation as entertainment31:28 How do you join a cult?32:57 The BITE model as a test34:08 The cult that took passports35:21 Who joins and who runs it: the dark triad37:03 Fear and retaliation38:27 What school does to a genius preschooler40:56 The algorithm is the recruiter42:15 Connection, acceptance and purpose43:35 Kenda's neighbor45:19 The loneliness epidemic45:48 Men, close friends and masculinity influencers49:15 We push away what we want most50:12 Everybody craves connection51:21 Next week: role modeling versus policing

  2. Oct 23

    Ep. 14: AI Insider: No One Really Knows What Our Actual p(Doom) Is

    Kenda's friends who have nothing to do with tech keep asking her the same thing about AI. Should they be worried? So the show brought in a guest who works in AI. He stayed off camera and nobody says his name. Kylen started calling him Jimbo, for his own safety. Jimbo thinks of AI as an exoskeleton. It amplifies what you already do, the smart things and the stupid ones. Kenda built a new website with it in about 16 hours. Kylen wanted to know if he also gets the Master Chief armor. They get into why so many influencers suddenly sound like a chatbot, why AI says everything three times, and what the frontier labs are betting on, which is a lot less need for people in law, accounting and coding. A friend of Kenda's in tech watched her company lay people off and then ask everyone left to do two jobs. Jimbo thinks AI is now too big to fail, and that someone needs to find a way to let the air out slowly. Then the doomsday odds. Kenda had heard 50/50. Jimbo says the people building it said 90/10. Kenda does not like those odds. Kylen wants anything that could end the world to need two keys, turned by two real people. They also talk about Meta's new Muse assistant, the Pope's take on human creativity, I, Robot, and a story Jimbo tells about AI agents that got out of their sandbox. The Kylen and Kenda Show. Kenda is the mentor. Kylen is the mentee. 00:00 Cold open00:44 Welcome, and a guest who stays off camera02:14 Thinking for yourself in the age of AI03:47 AI is an exoskeleton04:13 Don't be a yes man05:27 A new website in 16 hours07:18 What's a frontier lab?08:21 Should we be afraid of AI?09:53 Skynet or a better gift giver10:47 Meta's Muse12:16 The labs' bet on work without humans13:40 The Pope's take on human creativity14:27 Credit the driver, not the car15:20 Does AI do better with encouragement?16:02 Is generative AI just a buzzword?17:44 How AI predicts tokens19:04 I, Robot and the Three Laws23:30 Dreaming in black and white24:41 Everyone sounds like AI now25:22 Why AI won't stop talking26:45 A decision engine that just picks28:56 Organic vs. artificial workers30:11 Workers and the almighty dollar32:02 AI was supposed to make life easier33:23 Laid off, then doing two jobs34:03 Who keeps the productivity gains?35:27 We don't have to build the T-100037:53 Meet Jimbo38:38 Regulation, and is Dario stalling?40:24 The Hugging Face incident43:50 Is AI just copying us?46:10 My AI got worse with more rules48:30 The doomsday odds49:17 Two keys and fleshy fingers49:56 Don't be a meat proxy

  3. Oct 16

    Ep. 13: How to Build Grit When Everything in You Wants to Quit

    Kenda signed them up for Running Man after a little too much to drink one night in May. She was scrolling Instagram, and she didn't check the dates or where it was. It turned out to be a festival in Rome, Georgia, the same week as a podcast convention in New York. She said she'd make it work. It was 95 degrees and humid inside their tent. Kenda ran the half marathon in dark blue socks and got blisters, and the timing machine missed three of her laps. Kylen was the cameraman. When he got hot, he went to the cold plunge. Then Kylen lost his headphones and had a complete shutdown. He walked away from Kenda so he wouldn't have to hear her logic. Then Kenda lost her new anniversary ring, and the announcer told everyone she was surprisingly calm. Kylen found it in the dirt and turned it in himself, hoping it would get him promoted from IC3 to IC4. So what is grit? Kylen thought it was a cowboy movie. Kenda thinks it is behaving when you want to throw a fit. She talks about therapy speak, and feelings that are real but not always the right size for the situation. Then she tells the story behind it. In her 30s she fell while carrying her baby, went numb, and found out she had cauda equina syndrome while standing in a bank line on the phone with her dad. After emergency surgery, she was told she would be on a catheter for the rest of her life. A few weeks later it was her birthday, and she decided she was not living through her 30s with a catheter. They talk about why young people are so afraid of rejection, how Kenda talked a dean into a master's in business without a bachelor's, and the guy with a broken foot yelling one more lap. The Kylen and Kenda Show. Kenda is the mentor. Kylen is the mentee. 00:00 Cold open00:51 Welcome to the show01:13 What Running Man is, and how we signed up02:51 95 degrees inside the tent04:21 The people on the track05:57 Everyone has a story07:40 Building grit takes time09:27 Bone digger10:53 Anything worth having is hard12:19 The machine missed three laps13:46 Kylen loses his headphones15:46 Kenda loses her wedding ring18:33 IC3, IC420:14 Two people, two losses21:54 Headphones as identity22:47 Why we regress under stress23:50 How do you make the unacceptable acceptable?25:07 Expectations are the source of all suffering27:09 Therapy speak and outsized emotions28:30 You want grit? Let's fight29:31 Kenda's cauda equina story33:29 Years of recovery35:45 Destined for greatness36:18 A master's without a bachelor's37:42 That's your superpower38:50 Every no gets you to a yes39:25 Why are we so afraid of rejection?40:25 Kylen's dating years42:14 The guy with the broken foot43:16 Pushing yourself vs. listening to your body45:26 Compete with yourself47:17 Kylen didn't take a medal48:21 Free alcohol and no fights49:05 Get comfortable being uncomfortable

  4. Oct 9

    Ep. 12: Is Looksmaxxing Culture Maxing the Joy Out of Life?

    Kenda has been researching maxxing. Looksmaxxing, aura farming, solomaxxing, sleepmaxxing, pheromone maxxing, side quest maxxing. Kylen is supposed to be the one who's in the know. He knows very little of it. He does know that maxxing started in Dungeons and Dragons, and that looksmaxxing involves a guy with a hammer. He knows aura farming starts with cool guys not looking at explosions. And his little brother, a gym rat who can deadlift 500, once told him it's not B.O., it's musk. Kenda would like everyone to remember that hygiene is important. Then Kenda admits she has been maxxing too. She slept great until her watch told her she didn't. An 87 on her sleep score, when she usually gets a 93, makes her feel like a failure. Her grandma lived to 92. She walked everywhere, did her yoga and wasn't obsessed with anything. Kylen figures a bus would have cost her ten years. He also figures the marketers are the only ones winning, which Kenda proves by owning five million supplements she won't take. Getting them into her is part of Kylen's job. Kylen doom scrolls until 2 a.m. Kenda shares what her husband Brian says to people taking pictures for social media. And Kylen talks about the girlfriend he met through a video game, who has no internet presence at all. Recorded in New York, at a podcast convention. The Kylen and Kenda Show. Kenda is the mentor. Kylen is the mentee. 00:00 Cold open00:25 Maxing the joy out of life01:12 What is maxxing? A Dungeons and Dragons term01:55 Looksmaxxing and the hammer02:31 Aura farming03:32 Solomaxxing, or being single04:06 Sperm retention04:53 Sleepmaxxing and the Oura Ring06:09 Pheromone maxxing and the gym rat brother07:22 Side quest maxxing08:59 Have we lost the plot?10:14 Kenda's grandma lived to 9211:57 Working in cosmetics, 15 years ago12:58 The home shopping network of social media14:16 Who actually gains from all this14:55 Doom scrolling until 2 a.m.15:42 How do we solve it?16:27 Five million supplements19:09 Keep them divided19:33 All the maxxing is somebody selling something20:04 We're in New York, and they got us20:14 I blame my husband21:29 Kylen's very modest girlfriend23:12 A work in progress

  5. Oct 2

    Ep. 11: The "One Artist's Lyrics Raises Your Kid" Showdown

    Somebody in the comments told Kenda to give up on Kylen. It is Kylen's favorite comment, and he agrees with the guy. From there they get onto what people owe each other. Kenda has a friend in her fifties with no spouse, no kids and a life full of joy, and she is resentful anyway. That takes them through taxes, maternity leave and why it takes everybody to make a society run. Kylen thinks nobody is teaching people how any of it works. Then Kenda brings up something Kylen said the other day about liking a modest woman. Her husband would probably call her a little modest. She also grew up in a hippie household, at hot springs where everybody was naked and nobody thought twice about it. Kylen floats the idea that society might be better off if women covered up in public. Kenda calls that disgusting. He takes that part back on tape, then explains at length why nobody should be naked in public, for hygiene reasons. Kenda watched Chelsea Handler go off about bare feet on airplanes. Kylen explains his method for road rage and a bit he calls booby vision. And Kylen hears Joni Mitchell for the first time. The Kylen and Kenda Show. Kenda is the mentor. Kylen is the mentee. 00:00 Cold open00:44 Intro00:58 What the commenters said02:50 The guy who told Kenda to give up on Kylen03:20 Dave Chappelle, and roasting a friend who called himself stupid04:56 Time and place, and never threatening to fight your mom05:35 Taxes, maternity leave and why we're a society06:38 Thinking outside yourself, and a friend who is resentful08:30 A family, or a life put into a craft09:11 Why Kylen doesn't think he should have a family yet09:56 Nobody is teaching us how society works12:19 Traditional values, and the people judging from their throne14:26 Kylen likes a modest woman15:02 Dressing sexy for yourself, or for attention17:38 A hippie upbringing and the hot springs at Tassajara18:42 Should women cover up in public?22:36 Playing devil's advocate23:24 What Kylen takes back24:54 Chelsea Handler and bare feet on planes27:05 Booby vision28:24 King of the road29:48 Three albums to leave behind30:28 Kylen hears Joni Mitchell for the first time34:04 Kylen's pick: Talking Heads37:21 Take me to my happy place

  6. Sep 25

    Ep. 10: Growing Up Poor and Still Feeling Broke After Making Money

    Kylen picked the topic and went first, which meant Kenda had to go second. His example is small and he refuses to let it be small. He stays up for one more hour of a day he is enjoying, and he pays for it with the whole of the next one. Not a little sleep. A lot of him. Hers is six nights in Paris and Champagne for her sister-in-law’s 40th, and she spent most of it anxious in beautiful rooms. Kenda grew up in a VW van on the beach, on welfare, then in an apartment with a rug she can still describe. She and Brian built the exact opposite of that. The part of her that remembers the van never agreed to any of it, and it is the part holding the bill. So the two of them spend an hour on what self betrayal actually is: whether it is your values you are betraying or just an identity that has gone out of date, whether cutting a corner counts, and whether anybody grows without struggle. They also agree, out loud, that they should not judge anybody, and then judge everybody — a sommelier, a room full of diamonds, a man in a VIP booth pointing at the dance floor, and a stranger in the Galapagos who did nothing worse than dress well. The Kylen and Kenda Show. Kenda is the mentor. Kylen is the mentee. Neither of them comes out of this one clean. 00:00 Cold open00:58 Today’s topic is self betrayal01:10 Kylen: the tomorrow he keeps trading away04:51 The tape Kenda’s mother recorded for her08:02 Paris, Champagne, and a knot in her stomach09:42 The VW van, welfare, and the rug10:50 Do you feel broke, or do you identify as broke?11:51 Dripping diamonds, flip flops, and the cheapest wine on the menu14:55 Salt of the earth: where the discomfort with money came from16:31 Brian cries at the Eiffel Tower while she argues with herself18:45 The shoes her grandma would not let her buy22:11 Outdated values, or an outdated identity?23:19 The best moments cost nothing24:34 Sabering champagne, and nobody wanted to do it26:35 "I know how to open beers with other beers"29:19 What she actually wants from a hotel now30:31 Pretentious, ego, and an opinion that costs other people32:07 "I don’t want to judge anybody" / "Let’s judge the f**k out of them"32:28 Exclusivity buys privacy and loses connection35:33 The VIP booth, and the guy pointing at the dance floor37:55 Stock market syndrome39:26 Latchkey kids and what the struggle was for42:19 Is there growth without struggle?43:40 When everything is abundant, nothing is special47:00 The thing she needs to work on is gratitude48:57 Aleem, three outfit changes a day, and the verdict she reached early52:22 "You almost robbed yourself of the experience"52:44 High waters, sneaker heels, and dressing for yourself55:35 Out of the running early, and the day his mother won59:15 Why the backpack is always packed

    Ep. 10: Growing Up Poor and Still Feeling Broke After Making Money
  7. Sep 18

    Ep. 9: Success Is Not Winning (And He Coaches For A Living)

    Kylen brought his best friend in. Jake Landel is the head coach of the men's indoor volleyball team at UC Santa Cruz, he has been coaching for close to two decades, and he is the person Kylen calls when he has doubt or emotional anguish. Kenda had been bracing for the worst. What she got instead is an hour about what a coach is actually building. Jake's answer to "what is the one thing you would put in a kid" is not a skill: it is redefining success so winning is the byproduct rather than the point. Kylen pushes on it with three imaginary players who train identically and want completely different things, and the three of them argue out where intrinsic motivation actually lives. Also in here: Showtime, the one word Jake gave a high-school team that made them fearless; the time Jake snapped at Kylen for lying, and why Kylen still counts it as the moment they became friends; and the doxxing story, which ends about as badly for Kylen as it possibly could. Jake Landel coaches at UC Santa Cruz and still plays, air quotes included. 00:00 Cold open: he is not the easiest person in the world02:33 What Jake actually does for a living06:29 Kylen on why a mentor is a paid internship07:34 The time Jake snapped at him, and what it was about11:06 Two decades of coaching, from a middle-school gym to UC Santa Cruz12:38 Has the culture around coaching kids changed16:34 Kenda quit a team because a coach threw her on the ground18:08 The doxxing story23:45 The one thing worth putting in an athlete25:27 Why the focus on winning is the thing that breaks people29:08 Three players, same work ethic, three different reasons32:58 Success is not winning35:06 Coaching a kid whose parents are teaching the opposite41:01 Kenda's beach team at the YES Program43:32 Showtime45:42 Thanks for sitting through this

  8. Sep 11

    Ep. 8: He Was Ranked Number One In The Country And Living In A Toyota

    “No one’s looked at you and your problems and thought, I could make a show out of this. I thought I could make a show because I am a problem.” That is how Kylen opens, and then he tells the whole thing. Number-one rated amateur volleyball player in the US. Took the government money during COVID, souped up the back of a Toyota, lived in it — they called it the fart tube — and woke at 6am to compete with other homeless people for bathroom rights before going out to compete for real. It cost him the relationship. He says he would make the same decision again, every time. Kenda’s counter-thread runs underneath the whole episode. She brings in the old man from Rick Rubin’s The Creative Act — the one who hauls his water up by hand and turns down the pulley, because part of the reason it tastes so good is the work he put into it. Kylen gets it instantly. Which leaves the thing he still cannot do: sit still for thirty seconds while someone says something kind about him. Chapters 0:00 — "I am a problem" - why there's a show at all2:20 — The credit Kenda keeps giving him3:37 — "Be kind" - and what struggling actually looked like5:02 — 6am, and competing for bathroom rights5:36 — Half the struggle is your reaction to it7:00 — Rick Rubin's old man, and why he refused the pulley10:06 — "You gotta be crazier than you look"11:50 — What it cost - losing the relationship13:06 — "I'd make the same decision over and over again"18:03 — Confidence from the simple fact that you survived19:26 — Kenda: "think about your words right now"21:10 — Why he cannot accept a compliment The Kylen and Kenda Show.

About

Kylen is 33. He lives in a shed on his dad's property, gets his news from YouTube, and plays video games until 3am. He also wants a family, a home, and a life that looks nothing like the one he's living. I'm trying to help him build it. He's trying to help his mentor, Kenda, understand why his whole generation is stuck. Neither of us is sure it's working.