PLATE & PONDER: EMPTY NESTING w/ Jen & Chris Fenton

Jen & Chris Fenton
  • 5.0 (15)
  • PERSONAL JOURNALS

Dinner, Dialogue & DebateWelcome to Plate & Ponder — where a longtime married couple, now proud empty nesters looking for a highly constructive way to occupy our time, pour a glass of wine, share a meal, and tackle the biggest stories shaping our world. She's an inner-city charter school director, elected official, and former school board president. He’s a media executive, professor, and author. Together, they bring decades of parenting, public service, politics, and purpose to the table.From the joys and growing pains of an empty house to the cultural and geopolitical headlines you can’t ignore, this is a candid kitchen-table conversation that’s equal parts heart, humor, and hard truths.Unscripted. Unfiltered. Unapologetically curious. Pull up a chair — dinner is served.

  1. PLATE & PONDER - "Where Did Everyone Go?" - Full-House Hangover Episode

    3D AGO

    PLATE & PONDER - "Where Did Everyone Go?" - Full-House Hangover Episode

    For all of us newbie empty-nesters, our small town felt completely overrun by college kids returning home to get some free meals, have mom do their laundry, catch-up with old friends at their former stomping grounds, and, eventually, leave a little bit of havoc in their wake... And it all repeats again in a few weeks after Finals! So yes, we discuss that a bit... But we also hit some serious topics too: 1 - Coaching loyalties, both in high school sports and college. 2 - USC Trojan achievements (Don't worry Bruin fans. We do it quickly!). & 3 - The Challenge Beijing poses on Hollywood and the world thru mandated narratives. ("Zootopia 2" has re-wakened The Dragon!). Jen and Chris are back as a solo duet, and we are loving it......  Hopefully you do too!  Please follow, download, review, and enjoy!!!!!!!

    38 min
  2. PLATE & PONDER - "Brodkin, Seiffer, & Fenton Kids - College Stories Episode"

    5D AGO

    PLATE & PONDER - "Brodkin, Seiffer, & Fenton Kids - College Stories Episode"

    EMPTY NEST = FULL NEST = OUR TOWN IS PACKED WITH KIDS HOME FROM COLLEGE! AND WE LOVE IT!!!! We have Eric & Jenna Brodkin, Dash Seiffer, and Kaylie & Dylan Fenton as our VIP GUESTS on this amazing episode. It's a short one, because they all have things to do (PG-13 Kind of Stuff), but we do cover: Some Glazing... Puppies... Thanksgiving Favorites... COVID Connections... And a lakeside story for the ages... Please follow, download, review, and ENJOY..............

    20 min
  3. PLATE & PONDER - "Thanksgiving w/ Guest, Dylan Fenton"

    6D AGO

    PLATE & PONDER - "Thanksgiving w/ Guest, Dylan Fenton"

    Empty-Nesting? Say what? We don't have that today! It's Thanksgiving, and we have a FULL HOUSE, so our son, Dylan Fenton, joins the podcast to share his insights from Montreal, Canada, where he attends McGill University, playing lacrosse with some living legends (lots of shoutouts) and studying international business (while also finding some time to be a bro at Zeta Psi).... Serious topics today include (FYI, THE STOKE WAS SICK!): AI use at McGill University... The stressful experience of Car Buying (and when the best time of year is to actually buy a car)... The differences between the USA & Canada, and what do Canadians think of us down South... The beer selection up North and the beauty of the 5.9! Oh, and of course, how much Dylan loves and cherishes his amazing parents... Download, Follow, Review, and Enjoy......And HAVE A FANTASTIC THANKSGIVING!!!

    38 min
  4. PLATE & PONDER: EMPTY NESTING - "Fake Christmas Trees, AI, & Kaylie Fenton"

    NOV 24

    PLATE & PONDER: EMPTY NESTING - "Fake Christmas Trees, AI, & Kaylie Fenton"

    EMPTY NESTING HIATUS ALERT!!!!!!!!!! We have one kid back from Tulane - Kaylie! One more, Dylan, coming home later this week! It's Thanksgiving! AND WE HAVE A FULL HOUSE IN THE WORKS! So why not talk to our kids about life and global issues over dinner and a drink....  Serious Topics Include: Fake Plastic Christmas Trees vs The Real Thing AI as a Tool for College AI vs Human Interaction for Things That Are REAL! Nothing better than the perspective of an 18-year-old. Let's go!  Enjoy, Follow, Review, and Download........ And thank you!

    33 min
  5. PLATE & PONDER - "Sharing & Caring w/ Katie & Phil Brodkin" - Episode #11

    NOV 21

    PLATE & PONDER - "Sharing & Caring w/ Katie & Phil Brodkin" - Episode #11

    Oh boy...... We have fans around the world, and we have fans who are also VERY close friends (and fellow empty nesters!)..... How about having two of our most favorite friends join us on Episode 11??? Well, that's what we did! Manhattan Beach's finest people, Katie & Phil Brodkin. EMPTY NESTERS who love to plate, ponder, and gab... so we have LOTS in common!!! Serious subjects include: Jeffrey Epstein Black Friday Madness Pickleball And the Art of Sharing!..........   Enjoy, Follow, Download, and Review. It's PLATE & PONDER!!!!!!!!

    39 min
  6. PLATE & PONDER - "Skill It Up: Degrees Required?" Episode #10

    NOV 18

    PLATE & PONDER - "Skill It Up: Degrees Required?" Episode #10

    We are back... Been a week, but the NOLA SET Conference & Tulane Parents Weekend interrupted our flow.... But all for good reasons. Yeah, it rained in LA (not kidding!), and we got a leak in our roof. So it goes... But on the fun-side, we met some great football recruits, chugged beers at The Boot, ate insanely good Gumbo, hung with our epic daughter, met her friends, danced to some groovy beats, and just soaked-up some life moments... On this episode we hit the serious topics of: Creative Surplus vs. Side Hustle (Credit: Erik Lokkesmoe) &  The Importance of Trade Schools (Hint: Jen is on the board of one, so she KNOWS what she's talking about.) Enough of the banter....... IT'S GO TIME!

    38 min
  7. PLATE & PONDER - "Travel, Tourism, & Toronto: The Importance of 'Being There'" - Episode #9

    NOV 11

    PLATE & PONDER - "Travel, Tourism, & Toronto: The Importance of 'Being There'" - Episode #9

    Yes, lacrosse season is over in Montreal (HUGE SHOUT-OUT TO THE MCGILL REDBIRDS MEN'S LACROSSE TEAM!), but don't you worry, we can still helicopter parent with the best of them. This empty-nester team is heading to NOLA to see our daughter!  Get ready for us, Kaylie!! On a serious note, we do talk FAA delays that affected our Canada trip last weekend. AND THEY RAN OUT OF ALCOHOL ON THE FLIGHT! Hopefully we get the skies back to normal soon!  DC, are you listening??? We know Amsterdam is! But how about the importance of travel?... An industry vital to keeping the magic of humanity together thru people-to-people engagement! Chris heads to a conference this week to speak about just that! The MAGIC OF CULTURAL & COMMERCIAL CONNECTION! A glue that bonds countries and keeps the world in harmony... or at least keeps us all from war............   Enjoy... Follow, Review, and SPREAD THE WORD!

    41 min
  8. PLATE & PONDER - "Time to Pay Air Traffic Control & Theories Behind Happiness" - Episode #8

    NOV 7

    PLATE & PONDER - "Time to Pay Air Traffic Control & Theories Behind Happiness" - Episode #8

    We're handing over the keys to friends to watch our dog and home for the weekend, but before we go: 1 - Can we pay the people in the control tower? Please! If anyone deserves their regular paycheck, it's the people who keep us safe in the skies! &  2 - What is the meaning of life? What makes someone truly happy?  We know a few answers to those questions for us - a) watching our daughter play violin in her orchestra or leading her cheer team on the sidelines of a BIG game, and b) rooting on our son in lacrosse games... Which we are going to do this weekend... In Toronto... In the snow... But it is for the National Championship of Canada. GO REDBIRDS!

    39 min
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5
out of 5
15 Ratings

About

Dinner, Dialogue & DebateWelcome to Plate & Ponder — where a longtime married couple, now proud empty nesters looking for a highly constructive way to occupy our time, pour a glass of wine, share a meal, and tackle the biggest stories shaping our world. She's an inner-city charter school director, elected official, and former school board president. He’s a media executive, professor, and author. Together, they bring decades of parenting, public service, politics, and purpose to the table.From the joys and growing pains of an empty house to the cultural and geopolitical headlines you can’t ignore, this is a candid kitchen-table conversation that’s equal parts heart, humor, and hard truths.Unscripted. Unfiltered. Unapologetically curious. Pull up a chair — dinner is served.

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