Pod Insights Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard Armchair Anonymous: Kind Gesture from a Stranger About this episode Dax and Monica talk to Armcherries! In today's episode, Armcherries tell us about a kind gesture they received from a stranger.
Follow Armchair Expert on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. Watch new content on YouTube or listen to Armchair Expert early and ad-free by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/armchair-expert-with-dax-shepard/ http://www.wondery.com/links/armchair-expert-with-dax-shepard/ now.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Transcript 10,362 words · 8 speakers
Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.
0:00 Dax Shepard? Welcome, welcome, welcome to Armchair Anonymous. I'm Dax Shepard and I'm joined in absentia by Monica Padman. Today's Armchair Anonymous is Kind Gestures From Strangers. And if that sounds too PG rated, I will assure you that there is a gift within these Kind Gestures in the form of an unauthorized evacuation. So it's going to deliver on all fronts. Please enjoy Kind Gestures From Strangers. We get support from Quince.
0:34 Speaker 01 Okay. Can we talk about the fact that the holidays are already here? It's crazy. I feel like I blinked and now we're in gifting season, which I'm not really mad about because I do love giving gifts and Quince is making it so easy to find something great for everyone on my list, including myself, because let's be honest, self-gifting is a love language.
0:53 Dax Shepard? Quince is seriously the gift that keeps on giving. Their high-quality staples are made with premium materials like 100% Mongolian cashmere, 14-karat gold, and Italian leather. Full-on luxury quality at prices that won't wreck your holiday budget.
1:09 Speaker 01 It's the dream. The cashmere sweater is starting at $60, down jackets, wool outerwear, cashmere accessories. You and everyone on your list are staying cozy and looking incredible all season long.
1:20 Dax Shepard? Well, I'm going to tell you this, it just got chilly for the first time this year in California and I'm so excited and I'm wearing my Quince cashmere right now.
1:27 Speaker 01 It's great.
1:28 Dax Shepard? Yeah, and I am going to gift this to some of my friends. I hope they're not listening.
1:32 Speaker 01 Quince is also more than clothing. They've got fine jewelry for your significant other, leather bags for your bestie, hotel-quality bedding to set up your guest rooms, chef-grade cookware. That's an amazing thing they offer here and it's such a good gift because people don't like buying cookware for themselves, but it's very important. And they also have five-star luggage, another good gift that people don't like buying for themselves.
1:55 Dax Shepard? Give the gift of quality this holiday season. Download the Quince app for app-exclusive offers or go to quince.com. Get free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada and the UK too. And when Quince asks where you heard about them, let them know it was Armchair Expert. It's the best way to support the show. We get support from Gusto. So here's the thing about running a small business that nobody romanticizes. It's not the big idea that wears you down. It's the payroll, the tax filings, the wait, do I need workers comp for this stuff? That's the part that quietly eats away your whole afternoon, which is where Gusto comes in. Gusto is online payroll and benefit software built for small businesses.
2:40 Dax Shepard? It's all in one, remote friendly and incredibly easy to use. So you can pay onboard and support your team from anywhere. They handle automatic tax filing, direct deposits, health benefits, 401k, all of it. And you get unlimited payroll runs for one monthly price. No hidden fees, no surprises. If something tricky comes up, you've got direct access to certified HR experts who actually know what they're talking about. And they're ranked number one on G2's highest satisfaction products list for 2026, entrusted by over 500,000 small businesses. That's not nothing. Try Gusto today at gusto.com/dax and get three months free when you run your first payroll.
3:21 Dax Shepard? That's three months of free payroll at gusto.com/dax. Again, that's gusto.com/dax.
3:49 Dax Shepard? Is this Joanna?
3:51 Speaker 02 It is Joanna. Hi.
3:52 Dax Shepard? Are you under a bunk bed?
3:54 Speaker 02 I don't have a real closet I can sit in my house. I am under my daughter's loft bed that I've kind of makeshifted.
4:00 Dax Shepard? You're at like a desk situation?
4:02 Speaker 02 Yeah, it's a little coffee table. I made it homey.
4:06 Dax Shepard? How old is she?
4:07 Speaker 02 She is four and a half, going on 15.
4:11 Dax Shepard? What part of the country are you in?
4:12 Speaker 02 I am in North Carolina, right outside of Asheville, actually. Really rural out here, but we love it.
4:18 Dax Shepard? Okay, please tell us about your kind gesture from a stranger.
4:21 Speaker 02 This story takes place in Jacksonville, Florida back in 2011, and I was about 19. I was a local musician at the time and I was gigging at a restaurant downtown that I also waited tables at with my brother. And this guy comes up after the show and was like, hey, you guys were really awesome. I would love to come see you again. Can I have your schedule? Here's my business card. He was really nice and kind of just left. And we're like, oh, cool. We love a fan. So a few weeks later, we're playing the show again. He comes up and he says, really liked your set. Can I take you to lunch? And we were like, maybe, why?
4:57 Dax Shepard? How old is the gentleman?
4:59 Speaker 02 He's probably 48. He's much older than me. But my brother's with me and he's a pretty big dude. And so I was like, I guess we could go to lunch. So we schedule it and we go sit down at lunch. We get our drinks and he says, point blank, I want to be able to help you with your music career. What can I do for you? And he says, I'm a defense attorney here in Jacksonville, and I represent some really shitty people that do some really shitty stuff. I have a lot of money and I want to be able to help the community. I figured I liked your stuff, so I'd start with you.
5:27 Dax Shepard? Wow. Yeah, and Joanna, just quick backstory. So for me, it would just be red flag galore. I would have so hard of a time accepting that this could be true. Monica, would you be skeptical or where would you be at?
5:40 Speaker 01 I'd be skeptical, but I would progress.
5:44 Speaker 02 That's kind of where I was at. I didn't get any weird vibes from him. And so my brother piped up and he was like, we could really use a recording microphone. And he was like, all right, great. How much do they cost? And he was like, about 300 bucks. So he pulls out his wallet, puts $300 on the table, and he says, it's yours, no strings attached. Go buy a microphone.
6:02 Dax Shepard? Oh, my goodness.
6:03 Speaker 02 We get to talking and just kind of getting to know him. And he's like, I bought this really crazy camera that I have no idea how to use. Do you want to try to like film some music videos, some content? Again, I know it sounds so creepy.
6:15 Speaker 01 He's like, come to my basement, we'll make a music video.
6:18 Speaker 02 He was never just me. He always had my brother come along. It was never weird. So we hung out for a little bit and then I was talking to him saying like, oh, I don't really have a lot of gigs lined up lately and the restaurant is kind of slowing down. And he was like, well, I've got some work for you at my office if you want to come work. So he sets me up with this job that I sent flyers out to people who had gotten arrested the night before.
6:40 Dax Shepard? Really quick, how do you get that list of who's been arrested the night before?
6:44 Speaker 02 You just go on the public webpage for Duval County and get the whole arrest list. They have an address, so you just put a little stamp on it and send them a flyer.
6:51 Dax Shepard? Oh, wow, wow, wow.
6:52 Speaker 02 And that was going pretty well. I was working for him for a few weeks and I was talking to him about this landlord situation that I was in. I was suing my old landlord because he was an asshole and he stole a bunch of money from me. And when I sued him, he was like, you're out of your league. And he really didn't think that I had a leg to stand on. So I was telling Richard, the lawyer, about this and he was like, do you want me to help you with this case? And I was like, I mean, it's small claims court. I probably don't need a lawyer. He said, no, no, no, let me help you. So this asshole that I had to track down with a private investigator, I had to go to judge's chamber because he tried to tell the judge that the process server didn't serve him. He didn't know there was a court date, so he skipped the first one and I had a summary judgment. And so now he was trying to appeal that.
7:32 Speaker 02 So I walk into the judge's chambers with a high-powered defense attorney behind me. My landlord about shit a brick. The judge and my lawyer play golf together. They're friends. It's just great. And my landlord's just deciding that he's gonna really ride this ship home and say that the signature on the process server's pages is not his signature. Lied to the judge's face. And so Richard got up there and it was like a movie scene. He pulls out a piece of paper that has his signature on it and he's like, do you not agree that this is the same signature as this one? I mean, pinned him down.
8:06 Dax Shepard? Perjury.
8:06 Speaker 02 Yes, he actually says the word, "Your Honor, I rest my case."
8:10 Speaker 01 How hot is he?
8:11 Speaker 02 He was like dad hot.
8:12 Speaker 01 Yeah, sure.
8:13 Speaker 02 After that whole ordeal, the judge looked at my landlord and just read him the filth. If you've wasted her time, you've wasted my time, you've wasted the court's time. Do not ever come back into my courtroom again. So I got to walk out really victorious and I got to look at him and go, whose league am I in now?
8:29 Speaker 01 Oh.
8:30 Speaker 02 It was really exciting. And so after that, I worked at his office for a few more weeks. And then he told me that he was going on a extended trip to Colorado to see his daughter. And I never saw him again.
8:42 Dax Shepard? Wait.
8:43 Speaker 02 He just disappeared off the face of the earth.
8:44 Dax Shepard? Whoa.
8:45 Speaker 01 Richard did?
8:46 Dax Shepard? He never returned to his practice?
8:48 Speaker 02 I just looked him up and apparently he is now back in Jacksonville. But I looked back for him for about 10 years after that. And I never really found that he was back. He just disappeared and I've reached out to him a few times and never heard anything from him.
9:00 Speaker 01 Is he okay?
9:01 Speaker 02 He's in Jacksonville now, so I'm hoping that he's okay now.
9:04 Dax Shepard? But your mind went to a great place, Monica, which is, is he okay? And my mind went to, uh oh, he had to run from something. This is Jacksonville, Florida. So maybe he was representing some kind of a drug cartel situation and he had to make himself scarce.
9:20 Speaker 01 Maybe he's in witness protection now.
9:22 Speaker 02 Could be.
9:23 Dax Shepard? And then it expired and he moved back to Jackson?
9:26 Speaker 01 Yeah.
9:27 Dax Shepard? Really quick, when he disappeared, how did you know to stop coming to work?
9:32 Speaker 02 He said he was gonna be on a trip in Colorado for a while. So we were just gonna stop that for the time being. And he said, I'll let you know when I'm back. And then he just never came back.
9:40 Dax Shepard? I don't know why that reminds me of, I worked at a fabrication place in high school when I was 15. My boss called me into his office and he said, hey, it's your birthday Friday, right? And I said, yeah. And he said, it's your birthday, don't come in. And I go, oh, okay, great. And then he goes, yeah, and just call Monday and we'll see if we have any work. It's like, wait a minute.
10:01 Speaker 01 He was like letting you go.
10:02 Dax Shepard? He fired me under the guise of you can have your birthday.
10:07 Dax Shepard? Are you still playing music?
10:08 Speaker 02 Just for a hobby. I've got two kids now, so it's not really conducive to gig life. But I play music with my husband. I met him at the middle school of the arts in Jacksonville and we got married and had babies. But my daughter is a musical prodigy. I know every parent says that, but she truly is.
10:22 Dax Shepard? I believe it.
10:23 Speaker 01 That's exciting.
10:23 Dax Shepard? Well, Joanna, so nice to meet you. And that's a really great story and it's positive and it never turned dark.
10:28 Speaker 01 I hate that I'm now this person.
10:30 Dax Shepard? Oh, you're putting on the Dax hat?
10:32 Speaker 01 A little, I'm like, maybe he was on drugs and manic or something. He used his mania for good. Gets a little on a tear.
10:39 Dax Shepard? It's inconsistent for you.
10:41 Speaker 02 I think he was just kind of lonely, looking for a buddy.
10:43 Dax Shepard? But you do paint a good picture. Let's just say everything went sideways. I fucked up everything and I was divorced. I was loaded. I think I would hate myself. And if I could help a stranger, it might buy me little periods of feeling okay about myself.
10:57 Speaker 01 Well, and then that's okay. That to me is fine. But if he was bipolar or something and then he was in his mania. Also, that's fine if he did.
11:06 Speaker 02 I came out ahead.
11:07 Speaker 01 It was still a very kind gesture regardless.
11:09 Dax Shepard? I'm just delighted he never got pervy.
11:12 Speaker 01 Me too.
11:12 Dax Shepard? That's all we care about, really.
11:14 Speaker 02 Me too. Dax, I do have to tell you, my husband will kill me if I don't. We watch employee of the month at least once a quarter around here. It's one of our very favorites.
11:22 Speaker 01 Q1, Q2.
11:24 Dax Shepard? Once a quarter. That makes me so happy. I never talk about that movie, but I really do think that's the most fun I've ever had playing a character. That's the only time I got to play just a straight prick and it was so fun. No, this was more fun.
11:37 Speaker 01 Wow.
11:38 Speaker 02 It makes us laugh. And I also have to say, I used to live out in an even more rural part of North Carolina where I didn't even have service to drive home. And so I would download your episodes and listen to you in my very windy drive. And so I think I've spent multiple thousands of hours of listening. And I love being a part of this community. I'm so thrilled.
11:55 Speaker 01 Oh, that's so sweet. That's a kind gesture.
11:59 Dax Shepard? Well, it's lovely meeting you.
12:00 Speaker 02 Thank you so much. Have a great day.
12:03 Speaker 01 I'm kind of nervous about him.
12:05 Dax Shepard? Pretty exciting.
12:06 Speaker 01 Well, I just am sad he dropped off the map.
12:09 Dax Shepard? It is interesting.
12:10 Speaker 01 Do you think the kid had a disease?
12:12 Dax Shepard? No, God.
12:13 Speaker 01 I'm just, something happened here.
12:15 Speaker 03 Took a lover.
12:16 Dax Shepard? Well, how about this? He went to visit her and as he already said, he's loaded. He's gonna spend two weeks with her. And then he was like, I have the option to just be around my daughter and maybe she had a family. And he just decided I'm gonna be present and there's a grandkid in there. What am I going home to? More money?
12:33 Speaker 01 How do you know there's a grandkid?
12:35 Dax Shepard? Cause he's visiting his daughter and the daughter has a baby.
12:38 Speaker 01 How do you know?
12:39 Dax Shepard? I don't. I'm just saying that's a good scenario.
12:40 Speaker 01 Well, he was only like 48.
12:42 Dax Shepard? He had a kid at 20. His daughter had a kid at 25. The child's three years old.
12:48 Speaker 01 Wow. All right. Maybe that is what happened. I hope so.
12:51 Dax Shepard? Yeah. I'm glad he was dad hot. Rob, do you think you're dad hot? You're way beyond dad hot.
12:58 Speaker 01 I don't even know what it means.
13:00 Dax Shepard? I do. It means you're fine looking, but you're a dad, so you're trustworthy and you've like got some brownie points.
13:06 Speaker 01 I think it actually means like you were hot and you're aging nicely, but you're older.
13:11 Dax Shepard? I think it means you were a pass in high school, but now you've demonstrated that you're very responsible and competent. So that ups your attraction.
13:19 Speaker 01 People can weigh in on what they think the definition of dad hot is.
13:23 Dax Shepard? Dad hot for us.
13:24 Speaker 01 And then mom hot.
13:25 Dax Shepard? Yeah.
13:26 Speaker 01 And then baby hot.
13:28 Dax Shepard? And then tell us what happy.
13:29 Speaker 01 Toddler hot is.
13:30 Dax Shepard? Hot toddler. Hot toddy.
13:32 Speaker 01 Hot toddy. Do you think that's what it stands for? Oh my God, that's disgusting.
13:40 Speaker 04 Hi, how are you?
13:42 Dax Shepard? We are wonderful. What a glorious recording instrument you have.
13:45 Speaker 04 Yeah, my husband is very musical, so we have lots of musical equipment around our house. So when he heard I was coming on the podcast, he was like, I've got you. We've got a blanket screwed onto the wall in our closet. We really workshopped it yesterday.
13:57 Dax Shepard? And Chelsea, would it be fair to assume all this gear has driven you nuts over the years? But now it finally has come to benefit you?
14:05 Speaker 04 Yeah, it's finally come to pass that it's actually useful.
14:07 Dax Shepard? Okay. So where are you, Chelsea?
14:09 Speaker 04 I am in Kentucky.
14:11 Dax Shepard? Are you watching Chase for the Crown? It's about the Triple Crown. It's on Netflix. It just came out. It's about horse racing.
14:17 Speaker 04 I haven't, but I'm actually in Louisville and it's Derby week.
14:19 Dax Shepard? That's why I bring it up because it makes me want to go to Louisville so bad because it's so fricking green and hilly and beautiful.
14:27 Speaker 01 Do you have a hat picked out?
14:29 Speaker 04 I'm actually not going to the track this year. I've gone the last two years.
14:32 Dax Shepard? Should I go? Is it a great time?
14:34 Speaker 04 Yeah, you totally should come. We're such a good food city. It's like gorgeous scenery. I'm going down to the track for Derby is a blast.
14:41 Dax Shepard? I should have built a house there instead of Nashville. I feel like.
14:44 Speaker 01 You've made a lot of mistakes in your life.
14:45 Dax Shepard? Do you have any lakes?
14:46 Speaker 04 We've got some smaller lakes. We don't have as many lakes as Nashville or as Tennessee has.
14:51 Dax Shepard? Okay, I feel less bad now.
14:52 Speaker 04 We do have a river.
14:53 Dax Shepard? Okay.
14:53 Speaker 01 No, flesh eating bacteria.
14:55 Dax Shepard? No, no, no, no, no. Okay, so you were the recipient of a act of kindness.
15:02 Speaker 04 I was. It's the summer of 2018 and I've just graduated college and I'm waiting on my first real big girl job to start. And so I'd picked up a couple gigs as a second shooter for some local photographers. And if you're not familiar with second shooting, the photographer basically hires you to be an extra body with a camera. You're getting some of the background shots, some of the wide angle shots, but you're not really in charge of anything. And a lot of times, second shooters aren't professional photographers themselves, myself included.
15:31 Dax Shepard? What was your degree in?
15:32 Speaker 04 My degree was in economics.
15:33 Dax Shepard? What if you said photography?
15:35 Speaker 04 But I'm actually not a professional. I'm not that good at. Although I'm now getting my PhD in English, so I did like a hard pivot. But yeah, so I'd picked up a few gigs and I'd worked one wedding with a photographer. We'll call her Jane. And this wedding that Jane and I had worked together went really well. We got along. And so she texted me about a week after the wedding and said, hey, I am shooting a surprise proposal next week at a park. Would you come along to get some of the wide angle shots for me so I can get the detail stuff? And I was like, yeah, sure, why not? So it's summer in Kentucky, which is miserably hot outside. Okay, 95 degrees, 100% humidity. You walk out your
16:16 Speaker 04 door, you're like sweating your ass off. And the proposal is going to take place at a park. And it's going to be scheduled for the middle of the afternoon. So like hottest part of the day. So the day of the event comes around and Jane is pretty insistent that we drive together because the park we're going to is about 30, 40 minutes away from where we both live. She's like, we can save on gas money. Let's go together. I'm a little skeptical because I don't know Jane very well. Like, we got along fine enough, but I'm like, this is gonna be a lot of small talk. Like, I'd rather listen to a podcast in the car or something on my way. But she's pretty insistent. I'm like, sure, why not? So we drive, it's fine. We make our way to the park and park in the parking lot. And she's sort of giving me the lowdown on how this is gonna go. The proposal is gonna take place at this big
16:58 Speaker 04 overlook at the top of a giant hill. It's gorgeous. You can see for miles. Perfect place to get engaged. But to get to the overlook from the parking lot, you have to walk up this Really long winding path to get to the top. It's like a wide concrete path. And you can think about it kind of like a giant switchback. It's kind of like in a U shape. And to get to the top, it takes like 30 minutes.
17:21 Speaker 01 Oh, Jesus. It's a full hike.
17:22 Speaker 04 Yeah, so the plan for the couple is for them to park and take this nice leisurely stroll through the park. And then he'll propose at the top. So Jane and I get out of the car and she's like, you know, I really feel like we could save some time if we find an alternate path up to the top of this overlook.
17:39 Dax Shepard? Okay, she's going rogue.
17:41 Speaker 04 She's like, I'm looking at the map and I see that if we avoid the long winding path, we can cut straight up the side of this hill through the woods. Like, this is not what I signed up for today, but okay.
18:04 Dax Shepard? This episode is brought to you by McDonald's. Ah, the Quarter Pounder with Cheese with Medium Fries and a Drink is now $8.
18:14 Speaker 01 What?
18:15 Dax Shepard? Okay, I need to talk about something that doesn't get enough respect. The Quarter Pounder with Cheese. This is not a casual burger. This is a crafted burger. We're talking 100% fresh beef cooked right when you order it. No artificial flavors, no fillers, no preservatives, just beef doing what beef is supposed to do. And here's a detail I love. There's a cowbell sound in the kitchen. When somebody orders a Quarter Pounder with Cheese, a cowbell goes off and the grill master throws a fresh patty down. That's like having your own entrance music at McDonald's. I want a cowbell for everything in life. The onions are hand topped by someone who just knows the right amount. Two slices of cheese laid out in a star pattern, so every single bite gets cheese. And two pickles side by side, so you're never in a pickle desert.
18:59 Dax Shepard? Every bite is accounted for. Someone engineered this thing with love. I love a Quarter Pounder.
19:05 Speaker 01 Me too. That's my order. It's a Quarter Pounder with cheese. I love it. I didn't know they put so much effort that they did a star formation. I should have known because you can taste it when there's effort.
19:18 Dax Shepard? The love. Don't tell anyone this, but I'll put two of them back.
19:21 Speaker 01 Yeah.
19:21 Dax Shepard? I'm sitting.
19:22 Speaker 01 I'm not surprised.
19:23 Dax Shepard? The Quarter Pounder with Cheese with Fries and a Drink, now $8 for a limited time only. Only at McDonald's. For a limited time only, prices and participation may vary. Prices may be higher in Hawaii, Alaska, and California, and for delivery. Fresh beef not available in Alaska and Hawaii. Offer not valid for delivery. We get support from Skims. Okay, I have a confession. I genuinely love matching pajamas. It's the best part of Christmas morning, really. Everyone in the same matching set, looking ridiculously cute in front of the tree.
19:54 Speaker 01 I love matching pajamas. I'm literally gonna be in coordinating sets with all my friends this holiday season. Because I got them, spoiler to my friends who are listening, the same Skims pajama set I've been living in. They are so soft and cozy, and they look cute. So you can leave the house and go get a late night hot chocolate and be cozy.
20:15 Dax Shepard? It's so great how Skims has sets for everyone, too. Women's, men's, kids, even your pets. So nobody in your life has to be left out this year.
20:24 Speaker 01 I have a bunch of different pajama sets. One of my favorite is the Organic Cotton Sleep Long Sleeve Set.
20:31 Dax Shepard? Okay, tell me more.
20:33 Speaker 01 It is so comfortable, very chic, too. The top is a button down, but very, very soft, easy to sleep in. But as I said before, you can multipurpose this and look super cute.
20:44 Dax Shepard? Hot chocolate runs. It's like the pajamas we grew up in, except without the scratchy polyester that made opening presents feel more like a hot yoga class that nobody signed up for.
20:54 Speaker 01 All the nostalgia, none of the discomfort. Shop my favorite loungewear and pajamas at skims.com. After you place your order, be sure to let them know we sent you. Select Podcast in the survey and be sure to select Armchair Expert in the drop down menu that follows. If you're looking for the perfect gifts for everyone on your list, the Skims Holiday Shop is now open at skims.com.
21:13 Dax Shepard? We get support from No Bull. The holidays can get hectic. You finally hit a post summer routine and suddenly you're on hosting duty every week.
21:23 Speaker 01 That's when you really need to ground yourself.
21:25 Dax Shepard? Exactly, and that's why I keep my training routine through the holidays. It's the whole No Bull idea. There's a no bullshit training brand built around consistency, honesty, and just putting in the work. It's not about adding more pressure to an already packed schedule. It's about having the gear and the habits to move through the season your way. My personal favorite, all three of the shoes are fantastic. The Outwork, the Outwork Flex, and the Drive 2. I like the Drive 2 because it's a hybrid. And I lift, of course, but I also like to do what's called box jumps.
21:56 Speaker 01 Ah.
21:56 Dax Shepard? Right? I do a lot of jumping onto a little platform and I want a little more flexibility. And boy, do they deliver.
22:02 Speaker 01 And if you're a cardio person and you're running and you also need to be lifting.
22:06 Dax Shepard? And the style is banging. I don't know what to say. Beautiful style, very breathable, very, very comfortable, lots of support. They were built for lifting.
22:14 Speaker 01 They also make a great holiday gift. You know, I love gifting, a purposeful one that actually supports someone's goals and routines. And it's not a gift that just ends up in the back of the closet.
22:23 Dax Shepard? Stay stronger than the season. Head to nobullproject.com all holiday season to shop new deals every week. This episode is brought to you by Dell. Gifts mean more when they have the power to give more. They can inspire more discovery, give more confidence, and unwrap more of who you are. This Black Friday, give a gift that goes beyond the box. The Dell XPS 13 laptop. With a beautiful design and cutting edge performance, it helps you unlock more possibilities. It's the thinnest, lightest XPS laptop yet. With touchscreen, a backlit keyboard, and long lasting battery life to power you through your day. Built with a durable aluminum chassis, weighing just 2.2 pounds, and Intel Core processors.
23:08 Dax Shepard? It's fast, reliable, and portable enough to keep up wherever you go. Visit dell.com to explore the possibilities of XPS. While shopping, you'll also find great perks like Dell Rewards. Fast free shipping, premium support, and financing. With flexible payment options. Plus you can find great deals on monitors and accessories. That means you can score a whole new setup now for less. This Black Friday sale is one you don't want to miss. Head to dell.com/deals. That's dell.com/deals.
23:50 Speaker 04 So we make our way up this hill. I really am shocked we didn't get poison ivy. We're like pushing branches out of the way, climbing over logs. It's really intense. We've got camera bags on our shoulders and it's so miserably hot outside. So I'm like, oh my gosh, we're both panting. We're most of the way up to the top and Jane's like, I really need to find a bathroom when we get up to the top.
24:10 Speaker 01 Jane's become unhinged.
24:13 Speaker 04 It's a public park. I'm sure there's a bathroom up at the top. We're a little closer and we can now see the path.
24:20 Dax Shepard? Can I pause you for one second?
24:22 Speaker 01 I know what happened. Do you?
24:24 Dax Shepard? No, I was gonna suggest she has to poop.
24:27 Speaker 01 Yeah, she was like, I'm not gonna make this 30 minute walk, so we have to get there fast.
24:32 Dax Shepard? Oh, that's your theory on why she was high tailing it. Mine was more like, if you got a squirt in the woods, you would just squirt in the woods. She's not gonna take a shit in the woods next to her.
24:40 Speaker 04 Although it is incredibly steep, so I do think it would have taken quite a lot of balancing to find a spot to appropriately go to the bathroom. But anyway, we're making our way up to the top and she's like, no, I like really need to find a bathroom. I then hear the loudest stomach grumble I've ever heard in my life. She starts screaming, pushes her way out of the woods, runs across the wide concrete path into this little grassy clearing where there's woods behind her, but she's not under any coverage. She's out in the open. She starts halfway taking down her denim shorts and starts shitting her pants.
25:18 Speaker 01 Oh no, oh no.
25:22 Speaker 04 And she's just standing there, pants halfway off. Just screaming like, oh my gosh, like I'm so embarrassed. Don't look, don't look. I'm so embarrassed. Her face is red. You can tell she's in a lot of pain. And when I say shitting her pants, I mean, it's like liquid and spraying. Like I've never seen diarrhea.
25:43 Dax Shepard? And she chose a clearing.
25:45 Speaker 04 Yeah, it's like she couldn't control herself. She just had to get them off and start going. And the poor thing couldn't stop. It was coming in waves. So she would like have one around. She thought it was done. And then it kept coming, kept coming. So I'm just standing there in the middle of this wide, concrete walking path. I don't know what to do because I don't really know this person. So I'm like, do I need to walk away and give her privacy? Or do I need to offer her help? I just don't know what to do. She's clearly embarrassed.
26:14 Speaker 01 Yeah.
26:15 Speaker 04 She's like, you have to go find something to help us clean this up. And I'm like, OK, because we have nothing on us.
26:23 Dax Shepard? OK, meaning her person?
26:25 Speaker 04 Her person. It's gotten all over the place. Like, it's running down the back of her legs. It's like in her shorts. It's a real mess. And I'm like, OK, there's probably like a public bathroom at this park. I can go look for something. She's like, well, before you go, can you check my phone? Because she can't check her phone because there's shit all over the place. So I grab her phone and I look to see that the future groom has texted.
26:49 Speaker 01 Fuck.
26:50 Speaker 04 And said, hey, we parked in the parking lot. We're on our way up the path. OK, so now imagine this like an action movie where there's like a timer in the corner. And we've got maybe 25 minutes to get this all cleaned up and go get in position before the couple is up at the top of the hill, like, ready to get engaged.
27:08 Dax Shepard? And that's assuming she's had her last wave of it.
27:11 Speaker 04 And we also don't know how fast the couple is walking.
27:13 Speaker 01 And is the couple gonna pass you?
27:15 Speaker 04 Yes, so we are still about 200 or 300 yards away from the overlook, probably. But I mean, she's standing right off this path. So the couple will walk right past the spot. So I take off sprinting further down the hill to try to find a bathroom. And I finally find one. And I'm like, OK, perfect. Try to get in. Everything's locked. I'm like climbing on things, trying to push through the window at the top. Can't get into this building. And I have to then make a calculated decision. I can keep running further down the hill, but I don't know if there's a bathroom there. And I also risk running into the couple and not being able to stop them in time until they- Come across Jane standing there covered in her own shit. And so I'm like, I just have to go back up to where Jane is. So I go back up the hill.
28:00 Speaker 04 Poor thing is like sticky, covered in her own poop. She is using leaves and branches to try to clean herself up. And it's 95 degrees and humid. So the smell that's wafting up into the air.
28:11 Speaker 01 This is a nightmare.
28:13 Dax Shepard? It's a horror movie.
28:14 Speaker 04 And so we're just kind of standing there at a loss. We have a timer ticking down and we have no way of cleaning this up. Cause we're wearing like shorts and a tank top. Like we don't even have extra clothes on us. And Jane is certain that she doesn't have anything in her car that can help us. Cause she just cleaned it out. And Jane also can't just go hide in the woods and let me do it. Because the couple knows her personally. And so if the groom shows up to the engagement and Jane isn't there, he's going to be like, red flags are going off and it could risk ruining the whole proposal. Then out of nowhere, we hadn't seen a single soul at the park yet that day. We look toward the direction of the overlook and this lovely, middle aged woman is jogging in our direction. She's very fit, very in shape. This poor woman doesn't know what's coming.
28:59 Speaker 04 So I flag her over. I'm like, ma'am, excuse me. She gets close to us. She looks horrified, like it stinks. There's poop everywhere. She's like, what did I just run across? I'm like, ma'am, we're clearly in a situation. We're photographers. We're here shooting an engagement. The couple is on their way. We have no way of cleaning up this poop. Like, do you have anything? She's looking very skeptical, but for some reason is nice enough to agree. You know, I think I have some like old beach towels or something in my car. I can run down to my car and look. And I'm like, okay, but here's the catch, ma'am. You can't go down the normal path because you're going to run out of time. So I ask this poor woman to please cut down the very steep hill back down to the parking lot.
29:43 Speaker 04 And she by some miracle says, okay, sure.
29:47 Dax Shepard? Oh, what a good Christian woman.
29:49 Speaker 04 Seriously, like that's southern hospitality. She runs down the hill. Jane and I are standing there. She is so embarrassed, like can barely look at me in the eyes. I'm trying to be like, it's okay, it's okay. You know, it feels like a lifetime that we're standing up there, but it was probably 10 minutes. 15 minutes, the woman comes running back up. She has a bottle of hand sanitizer and these old musty beach towels. And she's like, yeah, you guys can obviously keep these. We don't get her name, we don't get her phone number, her address. I have no idea who she is, but we just say, thank you so much. And she takes off finishing her jog back down the path and we never see her again. And so anyway, Jane uses the hand sanitizer and the towels to wipe up as best as she can.
30:29 Dax Shepard? Sure. There's only so much you can do without a shower.
30:32 Speaker 04 She pulls her denim shorts, fastens them, turns around and there is just like a huge shit stain on the back of these denim shorts. And I'm like, okay, well, we gotta go. They're five minutes away. So we make our way to the overlook and she's like, here's what's gonna happen. You're gonna do the shoot, you're gonna take my camera, I'll get the wide angle shots and just stay far away. So I'm like nervous because I'm not a real photographer. But anyway, we go hide in the bushes, the couple comes up, they get engaged, it's lovely, they're so happy, the girl is crying. I get some nice detail shots, Jane is waving at them and like strategically maneuvering to like keep her backside away from them the whole time. And then they say, thank you so much, they take off hand in hand back down the hill.
31:15 Dax Shepard? They had no idea.
31:16 Speaker 04 No idea. And Jane had to stay far away because she smelled like shit. Anyway, we cut back down through the woods, back to the car and Jane had insisted on us driving together. So she had to sit on these dirty beach towels the whole way home and it smelled like a porta potty.
31:32 Dax Shepard? Did you guys discuss, did she go like, yeah, I fucking ate some shrimp tacos?
31:36 Speaker 04 That's what we were trying to figure out. I was like, did you get food poisoning or something? Cause she seemed fine after that. She dropped me back off at home and made me swear that I was never gonna tell a soul.
31:48 Dax Shepard? Sure.
31:49 Speaker 04 So I was like, you know what, I'm not gonna tell anybody, I promise. So I get back to my apartment and my roommates are like, how'd the photo shoot go? And I'm just like, it was great. I sat on this story for like a year and then I ended up running into Jane at an event. And she was laughing about it and was like, I don't care. You can tell people it's so funny. So then I was able to unburden myself.
32:11 Dax Shepard? I got a commender on her work ethic. She didn't fucking bail.
32:15 Speaker 01 But this is like a movie. It's so high stakes, a proposal.
32:19 Speaker 04 If this woman hadn't been on her little jog, this couple's engagement story would be so radically different. And she really saved the day.
32:27 Dax Shepard? I wonder if the couple though, on their stroll up, when they pass that little clearing, they're like, did you fart? That could have also unhinged the engagement. If she was like, God, Brad always.
32:37 Speaker 01 We're doing this nice thing and you can't even not fart?
32:40 Dax Shepard? Or he's like, oh no, she smells. Should I do this?
32:43 Speaker 04 Yeah, truly the wildest thing I think I've ever experienced.
32:46 Speaker 01 Wow.
32:47 Dax Shepard? Oh, I love that. I was not expecting a poop your pants story in the middle of gestures from a stranger. So what a blessing.
32:53 Speaker 04 Yeah, I listened to the crazy proposal story episode. I was like, I should have written this story. And then I saw the kind gesture and I was like, oh yeah, this woman.
33:02 Dax Shepard? She's a hero.
33:02 Speaker 01 I'm trying to think. I would say, yeah, I have stuff in the car.
33:06 Dax Shepard? You can come grab it.
33:08 Speaker 01 No, no, I would help, but I wouldn't go the steep way. Cause I'd be like, I might fall and die.
33:14 Dax Shepard? I would have been like, no, cause then she would have thought that was a scam. I was gonna say, I would say, what's your car? Give me your keys. I'm gonna run down, grab them out of the trunk and I'll run back up. But then she probably would have been like, oh, this whole thing's a scam to steal my car.
33:27 Speaker 01 Right.
33:27 Dax Shepard? That's why fake duty.
33:29 Speaker 04 An elaborate plot.
33:30 Speaker 01 Yeah.
33:31 Dax Shepard? Super sophisticated ploy to steal a car. And you've left someone behind as a witness too.
33:37 Speaker 01 Oh, what a story.
33:38 Dax Shepard? Chelsea, that was great.
33:39 Speaker 01 That was fun.
33:40 Speaker 04 Thanks for letting me share it. Can I have two friends come say hi really quick? They happened to have the day off work and they are the biggest arm cherries that I know. And Dax, you are my friend Rebecca's biggest celebrity crush.
33:52 Speaker 05 Hi.
33:53 Dax Shepard? How are you?
33:54 Speaker 04 And this is Brian.
33:55 Speaker 05 Good. Longtime listener, first time caller.
33:59 Dax Shepard? This looks like everyone's sharing a coffin.
34:01 Speaker 04 Basically.
34:03 Dax Shepard? And are you a Kentucky native?
34:04 Speaker 05 Yes, all Kentucky natives.
34:06 Dax Shepard? Oh, the bluegrass. Well, it's lovely meeting all of you.
34:10 Speaker 03 You too.
34:10 Speaker 05 Yes, lovely to meet y'all too.
34:12 Dax Shepard? Okay, bye guys.
34:13 Speaker 01 Bye.
34:13 Speaker 04 Bye, thank you guys.
34:16 Speaker 06 Hello.
34:17 Dax Shepard? Hello. Is it Janay?
34:19 Speaker 06 Yes, it is.
34:20 Dax Shepard? And where are you at, Janay?
34:21 Speaker 06 I'm in Abington, Massachusetts.
34:24 Dax Shepard? Okay, so you received a kind gesture from a stranger.
34:27 Speaker 06 Yes, I did. During the height of the COVID pandemic, so about May, my husband and I had just found out we were pregnant with twin girls. And so that was a bit of a shock. But at the same time, we also had horrible news that both of my parents had been diagnosed with cancer.
34:46 Dax Shepard? Oh, my God.
34:47 Speaker 06 One right after the other. So my dad with a rare skin cancer and my mom lymphoma. So they had lived in New York at the time. And so when they found that out, they decided that they needed to move close to Boston to be able to go to Dana Farber. It's like the best cancer center you can go to. So we needed them just as much as they needed us for support. So we were at a point where we were ready to look at buying a house. And so we decided, why not look into like a multi-generational house with an in-law suite? During COVID, it was like finding a needle in a haystack. So my parents were still in New York. They hadn't quite come out yet because we didn't really have a place to live yet. So it was my husband and I really looking at all these places.
35:32 Speaker 06 So I was super pregnant. I was probably six months. Our realtor was like, oh, gosh, you gotta find them a house. So he knew the ramifications of it wasn't just us, but it was my parents that needed a home, too. We finally found a house that had everything we needed. It was a complete, separate apartment that my parents could live in on the lower level. And we were in the upper level, had everything we needed. It felt like it was perfect, but it was $100,000 over our budget, which was just too much over at that time for us to be able to make it work. Needless to say, we were heartbroken, but we still decided to put in an offer and it was below asking, obviously, hoping that the sellers would come down a little bit.
36:13 Speaker 06 And they did. They countered our offer, but only by 30,000. It helped, but it was still not enough.
36:29 Dax Shepard? We are supported by Squarespace. So here's something I think about a lot. Most people I talk to on this show, the ones doing really interesting things, they all had a version of their work that existed before anyone else saw it. It was just theirs, notes, ideas, projects they were tinkering with. And then at some point, they made the decision to share it. That's the part that's scary, right? Going from, "I'm working on something," to, "Here's what I made." Rob went through the exact same thing, building our site on Squarespace. And what made it doable was that he didn't have to become a web developer overnight. He just had to show up with the idea. Squarespace handles the rest. Beautiful templates that actually look like you hired someone, built an SEO so people can find you, email campaigns, scheduling, analytics, all under one roof. No code, no patchwork of random tools.
37:14 Dax Shepard? And honestly, the thing I keep coming back to is how low the barrier is. If you've got something you've been building quietly and you're ready for people to see it, Squarespace makes that leap feel a lot less traumatic. Head to Squarespace.com/dax for a free trial. And when you're ready to launch, use offer code DAX to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.
37:36 Dax Shepard? We are supported by Walden University. You know that feeling when you've been thinking about making a move, going after the degree, the promotion, the thing you keep telling yourself you'll get to someday? Walden University is built for that moment. For over 50 years, Walden has helped working professionals get the W, the knowledge, the skills, and the confidence to create real change in their careers and communities. Their programs are designed around your life, not the other way around. With Tempo Learning, available in select programs, there are no rigid schedules or set weekly deadlines. You move at your own pace. And Walden's faculty aren't just academics. They're practitioners who bring real-world experience into everything they teach. From your first class to career coaching and beyond,
38:21 Dax Shepard? Walden is your partner the whole way. Take the first step and learn at a pace that works for you. Visit waldenu.edu. Walden University. Set a course for change. Certified to Operate by CHEV. This episode is supported by Helix.
38:39 Speaker 01 Okay, can we talk about how November is basically survival mode between the holidays, the travel, the hosting, the cooking, the everything? Sleep is the one thing keeping me from completely unraveling.
38:50 Dax Shepard? It really is the foundation, and I think people underestimate how much a bad mattress is quietly ruining their day. You wake up stiff, your back's angry, you're already behind before your feet hit the floor.
39:01 Speaker 01 That was me before Helix. I took their sleep quiz, which is so fast, it's taking like two minutes, and they matched me to a mattress that actually fits how I sleep. Not a guess, not a firm or soft coin flip, it's a real match. I have a midnight mattress, and I really like it. I was noticing it because I actually had to sleep in one of my other beds recently that doesn't have a Helix mattress on it, and I really could tell a big difference in my sleep.
39:24 Dax Shepard? Temperature was all over the map.
39:25 Speaker 01 It was a mess. I need a new one.
39:27 Dax Shepard? Look, they've got over 20 mattress models, so whether you sleep hot, need extra back support, or you've got a partner who moves around all night, there's one built for you. Plus, free shipping and a 365-night Happy with Helix guarantee. That's a full year to decide.
39:41 Speaker 01 Helix has been named the most awarded mattress by Forbes, Wired, and more. So it's not just us being enthusiastic, the experts agree.
39:48 Dax Shepard? Right now, Helix is running their Black Friday sale with up to 30% off. Go to helixsleep.com/armchair for up to 30% off your Helix mattress. That's helixsleep.com/armchair for up to 30% off your Helix mattress. Helixsleep.com/armchair.
40:13 Speaker 06 So we kind of let it go, and we thought, all right, this isn't gonna happen, we're just gonna keep looking. But a couple days later, we got a call, and the sellers had accepted our offer, a difference of $70,000. And we were stunned. I was like, did the realtor tell them a sob story about us, pulled a cancer card? But he didn't mention any of that. We felt so lucky, we cried tears of joy, we were so ecstatic. My parents moved in, they started their treatments, and we were getting ready to welcome our twins. So we never really heard. Anything from the other Realtors at that point, it just was done and all was taken care of. But a year later, we found out the truth. Our Realtor had come to us. He was so kind and he said,
40:56 Speaker 06 I couldn't let this go and I couldn't see you guys without this perfect home. So he had decided to pay the $70,000 difference.
41:06 Speaker 01 What? The Realtor did.
41:07 Dax Shepard? What?
41:08 Speaker 06 He debated even telling us. He didn't want to make it about himself.
41:12 Dax Shepard? Did you know him prior to working with him? Were you guys friends?
41:16 Speaker 06 I had heard of him as a Realtor before, but no, we didn't know him.
41:21 Dax Shepard? Wow, that's extraordinary.
41:24 Speaker 06 It was amazing and to this day, I don't really have the right words to express to him how thankful we are and he didn't want anything in return. We invite him over and we have barbecues in the backyard and things like that, but we call it our miracle house. And now my twin girls are four years old. They're just a joy and my mom's cancer is gone. My dad's cancer is very stable.
41:50 Dax Shepard? Wow.
41:51 Speaker 01 Amazing. Oh my gosh, how wonderful.
41:54 Dax Shepard? Yeah, that's spectacular. And you still love the house? You've been there for four years?
41:59 Speaker 06 We love it.
42:00 Dax Shepard? That's wonderful. Well, if you sell it, make like a huge profit.
42:04 Speaker 06 We'll definitely have to find a way to pay it forward.
42:07 Speaker 01 That's a beautiful story.
42:08 Dax Shepard? Not shocking because one of the greatest gifts of generosity I received was when we were stranded at the airport in Boston and those kind people in Wellesley hosted all of us. That was mass holes going against the stereotype.
42:21 Speaker 06 Yeah, not everyone is terrible.
42:24 Dax Shepard? Did you watch the Jerry Springer documentary by chance on Netflix?
42:28 Speaker 06 No, I haven't.
42:29 Dax Shepard? I gotta tell you just the funniest. A, if you watch it, you'll be like, I can't believe that was on television and we just accepted that. That's one shocking thing. But then the other funny thing is they had a rule on Jerry Springer, no guests from Boston.
42:44 Speaker 01 Oh my God.
42:45 Dax Shepard? It was like a hard rule.
42:47 Speaker 01 Really?
42:47 Dax Shepard? Yeah, because they had so many guys from Boston come on. They were either lying or they had made up their story. They just wanted to get on TV and raise hell. And so I think that's a real feather in the cap of Boston. All Bostonians banned from Jerry Springer.
42:59 Speaker 01 Too crazy for Jerry Springer. Wow.
43:03 Speaker 06 I just have to say I'm a brand new armcherry.
43:05 Speaker 01 Oh, exciting.
43:07 Speaker 06 You get a lot of people who have listened from the start, but I have a 30 minute commute to work, home and back. And so I thought I need to find some new podcasts and I stumbled upon it and I've been listening since.
43:20 Dax Shepard? Oh, welcome. What guests brought you in?
43:22 Speaker 06 It was just one of the anonymous. It was one of the nurse stories. So I started on a good one.
43:27 Dax Shepard? Yeah, I was just telling my mother in law, who's a nurse, that there's nothing more dependable than the nurse prompt.
43:33 Speaker 01 It's a good one. Well, thank you so much.
43:36 Dax Shepard? Thanks so much.
43:36 Speaker 06 Thanks for having me.
43:37 Dax Shepard? All right. Bye bye.
43:38 Speaker 01 Bye.
43:40 Speaker 07 Hi.
43:41 Dax Shepard? Hello. How are you?
43:43 Speaker 07 I'm so excited. I'm great.
43:45 Dax Shepard? Where are you, Georgianne?
43:47 Speaker 07 I am in Terrell, Texas, which is about 30 miles east of Dallas. It's hometown of Jamie Foxx.
43:54 Speaker 01 Oh, nice.
43:55 Dax Shepard? That's a feather in y'all's cap.
43:57 Speaker 07 Yeah, it's great.
43:59 Dax Shepard? Okay. So you were the recipient of some kindness.
44:02 Speaker 07 The story takes place in Friendswood, Texas, which is kind of down the Houston area, right in the shadow of Johnson Space Center. And when I was nine years old in fourth grade, I could not decide if I wanted to be an astronaut or a teacher. Then the most amazing thing happened. My teacher, Peggy Lathlane, was named one of the finalists for NASA's Teacher in Space Program.
44:26 Speaker 01 Oh, wow.
44:27 Speaker 07 So cool. She had, I'm assuming a sabbatical. I don't know. She didn't like clear it with the nine year olds what was happening with her release time, but she wasn't there. She would come back and give us updates on the training that she was doing with the space program. And we had little experiments that we got to design that the teacher in space was going to take up on the Challenger. So of course, we were so sad that she wasn't selected to be the teacher in space.
44:53 Dax Shepard? Well, as soon as you said this, I'm back in fifth grade, watching it live in my classroom, and I'm terrified for what's coming.
45:02 Speaker 07 Yes. So January 28th, 1986, I will never forget, Ms. Cheever came in the classroom and told us to come to the carpet. We knew, of course, that Miss Lathlane hadn't been selected, but we were excited because we were told that our experiment was still going on board the shuttle and that Krista McAuliffe was going to come to our school and share all of the findings from our experiment. I'll never forget sitting on the carpet and watching her chin quiver as she told us what had happened, that the challenger had been lost.
45:34 Dax Shepard? You guys weren't watching it live?
45:36 Speaker 07 No, because our principal, it was such a big deal for our school and our community that she had this foreboding feeling like if something terrible happened, she didn't want us all watching this collective traumatic experience.
45:51 Dax Shepard? Yeah, yeah.
45:52 Speaker 07 I was devastated, as were so many of our class. Sad for our teacher and for those families. And then for me too, I'd been so excited that I don't have to choose between being an astronaut and a teacher. I can do both like Miss Lathlane. And a little part of that dream died for me that day. So by the time I got home from school, I was nearly inconsolable. And my mom owned a flower shop and we lived in an apartment above the flower shop. I'm just sobbing by the time I get off the bus and she says, I want you to go upstairs, just take a breath, get a snack. It's gonna be okay. About an hour, hour and a half later, I come bouncing down the stairs and she's like, George Anne, you seem so much better. I'm like, why am I called NASA?
46:37 Speaker 07 And she's like, you did what? I said, yeah, I called NASA and I talked to my teacher and she told me she was okay and that I'm okay and I feel better. I remember very vividly marching up the little stairs. I pulled out the Yellow Pages from under our counter to Monica, other young people. It was this big book of phone numbers.
46:57 Speaker 01 Oh, I know a Yellow Page.
47:00 Speaker 07 I looked up the number for Johnson Space Center and called. The operator there connected me to Cape Canaveral, where my teacher was to watch the launch in Florida. So when my mom tells the story to this day, I am the hero of the story. Can you believe it? She was nine years old and called NASA. But really, as I have reflected on that so many times in my life. And I tell the story often in different contexts is that really the hero of that story was an operator. She was the operator on the worst day. Can you imagine what NASA was like that day? The calls that were coming in, the devastation, the grief, the hurt and a stranger. She didn't know me, but heard this sad, scared little girl. She could have easily said, honey, your teacher's
47:44 Speaker 07 in Florida. She's busy. I can't find them. Bless your heart. But she took the time to connect me to Cape Canaveral, to find someone there who went to track down my teacher and connect that call to a private place. And I really remember Ms. Lashlane saying, I'm okay and you're okay and it's all gonna be okay. There's just a lot of times in my life and in the work that I do that I tell that story, but just the reminder, the acts of kindness that we get to perform to people we know and don't know is what is going to make the world be okay.
48:21 Dax Shepard? You're right. It can have a real lasting impact.
48:24 Speaker 01 And a domino effect.
48:25 Speaker 07 Yes.
48:26 Dax Shepard? Yeah, what a hero she is.
48:27 Speaker 07 An unsung hero. I never was able to track her down and find her, but if she happened to be listening, thank you. Cause she made a difference like all these years later.
48:38 Dax Shepard? Yeah, that's pretty radical. What a day that was. Cause we watched it live and every class was watching it. All of the teachers started crying. The explosion was one thing that was alarming, but it was seeing all of our teachers, which we didn't think cried. That was really unsettling. I was like, oh, the adults are really, really all scared right now.
49:01 Speaker 07 It's like the defining moment of my childhood, one of those, you know where you were.
49:06 Dax Shepard? Wow. Well, George Anne, that's a very sweet story.
49:09 Speaker 01 Yeah, thanks for sharing it.
49:11 Speaker 07 Thank y'all for giving me the chance to, we have some of the biggest arm cherries in our house. Can I get them in?
49:17 Dax Shepard? Yeah, let's get them all in.
49:18 Speaker 07 So my husband, Matt, and then this is our biggest fan here. This is Mitchell. He is our college kiddo. He just finished a final.
49:29 Speaker 01 Congratulations. I'm thinking I want to play this cool, but there's no way I'm going to fail miserably. I have to send a very profound thank you to what you guys do as parents raising boys. It can be
49:41 Speaker 03 Scary because we want our boys to be manly men, but we also want them to be sweet and kind. And Dax, you have created this model for what that can be, that you can like muscle collars in sports, but be an engaged dad. You can work hard, but be a caring and loving husband. You can be tattooed and ripped, but also be curious and empathetic and kind. And Monica is a young, beautiful, intelligent woman. You have made that okay. And not just okay, but preferred. I so appreciate the gifts that you guys bring to the world, and I hope that is not lost on you.
50:14 Dax Shepard? The notion you thought you were gonna botch this, that was incredible.
50:18 Speaker 01 Overwhelming.
50:19 Speaker 03 This guy right here, Mary, a week goes by that he and I don't connect about something that we heard or learned on Armchair Expert. Mitch, did you wanna say something? My little brother and I grew up absolute fans of Zathura. You kinda got us into bonding over movies and stuff like that. And then I started listening to the podcast and both of y'all have seriously just brought me so much knowledge and comfort and happiness in a lot of difficult times, especially going through college and stuff like that. And thank you so much from the bottom of my heart. I'm such a big fan.
50:50 Dax Shepard? Oh, this family, y'all made our day.
50:53 Speaker 07 He just finished a final and he was like, if I have to fail the final. But he didn't fail. He did great.
51:01 Dax Shepard? Okay, well, thank you. You truly, truly made our day.
51:04 Speaker 07 Thank y'all. It was a joy.
51:05 Dax Shepard? Take care. Oh, man.
51:08 Speaker 01 Sweet family.
51:10 Dax Shepard? Delightful.
51:11 Speaker 01 That was a nice family.
51:12 Dax Shepard? Hey, you intelligent, beautiful woman.
51:15 Speaker 01 Listen, I don't wanna go to space.
51:17 Dax Shepard? No, me neither. Well, I used to want to until we interviewed the astronaut and I found out it's not pleasant up there. Headaches, can't sleep, bursts of gamma rays in your eyes. They're closed. You can't shit.
51:30 Speaker 01 Yeah. I loved this prop.
51:32 Dax Shepard? Me too.
51:33 Speaker 01 And it has made me feel like I want to do something very nice for someone.
51:39 Dax Shepard? Yeah.
51:40 Speaker 01 Today, but I am going to the Beyonce concert.
51:44 Dax Shepard? That's a good thing to do for Beyonce.
51:48 Speaker 01 That's something, that's a kind gesture I'm doing for her.
51:51 Dax Shepard? What if Beyonce was on a podcast about kind strangers and she said, "This girl Monica, I didn't even know her and she bought a ticket to come see me perform. And she bought my merch and she cut in line."
52:05 Speaker 01 Okay, yeah, this isn't a good day for me to do it. I'm probably gonna receive a kind gesture from somebody.
52:11 Dax Shepard? You're gonna do a little taking today, probably.
52:13 Speaker 01 No, I'll buy everyone in line a shirt.
52:16 Dax Shepard? Oh, wow.
52:17 Speaker 01 I can't commit.
52:18 Dax Shepard? All right.
52:18 Speaker 03 Probably a big long.
52:19 Speaker 01 I know, I just realized that.
52:21 Dax Shepard? All right, well, I think you're a kind stranger.
52:24 Speaker 01 I think you are too. You know what I like to do? This is nothing, but in LA, because we have a lot of parking meters.
52:31 Dax Shepard? Yeah.
52:31 Speaker 01 If I see that one's out.
52:34 Dax Shepard? Oh, you slide your credit card in there?
52:35 Speaker 01 Yeah.
52:36 Dax Shepard? Oh, that's really nice. You know what I make a habit of doing is if I have to fart and I'm about to get on an elevator, I fart in the foyer before I get in the elevator.
52:46 Speaker 01 Wow, that's so nice.
52:48 Dax Shepard? Yeah. My wife doesn't extend that kindness to strangers. She'll toot right in the elevator because she knows they'll blame me.
52:54 Speaker 03 Or they'll like it.
53:03 Speaker 01 You love that, huh?
53:04 Dax Shepard? That's so funny. You know, Rob's got my number sometimes.
53:07 Speaker 01 Yeah, he sure does.
53:10 Speaker 01 All right, well, I think that's it for kind strangers. That was really lovely.
53:15 Dax Shepard? All right, love you.
53:16 Speaker 01 Love you.
53:18 Speaker 03 Do you want to sing a tune or something? We have a theme song.
53:20 Dax Shepard? Oh, okay, great. We don't have a big song for this new show, so here I go, go, go. We're gonna ask some random questions and with the help of our cherries, we'll get some suggestions. On the fly, rhyme dish, on the fly, rhyme dish, enjoy.
Previous Eric Topol Returns (on longevity) Next Nick Kroll Returns Page updated November 3, 2026 · transcript and summary are machine-generated