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It's been a while.

This week on Broken Tiles, Stacey and I settle back onto the couch after a long stretch of life happening in real time. We catch up on Stacey's recovery from surgery, celebrate our 35th wedding anniversary, and explore a few deceptively simple questions that ended up taking us much deeper than we expected.

We talk about the roles we assign ourselves without anyone asking, why it's so hard to say no when we really mean no, and what we're actually chasing when we feel the need to prove ourselves.

Along the way, we unpack family dynamics, validation, empathy, old patterns we inherited growing up, and the strange realization that sometimes the biggest expectations we carry are the ones we've quietly placed on ourselves.

As always, this isn't a podcast about experts offering advice. It's two people, four decades into life together, still trying to understand themselves, each other, and why curiosity continues to be one of the most powerful tools we have.

Also... there may or may not be a conversation about Hara Hachi Bu, unintentional misdemeanors, cleaning public bathrooms, and a movie review that completely falls apart.

Sometimes Broken Tiles is exactly that.

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A surf session sets the scene, but the real swell arrives when Kyle Thiermann walks us through the most important interview most of us will ever do: the one with our parents. We dig into why audio carries truth better than text or video, how a single saved voicemail can become an heirloom, and what happens when you trade the role of child for the role of journalist. The shift is simple and brave—ask specific questions, stop litigating memories, and let people talk long enough to show who they are.

Kyle shares the backbone of his new book—a personal arc of losing a close relationship to fringe thinking, then rebuilding it through conversation. Along the way, we explore the psychology of conspiracy status, the fallibility of memory, and the practical ways to record stories before silence arrives. The tactics are refreshingly doable: schedule a drive, turn phones off, press record, and start with one pointed question tailored to a parent’s quirks. We also look at how podcasting changes us as hosts, moving attention outward and shrinking the ego in the best way.

From river surfing in Montana to the limits of going left at Windansea, we tie craft to discipline and revisit the myth of rare talent. Kyle argues for compound practice—one honest hour a day—as the real engine behind great work, whether that’s writing, photography, or building a stronger family narrative. We don’t pretend to solve everything, but we do offer a rope bridge across isolation: story, presence, and small acts of sustained attention. If you’re ready to ask braver questions and capture the voices that shaped you, you’ll leave with both courage and a plan.

If this conversation moved you, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a quick review. Then ask one specific question at your next family call and tell us what you learned.

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A courthouse makes it legal—but a room full of people who love you? That’s what makes it feel like a marriage.

In this episode of The Broken Tiles Podcast, Stacey and Brian return from Syracuse, where their son’s eleven-year love story turned into one of the most joy-filled, grounded celebrations they’ve ever experienced—grandmas waving glow sticks. Cousins laughing like no time had passed. Two families folding into each other in a way that felt both official and beautifully easy.

Brian had the honor of officiating the ceremony—nontraditional, deeply personal, and written for a couple who don’t do religion but do believe in meaning, daily choice, and the kind of love that shows up in the everyday. (Yes, there was a hidden Lord of the Rings reference. And yes, only one sibling caught it.)

They reflect on what happens when estranged relatives reunite after twenty years—not to rehash the past, but to quietly begin again. They talk about why this wedding felt different, and how years of shared milestones—graduations, birthdays, cross-country visits—had already blended their families long before the music started.

After a long absence from podcasting, Brian offers a heartfelt apology to the entire country of Venezuela.....on Stacey’s behalf.

The episode also explores three relationship questions they posed to each other:
– What’s the most unexpected thing about being with me?
– I love you most when __________.
– And the one that stumped them both: Choose five words to describe my future that I don’t dare imagine.

They unpack how long-term couples stay connected: through small rituals, simple language, and navigating the quiet toll of sleep loss and mental spinning. They revisit how parenting reshaped their views on gender, why they chose gender-neutral names, and how their kids’ different life paths challenged assumptions they didn’t realize they had.

To close things out, they share their love for K-dramas like Castaway Diva and Extraordinary Attorney Woo—soft, smart, emotionally generous shows that forced them to slow down and reset.

If you're in the mood for a thoughtful, funny, grounded listen about weddings that heal, families that try again, and the questions that get under the surface—this one’s for you.

Press play, then share your answers to the big questions—or the bridge you’re thinking about rebuilding. And don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and pass this along to someone who loves a good reunion story.

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