Turning This Car Around
Lex Friedman, John Moltz and Jon Armstrong
America's number one best and favorite podcast about fatherhood hosted by Lex Friedman, John Moltz and Jon Armstrong.
Turning This Car Around is a podcast about parenthood from three dads, Lex Friedman, John Moltz and Jon Armstrong. You can follow us collectively on Twitter as @ttcashow
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Lex Friedman is the Chief Revenue Officer at ART19. He is a pretty important guy in the world of podcasting. He's also a writer; he authored humor books like The Snuggie Sutra and The Kid in the Crib.
He was also a senior contributor to Macworld, an author of technology books, and the co-host of Not Playing, a podcast where Dan Moren and Lex watch movies that everyone else has already seen. Mr. Friedman was formerly the cohost of Unprofessional.
Lex’s blog is called Lex, Briefly.
Lex lives with his wife and three kids in New Jersey.
You might know John Moltz as a person on the Internet. Many people do! However, he also appears in other guises, sometimes as a large, golden bull and others as a phalanx of beautiful swans! Usually, however, he appears as a guy working at a desk. Other important points that John Moltz would like to share:
- John Moltz is fluent in English and conversational in two other languages.
- John Moltz is the ship that made the Kessel run in less than 12 parsecs. He’s fast enough for you, old man.
- John Moltz is actually made up of thousands of smaller John Moltzes, all furiously working tiny little gears to keep the larger construct you know as “John Moltz” functioning.
- John Moltz is a little too comfortable talking about himself in the third person.
Jon Armstrong is a long time blogger at the barely alive Blurbomat, a UX/UI consultant, a web/business developer, a photographer and the impetus for this show. In a past life he executive produced a popular blog and ran the business. Yes, business. Turning This Car Around marks Armstrong’s first foray into podcasting.
You can see his photos on Flickr and Instagram.
Jon splits time between Brooklyn, New York and Salt Lake City, Utah. Armstrong has two wonderful and amazing biological children and two also wonderful almost-stepchildren.
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Top 10 Turning This Car Around Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Turning This Car Around episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Turning This Car Around for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Turning This Car Around episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
124: Binge Dranking
Turning This Car Around
08/11/16 • 46 min
Jon's daughter lost a tooth. Writing for The Atlantic, Caitlin Flanagan suggests How Helicopter Parenting Can Cause Binge Drinking. Jon is trying out Google Photos and has some privacy concerns. Our thanks to Hooked On Phonics for sponsoring this week's episode. Hooked On Phonics has over 200 songs, games and ebooks designed to help your child learn to read. Their app is available on iTunes, Google Play and Amazon app stores and you can go to HookedOnPhonics.com/CAR for a limited free trial. Our thanks as well to Sleep Number, the best sleep of your life. Set your sleep number from 0 to 100 to adjust how firm or soft you want your sleep experience. Find a Sleep Number store near you at SleepNumber.com and tell them Lex from Turning This Car Around sent you (really). And our thanks to Horizon Organic. Horizon Organic doesn’t put artificial flavors, preservatives or colors in their foods–because kids eat food. Look for the Horizon red snack boxes in the snack aisle, and visit HorizonDairy.com to see what else Horizon has to offer families. Follow us: @ttcashow. Lex Friedman can be found @lexfri, John Moltz can be found @Moltz and Jon Armstrong is @blurb.
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212: Promo Code: Butts
Turning This Car Around
04/21/18 • 40 min
Kids in Utah are now free-range. Lex's kids were watching An American Tail. Our thanks to March of Dimes. For every parent who’s ever done a frantic online search at 2:00 AM. For the first days home from the hospital, and every long night after that. For every family who’s ever lost a child. For every healthy mom and strong baby. March of Dimes is there... Join us at MarchOfDimes.org/TTCA. Our thanks to Control GX, the first grey-reducing shampoo, from Just For Men. Reducing your grey is as easy as washing your hair with Control GX. Get 25% off Control GX using code Regrowth25 at ControlGX.com! Follow us: @ttcashow. Lex Friedman can be found @lexfri, John Moltz can be found @Moltz and Jon Armstrong is @blurb.
30: Back to School
Turning This Car Around
08/28/14 • 47 min
It's back to school time! Congratulations, parents, you made it! Aaaaaand, sorry, kids. So sorry. (Not really.) For the etymology of the name Ruth's Chris Steakhouse you can check the Wikipedia page. That has not much to do with going back to school. Like you're surprised about that. But we do talk about how much we're looking forward to helping our kids with homework (not at all). And then we get really judgmental about home schooling. Even though we're all thinking about it at least a little. Sponsor: Our thanks to DayOne, a terrific journaling app for iOS and the Mac for sponsoring this episode. DayOne now has a new feature: publishing. Get. It. Follow us: @ttcashow. Lex Friedman can be found @lexfri, John Moltz can be found @Moltz and Jon Armstrong is @blurb.
86: Guitar Shopping
Turning This Car Around
11/13/15 • 51 min
Moltz is away this week and we invite listeners to send some good energy and thoughts his way. Everybody should be fine. Unless they are not. The correct pronunciation of pedagogy. TL;DR: the long and short o sound are acceptable. Lex and Jon have a conversation about Math homework and the Common Core, both of which are the bane of parents throughout the known universe. Jon references this article on Medium about how a student showed the correct answer, but an incorrect methodology. Lex is having doubts about his sordid past, namely The Snuggie Sutra, posted here in a tacky, sad way. We aren't above sad and tacky. Lex and Jon talk about piano lessons, benefits of staying with an instrument through high school. Horrible dad jokes are exchanged. Shopping ensues. Our thanks to Little Passports. Subscribe to Little Passports and your child will get an age-appropriate package with fun and engaging items that teach them about a new country every month. Turning This Car Around listeners can save 40 percent if you use promo code "TTCA". Our thanks also to Our Pact, a free (yes!) app that allows parents to schedule screen time on iOS devices. No catches! No in app purchases! And our thanks to Sleep Number, the best sleep of your life. Set your sleep number from 0 to 100 to adjust how firm or soft you want your sleep experience. Sleep Number's dual air technology and sleep monitoring (there's an app!) give you the best sleep you've ever had. Find a Sleep Number store near you at SleepNumber.com and tell them Lex from Turning This Car Around sent you (really). Follow us: @ttcashow. Lex Friedman can be found @lexfri, John Moltz can be found @Moltz and Jon Armstrong is @blurb.
57: I'm Conflicted At This Moment
Turning This Car Around
04/10/15 • 32 min
Today's show features a Moltz-free zone where Jon and Lex talk about parenting and stuff. And we hope Moltz is surviving camp. Follow us: @ttcashow. Lex Friedman can be found @lexfri, John Moltz can be found @Moltz and Jon Armstrong is @blurb.
47: Rabbit Poop
Turning This Car Around
01/23/15 • 47 min
This week we talk about pets because we're so sick of talking about kids. Moltz recommends guinea pigs as small pets but his info on bedding is out of date and backwards. There's not conclusive evidence, but you probably shouldn't use either pine or cedar shavings but should use fleece or paper. It's important to learn the difference between rabbit poop and brown Sixlets. Guinea pigs and rabbits have to eat their own poop because... well, they just do. Jon has also owned dogs, the Internet-famous Chuck and Coco. If you're in LA, Jon recommends Animal Crackers. This episode is not brought to you by Nature's Miracle but it should have been. Lex wants to get a Morkie. Here's a picture of Moltz's dog when they first met him. Moltz believes poodles look better with the puppy haircut which is to say no haircut. Here's Grant in action as a pup. That video also features Hank with a Salvador Dali mustache. (Some of these Flickr links weren't working in Safari for some reason, but do work in Chrome.) If you have a poodle, sometimes you have to overcompensate in his dress. Training is as much for the humans as it is for the dog. Always agree with your spouse on what kind of haircut the dog will have before he goes to the groomer or you might end up with this. If you do get a dog and you totally should because what else are you doing, get the dog this squirrel thing. Follow us: @ttcashow. Lex Friedman can be found @lexfri, John Moltz can be found @Moltz and Jon Armstrong is @blurb.
90: A Very Chomsky Christmas
Turning This Car Around
12/11/15 • 57 min
No Lex this week, he's still on vacation. Jon's daughters are fans of Little Big Planet. Moltz's son is hoping to get Lego Dimensions this year. Moltz will, sadly, not be playing Star Wars Battlefront on a shiny new Playstation 4 this year. Moltz reminisces about March of the Wooden Soldiers which he feels is what a joke in this Simpsons episode is based on. There's yet another trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Carrie Fisher did a terrific interview on Good Morning America. This brings us to an Ewok-themed t-shirt. If you're looking for something indescribably for that special someone, try some art by Brandon Bird (not a sponsor, we're just fans). Check out Bad Day On The High Sea, for example. Or Winter Wonderland. Our thanks to Little Passports. Subscribe to Little Passports and your child will get an age-appropriate package with fun and engaging items that teach them about a new country every month. Turning This Car Around listeners can save 40 percent if you use promo code "TTCA". And our thanks to Sleep Number, the best sleep of your life. Set your sleep number from 0 to 100 to adjust how firm or soft you want your sleep experience. Check out Sleep Number's temperature-balancing pillow. Find a Sleep Number store near you at SleepNumber.com and tell them Lex from Turning This Car Around sent you (really). Follow us: @ttcashow. Lex Friedman can be found @lexfri, John Moltz can be found @Moltz and Jon Armstrong is @blurb.
23: There is a Beaver in the Nursery
Turning This Car Around
06/19/14 • 45 min
This week we talk about gear again, because there's a lot of territory to cover. We may do it again next week. If you haven't seen The Rockford Files, well, you should. That's not gear-related, though, unless answering machines count. If you love your child and want to prepare them for the police state, get yourself a video baby monitor. An in-window air conditioner is not a piece of parent gear per se, but an Amazon affiliate link is an Amazon affiliate link, you know what I'm saying? Jon's girls have a lady bug light for going to sleep that turns itself off after a while. Lex's have a Pillow Pet that does much the same. Moltz's son simply welcomes the darkness that eventually swallows us all. Of course, if you have kids each one is going to need an iPad. That should be obvious. You're definitely going to need about 100 strollers, at least one full-featured and then about 99 umbrella strollers. Baby backpacks can be good if your kid isn't a hair puller. Lex's wife liked the Moby Wrap and Armstrong liked the Baby Bjorn. For eating, if your kids like to eat, get the IKEA Kalas line of plates, cups, etc. Then lock 'em up with a baby gate. And if you want to know how to correctly load those Ikea plates and cups into your dishwasher, see here. Sponsors: Our thanks to Care.com for sponsoring this episode. Care.com helps you find any kind of care help you need: babysitters, nannies, dog walkers, house sitters and elder care. Care.com provides detailed references and reviews and takes the uncertainty out of the process. Click this special link and you'll get 25 percent off a premium membership. Jon is even a satisfied user. Follow us: @ttcashow. Lex Friedman can be found @lexfri, John Moltz can be found @Moltz and Jon Armstrong is @blurb.
#20: Don't Put Fireworks Up Your Butt
Turning This Car Around
05/28/14 • 51 min
We continue our discussion of summertime. Lex and Moltz do an impromptu review of the current summer blockbuster movie Godzilla (mild on the spoilers) which has the guy from Breaking Bad in it. There's a little confusion between Godzilla 2000 and the Matthew Broderick Godzilla. Jon and Moltz both recommend The Way, Way Back, a great summer movie appropriate for teens and up. Jon's summer travel growing up involved a styrofoam cooler while Moltz's involved Mad Libs. Lex's family trips were saved by the Walkman. Jon's summer reading was the Gorean Saga which causes Jon and Moltz to school Lex in the magic of Frank Frazetta who sadly passed away in 2010. We close with a discussion on how to use fireworks which Jon is very passionate about. Sponsors: Our thanks to Care.com for sponsoring this episode. Care.com helps you find any kind of care help you need: babysitters, nannies, dog walkers and elder care. Care.com provides detailed references and reviews and takes the uncertainty out of the process. Click this special link and you'll get 25 percent off a premium membership. Jon is even a satisfied user. Our thanks also go out to Audible. Audible has books you can download and listen to on your iPhone, Kindle or Android device. Lex recommends You Can Date Boys When You're Forty and Moltz recommends The Longest Day. Use this special link and you can get a free audio book of your choice and a free 30-day membership.
242: Thanksgivingish
Turning This Car Around
11/23/18 • 38 min
Lex mentions This American Life episode 661: "But That's What Happened". Armstrong brings up a campaign by LDS members former LDS members to stop Bishops from asking kids about their sexual activities. If somebody you know and/or love is getting a Nintendo Switch, Armstrong recommends buying a second set of controllers. Your smile says a lot about you. Your ADA dentist is your best ally in keeping your smile healthy. The American Dental Association’s Find-a-Dentist tool helps you find a dentist in your area who fits your needs and has the expertise your smile deserves. Go to ADA.org/ttca today to find the right dentist for you. Our thanks also to Care.com for sponsoring this episode. Care.com helps you find any kind of care help you need: babysitters, nannies, dog walkers and elder care. Go to Care.com/TTCA and you'll get 30 percent off a premium membership. And our thanks to Prudential. Prudential and financial wellness expert Alexandra Drane are traveling across America to learn more about the changing financial landscape in a new project called The State of Us. The State of Us works to uncover the challenges getting in the way of financial wellness and teach us how to combat them. To learn more about the financial challenges facing America, visit prudential.com/stateofus. Follow us: @ttcashow. Lex Friedman can be found @lexfri, John Moltz can be found at micro.blog/moltz or @Moltz on Mastodon and Jon Armstrong is @blurb.
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FAQ
How many episodes does Turning This Car Around have?
Turning This Car Around currently has 296 episodes available.
What topics does Turning This Car Around cover?
The podcast is about Comedy and Podcasts.
What is the most popular episode on Turning This Car Around?
The episode title '124: Binge Dranking' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on Turning This Car Around?
The average episode length on Turning This Car Around is 44 minutes.
How often are episodes of Turning This Car Around released?
Episodes of Turning This Car Around are typically released every 7 days.
When was the first episode of Turning This Car Around?
The first episode of Turning This Car Around was released on Feb 20, 2014.
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