Catalog
Episodes
"The What Principle?"Aug 15, 2025 · 51 minAt long last, Giving Up returns for a fifth (!) season delivering the millennial-coded and restaurant-adjacient content you crave. To celebrate the premier, our crew ditches the usual episode format in favor of a robust lore update.
Consumption:
Alex: The Ministry of Time
Youngmi: Too Much
JdB: Unshrunk
Please send us your advice questions! And topic suggestions! Send us a voice note via our IG profile, email them to givingupthepod@gmail.com or send anonymously.- "Weirdly ok"May 30, 2025 · 50 minThis is the way season four ends, not with a bang but with a "weirdly ok." Alex John and Youngmi discuss the emotions that are topping them this week before discussing the topic of memory.
Consumption:
Alex: Last of Us Finale
Youngmi: "Bad Influence"
JdB: Oreo Mega Stuff and Hostess Strawberry Cupcakes
Please send us your advice questions! And topic suggestions! Send us a voice note via our IG profile, email them to givingupthepod@gmail.com or send anonymously.
- Restaurant Bodies As ObjectsMay 23, 2025 · 52 minOn this, the penultimate episode of season 4, the crew explores a listener-submitted question about an all-too common occurence in hospitality spaces: when customers feel entitled to comment on—and touch—workers' bodies.
Please send us your advice questions! And topic suggestions! Send us a voice note via our IG profile, email them to givingupthepod@gmail.com or send anonymously.
Consumption:
Youngmi: Boyfriend Forever
Alex: Waitress the Musical
JdB: Underworld and Robin Tran
- Ecosystem ManagementMay 2, 2025 · 52 minIn what is sure to be a therapeutic episode for many, Youngmi, Alex, and John discuss their restaurant pet peeves!
Please send us your advice questions! And topic suggestions! Send us a voice note via our IG profile, email them to givingupthepod@gmail.com or send anonymously.
Consumption:
Alex: Brown and Friends
JdB: Jurassic World Dominion
Youngmi: My Big Fat G--y Wedding
- Let It RipApr 25, 2025 · 49 minThe aftershocks of Mic Noise Gate continue to reverberate as the crew tackles the very chill and uncontreversial topic of RELIGON.
Please send us your advice questions! And topic suggestions! Send us a voice note via our IG profile, email them to givingupthepod@gmail.com or send anonymously.
Consumption:
Alex: Parable of the Sower
JdB: Mickey 17
Youngmi: Stop Kiss
- Knitter's ChestApr 18, 2025 · 51 minGiving Up returns for the second half of the fourth season with a new timeslot: Friday! This week's topic is ANGER.
And speaking of anger, please send us your advice questions! And topic suggestions! Send us a voice note via our IG profile, email them to givingupthepod@gmail.com or send anonymously.
Consumption:
Alex: Katy Perry going to space
JdB: The Last of Us Season 2
Youngmi: Dream Scenario
- Straight MehApr 3, 2025 · 52 minWe've given up! (For a week.) Welcome to the mid-season finale of Giving Up, where the crew takles such topics as John's iced tea-induced insomnia and the way that the changing media landscape has affected restaurants, particularly in the context of Youngmi starting a TikTok account for Mission Chinese Food.
No episode next week. But as always, please send us your advice questions! And topic suggestions! Send us a voice note via our IG profile, email them to givingupthepod@gmail.com or send anonymously.
Consumption:
Alex: White Lotus
JdB: Gummi Bears & Chocolate Chips (and the Alien films)
Youngmi: Care and Feeding
- The Golden Age of RestaurantsMar 26, 2025 · 55 minThis week's top emotion segment features a harrowing tale of an almost-sucessful phishing attempt before the crew discusses the recent book review of two restaurant-centric memoirs.
Then they tackle the topic of patrons stealing items from restaurants. Don't do it!
Please send us your advice questions! And topic suggestions!
Send us a voice note via our IG profile, email them to givingupthepod@gmail.com or send anonymously.
Consumption:
Alex - Adolescence
JdB - Seinfeld
Youngmi - Din Tai Fung (derogatory)
- Breasting BoobilyMar 19, 2025 · 52 minWith all the pieces in place, episode three finally debuts the show's new format in full.
Starting with a mildly homoerotic Top Emotion segement before getting into the episode's main topic: DRUGS.
The advice question has the crew tackling the nuanced etiquite for bringing children to "nice" restaurants.
Please send us your advice questions! And topic suggestions!
Send us a voice note via our IG profile, email them to givingupthepod@gmail.com or send anonymously.
Consumption:
JdB - The Terminator Sequels
Youngmi - Trader Joseon
Alex - [censored]
- We Heart FlukemanMar 12, 2025 · 1 hr 1 minLike the inexorable march of time, season 4 marches on as the crew talks about ~personal branding~ in the age of social media before tackling this epsiode's main topic: skin care, and how a lot of it is actually BS.
Please send us your advice questions! And topic suggestions! Send us a voice note via our IG profile, email them to givingupthepod@gmail.com or send anonymously.
Consuming:
Alex - The X-Files
JdB - Survivor Season 48
Youngmi - Mint Tea
- "What's Severance?"Mar 5, 2025 · 56 minWe're baa~ack!
At long last, the crew has dusted off their mics and re-learned how to make podcasts. Season 4 starts with a somewhat free-from episode where a new format for the season takes place in real time.
We still want your advice questions, however! Send us a voice note via our IG profile, email them to givingupthepod@gmail.com or send anonymously.
Media:
JdB: Severance
Youngmi: Love is Blind
Alex: The Pitt
- Giving Up Returns! ...For The FinaleDec 11, 2024 · 1 hr 4 minAfter taking a few weeks off, the crew triumphantly returns to record the final episode of season 3. Starting off with a robust discussion of everyone's current gripes before adressing an advice question about nuerodivergence among restaurant workers.
See you all in 2025 for season 4!
Media:
Youngmi - Cold Case
Alex - Lost Children
JdB - Somebody Somewhere
- We're Still AliveNov 13, 2024 · 58 minThe first post-election episode discusses the aftermath of the most recent election before going into a more on-topic restaurant subject.
Media:
JdB - The Boyfriend
Alex - Extremely American
Youngmi - Right-Wing YouTube
- Tis the (Election) SeasonOct 30, 2024 · 1 hrThe crew comiserates about the upcoming election and Alex's recovery from Covid before diving into the Simu Liu Boba Tea controversy. The advice section discusses a common fear among the dining public.
Media:
Alex - Somebody Somewhere
JdB - Angela Collier
Youngmi - Escape at Dannemora
Send us your advice questions! givingupthepod@gmail.com or send anonymously.
- Confessions of a Sink VomiterOct 23, 2024 · 53 minThe tables have turned! This episode features confessions from John, Youngmi, and Alex about the times they were the embarrasing restaurant guests.
Media:
JdB - Ariana Grande's SNL Episode
Youngmi - Love Is Blind (still)
Alex - Random Guys on TikTok
Send us your advice questions! givingupthepod@gmail.com or send anonymously.
- We Can Get Angry About CakeOct 16, 2024 · 56 minThe usual segments are largely abandoned in favor of a deep dive of the recent TikTok-based cake controversy where an amateur cake maker accused an NYC restaurant of pilfering uneaten cake.
Media:
Youngmi - Love Is Blind
Alex - Mr. McMahon
JdB - Interview with the Vampire
Send us your advice questions! givingupthepod@gmail.com or send anonymously.
- Silent Generation PauseOct 9, 2024 · 51 minThe crew kicks off by trying to figure out who exactly the "Silent Generation" is that segues into a discussion of World War 2. The Thunderdome yields a discussion of Lana Del Rey's new husband and the advice section touches on a very niche concern of restaurant people: what the tipping etiquette is when invited in for a friends and family meal before a new restaurant opens.
Media:
Alex - Monsters
JdB - Zelda Echoes of Wisdom
Youngmi - The Message
- Customization CultureSep 25, 2024 · 49 minThis episode starts with an exploration of self image and then John talks about how he's sad and mad about a tree. The Thunderdome make its triumphant return and features a discussion of Priya Krishna's article about drink customization which dovetails nicely to the advice question about getting into bartending and if bartending school is worth it.
Media:
Alex - In the Dark
Youngmi - Sex and the City
JdB - Tuesday
- Just LieSep 18, 2024 · 46 minThe crew starts out talking about the humiliations of job interviews and then about how people talk about punctuality online. The Thunderdome is waived (gasp) in order to give proper time to an advice question about aging in the restaurant industry.
Media:
Alex - Civil War
Youngmi - Uglies
JdB - EUSEXUA
- The Beach That Makes You OldSep 11, 2024 · 59 minThe crew somewhat flinches on their commitment to talking more about restaurants by spending the episode discussing aging, perimenipaus and ambivalently critiquing astrology. However, and advice question regrounds in the topic of reporting toxic behavior in the restaurant workplace.
Media:
JdB: Trap
Alex: Animal Crossing
Youngmi: The Deliverance
- Thunderingly GoodSep 4, 2024 · 1 hr 3 minAnd we're back with season three! The crew's made a soft pivot towards content that reflects their restaurant-adjacient millenial identities. The Thunderdome leads to a conversation about outgoing New York Times restaurant critic Pete Well's farewell column.
Media:
Alex - Kevin Can F*ck Himself
Youngmi - Love Island UK
JdB - Drag Race Philippines
- Season Two Finale ExtravaganzaJul 24, 2024 · 1 hr 1 minEvery ten episodes a new seaon begins, apparently. On this, the last episode of season 2, the crew debates the RNC-related Grindr spike in Milwaukee, communal tables in restaurants and answers an advice question that has it all: dead mothers, intergenerational conflict, and restaurant etiquitte.
Don't forget to send us your advice questions! DM us on instagram, email us givingupthepod@gmail.com, or send us a question anonymously.
Media:
John: Fringe
Alex: Game of Thrones (still)
Youngmi: Exhibit by R.O. Kwon
- I'm Glad I Didn't Go To Law SchoolJul 17, 2024 · 53 minJohn and Youngmi begin by recounting their witnessing of the deadly July 4h incident on the Lower East Side where a drunk driver drove a pickup truck into a crowd of people. The crew then discusses the pros and cons of social media-based mental health diagnoses before tackling an advice question about not ending up where you though you'd be.
Media:
Youngmi - A Quiet Place Part II
John - Chain Gang All Stars
Alex - Inside Out 2
- It's Giving FeedbackJul 10, 2024 · 1 hr 7 minThe crew begins by discussing the dynamics of emotional expression as it relates to gender expectations and neuroatypicality. The topic of mid-life crises re-emerges before a Thunderdome focusing on how to best think about receiving critical feedback. The advice section takles the oset of adult financial concerns.
[Sorry about the audio at the beginning! John's mic was turned off lol]
Media:
Alex: Game of Thrones
Youngmi: America's Sweethearts
John: Mad Max Fury Road
- Down-SoldJul 3, 2024 · 54 minThe crew kicks off with a discussion of what makes good service in restaurants and how long to hold on to anger. The chat dives even deeper into restaurant gripes in the Thunderdome. The advice question centers on parenting self-assured children.
Media:
John: The Boys
Alex: Dallas Cowboys Documentary
Youngmi: The Rachel Divide
- Studied Abroad (Derogatory)Jun 26, 2024 · 58 minThe episode kicks off with a discussion of life's struggles that transitions to a conversation about the crew's study abroad experiences. The advice segment centers around the question of entering into a relationship with someone who is possibly entering into a green card marriage.
[Please note that this episode contains discussions and descriptions of intimate partner violence.]
Media:
John: Hannah Einbinder's Everything Must Go
Alex: Tell Them You Love Me
- Intrusive Thought-CodedJun 19, 2024 · 1 hr 4 minThe crew kicks off the episode with some musings on TikTok-related hydration misinformation before transitioning to a discussion of what to do as parents (not John) when a child's friends are being mean to them.
The Thunderdome swirls around wealth culture and the advice segement further explores economic despair by answering a listener question about the best way to critique capitalism.
Media:
Alex - Hitler and the Nazis
Youngmi - The Life and Trials of Oscar Pistorius
John - The Acolyte
- Gaslighting UpJun 12, 2024 · 1 hr 1 minThe crew starts off hot and heavy with a spirited discussion of gaslighting before discussing millenial consumerism in the Thunderdome. Nether-region higene is the advice topic of the day.
Media:
Alex - Bridgerton and Andrew Scott Erotica
Youngmi - Big Vape
John - Final Fantasy VII (original)
- A Very Special EpisodeJun 5, 2024 · 45 minThis episode the crew sets aside formalities to address the difficult subject of pet death and the emotional landscape of considering creatures who's understanding of the world is so different from our own.
Our advice section continues to orbit around ADHD and Autism, this time as it releates to creativity and artistic expression.
Media:
Alex - We're Here
John - Furiosa
Youngmi - Ashley Madison Documentary and The Iron Claw
- Stop Trying To Make "West-Elm-ification" HappenMay 29, 2024 · 52 minSeason two is in full swing as the crew talks about what the best age to have kids is and the show experiences an unprecedented Thunderdome result. John fields an advice question about his recent autism screening.
Our Media:
Youngmi: Aaron Hernandez Documentary
Alex: Stranger Things
John: NJ Turnpike Signs
- Doing a Second Season for the BitMay 22, 2024 · 1 hrWelcome to Giving Up Season Two! We arbitrarily took a break for a few weeks so we could come back with a slew of of innovations—including a listener advice section! Did you miss us?
Our Media:
Youngmi: The Roast of Tom Brady
Alex: Physical 100 and Mary and George
John: The Idea of You
- Giving Up - Episode 21: "Crying to Completion"Apr 24, 2024 · 1 hr 10 minOn this, the final episode of Season 1, the crew explores the joys of clinging to petty grievances while the Thunderdome yields a deep dive into Alex's past.
What We're Watching:
John: Civil War
Alex: It
Youngmi: Rango
- Giving Up - Episode 20: "Generation Why"Apr 17, 2024 · 1 hr 17 minIn this episode we yearn for a new name for our generation besides "millenial" and then try to tackle a tricky trademark issue.
- Giving Up - Episode 19: "Giving Up Barbie"Apr 10, 2024 · 1 hr 13 minYep, we finally talked about Barbie.
What We're Looking At:
John/Alex: 3 Body Problem
Youngmi: It's Perfectly Normal
- Giving Up - Episode 18: "Neuroregular"Apr 3, 2024 · 55 minThe crew discusses the relative merits of negativity. The thunderdome yields an exploration of psychological inheritances.
What We're Looking At:
• John: The Hidden Spring
• Youngmi: The Unbearable Lightness of Being
• Alex: Lost Patients
- Giving Up - Episode 17: "The Not Having TV As A Child To Judging People For Using Twitter Pipeline"Mar 27, 2024 · 1 hr 14 minThe crew discusses the moral implications of continuing to post to twitter and the Thunderdome orders a ham and cheese on a roll.
- Giving Up - Episode 16: "Leaving the Routine Is Horrifying"Mar 20, 2024 · 1 hr 6 minThe crew discusses if millenials were ever cool while also exploring the pros and cons of office life and wether or not American Psycho needs a girlboss reboot.
- Giving Up - Episode 15: "I Don't Get Mad"Mar 13, 2024 · 1 hr 14 minIn a groundbreaking episode, Alex and John work though a mad-adjacent conversation about the core goal of the podcast and the balance between authenticity of topics and catering to an audience. The Thunderdome yields a discussion of how individuals navigate their sense of self within larger identity structures.
- Giving Up - Episode 14: "Catcalling Works??"Mar 6, 2024 · 59 minYoungmi triumphantly returns to talk about her cruise as it relates to the horrors of late-stage capitalism and the cheapness of commerical luxury. The crew also talk about dating as a teenager and wether or not it's normal to think that your loved ones are dead when you don't know where they are.
- Giving Up - Episode 13: "A Liverpool Ten"Feb 28, 2024 · 1 hr 7 minIn a first-and-most-likely-last episode of its kind, John and Alex record a Youngmi-free episode where they talk about social media platforms they never got into, Survivor, and the deeply disturbing novel Tender Is the Flesh.
- Giving Up - Episode 12: "It's a Valve Issue"Feb 21, 2024 · 1 hr 19 minThis week the crew tackles a wide assortment of topics from Alex's defecatory struggles, Survivor, and what it means for aging millenials to enter their parental death era.
- Giving Up - Episode 11: "RuPaul's Mid Race"Feb 14, 2024 · 1 hr 25 minIn their triumphant return to the airwaves, the crew re-aquaints themselves with the structure of their own podcast as they tackle subjects like fine dining, cannibalism, and The Sex Talk.
- Giving Up - Episode 10: "Putting the 'mid' in 'Mid-Season Finale'"Dec 13, 2023 · 1 hr 14 minOn this momentous occasion, the tenth episode of Giving Up and the last episode before the holiday break, John, Youngmi, and Alex reflect on the past half season, share in their distrust of lakes, and finally dive into the Half Baked Harvest controversy that they've been threatening to talk about for months.
The crew ends the season with a rousing Newlywed Game and by sharing their hopes for 2024.
- Giving Up - Episode 9: "Your Abs Know What Quantum Computing Is"Dec 6, 2023 · 1 hr 5 minReturning after a two-week break in recording the crew catches up about Alex's trip to Mexico, Youngmi's son's pneumonia, and John's completely baseless feeling that Alex and Youngmi are mad at him because they stopped responding to the group text for five hours last Friday. The thunderdome yields a discussion of online fame.
- Giving Up - Episode 8: "In Korea, Pooping Is National Discourse"Nov 29, 2023 · 1 hr 6 minSorry if you're seeing this twice! A draft of the episode went up on Sunday by mistake, but we're not mad at you for listening!!!
In this episode the crew wonders why the discussion always comes back to defecation and Alex and Youngmi are horrified that John sometimes forgets to eat. The Thunderdome results in a discussion of how each generation has a different level of intimacy with technology.
Just a heads up: this episode contains some discussion of disordered eating and intimate partner violence.
- Giving Up - Episode 7: "Hunter Schafer Is Our Daughter"Nov 22, 2023 · 1 hr 11 minDuring a discussion of feeling one's age, the crew makes a collective realization that John and Alex are actually Hunter Schafer's parents. The discussion of age continues during The Thunderdome when the crew discusses age gaps in straight relationships.
- Giving Up - Episode 6: "Aggressively Mid"Nov 15, 2023 · 1 hrThe crew starts with a fullsome discussion of constipation and infant feces before consoling John about the demise of his non-alcoholic drink company. The Thunderdome finds John, Alex, and Youngmi diving into their pasts with surprising results.
- Giving Up - Episode 5: "Hot Dogs Are Food!"Nov 8, 2023 · 1 hr 14 minThe crew dissects the internalized misogyny and homphobia inherent in policing one's own speech patters and how to impugn someone's actions without coming off abelist. The results of The Thunderdome lead the crew to reflect on the relationship between restaurant working conditions and food media against the backdrop of Momofuku Ko's closure.
- Giving Up - Episode 4: "Maybe the Real Squirrel Jerky Is the Friends We Made Along the Way"Nov 1, 2023 · 51 minJohn laments his indifference towards his own birthday while Alex and Youngmi ponder how to raise oppression-aware children without making them insufferable perma-victims. The Thunderdome features a surprisingly magnanimous outcome and the crew wonders, finally, what trick-or-treating will look like after the apocalypse.
- Giving Up - Episode 3: "Why Don't You Have Any Eyes?"Oct 25, 2023 · 1 hr 6 minWithout planning on it, Alex, John, and Youngmi end up recording a Halloween special. John tells the group what it's like to have sleep paralysis and Alex recounts the time she cast a spell on herself and accidentally burned her house down. Spooky season indeed.
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