Marcus continues to run the show for now while John has temporarily stepped away, and provides an update on how things are going, including the recent move which John and Marcus did together to South Orange County. 

December 21, 2023

As we shared the other week on our social media accounts, John will be temporarily stepping away from The RTWJ Podcast and Marcus will host at least the next few episodes on his own. This is Marcus’ first solo episode, where he shares more details on the temporary changes with The RTWJ Podcast, when we might expect John to return, and where we are looking to take the show in 2024. 

November 26, 2023

We're switching things up a bit and sharing about our experience earlier this month hiking Mt. Baldy (Mt. San Antonio), which is located in San Bernardino County, CA. Although we both had done it before, this year was the first time just the two of us did it together, and we have plenty to share about what made the experience both incredible and challenging. October 18, 2023

This episode was recorded the day after Representative Kevin McCarthy became the first Speaker of the House of Representatives to ever be removed from the role during a legislative session. This was the result of the motion filed by Rep. Matt Gaetz on October 3rd in response to the temporary funding bill introduced by McCarthy that gained Democratic support and prevented a government shutdown. In light of these events, we’re reflecting on just how far the MAGA movement is willing to go to advance its platform, refusing to accept even the faintest hint of compromise. October 6, 2023

Following up from our last episode on September 5th, we’re discussing the passage of the first parental notification policy by a school district in Orange County. On Thursday, September 7th, the Orange Unified School District (the school district where The RTWJ Podcast is located) became the first district in Orange County to pass a policy that requires parental notification of a student identifying as transgender under several circumstances. This policy follows a growing trend by school districts throughout the State of California in considering similar policies. No community is safe from these policies being considered in local schools, regardless of how diverse and accepting the community may be. 

September 20, 2023

We first start off by once again thanking Jhae Pfenning for having us as featured guests on the Hard Parking Podcast for the episode “The LGBTQ+ conversation” released on August 21, 2023, as we discussed numerous issues currently faced by the LGBTQ+ community. We then get into the topic of how old is too old to be a politician, inspired by Senator Mitch McConnell’s second freeze on television. Not only do we question how well elderly politicians can effectively perform their duties, but also the impact of having elderly politicians as it relates to voter turnout, particularly when it comes to critical groups such as the youth vote. What does the 2024 presidential election look like with the front-runner for both parties expected to be well into their 80’s by 2028?September 5, 2023

Marcus starts the episode with an unscripted personal reflection on what it means to make a difference in society and his own personal difficulty in accomplishing that while balancing other life commitments, including personal challenges with being the advocate he wants to be for the LGBTQ community. As we enter what will for sure be a very charged presidential campaign, we both reflect on the impact we hope to make with the RTWJ Podcast, as well as some of the interests we plan to advocate for in the coming weeks and months. August 17, 2023

After taking a few weeks off in July for summer vacation plans, we’re back and looking forward to continuing The RTWJ Podcast through the rest of 2023. After sharing about what we were each up to during the break, we’re discussing the stigmatizing and bullying that people feel the need to engage in on social media, using a TikTok personality we both follow as an example. Do people criticize others on social media because they truly care about their well-being, or does the behavior stem from other reasons? 

August 5, 2023

We're wrapping up our Pride Month 2023 series by sharing personal stories of our experiences as members of the LGBTQ+ community, what Pride Month means to us, and our personal reasons for why we advocate so strongly for full LGBTQ+ inclusion. The RTWJ Podcast is proud to be LGBTQ+ hosted, and we look forward to continuing the conversation not only in June but throughout the year. July 7, 2023

As we continue our discussion of LGBTQ rights and inclusivity during Pride Month 2023, we’re tackling one of the more popular anti-LGBTQ claims being made, which is the false allegation that the LGBTQ+ community engages in grooming, including for children. We’re responding to such claims, as well as highlighting the reality of the hypocrisy with the grooming conservatives are involved in while attacking the LGBTQ+ community. The RTWJ Podcast is proud to be LGBTQ+ hosted, and we look forward to continuing the conversation not only in June but throughout the year.

June 15, 2023