
Axis Conversations
135 episodes — Page 1 of 3
Roundtable: The World Cup, Toy Story 5, and Solomaxxing
CT: The World Cup, Toy Story 5, and Solomaxxing
"I Am a Failure": Inside the Minds of Young Men with Russ Ewell
Roundtable: Olivia Rodrigo, Disclosure Day, and Fatherhood
CT: Olivia Rodrigo, Disclosure Day, and Fatherhood
Ask Axis (ft. Roland Warren): "My husband is a first-time dad but never knew his own father. What does he need to know?"
Roundtable: Notifications In Class, Gen Z's Financial Openness, and Brain Implants
CT: Notifications In Class, Gen Z's Financial Openness, and Brain Implants
Roland Warren on The Difference A Dad Makes
Roundtable (Ft. Mike Novotny): Off Campus, Lunch Shaming, and Backrooms
CT: Off Campus, Lunch Shaming, and Backrooms
Ask Axis: "How can I instill a good work ethic in my 14 year old son?"
Roundtable: NBA Playoffs, Magnifica Humanitas, and The Mandalorian and Grogu
CT: NBA Playoffs, Magnifica Humanitas, and The Mandalorian and Grogu
Motherhood and Building Intentional Community with Ashlee Gadd and Katie Blackburn
Roundtable: Fear of God Hoodies, Freemasonry, and Social Media Gore
CT: Fear of God Hoodies, Freemasonry, and Social Media Gore
Ask Axis: How Do I Make Church Attendance Feel Natural?
Roundtable: Runfluencers, Lord of the Flies, and Vision Boards
CT: Runfluencers, Lord of the Flies, and Vision Boards
The Timeless Wisdom of the Rule of Life with Jen Pollock Michel
Roundtable: The Devil Wears Prada 2, The Meta Gala, and Mother's Day
CT: The Devil Wears Prada 2, The Meta Gala, and Mother's Day
The Big Conversation: Is Motherhood Harder than Ever?
Roundtable: Starbucks, Intuition, and Being Born in the Wrong Decade
CT: Starbucks, Intuition, and Being Born in the Wrong Decade
Freya India on How to Care for Teen Girls in a Digital Age
Roundtable: Birdwatching, Snapchat Posting, and Ruthlessly Eliminating Hurry
CT: Birdwatching, Snapchat Posting, and Ruthlessly Eliminating Hurry
Roundtable: We will be back with you next week!
CT: Bieber Headlines Coachella, Teen Texts Go Emo, and AI Jesus
Dr. Amy Adamczyk on The Scientifically Proven Influence of Parents
Roundtable: The Night We Met, Pimple Patches, and Super Mario
CT: The Night We Met, Pimple Patches, and Super Mario
Ask Axis: "How do I help my daughters decide which influences (and influencers) to embrace?"

Roundtable: 90s Fashion Boom, Meaningmaxxing, and Easter
Three Big Conversations: Teens are inspired by the fashion in Love Story - 08:22 Everybody, everywhere is maxxing - 21:34 The meaning of Easter might feel lost somewhere in the baskets and plastic grass - 37:28 Song of the Week - "Babydoll" by Dominic Fike - 02:50 → Click here for the lyrics In Other News: - 54:16 If you thought the popularity of KPop Demon Hunters wouldn't survive into 2026, look no further than your local McDonald's, which has Huntr/x and Saja Boys themed meals (and a Derpy the Tiger McFlurry). With the Artemis II mission, NASA is sending astronauts to the moon for the first time since the Apollo missions (over 50 years ago!). The four astronauts won't land on Luna, just journey around it, but it's an exciting moment, as the prep, launch, and journey are all livestreamed and accessible for those curious. An AI fruit-themed take on reality shows like Love Island has surged in popularity in the last few weeks, with videos getting tens of millions of views on TikTok. Teens are "mallmaxxing" as young people are driving an in-person shopping comeback, including, yes, malls. YouTube is rolling out a survey asking users if what they watched felt like "AI slop." It could be a way for YouTube to enforce its own AI policy, or, as some have hypothesized, it could be a way for Google to train its own AI video models for free. 🎧 Listen / Follow / Connect → Become a monthly donor today, join the Table. → Check out the podcast now on our YouTube Channel! → Get your question on Ask Axis! Send in your questions to [email protected]. → For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.

CT: 90s Fashion Boom, Meaningmaxxing, and Easter
Teens are inspired by the fashion in Love Story, everybody, everywhere, is maxxing, and the meaning of Easter might feel lost somewhere in the baskets and plastic grass. Song of the Week - "Babydoll" by Dominic Fike → Click here for the lyrics In Other News: If you thought the popularity of KPop Demon Hunters wouldn't survive into 2026, look no further than your local McDonald's, which has Huntr/x and Saja Boys themed meals (and a Derpy the Tiger McFlurry). With the Artemis II mission, NASA is sending astronauts to the moon for the first time since the Apollo missions (over 50 years ago!). The four astronauts won't land on Luna, just journey around it, but it's an exciting moment, as the prep, launch, and journey are all livestreamed and accessible for those curious. An AI fruit-themed take on reality shows like Love Island has surged in popularity in the last few weeks, with videos getting tens of millions of views on TikTok. Teens are "mallmaxxing" as young people are driving an in-person shopping comeback, including, yes, malls. YouTube is rolling out a survey asking users if what they watched felt like "AI slop." It could be a way for YouTube to enforce its own AI policy, or, as some have hypothesized, it could be a way for Google to train its own AI video models for free. 🎧 Listen / Follow / Connect → Become a monthly donor today, join the Table. → Check out the podcast now on our YouTube Channel! → Get your question on Ask Axis! Send in your questions to [email protected]. → For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.

"How to Talk to Your Teen About Video Games" with CJ Fant
CJ Fant is one of our own team members at Axis. As basically our resident gaming aficionado, I wanted to bring CJ on to talk about how parents can understand this medium a little better and enter into some intentional conversation around video games with the next generation. 🎧 Listen / Follow / Connect → Become a monthly donor today, join the Table. → Check out the podcast now on our YouTube Channel! → Get your question on Ask Axis! Send in your questions to [email protected]. → For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.

Roundtable: Epic Layoffs, the Gen Z Pout, and BTS Returns
Three Big Conversations: Epic Games lays off 1,000 employees - 04:31 Gen Z is posing like a platypus - 15:61 BTS releases their first album since 2020 - 43:24 Resource of the Week - The Pour Over - 02:21 In Other News: - 55:50 It's sequel season for Kirsten Dunst. The actress just signed on for the untitled Minecraft movie sequel and The Housemaid 2 alongside Sydney Sweeney. The actress said in an interview with Town and Country that she just wants to make a "pile of cash." A new Chappell Roan drama is trending after a claim that her security guard yelled at Jude Law's 11-year-old daughter at a hotel in Brazil. Roan says the guard wasn't with her team and that she never even saw what happened, but the internet has already turned it into a round of who's to blame. Sora, OpenAI's video app, is on the chopping block. The company is shutting it down, and Disney has walked away from its billion-dollar plan to put its characters in Sora clips after months of pushback over deepfakes, consent, and AI slop in entertainment. Chuck Norris, the martial arts star behind Walker, Texas Ranger, has died at 86. His family says he passed away on March 19 in Hawaii after a medical emergency. People are saying goodbye by bringing the classic "Chuck Norris facts" jokes as a way to honor the icon who inspired them. ABC has pulled Taylor Frankie Paul's upcoming season of The Bachelorette,, and Hulu has paused filming on the Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, after a domestic violence video involving Paul and her ex, Dakota Mortensen, resurfaced. 🎧 Listen / Follow / Connect → Become a monthly donor today, join the Table. → Check out the podcast now on our YouTube Channel! → Get your question on Ask Axis! Send in your questions to [email protected]. → For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.

CT: Epic Layoffs, the Gen Z Pout, and BTS Returns
Epic Games lays off 1,000 employees, Gen Z is posing like a platypus, and BTS releases their first album since 2020. Resource of the Week - The Pour Over In Other News: It's sequel season for Kirsten Dunst. The actress just signed on for the untitled Minecraft movie sequel and The Housemaid 2 alongside Sydney Sweeney. The actress said in an interview with Town and Country that she just wants to make a "pile of cash." A new Chappell Roan drama is trending after a claim that her security guard yelled at Jude Law's 11-year-old daughter at a hotel in Brazil. Roan says the guard wasn't with her team and that she never even saw what happened, but the internet has already turned it into a round of who's to blame. Sora, OpenAI's video app, is on the chopping block. The company is shutting it down, and Disney has walked away from its billion-dollar plan to put its characters in Sora clips after months of pushback over deepfakes, consent, and AI slop in entertainment. Chuck Norris, the martial arts star behind Walker, Texas Ranger, has died at 86. His family says he passed away on March 19 in Hawaii after a medical emergency. People are saying goodbye by bringing the classic "Chuck Norris facts" jokes as a way to honor the icon who inspired them. ABC has pulled Taylor Frankie Paul's upcoming season of The Bachelorette,, and Hulu has paused filming on the Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, after a domestic violence video involving Paul and her ex, Dakota Mortensen, resurfaced. 🎧 Listen / Follow / Connect → Become a monthly donor today, join the Table. → Check out the podcast now on our YouTube Channel! → Get your question on Ask Axis! Send in your questions to [email protected]. → For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.

Ask Axis (ft. Dr. Kara Powell): "How do I help my teen make their faith their own?"
"My kids go to church because that is what we do as a family. They know God is good and Jesus is the Messiah because of what they have been taught and how my husband and I center our lives on Jesus. But how can I encourage them to seek a personal relationship with the Lord that isn't built on what they've done all their lives and been told? To instead, build it out of an independent, self-driven desire to know the God of all creation? How can I help them from deconstructing their faith in the future when they are out on their own and encounter questions set out to attack their belief?" - Tana Kara is the Executive Director of the Fuller Youth Institute, the founder of the TENx10 Collaboration, and the Chief of Leadership Formation at Fuller Theological Seminary. Her team has been doing some groundbreaking research on who Gen Alpha is and how faith formation looks different for this new rising generation. → Listen to Kara's Interview Episode → Check out Fuller's Research and Resources 🎧 Listen / Follow / Connect → Become a monthly donor today, join the Table. → Check out the podcast now on our YouTube Channel! → Get your question on Ask Axis! Send in your questions to [email protected]. → For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.

Roundtable: Project Hail Mary, Grace Through Tragedy, and AI Impersonating
Three Big Conversations: The latest TikTok trend involves sounding like a brainless sycophant to mimic ChatGPT - 07:16 senior prank goes wrong in Georgia - 20:18 Project Hail Mary packs art, science, and Ryan Gosling into a family-friendly movie - 34:28 Song of the Week - "Choosin' Texas" by Ella Langley - 01:58 → Click here to read the lyrics → Click here for reviews of Project Hail Mary In Other News: - 44:30 The Oscars happened. Ryan Coogler was the second Black screenwriter to win Best Original Screenplay. Plus, for the seventh time in the history of the award show, there was a tie. youraislopbores.me is a new website where users can role-play as AI, with users playing the human or AI role. People are posting screenshots of the humorous human responses and bonding over their shared dislike for AI slop. It's time to make your brackets, because March Madness is here! The annual college basketball tournaments will be dominating TV screens until the national championship game in early April. NVIDIA announced a new feature that uses AI to make games look "better." Backlash ensued, with some users calling it a "slop" AI filter for games."Noah Kahan: Out of Body," a documentary following the singer-songwriter's mental health journey on tour, will be out in April. 🎧 Listen / Follow / Connect → Become a monthly donor today, join the Table. → Check out the podcast now on our YouTube Channel! → Get your question on Ask Axis! Send in your questions to [email protected]. → For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.

CT: Project Hail Mary, Grace Through Tragedy, and AI Impersonating
The latest TikTok trend involves sounding like a brainless sycophant to mimic ChatGPT, a senior prank goes wrong in Georgia, and Project Hail Mary packs art, science, and Ryan Gosling into a family-friendly movie. Song of the Week - "Choosin' Texas" by Ella Langley → Click here to read the lyrics → Click here for reviews of Project Hail Mary In Other News: The Oscars happened. Ryan Coogler was the second Black screenwriter to win Best Original Screenplay. Plus, for the seventh time in the history of the award show, there was a tie. youraislopbores.me is a new website where users can role-play as AI, with users playing the human or AI role. People are posting screenshots of the humorous human responses and bonding over their shared dislike for AI slop. It's time to make your brackets, because March Madness is here! The annual college basketball tournaments will be dominating TV screens until the national championship game in early April. NVIDIA announced a new feature that uses AI to make games look "better." Backlash ensued, with some users calling it a "slop" AI filter for games."Noah Kahan: Out of Body," a documentary following the singer-songwriter's mental health journey on tour, will be out in April. 🎧 Listen / Follow / Connect → Become a monthly donor today, join the Table → Check out the podcast now on our YouTube Channel! → Get your question on Ask Axis! Send in your questions to [email protected] → For more Axis resources, go to axis.org

Dr. Kara Powell on How Gen Alpha Does Faith Differently
Dr. Kara Powell is the Executive Director of the Fuller Youth Institute, the founder of the TENx10 Collaboration, and the Chief of Leadership Formation at Fuller Theological Seminary. We'll be talking today about some of the Fuller Youth Institute's new research on Gen Alpha—including how exactly they're different from previous generations of teens (including Gen Z), and what faith formation looks like for the world's youngest generation. → Check out Fuller's Research and Resources 🎧 Listen / Follow / Connect → Become a monthly donor today, join the Table. → Check out the podcast now on our YouTube Channel! → Get your question on Ask Axis! Send in your questions to [email protected]. → For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.

Roundtable: Timothée Chalamet Hates Opera, Harry Styles' New Album, and Donna Kelce's Remodel
Three Big Conversations: Timothée Chalamet angers opera singers and ballerinas - 06:46 Harry Styles' new album debuts to middling reviews - 19:00 Donna Kelce's home renovation becomes the internet's favorite distraction - 30:26 Slang of the Week: "Big Chungus Life" - 01:34 In Other News: - 45:45 Miami Heat player Bam Adebayo scored 83 points in a game this week, passing Kobe Bryant's 81 points for the second-most points in a single game in NBA history. (Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game from 1962 still stands as the #1 record.) According to the Wall Street Journal (paywall), Gen Z is driving a resurgence in mall shopping, with many malls redesigning public spaces to be more "photogenic" and social-media friendly, as well as popular online stores like Edikted opening brick-and-mortar locations. For some middle schoolers, the word "burger" is now funny, thanks to a clip from Disney+'s show Just Beyond going viral, alongside absurd TikTok edits like this one. The controversial AI-generated "actress" Tilly Norwood was featured in a new music video, in which she was made to sing verses like "AI's not the enemy, it's the key." According to an article from Fortune (paywall), Gen Z is becoming more skeptical of TikTok, with 53 percent saying TikTok feels more commercial than it did a year ago, and 72 percent agreeing that content now feels more staged and performative. 🎧 Listen / Follow / Connect → Become a monthly donor today, join the Table. → Check out the podcast now on our YouTube Channel! → Get your question on Ask Axis! Send in your questions to [email protected]. → For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.

CT: Timothée Chalamet Hates Opera, Harry Styles' New Album, and Donna Kelce's Remodel
Timothée Chalamet angers opera singers and ballerinas, Harry Styles' new album debuts to middling reviews, and Donna Kelce's home renovation becomes the internet's favorite distraction. Slang of the Week: "Big Chungus Life" In Other News: Miami Heat player Bam Adebayo scored 83 points in a game this week, passing Kobe Bryant's 81 points for the second-most points in a single game in NBA history. (Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game from 1962 still stands as the #1 record.) According to the Wall Street Journal (paywall), Gen Z is driving a resurgence in mall shopping, with many malls redesigning public spaces to be more "photogenic" and social-media friendly, as well as popular online stores like Edikted opening brick-and-mortar locations. For some middle schoolers, the word "burger" is now funny, thanks to a clip from Disney+'s show Just Beyond going viral, alongside absurd TikTok edits like this one. The controversial AI-generated "actress" Tilly Norwood was featured in a new music video, in which she was made to sing verses like "AI's not the enemy, it's the key." According to an article from Fortune (paywall), Gen Z is becoming more skeptical of TikTok, with 53 percent saying TikTok feels more commercial than it did a year ago, and 72 percent agreeing that content now feels more staged and performative. 🎧 Listen / Follow / Connect → Become a monthly donor today, join the Table. → Check out the podcast now on our YouTube Channel! → Get your question on Ask Axis! Send in your questions to [email protected]. → For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.
The Big Conversation: Doubt, Discipleship, and Following Jesus in the Internet Age
"How do we talk to a skeptical generation about discipleship, and the reality of the spiritual world?" This month, we're spotlighting the work of discipleship that parents, youth pastors, and other adults do in the lives of the next generation. We've got an upcoming podcast conversation with Dr. Kara Powell about faith formation in Gen Alpha, a new episode of our YouTube show about how Gen Alpha processes life and faith, and another on the philosophical and theological question of why does God allow pain and suffering; we're promoting a new video Conversation Kit on the topic of miracles and what God's involvement in the world looks like today. Resources → A Parent's Guide to Discipling Teens A Conversation Kit on Miracles 🎧 Listen / Follow / Connect → Become a monthly donor today, join the Table. → Check out the podcast now on our YouTube Channel! → Get your question on Ask Axis! Send in your questions to [email protected]. → For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.

Roundtable: The Jim Carrey Clone Conspiracy, Resident Evil, and Alysa Liu
Three Big Conversations: Jim Carrey reacts to being called a clone - 12:30 What parents should know about the new Resident Evil video game - 26:42 Why people are still talking about Alysa Liu's Olympic performance - 45:48 Slang of the Week: Moving in silence - 01:14 In Other News: - 1:02:00 Early reviews for the new game Pokémon Pokopia have been enthusiastic, with critics comparing it to a blend of Minecraft creative mode and Animal Crossing's relaxed village life. The game focuses more on building and exploration than traditional Pokémon battles. Apple is stepping into the budget laptop market with the new $599 MacBook Neo. The price places it much closer to the Chromebooks and Windows laptops that many schools recommend for students. Rumors that Zendaya and Tom Holland secretly got married started after Zendaya's stylist casually told reporters the wedding had "already happened." The couple hasn't confirmed anything, but fans online are already in full detective mode. About 40% of Gen Z and millennials say spiritual advice from AI can be just as trustworthy as advice from a pastor, according to a recent survey by Barna and tech platform Gloo. Many young adults say they already use AI tools for prayer, Bible study, and spiritual questions. Energy drinks were once marketed almost entirely to young men, with branding tied to extreme sports and masculinity. Now companies are launching pastel-colored cans and fruitier flavors aimed at women, including cotton candy, which is delicious at a carnival and deeply questionable as a beverage. 🎧 Listen / Follow / Connect → Become a monthly donor today, join the Table. → Check out the podcast now on our YouTube Channel! → Get your question on Ask Axis! Send in your questions to [email protected]. → For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.

CT: The Jim Carrey Clone Conspiracy, Resident Evil, and Alysa Liu
Jim Carrey reacts to being called a clone, what parents should know about the new Resident Evil video game, and why people are still talking about Alysa Liu's Olympic performance. Slang of the Week: Moving in silence In Other News: Early reviews for the new game Pokémon Pokopia have been enthusiastic, with critics comparing it to a blend of Minecraft creative mode and Animal Crossing's relaxed village life. The game focuses more on building and exploration than traditional Pokémon battles. Apple is stepping into the budget laptop market with the new $599 MacBook Neo. The price places it much closer to the Chromebooks and Windows laptops that many schools recommend for students. Rumors that Zendaya and Tom Holland secretly got married started after Zendaya's stylist casually told reporters the wedding had "already happened." The couple hasn't confirmed anything, but fans online are already in full detective mode. About 40% of Gen Z and millennials say spiritual advice from AI can be just as trustworthy as advice from a pastor, according to a recent survey by Barna and tech platform Gloo. Many young adults say they already use AI tools for prayer, Bible study, and spiritual questions. Energy drinks were once marketed almost entirely to young men, with branding tied to extreme sports and masculinity. Now companies are launching pastel-colored cans and fruitier flavors aimed at women, including cotton candy, which is delicious at a carnival and deeply questionable as a beverage. 🎧 Listen / Follow / Connect → Become a monthly donor today, join the Table. → Check out the podcast now on our YouTube Channel! → Get your question on Ask Axis! Send in your questions to [email protected]. → For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.

Ask Axis: "How do I create a home environment where my son feels safe to admit mistakes?"
"I have a newly 8 year old male. Honesty has been a major struggle in our home because he hides the truth in order to avoid punishment. I feel that I have created an environment at home that doesn't feel safe enough to express mistakes. How should dad and I proceed to raise 2 sons that have the fruit of The Spirit?" - Marie → Read about the "authoritative" parenting style → Click here for the Barna research for indicating resiliant familes 🎧 Listen / Follow / Connect → Become a monthly donor today, join the Table. → Check out the podcast now on our YouTube Channel! → Get your question on Ask Axis! Send in your questions to [email protected]. → For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.