Overview of Someone Tell G What People Do After Dinner!
In this wide-ranging, funny, and reflective episode of We Can Do Hard Things, Glennon Doyle, Abby Wambach, and Amanda Doyle catch up on family life, sports, parenting, and the strange psychology of competition. What starts as a conversation about golf turns into a bigger meditation on shame, discipline, belief, and how to move forward after mistakes. The episode also covers the U.S. Open, influencer culture, empty-nest evenings, and a joyful update about Alice’s book-loving social life.
Golf, Mistakes, and the Psychology of Moving Forward
A major thread in the episode is golf as a metaphor for life:
- Abby explains why golf is so psychologically demanding: every shot is visible, every mistake is immediate, and the game requires constant reset.
- The hosts connect this to broader life patterns:
- reacting to mistakes as a way to protect ego
- shame and embarrassment causing people to “pour energy backward”
- the need to quickly release frustration and move on
- Abby describes how sports taught her to channel anger into forward motion instead of spiraling.
- The group returns again and again to the idea that growth requires:
- belief in yourself
- a short memory for failure
- disciplined emotional regulation
- forward-facing energy
Core insight
The classiest, strongest move is not performing shame after a mistake — it’s going forward better.
Golf Culture, Gender, and the “Good Good” Ad Controversy
The conversation shifts into a sharp critique of golf culture and industry norms:
- The hosts discuss golf as a space historically shaped by exclusivity, whiteness, wealth, and gatekeeping.
- They unpack a controversial advertisement from Good Good/Callaway promoting a unisex driver:
- the ad features a woman golfer being physically knocked down by a man after touching the clubs
- the group reads it as a revealing expression of gender insecurity and resistance to women using the same tools
- The ad becomes a larger example of how marketing often reflects deep cultural anxieties around gender and power.
Bigger point
Even “small” branding choices can reveal big social beliefs about who belongs and who gets access.
U.S. Open, Influencers, and Public Spectacle
Amanda gives a lively recap of attending the U.S. Open, including:
- seeing Ben Shelton, Naomi Osaka, and Trinity Rodman-related tennis coverage
- being there with Billie Jean King and describing the experience as a “core memory”
- the prestige and pageantry of the event, including the blue carpet and the famous Honeydeuce drink
The hosts also discuss controversy around influencers at major sporting events:
- concerns that ring lights and content creation can distract players and crowd the experience
- tension between:
- being present for a live event
- documenting it for outside audiences
- the broader shift in celebrity culture, where influence is no longer controlled solely by institutions and publicists
Takeaway
The episode frames this as a clash between older systems of gatekeeping and newer, democratized visibility.
Empty Nest Life: What Do Adults Do After Dinner?
One of the funniest and most relatable parts of the episode is Glennon’s practical question:
- What do people do between 6:15 p.m. and bedtime when the kids are gone?
- She and Abby talk honestly about how empty-nest life changes the rhythm of evenings.
- They mention trying:
- Mahjong
- gin rummy
- later dinners
- the idea of a painting group
- roller skating
- Glennon is particularly interested in activities that:
- build community
- don’t spike cortisol
- feel meaningful but not overstimulating
Listener ask
Glennon specifically asks for voicemails/emails from listeners about what they do after dinner, especially people navigating empty nest or long evenings.
Parenting, Belonging, and Letting Kids Be Themselves
A deeply moving section centers on Alice and her bookish, imaginative social life:
- Alice is in a book club where kids read a book a week and discuss it for hours.
- She and a friend created a pretend restaurant called “The Very Hungry Caterpillar.”
- Each fictional course was paired with a real book and a synopsis.
- The scene becomes a joyful example of a child finding “her people.”
The hosts connect this to a larger parenting lesson:
- fitting in is not the same as belonging
- parents often curb a child’s authenticity out of fear
- letting kids remain themselves can help them eventually find genuine community
Emotional highlight
The group celebrates the idea that Alice’s “Alice-ness” was not something to fix — it was something to protect.
Emma, Team Culture, and the Value of Being “Baked”
Another major family update focuses on Emma’s college soccer experience:
- The hosts have been traveling constantly to her games.
- Emma is not yet getting much playing time, but she is thriving in team culture.
- She is:
- working hard
- showing up consistently
- picking up cones
- supporting the team from the sidelines
- The family uses the phrase “the kids are baked” to mean the children have internalized their values and are resilient.
Lesson
Character is built not only through spotlight moments, but through how people behave when they are not the star.
Notable Themes and Takeaways
1. Failure is inevitable; the reset is the skill
The episode repeatedly returns to the idea that success depends on how quickly you can recover from frustration.
2. Belief matters more than performance
Whether in golf, writing, or parenting, the hosts emphasize that deep belief in oneself is what allows growth.
3. Community cannot be outsourced
Glennon reflects on having told others to build local community and realizing she needs to keep doing that herself.
4. Presence is a practice
The conversation links sports, parenting, activism, and midlife to the challenge of staying in the present instead of constantly reaching for the next thing.
5. Love creates discipline
The episode ends with the idea that discipline is not the source of devotion — love is. If you love something enough, you stay in the tension and keep learning.
Closing Reflection
The episode is playful on the surface, but its emotional core is about learning how to live without overreacting to mistakes, how to let people become themselves, and how to move forward with more grace. It’s part sports talk, part family update, part philosophy session — with a recurring message that the real work of life is not perfection, but staying in motion with honesty, love, and a little more forward energy.