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© 2026 PLATE & PONDER: Empty-Nesting with Jen & Chris Fenton
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Join a powerhouse married couple—empty nesters turning their kitchen table into a hub for unfiltered conversations on life's big questions. She's a dedicated inner-city charter school director, elected official, and former school board president; he's a seasoned media executive, professor, and author. Together, with decades of experience in parenting, politics, public service, and purpose, they sip wine, share a meal, and dive deep into current events, cultural shifts, geopolitical headlines, and the hilarious highs and lows of empty-nest life.
Expect candid debates, heartfelt stories, intriguing interviews, belly laughs, and no-holds-barred insights that challenge your views and spark your curiosity. Perfect for fans of thoughtful political podcasts, relationship dynamics, and real-talk commentary.
Unscripted. Unfiltered. Unapologetically real. Grab a seat—new episodes weekly. Download & Follow now to join the conversation!
53 Episodes
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Send us Fan Mail Plate & Ponder: Empty Nesting just dropped the most unhinged family dinner table rant you’ll hear all week. In this episode, Jen & Chris Fenton are officially feeling the empty-nest vibes—college internships, final exams, and the wild new Company Retreat Series are hitting different now that the kids are launching. Then the conversation takes a hard left: Tiger Woods’ Masters magic was missed (and the golf drama that had Chris yelling at the TV). BUT HOW B...
Send us Fan Mail MELANIA JUST BROUGHT EPSTEIN ROARING BACK... AND THE FENTONS ARE NOT HOLDING BACK! Plate & Ponder: Empty-Nesting with Jen & Chris Fenton just dropped their most explosive episode yet — and it’s the kind of kitchen-table chaos that’s about to flood your feed. Empty-nest power couple Jen and Chris are back, plates in hand, diving fork-first into the week’s wildest headlines: Melania Trump’s bombshell statement that just reignited the entire Epstein saga (yes, it’s...
Send us Fan Mail Jen & Chris Fenton are back with a Plate & Ponder: Empty Nesting episode that’s pure chaos, deliciousness, and “wait… WHAT?!” energy! We just returned from Denmark & Sweden, and we’re spilling EVERYTHING: Ambrosial Cuisine that ruined us for American food forever. Boy were these restaurants AMAZING: https://www.papisaluhallen.se/ @papisaluhallen @felixbratt https://maven.dk/en/maven-english @restaurantmaven https://cofoco.dk/en/restaurant/donna @cofo...
Send us Fan Mail Chris flies solo from Copenhagen in this explosive Plate & Ponder episode that’s blowing up feeds for all the right reasons. We’re going deep on the Iran conflict while stuffing our faces with Michelin-starred Danish magic that’ll make you book a ticket tomorrow. Then we spill the real tea on why Danes are naturally skinny — it’s NOT the gym, it’s the diet (and yes, it works). Next: Tivoli Gardens — the actual insane fairytale park that inspired Walt Disney (you’ll ...
Send us Fan Mail MARDI GRAS MAYHEM MEETS EMPTY-NESTING REAL-TALK WITH OUR AMAZING DAUGHTER, KAYLIE FENTON! (And a guest starring call-in from Megan!) Buckle up, because the latest Plate & Ponder Empty Nesting episode is an absolute RIDE! We sat down with our daughter for a no-holds-barred Father-Daughter debate on New Orleans and Mardi Gras… and things got WILD fast. We’re spilling it ALL: The jaw-dropping floats and bead-chasing chaos. Topless women, drunken idiot...
Send us Fan Mail Plate & Ponder w/ Special Guests FARNAZ GOLSHANI & DR. LAWRENCE FLECHNER: “The Forbidden Dinner Table Bomb: Iran at War, ER Nightmares, High School Heartbreak, Civil Discourse & Why We’re Still Choosing Joy” What happens when the most dangerous conversation in America collides with the most terrifying moments of parenthood? In this raw, unfiltered dinner-table episode, we finally pull up a chair to the forbidden topic: Iran, the escalating war, and why nobody’s al...
Send us Fan Mail PLATE & PONDER EPISODE DROPS — CHAOS MODE ACTIVATED! Chris Fenton’s MASSIVE A.D.D. is running the show (apologies to Jen who has to keep the show on track... sort of!) as he bounces from topic to topic like a pinball on Red Bull! He roasts the annoyances of getting OLD (yes, he now owns his own blood pressure machine — full grandpa era unlocked ), drags Hollywood for its jaw-dropping lack of self-awareness (everyone please get out of THE BUBBLE - for the sake of our...
Send us Fan Mail OSCARS CHAOS UNLEASHED: Hollywood's Imploding Empire Exposed! In this explosive episode of PLATE & PONDER: Empty-Nesting with Jen & Chris Fenton, we dive headfirst into past & current issues inside Hollywood as well as various past Academy Awards meltdowns – from jaw-dropping controversies (oh, yeah, who can forget Will Smith or Harvey Weinstein) and red-carpet scandals to the brutal downsizing that's gutting Tinseltown. Thousands of jobs vanishing ove...
Send us Fan Mail An Explosive Episode: Pondering Turbulent Travels, Robotic Revolutions, Epstein, Iran, Nostalgia, & AI Disruption! And, even better, JEN FENTON IS BACK!!! Buckle up, foodies and thinkers! In this mind-bending episode of Plate & Ponder: Empty-nesting with Jen & Chris Fenton, we dive fork-first into a whirlwind of chaos, conspiracy, and cutting-edge craziness that'll leave you hungry for more. We kick off with Turbulent Travels – those nightmare delays...
Send us Fan Mail BREAKING: We're Back with a BANG! Sorry for the hiatus, folks—Jen and I have been crushing miles on the road like absolute beasts. But hold onto your seats because Chris is flying SOLO for the FIRST TIME EVER! Picture this: Me, behind the wheel, racing from Amsterdam, NY to Albany Airport, dropping truth bombs and wild stories non-stop. Buckle up—this episode is PACKED with jaw-dropping intel, personal vibes, and insider scoops you won't get anywhere else! What's ...
Send us Fan Mail Empty-Nesting Parents, Picture this: Imagine it's Spring Break, and the sun-soaked beaches of MANHATTAN BEACH are calling louder than any alarm clock. In this explosive episode of PLATE AND PONDER, we dive headfirst into the ultimate frat house and lacrosse-team frenzy—think epic beer pong tournaments & beach dice where the stakes are high, the laughs are endless, the sunsets are perfect, and the spills are legendary. Fraternity life and bro-bonding comes alive with stori...
Send us Fan Mail EPIC SPRING BREAK BOMBSHELL: McGill Prodigy Hudson Waldorf Spills VC Secrets, AI Revolution Hype, and Hollywood Obsessions That'll Blow Your Mind! Ever wonder how a college kid turns Spring Break chaos into a launchpad for billionaire dreams? We snagged Hudson for 45 minutes of PURE FIRE on Plate & Ponder – and it's UNMISSABLE! Here's the JUICY scoop: AI Takeover Alert! Why Gen Z is THRILLED about AI flipping the world upside down – and why YOU should be too! Succe...
Send us Fan Mail On this episode of "Plate & Ponder" we dive into tough subjects on a secular level with very special guest, Pastor Bryon Bos of Manhattan Beach's South Hills Church.... This episode is for everyone -- whether atheist, Jewish, Christian, or whatever... That's the beauty of Bryon, as he explores some of the most difficult challenges from a unique perspective but within a secular discussion. The Need for Community: From the MB Rotary, to the Pickle Ball leagues, ...
Send us Fan Mail Finally... the moment so many listeners have made so clear that they wanted back - and ASAP... Jen Fenton is on the mic - again! She's back from across-the-Pond and shaking things up. We are fully audio this episode, but we will be back to video soon enough. Plate & Ponder's technical team is working around the clock to make that happen! Until then though, we hit some great, and very meaningful subjects: 1 - The highly impactful and thoroughly touching lessons share...
Send us Fan Mail Florida Real Estate is a hot topic to so many, so this episode brings to light some of the true reality of that volatile, yet valuable market. Even better, it allows me to catch-up with one of my longest-time besties, GREG COHEN - we're talking a 50-year relationship! Not kidding!! Don't worry though, Jen will be back for the next episode. But I will say that it was fun catching-up with my boyz across the country while my amazing wife journeyed across the pond... Not only d...
Send us Fan Mail With Jennifer Empty-Nesting in Europe, I Plate & Ponder with former Uber-Agent-now-turned-film-producer, Emile Gladstone, who recently moved to the South Bay after he and his family were directly affected by last year's tragic Palisades fire. Our multi-decade relationship has led to many-a-deep-conversations over hundreds of bottles of wine and cigars, and this discussion continued the tradition. While watching a terrific sunset and eating some spicy sausage pizza from RE...
Send us Fan Mail Jennifer Fenton joins Plate & Ponder LIVE FROM LONDON!!! Yeah, it may be Presidents Day Weekend here in USA, but across the Pond, they're still a bit sore from that whole "taxation without representation" issue, and the fact that we didn't play by the rules during that pesky little war... I mean, did they really expect us to also stand in formation in formal (and quite restrictive) garb to shoot our muskets??? It was an away-game for them, so we got to choose the jerseys ...
Send us Fan Mail Ok, I get it... Everyone LOVES Jennifer... BUT, she's off to Europe with her father and sister for a VERY WELL-DESERVED father-daughter(s) vacation, so I'm home alone........ So what's better than exploring empty-nesting with my favorite people from my 54 years of life... So why not start with one of my original besties, Billy Mac! He has been empty-nesting for a long time, and boy does he share some amazing lessons and advice on how to successfully deal with this cruci...
Send us Fan Mail We'll make it fast, so we can get back to the second half... but Jen and I joined up with the Phil & Katie Brodkin to broadcast live from a luxury box high above the field... providing an alternative to the various other halftime shows occurring during America's Favorite and Most-Watched Game - THE SUPER BOWL! Yeah, we talk about our favorite plays during the first half, our favorite dances during Bad Bunny's (and Kid Rock's) performance(s), our favorite celebrity commerc...
Send us Fan Mail Oh my... the world seems to be spiraling, but we just continue to plate... and ponder... And yes, our daughter wants more care packages, and our son, when booking his flight back to LA for Spring Break with 5 of his friends... decided to take multiple layovers in order to find the absolute BEST AIRPORT BARS! But that's not even the serious subjects... What are, you ask? Well: 1 - Putting a Dairy Queen walk-up in downtown Manhattan Beach... where, most importantly, the smalles...
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