The Loud Quiet - Empty Nest Living

At 49, Tracy Smith booked a trip to Ireland with friends. Then she changed the flight. Then she changed it again. What began as a group vacation slowly turned into arriving in Iceland alone… with no clear plan home.

In this episode, Tracy talks about how travel became the vehicle for reclaiming parts of herself she had set aside during years of parenting and managing daily life. The shifts were not dramatic. They started small. Taki...

The Olympics just wrapped… so Rick and Clancy stepped back into their own arena.

Two years ago, they created the “Empty Nest Olympics” and ranked themselves in five events. This week, they revisit the same categories and ask: did we improve… or are we still stretching before the race?

They talk through friendship momentum, hobbies that still haven’t happened, whether group dinners count as date nights, how working together has sharpe...

When your kids leave home, the communication changes. Sometimes it slows gradually. Sometimes it feels abrupt.

In this episode, Rick and Clancy talk about what staying connected really looks like once your kids are living in a different rhythm.They share their experience navigating daily calls during a tough freshman year, the shift that often happens by spring semester, different communication styles between siblings, time zone mi...

Valentine’s Day shows up every year with expectations attached. Reservations. Prix fixe menus. Cards that say more about obligation than affection.In this Greatest Hits episode of The Loud Quiet, Rick and Clancy talk honestly about why they stopped treating Valentine’s Day like a scripted performance and how their relationship evolved once they did.From early dating years and shared “love songs” to parenting seasons that reshaped p...

Intimacy changes over time… especially when the house gets quieter. What once felt automatic often needs more intention, more conversation, and sometimes a better framework.Just in time for Valentine's Day, in this guest episode, we sit down with couples counseling team Dr. Amy and Roy Clark to talk about The Four Intimacies and why strong relationships are built on more than just physical connection. We get practical about how...

We spent several days at home during an ice storm in North Texas.

Sweats instead of real clothes. Garage workouts because the gym was out. Too much food because that’s what people do when they’re stuck. We talk through how our routines unraveled, what we did to fill the time, and how empty nest life changes the feel of being snowed in.

We also get into the small stuff… playing games we haven’t touched in years, watching diffe...

Spring semester drop-offs don’t get the same attention as fall move-in… but for a lot of parents, they’re tougher than they expect. The house was full again. The routines came back. And then, just like that, they left.

In this episode, we talk honestly about why the sadness shows up again when college kids head back after the holidays. Not for the first time… and not because anything is wrong. We talk about what’s different about wi...

The holidays are over, the fridge is still full of leftovers, and the routine hasn’t quite found its way home yet.In this episode, Rick and Clancy talk about what happens between Thanksgiving and “whenever we finally pull it together.” The extra food. The extra drinks. The social calendar that never lets up. And the moment, especially in your 50s, when your body makes it very clear that it noticed. They talk through why the holiday...

Your young adult’s path may look messy, stalled, or off-script… and that doesn’t mean something is wrong.In this guest episode, we’re joined by Joanna Lilley, a therapeutic consultant who works with young adults and their parents during the often complicated transition into adulthood. Joanna helps families navigate college decisions, mental health challenges, academic setbacks, and those moments when forward motion feels unclear.We...

That weird stretch between Christmas and New Year’s… when no one knows what day it is, the snacks never stop, and you start thinking about what just happened and what might be coming next.

In this New Year’s Day episode, we look back on 2025 and talk about what surprised us most… how this podcast grew way beyond what we expected, how the community took on a life of its own, and how the empty nest feels different than it did a year a...

We’re releasing this episode on Christmas Day, and it felt like the right time to bring this one back.This is a Greatest Hits re-release of Episode 20, originally recorded after our very first holiday season as empty nesters… when both kids came home from college and the house went from quiet to very full, very fast. It was the first time we experienced that swing back to shared meals, full schedules, late nights, and just being th...

When the kids are grown and the house is quieter, the way couples talk to each other starts to matter in new ways. Some patterns get easier. Others get harder to ignore.

In this episode of The Loud Quiet, we’re joined by marriage counselor and author Raffi Bilek for a practical, honest conversation about communication, conflict, and what actually helps couples stay connected during the empty nest years. We talk about why avoiding co...

Holiday food has a way of anchoring a season. We make certain things every year without even thinking about it… and the kids now expect them just as much as we do.

In this episode we talk through the foods we grew up with, the ones that stuck, and the ones we only remember when someone says “remember when…?”

Quick note… The Loud Quiet book is almost ready. If you want early updates and preorder info, here’s the list: https://www.the...

Sometimes saying yes takes you somewhere you never expected… like an EDM show on a Sunday night, surrounded by people half your age and a bass that makes your clothes vibrate. In this episode, Rick and Clancy share what happened when Tanner finally talked them into a Chris Lake show… and why it ended up feeling surprisingly joyful, safe, and honestly pretty fun.And then the week flipped right into Thanksgiving. They talk about havi...

Some Thanksgivings are predictable… this one definitely wasn’t.

For this Greatest Hits episode, we’re flashing back to our 2023 Thanksgiving trip to Arizona, a holiday full of hiking, travel hiccups, questionable turkey, and a whole lot of Phase 10 and football. It originally aired as Episode 16 and it still makes us laugh.

Since this episode is coming out on Thanksgiving, we want to say how thankful we are for you. Truly. There is ...

Using business ideas for a personal relationship. It sounds unusual at first, but Dr. Robin Buckley makes it feel surprisingly natural.

She talks about relationships in a way that feels clear and doable without losing the heart of it. She takes ideas most of us only ever use in business and shows how they can actually make home life easier… especially when you’re in the empty nest stage and trying to stay connected as a couple.

She ...

For a lot of families, Thanksgiving week feels like it should be a given… everyone comes home, the same sides hit the table, the Cowboys disappoint us again. But for some parents of college kids, that mid-November homecoming doesn’t happen.

In this episode, Rick and Clancy talk about what it’s like when your student can’t make it home for Thanksgiving and how to stay connected across the miles. From sending care packages and shared ...

This episode is a little different... it’s a two-parter.

We recorded the first half before leaving for our empty nest getaway to Mexico, talking through what we hoped for (and what we worried might happen).

Then, after the trip, we sat back down to see if those expectations actually matched reality.

From pre-trip nerves and some lighthearted talk about “resort romance” to real reflections on unplugging from work and finding connection...

Most of us were never taught how to love ourselves... and yet, it’s the foundation of every healthy relationship we’ll ever have. In this week’s conversation, Rick and Clancy sit down with relationship coach Chaya Garcia to talk about what self-love really looks like in the empty nest years, how it shapes the way we date, and why it’s never too late to grow in connection.

Chaya shares real, practical wisdom on dating again, spotting...