Curveball Production
225 episodes listed below
Everyday banter with a useful bend.
Curveball Production runs on loose, familiar back-and-forth that starts with chili, travel, weather rules, or podcast anniversaries and somehow lands on bigger questions. Recent episodes move from ChatGPT mistakes and AI search to spring training, time management, funny videos, and frivolous lawsuits.
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Curveball Production is a conversational variety show with a habit of starting small and ending somewhere wider. The small thing might be chili. Or daylight saving time. Or a spring training trip built around surprising Tanner during his San Francisco Giants internship. From there, the show lets the conversation do the steering. Recent episodes spend serious time on AI, especially the strange gap between how useful tools like ChatGPT can feel and how confidently wrong they can be. That concern shows up in stories about planning an episode, learning computer tasks, Google AI summaries, SEO, and the newer puzzle of AI optimization. The show also keeps returning to baseball. Sometimes that means a travelogue from Old Town Scottsdale and the Cactus League. Sometimes it means a more detailed Twins conversation with John Bonas, including spring training feel, bullpen uncertainty, starting pitchers, and the drama of quick challenge calls. Its everyday-life episodes are just as central. A fourth podcast anniversary turns into a reflection on commitment, comfort zones, and the idea that YouTube may finally happen. A time-management discussion uses glass balls, rubber balls, four burners, family, work, health, friends, fuel, and burnout to make priorities feel concrete. Even lighter topics carry that same shape. Funny videos saved while Sean travels become a domestic ritual. A running-weather aside turns into a fitness shoutout for Katura and then a trip back to a Pepsi jet episode and frivolous lawsuits. The appeal is not a fixed subject lane. It is the way the show thinks out loud. The pace is brisk, the tone is warm, and the banter leaves the seams of real conversation intact: corrections, teasing, sidebars, and all. For listeners who like podcasts that feel prepared but not overproduced, Curveball Production offers a rotating mix of AI unease, baseball fandom, family logistics, practical life metaphors, and whatever topic happens to bend the day sideways.
Made for: For listeners who like casual, topic-hopping conversation that can move from dinner and travel to AI, baseball, work, family, and odd news without becoming stiff. It fits people who enjoy familiar rapport more than formal interviews or scripted analysis.
What sets it apart: Its strength is the way ordinary details become the doorway into larger points: a meal becomes a mood, a road trip becomes a baseball segment, and an AI mistake becomes a broader caution about trust. The show feels prepared enough to have direction and loose enough to leave the real conversation in.
Shawn and René will be providing interesting, entertaining and sometimes provocative content. Each episode will be its own curveball, much like the curveballs life throws us each day.
Based on 5 episodes we listened to · September 2026
Curveball Production turns brand backlash, AI errors and workplace tradeoffs into approachable conversations about how decisions meet everyday consequences.
Sean and Renee approach business through the choices people notice in ordinary life. Their discussion of Cracker Barrel's branding controversy moves from a satirical corporate message to customer loyalty, advertising strategy and the financial cost of misreading a brand's…
One minute you're auditing an 8 percent tip; next, you're sizing up the Twins bullpen.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A loose, practical AI conversation that keeps its skepticism intact.
This episode treats ChatGPT as a tool for getting through computer problems faster, while still keeping a clear eye on its limits. The talk stays loose and conversational, with an easy back-and-forth that makes the skepticism feel earned rather than forced.
A loose but useful conversation about priorities, burnout, and what busy weeks leave room for.
Renee and Sean open the episode by marking their fourth podcast anniversary, thanking each other and the listeners who have stuck with them, then circling back to the YouTube plan they have been promising for two years.
A clear-eyed Twins camp check-in that turns roster churn into practical baseball stakes.
This episode is a steady spring-training check on the Twins: a new manager, fresh leadership around him, and a bullpen that still feels more hopeful than settled.
A road-trip update that finds its best moment in a tipping mistake and a Zion hike.
Curveball Production keeps this one grounded in the kind of talk that makes a long road day go down easy. Sean checks in from Studio A while Renee and Tanner are still outside Flagstaff, and the tipping mix-up gives the episode its sharpest stretch.
A brand backlash turned into a sly lesson in customer instinct.
Curveball Production turns a brand backlash into a quick, funny lesson in customer instinct. The fake apology, the old logo coming back, the peg game staying put, and the stock hit all work because the episode keeps its eye on what a brand says when it thinks its audience will…
Stephen Dubner tests bourbon economics, Alzheimer's research, and money advice against hard data.
Daily business news with Kai Ryssdal, tracking Fed policy, oil shocks, and private credit.
Galloway rotates Office Hours Q&A, Raging Moderates politics, and China Decode geopolitics weekly.
Joel and Matt answer listener money questions weekly in the show's Ask HTM segments.
The plan went sideways.
Renee and Sean open by celebrating their four-year podcast-iversary.
The hosts discuss making chili during changing weather and briefly mention AI, in a casual conversation.
Sean brings John Bonas back for another spring-training check-in on the Twins.
The hosts share their experience visiting Phoenix for spring training baseball, motivated by a family connection to the San Francisco Giants.
The hosts discuss the shift from traditional SEO to AI optimization in digital marketing, highlighting its complexity and current challenges.
Two friends engage in lighthearted banter about weather, daylight saving time, and sharing funny videos after one returns from travel.
The hosts discuss a niece's wrestling success and reminisce about a past episode on frivolous lawsuits, including the Pepsi jet case.
A sports talk show discussing baseball season, the Twins home opener, and upcoming interviews with Twins Daily.
Two hosts joke about January being long, discuss a bathroom remodel, and plan to talk about favorite February things.
The hosts chat about a bathroom remodel mishap and then introduce their topic: discussing the word game Wordle.
This episode explores the transition from discussing physical decluttering to delving deeper into how mental clutter affects well-being, following up on a previous episode's themes.
The hosts discuss the holiday lull between Christmas and New Year's, reflecting on cookie baking, gym routines, and upcoming New Year's resolutions.
The hosts catch up after Thanksgiving, discuss family time and football, then reminisce about memorable 90s commercials.
Renee and Tanner are on the road somewhere outside Flagstaff, and Sean is checking in from Studio A.
Curveball Production opens in late-summer mode, with dockside banter, ragweed gripes, and a few quick listener shout-outs before shifting to a brand controversy.
The hosts discuss their discomfort with humidity and their walk to brainstorm a podcast topic, blending personal anecdotes with lighthearted commentary.
The hosts discuss the latest AI news, including dangers and the pervasive impact of artificial intelligence.
The hosts recount their experience attending a concert featuring Trombone Shorty and J.J.
The hosts discuss their failed attempt to attend a Twins baseball game due to a sold-out stadium and a plot twist revealing there was no game, leading them to record their podcast early instead.
The hosts correct a previous episode's error about a commercial's advertiser and discuss the commercial's content.
The hosts discuss paying college athletes and the rise of sports gambling, teasing a deeper dive into the topic.
Sean delivers a monologue about the recent NCAA settlement regarding college athlete compensation and the NIL situation.
The hosts discuss airline charges for solo travelers, reflecting on travel during Memorial Weekend and potential biases toward big business.
Shawn and René share humorous and relatable stories about returning from their cabin, including lawn care, wood ticks, and a candid photo moment.
Two friends chat about a gorgeous morning at the lake, Memorial Weekend traditions, and a jet ski mishap.
The hosts chat while filling a pool, sharing mundane daily experiences like getting eye drops and shopping at Target.
The hosts share a funny story about a window left open during apple tree bloom, leading to a mess of flower petals in a bedroom.
Shawn interviews his son Noah about his study abroad experience, covering the fun and adventures he had.
Two hosts banter about hot takes, starting with a debate on Crocs, in a casual comedy talk show format.
The hosts chat about enjoying warm weather in Minnesota, their kids returning home, and the chaos of family life.
The hosts discuss their absence last week, the Minnesota Twins' slow start, and personal family matters with humorous banter.