2025 Update: The Marshes

2025 Update: The Marshes

Author: Pushkin Industries July 3, 2025 Duration: 53:36

This week, we talk to Steve Marsh from our episode, The Marshes. The family has changed in ways they could never have guessed at when the story was first published in 2019.

After a drunken slip of the tongue, Steve and his siblings discovered a secret their mother had been keeping for almost 40 years. Steve decides to step in and help his mom take action.

This episode was produced by Jonathan Goldstein, Kalila Holt, BA Parker and Stevie Lane, with editing by Jorge Just. Special thanks to Emily Condon, Lulu Miller, Hans Buetow, Damiano Marchetti, Alex Blumberg, and Jackie Cohen. The show was mixed by Bobby Lord. Music by Christine Fellows, John K Samson, Blue Dot Sessions, and Bobby Lord. Our theme song is by The Weakerthans courtesy of Epitaph Records.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.


There’s a particular kind of memory that doesn’t fade-it’s the unresolved moment, the regret that quietly shapes a life. Heavyweight, from Pushkin Industries, is built on the belief that it’s never too late to go back and try to set things right. Host Jonathan Goldstein doesn’t just reminisce; he gets in the car, makes the phone call, and arranges the meeting. Each episode is a deeply human, often surprisingly funny journey into someone’s past to confront a lingering question: an apology never given, a friendship lost over a misunderstanding, a childhood promise broken. The tone here is a unique blend, fitting its categories of Society, Comedy, and Culture-it’s empathetic and thoughtful, yet laced with Goldstein’s wry, self-deprecating humor. You’ll hear the awkward silences, the nervous laughter, and the genuine breakthroughs. This isn’t a podcast about easy answers; it’s about the messy, courageous, and cathartic process of seeking closure, one personal heavyweight at a time. The conversations are intimate, the stories are specific, and the emotional weight is real, making for listening that is both moving and unexpectedly uplifting.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Heavyweight
Podcast Episodes
Check In: Holiday Special [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:48
Happy holidays! In our last check in of 2020, Stevie confronts her grandfather with a question she’s been afraid to ask for over twenty years, and Kalila solves the mystery of an enigmatic gravestone.
Check In: Curtis Sittenfeld [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:59
Jonathan speaks with Curtis Sittenfeld about her novel Rodham, which deals with many of the themes we explore on Heavyweight: things like returning to the past to change it, and the question of what our lives might have…
Check In: Do You Like Music? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:37
Jonathan, Stevie, and Kalila are back, to talk about Thanksgiving and music.
#35 Rachel and Jon [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:37
Rachel and Jon are siblings who were separated as young children. Jonathan helps them confront the woman responsible... fifty years later.
#34 Annie [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:10
Every time Annie’s family comes to town, they exclude her from their plans. Annie needs to know why.
#33 Bobby [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:18
How the worst McDonald’s commercial ever made came to be. And how Bobby got mixed up in it.
#32 Vivian [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:16
In 1995, Vivian’s uncle Helio died of AIDS. Now, 25 years later, Vivian’s on a search to find the man who cared for him until his death.
Why Is Mason Reese Crying? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:21
Mason Reese was the biggest child star of the early 1970's. Recently, he posted a YouTube video of himself crying. Jonathan sets out to discover why. This is a story Jonathan made for Reply All in 2015. The new season of…
Heavyweight Check In 8 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 10:29
As we turn our attention back to producing classic Heavyweight episodes, we leave you with one last check in. SPOILER ALERT: This check in contains a special treat.
Heavyweight Check In 7 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:00
During these times of uncertainty and sadness, we bring you two stories of two women seeking the comfort of childhood. Amber and Eva are in search of their first grade teachers.