Wolf and Owl - Korean Skincare, Smoothie Makers and Bad Gifts

Episode Date: May 14, 2026

What does Tom use in the shower? What’s the secret to Romesh’s glistening skin and which comedian did he go make-up shopping with? On this episode we also discuss how to know when it’s time for a career change and what exactly is a boomerang gift? and have we given one...Send your dilemmas, questions and voice notes to us at [e-mail] A Ranga Bee Production in partnership with Platform Media. Chapters: 00:00 Intro03:14 Career change12:59 Boomerang gifts17:40 Korean skincare Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Yo, what do you want? Beak or jaws, feathers or fur, sharp teeth or feet with claws, whatever's prefer. Just kidding every word in his song's about two grown men dressed up as a bird and a dog. Hello, motherfuckers. It's time for the wolf and out. It's time for the wolf and out. Email special. This is where we just go through emails.

If you want to send an email in, Wolf Alpod at gmail.com, we'd love a voice note, haven't me? Yeah, we love for also we need some more reads for this podcast so we're gonna have to start we're gonna like pretend I'm gonna pretend read

what you mean this email special is sponsored by Dove like something like that we're not getting any money for that yeah no but then double hear it and potentially we'll double hear it and go

should we pay them for an advert they've given us for free no but other people go oh fucking do you have dove advert okay yeah well okay actually give a good advert then what does Dove do is it for you? Soap okay

this episode is sponsored sponsored by Dove Soap. The best soap on the market keeps you clean, ready and Oh, smelling nice. Dove, that's D-O-V-E, Dove. Why did you smell your hand like that? I don't know, because then you get the full, you get the inside of your hand. Do you?

The smell can't go anywhere. What does your hand smell like now? The soap from your bathroom. I love soap, by the way. And Dove is my special friend. Yeah, soap's good. What do you use in the shower? Duff, obviously, because of it.

Okay, but imagine that we're taking a pause from the sponsorship. I vary it up for what's on sailing boots. But are you psych or shower gel? Oh, shower gel. I would never use soap. Why? I think it's barbaric and insane to use soap. Because I just think, I don't know, I just feel like this slipping all over the place,

sort of a slip at you and got to pick it up off the floor. It's just, yeah, I find soaps are so dated. I know. It's like trying to look noble with walking with a cane. I don't think that's what soap is. I don't think that works. It is.

You've got to get a soap dish somewhere to put it. Yeah, I mean, that's true. And it gets a bit funky. But I like soap. Do you like soap?

Yeah, I don't use it very often. Yeah, that's one of the last things I'd say about you. I sort of alternate. Yeah, I mean, you're that sort of guy, I guess. Yeah.

Sometimes I'm a show. You like to keep people guessing. Yeah. Lisa's like, fucking hell. This is why I love you. Yeah. You're the gift that keeps on giving me.

Are you using soap today? I don't think I never feel clean enough for soap. Yeah, of course you do. You'd rather up a treat, mate. No, I don't know. I like shower gel for you. What's the mint shower gel that you get? Yeah, mint.

No, no, no, but there's a brand. Yeah, I know what you talk about. It makes you feel like, it literally moves. It makes you tingly, yeah. Yeah, I love that. Original sauce. Original source. There you go.

John, by the way, little known fact, John is a shower gel nerd. He loves different shower gels. Yeah. He sometimes on his day off, just goes through boots and sniffing different ones. Yeah. He came me the other day. He's talked 10 minutes nonstop about matey bubbles.

We talked about last week about tattoos. John has got original source tattooed across his back. That's his trust. Step. Okay, should we do an email? Do you want to read or shall I? I think you go. Dear Wolf and Ann, I'd like this to be kept anonymous, if possible.

By way of background, I'm a 29-year-old living and working in London. I'm not married and have no kids. I've been working in finance for nearly six years since leaving university. And since the day I started, I've always known deep down, this is not the life for me. Every time I came close to living, I say to myself, just a few my months of saving or just wait for the bonus and then I'll do it. Obviously, never do. Part of the issue is that I'm not completely miserable. I work with nice people and I get some nice experiences out of it, but I do not feel fulfilled by my work. Another problem is that after

six years, I'm lucky enough to be financially comfortable and I feel a bit trapped by that. So I'm terrified that if I gave up the opportunity that I have, then I will regret it in 10 years time when I might have a wife and kids. If I'm honest, I would love to do something that involved more than just sitting behind a desk and allowed for more creativity. I love comedy and podcasts. When I was younger, always thought about working podcasts or radio production, but never saw a route in. It was jockeying to a more traditional career by my family and schooling system without even realising. I'm amazed that John's allowed this to slip through, bearing in mind that he could lose a job here.

Apologies for the life story, but in short, giving you both had career changes and working the fields I'm interested in. I would love to hear your take on my situation and what steps you think I should take in order to feel more fulfilled. Yours truly the confused corporate drone. Well, Tom. Well, firstly, I would say you're probably, I don't know, I'd say by the sense of things financially, you're more financially comfortable, certainly than I was when I got into this industry. I didn't, you know, I had no savings. I didn't, and I imagine you would be the same.

No savings, no. Yeah. So first, I think my big point would be, I think there's not really a reason you can't be, in the situation you're in, you're working, you've got a good job, which seems like you're blessed at the moment in the current economic situation to be financially comfortable, which is a great thing. So that's something not to be sniffed at by.

And also, you're in a situation where you've not settled down, you've not got a wife or long-term relationship, we've not got a kid. So I think actually what I would suggest is looking at something where you go and as a hobby or as a side hustle or something you're just going to do, just for enjoyment is going to do, Whether it's stand-up or whether it's, you start, you know, helping out podcasts that, you know, producing or...

Don't encourage them to get into stand-up. Yeah, but... There's enough stand-ups. Yeah, but I think the difference is, right, I think, I don't know how you... When I first got to stand, I never saw it as, oh, this is going to be the thing that... No. It's going to be my career. No, meaning.

Like, I looked at it as being like, I literally have done... When I first watched you, I thought this isn't something... It's going to be... I know that every day I turn up at the studio, you go, I can't believe this guy still go. No, but I never saw it as Oh, this is going to be the thing that chat I just saw it as like this will be a break From doing the thing that I've been doing for so many years

And actually just saw it as a bit of a laugh And something just fun just to let out a creative side I didn't see it wasn't a bit I'd never business plan or five, six years I'm going to do this It's all been a lot of luck But I think that I think that's a part of it

I think a lot of what I notice is A lot more people certainly generationally after us We're starting to get into it going although this is a career, this is something I could actually be, that could you know, I could earn money for whatever. And I actually think sometimes just

going into something like standard or something creative and just getting that release out of it and going actually I just enjoy doing it for this reason. I just enjoy it because, you know, I do this job. I'm good at the job I do. I work with nice people, which should never ever be something. That's a great thing. I think so many people in a lot of emails

we get in the people who work in toxic environments or people they don't get on with. So I think you've got that to look and go, actually this is, and you know, add to your life and make your life more fulfilled more rounded by going, but then I'm going to do this thing. I'm going to do this thing for myself. That's just my little thing. I'm going to go and do something creative.

I want to paint or I'm going to do, I think as best you can and it's tough to find a time. But I think doing great, anything creative for yourself, whether it's writing, painting, stand up, whatever you do, always feels that actually it's cathartic and it gives you a little bit sense of self. I think it's something that can actually mental health-wise. It can be a release, a little bit like working out

or running or whatever. So I just think getting something of that in your life and just see where it goes. Don't put too much pressure on yourself. Just, I think, take your time, enjoy it, find a style or find something that just works for you

and do that thing. I certainly wouldn't be going, or give up your job and go for it because I think, I'll just be insane advice. I think going, right, you know, count your blessings, great job, good life,

and then add that to your arsenal. really great advice. And thank you for saying the word Arsenal. Yeah. I feel it's such a hard word to say for you at the moment. Don't do this. No, no, no. Because I don't know, I don't want to get into it.

Yeah. No, this is not a football podcast. Which we should do one. We should do one. But we're not going to. No, no. I mean, it's literally. We've barely got the time to meet the commitments of this one.

Yeah, let's not start talking about another one. Look, I think you spend so much of your life working that it's really important that you enjoy that job when you feel fulfilled by it, I think. And that could be anything. But the one hesitation I've got about what you said is that they've not actually tried what they've done yet, what they want to do yet.

So you've got no idea actually if you're going to like it. So I think Tom's advice is good of like giving a go at a few things as a side hustle. Because for me, like Tom, I started doing stand-up as a hobby and then I fell in love with it. And so I was like, I'd love to do this for a job. But I wasn't going into it thinking I'm going to leave teaching and I'm going to make this my thing. So I think you need to have a go at these things.

I think financial security is such a poisonous fucking thing, in my opinion. Because the truth is, beyond a certain point, you can be financially comfortable at so many different levels. You've just got to think about what you want your level of comfort to be. Because I'll be honest, I don't want this to happen. but I would do this same job for a lot less money than I'm doing it for now. Also, I would say that weirdly, in my point that at the top of this, I certainly didn't when I started this and I've never ever felt,

coming from the background, I think both of us come from, and the last one that we've both come from from, from the world that we come from. I've never felt financially comfortable until, you know, even now, I panic all the time. I, you know, not to get too into depth about it, but it's something that I'm my biggest worry all the time because coming from that,

so to be in a situation where you are financially comfortable, I don't think that should be the thing that propels you, no, no, because I think like, you know, I think what you've got to think about is what are the, what are the pros and cons about following each path?

And I think like if you are not fulfilled by your job, I think what, you know, a lot of the time when you're thinking about things that's, because I think people have inertia and they get stuck in the thing they're doing whether that would be a relationship or work or whatever. And they go, this is what I'm in now. It's not going particularly badly. So I'm just

going to stay in this. But one of the useful things to think about is, and I think I've talked about this before, is if you had a button and you press that and you're doing something different, would you push that button? You know, there'd be no issues. You wouldn't have to quit. You'd just be not doing that job. Would you do it? And if that's, if you would do it, then you need to leave. You know, I do think we should be thinking about getting the most out of our lives, because Because, and I'm not talking about money-wise, I'm talking about enjoyment and fulfillment. And, you know, I think, you know, people talk about goals. I think one of the best goals you can set yourself is how do I guarantee that most days I have a good day, right?

How do I get as close as possible to securing having a good day every day of work or at home or whatever? What have I got to do to make that happen? And that doesn't, I'm not talking about money. I'm talking about going into, like, for example, we're coming in to do this podcast. I was fucking buzzing to come and do this day, right? So today's a great day for me, right? And that's because this is what I've chosen to do for a job.

So it's that thing of like, and I'm not thinking about the money of it, although we are well remunerated for this. Yeah, I mean. Definitely more money than we should be getting for what we're delivering. Yeah. It's a piece of shit.

Anyway, the point is, I was buzzing about today. Yeah. And then, so I think it's like, if you're not enjoying your days, for the most part everybody has shit days yeah do you mean

then something needs to change and so I think for you corporate drone the problem you've got is you don't you haven't actually found the other thing that you might want to rather do so I think I would treat the next few months as like you playing around

and seeing if there's something else that you prefer and if you do find something that you really find exciting go for it the one thing I would say is you do have to take into account the newness factor of anything you do. And so when you're doing something that isn't your

job, you're excited by it because it isn't your job. But I'd say, like, we were excited by comedy. And then when you start making it your job, you do run the risk of ruining it for yourself, right? Because it becomes a grind or whatever. Yeah. And you have to be careful of that. But look, I am of the opinion that we should be

we should be looking to make our lives as enjoyable as possible. But that has to be a considered decision. don't just go fuck you to your boss leave and then start trying to get into I would make that a safer decision as possible by looking at these things and seeing if you can get into it. Dear Wolf and Hour, this is the Cantagoras Crow of Cabina. Wow.

I'm glad you got this one. Thank you. I think it might be pronounced Cobena. Okay. I mean, it's quite apparent that I got through Cantagoras. Well, he didn't actually. It's cantangorous. Okay, well, there we go.

With a slightly ruffled feathers, riding in with a tail of. gift giving. It's gone slightly array. Fucking honest. In the run up to Christmas, my wife hadn't mentioned wanting an essential oil vaporizer. So I thoughtfully purchased one for her. All seen well until a week later, I received a notification from

Amazon informing me that she'd ordered one too. And actually, this raised an eyebrow. Mildly irritated and thoroughly confused, I revealed that I'd already brought a one. Her response, the one she ordered was actually my Christmas present. Now I can say, with complete confidence, that I had

never expressed any desire for such an item, which only deepen the mystery. So my question to you both is, have you ever or received a true boomerang present? And if so, how did it play out? What does boomerang present, then? I'm guessing a present that sort of comes back, like that someone buys to get back for themselves.

I think you're right. Yeah, I think that's probably what it is. Have you ever given or received a boomerang present? I have given, Katha. I got a... A cat. You got an erotic dancer, didn't you? Yeah.

I got a stripper to turn a... A stripper called Mel, who turned up at the house, bless her. It's just lovely woman. It was quite a strange Christmas Eve with my parents and everyone there. And then didn't you, for your anniversary, you got a cameo video from Bonnie Blue? No, I got a certificate for being the 800, the guy through the door.

No, I got Catherine as a portable smoothie maker. Right. Had she ever said she wanted one? No, but I said that I kind of wanted one. Right. And I got it for one Christmas. Yeah, she was like this filled. And her thing was, her bone of contention was,

you're literally the hardest person to buy for. And if you wanted a fucking portable smoothie maker, which clearly you did because you bought one for yourself and dressed it up that you wanted it, you should have just, because she struggled to buy me a present. Right. But then weirdly,

what happened in a lovely twist of fate is she then started using the port, you know. Oh, that's so lovely. So actually now. That's quite annoying for you, though. Yeah. Because now I need to. So if anyone does know what one of the things to get me is a portable smoothie maker. Yeah.

I mean, I'll be an opiate about it. I mean, yeah. Yeah. I mean, it's within your grass to just buy one for yourself, isn't it? Yeah, but I don't know. It's a sort of gift. Something nice about getting this a gift. Yeah.

I just bought one for myself, actually. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Do you wash it all the time? No, never washed it. Like your hair.

What the kind of fucking question is that? No. They're a bit of a pain to wash at times. Yeah, they're annoying. If you're out and about. Some people leave them in their bag and they sort of get dirty and stuff. I'm just saying that's a thing. I remember seeing someone's bag at the gym.

I sort of had a little snoop. And I saw that it's dirty, a smelly old thing. It was all dry and it had been clean. I mean, that's the problem with like when you have those protein-shaped bottles. Yeah. And you leave them for, if you leave them for more than 45 seconds. Yeah, they just dry out. Yeah.

But Mandrail doesn't actually. Madra keeps a nice smell. So if anyone's interested, this episode is sponsored. sponsored by Mandrail, protein, and electrolyte. It's not, it's not. It's not. It's not. Mandrill.com.

Mandrillprotein.com actually is the, I don't know. Yeah. I think it's going to be the first time that somebody does a read for a company they own and then the company comes back and said, could you redo that please? Because you got the website wrong. I thought you designed a website.

Have you ever done that? Have you ever done that? Has that ever been a situation? No, I've never given a boomer around present, actually. Have you ever been given one? Lisa, by the way, I can imagine, is a very culpable and essential gift giver. Okay, what's clear from that is you don't know what culpable means. Culpable means to be blamed for.

Really? Yeah, it's like somebody's culpable in a... Oh, okay. In that, weirdly, you have used the word correctly about her. She's one of the most culpable. But she... She is very good gift-giver, yeah. But she says that,

The same thing that Katz says about you that apparently I'm incredibly difficult to buy for. Yeah. And actually, it slightly ruins it because she starts to get quite frustrated. So Catherine gets very anxious about it. Yeah. She's sort of like, I don't, you don't make it easy.

I don't know what it is about us that makes us difficult to buy for, but apparently... I think it's men of a certain age. Do you think? Yeah. Yeah. I think it's like, yeah. Although you, I now I'm, I start to lean into face creams and stuff like that.

I, um, I bought a load of Korean face cream the other day. Korean? Korean. Korean skincare is apparently the bum. Really? Yeah. Oh, wow.

Yeah. What, what, what, what's up? I got myself a toner. Yeah. And I got myself a little, uh, hydration serum. Wow. Can you notice any difference in my skin? Yeah, yeah, I can see it glistening now in the light.

Is it anything for eye bags? I've got such bad of my bags. Yeah, they do stuff for eye bags. There's like a little, um, it's like a little, um, it's like a little, like a deodorant like a roll on. It was like a tiny one and you use it under your eyes. I need for you. You don't have any eyebags right now.

Oh yeah. Yeah. You look beautiful. I put makeup on this morning. Did you? No, of course I did. I actually bought male makeup once. Yeah, that doesn't, I can imagine you did.

But it's not for me. Yeah, yeah. Because I've been doing. You've got really good skin though. No, but I've been doing TV and then they've been giving us makeup. Yeah. And I thought, maybe I should buy some of my own. Yeah.

Because, you know, there's, there is a comedian that we both know. that all every day uses primer and stuff. I'm going to say his name we can bleep it out. But he took me makeup shopping. He was looking for like primer and foundation and stuff. Oh, okay. Really? Yeah.

Wow. Yeah. You went makeup shopping with him. We went shopping and then he said he needed to get some makeup. Make sure he put something over his lips where you bleep it out as well because you've got a very sort of efficient mouth when it comes to sort of lip reading. Okay. You'd be terrible if they're sort of.

of people we're at war. Thank you so much for sending your emails in. If you want to get in touch, you can email Wolfelpod at gmoh.com. We'll see you next time. Thanks to Dove for being our official sponsor of this episode and Mandrill Protein. Like, subscribe, get involved.

Thank you, friends. Bye.