How To Destroy Everything
Episodes
How To Destroy Everything Presents: Toughen Up - The Interview with Lisa and Sheila (Bonus Episode)
08 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this special bonus episode, we hear Toughen Up from the shared perspective of Stephen’s sisters, Lisa and Sheila. Hear how they navigated a child...
How To Destroy Everything Presents: Toughen Up - Episode 10: Assisted So-Called Living, Something's Gotta Get Ya and The Punchline
24 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the season finale, unable to carry on alone, Eugene finally surrenders and moves into an Assisted Living facility. He’s not there long before he ...
How To Destroy Everything Presents: Toughen Up - Episode 9: Crushing Blossoms and The Burden
17 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It’s 15 years later and Eugene’s wife Helen dies very suddenly, leaving him very much adrift. At the urging of a priest, Stephen’s father learns...
How To Destroy Everything Presents: Toughen Up - Episode 8: Albertsons, Aspirin and Telling the Truth
10 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
With Stephen off to college, his mother strikes out on her own, renting a room in a house and scoring her dream job. Not long after, however, Maureen ...
How To Destroy Everything Presents: Toughen Up - Episode 7: Driving School, Dad's Big Surprise and Blowing the Hatch
03 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this seventh chapter, we find a mid-life Maureen facing her fears and calling upon her brother, Jimmy, to finally teach her how to drive. Then, Eug...
How To Destroy Everything Presents: Toughen Up - Episode 6: Mom Hustle and The Girl Upstairs
27 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this chapter of our story, we find Maureen is officially back on her feet, though struggling to make ends meet for her and the kids. After a variet...
How To Destroy Everything Presents: Toughen Up - Episode 5: Homeless and The Edges of Town
20 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We now find Lisa, Sheila and Stephen taking refuge with their Uncle John in Washington State, where young Stephen learns some hard life lessons on a c...
How To Destroy Everything Presents: Toughen Up - Episode 4: The Road to 333
13 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
After losing their suburban home, Maureen moves with Stephen and Sheila into a Travelodge, only to dispatch her children on an epic road trip with the...
How To Destroy Everything Presents: Toughen Up - Episode 3: Wes, Skatebarn, The Big Split and Frank
06 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Wherein young Stephen seeks refuge from his own family at a house “down the street.” His father then reveals a side of himself that no one could h...
How To Destroy Everything Presents: Toughen Up - Episode 2: Buses, Nuns, Christmas, Knives and a No-Name Sister
29 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode Two finds Maureen taking on The Reverend Mother of her children’s Catholic School. The family then experiences the darkest Christmas of thei...
How To Destroy Everything Presents: Toughen Up - Episode 1: Mom, Dad and the Fighting
22 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In our first episode, we meet Stephen’s tough girl Jersey mother and his post war(s) farm boy father, as they attempt to raise him, his two sisters,...
Interregnum: How to Destroy a Live Show
15 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Wherein Danny and Darren confront their audience live for the very first time. Danny discusses his complicated feelings about St. Louis, and surprise ...
Trailer: How To Destroy Everything Presents: Toughen Up
01 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the spirit of familial destruction, How To Destroy Everything is proud to present, Toughen Up, written and performed by Stephen Kearin. Toughe...
Episode 16: How to Create Something New
25 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Wherein Danny returns, at last, to the scene of the crime(s). Danny (alongside Darren and Sandy) go back to his childhood home, The Royal Manor, and D...
Interregnum: How to Destroy the Calm Before the Storm
18 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Wherein Danny and Darren check in one last time with Sandy and talk about the entirety of her podcast journey. In doing so, they discover the incredib...
Episode 15: How to Destroy Richard Jacobs
11 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Wherein Danny and Darren finally track down their white whale: a member of the support group founded to bring together people who had been sued and ha...
Interregnum: How to Destroy Death
04 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Wherein Danny and Darren watch the "death video" Richard made for Danny back in the 1980s. Also, the boys discuss Richard's view of death and his conc...
Episode 14: How to Destroy a Brotherhood Part 2
25 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Wherein Danny and Darren sit down once more with Danny's brother and delve deeper into understanding each other's perspectives. Danny's brother brings...
Episode 13: How to Destroy a Brotherhood
18 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Wherein Danny and Darren sit down with Danny's brother and discuss how they survived their childhood as the sons of Richard Jacobs, how their perspect...
Interregnum: How to Destroy a Dating Profile
11 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Wherein Danny and Darren dive deeper into Beth's relationship with Richard, which includes a shocking revelation that Danny's dad had been operating d...
Episode 12: How to Destroy a Daughter-in-Law
04 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Wherein Danny and Darren bring the podcast full circle by exploring the moment that started it all from a different persepective: Danny's wife. As she...
Interregnum: How to Destroy an Irish Rabbi
28 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Wherein Danny and Darren interview Stephen Kearin, a mentor to Danny over the last several decades (and Danny's self-described "Irish Rabbi"). Stephen...
Episode 11: How to Destroy Australia
21 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Wherein Danny and Darren explore the newfound freedom Danny felt as a young adult out from under his father's thumb for the first time in his life. Bu...
Interregnum: How to Destroy an Almost Mensch
14 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Wherein Danny and Darren tread into the ridiculous and terrifying world of Richard's dating life, which weirdly took Danny and his brother across the ...
Episode 10: How to Destroy a Childhood
07 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Wherein Danny and Darren explore the second half of Danny's childhood, which included awkward trips to the ice cream shop and a burgeoning desire to p...
Interregnum: How to Destroy a Name
17 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Wherein Danny and Darren dive into a treasure trove of old films and videos that Richard had made over the years, interview the actor who plays Richar...
Episode 9: How to Destroy a Divorce Part 2
10 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Wherein Danny and Darren go into the courtroom during Richard and Sandy's trial and they are able to hear, in Richard and Sandy's own words, the diame...
Interregnum: How to Destroy a Therapy Session
03 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Wherein Danny and Darren sit down for a chat with a licensed psychologist to get his take on all things Richard Jacobs. In a wide-ranging conversation...
Episode 8: How to Destroy a Divorce Part 1
26 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Wherein Danny and Darren take listeners into a new chapter in Richard's life, a chapter in which he begins to focus his rage on his ex-wife. Sandy rec...
Interregnum: How to Destroy an HOA
19 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Wherein Danny and Darren tell the traumatizing conclusion to Danny's epic battle with the evil construction company wreaking havoc on his home. Additi...
Episode 7: How to Destroy a Career Part 2
12 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Wherein Danny and Darren tackle the second half of Richard Jacobs' "career". With his reputation in tatters, Richard attempts to regain his law licens...
Interregnum: How to Destroy a Nose Job
05 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Wherein Danny and Darren go deeper into the mind (& world) of phone phreak 'Captain Crunch' in an attempt to understand Richard's love affair with tec...
Episode 6: How to Destroy a Career Part 1
29 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Wherein Danny and Darren dive into the absolutely bananas career of Richard Jacobs, from all its promise to its absolute peril. This episode covers mu...
Interregnum: How to Destroy a Family Text Chain
22 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Wherein Danny and Darren discuss the fallout in Danny's family that has resulted from this podcast. We'll also check in with Sandy about the emotional...
Episode 5: How to Destroy a Marriage
15 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Wherein Danny and Darren try to answer a seminal question: How was it remotely possible that Danny's mom could have stayed with his dad for thirteen y...
Interregnum: How to Destroy Generational Trauma
08 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Wherein Danny and Darren bring in Sandy to discuss the fallout of the intense revelations of the previous episode. Danny also recounts a recent experi...
Episode 4: How to Destroy a Courtship
01 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Wherein Danny and Darren try to answer an enduring question: what kind of woman would marry someone like Richard Jacobs? In search of some explanation...
Interregnum: How to Destroy an Audience
24 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Wherein Danny and Darren finally explain why it took them so freakin' long to get this season ready while checking in with Danny's mom about the podca...
Episode 3: How to Destroy a Home Part 2
17 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Wherein Darren returns to the "scene of the crimes", The Royal Manor, and discovers way more than he could have possibly imagined. In the dark recesse...
Trailer: The Rest of the Season
03 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
"WE'RE BACK!" After an unreasonably long hiatus to actually -- you know -- figure out how to make a podcast, Danny and Darren announce the rest of the...
Episode 2: How To Destroy A Home Part 1
22 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Danny & Darren explore the absurd, bizarre, and horrific aspects of the house Richard called home for more than 40 years. And in opening up his father...
Trailer: How To Destroy Everything
13 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This is the true story of a narcissist who destroyed a childhood, a marriage, a family, and a community. You know, a comedy. How To Destroy Everyth...
Pilot Episode: Meet Richard Jacobs
24 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The first episode of a wild journey into the world of a narcissist. Meet Richard Jacobs through the eyes of his son and his son's childhood bestie, wh...