Bear Comes Clean
By BearComesClean
Episode 5: We Are So Back
Forgive our two-and-a-half month hiatus. It was unplanned and we'll do our best to get back on our biweekly release schedule. But we're back!
On this episode, we discuss children's shows that may or may not be for children, unexpected great experiences, and relationship dealbreakers and attractive traits. Confidence is in, jealousy and insecurity are out. Jennifer doesn't need to share all of her favorite activities, Bear loves to experience live music with the person he loves the most.
We unlock childhood core memories about family trips, birthday lobster, and Dairy Queen. Bill Knapp's was for the seniors, but Olive Garden is somehow worse.
Episode 4: The Wrong Trousers
This week on the old podcast, the dog interrupts the recording. Again. Jennifer and Bear talk about 1995, why group chats are a special kind of Hell, The Amazing Digital Circus, and Wallace & Gromit. Bear might move to Italy and renounce his U.S. citizenship and Jennifer is dreading flying during the current TSA mess. Topics also include our favorite airports, Bear's first marriage, and reminiscing about our twenties. Also, Jason Bateman can do no wrong.
We'll be back next week with Melissa to talk about faith in Episode 4.5. Don't want to hear all that God talk? Come back in two weeks for Episode 5 with Jennifer. Thanks for listening!
Episode 3.5: Light & Comfort
It's a half episode. Brace yourselves. It's the "Godcast." Today, Melissa and Bear talk about what it means to allow God to work through you and what it means to listen to the Holy Ghost. Additionally, Bear talks even more about the missionaries and Melissa keeps finding herself exactly where she needs to be exactly when she needs to be there.
We'll be back next week with Jennifer. Thanks for listening!
Episode 3: We Have A War
We're finally back! Jennifer rejoins the podcast just in time for a war with Iran. The discussion dips into Christianity this week. Not as heavily as our half episodes with Melissa, but we dissect how Christian nationalists can call themselves "Christians" with a straight face. We also dip back into the topics of hypnosis and shifting beliefs based on new information.
If you're a conservative, you're probably not going to like this episode. Granted, you're probably not going to like this podcast at all! We'll be back next week with Melissa and again in two weeks with Jennifer. Enjoy the episode!
Update: We're Still Alive
It's been a month since our last full episode, but we're still here. Here's a quick three minute update on what's been going on. See you soon!
Episode 2.75: Have Faith with Melissa
We missed last week. Jennifer and Bear were both sick. That's OK. We're back with a truly unprecedented three-quarter episode this week. And Bear's not alone. Melissa joins us for an in-depth (2-1/2 hour!) conversation about faith. If you're disinterested in Christianity or faith in general, skip this one. If you're a practicing Christian or even just curious about how faith shapes the life of those who have it, this one might be for you!
Bear and Jennifer will be back next week with Episode 3. Who knows what we'll talk about? Who ever knows?
Episode 2.5: Joys & Concerns
On this half episode of Bear Comes Clean, we have two topics and a quick story. Bear discusses a young friend who is going through a tough time, then we get into the history and current status of the band rain42. And we kick things off with a little ditty that I jokingly referred to on social media as "How a clogged shower drain strengthened my faith."
We'll see you all next week with our next full episode with Jennifer. Via con dios.
Episode 2: No Guilt In Guilty Pleasures
This week, Bear and Jennifer show some love for Madonna, Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, the Lilith Fair artists, and Dolly Parton. And if Dolly has any skeletons in her closet, we don't want to know about them.
Seeing Neil Diamond live changed Bear's life, Wayne Newton once kissed his wife, and Stevie Nicks can do no wrong. And everyone should listen to Holly Humberstone.
Jennifer has mixed emotions on how much information we have available to us in 2026 and Bear is still traumatized by microfiche. Yes, microfiche. Perhaps we slept on The Jeffersons and The Real Housewives shows are addicting. We'll be back in two weeks. We hope we see you then!
Episode 1.5: Why Atheism?
Things get a bit more serious this week. It's a half episode, so no Jennifer. We've talked a lot about why I came back to Christianity, but glossed right over why I walked away from faith thirty years ago. Spoiler alert: it had a lot to do with the "Christian" right.
I get into my initial departure from Christianity, how that decision was reinforced with the arrival of the MAGA movement, and how I reconcile that now. And perhaps more deeply than intended, I talk about the importance of missionaries in my life and the unintelligent conservative right's reaction to it.
We'll be back next week with Episode 2, hopefully with Jennifer, provided the stars align.
Episode 1: Like Attracts Like
Welcome back to Bear Comes Clean. Season 2 has arrived and Jennifer is here to stay. On this episode, we compare raising a child in Queens, New York with Northwest Ohio, take a deep dive into a variety of faiths, and discuss Bear's love for LDS missionaries.
Also, Bear is ready to start a crime ring at a senior living facility, Ricky Gervais is a great guy who loves cats, and it's OK to change frequencies. Plus, Jennifer does not believe the world is ending. Bear does.
We'll be back for Episode 2 soon!
Season 2 Teaser
Happy New Year! Bear Comes Clean Season 2 is coming sooner than you think. Sooner than even I thought. We'll return with cohost Jennifer on Wednesday, January 21st.
So, why listen to this teaser when you just got all the information you need upfront in the description? Why do anything? Join me for exactly fifteen minutes of Jesus, bears, tattoos, and random nonsense to cleanse your palate for the upcoming season of Bear (and Jennifer) Comes Clean. See you in two weeks!
Episode 6: Merry Christmas (Season Finale)
Season One comes to a close on this very merriest of Christmases. Yes, it's long overdue and off cycle from the normal Wednesday release cycle. That's explained in this forty-ish minute episode. And no, Jennifer is not on the show this week. She will join us biweekly when we return for Season Two in 2026.
Thank you to everyone who downloaded, subscribed, or just listened to an episode here and there. We'll get a few episodes queued up in early 2026 so we can get back to our every other Wednesday release cycle. See you all in the new year!
Episode 5: Welcome Jennifer
Bear's sister joins the podcast as its first guest. They talk about life, love, music, relationships, religion, and much more. Bear reminisces about his past and dreams of his future. Despite the fact that this episode is an hour long, it's really good. That's mostly because Jennifer is brilliant and incredibly interesting. So, just listen to the whole thing when you drive to work, get ready for bed, or whatever until you've heard the whole thing.
Episode 5.5 will come out at 12:01 am on November 19th. It's pretty dope. I talk about spending three days in a psychiatric ICU. For real. And the sixth full episode will feature Jennifer as our new cohost. It will be out on November 26th. Be cool and listen to those too. And buy us a coffee. I don't drink coffee anymore, but she might.
Episode 4.5: The Godcast
We finally did it. The Godcast was inevitable. I've said from the beginning that this was not a podcast about God and if it ever became a podcast about God, I'd call it A Podcast About God. Don't worry. It's not that. But this episode is.
I decided to clear the decks of all God-related topics so we can get back to the subjects I set out to discuss from day one: life, love, music, relationships, and religion. Yes, religion. But future episodes will only touch on religion in the context of the conversation we're having.
Who is this "we" that Bear speaks of? Beginning next week with Episode 5, my sister Jennifer will become a permanent fixture on the show. She'll be my first guest on the next full episode, then she'll join the show as a cohost, hopefully forever.
But for now, it's just me, waxing poetic about all things God. I won't hold it against you if you skip this episode. But I encourage you to listen. You just might learn something. And then buy me a coffee even though I don't drink coffee. I'll use the funds to pay for this show's expenses. If not, great. I'll pay for them myself.
Finally, super-awkward correction: I mention in this episode that I've never made an episode about my ex-wife. The bonus episode was recorded after this one. Whoops.
Episode 4: Back on Track
This week, I discuss my introduction to becoming a performing musician through the formation of my first band, End Over Aja. This episode introduces you to my sister Jennifer in 1994. But it also brings a whole new cast of characters who would shape my life in myriad ways beyond music.
I talk about the many people who entered my life in the 90s, some of whom are still a big part of it today. But some have slipped away over time. And while that saddens me, the'll always be essential threads in the fabric that makes up the tapestry of my life.
If you enjoy Bear Comes Clean, buy me a coffee. No, seriously. Get out your credit card and send me a buck or twenty. I'll use the money to pay for this podcast's expenses, which are minimal. I promised Halle I'd quit drinking coffee and I don't lie to my sister.
Bonus Episode: Why I Fight
The titular character from our last bonus episode is back. But this time, she brought her best friend, the wife of a twice convicted pedophile and registered sex offender. Were you questioning why I made that last bonus episode to begin with? This is why. Give it a listen.
And for the love of God, buy me a coffee. I'll drink it this week. Thank God I stopped consuming alcohol last year. A tall pour of bourbon sounds awfully nice right now. But I'll settle for coffee and deal with the disappointment of my sisters later. ✌️
Episode 3.5: The Women in My Life
This week, our half episodes become full, single topic episodes. No more of the five minute or less of corrections and updates. Roads? Where we're going, we don't need... roads.
But we do need women. And the six women I discuss in this episode have been some of the most influential people in my life. We start with my oldest "sister" Jennifer and basically skip right past her. No matter. She's a guest on the upcoming Episode 5 and will then serve as this show's cohost. You'll meet her and love her soon enough.
Then we work our way through Julie, Asia, Jessi, and Laney. No spoilers on those four. Listen to the episode. Finally, we wrap things up with my youngest sister, Halle. Spoiler alert: she's my favorite. Don't worry. Most of the others already know that. If not, they probably just read that and they do now.
If you want to support Bear Comes Clean, buy me a coffee. That's not an ad. Literally buy me a coffee. I won't drink it because I promised Jessi and Halle I'd quit drinking coffee again like a week ago. But I'll use your money to pay for this podcast's expenses. ✌️
Bonus Episode: Rebecca
This episode is for a lot of people. It's for anyone who has ever gone through a divorce with kids. It's for anyone who has ever remarried with kids. It's for anyone who has ever lived with someone with mental illness. It's for anyone struggling with their own mental illness. But it's also for Magistrate Christie at the Court of Common Pleas, Wood County, Ohio. I think this would be enlightening for her.
The only person this episode is not for is the titular character, Rebecca. Because I don't make podcast episodes for people who leave their mental illness untreated until they do irreparable damage to countless people around them. This episode is how that affected me.
This episode is also about why I ultimately made the decision to completely change my life and become a clinical therapist. But if the titular character decided to listen to every word, she might be surprised by how respectfully I talked about my experience. And you might be too. If you know anything at all about my second marriage, listen to the entire 90 minutes. You might be surprised to hear a level of honesty that I've rarely reached in life.
Episode 4 will return us to our normal subjects: life, love, music, relationships, and religion. But this episode needed to be made. If I'm going to call this podcast Bear Comes Clean, I damn well be prepared to be 100% honest. And I was. See you all again on October 29th. Oh also, Hello Audio is cool. Check them out.
Episodio Tre (It's Italian)
In the third episode of Bear Comes Clean, Bear is lactose intolerant... and lacks toast and is tolerant. Adult Unhappy Meals are false advertising. Bear and Brian split a limo four ways and go on two sets of dates. We're becoming more and more of a Godcast.
Bear is an Episcopalian Latter Day Saint, whatever that means. Jesus is doing too much. Kind of. Also, the Mormons have "way too shiny eyes,' but they're not sexist (that's a correction, more on this in Episode Four). Finally, five of our upcoming guests are mentioned.
Sign up for the newsletter here. See you in two weeks! ✌️
Episode 2-1/2
Nothing to see here. Just five minutes or less of corrections and updates. The next full episode of Bear Comes Clean comes out October 15th. In the meantime, sign up for the official newsletter here. It only comes out on the off weeks on Wednesdays (like today), so do it! See you next week. ✌️
The Second Episode
Corrections: Larry is Episcopalian, not Presbyterian! Summer will not be co-hosting this podcast. And the Sisters from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints may have won, More on that in Episode Four. For now...
Bear wins a bet against God. We get in the wayback machine and go back to 1993, Bear starts working at a record store... in 1993. Taylor Swift ain't half bad. This is becoming a Godcast. Support your local independent record store!
Episode One Point Five
Not really an "episode," per se. This is under five minutes of corrections and updates. Episode 2 will be out October 1st, and subsequent episodes will be out every other Wednesday. Until then, to infinity... and Beyoncé!
Bear Comes Clean: The Intro
An introduction to "Bear Comes Clean," the personal podcast of Mark Pannell and friends.