This week on Twinkie Tales, Ryan takes you back to a pivotal — and wildly unfortunate — moment in public high school education: Sex Ed Day.

Set in a crumbling Australian classroom sometime in the late ‘90s, this hilarious story features:

• An awkward VHS sex tape (educational, of course)

• A middle-aged Indian doctor who did not read the banana instructions

• An exploding rubber penis disguised as fruit

• And a health lesson that landed about as well as the banana did — directly on a teacher’s lapel

From VHS horrors to flying flesh-toned props, this episode is a painfully relatable rite-of-passage for anyone who’s survived public school sex ed.

Warning: Includes awkward laughter, nostalgic cringe, and mild banana-based trauma.

Keywords: sex ed fail, funny school story, condom banana story, Australian school memories, Twinkie Tales, podcast storytelling, educational disaster, sex education comedy, high school flashback, rogue plastic penis

In this listener-inspired episode of Twinkie Tales, Ryan reflects on one of life’s quietly demoralising questions:
Why does no one listen to me?

Sparked by a heartfelt message from a listener struggling to be heard — in meetings, in relationships, and in life — this episode unpacks the emotional toll of being spoken over, forgotten, or brushed aside.

Ryan explores:

• The frustration of being constantly interrupted

• The evolutionary need to be heard (and why it still matters)

• The balance between self-worth and external validation

• A spicy take on group dynamics, burritos, and base urges

• Two practical mindshifts that might just change everything

This one’s for anyone who’s ever felt invisible in a room full of people — and needs a reminder that sometimes, it’s not you. It’s just... people.

Keywords: feeling unheard podcast, listener question, validation and self-worth, group conversation tips, Twinkie Tales, practical life advice, podcast on empathy, talking over people, how to be heard, Australian podcast, short story + advice format

In this caffeinated confession, Ryan pens a rambling open letter to his future self — live from inside a Starbucks. Yes, a real, thriving Starbucks in Sydney. And yes, he’s deeply ashamed… but also kind of enjoying it?

Twinkie Tales Ep6 dives headfirst into coffee culture, self-loathing, and the absurdity of choice in modern life. Along the way, we explore:

• The cultural cringe of sipping chain coffee in a café-rich nation

• Why Starbucks is secretly a North American dessert bar disguised as a coffee shop

• Kamala vs Trump as beverage analogies

• The delusion of Aussie coffee elitism

• And the Gen A chaos unfolding in food courts everywhere

A sharp, funny take on class, coffee, cultural identity — and why butter chicken and flat whites have more in common than you think.

Keywords: Starbucks podcast, coffee culture rant, Australian coffee snobbery, open letter podcast, Twinkie Tales, funny podcast short, mocha vs flat white, Gen Z chaos, Sydney café scene, podcast humour