GenX Adulting Podcast

The Mike & Molly star gets real about Gen X.

Billy Gardell, the star of Mike & Molly and Bob Hearts Abishola, grew up a feral Pittsburgh kid working 40 hours a week at fifteen, left home at seventeen with a suitcase and $26, and snuck into a comedy club every week until they finally gave him a job.  In one of our most heartfelt and hilarious episodes yet, the actor and comedian sits down with us to tell the whole story.

Born in 1969 (he shares a birthday with Robert Plant), Billy traces the full arc: a latchkey Pittsburgh-to-Florida c...

A feral Gen X childhood, comedy and finding his people.

He calls himself a Big Ugly Piece of Crap, B.U.P.C., or "Boopsy" for short.  But to over 2.5 million followers, Joe Ferris is "The Gen X Poet” and “The Patron Saint of Sarcasm”, who somehow makes everyone feel a little less alone.  The comedian and content creator joins us for a three-hour conversation that's as laugh-out-loud funny as it is deeply real.

A Navy brat born in 1978, Joe takes us through a gloriously feral childhood on Charleston and Key West military bases that included...

How to Launch an Adult Child Who's Stuck.

Nearly half of adults under 30 now live with a parent, and most people slap the same harsh label on it: "failure to launch." Parent coach Kim Muench has a kinder, more useful name for it: “lost in place”.  The return guest, founder of Real Life Parent Guide, and author of the new book "Lost in Place: How to Support, Motivate, and Launch an Adult Child", joins us to help parents understand what's really going on with their stuck young adults, and what to actually do about it.

Kim i...

The General of Gen X Talks Tells His Wild Life Story

Born on the far side of the hill the Hollywood sign sits on, Mark Mendenhall has lived a life that sounds made up: running with the Hell's Angels, turning down $50,000 from the man who invented Trivial Pursuit and raising a houseful of kids as a single dad long before he became "The General" leading the Legion of X.  He joins us for an almost four hour conversation you won't want to end.

You may know Mark as the Gen X Dad, or "The General" o...

She Quit Teaching to Make 80s and 90s Skits.  Now She Has Over 3 Million Fans.

Carmen Q. Gollihar left her teaching career to make nostalgic 80s and 90s comedy skits, and built an audience of over three million. But there's far more to the woman behind the wigs, the big fonts and the unforgettable characters. In this episode of GenX Adulting, Carmen sits down with us for a conversation that's every bit as heartfelt as it is hilarious.

Born in 1976 and raised in a big Mexican-American family in Texas, Carmen walks us through a fiercely i...

He wrote the book on GenX.  Literally.  

Back in the '90s, when GenX was written off as a generation of slackers, Bradley Richardson wrote one of the first business books for the cohort, and it became a best-seller.  Now, about to turn 60, the best-selling author, speaker and creator of Advanced Adulting is helping those same GenXers navigate midlife, and his own story is a masterclass in reinvention.  

A 5th-generation Texan who grew up in Lubbock, Bradley takes us from a West Texas childhood and life as a successful junior tennis player who left home for...

Married to an Avoidant: The Parts Nobody Talks About

When conflict arises, why does he deflect, redirect, dismiss and avoid? After a clip explaining what happens to a woman when her partner is avoidant struck a nerve and took off online, we decided to go all in on what it's really like to love, and to be, an avoidant partner.

This is the follow-up to our popular Attachment Styles Episode 32, and this time it's boots-on-the-ground research: Nicole reads real comments from women who've been through the push-pull, while Brian offers the rare, candid male perspective...

A GenX Perspective You Won't Get Anywhere Else, From a Former 80s Kid

John Kotrides spent most of his life with one foot in analog and one foot in digital, and an entire career working and hustling before he finally found the thing he was born to do. You might know him as GenXJono on social media, the GenX nostalgia creator whose childhood was "fueled by hose water and well-intentioned neglect", and now has a following of more than 2 million across YouTube, Facebook and beyond. In this episode of GenX Adulting, he sits down with us to...

The Average Kid Sees It at 12: GenX's Smartphone Reckoning

The average age a child first sees adult content is now 12, and for the GenX parents who were the first generation to hand their kids a smartphone, that reality hits differently.  Return guest MJ Eldridge, the creator known as “MJ aka Mommie”, joins us in studio for a frank, non-explicit conversation about how kids' access to adult content has completely changed in our lifetime, and what parents can actually do about it.

We trace the whole arc only GenX truly witnessed: from Playboys and XXX theaters, to Gi...

Retired Party Girl, Full-Time GenX Icon

She calls herself a "retired party girl from the 1900s", but Kelly Manno is one of the busiest women in GenX comedy.  The social media star and stand-up comedian grew up in the small blue-collar steel town of Granite City, Illinois, and built a following of more than 5 million by being exactly who she is: pink, bedazzled, foul-mouthed dynamite and the "girls girl" everyone wants in their corner.  In this episode of GenX Adulting, she pulls back the curtain on how it all happened.

Kelly takes us from a Gr...

The Funniest Guy in the Room Was the One Having Panic Attacks

At ten years old, Dan Regan jumped onstage at his grandfather's honorary dinner, grabbed the mic during the band's break and started performing Joan Rivers jokes he'd memorized off his uncle's comedy album.  Nobody asked him to.  He just did it, and a comedian was born.

Born in Trenton in 1971 and raised in Hamilton, New Jersey, Dan Regan, also known as Dan Regan Comedy, is the GenX comedian behind the viral "Hey GenX" videos and the Everclear reactions that blew up on social me...

She Grew Up Poor, Joined the Army and Became “Bennett Peach” - Beth Steven’s Wild GenX Story

In this episode, we sit down with Beth Stevens, aka Bennett Peach, for one of the funniest and most unexpected conversations yet.  Beth opens up about growing up in poverty in a rural household, and juggling multiple jobs in high school before joining the Army National Guard.  From latchkey kid in the country and sneaking cigarettes to surviving the "he's mean to you because he likes you" era of school bullying, this episode is a masterclass in classic GenX resilien...

What does it take to fly into the worst moments of other people's lives, and then find your way back from your own?  Author and Air Force veteran Anthony Dyer joins us to tell that story, and it's one that will stay with you.

Born in 1982 in the small Appalachian town of Sylva, North Carolina, Anthony is a “Xennial”, that bridge generation with one foot in the GenX childhood and one in the Millennial world.  We learn about his upbringing in the heart of the Appalachian mountains before enlisting in the Air Force out of high school.  An over...

What would you do if, at 19, you discovered the man who raised you wasn't your biological father, and that everyone in your family had known your whole life?  That's the secret Gina Scott Williams stumbled onto in her mother's nightstand, and it's just the beginning of a candid, funny and moving conversation that is filled with authenticity.

You may know her as the beloved GenX Gina66, a GenX digital creator with over a million followers who turned "Your Mom" jokes and the typical GenX fluency of sarcasm into a thriving social media community.  But before the fame, th...

What happens when a kid raised by addicts, with a father who dealt drugs, grows up to manage some of America's biggest crises?  In this episode, author and crisis communications expert David La Torre answers that question with one of the most powerful stories we've had on the show.

David takes us through his GenX latchkey childhood in 1970s and '80s Pennsylvania, which includes the normalcy of pill use back then, the spiral of parental substance abuse, surviving child abuse, his father's path to prison and the long, deliberate work of breaking the cycle of generational t...

In this episode, we welcome Vanessa Grigoriadis, host of the “So Your Parents Are Old” podcast.  Vanessa takes us through her New York City upbringing, shaped by her father’s career as a college professor, her mother’s life as a renowned artist, and her family’s Greek heritage.

We explore the GenX latchkey kid experience from the perspective of an only child, though Vanessa admits she didn’t quite have the feral freedom many GenXers remember.  From NYC mall culture to the pop‑culture touchstones of the era, we dive into what it meant to grow up GenX in the c...

In this episode, we welcome Behavior Specialist Tracy Collins, who shares her remarkable and deeply personal journey, which begins in The Barossa Valley of South Australia.  Tracy reflects on her father’s military service and how his experiences later inspired her to study PTSD and how it relates to military families.
Our conversation explores a wide range of topics surrounding ADHD, including its impact on perimenopause and menopause, rejection sensitivity, anxiety, depression, hormonal changes, burnout and the complex relationship many people develop with food.  Tracy’s insight brings clarity to issues that are often misunderstood or overlooked.
She al...

In this episode, we welcome Aileen Harvey, co‑host of the "You Keep Me Sane" podcast.  Aileen opens up about her upbringing in Glasgow, Scotland, including her experience as a latchkey kid—something many GenX listeners will instantly recognize.  She reflects on her early love of singing, music, dancing, and athletics, and how anxiety shaped her relationship with performing.

Aileen also shares memories from her university years, including the months she spent living in America.  Our conversation explores how many GenX parents have worked to break cycles of generational trauma, and Aileen offers thoughtful insight into becoming a mothe...

In this episode, we’re honored to welcome back Jasmin Gomez of Jasmin Ageless Living.  Jasmin returns to the studio to share, with remarkable openness, the new chapter of her life following her divorce.  She walks us through the therapeutic tools and practices that supported her during a profound period of self‑discovery, and we explore what it truly means to choose yourself, even when that choice feels selfish or risks hurting others.

Our conversation also touches on perimenopause and menopause, and how these transitions can lift the veil for many women, offering clarity and a deeper unders...

In this episode, we welcome Julie Fahy, co‑host of the “You Keep Me Sane” podcast.  Julie takes us back to her childhood in Woodford, a town in the countryside outside Brisbane, Australia, where she grew up with the kind of free‑range GenX upbringing that many of us, whether from the suburbs, the city, or the countryside, instantly recognize.

Julie shares the early moment she realized she was a high achiever, and how that awareness shaped her path, including the imposter syndrome that often shadowed her success.  Her story spans continents, from Canada to Thailand to Germany an...

In this episode, we welcome Nashville recording artist and media coach Amy Scruggs. Amy takes us back to her GenX childhood just outside Los Angeles, where she enjoyed the classic unsupervised bike‑riding freedom of the era—yet grew up in a small, sheltered bubble within her community. With limited exposure to the wider world, she turned to the music, movies, and TV of the 80s to understand life beyond her neighborhood. Music quickly became her outlet: she discovered the piano, joined choir, and found a sense of identity through performance.

An unplanned pregnancy at seventeen changed her...

In this episode we welcome Ryan Kemp-Pappan, also known as Ryan The Therapist.  Ryan shares about his diverse cultural upbringing being raised within his indigenous family while being white-presenting.  Ryan reflects on the experiences of his indigenous family as well as his parent’s marriage and subsequent divorce.  Ryan candidly shares about the domestic abuse he suffered that included parental alienation from his mother.  We learn about Ryan’s time as a child actor in Hollywood where he shares a memorable moment with actor Michael Landon.  We discuss the efforts many GenX parents have made to break the cycle of genera...

In this episode we welcome Kim Muench, Parent Coach and Founder of Real Life Parent Guide.  Kim shares about her upbringing in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and how her anxiety as a child was severely exacerbated as a result of multiple moves that included bouncing between public and Catholic school.  We reflect on 80s heartthrobs like Jake Ryan from 16 Candles, and how GenX girls were sold completely unrealistic relationship goals.  We also relate over the fact that GenX rarely got carded for alcohol, and as a result found themselves in dive bars or purchasing alcohol from local convenience stores at very you...

In this episode we welcome Jon Wellington, also known as The Dadbod Veteran.  Jon shares about his GenX childhood in Charleston, South Carolina, which included growing up on a military base as well as experiencing a civilian upbringing.  We learn about his ADHD diagnosis, and how medication combined with therapy and coping tools helped him downshift and find a balance that allowed him to thrive.  We learn about how his love of football became a focal point in his life in addition to helping him find purpose during his high school years after the loss of his father to can...

In this episode we are excited to host our first guest from the Silent Generation.  Sharon candidly and openly shares her inspiring life story.  We learn about her great-grandparent's adventures during the Oklahoma Land Rush, and how her great-grandfather arrested Jesse James and The Dalton Boys when he was a sheriff in Kansas.  Their move to Oregon in the early 1900s secured a Portland, Oregon upbringing for future generations.  We discuss WWII, and the resulting affects of PTSD on the men who fought and how that affected women and family life going forward.  Sharon shares about her childhood which was r...

In this episode we welcome Nick Harrison - The Professor.  Nick shares about growing up in Northern Louisiana, where he was surrounded by a loving and supportive family.  Houston, Texas also played a positive role in his early years when he would spend time with his father and family there.  His formative years included the typical GenX childhood of being outside until the streetlights came on, Boy Scouts, The National Beta Club, choir and even an early attempt at stand-up comedy.  High school brought Nick an opportunity to be his school’s mascot, which included attending cheerleading camp.  Nick shares...

In this episode Nicole shares her experience navigating through her pelvic organ prolapse journey.  We discuss the vital need of pelvic floor therapy for women.  Nicole shares about her struggle with fibroids and bleeding, which ultimately resulted in a hysterectomy in 2020.  She reflects on when she first noticed symptoms of prolapse, and the steps she needed to take to receive an official diagnosis and treatment.  We discuss her first appointment with her urogynecologist, which included a procedure called a video cystoscopy.  Nicole candidly shares about her second appointment, which was for urodynamic testing that included a filling cystometry, pressure flow...

In this episode Nicole and Brian discuss the division of labor during the holiday season.  From Halloween to Thanksgiving to Christmas, Nicole explains how each holiday is a combination of organization, planning, tradition and expense that creates three layers of labor that almost exist simultaneously from August to December.  Brian and Nicole reflect on how some of their childhood traditions of Halloween changed by the time they became parents, and how today’s Halloween traditions continue to amplify.  Nicole shares the perspective of the planning and effort required to host Thanksgiving, and how the buffer week between Thanksgiving and the b...

In this episode we welcome Denise Conde, author of “The Valor of Generation X: How the Courageous Are Finding a New Path to Growth and Love”.  Denise graciously and candidly shares about her upbringing, where she suffered physical, mental, emotional and narcissistic abuse from both of her parents.  Denise shares about learning sign language in the darkness of the bedroom she shared with her sister who is deaf, as they communicated in silence about the fighting going on upstairs in their home.  After high school, Denise left home for college, and hence began her eight year journey of running from he...

In this episode we welcome Greg Nordone, Co-Founder of Greyson Technologies.  Greg shares about his upbringing in Miami Shores, and how the small town vibe within the city of Miami offered him a foundation of stability and consistency, especially after his parent’s divorce.  Greg reflects on the role his numerous coaches played in his life during his athletic career through childhood, as well as the impact the theater program had on his life.  We discuss the pros and cons of floating among different cliques in high school, as well as being a leader at times when it isn’t the m...

In this episode we welcome artist Coco Mase.  Coco shares about her upbringing in northwest New Jersey, where she was surrounded by all forms of art from a very early age.  Years of dance through her formative years exposed Coco to life in New York City, which offered her a balance to her life in the suburbs.  We discuss the differences and similarities between classical and competitive dance, and her eventual shift away from dance at the end of high school in order to pursue other artistic interests.  Acceptance into NYU came with its pros and cons, and a pivo...

In this episode we welcome Wes Alford, founder of the nonprofit Hiking for Hope.  Wes shares about his childhood growing up in Oregon on a farm raising livestock and training horses.  Wes reflects on how most of his adolescence was spent involved with the court and juvenile system in Oregon until he enlisted in the Army at 18.  Participation in the Job Corps led to his first job at a collection agency, which was the beginning of his career in finance.  A move to Arizona offered him an opportunity in the mortgage industry in addition to getting married and starting a fa...

In this episode we welcome Dr. Amber Parks - Stress and Burnout Coach for Vet Professionals.  We learn about her childhood growing up in Worcester, Massachusetts with her parents and older sister.  Amber reflects on playing alto saxophone as a kid in addition to participating in dance up until high school, where she made the switch to field hockey.  Her grandfather’s long term illness exposed Amber to the medical field, which sparked an interest that led to veterinary medicine.  She was hired by a veterinary hospital her senior year in high school, and thus began her veterinary medicine journe...

In this episode we welcome Coach Whitney Kell, a fellow GenXer and high school classmate of Nicole.  Whitney shares about her upbringing in Portland, Oregon that included her parents divorce, remarriages and living part of her childhood with her dad and the other part with her mom.  Substance abuse showed up early in Whitney’s life, and continued until she got clean at 21.  Seven years later she gave up alcohol after losing her mother.  Whitney graciously opens up about the impact giving up alcohol had on her life, and also reflects on how plant medicine has guided her.  We learn a...

In this episode we welcome author and artist Jaime Townzen.  Jaime shares about her upbringing in Southern California, that included her parent’s divorce and subsequent remarriages that resulted in her babysitters becoming her step-sisters.  Jaime reveals how the role of being a high achiever both aided her and at times sabotaged her as the weight of people’s expectations continued to pile on throughout most of her life.  We touch on typical GenX topics that include lack of parental support when it came to extracurriculars as well as handling the college application process on our own.  We learn about Ja...

In this episode, we discuss the assassination of Charlie Kirk on September 10, 2025 at 12:23pm MT on the campus of Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah.  We touch on Charlie’s beginnings when he co-founded Turning Point USA in 2012 at the age of 18.  We reflect on the access to healthy discourse on college campuses and how it has changed since we attended college in the late 1980s - early 90s.  We discuss how Charlie’s art of debate on college campuses simply started with a folding table, a chair and a sign that read “Prove Me Wrong”.  We observe how the media ha...

In this episode we discuss a local issue that is ongoing in our town of Boca Raton, Florida.  The Save Boca campaign was formed in response to our local government’s plan to put 31 acres of public land into the hands of developers.  Within those 31 acres is a 17 acre park called “Memorial Park” and often referred to as “War Memorial”, that was named in 1947 two years after the end of World War II, to honor those who served and perished.  The park is centrally located in the downtown area of east Boca Raton, and has been a hub of activity sinc...

In this episode we welcome MJ Eldridge, also known as MJ aka Mommie on social media. MJ shares about her childhood growing up in Rhode Island in a log cabin in the woods, and regales us with relatable and hilarious GenX latchkey kid stories. Her love for performance started at an early age, as well as an interest in invention. After a year at Hofstra University in Long Island, New York as a theater major, MJ traveled to New Mexico then settled in Denver, where she met her first husband. A move to Michigan led her to a position...

In this episode we welcome Lisa Concepcion, The Love Coach.  Lisa shares about her childhood growing up with one foot in The Bronx, NY and another foot on Long Island, NY as she split her time between her father and step-mom and her mother and step-dad.  After attending Rutgers University in New Jersey, where she met her first husband, Lisa began working and eventually landed a job in Public Relations in Manhattan.  A separation from her husband led to a move to Miami, where she had her own Carrie Bradshaw lifestyle in Miami Beach.  After her divorce, Lisa began her...

In this episode we welcome Gina Rania, Gen-X RESET Coach.  Gina shares about her childhood growing up in New Jersey with her parents and two older sisters.  Shortly after her parent's divorce when she was young, her mother remarried.  Gina grew up experiencing the trauma that results from having a parent who is an alcoholic, which contributed greatly to her having a fight, flight or fawn response throughout her life.  After attending school she married and had three beautiful children.  We discuss how generational trauma is passed down and how GenX women in particular are prone to wearing their “Wonder...