GenX Adulting Podcast

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 coun...

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 t...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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 s...

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...

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 hi...

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 b...

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...

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 unre...

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. ...

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, Oreg...

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, Bo...

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 diagno...

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 H...

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...

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 t...

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...

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 ag...

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 Ambe...

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 g...

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 thro...

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...