GenX Women are Sick of This Shit!

Your nervous system knows the truth before your mouth does: you’re tired of being “on.” We start with the tiny stuff that somehow isn’t tiny at all, nail salon small talk, the sensory weirdness of having nails, the executive function it takes to schedule self care, and the relief of simply saying “we don’t have to talk.” For Gen X women juggling high "face time" work and busy lives, sile...

HOST NOTE! You might notice we are late and you would be right! The pod is moving to monthly-ish! Life is pretty lifey right now and we need to change our pace in order to keep our heads above the waterline. We haven't gone away! So prepare to be as surprised as we are when we get a new episode up! Thanks for hanging around. We hope you like it here!  Let's Goooooo! The week felt like DE...

TW: Discussions related to the release of the Epstein files. On our listen back we realized this was a pretty tough conversation. We chose to leave it as it happened live. We can speak only to our own experiences and are not experts outside of that. This is a personal reflection from two Gen X cis white midwestern women's experience.  The year has barely started and its a dumpster fire—snowba...

Lesley & Megan here! Thanks so much for lending us your ears twice a month! Thank you to everyone in the Facebook group, our sisters in L.Y.L.A.S & everyone who has sent a comment or a text along the way. We really do have fun creating this pod twice a month. It is a labor of love and we hope that it helps you remember all the nostalgic random shit in your mind-tunnels as well. We will be...

We are back! Schedules - what can we say? Glad you're here to enjoy this little walk down memory lane! We are also happy to report we have made 4 of our six donations for the year! The final two are in process. Thanks to those of you who helped make this possible through your monthly membership and merch sales!  The holidays bring out our best rituals and our strangest stories, so we leaned a...

A dark afternoon, a good cider, and one glittering memory: the roller rink. We follow that spark into a full ride through roller skating’s wild history and why it mattered so much to Gen X. From a violin-playing inventor crashing into a mirror to James Plimpton’s quad revolution, we connect the dots between Victorian spectacle, postwar neon boxes, and the utilitarian warehouses that became our wee...

TV static used to mean the world went quiet. We start there—two Gen X hosts trading dog stories and daylight saving brain fog—then pivot hard into Poltergeist, the 1982 suburban haunt that turned a living room ritual into a gateway for the uncanny. If you remember falling asleep to the national anthem and waking to snow on the screen, this breakdown will hit with a very specific chill. We dig into...

This episode was recorded remotely and there are changes in sound quality. We will be back in our usual digs next time! Megan and Lesley unpack the “poisoned candy” panic of the 70s & 80s , track its roots in one tragic crime and the Tylenol tampering case, and explore how fear reshaped Halloween traditions. We trade haunted house confessions, Irvington lore, Disney delight, and a saving-ghost...

A caregiver makes a hard call, the internet sharpens its knives, and an entire generation remembers the day a teacher aimed to teach from orbit. We kick off with real talk about Emma Heming Willis, the relentless scrutiny women face around caregiving, and why “do everything alone” is a dangerous myth. From online backlash to real-world limits—Medicaid cuts, underpaid care workers, and families str...

Welcome back! On "Who Died This Week?" Megan and Lesley talk about the ever so talented and foxy, Robert Redford (1936-2025) (though we have a terrible time remembering his filmography).   In this latest episode Megan asks, "Where were you when Reagan was shot?" For many Gen X kids, the 1981 assassination attempt marks our first collective news trauma—that shocking moment when...

Remember when your Dungeons & Dragons dice might summon demons and heavy metal albums contained secret Satanic messages? If you grew up in the 1980s, you lived through one of America's strangest cultural moments – the Satanic Panic. We're taking a deep dive into this bizarre phenomenon that had parents checking under beds for devil worshippers and police departments training officers...

Remember when summer vacation actually lasted until Labor Day? When your biggest back-to-school worry wasn't active shooter drills but whether your Trapper Keeper matched your folders? We're diving deep into the nostalgia of Gen X school experiences this week as we honor the passing of Loni Anderson and reflect on the holiday weekend that once marked the true end of summer. Our conversat...

Remember that moment when your neighbor invited you over for "just wine and apps with the girls," only to ambush you with a sales pitch for overpriced leggings or miracle vitamins? You're not alone. In this episode, we dive deep into the cultural phenomenon of multi-level marketing schemes that targeted Gen X women throughout the 80s, 90s, and beyond. From Tupperware parties our mot...

What happens when the stars who shaped our childhoods turn out to be deeply flawed, problematic, or even criminal? Megan and Lesley dive deep into the emotional complexity of reconciling nostalgic memories with disturbing revelations about our once-beloved celebrities. Fresh from their summer break, they tackle this thorny subject through the lens of recent celebrity deaths – particularly Hulk Hog...

Enjoy this episode from last summer while we get our shit together and take some vacations!  We take a nostalgic dive into the world of soap operas and their impact on Gen X women's lives, exploring both daytime dramas and primetime sensations that dominated television from the 1970s through the 1990s. • Daytime soaps like General Hospital, Days of Our Lives, and Young and the Restless provid...

Need a summer laugh while we take a quick breather? Lesley's holding down the fort this week as Megan vacations with the mouse at Disney, and she's got some hot recommendations from our back catalog to keep you entertained. The summer heat is no match for perimenopausal hot flashes, and Lesley candidly admits she's feeling a bit exhausted this July. Rather than cobbling together new...

Remember when your parents smoked in the car with the windows up? When teachers could paddle students in front of the class? When asbestos was in our schools and lead was in our paint? Megan and Lesley strip away the nostalgia to examine the genuinely problematic aspects of growing up in the 70s and 80s that shaped our generation. Following their catch-up on recent life changes, the hosts pay trib...

Remember when summer lasted forever? Megan and Lesley take you back to those glorious days when school let out on Memorial Day and didn't resume until after Labor Day—a true three-month break that today's kids can only dream about. The hosts share their wildly different summer experiences, from Megan's structured daycare and camp life to Lesley's rural gardening adventures and...

Remember when a birthday party meant friends, pizza, and a Mylar balloon that floated in your house for months? When financial advice was more reassuring than "we just don't know"? When the sound of race cars echoed through an entire city on Memorial Day weekend? In this episode, Megan and Lesley dive into the unique experience of growing up as latchkey kids in the 1980s—a generatio...

Megan and Lesley dive into the surprising disconnect between celebrity ages and our mental images of them, sparked by discovering Kurt Loder recently turned 80 years old. • Lesley shares her harrowing experience with a stomach virus that left her with a "puke baby" • Discussion of the new American Pope Leo XIV, his Midwestern roots, and what his selection might signify about America&apos...

Remember when Friday nights didn't require checking your phone every five minutes? When plans were made in person at school and then you just showed up somewhere? Megan and Lesley take us back to their teenage weekend rituals in the 1980s and early '90s, and the nostalgia hits like a caffeine rush from those bottomless Perkins coffees (or teas) we all drank at 2am. With their new vintage...

We reflect on what we thought the future would be like when we were kids, compared to the reality of our current world. • Tribute to Val Kilmer, discussing his iconic roles from Real Genius to Tombstone • Expectations vs reality of technology—where are our flying cars and robot maids? • Childhood predictions about life in the year 2000 and beyond • How Gen X believed in a future of improved health...

What do breakfast cereals, women's health concerns, and government overreach have in common? They're all part of the rich tapestry of Gen X experiences that Megan and Lesley explore in this wide-ranging, authentic conversation. The episode opens with exciting puppy news as Megan introduces her new emotional support puppy, Olive! Lesley transparently shares her recent postmenopausal healt...

Ever wondered why those kitschy themed restaurants of the 80s and 90s still hold such a special place in our hearts? That yearning for escape isn't just nostalgia—it's a lifeline for the sandwich generation.<br><br>Between advocating for our own health and caring for everyone else, Gen X women are desperately seeking moments of joy and transportation. From Medieval Times to C...

Join us as we explore the nostalgia of 80s escapism through films, cartoons and personal stories. We laugh about our memories of past  fantasy films, how they helped us survive adolescence and how they can bring us joy and hope now.  • Discuss the re-release of 'Purple Rain' March 5th  • Share thoughts on the current state of intimacy among couples • Debate the return of jelly shoes and...