The Gen X Shift

Have you spent the last 20 or 30 years fitting into other people’s expectations? Do you question your worth unless you're productive? Have you been unwittingly chained to BS belief systems that you thought served you, but are really holding you back?   Then this episode is for you. In this candid and energizing conversation, Bridgette Simmonds joins Michele to dismantle the BS belief sys...

Have you spent the last 20 or 30 years fitting into someone else’s version of what your life should look like? Do you struggle with finding your purpose—or even believing you’re allowed to have one? Are you just going through the motions most days, wondering when you’ll finally feel like your life is aligned with what you want? If you’re ready to live a life that is designed by and for you , then...

If you're a Gen X woman who: → Feels disconnected or unsure of how to navigate midlife relationships, → Has reached a breaking point and is ready for personal growth and self-connection, or → Craves deeper community support and women’s friendships, then this episode will help you embrace the power of self-discovery, healing, and creating authentic connections with other women. In this powerful con...

If you’re a Gen X woman who:  → has shied away from aging,  → thinks that you’ve entered the stage of life where you’re supposed to be winding down, or → are tired of being told by society that you have no value at this age,  then this episode will have you embracing the power of being “pro aging.”  This episode is a no-fluff, high-truth convo with Barbara Brooks, founder of Se...

🎉 One‑Year Podcastiversary, Part 4 We’re on the final episode of our Top 8 Casey Kasem-style countdown—this week we tackle Topic 2: A Change Is Gonna Come (trauma healing, habits & conditioning) and Topic 1: Express Yourself (reinvention, mindset & growth).  Nine Gen X experts bring zero‑BS insights to help you shake off shame, rewire your habits, and reinvent your life without the f...

We may not be able to party like we used to, but we’re gonna rally to keep this month-long celebration going for the 1-year Podcastiversary for The Gen X Shift.   The countdown of the Top 8 Topics continues this week with Topics 4 and 3:   ⭐️ No. 4: Mo’ Money, Mo’ Money: Financial Planning with Will Hoffman   → Will Hoffman (Episode 5):  ⭐️ No. 3: Lif...

We’re keeping the party going this week with Part 2 of the month-long 1-year podcastiversary celebration . . . although the topics this week may not quite feel like a celebration.  This week I want to take it down a notch and focus on some topics that are weighing heavily on a lot of Gen X’ers:  caring for our aging parents, navigating their illnesses, and grieving their loss. &nbsp...

The Gen X Shift Turns 1! 🎉 A Year of Big Conversations & Bold Moves On April 2, 2024, I launched The Gen X Shift —a podcast for Gen X’ers ready to rethink careers, leadership, health, and purpose. A year later, after 36 episodes, 21 guests, and 15 solo deep dives , I’m celebrating a wild ride I never saw coming. 🔥 I did something unknown, just because it felt right . Have you ever had that p...

If you’re a person who cares about other people and wants to make the world a better place for everyone, then consider this your invitation to embrace the notion of healing your way forward.   myisha t. hill returns this week with a powerful interview to celebrate the paperback release of her book, Heal Your Way Forward: A Co-Conspirator’s Guide to An Anti-Racist Future .  &nbs...

Wondering what happened to your motivation? Feeling like the pilot light on your creative inspiration has burned out? Or struggling with who you are now in your 40’s and 50’s?  Then let this week’s guest inspire you to reignite that inspiration, find your creative flow, and reclaim yourself by learning to surrender.   In 1989, Ellen Latzen captured hearts around the world...

💥Over 40 and wondering, "Is this all there is?" You're not alone. This week, we’re talking about reinvention, resilience, and the power of trying new things—at any age. Gen X’ers, it’s never too late to shake things up!   Sue Willoughby’s story is proof that curiosity can lead to an expansive, meaningful life. From coming out in the 1970s as a lesbian (with a surprising twist)...

If you live in the United States–or even other parts of the world–and you’ve been looking at America the last few weeks and saying, “What the fuck?”–then you are not alone.   In the face of overwhelm, upheaval, and massive change, a couple of things can happen.  We can sometimes feel paralyzed and unsure of what we can do.  Or maybe sometimes we want to leap into action and rag...

If you were born with ovaries, you will go through menopause. Many Gen X women are in the throes of peri-menopause and menopause right now. And, most men will know women who are going or will go through menopause.  Menopause is as much a part of life as other hormonal fluctuations we experience as teenagers or during or after pregnancy (for those who have children).  Yet for decades, men...

Ep. 31:  Rising from the Ashes:  How Gen X'ers Can Ditch Hope, Take Action, and Breathe Fire into 2025 (pt 2 of 2) “ Hope is not a strategy. Your strategy is connecting to your deepest power inside you. ” This is part 2 (or maybe part 2.5) of this series on hope.  This episode was recorded before the start of the Los Angeles fires on January 7, 2025, and was originally supposed to b...

On January 7, 2025, several fires broke out in the Los Angeles, California area that ripped through neighborhoods, destroying thousands of homes, businesses, and other structures, displacing people and animals, and taking the lives of some. Two of these fires have been the third and fourth most destructive fires in California history.  And a week later, they are still burning, with the p...

“Hope tricks us into thinking that simply “having hope” is enough . . . that if we just keep wishing for a better tomorrow, it will magically appear.” What better way to start 2025 than to ruffle some feathers? In this 2-part episode, Michele challenges you to start 2025 by giving up hope!   That’s right . . . ditch hope! You don’t need it . . . you really don’t.   Instead of h...

Do the holidays feel like a bittersweet mashup of “remember when” and “what the hell do we do now” as your traditions evolve (or disappear altogether)? If your family traditions have changed over time—thanks to divorce, loss, kids growing up, or life just being life—this episode is for you. Whether you're grieving the past or figuring out how to create something meaningful now, this episode is you...

“You're not stuck. You have a choice. You can do something different. It doesn't have to be this way.” Are you one of those people who has a hard time saying, “No,” especially at work? Do you find yourself saying, “I can do that,” or “I should do that,” even when you don’t want to do that?  When we spend decades trying to prove our worth through our careers and how productive we are, we devel...

🦃 Does the thought of Thanksgiving dinner table conversations make you want to fake a last-minute stomach bug or hide in the closet crying into your wine glass?   If you're worried about those tense post-election conversations with family or friends and dreading the drama, this episode is here to help. Tune in for six quick tips to keep your sanity around the dinner table, find mor...

Are you one of the 131 million Americans [which is 66% of the adult U.S. population] who is on prescription drugs?   Did you know that according to the Personalized Medicine Coalition , the percentages of people who are on ineffective prescription drugs [i.e., drugs that don’t work best for them], are:  38% for anti-depressants 40% for asthma 43% for diabetes 50% for arthritis 70% f...

“What I want to do through these practical survival guide tips today is invite you to start with your damn self.”  Feeling angry, sad, stressed, overwhelmed, or anxious about the 2024 elections?  If so, then this episode is just for you!   Look . . . whatever you’re experiencing around the elections isn’t just caused by the elections. There’s an undercurrent in which we’ve...

What’s the most common thing that gets in the way of facing change with more peace and clarity?  In a word: Resistance What if you could understand and become more aware of the Resistance that gets in your way of change?  What if you could find a framework to face change (whether voluntary or involuntary) with more peace and clarity?  Well, this is your day because in this week...

It may be safe to say that a lot of Gen X’ers were raised with models of leadership that centered around competitive, dictatorial, heavy-handed methods. And often, many of us find it hard to believe in our own leadership abilities, assuming that “leaders are born.”   But what if the most powerful leadership actually focuses more on empathy, connection, and curiosity?  What if e...

One of the biggest hurdles for Gen X’ers moving through transitions is our stubborn steadfastness to wanting to DIY everything on our own!   This adherence to rugged individualism is something we learned through various systems growing up, and it’s a bell that’s challenging to unring.  Combine that with internalized shame about ourselves, and we have a toxic cocktail that keeps many...

Tired of yelling at your teenager when they stay out late or come home drunk? Not sure how to talk to your partner about the growing divide in your relationship?  Worried about how to talk with your parent about moving into a retirement home? In this return episode after summer break, Michele sits down with Jen Gergen for a journey through Non-Violent Communication (NVC). “What the hell...