GenX Women are Sick of This Shit!

• S2E11 Surviving the Messy 70s and 80s - A Gen X Reality Check

  Want to weigh in? Send us a text!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 tribute to recently departed musical icons Sly Stone and Brian Wilson, then celebrate the 50th anniversaries of both Rocky Horror Picture Show and Jaws. But the heart of this episode confronts the darker realities behind Gen X childhoods—from environmental hazards we somehow survived to educational practices that would be considered abusive today.The conversation weaves through vivid memories of corporal punishment in schools, public shaming as a teaching tool, and the complete absence of mental health awareness. They explore how these experiences shaped our generation's characteristic resilience and skepticism, while acknowledging the trauma that often accompanied it. From smoking being permitted virtually everywhere to the casual dismissal of abuse allegations, this episode serves as a reality check about the "good old days" that weren't always so good.Rather than simply criticizing the past, Megan and Lesley emphasize why acknowledging these truths matters—without confronting history honestly, we risk repeating it. As they note while discussing current regulatory rollbacks: we've been here before, and it wasn't pretty. Join us for this unflinching look at the experiences that defined a generation and continue to influence Gen X perspectives today.Support the showGet your hands on our MERCH!!! DONATION SCHEDULE! We donate $1 per item sold with a minimum of $200 to each organization! Jan-Feb 2025 - Center for Reproductive Rights March-April - Planned Parenthood May-June 2025 - Indy Pride July-August 2025 - WFYI September-October - ACLU November-December 2025 - Second Helpings Love the pod? Love us? Love GenX? Let us know! SUPPORT THE POD HERE! Want to continue the conversation? Sign up for our newsletter! HERE Tell us your own 5 Minutes of Fame story or call it in at 1-888-GEN-XPOD Send us your Dear GenX Women letters! Join us for Meet-Ups and Expert led Discussions JOIN US in L.Y.L.A.S a GenX Women's Social ClubL.Y.L.A.S (Love You Like a Sis) is our paid membership platform where you can have real-life conversations while supporting this podcast and the work we do in the Facebook group. Follow us on ...

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• S2E10: School's Out for Summer (We Had Three Months Off and Nobody Died)

  Want to weigh in? Send us a text!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 theater camps. They reminisce about the sensory touchstones of Gen X summers: the distinctive sound of approaching ice cream trucks, orange sherbet push-ups that defined childhood happiness, and those plastic sleeve popsicles that inevitably cut the corners of your mouth (but you'd still eat ten of them).Food memories dominate the conversation as they recall homemade ice cream in giant electric makers that "they don't even make that size anymore," fresh strawberry shortcake, and corn so sweet it needed cross-pollination by hand (which Megan admits to facilitating while serenading her corn plants with Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On").The conversation wanders through drive-in movies, State Fair adventures, and the incredible freedom children once had—being sent outside until dinner with minimal supervision. Both hosts lament how summer break has shrunk over the decades, with schools often starting in late July and stealing away weeks of traditional summer freedom.Whether you spent your summers at camp, working a summer job, or just riding bikes until dusk, this episode will transport you back to a time when summer meant freedom, discovery, and seemingly endless possibilities. What summer traditions do you miss most? Connect with us and share your memories!Support the showGet your hands on our MERCH!!! DONATION SCHEDULE! We donate $1 per item sold with a minimum of $200 to each organization! Jan-Feb 2025 - Center for Reproductive Rights March-April - Planned Parenthood May-June 2025 - Indy Pride July-August 2025 - WFYI September-October - ACLU November-December 2025 - Second Helpings Love the pod? Love us? Love GenX? Let us know! SUPPORT THE POD HERE! Want to continue the conversation? Sign up for our newsletter! HERE Tell us your own 5 Minutes of Fame story or call it in at 1-888-GEN-XPOD Send us your Dear GenX Women letters! Join us for Meet-Ups and Expert led Discussions JOIN US in L.Y.L.A.S a GenX Women's Social ClubL.Y.L.A.S (Love You Like a Sis) is our paid membership platform where you can have real-life conversations while supporting this podcast and the work we do in the Facebook group. Follow us on ...

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• S2E9: GenX - No Retirement, No Supervision, No Ponies

  Want to weigh in? Send us a text!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 generation whose parents were busy "doing shit" and sometimes forgot we existed. The conversation takes a timely turn when Megan shares her recent financial advisor meeting, where the typical reassurances about market stability were notably absent. Suddenly, our grandparents' habit of hiding cash in aluminum foil and cereal boxes seems less paranoid and more prophetic.Childhood birthday celebrations become a lens to examine generational shifts. The hosts reminisce about simple pool parties, roller skating outings, and Showbiz Pizza gatherings of their youth, complete with Rock-a-Fire Explosion animatronics and Madonna's "Lucky Star" blasting in the background. These memories stand in stark contrast to the elaborate productions many Gen Xers now create for their own children—complete with pony rides and themed extravaganzas. Is this overcompensation for our latchkey upbringing or just succumbing to party competition pressure?The episode also pays tribute to George Wendt, known to most as Norm from Cheers, imagining his funeral where everyone shouts "NORM!" as the casket enters. As Memorial Day approaches, they explore what the holiday weekend means in Indianapolis—from the unmistakable sound of race cars heard throughout the city to family cookouts marking the unofficial start of summer.Whether you're planning your weekend, reflecting on your childhood, or wondering if you should start hiding cash in your freezer, this episode captures the unique perspective of a generation caught between analog memories and digital uncertainties. Subscribe, leave a review, and share your own "Five Minutes of Fame" story with us!Support the showGet your hands on our MERCH!!! DONATION SCHEDULE! We donate $1 per item sold with a minimum of $200 to each organization! Jan-Feb 2025 - Center for Reproductive Rights March-April - Planned Parenthood May-June 2025 - Indy Pride July-August 2025 - WFYI September-October - ACLU November-December 2025 - Second Helpings Love the pod? Love us? Love GenX? Let us know! SUPPORT THE POD HERE! Want to continue the conversation? Sign up for our newsletter! HERE Tell us your own 5 Minutes of Fame story or call it in at 1-888-GEN-XPOD Send us your Dear GenX Women letters! Join us for Meet-Ups and Expert led Discussions JOIN US in L.Y.L.A.S a GenX Women's Social ClubL.Y.L.A.S (Love You Like a Sis) is our paid membership platform where you can have real-life conversations while supporting this podcast and the work we do in the Facebook group. Follow us on ...

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• S2E8: Is Kermit a Zaddy? Could Kurt Loder be my Dad? Who's old? Not us!

  Want to weigh in? Send us a text!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's changing global position• Revelation that Kermit the Frog is 70 years old while Miss Piggy is only 50, creating a surprising 20-year age gap between the Muppet couple• Exploration of how MTV VJs including Kurt Loder, Martha Quinn, and Nina Blackwood are now in their 60s, 70s, and 80s• Call for listeners to share which celebrities' ages have shocked them the mostSupport public television! Visit genxwomenpod.com to share your "five minutes of fame" stories or call 1-888-GEN-X-POD to leave a message that might be played on the next episode.Support the showGet your hands on our MERCH!!! DONATION SCHEDULE! We donate $1 per item sold with a minimum of $200 to each organization! Jan-Feb 2025 - Center for Reproductive Rights March-April - Planned Parenthood May-June 2025 - Indy Pride July-August 2025 - WFYI September-October - ACLU November-December 2025 - Second Helpings Love the pod? Love us? Love GenX? Let us know! SUPPORT THE POD HERE! Want to continue the conversation? Sign up for our newsletter! HERE Tell us your own 5 Minutes of Fame story or call it in at 1-888-GEN-XPOD Send us your Dear GenX Women letters! Join us for Meet-Ups and Expert led Discussions JOIN US in L.Y.L.A.S a GenX Women's Social ClubL.Y.L.A.S (Love You Like a Sis) is our paid membership platform where you can have real-life conversations while supporting this podcast and the work we do in the Facebook group. Follow us on ...

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• S2E7: Friday Night Was for More than Videos!

  Want to weigh in? Send us a text!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 bar setup as the perfect backdrop, the hosts trade stories about the weekend social rituals that defined Gen X adolescence. From roller skating parties that required good grades to attend, to midnight showings of Rocky Horror Picture Show (complete with toast, toilet paper, and squirt guns), they map the geography of teen hangouts in Indianapolis. Noble Romans Pizza with its mythical $99 Dom Perignon special, Denny's with "Moons Over My Hammy," and small-town cruising rituals all get their moments in the spotlight.What's striking is how these memories reveal a different relationship with rebellion and fun. Both hosts confess they didn't drink in high school – not because they were straight-laced, but because they were genuinely having a great time without it. Megan's confession about stealing a velvet rope from a movie theater and proudly displaying it in her bedroom captures the perfect level of Gen X rebellion – just enough to feel dangerous without causing real harm. Whether you were playing Dungeons & Dragons on Friday nights, working at TCBY, or watching MTV's 120 Minutes instead of sleeping before school, you'll recognize yourself in these stories.So pour yourself something delicious, settle in, and join us for this journey back to a time when weekend entertainment didn't require Wi-Fi, when malls were social hubs rather than dying institutions, and when the most important thing was just being together with your friends, figuring out this weird thing called adolescence. What was your Friday night ritual? We'd love to hear about it.Support the showGet your hands on our MERCH!!! DONATION SCHEDULE! We donate $1 per item sold with a minimum of $200 to each organization! Jan-Feb 2025 - Center for Reproductive Rights March-April - Planned Parenthood May-June 2025 - Indy Pride July-August 2025 - WFYI September-October - ACLU November-December 2025 - Second Helpings Love the pod? Love us? Love GenX? Let us know! SUPPORT THE POD HERE! Want to continue the conversation? Sign up for our newsletter! HERE Tell us your own 5 Minutes of Fame story or call it in at 1-888-GEN-XPOD Send us your Dear GenX Women letters! Join us for Meet-Ups and Expert led Discussions JOIN US in L.Y.L.A.S a GenX Women's Social ClubL.Y.L.A.S (Love You Like a Sis) is our paid membership platform where you can have real-life conversations while supporting this podcast and the work we do in the Facebook group. Follow us on ...

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