Gen X at 60

In this final episode of the season, Ken and Jim look back at the moments in this season of Gen X at 60 that shaped them — the conversations that opened them, surprised them, or shifted something deep inside as they navigated the transition to 60.Together, they explore why endings matter, what they reveal, and how they quietly change us long before we realize it.A thoughtful, honest conversation about the part of growth we so often avoid: the endings that make space for something new.Leave your thoughts via Fan Mail

Forgiveness sounds so simple: Just let go of the resentment you feel about someone’s offense, flaw, or mistake. But for Gen X — the generation raised to “suck it up,” and keep moving — forgiveness is a bit more complicated.In this episode, Ken and Jim dive into the real work of forgiving others and ourselves without pretending the past magically disappears. They explore the difference between guilt and shame — how one opens the door to learning and growth while the other holds us down — and why the old commandment to “forgive and forget” never matched the way memory, hurt, and hope actually behave in the human heart.With humor, honesty, and the perspective that comes with turning 60, they look at what it means to lighten the emotional loads we’ve carried for decades. What grudges have shaped us? Which ones still grip us? And what might shift if we learn to release the parts of the past that are still weighing us down?This is Forgiveness, Gen X style: thoughtful, imperfect, and rooted in the desire to move into what’s next with a little more freedom.Leave your thoughts via Fan Mail

Stanford researchers say we hit biological pivot points at 44 and again at 60 — moments where our bodies shift and our choices matter a little more. In this episode, Ken and Jim explore what those pivots actually mean for Gen X, why they’re not warnings, and how small, intentional changes can shape a healthier path forward. They unpack the science, share personal stories, and talk honestly about hope, forgiveness, and the freedom that comes from knowing it’s never too late to turn in a better direction.Leave your thoughts via Fan Mail

Ken and Jim have an intergenerational conversation with Madison Asher, host of the podcast 'We (Used to) Work', about redefining success across generations — and why the question “What do you want to be when you grow up?” might have been the wrong one all along.Together, they unpack the meaning and purpose of work, the tug-of-war between who we are and what we do, and the pressures of a marketing-driven world that keeps reshaping how we define ourselves. It’s a candid, curious, and surprisingly empathetic conversation that reveals both the envy and the understanding that surface when generations talk honestly about purpose, identity, and the lifelong pursuit of feeling fulfilled.To learn more about Madison…Socials - IG @we_used_to_workWebsite - MadisonAsherCoaching.comPodcast-We(UsedTo)Work PodcastLeave your thoughts via Fan Mail

AARP (the American Association of Retired Persons) continues to shine a spotlight on Generation X, and the results are both validating and unnerving. In this conversation, Ken and Jim dig into what some AARP-referenced studies and research says about how we’re aging—from our complicated relationship with technology to growing concerns about financial readiness and emerging insights about Gen X health. They also tackle the idea of “obsolete skills” — the ones we once relied on that now make us sound like museum pieces. With humor, honesty, and a touch of nostalgia, they explore what it really means to be the generation still figuring it out as we go.Leave your thoughts via Fan Mail

The music of our teens and twenties wasn’t just background noise — it was identity, rebellion, and the soundtrack to becoming ourselves. In this episode, Jim and Ken wax nostalgic about the music that shaped them, why that music still matters at 60 and beyond, and how just one song can transport you instantly back in time. Psychologists refer to other phenomenon as the reminiscence bump — the idea that the memories from our teens and twenties stick with us more than almost any others. It’s the magical stretch of life when music, first loves, first jobs, and first risks all fuse together, and the songs we heard then become time machines we can ride for the rest of our lives. So, put another dime in the jukebox, baby — and see which songs carry you straight back. Oh, and before or after, why not explore some of the music mentioned in this episode? Let the music play!Hot Dogs and Hamburgers by John Cougar Mellancamp https://music.apple.com/us/song/hot-dogs-and-hamburgers/1823072786El Paso by Marty Robbins https://music.apple.com/us/song/el-paso/158518000Neon Moon by Brooks and Dunn https://music.apple.com/us/song/neon-moon/258643362The Glamorous Life by Sheila E. https://music.apple.com/us/song/the-glamorous-life/124887851Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding by Elton John https://music.apple.com/us/song/funeral-for-a-friend-love-lies-bleeding-2014-remaster/1440863114Addicted to Love by Robert Palmer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcATvu5f9vEPurple Rain by Prince ‎Purple Rain (Deluxe Expanded Edition) [2015 Paisley Park Remaster] - Album by Prince & The Revolution - Apple MusicSara Smile by Daryl Hall & John Oates https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYEpFJhuu1EStop Making Sense The Movie https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WMG2h8XLuITezeta by Mulatu Astatke (Ethiopian Jazz) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ygSCd6TaTg&list=RD8ygSCd6TaTg&start_radio=1Claire de Lune by Claude Debussy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNcsUNKlAKw&list=RDWNcsUNKlAKw&start_radio=1MTVs First Day - August 1, 1981 Playlist https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1lQKTYlkt7cI0MVLp3NmbH Leave your thoughts via Fan Mail

In this episode, we take on a word we’ve all heard, but maybe haven’t fully defined: Resilience. Ken and Jim bring their own stories of disappointment, illness, and everyday struggles — and pair them with what research says about resilience and aging.What comes through is that resilience isn’t just grit or positivity. It’s a kind of consciousness — remembering what you’ve already come through, and believing you have the resources to face what’s ahead.For Gen X, now staring down the realities of aging, that awareness matters perhaps more than ever. Resilience isn’t always loud or heroic. Sometimes it’s as simple as showing up, bending but not breaking, and trusting that the tough stuff you’ve survived before can guide you through what comes next.Leave your thoughts via Fan Mail

Remember those collages of photos on your wall—snapshots of laughter, adventures, and milestones with friends? In this episode, Jim creates an audio collage from conversations with five friends who’ve shared decades of life with him.Jim and Tessy reminisce about meeting in kindergarten. Carl and Rodney, his first friends at his first job, reflect on how workplace bonds can grow far beyond the office. Kathy shares how their friendship blossomed after connecting through mutual friends. And MJ offers lessons on the meaning of friendship as she steps into her third act of life.It’s a celebration of connection, memory, and the timeless lessons friendship brings—listen in and be inspired to reflect on your own circle of lifelong friends.Leave your thoughts via Fan Mail

You know that friend from way, way back...the one who knew you before you knew yourself? For Ken, that's Nicky. They were inseparable as kids, then...forty years of radio silence. Until now.This conversation isn't just a reunion, it's a time capsule cracked open. You'll hear what shaped a childhood friendship, what made it fade away, and what remains of it today, if anything.Buckle up! We're about to put an old 8-track of Ken's into the dash.Trigger Warning: Eating Disorders, Body Image This episode discusses experiences with disordered eating. We encourage you to prioritize your well-being while listening.Leave your thoughts via Fan Mail

In this episode, Ken and Jim dive into the complicated, essential world of friendship. Two Gen Xers, raised on self-reliance and independence, who approach connection very differently—one cautious, one trusting—but both fiercely aware that friendships shape how we age.In discussing their own experiences with friendship, including their own, they unpack some of what makes friendship so important and at times challenging for our generation. Is friendship the same for us at 60 as it was at 20? Grab a friend, listen together, and maybe start a new conversation about what friendship really means.Leave your thoughts via Fan Mail

What does it mean to stay relevant as we age — and who gets to decide? In this conversation with guest Coralie Hooper, we crack open the cultural conditioning that taught us to “look the part” to earn our place, especially at work.We reflect on the visual and behavioral rules we learned — especially as Gen Xers — and ask: what happens when we stop trying to fit into someone else's version of relevance?We touch on:The lingering pressure to “present” a certain wayHow our generation was trained to perform success before we truly defined itThe quiet freedom of aging into authenticity — of choosing to whom we’re relevantThe evolving link between relevance and self-expressionIt’s part nostalgia, part reckoning, and all about reclaiming relevance on our own terms.Leave your thoughts via Fan Mail

This episode, Jim and Ken walk the tightrope of expectations. When Jim’s birthday plans fell through, the disappointment surfaced an old question: Is having expectations a setup for heartbreak — or are they necessary to feel alive and hopeful?The research backs it up — the happiest people as they age aren’t the ones whose plans always worked. They’re the ones who learned how to hold the plan lightly — and themselves tenderly — when it didn’t.From broad, open dreams to rigid requirements, let's unpack what it means to trust life enough to loosen your grip — without letting go of what you truly want.Leave your thoughts via Fan Mail

Psychologist and author Dr. Camille Preston joins Ken and Jim for a deeply personal and timely conversation inspired by her new book, Living Real. Together, they explore what it means to live with emotional depth in a world that pushes us to stay busy, be upbeat, and get distracted.Camille introduces the concept of shallowing—the habit of avoiding life’s hard feelings in a misguided attempt to stay afloat. But as she explains, when we numb the lows, we also miss the highs.This episode is about burnout, grief, identity, and the lifelong journey of unlearning the pressure to always do—so we can remember how to truly be. Whether you're navigating a transition, wrestling with questions about what really matters, or simply tired of feeling stretched thin, this is a conversation that invites you to slow down and live real.For More about Dr. Camille Preston click here.Get you copy of 'Living Real: Redefining Success, Presence, and HappinessFor more about Living Real, including resources and activities, click here.Leave your thoughts via Fan Mail

While parents weren't always there to teach Gen Xers life lessons—the movies were, for better or worse. In this episode, Ken and Jim revisit seven films from the 80s and early 90s that shaped how they saw themselves, the world, and who they were supposed to become.From unexpected alien friendships to having a head for business and a bod for sin, these stories carried lessons about love, loss, identity, and possibility. Decades later, they’re asking: What stuck? What fell flat? And what might leave other generations scratching their heads?Watch or revisit the movies discussed in this episode and see what lessons come to you:ETFright NightThe Last StarfighterLongtime CompanionTerms of EndearmentWorking GirlCity SlickersLeave your thoughts via Fan Mail

When Jim returns from a month-long facilitation tour of Japan, what starts as a virtual travelogue turns into something deeper. Ken and Jim explore how our appetite for risk, adventure, and newness shifts with age—and why learning still matters, maybe more than ever, after 60.They talk about homesickness, self-judgment, and the tension between comfort and adventure. Is it possible to keep evolving without blowing up the lives we've worked so hard to build?Old Dogs...New Trips is a candid conversation about the courage it takes to keep stretching—just enough to stay curious, but not so much we lose our footing.Leave your thoughts via Fan Mail

What started as a thoughtful nod to Ken turning 60 quickly turned into a surprisingly loaded conversation—because it turns out, “eldership” means very different things to each of us.For one of us, it's the recognition of our accumulated wisdom, and a sacred passage to becoming a respected guide. And for the other? It feels more like a lifetime achievement award with no cash value and zero sex appeal.In this episode, we talk candidly about what the word “eldership” evokes for each of us, why we didn’t quite see eye to eye, and how this stage of life asks us to wrestle with identity, agency, and what we’re still becoming.Click here to learn more about Mike Iamele's work on mapping Sensitivities.For a free mapping demo with Mike, click here.Leave your thoughts via Fan Mail

We’re the first generation arriving at 60 without a clear script for retirement. For our parents and grandparents, retirement was the endpoint. A gold watch. A pension. A La-Z-Boy recliner with a view. But for us? The lines are blurrier.In this episode, we talk with fellow 60-year old Paul Scott, the mind behind LifeDesign, a venture focused on helping people consciously design the next phase of life after full-time work.Together, we explore what happens when your job stops defining you… and you finally get to decide what comes next.Whether you’re ready to reinvent, slow down, or just think out loud about what’s next, this conversation is for anyone staring at the second half of life and thinking: there’s got to be more than this.Learn more about LifeDesign Associates by clicking here.Learning more about Paul Scott by clicking here.Leave your thoughts via Fan Mail

In the ’80s and ’90s, “Dress for Success” was more than a look—it was a message. Shoulder pads, power ties, pantyhose… we suited up to be taken seriously in a world built on someone else’s rules.But did fitting in come at a cost?In this episode, we sit down with our friend, colleague, and fellow Gen Xer Tara Hanlon to reflect on what success was supposed to look like back then, and how gendered expectations shaped both women and men in ways we’re only now starting to unpack.We talk about what it meant to conform, who got to stand out, and what changes when we finally feel safe enough—or tired enough—to show up as ourselves.This is a conversation among friends, and we invite you to sit down with us as we revisit the stories we were told about gender at work—and begin to write some new ones.Leave your thoughts via Fan Mail

We've spent years saving, investing, and planning for the future—but have we been making deposits into the most important account of all?As Gen Xers, we grew up in a world that rarely talked about self-awareness, self-acceptance, or emotional well-being. We were raised to be independent, to figure things out on our own, and to push through without asking for help. Yet the Harvard Study of Adult Development suggests that strong relationships—not just resilience—are what keep us happier and healthier as we age. And that includes the one relationship we carry for life—the one with ourselves.Are you paying yourself first with acceptance, care, and compassion? Or are you running on an emotional overdraft, leaving yourself broke(n)?Join us as we reflect on the work we've each done on our relationships with ourselves, and the work we still have to do.More about The Harvard Study of Adult DevelopmentWatch Brene Brown's TED TalkLeave your thoughts via Fan Mail

If the Harvard Study of Adult Development is right, and relationships are the single biggest predictor of happiness and health as we age—are we Gen Xers completely screwed?We were raised to be independent, skeptical, and self-reliant. We’re the generation that made ‘whatever’ a lifestyle. But research says deep, lasting relationships—not just self-sufficiency—are what keep us thriving, both emotionally and physically. Have we been doing it all wrong? And if so, what do we do about it?"Learn more about The Harvard Study of Adult DevelopmentListen to Hidden Brain "The Lonely American ManLeave your thoughts via Fan Mail

Get into to the right school. Pick the right major. Find the right job in the right company to take you all the way to retirement. Did it work out that way for our generation? Was the typical career path for us linear as for many in previous generations or more like Chutes and Ladders? Join us as we take a look in the rear view mirror at our career paths to uncover the roads that got us from there to here, including a cameo by Judd Nelson.Leave your thoughts via Fan Mail

In this episode, we attempt to unpack our beliefs, generational conditioning, and hopeful appreciation of this thing called Wellness. Join us!Leave your thoughts via Fan Mail

Come explore some of the classic stereotypes about Generation X as Jim and Ken weigh in on which are totally bitchin' and which are grody to the max.Leave your thoughts via Fan Mail

Gen X turning 60? No freakin' way! We are Jim and Ken, two colleagues and friends who are a part of the first Gen Xers turning 60. In our first episode, we will lay the groundwork for our exploration of what it means to have the forgotten, latch key kid generation entering their sixth decade around the sun. Come with us for the ride. SHOTGUN!Leave your thoughts via Fan Mail