GenX Book Club: The Celebrants by Steven Rowley
GenX Journeys
The GenX Book Club is back! Paul, Del, and Suzanne reunite to discuss The Celebrants ā a touching, funny, and deeply relatable novel about lifelong friendship, midlife rediscovery, and the pact to celebrate each other before itās too late. In this episode, the crew dives into the bookās themes of connection, mortality, and resilience ā and why it feels especially relevant to Generation X. Along the way, they share laughs, personal stories, and a few tangents (including Paulās triumphant Marine Corps Marathon finish š ). š About the Book: After the sudden death of a college...
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GenX Journeys: Caregiving, Resilience & Finding Yourself Again with Shellie Stark
GenX Journeys
On this episode of GenX Journeys, Paul welcomes Shellie Starkācreative entrepreneur, guided meditation instructor, and host of the brand-new Seen & Supported podcast. Shellie opens up about becoming a caregiver for her mom during and after the pandemic, how she gradually lost pieces of herself, and the exact steps she used to find her way back. We dig into practical tools Gen Xers can use right nowāespecially those caring for aging parents while juggling everything else. What we cover How caregiving can slowly make you disappearāand how to notice it Shellieās 3 core tips to...
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Throwback Thursday: The Pirate Movie
GenX Journeys
Ahoy, GenXers! This week weāre revisiting one of the cheesiest, campiest, and most gloriously over-the-top cult classics of the ā80s ā The Pirate Movie! Originally released on August 6, 1982, this wild ride mashes up The Pirates of Penzance with slapstick humor, ridiculous musical numbers, and more innuendos than we realized as kids. Del Roehling and I (Paul Stroessner) first covered this back on January 21, 2022, and it quickly became one of the most popular Return to the ā80s episodes. With Kristy McNichol and Christopher Atkins leading the charge, The Pirate Movie is part musical,...
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GenX Journeys: Fitness, Mindset & Midlife Confidence with Lydia Magnoli
GenX Journeys
Midlife isnāt the beginning of the end ā itās the beginning of your encore. š„ In this episode of GenX Journeys, Paul sits down with Lydia Magnoli, online fitness coach, content creator, and founder of The Magnoli Method app. Lydia opens up about leaving a āsafeā tenured job as a school psychologist to follow her true calling, losing 65+ pounds naturally, and helping women over 40 build strength, confidence, and healthier habits without a gym. Youāll hear about: š Reinvention after 40: trusting the inner voice when others doubt you šŖ Why fitness after 40 is about energy...
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Throwback Thursday: Dare to Dream with Stan Bush
GenX Journeys
Weāre cranking up the anthems for this weekās Throwback Thursday with a very special guestāStan Bush! Best known for āThe Touchā (The Transformers: The Movie) and āNever Surrenderā (Kickboxer), Stan has built a career around motivational rock anthems that have inspired fans across generations. In this episode (originally released on December 22, 2020), Paul and Del chat with Stan about his journey from Gainesville clubs to LA studios, from winning an Emmy to being inducted into the Transformers Hall of Fame. We dive deep into: āØ The story behind āThe Touchā (and how it...
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Throwback Thursday: Aliens
GenX Journeys
This week weāre flashing back to June 25, 2020, when Del Roehling and I revisited one of the greatest sequels of all time ā Aliens (1986). Back then, I had just wrapped up a tough semester in my masterās program for Creative Writing, and like so many of us, I was stuck at home during lockdown. Del and I took the opportunity to dive into James Cameronās explosive follow-up to Ridley Scottās Alien, and we had a blast breaking it all down. We cover: š½ How Aliens shifted from horror to all-out action š„ Sigourney Weaver cementing her place as a true action hero š¬ The...
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Throwback Thursday: St. Elmo's Fire
GenX Journeys
Weāre rewinding to April 2020 for a fun and fiery discussion with the Return to the ā80s Brat PackāLizzie Newton, Del Roehling, and meāas we take on the 1985 Brat Pack classic St. Elmoās Fire. Recorded in the middle of lockdown, this episode is full of laughs, unexpected takes, and a whole lot of side tangentsāfrom Rob Loweās dangly earring and Demi Mooreās pink apartment, to the characters we loved (or loved to hate). Lizzie shares why she kept expecting the bar to literally burst into flames, Del questions why anyone liked these characters at all, and I revisit the movie with...
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Throwback Thursday: The Dirt
GenX Journeys
š Originally aired: April 12, 2019 š§ Guest: Lizzie Newton (from Liz Laugh Cry) This week on Return to the ā80s, weāre throwing it back to one of our most fun and unfiltered episodes ā the wild ride that is Netflixās The Dirt, the biopic based on the notorious rise (and mayhem) of Mƶtley CrĆ¼e. This episode marks the very first appearance of Lizzie Newton, and as listeners know, every episode sheās been on since has become one of our most downloaded. We recorded this one together, in person, and the chemistry is off the charts. šø In this episode, we dive into: Lizzieās...
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GenX Book Club: Films of Endearment by Michael Koresky
GenX Journeys
In this monthās GenX Book Club, Paul Stroessner, Suzanne Mattaboni, and Del Roehling dive into Michael Koreskyās heartfelt memoir-meets-film-critique, Films of Endearment: A Mother, a Son, and the ā80s Films That Defined Us. Koresky revisits ten female-driven films of the 1980s with his mother, using them as a lens to explore family, loss, identity, and how movies shape the way we see the world. The discussion covers: How films like 9 to 5, Terms of Endearment, Aliens, and Baby Boom look different when revisited decades later Reflections on workplace inequality, motherhood, identity,...
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Throwback Thursday: Never Seen It ā Highlander
GenX Journeys
Originally released: April 13, 2017 In this special Throwback Thursday episode, Paul and Robert are joined by the legendary Doug McCoyāhost of the now-retired McCoyCast podcast network, which included shows like Never Seen It, Crazy Creepy Cool Movies, and In the Theater. Doug also wrote the eBook TV in My Time. While none of Dougās past content is currently available online, weāre thrilled to preserve this conversation as a tribute to his fantastic contributions to the retro podcasting world. Inspired by Dougās podcast Never Seen It, this episode takes the same approach: at least one...
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Originally aired: February 23, 2017
š§ Episode (Turn It Up to) 11 of Return to the '80s
Today weāre cranking the volume all the way up to eleven as we revisit one of the most iconic and hilarious cult classics of the ā80sāThis Is Spinal Tap!
In this re-release from 2017, Robert and I are joined once again by our good friend Scott Compton to break down the mockumentary that defined a genre and gave us some of the most quotable lines in comedy history.
šø Topics we cover include:
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Our favorite scenes (besides all of them)
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The bandās surprisingly catchy music
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Legendary lines like āItās such a fine line between stupid and cleverā
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Fun behind-the-scenes facts
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The real-life lawsuit over Spinal Tap merchandising rights
And hereās the kickerāat the time of this re-release, This Is Spinal Tap isnāt available to stream anywhere. Not even to rent or buy digitally! If youāve still got a DVD, hang on to itāitās a collectorās item now.
š„ Whether you're a longtime fan or discovering Tap for the first time, this episode is a love letter to a film thatās still turning heads (and melting amps) decades later.
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š© Email: paul@genxjourneys.net
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š” If you enjoyed this episode, leave a review or share it with a fellow GenXerāletās keep this community growing!
š¤ Until next timeāembrace the past, own the present, and build an epic future!