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Throwback Thursday: This is Spinal Tap

GenX Journeys

Release Date: 06/06/2025

GenX Journeys: Walking on Sunshine: Self-Love, Voice, and the Power of Choosing to Live  with Sanet Van Breda show art GenX Journeys: Walking on Sunshine: Self-Love, Voice, and the Power of Choosing to Live with Sanet Van Breda

GenX Journeys

What does it really mean to choose life? In this episode of GenX Journeys, Paul sits down with Sanet van Breda—a global community builder, voice amplifier, and passionate advocate for self-love—to explore how one powerful decision can change everything. Sanet shares her deeply personal journey of transformation, beginning with a moment of brutal honesty in front of the mirror and leading to a life rooted in purpose, joy, and service. Through self-love, mindfulness, and the courage to use her voice, she didn’t just change her own life—she began creating ripple effects that have touched...

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GenX Book Club: Future Boy by Michael J. Fox show art GenX Book Club: Future Boy by Michael J. Fox

GenX Journeys

Welcome back to the GenX Book Club—and happy New Year! Paul Stroessner, Del Roehling and Suzanne Mattaboni talk about , a fast, entertaining behind-the-scenes snapshot of one of the most intense stretches of Fox’s career: filming Back to the Future while also starring on Family Ties. The conversation dives into the pressure of stepping into a role that was already being filmed, the legendary production timeline, and the details Gen X fans love—like the Eric Stoltz ā€œwhat-if,ā€ Fox meeting Lea Thompson just minutes before filming, Marty’s iconic wardrobe, the Nike Bruins story,...

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GenX Journeys: 1980s Now & GenX Always — A Conversation with Will Padilla show art GenX Journeys: 1980s Now & GenX Always — A Conversation with Will Padilla

GenX Journeys

This week on GenX Journeys, I’m joined by the multi-talented and endlessly creative Will Padilla — host of the hit podcast 1980s Now, composer, writer, actor, and author of Totally Bogus But True: Tales of the 1980s. If you grew up loving breakdancing battles, MTV, Knight Rider, The A-Team, Beastie Boys, or the neon-soaked energy of the 80s… this conversation will feel like coming home. But this episode isn’t just nostalgia. It’s creative reinvention, GenX resilience, and the reminder that it’s never too late to return to the passions you thought you left behind. ✨ In This...

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GenX Journeys: Reinvention at Any Age with Terry Yoffe show art GenX Journeys: Reinvention at Any Age with Terry Yoffe

GenX Journeys

In this week’s episode of GenX Journeys, I’m joined by the extraordinary Terry Yoffe — an 83-year-young business and communications coach, speaker, and podcaster who proves that it’s never too late to grow, evolve, and reinvent yourself. Terry’s story is a masterclass in resilience: from overcoming childhood challenges, to building a thriving career in sales without experience, to launching a coaching practice at 60, to starting her own podcast at 78, and now stepping onto stages as a speaker. She brings the wisdom of someone who has lived reinvention again and again — and has the...

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GenX Book Club: The Celebrants by Steven Rowley show art 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 — a touching, funny, and deeply relatable novel about lifelong friendship, midlife rediscovery, and the pact to celebrate each other before it’s too late. In this episode, the crew dives into the book’s themes of connection, mortality, and resilience — and why it feels especially relevant to Generation X. Along the way, they share laughs, personal stories, and a few tangents (including Paul’s triumphant Marine Corps Marathon finish šŸ…). šŸ“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 show art GenX Journeys: Caregiving, Resilience & Finding Yourself Again with Shellie Stark

GenX Journeys

On this episode of GenX Journeys, Paul welcomes Shellie Stark—creative 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 now—especially those caring for aging parents while juggling everything else. What we cover How caregiving can slowly make you disappear—and how to notice it  Shellie’s 3 core tips to...

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Throwback Thursday: The Pirate Movie show art Throwback Thursday: The Pirate Movie

GenX Journeys

Ahoy, GenXers! This week we’re revisiting one of the cheesiest, campiest, and most gloriously over-the-top cult classics of the ’80s — 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 ’80s 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 show art GenX Journeys: Fitness, Mindset & Midlife Confidence with Lydia Magnoli

GenX Journeys

Midlife isn’t the beginning of the end — it’s the beginning of your encore. šŸ’„ 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 ā€œsafeā€ 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. You’ll hear about: šŸŽ­ Reinvention after 40: trusting the inner voice when others doubt you šŸ’Ŗ Why fitness after 40 is about energy...

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Throwback Thursday: Dare to Dream with Stan Bush show art Throwback Thursday: Dare to Dream with Stan Bush

GenX Journeys

We’re cranking up the anthems for this week’s Throwback Thursday with a very special guest—Stan Bush! Best known for ā€œThe Touchā€ (The Transformers: The Movie) and ā€œNever 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: ✨ The story behind ā€œThe Touchā€ (and how it...

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Throwback Thursday: Aliens show art Throwback Thursday: Aliens

GenX Journeys

This week we’re flashing back to June 25, 2020, when Del Roehling and I revisited one of the greatest sequels of all time — Aliens (1986). Back then, I had just wrapped up a tough semester in my master’s 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 Cameron’s explosive follow-up to Ridley Scott’s Alien, and we had a blast breaking it all down. We cover: šŸ‘½ How Aliens shifted from horror to all-out action šŸ”„ Sigourney Weaver cementing her place as a true action hero šŸŽ¬ The...

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šŸ“… Originally aired: February 23, 2017
šŸŽ§ Episode (Turn It Up to) 11 of Return to the '80s

Today we’re cranking the volume all the way up to eleven as we revisit one of the most iconic and hilarious cult classics of the ’80s—This 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.

šŸŽø Topics we cover include:

  • Our favorite scenes (besides all of them)

  • The band’s surprisingly catchy music

  • Legendary lines like ā€œIt’s such a fine line between stupid and cleverā€

  • Fun behind-the-scenes facts

  • The real-life lawsuit over Spinal Tap merchandising rights

And here’s the kicker—at the time of this re-release, This Is Spinal Tap isn’t available to stream anywhere. Not even to rent or buy digitally! If you’ve still got a DVD, hang on to it—it’s a collector’s item now.

šŸ”„ Whether you're a longtime fan or discovering Tap for the first time, this episode is a love letter to a film that’s still turning heads (and melting amps) decades later.

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šŸŽ§ Listen & Subscribe

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šŸŒŽ Connect with Me

šŸ“© Email: paul@genxjourneys.net
šŸ“ŗ YouTube: @GenXJourneys
šŸ“· Instagram: @GenXJourneys
🐦 Twitter/X: @Returntothe80s
šŸ“˜ Facebook: GenX Journeys
šŸŽ„ TikTok: @GenXJourneys

šŸ’” If you enjoyed this episode, leave a review or share it with a fellow GenXer—let’s keep this community growing!

šŸŽ¤ Until next time—embrace the past, own the present, and build an epic future!