I have a really poignant and must listen discussion with my guest Jothan Cashero about generations, and specifically about the GenX experience. We discuss how there are general misperceptions about generations in general, and we tend to assign positive generalizations to our own generation and negative generalizations to other generations. We talk about the fact that regardless of generation, people want to be secure with their jobs, life and relationships, but we may react differently depending on our age. For GenX individuals, we may be feeling insecure with aging out of being competitive in the workspace, and feeling insecure with the outlook for retirement. 

If you would like to check out more on Jothan and his work in branding, you can find more information on his website www.jothancashero.com

We talk all things Gen Z in this eye opening episode! I am joined in my discussion by Baylie Jean who is the founder and co-host of the podcast Gen Z Boss, which helps her generation find success. She very proudly shares that she considers herself a part of the Gen Z generation, and works to educate and equip other people her age to be successful.

We discuss the stereotypes of Gen Z, like they are whiny or not hard working. She describes her generation as being innovative, strong leaders, and have an understanding of the world that other generations haven't necessarily grown up with. She feels Gen Z will change the workforce for the better. They are adaptive and agile, in some part because of "coming of age" during the pandemic. Gen Z individuals have formed relationships around the world as a result of their agility with technology and social media.

Baylie Jean mentions that many Gen Z individuals have made meaningful connections with older Boomers. She believes this might be because Boomers came of age during the difficult years of World War II, and Gen Z came of age during the pandemic. They have somewhat of a shared experience in being young and starting out during difficult times. She sees these relationships as mutually beneficial as Gen Z can help older adults navigate new technology, and older adults can help Gen Z with advice and growth, and ways to navigate careers and relationships.

Despite the rather difficult times we are emerging from, Baylie Jean discusses how she feels that Gen Z is very hopeful about the future. They are trying very hard to maintain involvement and activism in social causes, and to push to change the workforce so owning their own businesses might be within reach. They do feel a sense of pressure and responsibility for issues such as climate change that they have inherited from older generations. They also are very interested in building generational wealth and financial stability after seeing people lose jobs and be laid off during the pandemic.

If you are interested in following up with Bailey Jean, she can be reached  @missbayliejean, or follow her podcast @GenZBosspodcast

In this episode I have a really hopeful and honest discussion with Sherry-Lynn Lee. Sherry-Lynn Lee is a song writer, vocalist, producer, mixer and podcaster based in Los Angeles. She is half of the Millennial/Boomer music duo 23rd Hour. Sherry-Lynn is co-host of the podcast “Nuances: Beyond first impressions with the Asian diaspora” which can be found here: https://anchor.fm/nuances-podcast. Before pivoting her career into music and media she worked in Silicone Valley as a data scientist and software engineer.

Sherry-Lynn pulls back assumptions about Millennials in particular and we have an honest discussion about the tendency for individuals, regardless of age, to idealize their own experience in the past versus the experience of younger contemporary individuals and assume that the way things were better when “we” were young.

Sherry highlights a really powerful point, pointing out that individuals are communicating across generations on social media all the time without being aware of it or allowing it to be a barrier to these fluid interactions. This could be a great cornerstone for expanding your awareness of other generations and developing intergenerational and cross-cultural relationships.

I have the opportunity to have a powerful discussion about the myth of work-life balance with Nausheen Saumtally. Nausheen discusses redefining this concept instead to life harmony, rather than thinking about the conflict of work versus life. We consider how this concept of work-life balance began as more women entered the workforce and juggled multiple roles, and particularly Millennial generation women struggle with multiple roles. Nausheen shares that her intergenerational relationships have started with intentional communication, and self-awareness of who she is and what she brings to relationships. She stresses the importance of self-awareness to move past generalizations about age, particularly by employers, and who people perceive you are.

Nausheen Saumtally is the founder of the training and coaching company, Elevate Now. She is an Empowerment Trainer and Speaker and a certified DISC behavioral analysis consultant. You can find out more information on Nausheen on her website: http://elevate-now.ca/

David Spinner helps me unpack the natural friction between ages or generations, in particular around technology. Over time, new thinking and new technology are inevitable, and we see this happening at a fast pace. If you adopt this new technology, that is adapting and not laziness, which some younger people are accused of being. The example he gives is if you use your phone to get directions instead of pulling over the car and asking directions, that's adaptation and not laziness. He also stresses the importance of curiosity and having open discussions, and asking questions to understand each other better. David Spinner is a social worker, teacher, and entrepreneur. He is focused on becoming more DEIB aware, and helping others, particularly teams, perform their best while being mindful of diversity as well.

A must-listen episode with the amazing Michelle Gil. Michelle is an author and speaker on grief and loss. Her upcoming memoir, Don't Tell Me to Get Over It: A Father's Love, A Daughter's Grief, will be released as an e-book this summer. Michelle shares how important having a growth mindset, and lifelong learning have been for her. This includes the importance of being open to new friendships whenever and wherever they present themselves throughout your life. Age doesn't matter. What you have in common matters. Find the common and honor the differences and be open to connecting with others. You connect with friends because of who they are, and not how old they are.

Find out more about Michelle on her website www.thegriefcurator.com

In this short episode, we introduce our new podcast series, Generation Jamz. We will be bringing you discussions which we will be having along our journey to better understand generations. We want to investigate stereotypes, and debunk stereotypes. We want to discover what we have in common, and where we are different, celebrate what makes us unique. We hope to encourage people to intentionally develop relationships outside of your own generational silo and see people for who they are, and not their age. This episode will highlight some poignant clips from episodes coming up this season.