GenX Journeys

Welcome back to the GenX Book Club—and happy New Year! Paul Stroessner, Del Roehling and Suzanne Mattaboni talk about Future Boy by Michael J. Fox, 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 "what-if," Fox meeting Lea Thompson just minutes before filming, Marty's iconic wardrobe, the Nike Bruins story, the stunt double moment that sounds too ridiculous to be true, and how Fox's comedic instincts helped shape one of the most beloved movies of all time.

Plus: a fun side-quest into the Back to the Future: The Hill Valley Cookbook (yes, it's real), including how it connects to the Radical Sabbatical event.

In This Episode

• Why Future Boy is a perfect GenX Book Club pick

• Rewatching Back to the Future (including its return to theaters)

• The unbelievable detail: Fox met Lea Thompson about 10 minutes before filming their first scene

• TV actors vs. movie actors in the '80s—and how that changed over time

• Back to the Future: The Hill Valley Cookbook

• The Eric Stoltz version: how different might the movie have been?

• The "no sleep" schedule: Family Ties by day, Back to the Future by night

• Stunts, wardrobe, and the real people behind the scenes

• Marty's Nike Bruins and the origin story behind the shoe scramble

• The Johnny B. Goode performance and Fox's attention to detail

• Why the audiobook works so well (Fox narrates, with additional audio clips)

• Next month's possible pick: Ordinary People

More from the GenX Book Club Crew

📖 Suzanne Mattaboni (Author of Once in a Lifetime) 🔹 Get her book anywhere books are sold, including Kindle Unlimited and onceinalifetimenovel.com 🔹 Visit her at suzannemattaboni.com 🔹 Follow Suzanne:

• 📷 Instagram: @suzannemattaboni80s
• 🐦 X: @suzmattaboni
• 📘 Facebook: Suzanne Mattaboni

🎙️ Del Roehling (Host of 80s at 8 on 91.1 WEDM FM) 🔹 Tune in to 80s at 8 for all your favorite throwback tunes 🔹 Get your daily dose of '80s news on the 80s at 8 Facebook page

💡 Connect with GenX Journeys

🌎 Website: GenXJourneys.net 📩 Email: [email protected] 📺 YouTube: @GenXJourneys 📷 Instagram: @GenXJourneys 🐦 Twitter/X: @Returntothe80s 📘 Facebook: GenX Journeys 🎥 TikTok: @GenXJourneys

🎧 Subscribe to the GenX Journeys Podcast on: ✅ Apple Podcasts ✅ Spotify ✅ iHeartRadio ✅ Podbean ✅ PlayerFM

💡 Whether you're a die-hard '80s fan, a nostalgia lover, or just someone who enjoys a great book club discussion, this episode is packed with fun, wisdom, and plenty of throwback vibes.

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow/subscribe on your favorite podcast app and leave a review. And tell us: What's your favorite Back to the Future moment—and have you ever seen footage of the Eric Stoltz version?

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 Episode We Dive Into:

🔥 Will's journey from the theater world of NYC to rediscovering his creative voice decades later 🔥 How podcasting became his gateway back into storytelling and the arts 🔥 Why the 1980s still captivate us — and how the decade continues to influence pop culture today 🔥 Landing interviews with icons like Nina Blackwood, Diane Franklin, and Cassandra Peterson (Elvira) 🔥 Writing his book of bizarre-but-true 80s stories — and the massive leap into publishing 🔥 The parallels between writing a book and running a marathon 🔥 The GenX creative comeback: why so many of us are returning to the passions we buried long ago 🔥 Breakdancing battles, Beastie Boys fandom, and chasing down DMC as a dream guest 🔥 Our lightning round: favorite 80s music, celebrity crushes, and the shows that shaped us

This conversation is packed with heart, humor, creativity, and classic GenX spirit — the drive to reinvent, rediscover, and keep moving forward, one step at a time.

📚 Will's Book

Totally Bogus But True: Tales of the 1980s Available on Bookshop.org and Amazon.

🎧 Listen to Will's Podcast

1980s Now — a smart, funny, nostalgia-driven deep dive into the pop culture that shaped us and continues shaping the world today.

YouTube

All Audio Platforms

Website https://1980snow.com/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/1980snow Instagram https://www.instagram.com/1980snowpod TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@1980snow

🎧 Listen & Subscribe to GenX Journeys

✅ Apple Podcasts ✅ Spotify ✅ iHeartRadio ✅ Podbean ✅ PlayerFM

🌎 Connect with Me

📩 Email: [email protected] 📺 YouTube: @GenXJourneys 📷 Instagram: @GenXJourneys 🐦 Twitter/X: @Returntothe80s 📘 Facebook: GenX Journeys 🎥 TikTok: @GenXJourneys

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

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

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 mindset and energy of someone decades younger.

We dive into what holds people back, how to move through fear, why age is truly just a number, and how Gen Xers (and anyone midlife and beyond) can create a powerful next chapter.

I also share a big personal milestone of my own — finally finishing the Marine Corps Marathon after missing the time cutoff last year. Perseverance, discipline, and trusting the process carried me through.

This conversation is packed with insight, humor, tough love, and the reminder that your best chapters may still be ahead of you.

In This Episode We Talk About:

• My Marine Corps Marathon comeback and what it taught me

• Terry's lifelong pattern of reinvention (60s… 70s… 80s… and still going)

• How to make a career or life pivot when you feel stuck

• Why fear keeps us clinging to the "old trapeze"

• Viewing setbacks as redirection — not failure

• Why Gen Xers tend to feel younger than our age

• The power of self-advocacy and asking for what you want

• What companies gain when they blend younger and older generations

• How to turn inward and identify what's really holding you back

• Terry's latest chapter: speaking, inspiring, and rewriting the rules of aging

Connect with Terry Yoffe

• https://trycoaching.com/
• Facebook
• Instagram
• YouTube
• Extraordinary Work: Conversations About Creating Change (available on all podcast apps)

🎧 Listen & Subscribe to GenX Journeys

✅ Apple Podcasts ✅ Spotify ✅ iHeartRadio ✅ Podbean ✅ PlayerFM

🌎 Connect with Me

📩 Email: [email protected] 📺 YouTube: @GenXJourneys 📷 Instagram: @GenXJourneys 🐦 Twitter/X: @Returntothe80s 📘 Facebook: GenX Journeys 🎥 TikTok: @GenXJourneys

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

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

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 🏅).

📚 About the Book: After the sudden death of a college friend, five classmates make a pact: whenever one of them feels lost, the others will gather for a "living funeral" to remind them how much their life still matters. Years later, as they hit their 50s, the group reunites again — proving that it's never too late to reconnect, forgive, and start over.

💬 In This Episode:

• The unique premise of "living funerals" — and why it hit home for Gen X

• What the book says about friendship and second chances

• Our favorite scenes (no major spoilers!)

• The power of celebrating people while they're still here

• How The Celebrants could make a perfect Netflix series

• A few side trips: marathons, reunions, and even Ouija boards 👻

More from the GenX Book Club Crew

📖 Suzanne Mattaboni (Author of Once in a Lifetime) 🔹 Get her book anywhere books are sold, including Kindle Unlimited and onceinalifetimenovel.com 🔹 Visit her at suzannemattaboni.com 🔹 Follow Suzanne:

• 📷 Instagram: @suzannemattaboni80s
• 🐦 X: @suzmattaboni
• 📘 Facebook: Suzanne Mattaboni

🎙️ Del Roehling (Host of 80s at 8 on 91.1 WEDM FM) 🔹 Tune in to 80s at 8 for all your favorite throwback tunes 🔹 Get your daily dose of '80s news on the 80s at 8 Facebook page

💡 Connect with GenX Journeys

🌎 Website: GenXJourneys.net 📩 Email: [email protected] 📺 YouTube: @GenXJourneys 📷 Instagram: @GenXJourneys 🐦 Twitter/X: @Returntothe80s 📘 Facebook: GenX Journeys 🎥 TikTok: @GenXJourneys

🎧 Subscribe to the GenX Journeys Podcast on: ✅ Apple Podcasts ✅ Spotify ✅ iHeartRadio ✅ Podbean ✅ PlayerFM

💡 Whether you're a die-hard '80s fan, a nostalgia lover, or just someone who enjoys a great book club discussion, this episode is packed with fun, wisdom, and plenty of throwback vibes.

📢 Don't forget to subscribe, rate, and share with fellow GenXers!

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 begin finding yourself again:

• • Ask for help (use your voice, say "yes" to support)

• • Regulate your nervous system (simple 5-count box breathing)

• • Small, consistent self-care (10 minutes to breathe, step outside, a routine that makes you feel good)
• Building community when you don't think you have one (family, friends, friends-of-loved-ones)
• Daily non-negotiables: affirmations on sticky notes, short morning meditation, hydration, Scripture, scheduling connection time, getting outdoors
• Shellie's clean beauty brand IHP Beauty (I Have Peace Beauty)—why she created toxin-free products after an allergic reaction, and how beauty begins within

Connect with Shellie Stark

Website: https://www.shelliestark.com/

YouTube: Seen & Supported with Shellie Stark

Instagram: @iamshelliestark

Twitter/X: @iamshelliestark

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shellie-stark-6b493227a

🎧 Listen & Subscribe to GenX Journeys

✅ Apple Podcasts ✅ Spotify ✅ iHeartRadio ✅ Podbean ✅ PlayerFM

🌎 Connect with Me

📩 Email: [email protected] 📺 YouTube: @GenXJourneys 📷 Instagram: @GenXJourneys 🐦 Twitter/X: @Returntothe80s 📘 Facebook: GenX Journeys 🎥 TikTok: @GenXJourneys

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

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

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, part parody, and pure early-'80s cheese. Does it hold up today? Honestly… we seriously doubt it 😂. But that's half the fun!

⚠️ Spoiler Alert: We go deep into the details of the movie, so there are definitely spoilers ahead. The good news? You can watch the full film for free on YouTube — link below!

Why This Movie Matters

Sometimes the best discoveries come from life's little detours. For me, The Pirate Movie was the consolation prize when E.T. was sold out at the theater back in 1982. What could've been a disappointment turned into an unexpected treasure — and all these years later, it's still sparking conversations, laughter, and nostalgia. That's the heart of GenX Journeys: rediscovering the oddities, the quirks, and the memories that shaped who we are today.

What you'll hear in this episode:

• Paul's story of seeing The Pirate Movie in theaters after missing out on E.T.

• How this quirky flop built a surprising cult following

• The humor that flew over our heads as kids (and makes us laugh for all the wrong reasons now)

• Musical highlights — including the unforgettable "Pumping and Blowing" 🎶🐟

• Why multiple viewings reveal new gags — even if they're ridiculous

• Final verdict: a cheesy time capsule that's fun… but definitely not timeless

👉 Watch the full movie on YouTube (while it's still up): [The Pirate Movie (1982)]

🎙️ Del Roehling (Host of 80s at 8 on 91.1 WEDM FM)

🔹 Tune in to 80s at 8 for all your favorite throwback tunes 🔹 Get your daily dose of '80s news on the 80s at 8 Facebook page

💡 Connect with GenX Journeys

🌎 Website: GenXJourneys.net 📩 Email: [email protected] 📺 YouTube: @GenXJourneys 📷 Instagram: @GenXJourneys 🐦 Twitter/X: @Returntothe80s 📘 Facebook: GenX Journeys 🎥 TikTok: @GenXJourneys

🎧 Subscribe to the GenX Journeys Podcast on: ✅ Apple Podcasts ✅ Spotify ✅ iHeartRadio ✅ Podbean ✅ PlayerFM

Midlife isn't the beginning of the end — it's the beginning of your encore. 💥

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 "safe" 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:

• 🎭 Reinvention after 40: trusting the inner voice when others doubt you

• 💪 Why fitness after 40 is about energy and confidence, not just looks

• 🧘 The power of discipline vs. motivation (and daily practices that stick)

• 🥗 How small habit shifts lead to big transformations

• 📲 How Lydia's Magnoli Method app and coaching programs empower women to thrive

Plus, stick around for some GenX fun: Lydia shares her favorite artists, her workout playlist go-tos, and her '80s/'90s crush.

Whether you're ready to reinvent your career, your health, or your mindset — this episode will remind you: it's never too late.

Connect with Lydia Magnoli

• App: The Magnoli Method (Apple & Android)

• Website: http://www.lydiamagnoli.com/

• YouTube: Lydia Magnoli

• Instagram: @lydia.magnoli

• TikTok: @lydiamagnoli
• LinkedIn: @LydiaMagnoli

• Coaching: DM Lydia on Instagram for info on the Sculpt 21 Challenge

🎧 Listen & Subscribe to GenX Journeys

✅ Apple Podcasts ✅ Spotify ✅ iHeartRadio ✅ Podbean ✅ PlayerFM

🌎 Connect with Me

📩 Email: [email protected] 📺 YouTube: @GenXJourneys 📷 Instagram: @GenXJourneys 🐦 Twitter/X: @Returntothe80s 📘 Facebook: GenX Journeys 🎥 TikTok: @GenXJourneys

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

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

We're cranking up the anthems for this week's Throwback Thursday with a very special guest—Stan Bush!

Best known for "The Touch" (The Transformers: The Movie) and "Never Surrender" (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 "The Touch" (and how it almost landed in Cobra instead of Transformers) ✨ The making of his 2020 album Dare to Dream ✨ Writing "Born to Fight" for Netflix anime shows Baki and Kengan Ashura ✨ Why '80s movie soundtracks hit different—and how his songs keep that legacy alive ✨ The discipline and healthy living that have kept his voice strong after all these years

And on a personal note, several of Stan's songs are staples on Paul's running playlist—fueling miles, races, and training sessions with pure motivational fire.

The timing of this re-release couldn't be more perfect: Stan's brand-new album Born for Battle drops on September 5, 2025, with the lead single "Invincible" already out now.

Don't miss this inspiring conversation with one of the true voices of '80s rock anthems.

Connect with Stan Bush

🌎 Website: stanbush.com 🐦 X/Twitter: @stan_bush 📘 Facebook: Stan Bush Music ▶️ YouTube: OfficialStanBush

🎙️ Del Roehling (Host of 80s at 8 on 91.1 WEDM FM)

🔹 Tune in to 80s at 8 for all your favorite throwback tunes 🔹 Get your daily dose of '80s news on the 80s at 8 Facebook page

💡 Connect with GenX Journeys

🌎 Website: GenXJourneys.net 📩 Email: [email protected] 📺 YouTube: @GenXJourneys 📷 Instagram: @GenXJourneys 🐦 Twitter/X: @Returntothe80s 📘 Facebook: GenX Journeys 🎥 TikTok: @GenXJourneys

🎧 Subscribe to the GenX Journeys Podcast on: ✅ Apple Podcasts ✅ Spotify ✅ iHeartRadio ✅ Podbean ✅ PlayerFM

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: 👽 How Aliens shifted from horror to all-out action 🔥 Sigourney Weaver cementing her place as a true action hero 🎬 The unforgettable performances of Bill Paxton, Michael Biehn, Paul Reiser, and more 🚀 The iconic final showdown with the Alien Queen 💬 Plus, a little 80s nostalgia, some laughs, and even a few digs at the 90s

Whether you're a die-hard fan who's seen Aliens 20 times, or you're watching it for the first time, this episode will take you right back into the heart-pounding action of 1986.

🎙️ Del Roehling (Host of 80s at 8 on 91.1 WEDM FM) 🔹 Tune in to 80s at 8 for all your favorite throwback tunes 🔹 Get your daily dose of '80s news on the 80s at 8 Facebook page

💡 Connect with GenX Journeys

🌎 Website: GenXJourneys.net 📩 Email: [email protected] 📺 YouTube: @GenXJourneys 📷 Instagram: @GenXJourneys 🐦 Twitter/X: @Returntothe80s 📘 Facebook: GenX Journeys 🎥 TikTok: @GenXJourneys

🎧 Subscribe to the GenX Journeys Podcast on: ✅ Apple Podcasts ✅ Spotify ✅ iHeartRadio ✅ Podbean ✅ PlayerFM

We're rewinding to April 2020 for a fun and fiery discussion with the Return to the '80s Brat Pack—Lizzie Newton, Del Roehling, and me—as we take on the 1985 Brat Pack classic St. Elmo's Fire.

Recorded in the middle of lockdown, this episode is full of laughs, unexpected takes, and a whole lot of side tangents—from Rob Lowe's dangly earring and Demi Moore's 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 fresh eyes after not seeing it for decades.

We cover: 🎬 The cast's career highs and lows (and some surprising behind-the-scenes stories) 🤣 The most unlikable characters and why we couldn't look away 🎵 The killer '80s soundtrack, including that unforgettable theme 💬 Side conversations about Troop Beverly Hills, '80s décor trends, and cassette tape nostalgia 🤔 Why none of the characters really change—and whether we even cared

So grab your popcorn, settle in, and join us for a rewatch discussion that's part movie talk, part '80s time capsule, and part comedy roast.

📱 Follow Lizzie on Instagram: @LizzieDNewton

🎙️ Del Roehling (Host of 80s at 8 on 91.1 WEDM FM) 🔹 Tune in to 80s at 8 for all your favorite throwback tunes 🔹 Get your daily dose of '80s news on the 80s at 8 Facebook page

💡 Connect with GenX Journeys

🌎 Website: GenXJourneys.net 📩 Email: [email protected] 📺 YouTube: @GenXJourneys 📷 Instagram: @GenXJourneys 🐦 Twitter/X: @Returntothe80s 📘 Facebook: GenX Journeys 🎥 TikTok: @GenXJourneys

🎧 Subscribe to the GenX Journeys Podcast on: ✅ Apple Podcasts ✅ Spotify ✅ iHeartRadio ✅ Podbean ✅ PlayerFM

💡 Whether you're a die-hard '80s fan, a nostalgia lover, or just someone who enjoys a great book club discussion, this episode is packed with fun, wisdom, and plenty of throwback vibes.

📢 Don't forget to subscribe, rate, and share with fellow GenXers!