In the ‘youth in crises’ finale, Chris and Des hand the mic to two Gen-Zers — Julia Bevolo and Jayden Torres — and ask what it’s actually been like from March 2020 forward. COVID-disrupted college, Snapchat at 12, the looksmaxxing rabbit hole, $20 movie tickets, the lazy/entitled label, Scott Galloway’s drinking advice, and — against the odds — a closing argument for hope. Group therapy disguised as cultural commentary. Subscribe for new episodes weekly. 

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Subscribe, watch and listen to I'm Not Even Supposed to Be Here Podcast

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🖥️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BeHerePod

📱 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/im-not-even-supposed-to-be-here-today/id1867373928

🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3bypMpSmcoIjt4bHk0nvzz?si=18eab826d1394fd9

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Sponsored by Bearing 287 https://www.bearing287.com/

https://substack.com/@chrisabevolo 

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Check out Jayden on spotify! https://open.spotify.com/artist/6YfwUW5w7MOErVEh0yhhRl?si=KvxwVuAJRAy3n1sLFm-SVwht

#BeHerePod #NotEvenSupposedToBeHere #CulturalCommentary

Timestamps:
0:00 — Open
3:00 — Icebreaker: making music in Ableton, ’90s alt rock, Cities 97 deep cuts
13:00 — What shaped Gen Z: Snapchat at 12, Kik, TikTok
17:00 — Twitch, streamers, side-hustle culture
22:00 — COVID: dropping out, going chronically online
26:00 — Scott Galloway, drinking, and “you should go out more”
30:00 — Run clubs and the sober social shift
33:00 — Looksmaxing, hunter eyes, and bone-breaking
38:00 — Body image, GLP-1s, and the body-positivity backslide
44:00 — Male friendship, the male gaze, and St. Louis DTF
47:00 — The labels: chronically online, lazy/entitled, snowflake, doomer
53:00 — Nihilism vs. realism
56:00 — David Hogg, Mamdani, and the case for hope
Sources:
https://www.newsweek.com/gen-z-experiencing-major-drop-life-satisfaction-2119029
https://globescan.com/2025/05/21/insight-of-the-week-gen-z-climate-impact/
https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2021/05/26/gen-z-millennials-stand-out-for-climate-change-activism-social-media-engagement-with-issue/
https://www.unicef.org/partnerships/mental-health-study-shows-gen-z-overwhelmed-undeterred-unrelenting-global-crises
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/11/23/college-graduates-are-struggling-to-find-jobs-ai-is-partly-to-blame.html
https://www.harmonyhit.com/state-of-gen-z-mental-health/
https://www.rtor.org/2025/01/27/breaking-down-gen-zs-mental-health-crisis-why-depression-rates-are-higher-than-ever/
https://www.gwi.com/blog/gen-z-loneliness
https://acamh.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/camh.12747
https://georgetownvoice.com/2025/11/04/adolescence-warns-us-of-the-manospheres-dangerous-accessibility
https://lens.monash.edu/recommending-the-manosphere-how-algorithms-amplify-antifeminist-masculinities/
https://buildersmovement.org/2025/10/17/the-dangerous-mindset-spreading-across-america-cultural-nihilism-among-gen-z/
https://buildersmovement.org/2025/10/17/the-dangerous-mindset-spreading-across-america-cultural-nihilism-among-gen-z/
https://fortune.com/2026/01/30/gen-z-believes-ai-making-colleagues-dumb-and-lazy-critical-thinking-wharton-led-survey/
https://feminist.org/news/new-data-shows-the-growing-political-divide-between-gen-z-men-and-women/
https://www.clevelandfed.org/publications/economic-commentary/2025/ec-202514-are-young-college-graduates-losing-their-edge-in-the-job-market
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/11/23/college-graduates-are-struggling-to-find-jobs-ai-is-partly-to-blame.html
https://www.redfin.com/news/homeownership-rate-by-generation-2025/

Produced by Julia Bevolo