Rihanna said it best: “Work, work, work.” In this real-talk episode, Nicole and Ann Marie tackle Gen X’s #1 question: how to keep crushing it at your day job while quietly building your next chapter.

You’ll hear why staying excellent at work protects your reputation (and your options), how to reframe your paycheck as “bridge funding,” smart ways to keep your side project discreet, what to check in your company policies, and why slow, iterative progress beats perfection. You don’t have to choose between stability and possibility—you can do both, on purpose.

Top Takeaways

• Do your job: your performance is your safety net and future pipeline.

• Reframe your mindset: your salary = your Series A for what’s next.

• Keep it on the DL: separate pages/handles, scheduling tools, separate devices.

• Know the rules: review non-competes, conflicts, and moonlighting policies.

• Build slow, iterate smart: 3–5 focused hours in micro-sprints add up.

Are Gen Xers playing it too safe with their dreams—just because we think time is running out?

In this episode, we dig into the fears, excuses, and “what ifs” that keep so many professionals from starting something new in their 40s and 50s. From side hustles like baking or bookstores to full-on pivots like Pilates studios and coffee companies, they show how your corporate skills are more transferable than you realize—and why waiting for the “perfect time” is just another trap.

💡 In this episode:

• Why killing your dream inside slowly kills your soul

• How to start small and smart—even while working full-time

• The myth of competition (your unique spin is the differentiator)

• Breaking free from the perfection trap and excuses around time

• Why your age is not a liability—it’s actually your superpower

This is your reminder: the only regret is not starting. Whether it’s three hours a week or one bold step forward, your dream still matters—and it’s not too late.

👉 What dream have you been putting off? Tell us on LinkedIn—we’d love to hear it.

Trying to teach your 20-something about money without sounding like a lecture?

Start here: Julia Cancro (@jcancro on Instagram).

Julia shares modern, judgment-free money lessons that actually land with your adult kids—especially if they’re just starting out.

If you're a GenX parent who wants to pass on smart financial habits, but your kid rolls their eyes when you say “budget,” send them her way.

She breaks down money in a way that’s clear, empowering, and actually relevant to this next generation. Think:

• What to do with that first real paycheck

• How to build credit (without ruining it)

• How to set goals that feel worth saving for

Let them hear it from someone who’s not mom or dad… but who’s saying exactly what you’d hope they learn.

What if your next chapter wasn’t about starting over—but finally starting aligned?

In this powerful conversation, we sit down with Cindee Williams, business lifestyle coach, DISC consultant, and founder of Lead My Life. After running a successful family business for over 30 years, Cindee found herself asking the same question so many Gen X women do: Who am I now?

From empty nest awakening to legacy-driven leadership, Cindee shares how she rebuilt her identity, rediscovered her voice, and now helps women create businesses that bless them back instead of burning them out.

We talk about:

• What burnout really looks like for seasoned women leaders

• How the DISC assessment can reveal your superpowers (yes, really)

• Why “starting over” is a myth—and how to stack your experience instead

• The real shift from business owner to legacy leader

• Creating space to think, dream, and lead your life again

💡 If you've been asking what now?—this episode is your answer.

🔗 Connect with Cindee at leadmylife.com

What if your biggest breakdown was actually the start of your next breakthrough?

In this powerful episode, Dr. David Hooper joins Nicole and AnnMarie to share his deeply personal journey from elite athlete to burnout, depression, and redundancy—and how he used rock bottom as a launchpad for purpose, performance, and reinvention.

From rebuilding his body to running ultra marathons, starting a business, and mastering AI-driven brand clarity, David’s story is a masterclass in the power of mental resilience and pivoting with purpose.

We cover:

• The moment David decided to rewrite his life (hint: it involves a XXXL t-shirt)

• How Gen X can build resilience while juggling teams, teens, and tough transitions

• Why burnout doesn’t mean broken—and how clarity can be your next superpower

• How to use AI without fear (and why it might just save you time, money, and your sanity)

• The mindset shift every midlife professional needs when the world feels chaotic

Whether you’re facing a layoff, a pivot, or just craving something more—this episode is your reminder that your next chapter can be the most powerful one yet.

Learn more about David here: https://www.lunarla.co.uk/

One Year In: What We’ve Learned (and Loved) from Building What’s Next? GenX

We can’t believe it’s been a full year.

In this special anniversary episode, we’re pulling back the curtain on how What’s Next? GenX went from an idea to a growing movement—with weekly episodes that have inspired thousands of mid-career professionals to finally ask: What else is out there for me?

We talk candidly about:
– What we’ve learned from a year of consistent episodes (even when life got busy)
– Why this podcast works without fancy edits or filters
– The ripple effect we’ve seen as Gen Xers launch their next chapters—from side businesses to passion projects
– How we’re building real connection, community, and momentum for 2025 and beyond

Plus, we throw in some '80s/'90s nostalgia (because of course we do), and leave you with the advice we wish we’d heard sooner: You don’t have to wait until it’s perfect. Just start.

What You’ll Hear:
✅ What it really takes to stay consistent and build trust
✅ How others like you are creating bold, aligned next steps
✅ The power of showing up—messy, real, and in motion

Come celebrate with us—and if you’ve been listening quietly, let this be your sign to step into your next.

Work-life balance isn’t a myth.
You just haven’t seen it done like this.

In this episode, we sit down with Kym Insana, founder of Always On Digital, who traded the grind of NYC ad life for something smarter—and saner. She didn’t just reinvent her own career… she built a company that supports real life, for everyone on her team. Kids, commutes, baseball games, caregiving—this is a workplace designed to flex with the humans inside it.

🎯 Inside this conversation:

• The moment Kym realized the hustle wasn't worth the tradeoffs anymore

• How she rebuilt success around flexibility, family, and freedom

• The invisible cost of being the only woman in leadership—and the flippant “just hire a nanny” moments

• What work-life balance actually looks like when the culture supports it

• Why Gen X professionals (and younger generations, too) are craving new models—and how Kym’s team makes it work

💡 If you're stuck in a job where your calendar owns you, this episode proves there’s another way.
You can still lead. Still grow. Still thrive.
Just not at the cost of everything else that matters.

Connect with Kym Insana on Linkedin or at https://getalwayson.com/

🎙️ Riding to Work in 2025: What Time Has Taught Us About What’s Next

In this solo episode, AnnMarie gets real about the silent urgency many Gen X professionals feel but rarely name: time is passing—and your current role may no longer fit who you’ve become.

Inspired by the 1997 Flaming Lips song "Riding to Work in the Year 2025", AnnMarie draws a sharp line from past to present to ask: Are you still commuting, still grinding, still waiting… while your real dreams stay parked?

Inside this episode:

• Why 1997 feels like a lifetime ago—and how 2030 will be here faster than you think

• The quiet crisis no one talks about: "This isn’t who I am anymore"

• How one nurse practitioner is building her exit plan, 2 clients at a time

• The high cost of “just two more years” when it’s eroding your energy, edge, and identity

• Why your whisper isn’t a midlife crisis — it’s clarity

Plus: 3 low-risk steps to start exploring your “next” without quitting or going public.

If you've been telling yourself “I’ll get to it later,” this is your sign to stop waiting.

Because the truth is —
You’re not who you were in 1997.
Your career shouldn’t pretend you are.

🎧 Listen now and start designing what’s next — before another year rides by.

This episode is a wake-up call for Gen X women who’ve spent years keeping the peace, downplaying their wins, and staying quiet to make others comfortable.

If you’ve ever felt overlooked, underestimated, or just plain tired of shrinking to fit—this conversation is for you.

You’ll walk away with:

• A clear understanding of the subtle traps Gen X women fall into at work—and how to spot them

• Practical strategies for speaking up without burning out

• A reframe on self-promotion (hint: it’s not bragging, it’s positioning)

• A reminder that you don’t need permission to lead—you just need a plan

You don’t need to change who you are.
You just need to stop editing the best parts.

Freedom isn’t the fantasy of walking away.
It’s the strategy of deciding what you’re no longer available for.

In this episode, we explore how high-performing Gen X professionals can redefine freedom—not as reinvention, but as elevation. Not as quitting, but as quietly reclaiming control over your time, energy, and vision.

Because staying in your role isn’t the issue.
Staying stuck is.

Together, we break down:

• Why “freedom” has been misdefined—and what it actually looks like at this stage

• The invisible conditioning Gen X inherited around loyalty, gratitude, and sacrifice

• The mental loops that keep us stuck (“I’m too old.” “It’s too late.”)

• How to reframe those stories into intelligent momentum

• Why claiming your next chapter is self-leadership—not selfishness

You don’t age out of dreaming. You evolve into it.

If you’re still in the room—but already thinking beyond it—this conversation is your permission slip to stop circling the loop and start designing what’s next.