What if all it took to change your life was one honest step in a new direction?

In this episode of Gen X Crisis, Robert reconnects with Lainie Reisman, a childhood friend he hasn’t spoken to in nearly 40 years. What starts as a trip down memory lane—tracing their shared summers at a beloved (and now very politically incorrect) New Jersey summer camp—quickly opens into a deeper conversation about growth, identity, and what it means to reinvent yourself in midlife.

Now an international development expert, hiking guide, and self-described rebirth enthusiast, Lainie reflects on everything from her early years at the University of Pennsylvania to ditching the prestige track for a life of global impact. She opens up about raising kids in a changing world, letting go of old definitions of success, and why midlife has been the most creative, expansive time of her life.

It’s a funny, honest, and inspiring conversation about nostalgia, purpose, and the freedom that can come when you stop trying to live someone else’s version of success. If you’ve ever looked at your life and asked, “Is this really what I want?” - this one’s for you.

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What if the hardest part of being an artist in midlife wasn’t the work—but finding time to do it at all?

In this episode of Gen X Crisis, Robert talks with Boston-based singer-songwriter and longtime Berklee College of Music voice faculty member Kristin Cifelli about evolving your creative voice in midlife.

They trace Kristin’s journey from suburban New Jersey to Berklee, from early songwriting in Catholic school to co-writing during the pandemic. Kristin shares what it was like pursuing music full-time in her 20s and 30s—playing shows, releasing albums, chasing a career—and how that drive has shifted now that she’s balancing teaching, parenting, and reclaiming her creative identity on her own terms.

It’s a conversation about melody as memory, voice as identity, and the strange heartbreak of making music in a world that often rewards self-promotion more than substance. They also talk about parenting, aging, and why it’s still so hard to find balance as an artist—especially when your voice, your body, and your priorities start to shift.

Visit www.genxcrisis.com to subscribe to Robert’s Substack and get exclusive updates.

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What if you actually became the thing you dreamed of as a kid—and still found yourself wondering what comes next?

In this episode of Gen X Crisis, Robert sits down with his oldest friend, former TV anchor Ed Greenberger, for a thoughtful, funny, and nostalgic conversation about ambition, aging, and reinvention. Robert and Ed talk about childhood dreams of sportscasting, a 25-year broadcasting career, and why walking away can sometimes be the beginning of something new. Ed reflects on working in TV news, mentoring young journalists, parenting teenage daughters, and going back to school at 55 to teach the next generation.

It’s a wide-ranging look at changing priorities, the shifting meaning of success, and the strange awareness that sets in when the news isn’t what it used to be—and neither are you.

Visit www.genxcrisis.com to subscribe to Robert’s Substack and get exclusive updates.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.