Small Talk: A Gen X Podcast

Real world conversations for Gen Xers about survival strategies and career pivots, with a look back at latchkey life and the pop culture that raised us.

Small Talk: A Gen X Podcast is a society podcast hosted by Jon Small, with 13 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Jon Small hosts Small Talk: A Gen X Podcast, a society show with 13 episodes published.

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  Small Talk: A Gen X Podcast

  Should You Move Abroad in Midlife?

  May 9, 20261h 1mS0

  <p>Many midlife Americans fantasize about living abroad—especially when the Orange Monster dominates our thoughts and our country seems to be going the way of the Handmaid's Tale.</p> <p>But what does it actually take to uproot your life and make the leap?</p> <p>To help us unpack the realities of expat life, I spoke to Sacha Cohen, a Gen X writer, journalist, and former public relations executive who recently traded the Beltway for the Belle Époque.</p> <p>After years of dreaming blue, white, and red, Sacha and her husband finally made the move earlier this year, e...

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  Small Talk: A Gen X Podcast

  What Gen Xers Need to Know About the Job Market Right Now

  May 4, 20261 hourS0

  <p>Career coach Colleen Paulson (founder of Ageless Careers, 100K LinkedIn followers) breaks down the brutal reality facing Gen X job seekers — and what we can do about it. The average search now takes 12-18 months. Portfolio careers aren't optional anymore. Smaller companies are hiring 50x faster than corporations. And our Gen X humility is killing us on LinkedIn. Sobering, frustrating, but ultimately empowering conversation about navigating work in 2026.</p>

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  Small Talk: A Gen X Podcast

  These '80s Records Changed Hip Hop Forever

  Mar 2, 20261h 17mS0

  <p>The 90s usually get called hip hop's golden era.</p> <p>But the foundation was crafted in the 80s.</p> <p>I went live with journalist and cultural critic Jeff Chang, author of Can't Stop Won't Stop, to talk about the records that changed the game — from Blondie's "Rapture" to It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, from Run-DMC to Eric B. & Rakim.</p> <p>Then we talk about the greatest Gen X rappers of all time.</p> <p>Jeff drops some science here. Straight from the dome. I thought I knew everything there was to know...

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  Small Talk: A Gen X Podcast

  Former MTV VJ Dave Holmes On the Rise and Fall of MTV

  Feb 26, 20261h 7mS0

  <p>MTV was the center of the pop cultural universe in the '80s and '90s. Then, just like that, it wasn't.</p> <p>Dave Holmes had a front-row seat to both the meteoric rise and shocking fall of the network that defined Gen X.</p> <p>As an MTV VJ from 1998 to 2003, Holmes hosted iconic shows like "TRL" and "120 Minutes," interviewing everyone from Tom Cruise to Joe Strummer during the channel's peak years.</p> <p>But Dave also witnessed the critical mistakes that killed the video star—and they weren't what most people think. While many blame reality TV...

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  Small Talk: A Gen X Podcast

  A Gen Xer's Accidental Journey from Merrill Lynch to Dunder Mifflin

  Jan 25, 202649 minS0

  <p>Andy Buckley never expected to become David Wallace, one of television's most recognizable bosses. But a chance encounter at a farmer's market changed everything. In this Small Talk conversation, the Gen X actor tells the story of his surprising second act from a financial advisor in corporate America to CFO of Dunder Mifflin on The Office. He also shares stories from the set working with Steve Carrell, Jenna Fischer, and Melora Hardin, why The Office continues to be so popular decades after it stopped production, particularly with Gen Z, and the current state of Hollywood production for 50-plus actors.</p> <...

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