E218: Gen X Saves the World! with Special Guest E Mandisa

E218 Introduction

Lately I have been seeing all sorts of funny and truthful posts on social media about my generation, Gen X, and what badasses we are. And it‘s true. We were all raised to be tough, self-reliant, patriotic, with a high level of street smarts. We had to be. We were out in the world on our bikes as little kids, roaming all over our neighborhoods and the surrounding areas with our friends and our dogs. No kidding. That is the way we rolled and it made an indelible mark on our lives and our character.

We didn’t wear helmets on bikes (or motorcycles for that matter). We didn‘t wear seat belts in cars (hell we just jumped into the back of a pickup with four other kids and two dogs and held on for dear life). We weren‘t allergic to any foods. You would have been called a sissy if you had any. We had no trigger warnings. We had just boys and girls. That was enough. It was, by every definition, an All-American upbringing. Full of fun, adventure, optimism, freedom, and love. We didn’t need anything else.

Not that there weren’t hard knocks. Oh, Gen Xers were expected to be resourceful and to handle yourself in all sorts of situations.

And we knew the world was not always safe or going to roll out the red carpet for us. So we learned work ethic. Hell, we learned it from our parents and the adults we grew up with. Everyone worked hard and had their hustle on. I saw my own parents work their tails off to put food on the table and provide the things that my brother and I needed. Looking back, it’s inspiring and helped mold my generation.

This episode is dedicated to my incredible fellow Gen Xers and those that raised us. A generation built on personal freedom, patriotism, hard work, and not putting up with all the bullshit they throw at you. This episode is for you.

E Mandisa Bio 

My guest today is fellow Gen Xer E Mandisa (Simply known as E.). She is an educator, Hip Hop activist, actor, writer, producer and all-around Creative. She also has a new radio talk show that she is hosting, which we’ll talk about today. Here is my interview with E Mandisa.