Zen POP Parenting blends Gen X sensibility with mindful living, emotional awareness, and the music, movies, and moments that shaped us. Parenting is the thread that runs through it all—because whether our kids are little or grown, how we connect, communicate, and make sense of ourselves and our history matters.
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Todd And Cathy Adams Podcasts
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The Summer I Turned Pretty, Shaped by Gen X Pop Culture- Episode #833
1:16:35
1:16:35
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1:16:35
Jenny Han’s The Summer I Turned Pretty is rooted in Gen X pop culture, taking inspiration from 80s movies to the soundtrack choices that set the mood. In this episode, we connect Belly’s summer at Cousins Beach to the stories that shaped us, from Jane Austen to John Hughes, from Dirty Dancing to Taylor Swift. We’ll talk about the love triangles tha…
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Unknown Number- The High School Catfish- Episode #832
1:18:15
1:18:15
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Cathy and Todd discuss Netflix’s documentary Unknown Number: The High School Catfish and how texts and constant accessibility blur the line between connection and chaos. What started as “stranger danger” in Gen X childhood has become “tech danger” in our kids’ phones—cyberbullying, rumors, and anonymous numbers lighting up at all hours. The documen…
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The Wishful Politics of Gen X: The American President and Dave- Episode #831
1:22:29
1:22:29
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Cathy and Todd talk about two 90s political favorites, Dave and The American President, and how they captured Gen X’s wishful politics. From an ordinary guy running the White House with kindness to a widowed president balancing romance and leadership, both films imagined a world where decency could still win in Washington. They explore what these s…
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Boybands and Performative Masculinity- Episode #830
1:50:52
1:50:52
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Cathy and Todd look at how groups like Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC, Boyz II Men, and One Direction shaped pop culture and redefined what young men were allowed to sing about. They created space for emotion, love, and vulnerability on stage, but always within a carefully controlled, marketable image. From Lou Pearlman’s factory-style boyband empire to S…
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Hairbands and Performative Masculinity- Episode #829
1:20:57
1:20:57
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Cathy and Todd explore how 1980s glam metal, later dubbed “hairbands” in the ’90s, fused hypersexual, alpha-male posturing with makeup, teased hair, and flamboyant style, creating a theatrical masculinity that rose with MTV and collapsed with the arrival of grunge. From Def Leppard to Poison, these bands borrowed from femininity while reinforcing t…
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Gen X Feminism in “9 to 5” and “Working Girl” Episode #828
1:46:33
1:46:33
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1:46:33
Cathy and Todd discuss 9 to 5 and Working Girl, two movies Gen X women grew up on that shaped how we think about work, power, and what it means to succeed. We watched women push through, keep their heads down, and prove themselves in systems that were never really made for them, and we learned to do the same. We’ve told our daughters they can be an…
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What The Hunger Games Teaches Us About Dehumanization with Jacey, Camryn and Skylar Adams Episode #827
2:06:19
2:06:19
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Our daughters Jacey, Camryn, and Skylar join us as we explore the themes behind The Hunger Games books and movies and what they say about power, survival, and the cost of being human in an inhumane system. We talk about the Capitol’s need for control, how hope threatens oppression, and what happens when kids are forced to grow up too soon. Plus, we…
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Ferris & The Dude: The Art of Doing Nothing- Episode #826
1:14:20
1:14:20
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Cathy and Todd discuss Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and The Big Lebowski, two films that ask the same question in totally different ways: what if we just stopped playing the game? They set the scene with the cultural vibes of the ’80s and ’90s including achievement culture, Reaganomics, slacker disillusionment and reflect on how Ferris and The Dude eac…
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Stranger Things Season 1: What the Upside Down Teaches Us About Our Shadow Selves, Trauma, and Grief- Episode #825
1:23:15
1:23:15
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1:23:15
Cathy and Todd discuss Stranger Things Season 1 through a cultural, emotional, and psychological lens. They explore how the show’s 80s nostalgia, supernatural mystery, and strong character dynamics reflect deeper themes of trauma, shadow work, friendship, and resilience. Set against the backdrop of 2016 (Cubs World Series Win, presidential election…
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Pulling a Milli Vanilli: How Pop’s Biggest Scandal Became a Metaphor for Imposter Syndrome Episode #824
1:23:43
1:23:43
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Cathy & Todd revisit the rise and fall of Milli Vanilli, one of pop music’s most infamous scandals, and discuss how their story became a powerful metaphor for imposter syndrome. In the late ’80s, image was everything—style often mattered more than substance. They take a look at what happens when performance is rewarded over honesty, and how that sa…
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Revenge of the Nerds & Weird Science -The Nerds Grew Up and took over- Episode #823
1:23:57
1:23:57
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Todd and Cathy share the upcoming changes to their podcast, Zen Parenting Radio, which will be renamed Zen POP Parenting starting June 1st! They also discuss the normal shifts in kids’ friendships, highlighting the importance of loyalty, boundaries, and the reality that friendships evolve. As parents, we can feel more overwhelmed than our kids when…
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What the Brady Bunch & Modern Family Teach Us About Blending Families- Episode #822
1:50:23
1:50:23
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1:50:23
Todd and Cathy share the upcoming changes to their podcast, Zen Parenting Radio, which will be renamed Zen POP Parenting starting June 1st! They also discuss the normal shifts in kids’ friendships, highlighting the importance of loyalty, boundaries, and the reality that friendships evolve. As parents, we can feel more overwhelmed than our kids when…
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Fell on Black Days: The Deaths of 90s Lead Singers and What It Teaches Us About Mental Health and Addiction- Episode #821
1:21:10
1:21:10
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1:21:10
Todd and Cathy share the upcoming changes to their podcast, Zen Parenting Radio, which will be renamed Zen POP Parenting starting June 1st! They also discuss the normal shifts in kids’ friendships, highlighting the importance of loyalty, boundaries, and the reality that friendships evolve. As parents, we can feel more overwhelmed than our kids when…
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The Bully of Our Generation: What William Zabka Taught Us (yes, the OG Johnny from The Karate Kid) Episode # 820
1:15:31
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1:15:31
Todd and Cathy share the upcoming changes to their podcast, Zen Parenting Radio, which will be renamed Zen POP Parenting starting June 1st! They also discuss the normal shifts in kids’ friendships, highlighting the importance of loyalty, boundaries, and the reality that friendships evolve. As parents, we can feel more overwhelmed than our kids when…
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How The Outsiders Changed Youth Culture and Created Our Biggest Stars- Episode # 819
1:14:28
1:14:28
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Todd and Cathy share the upcoming changes to their podcast, Zen Parenting Radio, which will be renamed Zen POP Parenting starting June 1st! They also discuss the normal shifts in kids’ friendships, highlighting the importance of loyalty, boundaries, and the reality that friendships evolve. As parents, we can feel more overwhelmed than our kids when…
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How MTV and ‘Video Killed the Radio Star’ Shaped Our Generation—and Our Parenting- Episode # 818
1:21:14
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1:21:14
Todd and Cathy share the upcoming changes to their podcast, Zen Parenting Radio, which will be renamed Zen POP Parenting starting June 1st! They also discuss the normal shifts in kids’ friendships, highlighting the importance of loyalty, boundaries, and the reality that friendships evolve. As parents, we can feel more overwhelmed than our kids when…
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Todd and Cathy share the upcoming changes to their podcast, Zen Parenting Radio, which will be renamed Zen POP Parenting starting June 1st! Cathy and Todd share the story behind Zen Parenting Radio’s evolution into Zen Pop Parenting—a podcast where mindful living, emotional awareness, and Gen X pop culture come together. From the music, movies, and…
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What Brings You Peace & Fire? Episode # 816
52:13
52:13
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Todd and Cathy share the upcoming changes to their podcast, Zen Parenting Radio, which will be renamed Zen POP Parenting starting June 1st! Cathy and Todd discuss what brings you both peace and fire and why your somatic experience (what you feel in your body) is a more authentic guide than overthinking. They unpack what the word miracle really mean…
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Todd and Cathy share the upcoming changes to their podcast, Zen Parenting Radio, which will be renamed Zen POP Parenting starting June 1st! Empathy drives connection, but some claim it’s dangerous because it disrupts the status quo they want to maintain. We explore why empathy is being framed as a flaw, and how history, research, and pop culture re…
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Todd and Cathy share the upcoming changes to their podcast, Zen Parenting Radio, which will be renamed Zen POP Parenting starting June 1st! They also discuss the normal shifts in kids’ friendships, highlighting the importance of loyalty, boundaries, and the reality that friendships evolve. As parents, we can feel more overwhelmed than our kids when…
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What Do You Think About When You Wake Up? Episode # 813
51:50
51:50
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51:50
We dig into the gender differences in why we show up the way we do, how we’re conditioned, why women so often carry the weight of everyone’s well-being, and why emotional presence is still seen as optional for a lot of men. We talk about why these conversations are essential in our own homes, and what sometimes keeps us from having them. We also ex…
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Leave Things Better Than We Found Them- Episode # 812
26:53
26:53
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26:53
We talk about our oddly soothing obsession with rug-cleaning and lawn care TikToks—and what they reveal about care, restoration, and using your energy to make things better. We also get into the difference between seeking positive vs. negative attention, and why people sometimes act out when what they really want is to be seen and to belong. From A…
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Cathy and Todd talk about the collective anxiety so many of us are carrying right now, whether it’s our daily responsibilities or the heaviness of what we’re witnessing on a national or global scale. They discuss Cathy’s three personal guideposts—integrity, humility, and compassion—how these words help her navigate parenting, conflict, relationship…
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The Unseen Work of Regulating Others- Episode # 810
39:53
39:53
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Cathy and Todd talk about the double standard of managing other people’s emotions—how it’s both expected and criticized—and why this kind of emotional regulation is often misunderstood and overlooked. They also discuss menopause and why emotions can shift or intensify, and how learning what’s really going on can help the whole family better underst…
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Strong Enough to Connect: Masculinity, Humility, and Responsibility Episode# 809
56:20
56:20
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Todd and Cathy discuss a recent episode of survivor, Cathy’s frustration at Todd’s double parking, as well as humility, masculinity, responsibility, and emotional support in relationships.By Todd and Cathy Adams
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