It’s our BSW Holiday Special — the one where Lisa and Josh talk about what it was like growing up without Christmas, how weird it felt watching other kids celebrate, and what the holidays look like for us now as adults (and parents) trying to figure it all out in real time.

We’re also diving into our “Holiday Power Couples” sibling showdown — Mariah Carey vs Kevin McCallister, Jack Skellington vs Batman, Clark Griswold vs John McClane.

Plus: the holiday characters we accidentally relate to now, the traditions we’re learning on the fly, and how midlife has turned December into equal parts magic and meltdown.

If your holiday energy is somewhere between The Grinch and Kate McCallister sprinting through the airport, welcome home.

New BSW every Thursday starting in 2026— come hang out in the festive chaos with us.

We’re diving head-first into the decade that raised us — and testing just how much our 40-year-old brains actually remember. From 90s rapid-fire “Name It or Lose It” rounds to the 80s This or That showdown, it’s pure sibling chaos with a midlife twist.

We hit the classics: Saturday-morning cartoons, after-school snacks, TGIF shows, toys we begged for, music videos we memorized, and all the iconic moments that shaped our childhood. Then we slow down (for like a minute) for some midlife real talk — the habits we swore we’d never pick up, the comfort rituals we now defend with our whole chest, and the memories that hit way harder in our 40s.

It’s fast, funny, nostalgic, and painfully relatable.
Drop your own 90s memories and midlife truths in the comments — we want to hear yours.

A full-season Stranger Things rewind — one episode, four arcs, all heart.
Guilt. Grief. Growing up. And the music that saves us.
Lisa breaks down the emotional core of every season and why Hawkins still hits so hard today.

Did we skip figuring out who we are because Gen-X was busy surviving? Lisa and Josh get real about when identity actually clicks, the difference between burnout and meaning, and why “helping everyone” can bury your own needs. Josh shares how dog training turned misfit energy into entrepreneurship, and Lisa talks boundaries, repair, and refilling your tank. We read a letter from “Searching” at 40, unpack why we ask kids about careers so early, and how to raise against-the-grain kids without crushing the spark. Then: Pop Culture Rewind to 1997 (Buffy, Titanic, Tamagotchis, chokers).

Chapters
0:00 Did Gen X Skip Selfhood
0:55 When Identity Starts To Click
2:40 Work, Reinvention, And Priorities
4:43 Finding Drive Through Dog Training
6:16 Misfit Energy And Entrepreneurship
7:15 Wanting To Help vs Self Focus
9:45 Burnout, Boundaries, And Refilling
12:15 Parenting With Empathy And Repair
15:05 Reinvention Or Doubling Down
18:04 Letter From “Searching” At 40
21:15 Why We Ask Kids About Careers
24:05 School, Structure, And The System
27:15 Kids’ Dreams Change And That’s Okay
30:20 Raising Against-The-Grain Kids
33:05 Pop Culture Rewind: 1997

Thanks for hanging out with us on Brother Sister Whatever, your no-BS guide through the messy middle!
If this episode made you laugh, cringe, or question your entire existence as a GenX/Xennial — please hit subscribe and leave a review. It genuinely helps more unhinged humans find their people.

Keep the Real Talk going:
➡️ Follow @brothersisterwhatever on YouTube for video episodes, Instagram for Reels & rants, and Facebook for community!
📧 realtalkzerochill@gmail.com
🌐 www.brothersisterwhatever.com

🗓 New episodes every other Thursday.
Bring your feelings. We’ll bring ours.

Lisa didn’t grow up celebrating Halloween. James was the kid with a pillowcase and a plan. In this episode we unpack why Halloween feels so good, the psychology of “fun fear,” what it’s like to grow up outside the party, and how that past shows up in our parenting now. Plus: a rapid-fire horror movie showdown (Candyman, Scream, Blair Witch, Sixth Sense) and what actually scares us as adults.

Chapters

0:00 Welcome, Halloween Confessions

1:32 Why Halloween Feels So Good

4:17 The Psychology of Fun Fear

9:30 Growing Up Outside the Party

12:45 Parenting, Traditions, and Letting Go

17:45 Was Halloween Freer in the 90s

20:50 Adult Halloween Economy and Costs

25:10 This-or-That: Horror Movie Showdown

31:10 What Actually Scares Us

Send us a text

Thanks for hanging out with us on Brother Sister Whatever, your no-BS guide through the messy middle!
If this episode made you laugh, cringe, or question your entire existence as a GenX/Xennial — please hit subscribe and leave a review. It genuinely helps more unhinged humans find their people.

Keep the Real Talk going:
➡️ Follow @brothersisterwhatever on YouTube for video episodes, Instagram for Reels & rants, and Facebook for community!
📧 realtalkzerochill@gmail.com
🌐 www.brothersisterwhatever.com

🗓 New episodes every other Thursday.
Bring your feelings. We’ll bring ours.

We unpack the family roles we never asked for and why Gen X kids grew up in what was essentially a live-in social experiment, exploring how birth order impacts everything from our place in the family to our adult relationships.

• Birth order significantly impacts family dynamics, with oldest children "paving the way" and younger siblings often enjoying more relaxed rules
• Age gaps between siblings create entirely different childhood experiences—larger gaps can make siblings feel like they grew up in different families
• Family connections often strengthen in middle age as we realize time with parents is limited
• The golden child versus scapegoat dynamic can persist into adulthood, causing lasting pain even in our 40s
• Parenting styles have evolved from physical punishment to privilege removal and positive reinforcement
• 90s cultural touchpoints like Boyz II Men, Achy Breaky Heart, and Super Nintendo created rare moments of connection between siblings

Whether you're the rule follower or the rebel, we're here to say you're absolutely right to be mad about that thing from 1993. Keep watching, because there's plenty more dysfunction where that came from!

Send us a text

Thanks for hanging out with us on Brother Sister Whatever, your no-BS guide through the messy middle!
If this episode made you laugh, cringe, or question your entire existence as a GenX/Xennial — please hit subscribe and leave a review. It genuinely helps more unhinged humans find their people.

Keep the Real Talk going:
➡️ Follow @brothersisterwhatever on YouTube for video episodes, Instagram for Reels & rants, and Facebook for community!
📧 realtalkzerochill@gmail.com
🌐 www.brothersisterwhatever.com

🗓 New episodes every other Thursday.
Bring your feelings. We’ll bring ours.

We dive into the evolution of friendships from childhood to adulthood, questioning whether our 90s connections were genuinely deep or merely convenient based on proximity. Through personal stories and listener questions, we explore how friendship dynamics shift over time and what it takes to maintain meaningful connections when they're no longer built into our daily routines.

• Examining the nature of childhood friendships and how they were largely determined by physical proximity
• Contrasting male and female friendship dynamics - girls shared everything while boys kept emotions guarded
• Discussing how "ride or die" high school friendships naturally evolve as life circumstances change
• Exploring the concept of "Frentimacy" and why we don't communicate our needs in friendships like we do in romantic relationships
• Addressing the painful experience of friendship ghosting and strategies for seeking resolution
• Sharing personal stories of schoolyard bullying and childhood betrayals that shaped our approach to relationships
• Reminiscing about 90s pop culture touchstones that once helped forge our connections

Send us a text

Thanks for hanging out with us on Brother Sister Whatever, your no-BS guide through the messy middle!
If this episode made you laugh, cringe, or question your entire existence as a GenX/Xennial — please hit subscribe and leave a review. It genuinely helps more unhinged humans find their people.

Keep the Real Talk going:
➡️ Follow @brothersisterwhatever on YouTube for video episodes, Instagram for Reels & rants, and Facebook for community!
📧 realtalkzerochill@gmail.com
🌐 www.brothersisterwhatever.com

🗓 New episodes every other Thursday.
Bring your feelings. We’ll bring ours.

Did having it all actually just mean running on empty for 30 years straight? This question hits at the heart of our exploration into the Gen X hustle myth and why an entire generation traded play for productivity.

Growing up watching parents with incredible work ethics – showing up despite injuries, never taking mental health days – shaped how many of us approach success and self-worth today. We unpack whether this mindset prepared us or ultimately drained us, examining the complicated relationship between achievement and wellbeing.

Many listeners will recognize themselves in our conversation about being "the reliable one" who overachieves for everyone else while neglecting their own needs. We dive into why rest feels like failure and how the programming that "doing nothing equals laziness" continues to drive burnout cycles decades later.

The episode takes fascinating turns through comparisons between our childhood experiences with report cards and how we're approaching our own children's education differently. We debate mental health days (which weren't an option growing up), share personal stories about school struggles, and reflect on how parenting offers a chance to break unhealthy patterns.

Through games like "This or That" (workaholic identity or quiet quitting champion? proving my worth or protecting my peace?), we reveal the evolution many are experiencing from "I'll sleep when I'm dead" to "I'll rest so I don't die."

If you're canceling afternoon plans just from thinking about these topics – you're not alone. This episode validates what so many are feeling: you're not lazy for needing rest, you're human. And when someone praises you for doing it all, we give you permission to say, "Cool, I'd like to do less."

Send us a text

Thanks for hanging out with us on Brother Sister Whatever, your no-BS guide through the messy middle!
If this episode made you laugh, cringe, or question your entire existence as a GenX/Xennial — please hit subscribe and leave a review. It genuinely helps more unhinged humans find their people.

Keep the Real Talk going:
➡️ Follow @brothersisterwhatever on YouTube for video episodes, Instagram for Reels & rants, and Facebook for community!
📧 realtalkzerochill@gmail.com
🌐 www.brothersisterwhatever.com

🗓 New episodes every other Thursday.
Bring your feelings. We’ll bring ours.