Strangers With Kittens: Gen X Stories from the Least Parented Generation.

Eileen Kelly
  • 5.0 (25)
  • Comedy Interviews
  • Updated Weekly

Welcome to Strangers With Kittens, the ultimate Gen X comedy podcast celebrating the least parented generation in history. We might have been labeled the "slacker" generation, but we somehow raised ourselves, parented our kids, and are taking care of our aging parents.   Hosted by Eileen Kelly, this Society & Culture show brings you unfiltered comedy interviews and raw storytelling. We dive deep into childhood trauma, midlife crisis moments, relational struggles, and the dark humor required to survive the 70s, 80s, 90s and modern adulthood. Laugh through the breakdowns, toxic family dynamics, and chaotic memories. It's time to finally give credit where credit is due—here’s to Generation X-CELLENT!

  1. 2d ago ·  Video

    Getting Haunted With Emily Winter: Ghost Stories Worth The Goosebumps

    In this episode, Eileen Kelly and Emily Winter swap some ghost stories and share a little practical magic with pendulums and energy work. This paranormal episode lifts the veil dividing this realm and the next, although this realm is not without its horrors. Find out if modern culture has killed joy or if society as a whole is scarier than the things that go bump in the night.  More About Our Guest:  "Emily Winter is a former journalist turned comedian, TV writer, live show producer, and author. Before pursuing comedy writing, she covered a London train bombing terrorist attack for the Associated Press, wrote for a local newspaper in Wisconsin, and was the editorial director of SparkNotes.  In the comedy world, her professional credits include the NPR game show “Ask Me Another,” the E! game show “Cash at Your Door,” the Nickelodeon kids’ comedy “That Girl Lay Lay,” Fusion TV’s news/comedy show “Come Here And Say That,” TV Land, The New York Times, The New Yorker, Glamour, and The Barnes & Noble Review. Her unprofessional credits include: She once ate a beetle out of the carpet because she thought it was a Raisinet.   Winter’s standup comedy can be heard on SiriusXM. She has performed at SF SketchFest, HBO’s Women in Comedy Festival, Laughing Skull Comedy Festival, The Limestone Comedy Festival, and many others. She hosts and co-conceived of a New York Times and Time Out recommended 64-comedian joke contest called ONE LINER MADNESS, which travels the country to find the best joke writer in every city with a thriving comedy community. Winter’s work has been profiled on/in The TODAY Show, The New York Times, NPR, The AV Club, the TED WorkLife with Adam Grant podcast, Buzzfeed, Lifehacker, The Miami New Times, The Brooklyn Paper, Bustle, someecards, The Boston Globe and others.  🎉🎉🎉 IN Pittsburgh TONIGHT ONE LINER MADNESS is a Time Out Critics' Pick live comedy show that's been traveling the country to find the nation's best joke writers since 2016!  On Friday, October 2, 64 Pittsburgh-area comedians will go head-to-head in a fast-paced, bracket-style, single-elimination joke tournament. Audience applause determines which performers advance, and who ultimately becomes the 2026 ONE LINER MADNESS CHAMPION and winner of the trophy and cash prize. It's like a March Madness tournament, but 95 minutes, and with jokes instead of basketballs.  This show is still hosted by its original creators: Larry Mancini (ESPN Radio) and Emily Winter (E!, The New Yorker, Nickelodeon). Tickets are $15 adv/$20 at the door. (Advance purchase recommended.) Doors at 6PM, show at 7PM.  P.S. Worried about dinner? Spirit's pizza legit slaps. "  Find A Show Happening Soon Here  https://linktr.ee/onelinermadness Connect With Emily Here  https://www.emilywintercomedy.com/ Support the show Strangers With Kittens is a podcast created by Eileen Kelly and Produced by Ashley Aker. Original music composed and performed by Chris Hajian. You can listen to full podcast episodes on Spotify, Amazon, Audible, and Apple Podcasts.  ✨ If you love raw, authentic Gen X stories, hit the FOLLOW button on Spotify to help our podcast grow! Follow Strangers With Kittens On Social Media  Facebook  Instagram TikTok YouTube Keep The Conversation Going  https://www.strangerswithkittens.com/

    Getting Haunted With Emily Winter: Ghost Stories Worth The Goosebumps

  2. Sep 18 ·  Video

    80s Slang & Retro Pop Culture: Words Gen X Refuses To Give Up Part 2

    Eileen ruminates on her most recent slang episode. As it turns out, she’s more embedded in slang than she originally realized. She shares new thoughts about how slang continues to evolve over generations, noting how words have different meanings based on our experiences.  Eileen shares her shock about how much slang is still frequently used in her everyday conversations.  Remember  **“heinous,”** which has less to do with crimes these days and more to do with bad haircuts?  Or what about **banger**? Which once referred to headbanging music but now simply signifies a great song. When everything feels fast-paced,  we find ourselves reaching for nostalgia in many forms. From the language we speak to the music we listen to and the stories we share.   Step Back In Time With This Brand New Episode Of Strangers With Kittens  Support the show Strangers With Kittens is a podcast created by Eileen Kelly and Produced by Ashley Aker. Original music composed and performed by Chris Hajian. You can listen to full podcast episodes on Spotify, Amazon, Audible, and Apple Podcasts.  ✨ If you love raw, authentic Gen X stories, hit the FOLLOW button on Spotify to help our podcast grow! Follow Strangers With Kittens On Social Media  Facebook  Instagram TikTok YouTube Keep The Conversation Going  https://www.strangerswithkittens.com/

    80s Slang & Retro Pop Culture: Words Gen X Refuses To Give Up Part 2

  3. Sep 4 ·  Video

    Gen X Style Overhaul: How to Shop Your Own Closet with Alix Robinson

    Staring at a wardrobe full of clothes but feel like you have absolutely nothing to wear? This week on Strangers With Kittens, we are diving deep into Gen X fashion and closet organization. Eileen is joined by Alix from The Unruly Closet Co and @outfits.with.alix to bring you realistic, accessible wardrobe styling fixes for the pieces stuck in your closet. Learn how to take your outfits to the next level, elevate your personal style, and feel entirely authentic doing it. We know fast fashion moves at lightning speed, but midlife style doesn't have to. Discover sustainable fashion solutions and practical closet cleanout tips tailored specifically for Gen X women who refuse to fade out. Listen To The Brand New Episode Now Watch Full Episodes on YouTube and Apple. More About Alix: Hi!  I'm Alix 🧡 For most of my life I did what most of us do…I followed the trends, bought what was in style, tried to put together outfits that looked like they were supposed to. But it never quite landed. I always felt like I was wearing someone else's idea of what I should look like. So I kept trying to fit in. And kept feeling like myself less and less. I'm not here because I have it all figured out. I'm here because I know what it feels like to stand in a dressing room trying on someone else's aesthetic and wondering why nothing ever feels right. And I know what it feels like on the other side of that too. Join the Unruly Closet newsletter & receive my FREE Thrifted Denim Guide where I share my method for finding the perfect pair of jeans!  Each week you will receive a new email from me containing styling and thrifting tips, practical styling ideas you can use with what you already own, outfit formulas and the occasional rant about sizing culture. Subscribe Here https://www.unrulycloset.co/ IG: https://www.instagram.com/outfits.with.alix/ Support the show Strangers With Kittens is a podcast created by Eileen Kelly and Produced by Ashley Aker. Original music composed and performed by Chris Hajian. You can listen to full podcast episodes on Spotify, Amazon, Audible, and Apple Podcasts.  ✨ If you love raw, authentic Gen X stories, hit the FOLLOW button on Spotify to help our podcast grow! Follow Strangers With Kittens On Social Media  Facebook  Instagram TikTok YouTube Keep The Conversation Going  https://www.strangerswithkittens.com/

    Gen X Style Overhaul: How to Shop Your Own Closet with Alix Robinson

  4. Aug 22 ·  Video

    Gen X Childhood, Religious Trauma & Healing Through Travel with Heidi K. Brown

    Remember 70s and 80s beach trips? It was all zero sunscreen, looking out for Jaws, and getting sun poisoning so bad you and your siblings would take turns peeling each other's skin off. But for author Heidi K. Brown, the beach meant working—specifically, pounding the hot sand to recruit kids for her parents' strict Vacation Bible School. Bitchin' summer? NOT!  In this episode of Strangers With Kittens, Eileen sits down with Heidi K. Brown to discuss her powerful new travel memoir, THE MAP I DRAW. They dive deep into growing up in a conservative fundamentalist Gen X childhood, facing family dysfunction, and using solo travel as a tool for deep emotional healing. Heidi shares how an unexpected trip to Rome became a turning point in her life, leading her away from a rigid legal career and into a life of creative writing. Plus, Eileen and Heidi talk about aging powerfully in midlife, breaking free from fear and rebellion, and building a daily writing practice using morning pages and journals. If you are looking for inspiration on healing from religious trauma, reinventing yourself after 40, or embracing Gen X nostalgia, this episode is for you. They dig into family, faith, fear, rebellion, and the idea of “aging powerfully” instead of quietly accepting limits. Heidi is a Law Professor and Associate Dean for Upper Level Writing at New York Law School. She earned her master’s degree in Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania in 2021. She crafted a life of flourishing through teaching, writing, boxing, jumping up and down at U2 concerts, studying Italian, and traveling the world solo. You can find out more about Heidi at: Grab Heidi’s memoir: The Map I Draw [https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-map-i-draw-a-memoir-of-travel-as-a-passport-to-self-heidi-k-brown/44490500bf2cd8a7?ean=9798992980707&bkshp-astro=t]Follow Heidi K. Brown: IG: https://www.instagram.com/introvertedlawyer IG: https://www.instagram.com/heidiographia/  Substack: https://heidiography.substack.com/ For information about Heidi's books and speaking engagements please email her at: heidi@theintrovertedlawyer.com.   ✨ Hit the FOLLOW button on Spotify so you never miss an episode of Strangers With Kittens! Support the show Strangers With Kittens is a podcast created by Eileen Kelly and Produced by Ashley Aker. Original music composed and performed by Chris Hajian. You can listen to full podcast episodes on Spotify, Amazon, Audible, and Apple Podcasts.  ✨ If you love raw, authentic Gen X stories, hit the FOLLOW button on Spotify to help our podcast grow! Follow Strangers With Kittens On Social Media  Facebook  Instagram TikTok YouTube Keep The Conversation Going  https://www.strangerswithkittens.com/

    Gen X Childhood, Religious Trauma & Healing Through Travel with Heidi K. Brown

  5. Aug 7

    80s Slang & Retro Pop Culture: Words Gen X Refuses to Give Up

    Is your vocabulary still stuck in the 1980s? This week on Strangers With Kittens, we are diving into the world of Gen X slang and proving exactly why our generation refuses to lose its cool. Eileen breaks down the legendary 80s slang and 90s phrases that still slip off our tongues today. We look at the words we didn't start but adopted, the catchphrases we can't believe anyone actually uttered in public, and the cinematic trends that shaped how we spoke. Did real teenagers actually say these things, or was it just the cast of Clueless? Where did these retro catchphrases even come from, and do you still say them today? Tune in for a totally wild, wicked, and gnarly dose of 1980s childhood nostalgia. Support the show Strangers With Kittens is a podcast created by Eileen Kelly and Produced by Ashley Aker. Original music composed and performed by Chris Hajian. You can listen to full podcast episodes on Spotify, Amazon, Audible, and Apple Podcasts.  ✨ If you love raw, authentic Gen X stories, hit the FOLLOW button on Spotify to help our podcast grow! Follow Strangers With Kittens On Social Media  Facebook  Instagram TikTok YouTube Keep The Conversation Going  https://www.strangerswithkittens.com/

    80s Slang & Retro Pop Culture: Words Gen X Refuses to Give Up

  6. Jul 31

    Rock Your Look! From Melting Eyeliner to Midlife Beauty: Aging Powerfully with Michelle Spieler

    For girls growing up in the 70s and 80s, retro skincare meant exfoliating with harsh apricot scrubs until you bled and washing your face with generic bar soap. And 80s makeup? It was bold, expressive, and completely chaotic. We applied eyeshadow with tiny foam Q-tips, used our fingers, and literally melted eyeliner pencils with a Bic lighter to get that smooth application. There was no setting spray, but man, was it fun. In this episode of Strangers With Kittens, host Eileen sits down with Michele Spieler, a professional makeup artist with over 30 years of experience in the beauty industry. Together, they dive into shifting midlife beauty standards, mature skin makeup tips, and finding empowerment as a Gen X woman aging in a society that often tries to make us feel invisible. Discover how to transition your makeup routine for your 40s and 50s, reclaim your confidence, and embrace pro-aging beauty. Listen To This Brand New Episode Now More About Michelle Spieler: Founder of the Look-Good-Closeup-Club!  A 30 year professional makeup artist, with almost two decades in Hollywood production, Michelle learned how to do makeup on HD cameras🤣  and brought those techniques to her mature community. Since joining TikTok in 2020, she realized how ignored and invisible women this demographic felt. Teaching techniques using products geared for mature skin is her passion. Connect With Michelle  https://www.michellespieler.com/ https://www.instagram.com/michellespielermua https://www.youtube.com/user/Mzlashes2/featured https://www.tiktok.com/@maturemakeupmasterclass Support the show Strangers With Kittens is a podcast created by Eileen Kelly and Produced by Ashley Aker. Original music composed and performed by Chris Hajian. You can listen to full podcast episodes on Spotify, Amazon, Audible, and Apple Podcasts.  ✨ If you love raw, authentic Gen X stories, hit the FOLLOW button on Spotify to help our podcast grow! Follow Strangers With Kittens On Social Media  Facebook  Instagram TikTok YouTube Keep The Conversation Going  https://www.strangerswithkittens.com/

    Rock Your Look! From Melting Eyeliner to Midlife Beauty: Aging Powerfully with Michelle Spieler

  7. Jul 24

    Overcoming Midlife Burnout, Ageism, and AI: A Gen X Guide to Reinvention

    Remember the electricity of childhood when the world could still surprise you? When you snuck out after dark, read the jokes on popsicle sticks, and didn't look at the future through a lens of fear or cynicism? These days, after decades of navigating love, heartbreak, divorce, and career setbacks, it feels like nothing surprises us anymore. Is Gen X just stuck in a rut, or are we finally resting? In this week's episode of Strangers With Kittens, we confront the realities of midlife burnout and the unique pressures of the sandwich generation. We dive into the heavy lifting of healing your inner child while simultaneously caring for aging parents who might not have cared for you, all while watching your own children mature into young adults. We also tackle the modern anxieties of midlife career changes, dealing with workplace ageism, and the rise of AI. Listen for a powerful reminder to pause, re-evaluate, and decide what you want. Everything is up for negotiation, and you still get to decide who you want to be. Support the show Strangers With Kittens is a podcast created by Eileen Kelly and Produced by Ashley Aker. Original music composed and performed by Chris Hajian. You can listen to full podcast episodes on Spotify, Amazon, Audible, and Apple Podcasts.  ✨ If you love raw, authentic Gen X stories, hit the FOLLOW button on Spotify to help our podcast grow! Follow Strangers With Kittens On Social Media  Facebook  Instagram TikTok YouTube Keep The Conversation Going  https://www.strangerswithkittens.com/

    Overcoming Midlife Burnout, Ageism, and AI: A Gen X Guide to Reinvention

  8. Jul 17

    70s, 80s & 90s Feminist TV History: Iconic Women of Television with Cynthia Bemis-Abrams

    Don't touch that clicker! Keep your dial tuned right here for a special nostalgic episode of Strangers With Kittens. This week Eileen is joined by special guest Cynthia Bemis-Abrams, the creator and host of the Advanced TV Herstory podcast. Together, they are diving deep into classic television history and exploring the evolution of feminism through the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s. Revisit the cultural milestones we all watched together on the living room rug—shows that captured a moment in time and the groundbreaking women who kept us hooked. From sitcom icons to the trail-blazing women behind the scenes, Eileen and Cynthia celebrate the legendary figures who forced us to pause, empowered us to be ourselves, and changed how we viewed the world. Tune in for a beautiful trip down pop culture memory lane. Listen Now Watch Full Episodes on YouTube  Keep The Conversation Going  www.strangerswithkittens.com  Follow and Connect WIth Cynthia Here  https://cynthiabemisabrams.com/advanced-tv-herstory/ Instagram: ⁨@advancedtvherstory⁩   Facebook: Cynthia Bemis-Abrams More About Our Guest:  "Cynthia Bemis Abrams is a dynamic force in the realm of media and cultural analysis, known for her insightful exploration of how television reflects and shapes societal norms. As the creator of the popular podcast Advanced TV Herstory, Cynthia delves into the feminist narratives and undercurrents within television history, bringing to light the often-overlooked contributions of women creatives. Her work is a testament to her belief in the power of storytelling to drive social change and expand cultural understanding." -AdvancedTVHerstory.com Support the show Strangers With Kittens is a podcast created by Eileen Kelly and Produced by Ashley Aker. Original music composed and performed by Chris Hajian. You can listen to full podcast episodes on Spotify, Amazon, Audible, and Apple Podcasts.  ✨ If you love raw, authentic Gen X stories, hit the FOLLOW button on Spotify to help our podcast grow! Follow Strangers With Kittens On Social Media  Facebook  Instagram TikTok YouTube Keep The Conversation Going  https://www.strangerswithkittens.com/

    70s, 80s & 90s Feminist TV History: Iconic Women of Television with Cynthia Bemis-Abrams
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5
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25 Ratings

About

Welcome to Strangers With Kittens, the ultimate Gen X comedy podcast celebrating the least parented generation in history. We might have been labeled the "slacker" generation, but we somehow raised ourselves, parented our kids, and are taking care of our aging parents.   Hosted by Eileen Kelly, this Society & Culture show brings you unfiltered comedy interviews and raw storytelling. We dive deep into childhood trauma, midlife crisis moments, relational struggles, and the dark humor required to survive the 70s, 80s, 90s and modern adulthood. Laugh through the breakdowns, toxic family dynamics, and chaotic memories. It's time to finally give credit where credit is due—here’s to Generation X-CELLENT!

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