Like Whatever

Heather Jolley and Nicole Barr
  • 5.0 (6)
  • Comedy
  • Updated Weekly

Join Heather and Nicole as we discuss all things Gen-X with personal nostalgia, current events, and an advocacy for the rights of all humans.  From music to movies to television and so much more, revisit the generational trauma we all experienced as we talk about it all. Take a break from today and travel back to the long hot summer days of the 80s and 90s.  Come on slackers, f**k around and find out with us!

  1. 1d ago

    Keeping It 100 GenX Style

    Aliens aren’t a new obsession for Gen X, they’re practically part of our operating system, and we prove it on our (very on brand) hundredth episode. We start where we always start: real life chaos. From birthday side eye to VMAs takes to a full rant about coastal storm flooding and out of town concert crowds acting like Ocean City invented water, we set the scene for why “unexplained” is basically our comfort zone. Then we go out of this world, but keep it grounded in stories you can actually argue about at a bar. We run through celebrities who swear they’ve seen UFOs or been abducted, including Dan Aykroyd’s lifelong deep dive, Tom DeLonge’s wild path from Blink-182 to helping push Navy UFO videos into public view, Muhammad Ali’s repeated sightings, Goldie Hawn’s cosmic encounter, Fran Drescher’s matching scar claim, and Kurt Russell’s connection to the Phoenix Lights. It’s funny, it’s nostalgic, and it’s weirdly compelling. We also dig into why aliens “make sense” to our generation: the NASA heavy childhood, Challenger-era trauma, and a media diet of The X-Files, Unsolved Mysteries, E.T., Alien, Men in Black, and more. From there we connect the dots to modern UAP talk, congressional hearings, and that nagging question about how technology leaped so fast it almost feels like somebody planted the seeds. Hit play, share it with your favorite skeptic, and subscribe, rate, and review so more Gen X weirdos can find us. Send us an email Support the show #genx #80s #90s https://youtube.com/@likewhateverpod?si=ChGIAEDqb7H2AN0J https://www.tiktok.com/@likewhateverpod?_t=ZT-8v3hQFb73Wg&_r=1

  2. Sep 25

    Built Ford Tough

    That moment when you hit play expecting Lizzie Borden and end up watching a completely different show? Yeah, we went there. We break down why the new Netflix Lizzie Borden series feels so off for true crime fans: the loose relationship with facts, the chaotic story choices, and the bigger problem of streaming “true crime” leaning on famous names while wandering miles away from the real case. If you care about true crime accuracy, this one will either validate you or fire you up. Then we shift into pure Gen X reality: watching our icons get older, feeling weird about time, and admitting the money side of aging is no joke. We talk retirement anxiety, paycheck-to-paycheck life, and that Gen X habit of still feeling like we’re 18 at a bonfire even when the calendar says otherwise. From there we dig into history with Gerald Ford and Betty Ford. We walk through Ford’s unusual rise to president after Watergate, the Nixon pardon that defined his legacy, and the way politics used to allow disagreement without total dehumanization. And we give Betty Ford the credit she deserves: her public honesty about breast cancer, her outspoken views on Roe v Wade and the Equal Rights Amendment, and how her experience with prescription drug addiction helped lead to the Betty Ford Center and a lasting impact on addiction recovery. We also get into AI fears and a surprising assistive technology bright spot with Meta glasses, then end with Philadelphia true crime headlines and a reminder that one person stepping in can change everything. Subscribe, share with a friend who loves history and true crime, and leave us a review so more people can find the show. Send us an email Support the show #genx #80s #90s https://youtube.com/@likewhateverpod?si=ChGIAEDqb7H2AN0J https://www.tiktok.com/@likewhateverpod?_t=ZT-8v3hQFb73Wg&_r=1

  3. Sep 18

    From Hull To Eternity: Karl VS. Goliath

    A laptop dies, the internet lies about being connected, and somehow that turns into the question we can’t stop asking: if AI is supposedly going to end humanity by 2030, what does that even look like in real life? We talk through the headline panic, the quieter risks people ignore (water use, energy draw, and companies skipping basic containment), and the oddly calming point a smart NPR guest makes: you can unplug it, you can air gap it, and you can choose to log off when the noise gets too loud. From there we swing into the kind of tech talk that feels like daily life now: Apple hype, Samsung déjà vu, and why a foldable phone sounds more annoying than futuristic. We also get painfully specific about earbuds, ripped tips, and the curse of tiny ear canals, plus the weirdly tempting promise of bone-conduction headphones. It’s a Gen X comfort zone, laughing at gadgets while still being a little haunted by what’s coming. Then we hit the story that dwarfs everything: Karl Bushby and the Goliath Expedition. In 1998 he starts walking from Punta Arenas, Chile, determined to walk home to Hull, England. That means the Darien Gap, North America’s car-first roads, Alaska, a Bering Strait crossing with shifting sea ice and polar bears, and years of Siberia and visa math that ends in a Russian re-entry ban. When geopolitics shuts doors, he finds another way, including a 31-day open-water swim across the Caspian Sea, and finally reaches France with just the English Channel left. Eurotunnel says no, French law complicates a swim, and then an exception opens a path to finish. If you’ve ever needed proof that stubbornness can be its own kind of map, this is it. Subscribe wherever you listen, share this with a friend who loves impossible true stories, and leave a review. What do you think is harder, the miles or the paperwork? Send us an email Support the show #genx #80s #90s https://youtube.com/@likewhateverpod?si=ChGIAEDqb7H2AN0J https://www.tiktok.com/@likewhateverpod?_t=ZT-8v3hQFb73Wg&_r=1

  4. Sep 11

    Hit Me Baby One More Time

    Some of what happened in Gen X classrooms sounds fake until you say it out loud: hygiene inspections in front of everyone, paddles hanging in the office, teachers who could shame you publicly and nobody blinked. We’re Nicole and Heather, and we’re taking you back to school in the 1970s and 1980s to talk about the rules, punishments, and power dynamics that were once considered “normal” and would get a teacher fired today. Along the way, we share real-life updates, including a brand-new kayaking obsession and a very Gen X “get off my lawn” moment about customer service and phone culture. We also pause to remember September 11 and to thank first responders, while talking honestly about how many were failed afterward when it came to long-term medical support. Then we get into the heart of it: Gen X school discipline and how different public school and private school could be. We break down corporal punishment, corner time, aggressive yelling, bathroom restrictions, writing lines, dress code enforcement, confiscation, detention, and even the era when smoking around school spaces was just part of the background. We also talk about academic failure, ADHD, anxiety, and how much better today’s intervention systems can be when they’re done right. And we end on what still matters most: the rare teachers who saw us clearly and left words we carry decades later. If this brings back a memory you haven’t thought about in years, subscribe, share the episode with a fellow Gen Xer, and leave a review so more people can find us. What was the wildest rule or punishment at your school? Send us an email Support the show #genx #80s #90s https://youtube.com/@likewhateverpod?si=ChGIAEDqb7H2AN0J https://www.tiktok.com/@likewhateverpod?_t=ZT-8v3hQFb73Wg&_r=1

  5. Sep 4

    The Four Horsemen Of The Kindpocolypse

    You can feel the difference between a celebrity people admire and a person people genuinely trust, and we’re chasing that line with a very Gen X mix of humor, grief, and blunt honesty. After we talk through pop culture losses and a quick true-crime spiral about how modern forensics catches the “I bought a saw at Walmart” crowd, we pivot to something sweeter: our personal Mount Rushmore of good people. Not “famous and generous sometimes” good, but the rare kind of good that seems to hold up from every angle.  We start with Dolly Parton as the gold standard for philanthropy and values in public life. We dig into the Imagination Library, why universal access to books matters for early childhood literacy, and how her disaster relief approach prioritizes direct cash and dignity. From there we connect the dots to what actually helps families day to day, including food access, the limits of traditional food banks, and why choice based models and community driven solutions can work better than one size fits all donations.  Then we round out the mountain with Steve Irwin, Fred Rogers, and Bob Ross. We talk conservation that’s measurable, children’s media that teaches emotional skills without talking down, and the quiet power of public broadcasting. Bob Ross’s calm voice and “happy accidents” aren’t just nostalgia, they’re a case study in making creativity accessible and even helping fund PBS when it needs it most.  Subscribe wherever you listen, share this with a friend who needs a little hope, and leave a review if you want more episodes like this. Also, tell us who’s still living that could someday earn a spot on this Mount Rushmore of niceness. Send us an email Support the show #genx #80s #90s https://youtube.com/@likewhateverpod?si=ChGIAEDqb7H2AN0J https://www.tiktok.com/@likewhateverpod?_t=ZT-8v3hQFb73Wg&_r=1

  6. Aug 28

    How Nicole Got Her Groove Back

    A tornado hits near Nicole’s house and she realizes two things fast: nature does not care about your plans, and neither does a dead phone battery. We start with that near miss, the chaos of hunkering down in a central room with five cats, and the weird aftershock of sirens and helicopters that makes your body stay tense long after the warning ends. Then we pivot into something a lot of Gen X listeners are living through quietly: gray divorce. Nicole shares the moment her divorce decree arrives and what “closure” actually feels like when you’re not throwing a party, you’re just ready to be done. We dig into why divorce after 50 is rising, what changes when the kids are grown, and how financial stress, retirement planning, menopause shifts, evolving expectations, and plain old growing apart can push a decades-long marriage to its breaking point. We also talk about what happens next: grief that can feel like a death, ambiguous loss, anxiety and mental health, and the practical need to build a support network that fits your real life. We get into boundaries, therapy, conscious uncoupling, and the underrated skill of knowing who to call when you need truth versus comfort. If someone you love is navigating a late-life divorce, or you’re staring down one yourself, hit play, share it with a friend, and subscribe. And if the episode helps, leave us a review so more Gen X ears can find it. Send us an email Support the show #genx #80s #90s https://youtube.com/@likewhateverpod?si=ChGIAEDqb7H2AN0J https://www.tiktok.com/@likewhateverpod?_t=ZT-8v3hQFb73Wg&_r=1

  7. Aug 21

    Two Men And A Tiger

    A 400-pound white tiger on a Vegas stage, no real barrier, pyrotechnics popping, and an audience sitting just feet away. That kind of spectacle feels impossible now, which is exactly why we wanted to revisit the strange, glittery, complicated world of Siegfried and Roy and the era they helped define on the Las Vegas Strip. We trace how two kids growing up in postwar Germany build an act that fuses classic stage magic with big cats, starting with a cruise ship job and a cheetah named Chico that Roy literally smuggles onboard. From there, the story rockets to Las Vegas headliner status, the Mirage mega-resort boom, and the creation of an iconic brand built on mystery, glamour, and danger. Along the way, we talk honestly about what was left unsaid publicly, including the way they protected their private lives in a time when being open could cost everything. Then we get into the hard stuff: white tigers, breeding ethics, animal welfare, and why calling it “conservation” doesn’t automatically make it right. Finally, we unpack the 2003 Mirage attack involving Manticore, the stories people still argue about, and what it changed for animal acts in entertainment. Plus, because we’re us, we also detour through Gen X nostalgia like Columbia House, restaurant talk like 86 versus “68,” and a few strong opinions about modern life. Subscribe wherever you listen, share this with your favorite Vegas or pop culture nerd, and leave us a review. What part of the Siegfried and Roy legacy do you think deserves to be remembered most? Send us an email Support the show #genx #80s #90s https://youtube.com/@likewhateverpod?si=ChGIAEDqb7H2AN0J https://www.tiktok.com/@likewhateverpod?_t=ZT-8v3hQFb73Wg&_r=1

  8. Aug 14

    Hickory Dickory Shock

    A bald eagle you’ve never met can still make you cry, and that’s where we start. We talk through the death of Jackie from the Friends of Big Bear eagle cam, what the rescue team shared about her anemia, and why “just let her go” isn’t as simple as it sounds. We also dig into the unexpected upside of a viral wildlife story: real conservation impact, land protected from development, and why even small donations to a raptor rescue or wildlife rehabilitation group can matter. From there, we slide into the very Gen X whiplash of it all: more deaths in the news, nostalgia, and the way aging makes everything feel closer. Nicole shares a retinal doctor visit that turns into a plainspoken look at macular degeneration, what scans can show, the difference between dry and wet, and the maddening uncertainty of “maybe never” versus “maybe soon.” It’s equal parts dark humor and real-life practicality, because that’s how we cope. Then we “mess around and find out” with shock comedians who shaped the era: Sam Kinison, Andrew Dice Clay, George Carlin, and Eddie Murphy. We unpack persona versus real life, Saturday Night Live controversy, censorship, free speech, and what still holds up when you replay the classics now. And yes, we end on a story that feels like the universe trolling: ordering a ham and Swiss at Arby’s and realizing way too late it’s corned beef. Subscribe to Like Whatever, share this with your favorite Gen X friend, and leave a review if you want more episodes that can pivot from grief to comedy without pretending either one is simple. Send us an email Support the show #genx #80s #90s https://youtube.com/@likewhateverpod?si=ChGIAEDqb7H2AN0J https://www.tiktok.com/@likewhateverpod?_t=ZT-8v3hQFb73Wg&_r=1

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About

Join Heather and Nicole as we discuss all things Gen-X with personal nostalgia, current events, and an advocacy for the rights of all humans.  From music to movies to television and so much more, revisit the generational trauma we all experienced as we talk about it all. Take a break from today and travel back to the long hot summer days of the 80s and 90s.  Come on slackers, f**k around and find out with us!

Information

  • Creator
    Heather Jolley and Nicole Barr
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    104
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Like Whatever
  • Show Website
    Like Whatever