Hose Water, Hot Flashes & Bad Decisions

Karen Cerezo & Paula Fournier
  • 5.0 (3)
  • Comedy

Karen Cerezo & Paula Fournier are two GenX babies, erhm...GenX Adults, navigating midlife with humor, honesty, and zero filter. They grew up with outdoor freedom, questionable supervision, and a generation's worth of "figure it out yourself," and somehow ended up as the ones everyone else calls when something goes wrong. Now their bodies are changing, their parents need more help, their kids are watching everything they do, and their careers and relationships are shifting in ways nobody warned them about. Each episode blends their unfiltered banter with real experts, doctors, financial planners, therapists, celebrities, and career coaches, digging into what midlife actually looks like: the health changes nobody explains, the money stress nobody plans for, the identity questions that show up right when you thought you had it figured out, and the moments of reinvention that come out of all of it. It's part therapy session, part comedy show, and part survival guide for anyone quietly wondering what happened to their twenties.

  1. 6d ago

    Episode 12: Boomers Didn't Do This. Why GenX is Stuck in the Middle. The Sandwhich Generation

    Caring for aging parents, showing up for your family, and finding a little time for yourself can leave you wondering where your own needs fit. And when you finally take a break, guilt has a remarkable talent for inviting itself along. On this episode of Hose Water, Hot Flashes & Bad Decisions, Paula Fournier and Karen Cerezo welcome Certified Health Coach Jennifer Marcks for an honest conversation about caregiving, family responsibilities, friendship, and learning to give yourself some breathing room. Jennifer shares her family’s experience navigating Alzheimer’s care for her father, including the frustration of care costs and additional fees. The conversation also explores the pressure to keep doing more, the habits we learned from watching our parents, and what it takes to make room for something that restores you. If you’re juggling family responsibilities while trying to remember what you need, pull up a chair. There’s room for the serious stuff and a good laugh. MEET OUR GUEST Jennifer Marcks | Certified Health Coach Creator of Gluten-Free MARCKS The Spot Jennifer helps women create a sustainable, delicious gluten-free life that feels natural and freeing. Drawing on her family’s experience with celiac disease and gluten intolerance, she offers practical guidance and heartfelt support to help women feel more confident in the kitchen and rediscover the joy of food. Her mission is to help women move beyond overwhelm and enjoy meals, family life, coffee with friends, and vacations with greater confidence. Website: https://www.glutenfreemarcksthespot.com/ Grab Jennifer’s Free Gluten-Free Starter Guide: https://glutenfreemarcksthespot.com/gluten-free-starter-guide-for-women/ Listen to Saying Goodbye to Gluten: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/empowering-your-gluten-free-growth-gluten-free-living-celiac-disease-gluten-free-support/id1774748379 MEET YOUR HOSTS Karen Cerezo | NBC-HWC National Board-Certified Health and Wellness Coach, menopause expert, and TEDx speaker helping women advocate for themselves through perimenopause and menopause. Website: https://www.midlifehealthcoach.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/midlife_health_coach/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karen-cerezo1/ Navigating Menopause Wellness Journal: https://a.co/d/aVH7WMH Paula Fournier Certified Coach, specializing in nutrition, mental health, wellness, and lifestyle support, helping you feel better from the inside out. Website: https://ewcoach.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everydaywellnesscoaching/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulafournier/ Gratitude Journal: https://a.co/d/09Uu9sO6 Subscribe for more conversations about midlife, work, relationships, and whatever comes next, with humor and a healthy dose of Gen X perspective. Enjoyed this conversation? Like, leave a comment, and share it with a friend who could use a little company in the middle of it all. #Caregiving #SelfCare #GenXWomen #MidlifeFriendship #HoseWaterHotFlashesAndBadDecisions

  2. Oct 29

    Episode 11: Making Real Connections & Supporting Women in Business with Guest, Carrie Kass

    What makes a business connection worth keeping, and what happens when women show up for each other? Going further, what can happen when you build the community that supports you and feeds your soul? Carrie Kass joins Karen Cerezo & Paula Fournier and on Hose Water, Hot Flashes & Bad Decisions for a conversation about networking, women supporting women, and the relationships & communities that help us move forward. We talk about the awkwardness of elevator pitches and business-card exchanges, why following up matters, and how a few meaningful connections can be more valuable than a room full of introductions. We also explore the messages we grew up with about women and success, what it means to share knowledge and encouragement, and how we can help create more opportunities for each other. Expect honest conversation, a few laughs, and some familiar networking moments that might make you feel a little better about that forgotten stack of business cards. Subscribe for more conversations about navigating midlife, work, relationships, and whatever comes next, with humor and a healthy dose of GenX perspective. What’s one connection that made a difference in your life or business? Tell us in the comments. #CarrieKass #WomenSupportingWomen #Networking #WomenInBusiness #GenX #HoseWaterHotFlashesAndBadDecisions MEET YOUR HOSTS: Karen Cerezo - a nationally board-certified health coach (NBC-HWC), menopause expert, and TEDx speaker helping women advocate for themselves through perimenopause and menopause. LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/karen-cerezo1 IG: https://www.instagram.com/midlife_health_coach Website: MidlifeHealthCoach.com Navigating Menopause Wellness Journal: Paula Fournier - Practical nutrition, mental health, wellness & lifestyle support coach, helping you feel better from the inside out. Website: ewcoach.com IG: https://www.instagram.com/everydaywellnesscoaching/ Gratitude Journal: https://a.co/d/09Uu9sO6

  3. Oct 22

    Episode 10: Graduation Year Memories. Travel back to 1989 & 1991

    In this episode, we look back at the legendary high school graduation traditions: Paula in 1989 and Karen in 1991. Plus, we are paying tribute to the cutting-edge, beautifully androgynous vibe of the iconic Sassy magazine launched in 1988, and how it broke the mold for teen fashion. Finally, stick around for all of the hair tools for those great styles! And note, these are returning. Of course they are! We were great at the hair game! Want us to take a look at your GenX graduation year? What memories do you have and what do you want us to cover? Listen to Episode 10 now on your favorite platform! 🎧 Spotify 🎧 Apple Podcasts 🎧 iHeartRadio 🎧 Amazon Music 📺 YouTube 🎵 Deezer

  4. Oct 18 ·  Bonus

    Episode 9: The Journey No One Told Us About. It's World Menopause Day!

    What happens when you’re exhausted, you’re not sleeping, your body feels unfamiliar, and nobody has mentioned perimenopause? In this special episode in honor of World Menopause Day of Hose Water, Hot Flashes, and Bad Decisions, Paula and Karen get personal about the changes they didn’t see coming and the conversations they wish had happened sooner. From mood shifts and sleepless nights to changing body shape and unexpected food reactions, they share what it felt like to search for answers while trying to get through everyday life. Karen talks about the conversation that helped her recognize perimenopause, while Paula reflects on an appointment where depression was discussed but perimenopause wasn’t. Together, they explore the frustration of hearing “that’s normal” when you still don’t feel like yourself, the value of tracking what’s happening, and why it can be so hard to tell the whole story once you’re sitting in the exam room. Of course, there’s humor. Because sometimes you need to laugh with someone who understands why you’re throwing off the blankets one minute and reaching for them the next. This is an honest conversation about their personal experiences, the questions they’re still asking, and making room for women to talk openly about midlife. What do you wish someone had told you about perimenopause? Share it in the comments, and send this episode to a friend who might recognize her own experience. Subscribe for more conversations with Paula and Karen. New episodes every Thursday. This episode shares personal experiences and is for general information, not individual medical advice. Also, join us for our 90-minute, one-night-only Decompress Before the Holiday Stress Event. Learn more: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/decompress-before-the-holiday-stress-live-group-coaching-session-tickets-2002951520917?aff=oddtdtcreator&keep_tld=true #WorldMenopauseDay #Perimenopause #Menopause #MidlifeWomen #HoseWaterHotFlashesAndBadDecisions #GenX #Millenial

  5. Oct 14

    Episode 8: Leadership Isn't One-Size-Fits-All, Like Our Scrunchies with Krizel Rodriguez

    What do Barbie, the corporate ladder, and that persistent voice telling us we’re not good enough have in common? They all have a place in this conversation. In Episode 8 of Hose Water, Hot Flashes, and Bad Decisions, Paula and Karen welcome Krizel Rodriguez for an honest discussion about identity, representation, and the messages women carry from childhood into adulthood. From growing up with dolls that didn’t look like us to questioning our abilities in the workplace, we explore how those experiences can shape what we believe is possible. Krizel shares what discovering a Mexican Barbie meant to her, why Latina representation in leadership matters personally, and her hopes for the next generation. We also talk about the self-doubt that can follow women into rooms they’ve earned the right to be in, even when their accomplishments tell a different story. There’s room for laughter, reflection, and a conversation about what connects us across different backgrounds and experiences. Because while our stories may differ, we have plenty of reasons to listen to one another and move forward together. What message did you grow up hearing about who you could become, and have you rewritten it? Tell us in the comments. Subscribe to Hose Water, Hot Flashes, and Bad Decisions with Paula & Karen. New episodes every Thursday! #HoseWaterHotFlashesAndBadDecisions #GenX #WomenSupportingWomen #SelfDoubt #RepresentationMatters #WomenInLeadership #Barbie #Podcast

  6. Oct 8

    Episode 7: Gen X Kids Were Anxious AF. The 80s Stuff That Freaked Us Out

    We were prepared for quicksand. Processing our feelings? Not so much. In this episode of Hose Water, Hot Flashes, and Bad Decisions, Paula and Karen revisit the other side of growing up Gen X: the frightening headlines, confusing adult conversations, and moments when everyone simply turned off the TV and moved on. From watching the Challenger disaster in class to missing kids on milk cartons, nuclear war fears, and the Tylenol poisonings, they reflect on what they remember, what nobody explained, and how humor, sarcasm, and pushing feelings down became familiar ways to cope. Of course, it wouldn’t be an ’80s conversation without MTV, Madonna’s lace gloves, cereal-box entertainment, latchkey life, and shoulder pads big enough to carry the whole decade. There’s also Baby Jessica, Geraldo’s empty vault, and the eternal question: why did we think quicksand would be such a major problem? Come for the nostalgia, stay for the candid conversation about childhood fears, midlife anxiety, and looking back with a little more understanding. What ’80s moment still sticks with you? Tell us in the comments or email hosewaterthepodcast@gmail.com. #GenX #Comedy #80s #Challenger #Midlife #Menopause New episodes every Thursday morning.

  7. Oct 1

    Episode 6: Laid Off In Midlife. Now What?

    Getting laid off hits differently in midlife. You’ve spent decades building experience, skills, relationships, and a career, only to suddenly find yourself wondering: Now what? In this clip from Laid Off In Midlife. Now What?, Karen and Paula talk about the reality of losing a job in midlife, what it does to your confidence, and the challenge of figuring out what comes next when you thought you already had that part of life figured out. Hose Water, Hot Flashes & Bad Decisions Real conversations about Gen X, midlife, careers, menopause, relationships, and all the stuff nobody warned us about. New episodes every Thursday.

  8. Sep 24

    Episode 5 It's Not Him, It's Your Nervous System... Probably

    What happens to intimacy when life, health, and relationships change? In this episode of Hose Water, Hot Flashes & Bad Decisions, Paula and Karen talk with psychotherapist Carrie Cohen about desire, emotional safety, and staying connected to a partner through midlife. Carrie explains why two people can experience desire differently, how the nervous system can affect closeness, and why menopause or fibromyalgia doesn’t have to end a couple’s love life. It’s a candid conversation about the misunderstandings that can grow between partners, and the possibility of finding your way back to each other. Connect with Carrie Cohen: Website: https://www.carriecohencoaching.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carriecohencoaching/ Contact Carrie: https://www.carriecohencoaching.com/contact Follow the hosts: Karen: https://www.instagram.com/midlife_health_coach/ Paula: https://www.instagram.com/everydaywellnesscoaching/ Have a question or an idea for the show? Email us at hosewaterthepodcast@gmail.com. #GenX #Perimenopause #Menopause #MidlifeRelationships #Menopause #Intimacy #Fibromyalgia

See All (13)

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

Karen Cerezo & Paula Fournier are two GenX babies, erhm...GenX Adults, navigating midlife with humor, honesty, and zero filter. They grew up with outdoor freedom, questionable supervision, and a generation's worth of "figure it out yourself," and somehow ended up as the ones everyone else calls when something goes wrong. Now their bodies are changing, their parents need more help, their kids are watching everything they do, and their careers and relationships are shifting in ways nobody warned them about. Each episode blends their unfiltered banter with real experts, doctors, financial planners, therapists, celebrities, and career coaches, digging into what midlife actually looks like: the health changes nobody explains, the money stress nobody plans for, the identity questions that show up right when you thought you had it figured out, and the moments of reinvention that come out of all of it. It's part therapy session, part comedy show, and part survival guide for anyone quietly wondering what happened to their twenties.

Information