Inspired By the 90s

Kristin Marie & Cartoon Connect

Inspired By the 90s is the podcast for millennials who grew up on dial-up internet, Destiny’s Child, and “be home before the street lights come on” — and are now navigating adulthood, relationships, healing, and rediscovering who they really are. Hosted by Kristin Marie and Brandon Reed (Cartoon Connect), this show dives into the music, moments, and memories that shaped us — and the real-life lessons we’re unpacking now. From childhood dreams and cultural shifts to trauma responses disguised as personality traits, nothing is off limits. Because sometimes finding yourself in your 30s means getting back to who you were in the 90s. New episodes weekly.

Episodes

  1. Oct 28

    Halloween in the 90's Was WILD!

    🎃 Halloween in the 90s just hit DIFFERENT! Being an adult is scarier than any horror movie!  Remember when Halloween meant plastic costumes, pillowcases full of candy, scary movies we had NO business watching, and somehow… candy cigarettes?! 😂 This week on Inspired By the 90s, we're taking it back to the Halloween memories that shaped our childhoods—and asking the important question: What's scarier than Halloween? Because at this age, a check engine light might be worse than Freddy Krueger. 💀 Kristin shows up as Ms. Frizzle, Brandon channels his inner Hey Arnold!, and Markus joins the fun as Snorlax for a Halloween episode full of nostalgia, questionable childhood memories, and hilarious debates. 👻 In this episode, we're talking about: The most iconic Halloween costumes of the 1990s The scary movies we watched WAY too young Why we called every horror movie by the villain's name (Chucky, Freddy, Jason… you know the rest!) Candy cigarettes and other things from our childhood that make absolutely NO sense today The Halloween candy that deserves to be permanently discontinued Why being an adult might actually be scarier than any horror movie From The Magic School Bus and Hey Arnold! to horror movie villains and the candy nobody wanted, we're bringing back everything we loved (and questioned) about Halloween growing up. Because growing up doesn't mean we have to outgrow everything that made being a kid fun. ❤️ 🎙️ Inspired By the 90s is where we revisit the culture, memories, and experiences that made growing up in the 90s unforgettable—while figuring out life, relationships, parenting, and adulting in our 30s. 💬 JOIN THE CONVERSATION: What's ONE Halloween candy you would eliminate forever? And which horror movie villain scared you the most growing up? Drop your answers in the comments! 👇 👍 LIKE this episode if you grew up in the 90s. 🔔 SUBSCRIBE for more nostalgia, laughs, and conversations about surviving adulthood as millennials. 📲 Follow us on Instagram: @inspiredbythe90spod Happy Halloween from Inspired By the 90s! 🎃 #InspiredByThe90s #90sNostalgia  🎙️ Inspired By The 90’s Podcast 📺 YouTube https://youtube.com/@inspiredbythe90s 🎵 TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@inspiredbythe90spod 📸 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/inspiredbythe90spod 🎵Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/inspired-by-the-90s/id1880593019 🎵Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5mkWPYMTAVpvcR8jzzbmQn?si=SNLOw_TKRb2JsnJ7cIEq8A

  2. Oct 9

    90s Birthday Parties $200 vs. Today: $3,000?!

    Birthday parties went from cake in the kitchen and kids running through the house to… $3,000 at Sky Zone?! 🎂😂 It’s THE BIRTHDAY EPISODE of Inspired By the 90s! Kristin and Brandon talk turning 33, raising kids, and how celebrating birthdays became a whole production. From classic 90s birthday cakes and skating parties to curated decorations and character appearances, we’re asking: who is all this really for: the kids or us? Plus, is there ever a perfect time to have kids? Why does your first child get a different version of you? And when did we become the adults fixing washing machines, saving scraps of paper, and avoiding phone calls? Come for the birthday nostalgia. Stay for the millennial side quests. 😂 ⏱️ CHAPTERS 00:00 The Birthday Episode 02:00 Housework counts as a workout, right? 06:20 Is there a perfect time to have kids? 13:30 Your first kid gets a different version of you 15:50 Birthday parties in the 90s hit different 18:30 Sky Zone vs. birthday parties at home 21:00 90s birthday cakes 22:25 Curated parties: who are the decorations for? 35:00 Restaurant birthdays & free birthday treats 42:30 Long socks vs. ankle socks 50:00 Sleeping on planes 55:30 A $3,000 Sky Zone birthday party?! 56:10 The skating party story 💬 What’s your favorite childhood birthday memory and would you spend $3,000 on a kids’ party? Tell us in the comments! 👍 Like, subscribe, and send this episode to somebody who remembers when the birthday party WAS the gift. #InspiredByThe90s #90sNostalgia #MillennialParents #BirthdayEpisode #90sKids 🎙️ Inspired By The 90’s Podcast 📺 YouTube https://youtube.com/@inspiredbythe90s 🎵 TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@inspiredbythe90spod 📸 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/inspiredbythe90spod 🎵Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/inspired-by-the-90s/id1880593019 🎵Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5mkWPYMTAVpvcR8jzzbmQn?si=SNLOw_TKRb2JsnJ7cIEq8A

  3. Oct 9

    We Had NO Business Watching This as Kids 😂 | 90s Movies & Music

    We REALLY had no business listening to some of these songs or watching some of these movies as kids. 😂😭 On this episode of Inspired By the 90’s Podcast, we’re taking it ALL the way back and talking about the music, movies, and moments from the 90s that had us feeling grown before we even knew what grown meant. From singing lyrics we definitely didn’t understand 🎶 to watching movies that would have us looking at our OWN kids today like, “Absolutely not.” 😂 — the 90s were truly a different time. We’re getting into: 📺 Movies we were WAY too young to be watching 🎶 Songs we had no business knowing word-for-word 😳 Lyrics we didn’t understand until we got older 😂 Things that went completely over our heads as kids 👀 And the ultimate question: WHERE WERE OUR PARENTS?! If you grew up in the 80s or 90s, we KNOW you have a few of your own. 👇 COMMENT BELOW: What movie or song did you watch/listen to as a kid that you realize NOW you had absolutely no business knowing?! And don’t forget to LIKE, SUBSCRIBE & SHARE with another 90s kid who survived the era of unsupervised TV, questionable lyrics, and watching whatever VHS was laying around the house. 😂 🎙️ Inspired By the 90’s Podcast Where we revisit the decade that raised us — and realize just how wild it actually was. 🎙️ Inspired By The 90’s Podcast 📺 YouTube https://youtube.com/@inspiredbythe90s 🎵 TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@inspiredbythe90spod 📸 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/inspiredbythe90spod 🎵Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/inspired-by-the-90s/id1880593019 🎵Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5mkWPYMTAVpvcR8jzzbmQn?si=SNLOw_TKRb2JsnJ7cIEq8A

  4. Apr 8

    Kids Today Would Never Survive the 90s Pt. 1

    If you grew up in the 90s, you already know… things were DIFFERENT. 😅 In Part 1 of this episode, we’re talking about the unsupervised chaos that was growing up in the 90s — from being outside all day with no phones, to riding bikes across neighborhoods, to answering house phones we probably shouldn’t have answered. We’re also diving into:  Things 90s kids got away with that kids today never could  The lack of supervision we somehow survived  "Be home before the street lights come on" era  No GPS, no cell phones, no way to contact your parents  Why kids today are growing up in a completely different world Growing up in the 90s meant independence, imagination, and sometimes… questionable parenting decisions 😅 but it also shaped who we are today. Were we tougher… or just slightly traumatized but still thriving? Let’s talk about it. If you’re a 90s kid, this episode is going to bring back some memories. Inspired by the 90s is a podcast about growing up in the 90s, navigating life now, and everything in between. Don't forget to:  👍 Like  💬 Comment your favorite 90s memory  🔔 Subscribe for more Inspired by the 90s episodes #90sKids #GrowingUpInThe90s #Millennials #90sNostalgia #ParentingThenVsNow #InspiredByThe90s 🎙️ Inspired By The 90’s Podcast 📺 YouTube https://youtube.com/@inspiredbythe90s 🎵 TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@inspiredbythe90spod 📸 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/inspiredbythe90spod 🎵Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/inspired-by-the-90s/id1880593019 🎵Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5mkWPYMTAVpvcR8jzzbmQn?si=SNLOw_TKRb2JsnJ7cIEq8A

About

Inspired By the 90s is the podcast for millennials who grew up on dial-up internet, Destiny’s Child, and “be home before the street lights come on” — and are now navigating adulthood, relationships, healing, and rediscovering who they really are. Hosted by Kristin Marie and Brandon Reed (Cartoon Connect), this show dives into the music, moments, and memories that shaped us — and the real-life lessons we’re unpacking now. From childhood dreams and cultural shifts to trauma responses disguised as personality traits, nothing is off limits. Because sometimes finding yourself in your 30s means getting back to who you were in the 90s. New episodes weekly.