This time, we are diving into the cultural clash between hustle and stability. In this episode, we unpack the mindset shift from “follow your passion no matter what” to “find a job with benefits and a retirement plan.” Why do older generations often value security while younger ones chase fulfillment? What happens when you realize your dream job… doesn’t pay the bills? Or when your stable career leaves you feeling stuck? Join us as we explore how our upbringing, economic realities, and societal values shaped our views on work, worth, and what success really looks like. Whether you’re burned out from the grind or feeling guilty for not chasing a ‘big dream,’ this one’s for you. It’s a candid conversation about ambition, burnout, survival, and redefining what it means to build a meaningful career — no matter what generation you’re in.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Kaina G (00:11):
Well, I have a question for you.
Go
Ronnie G (00:13):
ahead.
Kaina G (00:14):
Did you feel any kind of pressure to follow a certain
path or certain steps after yougraduated high school?
Ronnie G (00:23):
Well, yeah, I think more of when we were getting
ready to graduate high school, alot of my friends, including
myself, were first generationcollege students.
There was this push for college,not necessarily from my parents,
but just in general, and itwasn't just that you were going
(00:45):
away to school.
God forbid you want to do yourbasic studies at the local
technical college and then gosomewhere else.
But seeing is how I was not, thebest student.
I had to go to the localtechnical college to take some
classes, to get me up to speedand then that ended up keeping
(01:07):
me there.
The push was also not just whereare you going, but what do you
wanna do when you grow up it.
Mm-hmm.
It, it just didn't seem likethere, there were not a lot of
options.
Like it wasn't presented in away, like a menu.
It was just kind of like, grabsomething, you know?
Kaina G (01:27):
Do you feel like that was because you're a woman?
Like you're being pushed intocertain career fields'cause
you're a woman?
Or do you feel like that was ingeneral for everybody?
Ronnie G (01:37):
I, you know, I think it also could be some of the
women thing because, not, well alot of my friends in the Bible
Kaina G (01:44):
belt, so.
Right, right.
That's why I wanted to ask that.
Ronnie G (01:48):
Yeah, yeah, for sure.
Because I feel like the guyswere doing more architect
engineering that field, andthen.
My close knit group of friendsthat we had all lived in the
same neighborhood and had beengoing to school from
kindergarten all the way throughout of, I think there were
probably seven of us all, buttwo of us became teachers.
Kaina G (02:13):
Mm-hmm.
Ronnie G (02:13):
So that was a big thing, you know, teachers was
big for women.
And, and not to say that guysdidn't do it, obviously they
make great teachers, but I don'tfeel like it was presented.
And, and in nursing school,which is the route I took, was
pretty much all women.
Mm-hmm.
And because I was at the localtechnical college, a lot of the
(02:34):
women were, um, it was a secondcareer for them, nursing.
Kaina G (02:39):
Oh,
Ronnie G (02:39):
that's interesting.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So, so I was like 20.
And most of the people that werewith me in my class, at least
half or more were like 35 andup.
Like, some of them, you know,They took care of their kids
till they went to school orthey, maybe tried something else
in nursing, was the secondcareer, so.
(03:00):
Oh, okay.
Yeah.
But I do think very much sothere were certain, career
fields folks pushed
Kaina G (03:07):
you towards.
Yeah,
Ronnie G (03:08):
yeah, yeah.
And I'm not saying anybodypushed me.
I think probably,
Kaina G (03:13):
um, like a societal level push.
Ronnie G (03:15):
Yeah, yeah.
I don't, I never had anybodylike back me in a corner or
anything.
And my parents were very, um,very easygoing as far as school
and what I wanted to do.
But I think the biggestdifference between now and then
I would say, or when you guyswere in college is there's so
many more options and you don'thave to know I.
(03:37):
What you want to do for the restof your life.
See, we thought, I go tocollege, I learn a trade, or I
get a degree and then I need to,at 18 to 19 years old, know what
I want to do when I grow up.
Yeah.
So it just sounds really nicenow you guys have all these
options and the confidence thatit takes.
(03:59):
And I do think first generationcollege students was very
different as well because mostof our parents didn't have
anything to go off of.
Mm-hmm.
You know?
Yeah.
And I think that they had comethrough such a generation of
scarcity where their parentswere raised that they, they
wanted a lot more for theirkids.
Kaina G (04:19):
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
That makes sense.
Mm-hmm.
I get that.
Ronnie G (04:22):
Yeah.
Kaina G (04:23):
How about you?
I don't know, like yes and no.
'cause obviously my parents arefrom an older generation and
both of them went through likethe sports to college to
marriage pipeline.
And so I feel like they knewthat that worked for them.
And that's kind of what happenedwith me and my older sisters.
Like we also played sports a lotand then that got us to college
and then we got married.
(04:45):
So I feel like yes, they kind oflike wanted that to happen, but
they never like, you have to goto college, you have to do this.
Right.
But I do feel like for mysiblings, I didn't play sports.
They were disappointed in notdisappointed in them for not
like playing sports and gettinga scholarship and all that
stuff.
But like I think my, from myparents' frame of view like that
was how to have a successfullife is to like, get a degree,
(05:08):
get a job.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Stay in that job.
Yeah.
Because I mean, that's theessence of what we're talking
about today.
Exactly.
And that is how things areshifting between generations
because older generations tendto value job security.
And there's a shift happening inmy generation where that's not
necessarily the case that Ithink we're kind of in the
(05:28):
middle of a big transition rightnow.
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
How we're viewing work and whatwe're willing to accept or not
accept, and different careerfields opening up and things
being more open than they everwere before.
Right.
We're gonna talk about that.
But first of all, welcome toGenerational Tea.
This is your first time here.
We're so happy to have you.
If you do love this episode,recommend it to a friend.
(05:49):
'cause word of mouth is huge forus.
And every little thing you guysdo to get the word out about our
show just makes our day.
So thank you guys.
If you've done any of that,
Ronnie G (05:57):
and I'm Ronnie, we're so glad you guys are here and
we've got one for you today.
Yeah.
Kaina G (06:04):
If I introduce myself.
Ronnie G (06:05):
I don't think you did.
Kaina G (06:06):
Well, I'm can,
Ronnie G (06:07):
we're a little rough, a little rustic right now.
No,
Kaina G (06:11):
no.
It makes us 5:00 AM What's thegirl gonna do?
Ronnie G (06:16):
Barista girl.
Kaina G (06:18):
I know, dude.
I'm obsessed with BlackberryLemonade right now.
I'm just quit coffee entirely.
Ronnie G (06:23):
Really?
Does it have caffeine
Kaina G (06:26):
now?
I mean, no.
No.
Okay.
I'm just, well, I only allowmyself one drink a day.
Ronnie G (06:30):
Yeah.
Kaina G (06:30):
And I use my tip money, so I'm basically earning
nothing.
I'll just use my cash tips fordrinks.
'cause I gotta have it.
Yes, yes, yes.
Alright, well to kick off thisepisode, now that you kinda know
the direction we're heading in,Ronnie, you wanna lead us
through the era of the nine tofive So older generations.
(06:52):
Just talk to us about thatstability culture.
Ronnie G (06:55):
Yeah, so it was kind of like the stability culture of
college career, retirement.
Rinse, repeat respect.
well, it was college, getmarried, well, college, get a
job, get married, keep the job,have a couple kids.
(07:15):
And most of my friends, were twoincome families.
So what I'm saying is when theyfinished, most of folks my age
that I knew did not have theprivilege of being able to stay
at home with the child.
Mm-hmm.
Because it was just, we didn'tsee it as a possibility, I
guess.
(07:36):
Yeah.
And plus there was more of a, alittle bit more of a push to
some more stability.
Yeah.
Mm-hmm.
So as women, it, it was reallyimportant for us to find out
what we were gonna do.
Kaina G (07:47):
Do you feel like dream jobs were luxuries in this era
and like not everyone got tohave necessarily a dream job?
Ronnie G (07:53):
I do.
Yeah, I do.
For real.
I mean, I think there's so many,folks that probably in the back
of their mind wanted to be aphysician or an attorney,
especially females during thattime.
But it just wasn't, pushed asmuch as it was Typically.
Doctors were the boys and nurseswere the girls, and teachers
(08:16):
were the women andadministrative school stuff was
the men and the engineering, allthe math and science fields were
very much, predominantly maledominated at that time.
That's just what I wasperceiving in, in my, yeah,
well,
Kaina G (08:33):
I'm sure in the south that was probably more true.
But yeah.
Yeah.
As far as like the dream jobs, Imean, I know from my dad, like
he would've loved to be ateacher his whole entire life,
but like having five childrenand a wife and living life, like
Yeah.
I feel like that he ended upgoing into it support'cause he
had to support his family,which, yeah.
(08:53):
Which, which sucks.
I know, because I wish, I'mlike, I wish you could have just
had any job you wanted and thatwould've been enough to support
your family, but Yep.
Fortunately that wasn't, I mean,that still is, is true today, I
feel like.
Right.
I think people are, know theiroptions more nowadays.
Like maybe they can be a teacherand they can also have a side
hustle that'll make up the restof the income and stuff like
(09:14):
that.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Which is especially true nowbecause social media in itself
is a side hustle for a lot ofpeople.
Ronnie G (09:19):
Right, right, right.
Or just like, just a, internetbased business, whether that's
training or.
Life coaching, some, somedifferent things like that.
yeah, it was kind of the mindsetof you're lucky to even have a
job, like mm-hmm.
You know, like, be grateful forthat.
I do know that a lot of the funor the happy parts were at home.
Kaina G (09:47):
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
Ronnie G (09:48):
Or on the weekends.
And then, I mean, I, I, I'venever really heard my parents
say that they dreaded going towork.
But I'm sure they did.
I mean, it was just, I'm surethey did.
Yes.
Yes.
It was just so different backthen.
Yeah.
And I know it sounds like it's ahundred years ago, but a whole
lot has changed in just a couplegenerations.
Kaina G (10:09):
It's interesting because I feel like I'm already
seeing.
Parallels like in the fact thatlike you're lucky you to even
have a job, which like the stateof the job market right now, it
kind of feels like that.
Yes, yes.
So it's interesting.
We're seeing all the differencesin the parallels already and
we're just getting Oh yeah,
Ronnie G (10:24):
exactly.
Exactly.
So I was kind of looking thisup, like this mindset of, lucky
to even have a job and, I knowthat I, we kind of talked, when
we were doing the outline aboutpossibly the Great Depression.
So I went in and I looked upmore of that and the, um, the
biggest generational change fromthe Great Depression to our
(10:47):
parents was resilience,patriotism, and FR fragility.
Mm-hmm.
So they were very frugal.
Um, this.
Was, um, more so, well, my mom's83.
Jim's mom's 89.
I see it more in her, but shealso grew up on a farm, so I'm
thinking that, uh, Nana, Mrs.
(11:10):
Gillespie, she, grew up on afarm.
So very much still the scarcitymindset.
You know, uh, we were, we weretalking this weekend with some
friends that are my age and theywere talking about their mothers
who refused to use anything thatwas off brand, like, and Nan and
(11:30):
that still happens.
Like you don't just get sugar,you get Dixie Crystals sugar,
and you don't, you don't buy offbrand ketchup, mustard, those
kind of things.
It's got to be the brand.
Kaina G (11:43):
Yeah.
Ronnie G (11:43):
Um, and that was because there were no off brand
stuff.
When they were, when they weregrowing up.
I never brand.
No, no.
Outta spite.
Out of spite.
That's right.
Hey, if it's got the same shapebottle, but just a different
label, it was manufactured inthe same place basically.
Yes.
Yeah.
I think the biggest, brand thatcame out with off-brand, uh, one
(12:06):
of the big ones was Ingles cameout with Laura Lynn.
And so that became moreattainable and, more well
received, but now it's waybetter received.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So, so that patriotism and thefragility and, and it really did
shape who they are and itshaped, who we are.
Kaina G (12:28):
I was just thinking of the Great Depression as in,
because I mean, that was aterrible, terrible time for
anyone.
And yes, it was a long time ago,but also like people are still
around that are from that, thatlived in great depression or
very close to it.
Mm-hmm.
And I think that the reason itwas all the, like, you have to
(12:48):
stick with one job and you haveto like do a career even though
you don't love it is becausemaybe that fear of financial
insecurity and you're lucky toeven have a job and all that.
I think that just made me stayedaround in people's minds
because.
I feel like if you go throughthat massive event of an event
that changes who you are, andthen it probably changes how you
parent your kids and what youtell them to do and Yeah.
(13:09):
Yeah.
How you tell them to be carefulor make sure this doesn't happen
or make sure you always have ajob or whatever.
But yeah, it's interesting.
Ronnie G (13:17):
Yeah, it is.
Like my parents, their parentsworked in the mill, a local
mill.
When you worked on the MillHill, you lived on the Mill
Hill, you know, were basicallythe same types of houses, just a
little different.
You played basketball andsoftball for the mill team, so
the mill was big time,integrated into them.
(13:41):
So then as my parents got alittle bit older, the, the mill
jo, the meals closed.
Kaina G (13:47):
Mm-hmm.
Ronnie G (13:47):
Yeah.
And so that was a big push too,because we, we were no longer
being mentored by people thatwere in the job that we wanted
to pursue.
Kaina G (13:58):
Yeah.
Ronnie G (13:58):
Because they only knew like industrial work millwork,
and then we didn't have thatoption.
There were no meals.
You
Kaina G (14:06):
had to carve out your own.
Ronnie G (14:07):
Yes, yes, yes.
So I think that also waslimiting, if you didn't have
like a mom or dad that mm-hmm.
Was an attorney or, a doctor orsomething like that.
So.
Yeah.
Kaina G (14:21):
Yeah.
Ronnie G (14:21):
I love this.
You know, another big thing waslike sticking with the same
company that used to be Mm.
Yeah.
Yes.
And it used to be like you stuckwith the same company.
You got a retirement and youwould get pensions, which were
in addition to retirement.
I think back probably mygrandparents' age.
(14:43):
That was the retirement was thepension.
Yeah.
So those were things that werereally well respected.
It meant a lot.
It meant a lot.
And, and as you know, and ourlisteners know, probably that
was not the way Jim was reallyrespected and paid.
'Cause he worked at the sameplace for 34 years.
(15:05):
And we want goodbye the facenow.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So we, he did, it's good, butthe people that Yes, yes.
Kaina G (15:12):
Let him go and didn't give him a fat pension.
Mm-hmm.
Ronnie G (15:17):
I mean, he got his retirement and, and stuff, but,
um, yes, definitely not thatloyalty is not really, yeah.
I, it's not really needed, Iguess in, business owner's mind
or they would really, rewardpeople who do it.
Kaina G (15:33):
Yeah.
Well, on that longevity though,like to contrast now, we found
some research, research thatsays only one in 10 millennials
believe they'll stay with thesame company for 10 plus years.
So, wow.
And that's only 10 years versusa lifetime career.
Yeah.
It shows you how much things arechanging, and obviously a lot
(15:54):
goes into why people aren'tstaying with one company, but.
Definitely it's, it's not thesame prestige and also not the
same benefits at the end of the
Ronnie G (16:02):
Right.
Right at the end of your tenuremm-hmm.
Of whatever that is.
Yeah.
Yeah.
It's not the same benefits as itwas in one time.
Kaina G (16:10):
well, how did your family view work ethic and
success?
Ronnie G (16:14):
Work ethic was everything.
Yeah.
My dad was a retired, firemanand firemen are known to be very
clean'cause they have to cleantheir firehouse.
They take good care of theirlawn lawns.
And so for us on Saturdays itwas clean.
The house, if you were thegirls, cut the grass and clean
(16:37):
the yard.
If you were the guys.
And wash the cars everySaturday.
And you, you know, you had awhole list of stuff and you did
it every Saturday the same, thesame way, the same time.
Kaina G (16:49):
Yeah.
So
Ronnie G (16:50):
that was, and then, you know, obviously, doing
things to the best when no one'swatching, that was really, uh,
instilled in us too.
You are, if you do it, you'regonna do it right and you're
gonna finish it all the waythrough and finish strong.
Kaina G (17:07):
Yeah.
Ronnie G (17:07):
Um, and evidently that didn't stick too well for me
'cause I have a hard timestaying on task, but Yeah.
Kaina G (17:15):
Yeah.
I feel like mine probably werevery similar really in a lot of
ways.
Yeah.
I mean, they're a little bitolder than you, so, yeah.
I mean, they've definitelyraised me in the same, well, not
the same way as, and we're doingthat whole Saturday SHA
business, but.
Right.
Like all work is paramount inall of that stuff.
Yeah.
Yes, yes, for sure.
(17:36):
I know we already kind of talkedabout the southern experience in
relation to this, but how didreligion and just like
traditional southern values,class, gender, race, anything
like that, influence careerpaths?
I know you already said a goodbit about that, so Yeah.
Do you have any other thoughts?
Ronnie G (17:53):
When I think about the religion and the gender, the
fact that women have so manyoptions in ministry in general,
whatever, whatever religionyou're in, there are a lot more
options for women now.
And not every religion, butdefinitely, in the Christian
(18:13):
world.
So that I never even thoughtthat I could possibly.
Do anything like that.
Kaina G (18:20):
Um
Ronnie G (18:20):
mm-hmm.
Because it was, it was menperiod.
Male dominated a hundredpercent.
So it's definitely
Kaina G (18:26):
more accepted now, but yes.
Do you feel like SouthernBaptist, I mean,
Ronnie G (18:31):
don't we're going there very
Kaina G (18:32):
many women pastors.
Ronnie G (18:35):
No, I mean, time.
Well, that, and that's not, Imean, we, we belong to a church
that's non-denominational.
And there have been some bigchurches even still recently,
that have pulled out of theSouthern Baptist Convention
because of, of their view onwomen Good in ministry.
Good.
Yeah.
Yeah.
That's, they're
Kaina G (18:54):
the worst.
Ronnie G (18:55):
That is not, that is not going over well with them.
No, we're not doing So yeah,that part.
Yeah.
Kaina G (19:05):
Yeah.
Well, another fun research fact,and this just goes to show you
and like I said earlier, we'rekind of in between a huge
cultural shift about ourattitudes about work and all
stuff like that, but as itstands now, boomers still make
up over 30% of the workforce.
So maybe that's why we're stillin a transitional period, and
(19:25):
we're seeing all these kinds ofparallels and things that are
still huge from differentgenerations.
And then you see youngergenerations starting to pull in
different directions.
So it's good we're having thisconversation.
Yeah.
We're right in the middle of ahuge shift and huge shift knows
what it's gonna look like in 10,20 years.
Ronnie G (19:41):
Exactly.
Yeah.
Hopefully it'll be, more, liketrades.
Mm-hmm.
Like trades are huge.
I mean, if you're, if you're awelder, you can name your price.
I mean, small engine repair.
There's just a lot in the tradeindustry that I definitely think
our generation, my generationabandoned
Kaina G (20:05):
Yeah.
Ronnie G (20:05):
For a different, like a career.
But that is a career.
It's going to trade school or,you know, and, and guess what?
They're not in debt.
Mm-hmm.
Kaina G (20:17):
Yeah.
Ronnie G (20:18):
But yeah.
Yeah.
I know.
Kaina G (20:19):
Yeah.
I mean, I'm certainly hoping forlike, I mean, I do think like,
trades are obviously huge rightnow because that's probably the
easiest way you're gonna get ajob right now.
'cause everything else is sohighly competitive and Yes.
You have to get like sevendegrees to be able to do
something.
Yes, yes.
So, I mean, I hope we, I hope wemove towards that.
But I hope, I mean, I think ingeneral, I want people to be
able to follow their dreams andbe able to financially survive
(20:43):
at the bare minimum.
I don't really feel like that's.
Accessible to everyone rightnow.
So I would love to see that.
But I would also honestly loveto just see a shift towards like
more worker unions and more worklife balance.
Like I think we should go to afour day work week because that
has been proven successfully tomassively impact people
positively in differentcountries.
(21:04):
Mm-hmm.
And I think we're justoverstressed and overworked and
we could probably do with alittle bit more free time.
Ronnie G (21:10):
Yes, yes, yes.
The grind, the grinding it outevery day, day in, day out.
Kaina G (21:17):
Well, speaking of, yes, I guess I am from, well, my
generation as far as this goes,I feel like there's a lot of
different aspects.
Y'all had a hustle culture interms of like, you're doing it,
you're working hard, you'regetting it done.
Mm-hmm.
I feel like we have a hustleculture that's glorified of
like, I'm gonna get as muchmoney as possible so I can have
(21:37):
the most perfect life possible.
Yeah.
And all this stuff, and like itturning into a competition
because social media exists.
Yeah.
And honestly, it's the worst.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So there is a large hustleculture in my generation now.
Everyone has a side hustle.
Everyone's burned out, andthey're, they're booked and
they're busy, but it's allromanticized because you're
doing way more than anyone else.
Yeah.
(21:57):
So, like, yeah.
I think social media and alwayshaving access to other people's
intimate lives, the highlightsof'em, not the list.
Yes.
Yes.
Is just fueling this up likecrazy.
Yes.
And I think there's a mantrathat a lot of, like Gen Z and
millennials, it's like, if youlove what you do, you'll never
work a day in your life, butyou're gonna work every night
and every weekend for the restof your life.
Ronnie G (22:18):
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
So that you can do what youlove.
Kaina G (22:23):
Yeah.
Because I, I feel like mygeneration has rejected a lot
of, like corporate jobs ortrades or like.
Lifetime careers, and we'retrying to find ways around that,
but we end up being morestressed and more overworked
because we're trying to likebuild our own business or do a
side hustle or whatever it is.
So there's definitely pros andcons.
Ronnie G (22:44):
Yeah.
Kaina G (22:44):
Cons.
Ronnie G (22:45):
Well, yeah, it's, it is like I, I'm always the
person, like I want to limit mychoices.
So, you know, I was the mom thatserved the plain chips and the
Sierra Mist at the birthdayparties.
Kaina G (22:57):
Yeah.
Because
Ronnie G (22:59):
I just wanted it so simple.
But now, I mean, there's just, Ican't imagine how overwhelming
it has to feel you know, withyou guys like a blank canvas out
there and how do you even, Imean, it's almost like, do you
just spin around and, you know,or spin the bottle and just pick
(23:20):
one, you know, because they're,it's definitely overwhelming.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Okay.
Okay.
'cause you're 26 5.
25, getting ready to be 26 inSeptember.
Ha Do you see a difference inkids that are just now
graduating high school versusyou, you know, when you were
graduating high school, I, you,you were the baby.
(23:42):
So you had older siblings, whichnaturally made you mature faster
and things like that.
Sure.
So let's just, uh, let's thinkback to maybe when, when one of
your sisters was graduating highschool and maybe you was there.
Do you feel like there's adifference?
Kaina G (23:58):
I mean, definitely think there is a difference just
because like, especially myolder sisters they were going
through high school right?
When like social media wasbecoming a thing.
Really?
Yeah.
And when I was in high school,it was like full fledged.
It's everything.
So I feel like it's kind ofright there in the cutoff.
And granted, like we were raisedvery strictly and we didn't have
phones until we were older andall that stuff.
So we might have not had thesame experience as other people.
(24:20):
But I definitely feel like I amkind of in like the boom of
social media, which is not good.
But you're right, I did havesiblings that made it even sugar
faster and I don't know, it'shard to say.
I definitely think there isgonna be differences, not maybe
with like me and my littlecohorts, right?
But in general versus the peoplethat are coming out now.
(24:40):
Because I feel like we basicallyhad the same experiences, right?
Like we were on social media allthe time, all that stuff.
But like my siblings and justlike a little bit older, like
the younger millennials, I feellike they probably definitely
had a different impact in that,in that case.
But as far as it goes with likejobs and like which path to
follow and what we think aboutall that stuff.
(25:01):
I don't, I don't know how muchhow much that varies because
we're so close, and I do feellike the workforce was changing
even before social media becausepeople were just so frustrated
and didn't wanna work the job.
A job they hated for Yeah.
What, yeah.
Yeah.
For
Ronnie G (25:17):
what?
Yeah.
Yeah.
To make the house payment andthe car payment and pay your
taxes.
Kaina G (25:22):
Yeah.
Not very long.
Ronnie G (25:23):
Yeah.
Yeah.
And
Kaina G (25:24):
barely have like two days off.
Exactly.
It's terrible.
Yeah.
Okay.
Well, let's talk about the consof my generation, and I already
talked a lot about social media,but I do think there's a lot of
toxic positivity in this cultureand the glorification of having,
like having your own businessand being an entrepreneur and
doing all these things whenthat's not financially viable
(25:46):
for mm-hmm.
Most people.
Mm-hmm.
Like, it's just not like youhave to have the money to start
it.
You have to have the time whenyou're not actually working a
job to pay your bills, to buildit up, like.
It's just not possible.
And I think there's aglorification of how accessible
it is and all this like toxicpositivity of like in our
interview with Carissa, youremember how she was saying
(26:08):
like, oh, you see these insInstagram moms that are like, do
this, do this on social media.
And you can make like$2,000 amonth.
But it's never that simple.
It's never that simple.
You have to join like an MLM,you have to buy stuff.
You have to do X, Y, and Z.
You have to do it for like sixto eight months plus.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So there's that.
And then also since we talkedabout longevity, like the
(26:30):
constant career switching, whichI don't necessarily think is bad
in and of itself when it'smotivated by ambition and, and
not like a lack of resilienceand just like general
instability.
'cause I think there is value instaying somewhere and working
your way up if it's possible.
But also I do think that it'sgood that we have a more
competitive market and we havemore options nowadays.
(26:50):
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah, there's that, there's lotsof cons.
Mm-hmm.
But there are also a lot ofpros.
So I'm really happy about thepros because on the flip side, I
do feel like my generation hasmore freedom and examples to
follow.
Like I know we talked about howthe choices are overwhelming,
but like there's so many optionswe can follow and there's so
many examples.
And like we just did a, anepisode on like digital versus
(27:14):
analog and just the massiveaccess of knowledge that we have
nowadays has, I feel likerevolutionized the workforce and
revolutionized like what we feellike we're okay with and mm-hmm.
What ideas we can have for ourfuture and all that stuff.
So if you want to create a wholelife where you don't have to
work 40 hours a week and youhave conversations with all
(27:35):
these people that make yourealize like what really matters
and what you really want in acareer, I feel like that is
fantastic.
And once you get through theoverwhelming stuff, like there's
so many good benefits to it.
Ronnie G (27:46):
Yeah.
Yeah.
So
Kaina G (27:48):
I'm definitely glad that I grew up in this
generation, even though.
I hate technology and I hatesocial media, but unfortunately,
if we didn't have those things,I don't think that the workforce
would've changed as much as itdid.
Ronnie G (27:59):
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Kaina G (28:00):
Pros and cons.
Pros and cons.
well, another research study,and this is only 2023, so it's
pretty fresh.
Mm-hmm.
It shows that Gen Z andmillennials rank work-life
balance, and mental healthsupport above salary, which I
thought was interesting becausewe just talked about how people
are always hustling and tryingto get the most money, which I
do feel like is true, but I dofeel like with how many people
(28:21):
are communicating acrossAmerica, across the globe, we're
starting to realize like, wewant to protect our interests as
workers, and this is what reallymatters.
We don't wanna work this jobjust for, like we were just
saying, for what?
Like we wanna actually be ableto enjoy our job because we have
to go to work to pay the bills.
Mm-hmm.
So I think that is also greatthat the interests are shifting
a little bit more and with that,the alternatives and the
(28:44):
freedoms that come with that.
Ronnie G (28:45):
Yeah.
Kaina G (28:46):
So yeah, the job hopping, like we talked about
this, so common in mygeneration, generally motivated
by growth opportunities inpersonal development.
Not always, some people are justa hot mess, but that's the
trends we're seeing.
Whereas older generations, likewe talked about, equated the
loyalty of the job mm-hmm.
To success.
Mm-hmm.
And they got a lot more benefitsback then.
'cause I mean, they were givingme a fat pension, I would
(29:08):
probably stay there, you know?
Ronnie G (29:11):
Yeah.
I mean, that's just all theyknew.
Kaina G (29:14):
Yeah.
Ronnie G (29:15):
And it used to be that the mills like would have the
stores and things too.
Kaina G (29:19):
Mm-hmm.
Ronnie G (29:20):
So it was very much, um, it was almost like a
military mindset.
Kaina G (29:24):
Yeah.
In a way.
It kind of was.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Ronnie G (29:26):
Like you had your base.
Everybody lived close to eachother because transportation was
buses or my mom's parents.
My grandmother never as far as Iknew, drove a car, but she had a
moped
Kaina G (29:42):
that saying, does she ride a horse?
Ronnie G (29:44):
No.
Um, and so she, she and mygrandfather used to write a
moped everywhere.
But, um, yeah, I'd never reallythought about like the whole
male culture being a lot like,um, military, but it is.
Mm-hmm.
It's like this whole familything and everybody shared in
what they had.
(30:04):
Mm-hmm.
And that lifted the weight offof, you know, you, you might be
able to do something reallysmall to make a huge impact, but
also you knew your people too.
Kaina G (30:16):
Yeah,
Ronnie G (30:18):
that's
Kaina G (30:18):
true.
Ronnie G (30:18):
And now like that most people don't even know their
neighbors or.
Yeah, don't see'em and and thatkind of thing.
I haven't
Kaina G (30:25):
to one of my neighbors, so it's very accurate.
Yeah.
I'm like, I wave to'em all thetime, but I'm like, I don't.
Ronnie G (30:31):
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Kaina G (30:33):
So yeah, to recap with my generation, I do feel like
there's less stability, but wehave more freedom, but along
with more freedom becomes morestress, so, mm-hmm, mm-hmm.
Especially if you're trying todo the whole unconventional
career path thing.
Like if you're trying to be asocial media influencer, it
takes a long time to build thatplatform up and also maintain
it.
It's also super time consuming,and then that's how much time
(30:55):
you have to spend on socialmedia.
It's a lot.
And what does a lot of time onsocial media usually do too?
Not get, yeah.
And then I do love that there'smore remote and flexible work
now, so that is freakingawesome.
Yes.
Once I'm at home, less commute.
Amazing.
Yes.
And then more passion drivenroles and more opportunities to
start your own business if it'ssuccessful to you.
So I think that's great.
Well, what actually matters?
(31:16):
Let's bridge the gap.
So yes, I'm gonna give you somemore research and see.
Okay.
Because the research makes thisconversation even more
interesting.
So boomers report higher ratesof job stability satisfaction
while millennials report higherlevels of burnout and
disengagement, despite seekingmeaning.
Gen Z and millennials report thehighest level of stress and
(31:38):
anxiety related to career andfinances, so, mm, yeah.
Yeah.
So we're starting to see thatdespite what my generation is
doing, we're not exactly seeingpositive research on the effects
of that.
But here's the thing.
I do think these trends aregonna take us somewhere better.
Well, hopefully there's a lot offactors that have to line It
(31:59):
feels to me that things are lessaffordable than ever.
Things are more stressful thanever.
Things are more high pressurethan ever.
So despite all these hallmarkshifts that we're seeing in work
culture, I mean, we're, we'rehaving a hard time getting to,
to what we want.
Like at least we're trying goldmedal for trying.
But I think the shifts we'reseeing are reflective of just
(32:19):
the warring desires, becausethere is a lot of boomers in the
workforce too, and not just asemployees.
Like there's, I feel like mostpeople that are running jobs and
administrative people andcorporations and businesses are
probably a little builder.
Mm-hmm.
Because as, as much as mygeneration is becoming
entrepreneurs, I mean a lot oflike the hallmark careers and
the big jobs and stuff likethat, it's probably gonna be run
(32:41):
by like a Gen X or a Boomer.
So yeah, we have my generationthat's coming into the workforce
and bringing all these new ideasand all these new things we
wanna do and things that wewanna focus on.
And we have, uh, people that arein the workforce and running
stuff that don't necessarily seethings the way that we do.
Yeah.
And I feel like we shouldexplore that a little more, have
(33:01):
conversations a little more.
And I don't know, I mean, a lotof stuff goes into it and I feel
like people are just desperateto find a way to live where they
feel like they're happy, butthey can still afford stuff and
it's so hard.
So I think people are justgetting burned out trying to do
that.
And like, I mean, people havetrouble living right now and
affording stuff.
Yeah.
So like, you're so stressed,you're so anxious about finances
(33:25):
and if you're anxious aboutfinances, you're anxious about
your job.
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
So there's a lot going on.
Ronnie G (33:31):
There's a lot going on.
And I think some of that, lack,like you had said, as far as you
don't think it's all jobrelated.
The stress, the stress, theanxiety and all that, and
mm-hmm.
So I think for.
From the outside looking in,what I see is humans desire and
(33:51):
their lifeline is connection.
Kaina G (33:54):
Mm-hmm.
Ronnie G (33:54):
To other humans, that's what makes humans
different.
Mm-hmm.
Like, we need to connect.
So I feel like with yourgeneration and, and those coming
up or maybe just a little bitolder, we have all the stuff at
our fingertips, but it's notconnecting us.
(34:16):
And so I think, you know, evenstuff like scouts and stuff like
girl Scouts, boy scouts, youknow, any kind of religious type
thing, neighborhoods, you know,like we would, we literally
would leave out first thing inthe morning and.
And, you know, a friend of minesaid, yeah, we couldn't come
back in to all the lights in thehouse we on, then mom would let
(34:39):
us back in.
But I think there was more of aconnection.
There was more face-to-face andmore, um, back and forth.
Like, it's so hard to getsomebody to talk to you on the
phone.
Kaina G (34:52):
Mm-hmm.
Ronnie G (34:53):
It's all gotta be text.
So then it's, when we do that,we're saying my, you know, we
are deciding when we respond tothat instead of with a
face-to-face conversation.
It is the banter of back andforth and that that banter is
what makes us great humansbecause we learn from other
(35:16):
people and our ideas arechallenged by that face-to-face.
Does that make sense?
Kaina G (35:24):
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
Can you explain a little bitmore how like that is affecting
Ronnie G (35:28):
well, I think people need connection.
Basically, just like we areoverfed and undernourished.
Kaina G (35:34):
Mm-hmm.
Ronnie G (35:34):
We're over communicating and under
connecting.
Kaina G (35:41):
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
I can see that in the terms oflike generations and people are
understanding each other as muchanymore because I think there is
a generational disconnectbetween like, just generally in
the workforce.
Ronnie G (35:54):
Well, yeah.
And so I wasn't even talkingabout different generations.
I was talking about your peers,like your people in your, the
twenties, the late twenties,thirties.
That's, I'm not think, I'm notthinking about, one generation
to the other.
But when we're looking at thiswhole thing about the higher
levels of burnout anddisengagement, despite seeking.
(36:18):
Meaning that, that's where I wasreferring to is,
Kaina G (36:22):
yeah.
I mean, I think we are moredisconnected because of social
media than it Well,
Ronnie G (36:27):
that, and also remote jobs, um, school, all the
options to do online school.
I mean, really and truly, youcould be in your house and never
have another human connection ortouch for days.
Um, that's what I'm talkingabout.
I can,
Kaina G (36:45):
I can see that.
I don't know if I necessarilyagree that that plays a huge
role in Yeah.
The reason why we're feeling soburnt out and stressed and
anxious all the time.
Okay.
But I do think that investing inmore human connection might help
us manage that better.
Ronnie G (36:59):
Yeah.
I think, also we have to justfigure out what, what.
What makes us as humans, what,what does fulfill us?
Is it a monetary thing or is ita connection?
I don't know.
Kaina G (37:13):
I mean, it's an interesting conversation.
Yes, yes.
Ronnie G (37:16):
And this is why we are spilling the tea because very
different, you know, for me, Iwant to talk on the phone and I,
but I get that I have two sonsthat don't like to talk on the
phone.
Kaina G (37:31):
I don't like to talk on the phone either.
Yeah.
Well, I force you and who No,you don't force me.
Like, I don't mind talking onthe phone like my closest
friends and family, but anyoneelse who wants talk me on the
phone, I'm like, no.
Text me.
Ronnie G (37:43):
Yeah, yeah.
Yeah.
And so I'm just glad I've gotgreat, Daughter-in-law and
son-in-law that like to talk tome.
I, I don't know.
I guess it would just, you know,it would be very interesting and
if our listeners out there thinkabout, um, maybe they have a
different, um, viewpoint of whymaybe still all these choices,
(38:08):
all, all of this freedom, butyet still so contained.
Kaina G (38:12):
Yeah.
Yeah.
Well, I definitely have somemore radicalized ideas about why
that is, but uh, okay.
I don't think people would wantto hear that has to do with
politics in late stage corporategreed, but that sounds like a
good idea for a podcast oranother episode.
Ronnie G (38:29):
Yes, yes.
Kaina G (38:30):
Well, let's talk about some cross generational
reflections.
Yes.
Is there a happy medium betweensecurity and satisfaction?
I think so.
I feel like it's so elusive, butyes.
I mean, I think a lot of itcomes with like your
expectations and what fulfillsyou personally.
And I mean, there's just so manywild cards.
You just don't know how you'regonna, like which job you're
(38:52):
gonna have, what that jobactually is gonna be like.
You know, what'll happen in 10years personally that'll affect
your job life.
Like, I don't know, there's somany factors at play, but I
mean, I think generally we havemore options nowadays.
It's just working through allthe mud of those options mm-hmm.
To figure out what actuallyworks for you.
It's a long and gruelingprocess.
(39:13):
Mm-hmm.
And you're dealing with allthese things like social media
and outside opinions and maybeyour family pressure.
Like there's so much stuff, butI think, I think I would
probably also say yes, but it'shard to get there.
Ronnie G (39:24):
Right, right.
It is very hard to get therebecause things are just so out
of touch.
Um mm-hmm.
And the, the generations beforeyou, but after me, like my
generation of parents.
S put a lot of emphasis on, theywanted their kids to have it
better than they did.
(39:45):
Mm-hmm.
So there's been a lot of,sacrifices and different things
that happened in their parents'lives in order to help them get
to that place.
And
Kaina G (39:55):
yeah, I agree that,
Ronnie G (39:56):
yeah.
And then just like there's, thenyou have this whole other level
of just respect in general.
So and like I said, doesfulfillment have to come from
work?
Uh, what about hobbies, familypurposes outside of career?
And I would say for mepersonally, in my whole, uh,
(40:16):
working part of my life.
It was a, a means to an end.
It was, I wanted to be at home,I wanted to be with my kids.
I wanted to be with my husband.
I wanted to be with my friends,exercising, hobbies, social
events, those kind of things.
But I do feel like, and, and youtell me when I'm observing you
(40:38):
guys, not specifically you and,but you guys, when I'm observing
that, what I'm seeing is, thatit's not a 40 hour week anymore,
like you said.
So, so your margin for fun andother things has been deeply
closed down.
(40:58):
Yeah.
And so I think that probably hassome, a good bit, not all, but
it's a big factor in stress andanxiety.
Kaina G (41:07):
Yeah.
I mean, like I suggested earlierabout the four day work week.
Oh yeah.
The reason that has done so wellin other countries is because
then that takes the pressure offyou having to have your dream
job or most fulfilling jobbecause you now have three full
days, hopefully, I mean,depending on what your job is,
(41:28):
but in most positions, you wouldhave then three full days.
Yeah.
Yeah.
That's a lot because that is alot.
I mean, you have a three dayweekend and you're like, oh my
God, this is the best.
Yeah.
Yeah.
But I think that takes thepressure off you needing to have
a certain career because I mean,I know in the past I've worked a
lot of jobs that I've hated andit freaking drains the life
(41:48):
outta me.
Mm-hmm.
Even if I'm working like 40hours a week or even less than
that sometimes.
But still, I mean, I think itdepends on the person and what
else you have going on in yourlife and whether your
fulfillment has to come fromwork or not, but.
I mean, I feel, I feel like itwould be great for our workforce
if it didn't have to, and we hadmore work life balance so that
we could get fulfillment inother ways.
Yeah, it seems like, and Ithought that would be so much
(42:10):
easier, like if I was able towork a job that I didn't really
like, but I only had to do itthis many hours a week, but I
could still be very financiallycomfortable.
I would totally work whateverjob.
Ronnie G (42:20):
Yeah.
Yeah.
I remember there's been likethat four day work week has been
tossed around different times inthe past, and it seems like one
of them was when they weretrying to figure out what to do
because the teacher pool hasgotten so low.
Kaina G (42:37):
Mm-hmm.
There aren't
Ronnie G (42:38):
a lot of teachers going into that.
And I think it was probably onthe heels of COVID as well, and
they were trying to get backinto the classroom.
Kaina G (42:45):
I think more people have thrown it out or like
thrown it into the mix.
Yeah.
Ronnie G (42:50):
And they were talking about how much corporate money
is saved, how much money can besaved by doing that as well.
Kaina G (42:58):
I mean, yeah.
Honestly, I don't see that manycons to it at all.
Well, let's talk about someother things too.
'cause I, I mean, I, I wassaying earlier that things are
not the same as they were inyour generation, like buying a
house, going to college, allthat stuff.
So, how we think financialinstability has shaped these
generational preferences.
And I mean, I feel like I'vealready kind of said a lot about
(43:18):
that.
Like, I have ridiculous studentloan payments.
My husband does too.
My sister pays$800 in studentloans every month, and it's
gonna take her years, years topay that off.
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Uh, I have no idea when we'regonna be able to buy a house.
Unless we buy it in like ruralLouisiana, which I do not wanna
live here.
There's a reason why houses arecheap here.
(43:39):
I mean, post COVID inflation ishigher than ever.
And so I feel like these thingsare really shaping how we feel
about work.
And it's, it's putting a blockand I feel like my generation's
path forward to a different kindof work outlook, which sucks.
But I hope we're still able toget here and that all of these
things we can maybe manage inthe future so that it's not
(44:01):
overwhelming.
Ronnie G (44:01):
Yeah.
Y'all, y'all have kind of beenin, in the sandwich of,
economics
Kaina G (44:07):
alright, we're gonna hit some rapid fire questions.
Okay.
Passion versus paycheck.
Would you take your dream jobfor 40 K or a soul sucking job
for 150 K?
Ronnie G (44:17):
Dream
Kaina G (44:18):
same every time.
Like 40 K is not too bad,especially if you're a two
income household.
So I'll do it.
Well,
Ronnie G (44:25):
yeah.
Yeah.
And you can manage yourspending.
Kaina G (44:29):
Yeah,
Ronnie G (44:29):
that's true.
You know, I mean, but you dohave to, I mean, a one person
household.
It cannot, it cannot survive.
No.
Like you guys, one personhousehold, if there's no trust
fund involved or like, you know,a windfall that happens, it's
really difficult to do it on oneon one person.
Kaina G (44:52):
Well, to answer that same question, if I wasn't
married and was living singleincome, I think I would take the
other option.
Okay.
And I would budget extremelyhard for two years and then Yes.
Do what I have left and like gotravel the world.
Yes.
Yes.
Or go and invest it intosomething that I would make me
happy.
Right.
I definitely would not stay inthat job.
Yes.
Second job, even if I was making150 KA year.
Ronnie G (45:13):
Yeah.
But, but what you've donedifferently is you're saying, I
can do that for a time period.
Yeah.
If I know that it's limited, youknow, people can do things if
they least, so there you go.
Kaina G (45:23):
There's the job hopping of my generation that I keep
mentioning.
Yes, yes, yes.
Oh man.
Well, let's see, what's the nextone?
What would you tell your youngerself about career expectations?
Well, I know I would tellmyself, don't go to college.
Mm-hmm.
Unless I wanna study somespecific, but I don't, so I
shouldn't have gone, like, hateto say, well, it's like have
(45:47):
showed what a hindsight is.
2020.
But like, I don't use my degree.
I'm paying student loans thatI'm, that don't have really any
meaning to what I'm doing now,so.
Mm-hmm.
What the heck?
Yeah.
I wish I would've just toldmyself that, like, I don't need
a degree.
I can do whatever I want.
It's, it's like all up to me tocarve my own path and there's so
options for me to do.
So.
Yeah.
So I wish I would've said don'tgo to college.
(46:09):
Uh, also I wish I would've toldmyself how to stand up for
myself, I wish I knew how tolike stand up for my own work
life balance and my own rightsas an employee.
And just like basic humandecency.
I feel like I've had a lot ofbosses that treat you like crap
and yell at you and curse atyou.
And now if someone were to dothat to me, I would be like, oh,
okay.
I don't want to be stuck to thatway.
(46:30):
Yeah.
But two years ago I would'vejust like taken it.
Yeah.
So I wish I would've told myselflike, and this isn't even like
it's about work, but it's notnecessarily about what we've
been talking about today, but Iwish I would've told myself that
you can stand up for yourselfand you can disagree with your
boss and all this stuff.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So all that and just to not havethe expectation to have an
(46:50):
amazing job like very early inlife.
Yeah.
And man, basically just tellmyself to manage my
expectations.
That's because I, I feel like Ihad the expectations that I was
gonna be so easy.
Like I would go to college, Iget a degree, and then I would
be able to get like a great job.
Yeah.
Everyone would wanna hire me.
No, that was not true.
Ronnie G (47:09):
Yeah.
I mean, you had, it was rough,like in Atlanta where there
should be so many jobs and how,how many you looked, you looked
for?
Well, what I would tell myyounger self about career
expectations is for sure, ifyou're married, don't get used
(47:29):
to two paychecks.
Kaina G (47:30):
Mm-hmm.
Ronnie G (47:31):
Try your best if you can, live well below your means.
But the other thing that wehaven't touched on as far as
careers are consider a careerthat has a 24 hour shift.
Because, you know, you talkabout the four, four day work
week, well, as nurses and mostmedical professions, if,
(47:57):
especially if you're in ahospital setting, you work three
twelves a week.
Kaina G (48:02):
Mm.
Ronnie G (48:02):
So I worked three days a week and it was full time.
Now they're 12 hour shifts.
But going into a path where youhave a 24 hour window that you
can work to me is key.
Kaina G (48:18):
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
I don't think that works foreverybody, but it would
definitely work for me.
Yeah.
Because I feel like in otherjobs I was working 12, 13 hour
shifts.
Yes.
And I, I was working like anormal shift.
I would have to go to bed and beback, be back there the next day
and yeah.
Suck.
Yeah.
That's soul sucking we'retalking about.
Yes, yes, yes.
But yeah, I definitely see whatyou're saying, like working
longer shifts, but less days aweek.
Ronnie G (48:39):
Well, and then also working alternative times of the
day.
Yeah.
Because in some, you know,usually there's like a little
bit more money if you worksecond, a little bit more money
if you work nights.
Mm-hmm.
Um, and just that might be a wayto.
Grind it out for a couple yearsand then be in a place where you
(49:02):
can go back and do like apart-time.
Yeah.
Work.
Kaina G (49:06):
Yeah, I mean, I think that's great because I don't
think America's gonnaincorporate a four day work week
any, anytime.
Mm-hmm.
No.
Oh man.
Well, do we think hustle cultureneeds to die or evolve?
Ronnie G (49:19):
It needs to evolve.
Kaina G (49:21):
Yeah.
Same.
Ronnie G (49:22):
Uh, why, why would you say that?
I, I, I know exactly.
Well,
Kaina G (49:26):
I think I talked about earlier like the glorification
of the hustle culture and havingno life being always booked and
just, I think everything beingabout work is so toxic and I
don't think it's sustainable.
And like, I think we need tofocus on like being happy not
doing all this stuff.
Like it is not about.
(49:48):
How many dollar bills you got.
Okay.
It's just not right.
Like you're not fulfilled bymoney.
You might be able to do greatthings with money, but I don't
know, I, I just feel like that'sso toxic and dangerous to get in
deep into that wholesaleculture.
And I think there's definitelypositives into it, like working
as, as hard as you can andproviding, but also there needs
to be boundaries so that we'renot becoming these overstressed,
(50:13):
overtired, overworked peoplebecause it's just not
sustainable and it's not gonnamake you happy.
Ronnie G (50:19):
Yeah.
Kaina G (50:20):
What do you think?
Ronnie G (50:21):
I, I, I agree.
Those, those, and then I, Iactually wrote something down
here'cause I was afraid I wouldforget it, was the hustle
culture that I lived in, that Igrew up in very much my parents.
Your value was in your work, howhard you work, how long you
work, the productivity that youhave.
(50:43):
And that is not good.
Your whole identity cannot bewrapped up in that, so that's
not gonna work.
So what we've kind of done isjust went the opposite direction
and that's not gonna work, youknow?
And so it's like, let's rereshape and reform, our own
value.
(51:04):
Like do things that you'repassionate about.
Yeah.
And make you happy.
And, and right now, you know,you might not be able to write
that book, but what you can dois you can write articles, you
can journal, you can writeoutlines to for that one day
book or you know, what,whatever.
And I think if, if having, likeI said, the hustle culture in,
(51:28):
in grinding it out and saying, Iwork the hardest.
They don't know I stayed late.
Kaina G (51:35):
Mm-hmm.
Ronnie G (51:36):
They don't care.
Yeah.
Don't stay late.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Don't stay late.
Kaina G (51:43):
Your work life balance is so much more important.
Yeah.
Ronnie G (51:45):
So, so I think the value that we place on our jobs
right now is a little bit heftyon the work side.
That, but I also get it that ithas, some of it has to be that
way'cause it's so expensive tolive.
But if we could evolve in a waywhere we are touching back into
(52:06):
some of those things that reallymake us happy because Okay, you,
you hustle it out, you grind itout.
What happens if you lose thatjob?
Kaina G (52:14):
Yeah.
Well it's interesting'cause yousaid like we're like, work is
value in your generation andwe're kind of going in the
opposite direction and we are ina sense that we're like, we're
not equating work with valuewith your own necessarily.
Yeah.
But, but it is your but also.
Kind of are.
Mm-hmm.
Like in a different sense,because especially when we're
talking about the hustle cultureof like always being booked,
(52:36):
starting your own business,being an influencer and never
stopping, always doingsomething, and how social media
glorifies that.
Like I feel like it is, but'cause I always struggle with
feeling like I'm not doingenough.
Like whether that is, it's not,and it's not even just about my
job, but like on social media,like I feel like I'm not doing
enough because I see all thesepeople that are glorifying the
(52:58):
hustle of, I am always doingthis, these are my successes,
this is what it's got me, I'malways working, blah, blah,
blah.
And then I always, when I'm justdoing life, I'm like, dang, I, I
feel like crap.
And I feel like I'm worthlessbecause I'm not doing all of
that stuff.
But then I remind myself thatsocial media is not real.
Yeah, yeah.
But I do see people like doingall these things and doing the
(53:20):
most to be able to afford theexpensive vacation and.
To be able to say that I own myown business and stuff like
that.
And then that makes me start toquestion my own value or my own
path in life and I'm like, Nope,I can't go down that road.
Right.
It's interesting because I dofeel like the value is being
equated differently, but likeit's still kind of revolves
around work.
(53:41):
It just looks incrediblydifferent than your generation
viewed it.
Ronnie G (53:44):
That's good.
That that part Yes, that isexactly right what you're
saying.
A hundred percent.
'cause the value is in is isstill in the hustle.
It just looks different.
And plus it looks differentbecause it's magnified by social
media.
(54:04):
In thinking about materialthings and, where you talk about
social media, when we wereriding around and Jim and I
might be in the car, and it'skind of something that I've,
I've done probably most of myadult life and maybe even
younger than that, is ifsomebody has more than me, I, I
(54:26):
don't look long.
If it's something that'sattractive, I'm not gonna look
at that house.
I'm not gonna ride by the houseand just stare and think, oh.
If I had that house when I getthat house, you know, or, or the
purse or the extensions or themedical procedure, whatever that
(54:46):
is.
Like, I just, for me personally,I can't look too hard.
And I always, because, huh, Iknow because I don't want to be
jealous.
I don't want to want somebodyelse's life.
This is my life and it should becelebrated.
And not always, um, you know howpeople, and I know you, like,
(55:08):
oh, what would you do if you wonthe lottery?
And different things like thatand it, but, you know, I just, I
just feel like we look too hardinto other people's windows when
we'll never get the opportunityto go through the front door and
we feel
Kaina G (55:23):
lies to ourself.
I do, I was thinking about thisthe other day, like how many
times thoughts have gone throughmy mind of like.
When I have a boyfriend, when Ihave a husband, when I look
prettier, when I'm skinniermm-hmm.
When my mental health goes awaymm-hmm.
I, I'll have literally toldmyself I'll be happy.
Like, that's when I'll be ableto like, move on.
Everything will be okay.
(55:44):
And literally I'll be happy andfeel like I've hit a lot of the
marks on that list.
Yeah.
To change how I felt inside.
How I felt about myself.
No.
Yeah.
When I got that, that car, whenI got like material stuff, stuff
about yourself, like the grassis never greener on the other
side.
Yeah.
It's never, it's never greener.
Ronnie G (56:04):
It's not, and you have to think, don't even
Kaina G (56:06):
waste your time looking
Ronnie G (56:07):
Right.
Don't look so girls.
Just bounce your eyes.
Bounce your eyes, and don't looktoo hard at what other people
have.
Just be content as much aspossible with what you have.
But access, more access willcause more issues as far as
staying in on it, looking at itevery day, or that person every
(56:30):
day, or, you know.
Kaina G (56:32):
Yeah.
It's definitely, especially truefor my generation.
Well, that was a little tangent,but.
We're gonna get to our closing.
But I, I will say, I thinkthere's some powerful takeaways
from us having this conversationand spilling the tea.
And for me, these takeaways arethat there is really, I mean,
there is wisdom and stability,but I think the power and the
passion is where my generation'sbreaking apart.
(56:55):
But those things go greattogether.
Yeah, they do.
I hope that on a societal levelthat things will change and so
we can ac like we can balancethose two Yes.
And have them work in tandemversus it kind of being like,
versus right now.
Yeah.
So yeah, it's not either or.
Career or fulfillment ispersonal, seasonal and it's
allowed to evolve.
So everyone's journey is theirown and it is what it is.
(57:18):
We'll figure it out one step ata time.
Alright.
You gotta read the, what shesaid.
Ronnie G (57:25):
I just saw it.
So our, what she said is from.
I'm gonna say her name first'cause I think somebody might
listen.
This is Dolly Parton.
Kaina G (57:35):
Mm-hmm.
Ronnie G (57:36):
If you know Dawson Gillespie, he loves some Dolly.
My friend Jody loves Dolly.
So here's what Dolly says.
Never get so busy making aliving that you forget to make a
life.
Kaina G (57:49):
Yep.
Ronnie G (57:50):
And she did it so well.
Like just recently her husbanddied, but he was, I mean, there
are rare pictures like nobodyreally has a lot of pictures of
him gets
Kaina G (58:01):
married.
Ronnie G (58:02):
Right, right, exactly.
Because it was so separate.
She was good about keeping thatpart of her, uh, life intact
without so yay.
I thought
Kaina G (58:15):
it was very fitting to do well that quote is very
fitting for the episode, butit's fitting that we feature her
because she is an icon,obviously.
Yeah.
And her career kind of spansboth of the hustle and stability
culture.
Yes.
So yes, we can
Ronnie G (58:28):
learn a lot from Dolly.
Dolly
Kaina G (58:30):
girl.
Ronnie G (58:31):
Love some Dolly.
Kaina G (58:33):
I still gotta go to Dollywood.
Ronnie G (58:34):
Yeah, you're going in October.
Kaina G (58:38):
Really?
Ronnie G (58:38):
When y'all come?
Yeah.
My
Kaina G (58:39):
gosh.
Oh
Ronnie G (58:40):
yeah.
Yes.
And they have a little daycarefor dogs.
Oh my God.
If we wanna take Sawyer, but wecan also find somebody to come
here.
Yeah.
Yeah.
We can find somebody to comehere and watch him.
Oh yeah.
Well, guys, um, it's been awhile, but we have a challenge
for you.
Um, we do, yeah.
(59:01):
We're gonna ask these folks tokind of share your growth ideas.
Challenges.
Kaina G (59:11):
Your challenge is to go leave a comment or How about
that
Ronnie G (59:16):
please?
Kaina G (59:16):
Connection.
We did not think of a challengefor you guys, but we would love
to get more reviews for ourshow.
Once again, word mouth yes,really does help us.
So we challenge you
Ronnie G (59:25):
to do that.
Our, our bosses are breathingdown our necks.
Please leave us a boss.
I know you are the boss.
My boss says, please leave us aruby.
Yes, yes.
Kaina G (59:38):
Yeah.
I mean, we have a good littlebase of listeners.
We would obviously love to see,to see this show grow because I
mean, I feel like we're talkingabout some good stuff and we're,
I mean, we may not knoweverything, but we're starting
the conversation and I wouldlove for us to be able to put a
YouTube video up and we just seeall kinds of people sharing
their experiences and talking toeach other in the comments.
(59:58):
That's like my dream when Ithink about this podcast in the
future.
Yes.
Yes.
Almost makes that dream areality.
Ronnie G (01:00:04):
Yes.
And, and stay tuned.
We've got some, if you've seen alittle bit of a shift in what
we're doing now is we really, wewarmed up for about six months,
uh, and started, and then now weare getting into the
generational differences.
We're gonna be talking aboutsubstance abuse is, uh, coming
up soon, and we're also gonna betalking about marriage and, and
(01:00:28):
some things like that.
So we've got some reallyexciting things.
We've got some great interviewscoming up.
Um, so let us know, is theresomething cross generation that
you would like for us to talkabout?
Kaina G (01:00:42):
Yeah, let us know,
Ronnie G (01:00:42):
let us know that we take all that seriously.
And that's the tea.
Well, I have a question for you.
Go
Ronnie G (00:13):
ahead.
Kaina G (00:14):
Did you feel any kind of pressure to follow a certain
path or certain steps after yougraduated high school?
Ronnie G (00:23):
Well, yeah, I think more of when we were getting
ready to graduate high school, alot of my friends, including
myself, were first generationcollege students.
There was this push for college,not necessarily from my parents,
but just in general, and itwasn't just that you were going
(00:45):
away to school.
God forbid you want to do yourbasic studies at the local
technical college and then gosomewhere else.
But seeing is how I was not, thebest student.
I had to go to the localtechnical college to take some
classes, to get me up to speedand then that ended up keeping
(01:07):
me there.
The push was also not just whereare you going, but what do you
wanna do when you grow up it.
Mm-hmm.
It, it just didn't seem likethere, there were not a lot of
options.
Like it wasn't presented in away, like a menu.
It was just kind of like, grabsomething, you know?
Kaina G (01:27):
Do you feel like that was because you're a woman?
Like you're being pushed intocertain career fields'cause
you're a woman?
Or do you feel like that was ingeneral for everybody?
Ronnie G (01:37):
I, you know, I think it also could be some of the
women thing because, not, well alot of my friends in the Bible
Kaina G (01:44):
belt, so.
Right, right.
That's why I wanted to ask that.
Ronnie G (01:48):
Yeah, yeah, for sure.
Because I feel like the guyswere doing more architect
engineering that field, andthen.
My close knit group of friendsthat we had all lived in the
same neighborhood and had beengoing to school from
kindergarten all the way throughout of, I think there were
probably seven of us all, buttwo of us became teachers.
Kaina G (02:13):
Mm-hmm.
Ronnie G (02:13):
So that was a big thing, you know, teachers was
big for women.
And, and not to say that guysdidn't do it, obviously they
make great teachers, but I don'tfeel like it was presented.
And, and in nursing school,which is the route I took, was
pretty much all women.
Mm-hmm.
And because I was at the localtechnical college, a lot of the
(02:34):
women were, um, it was a secondcareer for them, nursing.
Kaina G (02:39):
Oh,
Ronnie G (02:39):
that's interesting.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So, so I was like 20.
And most of the people that werewith me in my class, at least
half or more were like 35 andup.
Like, some of them, you know,They took care of their kids
till they went to school orthey, maybe tried something else
in nursing, was the secondcareer, so.
(03:00):
Oh, okay.
Yeah.
But I do think very much sothere were certain, career
fields folks pushed
Kaina G (03:07):
you towards.
Yeah,
Ronnie G (03:08):
yeah, yeah.
And I'm not saying anybodypushed me.
I think probably,
Kaina G (03:13):
um, like a societal level push.
Ronnie G (03:15):
Yeah, yeah.
I don't, I never had anybodylike back me in a corner or
anything.
And my parents were very, um,very easygoing as far as school
and what I wanted to do.
But I think the biggestdifference between now and then
I would say, or when you guyswere in college is there's so
many more options and you don'thave to know I.
(03:37):
What you want to do for the restof your life.
See, we thought, I go tocollege, I learn a trade, or I
get a degree and then I need to,at 18 to 19 years old, know what
I want to do when I grow up.
Yeah.
So it just sounds really nicenow you guys have all these
options and the confidence thatit takes.
(03:59):
And I do think first generationcollege students was very
different as well because mostof our parents didn't have
anything to go off of.
Mm-hmm.
You know?
Yeah.
And I think that they had comethrough such a generation of
scarcity where their parentswere raised that they, they
wanted a lot more for theirkids.
Kaina G (04:19):
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
That makes sense.
Mm-hmm.
I get that.
Ronnie G (04:22):
Yeah.
Kaina G (04:23):
How about you?
I don't know, like yes and no.
'cause obviously my parents arefrom an older generation and
both of them went through likethe sports to college to
marriage pipeline.
And so I feel like they knewthat that worked for them.
And that's kind of what happenedwith me and my older sisters.
Like we also played sports a lotand then that got us to college
and then we got married.
(04:45):
So I feel like yes, they kind oflike wanted that to happen, but
they never like, you have to goto college, you have to do this.
Right.
But I do feel like for mysiblings, I didn't play sports.
They were disappointed in notdisappointed in them for not
like playing sports and gettinga scholarship and all that
stuff.
But like I think my, from myparents' frame of view like that
was how to have a successfullife is to like, get a degree,
(05:08):
get a job.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Stay in that job.
Yeah.
Because I mean, that's theessence of what we're talking
about today.
Exactly.
And that is how things areshifting between generations
because older generations tendto value job security.
And there's a shift happening inmy generation where that's not
necessarily the case that Ithink we're kind of in the
(05:28):
middle of a big transition rightnow.
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
How we're viewing work and whatwe're willing to accept or not
accept, and different careerfields opening up and things
being more open than they everwere before.
Right.
We're gonna talk about that.
But first of all, welcome toGenerational Tea.
This is your first time here.
We're so happy to have you.
If you do love this episode,recommend it to a friend.
(05:49):
'cause word of mouth is huge forus.
And every little thing you guysdo to get the word out about our
show just makes our day.
So thank you guys.
If you've done any of that,
Ronnie G (05:57):
and I'm Ronnie, we're so glad you guys are here and
we've got one for you today.
Yeah.
Kaina G (06:04):
If I introduce myself.
Ronnie G (06:05):
I don't think you did.
Kaina G (06:06):
Well, I'm can,
Ronnie G (06:07):
we're a little rough, a little rustic right now.
No,
Kaina G (06:11):
no.
It makes us 5:00 AM What's thegirl gonna do?
Ronnie G (06:16):
Barista girl.
Kaina G (06:18):
I know, dude.
I'm obsessed with BlackberryLemonade right now.
I'm just quit coffee entirely.
Ronnie G (06:23):
Really?
Does it have caffeine
Kaina G (06:26):
now?
I mean, no.
No.
Okay.
I'm just, well, I only allowmyself one drink a day.
Ronnie G (06:30):
Yeah.
Kaina G (06:30):
And I use my tip money, so I'm basically earning
nothing.
I'll just use my cash tips fordrinks.
'cause I gotta have it.
Yes, yes, yes.
Alright, well to kick off thisepisode, now that you kinda know
the direction we're heading in,Ronnie, you wanna lead us
through the era of the nine tofive So older generations.
(06:52):
Just talk to us about thatstability culture.
Ronnie G (06:55):
Yeah, so it was kind of like the stability culture of
college career, retirement.
Rinse, repeat respect.
well, it was college, getmarried, well, college, get a
job, get married, keep the job,have a couple kids.
(07:15):
And most of my friends, were twoincome families.
So what I'm saying is when theyfinished, most of folks my age
that I knew did not have theprivilege of being able to stay
at home with the child.
Mm-hmm.
Because it was just, we didn'tsee it as a possibility, I
guess.
(07:36):
Yeah.
And plus there was more of a, alittle bit more of a push to
some more stability.
Yeah.
Mm-hmm.
So as women, it, it was reallyimportant for us to find out
what we were gonna do.
Kaina G (07:47):
Do you feel like dream jobs were luxuries in this era
and like not everyone got tohave necessarily a dream job?
Ronnie G (07:53):
I do.
Yeah, I do.
For real.
I mean, I think there's so many,folks that probably in the back
of their mind wanted to be aphysician or an attorney,
especially females during thattime.
But it just wasn't, pushed asmuch as it was Typically.
Doctors were the boys and nurseswere the girls, and teachers
(08:16):
were the women andadministrative school stuff was
the men and the engineering, allthe math and science fields were
very much, predominantly maledominated at that time.
That's just what I wasperceiving in, in my, yeah,
well,
Kaina G (08:33):
I'm sure in the south that was probably more true.
But yeah.
Yeah.
As far as like the dream jobs, Imean, I know from my dad, like
he would've loved to be ateacher his whole entire life,
but like having five childrenand a wife and living life, like
Yeah.
I feel like that he ended upgoing into it support'cause he
had to support his family,which, yeah.
(08:53):
Which, which sucks.
I know, because I wish, I'mlike, I wish you could have just
had any job you wanted and thatwould've been enough to support
your family, but Yep.
Fortunately that wasn't, I mean,that still is, is true today, I
feel like.
Right.
I think people are, know theiroptions more nowadays.
Like maybe they can be a teacherand they can also have a side
hustle that'll make up the restof the income and stuff like
(09:14):
that.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Which is especially true nowbecause social media in itself
is a side hustle for a lot ofpeople.
Ronnie G (09:19):
Right, right, right.
Or just like, just a, internetbased business, whether that's
training or.
Life coaching, some, somedifferent things like that.
yeah, it was kind of the mindsetof you're lucky to even have a
job, like mm-hmm.
You know, like, be grateful forthat.
I do know that a lot of the funor the happy parts were at home.
Kaina G (09:47):
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
Ronnie G (09:48):
Or on the weekends.
And then, I mean, I, I, I'venever really heard my parents
say that they dreaded going towork.
But I'm sure they did.
I mean, it was just, I'm surethey did.
Yes.
Yes.
It was just so different backthen.
Yeah.
And I know it sounds like it's ahundred years ago, but a whole
lot has changed in just a couplegenerations.
Kaina G (10:09):
It's interesting because I feel like I'm already
seeing.
Parallels like in the fact thatlike you're lucky you to even
have a job, which like the stateof the job market right now, it
kind of feels like that.
Yes, yes.
So it's interesting.
We're seeing all the differencesin the parallels already and
we're just getting Oh yeah,
Ronnie G (10:24):
exactly.
Exactly.
So I was kind of looking thisup, like this mindset of, lucky
to even have a job and, I knowthat I, we kind of talked, when
we were doing the outline aboutpossibly the Great Depression.
So I went in and I looked upmore of that and the, um, the
biggest generational change fromthe Great Depression to our
(10:47):
parents was resilience,patriotism, and FR fragility.
Mm-hmm.
So they were very frugal.
Um, this.
Was, um, more so, well, my mom's83.
Jim's mom's 89.
I see it more in her, but shealso grew up on a farm, so I'm
thinking that, uh, Nana, Mrs.
(11:10):
Gillespie, she, grew up on afarm.
So very much still the scarcitymindset.
You know, uh, we were, we weretalking this weekend with some
friends that are my age and theywere talking about their mothers
who refused to use anything thatwas off brand, like, and Nan and
(11:30):
that still happens.
Like you don't just get sugar,you get Dixie Crystals sugar,
and you don't, you don't buy offbrand ketchup, mustard, those
kind of things.
It's got to be the brand.
Kaina G (11:43):
Yeah.
Ronnie G (11:43):
Um, and that was because there were no off brand
stuff.
When they were, when they weregrowing up.
I never brand.
No, no.
Outta spite.
Out of spite.
That's right.
Hey, if it's got the same shapebottle, but just a different
label, it was manufactured inthe same place basically.
Yes.
Yeah.
I think the biggest, brand thatcame out with off-brand, uh, one
(12:06):
of the big ones was Ingles cameout with Laura Lynn.
And so that became moreattainable and, more well
received, but now it's waybetter received.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So, so that patriotism and thefragility and, and it really did
shape who they are and itshaped, who we are.
Kaina G (12:28):
I was just thinking of the Great Depression as in,
because I mean, that was aterrible, terrible time for
anyone.
And yes, it was a long time ago,but also like people are still
around that are from that, thatlived in great depression or
very close to it.
Mm-hmm.
And I think that the reason itwas all the, like, you have to
(12:48):
stick with one job and you haveto like do a career even though
you don't love it is becausemaybe that fear of financial
insecurity and you're lucky toeven have a job and all that.
I think that just made me stayedaround in people's minds
because.
I feel like if you go throughthat massive event of an event
that changes who you are, andthen it probably changes how you
parent your kids and what youtell them to do and Yeah.
(13:09):
Yeah.
How you tell them to be carefulor make sure this doesn't happen
or make sure you always have ajob or whatever.
But yeah, it's interesting.
Ronnie G (13:17):
Yeah, it is.
Like my parents, their parentsworked in the mill, a local
mill.
When you worked on the MillHill, you lived on the Mill
Hill, you know, were basicallythe same types of houses, just a
little different.
You played basketball andsoftball for the mill team, so
the mill was big time,integrated into them.
(13:41):
So then as my parents got alittle bit older, the, the mill
jo, the meals closed.
Kaina G (13:47):
Mm-hmm.
Ronnie G (13:47):
Yeah.
And so that was a big push too,because we, we were no longer
being mentored by people thatwere in the job that we wanted
to pursue.
Kaina G (13:58):
Yeah.
Ronnie G (13:58):
Because they only knew like industrial work millwork,
and then we didn't have thatoption.
There were no meals.
You
Kaina G (14:06):
had to carve out your own.
Ronnie G (14:07):
Yes, yes, yes.
So I think that also waslimiting, if you didn't have
like a mom or dad that mm-hmm.
Was an attorney or, a doctor orsomething like that.
So.
Yeah.
Kaina G (14:21):
Yeah.
Ronnie G (14:21):
I love this.
You know, another big thing waslike sticking with the same
company that used to be Mm.
Yeah.
Yes.
And it used to be like you stuckwith the same company.
You got a retirement and youwould get pensions, which were
in addition to retirement.
I think back probably mygrandparents' age.
(14:43):
That was the retirement was thepension.
Yeah.
So those were things that werereally well respected.
It meant a lot.
It meant a lot.
And, and as you know, and ourlisteners know, probably that
was not the way Jim was reallyrespected and paid.
'Cause he worked at the sameplace for 34 years.
(15:05):
And we want goodbye the facenow.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So we, he did, it's good, butthe people that Yes, yes.
Kaina G (15:12):
Let him go and didn't give him a fat pension.
Mm-hmm.
Ronnie G (15:17):
I mean, he got his retirement and, and stuff, but,
um, yes, definitely not thatloyalty is not really, yeah.
I, it's not really needed, Iguess in, business owner's mind
or they would really, rewardpeople who do it.
Kaina G (15:33):
Yeah.
Well, on that longevity though,like to contrast now, we found
some research, research thatsays only one in 10 millennials
believe they'll stay with thesame company for 10 plus years.
So, wow.
And that's only 10 years versusa lifetime career.
Yeah.
It shows you how much things arechanging, and obviously a lot
(15:54):
goes into why people aren'tstaying with one company, but.
Definitely it's, it's not thesame prestige and also not the
same benefits at the end of the
Ronnie G (16:02):
Right.
Right at the end of your tenuremm-hmm.
Of whatever that is.
Yeah.
Yeah.
It's not the same benefits as itwas in one time.
Kaina G (16:10):
well, how did your family view work ethic and
success?
Ronnie G (16:14):
Work ethic was everything.
Yeah.
My dad was a retired, firemanand firemen are known to be very
clean'cause they have to cleantheir firehouse.
They take good care of theirlawn lawns.
And so for us on Saturdays itwas clean.
The house, if you were thegirls, cut the grass and clean
(16:37):
the yard.
If you were the guys.
And wash the cars everySaturday.
And you, you know, you had awhole list of stuff and you did
it every Saturday the same, thesame way, the same time.
Kaina G (16:49):
Yeah.
So
Ronnie G (16:50):
that was, and then, you know, obviously, doing
things to the best when no one'swatching, that was really, uh,
instilled in us too.
You are, if you do it, you'regonna do it right and you're
gonna finish it all the waythrough and finish strong.
Kaina G (17:07):
Yeah.
Ronnie G (17:07):
Um, and evidently that didn't stick too well for me
'cause I have a hard timestaying on task, but Yeah.
Kaina G (17:15):
Yeah.
I feel like mine probably werevery similar really in a lot of
ways.
Yeah.
I mean, they're a little bitolder than you, so, yeah.
I mean, they've definitelyraised me in the same, well, not
the same way as, and we're doingthat whole Saturday SHA
business, but.
Right.
Like all work is paramount inall of that stuff.
Yeah.
Yes, yes, for sure.
(17:36):
I know we already kind of talkedabout the southern experience in
relation to this, but how didreligion and just like
traditional southern values,class, gender, race, anything
like that, influence careerpaths?
I know you already said a goodbit about that, so Yeah.
Do you have any other thoughts?
Ronnie G (17:53):
When I think about the religion and the gender, the
fact that women have so manyoptions in ministry in general,
whatever, whatever religionyou're in, there are a lot more
options for women now.
And not every religion, butdefinitely, in the Christian
(18:13):
world.
So that I never even thoughtthat I could possibly.
Do anything like that.
Kaina G (18:20):
Um
Ronnie G (18:20):
mm-hmm.
Because it was, it was menperiod.
Male dominated a hundredpercent.
So it's definitely
Kaina G (18:26):
more accepted now, but yes.
Do you feel like SouthernBaptist, I mean,
Ronnie G (18:31):
don't we're going there very
Kaina G (18:32):
many women pastors.
Ronnie G (18:35):
No, I mean, time.
Well, that, and that's not, Imean, we, we belong to a church
that's non-denominational.
And there have been some bigchurches even still recently,
that have pulled out of theSouthern Baptist Convention
because of, of their view onwomen Good in ministry.
Good.
Yeah.
Yeah.
That's, they're
Kaina G (18:54):
the worst.
Ronnie G (18:55):
That is not, that is not going over well with them.
No, we're not doing So yeah,that part.
Yeah.
Kaina G (19:05):
Yeah.
Well, another fun research fact,and this just goes to show you
and like I said earlier, we'rekind of in between a huge
cultural shift about ourattitudes about work and all
stuff like that, but as itstands now, boomers still make
up over 30% of the workforce.
So maybe that's why we're stillin a transitional period, and
(19:25):
we're seeing all these kinds ofparallels and things that are
still huge from differentgenerations.
And then you see youngergenerations starting to pull in
different directions.
So it's good we're having thisconversation.
Yeah.
We're right in the middle of ahuge shift and huge shift knows
what it's gonna look like in 10,20 years.
Ronnie G (19:41):
Exactly.
Yeah.
Hopefully it'll be, more, liketrades.
Mm-hmm.
Like trades are huge.
I mean, if you're, if you're awelder, you can name your price.
I mean, small engine repair.
There's just a lot in the tradeindustry that I definitely think
our generation, my generationabandoned
Kaina G (20:05):
Yeah.
Ronnie G (20:05):
For a different, like a career.
But that is a career.
It's going to trade school or,you know, and, and guess what?
They're not in debt.
Mm-hmm.
Kaina G (20:17):
Yeah.
Ronnie G (20:18):
But yeah.
Yeah.
I know.
Kaina G (20:19):
Yeah.
I mean, I'm certainly hoping forlike, I mean, I do think like,
trades are obviously huge rightnow because that's probably the
easiest way you're gonna get ajob right now.
'cause everything else is sohighly competitive and Yes.
You have to get like sevendegrees to be able to do
something.
Yes, yes.
So, I mean, I hope we, I hope wemove towards that.
But I hope, I mean, I think ingeneral, I want people to be
able to follow their dreams andbe able to financially survive
(20:43):
at the bare minimum.
I don't really feel like that's.
Accessible to everyone rightnow.
So I would love to see that.
But I would also honestly loveto just see a shift towards like
more worker unions and more worklife balance.
Like I think we should go to afour day work week because that
has been proven successfully tomassively impact people
positively in differentcountries.
(21:04):
Mm-hmm.
And I think we're justoverstressed and overworked and
we could probably do with alittle bit more free time.
Ronnie G (21:10):
Yes, yes, yes.
The grind, the grinding it outevery day, day in, day out.
Kaina G (21:17):
Well, speaking of, yes, I guess I am from, well, my
generation as far as this goes,I feel like there's a lot of
different aspects.
Y'all had a hustle culture interms of like, you're doing it,
you're working hard, you'regetting it done.
Mm-hmm.
I feel like we have a hustleculture that's glorified of
like, I'm gonna get as muchmoney as possible so I can have
(21:37):
the most perfect life possible.
Yeah.
And all this stuff, and like itturning into a competition
because social media exists.
Yeah.
And honestly, it's the worst.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So there is a large hustleculture in my generation now.
Everyone has a side hustle.
Everyone's burned out, andthey're, they're booked and
they're busy, but it's allromanticized because you're
doing way more than anyone else.
Yeah.
(21:57):
So, like, yeah.
I think social media and alwayshaving access to other people's
intimate lives, the highlightsof'em, not the list.
Yes.
Yes.
Is just fueling this up likecrazy.
Yes.
And I think there's a mantrathat a lot of, like Gen Z and
millennials, it's like, if youlove what you do, you'll never
work a day in your life, butyou're gonna work every night
and every weekend for the restof your life.
Ronnie G (22:18):
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
So that you can do what youlove.
Kaina G (22:23):
Yeah.
Because I, I feel like mygeneration has rejected a lot
of, like corporate jobs ortrades or like.
Lifetime careers, and we'retrying to find ways around that,
but we end up being morestressed and more overworked
because we're trying to likebuild our own business or do a
side hustle or whatever it is.
So there's definitely pros andcons.
Ronnie G (22:44):
Yeah.
Kaina G (22:44):
Cons.
Ronnie G (22:45):
Well, yeah, it's, it is like I, I'm always the
person, like I want to limit mychoices.
So, you know, I was the mom thatserved the plain chips and the
Sierra Mist at the birthdayparties.
Kaina G (22:57):
Yeah.
Because
Ronnie G (22:59):
I just wanted it so simple.
But now, I mean, there's just, Ican't imagine how overwhelming
it has to feel you know, withyou guys like a blank canvas out
there and how do you even, Imean, it's almost like, do you
just spin around and, you know,or spin the bottle and just pick
(23:20):
one, you know, because they're,it's definitely overwhelming.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Okay.
Okay.
'cause you're 26 5.
25, getting ready to be 26 inSeptember.
Ha Do you see a difference inkids that are just now
graduating high school versusyou, you know, when you were
graduating high school, I, you,you were the baby.
(23:42):
So you had older siblings, whichnaturally made you mature faster
and things like that.
Sure.
So let's just, uh, let's thinkback to maybe when, when one of
your sisters was graduating highschool and maybe you was there.
Do you feel like there's adifference?
Kaina G (23:58):
I mean, definitely think there is a difference just
because like, especially myolder sisters they were going
through high school right?
When like social media wasbecoming a thing.
Really?
Yeah.
And when I was in high school,it was like full fledged.
It's everything.
So I feel like it's kind ofright there in the cutoff.
And granted, like we were raisedvery strictly and we didn't have
phones until we were older andall that stuff.
So we might have not had thesame experience as other people.
(24:20):
But I definitely feel like I amkind of in like the boom of
social media, which is not good.
But you're right, I did havesiblings that made it even sugar
faster and I don't know, it'shard to say.
I definitely think there isgonna be differences, not maybe
with like me and my littlecohorts, right?
But in general versus the peoplethat are coming out now.
(24:40):
Because I feel like we basicallyhad the same experiences, right?
Like we were on social media allthe time, all that stuff.
But like my siblings and justlike a little bit older, like
the younger millennials, I feellike they probably definitely
had a different impact in that,in that case.
But as far as it goes with likejobs and like which path to
follow and what we think aboutall that stuff.
(25:01):
I don't, I don't know how muchhow much that varies because
we're so close, and I do feellike the workforce was changing
even before social media becausepeople were just so frustrated
and didn't wanna work the job.
A job they hated for Yeah.
What, yeah.
Yeah.
For
Ronnie G (25:17):
what?
Yeah.
Yeah.
To make the house payment andthe car payment and pay your
taxes.
Kaina G (25:22):
Yeah.
Not very long.
Ronnie G (25:23):
Yeah.
Yeah.
And
Kaina G (25:24):
barely have like two days off.
Exactly.
It's terrible.
Yeah.
Okay.
Well, let's talk about the consof my generation, and I already
talked a lot about social media,but I do think there's a lot of
toxic positivity in this cultureand the glorification of having,
like having your own businessand being an entrepreneur and
doing all these things whenthat's not financially viable
(25:46):
for mm-hmm.
Most people.
Mm-hmm.
Like, it's just not like youhave to have the money to start
it.
You have to have the time whenyou're not actually working a
job to pay your bills, to buildit up, like.
It's just not possible.
And I think there's aglorification of how accessible
it is and all this like toxicpositivity of like in our
interview with Carissa, youremember how she was saying
(26:08):
like, oh, you see these insInstagram moms that are like, do
this, do this on social media.
And you can make like$2,000 amonth.
But it's never that simple.
It's never that simple.
You have to join like an MLM,you have to buy stuff.
You have to do X, Y, and Z.
You have to do it for like sixto eight months plus.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So there's that.
And then also since we talkedabout longevity, like the
(26:30):
constant career switching, whichI don't necessarily think is bad
in and of itself when it'smotivated by ambition and, and
not like a lack of resilienceand just like general
instability.
'cause I think there is value instaying somewhere and working
your way up if it's possible.
But also I do think that it'sgood that we have a more
competitive market and we havemore options nowadays.
(26:50):
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah, there's that, there's lotsof cons.
Mm-hmm.
But there are also a lot ofpros.
So I'm really happy about thepros because on the flip side, I
do feel like my generation hasmore freedom and examples to
follow.
Like I know we talked about howthe choices are overwhelming,
but like there's so many optionswe can follow and there's so
many examples.
And like we just did a, anepisode on like digital versus
(27:14):
analog and just the massiveaccess of knowledge that we have
nowadays has, I feel likerevolutionized the workforce and
revolutionized like what we feellike we're okay with and mm-hmm.
What ideas we can have for ourfuture and all that stuff.
So if you want to create a wholelife where you don't have to
work 40 hours a week and youhave conversations with all
(27:35):
these people that make yourealize like what really matters
and what you really want in acareer, I feel like that is
fantastic.
And once you get through theoverwhelming stuff, like there's
so many good benefits to it.
Ronnie G (27:46):
Yeah.
Yeah.
So
Kaina G (27:48):
I'm definitely glad that I grew up in this
generation, even though.
I hate technology and I hatesocial media, but unfortunately,
if we didn't have those things,I don't think that the workforce
would've changed as much as itdid.
Ronnie G (27:59):
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Kaina G (28:00):
Pros and cons.
Pros and cons.
well, another research study,and this is only 2023, so it's
pretty fresh.
Mm-hmm.
It shows that Gen Z andmillennials rank work-life
balance, and mental healthsupport above salary, which I
thought was interesting becausewe just talked about how people
are always hustling and tryingto get the most money, which I
do feel like is true, but I dofeel like with how many people
(28:21):
are communicating acrossAmerica, across the globe, we're
starting to realize like, wewant to protect our interests as
workers, and this is what reallymatters.
We don't wanna work this jobjust for, like we were just
saying, for what?
Like we wanna actually be ableto enjoy our job because we have
to go to work to pay the bills.
Mm-hmm.
So I think that is also greatthat the interests are shifting
a little bit more and with that,the alternatives and the
(28:44):
freedoms that come with that.
Ronnie G (28:45):
Yeah.
Kaina G (28:46):
So yeah, the job hopping, like we talked about
this, so common in mygeneration, generally motivated
by growth opportunities inpersonal development.
Not always, some people are justa hot mess, but that's the
trends we're seeing.
Whereas older generations, likewe talked about, equated the
loyalty of the job mm-hmm.
To success.
Mm-hmm.
And they got a lot more benefitsback then.
'cause I mean, they were givingme a fat pension, I would
(29:08):
probably stay there, you know?
Ronnie G (29:11):
Yeah.
I mean, that's just all theyknew.
Kaina G (29:14):
Yeah.
Ronnie G (29:15):
And it used to be that the mills like would have the
stores and things too.
Kaina G (29:19):
Mm-hmm.
Ronnie G (29:20):
So it was very much, um, it was almost like a
military mindset.
Kaina G (29:24):
Yeah.
In a way.
It kind of was.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Ronnie G (29:26):
Like you had your base.
Everybody lived close to eachother because transportation was
buses or my mom's parents.
My grandmother never as far as Iknew, drove a car, but she had a
moped
Kaina G (29:42):
that saying, does she ride a horse?
Ronnie G (29:44):
No.
Um, and so she, she and mygrandfather used to write a
moped everywhere.
But, um, yeah, I'd never reallythought about like the whole
male culture being a lot like,um, military, but it is.
Mm-hmm.
It's like this whole familything and everybody shared in
what they had.
(30:04):
Mm-hmm.
And that lifted the weight offof, you know, you, you might be
able to do something reallysmall to make a huge impact, but
also you knew your people too.
Kaina G (30:16):
Yeah,
Ronnie G (30:18):
that's
Kaina G (30:18):
true.
Ronnie G (30:18):
And now like that most people don't even know their
neighbors or.
Yeah, don't see'em and and thatkind of thing.
I haven't
Kaina G (30:25):
to one of my neighbors, so it's very accurate.
Yeah.
I'm like, I wave to'em all thetime, but I'm like, I don't.
Ronnie G (30:31):
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Kaina G (30:33):
So yeah, to recap with my generation, I do feel like
there's less stability, but wehave more freedom, but along
with more freedom becomes morestress, so, mm-hmm, mm-hmm.
Especially if you're trying todo the whole unconventional
career path thing.
Like if you're trying to be asocial media influencer, it
takes a long time to build thatplatform up and also maintain
it.
It's also super time consuming,and then that's how much time
(30:55):
you have to spend on socialmedia.
It's a lot.
And what does a lot of time onsocial media usually do too?
Not get, yeah.
And then I do love that there'smore remote and flexible work
now, so that is freakingawesome.
Yes.
Once I'm at home, less commute.
Amazing.
Yes.
And then more passion drivenroles and more opportunities to
start your own business if it'ssuccessful to you.
So I think that's great.
Well, what actually matters?
(31:16):
Let's bridge the gap.
So yes, I'm gonna give you somemore research and see.
Okay.
Because the research makes thisconversation even more
interesting.
So boomers report higher ratesof job stability satisfaction
while millennials report higherlevels of burnout and
disengagement, despite seekingmeaning.
Gen Z and millennials report thehighest level of stress and
(31:38):
anxiety related to career andfinances, so, mm, yeah.
Yeah.
So we're starting to see thatdespite what my generation is
doing, we're not exactly seeingpositive research on the effects
of that.
But here's the thing.
I do think these trends aregonna take us somewhere better.
Well, hopefully there's a lot offactors that have to line It
(31:59):
feels to me that things are lessaffordable than ever.
Things are more stressful thanever.
Things are more high pressurethan ever.
So despite all these hallmarkshifts that we're seeing in work
culture, I mean, we're, we'rehaving a hard time getting to,
to what we want.
Like at least we're trying goldmedal for trying.
But I think the shifts we'reseeing are reflective of just
(32:19):
the warring desires, becausethere is a lot of boomers in the
workforce too, and not just asemployees.
Like there's, I feel like mostpeople that are running jobs and
administrative people andcorporations and businesses are
probably a little builder.
Mm-hmm.
Because as, as much as mygeneration is becoming
entrepreneurs, I mean a lot oflike the hallmark careers and
the big jobs and stuff likethat, it's probably gonna be run
(32:41):
by like a Gen X or a Boomer.
So yeah, we have my generationthat's coming into the workforce
and bringing all these new ideasand all these new things we
wanna do and things that wewanna focus on.
And we have, uh, people that arein the workforce and running
stuff that don't necessarily seethings the way that we do.
Yeah.
And I feel like we shouldexplore that a little more, have
(33:01):
conversations a little more.
And I don't know, I mean, a lotof stuff goes into it and I feel
like people are just desperateto find a way to live where they
feel like they're happy, butthey can still afford stuff and
it's so hard.
So I think people are justgetting burned out trying to do
that.
And like, I mean, people havetrouble living right now and
affording stuff.
Yeah.
So like, you're so stressed,you're so anxious about finances
(33:25):
and if you're anxious aboutfinances, you're anxious about
your job.
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
So there's a lot going on.
Ronnie G (33:31):
There's a lot going on.
And I think some of that, lack,like you had said, as far as you
don't think it's all jobrelated.
The stress, the stress, theanxiety and all that, and
mm-hmm.
So I think for.
From the outside looking in,what I see is humans desire and
(33:51):
their lifeline is connection.
Kaina G (33:54):
Mm-hmm.
Ronnie G (33:54):
To other humans, that's what makes humans
different.
Mm-hmm.
Like, we need to connect.
So I feel like with yourgeneration and, and those coming
up or maybe just a little bitolder, we have all the stuff at
our fingertips, but it's notconnecting us.
(34:16):
And so I think, you know, evenstuff like scouts and stuff like
girl Scouts, boy scouts, youknow, any kind of religious type
thing, neighborhoods, you know,like we would, we literally
would leave out first thing inthe morning and.
And, you know, a friend of minesaid, yeah, we couldn't come
back in to all the lights in thehouse we on, then mom would let
(34:39):
us back in.
But I think there was more of aconnection.
There was more face-to-face andmore, um, back and forth.
Like, it's so hard to getsomebody to talk to you on the
phone.
Kaina G (34:52):
Mm-hmm.
Ronnie G (34:53):
It's all gotta be text.
So then it's, when we do that,we're saying my, you know, we
are deciding when we respond tothat instead of with a
face-to-face conversation.
It is the banter of back andforth and that that banter is
what makes us great humansbecause we learn from other
(35:16):
people and our ideas arechallenged by that face-to-face.
Does that make sense?
Kaina G (35:24):
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
Can you explain a little bitmore how like that is affecting
Ronnie G (35:28):
well, I think people need connection.
Basically, just like we areoverfed and undernourished.
Kaina G (35:34):
Mm-hmm.
Ronnie G (35:34):
We're over communicating and under
connecting.
Kaina G (35:41):
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
I can see that in the terms oflike generations and people are
understanding each other as muchanymore because I think there is
a generational disconnectbetween like, just generally in
the workforce.
Ronnie G (35:54):
Well, yeah.
And so I wasn't even talkingabout different generations.
I was talking about your peers,like your people in your, the
twenties, the late twenties,thirties.
That's, I'm not think, I'm notthinking about, one generation
to the other.
But when we're looking at thiswhole thing about the higher
levels of burnout anddisengagement, despite seeking.
(36:18):
Meaning that, that's where I wasreferring to is,
Kaina G (36:22):
yeah.
I mean, I think we are moredisconnected because of social
media than it Well,
Ronnie G (36:27):
that, and also remote jobs, um, school, all the
options to do online school.
I mean, really and truly, youcould be in your house and never
have another human connection ortouch for days.
Um, that's what I'm talkingabout.
I can,
Kaina G (36:45):
I can see that.
I don't know if I necessarilyagree that that plays a huge
role in Yeah.
The reason why we're feeling soburnt out and stressed and
anxious all the time.
Okay.
But I do think that investing inmore human connection might help
us manage that better.
Ronnie G (36:59):
Yeah.
I think, also we have to justfigure out what, what.
What makes us as humans, what,what does fulfill us?
Is it a monetary thing or is ita connection?
I don't know.
Kaina G (37:13):
I mean, it's an interesting conversation.
Yes, yes.
Ronnie G (37:16):
And this is why we are spilling the tea because very
different, you know, for me, Iwant to talk on the phone and I,
but I get that I have two sonsthat don't like to talk on the
phone.
Kaina G (37:31):
I don't like to talk on the phone either.
Yeah.
Well, I force you and who No,you don't force me.
Like, I don't mind talking onthe phone like my closest
friends and family, but anyoneelse who wants talk me on the
phone, I'm like, no.
Text me.
Ronnie G (37:43):
Yeah, yeah.
Yeah.
And so I'm just glad I've gotgreat, Daughter-in-law and
son-in-law that like to talk tome.
I, I don't know.
I guess it would just, you know,it would be very interesting and
if our listeners out there thinkabout, um, maybe they have a
different, um, viewpoint of whymaybe still all these choices,
(38:08):
all, all of this freedom, butyet still so contained.
Kaina G (38:12):
Yeah.
Yeah.
Well, I definitely have somemore radicalized ideas about why
that is, but uh, okay.
I don't think people would wantto hear that has to do with
politics in late stage corporategreed, but that sounds like a
good idea for a podcast oranother episode.
Ronnie G (38:29):
Yes, yes.
Kaina G (38:30):
Well, let's talk about some cross generational
reflections.
Yes.
Is there a happy medium betweensecurity and satisfaction?
I think so.
I feel like it's so elusive, butyes.
I mean, I think a lot of itcomes with like your
expectations and what fulfillsyou personally.
And I mean, there's just so manywild cards.
You just don't know how you'regonna, like which job you're
(38:52):
gonna have, what that jobactually is gonna be like.
You know, what'll happen in 10years personally that'll affect
your job life.
Like, I don't know, there's somany factors at play, but I
mean, I think generally we havemore options nowadays.
It's just working through allthe mud of those options mm-hmm.
To figure out what actuallyworks for you.
It's a long and gruelingprocess.
(39:13):
Mm-hmm.
And you're dealing with allthese things like social media
and outside opinions and maybeyour family pressure.
Like there's so much stuff, butI think, I think I would
probably also say yes, but it'shard to get there.
Ronnie G (39:24):
Right, right.
It is very hard to get therebecause things are just so out
of touch.
Um mm-hmm.
And the, the generations beforeyou, but after me, like my
generation of parents.
S put a lot of emphasis on, theywanted their kids to have it
better than they did.
(39:45):
Mm-hmm.
So there's been a lot of,sacrifices and different things
that happened in their parents'lives in order to help them get
to that place.
And
Kaina G (39:55):
yeah, I agree that,
Ronnie G (39:56):
yeah.
And then just like there's, thenyou have this whole other level
of just respect in general.
So and like I said, doesfulfillment have to come from
work?
Uh, what about hobbies, familypurposes outside of career?
And I would say for mepersonally, in my whole, uh,
(40:16):
working part of my life.
It was a, a means to an end.
It was, I wanted to be at home,I wanted to be with my kids.
I wanted to be with my husband.
I wanted to be with my friends,exercising, hobbies, social
events, those kind of things.
But I do feel like, and, and youtell me when I'm observing you
(40:38):
guys, not specifically you and,but you guys, when I'm observing
that, what I'm seeing is, thatit's not a 40 hour week anymore,
like you said.
So, so your margin for fun andother things has been deeply
closed down.
(40:58):
Yeah.
And so I think that probably hassome, a good bit, not all, but
it's a big factor in stress andanxiety.
Kaina G (41:07):
Yeah.
I mean, like I suggested earlierabout the four day work week.
Oh yeah.
The reason that has done so wellin other countries is because
then that takes the pressure offyou having to have your dream
job or most fulfilling jobbecause you now have three full
days, hopefully, I mean,depending on what your job is,
(41:28):
but in most positions, you wouldhave then three full days.
Yeah.
Yeah.
That's a lot because that is alot.
I mean, you have a three dayweekend and you're like, oh my
God, this is the best.
Yeah.
Yeah.
But I think that takes thepressure off you needing to have
a certain career because I mean,I know in the past I've worked a
lot of jobs that I've hated andit freaking drains the life
(41:48):
outta me.
Mm-hmm.
Even if I'm working like 40hours a week or even less than
that sometimes.
But still, I mean, I think itdepends on the person and what
else you have going on in yourlife and whether your
fulfillment has to come fromwork or not, but.
I mean, I feel, I feel like itwould be great for our workforce
if it didn't have to, and we hadmore work life balance so that
we could get fulfillment inother ways.
Yeah, it seems like, and Ithought that would be so much
(42:10):
easier, like if I was able towork a job that I didn't really
like, but I only had to do itthis many hours a week, but I
could still be very financiallycomfortable.
I would totally work whateverjob.
Ronnie G (42:20):
Yeah.
Yeah.
I remember there's been likethat four day work week has been
tossed around different times inthe past, and it seems like one
of them was when they weretrying to figure out what to do
because the teacher pool hasgotten so low.
Kaina G (42:37):
Mm-hmm.
There aren't
Ronnie G (42:38):
a lot of teachers going into that.
And I think it was probably onthe heels of COVID as well, and
they were trying to get backinto the classroom.
Kaina G (42:45):
I think more people have thrown it out or like
thrown it into the mix.
Yeah.
Ronnie G (42:50):
And they were talking about how much corporate money
is saved, how much money can besaved by doing that as well.
Kaina G (42:58):
I mean, yeah.
Honestly, I don't see that manycons to it at all.
Well, let's talk about someother things too.
'cause I, I mean, I, I wassaying earlier that things are
not the same as they were inyour generation, like buying a
house, going to college, allthat stuff.
So, how we think financialinstability has shaped these
generational preferences.
And I mean, I feel like I'vealready kind of said a lot about
(43:18):
that.
Like, I have ridiculous studentloan payments.
My husband does too.
My sister pays$800 in studentloans every month, and it's
gonna take her years, years topay that off.
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Uh, I have no idea when we'regonna be able to buy a house.
Unless we buy it in like ruralLouisiana, which I do not wanna
live here.
There's a reason why houses arecheap here.
(43:39):
I mean, post COVID inflation ishigher than ever.
And so I feel like these thingsare really shaping how we feel
about work.
And it's, it's putting a blockand I feel like my generation's
path forward to a different kindof work outlook, which sucks.
But I hope we're still able toget here and that all of these
things we can maybe manage inthe future so that it's not
(44:01):
overwhelming.
Ronnie G (44:01):
Yeah.
Y'all, y'all have kind of beenin, in the sandwich of,
economics
Kaina G (44:07):
alright, we're gonna hit some rapid fire questions.
Okay.
Passion versus paycheck.
Would you take your dream jobfor 40 K or a soul sucking job
for 150 K?
Ronnie G (44:17):
Dream
Kaina G (44:18):
same every time.
Like 40 K is not too bad,especially if you're a two
income household.
So I'll do it.
Well,
Ronnie G (44:25):
yeah.
Yeah.
And you can manage yourspending.
Kaina G (44:29):
Yeah,
Ronnie G (44:29):
that's true.
You know, I mean, but you dohave to, I mean, a one person
household.
It cannot, it cannot survive.
No.
Like you guys, one personhousehold, if there's no trust
fund involved or like, you know,a windfall that happens, it's
really difficult to do it on oneon one person.
Kaina G (44:52):
Well, to answer that same question, if I wasn't
married and was living singleincome, I think I would take the
other option.
Okay.
And I would budget extremelyhard for two years and then Yes.
Do what I have left and like gotravel the world.
Yes.
Yes.
Or go and invest it intosomething that I would make me
happy.
Right.
I definitely would not stay inthat job.
Yes.
Second job, even if I was making150 KA year.
Ronnie G (45:13):
Yeah.
But, but what you've donedifferently is you're saying, I
can do that for a time period.
Yeah.
If I know that it's limited, youknow, people can do things if
they least, so there you go.
Kaina G (45:23):
There's the job hopping of my generation that I keep
mentioning.
Yes, yes, yes.
Oh man.
Well, let's see, what's the nextone?
What would you tell your youngerself about career expectations?
Well, I know I would tellmyself, don't go to college.
Mm-hmm.
Unless I wanna study somespecific, but I don't, so I
shouldn't have gone, like, hateto say, well, it's like have
(45:47):
showed what a hindsight is.
2020.
But like, I don't use my degree.
I'm paying student loans thatI'm, that don't have really any
meaning to what I'm doing now,so.
Mm-hmm.
What the heck?
Yeah.
I wish I would've just toldmyself that, like, I don't need
a degree.
I can do whatever I want.
It's, it's like all up to me tocarve my own path and there's so
options for me to do.
So.
Yeah.
So I wish I would've said don'tgo to college.
(46:09):
Uh, also I wish I would've toldmyself how to stand up for
myself, I wish I knew how tolike stand up for my own work
life balance and my own rightsas an employee.
And just like basic humandecency.
I feel like I've had a lot ofbosses that treat you like crap
and yell at you and curse atyou.
And now if someone were to dothat to me, I would be like, oh,
okay.
I don't want to be stuck to thatway.
(46:30):
Yeah.
But two years ago I would'vejust like taken it.
Yeah.
So I wish I would've told myselflike, and this isn't even like
it's about work, but it's notnecessarily about what we've
been talking about today, but Iwish I would've told myself that
you can stand up for yourselfand you can disagree with your
boss and all this stuff.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So all that and just to not havethe expectation to have an
(46:50):
amazing job like very early inlife.
Yeah.
And man, basically just tellmyself to manage my
expectations.
That's because I, I feel like Ihad the expectations that I was
gonna be so easy.
Like I would go to college, Iget a degree, and then I would
be able to get like a great job.
Yeah.
Everyone would wanna hire me.
No, that was not true.
Ronnie G (47:09):
Yeah.
I mean, you had, it was rough,like in Atlanta where there
should be so many jobs and how,how many you looked, you looked
for?
Well, what I would tell myyounger self about career
expectations is for sure, ifyou're married, don't get used
(47:29):
to two paychecks.
Kaina G (47:30):
Mm-hmm.
Ronnie G (47:31):
Try your best if you can, live well below your means.
But the other thing that wehaven't touched on as far as
careers are consider a careerthat has a 24 hour shift.
Because, you know, you talkabout the four, four day work
week, well, as nurses and mostmedical professions, if,
(47:57):
especially if you're in ahospital setting, you work three
twelves a week.
Kaina G (48:02):
Mm.
Ronnie G (48:02):
So I worked three days a week and it was full time.
Now they're 12 hour shifts.
But going into a path where youhave a 24 hour window that you
can work to me is key.
Kaina G (48:18):
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
I don't think that works foreverybody, but it would
definitely work for me.
Yeah.
Because I feel like in otherjobs I was working 12, 13 hour
shifts.
Yes.
And I, I was working like anormal shift.
I would have to go to bed and beback, be back there the next day
and yeah.
Suck.
Yeah.
That's soul sucking we'retalking about.
Yes, yes, yes.
But yeah, I definitely see whatyou're saying, like working
longer shifts, but less days aweek.
Ronnie G (48:39):
Well, and then also working alternative times of the
day.
Yeah.
Because in some, you know,usually there's like a little
bit more money if you worksecond, a little bit more money
if you work nights.
Mm-hmm.
Um, and just that might be a wayto.
Grind it out for a couple yearsand then be in a place where you
(49:02):
can go back and do like apart-time.
Yeah.
Work.
Kaina G (49:06):
Yeah, I mean, I think that's great because I don't
think America's gonnaincorporate a four day work week
any, anytime.
Mm-hmm.
No.
Oh man.
Well, do we think hustle cultureneeds to die or evolve?
Ronnie G (49:19):
It needs to evolve.
Kaina G (49:21):
Yeah.
Same.
Ronnie G (49:22):
Uh, why, why would you say that?
I, I, I know exactly.
Well,
Kaina G (49:26):
I think I talked about earlier like the glorification
of the hustle culture and havingno life being always booked and
just, I think everything beingabout work is so toxic and I
don't think it's sustainable.
And like, I think we need tofocus on like being happy not
doing all this stuff.
Like it is not about.
(49:48):
How many dollar bills you got.
Okay.
It's just not right.
Like you're not fulfilled bymoney.
You might be able to do greatthings with money, but I don't
know, I, I just feel like that'sso toxic and dangerous to get in
deep into that wholesaleculture.
And I think there's definitelypositives into it, like working
as, as hard as you can andproviding, but also there needs
to be boundaries so that we'renot becoming these overstressed,
(50:13):
overtired, overworked peoplebecause it's just not
sustainable and it's not gonnamake you happy.
Ronnie G (50:19):
Yeah.
Kaina G (50:20):
What do you think?
Ronnie G (50:21):
I, I, I agree.
Those, those, and then I, Iactually wrote something down
here'cause I was afraid I wouldforget it, was the hustle
culture that I lived in, that Igrew up in very much my parents.
Your value was in your work, howhard you work, how long you
work, the productivity that youhave.
(50:43):
And that is not good.
Your whole identity cannot bewrapped up in that, so that's
not gonna work.
So what we've kind of done isjust went the opposite direction
and that's not gonna work, youknow?
And so it's like, let's rereshape and reform, our own
value.
(51:04):
Like do things that you'repassionate about.
Yeah.
And make you happy.
And, and right now, you know,you might not be able to write
that book, but what you can dois you can write articles, you
can journal, you can writeoutlines to for that one day
book or you know, what,whatever.
And I think if, if having, likeI said, the hustle culture in,
(51:28):
in grinding it out and saying, Iwork the hardest.
They don't know I stayed late.
Kaina G (51:35):
Mm-hmm.
Ronnie G (51:36):
They don't care.
Yeah.
Don't stay late.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Don't stay late.
Kaina G (51:43):
Your work life balance is so much more important.
Yeah.
Ronnie G (51:45):
So, so I think the value that we place on our jobs
right now is a little bit heftyon the work side.
That, but I also get it that ithas, some of it has to be that
way'cause it's so expensive tolive.
But if we could evolve in a waywhere we are touching back into
(52:06):
some of those things that reallymake us happy because Okay, you,
you hustle it out, you grind itout.
What happens if you lose thatjob?
Kaina G (52:14):
Yeah.
Well it's interesting'cause yousaid like we're like, work is
value in your generation andwe're kind of going in the
opposite direction and we are ina sense that we're like, we're
not equating work with valuewith your own necessarily.
Yeah.
But, but it is your but also.
Kind of are.
Mm-hmm.
Like in a different sense,because especially when we're
talking about the hustle cultureof like always being booked,
(52:36):
starting your own business,being an influencer and never
stopping, always doingsomething, and how social media
glorifies that.
Like I feel like it is, but'cause I always struggle with
feeling like I'm not doingenough.
Like whether that is, it's not,and it's not even just about my
job, but like on social media,like I feel like I'm not doing
enough because I see all thesepeople that are glorifying the
(52:58):
hustle of, I am always doingthis, these are my successes,
this is what it's got me, I'malways working, blah, blah,
blah.
And then I always, when I'm justdoing life, I'm like, dang, I, I
feel like crap.
And I feel like I'm worthlessbecause I'm not doing all of
that stuff.
But then I remind myself thatsocial media is not real.
Yeah, yeah.
But I do see people like doingall these things and doing the
(53:20):
most to be able to afford theexpensive vacation and.
To be able to say that I own myown business and stuff like
that.
And then that makes me start toquestion my own value or my own
path in life and I'm like, Nope,I can't go down that road.
Right.
It's interesting because I dofeel like the value is being
equated differently, but likeit's still kind of revolves
around work.
(53:41):
It just looks incrediblydifferent than your generation
viewed it.
Ronnie G (53:44):
That's good.
That that part Yes, that isexactly right what you're
saying.
A hundred percent.
'cause the value is in is isstill in the hustle.
It just looks different.
And plus it looks differentbecause it's magnified by social
media.
(54:04):
In thinking about materialthings and, where you talk about
social media, when we wereriding around and Jim and I
might be in the car, and it'skind of something that I've,
I've done probably most of myadult life and maybe even
younger than that, is ifsomebody has more than me, I, I
(54:26):
don't look long.
If it's something that'sattractive, I'm not gonna look
at that house.
I'm not gonna ride by the houseand just stare and think, oh.
If I had that house when I getthat house, you know, or, or the
purse or the extensions or themedical procedure, whatever that
(54:46):
is.
Like, I just, for me personally,I can't look too hard.
And I always, because, huh, Iknow because I don't want to be
jealous.
I don't want to want somebodyelse's life.
This is my life and it should becelebrated.
And not always, um, you know howpeople, and I know you, like,
(55:08):
oh, what would you do if you wonthe lottery?
And different things like thatand it, but, you know, I just, I
just feel like we look too hardinto other people's windows when
we'll never get the opportunityto go through the front door and
we feel
Kaina G (55:23):
lies to ourself.
I do, I was thinking about thisthe other day, like how many
times thoughts have gone throughmy mind of like.
When I have a boyfriend, when Ihave a husband, when I look
prettier, when I'm skinniermm-hmm.
When my mental health goes awaymm-hmm.
I, I'll have literally toldmyself I'll be happy.
Like, that's when I'll be ableto like, move on.
Everything will be okay.
(55:44):
And literally I'll be happy andfeel like I've hit a lot of the
marks on that list.
Yeah.
To change how I felt inside.
How I felt about myself.
No.
Yeah.
When I got that, that car, whenI got like material stuff, stuff
about yourself, like the grassis never greener on the other
side.
Yeah.
It's never, it's never greener.
Ronnie G (56:04):
It's not, and you have to think, don't even
Kaina G (56:06):
waste your time looking
Ronnie G (56:07):
Right.
Don't look so girls.
Just bounce your eyes.
Bounce your eyes, and don't looktoo hard at what other people
have.
Just be content as much aspossible with what you have.
But access, more access willcause more issues as far as
staying in on it, looking at itevery day, or that person every
(56:30):
day, or, you know.
Kaina G (56:32):
Yeah.
It's definitely, especially truefor my generation.
Well, that was a little tangent,but.
We're gonna get to our closing.
But I, I will say, I thinkthere's some powerful takeaways
from us having this conversationand spilling the tea.
And for me, these takeaways arethat there is really, I mean,
there is wisdom and stability,but I think the power and the
passion is where my generation'sbreaking apart.
(56:55):
But those things go greattogether.
Yeah, they do.
I hope that on a societal levelthat things will change and so
we can ac like we can balancethose two Yes.
And have them work in tandemversus it kind of being like,
versus right now.
Yeah.
So yeah, it's not either or.
Career or fulfillment ispersonal, seasonal and it's
allowed to evolve.
So everyone's journey is theirown and it is what it is.
(57:18):
We'll figure it out one step ata time.
Alright.
You gotta read the, what shesaid.
Ronnie G (57:25):
I just saw it.
So our, what she said is from.
I'm gonna say her name first'cause I think somebody might
listen.
This is Dolly Parton.
Kaina G (57:35):
Mm-hmm.
Ronnie G (57:36):
If you know Dawson Gillespie, he loves some Dolly.
My friend Jody loves Dolly.
So here's what Dolly says.
Never get so busy making aliving that you forget to make a
life.
Kaina G (57:49):
Yep.
Ronnie G (57:50):
And she did it so well.
Like just recently her husbanddied, but he was, I mean, there
are rare pictures like nobodyreally has a lot of pictures of
him gets
Kaina G (58:01):
married.
Ronnie G (58:02):
Right, right, exactly.
Because it was so separate.
She was good about keeping thatpart of her, uh, life intact
without so yay.
I thought
Kaina G (58:15):
it was very fitting to do well that quote is very
fitting for the episode, butit's fitting that we feature her
because she is an icon,obviously.
Yeah.
And her career kind of spansboth of the hustle and stability
culture.
Yes.
So yes, we can
Ronnie G (58:28):
learn a lot from Dolly.
Dolly
Kaina G (58:30):
girl.
Ronnie G (58:31):
Love some Dolly.
Kaina G (58:33):
I still gotta go to Dollywood.
Ronnie G (58:34):
Yeah, you're going in October.
Kaina G (58:38):
Really?
Ronnie G (58:38):
When y'all come?
Yeah.
My
Kaina G (58:39):
gosh.
Oh
Ronnie G (58:40):
yeah.
Yes.
And they have a little daycarefor dogs.
Oh my God.
If we wanna take Sawyer, but wecan also find somebody to come
here.
Yeah.
Yeah.
We can find somebody to comehere and watch him.
Oh yeah.
Well, guys, um, it's been awhile, but we have a challenge
for you.
Um, we do, yeah.
(59:01):
We're gonna ask these folks tokind of share your growth ideas.
Challenges.
Kaina G (59:11):
Your challenge is to go leave a comment or How about
that
Ronnie G (59:16):
please?
Kaina G (59:16):
Connection.
We did not think of a challengefor you guys, but we would love
to get more reviews for ourshow.
Once again, word mouth yes,really does help us.
So we challenge you
Ronnie G (59:25):
to do that.
Our, our bosses are breathingdown our necks.
Please leave us a boss.
I know you are the boss.
My boss says, please leave us aruby.
Yes, yes.
Kaina G (59:38):
Yeah.
I mean, we have a good littlebase of listeners.
We would obviously love to see,to see this show grow because I
mean, I feel like we're talkingabout some good stuff and we're,
I mean, we may not knoweverything, but we're starting
the conversation and I wouldlove for us to be able to put a
YouTube video up and we just seeall kinds of people sharing
their experiences and talking toeach other in the comments.
(59:58):
That's like my dream when Ithink about this podcast in the
future.
Yes.
Yes.
Almost makes that dream areality.
Ronnie G (01:00:04):
Yes.
And, and stay tuned.
We've got some, if you've seen alittle bit of a shift in what
we're doing now is we really, wewarmed up for about six months,
uh, and started, and then now weare getting into the
generational differences.
We're gonna be talking aboutsubstance abuse is, uh, coming
up soon, and we're also gonna betalking about marriage and, and
(01:00:28):
some things like that.
So we've got some reallyexciting things.
We've got some great interviewscoming up.
Um, so let us know, is theresomething cross generation that
you would like for us to talkabout?
Kaina G (01:00:42):
Yeah, let us know,
Ronnie G (01:00:42):
let us know that we take all that seriously.
And that's the tea.
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Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
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If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.