Were they dream guys or were we distracted by the hair? 🚩

This week on Hose Water, Hot Flashes & Bad Decisions, Karen Cerezo & Paula Fournier revisit the movie crushes, TV heartthrobs, and questionable behavior that had teenage us swooning and adult us asking, “Wait…what?”

From Jake Ryan in Sixteen Candles and Johnny Castle in Dirty Dancing to Ronald Miller in Can’t Buy Me Love, we’re taking another look at the characters we loved and the “good guy” labels we handed out a little too freely. Along the way, we revisit Charlie Sheen’s scene in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, debate whether Mike Seaver was nerdy or preppy, and question our teenage taste.

The conversation also gets personal as we look back at a childhood boundary violation and the things we can name more clearly now than we could then. Expect laughs, disagreements, nostalgia, and a few uncomfortable realizations.

Which ’80s crush still holds up, and which one looks like a walking red flag now? Tell us in the comments.

MEET YOUR HOSTS

Karen Cerezo | NBC-HWC

National Board-Certified Health and Wellness Coach, menopause expert, and TEDx speaker helping women advocate for themselves through perimenopause and menopause.

Website:
https://www.midlifehealthcoach.com/

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/midlife_health_coach/

LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/karen-cerezo1/

Navigating Menopause Wellness Journal:
https://a.co/d/aVH7WMH

Paula Fournier

Certified Coach, specializing in nutrition, mental health, wellness, and lifestyle support, helping you feel better from the inside out.

Website:
https://ewcoach.com/

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/everydaywellnesscoaching/

LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulafournier/

Gratitude Journal:
https://a.co/d/09Uu9sO6

Subscribe for more conversations about midlife, work, relationships, and whatever comes next, with humor and a healthy dose of Gen X perspective.

Enjoyed this conversation? Like, leave a comment, and share it with a friend who could use a little company in the middle of it all.

#HoseWaterHotFlashesAndBadDecisions #GenX #RedFlags #80sMovies #80sNostalgia #TeenageCrushes #MidlifePerspective #RelationshipBoundaries

Caring for aging parents, showing up for your family, and finding a little time for yourself can leave you wondering where your own needs fit. And when you finally take a break, guilt has a remarkable talent for inviting itself along.

On this episode of Hose Water, Hot Flashes & Bad Decisions, Paula Fournier and Karen Cerezo welcome Certified Health Coach Jennifer Marcks for an honest conversation about caregiving, family responsibilities, friendship, and learning to give yourself some breathing room.

Jennifer shares her family’s experience navigating Alzheimer’s care for her father, including the frustration of care costs and additional fees. The conversation also explores the pressure to keep doing more, the habits we learned from watching our parents, and what it takes to make room for something that restores you.

If you’re juggling family responsibilities while trying to remember what you need, pull up a chair. There’s room for the serious stuff and a good laugh.

MEET OUR GUEST

Jennifer Marcks | Certified Health Coach
Creator of Gluten-Free MARCKS The Spot

Jennifer helps women create a sustainable, delicious gluten-free life that feels natural and freeing. Drawing on her family’s experience with celiac disease and gluten intolerance, she offers practical guidance and heartfelt support to help women feel more confident in the kitchen and rediscover the joy of food.

Her mission is to help women move beyond overwhelm and enjoy meals, family life, coffee with friends, and vacations with greater confidence.

Website:
https://www.glutenfreemarcksthespot.com/

Grab Jennifer’s Free Gluten-Free Starter Guide:
https://glutenfreemarcksthespot.com/gluten-free-starter-guide-for-women/

Listen to Saying Goodbye to Gluten:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/empowering-your-gluten-free-growth-gluten-free-living-celiac-disease-gluten-free-support/id1774748379

MEET YOUR HOSTS

Karen Cerezo | NBC-HWC

National Board-Certified Health and Wellness Coach, menopause expert, and TEDx speaker helping women advocate for themselves through perimenopause and menopause.

Website:
https://www.midlifehealthcoach.com/

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/midlife_health_coach/

LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/karen-cerezo1/

Navigating Menopause Wellness Journal:
https://a.co/d/aVH7WMH

Paula Fournier

Certified Coach, specializing in nutrition, mental health, wellness, and lifestyle support, helping you feel better from the inside out.

Website:
https://ewcoach.com/

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/everydaywellnesscoaching/

LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulafournier/

Gratitude Journal:
https://a.co/d/09Uu9sO6

Subscribe for more conversations about midlife, work, relationships, and whatever comes next, with humor and a healthy dose of Gen X perspective.

Enjoyed this conversation? Like, leave a comment, and share it with a friend who could use a little company in the middle of it all.

#Caregiving #SelfCare #GenXWomen #MidlifeFriendship #HoseWaterHotFlashesAndBadDecisions

What makes a business connection worth keeping, and what happens when women show up for each other?

Going further, what can happen when you build the community that supports you and feeds your soul?

Carrie Kass joins Karen Cerezo & Paula Fournier and on Hose Water, Hot Flashes & Bad Decisions for a conversation about networking, women supporting women, and the relationships & communities that help us move forward. We talk about the awkwardness of elevator pitches and business-card exchanges, why following up matters, and how a few meaningful connections can be more valuable than a room full of introductions.

We also explore the messages we grew up with about women and success, what it means to share knowledge and encouragement, and how we can help create more opportunities for each other.

Expect honest conversation, a few laughs, and some familiar networking moments that might make you feel a little better about that forgotten stack of business cards.

Subscribe for more conversations about navigating midlife, work, relationships, and whatever comes next, with humor and a healthy dose of GenX perspective.

What’s one connection that made a difference in your life or business? Tell us in the comments.

#CarrieKass #WomenSupportingWomen #Networking #WomenInBusiness #GenX #HoseWaterHotFlashesAndBadDecisions

MEET YOUR HOSTS:

Karen Cerezo - a nationally board-certified health coach (NBC-HWC), menopause expert, and TEDx speaker helping women advocate for themselves through perimenopause and menopause.

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/karen-cerezo1 IG: https://www.instagram.com/midlife_health_coach

Website: MidlifeHealthCoach.com Navigating Menopause Wellness Journal:

Paula Fournier - Practical nutrition, mental health, wellness & lifestyle support coach, helping you feel better from the inside out.

Website: ewcoach.com

IG: https://www.instagram.com/everydaywellnesscoaching/

Gratitude Journal: https://a.co/d/09Uu9sO6

In this episode, we look back at the legendary high school graduation traditions: Paula in 1989 and Karen in 1991.

Plus, we are paying tribute to the cutting-edge, beautifully androgynous vibe of the iconic Sassy magazine launched in 1988, and how it broke the mold for teen fashion.

Finally, stick around for all of the hair tools for those great styles! And note, these are returning. Of course they are! We were great at the hair game!

Want us to take a look at your GenX graduation year? What memories do you have and what do you want us to cover?

Listen to Episode 10 now on your favorite platform!

🎧 Spotify

🎧 Apple Podcasts

🎧 iHeartRadio

🎧 Amazon Music

📺 YouTube

🎵 Deezer

What happens when you’re exhausted, you’re not sleeping, your body feels unfamiliar, and nobody has mentioned perimenopause?

In this special episode in honor of World Menopause Day of Hose Water, Hot Flashes, and Bad Decisions, Paula and Karen get personal about the changes they didn’t see coming and the conversations they wish had happened sooner. From mood shifts and sleepless nights to changing body shape and unexpected food reactions, they share what it felt like to search for answers while trying to get through everyday life.

Karen talks about the conversation that helped her recognize perimenopause, while Paula reflects on an appointment where depression was discussed but perimenopause wasn’t. Together, they explore the frustration of hearing “that’s normal” when you still don’t feel like yourself, the value of tracking what’s happening, and why it can be so hard to tell the whole story once you’re sitting in the exam room.

Of course, there’s humor. Because sometimes you need to laugh with someone who understands why you’re throwing off the blankets one minute and reaching for them the next.

This is an honest conversation about their personal experiences, the questions they’re still asking, and making room for women to talk openly about midlife.

What do you wish someone had told you about perimenopause? Share it in the comments, and send this episode to a friend who might recognize her own experience.

Subscribe for more conversations with Paula and Karen. New episodes every Thursday.

This episode shares personal experiences and is for general information, not individual medical advice.

Also, join us for our 90-minute, one-night-only Decompress Before the Holiday Stress Event. Learn more: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/decompress-before-the-holiday-stress-live-group-coaching-session-tickets-2002951520917?aff=oddtdtcreator&keep_tld=true

#WorldMenopauseDay #Perimenopause #Menopause #MidlifeWomen #HoseWaterHotFlashesAndBadDecisions #GenX #Millenial

What do Barbie, the corporate ladder, and that persistent voice telling us we’re not good enough have in common? They all have a place in this conversation.

In Episode 8 of Hose Water, Hot Flashes, and Bad Decisions, Paula and Karen welcome Krizel Rodriguez for an honest discussion about identity, representation, and the messages women carry from childhood into adulthood. From growing up with dolls that didn’t look like us to questioning our abilities in the workplace, we explore how those experiences can shape what we believe is possible.

Krizel shares what discovering a Mexican Barbie meant to her, why Latina representation in leadership matters personally, and her hopes for the next generation. We also talk about the self-doubt that can follow women into rooms they’ve earned the right to be in, even when their accomplishments tell a different story.

There’s room for laughter, reflection, and a conversation about what connects us across different backgrounds and experiences. Because while our stories may differ, we have plenty of reasons to listen to one another and move forward together.

What message did you grow up hearing about who you could become, and have you rewritten it? Tell us in the comments.

Subscribe to Hose Water, Hot Flashes, and Bad Decisions with Paula & Karen. New episodes every Thursday!

#HoseWaterHotFlashesAndBadDecisions #GenX #WomenSupportingWomen #SelfDoubt #RepresentationMatters #WomenInLeadership #Barbie #Podcast

We were prepared for quicksand. Processing our feelings? Not so much.

In this episode of Hose Water, Hot Flashes, and Bad Decisions, Paula and Karen revisit the other side of growing up Gen X: the frightening headlines, confusing adult conversations, and moments when everyone simply turned off the TV and moved on.

From watching the Challenger disaster in class to missing kids on milk cartons, nuclear war fears, and the Tylenol poisonings, they reflect on what they remember, what nobody explained, and how humor, sarcasm, and pushing feelings down became familiar ways to cope.

Of course, it wouldn’t be an ’80s conversation without MTV, Madonna’s lace gloves, cereal-box entertainment, latchkey life, and shoulder pads big enough to carry the whole decade. There’s also Baby Jessica, Geraldo’s empty vault, and the eternal question: why did we think quicksand would be such a major problem?

Come for the nostalgia, stay for the candid conversation about childhood fears, midlife anxiety, and looking back with a little more understanding.

What ’80s moment still sticks with you? Tell us in the comments or email hosewaterthepodcast@gmail.com.

#GenX #Comedy #80s #Challenger #Midlife #Menopause

New episodes every Thursday morning.

Getting laid off hits differently in midlife.

You’ve spent decades building experience, skills, relationships, and a career, only to suddenly find yourself wondering: Now what?

In this clip from Laid Off In Midlife. Now What?, Karen and Paula talk about the reality of losing a job in midlife, what it does to your confidence, and the challenge of figuring out what comes next when you thought you already had that part of life figured out.

Hose Water, Hot Flashes & Bad Decisions
Real conversations about Gen X, midlife, careers, menopause, relationships, and all the stuff nobody warned us about.

New episodes every Thursday.