WTF!

WTF.

If you are over 50, you already know exactly what that means. Not the internet version. The lived experience version. The one where you wake up on a Tuesday, nothing unusual happened, and you are standing in your kitchen going — what is happening right now?

In Episode 11 of Man, Listen, Jamey goes there. All the way there. Because being in this age bracket unlocks a very specific set of curiosities, frustrations, and utter disbeliefs that nobody warned you about — and the only honest response is equal parts laughter, reflection, and a little bit of WTF.

Jamey covers it all across five segments that are as real as they are funny.

The body is sending memos. Mystery pains with no origin story. The new morning routine that starts with a full systems check before your feet hit the floor. Getting up off the ground is now an event — there is planning involved, there is an exit strategy. And yes, Jamey addresses the thing every man in this bracket has either experienced, feared, or Googled at 2am. Briefly, directly, and with the dignity and humor it deserves.

The people in your life are going through it too. If there is a woman in your life navigating menopause, Jamey breaks down what your actual job is — and what it is not. Hint: the thermostat is no longer community property. And on the financial spectrum, some people made the plans and some people did not. For those looking at working until 94 — Jamey sincerely hopes they live to be 95. That is not a joke. That is the prayer.

The world keeps changing and nobody asked us. The generation coming up behind us is confusing — but Jamey applies the Gen X check immediately. We were not understood either. Our parents said the same things about us that we are tempted to say now. Curiosity over judgment is the move.

The playlist of our lives. Disco. Funk. Punk rock. Synthesized pop. Yacht rock — no apologies. And hip hop, born from necessity, that became the dominant cultural language of the entire planet. We were there for all of it. And Jamey celebrates then AND now, because music was never just entertainment. The format changed. The feeling did not.

The political weather report. Jamey is not picking sides. He is observing, questioning, and calling men back to the one thing Gen X was built for — thinking for themselves. The polarization is real. The weaponization of your outrage is also real. You are too wise to be somebody's instrument.

WTF is not a complaint. It is proof of life. A man who stopped asking WTF checked out a long time ago. You have not checked out. And that is everything.

Man, Listen is a weekly solo podcast hosted by Jamey Mixson — entrepreneur, fitness studio owner, and Black man living boldly after 50. New episodes every week on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and wherever you listen.

MUSIC Credits:

The Sun is in your eyes; by Yogic Beats. IG @yogicbeats email: yogicbeats@gmail.com

P.Y.T. remix; by Framax67 on YouTube  email:af.ml.vincent@gmail.com 

Man, Listen is written and recorded by host Jamey Mixson, Fitness Professional, entrepreneur, and your everyday awesome guy who is living as proof that 55 can be your strongest, clearest, most powerful decade yet. 

New Episodes Weekly. Subscribe on Apple Podcast, Spotify, and other podcast streaming services.

Contact: Instagram @theJamey, Facebook @Jameymixson, Email: mixsonfj@gmail.com 

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Let me just say this right up front. W. T. If you're over 50, you already know exactly what I mean. Not the internet version, the one lived, experienced version, the one where you wake up on a random Tuesday morning. I mean nothing special. It's just Tuesday, and you're standing in your kitchen going, what in the world is happening right now. You see, that body is doing things. The world is doing things. The people around you doing things. And sometimes the only honest and accurate response is WTF. Now let me be painfully clear to all of you, whiny Wains. This is not a complaint session. I want to be extremely clear about that. This is a love letter to the age, to this chapter, to everyone in this bracket who is navigating the beautiful, sometimes confusing, occasionally ridiculous, reality of being 50 plus and still pulling in the game. So, team, we're gonna have some laughs today. We're gonna learn something. We're gonna nod our heads a lot. And we're going to handle it all with that one thing this age actually gives us perspective. What up, team? This is Jamie. Welcome. Man, listen, let's go. Let's jump this off where every morning starts, that body of yours. At 50 plus, your body has developed an opinion. Very strong opinion, no doubt. It will share them whether you asked for it or not. So unless you worked the night shift, you did not move any furniture, you did not run a marathon, you did not do anything heroic or irresponsible. Last night you slept. And somehow, I do mean somehow, you woke up with an injury. I'm talking about a crazy, originless, explainless. I was just sleeping type injury. What the pistol? Or W2, yeah. Let me know if this speaks to you. The new morning routine, it's not coffee first, it's an inventory. Before your feet hit the floor, you're doing a whole diagnostic check on yourself. Hey, knees, you okay? Back, what's going on? Neck, left, right? Okay, we can do it. That one shoulder that has been sending signals since 2019, still unsolved. Still not interested in physical therapy by a show of hands. Let me know if this speaks to you. Getting up off the floor is now an event. Not a movement, it's an event. There are plannings involved in this. There's an exit strategy. There's a movement where you look at the floor and negotiate. And you figure, I got this fancy phone, right? I can just Google my symptoms, but guess what? WebMD, not helpful. You type in one symptom, and the options are mitor muscle strain, or you're about to die. Nothing in between. The algorithm does not play. All right, guys. Let me soften my tongue. There's something I want to address directly because we are grown men and we can handle a grown conversation. Are you with me? Erectile? Dysfunction. There. I said it. Nobody exploded. Good. Now I can only speak for myself, but every man in this age bracket has either experienced it, has an ongoing fear of it, or Google it at 2 a.m. hoping nobody around will check your search history. Well, boys, it is one of the most common and least discussed reality of this chapter of life. The silence around it costs men their health, their peace, and some of you knuckleheads, your life. Here's what I know as a fitness professional. This is not just an age issue, this is a health issue. Cardiovascular function, body composition, stress levels, sleep quality, all of it is connected. The body is an integrated system. When something shows up in one area, it is almost always telling you something about the entire picture we call your body. So again, bros if you see that, doctor. Have that conversation. Handle your business in case you want to handle your business. And here's a stinger the pharmaceutical industry has made billions off men, so many of you, being too embarrassed to talk to their physician. Do not fund that type of embarrassment. I just want to know who does the marketing for these commercials. Can we talk about the commercial for a second? It's always a man on a boat or hiking a trail at the golden hour, looking very pleased with himself in the horizon. Ain't nobody on a sailboat. We want the version where the man is just at home on a regular Tuesday. He can't afford no yacht. Next story, moving on. Now let's talk about the people around you. Because you're not the only one navigating this season. The people you like, the people you love, they're going through it too. If there's a woman in your life, if there are women in your life of a certain age, partners, sisters, close friends, whatever you call her, she may be on the minopausal roller coaster. And I want to say this clear. She did not choose this ride. I don't think anybody would. There is no opt-out button. Ladies, don't let me get ahead of myself. Let me know if my research was even close on this part. So you're starting to get hot flashes. They ride without warning and they'll leave without apologizing. And sleep, from what I hear, none of you sleep, right? And the mood shifts. I mean, they shift to a mood that you didn't ask for, right? Even when you feel your best, you can be completely happy and pissed off at the same time. It's a whole body experience that's been minimized by the healthcare system for deaths. This is its own WTF. Okay, guys, I'm talking to you. Huddle, get over here. So here's what your job is not. You can't fix it. You cannot fix it. Here's what your job is. Learn to understand what the ladies are going through and stop taking it personal. This part is critical. Do not complain about that thermostat. The thermostat belongs to her now. It has been reassigned. Dress in layers. This is a non-negotiable, my man. Hear me out, bro. Being the man who actually gets it, who asks how she's doing and means it, who doesn't minimize what she's going through. This is a different level of manhood right here. This is partnership. This is ownership. This is the real real. This is the guy you want to be right here. That is what 50 plus looks like when you're operating with full awareness. Now let's be honest about the money situation because the spectrum here is extraordinarily wide. Some people made the plans, started that retirement count early, diversified, did the work. Those people are sitting relatively comfortable right now, and we generally salute their efforts. Then there are others. Life has always had a way of rewriting the plans. Businesses that go sideways. Divorces were expensive. Side note, divorce is always expensive. Medical bills just keep arriving. In the 2008 recession, oh boy. We can't even talk about COVID. Pick your plot, twist it the way you want it. Some people, real people, good people, are looking to work until they are at least 94. Meanwhile, we sincerely hope they live to be 95 at a minimum. That's not a joke. That's an actual prayer. So let's slow down again. Talk real talk without shame. It is never too late to make a better financial decision that will improve your life for tomorrow. The hustle does not stop at 50. It evolves what you're selling today. Expertise, credibility, and wisdom that a 28-year-old stuffy nose simply doesn't have. So let me give you a little life wisdom. Um, retiring at 65, it's a construct. There is no tried and true evidence that you need to retire at 65. As reality would have it, as history would have it, it was a number drummed up by a German guy that was smart enough to know that most people in 1900 were not living to be 65. So we didn't need to give these people a retirement. Chew that up. You see, retirement used to mean a gold watch, a trip, fishing. Now it means figuring out which platforms best monetize for your skill set. W, T, F. So about me, check this out. I grew up watching Dennis the Menace, and I just assumed that every neighborhood was gonna look like this. How delusional of me because the world is moving so fast, faster than any previous generational gap in recorded history. Sometimes you look at what's happening around you right now, all this language, these different kinds of values, what's considered normal? The only honest answer? W, T, and that big old F. Alright, so I want you to look left, look right. Have you noticed? Because I'm noticing the generation coming up behind us does not look like us. It doesn't sound like us, and it damn sure doesn't make any sense to us. Before I go any further, I need to say something. So go with me on this one. We are Gen X, Latch Key Legends. I want my MTV, the generation. We wore the things and listened to the music that made our parents looking ups sideways. So let me tell you about Jamie in the 80s. I had the baggage jeans on, name belt, it was gold, gold earring, dangling. Don't worry, it was a clip on. I had a flat top hairdo, I probably had on white papizio boots, studded bracelets, so it's easy to argue that my parents were thinking, hey bro, what's going on with you? What I'm telling you about me is to let you know, our parents said the exact same things about us that we're tempted to say right now. Every generation is confusing to the one before. This is not new. This is what we call human condition. Now with Wi-Fi connections and global audiences. Today's major difference is speed and scale. As a teenager in the 80s, maybe about 30 people saw the most embarrassing thing you did at a school dance. Maybe somebody at the next school heard about it. But now, within seconds, we know everything about everything. And I'm sorry to tell you that information lasts forever on the internet. These kind of situations and conditions create pressure. This generation is navigating that we never had to deal with. So, with that, I'm gonna give them some grace. What I individually am asking is curiosity over judgment. Stay curious, ask questions, listen more than you lecture. So there are a lot of people hung up on how other people self-identify. I truly don't care. But I want you to respect everybody else. I respect how you respect yourself. The landscape has expanded significantly how people see themselves. And my position is pretty simple. I can personally respect anyone's life choice. It doesn't bother me. Live your life your way. And before you get all high and mighty with your gray hair, tell me about Prince, the culture club, Grandmaster Flash, Interfurious V all those hairbands. How many hair products did they really need? It was a lot going on. So I can understand how people were curious with the questions. It was real. All I'm saying is, this is not a weakness. I'm a grown man. I'm a grown secure man who knows clearly who I am enough, and I appreciate others enough that I don't have to police their self-identification in any way. Be who you are, just be safe out there. As for you, friend, you don't have to understand everything to respect it. Understanding and accepting are not the same thing. You can say it loud if you want. I don't understand this. I'm not going to make it my business, but I'm not going to oppose you living the way you live. It's still your choice, like it's their choice. Now moving on. Never mind those other people. You've got real things demanding your attention. Remember that suspicious shoulder? That thermometer issue? The retirement math. You don't have the bandwidth to be upset about how somebody else is living their life. Hey, let's go somewhere good for a minute. Let's talk about the soundtrack of our youth. You grew up in the 70s and the 80s. You were handed one of the most musically diverse airs in human history. You didn't even know how blessed you were to be standing in the middle of all of that. Disco, funk, soul, so deep it would rearrange something inside of you. Punk rock, raw, angry, alive in a way that made perfect sense to you. Synthesized pop that sounded futuristic and emotional at the same time. And then there was Yacht Rock. It was smooth and glossy, unapologetically easy. Christopher Cross sailing into your ears on a Sunday afternoon. We, not ashamed, we will not be taking questions either. Oh, I didn't forget. You know I didn't forget. Hip hop. It was born in the South Bronx, built from turntables and necessity, becoming a dominant cultural language of the entire planet. We were there. I was there in the park before there were record deals. We were there. Today's music is fractured into thousands of microgenres. Kids are producing four albums in their bedrooms on their laptops. That to me, it's incredible. Now, is this the same as when I grew up? No. But does it have to? Also, no. Every generation gets the music that reflects its moment, its tensions, its technologies, its emotional truth. The 70s gave us post-Vietnam peace and love wrapped into four on the floor beats. The 80s gave us excess wrapped in synthesizers. Hip hop gave a voiceless generation its voice. Today, it's something else. Something entirely its own. Music was never just about entertainment. It was an identity. It was the protest. It was a thing you put on when words were not enough. That has not changed. The format changed. The feeling? The same. What song takes you all the way back? What comes on and suddenly you're 19 again? In your car, cruising, zero responsibility, all the time in the world, just a goofwalk if you wanted to. Here's the trick. Hold on to that feeling and give the next generation the same grace to have their version of that feeling. Okay, teen, we're going there. Briefly, carefully, but honestly, because to do an episode about living in this moment and not acknowledging the political climate would be its own travesty and a bit of dishonesty. See what I'm telling you is growing up in the 70s, the issues of today were there, but they were kind of casual and a bit more close. It was a kid that lived down the street from me, and I never paid attention that his grandmother would only let me come into the back door and stay in the kitchen. He had total run of my house. He spent the night. We played. It really didn't bother me, but years later, I realized that they had this feeling. And it hurts today. You see, we're living it in one of the most polarized political moments in modern American history. Left, right, center. Everyone is certain, everyone is loud, and almost nobody is genuine listening. What's a serious WTF moment we're living through right now? Here's the Gen X lens. We grew up in the wake of the 70s, a decade a half. Woodstock and Watergate, peace signs in Vietnam, love, assassinations. The 70s handed us contradictions and said, figure it out. Decide what you believe. There was idealism in that era, a genuine belief that people could disagree, deeply, fundamentally disagree, yet still share the country, still pass the potato salad at the same cookout. That belief feels very distant right now, and the distance is bigger than ever. Now I'm not here to tell you who to vote for, which party to align with, which media outlets gonna give you the best, worst information of the day. Although the honest answer to the last question is probably all of them to various degrees. You already know this. What I'm really saying, what I really want you to do, pay attention, think for yourself. We have lived through enough administration's crisis and enough promise revolutions that quietly faded to know that the truth is almost always more complicated than the loudest voice in the room is telling. You see, friends, the polarization, it's real. The stakes, they are real, but your outrage is being weaponized against you by the media that needs you angry so you keep watching, by the algorithms that learn what triggers you, and by the politicians that need you afraid so you stay engaged. Man, listen, you are too old, too wise, and too clear about who you are to be somebody's puppet. We came from a generation that believed in something bigger than just the argument. Hold on to that, especially when the world makes it so, so hard. And if you're still mad, go take a walk. Because I know your blood pressure's up. It doesn't need any additional stimulus at all. Alright, team, here's your challenge for the week. Three things. Do your body inventory this week, all of it. If something's been bothering you, make the appointment. Your doctor's number is in your phone somewhere, use it. Alright, team, so check this out. I want you to identify one person in your life that you believe is going through it this season. It could be a health concern, it could be the money's funny, something's real. I need you to check in on that person, not a text, not an inbox. Make that call. And this will be a cool one. I want you to put on a song this week that takes you all the way back. Let it hit, let it simmer, you know what I'm saying? One of those things that just celebrates your goodness. And at the same time, find a newer artist that has that vibe that speaks to what you like. Compare it. Apples and apples or oranges and grapes. Who knows? You could be opening the door of a new direction of appreciation in your life. Friends, I want to leave you with this. WTF, all of it. The mystery pains, the morning inventory, the fear men don't talk about, the thermostat that belongs to her now, the retirement math that hit different at different ages, the generation you don't fully understand, the music that sounds nothing like what you were raised on. The political climate that would exhaust a saint. Just know that all of that is proof that you are still here, still paying attention, still curious, still in the conversation, still growing. Some people trek out early, some people stop appreciating the changes, diversity, and the nuances of our world. But you, you haven't checked out. You're still curious, you're still into learning as we go. Like that, we knocked out another one. Man, listen, I appreciate you being here. Hold up, hold up, bro. Um, so what I want to tell you is stay light, stay informed, stay open, and take care of that body of yours because it's the only one you're getting, regardless of how much you can pay for a new one in Miami. So, on our next episode, we're gonna go back. You're talking about all the way back. I wonder if you were anywhere close to who you thought you'd be as a child. We're gonna investigate childhood dreams. Oh wow, I didn't do the thing. Man, listen, it's Jamie, and I'm out.