What should you do with your life - when there’s no clear path to follow?

Whether you’re just starting out or rethinking your direction later in life, figuring out what comes next can feel overwhelming - especially when traditional career paths no longer seem to fit.

In this episode of The Gen X/Z Exchange, we're joined by Charlie Rogers, author of Undefinable Life Design, to explore a different way of thinking about careers, purpose and progression.

Charlie introduces the idea of the “Undefinable Ascent” - a more flexible, personalised approach to building a life and career that doesn’t follow a conventional path, but still leads to meaningful and sustainable success.

You’ll learn:

• How to figure out what you want to do with your life - at any age
• Why traditional career paths don’t work for everyone anymore
• How to find a 'good enough' job when you’re starting out
• What it means to develop a Signature Expression that AI can’t replace
• How to combine your skills and interests in the 'Semi-professional zone'
• How to avoid comparing yourself to others on more conventional career paths
• Ideas to rethink your direction without blowing up the life you’ve already built

We also reflect on how Charlie’s framework applies across generations - from figuring things out in your 20s to redefining what comes next in your 40s or 50s - and we share our own ideas on our 'golden threads' and next steps.

Listen in and you’ll discover a more flexible, realistic way to think about your career - one that works with who you are, not against it.

Hit play now and start designing a life that actually fits.

Contact Charlie here:

https://www.undefinablelifedesign.com/

Buy the book here:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/undefinable-life-design-unique-sustains/dp/1919392300/

0.49 Introduction to Charlie

3.00 What is an 'Undefinable'?

3.43 The Undefinable Ascent explained

9.30 Mapping your interests

12.10 Finding a 'good enough' job to start with

16.58 How to develop your Signature Expression that AI can't replace

18.15 The semi-professional zone and how to combine your strengths in unique ways

19.50 Parallels between people in the 20s and 40s/50s

21.21 How to stop comparing yourself to others taking a more conventional route

25.45 How to break out of the conventional career ladder without blowing everything up

29.19 The Energy Toolkit: managing your energy - do you need a holiday or a midlife rethink?

31.33 How to combine your skills in the semi-professional zone

34.22 Your Golden Thread

35.03 Choosing your next mountain

39.30 Charlie asks us what we think our Golden Threads are

41.55 The importance of having someone to work with on your ascent

42.50 Contacting Charlie and getting the book

The Gen X/Z Exchange is a UK podcast exploring career change, purpose, wellbeing and modern life through honest conversations between a Gen X dad and his Gen Z daughter - helping you navigate life’s transitions with perspective across generations.

Send us a voice message on Speakpipe!

https://www.speakpipe.com/thegenxzexchange

Connect with us:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisperkins172/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/lily-perkins-8446a82bb/

Do you ever say yes when you mean no — just to avoid awkwardness, conflict, or disappointing someone?

If so, you’re not alone. People pleasing is far more common than we think — and it can shape our work, relationships and sense of self.

In this episode of The Gen X/Z Exchange, we unpack our own experiences of people pleasing, why it happens, and what it’s really costing us when we constantly prioritise others over ourselves.

Together, we explore how social conditioning, fear of confrontation and the desire to be liked can lead us to overcommit, over-explain and ignore our own needs — often without even realising it.

You’ll learn:

• What people pleasing really is — and why so many of us fall into it
• Why fear of being seen as “difficult” keeps us stuck saying yes
• How social conditioning (especially for women) shapes this behaviour
• The hidden cost of overcommitting and ignoring your own needs
• How to say no at work and in life without feeling guilty
• Why over-explaining undermines your boundaries — and what to say instead
• Practical ways to set healthier boundaries without coming across as uncaring

We also challenge each other to change our own behaviour — sharing simple, realistic ways to become more intentional with your “yes” and more confident with your “no”.

Listen in and you’ll discover how to stop defaulting to people pleasing, start setting boundaries, and make choices that work for you as well as everyone else.

Hit play now and take the first step towards saying what you really mean.

1.00 Our own experience with people pleasing

2.24 A definition

2.55 How many of us in the UK say we're people pleasers

3.35 Why our fear of confrontation should not be perceived as being difficult

3.47 social conditioning for women and more stats on why we should be comfortable setting boundaries

5.28 The impact of saying yes when we mean no

6.00 How the problems arise

9.55 Giving yourself breathing space

10.55 Things we can do to change our behaviour

13.55 How to say no at work

16.54 How to stop over-explaining

18.15 Setting healthy boundaries without coming across as a flake or uncaring

20.00 How to be more intentional with your yes's

20.34 Challenging each other to get better at this

24.40 Our takeaways

The Gen X/Z Exchange is a UK podcast exploring career change, purpose, wellbeing and modern life through honest conversations between a Gen X dad and his Gen Z daughter - helping you navigate life’s transitions with perspective across generations.

Send us a voice message on Speakpipe!

https://www.speakpipe.com/thegenxzexchange

Connect with us:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisperkins172/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/lily-perkins-8446a82bb/

Why do teenagers take risks with alcohol and drugs - even when they know the dangers? And how do you talk to them about it without shutting them down or pushing them away?

In this episode we're joined by Diana Hu McDowell, founder of East West Prevention, to explore how parents and young people can navigate one of the most difficult conversations in modern life.

Drawing on her own journey and years of experience in prevention and recovery, Diana explains why teenagers are drawn to risk-taking behaviours, the role dopamine plays, and how today’s pressures - from social environments to wider culture - shape those choices.

You’ll learn:

• Why teenagers are more vulnerable to addictive behaviours than we might think
• The early warning signs that drinking or drug use may be escalating
• How to talk to teenagers about alcohol and drugs without triggering shutdown or secrecy
• Why “no questions asked” policies can build trust between parents and teens
• The risks of vaping, marijuana use and so-called 'legal highs'
• How harm reduction approaches can keep young people safer in real-world situations

We also explore how attitudes have shifted since 80s anti-drug campaigns, whether prevention initiatives at festivals help or hinder, and why addiction should be understood as a health issue rather than a personal failure.

Listen in and you’ll discover how to have better conversations, build trust, and help young people make safer choices - without cutting them off from the world they’re growing up in.

Hit play now and start the conversation that really matters.

Contact Diana:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/diana-hu-mcdowell/

https://www.eastwestprevention.com/

If this episode resonates, you might also find our conversations on social media and teenagers and friendship and peer pressure helpful.

1.48 Diana's story

5.15 Diana's recovery

6.44 Why teenagers are drawn to addictive behaviour

8.01 The biggest pressures young people are facing today

9.57 80s anti-drugs campaigns and how the perception they created differed from reality

12.40 Early warning signs of things escalating

17.10 How parents can start the conversation with teenagers without them shutting down

19.08 Tips for parents to avoid overreacting

25.35 How the 'No questions asked' policy can work to build trust

27.15 Legal highs - how safe are they?

30.35 The consequences and risks of vaping and marijuana use

34.54 Are prevention initiatives at festivals encouraging certain behaviours or helping reduce harm?

37.19 Diana's successes with prevention and early intervention

39.20 Framing addiction as a health issue not a personal failure

The Gen X/Z Exchange is a UK podcast exploring career change, purpose, wellbeing and modern life through honest conversations between a Gen X dad and his Gen Z daughter - helping you navigate life’s transitions with perspective across generations.

Send us a voice message on Speakpipe!

https://www.speakpipe.com/thegenxzexchange

Connect with us:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisperkins172/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/lily-perkins-8446a82bb/