Ep.5: Why I Started This Podcast: A Solo Episode

In this solo episode of The Words We’ve Heard, host Marbree Sullivan steps away from her usual conversations with baby boomers to answer two questions:

Why did she start this podcast?
And why does she thank her grandmother at the end of every episode?

Marbree offers three main reasons and opens up about her own journey—from letter-writing with her grandmother to a life of travel and distance from home. She shares how a journey with her parents during a difficult time ignited a desire to capture the wisdom of a generation that's slowly slipping away.

This episode is an invitation—to remember, to reach out, to listen—and to appreciate the value of everyday stories.

🎧 Key Moments in the Episode:

• [00:00:28] – Why This Podcast Exists
• [00:02:25] – The Importance of Relatable Stories
• [00:04:18] – Inter-generational Connection: Time is Limited
• [00:06:30] – A Generation Reflects: The Value of Being Heard
• [00:07:20] – From a Gex X Life to A Life Abroad
• [00:13:45] – The Realizations That Sparked the Podcast
• [00:18:32] – Bridging Generations Through Curiosity and Story
• [00:21:35] – My Grandmother’s Photo Albums
• [00:24:37] – Why I’ll Always Thank Her

💬 If this episode resonates with you:

• Leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify
• Share it with someone who’d appreciate the message

Reach out to a baby boomer in your life—or help one leave a review and feel seen

Transcript

 Welcome to the words we've heard. This is Marbury Sullivan, and each week I sit down with a baby boomer to capture their stories, ask for a bit of advice, and hold on to the memories of the post World War II generation. Join me as we journey through everyday lives and extraordinary stories.

Welcome to a solo episode of the Words We've Heard. I'm bringing this one to you today to answer two questions. Why am I doing this, and why at the end of every episode do I thank my grandmother for a 2001 conversation? Starting with the first question, why am I doing this? I've got three main reasons, and I'm going to list them in no particular order.

They're each equally dear to my heart, the first to help members of my generation, which if you're wondering is Gen X and younger generations who are navigating our adult years in an era of noise and overwhelm with content coming at us from all directions. Much of it, so aspirational as to be unrelatable.

We are in a time of loneliness and lack of community and images of life that seem unattainable. Many of us live far from our families, and even if we do live nearby, we often tune out our parents or grandparents' advice and don't know the stories that might cause us to sit up and listen. So if I can help anyone by sharing stories and advice of those who have led fulfilling lives without seeking some impossible notion of greatness or perfection, then this podcast is worth the energy and resources I'm pouring into it.

The second reason is to inspire connection between the baby boomers and the younger generations they've touched. Let's be honest, this generation won't be here forever. Their numbers are dwindling. When they're gone, we can't call them up and ask them questions. Thank them for how they helped us, or tell them we love them.

And the boomers only have so much time left to share their knowledge and make sure that we know how much they care. So if this podcast leads even one person. To pick up the phone or send an email or a text message to a baby boomer, whether a family member, a mentor, a teacher, the person who coached their soccer team or led their girl scout troop, or it leads a baby boomer to call that younger person they've been meaning to reach out to.

Then this podcast is a wild success because we all need more connection. The third reason is to give a generation that is sadly coming to the end of their years, a chance to remember and reflect whether through listening to their peers or by sharing their own stories. With me and with all of you, I've seen what a gift it can be to look back over your life and know that someone's listening.

So. Those are the main reasons why I'm doing this. There are others, but this podcast episode would be far too long if I went into every single one. So if all you wanted to hear was why I'm doing this, you can probably stop listening right now. If you'd like a bit of background on how I got to this point and an answer to the second question, then let's keep going.

As I mentioned, I'm a member of Gen X, although some would classify me as a Xal. Born at the tail end of Gen X until my mid thirties. I lived a pretty typical Gen X life. I'd left home for college and not looked back. I had a reliable career. I was married. I had the somewhat cynical whatever attitude of my generation.

Then I took what I refer to as my first retirement at 34. I quit my job as a senior ish associate at a large law firm, and six months later took off to travel the world. And in the years that followed as I traveled and then lived outside the us. I came to truly understand just how privileged and fortunate I am in so many ways, and I'm not gonna list them all.

That's what my gratitude journals are for. What I will say is that I got a lot of really good advice from my parents, and I still do. They're really interesting people who have done a lot of cool shit. I both like and respect them. It's an incredible gift, one that I know not everyone receives. As I traveled and found new places to call home, I didn't have as many opportunities to interact with them.

Time zones meant that I couldn't always call to hear a friendly voice or ask their advice about something, and I started listening to podcasts. Some of my favorite hosts starting to feel like friends or trusted advisors. I learned a lot. I still do as I continue to listen to podcasts. Many of the guests interviewed are famous or wildly successful.

They have inspiring stories of building phenomenal lives or great businesses often coming from nothing or overcoming huge obstacles. Sometimes those interviews give me the uplifting boost that I need to push through whatever challenge I'm facing, and they inspire me, but sometimes they leave me feeling disconnected, alone.

Inadequate. The interviewee is so far removed from any reality that I've ever known. I can't see even a glimmer of my life in theirs, or the goals and dreams that they encourage us to go after, feel wrong to me. At first, I thought my disconnect was because spending so much time outside my home country changed my perspective and values so much that I can no longer relate.

But then I realized that while that is a factor, there's another one at play. I don't care about being the best, having the most, being amazing. I wanna do well. I want to live a fulfilling life. I wanna be proud of what I put out into the world and how I make people feel. And. I don't need to hold myself to impossibly high standards to do that.

And the truth is, I'm pretty sure that's how most of us feel. So where are those stories, stories of good lives that didn't bring fame or legendary fortune? Stories of people who have lived well, stories that most of us can relate to. There are photo based stories like Humans of New York and standalone stories on the Moth and podcasts, like stories that empower.

But where are the life stories? The ones of people who can look back and say, outside of my circles, no one's ever heard of me, and it's been a great life. What advice did those people have to give? So now here I am. Carrying on through my completely unconventional life outside the US with those questions rattling around in my brain and then some shit happened.

That reminded me once again, how lucky I am to have the family that I do. The full story is long and not relevant to this podcast, so suffice it to say my life had fallen apart. I was in a journey of healing, trying to find hope that I could turn my life around, and my parents did something that surprised me.

They flew around the world and traveled with me in a country that most Americans can't find on a map. They walked through villages in the rain, got in and out of boats that even my active 40 something year old body found uncomfortable, and they did it with a sense of humor. Now, I should say they're well traveled and have been to many places that most Americans can't find on a map, but they've been married for more than 40 years.

More than 40, more than 50 years. So you can bet they're not quite as spry as they once were. And Laos, where they met me has a GDP of just over $10,000. So this isn't exactly a country known for its comfort at their age. Them making that trip was a hell of a surprise. And while we floated down the Mekong and ate fresh buffalo milk ice cream, trekked to waterfalls through ancient ruins.

Watch the sunset over the mountains. I realized that the inspiration I'm seeking, the stories I want to hear, the advice and wisdom I'm curious about is theirs and people similar to them At the same time, members of my parents' generation are starting to pass. Their natural lives are coming to an end.

When I talk to friends these days, we are more likely to talk about our parents' health than someone's kids. I've become acutely aware that time is running out and that I will really, really, really miss my parents when they're gone. And if that's true for me, then it's true for others.

Whether because of my travels or my age, I'm no longer as cynical as my Gen X label implies and watching connections fall apart as our country and so many others fractures sits heavy on me. As our world becomes more and more divided, being able to look past differences to the person underneath being curious about the story that led them to where they are and what they believe is more important than ever.

So the answer to my questions that have been rattling around in my brain became obvious. I'd sit down with the baby boomers, capture their stories, ask for their advice, preserve their voices for their kids and grandkids, for all of us who want to live our lives in the best way that we can. All of us who could use a bit of time tested words of everyday wisdom.

And maybe if I'm lucky, help a few people connect. Making this podcast is more work than I imagined it would be, and I have much to learn, in many ways to improve. But if I help even one person, whether through someone's story or wisdom or sparking a connection rekindling one, then all of it is worth it.

If you are that person, I'd really love to hear from you, please review the podcast and Apple Podcasts. Give it five stars or on Spotify. Again, pretty sure you can give it five stars there too. And you can review individual episodes on Spotify. So let me know the ones that speak to you. I promise I'll read it and be eternally grateful.

In fact, if you're not a boomer, could you do that now? Please hit pause, leave a review, come back to hear the final piece of the puzzle behind this podcast. If you are a boomer, thank you for listening. When you've gotten through the rest of the episode, then leave a review. And if you don't know how, and you have grandkids old enough to know you've got the perfect excuse to reach out to them, so ask them for some help.

If you have kids, remember that they're probably in a really busy stage of life, so cut them some slack if you aren't hearing from them as much as you want. And also ask them for help with reviewing this. Okay, back to that question about my grandmother and our 2001 conversation. Throughout my adolescence, college years and early adulthood, my grandmother and I were pen pals.

We exchanged handwritten letters. In the mail in 2001, she was nearing the end of her life and I flew down to spend a couple nights with her. While I was there, I took photo albums off her shelf, selecting them at random. I sat on a chair beside her bed and paged through them. She looked silently over my shoulder at some answered questions about others, and as we continued, she volunteered stories.

My father's childhood, her travels with my grandfather, her life long before I existed. As we went through the years of her life captured in those albums, she reflected on choices she had made and the life she lived. I was honored to be trusted with her memories and her words. Even then, I knew what a gift it was to have that time with her to hear stories that I would not have known had I not taken time off from work and flown down to be with her to this day.

I cherish the memory of those days, and although she passed more than 20 years ago, I will be forever grateful. I can't imagine that I'd be doing this podcast without having had that experience. So I will continue to thank her at the end of every episode. And there you have it. A few ideas of why I am doing this podcast, how I got here, and why I am so grateful to my grandmother.

Thank you for tuning in and. I hope you'll join us next week when we get back to the baby boomers.

To those of you listening, thank you for joining us. If you enjoyed this, please leave a review in Spotify or Apple Podcasts and hit that follow button. These things help others find the podcast and they mean the world to me. Share this with anyone you think would love it or learn something from it and keep coming back from more of the words we've heard.

This podcast would not be possible without the editing and production brilliance of Corey orac, the inspiration of my parents at a 2001 conversation with my grandmother. My thanks to you all.