We Interrupt This Program: The Challenger Disaster
Want to weigh in? Send us a text!A caregiver makes a hard call, the internet sharpens its knives, and an entire generation remembers the day a teacher aimed to teach from orbit. We kick off with real talk about Emma Heming Willis, the relentless scrutiny women face around caregiving, and why “do everything alone” is a dangerous myth. From online backlash to real-world limits—Medicaid cuts, underpaid care workers, and families stretched thin—we pull the conversation back to compassion, resources, and the right to choose what keeps a loved one safe and comfortable.Then we turn to a defining Gen X memory: the Space Shuttle Challenger launch on January 28, 1986. Krista McAuliffe, a social studies teacher selected for NASA’s Teacher in Space program, had millions of kids and educators watching live. Seventy-three seconds after liftoff, the shuttle broke apart. We unpack the chain of failure—frigid temperatures, O-ring warnings raised by engineers, and a culture that prioritized schedule over risk signals—and trace how the Rogers Commission reshaped NASA’s safety culture. What does it look like to trust expertise, slow down under pressure, and protect people over PR? The answers connect classrooms, caregivers, and mission control.Along the way, we share personal memories of watching the broadcast at school, the weight teachers carried in the aftermath, and how these moments changed the way we think about progress. If science is our North Star, then listening to engineers, supporting caregivers, and funding the systems that hold families together are the course corrections we can make right now.If this conversation resonates, tap follow, share it with a friend who remembers Challenger, and leave a rating or review to help more Gen X women find the show. Tell us your memories and your caregiver wins—we’ll feature them in a future episode.Show Notes: “TV Brought the Trauma to Classroom Millions” — an article from Education Week that describes how millions of students were watching live, how teachers reacted, and how schools immediately responded.https://www.edweek.org/leadership/tv-brought-theSupport the showGet your hands on our MERCH!!! DONATION SCHEDULE! We donate $1 per item sold with a minimum of $200 to each organization! Jan-Feb 2025 - Center for Reproductive Rights March-April - Planned Parenthood May-June 2025 - Indy Pride July-August 2025 - WFYI September-October - ACLU November-December 2025 - Second Helpings Love the pod? Love us? Love GenX? Let us know! SUPPORT THE POD HERE! Want to continue the conversation? Sign up for our newsletter! HERE Tell us your own 5 Minutes of Fame story or call it in at 1-888-GEN-XPOD Send us your Dear GenX Women letters! Join us for Meet-Ups and Expert led Discussions JOIN US in L.Y.L.A.S a GenX Women's Social ClubL.Y.L.A.S (Love You Like a Sis) is our paid membership platform where you can have real-life conversations while supporting this podcast and the work we do in the Facebook group. Follow us on ...
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