This 2026 Signal Award-winning podcast features four pals who’ve known each other for decades, swapping stories of shared experiences, new adventures, and recurring nightmares. Connect More is a Gen X variety show about the things that connect us: music, family, work, friendship, food, sports, politics, pop culture, and the stories that remind us where we came from. Every episode mixes humor, honest conversation, good-natured ribbing, and the occasional spirited debate. Consider this your reminder to ‘connect more’ with your circle of friends. Pull up a chair! New episodes weekly!
Pull up a chair at the Connect More Roundtable! Sometimes we need to slow down a bit, get more conversational, and build a deeper connection with the cool people in our lives. This week we're sitting down with one of our favorite people on the planet, the legendary Mary Hynek! We've known Mary for over 40 years, so she's one of the only people who saw all of us we were just young 'uns (and way before we all knew each other!) She was the school nurse at Prairie where Ween, Joco, and John went to school, and she was the Director at YMCA Camp Wapsie where Jax worked in the early '90s.
Mary lived outside Iowa for over 20 years after she retired from Camp Wapsie and we haven't always stayed in close touch, so this was our chance to reconnect and catch up. Mary is a great story-teller and advice-giver, so get out your scorecards to keep track of all the crazy subjects we covered: antagonizing nuns at Mt. Mercy, the Old Gray Mare, riding her Harley motorcycle, teaching teens about emotional intelligence, Sloppy Joe food poisoning, cheerleading, staring down hardened criminals, and being a good boss. It's always been hard to keep up with Mary!
Be sure to check our socials (Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/cnxmorepod/), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/cnxmorepod/), YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@CNXMore)) for some footage of Mary getting ready to drop the gloves and take a swing at some lady on Contestant's Row on "The Price Is Right." Unlike everything else on that show, this footage is priceless.
We'd also love to hear from some of you about your memories of Mary! Drop us an email at cnxmorepod@gmail.com (mailto:cnxmorepod@gmail.com) or post on our socials. There are a MILLION Mary stories out there. Tell us some good ones!
17 Oct 2026
Drop your shorts and bend over, Mr. Babar: GenX Men's Health
You're going to a dinner party and they tell you not to bring anything. What do you do? Still bring something? Obey the wishes of your host...but what if you're the only one that doesn't bring something? It's touchy, right?? Now we just have to get invited to a party...
A few weeks ago we discussed movies we haven't seen that everyone else loves. Let's flip that around: What are our favorites that most other folks seem to have missed? The rollcall of actors starring in these films includes Spencer Tracy, Kathleen Turner, Colin Farrell, Steve Martin, Luke Wilson, and...Don Johnson? Grab a pencil and add these hidden gems to your list (right ahead of Shawshank Redemption, of course).
Next we go in for our annual check-up. How are we approaching our health (both physical and mental) as we age? We've learned lots of lessons from friends and family about what to do (or not do) to keep ourselves healthy so we're around for each other and the people we love. Jocó has some harrowing stories about how workplace health programs caught some problems before they became fatal, and John shares lessons learned from working in the health field and his own journey of sobriety. Ween's family provides motivation to take care of himself, both his immediate family and his sister who pushes him in the right direction. Jax is gonna Jax, but even he has a new exercise routine and is making more investments in his well-being. How has your approach to wellness changed over the years?For the whip-around we revisit a Connect More classic: Ear Worms! What songs just won't. Leave. Your. Head. Classic rock, 1990s pop, '80s slop, and a few modern catchy current tunes all make an appearance. To see the running list of all the Connect More ear worms check out our Ear Worm Playlist (https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5qYdiMT6spdHyUytsSlWhN?si=42e1171033894591) on Spotify. Proceed with caution: You might not get rid of these for a while!
10 Oct 2026
Rod Stewart & Reptiles
Welcome to our very first Connect More Roundtable! Sometimes we need to slow down a bit, get more conversational, and build a deeper connection with the cool people in our lives. This week we're sitting down with Connect More superfan Tina Van Lancker! She's in Omaha now and we don't see her that often, so this was a great chance to reconnect and catch up.
Because she happens to be Joco's sister, we all have a long history with Tina! Given the length of time we've known her, we had plenty of ammunition to give her some serious sh!t, but we also learned a lot about what it was like growing up in the Van Lancker household. From pranks to pets, we had had a fun, wide-ranging discussion. Hang that Andy Gibb poster on the wall, put "Blondes Have More Fun" on the turntable, and enjoy our first Roundtable discussion.
Who else should we invite to the Roundtable? Send us an email at cnxmorepod@gmail.com (mailto:cnxmorepod@gmail.com) with your suggestions, or start a conversation about good guests on our Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/cnxmorepod/) or Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/cnxmorepod/) pages. We LOVE hearing from our listeners!
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
4.9 / 5
10 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
17 ratings
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