The Anthony Reeves Experience

I didn’t choose my college based on academics, location, or campus culture. I chose it to prove a point—and I didn’t even visit the campus. As a Gen Xer coming of age in the late ‘80s, college guidance wasn’t always about mentorship. For me, it was tangled in a mix of pride, misdirection, and a desperate need for validation from someone I shouldn’t have been trying to impress. My decision to attend the University of Tampa wasn’t about fit or opportunity. It was about showing my JROTC commander that I could do something he never acknowledged I was capable of doing. He encouraged another cadet—someone I cared about but knew I had outperformed academically—to attend UT, and I took it personally. I saw his silence about my achievements as a challenge. So I made it my mission to go there. I never asked about the school’s academic strengths. I never visited the campus. I never thought about whether I’d feel supported as a Black student at a small, predominantly white institution. All I car...

Generation X wasn’t ready for change. That’s a very different statement from saying Generation X can’t change. And as someone who proudly belongs to Generation X, let me tell you why that distinction matters. We were raised to prepare for a world our parents knew—a world shaped by wars, manufacturing booms, civil rights milestones, and the golden age of unions. We were handed three tried-and-true paths to stability: military service, skilled trades, and college education. Each was viewed as a legitimate, respectable route into the middle class or even beyond. But here’s the rub: while we were training for that world, the world was already changing. By the time we hit high school, the Vietnam War had ended but left its mark on how families viewed military service. Union power—once a cornerstone of working-class success—was eroding, and the promise of skilled trades was becoming harder to realize as industries shifted or disappeared altogether. College, once the great equalizer, bec...

Intro: We’ve all heard someone say, “I’m not trying to make new friends.” On the surface, it can sound antisocial or dismissive. But if you’re in your 40s or beyond, that phrase starts to carry a whole new weight. It’s not about shutting people out—it’s about recognizing the power of relationships that have been built over decades. Listen to the Full Podcast Below:  Listen to "Friends After 40: Why Your Circle Shrinks But Grows Deep" on Spreaker. Friends from the Beginning of Adulthood Friendships you start in your teens or early 20s come with a different energy. These are the people who were there during your first job, first apartment, first heartbreak, first real success. They were becoming adults alongside you. By the time you reach 40, something strange and powerful happens: You’ve now known those friends longer than you haven’t. That changes everything. Why Foundational Friendships Hit Different at 40+ Friendships at this stage aren’t casual. They’ve survive...