EP322: Gen X, AI & Ageism: How Menopause & “Manopause" Affects Everyone - Simon Bucknell, FounderEP322: Gen X, AI & Ageism: How Menopause & “Manopause" Affects Everyone - Simon Bucknell, Founder
The Recruiter's Recruitment Podcast
Recruiter and founder Simon Bucknell talks with host Lysha Holmes about ageism, Gen X careers, menopause, "manopause" and AI literacy in recruitment. The discussion highlights how experience, health and technology all intersect for mid-life professionals and why honest conversations at work matter.
37:47•4 May 2026
Gen X, Menopause, AI and Ageism: Why Experience Still Matters
Episode Overview
- Ageism in hiring can quietly push Gen X talent out of the market, so recruiters need to widen shortlists and challenge client assumptions about age and capability.
- Menopause and "manopause" can affect confidence, focus and mental health, making open, stigma-free conversations at work essential.
- Recruitment teams should examine their own bias and team makeup if they want to credibly talk about diversity and represent a broad talent pool.
- AI, used well, should remove admin “grunt work” and let people focus on the human side of recruitment, supported by practical AI literacy training.
- Founders and leaders in Gen X often juggle businesses, children and ageing parents, so looking after their own health and wellbeing is crucial for long-term performance.
“I was actually worried that with ageism biting so acutely that we might lose a whole generation of people.”
What can we learn from those who have battled addiction to bias, burnout and outdated thinking at work? This conversation between host Lysha Holmes and Gen X recruiter-turned-founder Simon Bucknell zooms in on ageism, AI and hormonal health in a way that feels honest, human and very, very current.
Simon shares how his frustration at blatant age bias in a client brief led to a fiery LinkedIn post: “I was actually worried that with ageism biting so acutely that we might lose a whole generation of people.” That post went viral and quickly grew into Gen X Talent, a free job platform connecting experienced professionals with employers who value them, and a wider “rec for good” mission.
From there, the chat widens into how recruitment firms and hiring managers handle age, menopause and what Simon calls "manopause". Lysha talks openly about her own menopause symptoms, describing brain fog mid-presentation and the impact on confidence, stressing the need for “safe space” at work where health and performance can be talked about without shame.
Simon adds the male side of the story, discussing testosterone changes, mental health and the pressure on Gen X founders who juggle businesses, teams, kids and ageing parents. Both push for recruiters to challenge clients’ assumptions, widen their funnels and stop equating age with being “over the hill”.
You’ll also hear how Simon’s AI literacy venture, Peak Intelligence, gives everyday workers practical tools so AI “takes out the grunt work and allows you to do the human bit”, helping Gen X stay relevant right into their 60s and beyond.
If you’re in recruitment, HR or simply a mid-lifer wondering where your confidence went, this chat offers straight-talking reassurance, a few laughs about brain fog, and plenty of food for thought on how workplaces can treat experience as an asset, not a problem. So, how might your hiring habits be holding Gen X back?
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