Millennials, also known as Generation Y, are those born roughly between 1981 and 1996.

Their lives have been shaped by major historical events: 9/11, the Great Recession and the rise of the internet, smart phones and social media.

Despite stereotypes of being lazy, entitled or glued to their phones, millennials are facing a world very different from the one their parents inherited - and they're rewriting the rules as they go.

Today, they're making tough calls about starting families, buying homes in an inflated housing market, managing student debt and planning for retirement in an economy that often feels anything but stable.

Many are delaying traditional milestones, not from lack of ambition, but because of real financial and social pressures.

Like many navigating adulthood today, millennials are often carrying the weight of high expectations, and the anxiety that comes with trying to "have it all."

They've been labeled everything from tech-savvy trailblazers to avocado-toast-loving slackers. Thursday on the "Sound of Ideas," we'll explore who they really are.

Later in the hour, another installment of our music podcast, "Shuffle."

Independence-based musician Tori Kurtz, known as Willingness, turned to songwriting to write about love - the best of times and the worst of times.

On this week's "Shuffle," she talks with Ideastream Public Media's Amanda Rabinowitz about the songs that flowed from a first spark of love to heartbreak and healing.

Guests:
- Quartez Harris, Author, "Go Tell It"
- Tyler Adams, Vice President of Development, Junior Achievement of Greater Cleveland
- Lauren Gibson, Chief Finance and Operations Officer, Hathaway Brown School
- Natasha Herbert, Photographer
- Tori Kurtz, "Willingness", Musician
- Amanda Rabinowitz, Host and Producer, "All Things Considered" and "Shuffle"