Message In The Middle

You’re Not Stuck. Your Nervous System Is Protecting You.

Many women reach midlife having done years of personal growth work. They’ve read the books, gone to therapy, practiced mindset tools, and still find themselves feeling stuck. Not broken, exactly. Just not settled. Not at ease.In this episode of Message in the Middle, Marianne is joined by Ranbir Puar for a conversation that reframes what healing actually looks like.Together, they explore why mindset tools alone can fall short, especially for women who have spent years in survival mode without realizing it. Ranbir explains how healing begins in the nervous system, not because we’re failing at self-work, but because the body must feel safe before change can truly take hold.They talk about compassion as a more powerful force than willpower, what it means to stop asking “What’s wrong with me?” and instead ask “What happened to me?”, and how reconnecting with joy becomes possible when safety replaces self-pressure.This conversation is for the anyone who feels like they've been trying to outgrow themselves, only to realize they may be ready to come home to themselves instead.Connect with Ranbir:  Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/ranbir_puar/#Website-    https://freewithin.me/work-with-me/ Connect with Marianne:Website:  Message In The Middle with MarianneMessage In the Middle Facebook Group:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/422430469323847/YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/@MessageInTheMiddle/playlistsLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marianne-demello-smith-678b9966Email:  Contact | Message In The Middle with MarianneSubscribe to Message In the Middle:Apple PodcastsSpotifyYouTubeLeave Us a Review: If you enjoyed today’s episode, please leave a review and share your favorite takeaway. Your feedback helps us reach more listeners and bring you even more valuable content.Keep the conversation going - Join us for more insightful conversations in the Message in the Middle Private Facebook Community & subscribe to Message in the Middle podcas...

What If Healing Doesn’t Have to Wait? Emma Churchman on Trauma and Resilience

What if healing from trauma didn’t have to wait until life finally slowed down?What if recovery could happen in real time, right in the middle of uncertainty, responsibility, and everyday life?In this episode of Message in the Middle, Marianne is joined by Emma Churchman, nationally certified trauma chaplain, leadership mentor, executive consultant, and founder of the Trauma Recovery Certification Program. Together, they explore what trauma really is, how it often lives quietly in the body, and why so many people carry unrecognized trauma while continuing to perform, lead, and show up for others.Emma challenges the idea that trauma recovery must happen years later or only in clinical settings. Instead, she shares why processing trauma in real time can be both possible and powerful, and how addressing trauma at the root creates lasting resilience rather than symptom management.They also redefine resilience, moving away from the idea of “bouncing back” and toward evolving forward. From trauma-informed workplaces to personal healing, this conversation offers insight, compassion, and hope for anyone navigating the space between the life they planned and the life they’re living.Whether you’re in a season of personal challenge, leadership pressure, or quiet self-reflection, this episode invites you to reconsider what healing can look like right now.In This Episode, We Talk About:How trauma is defined and why it’s more common than we thinkEveryday experiences that often live in the body as traumaWhy trauma recovery doesn’t have to wait years to beginWhat real-time trauma processing looks like in daily lifeAddressing trauma at the root instead of managing symptomsHow trauma can hide behind competence, success, and reliabilityWhat trauma-informed leadership and workplaces truly requireRedefining resilience as evolving forward rather than bouncing backHealing, growth, and perspective shifts in midlifeConnect with Emma:Website:  https://www.emmachurchman.com/traumaEmma's lates book:  https://a.co/d/dzgS7ov Connect with Marianne: Website: Message In The Middle with Marianne Message In the Middle Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/422430469323847/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MessageInTheMiddle/playlists LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marianne-demello-smith-678b9966 Email: Contact | Message In The Middle with Marianne Subscribe to Message In the Middle: Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube Leave Us a Review: If you enjoyed today’s episode, please leave a review and share your favorite takeaway. Your feedback helps us reach more listeners and bring you even more valuable content.Keep the conversation going - Join us for more insightful conversations in the Message in the Middle Private Facebook Community & subscribe to Message in th...

When Being Busy Stops Working: Curiosity, Connection, and Midlife Leadership

So many women in midlife are craving something they can’t quite name. It’s not another productivity system. It’s not better time management. And it’s definitely not one more thing to add to an already full plate. It’s genuine connection.In this episode of Message in the Middle, Marianne is joined by Dr. Mickey Fitch-Collins, a leadership development expert who believes that when we center human connection in how we learn, lead, and live, everything changes.Mickey’s journey is anything but typical. At fourteen years old she became the youngest professional bass fisherman in the country and was managing dozens of sponsors and speaking confidently to rooms full of adults while most teenagers were still figuring out who they were. Those early experiences shaped her understanding of leadership, credibility, and presence in powerful ways.Years later, after building a successful career in higher education, educational technology, and corporate learning, Mickey found herself living the very patterns she now helps others break. Over-functioning. Burnout. And the deeply ingrained belief that busy equals valuable. In this conversation, we explore why connection is often dismissed as a “soft skill” and why it may actually be the most essential leadership skill we have. We talk about work-life integration, identity shifts in midlife, and what it really takes to build a life and career that feels aligned.Connect with Mickey:  htpps://www.learnit.com/mickeyhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/mickeyfitchcollins/ Connect with Marianne: Website: Message In The Middle with Marianne Message In the Middle Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/422430469323847/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MessageInTheMiddle/playlists LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marianne-demello-smith-678b9966 Email: Contact | Message In The Middle with Marianne Subscribe to Message In the Middle: Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube Leave Us a Review: If you enjoyed today’s episode, please leave a review and share your favorite takeaway. Your feedback helps us reach more listeners and bring you even more valuable content.Keep the conversation going - Join us for more insightful conversations in the Message in the Middle Private Facebook Community & subscribe to Message in th...

Rewiring the Mind in Midlife: Hypnosis, Curiosity, Manifestation and the Power of Imagination

In this episode of Message in the Middle, Marianne sits down with Clinical Hypnotherapist, imagination advocate, and award-winning author Michelle Walters to explore how hypnosis, curiosity, manifestation, and imagination can help women in midlife rewire long-standing subconscious patterns.Michelle shares the deeply personal story that led her from a successful career in digital marketing into hypnotherapy after the sudden loss of her life partner. That heartbreak became the catalyst for an inner reckoning — and ultimately, a new way of understanding how the subconscious mind shapes identity, resilience, and possibility.Together, Marianne and Michelle talk about outdated mental scripts, what really happens beneath the surface when women start questioning long-held roles, and why curiosity is one of the most under-appreciated tools for transformation. They also unpack what hypnosis truly feels like, the myths that keep people skeptical, and where rewriting your internal story actually begins.Michelle also introduces MakeMyHypno, her innovative personalized hypnosis platform that blends her therapeutic approach with AI technology to deliver custom recordings designed to support real-world change.If you’re a woman in midlife feeling the quiet pull toward growth, clarity, or reinvention, this episode offers insight, hope, and a powerful reminder: change doesn’t start with force. It starts with awareness, imagination, and a willingness to see yourself differently.Connect with Michelle:https://michellewalters.net/https://makemyhypno.com/podcast_discount Connect with Marianne:Website:  Message In The Middle with MarianneMessage In the Middle Facebook Group:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/422430469323847/YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/@MessageInTheMiddle/playlistsLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marianne-demello-smith-678b9966Email:  Contact | Message In The Middle with MarianneSubscribe to Message In the Middle:Apple PodcastsSpotifyYouTubeLeave Us a Review: If you enjoyed today’s episode, please leave a review and share your favorite takeaway. Your feedback helps us reach more listeners and bring you even more valuable content.Keep the conversation going - Join us for more insightful conversations in the Message in the Middle Private Facebook Community & subscribe to Message in the Middle podcas...

You Don’t Have to Earn Your Worth: Ruth Hirshberg on Burnout, Boundaries, and Believing You’re Enough

So many women in midlife are quietly carrying an exhausting belief: that their worth is something they have to earn—through productivity, perfection, and putting everyone else first.In this episode of Message in the Middle, Marianne is joined by registered social worker, meditation and breathwork teacher, and founder of The Self-Worth Solution, Ruth Hirshberg, for a deeply honest conversation about burnout, boundaries, and the hidden beliefs keeping so many high-achieving women stuck.Ruth shares why boundaries don’t work when you don’t believe you’re allowed to have them, how survival mode becomes a “normal” way of living, and why trying to fix behaviors without addressing the beliefs underneath rarely leads to lasting change. Together, they explore what it really takes to separate your worth from your productivity—and why you don’t need to become a different person to finally feel enough.Key Takeaways:Why so many women intellectually know they’re worthy, but don’t feel itHow early beliefs around “not enoughness” quietly shape our adult livesThe difference between treating symptoms and addressing root causesWhy boundaries collapse without a foundation of self-worthHow productivity became a stand-in for worth, and how to untangle itThe role breathwork and nervous system regulation play in healingWhy you don’t need fixing, you need permission to stop proving yourselfIf you’re tired of chasing validation, running on empty, or feeling like you’re always falling short, this conversation offers permission to stop performing your worth and start owning it.Check out the Mini Meditation Marianne posted before the holidays:  https://www.buzzsprout.com/1938384/episodes/18207054Connect with Ruth:  Face Book https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61579052467890Website: https://www.groundingwithruth.comInstagram: @groundingwithruthLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruth-hirshberg Connect with Marianne:Website:  Message In The Middle with MarianneMessage In the Middle Facebook Group:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/422430469323847/YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/@MessageInTheMiddle/playlistsLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marianne-demello-smith-678b9966Email:  Contact | Message In The Middle with MarianneSubscribe to Message In the Middle:Apple PodcastsSpotifyYouTubeLeave Us a Review: If you enjoyed today’s episode, please leave a review and share your favorite takeaway. Your feedback helps us reach more listeners and bring you even more valuable content.Keep the conversation going - Join us for more insightful conversations in the Message in the Middle Private Facebook Community & subscribe to Message in the Middle podcas...