Dear Midlife...

Embracing the Quiet and Finding Your Path

Shhhh....listen to that.... (silence). If you're listening, but don't hear anything, that's the Sound of Silence (hello darkness my old friend..) Ok, I'll spare you my homage to Simon and Garfunkel (one of my favorite all time groups), but the message in today's podcast is about getting quiet to hear what the universe is whispering to you. Our guest, Elaine Glass, has written a book called "Get Quiet" which is about her own transformational journey inspired by the structure of a classical labyrinth. In this book, Elaine draws on her own experiences and client transformations to clearly illuminate the path to reconnect with one's body, soul, and the universal forces around all of us, to enable each one of us to live a more joyful and purposeful life. But, what if you're like us?! We have a hard time getting quiet and like living out loud! But, in this context, Elaine is talking about taking the time to slow down, to be present, to LISTEN to the universe and it is even HARDER for me to slow my pace than turn my volume down! 😟 Yes, honey, Elaine quotes Nathaniel Brandon, a highly respected psychotherapist, who said, "Leisure is a valid human activity". And we all know you have an aversion to slowing down. But, Elaine reminds us that, in that space... in the quiet...there is truth. There is clarity. There is your future. but you just have to be quiet enough to hear what it is saying and then be willing to surrender to and trust that life is unfolding for you as it should. But, instead...most of us worry too much about the future and fail to trust and to pay attention to the lessons life is laying out before us. In this episode, Elaine teaches us to: Surrender to what will be and trust that life is unfolding for you as it should. Get quiet and listen to what the universe is trying to tell you. Be present. Learn to rest and remember the quote from Nathaniel Brandon "Leisure is a valid human activity". Go to labrynthlocator.org to find a labyrinth near you and take and excursion to one of these cosmic structures and reconnect with self and source and you walk in the beauty of nature. If you're sitting at home worrying about the future, you will never give yourself space to learn and grow. You have to put yourself out there and challenge yourself. Do one thing that is a little bit out of your comfort zone every month. To find more of Elaine: Website | elaineglass.net Book | Get Quiet on Amazon /Elaine Glass Instagram | elaineglass.author If you feel stuck...If you're struggling...take some time today to get quiet. We want to know what that whisper is telling you? I think we are sometimes afraid to acknowledge what we know to be true in our gut. We ignore that tug at our heart that we should be somewhere else, doing something else because we 're afraid of change. we want to know what is your hearts' desire. please leave us a 5-star review and let us know what you know in your heart to be true -if only you had the courage to follow it. Then meet us at dearmidlife.com to get the support you need for success.

Getting Unstuck and Accelerating your Growth

In 1989 our guest, Lise Janelle, made a commitment to herself that she intended to heal the hearts of millions of people using her Heart Freedom Method. She uses this method to help her client's get "unstuck" and accelerate their growth. That's right girls...are YOU feeling stuck!? I mean...who ISN'T feeling stuck in midlife. You know, we have put so much of our time and energy into everyone else that we get to this age where we have more freedom to create a life we love...but, we are too damn tired to do so! OR our own past history is standing in our way and creating this feeling of "stuckness" that is AMPLIFIED. Dr. Lise to the rescue! She is a renowned growth accelerator coach who’s been revolutionizing the way people achieve success with her groundbreaking Heart Freedom Method. It’s like she’s got the secret key to unlocking all those subconscious barriers holding you back. Mind-blowing, right? She’s not just some ordinary coach! She’s been featured on CBC News, CTV’s Canada AM... the list goes on. This woman knows her stuff and has the creds to prove it. And let’s not forget, she’s the founder of the Centre for Heart Living in Toronto. Plus, she’s written these incredible books, "You are Loved" and "Conversations with the Heart." and is turning her attention to co-authoring a NEW book, which will be published later this year, called "Unstuck" with Jack Canfield of Chicken Soup for the Soul fame. Trust me, you'll want to grab a copy of every one of these books! Oh, and did we mention she’s a former championship rower and a pioneer in women’s Ice Canoeing? And she’s even scaled Kilimanjaro! Is there anything this woman can't do. She’s literally climbed mountains, both physical and metaphorical. And if that’s not enough, she’s also a member of the Transformational Leadership Council. This means she’s mixing and mingling with the top minds in personal development. Talk about impressive! Exactly! So, buckle up, listeners, because today’s episode is going to be packed with wisdom, resilience, and the kind of inspiring stories that make you want to jump up and take on the world. In this episode, Lise teaches us: The only difference between someone living an ordinary life and someone living an extraordinary life is their ability to take action. But, the subconscious mind sometimes stands in our way. There are 3 clues that your subconscious mind is working against you...you know what needs to be done, but you're not doing it, you do what needs to be done but it feels like drudgery, and, finally, those who do the work but are getting the opposite results that they desire. The more intense situations we experience the greater probability that we'll develop a conditioned response to that situation. You will always have an equal amount of support and challenge. You need to use the support to carry you where you need to go and avoid getting stuck by the challenges. When the challenges arise, ask why is this happening FOR me?What am I supposed to learn? If you are able to change your reactions to the events of your past, it will change your future imagination and transform your destiny. We need to listen to and honor the purpose that is in our hearts. Not doing so is to betray ourselves. And then we need to step outside of our comfort zone to pursue our passion and, when we do, we attract support. If we stay in our comfort zone, we attract challenges. To find more of Lise: Website | HeartFreedomMethod.com Website | drlisejanelle.com LinkedIn | drlise Instagram | @drlisejanelle And speaking of inspiration...ladies we need you to join us at dearmidlife.com... We are SOO close to birthing some amazing content out into the world...This episode really reminded us of our true passion and purpose to bring women together in connection and provide new and unique tools that will help all of us navigate this crazy middle together. Go to dearmidlife.com to join us on this journey! Please be patient with us because we are doing it messy! We've had some stops and starts, but we want you to be there with us when the magic happens. So, become a founding member of our community today!

Making Peace with the Past to Create Your Future

Dear Midlife has always been a podcast where we dive deep into the chaos, comedy, and complexities of our wonderfully messy mid-lives. In today's episode our guest, Author Boo Trundle, causes us to consider what are those deep rooted fears and truths that we've locked into these wide, deep sort of cargo trunks within our souls (or maybe in this case a WWII submarine to borrow from the metaphor our guest uses in her book), that we've gorilla glued and chained and dropped at the bottom of the ocean or the in the depths of our inner spirits...And what happens when life becomes a relentless reminder of all those buried old wounds. You know...just when you think you’ve got it all together, something bubbles up from the depths and says, “Hey, remember me?” Our conversation with Boo today explores the scattered parts of our lives as women and how so many of us strive at this time in our lives to pick up these fractured pieces of ourselves and puzzle them together so that we somehow feel whole again Boo said something beautiful in this episode and that is that this healing process isn't something that can happen in a week or maybe even a decade, but that the healing process is a journey and one I know I'VE been on and that really resonated with me. In her book, Boo explores Katherine's healing journey, whose story so many of us can relate to. She's an attentive mother, comfortably married, yet battling dark thoughts and fears of intimacy. And girl, we KNOW that no matter how polished our lives appear on the outside that there is often an internal struggle that we're managing. In her book, and in this conversation, Boo beautifully portrays this inner struggle we face. In her novel, these struggles are revealed in alternating short chapters told by Katherine’s inner children—Truitt, Star, and Smooshed Bug—each with their own unique strategy for coping with her past traumas. Will they protect her from the truth, or deliver it to her? That’s the big question. Her book, and this conversation, is a wonderful rollercoaster of emotions and insights, and a perfect reflection of our midlife journey—where we’re constantly sifting through the past, trying to shape our personal narratives, and exploring who we are and who we want to become. In this episode Boo teaches us: Find the support you need to persevere. She shared with us the power of finding that someone to mentor and guide you to achieve your goals. Get out there and connect with like minded women! Don't be afraid to quietly and persistently pursue your dreams...EVEN IF life "gets in the way". Don't use "life" as an excuse. Our "vulnerabilities" are unique and different for each of us. There is a beauty in getting to know the vulnerabilities that each of us hold and providing space and support to another person to help them embrace and move through their own truths. We often live very "linear" lives, along a timeline of happenings...get married, have children, age etc. But, there is also there is the "soul's work" that is not linear and weaves in and out of the timeline of our lives and it is a journey. To find more of Boo: The Daughter Ship: A Novel Website | www.bootrundle.com Boo shares with us her journey and how her life has shaped her and carried her to where she is today as she delivers her first published novel to the world at age 56. And if you find yourself on the same journey of healing and exploration, join us at dearmidlife.com because we have some amazing tools and resource we are creating to help you on your journey and are creating a network of supportive women who will be there to connect with you, lift you up, relate to your challenges and help you to achieve your goals. We can't wait to meet you in the middle.

Harnessing the Power of Positive Thinking to Improve Your Life and Health

There is a statistic that states that that the power of positive thinking can literally extend your life by 7 years! And, further, our guest today, Dr. Anna Marie Frank, states in this episode that positive thinking can PHYSICALLY strengthen your body and sites several studies to demonstrate that. If all women could harness a positive mindset, we feel that we could, indeed, rule the world! But, you know what women do? Maybe we're speaking for ourselves here, but it is our perspective that a lot of women put themselves down and cling to old negative narratives about not being good enough, smart enough, thin enough...enough...PERIOD. I mean fill in the blank, right?! As a matter of fact, women bully ourselves everyday. We know we catch ourselves doing it. And (while we don't claim to be geniuses at math), when we put two and two together...the negative thoughts we continue to carry around with us are actually taking a physical toll on our bodies. Today, our mind-blowing guest, Dr. Anna Marie Frank, is here to rock our world as we discuss brain health, self-love, and kicking all that negative self-talk to the curb. Dr. Frank has written a book called “Stop Bullying Yourself!” which is like a bible for anyone wanting to boost their health, wealth, happiness, and success. She is here to help us rewire our way of thinking and start living as our true, authentic selves Now, Dr. Anna Marie Frank is not just your run-of-the-mill doctor. She's a badass Doctor of Traditional Naturopathy with a Ph.D. in Natural Medicine. She’s got credentials and training from the Gerson Institute, Amen Clinics, Integrative Nutrition Institute, Mindvalley, National Wellness Institute, and the Wellness Council of America. Talk about a lifelong learner! She's a woman after our own heart. But let's get real here. This woman isn’t just book smart. She's lived it. She’s battled depression, dyslexia, and ADD and came out on top. She's the founder of Happy Whole You, a brain health-focused wellness center out in Bakersfield, California. And trust me, she’s bringing the sunshine to those brains! And let’s not forget she’s the "brains" behind—pun totally intended—a line of brain nutraceuticals like “Happy You, Calm You, & Bright You.” Oh, and did I mention she just launched a new bioavailable liquid nutrition line? Because, you know, why stop at one incredible achievement when you can have a dozen? In this episode, Dr. Frank teaches us: You are the only person who can make you happy. Our brains look for (and find) evidence to validate what we are thinking. We are witness to our own thoughts. We then have to ask ourselves, what if this (negative) thought were not true? Asking ourselves these questions pulls us away from our Limbic (or emotional) brain and back into our logical brain. Women have a larger hippocampus than men, so we have a strong emotional memory! Your thoughts will directly impact the biochemical makeup of your physical body. If you think positive thoughts, your body strengthens. How you're thinking is everything. The first step in learning to stop bullying yourself and to love yourself instead is to let go and trust that your life couldn't have happened any other way than how it has happened thus far. To find more of Dr. Anna Marie Frank: Website | happywholeyou.com Facebook | happywholeyou Instagram | @happywholeyou YouTube | happywholeyou Apple Podcast | Happy Whole You We want to hear from you out there?! What negative narratives are you clinging to? Have you thought about what kind of toll these negative thoughts are having on you? What if you could have an incredible network of women who are struggling with the same things to connect with and talk to? What kind of impact would that have on your life? We have exciting things coming at dearmidlife.com. We'll have curated content especially for you and a network of gal pals who get where you are and want to build connections. Come join the fun!

Overcoming Obstacles to Become a Midlife Maverick

Man, we've overcome a lot of adversity! Shelby navigated the death of her mother at age 7 that changed the trajectory of her life. Trinity has..... But, women are resilient! It's like there is some resolve within us that pushes us to keep going. But, our next guest has faced MORE than her fair share of trials. So many it MIGHT just have a girl asking herself...why me??? We are firm believers that the obstacles we face in our lives are meant to make us stronger. We stand in our conviction that life happens FOR us and not TO us. We believe there is purpose to the challenges we endure. Our guest, Alison Jacobson, embodies this unwavering resilience, after navigating the heart-wrenching loss of her baby, weathering bankruptcy following a difficult divorce, and shouldering the role of caregiver for both her son, who has intellectual disabilities and her husband, who battles Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis. But, TODAY, Alison calls herself the "Midlife Maverick" because at the remarkable age of 57, she conquered the iconic NYC Marathon (after never running even a mile until the prior year), serving as a living testament that it is never too late for personal transformation. Despite the obstacles in her life, Alison has become a highly accomplished coach, speaker, author, and fellow podcaster. Alison empowers women in midlife to reignite their aspirations, reconstruct self-assurance, magnify happiness, and unlock the abundance they genuinely deserve at any age. Alison’s book Daily Inspirations for Midlife Women: A Guide to Peace, Joy, Confidence, and Abundance was published last year. Alison is a dedicated advocate for women in midlife, helping them overcome self-doubt and fear to achieve their goals and live joyful, successful, kick-ass lives in their second chapter. Through her own tragedies and adversities, she empowers women to find life after loss, regain self-confidence to bravely move forward personally and professionally, and take decisive action to make themselves the center of their own lives. In this episode, Alison teaches us to: Ask yourself how do you define happiness! She asks how will you achieve the happiness you seek if you don't even know your own definition of happiness? Start with knowing your why. Having a powerful "why" or reason that is driving you towards a goal will be a powerful motivator. Surround yourself with the people you aspire to be like and who can give you the knowledge and wisdom you need to be successful in your goals. Set small, manageable goals that (collectively) move your forward towards your larger goal. Tracking and celebrating these smaller wins along the way make achieving big goals more realistic and helps maintain your motivation Set boundaries with your loved ones in order to make time for yourself. Give yourself permission for (at least) an hour a day. CONNECT WITH ALISON alison@alison-jacobson.com alison-jacobson.com LinkedIn | alison-jacobson-midlifemaverick Facebook | AlisonJacobsonMidlifeMaven Instagram | @_alisonjacobson YouTube | @AlisonJacobson And, ladies. We are kindred spirits with Alison. We know we all have our struggles...but, girl if we can take the time to lift one another up...think of the power in that. We are on the same mission as Alison. We want to hold up a mirror for you and SHOW you how strong you are. We want to support you through adversity and help you become the best version of yourself. Join us by going to dearmidlife.com and enrolling in our community.