Lonely in a Crowd: Heart Health in Midlife Transitions

It’s National Heart Month. And if loneliness affects the heart as much as research suggests… we need to widen the conversation.

When we talk about heart health, we usually focus on cholesterol, steps per day, and cardio routines. All important. But what about the relational side of heart health?

In this solo episode of Late Bloomer Living, Yvonne Marchese explores how midlife transitions — parenting adult children, career pivots, menopause, divorce, retirement, grief, and reinvention — can quietly shift our sense of belonging.

Because you can feel lonely even in a crowded room.

Drawing from her own recent experience of losing a dear friend, Yvonne reflects on how meaningful conversations, community, and play helped soften grief and metabolize the heaviness of the world.

She weaves in research from:

• U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, who has called loneliness a public health crisis
• Harvard psychologist Dr. Ellen Langer on the mind–body connection
• Yale researcher Dr. Becca Levy on how beliefs about aging impact longevity and cardiovascular stress

This episode also explores:

• Why loneliness isn’t just emotional — it’s biological
• How chronic self-criticism activates stress in the body
• Why self-care is more than bubble baths

If you’re navigating a season of identity shift and craving deeper belonging — with others and with yourself — this conversation is for you.