This one’s special — because you helped create it.

In honor of Thanksgiving, I asked listeners to share what they’re feeling most grateful for in midlife. And your answers were so good! They’re honest, hilarious, heartfelt, and full of that signature midlife “F-it” energy we all know and love.

Today’s episode is a crowdsourced roundup of what real women 40+ are grateful for right now — from better relationships with our bodies, to boundaries that finally stick, to friendships that really matter.

Whether you’re juggling work, perimenopause, kids, aging parents, a chin hair you swear wasn’t there yesterday, or all of the above, this episode is a reminder that there’s still so much good in this wild stage of life.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

•The top themes midlife women say they’re grateful for

•Why gratitude hits differently in your 40s and 50s

•What’s changing in how we relate to our bodies

•The rise of boundaries & dropping the people-pleasing

•The power of women supporting women (and why it matters now more than ever)

•Reflections on raising teens and giving fewer f***s

•My own takeaways from your beautiful submissions

Why this episode matters for midlife women

It’s easy to get swallowed by the chaos of midlife — hormones, careers, family, relationships, the mental load… the list is long. Sometimes we forget to actually notice what’s working.

This episode gives you a chance to pause, reflect, and see yourself in the stories of other women walking the same path.

Join the conversation

What resonated with you? What did we miss?

💌 Send me a DM on Instagram @midlifeadvicepodcast or text me using the link in the show notes. I love hearing from you.

Happy Thanksgiving, my friend — and thank you for being here. Truly.

I want to hear from you. Send me a text!

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Join my email list and I will send you my three favorite protein-rich smoothie recipes!

Follow me on Instagram: @midlifeadvicepodcast | @belongwellness
Check out my website: belongwellness.com

If you’ve been thinking, “I just don’t feel like myself anymore,” this episode is for you. Dr. Prudence Hall breaks down why perimenopause can flip your mood, energy, sleep, libido, and identity upside down—and what you can actually do about it.

We dig into the hormonal shifts behind the fog, the labs that matter, the truth about birth control pills and hormonal IUDs in perimenopause, and how bioidentical hormones may help you feel like you again.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

•The real reason you don’t feel like yourself in perimenopause

•How declining hormones affect your mood, weight, sleep, and libido

•Why Dr. Hall says to measure, don’t guess — the exact labs to ask your doctor for

•How BHRT (bioidentical hormones) can restore capacity so lifestyle changes actually stick

•What to know about birth control pills and hormonal IUDs during perimenopause

•How thyroid and adrenal issues can mimic perimenopause symptoms

•When to seek a functional or integrative provider for deeper support

Connect with Dr. Prudence Hall

•@drprudencehall

•Get her free book: Radiant Again & Forever

•The Hall Center

🚌 If you have a friend on the perimenopause struggle bus, please send her this episode so she knows she’s not alone.

CHAPTERS:

02:01 Why We Don't Feel Like Ourselves in Perimenopause

07:22 Why Labs are Important in Perimenopause

10:11 When Your Labs Look "Normal" in Perimenopause

13:05 HRT or Diet/Lifestyle? Which Comes First?

15:33 Can Midlife Women Feel Like We're 30 Again?

19:05 The WHI Study and What We Know Now About HRT

22:11 Birth Control Pills & IUDs in Perimenopause: Dr. Hall's Take

27:59 What Perimenopausal Women Need to Know About Their Thyroid

35:06 Key Takeaways

I want to hear from you. Send me a text!

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Join my email list and I will send you my three favorite protein-rich smoothie recipes!

Follow me on Instagram: @midlifeadvicepodcast | @belongwellness
Check out my website: belongwellness.com

The podcast has a new name! Welcome to Midlife Advice, where smart and sassy women over 40 come to figure out all things midlife — from hormones to careers, relationships, and everything in between.

In this episode, Jessica shares why she decided to change the name from Belong Wellness to Midlife Advice and how you can be featured in an upcoming episode.

If you’ve ever struggled to launch something because you were waiting for it to be perfect, this one will inspire you to just start — and refine as you go.

💌 Text Jessica using the link below or DM her @belongwellness to share what you’re grateful for in midlife (funny, heartfelt, or totally ridiculous submissions all welcome) and a chance to be featured on the show!

I want to hear from you. Send me a text!

Let's stay in touch:
Join my email list and I will send you my three favorite protein-rich smoothie recipes!

Follow me on Instagram: @belongwellness
Check out my website: belongwellness.com

Is midlife going exactly as you expected it would? Yeah… me neither.

And it certainly didn’t for Teyonna Bowman.

At 35, she was a young mom who thought she was doing everything right — eating healthy, staying active, raising her kids — until she found a lump in her breast that changed everything. After surviving breast cancer twice and enduring chemotherapy, radiation, and hormone-blocking treatment, Teyonna entered medically induced menopause at 40.

In this episode, Teyonna shares what it’s really like to navigate early menopause after cancer — the physical symptoms, the emotional whiplash, the loss of connection with her body and her husband — and how she ultimately reclaimed her strength and purpose.

You’ll hear:

•The emotional side of breast cancer and recovery — body image, intimacy, and identity

•How early menopause can affect mental health, libido, and relationships

•The healing power of strength training, journaling, and community

•How Teyonna turned her experience into advocacy and founded Pausitive Outlook

•Her recent work on Capitol Hill lobbying for women’s health and early cancer detection

Whether you’re in perimenopause, post-menopause, or simply trying to make sense of your midlife body, this conversation is a powerful reminder that women are resilient, resourceful, and capable of incredible reinvention.

✨ Listen now and please share this episode with someone who’s facing breast cancer or navigating early menopause. It might be exactly the encouragement they need today.

Connect with Teyonna:

pausitiveoutlook.com | @pausitiveoutlook

I want to hear from you. Send me a text!

Let's stay in touch:
Join my email list and I will send you my three favorite protein-rich smoothie recipes!

Follow me on Instagram: @midlifeadvicepodcast | @belongwellness
Check out my website: belongwellness.com

My midlife mom friends—If you’ve ever needed a vacation after your family vacation, this one’s for you.

In this playful mini-sode, I reflect on my recent family “vacation,” and how I’m getting closer to dropping the quotes. I talk five-hour flights with no iPads, the magic of kids’ clubs, Yoto players, hotel spas, and share tips (and a few silly wins) for traveling with little kids while keeping your sanity intact.

You’ll hear:

•Tips that make family travel a little easier

•How to actually squeeze in some guilt-free “me time”

•The power of being spontaneous and seizing the day

•And the reminder every mom needs

If you have your own family trip survival tips, text me through the link below! It would be so exciting to get a text from you. ;)

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

01:07 Listener Shout Out

02:12 Family "Vacation" Reflections

02:49 Tips for Optimizing Family Trips

05:01 Get A Yoto Player

06:23 Kids' Club for the Win

08:14 Book The Spa Appointment

09:27 Celebrate How Far You've Come

10:54 Carpe Diem

14:37 A Reminder for All Midlife Moms

I want to hear from you. Send me a text!

Let's stay in touch:
Join my email list and I will send you my three favorite protein-rich smoothie recipes!

Follow me on Instagram: @midlifeadvicepodcast | @belongwellness
Check out my website: belongwellness.com

Turns out, those ‘I’m past my prime’ thoughts aren’t harmless—they can literally change your hormones, heart, and health. 😱

Functional nutritionist and narrative-medicine practitioner (yes, we will cover what that means) Andrea Nakayama explains how age beliefs influence inflammation, cortisol, heart health, memory, recovery, and even longevity.

If you’re a midlife woman trying to feel your best during this wacky season of life and want some practical midlife advice for how to evolve into one badass “old” lady, this one’s for you.

We cover:

✔️The 7.5-year advantage: how positive aging beliefs can extend your life

✔️Why negative beliefs can affect cardiovascular health, memory, and recovery

✔️How mindset and culture influence midlife women’s health

✔️Andrea’s thoughts on Menopause Hormone Therapy

✔️Sleep, elimination, and blood sugar—the three pillars of midlife health

Why midlife women should listen:

This episode blends science, mindset, nutrition and lifestyle for women navigating hormonal changes, perimenopause, and the mental side of midlife. Andrea and Jessica unpack what every midlife woman needs to know about how her beliefs, not just her biology, can change her health trajectory.

Guest:

Andrea Nakayama—Functional Medicine Nutritionist, educator, host of 15-Minute Matrix, founder & former CEO of Functional Nutrition Alliance

andreanakayama.com | fxnutrition.com | @andreanakayama

Resources mentioned:

•Becca Levy, PhD — Breaking the Age Code (age beliefs & longevity)

•Ellen Langer, PhD — The Mindful Body (mindset & health)

•Daniel Levitin, PhD — Successful Aging (how memory changes with age)

CHAPTERS:

02:31 What is Narrative Medicine?

06:48 How Your Perceptions About Aging Affect Longevity

08:34 How Our Beliefs Impact Our Physical Health

10:31 What We Can Do About Society's Negative View of Aging

15:56 How To Improve Our Views of Aging

19:32 Andrea's Thoughts on Menopause Hormone Therapy

24:37 3 Pillars of Midlife Nutrition

27:09 Is There a Self-Fulfilling Prophecy About Aging?

36:56 How to Shift Your Negative Beliefs

39:30 Our Memories Are Changing, Not Declining

41:52 Key Takeaways

⭐️ If this episode gave you new insight into midlife women’s health or helped you reframe your thoughts on getting older, please leave a quick rating and review on Apple or Spotify. Your positive reviews are the best way to help me book expert guests to share actionable midlife advice with those of us who need it most.

I want to hear from you. Send me a text!

Let's stay in touch:
Join my email list and I will send you my three favorite protein-rich smoothie recipes!

Follow me on Instagram: @midlifeadvicepodcast | @belongwellness
Check out my website: belongwellness.com

What if the hardest thing to do in yoga isn’t on the mat — it’s staying calm when your kid rolls their eyes for the fiftieth time that day?

In this episode, I talk with Sarah Ezrin, yoga teacher and author of The Yoga of Parenting, about how the ancient principles of yoga can help us survive — and even savor — the chaos of raising humans as midlife women.

Sarah says parenting is the most advanced yoga of all, and once you hear her examples, you’ll get it.

We talk about how yoga is less about poses and more about presence — being aware of your breath, your triggers, and your connection to your kids (especially when they’re testing every ounce of patience you have).

You’ll also hear:

•Why the balance of strong and soft is the real parenting sweet spot

•What “non-attachment” actually looks like when you’ve got to get your kid out the door

•How protecting your energy is the most loving thing you can do for your family

•The one yoga principle Sarah says every parent needs to start with

This episode will make you laugh, nod, and maybe breathe a little deeper the next time you’re about to lose it.

👉 Listen now to hear some powerful midlife advice from a yoga perspective — and why Sarah says, if she rewrote her book today, she might evolve that idea even further.

Guest:

Sarah Ezrin — yoga teacher, writer, and author of The Yoga of Parenting

@sarahezrinyoga

Chapters:

02:27 What is The Yoga of Parenting?

07:04 The Definition of Yoga

10:20 Balancing Softness and Strength

18:37 Non-attachment in Parenting

26:30 The Importance of Self-Care as a Parent

34:54 When Applying the Yoga of Parenting, Start Here

38:39 Key Takeaways

I want to hear from you. Send me a text!

Let's stay in touch:
Join my email list and I will send you my three favorite protein-rich smoothie recipes!

Follow me on Instagram: @midlifeadvicepodcast | @belongwellness
Check out my website: belongwellness.com

Have you ever noticed that just when life starts to feel really good…you start waiting for the other shoe to drop? Or worse, you pick a fight or find a way to mess things up? That’s not random—it’s what psychologists call the Upper Limits Problem, and it’s one of the sneakiest ways we sabotage our own joy.

In this episode, I talk with award-winning author Tamar Hurwitz-Fleming, whose book How to Have a Happy Birthday explores why so many of us minimize celebrations, dread our own birthdays, or struggle to receive joy.

We discuss:

✔️What the Upper Limits Problem is and how it shows up in daily life

✔️Why birthdays are a magnifying glass for self-sabotage

✔️Childhood experiences that shape how we feel about celebrating ourselves

✔️How birthdays can be a practice ground for raising your threshold for joy

✔️Why fully feeling joy matters—not just for us, but for our kids

If you’ve ever cringed at the thought of being celebrated, struggled with disappointment on your birthday, or wondered why joy feels uncomfortable, this conversation is for you.

📖 Learn more about Tamar and her book at howtohaveahappybirthday.com.

👉 If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend who doesn’t love her birthday—because maybe it’s time she had a different story about celebrating herself.

Chapters:

03:34 The Upper Limits Problem

06:45 How to Use Your Birthday To Expand Your Joy Threshold

08:51 How & Why We Sabotage Our Birthday

12:15 How Jessica Sabotages Her Birthday

17:31 How Parents Can Help Their Kids Expand Their Thresholds for Joy

21:19 How to Have A Happy Birthday in December

23:48 Why It's Important to Celebrate On Your Actual Birthday

26:13 Want to Have A Happy Birthday? Start Here.

29:23 Key takeaways

I want to hear from you. Send me a text!

Let's stay in touch:
Join my email list and I will send you my three favorite protein-rich smoothie recipes!

Follow me on Instagram: @midlifeadvicepodcast | @belongwellness
Check out my website: belongwellness.com