In this episode of The Midsters Podcast, Mary-Anne and Leslie Ann travel to the heart of the Pacific — the breathtaking Galápagos Islands — alongside acclaimed photographer Jay Fleming for an immersive photography workshop unlike anything else.

Jay shares his journey from growing up around science and storytelling to preserving disappearing cultures and environments through his lens. From underwater encounters with marine iguanas and sharks to the quiet patience photography teaches, this conversation explores creativity, discipline, community, and seeing the world with deeper intention.

More than a travel story, this episode reveals how art can connect people, protect history, and transform the way we experience life.

Learn more about Jay’s work and workshops at JayFlemingPhotography.com.

In this episode of The Midsters Podcast, we’re joined by Susan Hall, founder of Decide Happy, who shares how happiness isn’t a personality trait — it’s a daily practice built through small, intentional choices.

After experiencing a year that completely transformed her life, including a rare cancer diagnosis and a series of unimaginable challenges, Susan discovered that while we can’t control what happens to us, we can choose how we respond. Together, we explore the difference between happiness and joy, why gratitude is a powerful mindset tool, and how naming and feeling our emotions actually builds resilience rather than weakness.

Susan breaks down simple, practical strategies for shifting perspective, building emotional strength, and creating a life filled with connection, calm, contribution, and growth — even during the hardest seasons.

This episode is a powerful reminder that happiness isn’t about perfect circumstances. It’s about learning to meet life with courage, intention, and compassion.

Check out Susan Hall's book here: https://www.decidehappy.com/book

In this episode of The Midsters Podcast, we sit down with Cheryl Dillon to explore what it really means to create a life that feels joyful, intentional, and deeply fulfilling. Cheryl shares the heart behind her philosophy of “Funderful Experiences”—the idea that we don’t have to wait for the perfect moment to live fully. We can create meaning, connection, and adventure right where we are.

We talk about midlife transitions, self-discovery, and why learning to become your own best friend is one of the most powerful shifts you can make. This episode is a reminder that growth can be fun, healing can be exciting, and purpose doesn’t have to feel heavy—it can feel funderful.

Learn more about Cheryl’s work: funderfulexperiences.com

Listen on Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, and Pandora. Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Con-iyQhCEk

In this episode of The Midsters Podcast, we explore a powerful question: Do we want to live longer… or live better?We unpack the difference between longevity (the length of life) and vitality (the energy, curiosity, and purpose that fills it in).

From an 89-year-old still dominating pickleball courts to the quieter forms of vitality like learning a new language, reading, volunteering, and staying mentally engaged, we discuss what it really means to feel alive at every stage of life. We also explore how depression, isolation, and major life transitions can impact vitality — and what small, practical shifts can help bring it back.

Because the goal isn’t just more years. It’s more life in the years.

Resolution Revolution invites a different way of approaching the New Year. Instead of rigid goals and familiar cycles of burnout or disappointment, Mary-Anne and Leslie Ann explore the idea of shifting resolutions into intentions. They talk about fear of failure, habit-building, self-acceptance, and why midlife is often the moment we stop chasing external benchmarks and start asking how we want to feel, live, and show up.

This conversation reframes resolutions as transitions, small sustainable changes, and intentional choices rooted in self-compassion rather than pressure.

Christmas traditions don’t disappear — they evolve. In this episode of The Midsters, Mary-Anne and Leslie Ann talk about how the holidays change as families grow, kids become adults, and life shifts. From letting go of old expectations to creating new rituals that feel meaningful now, this conversation is about preserving the magic while honoring where you are today.

In this episode of The Midsters, Elizabeth and Mary Ann talk with Jonathan Marion—a transformational life coach, consultant, photographer, and Brazilian zouk instructor who is redefining what it means to live a meaningful life.

Jonathan invites us to reconsider the external achievements we often use to measure success and instead move toward a life rooted in alignment, creativity, connection, and authenticity. From the dance floor to the coaching space to the art of photography, he explores how presence, collaboration, and deep curiosity can guide us toward a more rewarding way of being.

This conversation is an inspiring reminder that midlife isn’t a crisis—it’s a doorway. And stepping through it begins by listening to who we really are beneath the noise.

In this episode of The Midsters, we explore the quiet force shaping so many of our choices: fear. From childhood warnings to the fears we inherit from society, to the hidden anxieties behind change, rejection, parenting, aging, and even living too small — we look at how fear can both hold us back and push us forward.

Mary Ann and Leslie Ann talk openly about the fears that shaped their younger years, the fears that still show up in midlife, and the unexpected ways fear can become fuel. Whether it’s fear of missing out, fear of rejection, fear of change, or the deeper fear of not living fully, this conversation reveals what happens when we sit with our fears, name them, challenge them, and choose growth anyway.

A reflective, honest, and empowering episode about becoming braver — not by eliminating fear, but by understanding it.