The way you've been setting personal goals is the very thing holding you back from living your biggest life. It’s time to ditch the SMART framework and finally create goals that align with the woman you’re becoming.

Episode Summary:
In this week’s fiery episode, Laurie dismantles one of the most overused—and misused—tools in personal development: the SMART goal framework. You’ve been told to make your goals specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. But when it comes to midlife transformation and building your actual BEST LIFE? That framework might be doing more harm than good.

Laurie explains why applying a corporate goal-setting system to your deeply personal hopes, dreams, and desires keeps you stuck in external validation and false deadlines. She dives into why midlife is the exact moment to let go of achievable, "relevant," and time-bound goals—and finally start designing your own definition of success.

You’ll learn:

• Why throwaway goals feel good—but don’t change your life
• How focusing on what’s “achievable” shrinks your vision
• Why setting personal goals based on relevance is total BS
• The sneaky toxicity of arbitrary deadlines
• How to shift from performance-driven goals to purpose-driven dreams

She also introduces the BEST LIFE™ framework—a game-changing, trademarked system she uses with all her coaching clients to move from burnout to breakthrough.

If 2026 is the year you finally start living for you, this episode is a must-listen.

Resources Mentioned:

• Click here to learn more about 1:1 or group coaching
• Follow Laurie on Instagram: @schoolofmidlife

Take the Conversation Deeper:
Laurie wants to hear from YOU. What was your biggest takeaway from this episode? Slide into her DMs on Instagram or click here to send her an email! 📧

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Why "New Year, New Me" is total BS—and what to do instead.

Welcome to 2026, friend! In this first episode of the year, Laurie Reynoldson takes a refreshingly honest approach to what the New Year really means for high-achieving midlife women. Forget the pressure to overhaul your life overnight. Instead, Laurie shares why easing into the year with intention—not hustle—is the secret to making real, lasting change.

From dissecting the toxic “New Year, New Me” narrative to sharing her own personal story as a state-level sprinter (who, spoiler alert, always started slow and still won her races), Laurie makes the case for embracing a more sustainable—and dare we say, enjoyable—approach to the New Year.

She also walks you through why the real first step isn’t a new gym membership or a 4:30am alarm. It’s doing your damn year-end review. (Don’t worry—there’s a clickable link in the show notes to help you get that done.)

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• Why fast starts fizzle—and what to do instead
• How to reset your expectations without losing momentum
• The power of planning one quarter at a time
• What “getting back to zero” actually looks like
• How to use lessons from 2025 to build a more intentional 2026
• Why midlife women need a different kind of January energy

Whether you’re feeling fired up or totally wiped out, this episode gives you the permission slip (and game plan) to do things differently this year—and make midlife your best life, one realistic step at a time.

Links & Resources:

• 📥 Download the FREE 2025 Year-End Review Workbook
• 🗓️ Check out the Best Life Planner
• 🌵 Learn more about the April 2026 Best Life Retreat at Civana
• 💬 Want to work together in 2026? Book a call with Laurie!

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The secret to a powerful 2026? Actually finishing 2025.

In this soulful, no-BS episode of The School of Midlife, Laurie dives into the real work we often skip at the end of the year: reflection. If you’ve ever found yourself rushing into goal-setting and resolutions while ignoring everything you just lived through, this episode is your permission slip to pause—and do it differently.

Laurie shares why the space between Christmas and New Year is the perfect time to slow down, take inventory, and extract the lessons, patterns, and gold from your year—before you try to plan the next one.

You’ll also hear how high-achieving women get stuck in the “next goal” dopamine loop, and what it takes to break free and find actual fulfillment.

If you’re tired of chasing and ready to live more intentionally in 2026, this episode is the one to listen to before the year ends.

💡 In This Episode:

• Why high-achieving women struggle to pause (and why we must)
• How to avoid chasing goals that don’t actually fulfill you
• What your calendar and camera roll can reveal about the life you’re really living
• The simple year-end practice that shifts your entire perspective
• Why data—not drama—is the key to making confident decisions in 2026
• A sneak peek at Laurie’s personal year-end review and what she’s releasing
• How to grab the free Closing Time Workbook to guide your reflection

🔥 Favorite Quotes:

🎯 Resources + Links:

📝 Download the Closing Time Workbook (Laurie’s year-end review guide):
👉 schoolofmidlife.com/review

🎧 Related Episode:
Why SMART Goals Are Ruining Your Personal Life

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What if you didn’t have to do it all this holiday season?
What if you could actually enjoy this time of year—without the resentment, exhaustion, or crushing mental load?

In this timely and honest episode of The School of Midlife, Laurie shares a powerful coaching conversation with a client who realized she was doing the holidays on autopilot—baking cookies no one eats, mailing cards no one remembers, and hosting a party that felt more like pressure than pleasure.

Together, they walk through how to tell the difference between a holiday obligation and a true opportunity—and how to make peace with letting go of traditions that no longer serve you.

If you’re tired of performing your way through the holidays (while secretly counting down to when it’s over), this episode is your permission slip to do things differently this year.

💡 In This Episode:

• How to create joyful, intentional holidays without losing your mind
• The pressure of family traditions—and how to stop outsourcing your peace
• A simple coaching exercise to separate holiday “to-dos” from “should-dos”
• The energy shift that happens when you drop the guilt and reclaim your time
• How one client redesigned her entire December—and actually started looking forward to it
• Why your happiness this season matters just as much as everyone else’s

🎯 Don’t Miss:

Laurie’s final free masterclasses of 2025 start this week!
→ How to Not Live the Same Year Every Year
→ Learn more about The Best Life Lab and how you can start 2026 with clarity, courage, and a plan that fits the woman you are now.
🎟️ Link to register is right here!

🔥 Favorite Quotes:

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You don’t need to blow up your life. But you do need to stop waiting to live it.

In this deeply reflective solo episode, Laurie is back in the studio (fresh off a trip to Paris and a new haircut) with a wake-up call for midlife women everywhere: if you’re not careful, you’ll find yourself living the same year over and over again—and call it a life.

From the blur of daily routines to the invisible waitlist we put our dreams on, this episode unpacks why high-achieving women often postpone their own fulfillment—and what it actually takes to start living with more intention, starting now.

💡 In This Episode:

• Why the end of the year feels so jarring—and what to do about it
• The difference between living and just preparing to live
• Why most women don’t need reinvention—they need intention
• How to stop deferring your dreams “until after…”
• A heartfelt invitation to attend either the Best Life Planning Day and the last live masterclass of the year...or both!

🔥 Favorite Quotes:

🎯 Upcoming Events:

• 🗓️ Best Life Planning Day (Boise): A one-day retreat to create clarity, intention, and a real plan for 2026. No suitcase. No PTO. Just space to focus on you.
• 💻 Final Live Masterclass: How to Not Live the Same Year Every Year — 5 days of coaching to change your next 365.

Don’t wait another year to start living the life you actually want.

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What if you let go of the rulebook and gave yourself permission to create a life that feels like a dream you actually want to be living? This week on the School of Midlife podcast, we’re talking to Wendy Harrop—a retreat host, event planner, and farm-dwelling dream-weaver—who did just that.

After years of living the good-girl life, checking the boxes, and doing what was expected of her, Wendy woke up to a deeper longing: one where she gets to be the main character. She didn’t burn it all down in a blaze of midlife crisis. Instead, she took one brave step after another—choosing joy, curiosity, and adventure over obligation.

In this powerful conversation, Wendy shares the story of how she moved from California to a 200-year-old farm in Massachusetts, why hosting retreats for women is her calling, and what it means to live with delight, even when things don’t go according to plan. Whether you’re feeling stuck, restless, or just quietly wondering “is this all there is?”—this episode will remind you that midlife isn’t a dead-end... it’s a damn invitation.

👂 In this episode, we talk about:

• Letting go of shoulds and embracing your actual desires
• What it looks like to be the curator of your own life
• The power of women gathering in intentional, beautiful spaces
• Living with delight—even when life throws curveballs

📌 Mentioned in this episode:

• Wendy’s upcoming retreats
• Her dreamy Airbnb on the farm in Massachusetts

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Pack your bags and your big midlife dreams—we’re going to Paris, baby

In this very personal (and slightly jet-lagged) episode, Laurie shares her reflections from a solo trip to Paris and announces an exciting new adventure for 2026: The School of Midlife Study Abroad Retreats. Imagine sipping wine in sidewalk cafés, sketching in the Luxembourg Gardens, and talking legacy, purpose, and joy with like-minded women.

You’ll get the inside scoop on what these upcoming international retreats will look like, why they're tailor-made for midlife women craving more out of life, and how Paris itself reminded Laurie what it means to come home to yourself.

This isn't a vacation—it's an immersive, soul-shifting experience. And it’s designed for you.

🗝️ In This Episode:

• Laurie's personal experience traveling solo to Paris (and why it wasn't scary after all)
• The backstory behind the Study Abroad idea and why midlife is the perfect time for it
• A sneak peek into what the Paris retreat could include—from morning walks to art classes to Best Life coaching
• How you can get on the VIP list to be the first to hear retreat details

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What if midlife wasn’t a crisis… but a dress rehearsal for how you actually want to live?

Episode Summary:

In this episode of The School of Midlife Podcast, Laurie sits down with Francine Azel, a woman who is embracing midlife not as a breakdown, but as a dress rehearsal for her next chapter. Fran gets real about the intentional work it takes to keep a long-term marriage alive—and why it's worth it. She talks candidly about the growing importance of friendships, the value of play and curiosity, and the permission she’s given herself to experiment with how she wants to live.

From honoring alone time in a house full of people, to making her relationship with her husband a living, breathing priority, Fran reminds us that midlife is the moment to stop going through the motions and start intentionally shaping what comes next.

This isn’t about burning it all down. It’s about tending to the flames that keep your soul lit.

What We Talk About:

• Why Fran sees midlife as a dress rehearsal—not a crisis
• The myth of “coasting” in long-term relationships
• How she and her husband are reinvesting in their marriage
• The growing significance of friendships in this stage of life
• Why you don’t need to “figure it all out”—just commit to the practice

Connect with Fran:

Fran is a powerhouse midlife woman living this journey in real time. You can find her on Instragram as pocketsized_fran.

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