Adventures with My Forties

What can a Brazilian telenovela villain teach us about boundaries and emotional freedom? Courtney explores Senhora do Destino and discovers that Nazaré Tedesco is an unexpected masterclass in human behavior. 💌 Email: CourtneyHenningNovak@gmail.com 🌍 Show notes + newsletter: CourtneyHenningNovak.com

I didn’t plan to record today — but my Muse had other ideas. In this gentle return to Adventures with My Forties, I share what the past ten months have looked like: the fires, the losses, the slow reawakening, and the quiet joy of finally wanting to create again. Show notes: CourtneyHenningNovak.com

Hello! I meant to record my first episode of the year in January, but life went sideways with the epic fires in Los Angeles. To get back into podcasting, I'm sharing my experiences with the Palisades and Eaton Fires. And yes, I have returned to therapy because wow, I have a lot to process.    Show notes will be available at CourtneyHenningNovak.com. Thank you for listening and it feels so good to be back. 

This week, I took a moment to step away from the holiday madness and reflect on my 24 in '24 project. What were my successes? What were my flops? And where did I make space for a little magic? Show notes will be available at CourtneyHenningNovak.com. Thank you for listening and I'll see you in 2025!

Part 3 of my three part miniseries on burnout. In this episode, I discuss the reasons behind the epic burnout I experienced after volunteering too much for my kids' activities. In a nutshell, my pride and ego got hooked on the myth of the supermom and as a result, I lost touch with my authentic self. Show notes will be available at CourtneyHenningNovak.com. Thanks for listening! 

Part two of my burnout miniseries. In this episode, I describe the ways I healed and recovered from epic. Show notes are available at CourtneyHenningNovak.com. Thanks for listening! 

A couple years ago, I experienced some massive burnout. This is Part One of a miniseries about that adventure. This is the story of my burnout, the events that resulted in me feeling like my soul had been reduced to a heap of ashes.    Show notes will be available at CourtneyHenningNovak.com. Thanks for listening! 

This week, I'm giving my annual holidays pep talk. I love this time of year and I actually enjoy the chaos, but it's also so easy to slide into stress and panic over sh*t that doesn't actually matter. I always need to remind myself that it's not about creating a holiday that mimics what I see on Pinterest or social media. It's about enjoying the holidays in a way that is meaningful for my family.    Show notes are available at CourtneyHenningNovak.com. Thanks for listening! 

My Read Around the World quest celebrated its first birthday last week, and I celebrated by taking some time to ruminate and reflect on the unexpected adventures (hi, Brazil!) and the magic this reading project has already created. I'm so excited to keep reading around the world and I welcome whatever adventures head my way (so long as they do not interfere with my bedtime)(or involve reptiles).    Show notes are available at CourtneyHenningNovak.com and while you are there, be sure to sign up for my newsletter so you don't miss any exciting news. 

Confession: I made this episode as a pep talk for future Courtney. In the not so distant future, my Read Around the World quest will reach the I's, and the I's include Israel, and folks on social media have some strong opinions about Israel. People have already suggested I should skip Israel. I won't be skipping Israel because (1) I'm Jewish and (2) that really defeats the purpose of the project. I'm trying to expose myself to new voices, not limit those voices based on political beliefs; and if I start eliminating countries based on political beliefs, what will be left? Maybe Luxembourg?    So for this week's episode, I gave myself a pep talk about how to handle the hate that shows up in the comments section of my social media posts. I reflect on what I've learned so far, so that when the hate shows up in my posts, I can be resilient and not get scared away by some nasty trolls.    Show notes are available at CourtneyHenningNovak.com. Thanks for listening! 

I feel very self-conscious about posting this episode, but I also feel strongly that I should. Friendship is messy and complicated! A good friend can change your life for the better--but so can a toxic friend. Ending a toxic friendship can help us learn more about ourselves and the boundaries we need and deserve.   Subscribe for updates right here. Thanks for listening!

Ten reasons why I had an absolutely incredible time in São Paulo, and I cannot wait to go back. Show notes are available at CourtneyHenningNovak.com. Thanks for listening! 

Am I really famous in Brazil? My TikTok video about The Posthumous Memoirs of Brás Cubas went viral in Brazil, and I have received hundreds of comments and DM's telling me that I'm now famous there--but it's just too surreal for me to comprehend. this week, I talk about my adventure with going viral in Brazil and how that experience has changed me for the better. Show notes are available at CourtneyHenningNovak.com. Next week, I'm going to São Paulo to speak at a literary festival, and I'll be posting about those adventures on TikTok @CourtneyHenningNovak and IG @CourtneyHenningNovak. 

I am on a quest to read a book by an author from every country in the world in alphabetical order and since my last episode, that project blew up on social media and in two weeks, I'm going to Brazil to speak at a literary festival. I know! This was not on my 2024 Bingo card, but I am embracing and loving this adventure. show notes will be available at CourtneyHenningNovak.com and feel free to email me at CourtneyHenningNovak.com. Thanks for listening! 

It's Girl Scout cookie season here in Pasadena, and Pippa LOVES selling cookies. She learns a lot of great things from the program, but I have a few issues with the way it breeds competition, whips girls into a frenzy over crappy prizes, adds to my mental load, and exposes girls to diet culture. Show notes are available at CourtneyHenningNovak.com. Thanks for listening!

Happy New Year! Another year, another project! Instead of resolutions, I like to concoct lists of projects that I hope to complete during the new year. I got this idea from one of my favorite podcasts, Happier With Gretchen Rubin, and I’ve been doing it since 2022. Here's the 24 in '24 list:  No soda or caffeine.  Take an introductory class at a rock climbing gym. Read 100 books. Bonus points: read at least 25 books for Project Read Around the World. Attend 100 hot yoga classes. This includes the hot pilates classes offered at my studio if I decide to expand my repertoire. Also, my studio offers streaming classes that were recorded during the Covid shutdowns, and if I take those classes outside in the heat while traveling, I’ll count those to my goal. Write the rough draft of my third novel.  Paint a room in our house. Or the front door. Or a mural on the bleak bare wall that’s out back by our lemon tree. Point is: paint something at home. Try 24 new recipes. My goal was to try 23 recipes in 2023 and that didn’t happen, but I’d like to give this another go. Record an audiobook. This is a longterm career goal. Hopefully putting it on this list will motivate me to take the time to learn how to record an audiobook and then invest the time in that project. Get 52 mega nature doses. Taking a neighborhood walk does not count. Things that do count: hikes; beach days; walks through botanical gardens; anything that gets me out of City Mode and into the healing presence of Mother Nature. Make a five year plan. Seems like the time to do this is ripe because I just turned 45, and holy shit, in five years I will turn FIFTY. Complete 24 craft projects. This is another do-ever from 2023. I didn’t finish 23 craft projects last year, but I had fun trying. Let’s see what happens this year. Help the kids prepare a family meal once a month. Each kid gets to pick a recipe and prepare it for dinner or breakfast. Pray for me. Plan a family trip to the Grand Canyon. I’ve learned that the best months to visit are March-May and that hotels can get booked a year in advance, so I want to do the research now so I can make it happen in 2025. Get 24 minutes of fresh air every day. Last year, Gretchen Rubin challenged her community of podcast listeners to get 23 minutes of fresh air, and I really liked that idea, but I never got momentum on it. (Probably because my dad was in the ICU for 10 days in February.) I’d like to do it this year, and so far, it’s been a helpful reminder to get my butt outside. Fresh air feeds the soul. Tap dance 20 times. I think this was on my list in 2022? I always imagine myself tap dancing. Damnit, let’s make it happen. Walk an average of 10,000 steps/day. On days that I practice hot yoga, I typically get 7000-8000 steps. This goal has been motivating me to walk extra to make up the deficit on hot yoga days. Record 25 podcast episodes. Create a TikTok 100 weekdays in a row (though if I actually make a weekend TikTok, that will count toward the streak) Visit the Gamble House. Take monthly family portraits. Learn how to make balloon animals. Visit The Broad (cool art museum in downtown L.A.)  Track time spent sitting vs. time spent standing for a month. Joy Tracking! Wherein I keep track of things that boost my wellness and happiness but are not part of this project (e.g. boardgames played; movies watched; new places visited) Show notes are available at CourtneyHenningNovak.com. Thank you for listening! 

It's October and nearly Halloween, and this year, I'm thinking a lot about witches. People tend to think of witches as evil but I love stories that reclaim witches and allow them to be good, strong and powerful. Why must a woman who practices magic be considered evil? Is the idea of the evil witch in the woods just another tool for controlling women, keeping them in line and fitting into the patriarchy's mold? Let's save the witches from patriarchal stereotypes because bitches love witches.   Show notes are available at CourtneyHenningNovak.com.

This week, I explore the question, Why do women love true crime? I myself listen to true crime podcasts and often wonder, Why do I love listening to these stories? And perhaps, more importantly: does my interest in true crime suggest some sort of moral deficiency on my part? Spoiler alert: I think my interest in true crime comes from a place of empathy and empowerment.   Show notes are available at CourtneyHenningNovak.com. Thanks for listening! 

Autumn is here! First, I reflect on ways to welcome the change of seasons. Then, since it's autumn, of course I need a new bucket list - but I swear, I first did some soul searching to make sure my fall bucket list would serve my happiness. After I created my fall bucket list, I created my Fall JOMO List: a list of all the things I will NOT be doing this fall.    Shownotes are available at CourtneyHenningNovak.com  

This week, I talk about my mind-body connection, or lack thereof, and how hot yoga and the enneagram are helping me rebuild my relationship with my body. Show notes are available at CourtneyHenningNovak.com. Thanks for listening!