Own Your Midlife Podcast: Hormones, Perimenopause and Reinvention for Women 40+

Feeling stuck in midlife while everyone else seems to be moving ahead? Maybe you're applying for jobs, going to auditions, or building a business, and the opportunity you've worked toward still hasn't come. You keep showing up, but you're starting to wonder: Do I keep going? Do I need a different plan? In this episode of Own Your Midlife, I'm talking about how to get your power back when you feel stuck and the outcome you want depends on someone else saying yes. We'll talk about rejection, the power we give other people's decisions, and the difference between persistence and holding so tightly to one plan that you can't see another way forward. If you're considering a career change after 40 or questioning what's next, I'll share questions to help you see what is within your control. We'll look at why the experience and abilities you've developed still matter when you change direction, what it takes to create your own opportunity, and how imposter syndrome can make that step feel daunting. I also share the story of Lisa Price, whose side project grew into Carol's Daughter. Midlife reinvention doesn't always begin with a clear new plan. Sometimes it begins when you realize that one closed door doesn't get to decide what's possible for your life. You're allowed to feel disappointed. And you still have the power to choose what you do next. If this episode made you think of someone who's feeling stuck or discouraged, send it her way. Connect with Susie Instagram: @susiemclean.xo Email: [email protected] Website: www.susiemclean.com  

Do you feel guilty when you take a break, even when you're exhausted? Maybe you finally sit down, but your mind immediately starts listing everything you should be doing next. Answer the email. Work on the idea. Get ahead. Make progress. In this episode of Own Your Midlife, we're talking about productivity guilt, the pressure to keep going, and the fear that slowing down means you're losing momentum or falling behind. This conversation is especially relevant if you're in your 40s or 50s and thinking about what you still want to do, whether that means starting a business, changing careers, writing a book, creating something new, or simply building a life that feels more like your own. We'll talk about the difference between being ambitious and constantly pushing yourself, why some seasons require more from you than others, and why consistency doesn't mean working every available minute. I'll also share some research on leisure guilt and short breaks, and a few questions to think about when you finally stop but your brain won't. You can take your goals seriously and still watch a movie, take a nap, spend time with your family, or do something completely unrelated to what you're building. Slowing down doesn't mean you've stopped caring. This week, consider taking a little break and enjoying something that has nothing to do with getting ahead. Connect with Susie: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/susiemclean.xo Website: www.susiemclean.com Email: [email protected]  

Thinking about making a career change in midlife, starting a business, or finally exploring an idea that keeps coming back to you? In this episode, I'm talking with Shannon Russell about what it really looks like to create a second act without feeling like you have to start from scratch. Shannon is a Business Coach, Corporate Team Building Facilitator, TEDx Speaker, and the author of Start Your Second Act. She's also the host of the Second Act Success Podcast, where she shares inspiring stories and actionable strategies to help professionals make career changes and start businesses. After spending more than 16 years as a television producer, Shannon took her experience in the entertainment industry and began "producing" her own life by starting several businesses, including Second Act Success®, where she supports women as they embrace change, discover new opportunities, and design careers that bring them joy and purpose. In our conversation, Shannon shares how she left a successful career as a television producer and started building a new path that gave her more flexibility and fit the life she wanted. We also talk about why the skills and experience you already have can become some of your biggest advantages when you're making a career pivot or starting something new. We get into how to recognize your skills, narrow down multiple business ideas, research before you leap, and build a bridge between the job you have now and the life or business you want next. Shannon also shares why taking the time to reflect on what you actually want can help you make clearer decisions about your next chapter. We also talk about the discomfort of becoming a beginner again, why your non-negotiables matter when you're building something new, and how to create a business around the life you want instead of allowing the business to take over your life. If you're a woman in your 40s, 50s, or beyond who keeps wondering, "What could I do next?" this conversation will help you think about that question in a practical way without feeling like you have to blow up your entire life to figure it out. In this episode, we talk about: • Making a career change in midlife without starting over • Recognizing the skills and experience you already have • Choosing between multiple career or business ideas • Why research matters before making a big move • Starting a business while keeping your current job • Creating non-negotiables around the life you want • Working through the discomfort of feeling like a beginner again • Taking small, practical steps toward your second act Connect with Shannon: Website: https://secondactsuccess.co Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/secondactsuccess/ Book: https://secondactsuccess.co/book Podcast: https://secondactsuccess.co/podcast Connect with Susie: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/susiemclean.xo  Website: www.susiemclean.com

Have you ever noticed that as you start changing, some of your friendships start to feel different too? As we grow, set better boundaries, speak up more, stop overgiving, or stop making ourselves smaller to keep the peace, the dynamics in our friendships can change. And sometimes that can leave us wondering whether the relationship can actually grow with us. In this episode of Own Your Midlife, I'm talking about what happens when your growth starts affecting your friendships, the grief that can come with that, and the honest conversations we sometimes avoid when something no longer feels right. I'm also sharing a personal story about a close friendship, people-pleasing, unspoken hurt, and the resentment that can build when we expect someone to know what we're feeling without actually telling them. Because as much as we need to recognize when a friendship is no longer healthy, we also have to be willing to look at our own part and ask whether we've been honest about what we need, what hurt us, and what has changed. In this episode, I talk about how to: Recognize when a friendship has become one-sided, emotionally draining, or difficult to navigate. Understand the connection between people-pleasing, silence, resentment, and friendship problems. Set healthy boundaries with friends without immediately assuming the relationship has to end. Have an honest conversation with a friend who has hurt you. Consider whether you have clearly communicated what you need before walking away. Understand why grief and relief can exist at the same time after a friendship changes or ends. Recognize that we can miss someone and still know the relationship is no longer healthy for us. Build adult friendships where we can be honest, disagree, grow, and be fully ourselves. Before deciding that a friendship is over, I encourage us to ask: Have I actually told this person what hurt me, or how I felt I was being treated? Sometimes a friendship can grow with us. Sometimes the dynamic needs to change. Sometimes there's a boundary or an honest conversation that needs to happen. And sometimes, after we've communicated clearly, we realize the relationship no longer has room for who we're becoming. If you're navigating changing friendships, friendship grief, difficult conversations, or setting boundaries after 40, this episode will help you look at those relationships more honestly and get clearer on what deserves more of your energy moving forward. Connect with Susie: Send me a message here: [email protected] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/susiemclean.xo Website: www.susiemclean.com

If you're in midlife and starting to wonder whether the career you've built still fits who you are now, this episode will help you think through what comes next, whether that means staying, making changes where you are, or stepping into something completely new. In this episode, I'm joined by career coach Paula Randler. Paula spent seventeen years in one organization before eventually leaving and starting her own coaching practice, so she understands both the fear of walking away from something familiar and the possibility of creating a completely different next chapter. We talk about why "Should I stay or should I go?" may actually be the wrong first question, how to tell the difference between a rough season and a deeper misalignment, and why staying can sometimes be the right decision when you're choosing it on purpose. We also get into the fear and grief that can come with changing careers in midlife, how overworking and emotionally carrying other people can keep women stuck, and how to get clearer when you know something needs to change but you honestly don't know what you want instead. Paula shares how your values, your current season of life, and small "micro experiments" can help you figure out what actually fits now without feeling like you have to blow up your whole life. In this episode, we talk about: Career change in midlife How to know when your career no longer fits Feeling stuck or restless at work Whether to stay, leave, or make changes where you are The fear of starting over in midlife Burnout, overworking, and carrying too much at work  How to get clear on what you actually want next Making career decisions you can trust Using your values to guide your next move If you've been thinking, I don't know if I want to keep doing this for the next ten years, this conversation will help you look at your career more honestly and get clearer about what you want this next season to look like. Connect with Paula: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paularandler/ Website: https://paularandler.com/ Connect with Susie: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/susiemclean.xo Website: www.susiemclean.com Email: [email protected]