Jenn and Marielle are both coaches for women in midlife who are navigating the process of becoming a new “me”. In this episode they discuss tips and tricks for navigating this life stage with ease.
August 10, 2003, 3 a.m., Amsterdam. Today, 22 years ago. A bar sticky with last songs and almost-mornings.
That’s where I met a Finnish guy named Mikael—Micke, Micky—and had no idea I’d just stepped into the adventure of my life.
Since then: three kids, one angel watching over us, an awesome bonus daughter, years off-grid on a boat, homeschooling, border crossings, reinventions, detours we never planned and wouldn’t trade.
It hasn’t been perfect. Far from it. But it’s been ours. And we’re still here—together, stronger, choosing each other on ordinary Tuesdays and on the big days that rearrange your heart.
Proud of us—the cracks, the grit, the grace.
Always your woman.
Always my man.
— M
The world has opinions about your life—how you should think, feel, choose.
The next step isn’t the hard part.
The hard part is muting the noise long enough to hear your own voice—and trusting it.
For me, it came down to three words. Not concepts. Compass points.
They brought me back to myself. Maybe they’ll bring you back to you.
It’s not about proving I’m “real.” I’ve never hidden the mess.
It’s about finding my voice again—the one that doesn’t belong to family, friends, or the algorithm.
The voice that shows up when I’m alone in the garden with the pets, hands in the soil, breath easy:
This is your life. Go live it. It’s not too late.
Menopause sleep wrecked me; even the things I loved felt heavy. I stopped moving like me.
Embodiment returned when my actions started matching my truth:
early swims, yoga with Shannon, walks with Luna, breathwork.
Most of all: showing up when I didn’t feel like it—rebuilding my confidence muscle, one small promise at a time.
When your why is strong, you’ll always find a how.
Mine: wake with energy, meet the day with possibility, go to bed fulfilled.
The click happened on an ordinary fed-up day. I couldn’t drift one more hour.
I made a quiet promise: Say YES to life again.
From then on, every choice and habit had to line up with the woman I’m becoming in this next chapter.
When your inside world matches your outside life, settling loses its grip.
If your inner voice feels far away—if you’re half-in, half-out of your own life—start here:
Authenticity. Embodiment. Alignment.
Three words. One honest conversation with yourself. The rest follows.
Which of these three do you need most right now?
What if celebration, achievement, and that knot-in-your-stomach travel together?
Spoiler: they do. They did all summer.
Portugal put on her best: hot but kind, evenings like velvet, even Sintra behaving—no moody wind, just light that lingered.
All my kids under one roof.
Long dinners that got honest somewhere between the olives and the tea.
Sauna confessions. Lazy hangouts. Friends drifting in and out like tides.
Mornings quiet till noon (teenagers are nocturnal; science confirms).
We slipped to Spain for a minute—lavish lunches, playlists rotating DJ-style, stories traded mile after mile. Twenty-two years together celebrated in the most accurate way: connection on repeat, irritations included. (Real love has texture.)
July was deep-dive workshops and training.
August was uncomfortable action—lots of it.
Result: momentum.
Evidence over hype. Show up, adjust, repeat.
Gina left for Utrecht on Sunday. Nick flew back to the U.S. on Thursday. Joey’s still here (bless). After a full house, the silence hit different. That hollow-in-the-stomach feeling? That’s love stretching—exactly what it’s supposed to do.
They’re happy. They’re ready. That was the whole point—the years of scaffolding so they can climb.
And me? Fewer grocery runs. Smaller laundry mountains. FaceTime while I stir dinner. More space to build the next chapter I’m saying YES to—fully, loudly, imperfectly.
To a summer that softened me and sharpened me.
To endings that make space, and beginnings that don’t ask permission.
The photo: empty plates, crumpled napkins, sun in our faces.
Real table. Real talk. Real life.