Podcast
Intelligent Intoxication
Hosted by Terri Bradway · EN
Get ready to craft a top shelf life with new episodes every Wednesday. Join your host, Terri Bradway, for season two of the Intelligent Intoxication podcast.
25episodes
Episodes
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Grappling With "Not Enough" As a Midlife Mom
3d ago00:12:56Tap to summarizeMany women live with a quiet belief running in the background: I'm not doing enough. I'm not accomplishing enough. I haven't had enough. I am not enough. What's interesting is that getting “more” rarely solves the problem. The goal is reached, the project is finished, the glass is refilled, and the feeling simply moves to the next thing. The truth is that "not enough" is often not a quantity problem—it's an experience problem. We spend so much time chasing the next thing that we lose the ability to recognize sufficiency in the present moment. In this episode, we explore: Why the feeling of "not enough" shows up in productivity, food, achievement, relationships, and self-improvement Why more doesn't always create satisfaction How Essentialism offers an alternative to “not enoughness” Essentialism teaches us that if everything matters, nothing is ever enough. When we identify what is truly essential, we create boundaries around our time, energy, and attention—and we allow that to be enough. Questions to consider: What matters most in this season of my life? What am I pursuing because it is essential? What am I pursuing because I believe more will finally make me feel enough? Where can I recognize sufficiency instead of chasing more? Because perhaps enough isn't found by adding more to our lives. Perhaps enough is found by removing everything that distracts us from what matters most. Essentialism is not the pursuit of less. It's the disciplined pursuit of enough. If you’re the midlife mom of adult children who can use some support and encouragement as you navigate this new season, I can help. I invite you to schedule a complimentary coaching call with me. Here’s the link: Coaching Call with Terri Thank you for investing your valuable time and energy into listening to the podcast. I’m so very grateful for you. If you enjoyed this episode, you can “tip the bartender” by rating and reviewing the podcast. Your review makes it easier for others to find the podcast. Don’t forget to hit the SUBSCRIBE button to be notified any time I pour out a new episode. My book Intentional Intoxication: How To Deliberately Distill The Different Life You Desire, is available on Amazon. You can imbibe on the entire book in one, short, intentionally happier hour: Intentional Intoxication Book If you’re interested to know about how I can support you in overcoming the habit of escaping or chasing, I invite you to reach out to me by using the email below and we find a time to chat: terribradwaylifecoaching@coachbradway.com For a quick shot of your life’s current level of intoxication, I invite you to complete the 10 Questions on my Intoxication Inventory: Intoxication Inventory
Transcribe →How To Stop Worrying About Your Adult Child's Future
1w ago00:17:41Tap to summarizeFor midlife moms of adult children, our role shifts dramatically. While we still love them deeply, we can no longer protect, guide, or guarantee outcomes the way we could when they were adolescents. In this episode, we explore the difference between loving our children and trying to emotionally future-proof them. If you’ve been carrying sadness, fear, or helplessness as your children find their footing in adulthood, this episode is a reminder that uncertainty is not failure — it is often part of them becoming fully functioning adults. Nor is discomfort proof that they are doomed. If you’re the midlife mom of adult children who wants to learn how to support your grown kids without worrying about their futures, I can help. I invite you to schedule a complimentary coaching call with me. Here’s the link: Coaching Call with Terri Thank you for investing your valuable time and energy into listening to the podcast. I’m so very grateful for you. If you enjoyed this episode, you can “tip the bartender” by rating and reviewing the podcast. Your review makes it easier for others to find the podcast. Don’t forget to hit the SUBSCRIBE button to be notified any time I pour out a new episode. My book Intentional Intoxication: How To Deliberately Distill The Different Life You Desire, is available on Amazon. You can imbibe on the entire book in one, short, intentionally happier hour: Intentional Intoxication Book If you’re interested to know about how I can support you in overcoming the habit of escaping or chasing, I invite you to reach out to me by using the email below and we find a time to chat: terribradwaylifecoaching@coachbradway.com For a quick shot of your life’s current level of intoxication, I invite you to complete the 10 Questions on my Intoxication Inventory: Intoxication Inventory
Transcribe →How To Support Your Adult Child Without Becoming Responsible For Their Emotions
2w ago00:19:25Tap to summarizeMany women—especially mothers of adult children—have been taught that love means emotional availability at all times. But there’s a difference between being compassionate and becoming emotionally permeable or enmeshed. In this episode, we explore: why empathy can quietly turn into emotional over-functioning the subtle signs of enmeshment in parent/adult child relationships why “being there” for your children is not the same as carrying their emotional lives how to support people you love without becoming their emotional regulator We also discuss: the difference between connection and emotional permeability why healthy differentiation can feel threatening in enmeshed families I invite you to consider this question: “Am I supporting my adult child… or am I becoming responsible for their emotional life?” Key Takeaways Compassion says: “I care deeply.” Emotional permeability says: “I must carry this.” Healthy love requires connection—not emotional merging. Support builds capability. Over-functioning builds dependence. I encourage you to remember that: “Being available is not the same as being emotionally fused.” “Your job is not to become your child’s emotional life support system. Your job is to help them build their own.” “Sometimes the most loving thing you can do is step back enough for someone else to step up.” If you’re the midlife mom of adult children who wants to learn how to support your grown kids in an emotionally healthy way, I can help. I invite you to schedule a complimentary coaching call with me. Here’s the link: Coaching Call with Terri Thank you for investing your valuable time and energy into listening to the podcast. I’m so very grateful for you. If you enjoyed this episode, you can “tip the bartender” by rating and reviewing the podcast. Your review makes it easier for others to find the podcast. Don’t forget to hit the SUBSCRIBE button to be notified any time I pour out a new episode. My book Intentional Intoxication: How To Deliberately Distill The Different Life You Desire, is available on Amazon. You can imbibe on the entire book in one, short, intentionally happier hour: Intentional Intoxication Book If you’re interested to know about how I can support you in overcoming the habit of escaping or chasing, I invite you to reach out to me by using the email below and we find a time to chat: terribradwaylifecoaching@coachbradway.com For a quick shot of your life’s current level of intoxication, I invite you to complete the 10 Questions on my Intoxication Inventory: Intoxication Inventory
Transcribe →Your Adult Children Are Not Your Emotional Charging Station
3w ago00:11:48Tap to summarizeWhen our children were growing up, we were meant to be their emotional charging station. They came to us for: comfort reassurance grounding perspective emotional safety That was healthy. That was parenting. But in the empty nest season, many parents unconsciously reverse that relationship and begin expecting their adult children to emotionally sustain them. Our adult children are not meant to carry our emotional well-being: 1. Children are supposed to draw from us—not sustain us When kids are young, dependency is normal. But adulthood changes the assignment. Adult children are supposed to separate, build lives, and become independent. If we need them to emotionally stabilize us, we place a burden on them they were never meant to carry. Adult children should not be responsible for your peace This often sounds like: Why don’t they call more? I just want them to need me I feel hurt when they make decisions without me Underneath is often: “I need you to help me feel secure.” That creates guilt instead of closeness and obligation instead of intimacy. Worry can disguise emotional dependency Sometimes what we call concern is actually emotional dependence. Ask yourself: Does their happiness determine mine? Do their struggles destabilize my peace? Does their approval fuel my emotional stability? If so, we may be emotionally plugging into them instead of standing on our own emotional ground. A happy parent is a gift Gretchen Rubin shared this idea: “What if our adult children are only as happy as their least happy parent?” Your peace gives them permission to live. Your groundedness frees them from managing you emotionally. A fulfilled parent says: “You are free to build your life. I am fully living mine.” Support them—don’t lean on them for identity This doesn’t mean becoming distant. It means healthy emotional responsibility. “I will always support you, but I will not make you responsible for my emotional well-being.” That is mature love. Reflection Questions Have I made one of my children responsible for my peace? Am I looking to them for identity or validation? Where do I need to create my own emotional stability? What would it look like to become a deeply grounded parent? One of the greatest gifts we can give our adult children is a parent who knows how to stay fully charged on her own. If you’re the midlife mom of adult children who wants to learn how to recharge your own emotional battery, I can help. I invite you to schedule a complimentary coaching call with me. Here’s the link: Coaching Call with Terri Thank you for investing your valuable time and energy into listening to the podcast. I’m so very grateful for you. If you enjoyed this episode, you can “tip the bartender” by rating and reviewing the podcast. Your review makes it easier for others to find the podcast. Don’t forget to hit the SUBSCRIBE button to be notified any time I pour out a new episode. My book Intentional Intoxication: How To Deliberately Distill The Different Life You Desire, is available on Amazon. You can imbibe on the entire book in one, short, intentionally happier hour: Intentional Intoxication Book If you’re interested to know about how I can support you in overcoming the habit of escaping or chasing, I invite you to reach out to me by using the email below and we find a time to chat: terribradwaylifecoaching@coachbradway.com For a quick shot of your life’s current level of intoxication, I invite you to complete the 10 Questions on my Intoxication Inventory: Intoxication Inventory
Transcribe →What I Learned About Midlife Women—and Myself—From My First Class
May 600:18:00Tap to summarizeWhat I Thought Women Needed A clear, written plan for their next chapter Step-by-step direction Tangible outcomes they could take with them What I Discovered They Actually Needed Clarity about where they are right now Language for what no longer fits Permission to want something different Connection to their values A sense of the identity they are growing into Support in aligning habits and routines with that identity Tools to navigate relationships without self-sacrifice Key Insight: Women don’t struggle because they can’t make a plan. They struggle when they don’t yet have clarity or permission. What I Observed in the Room Strong connection and camaraderie Meaningful self-awareness emerging Some hesitation around sharing (safety matters) What I Learned About Myself I am strongest in live teaching and real-time coaching My work is rooted in self-awareness, identity, and behavior—not just planning I help women align how they live with what they value I guide women in managing relationships in a healthy, non-self-sacrificing way Reframe: I’m not just helping women create plans— I’m helping them redesign how they live and relate. What I’ll Change Next Time Make the class longer to allow for deeper integration Clarify the promise so it matches the true transformation Ensure participants leave with something written and tangible Final Takeaway The first round wasn’t about perfection—it was about clarity. It revealed: What women truly need in this season And the work I’m actually here to do Question for Listeners Are you trying to create a plan for your next chapter… when what you really need first is clarity about who you’re becoming? If you’re the midlife mom of adult children who needs clarity in regard to your next chapter, I can help. I invite you to schedule a complimentary coaching call with me. Here’s the link: Coaching Call with Terri Thank you for investing your valuable time and energy into listening to the podcast. I’m so very grateful for you. If you enjoyed this episode, you can “tip the bartender” by rating and reviewing the podcast. Your review makes it easier for others to find the podcast. Don’t forget to hit the SUBSCRIBE button to be notified any time I pour out a new episode. My book Intentional Intoxication: How To Deliberately Distill The Different Life You Desire, is available on Amazon. You can imbibe on the entire book in one, short, intentionally happier hour: Intentional Intoxication Book If you’re interested to know about how I can support you in overcoming the habit of escaping or chasing, I invite you to reach out to me by using the email below and we find a time to chat: terribradwaylifecoaching@coachbradway.com For a quick shot of your life’s current level of intoxication, I invite you to complete the 10 Questions on my Intoxication Inventory: Intoxication Inventory
Transcribe →Your Adult Children Need You To Be Happy
Apr 2900:16:26Tap to summarizeThere’s a quote many mothers have heard: “You’re only as happy as your least happy child.” And if we’re honest, many of us have lived like that’s true. If one child is struggling—emotionally, relationally, financially, spiritually, or professionally—we feel it deeply. Especially in the empty nest season, it can feel like our emotional well-being is still tied to our children’s lives. But what if there’s another way to look at it? Gretchen Rubin shared this thought: What if our adult children are only as happy as their least happy parent? That shifts everything. Maybe our role now is not to keep managing their happiness. Maybe our work is to become the kind of parent whose peace gives them permission to live. Your happiness is not selfis - it’s leadership. A peaceful, grounded, emotionally healthy parent creates freedom for adult children. Adult children need parents who trust, believe, and model emotional adulthood - they do not need a parent who is constantly worried, hovering, or emotionally dependent. Reflection Questions Am I emotionally outsourcing my peace to one of my children? Do my children feel responsible for my happiness? What would it look like to become a deeply peaceful parent? What kind of freedom would that create for everyone? Maybe the goal of motherhood in this season is to become the kind of parent whose life says: “You are free to go build yours. And I am fully living mine.” Because perhaps our children are only as happy as their least happy parent. And maybe the work now… is learning how to become a happy one. If you’re the midlife mom of adult children who needs some support to create happiness in your next chapter, I can help. I invite you to schedule a complimentary coaching call with me. Here’s the link: Coaching Call with Terri Thank you for investing your valuable time and energy into listening to the podcast. I’m so very grateful for you. If you enjoyed this episode, you can “tip the bartender” by rating and reviewing the podcast. Your review makes it easier for others to find the podcast. Don’t forget to hit the SUBSCRIBE button to be notified any time I pour out a new episode. My book Intentional Intoxication: How To Deliberately Distill The Different Life You Desire, is available on Amazon. You can imbibe on the entire book in one, short, intentionally happier hour: Intentional Intoxication Book If you’re interested to know about how I can support you in overcoming the habit of escaping or chasing, I invite you to reach out to me by using the email below and we find a time to chat: terribradwaylifecoaching@coachbradway.com For a quick shot of your life’s current level of intoxication, I invite you to complete the 10 Questions on my Intoxication Inventory: Intoxication Inventory
Transcribe →What You Need As A Midlife Mom
Apr 2200:20:09Tap to summarizeDo you ever wonder WHY you do what you do? So much of our behavior is driven by the need to have an emotional need met. According to author and speaker, Tony Robbins, there are six human needs that drive all of us — and understanding them can bring so much clarity and self-awareness. On today’s episode I’ll apply my understanding of Robbins’ 6 needs to the empty nest stage of life during which midlife women are reimagining “what’s next” while mothering adult children. The Six Needs Certainty The need for safety, stability, comfort, and predictability. Where in life do I need to feel secure? Variety The need for change, spontaneity, challenge, and excitement. Where do I feel bored or restless? Significance The need to feel important, valued, and seen. Where do I seek validation or a sense of mattering? Love & Connection The need for belonging, closeness, and meaningful relationships. Where do I feel connected — or disconnected? Growth The need to learn, evolve, and become more of who I am. How am I stretching in this season? Contribution The need to give, serve, and make a difference. How am I offering my gifts to something bigger than myself? Key Point The first four needs help us feel emotionally safe. The last two create deeper fulfillment. Sometimes what feels like dissatisfaction is simply an unmet need. Reflection Questions for Listeners Which need feels strongest for me right now? Which one feels missing? How am I currently trying to meet it? Is there a healthier way to meet that need? Closing Understanding your needs helps you move from self-judgment to self-awareness. Sometimes the discomfort you feel is simply information. It may be showing you what your life is asking for next. Here’s the link to Robbins’ article: Tony Robbins: 6 Human Needs If you’re the midlife mom of adult children who needs some support as you craft a next chapter that addresses your 6 needs, I can help. I invite you to schedule a complimentary coaching call with me. Here’s the link: Coaching Call with Terri Thank you for investing your valuable time and energy into listening to the podcast. I’m so very grateful for you. If you enjoyed this episode, you can “tip the bartender” by rating and reviewing the podcast. Your review makes it easier for others to find the podcast. Don’t forget to hit the SUBSCRIBE button to be notified any time I pour out a new episode. My book Intentional Intoxication: How To Deliberately Distill The Different Life You Desire, is available on Amazon. You can imbibe on the entire book in one, short, intentionally happier hour: Intentional Intoxication Book If you’re interested to know about how I can support you in overcoming the habit of escaping or chasing, I invite you to reach out to me by using the email below and we find a time to chat: terribradwaylifecoaching@coachbradway.com For a quick shot of your life’s current level of intoxication, I invite you to complete the 10 Questions on my Intoxication Inventory: Intoxication Inventory
Transcribe →The Happiness Formula For Your Next Chapter
Apr 1500:17:07Tap to summarizeArthur Brooks, author of The Meaning of Your Life: Finding Purpose In An Age of Emptiness, is a Harvard professor and social scientist who studies happiness and meaning. Brooks simplifies happiness into three core ingredients: enjoyment satisfaction meaning His formula is: Happiness = Enjoyment + Satisfaction + Meaning This gives us a practical framework to ask: What am I truly enjoying? Where am I experiencing progress and satisfaction? What gives this season of life meaning? Especially in the empty nest season, this can become a beautiful guide for rediscovering identity and purpose. If you’re the midlife mom of adult children who needs some support as you craft a next chapter filled with happiness, satisfaction, enjoyment, and meaning, I can help. I invite you to schedule a complimentary coaching call with me. Here’s the link: Coaching Call with Terri Thank you for investing your valuable time and energy into listening to the podcast. I’m so very grateful for you. If you enjoyed this episode, you can “tip the bartender” by rating and reviewing the podcast. Your review makes it easier for others to find the podcast. Don’t forget to hit the SUBSCRIBE button to be notified any time I pour out a new episode. My new book Intentional Intoxication: How To Deliberately Distill The Different Life You Desire, is available on Amazon. You can imbibe on the entire book in one, short, intentionally happier hour: Intentional Intoxication Book If you’re interested to know about how I can support you in overcoming the habit of escaping or chasing, I invite you to reach out to me by using the email below and we find a time to chat: terribradwaylifecoaching@coachbradway.com For a quick shot of your life’s current level of intoxication, I invite you to complete the 10 Questions on my Intoxication Inventory: Intoxication Inventory
Transcribe →Second Season vs. Next Season: Releasing the Pressure to Get It Right
Apr 800:12:51Tap to summarizeSecond Season vs. Next Season: Releasing the Pressure to Get It Right In today’s episode, we’re exploring the subtle difference between calling this chapter your “second season” versus your “next season.” At first glance, second season can sound intentional and beautiful — but it can also carry an unspoken pressure: This is it. This one needs to be right. For many midlife women, especially moms navigating the empty nest and redefining identity, that language can feel heavy. On the other hand, next season feels more spacious. It reminds us that life unfolds in many seasons, not just two. There is room to evolve, experiment, and change your mind. This episode explores: Why the phrase second season can feel high-pressure How next season creates more emotional spaciousness The freedom of knowing this chapter does not have to be final Giving yourself permission to grow through many seasons of life The heart of this conversation: You do not need to get the rest of your life right. You only need to choose your next season with intention. Key Reflection Question What would I choose for this next season if I knew I could evolve again? If you’re the midlife mom of adult children who needs some support as you intentionally plan your next chapter, I can help. I invite you to schedule a complimentary coaching call with me. Here’s the link: Coaching Call with Terri Thank you for investing your valuable time and energy into listening to the podcast. I’m so very grateful for you. If you enjoyed this episode, you can “tip the bartender” by rating and reviewing the podcast. Your review makes it easier for others to find the podcast. Don’t forget to hit the SUBSCRIBE button to be notified any time I pour out a new episode. My new book Intentional Intoxication: How To Deliberately Distill The Different Life You Desire, is available on Amazon. You can imbibe on the entire book in one, short, intentionally happier hour: Intentional Intoxication Book If you’re interested to know about how I can support you in overcoming the habit of escaping or chasing, I invite you to reach out to me by using the email below and we find a time to chat: terribradwaylifecoaching@coachbradway.com For a quick shot of your life’s current level of intoxication, I invite you to complete the 10 Questions on my Intoxication Inventory: Intoxication Inventory
Transcribe →The Changes You Choose vs. The Ones You Don’t
Apr 100:14:56Tap to summarizeIn this episode, we’re exploring the difference between the life changes we choose as midlife women and the ones that seem to happen to us. Some changes arrive because we intentionally decide something needs to shift — our routines, our relationships, our homes, our health, or the way we want to live this next season. Other changes come without invitation: children leaving home, changing family dynamics, body changes, loss, or unexpected transitions that can leave us feeling untethered. The truth is, midlife often asks us to navigate both. We may not always choose what happens, but we do get to choose how we respond, what meaning we make of it, and who we become through it. This episode is an invitation to notice where life is changing around you, where you are being called to choose, and how to move through this season with more intention and self-trust. If you’re the midlife mom of adult children who needs some support as you navigate the life changes you can both control and not control, I can help. I invite you to schedule a complimentary coaching call with me. Here’s the link: Coaching Call with Terri Thank you for investing your valuable time and energy into listening to the podcast. I’m so very grateful for you. If you enjoyed this episode, you can “tip the bartender” by rating and reviewing the podcast. Your review makes it easier for others to find the podcast. Don’t forget to hit the SUBSCRIBE button to be notified any time I pour out a new episode. My new book Intentional Intoxication: How To Deliberately Distill The Different Life You Desire, is available on Amazon. You can imbibe on the entire book in one, short, intentionally happier hour: Intentional Intoxication Book If you’re interested to know about how I can support you in overcoming the habit of escaping or chasing, I invite you to reach out to me by using the email below and we find a time to chat: terribradwaylifecoaching@coachbradway.com For a quick shot of your life’s current level of intoxication, I invite you to complete the 10 Questions on my Intoxication Inventory: Intoxication Inventory
Transcribe →