Podcast
Loving that Midlife
Hosted by Lori Buck · EN
Are you a woman navigating the sometimes beautiful - sometimes challenging - season of midlife? If so, this podcast is for you!
Together, we'll explore how to take control of your thoughts to take control of your life, how to parent teens and young adults, how to reconnect with your husband, how to discover the new you as you enter the next chapter of life, and much more.
Join me, Lori Buck, certified Christian life coach, for practical advice, relatable stories, and a community of women who get it.
33episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
What 55 Episodes Taught Me About Midlife Women
3d ago00:21:42Tap to summarizeOne year. Fifty-five episodes. Countless conversations with women navigating midlife. When I started Loving That Midlife, I hoped to encourage women through the challenges of this season. What I didn't expect was how much I would learn from all of you. In this special anniversary episode, I'm sharing the biggest patterns I've noticed after a year of podcasting, coaching, and talking with midlife women. From emotional overload and identity shifts to grief, people-pleasing, and self-criticism, we'll explore what women are really struggling with—and why I have more hope than ever. If you've ever wondered whether you're doing midlife "right," this episode is a reminder that you're probably doing better than you think. In this episode, you'll learn: Why so many midlife women feel emotionally exhausted The difference between failing and grieving How midlife exposes patterns that have been there all along Why women are often their own harshest critics What gives me hope after a year of conversations with women just like you Plus, I'll share a recent anniversary trip to Alaska that reminded me of one of the most important lessons of midlife: life is rarely all good or all bad—it's usually both. Whether you've been listening since Episode 1 or you're brand new to the podcast, thank you for being part of this community. Here's to another year of learning to love the life we're living right now.If you liked this episode, please share it with a friend!And if you loved this episode, please rate the show and leave a review so others can find it, too. You can also follow me on my socials:Instagram: @loribuckcoachingFacebook: Lori Buck CoachingWebsite: www.loribuckcoaching.com Email: lori@loribuckcoaching.com
Transcribe →How to Actually Enjoy Your Family on Vacation in Midlife
1w ago00:21:09Tap to summarizeFamily vacations can create beautiful memories… and also reveal every unresolved stress response you have.In this relatable summer episode, Lori Buck shares the realities of vacation prep in midlife: the packing, planning, overstimulation, hormonal stress, travel anxiety, emotional labor, and pressure women often carry while trying to make sure everyone else has a good time.This episode will help you: stop trying to manage everyone’s emotions, lower unrealistic expectations, enjoy your family without over-functioning, and remember that you deserve to enjoy the vacation too. If you’re navigating midlife, perimenopause, parenting adult kids, or simply trying to survive summer travel season with your sanity intact, this conversation will make you feel seen.If you liked this episode, please share it with a friend!And if you loved this episode, please rate the show and leave a review so others can find it, too. You can also follow me on my socials:Instagram: @loribuckcoachingFacebook: Lori Buck CoachingWebsite: www.loribuckcoaching.com Email: lori@loribuckcoaching.com
Transcribe →Wake Up to Your Life: How to Find Purpose in the Midlife In-Between
2w ago00:24:00Tap to summarizeHave you ever found yourself with more space than you've had in years — and somehow that space feels more uncomfortable than you expected? You're not broken. You might just be in the midlife in-between. In this episode, Lori gets real about her own experience navigating the season after homeschooling ended, her kids grew up, and her days stopped being built around everyone else's needs. And she talks about what she's learning — for herself and with her clients — about how to actually wake up to the life that's right in front of you. In this episode, you'll hear about: • The three things that tangle together in the midlife in-between: lost identity, lost voice, and drift • Why "I don't know what I want" is almost never the whole truth — and the coaching question that bypasses it • How to use journaling to reclaim a voice you've kept quiet for years • Why rhythm matters more than a schedule — and how the things you do consistently become who you're becoming • The most important mindset shift for women who are waiting for a better season to start living this one Plus — a Midlife Moment about what it actually feels like to have 8am to 6pm mostly to yourself for the first time in decades. (Spoiler: it's a little strange. And also kind of good.) This one is personal. And it might be exactly what you needed to hear today. If you liked this episode, please share it with a friend!And if you loved this episode, please rate the show and leave a review so others can find it, too. You can also follow me on my socials:Instagram: @loribuckcoachingFacebook: Lori Buck CoachingWebsite: www.loribuckcoaching.com Email: lori@loribuckcoaching.com
Transcribe →Becoming a Mother-in-Law: What to Do (and Not Do) in This New Role
3w ago00:27:56Tap to summarizeAre you stepping into the role of mother-in-law — or already in it and wondering if you're getting it right? You're not alone. And this episode is for you. Lori shares the practical advice, mindset shifts, and honest coaching she gives to women navigating one of the most significant new relationships of midlife: the relationship with a child's spouse. In this episode, you'll hear: • The one thing Lori told her own daughter-in-law early on — and why saying the hard thing first builds more trust than anything else • Why making the holidays non-negotiable is one of the fastest ways to create resentment (and what to do instead) • The truth about unsolicited advice — and why it lands as criticism every single time • How to examine the thought "she's taking my child away from me" — and the reframe that changes everything • Why holding two truths at once is the key to a healthy mother-in-law relationship Plus — a tender word for the mother-in-law who is hurting, who is being kept at a distance, or who is watching another grandmother get what she's longing for. And a Midlife Moment about the quiet surprise of missing your daughter-in-law more than you expected. This one is full of love — and full of the honest, practical coaching that actually helps. If you liked this episode, please share it with a friend!And if you loved this episode, please rate the show and leave a review so others can find it, too. You can also follow me on my socials:Instagram: @loribuckcoachingFacebook: Lori Buck CoachingWebsite: www.loribuckcoaching.com Email: lori@loribuckcoaching.com
Transcribe →When Mother’s Day Disappoints You: Expectations, Hurt Feelings & Emotional Adulthood
May 1300:25:59Tap to summarizeMother’s Day can bring flowers, brunch, and sweet social media posts… but for many women, it also brings disappointment. Maybe you only got a text from your adult kids.Maybe your husband didn’t plan anything.Maybe you spent the weekend celebrating everyone else and ended the day feeling unseen, hurt, or resentful. In this episode, Lori talks honestly about the emotional expectations many women carry into Mother’s Day, birthdays, and family holidays — and what happens when reality doesn’t match the picture in our heads. This is not an episode about “never feeling disappointed.” It’s about learning how to recognize: unspoken expectations, the painful stories we tell ourselves, emotional martyrdom, and when disappointment is actually pointing to a real relationship issue that needs attention. Lori also shares a personal story about one of the biggest arguments in her marriage — and how disappointment eventually led to an important conversation and years of growth. If you’ve ever ended a holiday feeling hurt, overlooked, emotionally exhausted, or unsure what to do with your disappointment, this episode will help you approach those feelings with more clarity, honesty, and emotional maturity. In this episode: Why unspoken expectations create resentment The difference between disappointment and rejection How “people are going to people” When mindset work helps — and when a conversation is needed Why emotional adulthood matters in family relationships How to stop handing other people full responsibility for your happiness You are not wrong for wanting to feel loved and appreciated. But learning what to do with disappointment may change your relationships — and your peace — more than getting the perfect Mother’s Day ever could. If you liked this episode, please share it with a friend!And if you loved this episode, please rate the show and leave a review so others can find it, too. You can also follow me on my socials:Instagram: @loribuckcoachingFacebook: Lori Buck CoachingWebsite: www.loribuckcoaching.com Email: lori@loribuckcoaching.com
Transcribe →50 Episodes In: The 5 Mindset Shifts That Help Me Survive (and Thrive) in Midlife
May 600:19:54Tap to summarizeHave you ever felt like you should have midlife more figured out by now — but somehow the ground just keeps shifting beneath you? You're not alone. And you're not broken.In honor of 50 episodes of Loving That Midlife, Lori is sharing the five mindset shifts that she comes back to again and again — both in her coaching practice and in her own life. These are the shifts that don't just sound good. They actually change things.In this episode, you'll hear about: • Why you can trust yourself far more than you think you can — and how to start building that trust • The difference between solving midlife and navigating it (and why that shift changes everything) • The most expensive thought most midlife women carry — and the story from Lori's own 40th birthday that illustrates it perfectly • Why identity isn't something you find in midlife — it's something you build, one choice at a time • How to treat your feelings as data instead of directions — and what emotional adulthood actually looks likePlus — a Midlife Moment about what it’s like to put something out into the world and wonder if it’s actually making a difference.If you liked this episode, please share it with a friend!And if you loved this episode, please rate the show and leave a review so others can find it, too. You can also follow me on my socials:Instagram: @loribuckcoachingFacebook: Lori Buck CoachingWebsite: www.loribuckcoaching.com Email: lori@loribuckcoaching.com
Transcribe →When College Kids Come Home for the Summer: How to Welcome Them Back Without Losing Your Mind
Apr 2900:22:56Tap to summarizeYour college kid is almost home — and you have feelings about that.You're excited. You've missed them. You've maybe already planned their favorite meals.And you're also a little nervous about what it's going to look like when two very different sets of expectations collide under the same roof.In this episode, we're talking about how to welcome your college kid home for the summer — with more peace, more connection, and a lot less conflict.We'll cover:Why the transition home is harder than it looks — for both of youHow to have the expectations conversation before they ever pull into the drivewayWhy you should give them a few days before you dive into the rulesWhat it means that everyone has changed — not just themPractical tools for managing your own thoughts when the summer isn't going the way you picturedA gentle word for the moms whose kids aren't coming home at all this summerWhether your college kid is coming home for the whole summer, half the summer, or not at all — this episode is for you.Because loving them well in this season doesn't mean controlling the outcome. It means showing up with intention, grace, and a willingness to meet them where they are now.If you liked this episode, please share it with a friend!And if you loved this episode, please rate the show and leave a review so others can find it, too. You can also follow me on my socials:Instagram: @loribuckcoachingFacebook: Lori Buck CoachingWebsite: www.loribuckcoaching.com Email: lori@loribuckcoaching.com
Transcribe →Why You’re Still Triggered (Even After Doing the Work)
Apr 2200:19:15Tap to summarizeHave you ever thought, “I’ve worked on this… so why is it still bothering me?”You’ve done the work. You understand your patterns. You’re trying to respond differently.And yet—you still get triggered.In this episode, we’re talking about why emotional triggers don’t just disappear—even after growth—and why that doesn’t mean you’re doing anything wrong.If you’ve ever felt frustrated with yourself for still reacting, still feeling hurt, or still getting pulled into the same patterns, this conversation will help you understand what’s really happening.We’ll cover: What emotional triggers actually are (and why they stick around) Why growth doesn’t mean you stop having reactions The difference between being triggered and how you respond How to stop judging yourself for where you are in the process Simple, practical tools to handle triggers with more awareness and self-trust We’ll also talk about giving yourself more grace in this season—and why learning to respond differently matters more than trying to never feel triggered again.If you’ve been wondering why you’re “still dealing with this,” this episode will help you see that nothing has gone wrong.You’re not broken.You’re learning.If you liked this episode, please share it with a friend!And if you loved this episode, please rate the show and leave a review so others can find it, too. You can also follow me on my socials:Instagram: @loribuckcoachingFacebook: Lori Buck CoachingWebsite: www.loribuckcoaching.com Email: lori@loribuckcoaching.com
Transcribe →Why You Feel Guilty Even When You’re Not Doing Anything Wrong
Apr 1500:23:21Tap to summarizeDo you ever make a decision you feel good about… and then immediately start questioning it? You set a boundary, say no, or take care of yourself—and suddenly you feel guilty. Like maybe you’re doing it wrong. In this episode, we’re talking about that familiar midlife feeling of second-guessing yourself—even when you haven’t actually done anything wrong. I share a personal story from this past week (involving cataract surgery, anesthesia, and a slightly questionable podcast recording decision), along with a deeper look at something many women carry for years: the belief that “I’m doing it wrong.” We’ll talk about: Why your brain defaults to self-doubt in midlife The difference between false guilt and real conviction How to tell when guilt is actually pointing to something… and when it’s just old conditioning Why things like housekeeping, procrastination, and productivity don’t carry moral value How to stop making your choices mean something negative about who you are If you’ve been doing the work—setting boundaries, stepping back from overfunctioning, trying to trust yourself more—but still feel uncomfortable or unsure… this episode is for you. You’re not doing your life wrong. You’re just learning how to live it differently. If you liked this episode, please share it with a friend!And if you loved this episode, please rate the show and leave a review so others can find it, too. You can also follow me on my socials:Instagram: @loribuckcoachingFacebook: Lori Buck CoachingWebsite: www.loribuckcoaching.com Email: lori@loribuckcoaching.com
Transcribe →How to Have Hard Conversations Without Being Confrontational
Apr 800:22:34Tap to summarizeIf you’ve ever avoided a conversation because you didn’t want to upset someone, this episode is for you. So many women in midlife struggle with confrontation—not because they don’t care, but because they were raised to be “good girls.” Good girls don’t rock the boat, don’t complain, and don’t make things uncomfortable. But avoiding hard conversations doesn’t create peace—it creates resentment, disconnection, and emotional exhaustion. In this episode, I’m breaking down how to have hard conversations without being confrontational. You’ll learn why your brain resists speaking up, how people-pleasing shows up in midlife relationships, and how to approach conversations with clarity and emotional maturity. I’ll also walk you through a simple decision filter to help you know when to speak up—and when it’s time to shift your mindset instead. Inside this episode, you’ll learn: How to communicate clearly without over-explaining or apologizing Why other people’s reactions are not your responsibility How to stay grounded when conversations feel uncomfortable What to do when you can’t change the situation—but still want to feel better Because healthy relationships aren’t built on avoiding discomfort… they’re built on honesty. If you liked this episode, please share it with a friend!And if you loved this episode, please rate the show and leave a review so others can find it, too. You can also follow me on my socials:Instagram: @loribuckcoachingFacebook: Lori Buck CoachingWebsite: www.loribuckcoaching.com Email: lori@loribuckcoaching.com
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