Podcast
The Midlife Edit
Hosted by Jen Weinstein · EN
Think of The Midlife Edit as your favorite music magazine, but for the midlife woman who's done shrinking. Host Jen Weinstein brings real conversations with guests who've lived it...alongside honest talk about identity, reinvention, hormones, and the 90s music that still lives rent-free in your head. Honest, a little irreverent, and zero apologies for who you're becoming. New episodes every Tuesday.
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Episodes
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The Mountain Was Never the Problem: Finding Joy, Worthiness & Reinvention with Nicole Canole
6d ago00:40:33Tap to summarizeWhat if what everyone calls a midlife crisis is actually a return to yourself?In this episode of The Midlife Edit, Jen sits down with entrepreneur, Harvard graduate, endurance athlete, and joy-seeker Nicole Canole for a deeply honest conversation about achievement, worthiness, grief, reinvention, and learning to receive.Nicole shares how losing her father to suicide shaped her relationship with success, why accomplishments never fully silenced the voice telling her she wasn't enough, and how climbing literal mountains taught her that the hardest battles are the ones happening inside.Together, Jen and Nicole talk about overachievement, imposter syndrome, GLP-1s and weight loss, learning to fuel your body, giving up alcohol, finding community through music festivals, and why turning forty isn't about having a crisis—it's about finding joy again.Because maybe we're not falling apart.Maybe we're finally free.In This Episode:• Why "midlife crisis" might actually be rediscovering yourself• Growing up with worthiness wounds and learning to heal• Losing a parent to suicide and the lasting impact of grief• Harvard, success, and why achievements don't always feel like enough• The truth about motivation and why nobody can do the work for you• The emotional gap between knowing and doing• What climbing mountains taught Nicole about life and control• Weight loss, GLP-1s, and learning to fuel your body instead of punish it• Giving up alcohol and finding joy without it• Music festivals, rave culture, and the power of community• Learning to receive instead of constantly proving yourself• Why failure can be a better teacher than success• What's next for Nicole and her mission to help others find their worthConnect with NicoleInstagram: @nicole.canole,@east_and_ivyJoin The Edit RoomLooking for your people?The Edit Room is our free Facebook community for women navigating midlife, reinvention, music, perimenopause, relationships, identity shifts, and all the messy, beautiful parts in between.Come join the conversation, make new friends, and remember—you don't have to figure it all out alone. Join Here! Subscribe to The Backstage PassGet behind-the-scenes stories, music recommendations, favorite things, and weekly reflections delivered straight to your inbox.Because we're not done yet.We're just getting started. Get the Backstage Pass now!
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Freedom Quest: Love, Loss & Reinvention
2w ago00:54:14Tap to summarizeDon’t Be Afraid: Music, Reinvention & Finding Your Way Back to Yourself with Debora MastersonWhat happens when you stop letting fear make your decisions?This week on The Midlife Edit, Jen sits down with debut novelist, musician, educator, producer, and lifelong creative Debora Masterson for a conversation about music, reinvention, grief, creativity, and learning how to say yes to yourself at every stage of life.Debora’s debut novel, Freedom Quest: A Love Story, is inspired by the real-life story of a 1970s rock band, a decades-long love story, and the late partner she eventually found her way back to after 26 years apart.But this episode becomes so much bigger than a book.From touring with Sammy Davis Jr. as a young singer and dancer, to building a television agency in Los Angeles, to learning bass guitar later in life and joining a band in her seventies, Debora shares what it means to keep evolving — even when the world tells you it’s too late.This conversation is for anyone who has ever:wondered if they missed their chancefelt afraid to start overtalked themselves out of something they wantedneeded permission to reinvent themselvesforgotten that creativity doesn’t expire with ageWe talk about:The real story behind Freedom QuestReconnecting with the love of her life decades laterWriting through grief after losing her partnerWhat Sammy Davis Jr. taught her about opportunityWhy she believes fear stops more dreams than failureLearning bass guitar later in lifeWhy music becomes attached to memoryThe difference between being a writer and becoming an authorAging, creativity, and refusing to shrink yourselfThe importance of saying yes before you overthink itThis episode feels like sitting in a coffee shop with someone who has truly lived.Listen + Follow DeboraWebsite: https://deboramasterson.comInstagram: @freedomquestbookListen to Freedom Quest on Spotify Get your copy here! Loved this episode?Share it with a woman who needs the reminder that it is NOT too late to begin again. And if you loved this conversation, don’t forget to rate, review, and follow The Midlife Edit Podcast.Want more conversations like this?Join the Backstage Pass newsletter - The Midlife Edit’s weekly note filled with music, midlife reinvention, honest conversations, podcast updates, playlists, and reminders that it’s never too late to become more yourself.Sign up here!
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We Were Never Meant to Disappear: Boy Bands, Motherhood & Finding Yourself Again with Jenifer Goldin
3w ago00:51:31Tap to summarizeWhat if the reason women are reconnecting with boy bands, 90s music, and nostalgia has nothing to do with the music itself?In this episode of The Midlife Edit, Jen sits down with author Jenifer Goldin to talk about motherhood, identity, burnout, friendship, social media pressure, and the versions of ourselves we thought we lost forever.Inspired by her novel Moms Love Boy Bands, Jenifer shares how women in midlife are reclaiming joy, creativity, and the passions that patiently waited for them underneath motherhood and responsibility.Together, they discuss:Why moms in midlife are reconnecting with boy bands and nostalgiaThe pressure of modern motherhood and social media comparisonWhy women deserve joy, fun, friendship, and escape without guiltGrowing up as eldest daughters and people pleasersThe “geriatric mean girl” phenomenon in adulthoodThe music that shaped us in the 80s and 90sRediscovering passions after motherhoodJenifer’s journey from audiologist to published authorWhy creativity matters in midlifeThe magic of taking risks and becoming yourself againThis episode is funny, emotional, nostalgic, and deeply validating for any woman who has ever wondered:“Who was I before everyone needed something from me?”Grab your coffee, put on your favorite 90s playlist, and settle in.Connect with Jenifer GoldinInstagram: @jenifergoldinwritesWebsite: authorjenifergoldin.comBooks: Moms Love Boy Bands Moms Who Read Romance NovelsAnonymous Mom PostsFollow The Midlife EditInstagram + TikTok: @thejenweinsteinWebsite: themidlifeeditco.comIf this episode resonated with you, please share it with a friend and leave a review - it helps more women find these conversations.
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Eldest Daughter, Damaged Walkman, No Notes
4w ago00:39:17Tap to summarizeEPISODE DESCRIPTIONThink of a song. Not your current favorite. Not the one you'd put on a playlist to impress someone. The one from when you were 13, 14, 15 years old. The one you played so many times the tape warped. The one that felt less like entertainment and more like survival.This episode is about that song. And about why you needed it.In this solo episode of Hot, Hormonal & Highly Opinionated, Jen goes deep on the intersection of two things that defined a lot of us without us realizing it: being the eldest daughter — and the music that basically raised us when no one else was available for the job.This one got personal. Consider yourself warned.WHAT WE COVEREldest Daughter Syndrome — what it actually is: It's not a cute TikTok trend. It's a whole psychological pattern that a lot of us are still paying off in therapy co-pays. The eldest daughter — whether by birth order or by emotional default — is the kid who figured out early that things worked better when she kept it together. The helper. The peacekeeper. The one who read the room before she could read a book. The one who was always told "you're so mature for your age" like it was a trophy.She became an expert at anticipating everyone else's needs. She helped raise siblings, made lunches, babysat, settled arguments, translated adult emotions — and became a little adult while she was still a kid herself. The most capable one in the room. The most invisible one in the room. Same person.Why the music did what people couldn't: Music is safe because it's borrowed. You're not the one feeling the feeling — the artist is. You're just nearby. For a kid who was told — without words — that her feelings weren't the priority, standing in the proximity of someone else's emotion was everything. The rage you couldn't show? There's a song for that. The exhaustion of holding it all together? There's a whole genre for that. It's called grunge. We owe it a debt.The songs that wrecked us weren't random. They were precision targeted. That's not nostalgia. That's coping.THE SPOTIFY PLAYLISTAll 13 songs in order — 🎧 The Eldest Daughter Playlist — put it on next time you're driving alone. See what comes up for you. That's kind of the point.NEXT WEEKJen sits down with Jenifer Goldin, author of Moms Love Boy Bands — and if this episode resonated, you are going to want to be there.CONNECT WITH JEN📱 Instagram: @thejenweinstein 🎙️ Leave a review — it takes two minutes and makes a real difference. 🔔 Subscribe so you never miss a Tuesday drop.A NOTE FROM JEN"The songs that wrecked you at 14 weren't random. They were precision targeted to the exact feelings you had no outlet for. That's not nostalgia. That's coping. And that kid? She wasn't dramatic. She wasn't being too much. She was doing the best she could with what she had — and what she had was great taste and the good sense to use it as a lifeline."
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Rewriting Your Story: Reinvention, Identity & The Next Chapter with Ellen Baker
May 2600:51:18Tap to summarizeWhat if the key to changing your life wasn't burning it down — but making a small edit to the story you've been telling yourself about who you are?This week I'm sitting down with Ellen Baker, novelist and founder of Next Chapter Studio, and this conversation is one I know you're going to want to come back to. Ellen's own life is a masterclass in reinvention: she landed a two-book deal with Random House at 30, blew up her life anyway, moved across the country, and ultimately found her way back to herself — and to publishing in a major way with her novel The Hidden Life of Cecily Larson.Now she's channeling everything she's learned from writing complex, layered fictional characters into coaching women through their own reinvention — and the framework she's built is genuinely unlike anything I've heard before.In this episode we talk about:Why so many women in midlife feel like their only options are "burn it all down" or stay stuck — and what's actually possible in betweenThe "building" analogy that completely reframed how I think about changeHow Ellen uses the tools of fiction writing (yes, really) to help women identify and rewrite the hidden beliefs that are quietly running their livesThe most common stories women carry — "I must be quiet," "I must follow the rules" — and how to start unwiring themWhy midlife might actually be the moment women finally stop outsourcing their own authorityEllen's new novel Summerland Cove (out June 2nd!) and what draws her to writing women's stories across generationsWhat she's stopped apologizing for — and why it goes all the way back to kindergartenBooks mentioned:The Hidden Life of Cecily Larson by Ellen Baker - get it hereSummerland Cove by Ellen Baker - pre-order hereConnect with Ellen:Website & novels: EllenBakerNovels.comNext Chapter Studio: EllenBakerNovels.com/studioSummerland Cove Spotify playlist Connect with The Midlife Edit:Instagram: @thejenweinsteinTikTok: @thejenweinsteinNewsletter: The Backstage Pass - join here! Website: themidlifeeditco.com
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How to Advocate for Yourself in Perimenopause (In a World Full of Experts)
May 1900:36:03Tap to summarizeEpisode DescriptionYou're not crazy. You're not lazy. And you're definitely not the only woman who has sat in a parking lot after a doctor's appointment wondering why you somehow left feeling worse.Women are being dismissed in exam rooms, overwhelmed by conflicting information online, and told to "just manage stress" while their bodies are clearly changing. So today we're getting into the how — how to actually advocate for yourself in perimenopause, what questions to ask, what red flags to watch for, who to trust (and who to scroll past), and how to stop feeling alone in the middle of all of it.This isn't me pretending to be a doctor. This is me, a real woman navigating all of this alongside you, handing you the guide I wish someone had handed me.Resources + Links Mentioned🎁 Free DownloadShe's Not Crazy. She's Perimenopause. — The free guide that goes with this episode. Symptom tracker, appointment prep, questions to ask your doctor, red flags, trusted resources, and a little "before you spiral on TikTok" gut check. Grab it → here💊 Jen's ProviderBlair Wellness and Weight Loss — Jen's functional medicine nurse practitioner practice. Joanna and Jenny specialize in perimenopause, HRT, and whole-picture women's health. Currently accepting patients. → Check them out here🩺 Pelvic Floor HealthDr. Taylor Edmiston, PT, DPT — Jen's sister and pelvic floor physical therapist. If you're leaking when you sneeze, dealing with pelvic pain, or just feel like no one has ever actually explained what's going on down there, follow her. → @edmistonphysicaltherapy📚 Voices Worth FollowingDr. Mary Claire Haver — Author of The New Menopause and The New PerimenopauseDr. Stacy Sims — Strength, fitness, and female physiologyDr. Jen Gunter — OB-GYN and myth-busterDr. Kelly Casperson — Women's sexual health and hormonesBeth Crosby, @thegarbagemom — Perimenopause, midlife, and the kind of honesty your group chat needsMelani Sanders, @justbeingmelani We Do Not Care Club — Less perfection, less performing, less apologizing for agingIf This Episode Hit HomeSend it to a woman in your life who needs it. You know who she is.And if you want the free guide — She's Not Crazy. She's Perimenopause. — grab it below. No email list selling, no upsell, no gimmick. Just the resource I think every woman navigating this chapter deserves to have in her hands.→ Get Your Guide HereThe Midlife Edit drops every Tuesday. Follow, share, and leave a review if this episode meant something to you — it's the single best way to help more women find this show.themidlifeeditco.com | @thejenweinstein
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Don't Talk Yourself Out of Your Own Life — What Happened When I Finally Sent the Email
May 1200:19:47Tap to summarizeThis week’s episode is part story, part reminder, and part permission slip.Jen takes you inside a once-in-a-lifetime weekend in Brooklyn that started with one thing: an email she almost didn’t send. What followed was a surreal and deeply emotional experience recording with Tracy Bonham at Grand Street Recording for the 30th anniversary re-recording of Mother Mother — alongside a room full of women who felt like lifelong friends within minutes.But this episode isn’t just about music or nostalgia. It’s about:Imposter syndrome in midlifeMaking yourself smaller to fit into other people’s expectationsFemale friendship and authentic connectionLearning to take up space unapologeticallySaying yes before you feel readyRemembering who you are underneath all the performanceJen reflects on the power of witnessing women fully in their element, the reality that even wildly successful people still struggle with self-doubt, and why midlife can become the chapter where we finally stop asking for permission.If you’ve been sitting on an email, a dream, a boundary, a creative idea, or a version of yourself you’ve been afraid to fully step into — this episode is your sign.In This EpisodeRecording in Brooklyn with Tracy BonhamThe emotional legacy of Mother MotherWhy women in midlife crave real connectionThe truth about imposter syndromeLearning to stop performing for everyone elseThe freedom that comes with agingWhat happens when you finally send the email anywayMentioned in This EpisodeMother MotherJemThe Midlife Edit Co.Free ResourceJen also shares her free guide:“Nobody Warned Me” — The Honest Midlife Hormone GuideA real, no-BS resource for women navigating hormones, perimenopause, exhaustion, and everything nobody prepared us for.You can download it at:The Midlife Edit Co.Favorite Quote From This Episode“You don’t have to feel ready. You just have to go.”If this episode resonated with you, share it with a woman who needs the reminder not to take herself out of her own life.
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The Mother’s Day Industrial Complex (And the Mom I’m Becoming Anyway)
May 500:21:38Tap to summarizeThis week on The Midlife Edit, Jen is getting brutally honest about motherhood, stepmotherhood, reinvention, guilt, and why Mother’s Day can feel more like a performance than a celebration.From burnt breakfast-in-bed stories to awkward brunch reservations and the emotional complexity of being a stepmom in midlife, this episode dives into the messy middle so many women are living through but rarely talk about out loud.Jen opens up about raising a son who’s about to turn 21 while simultaneously helping raise younger stepkids, all while building The Midlife Edit and learning how to choose herself without drowning in guilt.This episode is about:Midlife motherhood and identity shiftsThe complicated reality of stepmom lifeReinvention and learning to take up spaceMom guilt, ambition, and choosing yourselfWhy women are allowed to want more for themselvesCelebrating Mother’s Day in ways that actually feel meaningfulAnd then… Jen reveals her very nontraditional Mother’s Day plans: heading to Brooklyn to join Tracy Bonham for her Scream Like a Mother experience — including recording vocals for a special 30th anniversary version of Mother Mother and participating in an intimate Mother’s Day brunch with Tracy herself.This episode is raw, funny, vulnerable, nostalgic, and deeply validating for any woman trying to figure out who she is while still showing up for everyone else.In This EpisodeWhy Mother’s Day can feel exhausting instead of celebratoryThe invisible emotional labor moms carryThe truth about breakfast in bed and overpriced brunchesWhat stepmoms rarely say out loudWatching your kids grow while reinventing yourselfWhy pursuing your dreams doesn’t make you selfishMidlife identity shifts and imposter syndromeTracy Bonham’s Scream Like a Mother projectJen’s upcoming Brooklyn adventureMentioned in This EpisodeTracy BonhamMother MotherScream Like a MotherWilliamsburg, BrooklynGrand Street RecordingConnect with JenInstagram: @thejenweinsteinNewsletter: Backstage PassPodcast: The Midlife EditIf this episode resonated with you, share it with a mom, stepmom, bonus mom, or woman in reinvention mode who needs the reminder that she’s allowed to become something new too.
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Bitch, Witch, and Everything in Between: The Long Overdue Comeback of Women in Music
Apr 2800:26:01Tap to summarizeWhat happened to the women who defined the soundtrack of our lives?In this episode, Jen dives into the rise, disappearance, and long-overdue resurgence of the women in music who shaped the ‘90s and early 2000s. From Meredith Brooks to Tori Amos to Missy Elliott, this is a conversation about truth-telling, industry bias, cultural memory, and why so many iconic women were labeled, dismissed, or erased—while their music lived on.But this isn’t just about the past. It’s about what’s changing now—and why midlife women are leading the charge in reclaiming these artists and giving them the recognition they’ve always deserved.This one is part nostalgia, part cultural critique, and fully fired up.🎶 What You’ll Hear in This EpisodeThe moment “Bitch” by Meredith Brooks hit differently—and why it still doesThe pattern: how women in music were celebrated, then quietly pushed asideWhy artists like Tori Amos still aren’t getting the recognition they deserveThe double standard between male and female artists (and why it still exists)Missy Elliott’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction—and what took so longHow streaming and TikTok are rewriting the rules of music longevityWhy midlife women are reclaiming the narrative (and refusing to stay quiet)The question we should be asking: who are we overlooking right now?💥 Key TakeawaysThe music never disappeared—the industry just moved on from the women who made itWomen in music have historically been judged differently, labeled faster, and supported lessCultural recognition doesn’t always come when it should—but it can come laterWe’re in the middle of a shift—and women (especially in midlife) are driving itTwo things can be true: progress is happening, and there’s still a long way to go🖤 A Note From JenThis episode started with a song on the radio… and turned into something much bigger.Because it’s not just about music—it’s about voice.It’s about being complicated. Loud. Emotional. Honest.And refusing to shrink just because someone decided your moment was over.Spoiler: it’s not.📣 Call to ActionThis week, go back and listen to a deep cut—not just the hit.Then ask yourself:👉 Who are we doing this to right now?Come tell me:Who deserves more flowers than they’ve gotten?📲 Instagram & TikTok: @TheJenWeinstein💌 Subscribe to the Backstage Pass newsletter for a deeper dive🎤 Share the EpisodeIf this one hit for you, send it to:Your music-obsessed friendYour sisterYour teenage daughterAnyone who needs a reminder that women’s voices don’t expire⭐️ Don’t ForgetFollow, rate, and review The Midlife Edit—it helps more women find these conversations (and keeps them going).
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Hot, Hormonal & Highly Opinionated
Apr 2100:34:27Tap to summarizeThis one’s a little different—in the best way.In the first-ever Hot, Hormonal & Highly Opinionated episode, I’m skipping the neat little box and giving you the real, unfiltered version of what’s been on my mind lately. Think of it like we’re sitting across from each other with coffee… and I’m telling you everything.We’re talking about what self-care actually looks like in midlife (hint: it’s not always spa days), getting very real about my perimenopause and HRT journey, and ending with a pop culture moment that celebrates women—because honestly, they deserve it.If you’ve been feeling off, overwhelmed, unheard, or just not like yourself lately… this one is for you.🔑 In This Episode:✨ Real Self-Care (Not the Instagram Version)The difference between performative self-care and what actually helpsWhy self-care can feel selfish—and why it’s notSimple, real-life ways to take care of yourself without spending money or hours of timeWhy going to the doctor is one of the most important forms of self-care🔥 My Hormone Journey (Unfiltered)What perimenopause has actually felt like for meSymptoms that were dismissed—and why I knew something wasn’t rightNavigating doctors, testing, and finally finding someone who listenedMy current HRT protocol (estrogen, progesterone, testosterone)The gut health connection—and why I’m committing to AIPThe reality: it’s expensive, overwhelming… and still worth it🎶 Women Who Rock (Literally)Why 90s women in music are having a major moment againArtists still creating, evolving, and doing it on their termsWhat it means to step into your “second act” in midlife🎬 Pop Culture Thoughts (Because Balance Matters)The Lamar Odom documentary and why Khloé Kardashian surprised meA real conversation about showing up for people—even when it’s complicatedWhy we’re allowed to care about pop culture and real-world issues🏀 Women’s Sports Are Having a MomentThe WNBA turning 30The rise of global women’s sportsWhy this isn’t a trend—it’s a movementWhy it matters for the next generation of women💭 The Bigger Message:Women are doing the real work—on themselves, for others, in their careers, and in their lives… even when no one is watching or giving them credit.That’s midlife.And when you start paying attention—it’s powerful.💌 Let’s Keep the Conversation Going:If this episode hit home for you, I want to hear about it.DM me on Instagram: @thejenweinsteinFollow along on TikTokEmail: jen@themidlifeeditco.com🎧 More From The Midlife Edit:🎶 Follow the playlist: The Midlife Edit Co on Spotify💌 Join the Backstage Pass newsletter (weekly + no spam, ever)⭐ If You Loved This Episode:Share it with a friend, send it to someone who needs to hear it, or leave a review—it helps more women find this space.
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