Message In The Middle
Finding Meaningful Messages in Midlife -
Let's Navigate, Grow, and Thrive Together
Recent Episodes
You’re Not Stuck. Your Nervous System Is Protecting You.
Many women reach midlife having done years of personal growth work. They’ve read the books, gone to therapy, practiced mindset tools, and still find themselves feeling stuck. Not broken, exactly. Just not settled. Not at ease...
What If Healing Doesn’t Have to Wait? Emma Churchman on Trauma and Re…
What if healing from trauma didn’t have to wait until life finally slowed down? What if recovery could happen in real time, right in the middle of uncertainty, responsibility, and everyday life? In this episode of Message in the Middle, Marianne is joined by Emma Churchman, nationally certified tra…
When Being Busy Stops Working: Curiosity, Connection, and Midlife Lea…
So many women in midlife are craving something they can’t quite name. It’s not another productivity system. It’s not better time management. And it’s definitely not one more thing to add to an already full plate. It’s genuine...
Rewiring the Mind in Midlife: Hypnosis, Curiosity, Manifestation and …
In this episode of Message in the Middle , Marianne sits down with Clinical Hypnotherapist, imagination advocate, and award-winning author Michelle Walters to explore how hypnosis, curiosity, manifestation, and imagination ca...
You Don’t Have to Earn Your Worth: Ruth Hirshberg on Burnout, Boundar…
So many women in midlife are quietly carrying an exhausting belief: that their worth is something they have to earn—through productivity, perfection, and putting everyone else first. In this episode of Message in the Middle ,...
Thriving Through Chronic Illness: Relationships, Resilience & Staying…
What happens to a relationship when chronic illness enters the picture? For many women in midlife, a diagnosis doesn’t just affect the body, it reshapes roles, routines, identity, intimacy, and the emotional fabric of our closest relationships. And without the right support, even the strongest part…
Turning Heartbreak Into Art: Nikki Allen on Healing, Identity & Reinv…
In this powerful conversation, Marianne sits down with author and creative visionary Nikki Allen , whose novel Loved You, Hated You began as a song, became a screenplay, and ultimately transformed into a raw, emotionally char...
From Fight, Flight, or Freeze to Ease: Reconnecting with Your Nervous…
If you’ve ever felt like your body and your mind were working against you—stuck in stress, burnout, or exhaustion—this episode is for you. Marianne sits down with Kelly Hale , a wellness practitioner with over 25 years of exp...
You’re Not Broken, You’re Wired Differently: ADHD, Midlife, and Thriv…
What happens when you realize in midlife that your brain has been playing by a completely different rulebook all along? In this episode of Message in the Middle , host Marianne DeMello-Smith sits down with Jorie Houlihan , Yo...
Recent Blog Posts
Embracing Your Second Act with Shannon Russell
If you’re like many women I talk to, you might feel like you’ve spent the first half of your life checking all the boxes, doing all the things. Career, family, helping with your aging parents, responsibility after responsibility, a…
Can We Really Have It All? A Candid Conversation About Burnout and Ba…
What if the path to a more fulfilling life didn’t require running yourself into the ground first?In this week’s episode of Message in the Middle, I sat down with Dr. Denise Brown—Stanford-trained physician, former CEO, strategic …
Creating Safer Spaces: How to Help Your Loved Ones Age in Place with …
As our loved ones get older, many of them express a strong desire to stay in the homes they know and love—but that doesn’t mean those spaces are ready to support them as they age. From fall risks to poor lighting and tricky stairs, the h…