Episodes

What happens when we slow down long enough to truly see another human being? In this deeply thoughtful episode of Message in the Middle, Marianne sits down with Jody Zarn, an author, corporate trainer, and TEDx speaker whose life changed after buying a cup of coffee for a man named Leroy who was experiencing homelessness. What began as one small act of kindness became a life-changing friendship that challenged everything Jody thought she understood about trauma, mental illness, dignity, and h...

Retirement is something many of us prepare for financially, but few of us prepare for emotionally. What happens when the career that shaped your identity, routines, and sense of purpose suddenly disappears? And how do you rediscover yourself when the role you carried for decades is no longer there? In this episode, Marianne sits down with George Jerjian, an Emmy Award-winning producer, author, and retirement mindset mentor who helps people navigate the emotional and psychological side of retire...

There’s no shortage of advice when it comes to gut health right now. Parasite cleanses. Heavy metal detoxes. Protocols that promise to fix everything in a matter of weeks. And if you’ve been dealing with bloating, fatigue, constipation, or symptoms that never quite resolve, it makes sense why those promises are so appealing. But what if some of the things you’re doing to heal are actually putting more stress on your body instead of helping it? In this episode of Message in the Middle, Mariann...

There comes a point in midlife that can feel both confusing and surprisingly unsettling. You've built a life. A career. A reputation. Maybe a family. You've worked hard, made sacrifices, and checked many of the boxes you once thought would lead to happiness and fulfillment. And then one day you find yourself wondering: Why doesn't this fit the way it used to? Not because you've failed. Not because your life is falling apart. But because you've grown. In this episode, Marianne sits down with C...

Sometimes the hardest experiences to recognize are the ones we are living through. Many women think intimate partner violence only looks one way. They picture obvious warning signs, visible injuries, or situations that seem dramatically different from their own. But what happens when the harm is subtle? When it shows up as constant self-doubt, walking on eggshells, losing trust in your own instincts, or slowly becoming someone you no longer recognize? In this powerful conversation, Marianne s...

What if the thing standing between you and the life you still want isn’t talent, timing, or confidence—but tenacity? In this episode of Message in the Middle, Marianne sits down with entrepreneur, creative director, and author Scott Scovill to explore what it really takes to keep going when fear, failure, and self-doubt tell you to stop. Scott’s story doesn’t follow a traditional path. He went from a struggling student who felt “broken” and paralyzed by fear of failure to building one of the m...

There’s a moment in midlife that many women recognize, even if they’ve never had the language for it. You’re no longer who you used to be… but you’re not fully who you’re becoming either. In this episode of Message in the Middle, Marianne sits down with Dr. Sarah Andreas, artist, educator, and author of Step Into the Ether, to explore what she calls the identity gap. That in-between space where old identities begin to fall away and something new is quietly forming. Together, they unpack: &nbs...

What if the answer isn’t to change everything… but to change just a few things that change everything? In this episode of Message in the Middle, Marianne sits down with Dr. Michele Kehrer, business growth coach, entrepreneur, and four-time cancer survivor, to explore what it really means to find clarity in the middle of chaos. After building and selling a successful physical therapy practice in downtown Chicago, Michele now helps overwhelmed entrepreneurs and midlife women step out of constan...

There’s a moment many women reach in midlife where they realize something frustrating… They’ve done the work. They understand their patterns. They’ve processed their experiences. They can talk about their past with clarity and insight. And yet, something still feels stuck. In this episode of Message in the Middle, Marianne sits down with somatic psychotherapist and author Melanie Smithson to explore why insight alone doesn’t always create the healing we’re looking for—and what might be missin...

What happens when you wake up one day and realize your life doesn’t look the way you thought it would? In this episode of Message in the Middle, Marianne sits down with Debbie Weiss, best-selling author, speaker, and host of the Maybe I Can podcast for a deeply honest conversation about what it really takes to change your life in midlife. After decades of caregiving, personal loss, infertility, and feeling defined by her circumstances, Debbie reached a turning point at 50. Not because her life...

In this episode of Message in the Middle, Marianne sits down with therapist, relationships coach, and emotional safety expert Diane McDowell to explore a powerful reframe: What if the challenges in your relationships aren’t about communication or compatibility… but about emotional safety? Because when emotional safety is missing, everything changes. You can know the tools. You can have the awareness. You can want to respond differently. But in the moment, none of it seems to matter. That’s ...

What does it actually mean to be in a good relationship with yourself? Not the version you perform for the world. Not the one built on how much you get done or how little you ask for. The one underneath all of that. The one that shapes how safe you feel in your own body, how you respond when things fall apart, and whether you extend even a fraction of the compassion to yourself which you so freely give to everyone else. In this episode of Message in the Middle, I'm joined by Kerisma Vere, holis...

If you’ve ever caught yourself thinking, “Why do I keep doing this?” or “Why can’t I just change this pattern?” Then this episode is for you. Because the truth is, most of us aren’t stuck because we’re broken. We’re stuck because we’re trying to change at the level of the conscious mind… while the real drivers of our behavior live somewhere deeper. In this conversation, I’m joined by clinical hypnotherapist, counseling psychologist, and coach Christine Brodmerkel. Christine helps people unders...

What do you do when everything in the life you knew changes unexpectedly? In this episode of Message in the Middle, I’m joined by Jo Rye, founder of Clarity & Courage, executive coach, and author, who shares what it really looked like to rebuild her life after surviving a brain hemorrhage just days after losing her grandmother. This isn’t a story about reinvention. It’s about starting from a place you never expected to be. Not knowing who you are anymore, and figuring it out slowly, in real ti...

In this episode of Message in the Middle, Marianne sits down with Toni LaMotta to explore what happens when we lose trust in our own inner voice and how we begin finding it again. After spending sixteen years living under a vow of obedience as a Catholic nun, Toni gained a deep understanding of authority, surrender, and the subtle ways our voices can fade into the background. Today, she is a highly regarded spiritual coach, teacher, and internationally acclaimed speaker who has helped hundreds ...

For many women in midlife, reinvention feels like something that should happen at the beginning of a new year, after a major life change, or once everything finally settles down. But what if the truth is simpler and harder at the same time? What if reinvention begins with one decision? In this episode of Message in the Middle, Marianne sits down with entrepreneur, executive coach, and author Adriana L. Cowdin to talk about resilience, identity, and the courage it takes to begin again. Adriana ...

In this episode of Message in the Middle, I sit down with Shaun Zetlin, master fitness trainer, author, and creator of Emotional Fitness, for a powerful conversation about redefining strength. After more than two decades helping people build physical strength, Shaun’s work has evolved into something deeper, exploring how emotional fitness shapes the way we think, feel, and show up for our lives. Born with club feet and faced with early physical limitations, Shaun shares how his journey through ...

In this episode of Message in the Middle, Marianne welcomes Anne Karber for an honest and reflective conversation about the midlife moment when everything appears fine on the outside, yet something feels quietly off. Anne is an entrepreneur, author of The Life Hack Playbook, and host of the Let’s Get Naked Podcast. Known for her grounded, no-BS approach, Anne helps people understand how self-awareness, patterns, and unconscious choices shape their lives, especially during seasons of burnout, tr...

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. In this episode of Message in the Middle, Marianne is joined by Ranbir Puar for a conversation that reframes what healing actually looks like. Together, they explore why mindset tools alone can fall short, especially for women who have spent years in survival mode withou...

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 trauma chaplain, leadership mentor, executive consultant, and founder of the Trauma Recovery Certification Program. Together, they explore what trauma really is, how it often lives quietly in the body...

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 connection. In this episode of Message in the Middle, Marianne is joined by Dr. Mickey Fitch-Collins, a leadership development expert who believes that when we center human connection in how we learn, lead, and live, everything changes. Mickey’s journey is anything but ty...

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 can help women in midlife rewire long-standing subconscious patterns. Michelle shares the deeply personal story that led her from a successful career in digital marketing into hypnotherapy after the sudden loss of her life partner. That heartbreak became the catalyst for an in...

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, Marianne is joined by registered social worker, meditation and breathwork teacher, and founder of The Self-Worth Solution, Ruth Hirshberg, for a deeply honest conversation about burnout, boundaries, and the hidden beliefs keeping so many high-achieving women stuck. Ruth sh...

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 partnerships can quietly shift from connection to survival mode. In this episode of Message in the Middle, I’m joined by Lisa Gray, LMFT, a licensed marriage and family therapist who specializes in high...