Being Mary

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Learning isn’t just for young people.

In fact, continuing to learn may be one of the best things we can do for our brains as we age.

In today’s episode of Being Mary, we’re talking about curiosity, creativity, rest, and the small ways we can continue expanding our minds.

Because this stage of life isn’t about shrinking.

It’s about becoming.

🎙️ Listen now wherever you get your podcasts.

“This is Being Mary… and the best chapters are still ahead.”

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We spend a lot of time talking about taking care of our bodies as we age.

But what about our brain?

In today’s episode of Being Mary, we’re talking about everyday mind fitness — simple things you can do to keep your brain active and engaged.

Not complicated things.

Just small shifts like:

• puzzles
 • changing routines
 • social connection
 • movement
 • curiosity

Because if we’re doing squats for our knees…

we can do a few mental squats too.

🎙️ Listen now wherever you get your podcasts.

This is Being Mary… and the best chapters are still ahead.

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Sometimes the people we remember most…
 are the ones we barely knew.

A quick conversation in a grocery store.
 A shared laugh in passing.
 A moment of unexpected connection.

In this episode, I’m sharing a couple of simple, everyday encounters that stayed with me —
 not because they were extraordinary,
 but because they were human.

Because even the briefest connection
 can remind us that we’re not invisible.

🎧 Strangers Who Stay With Us
Now streaming wherever you listen to your podcasts.

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Some days, the smallest conversations are the ones that matter most.

A quick chat at the grocery store.
 A smile at the checkout.
 A kind word when someone least expects it.

In this episode, I’m reflecting on how these simple moments of connection can shift a day — for someone else… and sometimes for ourselves too.

Because maybe it’s not about changing the world…
 maybe it’s just about showing up in it.

🎧 The Smallest Conversations Matter
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Motherhood… didn’t look the way I expected.

And if I’m being honest…
 I don’t think I fully understood my own mom
 until much later.

This episode is a reflection on that—
 on love, hindsight, and how motherhood changes over time.

And a quiet question I’ve been sitting with:

What does Mother’s Day look like
 when your daughters are mothers too?

🎧 Listen now

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If someone asked you today,
 “What do you do?”
what would you say?

Not the title you once had.
 Not the role you’ve always played.
 But the truth of who you are now.

This week on Being Mary, I’m talking about elevator speeches — and why that simple question can feel so complicated as we grow older.

Maybe your answer has changed.
 Maybe it’s still changing.
 And maybe that’s exactly the point.

🎧 If Someone Asked… What Would You Say?
Now streaming wherever you listen to podcasts.

I’d love to hear your elevator speech — or the one you wish you could say. 💛

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Love, Loss, and Letting the Truth Breathe — now live.

Five years ago, I lost my husband Casey.

Grief has changed over time.
 It doesn’t disappear… it softens, it shifts, and sometimes it still shows up quietly when I least expect it.

This episode is a personal reflection on love, loss, and the truths we carry — even the complicated ones.

It’s also a conversation about something we don’t talk about enough…
 how, as we grow older, death becomes part of our lives in a more real and personal way.

If you’ve ever lost someone…
 or if you’ve ever found yourself sitting with memories that are both tender and complicated…
 this one is for you.

🎙 Listen now wherever you get your podcasts.

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There are things in life we only begin to understand much later.

Lately, I’ve been noticing something that surprised me a little.

I’m just starting to understand what it truly feels like to be loved by people.

Sometimes when we’re younger — or when we’re in the middle of life — we’re simply trying to survive the chapters we’re living in. We don’t always stop long enough to ask what things are supposed to feel like.

Looking back now, after marriage, loss, and the journey of writing my memoir, I see so much more clearly.

I’ve also come to realize how much I love hearing other people’s stories.

Everyone has one.

And when someone trusts you enough to share their story, it fills your heart in a way that’s hard to explain.

Maybe that’s one of the quiet gifts of growing older — finally beginning to understand the story we’ve been living all along.

🎙 New episode of Being Mary is out today.

📖 And if you’d ever like to read more of my story, my memoir Being Mary is available online — you’ll find the links in my bio.

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Hockey tryouts aren’t really about hockey.

They’re about effort.
 Disappointment.
 Confidence.
 And learning who you are when the outcome isn’t guaranteed.

In today’s episode of Being Mary,
I’m reflecting on hockey tryouts, life lessons,
and the quiet ways we encourage — or pressure — the people we love.

🎧 Listen now wherever you get your podcasts.

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Lately I’ve noticed something about myself…
 When life is changing, I tend to retreat.

And the more I isolate, the harder it feels to step back out again — even though getting out is exactly what I need.

A simple conversation with a stranger the other night reminded me how powerful small human moments can be.
 Not deep. Not life-changing.
 Just… human.

Maybe today we put the phone down for a minute.
 Look up. Smile. Say hello.

You never know what it might shift.

New episode: A Gentle Nudge Back into the World

If you try it today, tell me — did it change your mood even a little?

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