I remember the morning after my youngest left for college.

The house was quiet, peaceful, but unsettling. For years, every part of my day had revolved around my kids. And suddenly, I didn’t know what to do with the silence. If you’ve felt that same ache, that strange mix of freedom and loss, you’re in the right place.

Hi, I’m Allison, and this is Life After Launch. The podcast where we talk honestly about the empty nest transition and what it means to rediscover who you are after the kids leave home. In this solo episode, I’m answering real listener questions about identity, purpose, marriage, and self-care in midlife, and I’ll share practical ways to feel more grounded, hopeful, and empowered today.

This isn’t about “filling your time.” It’s about reclaiming your life with curiosity, compassion, and confidence.

• How to create a “Curiosity Calendar” to explore new passions and reconnect with your sense of self after years of parenting.
• The key mindset shift from ‘Manager’ to ‘Mentor’ when it comes to staying connected with your adult children, without smothering them.
• A simple daily ritual that starts with one question: “Today will be a success if…” to bring structure and meaning back into your days.
• How to rekindle connection in your marriage (or any partnership) using the Paired app and intentional conversation starters.
• The truth about guilt-why doing things just for you isn’t selfish, it’s modeling healthy self-care for your family.
• How to rediscover your passions and purpose through an honest personal inventory of what used to bring you joy—and what might again.

You’re not broken, you’re becoming. This chapter isn’t the end of something; it’s the beginning of someone: you.

Take one step at a time, one curiosity at a time, one small act of care for yourself at a time. That’s how you rebuild a life that feels meaningful and full again.

If this episode spoke to you, please follow Life After Launch wherever you listen, leave a review, and share it with another parent navigating this new chapter.

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website: https://www.lifecoachallisongoldberg.com/

After her youngest left for college and the divorce papers were signed, Annie found herself in a quiet house that suddenly felt unfamiliar. As a newly single empty nester, the stillness was more than silence and it was a space filled with memories, questions, and a kind of emptiness she hadn’t prepared for. 

Slowly, through conversations, connection, and a willingness to sit with what felt uncomfortable, she began to shape a new rhythm.

In this episode, I’m joined by Annie Clay, a Boston-based yoga teacher and health coach whose reflections on midlife have deeply resonated online. Annie’s story caught my attention because she speaks with such grounded honesty about starting over in her 50s. Together, we explore the emotional landscape of this life transition, from the loneliness of being the only single person in your friend group to the quiet joy of finding your own rhythm again. 

Annie shares how female friendships helped her rebuild a sense of belonging, why she’s choosing peace over performance when it comes to dating in your 50s, and how she's using this stage for real, grounded personal growth.

Here’s what we talk about:

• Why becoming an empty nester can stir up both grief and hope
• Why starting over feels harder in midlife and what to do about it
• How new female friendships can help you feel seen and supported
• The emotional toll of social media fears when you’re building something new
• What Annie let go of emotionally in order to truly move forward
• How clarity slowly returns when we allow ourselves to embrace uncertainty

If you're sitting in that quiet in-between space, not quite sure who you're becoming, I hope this conversation meets you gently. You’re not late. You’re not behind. You’re exactly where your next chapter begins.

To the life taking shape in the silence,

Allison

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Connect with me:

Website: https://www.lifecoachallisongoldberg.com

Email: [email protected]

Some mornings, the silence hits differently. You wake up, wander into a quiet kitchen, and there’s no one to remind about practice or to ask if they did their homework. After years of pouring into everyone else, the stillness that follows can feel jarring. As an empty nester, it’s easy to wonder: where do I begin now? 

In this episode, I walk you through the personal story behind the workbook, why I built it, and how it’s become a lifeline for so many women navigating the same season. I created The Empty Nest Reset because I needed something more than comforting words… I needed structure, clarity, and guidance. This season asked me to rediscover what life could look like on my own terms and to reclaim your life with purpose after such a major identity shift.

You’ll hear what I went through when the routines stopped, how I found myself spiraling, and the transition planning that helped me climb out of it. I’m sharing real tools: the exact daily prompts I used, the mindset shifts that stuck, and the emotional patterns I had to unlearn. This is where your emotional reset begins through acknowledging the grief and learning to move with it.

We will talk about:

• The moment I realized I had no roadmap for life after launch day
• How the MOVE method helps you shift from control to connection
• The emotional and relational cost of staying stuck in “fixer mode”
• The practical way to start showing up for yourself again
• Why emotional healing needs to happen before reinvention
• A gentle invitation to reconnect with your spouse without pressure

This episode is for the woman standing in that in-between space: ready for self-discovery, but unsure how to take the first step in this new chapter in life. Let this be your next small, intentional step toward personal growth.

To the strength in starting again,

Allison

Want to be a guest on the show? Apply to share your story.

Connect with me:

Website: https://www.lifecoachallisongoldberg.com

Email: [email protected]

For so many women over 50, especially those who’ve been a full-time mom, the empty nest brings more than just the absence of children. It brings a quiet space that can feel unfamiliar, a sense of identity loss, and a deep longing for connection. It stirs the tender question that sits quietly beneath the surface: What now?

In this episode, I’m joined by Kelly Hess, a successful entrepreneur, wife, and brand-new empty nester. Just two months into this major life transition, Kelly opens up with refreshing honesty about the emotional waves she’s riding: everything from redefining her daily rhythm to navigating relationship changes with her husband after decades of parenting together. 

We talked about the build-up, the anticipatory anxiety that starts long before the last child leaves. We also explore what happens after: the quiet gaps in the evening, the restless thoughts, and the unexpected joy of discovering who you are when you're no longer needed in the same ways. Kelly shares the things that helped, the ones that didn’t, and the simple rituals she’s creating to reconnect with her own sense of self-discovery.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• Why having a career doesn’t always soften the blow of the empty nest
• A gentle bedtime practice to begin the shift from caregiving to intentional living
• The surprising emotional toll of “having it all together” and still feeling unmoored
• Small but meaningful coping strategies that create structure and comfort
• How music and simple breathing techniques became anchors during uncertain moments
• What it looks like to slowly start finding purpose again, with softness and grace

Where you are right now is exactly where you’re meant to be. You might be just beginning this change, or maybe it’s still approaching. If you're longing for comfort, clarity, or simply to feel understood, this conversation is here for you.

To the beauty of this new chapter,

Allison

Want to be a guest on the show? Apply to share your story.

Connect with me:

Website: https://www.lifecoachallisongoldberg.com

Email: [email protected]

Lately, I’ve been thinking about how quickly everything changes when the kids leave. The routines vanish, the texts slow down, and suddenly, I’m standing in the quiet of my own life wondering what fits and what doesn’t anymore. 

If you’re sitting in that same space, navigating an empty nest, shifting relationships, or feeling the subtle ache of reinvention, I want you to know: you're not the only one.

In this episode, I’m talking about what I call The Great Friendship Shift, how our connections evolve in midlife and why that’s not a bad thing. As women in midlife, we’re often holding so much: aging parents, changing bodies, redefined purpose. It’s no wonder some friendships start to feel out of sync. But there’s clarity here too. I’ve come to realize that this season calls for healthy boundaries, intentional relationships, and a deep commitment to emotional honesty with ourselves and others.

This is a real, unfiltered look at what I’ve learned through my own shifts. No fluff. Just truth, reflection, and a little tough love because that’s what friendship requires now.

Here’s what I’m unpacking:

• How I’m navigating female friendship and social connection after the empty nest
• Why a personal values inventory reshaped how I choose friends
• The importance of friendship boundaries and honoring my emotional energy

If your world feels like it’s shifting, if your calendar is emptier but your heart is heavier, I hope this episode feels like a soft place to land. This is a season of curation, not loss. And you get to decide what stays.

To the beauty of this new chapter,

Allison

Want to be a guest on the show? Apply to share your story.

Connect with me:

Website: https://www.lifecoachallisongoldberg.com

Email: [email protected]

The day I dropped my daughter off at college, everything changed. I gave her a kiss, said goodbye, and got on the plane with a pit in my stomach. That moment marked the start of a quiet I wasn’t ready for and a chapter I didn’t quite know how to begin. 

If you’re navigating an empty nest, feeling the stretch of a big life transition, or just wondering where you fit into this next season, you’re not alone.

In this solo episode, I’m sharing what it really felt like to come home to a quiet house and a full heart. As a midlife mom and life coach, I’ve spent years helping others through change, but this time, I had to walk through it myself. I’ll take you inside those early emotional days, and the slow, honest process of creating a new chapter that feels like mine.

You’ll hear the messy, real parts of the journey, along with what helped me come back to myself in the process. It’s a story of grief, yes, but also of self-discovery, reflection, and small steps toward intentional living.

Here’s what I’m sharing:

• The raw emotions I felt coming home to an empty house
• The quiet fears I had about my marriage and identity
• How I gave myself permission to feel everything without rushing to fix it
• A journaling practice that helped me reconnect with my desires
• How I use Sunday planning to support my mental wellness and structure my week
• Simple ways I started creating joy again (on my terms)
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If you’re in this season too where everything feels unfamiliar and tender, I hope this episode gives you comfort and a few gentle tools to help you move forward. You don’t have to figure it all out at once. You just have to start where you are.

To the beauty of this new chapter,

Allison

Want to be a guest on the show? Apply to share your story.

Connect with me:

Website: https://www.lifecoachallisongoldberg.com

Email: [email protected]

Can you believe it? Forty episodes in! In this milestone episode of Life After Launch, I'm taking a moment to look back at this beautifully complicated empty nest chapter and share everything I’ve learned about midlife reinvention, emotional well-being, and designing a life of intentional living after the kids leave.

This season of life is full of contradictions: joy and grief, freedom and uncertainty, self-discovery and letting go. I open up about what this transition has truly taught me and the quiet power of giving ourselves permission to evolve.

We talk about how strange it feels to not know every detail of our kids’ lives anymore, and how to find peace (and even joy) in that space. We also dive into what it really means to design this next phase of your life with intention—not by accident or default, but on purpose.

If you've been feeling the tug between who you were as a parent and who you’re becoming now, this one's for you. Because the truth is: this next chapter isn't just about our kids launching—it's about us launching, too.

Listen in and find out everything I have learned about midlife self-discovery while everything continues to change during the empty nest. Here's to the next 40 episodes!

Connect with Life Coach Allison Goldberg

Want to be a guest on the show? Apply to share your story

Find out more about empty nest coaching here, or shoot me an email: https://www.lifecoachallisongoldberg.com

[email protected]

The kids are grown, the calendar’s a little more open, and suddenly the mirror feels like it’s asking bigger questions. Stepping into midlife can bring unexpected reflections on who you are beyond parenting, or who you thought you were supposed to be.

In this episode, we’re joined by our guest, Cecilia (aka Silver Sister), a midlife creator whose viral TikToks about embracing her gray hair and growing into her truth have sparked powerful conversations about self-image, self-worth, and what it really means to age on your own terms.

We explore how letting go can look like choosing not to color your hair, releasing the need for validation, and challenging the idea that aging makes you irrelevant. Cecilia opens up about her journey from hiding to authentic living, and how the process of choosing herself has been both a personal challenge and a form of emotional healing.

We also get into:

• What the empty nest season can reveal about long-ignored parts of yourself
• How beauty standards shape the way women over 50 see themselves
• What it’s like to silence the inner critic and practice radical self-love
• Why personal growth sometimes starts with something as simple as going for a walk
• How shifting your mindset around natural aging can unlock a different kind of freedom

If you're navigating change, craving clarity, or simply tired of feeling like you have to apologize for growing older, this episode is a gentle nudge toward a richer, freer version of you.

To the beauty of this new chapter,

Allison

Want to be a guest on the show? Apply to share your story.

Connect with me:

Website: https://www.lifecoachallisongoldberg.com

Email: [email protected]

You raised them, loved them, gave them your whole self… and now the routines have changed. The house is quiet, but your mind isn’t. If stepping into the empty nest season has you feeling lost or struggling with your emotional health, this conversation speaks to the quiet, complicated parts of that transition.

Today I’m joined by Elissa Varadi, a Houston-based therapist with 38 years of experience supporting parents through major life transitions. Together, we talk through the emotional landscape of this season, how the transition from parenting teens to parenting from a distance can stir up everything from self-identity questions to unexpected waves of grief.

We explore how life transitions like this one can impact emotional intimacy, spark friendship changes, and even bring up topics like gray divorce or parent guilt. Elissa shares thoughtful insights on how to begin tending to your mental wellness again, where to look for real emotional support, and how to connect with support groups or even consider therapy for parents in a way that feels approachable.

We also talk about:

• How to tell the difference between grief vs. depression
• The role of self-care for moms and why it’s often overlooked
• What real personal growth looks like during seasons of uncertainty
• Why support groups for empty nesters can be a lifeline, not a last resort

If this season feels quieter or heavier than you imagined, this conversation offers real guidance, comfort, and a reminder that new beginnings are still ahead.

Here’s to making space for yourself,

Allison

Want to be a guest on the show? Apply to share your story.

Connect with me:

Website: https://www.lifecoachallisongoldberg.com

Email: [email protected]

You thought the quiet would bring peace. Instead, it brought questions. What do I do now? Who am I without them here? And how do I make this next chapter mine? If the transition into the empty nest has left you feeling unsteady, you’re not the only one and there’s a path forward.

In this episode, I’m sitting down with Jay Ramsden, an empty nest coach, and he unpacks what really happens when the kids move out and you’re left to navigate the emotional and logistical shifts. From the identity crisis no one warned you about to the deafening quiet that creeps in, we explore how this life transition can shake your sense of purpose and how to rebuild it with intention.

We walk through the three emotional phases: grief, relief, and joy, and why they rarely show up in order. Jay shares how to prepare your mindset before the kids leave, how to nurture your marriage through the shift, and what it means to create new routines that center your own well-being while also learning how to cope with empty nests.

Here’s what we unpacked:

• The emotional layers of empty nest syndrome, grief, and why shame often tags along
• How to approach self-care for moms and navigate the silence with confidence
• What self-discovery, personal growth, and finding a passion can look like in this new season
• The power of navigating changes in your marriage and reconnecting in a new rhythm
• Practical ways to start finding yourself again and embracing a true mental reset

If you're trying to make sense of the quiet, questioning who you are now, or just need a little emotional support, this episode is here to help you breathe, reflect, and begin again.

Here’s to rediscovering who you are,

Allison

Want to be a guest on the show? Apply to share your story.

Connect with me:

Website: https://www.lifecoachallisongoldberg.com

Email: [email protected]