Are you stepping into the role of mother-in-law — or already in it and wondering if you're getting it right? You're not alone. And this episode is for you. 

Lori shares the practical advice, mindset shifts, and honest coaching she gives to women navigating one of the most significant new relationships of midlife: the relationship with a child's spouse. 

In this episode, you'll hear: 

  •  The one thing Lori told her own daughter-in-law early on — and why saying the hard thing first builds more trust than anything else 

  •  Why making the holidays non-negotiable is one of the fastest ways to create resentment (and what to do instead) 

  •  The truth about unsolicited advice — and why it lands as criticism every single time 

  •  How to examine the thought "she's taking my child away from me" — and the reframe that changes everything 

  •  Why holding two truths at once is the key to a healthy mother-in-law relationship 

Plus — a tender word for the mother-in-law who is hurting, who is being kept at a distance, or who is watching another grandmother get what she's longing for. 

And a Midlife Moment about the quiet surprise of missing your daughter-in-law more than you expected. 

This one is full of love — and full of the honest, practical coaching that actually helps. 

If you liked this episode, please share it with a friend!

And if you loved this episode, please rate the show and leave a review so others can find it, too.  

You can also follow me on my socials:

Instagram: @loribuckcoaching

Facebook: Lori Buck Coaching

Website: www.loribuckcoaching.com 

Email: [email protected]

Mother’s Day can bring flowers, brunch, and sweet social media posts… but for many women, it also brings disappointment. 

Maybe you only got a text from your adult kids.
Maybe your husband didn’t plan anything.
Maybe you spent the weekend celebrating everyone else and ended the day feeling unseen, hurt, or resentful. 

In this episode, Lori talks honestly about the emotional expectations many women carry into Mother’s Day, birthdays, and family holidays — and what happens when reality doesn’t match the picture in our heads. 

This is not an episode about “never feeling disappointed.” It’s about learning how to recognize: 

•  unspoken expectations, 
•  the painful stories we tell ourselves, 
•  emotional martyrdom, 
•  and when disappointment is actually pointing to a real relationship issue that needs attention. 

Lori also shares a personal story about one of the biggest arguments in her marriage — and how disappointment eventually led to an important conversation and years of growth.
 
If you’ve ever ended a holiday feeling hurt, overlooked, emotionally exhausted, or unsure what to do with your disappointment, this episode will help you approach those feelings with more clarity, honesty, and emotional maturity.
 
In this episode: 

•  Why unspoken expectations create resentment 
•  The difference between disappointment and rejection 
•  How “people are going to people” 
•  When mindset work helps — and when a conversation is needed 
•  Why emotional adulthood matters in family relationships 
•  How to stop handing other people full responsibility for your happiness 

You are not wrong for wanting to feel loved and appreciated. But learning what to do with disappointment may change your relationships — and your peace — more than getting the perfect Mother’s Day ever could.
 

If you liked this episode, please share it with a friend!

And if you loved this episode, please rate the show and leave a review so others can find it, too.  

You can also follow me on my socials:

Instagram: @loribuckcoaching

Facebook: Lori Buck Coaching

Website: www.loribuckcoaching.com 

Email: [email protected]

Have you ever felt like you should have midlife more figured out by now — but somehow the ground just keeps shifting beneath you? You're not alone. And you're not broken.

In honor of 50 episodes of Loving That Midlife, Lori is sharing the five mindset shifts that she comes back to again and again — both in her coaching practice and in her own life. These are the shifts that don't just sound good. They actually change things.

In this episode, you'll hear about:

 •  Why you can trust yourself far more than you think you can — and how to start building that trust

 •  The difference between solving midlife and navigating it (and why that shift changes everything)

 •  The most expensive thought most midlife women carry — and the story from Lori's own 40th birthday that illustrates it perfectly

 •  Why identity isn't something you find in midlife — it's something you build, one choice at a time

 •  How to treat your feelings as data instead of directions — and what emotional adulthood actually looks like

Plus — a Midlife Moment about what it’s like to put something out into the world and wonder if it’s actually making a difference.

If you liked this episode, please share it with a friend!

And if you loved this episode, please rate the show and leave a review so others can find it, too.  

You can also follow me on my socials:

Instagram: @loribuckcoaching

Facebook: Lori Buck Coaching

Website: www.loribuckcoaching.com 

Email: [email protected]

Your college kid is almost home — and you have feelings about that.

You're excited. You've missed them. You've maybe already planned their favorite meals.

And you're also a little nervous about what it's going to look like when two very different sets of expectations collide under the same roof.

In this episode, we're talking about how to welcome your college kid home for the summer — with more peace, more connection, and a lot less conflict.

We'll cover:

• Why the transition home is harder than it looks — for both of you
• How to have the expectations conversation before they ever pull into the driveway
• Why you should give them a few days before you dive into the rules
• What it means that everyone has changed — not just them
• Practical tools for managing your own thoughts when the summer isn't going the way you pictured
• A gentle word for the moms whose kids aren't coming home at all this summer

Whether your college kid is coming home for the whole summer, half the summer, or not at all — this episode is for you.

Because loving them well in this season doesn't mean controlling the outcome. It means showing up with intention, grace, and a willingness to meet them where they are now.

If you liked this episode, please share it with a friend!

And if you loved this episode, please rate the show and leave a review so others can find it, too.  

You can also follow me on my socials:

Instagram: @loribuckcoaching

Facebook: Lori Buck Coaching

Website: www.loribuckcoaching.com 

Email: [email protected]

Have you ever thought, “I’ve worked on this… so why is it still bothering me?”

You’ve done the work. You understand your patterns. You’re trying to respond differently.
And yet—you still get triggered.

In this episode, we’re talking about why emotional triggers don’t just disappear—even after growth—and why that doesn’t mean you’re doing anything wrong.

If you’ve ever felt frustrated with yourself for still reacting, still feeling hurt, or still getting pulled into the same patterns, this conversation will help you understand what’s really happening.

We’ll cover:

•  What emotional triggers actually are (and why they stick around) 
•  Why growth doesn’t mean you stop having reactions 
•  The difference between being triggered and how you respond 
•  How to stop judging yourself for where you are in the process 
•  Simple, practical tools to handle triggers with more awareness and self-trust 

We’ll also talk about giving yourself more grace in this season—and why learning to respond differently matters more than trying to never feel triggered again.

If you’ve been wondering why you’re “still dealing with this,” this episode will help you see that nothing has gone wrong.

You’re not broken.

You’re learning.

If you liked this episode, please share it with a friend!

And if you loved this episode, please rate the show and leave a review so others can find it, too.  

You can also follow me on my socials:

Instagram: @loribuckcoaching

Facebook: Lori Buck Coaching

Website: www.loribuckcoaching.com 

Email: [email protected]

Do you ever make a decision you feel good about… and then immediately start questioning it? 

You set a boundary, say no, or take care of yourself—and suddenly you feel guilty. Like maybe you’re doing it wrong. 

In this episode, we’re talking about that familiar midlife feeling of second-guessing yourself—even when you haven’t actually done anything wrong. 

I share a personal story from this past week (involving cataract surgery, anesthesia, and a slightly questionable podcast recording decision), along with a deeper look at something many women carry for years: the belief that “I’m doing it wrong.” 

We’ll talk about: 

• Why your brain defaults to self-doubt in midlife 
• The difference between false guilt and real conviction 
• How to tell when guilt is actually pointing to something… and when it’s just old conditioning 
• Why things like housekeeping, procrastination, and productivity don’t carry moral value 
• How to stop making your choices mean something negative about who you are 

If you’ve been doing the work—setting boundaries, stepping back from overfunctioning, trying to trust yourself more—but still feel uncomfortable or unsure… this episode is for you.
 
You’re not doing your life wrong.
 
You’re just learning how to live it differently.
 

If you liked this episode, please share it with a friend!

And if you loved this episode, please rate the show and leave a review so others can find it, too.  

You can also follow me on my socials:

Instagram: @loribuckcoaching

Facebook: Lori Buck Coaching

Website: www.loribuckcoaching.com 

Email: [email protected]

If you’ve ever avoided a conversation because you didn’t want to upset someone, this episode is for you. 

So many women in midlife struggle with confrontation—not because they don’t care, but because they were raised to be “good girls.” Good girls don’t rock the boat, don’t complain, and don’t make things uncomfortable. 

But avoiding hard conversations doesn’t create peace—it creates resentment, disconnection, and emotional exhaustion. 

In this episode, I’m breaking down how to have hard conversations without being confrontational. You’ll learn why your brain resists speaking up, how people-pleasing shows up in midlife relationships, and how to approach conversations with clarity and emotional maturity. 

I’ll also walk you through a simple decision filter to help you know when to speak up—and when it’s time to shift your mindset instead. 

Inside this episode, you’ll learn: 

•  How to communicate clearly without over-explaining or apologizing 
•  Why other people’s reactions are not your responsibility 
•  How to stay grounded when conversations feel uncomfortable 
•  What to do when you can’t change the situation—but still want to feel better 

Because healthy relationships aren’t built on avoiding discomfort… they’re built on honesty.
 

If you liked this episode, please share it with a friend!

And if you loved this episode, please rate the show and leave a review so others can find it, too.  

You can also follow me on my socials:

Instagram: @loribuckcoaching

Facebook: Lori Buck Coaching

Website: www.loribuckcoaching.com 

Email: [email protected]

When your adult child is struggling, everything in you wants to fix it. 

You want to step in.
 Make a call.
 Say the right thing.
 Take the pain away. 

But what happens when you can’t? 

In this episode, we’re talking about one of the hardest and most overlooked parts of parenting adult children— watching them go through something difficult… and having no way to make it better. 

Whether it’s a situation that feels unfair, a relationship that’s falling apart, or a season of anxiety, uncertainty, or emotional pain… this episode will meet you right where you are. 

You’ll learn: 

•  Why the urge to fix feels so strong (and what’s actually driving it) 
•  The difference between supporting your adult child and trying to rescue them 
•  How to manage your own emotions when you feel helpless, anxious, or overwhelmed 
•  What it looks like to stay present and connected without taking over 

This episode is part 3 of a 3-part series on parenting adult children:
 

1.  When they come to you with a problem 
2.  When they make decisions you don’t agree with 
3.  When they’re struggling and you can’t fix it 

If you’ve ever thought:
 “I just want to make this better for them…”
 “I hate watching them go through this…”
 “I don’t know what to do…”
 
You are not alone.
 
This episode will help you learn how to support your child in a way that actually strengthens your relationship—without over-functioning, over-controlling, or losing yourself in the process.
 
 
If you’d like help applying this to your real-life situation, I offer free consultation calls. You can connect with me on socials, my website, or via email.

 

If you liked this episode, please share it with a friend!

And if you loved this episode, please rate the show and leave a review so others can find it, too.  

You can also follow me on my socials:

Instagram: @loribuckcoaching

Facebook: Lori Buck Coaching

Website: www.loribuckcoaching.com 

Email: [email protected]

When your adult child makes a decision you don’t agree with, it can bring up a very specific kind of tension.

You’re not in charge anymore… but you still care deeply.

In this episode, we’re talking about what it looks like to navigate those moments—when your adult child chooses something you wouldn’t choose, and every part of you wants to step in, say something, or steer the outcome.

You’ll hear:

•  Why this stage of parenting feels so emotionally challenging 
•  What’s really happening when you feel the urge to correct or control 
•  How to stay connected to your adult child without agreeing with their decisions 

We’ll also talk about the added layer for Christian moms—how to trust that you’ve raised your children in truth, without feeling responsible to correct or convict them in every conversation.

This episode is honest, practical, and rooted in real-life moments—including a story that might just change the way you see these interactions.

If you’ve ever thought,
 “I wouldn’t choose that…”
 but didn’t know what to do next—

This episode is for you.

If you liked this episode, please share it with a friend!

And if you loved this episode, please rate the show and leave a review so others can find it, too.  

You can also follow me on my socials:

Instagram: @loribuckcoaching

Facebook: Lori Buck Coaching

Website: www.loribuckcoaching.com 

Email: [email protected]

If you’ve ever found yourself standing in your kitchen, listening to your adult child share a problem… and feeling that immediate urge to fix it—this episode is for you.

Because here’s the truth:
Parenting doesn’t get easier when our kids grow up… it just gets different.

In this episode, we’re talking about one of the hardest and least talked about parts of parenting adult children—knowing how to respond when they come to you with a problem.

You’ll hear real-life situations—from job struggles to college challenges—and learn how to navigate those moments without overstepping, over-functioning, or taking on what isn’t yours to carry.

We’ll also explore:

• The shift from hands-on parent to “consultant”
• Why unsolicited advice often feels like criticism to adult kids
• How to manage your own thoughts and emotions so you can show up with intention

And I’ll share a personal story about learning to trust my child in a hard situation—even when every instinct in me wanted to step in.

If you’re in midlife and learning how to navigate this new season of parenting, this episode will help you feel more grounded, more confident, and less alone.

If you liked this episode, please share it with a friend!

And if you loved this episode, please rate the show and leave a review so others can find it, too.  

You can also follow me on my socials:

Instagram: @loribuckcoaching

Facebook: Lori Buck Coaching

Website: www.loribuckcoaching.com 

Email: [email protected]