Who am I now?
If you’re a woman in your 40s or 50s and quietly wondering why life feels different — even though nothing is technically “wrong” — this episode is for you.

In this episode of Loving That Midlife, Lori Buck, Master Certified Christian Life Coach, explores the identity shifts many women experience in midlife when long-held roles change or come to an end. Whether you’re no longer actively parenting the way you once were, stepping out of a caregiving role, or realizing that a season of life has closed, this conversation offers clarity, relief, and practical guidance.

We talk about:

• Why midlife identity challenges are common for women — and why they don’t mean something has gone wrong
• The difference between vocation and calling from a Christian perspective
• Why secular work and everyday roles are just as meaningful as ministry roles
• How identity confusion often comes from losing a role, not losing yourself
• Four practical tools to help you lead yourself through identity transitions with clarity and grace

You’ll also hear Lori share a personal story about homeschooling, identity loss, and rediscovering her calling in midlife — and why asking “Who am I now?” can actually be the beginning of something good.

✨ Sometimes listening to a podcast is enough.
But if this episode stirs something deeper and you’d like support sorting it through, Lori offers complimentary consultation calls. Use the links below to connect with her.

This episode is for thoughtful, capable women who want to navigate midlife transitions with emotional maturity, faith, and wisdom — without shame, burnout, or reactionary decisions.

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]

Midlife doesn’t just make women tired — it can bring many of us to a breaking point. 

In this episode of Loving That Midlife, Master Certified Christian Life Coach Lori Buck talks about a pattern she’s seeing everywhere: thoughtful, capable women hitting midlife exhaustion and feeling the sudden urge to quit — to stop cooking, stop volunteering, stop carrying the emotional load, or walk away from parts of life that have started to feel unsustainable. 

Culturally, that breaking point is often celebrated. Other women cheer. Social media applauds. “You don’t have to do that anymore.” And while that message can feel freeing, it isn’t always wise. 

In this conversation, Lori explores the difference between burning it all down and leading yourself well in midlife. She introduces practical mindset tools to help you count the cost honestly, pause before reacting, and choose changes that actually support a life you want to stay in. 

You’ll learn: 

• Why midlife burnout often shows up as resentment or the urge to quit
• The difference between rebellion and sustainability
• How to tell the truth about what’s costing you without self-abandonment
• Why endurance is not the same thing as martyrdom
• A grounding reframe many women need to hear: “I am not a martyr. I am choosing this.”

This episode is especially for women who feel on the edge — tired, discouraged, and unsure whether they need to stop everything or just do things differently.
 
Lori also shares a relatable midlife moment that perfectly captures the 50/50 life: joy and missing, relief and worry, gratitude and vulnerability — all at the same time.
 
If you’re realizing something needs to change, but you don’t want to react from exhaustion or resentment, this episode will help you slow down, think clearly, and lead yourself with more wisdom and grace.
 
If you’d like support doing this work more intentionally, Lori offers private 12-week coaching for women in midlife who want clarity, steadiness, and sustainable change. Reach out to her on social media or her website for more information.
 

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]

Life can feel more exhausting in midlife than it used to — and for many women, that exhaustion feels confusing and discouraging. Instead of seeing it as a season shift, we often turn it inward and judge ourselves for being more tired, less patient, or less capable than we once were.

In this episode of Loving That Midlife, Master Certified Christian Life Coach Lori Buck explains why midlife truly is different — emotionally, physically, and mentally — and why nothing has gone wrong if you feel more tired, less patient, or less willing to tolerate what you once did.

You’ll learn two practical self-leadership tools to help you:

• stop judging yourself for being tired
• calm your nervous system when everything feels heavy
• recognize when your brain is exaggerating the story
• and lead yourself with more clarity and compassion

Lori also shares a relatable midlife story about exhaustion, mindset, and what happens when we unknowingly gather evidence for misery — plus a lighthearted Midlife Moment that ties it all together.

If you’ve been telling yourself you should be able to handle this by now, this episode will help you understand what’s really happening — and show you a more honest, sustainable way forward.

Coaching Invitation:
Lori is currently enrolling a small number of women into a 12-week private coaching experience that includes weekly recorded teachings and a 50-minute one-on-one session each week. The first three women who sign up will also receive a physical copy of the Design Your Life in 90 Days planner. Email or message me for more details.

There’s no pressure — just support if you’re ready for it.

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]

What do you do when you fall off track with your goals — because at some point, you will?

In this episode of Loving That Midlife, Christian life coach Lori Buck talks about the part of goal-setting and personal growth that rarely gets discussed: how to rebuild after you mess up. This episode is for women in midlife who are tired of all-or-nothing thinking and want a more realistic, emotionally mature way to create change.

Lori explains why failure isn’t the problem — quitting is — and how your brain uses missed days and broken streaks as evidence that you should stop trying. You’ll learn how to recognize when your mind is trying to protect you instead of telling the truth, and how to restart without turning a setback into a personal failure.

This episode also explores how choosing one clear focus at a time helps reduce overwhelm, build trust with yourself, and turn effort into sustainable rhythms — instead of constant pressure. Lori shares why shorter seasons of focus allow habits to form, how to plan for disruption instead of being derailed by it, and why rebuilding is one of the most important skills you can practice in midlife.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why all-or-nothing thinking keeps you stuck
• What to do when you fall off track — without quitting
• How to use failure as data instead of shame
• Why choosing one focus creates more momentum than doing everything
• How to rebuild habits and routines in a sustainable way

This episode is especially helpful if you’ve started and stopped before, feel discouraged by past attempts, or want to move forward in midlife with steadiness instead of pressure.

Coaching Invitation

If you want help choosing the right focus for your season — and learning how to rebuild without beating yourself up — this is the work Lori does through private coaching.

Lori is currently enrolling women into a 12-week coaching experience that includes:

• Weekly teaching
• A weekly 50-minute one-on-one coaching session
• A clear framework to help you design your next season intentionally

✨ The first three women who sign up will receive a physical copy of the Design Your Life in 90 Days planner.

For more information, email [email protected]
There’s no pressure and no rush — just an invitation.

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]

January doesn’t require urgency — it needs clarity.

In this episode of Loving That Midlife, Lori Buck shares a grounded, emotionally mature approach to planning the new year in midlife — without pressure, hustle, or “new year, new you” energy. This episode is for women in their 40s and 50s who want to slow down, get clear, and move forward intentionally, instead of reacting to another January.

Lori explores why rushing into goals often backfires, and why clarity — not motivation — is what creates real change in midlife. You’ll learn how to plan from how you want your life to feel, how to identify what you want to build on and what you’re ready to change, and why it’s wise to wait before starting your next 90-day focus.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why January pressure is emotionally premature for many women
• How to plan the new year from clarity instead of urgency
• How to name what you want to build on — and what needs to change
• Why planning joy and fun on purpose energizes the rest of your year
• How to create direction without rushing into decisions

This episode is especially helpful if you’re navigating midlife transitions — shifting identities, parenting older kids, changing relationships, or a growing desire to live more intentionally.

If you’re listening and realize you want more than reflection — you want clarity, support, and accountability — this is the work Lori does through private coaching.

Lori is currently enrolling women into a 12-week coaching experience that includes:

• Weekly teaching to support your growth
• A weekly 50-minute one-on-one coaching session
• A clear framework to help you design your next 90 days on purpose

This coaching experience uses Lori’s Design Your Life in 90 Days approach to help you:

• get emotionally clear
• identify what you want to build on and what needs to change
• and move forward with steadiness, confidence, and self-trust

The first three women who sign up will receive a physical copy of the Design Your Life in 90 Days Planner.

Want to know more? Email [email protected].
There’s no rush — just an invitation to stop doing this 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]

If the idea of “reflecting on the year” immediately turns into self-criticism, pressure, or a mental scorecard — this episode is for you. 

In this Christmas Eve episode of Loving That Midlife, Lori Buck invites you to pause and look back on the year you actually lived — not with judgment or shame, but with honesty, kindness, and compassion. 

This is not an episode about doing more, fixing yourself, or becoming a “new you.”
It’s about learning how to quiet the inner critic, notice growth that didn’t come with a gold star, and honor the ways you’ve changed...even if the year didn’t turn out the way you hoped. 

In this episode, you’ll learn: 

• Why year-end reflection is so hard for so many women in midlife
• How the inner critic turns reflection into a verdict — and how to interrupt that pattern
• Why celebrating progress (even without hitting the goal) matters emotionally
• How emotional maturity allows you to be honest without being cruel
• Gentle reflection questions to help you look back without overwhelm

This episode is especially for women navigating midlife transitions — parenting older kids, shifting identities, changing marriages, grief, growth, and the quiet awareness that something in you is waking up.
 
And if as you’re listening, you realize you don’t want to keep living your life on autopilot in the year ahead — this is the work Lori does with her coaching clients.
 
Through private coaching, Lori helps women slow down, process the year they’ve lived, reset emotionally, and make intentional choices for what’s next — not from pressure or shame, but from clarity, self-trust, and steadiness.
 
Over the next 12 weeks, Lori will be working with a small number of women using a simple 90-day rhythm to help them:

• process the past year with clarity
• reset emotionally
• and step into the new year grounded and on purpose

If you want to learn more, email Lori at [email protected], or find her on social media at Lori Buck Coaching. There’s no rush — just an invitation.
 
Next week, we’ll talk about how to carry what you’ve learned into the year ahead — gently, intentionally, and without pretending you need to become a completely different person.
 

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]

That voice in your head telling you you’re behind… failing… or not enough?

It’s not wisdom.
It’s your inner critic — and she’s louder than ever in midlife.

In this episode of Loving That Midlife, we’re talking about the meanest bully most women know — not the one from sixth grade, but the one living inside our own heads. The voice that shows up when growth feels uncomfortable, when you’re trying something new, or when you finally stop numbing and start paying attention to your life.

Through a very real (and slightly sweaty) piano lesson story, I share what midlife growth actually asks of us — not confidence or perfection, but the ability to stay present with discomfort instead of escaping it. We’ll unpack why the inner critic sounds so convincing, how fear disguises itself as logic (and even spirituality), and how to discern truth from condemnation.

We’ll also explore:

• Why the inner critic gets louder when you stretch yourself
• The difference between conviction and condemnation
• Identity vs. performance in midlife
• How faith anchors us when self-judgment takes over
• Practical tools for leading yourself when discomfort shows up

If you’ve ever thought, “I should be better by now,” this episode is for you.

You’re not behind.
You’re becoming.

🎧 Listen in — and if you’d like support learning how to quiet the inner critic and lead yourself with steadiness, you’ll find information in the show notes to book a 20-minute Emotional Reset Session.

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]

Are you tired of feeling overlooked, disappointed, and underappreciated during the holidays?
If so, this episode will change the way you experience Christmas — forever.

For so many women, the holidays highlight the gap between what we hope our family will do…and what actually happens. We wait for someone else to create the magic, plan the moments, remember our needs, or make us feel appreciated. And when they don’t, the disappointment hits deeply.

But here’s the truth most of us were never taught:

✨ Your joy does not depend on anyone else.
✨ You can create the Christmas you want — without waiting for permission.
✨ You can be right…or you can be happy. And choosing happiness is emotional leadership.

In this empowering episode, Lori shares:

• Why waiting for other people to make Christmas magical leaves us disappointed,
 • The emotional trap of wanting to be right about how things should be,
• Why sometimes you have to throw your own party,  
• How to stop being the family’s Christmas martyr, and
• How her daughter learned to make her own Christmas magic
 

You will walk away feeling lighter, empowered, and ready to create the holiday season you want — without resentment, disappointment, or waiting for someone else to get it right.

✨ Want to feel emotionally steady this Christmas?
I’m offering a limited number of FREE 20-minute Emotional Reset Sessions.
This is a quick, transformative coaching call to help you put down one emotional burden you were never meant to carry.

👉 DM the word RESET on Instagram and I’ll send you a message to get it scheduled.

You don’t have to wait for magic this year.
You can make it — beautifully and intentionally — starting today.

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]

Friend, if you’ve ever felt like your family’s emotional pack mule — carrying everyone’s stress, disappointment, frustration, or overwhelm — this episode is going to feel like a deep exhale.

Today we’re talking about:

• Why moms become the emotional carriers in the family
• How this role starts long before we even notice it
• What happens to you when you take on everyone else’s emotions
• What happens to them when you try to manage their emotional world
• How to step into emotional adulthood with calm, grounded confidence
• How to love your people deeply without absorbing every feeling they have

I’m sharing personal stories from my own motherhood journey — including the years I acted as the referee, the buffer, the fixer, and the “go-between.” And I’ll walk you through the mindset shifts, biblical truth, and coaching tools that helped me break the cycle for good.

Your emotional load is yours.
 Their emotional load is theirs.
 And joy comes from finally letting that be true.

✨ If you want to go deeper with this work, A Joyful Christmas is still available this week!
It’s my 5-week Christian mindset coaching experience designed to help you move through this holiday season with joy, peace, and intention — no matter what’s happening in your home or your extended family.

Learn more and join us here: https://loribuckcoaching.com/joyful-christmas 

Let’s walk into this holiday season renewed, grounded, and confident — together. 

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]

Friend, why is it that we can be doing so well — growing, healing, renewing our minds — and then one holiday gathering with family can send us straight back into our old patterns? 

Today on Loving That Midlife, we’re talking about why that happens… and how you can show up as your true, grounded, adult self this holiday season, no matter how anyone else behaves. 

In this episode, you’ll learn:
 • Why your brain defaults to old childhood roles around family
 • The difference between emotional childhood and emotional adulthood
 • How to choose your responses instead of reacting out of old wounds
 • A simple mindset shift that will help you stay centered when others aren’t
 • A story from my own college-aged years when family patterns showed up loud and clear
 • How to decide — on purpose — who you want to be when you walk into the room this year 

This teaching will help you walk into Thanksgiving, Christmas, and every family gathering with more peace, more confidence, and more emotional maturity… even if no one else around you has changed. 

✨ If you want to go deeper with this work, A Joyful Christmas is officially open for enrollment.
It’s my 5-week Christian mindset coaching experience designed to help you move through this holiday season with joy, peace, and intention — no matter what’s happening in your home or your extended family.
Learn more and join us here: https://loribuckcoaching.com/joyful-christmas 
(Early bird pricing ends Nov. 29!) 

Let’s walk into this holiday season renewed, grounded, and confident — together. 

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]