Loving that Midlife

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]

What really happens when your college kid comes home for Thanksgiving and winter break?
If you’ve ever dreamed of cozy family time — only to be met with attitude, exhaustion, or a debate tournament at the dinner table — friend, you are not alone.

In this episode of Loving That Midlife, Christian Life Coach Lori Buck shares what moms truly need to know about navigating the emotional ups and downs when young adults return home for the holidays. Whether this is your first freshman coming home or your fourth rodeo, this conversation will help you welcome them home with peace instead of pressure, connection instead of control, and realistic expectations instead of disappointment.

You’ll learn:

✨ Why holiday visits feel so emotionally intense for both moms and college kids
✨ How your child has changed — and how you’ve changed too
 ✨ What expectations to let go of (including curfews, chores, and family time)
✨ The One Thing Rule that will dramatically reduce conflict
✨ How to set house agreements instead of rules
✨ Why gratitude + rest matter more than grades...for the first week
 ✨ How to stay steady when your child asserts their newfound independence
✨ And how to enjoy this season without smothering, overthinking, or walking on eggshells

Lori also shares a hilarious (and relatable!) Thanksgiving story from her own family about the year her daughter came home ready to argue with everyone at the table — and what that taught her about parenting young adults with wisdom, calm, and compassion.

If you want this holiday season to feel calmer, more connected, and far less chaotic, this episode will give you the mindset shifts and practical tools you need.

🎄 Want a peaceful December? Join A Joyful Christmas.

This brand-new 5-week Christian coaching experience will help you renew your mind, manage holiday expectations, navigate family dynamics with grace, and cultivate true joy — no matter how anyone else shows up.
Enrollment is now open. Click here for more info.

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]

In this milestone episode, Lori is joined by her 22-year-old daughter, Langley, for a candid and heartfelt conversation about what it really takes to stay close to your young adult children. 

They share:
 • What their relationship looked like before emotional maturity and coaching
• The moment things shifted and why
• How to repair “old patterns” and rebuild trust
• What adult children actually need from their parents
• The surprising beauty (and awkward adjustment!) of adult kids moving back home 

This isn’t a mom-confessional or a blame session — it’s a story of growth, grace, and learning to love your adult children without controlling them. 

If you’ve ever wondered:
 • “Is it too late to repair the relationship?”
 • “Why does my adult child pull away?”
 • “How do I stay close without overstepping?” 

This episode will encourage you, steady you, and give you real language and tools to help your relationship flourish. 

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]

Feeling the pressure to make the holidays perfect? Hosting, planning, cooking, attending every event — all while staying cheerful and grateful? If the holiday season tends to trigger stress, people-pleasing, guilt, resentment, or emotional overload… this episode is for you.

In this episode of Loving That Midlife, Lori Buck, Master Certified Christian Life Coach, breaks down the Hidden Cost of “Shoulds.”
You’ll learn:

• Why your brain creates pressure and “should” thinking
• How to tell the difference between a Kingdom Should (rooted in love, calling, and compassion) and a Performance Should (rooted in guilt, fear, and expectation)
• How to set gentle but firm boundaries without being rude, selfish, or unkind
• How to create peace, emotional presence, and healthier family dynamics during the holidays

Plus, Lori shares real-life examples and simple boundary scripts you can use immediately — especially if you feel responsible for making everyone happy.

This episode will help you:

• Release holiday stress and pressure
• Stop people-pleasing during family gatherings
• Choose your “yes” and “no” with peace and confidence
• Love others without abandoning yourself
• Recognize when guilt is disguising itself as responsibility

Whether you are navigating caregiving, family expectations, hosting traditions, or just trying not to lose yourself in the holiday chaos — this conversation will give you clarity, grace, relief, and a grounded path forward.

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]

This week on Loving That Midlife, we’re going deeper than cute pumpkin décor and “write three things you’re grateful for” lists. Because gratitude isn’t just a seasonal theme or something nice Christians should do — it’s one of the most powerful tools we have to transform our mindset, our nervous system, and our relationships.

In this episode, we’ll talk about what gratitude does in your brain and body, why it strengthens your faith, and how to create a gratitude practice for the month of November that feels meaningful — not forced or performative.

You’ll learn:

• How gratitude rewires the brain toward hope and resilience
• Why it lowers anxiety, stress, AND inflammation
• What Scripture teaches about thankfulness in hard seasons
• Why gratitude isn’t pretending everything’s fine — it’s choosing to see what is still good
• 6 different gratitude practices you can choose from this month

By the end of the episode, you’ll have a clear, personal plan for your own gratitude practice — one that meets you where you are and supports emotional and spiritual growth in real life, not just on paper.

And if this is the season where you’re ready to step into personal coaching to help rewire your thoughts for peace, confidence, and joy, I’d love to talk with you.
 Visit LoriBuckCoaching.com to schedule your free discovery call.

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]

There comes a point in parenting when correction starts sounding a lot like criticism — even when it’s about values and not preferences.
 So how do you know when to step in… and when to step back?

In this heartfelt episode of Loving That Midlife, Master Certified Christian Life Coach Lori Buck unpacks how to navigate the tension between guiding and letting go as your kids become teens and young adults. You’ll learn how to correct with calm instead of control, when correction turns into criticism, and how to build connection even when your children are making choices you don’t love.

Lori also shares a powerful word for moms watching a child walk away from faith — and how to trust God with your adult children’s hearts without falling into guilt or control.

You’ll walk away with:

• 3 practical tools for peaceful midlife parenting
• The difference between correction and criticism
• How to release control while holding on to love
• A faith-based framework for trusting God with your grown kids

Because loving your kids well in this season doesn’t mean managing their every move — it means modeling calm, compassion, and trust.

Listen now to learn how to guide your kids with peace instead of pressure.

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 if your pain isn’t the problem—but your resistance to it is?

In this episode of Loving That Midlife, Master Certified Christian Life Coach Lori Buck helps you uncover the difference between clean pain, the natural hurt that comes from being human, and dirty pain, the unnecessary suffering we add through guilt, shame, and self-judgment.

You’ll learn how to:
 • Recognize when you’re resisting pain and making it heavier
 • Allow emotions to move through your body so they can be released
 • Be emotionally honest—with yourself and with God
 • Stop shaming yourself for “feeling too much”
 • Turn pain into purpose through faith and emotional maturity

Lori weaves in Scripture, coaching tools, and a moving personal story about helping her daughter through heartbreak, reminding you that real love doesn’t erase pain; it holds space for it.

If you’ve been feeling weighed down by sadness, guilt, or disappointment, this episode will help you process pain in a way that brings healing, not harm.

✨ Key Topics: Christian mindset coaching, emotional processing, grief, midlife faith, resilience, healing, emotional regulation, letting go, parenting adult children

🎧 Listen now to learn how to stop resisting pain—and start growing through 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]