Message in the Middle: Midlife Women, Reinvention & Personal Growth

Join me as I take a look back at the journey and highlight some of my favorite episodes of the first year of the podcast.  

Connect with Marianne:

• Website:  Message In The Middle with Marianne
• Message In the Middle Facebook Group:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/422430469323847/
• YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/@MessageInTheMiddle/playlists
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marianne-demello-smith-678b9966
• Email:  Contact | Message In The Middle with Marianne

Subscribe to Message In the Middle:

• Apple Podcasts
• Spotify
• YouTube

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Are you living your best life, one you thrive in, that lights you up, or are you lving the life that was expected of you, one you tolerate? Join me as I talk with Whole Life Coach Lauren Leduc Lemieux who works with people who feel stuck, fed up and frustrated with where they are in life, either professionally, personally or both. 

In this episode we will explore:

• How to find the courage and confidence to create a life you love, instead of living one you tolerate.
• Why most people stay in the life they are not fully aligned with.
• Why thinking a dream job is the only way to let your passions be fulfilled is a fallacy.
• Why working with someone can make a big difference.
• The difference in types of coaching and who else you can work with if a coach is not right for you.
• How to challenge yourself if you're stuck in your fear.
• Learning to trust your discontent, release your sense of obligation and own your truth. 

Prior to becoming a certified coach, Lauren worked in a family business for nearly 20 years. When she left, many described her departure as a midlife crisis while Lauren calls it harnessing her midlife confidence. This decision to leave served as the catalyst for her to stop settling and live her life on her terms.

 Lauren lives in Acushnet, Massachusetts with her husband, daughter and dog and enjoys going on nature walks, listening to podcasts, playing cribbage and watching sports.

 Education, Coaching Certifications & Affiliations

• CoActive Training Institute, 2013
• Professional Certified Coaching Credential (PCC) from the International Coaching Federation 
• Member of the Institute of Coaching
• BA in Humanities and Social Studies, University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth

 You can reach Lauren L. Lemieux, PCC, CPCC

• Coaching To Fulfill Dreams
• Let's connect on LinkedIn
• Here's my Instagram
• Coaching To Fulfill Dreams / Lauren Leduc Lemieux | Facebook

Check out the Blog post related to this episode here:
Do You Want To Create A Life You Love, Instead Of One You Tolerate? (messageinthemiddle.com)

Connect with Marianne:

• Website:  Message In The Middle with Marianne
• Message In the Middle Facebook Group:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/422430469323847/
• YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/@MessageInTheMiddle/playlists
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marianne-demello-smith-678b9966
• Email:  Contact | Message In The Middle with Marianne

Subscribe to Message In the Middle:

• Apple Podcasts
• Spotify
• YouTube

Leave Us a Review: If you enjoyed today’s episode, please leave a review and share your favorite takeaway. Your feedback helps us reach more listeners and bring you even more valuable content.

Keep the conversation going - Join us for more insightful conversations in the Message in the Middle Private Facebook Community & subscribe to Message in the Middle podcas...

Melissa Chureau is a purpose and mindset coach, mindfulness teacher, lawyer, and podcaster. She uses deep inquiry, mindfulness, and principles of somatics to move beyond imposterism and perfectionism to help her clients create space in the mind, and uncover their true, whole, integrated selves. 

 As a lawyer for 20 years, she has witnessed many who work and live out of alignment with their values and purpose—often because they don’t know their worth, regardless of their successes. Many feel like imposters waiting to get exposed, and afraid that who they really are isn’t enough. 

As a person with over 22 years in recovery from alcohol use disorder and a life-long ADHD-er, Melissa is all too familiar with what the experience of imposterism can do. After years of living behind the mask of imposterism, she now lives authentically and regularly shares her story to destigmatize both alcohol use disorder and ADHD. She leads meditation and mindfulness practices, leads workshops on overcoming imposterism and destigmatizing addiction and neurodivergence, offering hope and resilience tools to everyone who might want them.

In this episode we will explore:

• Why Mindfulness is perfect for busy minds
• How Mindfulness grounds us and centers us in work and life
• Dispelling Mindfuless  myths:  The point of Mindfulness is not to stop thinking
• Self-compassion as a super-power 
• Overcoming Imposterism 
• How vulnerability it the superhighway to connection and community
• ADHD
• Alcoholism

Melissa has been a mindfulness practitioner for over 25 years, learning at Spirit Rock Meditation Center, and later certifying through Dallas Yoga Center. She is a certified coach in life design and trained in somatics,, and has been leading mindfulness practices for several years. Her podcast, The Fully Mindful, explores mindfulness, purpose, and what it is to be a human among humans. 

Melissa earned her BA from U.C. Berkeley in English Literature and J.D. from Lewis & Clark Law. She lives in Oregon, where she roams the mountains with her husband, teenaged daughter, and chihuahua-pug.

You can find Melissa at Appreciate Your Worth | The Fully Mindful where you will also find her podcast of the same name.

Connect with Marianne:

• Website:  Message In The Middle with Marianne
• Message In the Middle Facebook Group:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/422430469323847/
• YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/@MessageInTheMiddle/playlists
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marianne-demello-smith-678b9966
• Email:  Contact | Message In The Middle with Marianne

Subscribe to Message In the Middle:

• Apple Podcasts
• Spotify
• YouTube

Leave Us a Review: If you enjoyed today’s episode, please leave a review and share your favorite takeaway. Your feedback helps us reach more listeners and bring you even more valuable content.

Keep the conversation going - Join us for more insightful conversations in the Message in the Middle Private Facebook Community & subscribe to Message in the Middle podcas...

Susan Saunders is a health coach and author. She coaches post-menopausal women around the world to build better brain health, reduce their dementia risk and age well. She's co-founder of The Age-Well Project platform and co-author of the best-selling book of the same name. She's author of The Age-Well Plan and her new book, The Power Decade: how to thrive after menopause will be published worldwide on April 27th by Headline Home. 

In this episode we talk about practical daily practices that can be implemented to assist in the aging process and keep the brain healthy.  

Susan can be found:
website: https://susansaundershealth.com

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/susansaundershealth/

The Power Decade: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Power-Decade-Susan-Saunders/dp/1472291603/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1676229979&sr=8-1

The Age-Well Project https://agewellproject.com

@agewellproject on Instagram and Facebook

Connect with Marianne:

• Website:  Message In The Middle with Marianne
• Message In the Middle Facebook Group:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/422430469323847/
• YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/@MessageInTheMiddle/playlists
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marianne-demello-smith-678b9966
• Email:  Contact | Message In The Middle with Marianne

Subscribe to Message In the Middle:

• Apple Podcasts
• Spotify
• YouTube

Leave Us a Review: If you enjoyed today’s episode, please leave a review and share your favorite takeaway. Your feedback helps us reach more listeners and bring you even more valuable content.

Keep the conversation going - Join us for more insightful conversations in the Message in the Middle Private Facebook Community & subscribe to Message in the Middle podcas...

In this extremely insightful conversation, Marianne sits down with Leslie Fuller, a woman who is not only passionate about helping take care of the aging, but who is passionate about educating on this topic as well.   In this episode we explore:

• How Dementia plays out in the brain and what it might look like as it’s progressing
• What you should do if you suspect some form of Dementia setting in
• The concept of using a strengths-based perspective with your loved ones
• Tips for loving & supporting someone with Dementia
• How to connect with your loved one once Dementia/Alzheimer’s has set in
• Lessons learned from years of supporting the elderly population
• What to look for in a Nursing Home
• How to help ease the transition if you must choose placement vs in home care

Leslie Fuller's career has been centered around senior adults for a long time.  She earned a Master's of Social Work with a focus in gerontology and moved right into working as a Director of Resident Services for a senior living apartment complex. After 6 years she transitioned to an Executive Director position of an Alzheimer’s and dementia care community, and then on to the role of the Divisional Dementia Care Manager supporting communities in 13 different states.  Dealing with the Senior population and related challenges is certainly something she has some knowledge on and today she uses that knowledge and experience to provide training, tools, and coaching to communities of all sizes with a goal of teaching how to create a community culture that supports optimal quality of Life for the aging resident, the staff and the families. 

Leslie's Website: Inspired Senior Care – Enriching your community's culture
Facebook:  (7) Inspired Senior Care | Oklahoma City OK | Facebook
Insta:  Leslie Fuller (@inspiredseniorcare) • Instagram photos and videos

Alzheimer's website:  alz.org
Alzheimer's 24/7 Helpline: 800.272.3900

Connect with Marianne:

• Website:  Message In The Middle with Marianne
• Message In the Middle Facebook Group:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/422430469323847/
• YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/@MessageInTheMiddle/playlists
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marianne-demello-smith-678b9966
• Email:  Contact | Message In The Middle with Marianne

Subscribe to Message In the Middle:

• Apple Podcasts
• Spotify
• YouTube

Leave Us a Review: If you enjoyed today’s episode, please leave a review and share your favorite takeaway. Your feedback helps us reach more listeners and bring you even more valuable content.

Keep the conversation going - Join us for more insightful conversations in the Message in the Middle Private Facebook Community & subscribe to Message in the Middle podcas...

Join me in this captivating discussion with Carolyn Birrell as she talks about her journey "Walking with Fay" in the midst of her mother's Dementia.  In this episode we will touch on:

• How a loved one's Dementia diagnosis can sneak up on you
• Signs of Dementia
• What a day in the life can look like while caring for someone with Dementia
• Highs and lows of caring for someone with Dementia
• Lessons learned from the other side of the Dementia journey
• Ways to ease your interactions when dealing with someone who has Dementia
• Ways to connect when you're dealing with someone who has Dementia

Carolyn was a young retiree who had relocated after a successful career working for the American Cancer Society and then later, as a real estate agent. Soon after her move, she was faced with the realization that her mother had dementia and could no longer live by herself.  As a result, Carolyn and her sister relocated their mother, and Carolyn spent the next eight years caring for her aging mom while learning all things dementia. 

As Carolyn was going through this journey, she journaled about her feelings and the interactions with her mom and eventually she used those journals to write the book, Walking with Fay. 

You can see more of Carolynn here:

• (4) Carolyn Birrell | Facebook
• Carolyn Birrell (@authorcarolynbirrell) • Instagram photos and videos
• (39) Carolyn Birrell | LinkedIn
• Carolyn Birrell, Author | WALKING WITH FAY - a Memoir about Dementia, Idaho USA

Connect with Marianne:

• Website:  Message In The Middle with Marianne
• Message In the Middle Facebook Group:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/422430469323847/
• YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/@MessageInTheMiddle/playlists
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marianne-demello-smith-678b9966
• Email:  Contact | Message In The Middle with Marianne

Subscribe to Message In the Middle:

• Apple Podcasts
• Spotify
• YouTube

Leave Us a Review: If you enjoyed today’s episode, please leave a review and share your favorite takeaway. Your feedback helps us reach more listeners and bring you even more valuable content.

Keep the conversation going - Join us for more insightful conversations in the Message in the Middle Private Facebook Community & subscribe to Message in the Middle podcas...

Join me in the second half of my conversation with Ashley McCombs Mizell, the young woman that lost her site to an Auto Immune Disease called Sarcoidosis four years ago. 

In this episode we continue exploring the inspirational journey that Ashley has been on since losing her vision and we talk through:

• How the community has helped her in so many ways, including funding for an experimental Stem Cell Ophthalmology Treatment.
• Some of the products that Ashley uses to allow her to be self-sufficient.
• Ashley's journey to becoming a social media influencer.
• The unexpected gifts her blindness has brought into her life.
• Ashley's advice to anyone that has had an injury or is in a situation that is causing them to feel lost and hopeless.

Ashley's Links: 
My Links • @blind_momofboys • Milkshake Website Builder (msha.ke)

Connect with Marianne:

• Website:  Message In The Middle with Marianne
• Message In the Middle Facebook Group:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/422430469323847/
• YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/@MessageInTheMiddle/playlists
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marianne-demello-smith-678b9966
• Email:  Contact | Message In The Middle with Marianne

Subscribe to Message In the Middle:

• Apple Podcasts
• Spotify
• YouTube

Leave Us a Review: If you enjoyed today’s episode, please leave a review and share your favorite takeaway. Your feedback helps us reach more listeners and bring you even more valuable content.

Keep the conversation going - Join us for more insightful conversations in the Message in the Middle Private Facebook Community & subscribe to Message in the Middle podcas...

Imagine being in your late twenties and already having the life you always dreamed of.  Married to your high school sweetheart, healthy young family, and working in a field where you can bring your creativity and passion together and get paid.  That was Ashley McCombs Mizell's life until she lost her vision to an auto immune disease called Sarcoidosis.

Join me in an emotional conversation with Ashley as we discuss:

• The tricky and devastating disease that took her vision, Sarcoidosis.
• The lowest moment where Ashley contemplated suicide and how she turned her perspective around. 
• The hard reality she faced in the ride home from the hospital.
• What new normal looks like for Ashley and her family.
• Childhood bullying
• Her discovery that she can do everything, just differently.
• Finding a new passion (and reshaping an old one - photography).

Ashley's Links:  

My Links • @blind_momofboys • Milkshake Website Builder (msha.ke)
 

Connect with Marianne:

• Website:  Message In The Middle with Marianne
• Message In the Middle Facebook Group:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/422430469323847/
• YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/@MessageInTheMiddle/playlists
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marianne-demello-smith-678b9966
• Email:  Contact | Message In The Middle with Marianne

Subscribe to Message In the Middle:

• Apple Podcasts
• Spotify
• YouTube

Leave Us a Review: If you enjoyed today’s episode, please leave a review and share your favorite takeaway. Your feedback helps us reach more listeners and bring you even more valuable content.

Keep the conversation going - Join us for more insightful conversations in the Message in the Middle Private Facebook Community & subscribe to Message in the Middle podcas...

Jen Potter is a Venture Builder, Serial Entrepreneur, Speaker, and Business Leader. Founder of EPIC47 and EPIC Mamas. Her dream is to help 47 people grow their businesses and realize their ultimate potential. Her life purpose is to help inspire others to find their “WHY” and understand that we can be more than just a product of our environment. 

Having created several businesses and served as a Director and organizer of multiple networking organizations and advising countless business people across the nation, Jen is now shifting her focus to a new venture mentoring new business owners to help them achieve success and profitability as quickly and efficiently as possible.

You can reach out to Jen to Book a 30 minute Zoom Call

Connect with Marianne:

• Website:  Message In The Middle with Marianne
• Message In the Middle Facebook Group:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/422430469323847/
• YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/@MessageInTheMiddle/playlists
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marianne-demello-smith-678b9966
• Email:  Contact | Message In The Middle with Marianne

Subscribe to Message In the Middle:

• Apple Podcasts
• Spotify
• YouTube

Leave Us a Review: If you enjoyed today’s episode, please leave a review and share your favorite takeaway. Your feedback helps us reach more listeners and bring you even more valuable content.

Keep the conversation going - Join us for more insightful conversations in the Message in the Middle Private Facebook Community & subscribe to Message in the Middle podcas...

If you have ever had to deal with an addiction in your family or friend circle, this episode is one you do not want to miss.  In this episode I am speaking to Michelle Weidenbenner, the founder of Moms Letting Go and the All-Mighty Mom Tribe – private support groups for moms of addicted loved ones.

You will hear us discuss the following topics: 

• How to avoid feeling regret, shame, guilt when you are dealing with addiction
• How to avoid the woulda, coulda, shoulda train
• Learning to stop trying to control the situation while still being supportive
• The importance of taking time for your own well- being and self-care
• Advice on connecting with your person when there are so many topics you want to avoid
• What to do if other family members are enabling your person
• How to find our own passion amidst the chaos
• Not letting the possibility of relapse, control what is good today
• The single most important piece of advice for someone in the midst of this journey

In addition to the groups mentioned above, as the mother of a recovering addict, Michelle spends most of her time advocating for and coaching moms of addicted loved ones and is a passionate podcaster at Moms Letting Go Without Giving Up who wants to stop the stigma of substance use disorder and help moms of addicted loved ones find hope, courage, and support.

Michelle is also an Amazon #1 Best-Selling and Award-Winning author and speaker. Her new book, Unhackable Moms of Addicted Loved Ones, Closing the Gap between Havoc and Hope released in June 2022. It’s a 30-day program for moms who want to heal.

• For her free ebook, Moms Letting Go Without Giving Up, 7-Steps to Self-Recovery go to MomsLettingGo.com https://momslettinggo.com
• To join her support group: https://momslettinggo.teachable.com/p/All-Mighty-Mom-Membership
• To find Michelle's books: https://amzn.to/3INiXD4
• Michelle is a podcaster of Moms Letting Go Without Giving Up 

Connect with Marianne:

• Website:  Message In The Middle with Marianne
• Message In the Middle Facebook Group:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/422430469323847/
• YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/@MessageInTheMiddle/playlists
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marianne-demello-smith-678b9966
• Email:  Contact | Message In The Middle with Marianne

Subscribe to Message In the Middle:

• Apple Podcasts
• Spotify
• YouTube

Leave Us a Review: If you enjoyed today’s episode, please leave a review and share your favorite takeaway. Your feedback helps us reach more listeners and bring you even more valuable content.

Keep the conversation going - Join us for more insightful conversations in the Message in the Middle Private Facebook Community & subscribe to Message in the Middle podcas...