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

Do the holidays stress you out?  Does the thought of telling your family you want to change up a holiday tradition or the thought of sharing your dreams and goals make you anxious?  Tune into this episode as we talk about:

• Moving beyond the "stuckness" in your life.
• Regulating the body's response to stress 
• Why moving out of our comfort zone puts us and others in our circle in the panic zone.
• Identifying & working through stress addiction
• Setting boundaries

My guest, Tiffany Toombs is an international speaker and leading expert on rewiring the unconscious mind for success and tapping into personal potential. For over 20 years, she has educated and transformed the lives of people across the world by specializing in helping busy moms break out of the cycle of self-sabotage, trauma, limiting beliefs & burnout.  She is the author of Stop Being A Selfish B*tch – A Comprehensive Guide To Living Your Best Life Through Radical Self Love, and she is the host of the top-rated podcast Motherhood Unfiltered. 

You can find Tiffany at:

• https://www.facebook.com/tiffany.toombs/
• www.youtube.com/c/TiffanyToombs
• Blue Lotus Mind

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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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 episode I continue the discussion around managing and preparing for the holidays.  My guest and I discuss:

• Setting healthy boundaries during the holidays
• Learning to listen to your intuition
• Giving yourself permission to do what's right for you vs what others expect

In this episode my guest is Victoria Longo, an internationally known psychic/medium, energy healer and yoga instructor.  She spent her childhood immersed in the 'woo' since it was common for her mother to see dead people. As she aged however, Victoria buried all that wild, wacky and weird stuff deep, deep down and did her best to fit into societal expectations.  It wasn't until she quite literally lost everything, after spending years in misery, that she dug up all those buried interests and realized that reconnecting with the woo allowed her to step into her own gifts and finally find her happily ever after.

You can reach Victoria:

• Facebook
• Instagram
• YouTube
• victorialongopsychicmedium.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...

Holidays can be stressful for many of us.  The never ending "To Do" lists, the expectations around hosting events, family dynamics, added financial burden, never- ending high calorie treats...it can all lead to stress, anxiety, and procrastination.

Listen to this episode as I speak with Erica Hanlon, a former therapist for sex offenders and "corporate peon" who went from $3K to $300K in 2 years inher life coaching business even though she had "a hot mess of a brain" that said, “You suck, Erica!” on a daily basis.

Now, Erica works with her clients to psychologically recalibrate their subconscious BS (aka: stop self-sabotage, stop treating themselves horribly, stop making others responsible for proving they’re worth...) so they can make big moves in their career, in their business, and in life in general.  

Erica has also done corporate wellness training for FedEx, The Home Depot, Walmart, UPS, Adobe, and Aetna. She is happily married and a mom to twins + 1 bonus baby. Erica is known for gesticulating wildly, using inappropriate metaphors, and randomly breaking into song.

In this episode we talk about:

• Managing Holiday Stress
• Setting aside the Idea of perfect 
• Managing holiday eating
• Dealing with procrastination

If you like this episode, please review it or share it with a friend.  
If you would like to connect with Erica or I, please use the links below:

Erica's Contact/Links 

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ericahanloncoaching/
• Website: www.ericahanlon.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/coachericahanlon
• Email: [email protected]

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 episode you will hear Katie Joy Duke talk to me about:

• The loss of her daughter
• How she is choosing to not live in the past, and instead is choosing to be present and look toward the future.
• Choosing love over fear what does that look like for you
• Choosing acceptance over resistance
• Identifying her fear and using it instead of letting it stop her
• Allowing yourself to be happy again after loss or grief
•  How she used the lessons learned with Poppy’s death in her cancer journey
• Combining western and eastern modalities of healing
• The Power of a Positive Mindset

Katie is an author, mindset coach, transformational speaker, and mother of 2 daughters...one living and one in spirit. Katie practiced social justice law for 9 years before having a full term still born birth of her first-born daughter Poppy. 

 Motivated to heal from her devastating loss, she left her legal career in 2016 and spent 6 years writing her bestselling memoir, Still Breathing: My Journey with Love, Loss, and Reinvention which was published in May of 2022. 

Unfortunately, Katie's story doesn't stop there.  Only days after submitting her final manuscript to her copy editor Katie got her first mammogram and at the age of 41, and Katie was diagnosed with Stage 4 metastatic breast cancer.  She completed 5 months of chemotherapy in August and has a long road of treatment ahead of her, but she is on the road to recovery and making a difference in the world at the same time. 

You can reach Katie @:
Website www.katiejoyduke.com
IG @katiejoyduke
Linktree for all podcast interviews is https://linktr.ee/katiejoyduke
Katie's Book:  https://www.amazon.com/author/katiejoyduke

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 episode I talk to Dr. Victoria Wilson Crane, a published author, of the book ‘Sixteen Days: A Sudden Death. What to Say?’ and an advanced Grief Recovery Method Specialist. 

In this episode you will hear topics related to loss and grief recovery.

• The story of her family's sudden loss
• A guide to understanding how to support people going through grief  
• 40 common reasons for grief
• How our past grief impacts us in present day grieving
• The biggest misconceptions around grief?
• The Grief Recovery Method 

You can reach Victoria @

Website:  https://books.drvictoriawilsoncrane.co.uk/
LinkedIn:  www.linkedin.com/in/dr-victoria-wilson-crane
Instagram:  @Vicwilsoncrane
LinkedIn:  www.linkedin.com/in/dr-victoria-wilson-crane
Facebook Sixteen Days: https://www.facebook.com/sixteendaysthebook
Twitter:  @victoriacrane

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...

• What is a Death Doula?
• What services do Death Doula's provide?
• How can a Death Doula help someone with Grief?
• What role can a Death Doula play in Advanced Directives, Funerals, end of life celebrations?

If you are interested in learning more, check out this episode with Jill McClennen.  Jill is a certified Death Doula (which is a non-medical person trained to care for someone holistically at the end of life).  She offers support, preparation, and soul-level healing to her clients in person and virtually through her work as a death doula and end-of-life coach.  In addition to being a death doula, Jill is a trauma-sensitive yoga instructor, and she also uses reiki and shamanic healing techniques to help her clients heal their fears around death and dying as well as work with their grief.  

Her path to becoming a death doula started when she moved home to NJ from CA and cared for her 90-year-old Grandmother at the end of her life. When she was faced with the fact that her grandmother was dying, she felt confused and overwhelmed because she didn’t understand what caring for someone at the end of their life would be like.  She didn’t know what to expect and did not understand what was going on with her grandmother as she got closer to death.  Now Jill helps families navigate the end of life.


Jill can be found @
https://www.endoflifeclarity.com

https://m.facebook.com/endoflifeclarity

https://www.facebook.com/groups/endoflifeclaritycircle/

http://www.instagram.com/endoflifeclarity

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jillmcclennen

https://www.tiktok.com/@endoflifeclarity

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...

Learn how Yoga is not just about physical poses, but also incorporates relationship with self and others and how using these modalities can help with emotional regulation, confidence building, and connection.

My discussion is with Page Park, the owner of Tulsi Rose Yoga where Page helps people navigate their body and emotions through yoga, meditation, and breath work.  She uses these modalities to create a space where clients can get in touch with their inner voice and learn to listen to their bodies to meet their own individualized needs. 

We will discuss:

• The concept of Grief Yoga
• How Yoga doesn’t have to looked at in just the conventional way (physical poses) and that there are many components of Yoga.  
• How can Yoga practices make us better at tuning in and listening to our bodies
• How Yoga philosophies help with mindfulness and improve confidence, attitude and how we handle challenges
• How Yoga can be an effective tool for children

Page can be reached @

• https://www.facebook.com/tulsiroseyoga
• https://www.instagram.com/tulsiroseyoga/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/page-park-8ab99967/
• www.tulsiroseyoga.com
• www.tulsiroseyoga.com/5things 

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...

• What can the living, learn from the dying?  
• What are five phrases we can use with someone who is dying, someone we love, or on ourselves?  
• How can we close the gap between our expectations of how things should be vs how things really are?  

If you would like to dig into these questions, join me as I talk with Dr. Luyi Kathy Zhang.  

Dr. Zhang is a hospice & palliative care physician, mindset & life coach, an author and the host of The Purpose Filter podcast which helps living people apply dying lessons before it’s too late.

Kathy’s transformational coaching style is a direct reflection of who she is: half compassionate, nurturing and soothing healer who cares for the dying and half no-nonsense, straight-talking Brooklyn native who tells it like it is—all with love and growth in mind. 

Her mission is to empower overwhelmed and directionless high-achieving professionals to break past limitations, live authentically and become the version of themselves they most want to be, while doing it with fun and ease. 

Kathy can be found @

IG:  https://www.instagram.com/purposefilter/

Podcast: pod.link/purposefilter

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...

Let's dig into Life after Loss with Tim Bigonia, host of the Journey to Grateful, Navigating Through the Loss of Life and Love podcast that was created after Tim suffered his own personal loss and realized he had "messages" to share with others going through their own loss or dealing with grief.

On this episode we will talk about several grief/loss related topics:

• Grieving isn't something that only comes with a death, it can be a job, relationship...This one is huge
• Grieving is not linear, it's a tangled ball of string
• Thoughts on visiting one of your together happy places 
• Sharing memories can be comforting
• Dare to grieve
• Don't get caught up in other's beliefs
• It's ok to ask for help and the type that works best for you

Tim's Podcast:  Journey to Grateful (found on the standard podcast platforms) or accessible via his website: JOURNEY TO GRATEFUL – Navigating through the loss of life and love

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...

Erin Tusa is an integrated holistic health and strength coach based in Guelph Ontario, Canada. After her own 100 pound all or nothing weight loss "rollercoaster", Erin developed a holistic model of both coaching and training that helps people heal their relationship with food and exercise without needing more discipline and willpower. Erin empowers clients to understand that their eating and exercise issues actually have very little to do with the food, and MORE to do with how physically and emotionally SAFE they feel inside and out.

Erin’s personal story with chronic back pain, orthorexia and self-sabotage have given her a unique empathy and compassion for helping her clients. Erin hopes to help clients understand that their bad habits are actually protective and she works to help clients bridge the gap from "knowing what to do" - to actually following through and doing it - using the evidence principles of her Soul Hunger Method program; a "truce" with food and fitness.

You can find Erin @
Holistic Health Coach Erin Tusa-Thatcher

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...