Summary:
Ready to make joy practical? In this second half of my conversation with Emily Schickli, founder of Mind Body Dharma, we’re moving from the “why” to the how.

Emily—who has worked with companies like Google, Microsoft, Uber, and YouTube—shares simple, actionable ways to bring more fun and fulfillment back into your life. We talk about how to calm your nervous system in just three minutes, start small “bite-size experiments” to find what lights you up, move through resistance, and set boundaries that protect your joy.

If you’ve been craving something that’s just for you, this episode will give you the clarity and confidence to finally begin.

Key Takeaways:

Regulate first: Emily shares her “Butterfly Hug,” a 3-minute nervous-system reset to calm anxiety and spark creativity.

Start small: Try two-week experiments to explore what brings you joy—no big life overhaul required.

Move through resistance: Fear and self-doubt are normal; awareness helps you keep going anyway.

Protect your spark: Communicate your project, plan with seasons, and give yourself permission to pause.

Simple first step: Reset your nervous system, download Emily’s guide, and journal one small idea that excites you.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Get Emily's FREE Guide, The 7 Passion Projects That Actually Give You More Purpose, Energy & Time: https://emilyschickli.com/7-passion-projects
• Explore Emily's Passion Project Membership, The Compass Club: https://emilyschickli.com/compass-club
• Follow Emily on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MindBodyDharma

Resources:

• Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/shellyniehaus/
• Simple Shifts Newsletter: https://midlifemadesimplepodcast.com/tips
• Women Entrepreneurs In Prayer Call - https://midlifemadesimplepodcast.com/prayer

Summary:
Somewhere between raising kids, managing careers, and caring for everyone else, joy can quietly slip off the calendar. In this heartfelt conversation with Emily Schickli, founder of Mind Body Dharma, we explore how starting a passion project—something creative, meaningful, and just for you—can reignite your joy and sense of purpose in this next chapter.

Emily shares her own story of walking away from burnout in the tech world and how a simple spark of curiosity led to a new, life-giving path. You’ll learn how a passion project is different from a hobby, self-care routine, or side hustle—and why it can become a devotional practice that restores your energy and clarity in midlife.

Key Takeaways:

A passion project isn’t about hustle or money—it’s about meaning, creativity, and fulfillment.

Joy is a spiritual discipline—it reconnects you to who God created you to be.

Purpose isn’t found, it’s created through consistent, life-giving action.

Following your curiosity can help you uncover your next chapter without overhauling your whole life.

Next Week:
In Part 2, we’ll get practical—Emily shares a 3-minute nervous-system reset, small “bite-size experiments” to help you start, and simple boundary habits that protect your joy.

Resources in the episode:

Get Emily's FREE Guide, The 7 Passion Projects That Actually Give You More Purpose, Energy & Time: https://emilyschickli.com/7-passion-projects

Explore Emily's Passion Project Membership, The Compass Club: https://emilyschickli.com/compass-club

Follow Emily on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MindBodyDharma

Resources:

• Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/shellyniehaus/
• Simple Shifts Newsletter: https://midlifemadesimplepodcast.com/tips
• Women Entrepreneurs In Prayer Call - https://midlifemadesimplepodcast.com/prayer

Summary:
Feeling digitally overloaded? In this Midlife Made Simple episode, Shelly shares simple tools and soul-centered rhythms to help you unplug from the noise and reconnect with what matters most. Inspired by Emily P. Freeman and John Eldredge, you’ll learn how to create margin, reclaim peace, and make space to hear God’s voice again.

Why our souls need quiet in a noisy world

How digital clutter blocks peace and purpose

Five practical tools to help you unplug

A simple “digital Sabbath” challenge to reset your spirit

Newsfeed Eradicator – Removes social feeds, replaces with inspiration

Brick – Blocks distractions so you can be fully present

The Newsworthy – 10-minute news podcast without the overwhelm

One-Minute Pause App – Simple daily pause to reconnect with God

1000 Hours Unplugged – A challenge to track intentional offline time

“Be still, and know that I am God.” — Psalm 46:10

Take one evening to unplug completely—no notifications, no scrolling.
Sit in the stillness and ask:

“What have I been too busy to hear?”

Newsletter: midlifemadesimplepodcast.com

Instagram: @shellyniehaus

Share your #MidlifeEdit: How are you creating space for your soul to breathe?

Resources:

• Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/shellyniehaus/
• Simple Shifts Newsletter: https://midlifemadesimplepodcast.com/tips
• Women Entrepreneurs In Prayer Call - https://midlifemadesimplepodcast.com/prayer

Shelly shares the real story behind her family’s move from Dallas to Boise—how a quiet nudge became a series of brave, practical steps. This episode is a hand on your shoulder for midlife women who feel the tension between a “good life” and an aligned next chapter. You’ll feel seen, supported, and walk away with a simple rhythm to make confident, faith-forward decisions (without blowing up your life overnight).

Key Takeaways:

• You’re not alone. Wanting “different” in midlife doesn’t make you ungrateful—it makes you honest.
• The regret test helps: Picture porch-you at 80. What would you regret not trying?
• Four-word prayer to steady you: Direction • Clarity • Discernment • Courage.
• Start tiny (coffee date, not wedding): One low-risk step (email the realtor, DM a mentor, write 5 bullets) creates momentum and clarity.
• Collect breadcrumbs: Log confirmations and roadblocks—patterns will guide timing and reduce second-guessing.
• Expect wobbly nights: Hard seasons don’t mean wrong decisions; look for “God-winks” and practical mercies along the way.
• There’s always a paper to sign: When it’s time, take the leap. Let your fear of staying stuck be smaller than your faith to move.
• Action beats overthinking: God often confirms in motion.

Scripture anchor: Proverbs 3:5–6 — Trust before certainty; paths straighten as you walk.

Resources:

• Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/shellyniehaus/
• Simple Shifts Newsletter: https://midlifemadesimplepodcast.com/tips
• Women Entrepreneurs In Prayer Call - https://midlifemadesimplepodcast.com/prayer

In this Community Conversation, Kate opens up about leaving a #1 morning show, the pay-equity moment that sparked her exit plan, why she chose privacy to find love, and how midlife priorities now shape her calendar. We talk boundaries, grief of changing friendships, and what it means to “have it all—just not all at the same time.”

Get the links + extras in my bi-weekly Simple Shifts newsletter. https://resources.shellyniehaus.com/midlife
 

• The whisper often starts as a nudge—honor it before it becomes a shout.
• You can have it all, just not all at the same time; decide your season’s non-negotiables.
• Boundaries will change some friendships—and that’s part of growth.
• If work consumes all mental space, there’s no room for love or new callings.
• Think in “future bricks”: every yes is building the house you’ll live in next.
• Consider bookending days around family and fitting work in the open spaces.
• Regret check: Picture yourself 20 years from now—what choice would you wish you’d made?

Resources:

• Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/shellyniehaus/
• Simple Shifts Newsletter: https://midlifemadesimplepodcast.com/tips
• Women Entrepreneurs In Prayer Call - https://midlifemadesimplepodcast.com/prayer

Are you building a future you’ll actually want to live in? In this episode, Shelly shares her own story of letting go of what no longer fit, a powerful “house” metaphor, and a simple tool to help you shape a life that feels peaceful, purposeful, and aligned.

What You’ll Learn:

Why being good at something doesn’t mean you have to keep doing it

How every “yes” today becomes a brick in your future home

The Future House Inventory: 3 questions to check your direction

Practical examples for marriage, faith, and friendships

Encouragement to release perfection and build brick by brick with God

Key Takeaway:
Small, intentional choices—made with God’s guidance—can reshape your next chapter into one you’ll love to live in.

✨ Want the links from this episode plus extra encouragement and tools for midlife? Join my Simple Shifts newsletter https://resources.shellyniehaus.com/midlife.

Resources:

• Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/shellyniehaus/
• Simple Shifts Newsletter: https://midlifemadesimplepodcast.com/tips
• Women Entrepreneurs In Prayer Call - https://midlifemadesimplepodcast.com/prayer

👉 This episode is part of my monthly Midlife Edit series — where I share the tools, rhythms, and resources that are helping me simplify and stay connected in this season.

In this Midlife Edit episode, I’m rethinking my relationship with technology through a simple but powerful lens: Does this tool enhance my community, or does it diminish it? Inspired by wisdom I came across while reading Reconnected by Carlos Whittaker, I share five practical ways I’m using technology right now to build connection instead of distraction.

If you’ve ever felt like your phone pulls you away from what matters, this episode will encourage you to see how technology — used with intention — can actually deepen your relationships with God, yourself, and the people you love.

Why filtering technology through the lens of community and faith can simplify your choices.

A reminder that technology isn’t the enemy — it’s how we use it that matters.

Five practical tools I’m using to enhance connection:

• Zoom → weekly prayer calls with women across the country.
• Voxer → deeper, voice-based friendships without schedule stress.
• Touchnote → sending postcards from everyday moments.
• Nixplay Frame → sharing photos instantly with family.
• Snapchat → meeting my boys where they’re at and staying close to their daily lives.

Encouragement that midlife is the perfect time to reset your tech habits and use them to strengthen community.

Women Entrepreneurs In Prayer Call - https://resources.shellyniehaus.com/prayercall

Resources:

• Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/shellyniehaus/
• Simple Shifts Newsletter: https://midlifemadesimplepodcast.com/tips
• Women Entrepreneurs In Prayer Call - https://midlifemadesimplepodcast.com/prayer

One of the biggest surprises of midlife is how friendships shift—and how lonely it can sometimes feel. If your circle feels smaller than you expected, you’re not the only one. In this episode, Shelly shares encouragement and three simple ways to start building connection again. Because loneliness isn’t your identity—it’s just a signal that your soul is ready for connection.

Key Takeaways:

• 💛 You’re not alone—many women in midlife quietly carry the same ache for deeper connection.
• 🌱 Your worth isn’t measured by the size of your circle. One-to-one friendships can be some of the most meaningful relationships of this season.
• 👣 Try these three small steps this week:

1. Send a quick text or Voxer message to let someone know you’re thinking of them.
2. Invite a friend on a walk—low-pressure, shoulder-to-shoulder connection.
3. Start something consistent, like a monthly coffee date or weekly check-in.

🙋‍♀️ Remember: someone has to go first—and the friend you’re thinking of may be waiting for you to reach out, too.

Resources:

• Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/shellyniehaus/
• Simple Shifts Newsletter: https://midlifemadesimplepodcast.com/tips
• Women Entrepreneurs In Prayer Call - https://midlifemadesimplepodcast.com/prayer

In this deeply personal episode, I share a journal entry I wrote just weeks before dropping my boys off at college, closing my business, grieving friendship shifts, and walking through the final days of my mother-in-law’s Alzheimer’s journey.

This isn't a strategy session. It’s an honest reflection on what it feels like to let go of everything familiar—and face the silence that follows. I call it The Void—and if you’ve ever been there too, I hope this episode helps you feel seen, supported, and a little less alone.

Whether you’re grieving a role, a relationship, or just sitting in a season of waiting, this conversation is for you.

• You’re not the only one feeling lost after the kids leave or the business ends
• Letting go isn’t failure—it’s often the first step of obedience
• Sometimes the hardest part isn’t what we lose—it’s the quiet space left behind
• You can’t out-strategize surrender or hustle through heartbreak
• God is still working—even when life feels foggy, slow, or silent
• The daily things (walks, dishes, dinner) are sacred
• It’s okay to just be here, to breathe, and to trust His timing

Resources:

• Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/shellyniehaus/
• Simple Shifts Newsletter: https://midlifemadesimplepodcast.com/tips
• Women Entrepreneurs In Prayer Call - https://midlifemadesimplepodcast.com/prayer

Description:
Welcome to Midlife Made Simple—a podcast for faith-driven women in their 40s, 50s, and beyond who are navigating big transitions with a desire to simplify, reconnect, and rediscover what truly matters. In this special kickoff episode, Shelly shares the heart behind the podcast, what you can expect each week, and the six powerful pillars that will guide every conversation.

If you're feeling overwhelmed, stuck, or simply ready for more clarity and connection in this next season, this episode will remind you: you're not alone—and it's not too late to begin again.

✨ In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why this podcast was created for women in the messy middle of midlife
• What makes Midlife Made Simple different (short, actionable, soul-aligned)
• The six core pillars: Faith, Foundations, Fitness, Family & Friends, Fun, and Frameworks
• How this podcast will support you with both real-life tools and deep encouragement
• Why you don’t need more noise—you need clarity, courage, and connection

💌 You’ll feel seen if you’re…

• Letting go of old roles and asking, “What now?”
• Craving peace after a season of burnout, hustle, or transition
• Ready to rebuild your rhythms, relationships, and purpose—with faith as your compass

Resources:

• Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/shellyniehaus/
• Simple Shifts Newsletter: https://midlifemadesimplepodcast.com/tips
• Women Entrepreneurs In Prayer Call - https://midlifemadesimplepodcast.com/prayer