More Beautiful Podcast

Do you sometimes feel like you bought a ticket to the midlife shitshow? If so, trust me, you're not alone. This time of life comes with its fair share of challenges.

In my first solo episode of the More Beautiful Podcast, I'm reflecting on why so many of us are feeling out of sorts right now. I'm also drawing on my first 60 podcast interviews to offer you some real strategies you can use to spin that midlife mess into some midlife magic.

In this episode I talk about:

• The reason I've been sharing my midlife stories and why you should too—even if, like me, you consider yourself a private person
• Why we need to forget everything we thought we knew, or were told, about where we'd be by this stage of life
• How our generation's midlife differs so much from that of our mothers'
• What we need to acknowledge, surrender, accept and handle before we can create the life we truly desire
• Strategies to create the right environment and surround yourself with the right people in order to thrive in midlife and beyond
• Ways to get your health and energy back on track and to feel physically, mentally and spiritually better—or, as some women would say, "more like yourself"

If you're sometimes (or always) feeling lost, confused, stuck, annoyed, overwhelmed, anxious...or if you've been experiencing a vague sense of dread, please listen to this episode. Other women are feeling the same way. And like them, you reserve the right to feel like the best possible version of yourself. Now and always. You deserve to overcome the messiness so the magic of midlife can emerge!

Maryann LoRusso is the creator of the More Beautiful Project, which includes an online magazine, podcast and newsletter for women journeying through midlife. Maryann brings to More Beautiful more than three decades of experience as a journalist and media executive. A graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, she began her career as a newspaper reporter in New York. Later, she segued into the world of fashion magazine publishing, where she worked as an editor for more than a decade at companies such as Fairchild/Condé Nast and Time Inc. A native New Yorker, Maryann currently lives in San Francisco with her husband, kids and a rescue dog named Mochi. When she's not writing or podcasting, she enjoys running, singing, cooking, traveling and volunteering at organizations such as She-Can and Best Buddies.

Reach Maryann at the More Beautiful Website

Find More Beautiful (and Maryann) on Instagram and Facebook and Threads.

This episode was produced by Ryan B. Jo

Are you thinking about becoming an entrepreneur or veering off on a new career path? Starting a venture in midlife can seem daunting, but business coach/consultant Allison Berardi says this is the perfect time to pivot. As you approach the second half of life, your inner voice grows stronger. It may demand change or a sharper alignment with your values, skills and desires, encouraging you to finally pursue your dreams. Allison says there's always a way to "build a bridge from where you are now to where you want to go," and it often begins with overcoming self-sabotaging beliefs and other obstacles that can derail success. Besides offering some practical tips on how to get started, Allison tells you:

• How to clarify your mission and goals
• Why your unique gifts and talents are more transferrable than you might think
• How you can overcome the fear of irrelevance in midlife, especially with the world changing so fast
• Resistance: Why you'll always feel it to some degree—even when you're on the right track—and the best way to overcome it
• How to rise above the self-doubt, get the courage to start something new, and stay committed
• How to leverage your midlife network for guidance and encouragement
• Why you may not be dreaming big enough
• Tips for building a vibrant brand in today's cluttered market
• Why it's important to both ask for help and celebrate your successes

You'll be planning that launch party before you know it! Full show notes available at Morebeautifulproject.com.

Does Alzheimer's or another form of dementia run in your family? Are you afraid that you're losing your memory or that you someday will? Are you trying to support someone you love who is grappling with dementia? If any of these scenarios applies to you, you'll find this episode both enlightening and comforting. My guest, Emerson Lee, is a memory-loss doula who specializes in preparing people for the possibility of getting dementia. Emerson employs tools and strategies to help people feel less panicked and overwhelmed, and more hopeful that they can go on to live a happy and fulfilling life—with or without dementia.

In this episode we discuss how people can channel their anxiety about memory loss into something more positive, such as tapping into music and other creative outlets. We examine why our culture makes it harder for patients to admit they're having memory problems and how anosognosia—the inability to recognize one's own dementia—can come into play.

If you're a family member, you'll appreciate Emerson's tips for cultivating an empowering atmosphere for your loved one, developing a side-by-side (as opposed to a confrontational) communication approach, navigating the complex elder-care system, and nurturing yourself as a caregiver.

I'm so excited to share with you this important conversation, which I hope will quell some of the anxiety and misconceptions you may have about living with or caring for someone with dementia. Full show notes available at Morebeautifulproject.com.

If you're like many midlife women, you may be finding that what you did in your 20s and 30s to stay fit and healthy is no longer working. Your hormones are probably going wonky, and your tried-and-true workouts and meal plans are no match for the changes your body is experiencing. You may feel frustrated, confused and/or helpless.

On this episode I chat with Kim Barnes Jefferson, a lifestyle coach who specializes in helping women over 40 get their groove back. Kim says that by age 45, the average woman has been on 60 diets—count 'em, 60! And it can feel like an uphill battle to lose or maintain her weight, build muscle mass and get a good night's sleep—especially through the turmoil of perimenopause and menopause.

Among the takeaways you'll get from tell-it-like-it-is Kim: How to stay centered in the midst of all this midlife uncertainty—both physical and emotional; how to embrace your changing body and find new health-and-fitness strategies that keep you happy, energized and sane; and how to nix the perfectionism that many women of our generation grew up with, while staying consistent with your health and fitness goals.

Kim and I also get into the nitty gritty of diet and exercise strategies—what to eat, how to work out, and how to nurture yourself, in order to meet your body where it is now and feel your best. And Kim answers many of your burning questions, such as: Exactly how much protein do you really need? How much strength training is enough and how do you go about starting with weights? How do you avoid depriving yourself for the sake of fitting into that favorite pair of jeans? Should you weigh yourself on a regular basis (and the answer is more complicated than you think)? And why is cultivating self-love an essential component of any new lifestyle plan?

We also discuss the fad diets and medications of our mother's and grandmother's generation (remember those ubiquitous diet pills?), and Kim offers her take on Ozempic and other trendy drugs currently being used for weight loss. Finally, Kim tells us why it takes courage, not just discipline, to shake up your health-and-fitness routine and see results. Full show notes available at Morebeautifulproject.com.

Instead of thinking about midlife as a time to scale back, play it safe or pack it in, what if we instead embraced it as an ideal time to try new things, take some chances, and fail repeatedly? On this episode, I chat with fellow journalist Christine Morrison, who worked in a previous life as a marketing executive for some of the top fashion brands of the '90s. Christine is a self-described "late bloomer" who got married and had kids later in life. Now, at 54, she's continuing to fearlessly try new things, such as launching a Substack and writing a book of fashion essays, and she says the uncertainty and risk-taking are keeping her young at heart and feeling more alive than ever.

Since Christine and I both have journalism degrees and worked in the fashion industry back in the day—I as a reporter and editor, Christine as a marketing exec—we had a lot to chat about, including:

What it was like studying journalist in the '80s and '90s, and how the industry has drastically changed

The out-of-whack beauty standards and ageism our generation grew up with, and the effect it had on us

The advantages of being a "late bloomer" and why it's never too late to pivot, fail or try again

How social media is making space for women over 40 to be the new fashion mentor, whether we're ever "too old" to wear certain fashions, and what younger women can learn from us in terms of style

Why we need to stop being so hard on ourselves—and other women

How we're coping with our changing bodies and what keeps us feeling youthful

You're going to love this chat with the fun and fabulous Christine. Full show notes available at Morebeautifulproject.com.

What would happen if your worst fears came true and you lost everything? It happened to my next guest, who in her 40s suddenly lost her job, her marriage and her money and became a mom on welfare. Now, 15 years later and about to turn 60, Lorraine C. Ladish is the author of several books, an entrepreneur and influencer who's been featured in Oprah Daily, and is married to the love of her life. She's here to tell us how it's entirely possible to turn even the worst luck around, start from scratch and find success, joy and love in midlife.

Lorraine and discuss so many things including:

What she learned about humanity after hitting rock bottom

How she taught herself new skills, tapped into her network, channeled her Hispanic roots and the power of social media to eventually become a successful online entrepreneur and then influencer

How she and her new husband supported one another through hard times, and why she eventually decided to get married again at age 50; what that "midlife marriage" looks like and why Lorraine says it probably wouldn't have worked in her 20s

Her lifelong struggles with body issues and bulimia, how pregnancy and yoga helped her overcome them, and why she still has dreams about bingeing and purging

How she handles the physical changes and newfound limitations that come with aging, what she wants younger women to know about staying body positive in midlife, and why she's sharing "honest" photos of herself these days on social media (with the help of her writer/photojournalist husband)

How she's dealt with menopause and why she's embraced hormone replacement therapy

What the death of her best friend taught her about life, love and loss

What she fears about getting older, why she appreciates every age she is, and why she still wants to be surprised about what's to come

Most important, Lorraine offers words of wisdom to anyone going through difficult times right now. Please tune in to this no-holds-barred conversation with one amazing lady. Full show notes available at Morebeautifulproject.com.

What if we've spent most of our lives doing what's expected of us, rather than listening to what our heart is telling us? What if we decided to follow our instincts and break free of the things that are no longer serving us? Is that even possible in our 40s, 50s, 60s and beyond? Today's guest found out when she retired early from a coveted job as a public school librarian to become a romance novelist, podcaster and midlife community builder. Patti Denier says she's always been inclined to follow her "true north," but motherhood and responsibility made her play it safe for many years in a coveted job that many people told her she'd be crazy to quit. But she did. In her 50s.

During this fun heart-to-heart, Patti and I chat about many things, including:

• Why she allowed herself to quit her job and what she decided to pursue instead
• How her writing, podcasting and the midlife community's she built changed her life
• Why she wanted to help rebrand aging and encourage midlifers to change their approach to their second act
• Why Patti thinks we need to push ourselves just a little—and give ourselves permission to change our minds and/or forge a new path
• How we can stop caring about what others think (finally!) and step into our power
• What we want younger women to know about menopause, our changing bodies, and aging
• How solo travel has been an important part of Patti's midlife journey
• How we need to embrace life's uncertainty instead of fearing it
• What we've each learned as we've aged, and how we handle adversity differently now
• What the recent loss of her father has taught Patti about how she needs to live now
• The meaning of life (yes, you heard that right–we may have figured it out right here on the show!)

You're going to love this down-to-earth conversation with wise and wonderful Patti. Full show notes available at Morebeautifulproject.com.

Why do women outlive their reproductive years? How does our menopause experience differ from that of other species and cultures? Why do many women still crave sex after their reproductive days are over? In this fascinating chat with Dr. Deena Emera, author of A Brief History of the Female Body: An Evolutionary Look at How and Why the Female Form Came to Be, we explore various mysteries of the female body through an evolutionary lens and attempt to answer some poignant questions about our biology.

Deena and I discuss:

• Which species have the most in common with humans in terms of reproductive span and longevity, and how rare the menopause transition is across the animal kingdom
• The most dominant hypotheses that attempt to explain why women run out of eggs and hit menopause decades before they're expected to die—unlike chimps, which die around the time they go through menopause
• Whether or not women will eventually evolve to go through menopause at a later age
• How women in Western culture experience menopause differently than females in other parts of the world, and how lifestyle behaviors can impact symptoms and even the average age of menopause
• Whether or not menopause has always been a "difficult" transition and how our ancestors may have had an easier time with it
• Why our genomes evolve much more slowly than our culture
• The ways in which mothers and their offspring are in reproductive conflict throughout pregnancy and early childrearing
• Why many women are still interested in sex after menopause and what that says about estrogen
• How the lack of female representation in medical studies has impacted women's health—and whether or not that's changing
• How scientists may be closer to discovering how to treat osteoporosis, which is common in post-menopausal women, and why autoimmune diseases are on the rise, especially among women

You're going to be fascinated by Deena's research and observations about the female body, so listen now! Full show notes at Morebeautifulproject.com.

Entrepreneur, author and speaker Chip Conley is on a mission to rebrand midlife, encourage intergenerational collaboration, and help people in their 40s, 50s and beyond approach their second act with curiosity and optimism. Here's what he wants you to know.

What would be your next move if you had already disrupted the hospitality industry not once, but twice—first as the founder and CEO of Joie de Vivre, the world's second largest boutique hotel chain, and then as the head of global hospitality and strategy at Airbnb? For Chip Conley, the decision was clear: he would now disrupt the concept of aging. And he would do it by opening the very first school dedicated to helping people navigate midlife with a renewed sense of purpose and possibility.

Chip and I touch on so many important things, including:

• The tragic events that prompted him to embark on a mission to reframe midlife, as well as the profound personal experience that woke him up to how he needed to approach his own second act
• How his time at Airbnb, where he was referred to as a "modern elder" (and he dubbed himself a "mentern"), helped him realize how crucial intergenerational mentorship is and the unique skills people in midlife and beyond possess
• Why Chip thinks the concept of midlife desperately needs a makeover (midlife crisis, anyone?) and should be rebranded as a time of enormous personal growth and transformation; how consciously curating your life can help you cope with messy midlife transitions
• The ways in which your personal operating system shifts as you get older (think: if the first half of life is about ego, the second is about soul growth), and the brain changes that give you a special kind of intelligence
• Why Chip believes aging is "alchemy," or the point in life when you've finally integrated all those parts of yourself so you now show up as your full self wherever you go
• How cancer propelled Chip into "manopause" (technically speaking, andropause), what he wants men (and the women who love them) to know about the biological changes guys over 40 experience, and how we can communicate with one another about all of it
• Why he started Modern Elder Academy (MEA), what he hopes students get out of the program, and why you're going to want to enroll ASAP (did I mention the first campus is located in Baja, Mexico?)

I am so excited for you to listen to this enlightening conversation with Chip. Complete show notes are available at Morebeautifulproject.com.

We hear the advice so often: Get out of your head and into your body. Listen to your body. Trust your body. But what do those things actually mean, and how do you achieve them—especially if you're a woman in the throes of perimenopause or menopause?

My guest on this episode of the More Beautiful Podcast is the lovely and inspiring Gabriella Espinosa, the founder of Women's Body Wisdom, an online coaching and movement platform that empowers women to own their pleasure, power and purpose in midlife. Gabriella works with clients to help them feel more at home in their skin, as well as deal with issues such as lackluster energy, anxiety and decreased libido. She also assists people in healing old emotional wounds and trauma—which often surface during midlife. Among the many valuable takeaways you'll get from my candid conversation with Gabriella:

• What happens to your body when progesterone and estrogen start to decline—not just the "bad" symptoms, but the powerful and positive stuff? And why are we so hesitant to discuss sexual problems with one another?
• Why you may be feeling a sense of disconnect from your body and/or losing trust in it, especially if you're in perimenopause and menopause and beyond. And why that lost connection shouldn't be ignored
• How to reignite your spark for life, rediscover what brings you joy and lights you up
• Tips for tuning into your body, reawakening your senses and reprioritizing pleasure
• Why feelings of grief commonly show up in midlife and how you can move on from mourning to embrace an even better version of yourself
• How to access your body's inner wisdom, realize the abundant gifts you have to offer, and change how you show up in the world
• Strategies to quash those limiting self-beliefs, boost your confidence and approach your body from a place of abundance vs. lacking

Full show notes available at Morebeautifulproject.com.