She is a wife, mother of four adult kids,  Gigi to two precious grandkids, and now an empty nester who mentors moms in home and business at RuthieGray.Mom.

Ruthie specializes in relational marketing and is the founder of the Community Marketing Framework System, taught inside her Authentic Marketing Membership.

Ruthie is also the host of the Authentic Online Marketing Podcast.

 In this episode, we talk about all the twists, turns and pivots she's made both professionally and personally since she started launching her kids into the world.

• Rekindling her love of writing through blogging.
• Pivoting into her own business as an Instagram and Business Coach.
• And the big pivot into a full-time caregiver for both of her parents.

Ruthie gets real in this episode about the "summer of surrender" when she pivoted from mentoring moms through her blog to starting a business.

And all the questions she had for Lord when both parents had health crises at once that have required years of caregiving as an only child.

You will relate to everything Ruthie says. Because we don't usually make ONE big pivot when our kids leave home. There are lots of pivots, adjustments and times of surrender until Jesus takes us home.

Show Notes

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Brenda McDearmon is a native Texan and empty nester who enjoys Uptown Dallas apartment life with her husband of 40 years, Mike.

When you follow her blog, Texas Over Fifty and her Instagram account by the same name, you can't help but see her approach to life which she describes as one of purposeful spirit and intentional adventure.

Brenda is the author of The Big Hunker Down: 7 Take-Cover Strategies to Weather the Storm of Job Loss and Keep Your Destiny out of the Bar Ditch.

In this episode, we talk about weathering the storms in our lives. In her case, she and Mike have weathered the storm of job loss several times in their 40 years together.

No matter what storms we face, Brenda's analogy of what you need to do to "hunker down" in a storm will resonate with you.

What does "hunker down" mean when weathering life's storms?

•  Crouching down or taking cover or attention to a certain task or idea . Hunker down place of safety.

• Safe place for you to weather a storm or difficulty.

• A place of focused attention to get you through the storm.

Weathering Life's Storms | Job Loss

Brenda and Mike sailed through the first 18 years of marriage with Mike on the fast track up the corporate ladder.

Words like down-sizing and corporate merger were not part of their vocabulary.

When Mike lost his job as the result of a corporate merger, they had a young family with 3 children. It was difficult and scary, but God worked it out.

Little did they know, they would experience this same scenario 3 more times.

Ways to Hunker Down When Weathering Life's Storms

• Allow yourself to grieve.

• Accept the things you cannot change. Don't dwell on "I should have" or "what if" scenarios.

• Hash it out with someone you trust.

• Have a mindset of expecting God to do great things.

• Learn how to pray big prayers.

• Let your thought, prayers and speech reflect that God is going to do big things.

• Recite scripture out loud. .

• Use tools that will keep your mind right and focused on the Lord - books, podcasts, sermons, who you talk to.

• Start every day with the Word of God.

• Plan the party - even while you are waiting. Something you are going to buy or do that will help you remember this season and how God worked it out.

Brenda said "It's exciting to look back and see how God worked out each situation"

Texas Over 50 Blog

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Book: The Big Hunker Down: 7 Take-Cover Strategies to Weather the Storm of Job Loss and Keep Your Destiny out of the Bar Ditch.

Full Show Notes

Free download from My Side of 50 - 8 Scripture Prayers for New Direction

Suzy Mighell is a Dallas-based Influencer and empty nester. She is the personality and content creator behind the popular blog and lifestyle brand Empty Nest Blessed.

EmptyNestBlessed.com is where Suzy shares everything that is important to us as empty nesters – from fashion and beauty, to travel, wellness, parenting, and more! She joyfully shares her life and faith with her followers while creating content to encourage, inspire, and bless them.

Suzy has been married to Bob for 30+ years and has 3 adult children.

A Good Relationship with Your Adult Children Starts with a Paradigm Shift

• Lots of prayer about navigating this new season of parenting.
• Learning self control and not saying everything that came to mind.
• Being intentional in maintaining a relationship with adult children.
• Being considerate and realizing the relationship has changed.
• Your job raising them is done.

Your kids need to be able to invite you into their lives without feeling that you are going to intervene without their permission.

Suzy said she stopped looking at them as kids and started looking at them as interesting people with whom she wanted to pursue a relationship.

Build a Good Relationship with Your Adult Children by Blessing Them.

Blessing your adult children involves honoring and respecting them.

Encouraging and praising them.

Always find something to praise and be a positive voice in their lives.

Show your interest in their lives by asking good questions and listening.

Be a learner when they tell you about their jobs, friends and what they are interested in.

Be aware that their generation is different than yours.

If you see a behavior or attitude that you don't understand, ask them about it.

Then, LISTEN WITHOUT PASSING JUDGEMENT.

Thank them for explaining their position to you.

Build a Good Relationship with Your Adult Children by Encouraging them Through Actions

• Kindness and going the extra mile with their spouse or significant other.
• "I love you" gifts, just because
• Asking how you can pray for them, then following up to let them know you prayed.

 How to Pray for Your Adult Children | Six Bible Verses to Use

Six Practical Ways to Show Love to Your Adult Children

Top 10 Ways to Have A Great Relationship With Your Adult Children

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Show Notes

Christa Hutchins is a chemical engineer who works as a project manager in the engineering and construction Industry.

In her coaching business, Do A New Thing, Christa equips busy communicators and leaders with project management and problem solving skills so they can turn their big ideas into a successful ministry or business. She is passionate about teaching women to find practical application of the Bible in their personal, professional and ministry lives.

In Christa's weekly podcast, Just One Simple Thing, she offers tactical solutions, based on Biblical principles, plus just one simple action step in each episode.

In this episode, Christa talks about:

• Finding new direction in the empty nest years.
• Using the ways God has taught you and poured into you in an amplified way.
• The ways we get stuck when we are looking for that new direction.
• How to get unstuck.

Christa's What Kind of Stuck Are You? Quiz shows you the REAL reason you are stuck and provides you with an action plan for your "type of stuck", and simple, proven tools to get you moving again!

8 Scripture Prayers for New Direction

Full show notes and links here.

Anita Morris is the founder of the popular DIY Fashion Brand Anita by Design where she teaches women all over the world the basics of sewing their own clothes.

 She's also  a speaker and best-selling author of  Step Into It, Overcoming Life Trials that Lead to Purpose.

While Anita is so proud of her many accomplishments, she will tell you that they have come at a cost. Pain.

• The pain of her husband's infidelity.
• The pain of having their retirement years and plans cut short by her his terminal illness and death.

But as Anita cried out to God, He showed her how to stand, trust, endure and proceed through the pain, leading her to new purpose.

Anita's story is for women who need the reminder that God is still is in control, no matter what they are going through.

8 Scripture Prayers for New Direction

Full show notes and links here.

Are you in the empty-nest season of wondering “What’s Next?”

After 20 years of homeschooling her three boys, author, entrepreneur and podcast coach, Misty Phillip asked God that same question.

Key Takeaways:

• Come to God in a posture of surrender.
• Pray
• Journal 
• Ask: “Lord, you have given me these gifts_____”. What is my calling in THIS Season”.
• Take the first step, trusting the Lord to tell you the next thing at the right time.

Full blog post and links here.

8 Scripture Prayers for New Direction

Have you noticed that the midlife season brings lots of new…. New joys like grandchildren, retirement, time to travel and pursue what you love.

And new challenges..the empty nest, aging parents, relationships with adult children, health challenges, and changes in marriage.

But one thing remains the same. Jesus.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. Hebrews 13:8.

Join me, Cathy Lawdanski, wife, mother, grandmother, entrepreneur and writer at MySideof50 for conversations about life over 50 and how Jesus meets us in this season.

Learn something new about the 50+ years, yourself and Jesus in every episode.

The My Side of 50 Podcast will launch on September 21, 2021.

Will you help me celebrate and spread the word?

• Follow or Subscribe to the podcast wherever you listen.
• Share about the podcast on social media and tag me @mysideof50!
• Visit the show notes to subscribe to my weekly newsletter to get the inside scoop from my guests, find recommended resources, discounts and podcast updates delivered straight to your inbox.

8 Scripture Prayers for New Direction - Free Download